Arc 6 Final Interlude:
Reborn
The cold, empty interior didn't feel like home, but the house was already looking vastly better than it had the morning after their rude awakening. The removal of all their damaged furniture, not to mention the wooden floors, had left the Dallon home with but a pale shade of it's once warm and inviting character.
Mark knew that would change, though. With the fundamentals like new windows and repaired paneling on the exterior taken care of, courtesy of a perhaps overly cautious property insurance, the family could soon move back into their own home. The living room was bare brickwork and concrete for now, but the new paint was apparently scheduled for tomorrow and after that they could see about getting a new floor and replacing their furniture.
Of course, with how Carol wanted a more stylish, modern look and Vicky was already loudly proclaiming her preferences for wood and especially a more comfy sofa... that was going to be a challenge all on its own.
Regardless, it was about time they found a solution. Their temporary accommodations were perfectly fine, but being cooped up together had taken its toll. Even as bare as it was, having some space for themselves would do them good.
"Doesn't look like much, does it?"
Next to him, his companion looked around, gleaming black steel swiveling as the 'head' turned from side to side.
"Considering this place got hit by a good number of improvised weapons about... what, three weeks ago? I'd say it's looking pretty good."
Danny was right, of course. The company they'd hired to clean and repair the house had done good work. Fast, too, though apparently the damage was more limited than they'd originally thought.
"Well, all things are relative I suppose. Still, I've seen worse buildings through the Dockworkers', and those were actually meant to be used and not in the middle of rebuilding after a cape attack."
Mark moved on, scanning the floor as he made his way back through the kitchen, but unable to see the damage dealt to the floor when his daughter had pulled the fridge down. He wasn't sure how thick the floor had been over the concrete foundation, maybe it had absorbed enough of the impact it hadn't left any big cracks?
Stepping outside, he took a deep breath, the cool spring air filling his lungs and driving away the scent of concrete, cleaning agents and half-dry paint. He could have come with a suit like Danny had, but simply being out himself still felt... good, now that his head was clearer. Plus, it gave everyone a bit of space.
"Something tells me you didn't ask me to come along to look at the house, Mark."
"You sure you don't have one of those mind-reading programs running in my head, Danny?"
His companion chuckled, and Mark again was amazed at how human the Heberts sounded when they didn't have the machines distort their voices. They'd used it for long enough that even now the difference was still a bit jarring.
"I do HR in a field where jobs are basically non-existent. Reading someone wrong could be the difference between someone putting their kid through high school or that family going hungry. Besides, I can't really help out with the house like this."
Yeah, there was that.
"I had to get away from the family for a bit." Mark sighed. "We're... we're all under a lot of pressure, and we're cooped up too close together right now."
'She deserves this as much as any of us, Carol.'
'No. Amy should not be doing this! She's had no combat training, no experience, no restraint. Should we just wait until she calls one day saying she accidentally murdered someone and we need to cover it up?'
'She's burning out, love. And with the city as it is, we need all hands on board.'
"Things got a bit too much, even with the implant. I thought I'd head here, see how the house is doing and when we can move back in. We... we need some time to recover. The fighting hasn't been easy on the team."
They were silent for a moment, him listening to the breeze in the trees, Danny... he didn't know. Possibly doing the same. The suits certainly had enough tricks in them to leave his own eyes and ears in the dust by comparison.
"You're talking about Laserdream?"
"Not just her."
Crystal had been fortunate enough that she would make a full recovery within a day or two. The bruising and other injuries had been fixed by Amy, and the concussion would fade in time. Even so, his niece was one of the only ones who had gotten the chance to heal.
Stormtiger was dead, killed by Oni Lee. Oni Lee himself was dead as well, bled out after he was hit by shrapnel from some sort of booby trap on the Empire's car. The Empire had come prepared, and once they'd been able to time his attacks... it was a bad way to go, but Mark couldn't really feel sorry for the killer.
And then of course there were twenty-three bodies to bury. Most of the dead were Empire, but a handful of others had died as well. Oni Lee's death alone had already made the larger picture a lot more complicated.
Purity's capture might have been a silver lining of some sort, but even that did little to ease the pressure.
"Vicky's about ready to demolish the next gang hangout she runs across, the Pelhams are each dealing with Crystal's injuries in their own way, Carol's grounding everyone and getting ignored, and after the recent... discussion, Amy's walked out with a face that would scare Lung's darkest nightmares."
"I'm sorry. I wish things were better. Did... we deliver the nanites at a wrong time?"
"Don't beat yourself up over this. We're already slowly falling apart, Danny. One way or another the stress we're under has to stop, and soon. The nanites for Amy were just the proverbial straw."
Silence again. A bit awkward, but the unease he felt was dulled by his cybernetics.
Adjusting to the new experiences had been difficult, but he had no regrets. It had been years since his thoughts had been this clear, since he'd felt so... so alive. The many other tricks he could use now were just a nice bonus compared to no longer being crippled by the relentless depression he'd been under, the feeling that he was just-
No. That way lay thoughts he didn't want to revisit.
"We'll make it through this, Danny. But our family's not the only one who's been through a lot. How's your girl doing?"
Safe and sound as she might be with her machines, Taylor had been in the thick of things nonetheless.
"Tracking the mad bomber, again. After... after Oni Lee was found, yesterday, she's hoping she can find Bakuda in the direction he was fleeing before he died. He didn't get very far and it's a long shot, but..."
"But anything we can do is better than waiting, huh?"
Just waiting, sitting there doing nothing until the world made the choices for you. Until-
Perhaps the implant would still need a bit of tweaking. Finding a balance between countering his depression and pushing too far into euphoria was an ongoing project, though he was certainly happy with the results so far.
"It's not that she's trying to help, it's... I'm scared, Mark. Scared for my daughter, of what she's going through, and... I..."
"Scared of her, too?"
"I don't even know anymore. We're doing more together than we ever have, but it's all cape things now. She doesn't talk about school, about her day, hobbies, nothing. Mr. James is visiting in a few days to finish the court case and get things rolling together with Bra- with Carol, and she just... doesn't seem to care. Nothing."
"It's a tough subject for her, Danny. What she's gone through... I think things will get better once she's out of that school. Less pressure, and less drive to escape into super-heroics."
"I know, Mark. I know. But even so, I..."
"You're worried she won't stop? That she's taking it too far?"
"Yesterday she watched almost twenty people die, Mark. I don't care if she's got enough designs in her head to change the world, that's not something a teenager should want to deal with! I just want her to be normal, to go to school and have a life, and she..."
"She's a cape."
Danny, for all that he cared, just didn't understand that. Not like they did. Having powers was more than just a trick that people picked up after which they went on with their lives, it could define who and what you were.
"How do you handle it?" Danny said. "The fear? Knowing that your children are out there and getting shot and burned and... and that they could die? That you could die?"
He saw the suit turn towards him, unblinking red eyes gazing out from between the black plating.
"The fear is always there, that things can go wrong, but you accept it. I'm scared for my girls, yes, but I'm also proud. So, so proud."
The first time Vicky had come home after stopping a mugger he'd smiled and congratulated her, like the others, but he hadn't had it in him to really make it feel genuine even if he'd given her a hug. She knew it was a hollow gesture, of course, but she didn't care about any of that. She was happy just that he was trying, and she'd returned the hug with great, and perhaps a bit too much, enthusiasm. At the time, it was something he just did because he forced himself to, but now...
Now? Thinking back on it, it was one of the best memories of his life.
"We're capes, Danny. I know you almost count as one as well now, but you have to understand. Powers change us. Capes... there have been studies, about capes trying to lock their powers away and simply live a normal life. It rarely ever works."
"Yeah, I... I looked into it. After Taylor first told me. I thought maybe she wouldn't have to go out at all."
"For me, depression felt like a blanket over my whole life. Simply getting out of bed and deciding what to have for breakfast has been a struggle for me. Even the most basic things were challenging. And yet... when I was out there, when I was making a difference, it all just falls away. Sure, you can say it's the adrenaline, but the only times I could just do, without thinking, was when I was out there fighting the good fight."
The suit turned away from him again, and though he couldn't hear it he was sure Danny was sighing. The man was under a lot of stress, and hiding it from his daughter wasn't helping much.
"Just... be there for her. She'll make mistakes, everyone does. And with how she's taking more and more weight on her shoulders, if she ever does crash it will hit her hard. I don't think any of us can really be there for her when it happens, not with how she's still walling herself off from everyone."
"You've noticed?"
"Danny, at some point Vicky might decide to drag your daughter straight out of your house to get some fresh air, secret identities be damned. We know."
Mark sighed, rubbing his eyes as he collected his thoughts. Teenagers weren't easy to handle before adding in powers, and with the unprecedented violence and chaos in the city things weren't exactly 'normal' either.
"I... I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We're all chafing under the pressure now. Hell, Amy's doing pretty much the same thing your Taylor's doing. She's... I think they feel responsible, both of them. Like they should be doing more no matter what it takes out of them. She's been visiting the hospitals more, the last few weeks. She doesn't go as often as people seem to think, but nowadays she's trying to... live up to the expectations, I guess."
He didn't say the other reason, that he was sure she was also trying to escape from Carol. He'd already realized she'd been all but forced to live without any real parents, and now... he saw too much of himself in her. The posture, hollow eyes, and fake smiles that she presented to the outside world. Amy was burning out, fast, and she was trying to hide it under a mask of determination and push through on sheer willpower.
"Is that why you support her plan to get an implant?" Danny interrupted his thoughts. "Give her a way to make a difference beyond just healing?"
"There's more to it than just her power. Family troubles, too. It's gotten worse over the years but I was never in any position to help. I... hope you don't mind if I don't go into detail."
"Yeah, of course."
"Either way, I don't think we can let this go on. As much as the kids are determined to make a difference, it doesn't change the fact they're heading for a burnout. And I'm not just talking about your Taylor, here. Vicky and Amy are in this to the bitter end in complete defiance of my and Carol's wishes, Eric's always been the rebel of the family but he's lashing out even more than usual and Crystal... she's not going to last much longer if this keeps going like it has."
"Was... was the concussion that bad? Is she ok?"
Crystal was fine, he knew. Physically at least. But while he couldn't be sure how the concussion might have had an impact, her behavior after the fight still troubled him. The kids were slowly coming apart, even if they tried to hide it... or perhaps if they did not even realize it themselves.
"It's not just the concussion. She got hurt fighting the Merchants, too, and she's always been... hesitant, with her power. Much like your daughter's, Crystal's powers are strong enough that they're difficult to use non-lethally. She absolutely loves to fly, but she's never taken to the crime-fighting life as well as the others. She's not handling the recent pressures well."
"Sorry. It's... not exactly how we wanted things to turn out when we first called New Wave."
"Don't worry about it. We keep this up, soon enough the ABB will break. After that it's Coil, and then we and the Protectorate can fully focus on keeping the Empire in check."
"I just wish we'd all do a bit less fighting and intrigue and more normal stuff. Figured I'd be more worried about Taylor bringing a boy home at this age, not... this. Even with superpowers, I expected more like patrols and the occasional TV interview or photoshoot instead of waging a constant war on the gangs. I'm looking forward to when things calm down again and I can worry about normal parent worries for once."
Danny laughed.
"Seeing how all of her peers right now are Heroes, too, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if any boyfriend she did bring home were secretly a Villain of some sort, just for the drama potential. Do you ever wonder if your children have bad friends?"
He had to smile at the idea. The disaster that Victoria alone would cause if that ever happened...
"Not really, but honestly? I think they'd make good friends. Our kids and your Taylor, I mean. If you're not going for a public identity I'd warn against them 'befriending' each other the moment your daughter gets to Arcadia, but after that... I think they could use it. All of them."
"I just hope we're doing the right thing with the case. Knowing that Coil is out there... it chills my blood."
Not just Danny's. All of New Wave was in a kind of cold fury, a bed of embers just waiting for that spark. None of them would let a second Fleur happen. When the Heberts had first suggested their plans for dealing with Coil's ability to predict the future using that poor girl, they likely didn't expect New Wave to accept so readily.
It's not every day you can get a team of Heroes to agree to a 'scorched earth' retaliation strike, after all.
"How's Taylor handling it? Knowing the two of you might be targeted?"
"She's... determined. Plans within plans, ways to bring the fight to Coil, dead-man switches in case either of us gets hurt, she's going all out."
"I think Coil deserves it."
Danny was silent for a few moments.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
How do you beat a man who knew your every move before you did?
You made sure he knew just how bad things would go if he targeted New Wave.
The moment any of them were attacked, especially the Heberts, the others would drop whatever they were doing and immediately gear up to arrest every one of Coil's mercs they could find. With Tattletale's help they'd tracked down three of his bases even if the man himself was still eluding them. All three would be hit, using the entire team and however many Revenant suits and robots him and Amy could bring with them. From there, they would use whatever information they could squeeze out of those men (and women) to track down Coil himself.
Consequently, if Coil ever predicted a future where he went directly against New Wave, the sheer amount of damage they would do to his operations should be enough to have him back off at least temporarily.
"You're sure though? Continuing the case even if it means handing your names to Coil's men on a silver platter?"
"Yeah. Taylor needs to get out of Winslow. She doesn't talk about it anymore, but I know she's suffering over there." Danny said. "And Coil... he'd know, anyway. It's only a matter of time. For all we know, he can just point at a map and get that kidnapped girl to tell him if we live there, then point to another part, and another... keeping ourselves hidden won't help forever, would it? We need to get him."
He sighed, a faint, tinny sound coming from the hulking machine that was his current form.
"Taylor's too determined to stop him. I worry, but... I just wish I knew how to make it all stop. The fighting, the stress, the endless plans and worries."
"Stop it? Danny, we're all in, and Brockton Bay is the prize. I don't think there's anything we can do to 'stop' anything, not until Bakuda and Coil are caught and the Empire goes quiet once they realize they're not big enough to fight both us and the Protectorate."
"Not stop it then, how do I keep Taylor..."
Safe? Sane? Out of the newspaper headlines?
"We take the load instead."
As long as the fighting continued they'd all be under pressure. But between them, both him and Danny could do a lot to help instead. The more they did, the less it would come down to the other members of the team. And he, at least, didn't have a job that took up most of his day.
Pointing at the house, he continued.
"The house still needs quite a bit of work, but the garage is fine. I'm going to start work on a drone for patrols. Show the flag to the city that New Wave's got their backs, so to speak."
"...you think patrols will help at this point?"
"No. But the kids are right. Brockton Bay isn't the city we used to know. So I'm going back out there, and I'm going to show the city that we're not afraid. That the villains don't get to just attack everyone without opposition. I've got nothing better to do, so I'm going to try and make a difference. Your daughter's tech gives me the chance to do just that."
"Yeah, that it does. Okay, I'll help out if I can. Should be something we... we..."
The suit stiffened, snapping straight without warning.
"What? What is it?"
"One moment, Mark, we're just..."
"Bakuda? You found Bakuda?"
"Looks like it. Come on, time to go save the city."
"All right. I'll call Sarah and get New Wave up and ready. Danny, you and Taylor go get the Protectorate. Squealer was a catastrophe when we tried on our own, and Bakuda's a bomb Tinker. It wouldn't surprise me if her lair is fifty percent booby traps by weight at this point. No way in hell we're doing this solo, and we'll want Armsmaster and Kid Win along at the very least."
Turning around, he ran back to the front of the house where his car was parked. Overhead, he heard the shrill whine of the drone, diving down from above the clouds to pick up Danny' suit.
He laughed.
Yeah, he wasn't looking forward to tackling this particular Tinker, but on the other hand... the city'd been through enough pain and hardship already.
A thin grin flashed over his face as he jumped behind the wheel and started the engine.
It was good to be back.
7.1
Three hours later.
The Pelham home was more crowded than it had ever been. Aside from the eight original New Wave members, the living room was filled with three Revenant 'suits' as well as four PRT officers and Velocity of the Protectorate.
On the wall, a hastily-acquired projector showed the area surrounding Bakuda's new workshop. Several dozen icons were milling around, though without more direct sight it would be impossible to see if they were members of the ABB or people held hostage following Bakuda's 'recruitment' methods.
"Still no indication why she's holed up in there?" Velocity said. "For all we know she's building some kind of doomsday device to complete the mad scientist image."
Velocity was getting increasingly twitchy. He'd already suggested a scouting run to keep an eye on things, but he'd been overruled by both Armsmaster and director Piggot. The higher-ups didn't want to take any chances, so unless Bakuda suddenly left we were waiting for the entire team to get ready. Most of the other Protectorate capes were with the PRT, establishing a cordon around the area... but at a sizeable distance, so Bakuda wouldn't know it was happening.
"It's the basement level of an electronics store." Flashbang replied. "She might not need a reason beyond having so much ready-to-use materials around."
Armsmaster, meanwhile, had been on patrol with Miss Militia when we called in the Tinker's location and needed some time getting his own equipment ready. I wasn't the only one who'd been working on ways to stop Bakuda, and he had apparently been working on a device that would detect and intercept whatever transmissions the villainous Tinker used to activate her explosives.
Apparently even Kid Win had been trying to help, though we hadn't been told what his contribution would be since he wasn't participating in the raid.
So we spent the last two hours sitting here, waiting for the Tinkers to arrive and finish the plans. To say it was nerve-wracking was a bit of an understatement, but it had given me the time to put the latest addition to my arsenal into use.
"Support is here." One of the faceless PRT troopers said, moving out into the hallway and towards the front door. "One moment."
Not half a minute later Armsmaster, Miss Militia and Kid Win walked into the living room. Kid Win took up a spot near the edge of the room, staying away from the people crowded around the map even as Miss Militia made her way through to take a closer look.
"I... is everything all right, Armsmaster?"
On our side, Lady Photon was not the only one to look at the new visitors with a measure of surprise and worry.
Armsmaster nodded, a stiff motion that merely drew attention to the band-aids visible on his chin and left cheek. His proud blue armor was scratched in countless lines, making the Protectorate leader appear as though he'd walked through a sandblaster.
Now that I looked closer, Miss Militia was also looking somewhat disheveled, small rips in her army-style uniform revealing the body armor underneath.
Panacea was already making her way over.
"Hookwolf?"
"I wish that were true. No, this was not the Empire. Ah, yes, Panacea, you have my permission."
Taking a moment to pull the gauze and other medical bits off his jawline, the Tinker continued.
"You'll all receive a more detailed report in the morning, but given the urgency of the task at hand-" He nodded at the map still showing on the screen. "-we came as fast as we could. Roughly two and a half hours ago, both myself and Miss Militia encountered Skidmark on our patrol route through the Northern areas of Brockton Bay."
Skidmark. The one Merchant that had managed to escape after the clashes between his gang and New Wave.
"Skidmark himself was accompanied by three unpowered individuals, as well as a formerly independent villain called Trainwreck. I assume you are aware of him?"
There were nods all around, including from me. Trainwreck was one of a handful of small-time criminals that we knew operated in Brockton Bay, but who weren't dangerous or ambitious enough to be a major priority compared to the gangs. If he'd joined up with the Merchants, though...
"We pursued them by bike, and while our own form of transportation was faster and more maneuverable, we believed their vehicle to be one of Squealer's, possibly maintained or altered by Trainwreck. Hence, we were cautious in our pursuit."
Miss Militia had put up a map of Brockton Bay on the laptop we used for the briefing, zooming in to an area in the northern part of the city. It was... actually pretty close to the area we had covered with sensors before we focused on the ABB, Coil and the areas downtown. If we had left the old sensor net in place, we might have been able to help.
"Upon reaching Hemingway Street, both Miss Militia and I were attacked using a large number of small-scale forcefields, while Skidmark and Trainwreck reversed course and attempted to run us over. While we successfully retreated from the attack with only minor injuries, the form of the attack indicates that Skidmark and Trainwreck were supported by a villain from Boston, known as 'Vex'. Consequently, we can conclude that the local villains have either formed an alliance of convenience or outright joined the Teeth."
If the heroes' appearances had caused some mild concern, that statement blanketed the room in a quiet chill. The Teeth hadn't been seen in Brockton Bay for years, not since the Slaughterhouse Nine visited the city and wiped out their entire roster. I didn't remember much from that time, but I'd still heard the stories.
"It was all useless? We take out the Merchants and things just..."
Laserdream didn't finish her sentence, but we all knew what she meant. Given that we were the ones responsible for all but wiping out the Merchants... we'd just replaced one gang of drug-pushing criminals with a group that was the worst parts of the old gang put together a dozen times over – except far more violent.
We'd fought the Merchants for weeks, taking them down even at the cost of a retaliation against New Wave's civilian lives... for this?
"Don't believe that, Crystal. Even if the Teeth move to Brockton Bay, that means cities like Boston and Philadelphia will have fewer Teeth to deal with." Lady Photon gave her daughter a quick hug. "We're making the world a safer place, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Murmurs of agreement – and disagreement, echoed across the gathered New Wave members.
"Ahem."
Miss Militia was still standing next to the map, newly healed by Panacea but still very much worn-looking.
"I suggest we handle Bakuda first and discuss our strategies for handling the Teeth tomorrow? Given your recent actions against the Merchants we will heavily involve you in the process, but right now we have neither the time nor the information necessary to make any major decisions. Given the potential danger to your team, any senior members of New Wave willing to attend are invited to a meeting at the PRT headquarters tomorrow at four o' clock."
Hm. I wondered if they considered me a 'senior' member or not...
"Indeed. We have more important problems to focus on." Armsmaster said, turning to Dad's suit as he spoke. "Revenant, Ghost, I have been told we have you to thank for finding Bakuda. I would like to again express my gratitude and that of the Protectorate East-Northeast."
"You are quite welcome." Dad said. "Bakuda's a danger to all of us, and we did what we could. If anything, we would like to also thank the PRT and Protectorate for allowing us to temporarily use our new coastal facility to the South."
"You are welcome. We will still need to perform a more in-depth inspection to ensure long-term safety, but given the urgency of the matter at hand and our, ah-" Armsmaster gestured at his own, heavily scratched armor. "lack of protections for withstanding Tinker-grade explosives, we felt it prudent to allow for some additional support."
In other words, they were hoping our suits could lead the attack and trip any bombs so the other heroes wouldn't die. It was... a bit ruthless, perhaps, but I found that I honestly didn't mind much. The suits were completely expendable, and even if I didn't feel particularly charitable to the PRT or Protectorate, I did agree that taking down Bakuda was the main goal tonight.
"That said, I was told that New Wave was already working on a plan of attack? Please proceed with your presentation and we will discuss how our own efforts may best be used to..."
Armsmaster briefly stopped, one finger to his helmet to indicate he was listening to something.
"...yes, of course. Lady Photon, would you mind if I open a remote connection onto your laptop?"
A few minutes later, Armsmaster stood up from the table with the computer and the screen projected on the wall rapidly shifted. My surveillance shrunk to a quarter of the screen, the remainder taken up by a number of schematics and a computer-generated image of a woman's face. A tinny voice spoke up from the speakers.
"Hello New Wave, Revenant, Ghost."
"Dragon?" Lady Photon spoke, surprise in her voice. "I didn't realize we rated this kind of attention."
Dragon? The Dragon? I looked at the screen, studying the stylized image as the Canadian Tinker smiled at Lady Photon. Having her here... it wasn't quite on the level of having one of the Triumvirate walk in, but it was pretty close. What the hell was she doing here?
"Armsmaster and I have been working on a number of joint projects over the past few months. While I don't have any personal suits stationed in Brockton Bay, when I heard Bakuda's location was discovered I offered to oversee the operation and provide technical support."
She turned on the screen, and I wondered for a moment how she knew where any of us were. There was a webcam on the computer, but that wouldn't be enough to see even half the people crammed into the living room.
Armsmaster's helmet, maybe?
"There are also a number of subjects that we would like to discuss with you, Revenant and Ghost, and providing support may be a good overture before any later discussions. I hope you'll consider further talks once this crisis has been dealt with?"
Glancing over at Dad, it was obvious I wasn't the only one who was blind-sided by her sudden appearance. Dragon was big news, and considering we'd done as much as we could to keep a low profile while still opposing the gangs...
Did they know?
Dad just shrugged.
I nodded.
"We'll... consider it, depending on what you want to talk about."
"Excellent. Now, shall we focus on the task at hand?"
Murmurs of agreement sounded from the rest of us, and we focused back on the screen as Lady Photon took point.
"Our plan so far is to use Revenant's remotely controlled drones to spearhead the assault, taking any hits we cannot avoid and destroying as many of Bakuda's bombs as we can."
"Given the high probability of traps and dead-man switches, a straight attack on her position will be exceedingly dangerous. Even if you are willing to sacrifice some of your drones, Bakuda herself could have enough firepower to retaliate. I would recommend that Velocity targets Bakuda with a tranquilizer at the earliest opportunity."
Looking at Velocity, the man gave a shaky grin and a thumbs up. He didn't look particularly happy about the idea, but I had to give the man credit for still going through with it. I couldn't fault him for being wary, given who and what we were up against.
"Focus on clearing the way to the Tinker. Any other explosives we can take our time to deal with, so long as Bakuda can't activate any of them."
"Actually, we were about to start a scouting run to find any bombs she might have in there." Brandish said. "We can more quickly reach Bakuda without having to stop and search during the attack."
"A scouting run? Forgive me, but you'll have to explain. Do you have some method to avoid detection? I would not recommend giving Bakuda any chance to prepare."
We had the Cloak generator, but... no.
Stepping forward, I held up my hand and the small, glass jar I was carrying. The jar itself looked entirely empty, though I knew better.
"I've got a drone holding position high over Bakuda's hideout, carrying a supply of microscopic cameras similar to the ones I've put in this jar. They're part of a larger surveillance system I call the 'Soothsayer', though they're somewhat limited without their support infrastructure."
Handing the jar to Armsmaster, I stepped back even as Kid Win gingerly stepped around me to take a look as well.
"I have some basic influence over their movement, but without the control tower they won't be able to remain airborne, just slow their descent or move side to side. Once I drop them, I'll be able to look through Bakuda's hideout and move them through doorways and the like, but once they hit a floor or other surface, it's over."
"Fascinating. The cameras are the silvery dust collecting at the bottom of the jar?" Armsmaster said as he peered through the glass. "I've never seen anything like this. Dragon, can you patch into my helmet, please?"
"One moment. Regardless, this does open some additional avenues of attack."
"One moment."
Miss Militia's interruption shook us out of the discussion,
"This may not be the best time for it, but given the circumstances... New Wave, you've been remarkably effective in tracking down the city's villains over the past weeks. First the Merchants, now Bakuda..."
Walking over to the map, she pointed at the blinking, red icon that indicated Bakuda's position. With a start, I realized that in the time we'd been talking, a handful of new icons had entered the building.
"Downtown would not be a logical place to search for an ABB cape. While I doubt it will be a problem in this particular case, electronic surveillance without a warrant is still illegal. So I do need to ask... how exactly did you find Bakuda?"
That... was a very dangerous question. Considering just how much we were operating in a legal gray area, even before adding in the tips we'd been given by the Undersiders, I wasn't sure just how legal what we were doing was. I didn't want to explain and end up saying too much or possibly getting arrested, so I only saw one way out.
I turned to Brandish.
From one moment to the next, the room went from tense but determined to chilled. Armsmaster stiffened, and Velocity stopped his constant, rapid twitching to look at us.
"We... have access to some surveillance, yes." Brandish sighed, rubbing her nose before sitting up straight. "In accordance with the Vigilante Operations Act of 1987, we are not trespassing and only collect data from the public domain."
It was honestly a bit bizarre, how the woman just switched over like that. One moment, calm but worried, the next her face was a mask of professional discipline.
"The Merchants were found by tracking individuals observed to participate in drug deals, and in one particular instance by identifying one of Squealer's vehicles from it's... unique energy signature?"
She tilted her head at me with that last part.
I shrugged.
"It was a pretty big car."
Miss Militia relaxed somewhat, but she was still watching me.
"And Bakuda? New Wave reported they had a way to track Bakuda, but only at very limited range. How did you know she would be in this part of the city? None of the members of the ABB the authorities have arrested thus far even knew where she was."
"We... were given a tip to focus on Downtown. Our source has expressed a desire to remain anonymous at this time."
The Heroes were quiet for a few moments, before Miss Militia nodded.
"Very well. It sounds like it's a more complicated situation than I expected. We'll save it for another time, though this does need further explaining and I recommend you discuss any further activities with the PRT before implementing them."
I was getting increasingly restless. This was the second time our planning had been interrupted, and again because the Heroes wanted to hinder me even if it meant risking Villains going unopposed.
"Well, then." Armsmaster spoke. "With that out of the way, let us continue. As it stands, we will need to focus primarily on disabling Bakuda's bombs before she can use them, then eliminating the Tinker herself. We believe we can disrupt her longer-range communications to prevent her from activating any bombs in the rest of the city, but our signal will not be strong enough to jam any devices she may have on-site and we assume we can only use it once before she changes her transmission method."
He gestured at Miss Militia, and the second Hero lifted her weapon, a thin rifle of some sort with an assortment of circuitry and gizmos haphazardly attached to the end.
"We've brought a number of weapon modifications that were kindly provided by Kid Win. While he will not participate in person, these devices should help deal with any explosives."
"Uhm... you're welcome." Kid Win said nervously. "Anything I can do to help."
"Indeed. Each attachment functions as a charging ring, encasing ordinary bullets with a particle shell that causes a small burst on impact in the... ahem. To summarize, it drains electrical energy from any nearby systems, including any batteries and electronics Bakuda used in her explosives. It should disable most of her bombs on a direct or near-direct hit. Miss Militia has one of these attachments, the others are carried by the four PRT officers who will be accompanying us on the raid."
Gesturing to one of the PRT officers, Armsmaster continued. Behind him, I could see Kid Win beaming with pride.
"Revenant. You and Ghost will be given a variant as well if you need them and believe you have the skills to use them effectively. That said, if you have any of your own electrical weapons, please bring them with you. Given the previous display, a direct-"
"Actually, I'm bringing my missiles."
The room went quiet at my response, the tension from before returning with a vengeance.
"Am I to understand these are the same missiles you previously used against Lung?"
"Last time I got in a fight without my weapons, Lung was left to rampage and two dozen people were killed. I'm not going out without a way to fight."
"Revenant, as much as I empathize with your view, your missiles are still considered-"
"Armsmaster. If I may, perhaps a limited use against Bakuda's explosives may be appropriate. Revenant, if you promise not to use your missiles unless directed to do so by myself or a member of the PRT or Protectorate, would that be an acceptable compromise?"
I wasn't planning to use them against any of the normal gang members, anyway, but I didn't want to be caught off guard again. Still... Dragon sounded a lot more reasonable than the rest of the Heroes I'd dealt with so far. Maybe she was simply more used to handling powerful Tinkertech?
"I don't know if I'll need them, but they might work better than the Zapper. I don't want to set off any bombs I hit. But if you're sensible about what you'll let me use them on... yeah, that works for me."
"Hm. That will need to do, I suppose." Armsmaster grumbled. "Please deploy your cameras so we can determine where, and if, we need to escalate any of our methods."
I nodded, and with a mental command the drone hidden far above Bakuda's position tilted nose down, accelerating for a few second before braking and opening the small ports in the boxes underneath.
On the screen, a dozen nervous Heroes watched as the image shifted from the map and the Tinkertech we would use today to the view of Brockton Bay's streets from on high.
"I must say, that is excellent signal quality you are getting from devices that small."
"Well... the only reason they work at all is because they've got a machine the size of a car to maintain the connection. These cameras aren't as easy to deploy as they look."
I saw Armsmaster briefly glance at the jar on the table, still containing some of my cameras. For a moment he just stood there, a few slight twitches of his jaw making him seem lost in thought. Then, he gave me a short nod and turned back to face the screen.
"I see."
As the Soothsayer cameras descended, the image further expanded, wind currents slightly spreading them around as I ordered the machine to move the cameras to windows, doorways and other possible points of entry.
"All right, we should be inside in a minute or two. If anyone has any suggestions of where to-"
Wait, what?
Ignoring the images I was getting from the Soothsayer, I switched back to the map display. Icons came into view, several of the ones at the edges of the group moving closer to the basement stairs. A chill ran down my spine as I realized the number of icons in the building was a lot lower than a few moments back.
Yellow dots arced down the stairway, but the lower level...
Bakuda was gone.
"Wait, what's going on?" Kid Win asked. "Are those..."
"Bakuda's signal has dissapeared. Revenant, any chance that-"
"Everyone, quiet. The yellow dots are bullets. Someone's fighting down there. I've lost track of Bakuda, but that could simply mean she's dead."
As I spoke, the first of the Soothsayer cameras made it to the building, drifting inside through a half-open window on the second floor. From further down, I could hear the sound of gunshots and shouting, though I didn't understand what they were saying.
"Everyone, get moving." Armsmaster spoke, his voice loud and commanding. "PRT six-six-one, get the transport ready. We're leaving, now."
From one moment to the next, the room erupted in a flurry of movement. Kid Win, Flashbang and the others who wouldn't be traveling the short distance to Bakuda's hideout stepped back against the walls, while Miss Militia and the rest of the Heroes and PRT rushed out the door. Armsmaster stayed behind, gesturing to me and Dad.
"Revenant, Ghost... Flashbang, if you know how to, get your suits on-site as soon as possible. The moment you're there, head in. We'll wait until the building's clear before we go in, but whatever just happened we can not allow Bakuda to escape. Dragon, support them as best as you're able and keep us updated on defusal operations."
"I will. Good luck, everyone."
"Let's move it, people!"
Armsmaster walked out, and I was left staring at the remaining Heroes.
"Go. Take the suits. Leave one here so we can talk, but waiting here won't do anyone any good." Flashbang said. "Whatever Bakuda just did, the suits are the best chance we've got of looking at it safely."
Glancing over at Dad, we both made our way outside.
"Revenant, can you replay the signals of your... radar, for the last few minutes?"
"Yeah, sure."
Splitting the screen between the Soothsayer inputs and the radar map, I re-played the events of the last few minutes. Something had happened down there, but I couldn't see what. One moment, Bakuda was in the basement with six other people, then bullets started flying. A few moments later, every icon in the room just... vanished.
"Guys?" Kid Win spoke up. "I, uh, don't claim to know what's going on anymore, but I've got a really bad feeling about this."
Outside, two suits grabbed handholds on the drone's armor before disappearing into the night.
"Just stay calm. With the gear on hand we can disable Bakuda's explosives without personal risk and we've nullified her ability to detonate her bombs across the rest of the city."
On the screen, the Soothsayer cameras showed a pair of Asian-looking men lean around the corner to the stairs, guns in hand and obviously wary. A third lay face-down on the ground, his shirt stained dark red.
A ripple washed over the screen, and the two ABB thugs went limp. One simply collapsed where he stood, the other fell forward, tumbling down the stairs like a puppet with cut strings.
Every icon on my map winked out.
"Sorry, Dragon, but in this case I have to agree with Kid Win."
What the hell was going on over there?