Cauldron Compound:
Alexandria drummed her fingers on the cool, smooth, white marble table, its edges rounded smooth so as to not dig into the wrists of their group's less "brutish" members. Her eyes flicked with inhuman swiftness across paragraphs full of dizzying numericals and power rating charts. Numberman, who had presented this information to her, sat calmly in his chair, swiping his fingers across a laptop's touchpad. She could see the red and green indices of the Shanghai Stock Exchange reflected in his glasses.
The blonde smoothly closed his laptop the moment the door swung open. The other members followed in after Doctor Mother. Contessa came in and sat down next to the Doctor, while Legend sat down beside her. Eidolon marched in and plopped himself down into the remaining chair at the other end of the table, his posture was rigid and his fingers were likely flexing under the table. Alexandria could tell when Eidolon was in one of his moods even if she could not see his face. She could tell with the others too (excluding Contessa) but Eidolon was one she knew the best.
"Good morning, everyone," the Doctor began, taking off her glasses and sliding them into her lab coat's breast pocket. "I'm sure we all know why this meeting was called."
Eidolon scoffed and Alexandria sent him a quick reproachful glance.
"Hard not to, with all that's happened in Brockton," Legend replied, coolly. "Tell me," he slightly angled his body towards her, "Whose idea was it to send the city's heaviest hitters my way?" Oh he knew, or at least suspected whose idea it was.
Before Alexandria could answer him, the Doctor cut her off. "It was the right call. I'm sure you understand, Legend. We couldn't risk either of those three for some crumbling city that was already lost when that monster set foot in it and began his rampage."
"It might be the 'right call' in a vacuum, Doctor, but unfortunately, we do not live in one," the Doctor frowned, and Legend chuckled darkly. "Oh yes. Someone- I don't know who- decided to let everyone and their mother know that some 'unnamed higher ups' in the PRT, reassigned their city's most promising heroes to New York of all places- in the middle of a possible local S-class emergency! The Protectorate and the PRT have been reduced to a laughing stock." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Media outlets may not say it outright, but they know what we just did and so do the people of America. Worst of all, they suspect my hand in it."
Eidolon grunted. "This would've been avoided, if you'd just let me-"
"Kill yourself?" Alexandria shot his tirade down before it started.
Eidolon balled up his fist and hissed out. "We all know what I'm capable of. That upstart wouldn't be as much of a thorn in our backsides if you'd just let me atomize him back when we heard the first reports!"
"Eidolon," Legend looked him in the eyes, "I respect your capabilities, but you know why you were forbidden from attacking him." Eidolon begrudgingly nodded. "The reports I have received via official channels indicate that Nemesis had access to extremely efficient Mover and Brute powers long before he killed Hookwolf."
"He came prepared," Numberman said softly, yet they all heard him. "He knew who he wanted to kill and in what order. This was a calculated move. Methodical." Hearing the calm, silky voice of an ex-serial killer talk about premeditated murder, made her… unhappy. It was hypocritical, Alexandria knew, with all the atrocities she- they- had committed. In a different, more just and fair world, she would've dragged him into a mile long smear.
This was not that world. Monsters and killers were to let play their twisted games because humanity across countless realities needed all it had to win against nearly impossible odds. Alexandria wasn't exactly sure what the Path entailed beyond a certain point and if it would be able to truly defeat Scion at all. A part of her even wished that she had never been offered that vial.
She shook herself free of useless fatalistic thoughts and asked their most important member the questions they all wanted answers to. "Is there any way to contain Nemesis? Can we control him? Should we even try to?"
Contessa blinked and then frowned. "I can't see him."
Alexandria was speechless. What?
"So he's like me. Can you work around him?" Eidolon asked. Contessa frowned some more, shaking her head. This was beyond strange. Alarm bells were ringing in Alexandria's head, and she was sure by the looks on everyone else's face, they were equally worried.
"Not like you at all. He doesn't exist for the Path. The Path…" she struggled to find the right words, "... the Path is confused about what or who I'm pointing it at."
Legend leaned forward, staring hard into the thinker's sky blue eyes. "Is he a powerful Stranger or… another one of them?" Even without the emphasis on 'them', Alexandria knew what he was alluding to. Which painted a terrible picture, if it was true, that is. She hoped not.
"No, the Path doesn't avoid him like it did Scion, it doesn't know that Nemesis exists. It's all very… unusual." She hummed. "Either way, it wouldn't be wise to face him in an open battle as I wouldn't be able to assure our victory." Doctor Mother and Eidolon sighed and Legend was particularly focused on a spot on the wall behind Numberman. "As for whether there is a slight possibility to contain him." Legend looked back at her again, "Tried and tested mundane methods and plots might suffice. Or they might piss him off."
Numberman smirked, "Well, that's just wonderful. Relying on the good 'ol 'shoot in the dark and hope something sticks' routine."
"And what would you recommend, Kurt?" The Doctor smiled placidly, to which Kurt gave one of his own.
"Simple, my dear Doctor. Research."
"Research? Haven't we done plenty of that already?" She frowned.
"Not enough. There is much we do not yet know. I say we leave him alone and let him feast to his heart's desire. Contain the damage as best we can and then find out all there is to know about his powers. Every tidbit. What is his Manton Limit, how quickly can he take away powers, how many can he hold and channel at once, and what are his motives?" Numberman threw down the pen he was twirling in his hand. It landed at a perfect ninety degree angle. "And most importantly, who is behind the mask? What are his fears and dreams, and who does he care about? If he even does at all. All of this would help us craft a profile that we can exploit to contain or control the greatest parahuman threat of this decade. And who knows, he might be the answer we needed all along."
Contessa nodded. "Any plan is better than none." That was enough for Doctor Mother who shifted the conversation to other less exciting subjects.
Alexandria pondered over what Numberman had said. Could a power stealing trump be the answer to their woes? Unlike the Fairy Queen, Nemesis didn't need to summon apparitions to use his powers. He wasn't a baseline human either. The villain was seen using more than three powers at once. The more she thought, the more certain she became- Nemesis must be brought under Cauldron's thumb at all costs. Of course she knew better than to force someone as volatile as him- as the saying went: "There are more ways to skin a cat than flaying it alive."
Author Note: And Cauldron does what it does best... plot.