20

Trump Card

Part Seventeen: Hostile Extraction

Timeline C

Coil leaned back in his chair, thinking furiously. Something had just happened to shut down his other timeline, and he wasn't sure what. If Taylor Hebert had a Trump power that forced him out of any timeline where he did harm to her, then he would have to tread carefully.

What if she's reading my timelines and reacting accordingly?

In which case, she was scarier than any cape he had ever encountered before. Very carefully indeed.

On the screen, she was still looking around, a little puzzled. He cleared his throat, and her eyes snapped back to the image of him on her screen. "Miss Hebert," he began politely. "I understand that you were involved in an incident with Shadow Stalker at your high school."

She blinked rapidly. "I … the PRT told everyone to not talk to anyone about that."

"Well, I won't tell them that you told me anything." She didn't respond to his weak attempt at humour. He wasn't actually good at this sort of thing; he did much better when the subject was undergoing unfriendly interrogation in the secondary timeline.

She shook her head. "I … I don't really want to talk about it. And you still haven't told me who you are."

Given what had just happened, he wasn't sure if he wanted to try to coerce her again. But then, maybe he was overlooking the simple solution. "You can call me Coil. I am a supervillain. You have information that I need. I could pay you for that information."

She looked a little taken aback. "What?"

"Money," he explained. "Say, ten thousand dollars in non-sequential bills, in your hand, in five minutes, if you give me a complete rundown on what happened at Winslow." It would be cheap at the price; his copy of the report of the incident was maddeningly vague.

She frowned. "I … ten thousand? Really?"

Under his mask, he smiled. Greed got them all, in the end. It really was true; everyone had their price. "Just say the word."

She looked troubled. "But the PRT will know that I talked. They might prosecute me."

He shrugged, lightly. "Don't mention the money. Say that I coerced you."

"Can I think about it?"

"Certainly. Take your time." She wouldn't take long, he knew. People only thought about it when they wanted to talk themselves into it. If she were going to refuse, she would have already.

Timeline B

He typed in the code and the door hissed aside; as he stepped through, the Hebert girl looked around and jumped to her feet.

"It's all right; you can sit down," he assured her. "I'm just here to talk."

Slowly, she sat. "You haven't told me who you are, yet."

He acknowledged that with a nod. "You can call me Coil. I'm a supervillain." He went to the armchair opposite hers and sat down, the better to appear non-threatening.

"Why did you have me kidnapped?" she asked. "I don't know who told you that I have any sort of powers, but it's just not true."

"Which presents us with a problem," he noted, steepling his fingers. "I know that the PRT already spoke to you, told you to tell no-one about what actually happened at the school."

She looked puzzled. "How did you know that?"

Under his mask, he smiled. "I have contacts in many place," he hinted. "I know your name, I know your face, I know where you live, I know that your father is a spokesman for the Dock Workers' Association -"

Timeline C

Coil watched her patiently on the screen. She was fidgeting now, playing with the ends of her hair, taking off her glasses and cleaning them on her shirt, putting them back on again. Classic displacement activity. She was coming to a decision, but not wanting to seem as though she was coming to it too quickly. Which means she's going to accept the money.

He allowed himself a small smile. Once again, his faith – or lack thereof – in the intrinsic integrity of the human race had been rewarded. He had the required amount of money, and much more besides, in the safe in his office; it would be the work of a moment to take it out, have it brought to her.

Of course, if he could resolve the matter in the other timeline, he need never pay her at all. It was always good to have a fallback.

On the screen, she looked up. "Uh, Mr Coil?"

"Yes?" he answered smoothly.

"I, uh, I'll take the -"

Timeline B

There was a flash of light that seemed to cycle through the entire visible spectrum; an overpressure wave washed over him. Coil threw up an arm to shield his eyes; even as he did so, he heard a sound which could be best described as ZORCH. It was accompanied by another sound; one which he interpreted, without much trouble, as that of the guard at the door collapsing to the ground.

When his vision cleared, there were three more people in the room; Armsmaster, accompanied by two PRT soldiers. How they had teleported in so precisely was beyond him; the room was a little separate from his base proper, and thirty feet below ground level. Armsmaster was assisting Taylor, who was still blinking her own eyes clear, from the chair. One of the PRT soldiers was retrieving the rifle his guard had been carrying, while the other was covering Coil himself with a large and dangerous-looking rifle of some sort.

"This ends now," Armsmaster told him grimly. "Coil, you're under arrest. You will come quietly, or I'll be forced to beat you senseless, and then bring you in anyway. Which would you prefer?"

Timeline C

There was a flash of light on the screen that seemed to cycle through the entire visible spectrum; Coil blinked, but the effect was somewhat attenuated through the camera. When it faded, Armsmaster was standing there, along with two PRT soldiers. One pointed a large and dangerous-looking weapon at the guard near the door; there was a beam of coruscating energy, a loud ZORCH, and the man fell over. He then pointed the weapon, covering the door, while his partner went to relieve the guard of his weapon.

"It's all right," Armsmaster told Taylor, who was blinking her eyes clear of the flash. "You're safe now." He turned to the screen, pointing his halberd one-handed, so that it seemed oddly foreshortened to the camera. "Coil, this ends now. Surrender, or I'll come looking for you. And you don't want me to come looking for you."

Coil shook his head. "I don't know where you got the teleport coordinates from, but you just signed your death warrant." He rapidly typed on his keyboard, isolating that section of the base and arming the explosives. The guard would be an unfortunate casualty, but that was preferable to capture -

Thousands of miles and a whole other reality away, he never heard Contessa utter the words, "Door to the back of Coil's head." Nor did he see the portal open, although Alexandria did, given that it appeared directly in front of her, well within her reach.

The last thing that went through his mind was her fist.

Timeline B

"Whoa, you see that?" asked Alexandria. "Something just bit him, hard."

Silently, Contessa offered her some more popcorn. Just as silently, Alexandria took a handful.

Coil was used to letting one timeline play out, without showing the effects in the other timeline. This practice stood him in good stead now, given how shocked and stunned he was. The first time that he had been shunted out of a timeline, he had been within feet of Taylor Hebert, having just been in physical contact with her. In that instance, there was the distinct possibility that she had managed to kill him somehow, perhaps with a power she had borrowed off of someone else, earlier.

But this time … she had been separated from him by what he had imagined to be a safe distance, with no physical way to reach him, and no prior physical contact. There had been no outward manifestation or preparation. One moment, he was preparing to destroy Armsmaster and Hebert both; the next … nothing. Shutdown.

How is she doing this?

The moment I found myself in Coil's presence, I put the light-spot on to him. Even as I was extending my hand to Alibi and helping her from the chair, I was reading his power.

When I had met Alexandria, not so long ago, I had found her power to be different from the others that I had copied to that point. Those other powers had been vital, active, vocal. They had spoken to me, explaining their capabilities, all the little tricks and improvements that their users had worked out. With Alexandria, it was like reading a document, a contract. It was all there, in black and white, easy to understand. But it wasn't alive. It didn't speak to me.

I had thought that perhaps it was a quirk of her powers; after all, she was the only member of the Triumvirate who I had ever met.

But Coil's powers, although entirely different in form, were like Alexandria's when I tapped into them. A list of capabilities, and how to make them work. No hints, no tricks, no improvements.

Okay, that's weird. But I can deal.

The power itself was even more interesting. Two timelines, and I can drop either one. Well, well, well. So, let's see ...

With the slightest of efforts, I found myself running on parallel tracks.

"This ends now," I told him in both realities, the armour's systems disguising my voice as Armsmaster's. "Coil, you're under arrest. You will come quietly, or I'll be forced to beat you senseless, and then bring you in anyway. Which would you prefer?"

He twitched just a little. Then he tilted his head and, I presumed, stared up at me. "What the hell is she?" he demanded.

Timeline D

"What the hell is she?"

"She's an innocent bystander," began Armsmaster, but Coil wasn't listening. He flung himself from the chair, lunging for the fallen guard. There was a radio; if he could send out a call -

The haft of the halberd smashed into the centre of his back. He was pinned to the floor like a bug to a corkboard. Something popped in his back, and it didn't feel good.

A heavy boot came down on his shouderblades. "That was not smart," Armsmaster told him. "Now, who told you about Taylor Hebert?"

Grimacing, Coil dropped that timeline.

Timeline B1

My mouth formed a grim smile, echoed by the holocloak. "She's me, you idiot. My body double. No powers, which is why you would have found none."

I could see his face working under the thin cloth of his mask. "Wait – what? You're not Armsmaster?"

I told the HUD to drop the holocloak; he jerked as he stared at my armour. "What the fuck?"

Inside my goggles, I rolled my eyes. "I'm Hax, you moron. And these are Über and L33t. Yes, I'm a fucking Trump. Yes, I'm currently rocking your powers. Which means that I know exactly what you can do. And the best bit?" I bared my teeth, which he could unfortunately not see, given the full-face helmet. "I'm going to be dropping this timeline in just a second, so you won't remember what I just told you. But I've got all the satisfaction of watching you realise just how truly fucked you really are."

A moment later, I did just that; it was an odd feeling, to drop an entire line of probabilities. It was a path I could have taken, a way I could have gone. I had experienced it in full, every breath, every action. I could remember it all, even though it had never happened.

It made me wonder; What has Coil used this for?

Timeline B2

"She's an innocent bystander," I told him in my best Armsmaster-speak. "She was caught up in the mess at Winslow, and we brought her in to cover for the real parahuman who triggered there."

"But the report -" blurted the supervillain, before stopping himself.

"Really?" I asked, leaning forward and taking a solid grip of his full-body costume, around about the base of his throat, and lifting him bodily from the chair. "What report was this, exactly? And how did you come to read it?"

"I -" He stopped himself again. "I'm not saying anything more."

Timeline E

"She was caught up in the mess at Winslow -"

Coil wasn't listening. He hadn't needed to go for the radio; he had his phone in a pouch at his side. All he needed to do was get his hand on it, and he could send a signal for rescue. While Armsmaster monologued on, he stealthily slipped his hand down between the arm of the chair and his side …

… until the tip of the halberd was suddenly pricking him in the centre of the throat. "Yeah," Armsmaster told him. "Go ahead. Pull that phone out. Be a good boy now."

Coil stared. "How did you know -"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Armsmaster commented sarcastically. "A Tinker with sensors that can detect electronic items? Unheard of, I tell you. Unheard of."

Slowly, cautiously, Coil pulled the phone out, and tossed it on to the floor. "Since when did you learn sarcasm?" he asked incautiously.

"Built it into my heads-up display," the armoured hero replied off-handedly. Instead of bringing his heel down on the phone and smashing it – which would have triggered a base-wide alert – he picked up the phone instead, and handed it off to one of the PRT soldiers.

Fuck.

He shut down that timeline, too.

Timeline B3

Bringing the halberd around, I lodged the tip in the cloth alongside his neck, then pushed; the costume tore, the mask pulling off his head as I lifted and twisted.

"You can't -" he protested. "The unwritten rules -"

"- went out the window as soon as you abducted a minor," I snapped. I looked at his features; I had no idea who he was. My armour took a picture of his face, just in case.

"Guys?" I subvocalised over our radio link. "Any idea who this jerk might be?"

"But I never mistreated her!" protested Coil. "Ask her!"

"Yeah, sure," I retorted. "Coil, I know what powers you have. I know what you can do. And I know how to get around them. Don't even pretend otherwise."

His look of shock was even better when I could see his face properly. "I … but, no … how do you know?"

"How do you think I knew where and when to teleport into your base?" I snapped. "I've had my eye on you for a long time. Just waiting for the right opportunity. You're going down for this."

"I think I've seen his face before," Über replied slowly. "Don't recall where, though."

"You've never been able to teleport before!" protested Coil, somewhat inanely.

I snorted. "And you're going to tell a Tinker what he can and can not build?"

Timeline B2

"Sir – what's going on -"

We all looked at the image on the screen; one of Coil's mercenaries was staring out of it, taking in the scene. Coil went to shout something; I let go his costume, and clocked him, hard, with my metal-clad fist. He fell back limply into the chair. At the same time, a siren began wailing.

"Well, that's fucked it," L33t complained, pushing his faceplate up.

"Time to get out of here," Über agreed.

I aimed my halberd at the camera on the big screen, and pressed the control; a beam of plasma energy erupted and fried the pickup. A moment later, I did the same for the door controls.

"Okay," I told them. "Decision time. Do we take him with, or leave him here?"

Über grimaced. "Fuck. Leave him here, he might just escalate."

"Or he might just leave you alone," L33t added hopefully.

"Yeah, hoping someone might leave me alone never worked well in the past," I replied. "Fuck it." Picking Coil up, I slung him over my shoulder. "Let's take him with."

"All right!" crowed L33t. He reached out his hand, and the small floating sphere that recorded their exploits hummed over from where it had been lurking in the corner behind Coil's back, and dropped into his palm. He held it up, grinning. "We are gonna go viral."

Timeline B3

I slapped Coil awake. "Listen," I told him. Listen."

"Wha … what?" he mumbled. I shook him, until his eyes focused on me.

"We're leaving," I told him. "You stay free, but you don't ever abduct any girls again. Or I'll find you."

He sneered. "Yeah, like that's going to happen. You're going to get back to base and tell everyone who I am."

"I don't -" I began.

"Of course you fucking do!" he shouted. "We've met, you bastard. You don't need to pretend any more. This? This is an act of fucking war, Armsmaster. You invaded my home. Expect me to do the same."

I stopped, stunned. Coil knows Armsmaster?

Then I shook my head. "It doesn't have to be this way."

He spat in my face - or rather, on my faceplate.

I dropped the timeline. You had your chance.

Timeline B2

Bringing all four of them back strained the teleport disc, but we managed it. We appeared in the middle of our base; I dropped Coil unceremoniously on the floor. Alibi darted off, came back with duct tape and a cloth shopping bag; under my silent direction, she taped the bag over his head, and his hands behind his back. I had already detected the phone in the pouch with the sensors in my goggles; I plucked it out and pulled the battery, just in case.

"Holy fuck," L33t marvelled. "Holy fuck. We just abducted fucking Coil. Coil."

"Not 'abducted'," I corrected him. "Captured."

"Not that I'm arguing, but what's the difference in this case?" asked Über.

Walking the armour into my workshop, I had Alibi explain, "Simple. He started it."

The armour was low on charge; those two jumps had nearly drained the main power capacitor. As it was, the holocloak had failed more or less as soon as we had arrived. The onboard power trickle generator was capable of charging it up again overnight, but I wanted it ready to go as soon as possible; I plugged it into a step-up transformer and left it. The power bill's gonna be a monster, but hey, we can afford it.

Running my hands through my hair – it always felt like a rat's nest after using the armour – I exited the workshop as Alibi brought a can of soda over to me. Über and L33t had sodas of their own, and they were still staring bemusedly down at the duct-taped form of Coil.

"Okay, where do we go from here?" asked Über. "Because I have never been in this situation before."

Coil struggled back to consciousness. Both timelines had him lying on a concrete floor, a bag over his head, his arms fastened behind his back. His phone was no longer in the pouch on his hip.

Okay. You've been in worse positions. Play this smart.

He listened to the conversation going on around him. The girl's voice sounded remarkably similar to that of Taylor Hebert – it might even be her – but the other two, he knew somewhat better. Plans formed, and he set out to implement them.

He cleared his throat. "I would like to open negotiations for my freedom … "

Timeline B

" … Hax."

Timeline F

" … Über and L33t."

Timelines B2, F1

As soon as Coil spoke, I shook my head and held my finger to my lips. Gesturing, I moved everyone away from Coil, into L33t's workspace.

"We don't listen to him," I told them quietly. "We don't respond. He'll offer us anything to let him free. It might even be tempting. But the fact remains that we got the better of him tonight, and he'll never, not ever, forget that. So, one day, it might be tomorrow and it might be in six months … "

I didn't have to finish my speech. Über was already nodding, and L33t echoed the gesture.

"Hey," Über told me. "We're partners."

"What he said," added L33t. "Plus, I doubt he can cook spaghetti carbonara like you can."

I smiled. "Thanks, guys."

The boys headed over to the console and started a game; I took my cellphone and ducked into my workshop, closing the door behind me. Dad answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Dad," I told him. "It's me. I'm fine. I'm safe."

"Oh god, Taylor," he gasped. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

I chuckled. "Dad. It's all right. I was never in any danger. I'm perfectly safe."

"So where are you? I thought you'd been picked up by the PRT."

"More or less the opposite, to be honest," I replied honestly. "Just understand that I am safe, I am well, I am among friends, and that the PRT will be calling you in about an hour or so."

There was a moment of silence. "I … don't understand."

I grinned. "I'll tell you some of it when I get home. I think you'll laugh."

"It'll just be worth it to get you home again, safe and well." The feeling in his voice was palpable.

"Aww, I love you too, Dad," I told him. "See you soon."

"See you then, kiddo."

"Love you, Dad."

"Love you."

I ended the call and held the phone to my chest for a moment, enjoying the warm feeling the call had given me. I might hang with Dad tomorrow night, as well. To make up for the fright.

Timeline B4

I cleared my throat. "So, what do you have to offer?"

Coil turned his head my way. "I presume I am addressing Hax? Newest member of the Über and L33t team? Also known as Taylor Hebert?"

"I am Hax," I responded coldly. Über opened his mouth to ask a question; I could guess what it was. I gestured for him to stay quiet and asked it myself. "How did you know it was us?"

"I don't know your voice all that well," Coil told me, "but I have employed Über and L33t before. Their voices are quite familiar to me."

"Understood," I replied. "You wish to negotiate. So negotiate."

"I want to employ you," he stated simply. "Either alone or all three of you. Starting bonus of one million up front, each. Starting wage of one hundred thousand a year, to be renegotiated upward at the end of the first year."

The sheer nerve of the guy was impressive; I glanced at the others, trying to see how they were taking it. I had to admit, if this offer had come before I started with the boys, I might have been very tempted indeed; however, after the jobs we had done, I had some perspective on the matter.

"Interesting," I commented. "Generous, even. Especially for someone with a bag over his head."

"Very well, Hax," he responded, without missing a beat. "Two million up front, and two hundred thousand a year. Or … if you choose to separate from the team and come to work for me on your own, I'd pay you five million, and five hundred thousand per annum."

I re-evaluated my estimate of his nerve. His was made of solid fucking titanium. Bag over his head, duct tape on his wrists, and he was offering us a staggering sum of money, but that wasn't the impressive bit. The impressive bit was the tone of voice; confident, almost casual. Absolutely sure that I would accept the offer.

Timeline F2

"Wait a minute," L33t blurted. "How did you know it was us?"

I hid a smile. Well, if it was just a guess, it's been verified now.

"If you will recall," Coil told him patiently, "I have employed you before now. I am quite familiar with the sound of your voice, and that of your partner."

Über glanced at me; I nodded encouragingly. "Fine," he told Coil. "You got us. It's us. So negotiate."

"First, let me congratulate you on your current success as a supervillain trio. Hax must be quite the addition to your team."

Über frowned, then answered. "Yeah, we're pretty happy with her too. She really kicks ass."

"I note, however," Coil went on, "that you aren't doing as many video-game themed crimes as before. I'm presuming that the North Side job was your doing?"

"Yeah, well, that was just to get some stuff for Hax," Über told him uncomfortably. "We did do that armoured car robbery, though. That went off really well."

"Oh, I understand." Coil's voice was smoother than oiled silk. "When you get a third member in a partnership, the whole dynamic changes. Sometimes you will find yourself going off in a totally new direction, one that neither one of you expected … or wanted."

L33t went to open his mouth; I gestured for him to stay quiet.

"Yeah, well, maybe," Über replied. "But we're good. We're dealing. We've got plans in the works."

"Oh, I understand," Coil responded, his voice dripping sympathy. "Which is why I'd like to suggest an alternative."

"An alternative?" asked Über.

"Yes," Coil told him. "You come to work for me. All three of you, Hax included. You get to do all the video-game themed jobs you want, at my expense, with the proviso that any one of you is also available for any other work I have for you. One million each, up front, as a starting bonus. One hundred thousand per annum. Wages to be renegotiated upward after the first year."

"I dunno," Über mused, scratching his chin. He sounded convincing, even to me. "It sounds like a good deal … " He gestured to me and L33t, mimed putting his hand over his mouth.

"I dunno," I cut in. "I kind of like the way things – mmmph!"

L33t grinned at me as I held my hand over my own mouth and made shuffling sounds on the floor with my shoes, then did his best to speak harshly. "Shut the fuck up. The men are talking."

"My, my," Coil noted. "Dissension in the ranks?" I made more muffled sounds. For the most part, I was doing my best not to laugh.

"Nothing to worry about," Über told him bluntly. "You were saying?"

"Well, there's that alternative," Coil went on without missing a beat, "or if you're really unwilling to drop the partnership angle, I'd pay even more just to have her delivered to me, free and clear. Say, two million, one apiece, if you cut me loose here and now, and hand her over to me. No hard feelings, price of doing business, all that jazz. And hell, I'd even be willing to hire her out to you if you figure you can't do without her from time to time. Free of charge, even."

"Hmm," Über observed. "A cool mill' in the hand is a nice chunk of change, bro. What do you say?"

L33t scratched his chin. "Might be worth it. Might be, indeed."

Timelines B2, F1

We passed some time in silence. Alibi started a thank-you meal for the boys, while I kept an eye on the charge level in my armour suit. They got on to the console and started up a first-person shooter, which Alibi and I joined in on intermittently; we kept the volume down, and comments to a minimum. I found it touching that the boys had created a separate account for Alibi, mainly because she could play at the same time as me; I was effectively playing two characters, which made playing against me dicey at the very best.

Coil made occasional attempts to get our attention over the next hour, but we resolutely ignored him. He called out my name, both as Hax and as Taylor; I began to consider the concept of duct tape as a gag. Bonded permanently to his lips. I didn't respond, however, not even when he uttered threats against my father.

Über and L33t likewise ignored him, even when he offered frankly ludicrous amounts of money if they would change sides right this second. They had taken my warning seriously; anyone can make wild promises if his welfare is on the line. Enforcing those promises is another thing altogether.

Alibi served up the meal, and we ate; L33t took the time to enjoy every bite. He stopped halfway through, motioned to Coil, then pretended to shoot himself in the head. Then he went back to eating; Über snorted his drink out of his nose, and I had to slap him on the back.

It is, we discovered, very hard to laugh silently while eating.

After the meal, we convened in my workshop, while Alibi kept an eye on Coil. He was still calling out periodically, but that seemed to be more from habit than anything else.

"Okay, charge is good," I noted. "It'll get us there and back."

"So wait," Über observed. "We're doing the same costumes? You're going as Armsmaster again?"

I shrugged. "Sure. It fits, right?"

L33t jammed two fingers into his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. "Holy shit, Hax, you're crazy. Certifiably nuts. Either that, or you've got a set so big they've got their own gravitational pull."

"Maybe," I agreed with a grin. "But I'm still doing it. I owe him. You in?"

"I must be just as nuts," he replied. "But I am fucking not missing this shit." He turned to Über. "Bro?"

"You're both bug-fuck insane," Über declared. "There's no way I'm letting you two do this."

I opened my mouth to protest; then he grinned. "Without me, that is."

I shook my head. "You suck. You had me going."

L33t grinned and bro-fisted him, then engaged in a complicated handshake ritual. I watched carefully, then did my best to copy it. It took three tries, and lots of laughter, before I got it right.

"Okay, then," I told them. "This is how we're going to do this."

Timeline B4

"Here's the thing," I told Coil. "We talked over your offer. We've thought about it long and hard."

In point of fact, I had spoken to my Dad on the phone, and both Alibi and I had done some console gaming with the boys while the meal was cooking. We hadn't done much talking, except in the work rooms, so that he couldn't overhear us.

We were unanimous on one thing; no matter how tempting the money was, there was no way to ensure that Coil would come through on any deal we made with him. It was, in fact, almost a certainty that he would harbour some level of animosity. To have someone with Coil's level of power as an active enemy … none of us wanted that.

"So what was your decision?" he asked. No note of hopefulness. Just a certain level of surety. Almost boredom.

"What was the word we arrived at?" I pretended to ask. "Oh, right. 'Nope'."

He sighed, managing to sound like a teacher who was mildly aggravated at a less than bright pupil. "You do realise that you're making a bad mistake."

Timelines B2, B4

"Your mistake," I told him, "was snatching Taylor Hebert in place of me."

"But you are Taylor Hebert," he insisted.

"No, she isn't," Alibi chimed in. "I'm Taylor. I'm not going to tell you who she is, but she's not me."

"Damn right," I added, deliberately talking over the last few words that she was saying, so that Coil would be in no doubt that two people had been speaking. "I'm Hax, and don't you forget it."

"You saw us, you idiot," Alibi insisted. "You abducted me, and Über and L33t and Hax came in to save me. Or don't you remember that bit?"

I held my breath, hoping that he would buy it. With any luck, he would never hit the Brockton Bay crime scene again, but I didn't need someone as dangerous as him wanting to track me or my Dad down for vengeance.

"Fuck," he muttered. "I was so fucking sure."

"Yeah, well, that and a buck fifty won't even get you a coffee any more," Über retorted. "Hax, you ready to roll?"

"Just about," I told him.

Alibi and I went into my workroom, and I locked the door. Quickly, we swapped clothing, and I gave her my RFID bracelets. She put on my goggles, and I took the glasses she had been wearing. It was a bit of a jolt, just to have those light things on my face after so long wearing the goggles, but I figured I would manage. Alibi dabbed some foundation on my face to hide the goggle-marks around my eyes, then she stepped back up to the now-charged armour.

"Armsmaster is a dick," she enunciated, and the armour wrapped around her, just as it had around me. I looked her over, then had her activate the Armsmaster holocloak. It looked good, especially after she picked up the halberd and attached it to her back.

Together, we walked out to where Über and L33t waited with Coil; the boys had donned their PRT uniforms once more, and held the crime lord between them. He had been relieved of the bag and the duct tape, but hung limply all the same; L33t was just re-holstering my wireless taser.

"Okay," I told them through Alibi. "Let's do this."

She folded one strong arm around my shoulders, and the other around the trio. At my command, the teleport disc energised, and we vanished.

Timeline F2

"We've thought your offer over." Über's voice was resonant, easy to pick. "And we've got some additional conditions."

"Name them." Coil was in a mood to be magnanimous. "Extra money? Sure, why not. I can double it. Triple it."

"... huh. Yeah, triple cash sounds good. We'll take that. Plus our salary automatically doubles at the end of the first year. No negotiation needed. Just plain doubles."

"That's doable," Coil agreed. It's not like you'll survive till the end of the year, you moron. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." It was L33t's voice, coming from the other side. "Just one thing. Go to hell. You can do that for us, right?"

The boot caught him in the ribs with stunning force, causing him to curl up involuntarily against the pain, not an easy thing to do with his hands taped behind his back. And then Über got him from the other side, even harder, driving the breath from his body. He felt ribs go; the pain was excruciating. And he couldn't even scream.

Broken teeth were scattered in his mask, and he was coughing blood, when the assault finally finished. He was sure that at least one arm was broken, and his hands had been stamped on.

Über, panting a little, spoke to him then. "Just one more thing, you sonovabitch. Hax is our partner. You hurt her, you hurt us. It's Über, L33t and Hax, and don't you ever fucking forget it."

Coil spat blood and dropped the timeline.

All Timelines

We appeared on the roof of the PRT building. Alibi, in the armour, strode toward the roof entrance, with me at her side. Behind us, Über and L33t dragged Coil's semi-conscious body between them.

Genuine guards, posted on the roof, spotted us, and came to meet us.

"Sir," one addressed Armsmaster. "We didn't know you were coming in. That flare – was that you?"

Alibi nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. It was creepy, how much she sounded like him. "I heard about the Hebert girl. Followed a lead. Found her."

"You're being a little too clipped," Über advised me, via Alibi, over our radio channel. "Loosen up a little. You're not a robot."

"Uh, yes, sir," the guard responded. "Who is that – is that -"

"Coil, yes," 'Armsmaster' told him. "He was the one who abducted her. Possibly to do with the Winslow event. In any case, I located Ms Hebert, here, in his base, took him down, and brought them out again."

It was a measure of Armsmaster's sheer reputation that neither of them questioned this. Nor did they spot the tiny hovering ball up there in the darkness, filming the whole show.

One of them turned to me. "And you're willing to testify to this, Ms Hebert?"

I nodded, pretending the shakes. "Yes. Definitely. That bastard had me abducted right off the bus. In broad daylight." My voice rose. "I want him put away. Forever."

"Ms Hebert is fifteen years old," Alibi put in. "A minor."

"Christ," one of the guards muttered. "Okay, sir, we'll just call this in and you can give your report -"

"Actually, I'm very busy right now," 'Armsmaster' told him. "But I'll hand in my report later; you can be sure of that." 'He' turned to me and solemnly shook my hand. "Take care, Ms Hebert," 'he' told me.

"I will," I assured 'him'. "And thank you so much for helping me."

Leaving Coil twitching on the ground, 'Armsmaster' stepped back, along with the faux guards. "I would shield your eyes, if I were you," 'he' suggested. A moment later, the multi-hued flash lit up the rooftop for one actinic second, sending stark shadows in all directions. And then it was gone, and so were they.

I watched as the guards picked Coil up, and began to carry him toward the roof entrance. There was the faintest crackle of a radio, as one of them began to call it in. I wanted so very much to laugh out loud, but of course I couldn't.

Über lay on the floor of the base, laughing hysterically. Nearby, L33t was just as bad, rolling from side to side, still in his PRT uniform, whooping with hilarity.

But it was Alibi, who had been just barely capable of exiting the Hax battle armour, who was laughing loudest of all. I could not allow myself to be seen laughing in my real body, so she/I laughed instead.

And laughed.

And laughed.

Contessa tapped on the keyboard and shut the screen down. Picking up the empty popcorn bag, she scrunched it into a ball and threw it over her shoulder. It rebounded off of two walls, and landed neatly in the trash can.

Alexandria rolled her eyes. Showoff. "So," she asked as Contessa got up to go, "I will admit that it was amusing as hell, but was all that necessary to saving the world, or was it just fun for the sake of fun?"

Contessa smiled enigmatically. "Yes."

End of Part Seventeen

Author's Note: a flowchart covering the timeline splits can be found at [ IMG ] i . imgur ZWzjPVI . jpg [ / IMG