The High Roller, Ch07

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Mike God of Lore, Marethyu, Priapus

The Guild of Gamers: The High Roller

Chapter 07: Disaster

– Amy Dallon (Panacea) –

"I truly don't want to do this, Miss Dallon, but enough is enough. This is your last chance," Kaiser said, but she didn't need to say a single word for him to get his answer. The hatred in her eyes was enough; she would not heal a single scraped knee for them. She wasn't helping the Empire.

Chained to the wall of the basement they were keeping her in, she glowered at Kaiser and Krieg as they shared a look. Naked and injured, she was no closer to giving in now than she was when they'd first grabbed her. Maybe she'd inherited a little from Carol because she could be just as stubborn as her adoptive mother.

Despite her nudity, almost all of her punishment for refusing to heal their injured capes had been violent and not sexual, even if the guards had constantly leered at her naked body. That said, that was probably because the one thug who groped her had developed cancerous sores all over his body. They'd quickly learnt that letting her touch any of them was a death sentence, her unwillingness to use her power offensively fading after the days of torment.

They'd learnt to wear gloves or use tools if they wanted to beat her. Krieg was her main tormentor, and he seemed furious that no amount of torture would make her give in. So far, he'd tried beatings (with thick gloves), cropping, whipping and cutting. They couldn't go too far because she couldn't heal herself, and they were fucked if she died, but Krieg clearly had an idea of where he could cut to deal painful but non-fatal wounds.

She wanted to say that she had not been touched sexually at all beyond the one disastrous attempt to grope her breasts, but she unfortunately couldn't.

They'd drugged her to move her to a more secure safehouse, apparently worried that the PRT had gotten a little too close to where they had been keeping her. She did not know how long she was unconscious, but she woke up in this basement feeling sore in places that she never had before. 

She couldn't detect any traces of… foreign DNA on (or inside) her body, but it hurt to sit down, and the soreness between her legs was telling. She also had woken up to some fresh bruising around her hips and ass, the type that might come from someone gripping her hips and spanking her hard.

"Must you be so pointlessly stubborn?" Kaiser sighed as he turned to Krieg. "So be it. Send word to Fog. Glory Girl is to be grievously wounded. We shall see if your sister's suffering is enough to break through this futile pride of yours."

They'd fail. After she'd been grabbed, there was no way that Carol was risking her golden child. They had to be keeping a close eye on Vicky. She couldn't hide her worry, which only made Kaiser seem more smug at having worked out her weakness. 

She'd rather die than help the Empire, but to save Vicky? There was little she wasn't willing to do. Not responding, she glared hatefully at the pair and clung to the hope that New Wave was being more careful with Vicky than they had been with her. 

– Carol Dallon (Brandish) –

For all her issues with Amy, the gloomy healer was still her daughter. Having her daughter and a member of New Wave snatched away by the Empire was a slap to the face, sending them all back to the dark times of Fleur's death.

The PRT was panicking because they relied on Amy far more than they'd ever admit, but all their help in tearing into the Empire's territory had amounted to nothing. The Empire capes were missing in action, and every stronghold or hideaway they tore open revealed nothing.

Vicky flew ahead of her, making Carol call for Vicky to stay closer. No force in the world could prevent Vicky from searching for her sister, not when Amy had been abducted on her watch. The PRT thinkers believed that Kaiser had hired Gesellschaft mercenaries, including a Stranger, to perform the abduction. It was not Vicky's fault that Amy had been taken, but nobody could convince Vicky of that.

New Wave was out in force, tearing the city apart to find their missing member. Both the Merchants and the newly formed Night Parade had kept their distance, occasionally taking potshots at the Empire, but for once, Carol could not care less what they were doing. She had even seen Oni Lee, but chose not to go after him to stick to hitting the Empire.

Vicky stopped, turning to say something. Knowing Vicky, it was a complaint that they were moving too slowly, but as she opened her mouth, all hell broke loose. The ghostly figures of Crusader's projections rushed her, but she'd dealt with him before and easily avoided them. Cricket tried to rush her from behind but barely dodged in time to avoid one of Sarah's blasts.

The Empire was truly arrogant if they thought they could attack New Wave directly, with their weakened roster and Hookwolf cowering away in some hole to avoid his hunters. And yet, she recognised a distraction when she saw one,

Snapping her head towards Vicky, she watched as Vicky charged toward Menja with a furious look, only for a mist to slip around Menja and rush toward Vicky. No, not a mist…

A fog.

Fog swarmed her daughter as Carol's eyes widened, charging towards her daughter with a furious look on her face. Vicky's eyes widened as the fog covered her body and went inside her, into her nose and mouth, which Vicky desperately tried to cover before she let out a scream of pain.

They had seen the aftereffects of what happened to people who breathed in Fog before, the way he wreaked havoc on their internal organs in ways that most would never recover from without parahuman help. Carol launched herself forward, but far too slow as Fog pulled back, and Vicky just dropped from the sky.

Neil caught his niece, backhanding Fog away as the Empire cape transformed back into his regular form. Despite the chaos, she could see the shock and confusion on Fog's face as she rushed toward her daughter.

Vicky convulsed, coughing up mouthfuls of blood as she looked terrified, her shield having been bypassed with ease.

"You were just supposed to cripple her," Menja shouted, but Carol could barely hear Fog's reply over the blood rushing to her ears. Vicky turned to her, looking to her mother for help. Carol looked over her daughter desperately, for once, having no idea what to do. They needed Panacea, and they needed her right now. Without Amy… there was nothing they could do.

"M-Mom-" Vicky coughed out, her words cut off as she vomited blood, and Carol was forced to watch her daughter's suffering, rage and terror flooding her veins. Vicky's suffering didn't last long, and as Vicky fell limp in Neil's arms, the Empire capes were already trying to flee.

Carol's head snapped towards the fleeing Fog, and she charged forward. Fog was not fast in his gaseous form, so he switched back and hopped onto one of Rune's platforms as they tried to escape.

Stormtiger sent several claws back at them, and for just a moment, it looked like they were going to escape into the night… until Rune's platform shifted unnaturally to avoid Crystal's furious beam of light, and Fog was dislodged, tumbling down toward the ground.

He didn't get a chance to shift back into his fog form as she skewered him with a pair of her daggers, rage filling her as she stabbed into him again and again. He had killed Victoria, he had taken her daughter away from her, and it wasn't until Sarah physically pulled Carol from the villain's mangled corpse that Carol stopped trying to slice him up.

Rushing to her daughter, she desperately searched for any trace of life. The faintest pulse, the weakest breath, anything, letting out a cry of despair as she found nothing at all.

– Sebastian Fairfax –

Slipping away into the night, I smile to myself. A job well done, I'd say.

Fog only tried to do some minor internal damage, but who would believe him when he entered Victoria's body and then her internal organs were destroyed by what was undeniably his power? I planned to kill Fog, but Brandish took care of that for me.

I used [History Repeats] to inflict some mental damage on him, bringing back his training under the Gesellschaft to the forefront of his mind, stunning him so he couldn't shift into his fog form, and Brandish did the rest. What is curious is that Rune was the one who sent him tumbling down to his fate.

She was on the same platform. She'd swerved to avoid a blast from Laserdream, but then she did something I didn't expect. She kicked Fog as she tilted the platform, hidden from the view of most. From the perspective of her allies, Fog fell because he was too in shock from what he had done to hang on, but Rune deliberately knocked him off her platform.

Feats Achieved: Kill Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl), Two Rolls (also wow dude). Kill Geoff Schmidt (Fog), One Roll. Give Carol Dallon even more Super PTSD, Two Rolls. Five Rolls Granted.

Rolling. Results: Uncommon Item, Epic Perk, Rare Perk, Major Curse, Rare Power

I shall take the Major Curse as the slap on the wrist for killing Glory Girl since my sponsor does not seem to approve.

Oh, it's all good. She ain't gonna stay dead, and it did traumatise Brandish, which is always a plus. #FuckBrandish. Both physically and mentally.

Ah, I see. I will endeavour to fuck Brandish more, then.

[Pig Talisman] - Uncommon 

Grants you thermal vision and the ability to use laser-eye blasts.

Hmm, useful, I suppose, but unfortunately, I can't use it with Kingmaker. I wonder if I can get an upgrade that gives me the ability to reproduce items.

[Waterborn] - Epic 

You are one with the seas, being able to breathe underwater and granting you immunity to water attacks. Being submerged in water grants you a boost to strength, speed and regeneration.

Now this? This I can put on the marketplace. Leviathan will ensure that I sell a lot of Waterborn perks. 

[Noctis Cape] - Rare 

You no longer require sleep and have perfect recollection.

Useful and another good product. My Tinker clients will be pleased, I think.

[Major Curse of Pride] - Major

You aren't the best? Who decided that? This is your world, and everyone else was just born into it. You cannot allow insults or challenges to pass.

Well, yes, I already knew this was my world. All worlds are mine, after all. That's why I'm here. Well, all the worlds that the founders allow me to claim. I do not bite the hand that feeds. I'm not that crazy.

[Aerokinesis] - Rare

You can bend the air to your will, creating small whirlwinds, using the wind to throw off the aim of your enemies, and launching air with enough force to cause cuts and bruises or throw your enemies off their feet. 

Ah, not as flashy as fire or lightning, but I'm sure many would want to become Airbenders. The important thing is that the more clients I get, the more people have a vested interest in me staying alive.

– Max Anders (Kaiser) –

Could nothing go right for them?

Glory Girl was dead. Perhaps this was some bizarre power interaction, or maybe Fog had just overestimated her durability, but the result was the same. If he had to guess, he'd assume that Fog went into her assuming that Glory Girl was a Brute when she was as vulnerable as anyone under her shield, but they would never know as Fog had been mutilated by Brandish, who was on the warpath.

Alabaster was in a coma. Victor could barely walk. Hookwolf couldn't come out of hiding without every cape in a hundred-mile radius coming for him. They'd even had non-powered members of the gang trying to kill him with explosives for Sebastian's prize. Rune was able to move around on her platforms despite still being injured, but her performance had worsened and it had gotten Fog killed. Crusader was still crippled, but he could make his projections, so he was still useful. 

"Victoria Dallon is currently in the hospital, crippled by inhaling Fog. You have seen enough of his victims to know that they will not be able to save her," Kaiser lied, gesturing as a video came on the screen of Glory Girl charging Menja only to get swarmed and breathe in Fog.

It cut as she fell from the air, Panacea's hateful glare intensifying at the sight of her sister being hurt.

"You have one chance, Panacea. Heal my capes, and you will be released, able to save your sister's life," Kaiser ordered, approaching the chained-up girl. She was going to the Gesellschaft today, and the Empire was getting ready to relocate and rebrand.

They would not survive the aftermath of this. The Empire had died with Glory Girl. The Gesellschaft would relocate him and his capes away from the Bay, where they could lay low and rebrand. It was not ideal; he was going to be heavily indebted to them, but he had other Medhall branches that he could move to.

All this because this stubborn brat would rather risk her family's lives than spend ten minutes healing his capes. The Gesellschaft would have a hard time training her.

"Make no mistake, Victoria will die if you do not get to her in time. We could have avoided all of this, but you just had to resist," Kaiser growled. Everything had gone wrong. Ever since Sebastian had showed up, nothing had gone right for them. "Are you still going to remain so hopelessly stubborn?"

But he couldn't punish Sebastian because the bastard was seemingly untouchable and utterly unpredictable. He could punish Panacea, glaring at the naked girl who stared back with anger but, for the first time, genuine concern. Her nudity meant that the rough state she was in was clear to see, with bruises and cuts across her abused body, but no matter what Krieg did to her, she just dug her heels in deeper. For the first time, she was faltering.

Victoria was her weakness. Now, they just had to exploit it for all it was worth before she was sent off to her fate. 

– Amy Dallon (Panacea) –

How could New Wave let this happen?

Kaiser stared at her, waiting for her to speak, but something was wrong. There was something he wasn't telling her. He was nervous, but about what? 

"If Vicky dies, you'll be lucky to get the Birdcage," Amy spat back, making him chuckle darkly.

"Perhaps, but your sister would still be dead. I don't believe that you are so heartless that you'd let your sister die in agony as her organs failed just to spite me," Kaiser replied, his tone confident. He was good with words, but it was his body language that gave away his nerves. "And you're right, if she dies, it is over. But make no mistake, you'll follow her into the grave. Killing one cape and killing two is such a minor difference."

As he spoke, several blades formed from the wall and floor around her, not quite cutting her but getting close. 

"If I must go down, I will take you, and many more, with me," Kaiser swore, and that, she believed. "The Empire's dying thrashes will bring this god-forsaken city to its knees. All of that can be avoided if you just behave."

"Fuck you," Amy replied eloquently. With a growl of frustration, he backhanded her across the face, her head snapping to the side. She didn't have time to do anything to him, but the fact was that she wouldn't have anyway. If Vicky was really injured, and the video seemed far too believable, then she needed to get to her sister's side.

Kaiser knew it as well. His current costume, as he remade it every time, left more of him exposed than usual. He didn't have gauntlets, which she was thankful for as being struck by a metal fist would have hurt far more, and his lower face was exposed. A grim smile crossed his lips.

"You may bluff all you like, but you will heal my men. We both know Victoria does not have long. Final chance. Agree, or we will pick this up in a few hours. Perhaps your sister will even survive that long," Kaiser said, his tone calm as Amy felt her mind race. Vicky…

Vicky would hate her healing Empire capes, and so would Carol. But…

"I- I'll do it," Amy agreed, clenching her fists as Kaiser smiled, an arrogant smirk as he reached forward and gripped her chin. She could feel tears stinging the corner of her eyes as she glared at him hatefully. She could kill him right now, his bare hand on her chin in what he probably thought was some power move. What she did do was give him three different cancers that would take months to show. 

But then she realised something. His internal chemistry exposed far more than his body language. He was feeling an immense amount of fear and relief, far too much, as he undid her shackles.

"Are you going to give me my clothes back?" Amy spat venomously, hatred clear in her tone. Something was wrong, but she needed to find out what it was before she did anything reckless.

Kaiser made a show of looking down at her breasts, but she had gotten very used to being leered at, and Kaiser was one of the few who didn't seem interested in her naked body.

"No, I don't think I will. You haven't behaved well enough for that," Kaiser replied coolly. She just scoffed, glaring at him. After her time here, she was a little past the point of being embarrassed by her nudity. 

An idea struck her as Kaiser turned and went to walk away. 

"Figures, I bet you've been jerking off to me. You're pathetic," Amy retorted, watching him stop. Kaiser was prideful, he was in a terrible mood, and he hated being insulted.

He turned to face her again, a scowl on his lips.

"I would watch my words if I were you, Miss Dallon," Kaiser replied, making her scoff again. 

"Oh no, did I hurt your wittle feelings?" Amy snarked, going to walk past him as he reached out and took the bait, grabbing her arm. She had dealt with all manner of drugs in her time as Panacea, and as he reached out to her, she reached out with her power.

Kaiser assumed that she wouldn't do anything to him, but he clearly did not know her well enough. Her power flooded his body, his eyes widening as he felt something change inside him. After fixing so many drug-addled or drunken idiots, reversing things and making someone incredibly high and drunk wasn't even hard. It just wasn't something she'd ever considered doing before.

It was stupidly risky, but his weird body chemistry made her suspicious. As out of his mind as he was, she could get her answers. If it turned out that Vicky really was injured, then she'd definitely be tortured again for this, but she suspected he was utterly full of shit. The video was probably faked; it was just some tinker-bullshit he commissioned. 

"Oi, focus," Amy said, grabbing his face and making him look at her as he just stared into space. "What happened to Glory Girl?"

Kaiser seemed to be gathering his thoughts, barely functioning as she lessened the effect just a little.

Finally, he opened his mouth and started to speak.

– Emily Piggot –

"I repeat, this has been classified as an S-class crisis," Piggot said to the gathered capes. "Do not go into the quarantined areas; whatever was released is airborne and currently almost 100% fatal."

"Amy did this?" Aegis whispered. Normally, a Ward wouldn't be here, but he was one of the few capes who could survive the plague that had been unleashed. His unique biology had so many redundancies that he could resist the diseases Panacea had unleashed.

"It is believed that she second-triggered after discovering Glory Girl's death. Our current information comes from Purity, so it is to be taken with a grain of salt, but the source of the crisis has been identified as the hideout they were keeping Panacea in. She was allegedly tortured by Krieg for refusing to heal the Empire capes, and Kaiser planned to wound Glory Girl to force Panacea to obey. As we know, this did not go as planned and led to Glory Girl's death, which seems to have triggered this," Piggot explained, looking over the city.

Across the rapidly quarantined zone, strange pulsating growths covering the ground and buildings made her shudder. She fucking knew Panacea couldn't be trusted, that the 'healer' was not as innocent as she seemed. This looked far too much like Nilbog's abominations for her comfort.

The PRT had acted fast, probably because Costa-Brown was scared Panacea might hurt the golden goose that was Sebastian, using Strider to move people into position. Toy Box had been hired to wall off the section of the city that Panacea's abominations had started to spread through. 

The twisted, pox-ridden creatures that were wandering the section occasionally made an attempt at escaping, but they were put down despite their incredible resistance to damage. She'd seen some of them with her own eyes, men and women twisted with growths, gangrenous skin, vomiting putrid pus as they shambled around like zombies. Even the animals had been twisted into abominations, giant insects that were the size of horses, emitting a foul odour as they flew around and stung anything still alive. Someone reported seeing a van-sized toad with thick green skin that was eating people whole.

The death toll was already in the four digits, and that was an optimistic estimate. 

You could not enter the sealed zone without getting fatally sick. The first responders who had managed to get out before it had been sealed had died, with blood, pus and other things coming out of every orifice. That wasn't even mentioning how people who were unfortunate enough to have gotten close to them rapidly fell sick as well. Assault was currently under quarantine, clearly very ill.

Which had led to a discovery that just infuriated her beyond all else. The cherry on the top of this rotten cake. One civilian, a particularly rich CEO, had managed to escape with the help of his bodyguards, and he was fine. Utterly unaffected by the diseases that had his guards barely able to stand, and the reason?

After questioning, the man admitted that he had purchased a power named 'Immune Response' from Sebastian, which allegedly gave you immunity to all forms of sickness and radiation. The CEO had been very sick and dying until he had purchased that power, which had cured him.

Which meant Costa-Brown had decided to purchase Immune Response from Sebastian for the Capes involved in this shitshow. That crazy bastard was profiting from this fucking nightmare when his actions against the Empire had at least contributed to it. The city may have been a mess, but it had been stable before he showed up and caused this chaos.

Of course, purchasing powers wasn't that easy, and his site claimed he was busy at the moment and would get to all inquiries later. Naturally, this only filled her with dread over what the madman was doing right now.

– Amy Dallon (Panacea) –

Looking down at her hands, she let out a slightly crazed giggle between sobs. She did this; Carol was right to hate her. Learning that Fog had killed Vicky had made something deep inside her snap, and she just wanted the Empire to pay.

Before she could stop herself, she'd twisted Kaiser into something… new. Something unholy, his body warping and bloating with countless diseases and plagues. She'd restored his lucidity just to listen to his screams as she twisted him into that abomination.

But she couldn't control him; she couldn't stop the diseases from spreading and evolving, watching it corrupt the very ground and buildings as pus-filled boils grew on the side of buildings, covering everything.

Her creation was too effective, and while she could stop them if they got within arms reach, it was spreading fast. Nobody in the Empire stronghold had survived, or those that did likely wished for death, and that was the only silver lining of this.

The funniest part? Once she regained her senses, when she was looking at the decay-ridden section of the city, she remembered something. Sebastian Fairfax could bring back the dead. 

The disfigured, disease-ridden walkers shambled around the city, ignoring her completely as she wandered the aftermath of her lapse in control. They killed or infected everyone they found but ignored her completely. 

A crazed snort left her as she realised that she'd done more damage in a single day than Kaiser had managed to do in his entire career. Well, maybe she wasn't giving him enough credit since he was still walking around, leaving corruption and decay in his wake. 

Her name would be placed alongside the likes of Nilbog and Bonesaw after this. Years of healing, and this would be her legacy.

Sitting down on a bench, she ignored how slimy it felt on her still-nude body as she looked around the devastated city. This had once been the financial sector, but now the tall spires were nothing but monuments to her mistake.

Footsteps made her pause, hearing how steady they sounded. Not like the mindless shambling of the walkers, but calm and focused. She didn't even bother turning to them as she stared at the way a blackened tentacle seemed to be growing from one of the buildings.

"Are you here to kill me?" Amy asked listlessly as the footsteps came to a stop, very nearby. "It won't stop this."

"Hm, do you want to die?" the voice asked, and she couldn't help but laugh. Of course it was him. Who else would be crazy enough to enter this plagued part of the city? "I can kill you if you'd like."

"Not particularly," Amy admitted, looking over at him. Did he really have to wear the top hat? 

The funny thing was that she had occasionally had thoughts in that direction on her worst days, but despite what she had done… she didn't want to die. Maybe it would be for the best, given that the Birdcage was her best option at this point. It was where she belonged.

Sebastian got briefly distracted, poking one of the pulsating boils growing on the sidewalk with his walking cane, causing it to explode into putrid orange pus, which splattered them both. The pus was very acidic, but her skin didn't melt like it should have.

Like Sebastian's flesh was, his clothes rotting away as the acidic pus ate into his skin. Sebastian watched it for a moment before suddenly it was gone, his skin repaired.

"Then no, I'm not here to kill you," Sebastian said, taking a seat next to her. "You're far too fascinating for that. I wasn't sure how Kaiser's little kidnapping scheme would go, but this is better than I could have imagined."

"B-better?!" Amy asked, turning to him with an angry glare. "Wait, you knew Kaiser grabbed me?"

"Oh yes. I love interesting developments, and what an abomination you turned Kaiser into. You know he can still use his powers? He skewered me when I went to see him in person, which was quite rude, actually," Sebastian admitted, rubbing his chin. "As for him grabbing you, well… I pushed him into a corner and poked him with a stick. I knew he'd do something, but this has truly been unexpected. I wanted to see what he'd do, what you'd do. It turns out he's quite boring, but you? Oh, Amelia, you are fascinating."

"Horrifying, more like," Amy muttered, but he just smiled. "I might as well apply for the Slaughterhouse Nine."

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself. You have so much more potential than those unimaginative lunatics," Sebastian praised. "Oh right, Lisa, make a note reminding me to murder Jack Slash sometime soon."

Looking around, she blinked. Who the fuck was Lisa?

"Something tells me I won't be reaching that potential in the Birdcage," Amy scoffed, watching his smile grow. "I know what you want."

"Oh?" Sebastian asked, making her turn to him with tired eyes.

"You want me because you're mad enough to look at this and see potential," Amy growled, waving her hand around their surroundings. "Can you bring back Vicky?"

"Of course," Sebastian admitted, not denying her words.

"Do it, and you can do whatever you want with me. Kill me, toss me in the Birdcage, turn me into your pet villain, keep me chained up as your toy. I don't give a fuck anymore. Bring back Vicky, and I'm yours," Amy promised, leaning back against the bench. 

Vicky would always be her weakness. If Sebastian could save Vicky from this unfair end, he could have Panacea, or whatever they called her, once this had settled. She couldn't go back to being Amy, go back to New Wave, not after this. 

But she didn't want to die, and she didn't want to be tossed into the Birdcage, never to see anyone she cared about again. Sebastian was a vulture behind that mad facade, waiting to snatch her up from the rotting carcass of Panacea. Perhaps he was truly mad, but she suspected there was more going on behind those calculating eyes than most realised.

"Welcome to the team, Amelia," Sebastian said, a smile on his face and a darkness in his eyes that unnerved her despite everything. Kaiser had tried so hard to scare her into submission, resorting to violence when that had failed, but that simple smile caused more fear in her than anything Kaiser and Krieg tried. 

Because she found herself, just slightly, smiling back. 

– Eleanor Anders (Iron Rain) –

"I have to say, Max, your new look suits you," Eleanor laughed, staring up at her malformed brother. Almost twice as large and several times as wide, her mutated brother let out a roar as rust-covered spears formed out of the ground under her, not fast enough.

He'd always been predictable, and his transformation into a body that better suited his traitorous soul had not helped him there. She responded, forming a hail of javelins that launched forward and pierced into his bloated stomach.

Sebastian was going to have his Bomb Tinker just blow the quarantine zone up, but she had asked for a chance to fight her bastard of a brother, even in this form. With [Bullseye], her shots were incredibly accurate as spear after spear embedded itself in his body, her new powers of flight letting her dance around him.

Despite the way he was rapidly growing to resemble a pincushion, it didn't even slow him down. His endurance was truly impressive and a little frustrating as she scoffed. Even a spear to his eye didn't seem to be bothering him.

So this was the handiwork of Sebastian's newest toy? 

"Ah, well. I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking over what little remains of your pathetic attempt at leading a gang. Father should have put you out of your misery years ago, but better late than never, right?" Eleanor asked, hearing Max roar in response, rage and pain clear in his tone. So he was still alive in there, still aware?

Good.

Flying away, she left her brother to rot away in his new form, unable to do anything but await the purging of Alice's bombs.

Messaging Sebastian, she moved through the portal the moment it opened with one last look at her brother. It was a shame she didn't get to kill him herself, but she didn't plan to stick around and fight that thing with the bombs already planted. 

Returning to the mansion, she didn't look back as she headed through the corridors to one particular room.

Walking in with her head held high, she looked around the gathered capes with a superior look. Storm Tiger, Menja, Fenja, Night, Rune and Cricket. The last surviving members of the Empire Eighty-Eight.

"Do you know who I am?" Eleanor asked, and it was one of the twins who spoke up.

"You're Iron Rain," the one she thought was Menja said, making her nod.

"Kaiser is dead, or he will be when the bombs go off and put him out of his misery. The Empire has died with him. Each of you is tainted by association with his foolishness. Of course, that's not the only way you're tainted. If Sebastian had not given you all Immune Response, you would either be dead or wishing you were dead," Eleanor said bluntly. "I have accepted a position as one of Sebastian's generals in exchange for my resurrection after my brother stabbed me in the back, killing me to take over the gang for himself."

She let that sink in for a moment; their precious Kaiser was a kin-slaying coward. 

"You each have a choice. Join me and enjoy the protection and boons that come with being a part of Sebastian's empire, or refuse and be handed over to the heroes who are eager to punish anyone even slightly connected with this. Many of you helped attack New Wave, your actions helping lead to Glory Girl's death, which triggered this entire crisis. Do not expect mercy from the heroes," Eleanor continued, but she already knew their answers.

Sebastian's pet oracle was quite the useful one. Rune was the biggest flight risk; things had gotten too intense for the teenager. That said, they'd left her until last to pull her out and cure her of the plagues she'd been inflicted with. 

When they found her, she'd been vomiting blood, curled up in a ball, sobbing and begging for her life. She wouldn't forget that it was Iron Rain who pulled her out and Sebastian who cured her. 

"What will we be doing?" Fenja asked, making Eleanor smile.

"With the fall of the Empire, Brockton Bay is Sebastian's. The Merchants and Night Parade serve him, after all. All that is left is to drive the heroes from our city, and once that is done… the true conquest begins. Surely you didn't think that Sebastian would settle for one small city? Once things have settled here, we will move to another city and claim it as our own city-state, ruled by us. Sebastian has no care for oversight as long as I do not challenge his direct rule," Eleanor explained. "The Empire was pathetic, rotting away under Max's failed attempt at leadership. Decades, and he couldn't even manage to do more than cling to a small part of the city with the most capes in Brockton Bay under his command. He always was a coward at heart, and it showed in his passive 'leadership'."

Storm Tiger and Cricket were the most aggressive of them, eager to do more than cling to a small fraction of the city. Fenja and Menja shared a silent look. Night said nothing, staring blankly at her. Rune's mind was still on her near death, looking like she was going to vomit from the memories alone.

"You really think you can claim an entire city?" Cricket asked, making Eleanor smile darkly.

"Sebastian is going to claim a world. The only question is whether you rise to the top alongside him or get trampled beneath his ambition. I intend to carve myself a piece of his new world, and unlike Kaiser, I have the guts to do what needs to be done," Eleanor replied. "I'll leave you to consider your options; I want to watch the fireworks anyway."

Turning, she walked away with a smirk.

"You know, the percentage chance of you betraying Sebastian went down by three percent when you saw Kaiser," Dinah said, making her jump, turning with her hand extended, ready to attack. "Do you want to know the percentage chance of you dying if you even scratch me? Well, I'm sure you can guess that one."

"Considering Sebastian has tamed the… girl responsible for that, is it any surprise?" Eleanor said, hiding her scowl at being caught off guard. Dinah was dressed in a silky white toga. She seemed to be testing out several different outfits and apparently liked the greek look.

"True, but you're arrogant. 73.10% chance you betray Sebastian. 94.25% that chance you die if I tell Lisa that number. 97.35% that you die if I tell Alice. 99.97% that you die if I tell Oni Lee," Dinah rattled off, her unnerving stare never blinking. "99.78% I can kill you myself."

Dinah's voice never raised, utterly calm and collected as she stared at Eleanor. She went to respond, but Dinah held up a finger.

"Oh look, 70.26% chance you betray Sebastian. You can learn," Dinah said cheerfully. "75.42% you are given a country to rule if you serve Sebastian faithfully. 93.54% if you serve him and also become one of his lovers, he's really focused on spreading his bloodline for some reason."

Well, of course, he was. He was clearly of good stock. 

"You really think you could kill me?" Eleanor asked, making Dinah smile impishly.

"99.78% sure. Sebastian has done a lot for me, but he can be a bit reckless sometimes. Someone has to watch his back. If I ever ask the question 'Will Iron Rain betray us?' and get an answer that's more than 75%... I will kill you," Dinah promised, head held high despite her tiny size. "I'm the King's Oracle, after all. It's my job to foresee threats to our kingdom."

Despite the threat, Eleanor couldn't help but be impressed by the child as she mounted her pet lion and rode away. As she turned the corner, Dinah put two fingers up to her eyes and then aimed them toward Eleanor, the universal sign for 'I'm watching you'. 

What a little brat… 

– Carol Dallon (Brandish) –

Grasping her daughter, she hugged Vicky tighter despite the problem they were facing.

Sebastian had, in true Sebastian fashion, blown up the quarantine zone with Amy's abominations still inside it. During the chaos, Oni Lee had snatched Vicky's corpse and then Sebastian had dropped Vicky off, utterly unharmed and alive.

Which he blatantly told them was Amy's… sign-on bonus. It had finally happened; Amy had followed in her father's footsteps. Amy had sold herself and her terrifying powers to an unhinged villain for Vicky's resurrection.

She always suspected that Amy would become a villain but never thought it would leave her with such mixed feelings. Vicky was alive because of Amy, but thousands were dead because of her as well.

And what was the PRT doing about the fact that Sebastian now had all that power under his control?

The same as always when it came to Sebastian, fuck all. Costa-Brown herself tore up the kill order for Amy after Sebastian contacted her, but then, of course she did.

What was a few thousand people compared to what he'd paid them off with?

– Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) –

Brockton Bay was lost. Sebastian had gotten too established too quickly; all the gangs served him, and that meant that the heroes were laughably outmatched by someone who had turned the Merchants into a genuine threat. What could he do now that he had both the Night Parade and the remnants of the Empire? What could he do with Panacea?

"I-I died, didn't I?" Hero asked, and she put those thoughts out of her head. Sebastian was doing what Cauldron had been doing; he was just more open and, annoyingly, better at it than they were. 

"You did. Manton bisected you, then ripped out my eye," Rebecca admitted, even as Legend rushed forward and grabbed Hero in a tight hug. Whatever emotions she was feeling didn't really matter. Hero had been working on plans to kill Scion, and now they had him back.

Later, they could buy more Tinker powers from Sebastian to make him even better, but for now, this was more than a fair trade for letting Sebastian keep Panacea. Well, most of Panacea, as she glanced over to the side. 

The mindless Replication of Panacea stared back. All her powers, none of her baggage. The heroes didn't lose the services of Panacea, while Sebastian got to keep the mess that was Amelia Dallon.

Hero and Panacea, just so he could keep Amy Dallon? She would take that trade a thousand times over. Scion was what mattered. Sebastian could have the Bay; he could have Earth Bet as well, if it increased their chances of winning by as much as 0.001%. 

— Bonus Scene — Brad Meadows (Hookwolf)

This was some bullshit.

Ever since Sebastian had marked him, he'd been stashed away in a safe house that wasn't even in the city. It was cowardice; Kaiser was showing weakness by locking him away like this. Just because of a fucking rumour that Eidolon was coming? 

Not that Kaiser had even bothered to keep in contact, going radio silent after locking him away in this shithole. Movement outside made him sit up from where he'd been watching some shitty movie to kill the time he suddenly had on his hands.

Victor hobbled in, making Hookwolf snort. The skill thief was still using a crutch to walk, so Kaiser hadn't even managed to get some teenage brat to do what he said. If he were there, Panacea would have broken by now. Maybe it was time for a change in leadership.

"Is it finally time to go back?" Brad asked, not bothering to get up as Victor shook his head. "Fucking figures. Kaiser's losing his touch."

"You're not wrong," Victor agreed, making Brad blink before he snorted. Everyone could see that Kaiser was losing control.

"So what the fuck are you doing here?" Brad asked, making Victor pause.

"Just taking care of some business," Victor replied, grunting with pain as he hobbled through the room. Brad scoffed, unpausing his movie. This fucking sucked. Cricket had warned him that Bitch was hitting their dog fights and he was expected to just sit here and do nothing?

Something made him sit up, realising that he couldn't hear Victor hobbling around. Turning to see what was holding up the cripple, his eyes widened at the sight of the gun aimed at the back of his head. He went to shift, but Victor, crippled or not, didn't hesitate to pull the trigger of his tinkertech pistol, and everything went blank.