Interlude - Fortuna

Fortuna popped an aspirin and sunk back into the unnecessarily plush chair. The thinker headaches were killing her.

Doctor Mother's incessant tapping on the table wasn't helping.

This wasn't going the way they had hoped. And her power was no help.

Any information about the moon sized alien ship hiding behind Uranus like a shy child at a family gathering, was out of her reach, literally.

Her powers stopped working past the moon and even with doormaker and Legend's help, it wouldn't extend much farther.

Perhaps using Cranial's tech could help, but he wasn't going to agree that easily. The Toybox was an independent tinker organization for a reason. They weren't so weak as to be press ganged into helping. She could make them, certainly, but that could hinder their future plans for the nine.

She looked back at the screen to the side, showing the probe the alien shop had sent into their space after the Simurgh had created that disaster of a machine. She could tell instinctively, that whatever it was, wasn't a blindspot to her power. Not like Scion or the Endbringers.

If it were within range she could find out what she needed from it within seconds, form plans, counter measures.

Her power, Path To Victory was good at that, she was good at that. Path To Victory, she had originally believed to be a godsend, a blessing from the heavens. The triggering visions however, shattered those delusions faster than they could form.That was the day she killed a god and found out how to kill another. The day she vowed to protect humanity from their cruel machinations. No matter the cost.

Most would forget their triggering visions. She however did not. She knew. Their plan. The cycles. The experiments. The desolation. This was the power of the devil. And she was fine with it. If the gods were evil, she would readily embrace the devil.

Her power allowed her to see the adaptable steps she needs to take to succeed at nearly any given task and execute them perfectly. Its applications include combat, communication, social situations, Cauldron's long-term plans, and how to set conditions for trigger events.

She could default to following the path, letting her Shard take over. Thus putting herself out of range for many powers.

When trying to persuade someone it gives her the savoir faire necessary to succeed.

To get the most out of her power she askes herself various questions at the start of each day, and various questions before a mission to ensure success. This lets her keep to the path to defeat Zion and provides her with protection against masters and strangers.

Her power also provides her with excellent information gathering abilities provided the right questions are asked.

But honestly, she knew it was already too late to stop anything.

Even if they twisted the arms of world leaders and influential groups, it was already too late to keep anything under wraps.

Number Man flipped another page behind her with the crisp accuracy his power granted him. So even. So precise. It grated at her nerves sometimes. The perfection of his actions. She shook her head.

Looking at him today, no one would believe he was once part of the Slaughterhouse Nine, a troupe nine monstrous serial killers that roamed the country. They still did of course, but he was no longer one of them.

Nowadays he was the banker in the shadows, exchequer of the underworld, turning black money into white, operating the several less than legal banking establishments that catered to all sorts of customers worldwide.

"Death. The midwest is in shambles. Dallas is...a smouldering hole in the ground. And... Tsss!" Coil hissed in pain grabbing his ear almost instinctively.

This was the fourth time this unknown assailant had targeted some auxiliary part of Coil's body.

This wasn't a fluke or misfire.

"It's playing with us." Fortuna deduced.

Number Man raised an eyebrow at her, before flipping the page again.

"Next scenario." He stated, in his cold, computer like voice.

"Death. Scion kills Eidolon, Fortuna, and you. Takes doctor mother and Alexandria somewhere. Doormaker is, I can only assume missing in action." Coil replied, rubbing his temples.

"Why are we even doing this? Can't she find out whatever you need to deal with this thing?" He whined.

"No. Unfortunately it's beyond my reach." Fortuna found herself answering absentmindedly, going through another set of questions.

"So Cauldron's boogeyman isn't as omnipotent as the rumors say." He jabbed.

Fortuna looked back at him through lidded eyes, and tore a piece of paper from the questionnaire before her, flicking her wrist to her side.

The piece of paper flew through the air, just as the Custodian came into the room in full force, his gaseous form pushing it out of the way.

It curved around the room, missing Number Man, slicing Coil's cheeks, leaving a trail of blood.

"Don't test my patience." She replied, before the Custodian's whispers filled the room.

"Nano machines?" She heard Doctor Mother asked, fear in her tone.

Fortuna looked back up at the older woman on the desk, paling in her features, when suddenly the Custodian's pained shrieks rang out in the room.

"Custodian?" Doctor Mother asked, "What's happening?"

But the gaseous guardian lent no further whispers, even his screams dying down slowly, disappearing into the wind.

The wind.

The wind? In a closed base?

A chill ran down her spine as Fortuna jumped from her seat, vaulting over the table, pushing Doctor Mother down to the floor.

No sooner had they hit the floor, did a beam of energy rip through the chair, and the wall behind it.

Coil scampered for cover only to have his legs blown off.

"We're under attack!" She alerted, "Doormaker! Door us!"

Nothing happened.

"Doormaker?" She called out, even as her power informed her.

Dead. Doormaker was dead.

How?

Before she could get the answer though her attention was called by another beam, as she rolled away, avoiding it.

Doctor Mother though wasn't so lucky.

The beam ripped through her, her chubby body bloating like a ballon.

Then it burst, splattering a bloody mist across the room, cooked guts throwing themselves across Fortuna's neck like some macabre garland.

For a moment they all stood stunned in place, frozen in fear.

Their stronghold was the most secure place in this cluster of realities.

Not even Scion could do anything about it with this ease.

Who was this attacker?!

Number Man was the first to return to his senses, swiftly disassembling a pen from his desk.

With a fluid move, he chucked the spring into the air some two meters from him and leaned to his side at an angle, just as another beam of energy zoomed in out of nowhere, hitting the spring, delfecting inches away from Number Man's face.

With a urgency flashing on his face he threw two more parts, the cap and cartridge, dodging another two volleys, when a third hit him, splattering him on his desk.

"Where is attack coming from?" Fortuna asked, but her power remained silent.

So the attacker wasn't in the stronghold. They were still in their ship. Somehow that horrified her far more.

There was something out there. Something that could target them from far away. And do it with such ease that they could take their time to toy with them, like a cat with it's food.

All her senses screamed at her to run. Leave everything behind and run. There was no path here. No victory possible. Everything was lost.

Until something into her head and she asked the question, as counter intuitive as it may seem in the middle of battle. It was her life's purpose after all.

"Will this help us deal with Scion?"

The answer this time, was a resounding yes.

That calmed Fortuna down. She looked at Doctor Mother's remains, and bit her lip. The woman who had pulled her together, helped her shape her purpose in life, mentored her. Dead, just like that.

Death, Fortuna knew was unavoidable. Even if you had a power that granted immortality, the best shards ran out of power in a 100 or so years. It was an extension on life, that is all.

Her power alerted her to another shot, and she stepped to the side, the beam missing her, singing her hair at the ends.

Immediately, she took two steps back and half step to the right, dodging another beam.

She just needed to wait for backup. Once Eidolon was here, they wouldn't be so vulnerable.

Whoever was doing this would pay.

She kneeled down, then stopped mid motion, as two beams missed her, one above and another below her, their glow hurting her eyes.

Unable to hold her form she rolled onto the floor and jumped back to her feet in one motion, seamlessly.

Coil's screams had stopped now, only quiet winces remaining, as his eyes darted across the room, even now using his power to furt-

Suddenly it clicked to Fortuna, just as another beam missed her.

It was reacting to his power. Whatever this was, it was using Coil's power to reach them.

Once she realized that, it was as simple as dodging the next volley, and knocking out Coil with a stapler.

Usually Number Man would have complained about having his immaculate office supplies touched, but given that he was dead now, she would be spared his rants.

It was sort of a morbid joke to her. The sad kind of joke you hear at funerals and divorces. A means to cope with loss in face of pride.

And Fortuna was proud. The pride had held her together for years now. And it had gone from being a crutch to lean on, to becoming an armor around her that no one could break. That silent pride and her cold features also helped her cement a reputation for Cauldron and to some extent, for herself, as the boogeyman, the best assassin on the planet.

Fortuna scanned the room one more time and spotted nothing wrong.

Finally, she sighed in relief as a portal opened up beside her.

Eidolon, Legend and Alexandria, the Triumvirate, the world's three greatest heroes, and Cauldron's greatest assets, emerged from within.

Their brows furrowed as they took in the bloodsoaked room.

"How horrible." Legend muttered under his breath, offering a silent prayer for the deceased.

"Who did this?" Eidolon asked, his voice tinged with rage and a little excitement.

"Probably the UFO. The thinkers at the PRT are unsure, but I have a strong hunch that it is related to the death of Simurgh as well. I think we are looking at a Tinker 12, maybe more. Clearly not Manton limited, given he opened a portal inside the Simurgh's stomach." Alexandria postulated, taking off her helmet.

"Could it be used to deal with the other Endbringers?" Legend jumped in.

"Look around you Keith. Does this look like someone we can negotiate with?" Eidolon snapped.

"You'd be surprised how willing people are to negotiate in good faith." A voice suddenly rang put from the speakers, startling them all.

"Of course, you squandered that when you tried to intrude on my ship. But the rest of humanity, not so much."

"Who are you?" Alexandria asked.

"You will find put soon enough!" The voice replied with an amused chuckle.

"You are human. A tinker then?" Alexandria guessed.

"Close enough." It replied, laughing ominously, "But as I said, you will find out soon. Very soon. Follow the golden man if you wish to know. But you may not like the truth that is revealed."

"You won't escape. We will find you. And we will return the favor." Eidolon threatened.

Suddenly, four beams shot out from out of sight, a blue one grazing Fortuna's arm, ripping it right off, while yellow ones hit the three heroes in the crotch, as their suits began burning off, leaving them naked.

But it didn't stop there as the burning effect spread out from their feet onto the floor, destroying all matter it came into contact with, until Eidolon switched powers, and used some sort of purple energy to stop it.

The damage though, was done. The point was proven.

If they hadn't been the strongest heroes, nearly impervious to harm, they would've been disintegrated in an instant.

Fortuna shuddered at the thought.

"You will try." The voice said with a finality they couldn't refute.

And they knew.

A monster had appeared on their world. A monster on the level of Scion.