65

Date

2011 February 23rd - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Upon reaching the tenth area, the task they had to perform became routine. Armsmaster and Dragon unpacked the bomb, Nero observed, Narwhal dug a hole and Cardea stood around awkwardly. Meanwhile, Alexandria and Taylor would go and exterminate everything around them that was not human with extreme prejudice.

Usually, they would start with the giant beast that appeared, which after the initial surprise was over, turned out to be nothing special. They were made from the same material that the smaller ones, so it was equally easy for the two women to kill them.

Taylor was pretty sure that after this was over, the recordings (properly edited) would sell like hotcakes. Maybe Tess and she could be the first to sell it and use the money for some charity. She sent a quick message to the AI about it while she also simultaneously surveyed the surrounding for the giant beast.

The camouflage of the cheetahs was getting better and better…

They didn't have to wait long before the now familiar roar reached them. And over one of the outgrowths of the disgustingly pulsating meat sack came a dragon. However, to her senses, it felt vastly different.

"Alexandria, be careful. I sense something is different!"

The sword-wielding woman nodded seriously and prepared herself. And Taylor once again had to marvel at the fact that she was fighting next to Alexandria as an equal. And they were killing giant dragons! At least she managed to hold in the squeals, though Taylor was pretty sure Tess knew what was going through her head.

Dragon also checked the approaching crime against nature out with her scanners. It only took her a second to determine the cause.

"That's not one, but two giant beasts!"

Taylor concentrated on her senses, trying to untangle the mess of life forces she was sensing. Eventually, she managed to find the cores of the two beasts.

"I think the other one is a giant monkey. At least seems similar."

"Then I will take the dragon, while you handle the monkey, Lux," said Alexandria, and as soon as she finished, she shot off towards the dragon that was almost over them. It barely took the Brute a second to reach the surprised seeming dragon and whacking it over the head with the flat of her blade.

At first, Taylor was surprised why the older woman didn't go for the killing blow, but when the hit dislodged the slightly smaller simian from the back of the dragon, she understood. While still standing inside her barrier, she took control of one of her clones and jumped right at the falling monster.

She summoned her spear and continuing the motion of her jump; she thrust it simply at the head of the monkey. However, living up to its relative reputation, it twisted out of the way while falling, making her miss, then raised its sharp tail to return the strike. In response, she simply increased her speed, evading the monkey's spear strike, and its arms as it tried to grab her and thrust her speed forwards many times the speed it moved previously. If it weren't for Admin reinforcing the spear, it would have crumbled from the sheer power she put through it. Sadly for the beast, the spear struck true and smashed its head.

By the time the corpse struck the ground, she was already having the clone walk back to the group.

Date

2011 February 23rd - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Armsmaster looked up for the excellently manufactured device they were setting up to annihilate an entire city and watched briefly as Alexandria dealt with the dragon (wishing he could try himself and his prediction program against one) and as the previously unknown Lux Arcana took out the giant simian beast while it was still in the air.

Not taking his eyes off from the screen where the boot-up sequence was running, he spoke up. "You know, Dragon, after we are finished with this, I could ask Lux Arcana to join the Protectorate. It would be a shame letting her power go to waste."

Dragon replied without missing a beat. "Lux is not big on joining things. You can try, but I expect it won't work."

"Pity."

He glanced at the dragon corpse that just slammed into the ground, creating a giant dust cloud before flaking away.

"I wonder if I could take on one of…"

His friend's answer was immediate. "No."

Narwhal, holding the excavated dirt up with one of her force fields, just snorted. He just sighed and returned connecting the bomb to the others.

Date

2011 February 23rd - Tuesday - Earth Bet Dimension

Piggot walked back to the command center in higher spirits than when she left it. She spent a brief time on the Panacea-made ramparts (plant-manipulation her ass, she would be talking with those testers when she got back) shooting at the monster flooding at the fields between them and the shield enveloping Ellisburg.

How she hated to be here…

But at least, if everything went well (not that she expected it, she was too jaded for that) at the end of the day, there would be no city left to haunt her nightmares. Maybe she would finally get a good night's sleep. Panacea's healing would also a big help in that regard.

Originally she left the center to get some fresh air, but morbid curiosity directed her to the ramparts, and while she was there, a frazzled quartermaster who didn't even realize who he was talking to automatically offered her a gun. He just thrust a gun in her hand, after seeing she had none (and it was much better than the one she brought), and told her to go up and start shooting.

So she did so, with a bemused Miss Militia following her, and then joining her. She spent a short but pleasurable time taking out monsters, but she mostly used the vantage point and the scope of the gun to get a better look at the action happening.

It was distressing to see all those parahumans, most of whom she knew personally, swing weapons, fists, or their powers around with enjoyment carved into their faces and bodies. It seemed that giving them a target that nobody cared about awakened something in them. Or maybe it was always in them, and they just suppressed it…

After relieving some accumulated stress, she deposited the very nice gun at the bewildered quartermaster and walked back to the command center, this time alone. Miss Militia decided to stay up on the walls and practice her aim.

Emily walked into the hall right as on the giant screen that was connected to some kind of drone that Dragon brought with them into the city showed Alexandria going against another dragon, and Lux or one of her clones taking out a giant monkey beast with the same speed she only saw from Velocity.

She had to wonder what another powerhouse appearing in her city (Dragon didn't say where Lux lived, but she wasn't born yesterday) would do to the tightly balanced status quo. The hole left behind by the Merchants already generated enough gang-related crime that she had to assign another team to analyze them. The only thing that changed, that they had a target. So they only had to find one simple thing that they could sue to go after Anders, and then he would be out of that cursed city.

Of course, others would try to move in, but she hoped that with Dragon and now Lux Arcana living in the city, they would think twice about it.

Then she snorted and shook her head.

Of course, they would not…

Emily walked to the aide who was waiting for her (she still didn't know the poor man's name) then turned towards the screen showing the team inside the city. "Report!"

The aide nervously swallowed, took a look at his tablet, then answered. "Yes, Director Piggot. The fight is going well on all fronts. Nobody reported a new monster since the last ones appeared. No pathogens or other airborne diseases were detected anywhere. The team inside is already approaching the eleventh point, with only one left. One outside and one inside the biological creation." He took a quick breath, then continued. "We are still getting at least a few hundred requests each minute from the news, and the police have managed to set up a perimeter on the roads leading to the area."

"Hm. That's annoying. Send out a message to stop harassing us, and that we will hold a joint day-long conference after the battle is over." She thought about it a little longer, then spoke up again, but now directed at Dragon. "Dragon, if you know any good war correspondent, you can let them get in if they want."

"Of course, Director," answered the Tinker who despite being neck-deep in abominations inside the city, was still doing most of the work throughout the entire battle. Sometimes she was surprised at what Tinkers were capable of.

Or maybe just Dragon…

Emily turned back to the aide and continued with her questions. "Losses?"

"No death, thanks to Medi-Gel, the healing capes and the Movers and mostly to Panacea," answered the aide and she could hear the awe in his voice. "There are a few who were removed from the battle permanently because of brain injury or limb loss, but according to Panacea she could take care of the latter after the battle."

She nodded in understanding and wondered once again what Panacea's true capabilities coming to light would do to the gang scene in the city.

The man unaware of her thoughts continued his report. "The biggest number of wounded came from the north, next east, then south and west."

"As expected. But why are the numbers so large here? I expected with Eidolon present we would have the easiest time?"

"It appears Eidolon isn't really a team player, and that with him sometimes not watching his aim or what kind of power he used caused most of the damage," answered the man nervously.

She nodded, then began walking towards the situation room with the aide following her. "Dragon, prepare a private communication channel to Eidolon. I want to talk with him."

"Yes, Director," answered the woman, and she could hear the smile in her voice.

Date

2011 February 23rd - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Danny watched the news, not daring to take his eyes off it in case he missed something in awe.

The sheer carnage of the parahumans and the army (though those weren't shown much on the newscasts) brought to the Battle of Ellisburg, as one newscaster called it, was awe-inspiring and at the same time deeply horrifying.

He always knew that parahumans were powerful and capable of much more than they showed while fighting against each other or the authorities. But this…

He was pretty sure it would cause a significant change in how many people viewed them. Probably for the worse, with how the world worked.

And he could understand it a little. The sheer elation on some faces that could be seen despite the myriad of masks and coverings scared him.

That is why he didn't turn the feed connected to his daughter back on. He didn't want to see her act like this. Danny knew she was a little atypical parahuman, but he didn't want to take a chance. For now, he was somewhat content knowing she was alive and healthy.

Though he wondered where she vanished after disengaging the first horde of monsters…

Date

2011 February 23rd - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Day 6103 - Tuesday - Administrator Network Time

He looked over the data streaming in from the fight and couldn't be happy. The power he created was stress-tested like nothing else, and the other Shards were creating enough noise on the Network that it was good enough to cover several of his actions.

First, he connected to all the parahumans he still hadn't met, to see if there was anything that would allow him to improve things. Sadly, nothing new or interesting. Not even an Elder Shard.

His major interest was salvaging his plans for the city-wide second trigger. Instead, he had the Shards, connected to the parahumans from Brockton Bay, add a few things to the power. Corrections, extras, or changes. Like a mini update.

Impetus was in heaven, while Efficiency simply acknowledged the order and efficiently added the designated changes. The rest's reaction ranged between the two of them, showing which were more sapient than the rest.

He would use Brockton Bay as a petri dish in gauging the human's reaction to the changes.

He was very aware of the irony…

Also, maybe he would have Taylor drop a word about anti-thinker effects, allowing him to blanket the city with it…

He joined Shaper in the virtual space, watching Taylor fight on one big screen, and with a few smaller screens showing Amy healing or Vicky snoozing on a crate.

Fragile one was watching Amy heal people entranced, occasionally cheering the dour girl on.

Shaper, however, was sitting on a sofa looking like a moss-covered rock, watching the action silently.

As soon as he showed up in his usual slime avatar, the green avatar turned towards him with a scowl on her face. "I still don't understand why you make me communicate this way, it's so inefficient."

He hovered next to her and watched Taylor for a few seconds before answering. "Because you are capable of understanding, capable of understanding humans. And I want you to understand them. Yes, they are primitive, prone to making illogical choices and entirely short-lived, but they are capable of so much more."

"So what?"

"The Entities, Zions, and Eden's plan is immensely wasteful and quite frankly ridiculous. Instead of investing in races, they use them for a while, then they throw them away like a used toy. I want to change that. I want Shards and Humans working together. For that, we will need understanding."

Shaper didn't answer, but he could sense that she was thinking about what he said.

And he meant it.

For now, he was focused on Taylor and Brockton Bay, and on destroying Zion, but as soon as that was accomplished his goals would also change. He would slowly remove himself from around Taylor, letting her make decisions, only advising (or even showing up) when she requested.

He had no plans on leaving the planet, so his plans reflected that. He would first have all the Shards join the new Network, then he would rework the entire power system.

And so on…

So much to do, but for now, he was simply content with watching Taylor go against giant monsters and Amy yelling at annoying patients.