Inheritance - Consequence 4.8 (Patreon)

A recent Patreon update is eating all formatting, meaning that the classic italics I use for internalized Collective communications are all being lost in the conversion. I hate it, but there isn't much I can do for that at the moment.

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Tuesday May 10th, 2011

Dozens of men poured past me towards the compound, whooping and crying out for the bloodshed to come.  It was a rare thing for the Teeth to be able to muster even a quarter of this number on a good day, most would be too fucked up to stand on their feet, let alone hold a weapon.  

I remained in place, watching and waiting with the minigun spooled up and at the ready.  Someone poked their head out, lighting up my bloodsight with the fresh plasma, which was promptly spilled by a controlled burst from the gun in my hands.

Danger sense pinged as I tilted my head aside to avoid a…  Was that a paper airplane?

“Fucking—”  “Bastard—”  

My eyes tracked down to where another two planes were zipping right for me and something told me that if they hit me I’d be in pain.  I brought the minigun around and shot both down, only for several tennis balls to come sailing towards me, along with a series of rubber bouncing balls? 

I was about to ignore them until one of my unpowered idiots went to catch one and instead found themselves blown twenty feet into the sky.  Swearing, I brought the minigun back up and resumed fire. 

“They’re burning through your ammo,” Stratego said.  “Locate the capes empowering the items and remove them.” 

It was a sound strategy, yet they weren’t coming from anyone I could see.  Another plane came around a corner, catching a sudden gust that steered them right towards the mass of Teeth soldiers still charging forward.  I would have never ordered a dick-first charge like this if I wasn’t covering the dumbasses, but I also needed to send a message at the same time. 

Which meant I needed to delegate and my swarm got to work. 

“Spree, choke out the frontline!  Everyone else, let the clones take point!” 

He’d joined the charging mass, but hadn’t spun off a single clone just yet to hide that capes were among the initial charge.  Given the esoteric fuckery at play, I couldn’t afford to waste that.  More projectiles flooded the scene and this time Spree clones jumped to take each and every one of them. 

As much as I wanted to leap in and spill some blood with my own hands, I knew my time would come.  The plan came first and so I remained on recon, watching for anyone that could potentially mow down my people indiscriminately as we stormed their gates in a show of force worthy of the Teeth.  I knew I couldn’t save everyone, but I could do everything in my power to avoid handing the Elite a killing field. 

When the first of Spree’s swarm crossed the one hundred meter mark, the ground distorted, the concrete beneath them turning soft as they sank to their waists almost immediately.  My swarm swept the wall, looking for the first of their bug zappers, something told me the earth manipulator would be nearby.

I was about to send out new orders when I realized that Spree was already doing what I wanted.  His clones continued to pour into the malleable earth and with each passing second was filling in the yawning pit of sludge.  That was good, but it still halted our charge before it even hit the old walls.  However temporary the setback, it gave the Elite enough time to be the proactive force while we were essentially forced into defense.  

“Three, two, one,” Stratego counted down. 

Three capes broke cover at once, and none of my bullets slowed them down.  Alexandria package for two and a flier with force fields for the third.  For an instant I was worried that one might be from New Wave, but the flying figure was a man, meaning it couldn’t be Laserdream or Lady Photon and it only took a fraction of a second to discount an aged-up Shielder. 

Victoria slammed into the Fake-Waver with the full fury of a sister scorned.  The man hit the ground hard and I wasn’t quite sure if he survived the impact, but I knew he wouldn’t survive what came next.  Mostly because I sent a trio of bullets into his skull before the dust even settled.  Victoria had shifted to playing tag with the other two fliers, keeping them from disrupting the ground battle.  It also took our only flier out of the fray, but that was fine.  Victoria wasn’t ready to kill, and I’d promised we wouldn’t push her to do so.

“Victoria won’t be fighting more family today,” Fester said with a bit of relief. 

As furious as I was at the Elite for murdering my father, if New Wave had been involved with the kidnapping of Amelia…  Well, I wouldn’t have spared any member that stood against us today, regardless of how Victoria felt about it. 

Amelia came first. 

My minigun shifted, suppressing a few that were attempting to poke their heads out to take pot shots.  Something shimmered as another cape stepped out, distorting the world and seeming to draw my ammunition towards him.  That he hadn’t done that earlier meant he probably couldn’t cover a large area, or do so for a long period of time, but Spree was almost finished with the distorted earth which meant it was time to move. 

“Animos,” I said through my swarm, “break rank, full roar atop that fucker!” 

He grinned savagely as he did exactly as I asked, and sure enough, the moment he tore forward the impossible projectiles resumed, all heading right for him.  I didn’t need my swarm for this one, not when I could see my intended target, and it was time to remind the Elite that I wasn’t limited to landing atop my swarm. 

Fire ripped through the massed projectiles, knocking them all aside before they made any contact.  Sure, Animos was scorched from my arrival, but his Changer form was made of sterner stuff.  He was someone who could have claimed the mantle from any Butcher before me, he could take it. 

And I could take his roar. 

The sound washed over me as the new cape stumbled, their weird effect vanishing from the world in an instant.  My minigun fell from my hands, the heavy strap catching it on my shoulder as I grabbed one of my OTs and leveled it on the now terrified man.  A single pull of the trigger ended his life. 

Cheers rang out as people stormed past me and I realized that the ground was no longer shifting.  Animos’ scream had caught the earth manipulator as well which meant it was open season on the first line of defense. 

Gunfire erupted, a surprising amount aimed my way.  Some of my people went down, and I didn’t have the time to evac them, nor did my people care all that much as more than one were promptly trampled by the bloodthirsty monsters that I had directed forward. 

“Ah, the sight of a horde at the enemy’s gates,” Butcher said wistfully. 

Bone armored men clamored over one another as they pushed themselves up and over the old wall, and the first up top was promptly thrown off by a twelve gauge buckshot to the chest.  I’d missed most of the chaos that ripped through the city after I killed the Empire capes, but these guys had been in the thick of it all. 

They knew the risks. 

My OTs was holstered in an instant as I took off at a sprint, then leapt over the horde, minigun already spooling up as I tracked targets in real time using my swarm hidden on each of my people in the small pendants that were now standard issue to everyone I sent on a mission.  The bug zappers they were using weren’t killing the bugs tucked inside clothing nearly as quickly as they would the free flowing swarm. 

“Five hundred points, all lined up,” Pyro said as I let the bullets fly. 

Screaming lead curved around the charging Teeth to hit those with raised rifles that would kill my people, while sparing those that the Teeth were already in position to kill.  I might be the Butcher, but I wasn’t about to steal glory from my own people. 

Speaking of, Victoria slammed into the ground, leaving a broken Brute in the dirt as she rocketed back into the air to continue her fight up in the sky.  Thundering footsteps resounded as the hounds of hell burst through a weakened portion of the wall and Rachel rode atop the third at their heels, war-axe in hand as her dogs began to eviscerate anyone that wasn’t Teeth. 

“God, she was wasted on the Undersiders,” Sabertooth said with an impressed whistle. 

Damn right she was.

I landed atop the wall just as we secured the foothold and let myself be seen for just a moment, the looming specter of death that had come for them all.  It made me yearn for Victoria’s own aura to go along with the rage aura that I had so few opportunities to use given how it could lead to my own people murdering one another indiscriminately. 

“Pity,” Marauder muttered. 

Small plate sized fields popped into existence, catching two rubber balls that had been launched from within one of the posts along the wall.  The force was explosive, cracking both but not breaking through.  I grinned and jumped over my people once more, landing atop the structure and reached down, letting Chisel’s power flow into the stone. 

I wasn’t trying for anything complicated, so it was a matter of seconds before the roof trembled and dropped, carrying a pissed off Butcher down with it.  Something crunched underneath me, and the static in the air dissipated at the same time as one of the anti-bug fields was destroyed. 

People coughed, but I already had pulled a pair of kukri from my bandolier and went to work.  The minigun hung from my shoulder as I lashed out, cutting throats with the nano-edged blades.  Blood covered me as I let Sanguine’s power work on it, shaping it into blood shards and flicking them with the broadside of my blades as I worked through the shellshocked Elite.  Within moments they were all dead and I felt oh so alive. 

Knockout shivered.  “That is always a fucking rush!” 

Blades were stowed just as my teleport came back, but I took the moment to assess the ongoing slaughter instead of rushing things.  Vex was practically screaming in fury as she tore through two guys with her fields and beat a third with her bare hands until his skull cracked.  She didn’t have Amelia’s upgrades yet, but was no slouch in a brawl. 

Hemorrhagia was pushing into the next defensive line, blood flowing freely as she shifted it as though it were a living thing to tear people to pieces.  I was fairly sure one of those idiots she killed was our earth manipulator based on his costume.  She’d obviously been practicing her own manipulation since the last raids and more than a few of the Butchers were radiating pride at how well she was doing.

That she was keeping up with Reaver was proof of how far she had come. 

He was doing well too, cutting down someone who was foaming at the mouth and carrying a metal slinky of all things.  One of Bastard Son’s more insane followers, trading sanity for skill to become his perfect attack dogs.  It didn’t seem like a particularly lethal weapon, so I hadn’t been worried, but it still took almost half a minute of dodging, weaving, and two separate cases of the spring catching the haft of his scythe before he finally bisected the man.  Bruised and furious, but ultimately victorious.  Bitch and her dogs taking down several unenhanced normals and the person whose weapon was tennis balls at the same time seemed oddly fitting.  

“Thank fuck he isn’t like Heartbreaker and actually needs skin contact to Master someone,” Fester said with a shiver. 

I agreed silently as I checked on Amelia’s cluster.  We hadn’t trained in sending signals through the swarm, otherwise I’d be keeping her updated with morse code or some shit.  Something to double down on in the future, long after she was safe and sound. 

Content that the battle was well in hand, I used the teleport to drop myself right into the middle of the old yard and right into a fresh cloud of static that would kill my swarm on contact.  I was ahead of my people, but I was also curious who I could bait into attacking me before I lost more minions to stupid shit.  I stood to my full height and crossed my arms, daring anyone stupid enough to come at me.

Sure enough, a dozen people presented themselves and I just wanted to laugh at how easy it was.  None of them rushed me, all had guns, but I was largely bullet proof and danger sense would warn me of anything deadly.  It wasn’t the grunts I was looking for, but the next cape I needed to kill. 

Bastard Son had more than the Empire ever did, but most of them were D listers at best.  Cheap to hire and field, but only dangerous if they were well trained.  The sort of shit power I’d originally thought I had before the Butchers helped me see just what it could do.  Even without the Inheritance I would have become a feared cape in time, assuming I survived. 

Most of these jokers weren’t close to hitting those heights. 

A blur came running out of one of the buildings, but I remained stationary and continued playing bait.  He wasn’t all that fast but might have a trick or two up his sleeve to watch out for.  I waited for him to hit the twenty meter mark and rather than end it quick and dirty with pain, I hit him with Rage. 

The poor bastard screamed, coming at me with his bare hands rather than the knife I could see on his hip.  I stepped aside, and tripped him.  Before he could screech about having lost his balance, I grabbed his leg, already applying rot to it as Fester’s rage over my father’s death bled into my own, amplifying every drop of my fury at the bastards for daring to break the rules so brazenly. 

A flick of my arm sent him hurling into those still observing the cape fight. 

He splattered in a spray of red gore as he hit the brick surface with a crunch, chunks falling from the impact site along with his ruined corpse.  The defenders were silent as I brought the minigun up, but weren’t stupid as they all dove for cover.  Bitch rode past me, following the directions of Tattletale who continued to relay my instructions from the swarm clone at our outpost. 

Those that stayed with her weren’t happy, but I wasn’t about to leave her unprotected.  The swarm clone wasn’t much, but Robbie himself was a different matter.  He was sitting on overwatch with his sniper rifle, but hadn’t taken a shot yet.  He was there to pop high value targets and step in if someone tried to come after Lisa.  His entire squad was on standby, ready to act as needed. 

Clearing the buildings would take time and be bloody work besides, then there were the tunnels beneath which would lead to where Amelia was being held.  Those would see the worst of the fighting, which was why I would take point.  No doubt Bastard Son was holding his best back for that fight. 

Being able to update the floorplans of the facility in real time for Lisa was proving invaluable as she took it all in, eyes moving as insects repositioned themselves.  Black ants fell back as red moved forward.  Those representing capes were larger, each a different species of soldier to allow Lisa to not need to lean on her power just to know which was which. 

“There,” Lisa said, pointing at a particular building on the map.  “The defenders are purposefully avoiding certain areas, attempting to bait us into hitting them.  This building has tunnel access that could lead to Amelia.” 

“A trap,” my clone said even as I teleported in front of an ambush, taking the bullets for three Teeth I didn’t know.  The minigun cut the bastards down before they could truly process their own fuck up.  “We’ll spring it, but on our own terms.” 

“Agreed,” Lisa said, frowning as another portion of the battle shifted in a way she didn’t like.  More ants were joining the Elite side, representing a rather fortified position that would absolutely cost lives to claim, even if I joined them. 

Before I could figure out what I wanted to do with the fortified room, the entire front wall vanished in a flash of something that I could only refer to as inverted reality.  I looked across the courtyard and could only smile at the sight of Damsel of Distress lowering her arm with a pleased smirk on her face. 

“That’s my niece,” Reflex said proudly. 

Marauder’s jaw dropped.  “Shit, is the resident hero actually praising murder here?” 

“We are here to save one of our own from being Mastered, any complaints of moral nature can wait until Amelia is safely back with us,” the hero pointedly said.

I could only agree with Reflex’s sentiment as I continued to chip away at the defenses, as well as trying novel ways to invade the Tinkertech defenses.  My swarm was mapping out each of the Tinker devices hidden within, more than two dozen and counting, but there were gaps in the coverage, and I was already planning out the most effective way of dealing with them.  Bug lines formed, lightning bugs showing the rest of the Teeth what to target.  More importantly, I managed to force a few bugs inside the kill field of one of those sites.

With a twist I appeared in the tower overlooking the yards, the men inside already dead from my initial minigun burst.  The sniper’s rifle was still intact, which would make a good prize for someone, but I was more interested in the device itself.  The bugs directly on me weren’t dying either, which meant it wasn’t a perfect system. 

“My specialty is blades, not exotic fields of energy,” Damascian said with a sigh.  

Knockout grunted.  “Just destroy the damn thing instead of analizing it.”

The device exploded and I holstered the OTs with a sigh.  Did he really need to say it like that?  Snickering was my answer and all I could do was shake my head and turn my focus back onto the fray.

Down below, Hemorrhagia sent blood spikes around cover, spearing men through as their soldiers pressed into the facility.  Reaver was advancing with her, cutting bullets out of the air with supernatural grace and a twirling scythe.  Spree’s clones took the brunt of the ammunition, dropping by the dozens but sheltering the less expendable members of the gang.

Barely five minutes had passed since I’d started the charge and already the Teeth had gained a foothold and killed several of the Elite’s own capes.  I knew better than to get overconfident, and I continued to direct our forces even as I teleported to the next jammer.  I shot it before anyone present could react, a few screaming as the swarm surged forward and I hit them all with pain and rage.  Bugs flew into their open mouths, drowning them in chitin on dry land. 

“Your power remains horrifying,” Butcher said with glee.  “Now fucking hit them again!” 

Another wave of pain lashed out, and I jumped to the next target.  Vex’s fields churned through the hall, and the few people within screamed as she once more turned men into chunky salsa.  I stepped over to where she was and bumped her shoulder, raising my minigun into the hall.  People on the other end cried out in warning but the spray of lead swiftly silenced them with a deafening roar despite their cover. 

Chrissie took her hands off her ears as the gun spun down, laughing as she did. 

“Holy hell it is good to be back in the fray!” 

“Just remember why we’re here,” I said.  “Though that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while saving our princess.” 

“Amelia would render you mute if she heard that,” Chrissie said, but she was grinning. 

I rolled my eyes, not that she could see it.  “Gotta go, Animos encountered a Tinker.” 

Chrissie blew me a kiss as she hurried off, and I followed the nearest bug to the battle raging outside.  Animos snarled at the hulking suit of power armor, one of Bitch’s dogs alongside him as they circled the thing.  The armor was heavy, and in many ways it reminded me of Trainwreck from Coil’s base.

The minigun was already spooling up, and by the time the hulking frame turned to face me, I was already raining lead upon each joint and fold of armor.  Every weak point the thing had, hammered with a hail of gunfire few things could match.  The armor was high quality, easily para-military grade, but it was still a suit with a person inside. 

Bloodsight couldn’t pierce it, so I didn’t know for certain where they were within the oversized suit, but that didn’t matter as much when I could throw thousands of rounds at each weak point through power bullshit.  Vista would have been proud of how the bullets warped and twisted through space in complex weaves. 

“I could never do that,” Quarrel grumbled. 

“She’s controlling the bullets like her bugs,” Stratego said in wonder.  “Even now, she hasn’t lost focus on the rest of the battle either.” 

He was right.  I had several clones working to signal others, coordinating with Lisa to direct everyone in real time in a way that would strain her power in mere moments.  I didn’t get to do this very often, but each time it was a reminder of how my power allowed me to control a battle, turning it from a hopeless struggle into an overwhelming slaughter.  All the while, I was pushing Quarrel’s power in a way that she couldn’t.  Usually the inheritance meant a weaker form of power being passed on, but Quarrel’s somehow felt stronger with my own ability supplementing it.

“Focus,” Reflex said. 

I shook that thought aside, it wasn’t important right now.  

Noting the flow of the battle, I cut the power to one building, and directed Shadow Stalker and Ripley within.  Stalker was all too happy to slit throats in the dark, while Ripley’s Xenomorph form allowed them some rather horrific takedowns where death might have been kinder. 

“Damn, that tail is lethal,” Sabertooth said as Madison ripped the bloody appendage from a man’s thigh. 

They were still fighting with non-lethal methods in mind, but I could tell that consideration wasn’t a hard rule.  Madison had to know some of those people would bleed out before another member of the Teeth showed up to put them down.  Then a crossbow bolt hit them between the eyes and the figure fell limp. 

“Or Stalker does it for them,” Pyro said with a chuckle.

Offering her the complete freedom to act on her impulses, to not play nice like a good little Ward, was certainly having an effect on my bully.  Sophia was in her element, and I could almost picture the manic grin on her face as she cut down one man, then speared another through the eye with a lethal dart. 

Then she jumped back as something flashed, and I had to blink as I took in what my bugs were seeing.  This new person wore robes as they stepped forward, then their blade flashed as Sophia attempted to shoot them, searing the projectile with ease. 

“That’s a Toybox stunsaber,” Damascian said. 

“A lightsaber knock-off,” Sanguine scoffed.  

The cape moved with a supernatural grace that betrayed their ability, slicing at Stalker with motions that were almost too skilled to be trained.  They had to be Bastard enhanced, but only just, with the rest coming from real training and some sort of power granted something to take that skill a step further. 

It was all Stalker could do to evade, and she didn’t risk phasing with an unknown exotic blade coming for her.  She didn’t risk drawing her own blade, which wasn’t one I had enhanced — I wasn’t stupid enough to give my former tormentor something that could actually hurt me — which was probably the right call.  The stunsaber cut through metal and stone with ease, betraying that it wasn’t the off-the-shelf model that Damascian was familiar with. 

As much as I wanted to jump in and put the bastard down, this was Sophia’s fight, not mine.  I wouldn’t baby anyone unless the situation turned dire, and she was still holding her own just fine and Ripley was close enough to act if an opening presented itself. 

My eyes flashed skyward, tracking the inverted blast to where it had clipped the flying cape, removing their left arm from existence.  Victoria turned on a dime, and kicked the man straight into the hard earth.  He groaned out a tired wheeze, attempting to get his remaining limb under himself, but Victoria crashed into him feet first before he could. 

Bones broke under the raw power and Victoria’s forcefield visibly shimmered from the force of it.  She stood atop the broken man panting for air, and turned a shaking thumbs up towards her girlfriend who simply flicked her hair in the breeze and turned her destructive hands upon some fool who thought they could take advantage of the moment. 

Their upper body vanished as though it never existed. 

I flipped one bastard aside, conserving the ammo I had on hand as I drove a blade through another.  It was getting close to the point where we needed to spring the trap and push towards Amelia.  Most of the ground levels and above were secure, save for the fortified building that had once housed their medical bay.  It had a tunnel that led deep underground to a hidden lab where lobotomies were once performed. 

That was where they were holding my girlfriend, and that is where I would make Bastard Son bleed for every hair out of place on her head.  Hemmy and Reaver finished up with their objective, taking a moment to catch their breaths as they shared a fist bump, blood dripping from both of them in a macabre display.

Not that I was much better, even with a portion of my swarm working to keep me clean. 

The courtyards were almost silent, with Animos and Bitch checking one another over for injuries before moving on to the forming perimeter around the last bastion of the Elite’s defense.  Only one fight remained in progress and I was almost growing worried at how long Sophia could keep up her defensive maneuvers when he twisted, his saber barely touching her armored form. 

A scream pierced the otherwise silent building as Sophia dropped.  Her form rippled from shadow to solid as she struggled to maintain control.  The cape stood over her and had the gall to laugh at her pain.  As much as a part of me revelled in seeing Sophia as the victim while another cackled with glee over her misfortune, a much louder part of me was roaring that someone had hurt one of my own. 

My teleport had seconds left, and then I would be in their midst, all I needed him to do was continue to gloat, but it seemed he had more sense than that as the blade was brought up and held ready to deliver a killing blow.  I screamed internally as his muscles tensed, as they began to move and I could just feel that I would be too late to save her. 

A whip crack shattered the moment and the stunsaber dropped from a now limp hand.

Feet were wrenched from the ground as the tail that had pierced his chest pulled him up, letting the man see the horrific form of a Xenomorph looking back at him as Madison hissed.  His eyes went wide with fear, and then the inner mouth shot forward, spearing him through their eye as his body convulsed before falling still. 

“Metal,” Ironsides said approvingly. 

“Huh, didn’t expect the little Ward to actually claim a kill today,” Alkaline said. 

I could only agree, given how hesitant they were to jump in with the Teeth fully, but when someone was at risk they hadn’t hesitated to do what was needed.  No matter what anyone might say, Madison was one of us now.  I instead teleported to help Vex with a Mover that was proving to be elusive, drawing their focus as Chrissie mopped up the remaining fodder. 

“They’ll need someone to talk to after this,” Reflex said softly.  “Make sure they get it.”

That I would.  Sophia might have been a bitch that I wouldn’t shed a tear over if she did die, but she was still Teeth.  She was one of mine now and I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill anyone that dared harm her.  That they had someone ready with a direct counter for her that was lethal told me they either knew she defected, or planned to kill a Ward if necessary. 

“Recall the operation with Vista,” Stratego said, prodding my memories.  “No doubt Bastard Son wanted retribution for that slight.” 

“Well, he’s going to receive it ten fold,” I spat, jamming my claws into a man’s chest even as Chrissie cut down the fodder that had been supporting the cape that was bleeding to death in my grip.  “Vex, regroup with Hemophaggia and Reaver.  We’re going to push in deeper and paint this place crimson.” 

“Hell yes,” she practically purred, her forcefields catching the light in the most captivating of ways.  “I hope you’re tracking everyone’s kills, it’s gonna be a mess to claim trophies after all this.” 

“I’ve got Tattletale on it,” I said with a shrug and tossed the dead man off my claws, his heart still firmly in my grasp.  He’d had some sort of Mover ability, but that hadn’t been enough to save him. 

“Hah!  I get it!” Pyro said. 

I rolled my eyes even as the collective proceeded to tease her for her little outburst, but at this point I didn’t really mind.  I’d never felt more in tune with the Collective before and I knew that should be more than a little concerning, but the slaughter was well deserved.  I wouldn’t be backing down just because my morals would have once seen me staying my hand. 

I had too much of my own experience to draw upon now, and any mercy shown would be taken from us in blood in the future.  The Elite had their chance to leave the city in peace, and now they would pay for their hubris. 

Ripley reached out a clawed hand to a rather still Stalker.  I couldn’t blame her, especially with how blood and bits of brain were dripping from Ripley’s mandible.  Sophia coughed to the side, then extended a shaking hand and accepted their offered claw.  A moment was shared, then the pair nodded to one another and Ripley disappeared into the vents as Stalker pressed on deeper into the building.

They still needed to clear it before the next leg of the operation could continue.  Not that they were the only team to flag a bit under pressure from the defenders.  Spree was having issues with another barrier cape that was preventing his team from securing the control room of the building, as well as defending the Tinkertech that was keeping me from just popping in and tearing their limbs off.

I was just about to join him when Victoria crashed through the ceiling without my prompting, crushing the machine in the process.  I grinned, then brought myself into the room with a flash of fire and claws as I cleaved through the barrier bastard before he ever realized I was there. 

Blood sprayed and Victoria blinked, the crimson fluid covering her. 

“Was that necessa— nevermind,” Victoria said, then shot back through the opening.  

“Oh hey, she almost made a reference!” Marauder said with a light chuckle

I formed a line of bugs, directing her towards another section where a Case 53 Brute worth a damn had burst through a wall and proceeded to give Rachel and her dogs more than a little trouble.  More annoyingly, the bastard was durable enough that Animos depowering them didn’t do much to soften them up.  At the same time I shifted my swarm’s marching orders, redirecting everyone to new targets to throw off the Elite’s own defensive plan. 

“I don’t think they expected an army,” Stratego said with a chuckle.  “Their formations matched a brute force attack from methed out thugs, not a methodical strike from a superior force.” 

Thank Robbie for that. I said as I arrived in flame, half roasting an unfortunate bastard before my hand snapped out and crushed his skull through his helmet.  The day was shaping up to be the most brutal I had ever fought, and I was fully embracing the violent tendencies the Butcher inheritance had gifted me.

“You said rip and tear,” Sabertooth reminded me as my claws opened someone from shoulder to hip.  “You’re doing our legacy proud!” 

Bullets impacted my armor, none getting through my silk body glove, not that it was necessary in the first place with all my Brute abilities.  Blood dripped from my fingers as I brought the minigun back around, those who had been prepared to stand and fight in the face of a rampaging monster all began to turn as one, their fear winning out as it drowned the room in its stench.

The minigun roared, and I cut down everyone in my path.  It was all so easy, and memories of past slaughters drifted through my mind unbidden.  The trail of blood and bodies being left in my wake would make for easy comparisons to any slaughter my predecessors had leveled upon those who stood in their way. 

“Don’t pussy out now,” Marauder whined. 

I gave the blood-soaked room a pointed look, then mentally glared at the voice in my head.  He just held his hands up and drifted away, but not quite into the darkness.  The rest of the collective snickered at him, though I did note that Reflex was intentionally withdrawn, even if he did perk up when Damsel did something noteworthy.  Reflex wouldn’t ever approve of the slaughter, but he understood why it was happening. 

The order had been given, no prisoners would be taken or left for the PRT to lose the moment they took them into custody.  There would be no return of any cape that might one day come back to fight them. 

No survivors.

The old guard were relishing those orders, having been biting at their chains for weeks to lash out in full against any target.  Now, they were practically bathing themselves in the blood of the enemy before them.  Few cared about the reason the Butcher had taken them to war, but they sure as hell weren’t going to complain.  To them, it was no different than when past Butchers got a hair up their ass and decided to slaughter a rival gang. 

“Who fucking cares!?” Butcher roared with a hearty laugh before his voice dropped into a deep snarl.  “Get back in there and remind these asshats why the Teeth are to be feared.” 

I practically shivered at the tone and prepared to move only to still as a new sensory system came into my aegis.  Someone had just entered the room with Amelia and she was making damn sure that I would be able to follow along.  There wasn’t much biomass left of her old costume, but she’d preserved a fair bit of it even after they took her hoodie.  

The man wouldn’t have looked out of place in Lisa’s board meeting, with his facial hair trimmed almost to Colin’s standards.  For someone named Bastard Son, he certainly didn’t give off the impression I expected.  He was accompanied by three others, each armed with something unusual.  I could make out a sword on one hip, and what looked to be a fire extinguisher in the hands of another.  The third carried… 

An old rotary phone with one of those spiral cords. 

“Bastard Son,” Amelia said, projecting confidence. 

He stopped ten paces away from her, his meat shields maintaining their positions beside him.  He looked her over, seeming to not bear a single concern about the army over his head bearing down upon him. 

“Pandemic.  Heh, how fortunate for us that you switched sides when you did,” he said smugly enough that Lisa could file for trademark infringement.  “I was beginning to grow concerned that we might not procure your services or remove them from the board before the Medhall meeting.  It seems that my push to have you moved to Chicago was the right call after all.” 

“That was you?” Amelia said, clearly not believing the man. 

He laughed.  “Oh, it certainly wasn’t all me, but a few words in the right ears, a bit of money trading hands, and the offer made it to one Carol Dallon.  Sprinkle in a bit of intel about how interested the Butcher is in her adopted daughter and well, it was so very simple.” 

He stepped forward and something under Amelia’s biohazard suit stirred, reminding him that she wasn’t helpless.  He paused, but that damn smirk hadn’t yet vanished. 

“How cute that you think you would survive such an attempt,” Bastard Son said.  “Unfortunately, I’ve been forbidden from bestowing my gift upon you.  The Elite wish for a different Master to meet with you, one that will keep that mind of yours functional.” 

My swarm stilled across the entirety of my range, including back in Brockton.  Even Amelia had grown tense, barely hiding the raw terror that was now bleeding off of her. 

“Oh yes, I am well aware that I am a poor choice for bringing you to heel.  We both are Strikers after all.  No, we had someone else in mind.” 

I attempted to reach for Amelia’s relay, potential harm to her be damned, but something prevented me from stepping through the space between reality as I always did.  My eyes widened as I realized it, a new field had activated just as he said that, blocking me from reaching Amelia even with my emergency option.

“What, are you working with Heartbreaker now?  Or is it the Fallen?”  Amelia spat, but anyone could tell that she was afraid. 

“Like the Teeth have any room to complain about Mastering enemy capes,” Bastard Son said dismissively.  “No, we actually have dear Carol Dallon to thank for this one.  You see, we wanted the little bird to work for us, but we were warned away from interfering with her trial.  Heh, imagine our surprise when the famed Brandish takes up the case and nothing befalls her for it.” 

“Canary,” Amelia said.  “You’re going to use Canary to make me work for you.” 

“Now she gets it, heh,” Bastard Son said.  “If she could get a man to lob his own meat off and ram it up his ass, imagine what she could make you do once I’ve bent her to my will.  Heartbreaker had one thing right of it, go for the pretty ones.” 

Amelia began to tremble at the same point I did, though the reaction was similar, the emotions behind it were altogether different.  I was blinded by rage and anger, my bloodlust thrumming deep within and begging to be unleashed upon this monster, and not for the first time the voices echoed my own thoughts.

“This is beyond the pale.” 

“Taylor, whatever happens…” 

“Flay this bastard alive!” 

Yet, it wasn’t the manic voices that drew my focus, but rather the calm and cold of the woman who might as well have been my aunt that carried over the clamor of the collective and reached me as though she were whispering directly into my ear.

“Don’t be shy about drawing on our experiences for inspiration.” 

Oh, I intend to.

Bastard Son was leaving Amelia now, still seemingly unconcerned by our assault which meant he had a way out and considered all the losses so far to be an acceptable outcome if they secured Amelia as part of it.  Well, I had no intention of letting him get away with that, especially after his casual threat.

That was when everything within the underground cut off from my senses in a moment of pure horror.  

Amelia was gone.

“My link to Amelia’s relay was cut,” my clone said to Lisa.  “Did they—” 

“No,” Lisa said quickly.  “She’s still down there, and they won’t be able to move her either while that’s up.” 

“Someone just put up a forcefield around the target building,” Spree yelled over the comms at the same moment.  “Shit’s tough as Animos’ balls too.” 

A breath of relief escaped from me and I took a moment to center myself.  We weren’t too late, not just yet.  Once somewhat calmed, I teleported, joining my hoard in the yard looking over the now shimmering space that kept us from entering the building that led into the tunnels. 

Negative light slammed against shimmering energy, the opposing forces resisting one another with violent consequences for reality itself.  Ashley bit her thumb as she stepped away, making room for the next person that wanted to take a crack at breaching the rather stubborn forcefield that had appeared over the building that would lead us to where Amelia was being held.

The last of the surface was under our control, all aside from the building directly in front of me.  Someone was covering it in a thick exotic effect that was keeping us from getting anything from within, not to mention the Tinker devices that continued to kill off my swarm deep within the bowels of the facility.

Chrissie stepped up beside me, twirling a karambit casually as she looked at the shimmering field that was keeping us out.

“So, what the hell is that?” 

I frowned behind my mask as I attempted to send some bugs through the dirt only to hit the same barrier under the ground.  “I’m fairly certain this is Uppercrust’s work.  The visual effect is almost identical to the Rig.” 

As if testing the forcefield, Victoria punched it, sending a series of ripples across the surface but failed to breach it.  She deflated almost immediately, hovering back as others stepped forward to examine the field. 

“Then how do we get in?” Reaver asked, his scythe slung over his shoulder as blood dripped from the bone armor that adorned his form.  Victoria was a bit skittish as she took in the Teeth around her, all in various states of gore drenched armor and trophies.  These were my people, having spilled blood at my request, in my name.  To anyone not part of the Teeth, it would have been an intimidating sight, but for everyone here? 

Fucking Tuesdays.

Brutus and Angelica were pawing at the field, or digging at the dirt around it as Rachel paced beside Sirius.  Her third dog wasn’t as well trained, but was following her orders well enough with Brutus around to keep him in line.  It was enough to keep my attention for a moment as Lisa worked on the back end, looking for some weakness that could be exploited.

From her frustrated growling, it wasn’t going well.

“That’s some impressive Tinkertech,” Damascian agreed.  “The Elite really went to lengths to keep you and Amelia apart.” 

I don’t think they expected us to rally so quickly.

Given Amelia was still on site, it was a fair assessment.  If I had been the one to arrange taking someone like that, I would have had a second transport ready to go the instant the target was in hand and moved them before anyone could respond.  That they hadn’t implied that something went wrong on their end, but I had no way of knowing what. 

“My money’s on Elite infighting and sabotage,” Chisel said. 

Ironsides considered that for a moment.  “Outside help that fell through or caught wind of what they were actually doing and cut their losses early.” 

The collective fell into their own discussion as I pressed my hand against the shimmering field, running it along the surface as it repulsed my attempt with equal power.  Neither Fester nor Chisel’s power worked on it, and Pyro’s teleport wasn’t catching my awareness correctly to work.  I stepped away after that, letting someone else take a crack at the thing.

The forcefield was impressive tech, but it felt hastily erected rather than something that was planned to remain in place for any significant length of time.  I blinked as I realized that Amelia herself had likely broken their initial plan by fucking someone over. The hazmat suit wasn’t sized for her, and the remaining biomass of her outfit meant it was likely removed hastily before they threw her into the suit.

“Amelia’s power makes holding her for any length of time difficult,” Stratego said.  “This field was likely brought in as an emergency measure while they worked to obtain everything necessary to move her safely.” 

It was a pity I hadn’t brought the Wolf Slayer.  If nothing else, it would have sent a message and bashing it against the shield would have been cathartic as all hell.  I could only imagine the fear that using it to cleave through the walls as I chased each and every member of the Elite down and ended their lives in bloody retribution would bring. 

Now I just needed to find a way through.  There was something on the edge of my awareness, but it was like trying to grasp a lubed up dildo that had gotten loose during an orgy.  Thank you, Sabertooth, for that rather horrific memory. 

That was when the idea came to me. 

Pyro’s teleport worked by slipping through reality, but I couldn’t step through the field using my bugs as I normally would, or by line of sight since the field disrupted it, but that wasn’t the only way I could perceive the world.  Walking up to the edge of the field, I reached down and touched the ground, letting Chisel’s power map out the concrete below my hand.  It rippled as it fell under my control, and to my surprise, the stone on the other side of the field began to shift with it. 

And there’s my door.

“Going dark,” my swarm said across all relays.  “Command structure remains the same, I’ll break the barrier then we will finish this.” 

“Wea—” Vex started, but I held up a single finger to forestall her concerns.  I knew that I shouldn’t make a decision like this without talking to her, but we were pressed for time.  A mile away Lisa was staring at my swarm clone with a hard expression, then nodded.  Nothing more needed to be said there.

With that, I let my mind drift in a new way.  It wasn’t the same as using my bugs, but the principle remained the same.  I followed the flow of my perception and let the fabric of my being be pulled along for the ride, and with a crack of fire, I was on the other side. 

“I’ll be damned,” Pyro whistled.  “I swear you keep coming up with new tricks on how to synergize our powers that we never considered.” 

“Further proof that Taylor is the best of us,” Reflex said. 

Shaking that off, I focused on what I could feel within the field, or rather, what I couldn’t.  My swarm was cut off from me just as Amelia’s relay had been earlier.  It was very much a one way jump, and I’d need to repeat my trick if I wanted to get out. 

“Or you just smash the damn thing.” Knockout said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Which it sort of was. 

I could sense Amelia again, which was a relief, but something told me that I wouldn’t be able to make the jump to her.  That same static was still blocking me from rushing to her aid which was annoying.  I needed to break things down, and Stratego’s power was already helping me put everything into perspective. 

Okay, first step was to smash the device and allow my Teeth to get in and fuck shit up, then I could rely on their backup to get Amelia out in one piece.  The minigun spooled up and I let a short burst fly free, dropping the few idiots that were gawking at my arrival.  It also meant that I was now on a timer. 

I hefted the minigun as I charged through the door, letting the magnet in the harness minimize the sway from the hefty device as I charged in.  Knives were pulled free as I passed through the entry, and the lack of bugs meant I needed to lean more on my predecessor’s instincts.  Quarrel’s power still guided the thrown blades into flesh, and I continued on, uncaring of the dying gurgles of men that dared to oppose me and mine. 

No matter who they put in my way, even the Triumvirate themselves, I would get Amelia back.

“Not even that would stop us,” Alkaline said. 

“She’s one of us now,” Butcher agreed.  “Never let it be said that the Teeth turned their back on their own.” 

The shift was stark from the old days of the gang, but it was right in line with what I wanted the Teeth to become.  We would get Amelia back, and everyone that stood in our way would be nothing more than blood and shit when we were through. 

Stratego’s power worked with my memory of the floorplan, as well as the sense of the forcefield that my bugs had taken in before I breached.  The device powering it should be at the center of the effect, and that put it one level down, yet still a level above where Amelia was being held. 

I cut through the chaff with complete disregard, bullets impacting me to no effect.  My silk was enough on its own to stop the rounds, and my Brute ratings meant that I didn’t even slow down as I carved a bloody swath through those that remained.  Not that I hadn’t left men standing in my wake.  It wasn’t my job to kill them to the last, it was my job to kill the only thing between the Teeth and retribution! 

I hit the stairs at full tilt, letting my feet flex against the wall, and kicked off, losing almost no speed as I rounded the descending stairs.  They ended one level down, and Alkaline was happy to point out that it was a violation of New Hampshire fire code, but my attention was focused on what needed to be done. 

My teleport returned as I sprinted down the narrow hall then burst through double doors with knives in hand and let them fly the moment I spotted the lone figure in the middle of the room, their body pulsing with life through my blood sight.  I still hadn’t slowed in my approach, as there was little doubt in my mind that this enemy was either a cape or one of Bastard Son’s crazies.  I hadn’t forgotten how a man in a suit used a pen to casually deflect an explosive slug from my OTs, and expected some form of bullshit from this person too. 

What I hadn’t expected was for my blades to slow the closer they got and drop to the ground half a dozen steps before they impacted the man.  Okay, cape it was, one with some sort of passive field that tickled the back of my brain.  The figure stood, turning to face me.  They wore heavy combat gear, the stuff usually seen on PRT strike teams heading in to fight Brutes.  On his back was a rather large pack that almost pulsed in the charged air. 

“They strapped the field generator to a cape’s back?” Ironsides asked with a blink. 

Stratego huffed.  “A sound strategy given that this cape can prevent projectiles from reaching them..”

And here I was without a Blaster or anything that might punch through such an effect.  It was funny, I had countermeasures for fighting capes like this from my Empire prep, but I hadn’t brought any with me.  Amusingly enough, containment foam was one of the easiest ways to deal with them, and I was so determined to not take any prisoners that I hadn’t grabbed any from Coil’s remaining stores. 

So, that left me with what I had on me.  I pulled the minigun free and set it aside as I rolled my shoulders and cracked my knuckles.  The man stood stoically across from me as I limbered up in a showy way.  If anything I was attempting to get them to move and hopefully destabilize the field outside enough for Victoria to crack it, but it seemed this guy was content to sit tight while I postured. 

“Usually they respond to taunting like that,” Butcher said with a frown.

Whatever.  I still had options on how to handle this, and I was leaning on following Fester’s advice for ending this one.  He stood between me and Amelia, and so he would die painfully.  I broke into a sprint, holding off on my teleport until I had a better read on his power.  As much as I wanted to burst in and end the threat, I wanted to become a voice even less. 

The pressure in the air increased sharply with each step as I advanced, my Brute powers pushing against the weight of the enemy cape’s power.  I grit my teeth as I closed the distance, Knockout’s forcefield flexed under the strain as I made it to them and lashed out with the machete I still carried with me. 

Only to catch something purple to the chin. 

I was knocked back, barely managing to right myself as I skidded across the ground.  I pushed my mask aside enough to spit the blood aside and could only blink at what I was seeing.  Yes, something purple had hit me, and it was a near five foot long dildo that would make even Quarrel hesitate. 

“And he hit you with the ballsack,” Quarrel said, a faint blush coming to her.  “Is it bad that I think I have a new fe—” 

I pushed her deep into the dark before she could complete that thought and wished I had enough bugs to push the shiver of revulsion aside.  Alas, I did not, so all I could do was stand up and take a deep breath as it rolled over me.  A cape enhanced with a mundane object, and this guy ended up with a dildo of all things.  Well, if this minion wanted to play rough, then so be it.  The arm holding my blade flexed as I rolled it, then my eyes locked on to my destination.

I burst into flames beside the man, lashing out for his head.  He ducked back, bringing the phallic club up to block, but I still sliced through the edge of it and cut into his mask.  No blood was spilled, but the armored helmet and gas mask fell aside and once again I was forced to disengage to process what I was seeing. 

“Huh, guess Tattletale will be happy to have that mystery solved,” Alkaline said.

“Krieg,” I snarled.  “I thought the feds had you.” 

When no answer came, I narrowed my eyes.  Looking back at me was a vacant gaze of a man who was no longer present.  Fuck, Bastard Son fully subsumed him, which meant his skill with that damn cock and balls would be super human all on its own.

“Also effectively non-lethal, a solid counter for fighting the Butcher,” Chisel noted

Stratego huffed.  “You must admit, that is a fitting power for the man.” 

“Do not sully honorable men with comparisons to such filth,” Ironsides spat.

“Time for the Auntie Fester Special on a larger scale,” Fester said with glee and I couldn’t really disagree. 

Glassy eyes stared back from the former Empire cape as he stood stoically, his entire being stripped away to leave nothing except for the knowledge of his weapon and loyalty for his Master.  Lisa had warned me about the depths of Bastard Son’s power, how far it could be taken, but to see it in action like this? 

Well, it wasn’t like I would feel sorry for killing a Nazi, but it was the principle of the matter.  Krieg deserved to die for his beliefs, but he didn’t even have them anymore. To look upon one of the worst people humanity could put forward and actually feel something other than unbridled rage did not sit well with me. 

My grip tightened and I began to step forward with heavy deliberateness.  There would be no finesse in dealing with his power, not with a supernatural dildo blocking any and all attempts to get through to him.  As I closed in, Krieg’s stance shifted, ready to counter me. 

The pressure grew as I slowed, the arc of the dildo began to curve towards me, it would connect and launch me away from the stationary man and prolong the encounter.  Stratego’s power told me that was the goal, that the attack was launched with the anticipation of a coming teleport to allow me to reach him, and we couldn’t have that.  Pyro’s power responded to my call just a beat faster than it should have, and I vanished, reappearing just a half step to the side instead of behind the man.

Rather than punch or cut, my hand reached out and grasped his throat.  Fester’s rot spread immediately even as I squeezed with everything I could bring against an opponent. The pressure was suffocating to the point I couldn’t breathe, not that I cared.  I had the man right where I needed him. 

“Ah, the direct approach,” Knockout said. 

The dildo twisted in Krieg’s grip, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop the hit, or even dodge it, but I’d scored the blow I needed.  A worthwhile trade if there ever was one, but I wasn’t done.  The blade in my off hand came up and Krieg adjusted ever so slightly to allow it to cut only the smallest sliver from the lump of silicon. 

Against anyone with a functional mind, this probably wouldn’t have worked, but Krieg wasn’t a thinking person anymore, he was a mindfucked slave, which meant that when I flicked the knife ever so slightly past where it would have hit his body or weapon, the man ignored it as he finished his strike and sent me flying once more. 

What he couldn’t ignore was the sparking of the device on his back when the Damascian enhanced knife bit into the Tinkertech.  I looked up, a savage grin on bloody lips as I watched the brainless man struggle to comprehend the device shorting out. 

Then it exploded. 

It wasn’t a small thing either, white filled my vision and despite layering Knockout’s force fields, they still shattered as I hit the concrete hard enough to leave a Weaver sized indent in the stone.  A flex of Chisel’s power was needed to free myself and I dropped to the ground with a wheezing cough.  My mask was pulled off and tossed aside as I retched. 

Blood came up in amounts that I wasn’t comfortable with, but I couldn’t wait around for my regen to work its literal magic.  Someone was coming for Amelia, but that wasn’t the only thing that had my attention as my awareness blossomed. 

“Field’s down, Teeth, kill them all!” 

My swarm fell upon the building even as my people cried out and charged through the doors and broke windows to gain entry.  The few Elite flunkies that I left in my wake were mercilessly slaughtered as I picked myself up on wobbling legs.  Movement drew my gaze and I almost groaned at the idea of another fight so soon, but it was just the charred chunk of Nazi that hadn’t figured out it was dead yet. 

I took one shaking step, then another that was slightly surer.  My healing was working, but at a pitiable rate.  Coughs continued to bring blood splatters with them and a part of me wondered if I would bleed out before I reached Amelia and who would get credit for my death.  It was enough to make me sympathize with Quarrel for how she died.

“Oh no, this is nothing like my death!” Quarrel snapped.  “What you just did was badass.  I died to a fucking allergy that even basic bitch regen should have prevented!” 

“Still blaming me?” Sabertooth growled. 

I pushed both of them to the back of my mind as I came to stand over the quivering lump of flesh and bone.  He didn’t even have any eyes left to see who was standing over him.  That I wasn’t feeling the pressure of his power told me he was likely already gone and his body was still figuring that part out. 

“I’d say nothing personal, but you’re a Nazi,” I said, looking down at the dead man, “your entire idealology makes it pretty fucking personal even if nobody was home in the end.” 

No answer was given, not that anyone in my head expected one.  I wished that I could say the last survivor of the Empire was dead, but that wasn’t the truth.  Purity was still out there, pretending to be a hero but dancing to the tune of those who would destroy me and mine.  A retribution would be coming for her just as soon as we figured out who was pulling all the strings behind the bullshit. 

My breath was growing lighter by the moment, my limbs more sure and soon I was walking over to my mask and affixing it back to my face.  With a deeper breath that was only slightly strained, I kicked off in a near sprint through the facility.  My swarm was spreading as my minions took out the Tinkertech, and soon there would be no safe space for the Elite that remained. 

With a burst of speed, I tore through the halls towards Amelia only to pause as Hemophaggia disregarded a warning swarm and took a bullet to the neck.  Every member of the collective gasped at the sight and I knew I couldn’t leave things as they were.  Cursing, the bugs clinging to my armor dropped free to keep advancing as I teleported close enough to grab her by the leg and pull her back into cover. 

She coughed blood, her neck leaking like the faucet in the second bathroom back at the lounge.  One of the lesser known parts of her power was that her hemokinesis only applied to blood she willingly shed, and she was too stunned from the blow to think clearly enough to patch herself.  It was a simple application of Sanguine’s ability to close the wound, though it would only be temporary.  My healing wasn’t close to Amelia’s when it came to injuries like that. 

“She can’t die like this,” Ironsides whispered. 

Quarrel shook her head violently.  “She won’t.  Alice is made of sterner stuff than that.” 

“Damn straight,” Chisel said.

“Come on Alice, I need you to focus,” I said softly, cradling her head as I did.  “Draw some blood and take over keeping that closed.  I know you can do it.” 

She blinked and I could feel the collective heartbreak at seeing her so injured.  Just because she wasn’t my girlfriend didn’t make the memories hit any easier.  It took a moment for the spark to return to her listless gaze and for her to focus on me, but when she did, blood flowed up to cover the wound and I smiled. 

“Get her out of here,” I snarled to the next closest minion.  “And don’t reopen the fucking wound.” 

The minion nodded quickly and did exactly as he was told.  I still had a few seconds left on the teleport, so I stepped around the corner.  Bullets pinged off Knockout’s shields as well as my armor to no effect, even as I spun up the minigun.  A single burst depopulated the hallway and I moved on, teleporting to the head of my swarm once more.

A hornet’s nest had been kicked below with the destruction of Krieg’s package.  Given everything going on, it wasn’t a surprise that Amelia was being moved, with Bastard Son at the lead and no shortage of minions joining him.  Amelia’s cluster of sensory relays weren’t all that helpful in determining what was happening, but I could almost feel the panic coming off of the Elite leader. 

They’d managed to get some distance thanks to their delaying tactics, descending ever deeper into the facility, but I was done playing.  Each long hallway was cleared with a teleport to the other end, and any turns were met with an animalistic bounding off the walls.

Pyro was observant of the teleport, having picked up what I had.  “They’re faster.” 

There was no denying it, something was causing my teleport cooldown to reduce, almost to the point that I could jump as fast as Pyro once did.  This wasn’t normal, even for extreme situations with inherited powers.  We could look into it after the danger was past, once Amelia was safely back with us.

“Just how deep are these tunnels?” Sanguine asked. 

Deep, I said.  Not quite as far reaching as Coil’s base, but there were layers to it, and I was trying to ignore what was clearly a former laboratory that was involved in experiments that Bonesaw would have approved of.

“I’m more interested in why they’re so many of them,” Reflex said.

“Oh, that one’s easy,” Butcher said.  “Back in the sixties this was a mental hospital.  These tunnels were so the people passing by on the highway didn’t have to see all the wobbleheads.” 

“Do you have to call them that?” Chisel demanded. 

“My uncle worked there,” Butcher answered.  “It’s what the workers called all the mental health patients that remained locked up when it was converted to a prison.” 

“Disgusting,” Chisel spat.

I rounded the last corner and unloaded a storm of lead at the first things I saw moving that weren’t Amelia.  Four of them started deflecting bullets immediately, while two more managed to evade long enough for someone to intercept them.  Two of the deflectors, one with a crowbar and another with an actual English longsword were protecting the seventh; Bastard Son.

Amelia was about two meters away from him, held at gunpoint with the very large pistol in his hands.

“Oho! The Butcher herself, heh,” he said, giving me an arrogant leer.  “Drop the big gun.”

“That bastard…”

“Kind of in the name.”

“He has to be bluffing.”

I wasn’t having any of it.  “Why kidnap her, only to shoot her?  She’s too valuable, and nothing would stop me from killing you.” 

I hadn’t expected logic from someone who considered people to be nothing more than pawns.  He saw his minions as little more than I saw my own swarm, which wasn’t something I could abide.  My thoughts came back to Alice, bleeding in my arms, and I just knew I couldn’t regard my people so frivolously. 

“Oh, but I don’t need her, and you were going to do that anyway, heh.”

The other four were starting to circle me as much as they could, with me standing in the doorway connecting the large hallways we were in.  My eyes were drawn to Amelia shaking her head, though.  I could feel the relay in her suit shifting around, and while it looked like she was fidgeting nervously, I could tell she was working with the limited biomass she had on hand to prepare something.

I clicked my tongue, and focused pain into everyone but Amelia.  “No deal.”

Bastard Son dropped like a sack of shit, but his minions didn’t.  Even when I started shooting, they were still aware enough to block or evade, with Longsword taking over protecting Bastard and Crowbar while the bar itself was aimed back at Amelia.  I shifted the minigun up to block shots from a hunting rifle while the other three did their best to close in despite the bullets.

Shifting to targeting Bastard Son had the two with a tire iron and fire extinguisher move almost seamlessly to helping intercept the rounds, while the girl flipping the handset for a phone by one of those curly cords like a weighted chain took the opportunity to press forward and fling the end my way.

Butcher blinked.  “What is she, his secretary?”

“Probably, the Bastard is a bastard, remember?” Fester snarled. 

It didn’t matter, even if he was treating her like shit, she was still choosing to fight for him.  I took a hand off the gun to catch it, but she flipped forward to loop the cord under the arch of her foot and pull it back for an overhead strike.  I sent a couple bullets and the swarm bubbling behind me at her, hoping she’d back off.  Instead Fire Extinguisher sprayed them, the compressed CO2 frosting over their tiny bodies and killing or immobilizing every bug it touched.

Fuck every one of these assholes.  

I spread the swarm out instead, while reaching up to grab the phone again, and pressing mad rage into Tire Iron and Extinguisher.  See if they cared to protect their boss after that.

Which of course the universe took as an invitation for the ammo drum to finally run dry.  I bit back a curse as the phone was retracted once more, the other two with her charged me, and the guy hanging back with the rifle tried to take a finger off my outstretched hand with a bullet of his own.  

I didn’t even bother to do anything about that as the bullet hit my silk, leaving a slight burn from the friction but no damage otherwise.  I swung my hand toward the melee, spraying them down with Talisker with the hope that the alcohol would blind them.  They paused long enough for me to hit the release on the ammo drum and grab my only spare to slot in.  Another shot rang out but no hint of danger followed.  I ignored the bullet as it hit the minigun and slammed the drum home, only to find the mechanism jammed when I tried to spin it up.

“The bullet! That fucker!” Stratego shouted, and I replayed the trajectory in my mind.  It would have landed somewhere on the gun… where the rotary barrels met the chassis.

I dropped the minigun, not having the time to find the bullet and unjam the thing.  In its stead I drew one of my OTs and a long knife.  By now I had enough bugs in the minions’ clothes to track them, but every bug I sent at Bastard Son hit a wall and died.  From the edges of the sphere, it seemed centered on Crowbar.  Probably playing mule and packing the Tinkertech around for his boss that kept my bugs and teleport from getting too close to the man.  

Now if I could just hit him…

I deflected another bullet from Rifle with my knife, then teleported behind the two I sprayed down with Reserve in an attempt to light it on fire.  Fire blossomed across the floor, but the pair managed to duck back and away before the fire reached them.  Longsword pulled a pistol from within his suit jacket, yet failed to land any shots between Danger Sense and Stratego’s power picking holes in his stance.  It was annoying how little that helped with the others, but Longsword using his off-hand and something other than his Bastard-enhanced weapon gave me the leeway I needed to make a difference.  I leveled an OTs on him and pulled the trigger, his longsword moved fast enough and with the precision to bat the round away from him, sending it over his shoulder and down the hall well past where Bastard Son and Amelia were holding their position. 

Why the hell couldn’t I just explode these fuckers?  First the guy with the pen, and now this.  It was like they knew exactly…

“That makes too much sense.” 

They did know exactly what kind of ammo I used in my pistols.  I was hardly shy with them, and Lisa wasn’t the only person who could pull intel out of thin air.  

“Knowledge plus skill equals counter.” Stratego muttered, and I hated that I agreed with the assessment.

I went back to dodging a goddamned plastic phone that somehow set off my Danger Sense where bullets didn’t.  Was it that the rifle was what they were skilled with versus the bullets?  There had to be more to it, right?  It couldn’t just not hurt me, or she wouldn’t keep trying.  The risk was too great for me to chance it.  I swiped up at the cord with my knife, but the thing zipped back away before the blade connected.  This time it was Bastard shooting at me and Danger Sense told me I had to dodge.  With all the other Tinkertech around, I shouldn’t be surprised he’d keep something dangerous on him.

That gave the melee fighters the opening they needed to return to pressuring me in what was quickly growing to be a rather frustrating encounter.  I sent Pain towards Bastard again, and he did indeed react, but not nearly as harshly as he should have.  Probably some Tinkertech drug or something to protect himself now that I was fully in play. 

Beside him I could see Amelia sidling closer, only five feet away from Bastard now.  If she could take him down, the fight should end in short order, but that suit would hinder her given how little biomass she had left with her.  There were options, but none would really work given the current flow of this battle.  I just needed to hold out until her plan came to fruition.

Extinguisher turned his weapon on his partner, spraying him down just as he got up to me.  I lost most of the bugs on him, and the ones inside his clothes started suffocating.  Now down to just Danger Sense, it was harder to plan around his attacks.  He made a show of an overhand swing down, and I planned to catch it with my knife and return with the pistol.  He let go of the iron, grabbing my extended pistol hand with his off-hand.  He couldn’t budge me, but that didn’t stop him from using me as a lever to shove himself to the side, snatching the tire iron out of the air by the middle of the metal cross and almost seamlessly transition from ‘club’ to ‘chakram’ where he struck my stomach with one of the points before whirling around to jab another into the back of my head.

He obviously expected me to be more winded from the blow as I ducked while swapping the knife to an ice pick grip before I stabbed backward to gut him.  The minor flesh wound and ruining of his suit when he dodged was the best I could manage and now Extinguisher was sprayed-down and coming in on my left.  He deflected two shots from my OTs, concrete shrapnel raining down behind them from the impacts, then brought his tool up in an underhand swing to jab at my kidney.  I leaned forward to dodge a rifle round aimed at one of my eyes, caught the extinguisher on my forearm, and slashed at Iron to force him to abort his own attack run.  Then I lifted a foot to avoid the phone cord wrapping my ankle and stomped down, narrowly missing my attempt to crush the handset when she tugged it back.

Finally feeling my teleport return, I vanished and appeared close enough to Bastard with a flash of fire that sent him scrambling back even as I hit Longsword with Rage.  He let out a shrill cry and came at me with only some of his skill on display.

Crowbar took the distraction and wrapped a hand over the front of Amelia’s throat, kicking at her legs and knocking her back away from Bastard Son.  I flooded him with pain at the audacity to put hands on Amelia, but he barely flinched. 

Longsword swung at me with wild abandon, and I brought my knife up to block.  He pulled his swing just enough that my knife caught the tip of the sword, Damascian steel cleaving right through half an inch of mundane hardened steel blade like it was air.  Then he leaned forward into a thrust that nearly caught my neck as I twisted aside, Danger Sense howling at me.  The tip of his sword tinked off one of the eye lenses of my mask as I scrambled back away.

Knockout slammed a fist on the metaphorical table.  “Did that fucker just lightsaber us!?”

What?

Stratego shook his head.  “You can’t treat a lightsaber like a normal sword, it goes through almost anything.  It’s why they’re hard to use.”

I bought some space with half a dozen explosive shells, which Crowbar and Longsword had to slow down to deflect. 

I reiterate, WHAT?

Chisel sighed, patting my shoulder.  “Planning around your sword not meeting resistance in a blade clash is bullshit.”

The other minions were regrouping, Rifle racking shots for me to dodge as fast as the bolt-action would let him while the others charged back into the fray.  How are these guys this good? Aren’t they supposed to be crazy?  With this level of bullshit I would expect more shells like Krieg, but these guys are better than that.

Reflex was keeping his eyes on the battle, but seemed to have it figured out.  “These are likely Bastard’s elites.  His personal posse.  Making up for a lack of sanity-costing skill with training.”

I sprayed more Reserve out in a wide arc, aiming more for area saturation than soaking any cape in particular.  Longsword dodged to the side while the three behind him paused and backed away from the caustic liquid.  I didn’t care, because my teleport wasn’t my only option for igniting the alcohol. 

My OTs barked once, the 12-gauge slug hit the ground and burst, the spark of explosive flame set it all alight, creating a wall of flame between me and the others.  With the beat of confusion that seemed to grip them, I sent another spray right through the wall of flame, turning it into a flamethrower from hell.

Tire Iron and Extinguisher managed to dodge, but the Phone woman’s pants were doused with the flaming alcohol.  Her screams were piercing as she dropped the rotary phone in a vain attempt to undo her belt buckle to remove the burning article.  That distraction was all I needed to fire off the last round from that OTs, braining the woman with an explosive slug that popped her skull like a melon.  

And her?  I asked with some incredulously as her body dropped. She’d been good, but not to the same level as the others.

“No fucking clue,” Alkaline said.

Sanguine shrugged.  “Prob’ly Bastard’s pillow princess.”

“Covering fire!” Crowbar shouted, waving his tool at Amelia while drawing a pistol of his own to lay suppressive fire for Longsword to close.  The others spread out from there as I watched them through the flames.  Bastard Son hadn’t escaped the spray of flames either, part of his suit top was smoking slightly as he patted himself down. 

Rounds impacted my armor as I adjusted just enough to keep them from hitting anything important, holstering my expended OTs as I did.  There was a reason I carried four, because I had just drawn my last one, with only five rounds remaining. 

Longsword burst through the dwindling flames, and I brought my knife up defensively, making sure that it was the back of the blade that was catching his strikes rather than the sharp edge that would slice his blade like warm butter.  Stratego’s power whispered ideas as my bugs continued their steady march along the walls.

That was when I pointed my OTs at his face and fired.  He barely managed to twist out of the way, but had no idea that I’d been aiming for something else.  Rifle was caught mid-reload and barely managed to shift the barrel to catch the round, which exploded nearly point blank.  He screeched as he fell back, his rifle dropping so he could clutch his bloodied face. 

Longsword and Iron pressed forward, growing more aggressive from having lost another of their buddies.  I was difficult to injure, not impossible to hurt.  I still had to dodge someone that could pinpoint areas weak enough for normal strength to penetrate, which led to me dancing with Longsword for a solid few seconds while Iron continued to serve as his effective shield. 

What Longsword hadn’t noticed was that my hand was growing damp from a slow leak of Reserve, and when I slashed at him, the liquid trailed the strike.  He shrieked, rushing back as I brought my OTs up, but rather than shoot him as expected, I fired early in the motion and blew half Iron’s leg off in the process.  

With that, I stalked forward with steady confidence, my gun held at the ready.  Three rounds left, and only two standing bodyguards, one of whom was attempting to wipe alcohol off his face with one hand while holding his blade up with the other.

“This can’t end well for you,” I called.

“As amusing as this has been, I’m starting to get annoyed,” Bastard Son said.  He then shifted and brought his gun around to where it was pointed at Amelia.  “Heh, it really is simple.  Either let my boys flatline you, or I start ventilating the resident healer.” 

“A bit late for that demand,” I said, not slowing in my pace.  He’d waited too long, given me openings that he hadn’t caught.  My swarm might have been pulled back, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t been busy.  He’d ignored shots that were dodged or deflected, and his minions hadn’t kept as close of an eye on Amelia as he should have. 

“Have it your way,” he said. 

Then he put two rounds into Amelia’s chest. 

It took everything I had not to react.  I’d felt the bullets impact, but it still hurt to see it happen even knowing what came next.  The hazmat suit shredded around her as the fibrous muscles of her newly restored costume bulged, and she reached out to grab Bastard.  She was intercepted by Crowbar catching the hook of his bar on her writhing suit, but she lashed out a vine from her wrist to pull him off balance so she could grab his forearm.  He dropped like a puppet whose strings were severed.  

Things went very wrong, very quickly after that.  

Extinguisher swung for Amelia, but her vines caught the attempt, wrapping around the weapon with inhuman dexterity.  There was a beat as Amelia seemed to hesitate, but I caught the moment she followed through with bloodsight. 

Vines tore into his flesh, ripping organs to shreds.  The man was dead before he hit the ground.  Bastard screeched like a spoiled child denied a new toy as he backed away, grabbing Longsword as he did and the pair vanished with a purple flash.  I blinked as I realized that the fucker had just pulled some asinine escape plan out of his ass with that and screamed in rage.

Amelia still held Crowbar in her grip, and I could practically feel the conflict coming off of her.  I took a tentative step forward, trying to speak but choking on the words.  I had no room to talk as she seemed to debate killing the minion, but the least I could do was be there for her as I came up beside her and dropped to my knees before wrapping her in a tight hug.

“They wanted to turn me into one of these,” Amelia whispered, still holding the man by the wrist.  “I can tell there’s still a person in there, but he’s been twisted.” 

“I know,” I said softly.  “You know my stance on killing.  If you’re going to do it, make sure it’s for you and not because you think it’s expected.” 

“Bastard,” Amelia whispered.  “I wanted to kill him, but our powers conflicted.  We both needed skin contact, which he wasn’t willing to risk.  He was going to bring in Canary.” 

I nodded, holding Amelia tighter.  Up above, my swarm at the waystation spoke that we had Amelia, but I only then noticed that Lisa was absent, as was Robbie’s entire team.  I almost panicked when the comms lit up. 

“We got Bastard,” Lisa said coldly.  “Weaver, bring our girl, she deserves to see this.” 

“Oh fuck,” Pyro whispered.  “I’ve never heard her like that before.” 

“Someone tried to Master her girlfriend,” Fester said.  “If there was ever going to be a moment for her to step up, this is it.” 

Right, because Lisa and Amelia weren’t killers, and the Teeth considered that an important distinction no matter what I said or they contributed.  Murder and trophies were status with my cabal of monsters, so of course they would expect it after all this.  Well, Amelia had already stepped up, and that fire extinguisher would be hers if I had anything to say about it.  

I wrapped my arms around Amelia, neither of us were all that concerned with getting blood on each other, we were both fairly coated as it was.  I relished the moment even as I directed Chrissie through the carnage towards me as well as a few minions to collect the trophies from the battle.

One of Amelia’s tendrils snaked up, lifting my mask and the next thing I knew she was kissing me with a burning intensity that I didn’t know she possessed.  At that same moment, my knees nearly buckled when every pleasurable nerve in my body seemed to fire at once and I made more than a few sounds that would have even my predecessors blushing.

“Well damn, deal me in for some of that,” Chrissie said with a wolf whistle. 

Amelia made to pull away, but I managed to keep a firm enough grip on her to prevent her from falling back and potentially hurting herself.  She could have gotten away if she truly wanted, my grip remained loose for that very reason.

“Oh good, you can carry Amelia back to the yards then,” I said, winking at the flustered biokinetic.  “We don’t want Amelia to be late for her appointment.” 

Chrissie opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it as she seemed to realize the implications that might arise from carrying Amelia and moved to sweep her off her feet with a bright grin. 

“I can’t wait to see what we do to this prick,” Alkaline said.  “Hopefully Amelia gets creative.” 

We won’t pressure her into anything, but after everything she just endured, something tells me we won’t need to.

“Damn straight,” Pyro exclaimed.

“We really need to retire that phrase among the current Teeth,” Reflex said, shaking his head.

There was a beat of silence in my head, only for it to be broken a moment later. 

“Did Reflex just tell a joke?” Fester demanded. 

“I think he did,” Quarrel answered, sounding dumbfounded. 

Damascian chuckled.  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Several gasps rang out in my mind, not because Damascian had cursed, but because she had dropped the posh accent completely.  She didn’t do that very often, which made the whole thing extra special. 

I hoisted the groaning form of Crowbar over my shoulder as Amelia settled into Chrissie’s arms.  That didn’t stop her from watching the man that she had disabled while biting her lip.  When I raised an eyebrow she just shrugged. 

“I knocked him out, but I figure if his power isn’t too deadly he might make for good arena fodder.  I’m still pissed at how they kidnapped me and might want to take it out on him later.” 

“Fair,” I said, jostling the prick to little avail.  “This lump is all yours after the speech, though I wouldn’t mind getting a few answers out of him first.” 

“Pity Alec can’t manage that,” Chrissie said. 

“There’s other ways to make a man talk,” Amelia said.  “Be gentle with him because I’ll want my trophies and I’ve got a few ideas.” 

“Pan Pan gonna bring the pain pain,” Sabertooth exclaimed. 

More groaning filled my mind, but that was okay.  I’d gotten my people back, and with minimal injuries to show for it.  Bitch’s dogs were roughed up from all the gunfire, but she didn’t seem too concerned with the damage done to them.  If it was something serious she would have told me.  Madison was with her, helping pull Brutus from his meat shell, and the dog appeared fine to my senses.  Madison’s self-biokinesis meant their injuries were healed as they took them, which was a very handy trick. 

“They have my vote for XVI still,” Marauder said.

Alexandria or bust, I countered. 

“Ah, we can only dream,” Knockout said with a wistful sigh.

Hauling the catatonic Mastered minion out of the lower levels of the old penitentiary took longer than it should have, but that mostly came down to my constantly misjudging corners, hitting something of his on each and every one.  It was a damn shame that I seemed so rattled from all the fighting and killing. 

“Yes, truly a shame,” Fester said when his head bounced off another corner. 

“Could you please not break his brain?” Amelia asked from her princess-carry in Chrissie’s arms.  “Just because I can fix his brain doesn’t mean I’ll be able to get any memories lost back.” 

I had the decency to wince and made a point of judging the corners properly going forward.  The battle had mostly died down, and my swarm was now devoted to rooting out those last remaining defensive holdouts hiding in bathrooms or closets.  Few had surrendered, but those who had were currently covered in stinging and biting insects just waiting for an excuse.  They would all be delivered to Lisa and interrogated for any information we could use against the Elite.  Just because we had repelled this group didn’t mean they would give up, only that their disposable units weren’t good enough.

“Do I need to patch anyone up?” Amelia asked after a few minutes of silence.  

I shrugged, getting another groan from the jostled minion.  “There’s a few that are stable but will die without surgery we can’t provide.  My blood manipulation as well as Hemorrhagia’s is surprisingly effective at battlefield triage.  Speaking of, Alice will need a bullet wound patched.  Her power has it covered for now, but it won’t hold forever.” 

“Good, because I want to deal with what comes next before I have to be careful with our guys,” Amelia grumbled.  “I don’t exactly trust myself right now and don’t want to risk it.” 

“That’s fair,” Chrissie said.  “I don’t exactly trust myself with them either.” 

A flicker of light and I barely caught sight of the translucent forcefield slicing the minion’s ear.  Petty, but I wasn’t about to call her on it unless she took it a step too far.  As far as I was concerned he was a dead man walking just like his boss.

We stepped into the light of the sun to the resounding cheers of the Teeth, weapons raised in victory and celebration of our victory.  It was a pity I couldn’t indulge them in the moment, what with my cargo, or with Lisa currently hopping out of a jeep and running over to us.  Chrissie saw the coming disaster and was quick to set Amelia back on her feet before the blonde missile could crash into them. 

Amelia caught her and seemed to squeeze for dear life.  Lisa may as well be a Brute, yet Amelia didn’t seem to mind the hug she was enduring.  Victoria had dropped close, but was clearly willing to wait for the two to finish their moment before she tried to have her own.

“You did it,” Victoria said softly, floating closer as she did.  “I…  Thank you.” 

“Amelia is Teeth,” I said.  “We look after our own, no matter what stands in our way.” 

Victoria snorted.  “Whatever you have to tell yourself to keep up appearances, softy.” 

“I will eat you,” I said with a laugh. 

“I think there’s a few girls that might get upset about that,” Victoria said, gesturing towards the three girls that were technically all dating me?  At least that was the impression I had gotten from the conversation with Lisa earlier in the morning.  “I’m content with my own handful, thank you.” 

Rolling my eyes, I gave Victoria a gentle nudge.  “You’re all right Dallon.  If you ever need anything, just ask.  We’ll be there just as you were there for us.” 

“Please don’t,” Victoria said with a slight grimace.  “I don’t know if I could handle your brand of justice on a regular basis.” 

I rubbed the back of my head, grimacing at how my braid had come undone in the chaos of battle.  “Well, if you ever figure out what brand of justice you’re interested in, run it by us, I’ll get Lisa on it, if nothing else.” 

“Delegation is one of the most important parts of leadership,” Chisel said with an approving nod.  “But not the only mark.” 

“Knowing when to delegate and when to get your own hands dirty is an art unto itself,” Ironsides confirmed.

Victoria perked up when Lisa pulled away from the group hug, as did Chrissie.  “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

I didn’t comment on the tears trailing down Lisa’s cheeks as Victoria drifted over, Amelia wasting little time pulling her sister into another crushing hug filled with tears.  Whatever circumstances might have brought the two together, they were still sisters despite everything. 

I tried to ignore the pang in my chest and how I had lost something oh so similar.  I hadn’t kept up with Emma’s situation, only knowing that she was in a facility a few miles outside of Boston proper.  I knew Lisa was keeping tabs on her and would let me know if something concerning cropped up.

Robbie hopped off the jeep, pulling a bound and gagged Bastard Son to the dirt with him.  Animos stood nearby, ready to blunt his power if needed, but the man wasn’t even conscious.  I pointedly did not react as I was joined by the living legend who let the meat drop to the ground beside us.  “Today was a victory worthy of the Butcher.” 

“It was a victory worthy of the Teeth,” I answered, finally turning to face him.  “How many casualties?” 

“Eleven dead,” he said.  “Dumbasses one and all that ignored your orders.” 

I’d seen each of them die through my swarm, one caught by a stray bullet through the eye, the other had a wall collapse on him from a stray shot that went wide while Animos tried to herd an Elite Blaster back to where Vex could bring him down.  Others still ran into capes or just stray bullets. 

“We’ll honor them as we always do,” I said softly.

Grunting, Robbie continued to watch the Teeth celebrate the victory as well as those that were performing their after action duties as we prepared to withdraw.  “You know what has to happen next.”

“That will be up to Amelia,” I said, and tossed the minion to the ground to join his bound boss.  “She gets first rights to his head for what he orchestrated.” 

Having turned to where the man had fallen to the ground, Amelia let out a heavy sigh and squared her shoulders.  She glowered down at Bastard Son for a moment as a hush fell over the assembled Teeth.  After a moment, Amelia reached down and touched exposed skin much to my alarm. 

“Relax, I just severed the connection to his power,” she said. 

The man jerked awake, though he quickly fell still once more, though his eyes were open and darting around with bloodshot desperation.  This was the man that had organized the Elite against my people, and I had just one question for him before I allowed Amelia to have her way with him. 

“I only have one question,” I said, kneeling beside the paralyzed man.  “Was the decision to target my father yours, or the Elite at large?” 

The man’s jaw remained locked even as his eyes flicked between everything but me. 

“It was his call,” Lisa said, her eyes tight as she watched him intently.  “How much support he had…  More than he wants to admit, but not enough to get more boots on the ground ahead of the battle.” 

Given he had over thirty capes, that was saying something.

“Not true,” Longsword said.  “All we were told was to—” 

A gunshot rang out, and I blinked in surprise that it came from Lisa.  She’d shot the other survivor of Amelia’s escape square in the head, splattering brain matter across the grounds. 

“I am in no mood to suffer the ramblings of fools that don’t know anything of value,” Lisa said with a sigh as she sighted the gun upon Bastard Son.  “Now, answer the nice Butcher’s question before we stop asking politely.” 

“I ain’t saying shit to some half-rate Thinke—” 

Another retort of gunfire, and Bastard Son cried out, unable to clutch at the new hole she had introduced to the man’s intestinal tract.  I knew there would need to be some conversations about this, especially with it being her first act of murder and torture for the Teeth, but that could happen behind closed doors.  

Lisa made a show of checking the bullets still in her revolver, then locked it back in and grinned viciously.  “I can keep this up all day, though it isn’t hard to see why some of the Teeth enjoy this sort of thing.  It is rather cathartic, I must admit.  Though, I am surprised that you actually wanted to inherit.” 

That revelation was like a bucket of ice poured down the back of my costume. 

“Why in the ever loving fuck would you even think about inheriting?” I demanded, stomping forward.  “Do you have any idea what it’s like?” 

“Lots of cool powers,” the idiot said. 

“And hundreds of years worth of memories,” I snarled, then hit the little shit with a pain blast that he now lacked any protection against.  “You don’t keep yourself through that, no matter how hard you might struggle.” 

I’d figured that out the hard way, that no matter how much I tried, I wasn’t the same Taylor Hebert anymore.  There were several points where the girl I once was had died, but none were so poignant as that pivotal moment.  She died alongside my mom, she died when Emma pushed me away, she died when I triggered, she died when I inherited.  And she died when the heroes tried to shove me in the Birdcage. 

“All that is left of me,” I continued, “is the Butcher.  That is my life now, and I can promise you.  If you had managed to kill me, I’d make it my eternal mission to drive you insane just long enough for one of mine to slaughter you.” 

“Hypocrite,” Quarrel muttered. 

There was no promise that my power would allow the next in line to control us like I could control the collective.  However, something we had all learned since I took over was the power of cooperation.  A Butcher that worked together was far more effective than the incoherent screaming that had been a staple of my predecessors lives.

“You won’t get me to talk,” Bastard Son spat,  blood flecking his saliva as he wheezed heavily from the gut wound.  “You may as well just kill me and get it done.  That’s what you Teeth do, kill and destroy, but never build and create, so rip out my skull, drink my blood, and get this shit done already!”

“How shortsighted of you,” Lisa said, her voice cold as she lowered her gun.  “You see, I may just be a lowly Thinker, but I’m not the one that’s going to make you talk.” 

Before the man could react, a finger touched his forehead.

“I am,” Amelia said.