ACL: 57. Behold, the pigeon descends from on high. (Patreon)

Chapter 57: Behold, the pigeon descends from on high.

Blake IsleySunday, February 20, 2011Type: Psychic

The Simurgh was here. Well, in Detroit, but that was a whole-ass continent too close for most people. Truthfully, for me as well. No matter how much I liked a good scrap, there was no way I’d wish an endbringer on anyone. No matter what I did, plenty of people were bound to perish. The ones who survived would never be the same again. The question was why? Why now? Why Detroit of all places?

I wracked my brain as I ran for the rendezvous point. She was early by four days. She was also in North America as opposed to Canberra, Australia, her original target. I could only conclude that something had changed in just a few days.

Did my actions have ripple effects that Future Sight failed to account for? Did I motivate a tinker in Detroit or somehow destabilize their cape scene? Did whatever reason she had for choosing Canberra disappear?

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t impossible. If anyone could spoof my Future Sight, it was definitely her. My variant of Future Sight relied on knowledge future incarnations of other people knew. Not even Lisa could know, nor did she care to know, all the happenings of other cities.

Moreover, the Simurgh was a blindspot. Theoretically not to me, but to Lisa and every other cape. It stood to reason then that, even if the Simurgh descended on the twenty-fourth in her timeline, my Simurgh could choose another time and location. After all, how could future-Lisa be expected to account for variables she couldn’t perceive, in a timeline that wasn't necessarily her own?

‘Is… Is this my fault?’ I asked Victini as I hopped over a car. ‘Did I do something to change things?’

‘Not everything is about you, even if you’re dad’s special, little human,’ Victini’s voice echoed in my mind. ‘As it is, being accurate to within a handful of days of her arrival is already pretty good, you know.’

She was right. I knew this; I’d raised a gardevoir. Not even Titania’s guesses had been perfect. ‘I know, it’s just… I thought that my visions would be more accurate since none of the other precogs have aura.’

‘And why does that matter? If you start a fire with oil or wood, are they not both fire? She must have changed targets within the past several days.’

‘I didn’t do much since Wednesday, though.’

‘Which means it’s not you. Or at least, not directly you. Again, not everything is within your control, Blake. Hell, not everything is within my control, either.’

‘You’re right. What matters is that she’s here now.’

‘Just be glad you never told anyone your suspicions. It’d be pretty embarrassing to be off by several continents’ worth of distance.’

‘Oh, shush, you,’ I grumbled, but she wasn’t wrong.

I felt a wave of relief that the bird bitch wasn’t dropping by Brockton Bay. Maybe it was callous, but Brockton Bay was my city. It was a shitheap, sure, but it was my shitheap. I only recently finished kicking out all the pests. 

We arrived at the PRT building. We could have teleported or flown to Detroit directly, but we opted to go with the Brockton Bay contingent. There was something to be said for a united front. That, and I wanted the locals to vouch for me in the very likely event I’d end up doing something that looked crazy to everyone else.

Outside the parking lot, a team of ten troopers stood next to the heroes. Judging by the armbands with red crosses sewn onto them, they were medics and other emergency personnel who’d be joining us. I gave them a respectful bow; they deserved that much and more.

There weren’t many capes in attendance. On the Protectorate side, there were Assault, Battery, Dauntless, and Velocity. That made some sense, I supposed. Miss Militia and Triumph had no mobility options to aid in search and rescue, nor could they strike at the Simurgh or effectively protect a location. As it was, search and rescue would likely be limited to capes who for sure hadn’t been exposed to the Simurgh’s song long enough to be counted a thrall.

Armsmaster, as a tinker, probably wasn’t even asked to join. He had the same problem as Triumph and Miss MIlitia, with the added risk of giving the Simurgh yet another tinker to leech from. All tinkers were highly discouraged from participating. I learned in school: Even Dragon, the best in the world, was only allowed to supply the wristbands and provide operational support.

Then there were the independents. Just two: Lady Photon and Laserdream. The older blaster whispered harshly towards her daughter. I didn’t bother listening, but I could imagine what was being said. No doubt New Wave’s younger generation had been held back from joining with their age as the reason. Crystal, being an adult, couldn’t be pulled that way.

I was glad. Eric was a good kid, but he was too slow in the air. Victoria was a competent flyer and decent enough in hand-to-hand, but she was similarly several tiers below what I assumed the battle would be like. Amy… She could probably do a lot of good, but I didn’t want my best friend to get caught up in the absolute shitshow this would inevitably become.

That made for just seven volunteer capes. It was an anemic turnout. Admittedly, I probably had something to do with that seeing how I’d wiped out most of the strong villains. Not that I would have expected the Empire to turn up anyway.

‘If you really want to bring an underage hero, that Taylor girl is an option,’ Victini pointed out. ‘She probably hasn’t even been told.’

‘She’d come, but… I don’t want to put this on her.’

‘She’d actually be useful in keeping tabs on heroes with her bugs.’

‘Maybe, but she has no way of defending herself in a battle like that. You don’t bring a first badge rookie to a high stakes ranger operation, Victini.’

‘You’re right. Best to have as few people as possible, honestly. I won’t be holding anything back.’

‘Nor should you.’

“Menagerie,” the Pelham matriarch greeted. She looked between her daughter and me with a complicated expression. “I know I’m the one who called, but you don’t have to do this.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I do,” I told her. Chickening out after I said all that to Victini wasn’t really an option.

“Endbringer battles are voluntary. Just because you’re told about them doesn’t mean you’re obligated to attend.”

“Maybe, but I’m strong enough to make a difference. I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I stepped back now.”

Crystal wrapped an arm around my shoulders. She put on a cheery smile, but I could feel her body subtly trembling with nerves. “See, mom? He gets it.”

Sarah relented with a heavy sigh. “Search and rescue only. Don’t ever stop listening for announcements. Withdraw at the slightest sign that anything’s going wrong.”

“Yes, mom. I’ll be careful,” she replied. She took her mother’s hand with an earnest, if slightly shaky smile. “I know all this. You taught me, remember?”

“And you, Menagerie? You might not be a part of New Wave, but don’t you dare do anything reckless.”

“I… I promise I won’t bite off more than I can chew,” I promised. It was the best I could give her. 

“Hey now, no need to psych ourselves out before we even get there,” Assault cut in. He still wore his goofy smile, but it felt a little bit too brittle to be genuine today. “Although, she’s right, too. I hope you’re in top form today, Menagerie. Your power’s a roulette, right?”

“As it happens, I am. Today, I am stronger than I’ve ever been before,” I said truthfully. They didn’t know it, but today, a Legend would fight on their behalf. “Don’t worry about me, Assault. Just keep yourselves safe.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea, bud. Indies… You guys have it rougher than most, fewer people to back you up. If you’re really planning on flying up, then you’ll be on your own, Menagerie. No one will be watching your back because no one can watch your back.”

“I know. Please take note because I say this with all sincerity: After today, I expect a portion of the PRT’s operating budget to be dedicated to macarons.”

“Macarons? Why macarons?”

“According to the rat, they’re sacred,” I replied dryly.

After a few minutes more of standing around, Strider arrived with the pop of displaced air. He ushered us around himself and began rattling off instructions. The PRT conducted a last-second check of the supplies they’d be porting into Detroit. Then, we were off.

X

Detroit was the most populous city in the state of Michigan. Approximately seven hundred thousand people lived in the city proper and another three million lived in the broader metro area. Suffice to say, walling off even a section of the metropolis would be disastrous.

It was also the largest city situated along the US-Canada border, with its sister city, Windsor, Ontario, right across the Detroit River. So really, the Simurgh’s arrival was not just an attack on the United States, but also an attack on Canada. Because there was no way in hell they wouldn’t be getting their share of crazies from this.

I learned all of this during the brief. The representative of the Detroit Protectorate, some guy named Traction, told us, as if he was trying to convince us that his city was worth protecting. He needn’t have bothered, everyone here came ready to gamble with Yveltal, but I could understand. He obviously wasn’t used to organizing crisis response teams and was probably more nervous than any of us.

Apparently, the leader of the local Protectorate was a guy named Formula-X, a “racing tinker.” He’d been politely but firmly evacuated to deprive the Simurgh of a potential specialization, leaving his subordinates in charge. Deprived of the most natural local leadership, the city was already off to a poor start.

The staging area was one of several located across Detroit and Windsor suburbs. We were far enough away to be out of the range of the Simurgh’s song, but not so far that flyers couldn’t deploy quickly. We could see bright sparks in the distance, flying blasters harrying the Simurgh.

Here, we were passed off to a PRT trooper who looked more in control of himself. At his side was a crate full of wristbands. 

“The battle began about half an hour ago. You’re the third wave of reinforcements,” he said with a grim set to his jaw. “At this point, we’re just trying to drive her off and keep her from building whatever the hell she’s building.”

“That… What about the people?” Battery asked in dismay. She wasn’t alone. We’d known coming in, but we thought we’d have at least a few minutes to get people out. A drop in the ocean maybe, but knowing we wouldn’t even be allowed to try was gut-wrenching.

“Thirty minutes. You know the rules. Everyone who’s going to get out is out already. Take these. They’ll serve as both a communicator and lethal insurance. They are designed to start a timer once you enter a set perimeter. At fifteen minutes, an alarm will sound and the bracelet will vibrate three times. This will repeat at twenty and twenty-five minutes. At twenty-nine minutes, a countdown will begin.”

We all nodded as we took one. At thirty, the wristbands would explode with enough force to turn the majority of brutes into fine mist. It was a tragic necessity; better dead than a thrall.

I took mine with a promise to make her pay. The wristband was as thick as a belt, with multiple cylinders of highly concentrated explosives along its length. It had a sturdy, magnetic latch and would automatically detonate if it sensed any kind of tampering.

“There is one button,” the trooper continued. “Press once to signal for assistance. Press twice to speak to Dragon. Do not abuse this.”

“What if I need to speak to everyone?” I asked, hand raised halfway out of politeness.

“She’ll decide whether it’s important enough to patch you through. We’ve had issues with the Simurgh’s thralls broadcasting misleading messages before. You sound young, kid. Ward?”

“No, but I’m Wards-age, yes. Does it matter?”

He wore a complicated expression as he looked from the adults to me. “Even if you’re here to rescue downed capes, this is a lot to ask of a Ward, or an independent. You… You don’t have to rush into this.”

“I’m okay. I thank you for your concern, really, but I can handle myself,” I replied with an earnest bow. In his eyes, I was a boy before I was a hero; it spoke well of him. Or maybe he was sick and tired of sending people up there. Understandable, really.

“It’s fine,” Dauntless said. He placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. “I mean, it’s not fine, but he’s probably better off than a lot of people here. This is Menagerie, the guy who broke the Empire and took out Lung.”

“Menagerie? You’re him, huh? Alright, I know the score. I won’t say anything else,” the trooper said with a tired sigh. “Good luck out there, kid.”

“Luck? Yeah, I’ve got a whole star’s worth.” So saying, I held out a hand. Blue light danced above my palm. “Legend’s Mirage, Victini!”

There was no fanfare, no plume of flame that reached for the stars. For all intents and purposes, our transformation appeared as any other. Yet, deeper within, our minds melded into one until it was hard to tell where she began and I ended.

It was a degree of mental intimacy I’d never shared with anyone, not even Titania. I was Victini. Victini was me. “I” became “we” in a seamless transition.

We hovered in the air, barely a foot tall, maybe a few inches more if we counted the ears. Beige fur lined our body. Our ears spread into a “V,” forming a bright, orange crest that shimmered with heat.

‘For the record, we do count the ears,’ Victini insisted in our shared mindscape.

‘Of course, what was I thinking,’ I drawled back.

Together, we took the wristband. Given our new size, we placed it around our neck. “Hmph, how long has it been since we allowed another to collar us? Very well, we shall wear it.”

“That can’t be your strongest form, Menagerie,” Assault said. “Don’t you have that blue dragon? It could fly. And fight Lung.”

“We’re stronger than a measly salamence,” we said, somewhat defensively. Chillest Legend or not, she did have a slight ego.

“Wait, Amy was serious about that? She said Victini was stronger than every form you have put together.” Crystal let out a bark of disbelief as she plucked us out of the air and hugged us into her chest. “You’re doing it again, making PHO go crazy just by existing.”

“Yes, Amy’s great. There’s a girl with her head screwed on straight. She can recognize greatness when she sees it.” We pressed the button at our neck twice. “Dragon, this is Menagerie. Please give us an update on the progress of evacuations in the immediate area of the Simurgh. Is there anything that can be done for the civilians?”

“Menagerie? You came?” her voice came through, slightly strained. “Why are you talking in the plural?”

“Don’t mind that. Evacuation progress, please?”

“We… Thirty minutes have passed. Everyone who can be permitted to leave has been evacuated already. I’m sorry, Menagerie. All search and rescue efforts are being redirected to heroes who have not been exposed to the Simurgh’s screams to a lethal threshold.”

We released a slow, fortifying breath. We could feel them, not with great clarity, but they were there. No matter how many people they tried to move, there would always be more left behind with a city the size of Detroit.

‘Can we cure Simurgh bombs?’ I asked Victini.

‘Maybe? I won’t know for sure until I try, but I’m inclined to say no,’ she said. ‘There are Legends suited to fixing mental pollution. I am not one of them.’

‘You sealed Cherie’s powers. Can’t we try something similar?’

‘Yes, by severing her connection to her corona and placing a psychic block on her brain. It physically keeps her brain from healing that cut, so to speak.’

‘And Simurgh bombs aren’t capes. They don’t have obvious coronas. Any chance you can rewrite their entire neural pathways?’

‘Do I look like Mew to you? Besides, even if I could, to what end? I don’t know these people. I don’t know what their “normal” might have looked like,’ she replied with a frustrated growl. ‘I’m sorry, Blake. Power isn’t always the answer.’

‘Then we make her pay for every life she’s ruined today. We make sure this never happens again,’ I promised. Finally, we spoke aloud, “Understood. Can you patch us through, please? Or tell everyone in the combat zone to flee. We won’t be pulling our punches from now on.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what we said. No one except Alexandria should be in our vicinity.”

“Okay, I understand. Please don’t make me regret this.”

We began to hover higher into the air. Heat formed in our paws. It began as a single spark, a tightly bound mote of flame no bigger than a grain of sand. We saturated it with aura but held it confined until it held the power of a nuclear warhead in a marble-sized package.

Slowly, deliberately, we stretched out our hand. Fingers pointed like a gun, we drew a bead on the Simurgh. She stood out like a beacon to our senses, as would anyone who sang like a drugged up chatot.

“I think you’re going to need a bigger fireball, buddy,” Assault said dryly.

We were happy to prove him wrong. Slowly, we opened with a tribute to the Dragon of Truth. “Fusion Flare.”

The marble-sized fireball rocketed towards the Simurgh. Such was its heat that it left visible heat shimmers in its wake even through the psychic shells we’d placed over it. The orb shed those layers as it flew, quickly expanding the further it got from us.

The miniature sun was the size of a four-story building by the time it reached our target. She first tried to intercept it with debris, but we guided it using psychic tethers. Eventually, she was forced to withdraw into the sky, placing a screen of debris so thick that it simply had no room to maneuver.

The explosion produced a shockwave that was more akin to a missile than a fireball. Though it was barely a probing shot, the devastation was immense. Buildings collapsed below as the pressure wave took its toll. Hundreds died immediately, their minds snuffing out like flickering candles in the storm.

Their deaths sent a sharp spike of bitter guilt through us, but we pushed it aside with resolve born of experience. This was a battle. This was what happened when a Legend took the field. We’d known going in that we could not afford to be gentle.

“Oh… Objection withdrawn,” Assault muttered weakly.

We tapped the mic once more. “Dragon, that was just about the nicest way we could say ‘hello.’ If they can’t tank that, tell them not to come back.”

“Understood,” came her slightly mechanical voice.

“Right, we’re off, everyone.”

“Be careful, Menagerie,” Crystal said. For a moment, we allowed her to pet our ears. “Even if you’re strong, so is she.”

We stared up at the Simurgh. The Triumvirate had already reengaged. As one, we gave our friend our most honest assessment, “Eh, we’ve killed bigger.”

Author’s Note

Guys, Amy didn’t go to every endbringer battle. That’s fanon. In fact, the only member of the younger generation canonically known to attend endbringer battles (when Leviathan doesn’t force the issue) is Shadow Stalker. She supposedly participated in the Behemoth battle before Simurgh/Canberra.

For that matter, neither did the Empire (not that they’re around anymore). In the Leviathan battle, Legend explicitly asks everyone to stand if they’ve been in an endbringer battle before. Taylor sees no one in New Wave or the Empire stand. They showed up for Leviathan because they’d lose too much face if they bitched out from a battle in their own city.

Animal Fact: The stargazer fish might be one of the ugliest things in the ocean, but it’s basically a Swiss army knife when it comes to hunting methods. It’s practically a pokemon.

First, it’s called “stargazer” because it hunts by burying its body in the sand, leaving only its eyes barely visible. It has a worm-like tongue that can be used as bait.

Second, it’s bioelectric. When a fish approaches, it can release up to fifty volts, enough to knock a small fish out cold. This won’t kill a human, but can be painful if you step on one. The cool part is that this electricity comes from muscles behind its eyes. It literally has bolt-beams.

Lastly, it has a pair of venomous spines on its back. That’s better than the stonefish, which has a whole thirteen. Also, I can’t find a chemical analysis of its venom. It either doesn’t exist, or is possibly obscure enough that I missed it. The venom isn’t lethal to humans (unlike stonefish venom) but it apparently hurts like hell.

Ichthyologist Dr. William Leo Smith once called them “the meanest things in creation.” I’m not sure he’s right. Funny enough, poison/electric is a weirdly common dual type in real life, but more on that next time.