Ablation

PRT ENE HQ. Saturday evening.

With the entire Protectorate and Wards in front of her, Director Piggot coughed into her hand and turned on the projector. Thomas raised his hand, most likely to make a comment about the Director's health. “Calvert. If I still see that hand up when I turn around, it’s getting shot.” Thomas smoothly moves from a raised hand to scratching the back of his head.

“Whipped,” Ethan whispers next to him. At that moment, the projector turns on, displaying what looks to be a collage of Emily and Thomas’s recent vacation to the Cannes. Why they picked a coastal city to rest from their life in a coastal city - a mystery. Emily coughs into her fist and closes the image editing app, the projector now displaying the three latest headaches in her city.

“We have a new gang at our doorstep, folks. What do we know about them? Their threat ratings?” Emily asks the heroes in front of her, like she didn’t just reveal the biggest gossip topic for the next two months. Ethan looks at Thomas for questions but he’s pretending that the parquet texture is the most interesting thing in the world right now.

“Ahem. Each of them is some flavor of Striker and Brute. Durasteel, Brute 7, Striker 7. Chillax, Blaster 3, Striker 5, Brute 4. Cutting Edge, Striker 7, Brute 4. All of them are impervious to conventional firearms and possess enough firepower to fight several capes at once and either prevail or simply not lose. However, I have my suspicions about their Brute ratings.” Says Colin. “From our observations, Durasteal possesses the highest Brute rating among the three, Chillax and Cutting Edge being much less… durable. And from our last briefing about the fight between Cutting Edge and Oni Lee, we can confidently say that she did not possess said Brute rating during that fight. What I suspect from their leader’s chosen cape name is that she can steal durability from objects and grant it to people. That’s how her disintegration powers work, in my and Dragon’s opinion. We also have ample recordings of Chillax fighting the Ambassadors on PHO to say that she also did not have that level of durability before she met Durasteal.”

“So what you’re saying is, we have a power granter villain in our city. Another Galvanate, Teacher and Bastard Son. What do these three have in common?” Emily asks.

“Their power granting comes with a form of Master ability,” Thomas helpfully supplies.

“Yes. That’s right. So what can we do to check that? Any changes in behavior from Chillax and Cutting Edge?”

“We don’t have sufficient data to either prove or disprove this hypothesis.” Colin says.

“So what can we do now? We can’t just slap a kill order on them, they admittedly haven’t killed anyone. No crime to arrest.”

“We could make sure they can’t take root in Brockton Bay. Make them give up and move to another city, maybe?” Thomas says.

“And why would we do that and not just capture them?”

“Because we are dealing with three high end Strikers and containment is just a joke to them. At least, to their leader. But we could, perhaps, capture the other two for M/S screening?”

“Very well. Look for opportunities when they are separated. Do not engage with Durasteal.” Emily concludes.

Parian

“The PRT has released an urgent announcement to not approach the new criminal gang known as the Tough Crowd, every single member possesses above humanly possible durability, strength and debilitating powers that only require touch. It is advised to contact your local authorities on sight. We repeat, do not approach.” Said the news anchor from the TV Sabah has just installed. With recent cape fights in the area, the rent prices went down and she could afford to open her first ever shop. She has put up the sign, but covered it with a tarp before her grand opening next friday. By then she’ll have a selection of dresses and suits ready for display. That is why Sabah doesn’t expect her front door bell chime.

“Uh, excuse me, we haven’t opened yet, please come to the official op-” Sabah fails to utter the rest of the sentence when she turns around and sees who entered her shop. Oh god. I’m fucked. I’m done for. I am actually dead. She thinks, facing the trio from Tough Crowd making themselves comfortable on her still plastic covered furniture.

“Hi there, Parian.” Says their leader. Oh god oh fuck. She’s gonna press gang me and make me join their gang as a scary enforcer oh no oh god. “We heard you were opening up a shop here and decided to pay you a visit.” She says, putting a conspicuous burlap sack with “visit” written on it in green sharpie in front of her. Sabah hears the cape in frost-covered armor, Chillax, chuckling quietly. 

“What- what do you want from me?” She’s put her hands behind her back, secretly reaching for the roll of silk cloth. She doubts she could do anything to these three, but at least she could maybe distract them for long enough to escape them. None of them are Movers, right?

“We just thought to go ahead of the queue and commission something from you. I promise, you won’t regret this.” Durasteal says. “Just a couple costumes?”

“Oh, okay.” This is familiar territory. But Sabah doesn’t relax. “But I’m not joining your gang!” She warns them.

“That’s alright. Although it would be nice, I can respect your choices. I gave the same choice to Cutting Edge. She could join us or walk away.”

“She does offer some real good benefits,” Chillax says. “Like I can lift half a car right now. Well, that sounds unimpressive when there are Brutes out there that can throw buildings, but I was a baseline human before that.”

“You can grant powers?!” Sabah asks Durasteel, flabbergasted. That makes so much sense! What are the odds that every member of a new gang are Brutes on top of being dangerous Strikers? It’s more likely that one of them is a power granter! “And I assume it comes with strings attached?”

“Still the same as I was before.” Chillax knocks on her head, which makes a dull sound like hitting cast iron. “Well, just heavier. Actually, that’s been a massive issue, like I can’t sit on wooden chairs and stuff.”

“Oh shit, really? Sorry, I didn't think of that.” Durasteel says sheepishly.

“Yeah, I only noticed when I boarded a bus and it buckled under me. Like yeesh. The stares were judging . So yeah, no Master effects, but you will grow dependent on our boss for like… simple quality of life stuff most Brutes already deal with. Like treating everything like it’s made of foam and cardboard.”

“Uhhh, I think I’ll pass.” Says Sabah, unsurely. “But I can accept your commissions for sufficient pay.” She looks at the burlap sack. There is no way they brought money in that.

Durasteal empties the bag into the counter, rolls of tens and hundreds falling in a messy pile. “There’s about… thirty thousand here.” THIRTY THOUSAND?! “And I can supply you with a roll of steel-grade silk or any other cloth of your choosing. And I do mean any. Including the expensive designer ones.” That sounded enticing as fuck. Sabah might actually join their gang on the lightest push if they could get her quality textiles. ”We want three sets of clothes. One set of body-hugging tight suits,” Buh, “One set of three piece suits.” Buh uh. Durasteal looks at her subordinates as they both nod enthusiastically, “And a set of… pre-cure magical girl dresses.” Huhhh??

“Sorry, I think I heard you wrong?” Sabah asks, truly unsure if she heard the last one correctly.

“Yeah, we got this whole idea. Like, since Durasteal can make anything as tough as steel and real durable, why wear armor when you can wear the goofiest thing possible?” Says Chillax.

“I vetoed the playboy leotards,” Says Cutting Edge. Oh god give me strength. “And the maid costumes.” I don’t know if I should be happy or disappointed over that.

“Well, if you have the designs as sketches, I can work with those. Otherwise, we can workshop them here.” Sabah says, regaining her professionality.

Lisa

She woke up in the hospital in a full body cast. For a second, she thought Coil has finally snapped and spirited her away into his super secret bond villain lair to be drugged and used as a living magic 8 ball. But her power quickly supplied her with enough context to relax.

Faint sounds of activity hint to poor soundproofing. Multiple sets of medical equipment in the room according to their sounds, not for a single occupant. Quiet groans - Lisa Wilbourn not alone in the room, other patients present. No pain, discomfort or soreness. Is fully healthy under the full body cast - recently healed by Panacea. Vision sharper than before, hearing sharper than before. Not just healed by Panacea. 

The fuck? Hold awn. Something ain’t right here. Repeat that again?

Senses heightened, muscle definition different. Body changed while unconscious. Paired with complete healing, main suspect is Panacea. Occam’s Razor states that’s more likely than a different super powered healer in Brockton Bay associated with hospitals.

Fuck me then.

She hears footsteps before she hears the doors to her ward open. The main culprit of her current predicament appears in front of her shortly. “Hey there, you woke up. That’s good.”

Did not expect Lisa Wilbourn to wake up. Is disappointed. Wanted to experiment more on Lisa Wilbourn. Appearance close to object of affection. Wanted to delude self that Lisa Wilbourn is placeholder for object of affection.

Oh fuck naw!

“Hi, Panacea, could you please call the nurse to release me from the cast? I think I’m fine now.” She says.

“Hold on now. I have to do one last checkup. It’ll only take a minute.” Says Panacea, reaching for the only exposed part of her skin - her face. Nononononono. No! She opens the floodgates for Power.

Will make last minute adjustments. Not altering brain or personality. Is against altering brains. Refuses to alter brains. Wants to alter brains. Thinking about object of affection. Wants to experiment on object of affection. Has experimented on object of affection in secret.

“And done.” Says Panacea, pulling away her hand, but still looking reluctantly at her face.

Wants to use rat to cut the cast. What??? Bulge in Panacea’s robe. Panacea is NOT happy to see Lisa Wilbourn. Bulge is moving. Bulge is rat. Panacea experiments on rat frequently. Rat is most dangerous creature in this building. Panacea has sentimental attachment to rat. Named rat after adoptive father. Same mental illness as adoptive father. Rat depressed. Panacea working on serum to cure depression.

Well that’s positively delightful, actually. Just don’t experiment on me!

The nurse finally comes and pushes Lisa into a wheeled stretcher to remove her body cast in a dedicated treatment room. Cleaned up and properly dressed, Lisa checks out of the hospital and rushes to the loft. An uncomfortable amount of time later, after suppressing her power for the entire trip, she enters the repurposed warehouse to a half-naked Alec in a pink fluffy bathrobe, drinking milk from a gallon jug.

“Sup bioootch?” Alec greets her, “Want some?” He offers her the jug. “I’ve got us a nice present to commemorate our successful raid and your speedy release from the hospital.” He says, pointing at Rachel who’s sitting contently in a jacuzzi with all her dogs in it, bubbles popping right under her nose. “Finally got our resident dog girl to take a bath.

“I’m not getting in there. I’ll smell like dog even more than usual.” Lisa deadpans. “Also you’re not seeing me in any kind of swimsuit before hell freezes over.”

“Dogs got a wash.” She says, matter of factly. “They’re cleaner than you.”

“You heard her. Dogs got a wash.” Alec says, plopping down between Brutus and Angelica, still in the bathrobe. Both dogs gave him a sniff and went back to resting their heads on the jacuzzi sides.

“I got no time for this. I need to check something.” Lisa says and starts taking off her hoodie. 

“Whoah, you wanna jump in after all?” Alec asks.

“No. Watch.” Lisa flips the mental switch, flexing the muscle that didn’t exist before, as two sharp, METAL blades extend out of her wrists. “WHOAH! Holy shit!” How did she make them metal?!

Panacea secretly brought pills with titanium and iron in them. Used them to reinforce bone. A LOT of pills.

Both Alec and Rachel are watching her intently now. Rachel furrowing her brows, Alec giddily.

“Hoooly shit! You second triggered? Into a Baraka?” Alec asks, doing swishing motions with his hands, mimicking the mortal kombat character.

“Not just that.” Lisa says, flipping a different mental switch, as she hears her sneakers rip and blades jut out of her feet. “Sweet. Also.” She flexes and unflexes her fingers, watching as razor sharp, literally almost atom-sharp titanium blades with a hollow tube at the nail’s base appear on her fingertips. “VENOM! I GOT VENOM!” She retracted the blades back and watched her skin seal back up, "AND REGENERATION!" Not only that, but she’s now keenly aware that every bone in her body has a blade inside, ready to spring up at her mental command. And each blade can be filled with venom OR ACID, as she sees a drop fall to the floor and start sizzling. “I GOT TEETH IN MY PUSSY! Oh hallelujah!” Lisa starts giggling maniacally, giggles soon progressing into a full blown villainous laughter. Lightning strikes behind her, outlining her jagged, blade-filled silhouette.

Alec and Rachel sit there on the hot tub, hugging each other, cowering in fear of their new psycho overlord.

Coil

A shiver runs down Thomas’ spine. Something just happened. He checks his super secret lair cameras. Nothing. He checks his super secret monster containment site. Nothing yet, no monsters in it. He checks his PRT reports. Nothing. What could it be? He can feel it in his asshole clenching. Something’s coming. He drops the timeline where he was safely sitting in his super secret bond villain lair and splits again. In one, he keeps sitting in his office, playing minesweeper. In the other, he rushes to Emily’s office and gives her a deep kiss. With tongue. He drops the timeline as he’s shot thirty five times, Emily somehow breaking the laws of physics and fitting more bullets into her glock 19 than logically possible. He punches in his password and opens his online notarized will. He removes the extra lines Tattletale has written in since his last viewing of the will and starts writing.

To my best friend, Accord, I leave my vast collection of vintage James Bond memorabilia, my laser sharks and Creep. All I ask is that he kills Mr Pitter and clears my browser history in confidence and understanding.
To my loyal peon Creep, I leave my secret BDSM lair under the Brockton Bay nursing home for the elderly. Godspeed, superman.
To my less loyal peons, I leave a hundred thousand each with your last objective. It will be sent to your phones upon my heart stopping. Consider this your severance pay.
To my loyal Tattletale, I leave ten cents and a piece of lint I found under my keyboard. Consider THAT your severance pay, you royal pain in the ass.
To my beloved ex wife Emily Piggot I leave my limited edition Gundam I won in an auction in ‘07, outbidding her. I also leave her my second most prized possession - a certain vial that I hid under her desk while she was getting her dialysis. And my most prized possession - the last surviving box of six hundred MTG packs, unopened, very limited edition due to the triple endbringer attack on WOTC HQ. You may use it to bribe Eidolon one day. I know you’re much better at negotiations than you appear to be.

He finishes rewriting his will and sighs in contentment. He then splits the timeline again. One of him keeps playing minesweeper. The other rushes to Piggot’s office and kisses her again, and gets shot thirty six times.