Interlude 1
"Did I miss something?" - Assault hurriedly squeezed into his seat, stumbled, cursed, and finally sat down in the chair next to Battery, who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in response to his appearance.
"I would be nice if all briefing participants would behave professionally instead of putting on a circus at the workplace," Emily Piggot grumbled, waiting for the commotion caused by Assault's entrance to die down. She cleared her throat. Glanced at the papers lying before her. Sighed.
"Since everyone's here..." she began, then shot another irritated glance at Assault, "finally. We can begin. Deputy Director Ren, present the situation."
"As everyone present here knows, two days ago the city came under attack. The Teeth group, together with their leader Butcher XIV, attacked Miss Militia during her patrol near the Docks, close to Winslow High School. Miss Militia immediately called for backup, acting in strict accordance with Protectorate regulations and the norms and rules provided for combat encounters with hostile villain capes." A man in a dark suit stood up and turned on the projector. Footage from the clash with the Teeth appeared on the white screen.
"During the conflict, pursuing her own, as yet unknown goals, Poison Ivy intervened... As we all now know, Poison Ivy is a girl... but I won't get ahead of myself." Renick paused briefly, glancing first at Director Piggot, then at Assault. He cleared his throat.
"As already known from the new cape's modus operandi, she doesn't go for half-measures. Conflicts involving Poison Ivy typically end with corpses. And this time was no exception. The Teeth capes died almost to the last man. Animos, Spree, Vex, Hemorrhagia, Butcher—all were poisoned by neurotoxin and died on the spot. By the time Miss Militia attempted to provide medical aid, they were all already dead. Though it should be noted that Miss Militia attempted to apply Armsmaster's universal antidote." Renick paused and drank water from the tall glass before him.
"Unfortunately, Armsmaster's universal antidote has a very short application window. Five seconds after poisoning is detected, preferably two seconds. No one could find the antidote syringe in their medical kit in such time," Emily Piggot grumbled, filling the brief pause in Renick's report. "But still better than nothing."
"Most importantly, in this battle our Poisonous Lady managed to kill the Butcher and naturally became the next Butcher," Renick continued while photographs from the battle scene flashed on screen. "The death of the previous Butcher host, a woman named Quarrel, has been confirmed. Her body was found, identified, cause of death established. Neurotoxin again."
"As if we didn't have enough troubles," Assault muttered under his breath. "Like she was known for kindness and sweet character before."
"The very next day, the new self-proclaimed ABB leader Bakuda began a terrorist attack on the city. She attempted to blackmail the Protectorate and PRT with rigged buildings—hospitals, schools, shopping centers and institutions. As it later turned out, she was also implanting her bombs in people's heads, performing surgical operations on them." The image changed, showing a photo of Bakuda, then photos from explosion sites.
"The ABB has a longstanding animosity with the Undersiders. Previously, no connection between Poison Ivy and the Undersiders was traced, however at the moment of conflict between Bakuda and the Undersiders, she appeared and intervened in the conflict on the Undersiders' side, protecting them from Bakuda. Witnesses told us this. Information was partially obtained from Uber and Leet's resource." The picture on screen changed, showing overhead footage of the incident scene. Angles shifted, allowing detailed examination of events.
"As you can see, Poison Ivy is quite inventive in psychological warfare," Director Piggot commented dryly. "Controlling insects, she creates several humanoid clones, dispersing the opponent's attention and creating the illusion of numerical superiority."
"If she wanted to inspire terror, she succeeded," Assault noted in an undertone. "Personally, she gives me the chills."
"No battle occurred between Bakuda and the new cape," Renick continued. "The newcomer simply convinced Bakuda to submit to her will and deactivate, neutralize all her explosive devices. Release the her aura worked, and the Butcher finally stopped being a bloodthirsty monster and now plans joint dates? Ow! Honey!"
"Glory Girl's aura doesn't work that way," Armsmaster replied. "Her aura inspires admiration and awe only in allies—it should instill terror in enemies."
"Who knows, who knows..." Assault rubbed his head and moved slightly away from Battery sitting beside him. "Maybe the Butcher doesn't perceive her as an enemy? And as for terror, the new Butcher inspires terror in everyone—allies and enemies alike. Maybe under such circumstances..."
"Colin, he's just joking," Battery interrupted him. "Don't pay attention."
"Joking?" Armsmaster froze in place. "An emergency briefing is no place for jokes. Please don't do this while performing your official duties. Humor serves an important function and is responsible for the team's psychological state, however we have specially designated time after briefings during which everyone can present their jokes for team review."
"And how can you not joke about him after that?" Assault muttered under his breath. "Of course. I'll joke on command. But seriously—isn't Glory Girl already communicating with the Butcher? And besides—you can call PHO conspiracy theorists whatever you want, but those basement dwellers gave me the idea. Look at GG and the Butcher's duel at the beginning—see? No insects, yet she always attacked from nowhere before. We didn't know gender, age, height—nothing. But here... and she didn't use the full Butcher arsenal. This looked like a duel between two schoolgirls in the school yard fighting over a date with a boy or a spot on the cheerleading team. Granted, assuming both schoolgirls have black belts in karate and jiu-jitsu."
"Anomalies in the Butcher's behavior cannot be material for subsequent analysis. The Butcher is inadequate and unable to negotiate. Today she has one thing on her mind, tomorrow another," Piggot said. "All these years many Thinkers tried to predict her behavior or at least minimize damage. Ultimately it was decided to leave the Butcher alone."
"Isn't that... helplessness? After all, Eidolon could throw her in the Birdcage. Or toss her into space?"
"It's unknown how the Butcher's power would work in such a case," Armsmaster replied. "And then we'd get Butcher-Eidolon. Besides, throwing her in the Birdcage means giving her the opportunity to absorb all the capes there. What would result and whether the Birdcage could hold such a thing..."
"She's now treated like a natural disaster," Miss Militia interjected, folding her arms across her chest. "A unique case, but not a unique approach. The Ash Beast, for example—no one tries to stop him. I'd say it's simple cowardice, but..." She shook her head. "Indeed, every time someone tried to destroy or at least neutralize the Butcher, it ended with corpses or strengthening and the appearance of a new Butcher. No one wants to get Butcher-Eidolon or Legend. That wouldn't just be damage—it would be catastrophe. And since she gained teleportation ability, the possibility of locking her somewhere disappeared. Now there's only the 'keep in a coma' option, but that's risky... miscalculate the dose and that's it."
"Miss Militia is right. However," Director Piggot raised a finger, "such a policy toward the Butcher has borne fruit. If you don't touch her, don't attack and don't disturb her, then the Butcher goes about her business. I suppose that's exactly why she created her Teeth team. During the time the 'don't approach' order was in effect regarding her, zero people died at the Butcher's hands. Not one civilian."
"But what about..."
"There were human casualties, yes. But either at the hands of her minions, whom the PRT treats like any villains, or they were members of her own gang whom she demonstratively executed, keeping the others in line. It's still unknown whether this is simple coincidence or if the Butcher is intuitively trying to follow some rules... as I said, we can't get into her head. But those are the orders, that's the procedure, and this procedure bears fruit. Even in the case of the attack on Miss Militia, Vex attacked her. The Butcher entered the already-started battle, and look at the number of civilian casualties. There are wounded, someone broke a leg, someone got cut by shrapnel, but no more. I suppose the Butcher and her Teeth simply came to the place vacated after Lung's death and decided to stake out ABB territory. Brockton Bay attracts these..." Emily held back the word 'bastards' and continued, "parahumans like a magnet. So we'll simply follow the rules and instructions sent to us from headquarters. After all, it's our job. I repeat—do not enter direct conflict with the Butcher. If necessary—evacuate civilians. Use of force is permitted only in case of self-defense or saving teammates and civilians. If there's an opportunity to avoid confrontation, then it's better not to enter direct conflict—I repeat for the especially gifted. Or those with especially developed sense of humor and inclination toward practical jokes." She looked directly at Assault, who sighed and nodded.
"Of course," he said. "I'll follow instructions."
"Good. If Assault follows instructions, something will definitely change in this world. Consider all our problems solved," Armsmaster noted. Assault jumped in place.
"Was that a joke?!"
"I don't joke during briefings."
"Enough. Now to the classified part of the meeting. Everyone signed new non-disclosure forms? Good." Emily Piggot raised her hand and massaged her nose bridge. "The identity of Butcher XV's host has been established through analysis of genetic material left at the scene, video analysis, cellular network signal tracking, and eyewitness testimony. Thinkers from headquarters found matches in databases and narrowed the search. Genetic material helped establish identity with ninety-seven percent accuracy. Butcher XV, formerly Poison Ivy—one Taylor Hebert. Student at Winslow High School."
"So she's still a schoolgirl?! Mother of God... but she looks older. Never would have thought," Assault muttered.
"Hebert... Hebert... isn't she by chance the daughter of Daniel Hebert, head of the Dockworkers Union?" Miss Militia asked, and Emily nodded.
"And what should we do with this information?" Assault clarified. "Unwritten Rules and all that..."
"Please, pay no attention. He's joking again..."
Interlude 2
"Vicky! What were you thinking?!" Amy Dallon hissed, trying to lower her voice.
"Uh... I wasn't really thinking much, you know..." Victoria Dallon reached to scratch her head and Amy rolled her eyes.
"You had four broken ribs! Your nose! A concussion! I won't even mention your hands. I nearly went crazy when I saw you!"
"You should have seen the other girl!" Victoria put her hands on her hips. "I beat her up so bad..."
"I saw her. Not a scratch. The whole internet saw. She has insane regeneration, and you went to trade punches! What if she'd hit you with a pain beam? Or with her poisonous insects? Or... what else does the Butcher have in her arsenal?!"
"I didn't know it was the Butcher! I didn't know!"
"Do you have eyes?! Can you read?! Mom and Aunt Sarah ate our brains the day before yesterday! They brought a press release from the PRT! Made us sign acknowledgment forms. Aunt Sarah made you repeat it. Twice! Vicky! Twice!"
"Amy..."
"Amy! I'm already sick of being Amy! Vicky, if you don't value yourself, remember that you have people who care about you and who can't let you lie somewhere at the Ship Graveyard slowly dying from internal bleeding. Why are you looking at me like that?! What a pair of duelists you found—she beat up your internal organs, a couple vessels burst in your liver, another hour or two and you would have died."
"Then it's good she called for backup..." Victoria muttered under her breath. "How about that..."
"What's good about it?!" Amy immediately flew into a rage. "What's good?! She first crippled you and left you lying there! You couldn't even walk!"
"Amy... enough already. Mom already punished me... I can only go to school now. A whole month! And I had a date planned with Dean... plus these stupid rumors."
"Vicky... did you really carry the Butcher in your arms?" Amy asked, moving closer. "Really? What were you..."
"What was I thinking, yes, yes, yes... I wasn't thinking about anything! She's a villain! I'm a hero! I couldn't just stand there and let her do evil! But fighting in the middle of a densely populated area would destroy everything around! There would have been casualties, and we'd have broken everything. So I tell her—let's go, let's step aside to do this fairly. But her ride got stolen. Well, not stolen—Bakuda and that little chatterbox left. And she was like—sure. And said she wouldn't attack me in the air. And anyway, in flight I have the advantage—I could have dropped her down and... uh..." Vicky looked at her sister and her voice trailed off. "I just now realized she could teleport at any moment..."
"She was playing with you, Vicky! That creature was playing with my sister and hurt her! I swear I'll find her and..."
"Yeah, yeah. You'll find her and cure her of a cold. Or hemorrhoids." Victoria rolled her eyes. "Relax already. Your job is healing, and you do it well. And thank you for healing me. Next time..."
"There won't be a next time!" Amy hissed at her. "Vicky!"
"Oh come on! I was winning! You saw how she flew from my punches!" Victoria raised her voice. "I was winning! I could have changed something! And I..."
"Girls! Aren't you sleeping? Amy! Go to your room! Victoria Dallon—you're grounded, remember that?" came a voice from behind the door. "You have school tomorrow."
"Yes, Mom!" Victoria shouted back and muttered under her breath, "As if I could forget..."
"Do I hear notes of irritation in your voice?" The door opened and Carol appeared on the threshold, arms crossed, giving a critical look to the girls sitting together on the bed. "If not for Aunt Sarah, you would have gotten the belt right on your backside. My tongue is tired of repeating basic truths to you. And we're not finished, Victoria Dallon. Today you're too tired after everything, and Amy said you need rest, but tomorrow we'll talk about everything in detail, you can be sure. Amy!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Go to your room, no point distracting her."
"Yes, ma'am. Of course." Amy got up from the bed and walked to the door. At the threshold she stopped, sighed, and nodded to Victoria.
"Good night, Mom," Victoria said. "Good night, Amy."
"Everyone sleep." Carol closed the door to Victoria's room and turned to Amy. "Do you need a special invitation?"
"Good night." Amy nodded and went to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it with her back. She pulled her hand from her pocket. On her palm lay a very small worm—you couldn't see it without a magnifying glass, but she knew it was there. She felt it. Felt the life inside this organism. Knew what it was created for. This creature didn't just cripple her sister—she violated the most sacred thing, she implanted a living parasite in Vicky's body. A living parasite! And she would answer for this. Amy stubbornly tilted her head. She approached the mirror and looked at her reflection.
"I'll find you," she said to her reflection. "Find you. I'll definitely find you, wherever you're hiding. You have no idea what I'm capable of." She raised her hand with the worm on it and peered at the creature writhing on her palm.
"If I know what you did this for, I know how you think... you know nothing about me. But I already know everything about you," she said, and the worm on her palm began to grow, increase in size. Amy looked at it, then transplanted it into a small glass vial. Amy Dallon, she thought, looking at herself in the mirror. You're not the prettiest, not the smartest, you have a rather nasty character and you don't know how to communicate with people, don't know how to make friends. Vicky has all of that—she's bright, beautiful, smart, charming, she knows how to be the life of the party, knows how to make friends everywhere she goes, and it's always been that way. Even before she became a cape and got powers. When she was just Vicky, not Glory—she was already better than Amy at everything then. People who grow up in the shadow of greatness have only one quality that helps them not go crazy and hope that someday attention will be paid to them too. It's persistence. Someday Vicky will notice her. Someday they'll be able to... but for that, she needs to make sure Vicky stays whole and unharmed. This creature thinks she made one enemy today, but actually she made two at once. Vicky treats all this lightly—she's ready to fight. The duel means something to her.
Amy looked at her reflection in the mirror. Amy Dallon, Panacea... she doesn't know how to fight. She never fought, never brawled with anyone. But her power... her power tells her that she knows how to kill. Which means she won't fight. With anyone. Including the new Butcher girl. She'll simply kill her.