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Topic: Brockton Bay Flash Frozen!
In: Boards ► United States ► New England ► New Hampshire ► Brockton Bay ► General
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
So, today has been a hell of a day for Brockton Bay.
First there was the Bank Robbery committed by the Undersiders, where they made fools of the Local Wards and Glory Girl, and now this.
The Short version is that Brockton Bay has been flash frozen. Several downtown blocks turned into a walk-in freezer sometime this afternoon. Power's out, traffic's a mess, and emergency crews are doing that thing where they look calm while trying to figure out what the fuck's happening.
What it was is still very much up for debate, so let's get this out of the way early: no, there's no official explanation yet, and no one's claiming credit.
Right now, the leading theories seem to be:
A new cryokinetic cape debuting as a villainTinkertech malfunctioning and ruining everyone's day (Looking at you @L33T!) Or something else, and we don't know what!
Take your pick, mix and match, or invent a new one. Everyone else has.
What we do know is that the freeze hit fast and then stopped. No spread, no escalation, no second wave. The affected area is a mess, but it isn't growing, which has a lot of people very eager to call this the upper limit of whatever caused it. Whether that's true or just wishful thinking is anyone's guess.
The ice itself is weird. Thick, uneven, and doing things that are making even the engineers confused. Even after it melts, there's going to be long-term damage. Pipes, foundations, anything that doesn't like sudden temperature changes is going to need a checkup.
Bottom line is that something happened today, and nobody official seems eager to say exactly what. My sources say that the PRT Heroes have been stuck in a meeting since it happened, but no idea what's being discussed inside.
Same as always, really.
Discuss.
X
(Showing page 1 of 17)
BadSamurai
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
Oh, so that's why the ground was trembling. I thought it was Lung rampaging, but what the fuck!
Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
@Bagrat, buddy. One day we're going to have to sit down and discuss your sources.
L33T (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
@Bagrat Not me! Swear on my next build. Was streaming a drone mod in Boston all afternoon. Check the VOD if you don't believe me. This smells like rogue tech, not parahuman. Ice density looks artificial, maybe cryo grenade cluster?
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
New villain 100%. Bet it's an Undersider recruit. They hit the bank, vanish, then this to cover tracks? Tattletale probably predicted the response time. Clockblocker got owned twice today. Karma?
Point_Me_At_The_Sky
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
It's probably a cape. Ice isn't uniform, and spikes and fractals are everywhere, kind of like @Aurora but colder and meaner. An out of town villain debuting in BB? Or maybe a new trigger gone horribly wrong.
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Update: PHO live feed shows the ice being bluer than normal. The ice is also not melting properly and holding temp at -50C despite the sun. Engineers in hazmat are pulling back.
Edit: And Armsmaster just arrived on a bike that looks iced over.
GrueGirl88
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Undersiders did nothing wrong. This is a PRT false flag to drum up hero funding post-bank fiasco. Glory Girl probably punched an AC unit too hard.
TechieMcGee (Cape Geek)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
@L33T Ice analysis from leaked firefighter report: Ice with an abnormal crystalline structure. Tinkertech confirmed? Uber & Leet denial means it's them.
IceQueen4Life
Posted On April 14th 2011:
It's Skitter. Bugs + moisture = instant frost bomb. Explains the uneven spread.
Azn_BB
Posted On April 14th 2011:
And the Great Lung rises from this ice like da boss!
Parian_fan (Verified Local)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
On-site, nearby. Air smells like ozone and freezer burn. Everything's creaking from the cold. I cant see any capes here, but I can hear crossbow twangs, Shadow Stalker maybe?
The_Predator (Cape Groupie)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
I bet it is! Go Stalker Go! Always working hard for the predators of Brockton Bay.
UB3R (Verified Cape)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
New Episode idea: "Uber freezes Leet!" But seriously, not us. Logs prove it. Collab offer to whoever solves this?
Antigone
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Just came from the Morning's Bank heist thread. The timing seems too perfect. What if the freeze was to trap a pursuer? Wards frozen solid?
GloryGirl_GF
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Or what if it's an Endbringer!!! Is it Leviathan? It fits. Water affinity + freeze = ice.
Tin_Mother (Moderator)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
MOD: Take an infraction. Don't spread unnecessary rumours and don't rumour-monger about Endbringers.
BB_Local_177
Posted On April 14th 2011:
The real apocalypse is on the Highways. Stuck on I-95. Heat on full, still freezing. Empire goons and druggies are looting in the edges.
DragonSightings_Hunter
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Dragon's drone spotted en route to Brockton Bay
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Posted On April 14th 2011:
@GloryGirl_GF No No No. Don't you see, it's the Simurgh! Its using Aurora and making her freeze Brockton Bay! She's a ZiZ Bomb! The City is Fucked!
Tin_Mother (Moderator)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Take a Temp-ban @XxVoid_CowboyxX. Like I said before, don't spread unnecessary rumours about Endbringers and do not accuse someone of being a ziz-bomb!
Apocrypha (Moderator)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Speculation's fine, doxxing is not. Keep it civil. I will be monitoring this thread.
////
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Topic: OFFICIAL PRT ANNOUNCEMENT: Brockton Bay "Flash Freeze" Villain Identified - "Overkill"
In: Boards ► United States ► New England ► New Hampshire ► Brockton Bay ► PRT Announcements
PRT_BrocktonBay (Verified PRT)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Official Update on Downtown Brockton Bay Incident (04/14/2011).
After containment and analysis, PRT has classified the "Flash Freeze" event as the debut of a new villain. Tentative designation: Overkill.
Power Classification:
Mover 5 (Teleportation): Demonstrated the ability to Teleport away from locations using a decorated energy circle. Shaker 7 (Cryokinesis): Instantaneous area freezing (radius ~200m+ observed), self-sustaining ice structures with anomalous properties and durability. Capable of flash-freezing structures, vehicles, and bystanders caught in effect.Changer 3 (Gender Shift): Appeared as a tall female figure (~6ft), striking beauty dressed in what looks to be a maid costume; transformation observed on bystander video.
Overkill generated the flash-freeze effect, freezing multiple blocks downtown before rapidly disengaging from the area. No direct engagements or casualties reported. No demands or claims issued. Affected zones remain quarantined - do not approach. Report sightings to the PRT hotline.
Full report and declassified bystander footage below.
Stay safe, Brockton Bay.
[Attached: Overkill_PRT_Dossier.pdf]
CapeSightings_BB
Posted On April 14th 2011:
ARCHIVED FOOTAGE – MIRROR BEFORE SCRUB:
Traffic cam + two shaky bystander clips stitched together before PRT lockdown. Full sequence, it's low quality but complete.
Footage shows an armed confrontation downtown with multiple unidentified mercenaries surrounding a teenage boy, with a younger girl behind him. There's no audio and heavy interference. Seconds later, the boy undergoes a rapid transformation into a tall, white-haired adult Female dressed in what looks like a black-and-white maid-style outfit (don't ask, nobody knows).
An immediate cryokinetic event follows, and the entire block is flash-frozen almost instantaneously.
Final seconds show a crimson circular energy-based artifact forming under the cape and the girl, followed by them teleporting away. No signs of struggle from the girl, like she wasn't taken against her will, probably not a snatch unless master powers are involved.
PRT has since pulled all originals. This is what slipped through.
Raw link: https://parahumansonline.com/attachments/bb-freeze-complete.mp4
TinkerTechie (Cape Geek)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Shaker 7 is underrated. That's not normal ice, it's holding itself at - 80C uniform and doesn't even crack under its own weight.
FrostbiteFan
Posted On April 14th 2011:
Overkill debut ARI (Approved as Rule 1 Infraction). Ice waifu supremacy. That form tho, elegant Ice age vibes much.
GrueGirl88
Posted On April 14th 2011:
The PRT can cope. A New villain shows up, owns the downtown mercs, and dips without a scratch. He's/She's a legend. Not you tho @LegendPRT
Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On April 14th 2011:
My sources have confirmed an internal debate, that they almost named her Maiden. The Ice queen (maid?) aesthetics and the teleportation evoked fairy tale vibes. It was vetoed by Director Piggot for "Overkill" to stress the threat level (even though Shaker 7 flash-freeze ain't subtle).
IceQueen4Life
Posted On April 14th 2011:
@Bagrat MAIDEN RENAME PETITION! Overkill sounds like a chump name. The Waifu deserves better.
[... 20 more replies ...]
Specific_Protagonist
Posted On April 14th 2011:
DISASTER THREAD WHO?! Universe just nutted pure EVIL across Brockton Bay and I'm FACE DOWN ASS UP worshipping.
6 Feet tall ice QUEEN dommy mommy towering like a goddess of frozen fuckery. Transform seq? Instant hentai widowmaker - boy-to-babe glow-up with every curve popping like she was molded for sin. Skin flawless and glossy, silver hair whipping like cum-soaked silk, tits ballooning to gravity-mocking udders spilling from that slut-shaming maid silk and lace - skirt a cruel thong riding whale-tail over an ass so phat it'd eclipse the sun and grind empires to dust, thighs THROBBING with power thick enough to scissor my soul while I slurp her icy nectar. Thigh-highs squeezing flesh so thicc I'd let her crush my skull mid-orgasm. Nipples diamond-hard begging to be nursed, pussy outline thru sheer lace - I'm RUINED.
Villain? BB just birthed THIRST INCARNATE!
Paused. Rewound 50x. 4K upscales. Frame-by-frame hip sway GIFs on infinite loop. Traced every curve in 3D, fapped till chafed, panties in the hamper and the room reeks of depravity – the FBI is watching but I'd let her freeze my holes eternal, peg me with ice spires till I shatter cumming. - SIGN ME UP, MOMMY.
50k yuri smut locked: "Overkill's Cumfrozen Ward Milkmaids—Ch.1: Vista's First Thaw." DM for UNCENSORED PDF.
FrostbiteFan
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist HOLY SHIT girl, you're a walking felony. "Scissor my soul"? Kidnapping footage ain't your cumrag. Go seek Jesus AND therapy. @Haven_Official come take her away.
IceQueen4Life
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist "Peg me with ice spires" I'm SCREAMING you're deranged but lowkey living my dreams. NSFW or bust, sis. This is ban fuel.
WardWatcher_BB
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist MASS REPORT. "Panties biohazard"? "Peg me with ice spires"? This is CHILD ABDUCTION NEWS you absolute porn goblin. PERMABAN NOW.
GrueGirl88
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist Girl-to-girl: EVEN YOU'RE TOO RAUNCHY. Overkill's a killer, not your squirting ice sexbot. Puke central.
TheoryCrafter3000
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist Yuri degeneracy level: warcrime. Drag this to the NSFW section's cesspit. Vid's Changer proof, not for you to masturbate against.
Specific_Protagonist
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Prudes Y'all VIRGINAL cuz you'd crumble under those ass eclipses. I'd EAT that cryo-cameltoe for breakfast - sapphic SACRILEGE is HIGH ART. Fic ch1-3 DROPPING (full glory, no prude filters). Thirst traps incoming, bow down.
Apocrypha (Moderator)
Posted On April 15th 2011:
@Specific_Protagonist Take a Temp Ban and go get a COLD SHOWER. Extreme Rule 1 breach (graphic sexual content, solicitation). Thread replies disabled. Stay on-topic, or I'll lock the thread.
////
Daemon threw the phone to the side and just stared at the ceiling for a long minute.
"What the fuck," was all that escaped his lips after the last few things he'd read on PHO.
He'd known that places like Discord and this PHO, online forums like these were nothing more than a hive of sin and debauchery from his previous life, to paraphrase an old favourite movie of his. And he'd certainly spent more than his fair share of time on such places, but the sheer thirst he just read directed towards him had left even him speechless.
"What the fuck."
It took him a few minutes to find the strength to get off the bed and make his way out of his bedroom to the Living room.
Dinah sat cross-legged on the couch, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands and a bowl of nacho chips on her side as she watched the Tv, her eyes glued to the screen. The TV murmured softly in the background, the volume low but persistent. A lone anchor was talking into a mike, dressed in a winter coat that looked like it did nothing to protect her from the cold of the scene she stood before. Of the streets entombed in ice, cars half-swallowed and firefighters dwarfed by the layers of ice and snow.
"…rescue efforts are ongoing," she said, her voice steady in that practiced way that tried to project control. "The Protectorate has confirmed that Velocity and Triumph are assisting emergency crews, while the Brockton Bay Wards are focusing on evacuations from structurally compromised buildings. Several shelters have been opened across the city for those displaced by the incident."
The feed cut to shaky footage of Velocity streaking across a frozen intersection, scooping up civilians one by one. Another angle showed Triumph bracing a collapsed entryway while paramedics guided people through warped, ice-fractured doors.
Daemon watched without really seeing, jaw tight.
"They're doing… better than the numbers thought," Dinah said quietly. They had quickly realized that anything that involved Daemon and his powers tended to make Dinah's own thinker powers misfire, giving her false and incorrect readings.
"That's good," Daemon replied. "I don't like proving statistics right when they involve a body count."
She glanced at him, hesitating for a moment before she asked. "You didn't mean to freeze all of that, did you?"
"No," he said immediately. Then, more softly, "I aimed at the mercs. The rest was… spillover."
Becoming Grayfia Lucifuge had been an experience, to say the least. Disregarding how transforming into her felt – sexy, seductive, and downright naughty – her emotions were different as well. She just seemed to run cooler, deeper and more layered. It was like every emotion he'd felt as her was filtered through layers of ironclad composure first before it was released as a precise, measured pressure that was built behind her perfect poise.
The sheer amount of power Grayfia possessed had been mind-boggling, an ocean of near-limitless power that was just begging to come out. The moment he'd acted, the power had surged out without stopping, almost eager to come out and do his bidding. It had been overwhelming and powerful beyond measure, and Daemon had barely managed to stop it before it spilled even further and drowned the entire continent in an ice age.
Dinah nodded, accepting that with a terrifying ease. "I've noticed," she started, before pausing to take a gulp of the hot cocoa, "I've noticed that the numbers around you are always impossible. Not fuzzy, not wrong - just impossible."
Daemon let the words hang in the air for a second, tasting them. "Impossible," he repeated slowly, like he was testing the weight of the word. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Even as he asked this, his mind raced through a thousand thoughts at once, the mundane sounds of the room - the fridge's low buzz, the distant wail of sirens on TV, sharpening into an unnatural clarity.
Impossible.
The word echoed in his head, and he couldn't help but remember the curses he'd rolled. Hand of the Wandering Fate, which randomized and twisted his transformations into puppets of fate. And Tides of Uncertain Return, binding his transformations into random cooldowns according to fate or destiny.
His right hand, the one he'd regenerated by pulling those curses, flexed involuntarily, fingers gripping as if trying to grip a sword's hilt. In Westeros, he'd been bastard-born – even if his father had legitimized him after the War of the Usurper – and was shoved aside for Aegon's so-called destiny. Here, on Earth Bet, with Coil's manipulations through timelines?
It was worse.
No wonder her eyes had lit up with frantic hope when she'd come across him. He wasn't a blind spot; he was a gravitational well, altering futures by his will.
"How does it over-correct?" he asked, voice low, the TV anchor's drone fading to white noise. If intent triggered it, then every vow – like the one he'd made to protect this girl (Always and Forever), could cause tremendous devastation.
Dinah set her mug down, brown eyes steady despite the faint tremor in her hands. The hot chocolate's steam curled like question marks. "Normally, numbers are... fuzzy. Paths can branch a million different ways, 95% chance Coil grabs me if I run east, 72% if PRT shows. But you?" She tapped her temple, wincing as if it ached. "When you're near, and when you make a decision- about me, or anything else - everything converges. Like when you decided to protect me. The percentages for threats spiked to near-100% dead or gone. Not fuzzy. Certain. Like the world rewrites the rules to make it happen. Mercy? Capture? Those drop to 0.01%. It hurts to see, and the headaches are like ice picks, because it's not natural. Timelines shouldn't crunch like that."
Daemon leaned back, his heart beating audibly in his chest as he considered her words. "Is that why you ran into me?" he pressed, casual but probing. "Your numbers said 'converge on the anomaly'?"
She nodded, nibbling a nacho chip, crumbs dusting her lap like fallen snow. "87.2% chance you'd shield me before anyone else. Highest non-Coil path. But... it spikes harder if you mean it. Like back there. You stepped in front, thought 'mine to protect', and boom. 99.999%"
"Shit," he breathed, rubbing his temples. The chat window flickered unbidden in his periphery, still buzzing from his earlier ping about 'pedo Bond villain.' "Does it spike for everything? Or just... this?"
Dinah's gaze dropped, voice small. "I think it spikes whenever you fully commit to something. Loyalty. Vows. 94.6% chance it'll pull more forms like her, perfect for the moment, but different each time." She hesitated, then met his eyes, raw hope cracking through her fatigue-filled eyes. "But for me? 98.3% we beat Coil. If you stay."
Daemon's jaw tightened, the vow he'd made solidifying like Valyrian steel. Always and Forever. Fate could overcorrect the world into glaciers; he'd break it one anomaly at a time. "Then we make it 100%."
The TV blared a special report, Armsmaster's gravel-voiced warning of "Overkill" sightings, and rewards offered for any tips.
////
Daemon sat on the edge of the couch, phone balanced on one knee, the screen's soft glow the only light in the dim apartment. Dinah was in the shower taking a long bath, because she'd apparently she'd been running from coil for several days and hadn't had a chance to clean up.
He stared at the chat window.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire: The girl's safe for tonight. But this Coil is patient. He'll keep trying.]
He'd been trying to get to Annette, but she wasn't responding, not to his calls and not to the callouts through the chat group. If he hadn't known that she was a Parahuman and one of the City's heroes, he would be a lot more worried.
[Skeletor: Then you must become stronger. Faster. I once knew a man who had no quirk, and yet his determination to protect surpassed everyone's. Allow me to teach you as well.]
Daemon paused, his eyes gliding over the words as he took a moment to understand their worth.
Training with someone as experienced as All Might would be its weight in Gold.
Toshinori had single-handedly shattered the hold the criminals had on his country and had been titled the Symbol of Peace for it.
Daemon himself had been trained by Ser Barristan the Bold and Ser Arthur Dayne the Sword of the Morning, but he could freely admit that neither of the two held a candle to a master of his craft like Toshinori Yagi.
Daemon's thumb hovered. He glanced toward the closed bedroom door, then back at the screen. Something in his chest loosened just a fraction.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire: …Okay. How do we do this?]
His reply came faster than Daemon was expecting.
[Skeletor: Very well then. Let me develop a training plan for you. I will get back to you soon.]
[Skeletor: For now, I will leave you with a few exercises]
[Skeletor: First, stance. Feet shoulder-width. Knees slightly bent. Imagine power rising from your core like a fire, slow, and controlled. Now breathe in for four counts…]
As he detailed the basic training exercises, Daemon let out an exhale out of his nose, and stood up.
He kicked off his shoes, rolled his shoulders, and planted his feet apart. Shoulder-width. Knees soft. The apartment floorboards creaked under him.
He closed his eyes.
Breathe in… and out.
Repeat.
one… two… three… four.
Hold.
The air felt thin, cold, nothing like the burning rush he remembered from Goku's ki, or the cold, almost malevolent power he could feel in Grayfia. But he could feel something anyway: a faint warmth behind his sternum, stubborn, flickering like a candle in a draft.
Out for four.
Again.
In the chat, another message blinked up.
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): Your new designation is "Overkill." Charming.]
Daemon opened one eye, glanced at the floating holographic screen in front of him.
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): If you intend to remain in this city, I suggest we muddy their records. I can arrange for it discreetly.]
He read the message before snorting, half out of amusement and half out of disbelief.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire: You're offering to forge government documents for me? Just like that?]
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): I have done far worse for far less compelling reasons. And far worse men have asked for much more before.]
A pause.
The three dots danced.
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): Besides. A boy who loses his arm, regrows it at the cost of his freedom of choice, and then freezes a few city blocks to protect a child deserves at least the courtesy of plausible deniability.]
Daemon's mouth twitched.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire: And how would you do it? Do you have any connections in Earth Bet?]
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): You need not worry about it.]
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): Let me handle it]
Wait!
An idle thought crossed Daemon's brain, and his eyes widened.
How does Elijah know the name PRT gave Daemon?!
Has he been coming to Earth Bet and making connections?!
A moment later, he realized it was none of his business if Elijah wanted people to do his bidding in other worlds. But he would be owing Elijah big for that one.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire: …Do it. The record thing. And thanks.]
[Elijah Mikaelson (Admin): Done. You'll notice nothing dramatic. Just enough friction in their systems to make identifying you difficult.]
Daemon stared at the chat window a moment longer, the faint blue glow reflecting in his eyes.
Then another name blinked into the conversation.
[Fallen Angel: I see you've been busy, Daemon.]
[Fallen Angel: Now scoot aside, I'm coming over.]
Wait what?
Daemon blinked, but he could type anything back; a thin vertical line of absolute white appeared in the center of the room. It hung there ominously for a moment before opening into a yawning void of white. A Door of Light, the system called it; it was the way the Chat Group had given the members to go to the worlds of the other members.
And out stepped a beautiful girl.
Long Blonde hair cascaded to her hips in shimmering waves, catching a faint glow like spun sunlight. Her eyes were a striking, fathomless blue, clear and deep enough to drown in, holding quiet intensity beneath long lashes. She was dressed casually, a large white hoodie jacket worn open and loose over a soft blue dress that hugged her curves before ending at mid-thigh. The fabric shifted with her steps, the hem brushing against dark tights that clung to her thick thighs, emphasizing their shape without effort. She was tall, like, very tall, tall enough to be an Umber, but far more beautiful – a true giant of a woman with incredibly long and wonderful legs that kept attracting his gaze to them.
Her bare feet gently rested on the wooden flooring as she towered over him, with his head basically stopping at her chest level. She paused for a brief moment as her cool eyes glided through the entire apartment, sweeping the entire room in a single pass before coming to rest on him, her lips quirking up in a faint smile.
"We meet again, Daemon." She greeted him with a low nod, making him raise an amused brow.
"Sooner than you expected?"
Despite their talks through the Chat Group, the last time he'd seen her was right after he'd woken up from his 3-day coma, and even that was only for a brief moment before she had returned to her world. She had been disguised in that white haired, shorter form of hers, an apparent favourite from what he understood.
"I can recognize an ambitious man when I see one," she started, her eyes never leaving his. "But yes, it is indeed sooner than I expected."
Daemon let out a chuckle and waved her towards the couch, a silent gesture inviting her to sit. Auernia started moving towards the couch, but stopped when she caught sight of the light in the bathroom and the faint sounds of singing coming from within.
Her amused gaze turned towards him, a silent question in her eyes. "She's been on the run for the past few days and didn't have a chance to clean up. Now that she's safe here, she's taken to enjoying a long, hot bath." He shrugged, and she let out a faint laugh at that.
"So, I hear that you've been having problems with a certain 'Pedophile'?" She questioned, a hint of distaste colouring her tone as she took a seat on the couch.
Daemon leaned back, "Yeah. His name's Coil," he said quietly. "From what Dinah's told me, his power lets him split timelines, try different choices until he gets what he wants. He's been hunting her for days, cornering her, pushing her into situations no twelve-year-old should ever have to endure." He crossed his arms as a frown formed on her face. "He's to blame for me reaching out so soon. I didn't plan on dragging anyone else into this, but he made waiting impossible."
"Blame?" Auernia asked lightly. "Not thank?"
Daemon sighed. "I'd planned to wait longer. Another month, maybe. I wanted to have more to offer before approaching you." He shrugged. "Coil didn't give me that luxury."
"Oh?" The blonde-haired devil raised a small eyebrow at him, "What makes you believe that you aren't more than enough? She tested, and he smirked back in return.
"Oh, I know that I am more than enough," He admitted with a cocky grin on his face, "But I'd rather show than tell. Words can only do so much after all."
She paused for a moment to take a look at Daemon. She searched his face, almost studying him for a long second with her head titled just slightly to the side, her bright blue eyes trying to read something written on his face. Then she let out a soft breath, almost like a sigh, but warmer
"You're carrying a lot," she said. "More than most people twice your age would know how to hold." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the hallway, where the faint sound of running water and Dinah's off-key humming still drifted out. "And you're doing it for someone who can't even reach the top shelf yet."
Daemon's half-smile faded. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away for a second. "Yeah. That's why I asked for help in the chat group. I can handle Coil. I can break him, eventually. What I can't afford is finding out how many timelines it takes before he gets lucky."
Auernia leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees and the oversized hoodie shifted around her shoulders in a rather tantalizing manner. Her voice didn't rise when she spoke next, "So you froze a city block, announced yourself to every power structure in this world, and painted a target on your back, all to keep one girl safe." She paused, letting the words settle. "That tells me more than anything you could've typed in chat."
Daemon snorted, but there was no real humour in it. "You make it sound noble."
"I make it sound accurate," she corrected, her voice gentle but firm. "Nobility is a story people tell afterward. This?" She made a loose gesture around the apartment, "This is triage. You saw a kid in danger, and you acted. No hesitation. No bargaining. You just did."
He looked down at his hands. It was now whole, but he could still feel the phantom pain from where it had once been severed. "I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice," She said. "You chose her over staying hidden. Over staying safe. That's not nothing."
Daemon exhaled slowly through his nose. "Then you get why I don't want to screw this up."
"I do." For the first time since she stepped through the Door, the faint smile slipped away entirely. Her voice dropped softer, almost intimate. "Which is why I came myself instead of sending advice through a screen."
Suddenly, the both of them heard the sounds of the water in the bathroom cut off. Daemon supressed a snigger, figuring out what happened. Dinah's singing ended in a startled yelp, and was soon followed by the quick patter of wet feet on tile and the rustle of fabric as the girl tried to hurriedly dress up.
Auernia's gaze flicked toward the hallway, then back to Daemon. "We'll talk strategy later. Discuss the plans and contingencies. This Coil tries to corner people using his power, so we won't play his game."
Her lips curved, just barely.
"But first," she added, "you're going to introduce me properly. I'd rather not be the terrifying interdimensional stranger when she walks out."
Daemon huffed a quiet laugh and pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah. That's probably for the best."
"Thanks," he said, quieter this time. "For coming."
Auernia shot him a small smile, the kind that made her eyes crinkle at the corners as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear, more out of habit than deliberate grace - and nodded once. "I didn't like how your last messages sounded," she said quietly. "You were trying to sound calm, but I could tell you weren't. Not really. And I couldn't just sit there and leave you to deal with it alone. Not tonight."
Daemon sighed, the tension in his shoulders eased a fraction. He hadn't even realized how tightly he'd been holding himself together until it loosened. "I didn't think anyone would actually show up," he admitted, voice rougher than he meant it to be. "Not like this. Not at-" he glanced at his phone, "-two-something in the morning."
Auernia's smile came back, warmer this time. "Time feels different when you're worried about someone."
They both paused as they the door of the bathroom twist.
"And well," she added softly. "Show, not tell. Right?"
Daemon's mouth curved, just a little.
"Right."
The bathroom door creaked open.
Dinah stepped out barefoot, and her brown hair was still damp and clinging to her shoulders in dark, uneven strands. She was wearing one of Daemon's spare T-shirts, with it looking truly oversized on her small frame. The hem of the T-shirt brushed her mid-thigh, and a pair of borrowed sweatpants, rolled up multiple times, covered the lower half of her body. For the first time since she'd stumbled into his life, she looked less like a hunted animal and more like a child of 12 years old that she was.
She froze mid-step when she saw Auernia.
Her expressive brown eyes flicked from Daemon to the towering blonde sitting on the couch, and then back again.
Daemon raised both hands in the universal "everything's okay" gesture. "Hey. It's fine. This is Auernia. She came to help."
Dinah didn't move. Her eyes darted to an empty spot in the center of the apartment, where the Door of Light Auernia had come from once was, before turning to the large blonde lady's feet resting on the floorboards, then up - way up - to the calm blue eyes watching her with a patient expression on her face.
Auernia didn't stand. Didn't loom. She stayed seated, legs crossed loosely at the ankle, posture open but not crowding. When she spoke, her voice was softer than Daemon had ever heard it—almost melodic, pitched like someone talking to a skittish cat.
"Hi, Dinah," she said. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to just appear." A small, rueful smile. "I'm not very good at making normal entrances."
"You're tall," she said finally. Her voice was flat as she made that observation. Not a question, not in fear, just a twelve-year-old stating a fact.
The blonde devil girl's smile widened just a touch. "I get that a lot."
Dinah took a few steps forward, hesitantly moving forward till she approached the side of the couch. Her eyes narrowed, "The numbers are weird around you, more than they are around him," she made a gesture towards Daemon. "Like you're not human." She said directly to Auernia's face.
"No, no, I am not," the Devil said, gently pushing herself up to her feet.
Auernia rolled her shoulders, and four pairs of jet-black bat wings unfurled from her back. The air around the apartment thickened, almost like the pressure of gravity had been increased. The air buckled under their weight, and the shadows darkened; the dim light from the light bulb stretched and deformed. "I am Auernia Amanises Andromalius," she declared, her voice vibrating with power, "the lady of House Andromalius of the Seventy-Two Noble Houses of the Underworld."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, little one," She continued her display, speaking with a majesty and regality in her voice that Daemon had never heard before, not even from his grandmother. "You may call me Amanises, as all friends do. This goes for you as well, Daemon."
"You came for Coil?" Dinah asked, trying to force herself to speak calmly, but both Daemon and Auernia – sorry, Amanises – could hear the tremble in her voice.
"Yes." She said to the younger girl, not a hint of hesitation in her voice. "Daemon said you were in trouble. I didn't like that."
Dinah's eyes narrowed slightly as she delved into her thinker powers, pushing against the throbbing headache she was feeling. Whatever she found must have passed muster, because her shoulders slumped as she visibly relaxed. "You're not from here, are you?" she asked, now feeling a lot more calmer.
Amanises smiled, "No, I am not. I come from a different world. Not your Earth Aleph either, but an entirely different world, with different rules."
"And you came… for me?"
"Yes."
Dinah paused for a moment before letting out a small whisper, "Thank you."
////
Annette's hands fiddled with the keyring as she fumbled and struggled to hurry and insert the key in the keyhole. Daemon had given her an extra key to his apartment when he'd first started renting it - despite her insistence that it was fine to live at her safe house – and she was quite glad that he had. The meeting at the PRTHQ had run long, and she was exhausted.
It was half past two in the morning right now, and the only reason she wasn't going to her own home – instead of coming to the apartment of a fourteen-year-old boy – was to not disturb her daughter. After all, Annette Hebert was supposed to be pulling an all-nighter at the University to finish grading some papers, and her suddenly coming home, wearing a trench coat covering up her Hero costume – she could not be bothered to change into her civie clothes right now – would be quite suspicious.
Rimestar was, after all, one of the most renowned heroes of Brockton Bay, and as a result, any Brocktonite could identify her costume, even without the helmet. The fact that it was White and blue didn't help matters.
"Finally," she muttered as the key slid into the keyhole. With a single twist, she pushed the door open, only to pause, stunned at the ridiculous sight within.
The first thing her eyes landed on was the tall woman sitting on the couch, slightly leaning back as if lounging there without a care in the world. Sitting next to the blonde woman was a tiny girl gently nibbling on an pastry as she swung her legs off the edge of the couch. Out of the corner, she could see Daemon in the kitchen, doing…well, doing something she couldn't make out from here.
"What is going on here?"
At her words, all three of them turned their heads – with Daemon peeking out of the kitchen – to stare at her.
Just as the silence was starting to get awkward, Daemon came out of the kitchen, holding a tray full of sandwiches in front of him. He placed the tray on the table in front of the girls before turning to Annette. "What are you doing at the door? Come on in!"
The brown-haired woman hesitated for one brief moment before stepping inside, turning around to close the door behind her. Just as she turned back around, she saw the Blonde girl stand up and approach her, grabbing the platter of sandwiches on her way to Annette.
"Sandwiches?" The alluring girl asked, presenting the older woman with the platter.
Annette blinked, "Thanks, but who are you?" she asked, accepting the sandwiches anyway. She was hungry, and it had been several hours since she'd eaten.
As the two introduced themselves, Daemon slid onto the couch next to Dinah. "Your head feeling better yet?" He asked. Dinah had ended up overusing her power by the course of the night to such a degree that she'd given herself an aneurysm. Daemon and Amanises had been quite freaked out by the blood dripping down from her nose, but thankfully healing that was a simple spell and well within the blonde devil's capabilities.
"Yeah," she said, her forehead still slightly scrunched. "It's better now. Who is she?" She asked, nodding towards Annette.
"That's Annette," He said, and then elaborated at the look of confusion on the younger girl's face, "My guardian. She's the hero Rimestar."
Dinah's eyes widened, "Rimestar!" she squeak-squealed.
Daemon raised an eyebrow. Well, guess someone's a fan, he thought with an amused huff.
The younger girl took a moment to regain her composure. "Will she really help?"
Daemon took a moment to consider, think the answer through before he spoke again. "She will. She'll try her best to help you, that much I can promise." He started. He'd spent a lot of time with her since he'd woken up in Earth Bet, and had come to know how the woman thought. She was a kind woman, and he knew for a fact that she would jump in to help anyone in trouble. She was cool like that.
"But what if he gets her too?"
After having spent several hours with Dinah, Daemon had found some key pieces of information that made his blood boil. As it turned out, he hadn't been the first one to want to help Dinah – the way the smaller girl's eyes had gone blank when she described the gruesome fates that had awaited the elderly couple that helped her made him want to wrap her in the fluffiest blanket and then go on a hunt and kill all those fuckers.
It took a supreme effort to turn the wolfish snarl that was threatening to form on his face into a smile. "He won't. She's a Hero, remember. She's very powerful." And she has the PRT's backing, he thought, but didn't say. "And she will help you. She's a good person, and that's what good people do."
Dinah nodded her head, and had just opened her mouth to speak more when Annette approached the two of them.
Annette turned to look at Daemon, "Alright, what's the plan with Coil?" The large girl, Amanises, had filled her in on what was going on, and needless to say, she was seething with rage. She'd never been this angry before, not even during the whole Lustrum disaster. All she wanted now was to put her fist through that snake-faced bastard's face.
"What do you know about him? It was a fair question, considering that neither Daemon nor Amanises were originally from this world, and Dinah was just a kid.
"Not much, unfortunately," Annette frowned. "We, as in the PRT, know that he exists. He's really secretive and doesn't appear in public even once. Even his gangs like that, full of mercenaries using Tinkertech weaponry. They've been skirmishing with the Empire in Downtown, and by the looks of things – Coils coming out ahead."
"That's it?"
"That's it." Annette confirmed, "He is so mysterious that we're not even sure that he has any powers."
"Oh, he has powers, alright," Daemon chucked. "From what Dinah is saying, he can split the timeline in two, make different choices in both, and then choose to keep which timeline he wants and discard the other."
Annette stared at him for a long moment before her head slowly turned towards the small child, moving almost like a robot. "…Please tell me he's exaggerating."
Dinah shook her head. "No. That's basically it."
Annette exhaled through her nose and dragged a hand down her face. "Of course he does," she muttered. "Because apparently the universe decided Brockton Bay wasn't miserable enough." Then she frowned, "But… that explains a lot," she muttered.
Daemon tilted his head. "How so?"
"Because nothing about his operations ever makes sense if you assume normal limits," she replied. "His mercenaries always arrive at exactly the right time. His deals never collapse. Every ambush we've tried against his suspected operations falls apart before we even move." She dropped her hand and looked directly at Dinah. "If he can discard bad outcomes, that means every encounter we've had with him is the version where he wins."
Dinah gave a small shrug. "Usually."
"Great," Annette sighed. "That's just fantastic."
Amanises watched the exchange with mild curiosity, arms folded loosely beneath her chest. "So he experiments with fate," the blonde devil said thoughtfully. "Two possibilities, one discarded. Inefficient, but effective."
Annette shot her a look. "I wouldn't call that inefficient."
"Compared to actual control over destiny?" Amanises replied mildly. "Yes, it is."
Dinah blinked up at her. "You have that in your world?" The girl had been caught up with the circumstances of both Daemon and Amanises, and knew that they both came from different worlds, with Amanises coming from one far stranger than Earth Bet, or even Daemon's own medieval era world.
Her world has that? Daemon was about to voice the same thing, but was beaten to the punch by Dinah.
"Not quite," Amanises said. "But the difference between observing fate and manipulating it is significant, to say the least."
Daemon snorted. "And here I thought my luck was already cursed enough."
Dinah glanced between them, then back to Annette. "He's been using the power to hunt me," she said quietly. "If I run somewhere, he tries both options. If one fails, he keeps the other."
"So every mistake you make…"
"He learns from it," Dinah finished.
Annette pursed her lips, her thoughts running a mile a minute. Her eyes flicked across the entire room, raking across Daemon, Amanises, and then finally Dinah. She suddenly stilled, an idle thought blooming in her head until it formed a nagging feeling that wouldn't just go away. "I…I know you, don't I?" She said to Dinah.
The little girl's eyes went wide, and a gasp tore out of her throat. "You…You do?"
Annette paid no mind to it and continued, "Yeah, I know you. You're Dinah Alcott, right?"
Daemon cocked an eyebrow, "Annette?" he asked, wondering what was going on now. Amanises looked just as interested as he felt from where she was, leaning against the wall.
Annette ignored him.
"You're the mayor's daughter. Why are you on a run from a villain?" she asked. Being the daughter of the mayor of Brockton Bay should have come with a certain degree of protection, protection that ensured that the family wouldn't be directly targeted by villains. "And how have you been on the run for days without anyone knowing?"
Did her parents really not notice their only daughter going missing for days?! Annette could never.
"They…They don't recognize me anymore."
Annette blinked. "What did you say?"
Dinah bit her lips and clenched her fists so hard that her nails pierced her skin, and the blood started bubbling out. Daemon wanted to step forward and help, but Dinah spoke up before he could. "I said they don't know me anymore!" she almost shouted, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Annette acted up on long-buried instincts and wrapped her arms around the younger girl, letting her sob on her shoulders. That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back, because Dinah burst out into tears, sobbing into Annette's chest as her hands clutched the front of Annette's coat.
The words forming on Daemon's lips died an ugly death as he pursed his lips.
Annette held her closer, one hand cupping the back of Dinah's head, the other rubbing slow circles between her shoulder blades. "You're safe," she murmured, voice low and warm, pitched for the girl in her arms and no one else. "You're not alone anymore. Breathe with me. Just like this." Dinah tried, a trembling inhale hitching midway. Annette steadied her, guiding the rhythm with quiet patience. "There you go. Good. Let it out. Nobody here will let him touch you again." The sounds of the sobbing muffled against her coat, the frantic grip loosening as the girl leaned into the first real comfort she'd had in days.
Annette gently patted the younger girl's back and softly murmured in her ears, trying to calm Dinah down. The sobs slowly eased, coming out less often, then softened until they were only shaky breaths against Annette's shoulder. She didn't let go, even when Dinah's grip on her coat loosened, and her hands dropped to her side. Annette just kept a steady hand on her back, gently rubbing in small circles, giving her something calm to hold onto while the worst of it passed.
Daemon stayed still on the couch, watching with a tightness in his chest he didn't fully understand. Even Amanises, who rarely bothered with human emotions, looked away out of respect.
Eventually, Dinah's breathing settled. She pushed back gently, eyes red and puffy, but quieter now. Annette gave her space immediately, though her hands hovered close, ready to steady her again if she wavered. Dinah sniffled, pulling back just enough to look up at Annette. "He made them forget me," she whispered. "Like I'm not me anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"There's this girl, I don't know her name but she, she did something," the girl started, summoning up all her inner strength to speak about this obviously painful topic. "She looks nothing like me and she's a lot older, but everyone is treating her like me! My parents, Rory, and even my school friends and teachers. They all call her Dinah and treat her like she's me but she's not! She's not me! I'M DINAH!" She ended her rant with a scream as tears once more welled up in her eyes.
Annette quickly got to calming her down.
Daemon narrowed his eyes and exchanged a glance with Amanises, finding a similarly complicated expression on her face. They were both thinking of the same thing. If Coil had someone like that, someone who could replace people so effectively without anyone noticing, then he was a lot more dangerous than either of them had previously thought.
What more aces did he have hidden that no one was aware of?
Dinah wiped at her nose with the sleeve of the oversized T-shirt, her voice still shaky but steadier now that the worst of the crying had passed. "I didn't even notice it at first," she said quietly. "I came home from school one day and… things just felt wrong. My mom didn't hug me like she always did, but she didn't even notice me. She just kept looking around me like she was waiting for someone else to come in. Then she asked me why I was still in the house when Dinah was supposed to be at tutoring." Her fingers twisted together. "I thought she was joking. But then my dad came home and he looked right at me and asked who I was."
Dinah swallowed hard. "There was another girl in the kitchen. Older than me. Taller. She looked nothing like me, but they kept calling her Dinah. She answered it like it was normal." Then her voice dropped to a whisper, as if afraid to voice what she was about to say. "And the numbers… the numbers say she's supposed to be me."
That is…
Daemon had nothing to say to that, and apparently neither did the others. A moment of still silence fell as all of them digested her words.
Annette was the first to break it. "That's… not possible," she said slowly, but the words sounded less like a denial and more like someone trying to convince herself. "People don't just forget their own daughter."
Dinah gave a weak, humourless laugh. "They didn't forget a daughter," she said. "They forgot me."
Annette fell quiet.
Amanises straightened from where she was standing, the expression on the blonde devil's face being one of contemplation rather than shock. "A replacement," she said at last, "And not just an illusion. If it were just a trick, someone would have figured it out by now." Daemon had to agree, people weren't stupid. And besides, the Mayor's family had a lot of protection afforded to them, and the Master Stranger protocols existed for a reason – no one wanted a repeat of Nice Guy again.
But still, this was starting to feel like an even worse version of that freak.
Dinah nodded miserably. "I tried telling them. I tried showing them pictures, telling them things only I should know." Her fingers tightened into fists. "They just thought I was some crazy kid trying to scam them."
"So he didn't just erase you," Daemon muttered, a flash of anger in his eyes. "He just replaced you with someone else in the eyes of the whole world."
Dinah shook her head quickly. "Not the whole world. Just the parts that matter." Her eyes drifted toward the floor as she spoke. "My parents. My cousin. My teachers. My friends. The police." She sniffed again. "Even the mayor's office records say that girl is Dinah Alcott."
Annette inhaled sharply at that. "That means official documentation too," she said grimly. "Birth records, school enrollment, medical files, everything."
Daemon rubbed a hand down his face. "Of course Coil would go that far," he muttered. "If you're going to steal the mayor's daughter, you make sure no one believes she's missing."
Dinah nodded. "The numbers said I had to run," she whispered. "If I stayed, he'd find me. And once he found me…" She trailed off.
No one in the room asked what came next. They didn't need to.
Amanises' gaze hardened slightly. "That girl," she said, a forced calmness in her voice that Daemon immediately pegged as fake. "The one pretending to be you. Your powers, what do they say about her?"
Dinah hesitated for a brief moment, taking the time to consult her own powers, before she nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly. "She's working for him."
Annette straightened, and with a frown on her face, she said, "Alright. That changes things."
Daemon raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"We stop thinking of Coil like a normal villain," she said, taking her eyes off Dinah to look at both Daemon and Amanises. "You don't beat someone like that by being reactive."
Amanises nodded, adding her own two cents. "A hunter who rewinds mistakes must be denied information."
Annette glanced at her, slightly surprised. "Exactly."
"But he already knows about Daemon now," Dinah asked with a frown.
"Only partially," Annette replied before waving a hand towards the boy. "He knows a new cape appeared. A strong one. Changer classification. With cryokinetic Shaker and teleportation Mover abilities." Her eyes sharpened. "But he doesn't know anything else."
"But we don't know much about him either," Dinah said. "We don't even know what he looks like. And his power…" she trailed off, biting her lip with a troubled look in her eyes
Amanises leaned back slightly. "His ability is powerful," she said calmly. "But it is not invincible."
Annette glanced at her. "You say that very confidently."
"I have been alive for a long time," The devil said. "And I have often seen that powers that appear absolute rarely are."
Daemon nodded slightly. "That's what I was thinking too." He'd been racking his head all evening about how to deal with Coil, and had come up with some rudimentary ideas, ideas that could be further refined into proper plans.
Annette turned to him in surprise, a confused expression on her face as she looked at him. She folded her arms. "Alright. Enlighten me you two."
Daemon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "His power only works if the situation is predictable enough for him to test choices," he said. "If something happens that he couldn't account for beforehand, he can't prepare for it." He shot a glance at Dinah, asking to confirm his words without having to speak a single word.
Dinah nodded. "That's true."
"And that means?"
Dinah answered this time, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes as she followed the logic Daemon was laying. "If Coil starts a split, he only knows what he knows at that moment. If something completely unexpected happens in both timelines, he can't avoid it." It could work, she realized with a start. It would take careful planning and a lot more to trick someone as smart as Coil, but it could work.
Annette's eyes slowly shifted toward Daemon. "Oh."
Daemon gave a small shrug and shot her a smirk. "Yeah."
The Hero took a moment to consider what had just been said, before once more turning towards the younger girl. "What do your powers say?"
"They… keep changing," Dinah admitted. "Normally, I can track probability trees. But around you, it's like someone keeps kicking the board over." She shot Daemon an annoyed scowl, but to him, it just looked like an adorable pout.
Amanises chuckled softly. "That sounds familiar."
Annette's gaze flicked toward her in confusion, before a realization dawned in her eyes. "You too?"
Dinah nodded slowly. "The numbers go weird around her. Worse than him."
Annette slowly lowered herself into the armchair opposite the couch. "So let me get this straight," she said. "Coil can test timelines. Dinah predicts probabilities. And you two…" she pointed at Daemon, "…apparently bully fate itself into behaving."
"Unconfirmed," Daemon said quickly. He had read and consumed enough media in his past life to know that Karma was a vindictive bitch, and fate always took a winding step back before taking a hit that would inevitably send him sprawling onto the ground with his ass out and available for further karmic retribution. And Murphy was the smug little bastard who made sure everything that could go wrong would. Together, they formed a perfect little trinity dedicated to screwing him over.
Dinah tilted her head. "Seventy-two percent confirmed."
"That is not helping!"
Amanises hid a smile behind her hand.
Dinah shifted slightly on the couch. "So… what do we do?"
Annette rested back in the chair, absentmindedly chewing the inside of her cheek as her thoughts ran a thousand miles a second. "Alright," she said after a moment. "If Coil's advantage is controlled experimentation, then our strategy needs to break that control."
"How?" Daemon asked.
She looked toward Dinah again. "First, we keep her hidden. If Coil loses access to his best predictive tool, his advantage drops immediately." Dinah grimaced slightly at the implications but nodded. Seeing that the girl was fine, Annette continued. "He relies on controlling information and environments. That means he'll try to isolate targets. Kidnap. Interrogate. Manipulate." Her eyes hardened. "So we flip that."
Daemon moved forward slightly, an eager glint in his eyes as he awaited in anticipation, "Meaning?"
"We hunt him down first."
Dinah raised her hand slightly. "Um… small problem." She flushed when everyone turned to look at her, but continued anyway. "You can't just find him," she said. "He hides behind layers. Mercenaries, shell companies, safe houses."
Annette nodded. "I know." She said, before she looked over at Daemon. "But we don't need to find him directly."
Daemon tilted his head. "Go on."
Annette smiled thinly. "Villains like Coil run networks. Money, logistics, personnel." Her eyes gleamed with the cold satisfaction of a plan forming. She'd been on the other end of this sort of planning before with Lustrum and knew how it worked. "And networks leave trails."
Amanises hummed softly. "Ah. You intend to strangle the web until the spider shows itself."
"Exactly."
Dinah still looked uncertain. "He won't stop," she said quietly. "If he loses track of me, he'll escalate until something works." She bit her lip, "He'll start hurting people until someone gives him a lead."
"Which means," Daemon said slowly, "we need to hit multiple things at once."
Annette pointed at him. "Now you're thinking."
He frowned. "That sounds like a lot of work."
She smiled sweetly. "You froze three city blocks tonight, sweetheart. I think you can handle it." She said. "And for the information side of things, well, give me your hand."
Daemon looked confused but still obliged, extending his hand toward her with a hesitant shrug. She grabbed his hand. For a brief moment, nothing happened at all. The room remained quiet, the others watching with mild curiosity as the two simply stood there.
Then the world inside his head exploded.
It wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming. His mind expanded outward like a suddenly opened floodgate, and a torrent of alien understanding rushed in.
Information flooded in.
Lines of code appeared in his thoughts, not as words but as structured logic. Entire software architectures unfolded in his head like blueprints made of pure thought. Encryption protocols. Distributed processing systems. Neural network models. Cybersecurity frameworks that layer themselves together into intricate defensive webs. Alongside them came hardware designs, sleek processors optimized for parallel computation, modular server clusters, high-efficiency cooling systems, quantum-resistant data storage structures, and advanced networking arrays capable of transmitting staggering amounts of data without loss.
Daemon staggered slightly as the torrent of information continued. It felt less like learning and more like remembering knowledge he had never studied. Systems linked themselves together instinctively in his mind. He understood how to build machines that could analyze, predict, simulate, machines that could process information at terrifying speeds.
The surge eventually slowed down. The knowledge didn't vanish; it just settled into place, like a library rapidly organizing itself on endless shelves inside his head.
Daemon blinked several times.
His breathing quickened as he noticed something else. His thoughts felt… faster. Cleaner. Ideas snapped together with mechanical precision. Even recalling something from earlier in the conversation happened instantly.
It was like his brain had suddenly installed a new operating system.
Annette took a step back and watched with a calm smile on her face. She had struggled with the decision for a long time before choosing to transfer one of her powers to the dark-haired boy. But the situation called for it, and despite everything, she trusted Daemon Targaryen enough that she knew he would not misuse the gift she just gave him.
"What was that?!" Daemon gasped out after the flood of information finally stopped.
He staggered half a step, one hand bracing against the back of the couch as he tried to steady himself. His head still felt… bigger somehow, like his brain had been stretched to make room for something new. Code fragments and hardware schematics flickered through his thoughts like ghosts, like complex systems he somehow understood perfectly despite never having seen them before.
Annette folded her arms, clearly pleased with herself. "I gave you one of my powers," she said with a small smile. "A Tinker power, to be exact. Let's just say second triggering has its benefits. Hopefully, the power manifests a better specialty for you than it did for me." Her smile turned wry as she thought about how that Tinker power had manifested in herself. "Steamtech," she muttered under her breath. "What a joke."
Daemon took a few more seconds to steady his breathing before looking up.
He shot Annette a truly nasty glare, his lips curled into a wolfish snarl.
Annette just smiled back at him.
Amanises leaned back against the couch again, clearly entertained. "I must say," she murmured, "this world grows more interesting by the minute." Such an easy way to transfer power, she didn't think there was anything like that in the world. But then again, she had been… out of commission for the last several centuries, so there could be something there, and she just wasn't aware of it.
Dinah looked between them. "…We're really doing this, aren't we?"
Daemon, pushed through the headache and the nausea he was feeling, reached over and ruffled her hair lightly. "Yeah, kid." His voice softened. "We are. He made an enemy of us." Then his expression hardened just a little. "And Coil's about to learn why that was a bad idea."