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A Darker Path Pt 61
🕑 Added 2023-10-14 01:01:05 +0000 UTCMustering Resources
[A/N: This chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
Monday Evening, February 28, 2011
New York Wards Base
Flechette
"… anonymous tips, German authorities have successfully apprehended several high-ranking members of the terrorist group Gesellschaft …"
"… once known as Eidolon is to address the United Nations General Assembly on the topic of integrating capes into society at every level …"
"… shotgun that killed the Simurgh continues to draw record numbers of sightseers on its fourth straight day on display at …"
"… stepping down from the position, citing workplace pressures. Director Wilkins' duties will be taken up by her deputy until a replacement can be …"
Lily hit the button on the remote, and the TV shut off. The news was nothing she hadn't seen before or known about already, and she had her suspicions about the Director's sudden 'retirement'. Nothing concrete, of course, but it was an open secret in the building that Wilkins hated Atropos. Not so much as to order an attack on her—the woman wasn't fucking suicidal, after all—but the amount of love lost between them could only be measured in negative numbers. Large negative numbers.
It was also just a little suspicious that this was coming on the same day that Atropos had killed two more villains in Brockton Bay, at a school no less, by throwing them off the roof. (Because they were the Fallen, of course). She hadn't killed anyone in days, and now Wilkins was choosing to retire? Lily was no trained detective, but something about that registered on her bullshit-meter.
"Hey, Lil. Duck season!" That was Shelter, on his way to the kitchenette.
"Wabbit season!" She grinned and held up her hand, palm out. Fuck you, March.
He gave her a high-five and kept going. "Want anything from the fridge?"
"I'm good, thanks." She leaned back on the sofa, the grin still on her face.
Life since Canberra had been nothing short of hectic. Everyone on the team had been intensely jealous that they hadn't gotten to be there, but nobody had been a dick about it. Her photos had been copied, shared around, printed out, framed, and used to form the core of a post-action debrief session (alongside Dragon's imagery) to confirm that yes, the Simurgh was actually, indisputably, dead.
She'd already been interviewed twice, and talk shows were clamouring to get her on as a special guest. Image had been run ragged deciding which offers to accept, and in which order; if she understood matters correctly, there was an intense bidding war going on under the surface. Even outside that, she'd been the recipient of a literal ton of fan mail, which Image had also had to cull through and toss the truly unacceptable messages.
There'd been no fewer than three offers to ghost-write her personal story of the death of the Simurgh, plus one for her to participate in a full-scale on-site re-enactment. The PRT was still holding off on all of those until the furore calmed down a little; the current suggestion was that they'd reconvene in Canberra on the first anniversary of the event and do the re-enactment then. As for whether or not they'd use the unofficial name of the instant national holiday the Australians had come up with ('Bin Chicken Day'), that had yet to be determined.
The 'duck season/wabbit season' call-and-response had become customary within the building, not just with her. She'd seen none other than Legend using it with Prism, and PRT troopers were apparently using it among themselves as well. As Jouster had explained it to her, it wasn't just a joke; every time it was used, they were saying the Simurgh is dead. Thank God.
She snorted to herself. Thank Atropos, maybe. It was still just a bit of a wonder to her that the enigmatic cape had chosen her as a sidekick on that day. From what she'd seen, even if she had chosen to refuse to assist (hah! As if), Atropos would've found another way to do it.
But it was more than just capes helping each other out against a mutual enemy. Atropos had mentioned friendship more than once, and she'd even invoked the term when naming the shotgun. It was an odd feeling, being considered a friend by someone who self-evidently didn't need allies, but had chosen to reach out anyway.
Her phone rang, and she took it from its pouch. With the way her thoughts had been going, she was entirely unsurprised when she saw the name on the caller ID screen. "Hi, Atropos. What's up?"
"Hey, Flechette." Atropos sounded as cheerful as ever. "So, got some good news for you, plus a question."
Lily paused. Good news was always welcome, but from Atropos, she had no idea what that would entail. As for the question … that was definitely going to be interesting. More interesting than killing the Simurgh? She had no idea. "Okay," she said cautiously. "Hit me."
"Good news first." Atropos was definitely happy today. "Remember the leave request you made to come to Brockton Bay and see Emily? Well, that'll be going through shortly. Turns out Wilkins has been sitting on it."
"… oh." Lily blinked. "But … why?" Why was Wilkins sitting on it, she meant. The other bit was easy to figure out. If Atropos wanted it to go through, it would go through.
"Well, we both know she doesn't like me, and because we hung out a couple of times, you got caught in the middle. Sorry about that." She actually sounded sincere. "Might've been the time I held my shears to her eye, or maybe when I went over her head to take you to Canberra."
"But I didn't have anything to do with either of those things. I didn't even know about the first one!" Now Lily was curious about that, but not enough to ask.
"I know that, and you know that, but she couldn't get at me, so she decided to block you from coming to Brockton Bay because I was a 'bad influence' on you or something. Petty, I know, but it takes an adult to be really childish."
"Oh, God, yeah. I know all about that." Lily rolled her eyes, recalling the drama with her foster parents. Instinctively, she lowered her voice. "So, uh, did you have anything to do with her, uh, stepping down?"
"Well … yes and no. I didn't go to Director Costa-Brown and tell her to give Wilkins the boot, if that's what you're asking. She did that to herself. But she is out because of me. And the new Director, who'll be stepping up in the next few days, is a lot more reasonable about things like that. So, yay. Good news."
Lily had to smile at the upbeat tone of the last four words. "Well, thanks. That is good news. And I'd like to thank you again for the March thing. It's amazing how much easier my job is without having to deal with her on a regular basis."
"Hey, you chose to show up at the fundraiser of your own accord. I wasn't about to let her ruin that for either one of us."
Ignoring the obvious implication—that Atropos had known ahead of time how she was coming to the fundraiser—Lily forged ahead. "So, um, what was the question you wanted to ask?"
"Oh, yeah, that. So, tomorrow night, I was wondering if you were available to come and help me rehabilitate a supervillain. No death involved. Not even a Ravioli job. Just straight-up improving their quality of life to the point that they decide not to be a villain anymore."
Lily blinked. This was so far out of left field that it hadn't even registered on her list of things Atropos might ask of her, but at the same time it was so totally like the black-clad cape to ask something like that. "Um … rehabilitate? How am I supposed to help with something like that? Shout encouragement from the sidelines?"
"Nope. You will actually be involved in a meaningful way. Also, you'll get to meet and work with some very cool capes. Also also, there'll be someone there who you've actually met before."
"But you're not going to tell me who that is right now, are you?" Lily was starting to get the idea of how Atropos' mind worked. The girl did love her secrets, but she was also very good at doing stuff with them. "Or who the villain is, even?"
"What, and spoil the surprise?" The amusement in Atropos' tone confirmed her suppositions. "I'll just tell you right now that there'll be no combat and no arrests. Just one less villain and one more rogue. So, what do you say? You up for it?"
Lily didn't bother asking if she'd be able to get permission to go. Atropos treated permission as something that other people worried about. She would've been a 'better to beg for forgiveness' sort of person, except that she never bothered with forgiveness, either. "What the hell. Why not?"
"That's the spirit. You come off shift at six. I'll be there at seven, and we'll be done by eight. See you then. Toodles!" Atropos ended the call, leaving Lily staring at the phone.
My life was much simpler before all this. Also, it had March in it, so there's that too. Not even going to wonder how she knew my Wards shift.
After a few moments of thought, she got up and went to find Jouster. It wouldn't change the fact that she was going, but he would likely appreciate being kept in the loop about something like this.
Life with Atropos as her friend, she decided, was definitely weirder but much more rewarding.
<><>
Atropos
I ended the call and leaned back on the sofa. "Well, Flechette's in." In the back of my mind, I noted that Lily had just joined the group of people my power considered 'worth looking out for'. This was good; I approved.
Cherie, seated at the other end of the sofa with her legs curled up under her, looked up from the copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory she was working her way through. "Well, that's a total surprise."
"Absolute shocker," chimed in Dad from the kitchen, where he was stirring the casserole. "I never would've called it in a million years."
"Oh, ha ha." I blew them a raspberry. "You could at least act surprised."
"Taylor, hon," Dad said gently. "Your choices of action sometimes take me by surprise, but the fact that you consistently succeed rarely does, especially since I've had the chance to experience how bullshit powers really are."
Cherie closed the book for a moment, using her finger to keep the place. "I'm still impressed at some of the stuff you do, but this particular one, with Flechette? That was a no-brainer. She was always going to say yes."
"Okay, yeah, granted." I was willing to admit that she had a point there. I'd put enough work into getting Flechette to see me in a good light that such a relatively innocuous request had a high probability of success. It didn't hurt that her name recognition had been bumped into the stratosphere since the Great Duck Hunt. There were probably people who couldn't name Legend in a lineup but knew who she was.
"So, who's next?" asked Dad.
I grinned. "Another no-brainer."
<><>
Deputy Director Renick
Paul frowned as his phone rang. There were no calls or meetings scheduled for this time of the evening, and the number of call-outs due to gang activity had literally been zero for weeks. It was nice, being able to keep up with the paperwork for once. So why was someone calling him now, and why did the caller ID not show a name?
"Parahumans Response Teams, Deputy Director Renick speaking," he said cautiously.
"Good evening, Deputy Director," a semi-familiar voice greeted him. "Atropos here. How are you, this evening?"
And that explained everything, right there. "I'm doing well. Brockton Bay also seems to be improving by the day, thanks mainly to your efforts. How may I help you today?"
Like Emily, he wasn't exactly thrilled about how cavalier Atropos seemed to be regarding the sanctity of life (that is, she didn't consider it at all) but her results absolutely could not be argued with. Each day, more stretches of road around Brockton Bay were torn up, the infrastructure upgraded and renewed, and the new road laid down within the day. Thanks to the money pouring into the city, the improvements were proceeding at a blistering pace, and showed no signs of slacking off.
"Well, that is the general idea, yes." He thought he heard a smile in her voice. "I have a small favour to ask. Your newest Ward, Miss Medic; would it be possible for me to borrow her for an hour, between seven and eight tomorrow evening? I give you my solemn word that she will not come to any harm. If it makes you feel more secure to send Tenebrae along with her, that's perfectly fine. He's welcome to come too."
He stared at the phone, trying to figure out what was going on. "I … may I ask what you need her for?"
"Sure. I'm going to be rehabilitating a supervillain. Theoretically speaking, I could do the surgical work myself, but she's a lot better at it. I can't cut the corners that she can."
"Rehabilitation … with surgery?" He was entirely lost in the woods now. "How does that work—wait. You aren't going to ask her to do brain surgery on this supervillain, are you?" That, right there, was a slippery slope leading into a bottomless morass.
"Well, she could, but no. While this supervillain does need therapy, and maybe the occasional dose of antipsychotics, the surgery will not be of the brain variety. It'll be more of the improving-quality-of-life variety. If all goes well, and I see no reason why it shouldn't, we'll be down one supervillain and up one rogue. Sound good to you? Because it sounds good to me."
"I suppose …" He traced his lower lip with his thumbnail. Emily had had it much easier; she'd been a spectator while Atropos just went ahead and did things. Having to deal with an Atropos who actually asked before doing something was more than a little surreal. "May I ask what your plans are for this villain? Because please don't take this the wrong way, but you rarely do things for nothing."
"No, that's totally true. No offense taken whatsoever. The Brockton Bay Betterment program is going to be expanding in radius, and this supervillain is in the area that will eventually be overtaken. I'm thinking if we co-opt them now and give them reasons not to be a villain, that's a future problem dodged altogether. Also, they're potentially useful to me, once given a new lease on life. Trust me, I'm absolutely operating on enlightened self-interest, here."
"Ah. I see. Well, I can't argue with that." Oddly enough, he had no qualms with actually releasing Miss Medic and Tenebrae to Atropos' care. Tenebrae's reports of Atropos' interactions with his sister and cousin made it abundantly clear that the only ones in danger would be anyone trying to mess with them. Now that he had a workable understanding of her motives, he felt comfortable with the next step. "And I can't see a problem with Miss Medic and Tenebrae being temporarily detached for duty with you between seven and eight tomorrow night. In fact, from what I understand, she'll probably be delighted."
"Thank you. I suspect Tenebrae will be less delighted, but I figure I'll win him around eventually." Atropos sounded somewhat amused at the prospect. "In the meantime, I know he'll supply you with a complete after-action report. Heck, if you want him to wear a wire, I'm good with that too."
Not for the first time, Paul got the impression that she was bending over backward to put him at ease. And despite the fact that he knew she was doing it, it was working. She was saying exactly the right things at exactly the right time, in exactly the right way, but it felt spontaneous and natural.
She'd actually been doing that from the very beginning, he belatedly realised, saying what she needed to say in the right way for it to be heard, so that people took notice. The name of Atropos had spread with almost terrifying speed through the infosphere, buoyed and boosted by the ruthlessness of her kills. But now that she needed to kill less, her message was changing subtly, reinforcing the fact that her word was her bond. Whether she set her sights on killing the supposedly unkillable or fixing the supposedly unfixable, that thing got done.
"Would you object to a body-cam?" he asked. "Just to keep the bean-counters happy, you understand." The fact that he considered himself a bean-counter was entirely beside the point.
"Not in the slightest. I appreciate your cooperation. Oh, and tell Director Piggot congratulations from me. Toodles!" The call ended.
He slowly put the phone down, wondering how his life had gotten so strange that he could have a friendly conversation with a mass murderer and be happy to do what she asked. And what was that about Emily, anyway? Congratulations for what?
He was sure he'd find out eventually. But in the meantime, he needed to get into contact with Tenebrae and Miss Medic, and arrange for a body-cam to be issued to the former. Recordings of Atropos in action were often disturbing or even horrifying, but they were always educational.
<><>
Taylor
The casserole smelled delicious. Cherie hadn't picked up her fork yet; she seemed to be hovering her face over her plate with her eyes closed, blissfully inhaling the scents that made up the whole. It was one of the little habits she'd picked up since coming to stay with us. Tasty, properly cooked food had been a luxury for her, back in her old life. I was teaching her how to make a lasagne, and she was eager to put her lessons into practice.
"So, how'd everyone's day go?" asked Dad as he shook some Parmesan over his plate. "Actually, before we get into that; Taylor, were you behind the sudden and inexplicable reshuffling of the Boat Graveyard this afternoon?"
"Oh, that was old business." I waved my hand dismissively. "Part of the payout from Ending the Endbringers. I got the impression that we're gonna have to clean some nasty gunk out of the port itself, but the ships are definitely out of the way."
"I'm reasonably sure there's an appendix in the Plan that will cover that." He chuckled. "And I couldn't be certain, but after I finished discussing the matter with Mayor Christner—he thought it was the Committee's doing, at first—I suspect he did a happy dance around his office."
Cherie opened her eyes and grinned. "If that was around sunset, he totally did." She took a forkful of casserole. "Mmm, that's really, really good."
I added Parmesan to mine as well, and took a bite. "Yeah, Dad. This turned out amazing. New recipe?"
"Different sauce, actually." He gestured to a bottle in the middle of the table. "The convenience store over on Westmore is expanding, getting more products in. I saw this and decided to try it out. It seems to work."
"It totally does." Cherie took another forkful. "You're on a winner with this one."
I smiled, pleased at Cherie's simple enjoyment of the meal; also, at the implications of what Dad was saying. While I normally didn't seek any kind of personal benefit out of my power's machinations, an incidental improvement like this was nice to have.
"It's you, isn't it?" Cherie had noticed either my smile or my happiness. "You did this. This is that knock-on effect you were talking about. People get money, money spreads around, everyone's just a little bit better off."
"Got it in one." I was equally pleased that Cherie had figured it out. When I'd first met her, she'd been very much stuck in the now, rather than anticipating the consequences of her actions. She was starting to think ahead. This was good. "So, enough about me. Anything happen with you at school after the Fallen fell?"
"Not much." She paused to eat another mouthful. "Classes were good. I had a bit of trouble with my math, but Mrs Engels showed me where I was going wrong. Oh, and some guy tried to ask me out."
That got my attention. She hadn't been in danger or even really upset all day, but this didn't stop my protective instincts rising to the fore. "Yeah? Who?"
"Uh, don't remember his name. Stoner-looking guy, hangs out with Greg Veder."
"Sparky. Oh god." I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Sparky asked you out? What happened?"
She shrugged. "I said no. He took it okay, I guess. Said sorry and walked away. Greg looked like he wanted to yell at the guy." She went back to eating her meal.
Well, it could've been a lot worse, on both sides. I suspected she wasn't telling me everything, probably because Dad was right there. We'd talk again later. At least it hadn't been one of the jocks with an eggshell-thin ego, and Cherie was secure enough in herself to not use her power to make him run screaming.
A timer in my head ran down, and I took out my phone. "Excuse me a moment. Just have to make another call."
"Don't take too long." Cherie mischievously waved her fork toward my plate. "I'm hungry, and this is really good."
I wrinkled my nose at her. "Then I'll eat your dessert."
With that dire threat delivered, I got up and headed into the living room, mainly to give Dad and Cherie a chance to eat and talk quietly without disturbing my call. I made sure that the caller ID would show the right name, then tapped in the number and hit the call icon.
"Hello … Atropos?"
"Hi, Mrs Yamada." I smiled. "Are you free to talk?" In the kitchen, I could hear Cherie telling Dad about the book she was reading. She seemed to be enjoying it. Leaning over, I shut the door leading into the kitchen.
"I am at the moment, yes. I just got home and took my shoes off. Your timing is exquisite."
"I've been told that, yes. So, how's Sveta going?" I knew she was fine, but I wanted to remind Mrs Yamada about something she'd been intending to do, all for the purpose of improving my optics. Expending a little effort to help people was worth it when word was passed on that I wasn't just a merciless killer.
"Oh, she's doing quite well," Mrs Yamada said, her voice warming to the subject. "We've been keeping her under observation, but as far as we can tell, the change is permanent and her body is working exactly like it should."
"Excellent." I actually meant it. Sveta had never done me any harm, and in fact had been a gentle soul trapped in a killer's body. In another life, we quite possibly could've been friends. Also, this meant Mrs Yamada was more likely to listen to what I had to say. "So, I've got another escapade lined up, as of tomorrow evening between seven and eight. I'd like to invite you along to observe and meet the subject, a supervillain that I intend to transition to rogue status once their quality of life has been markedly improved. I suspect they'll be needing therapy to keep their new life on track, but I'll leave that diagnosis up to you. Are you interested?"
"I …" She hesitated. "Well, I'm free during that time. But … may I ask for a little quid pro quo?"
I grinned, knowing what she was going to ask, and feeling a little mischievous. "Yes."
"Oh. Good. Well, I've been talking with some of the patients at the asylum and …" She hesitated.
This, of course, gave me the perfect opening. "You aren't listening, Mrs Yamada. I said 'yes'. I'm willing to kill the powers for whichever of your patients are fine to have it happen."
"Oh." She sounded like someone who'd gone to step down the last stair in the dark and found solid floor instead. "Uh, thank you. Do you need a list, or …?"
"No need. I'll show up in the next few days, once you've finished with the prep to reintroduce them into society." I knew exactly how many there were, so I'd show up with that many dosed grapes, plus one extra, for reasons. "Does that work for you?"
"It does indeed. And I'd be happy to observe your, uh, 'escapade'. And, of course, meet your subject." Now that I'd agreed to her demands, such as they were, she was quite happy to cooperate.
"Excellent. Just so you know, there's a contingency in the Betterment Committee plan for offering well-paid positions to any therapists who are willing to work with capes in Brockton Bay, especially those capes employed by the Committee." If we had enough money to pay for the big stuff—and we did—then we had enough money to pay for the little stuff, too.
"Why, Atropos." She chuckled, amused. "Are you trying to bribe me into moving to Brockton Bay?"
"Offering. Giving you the chance of first refusal." I knew she was an exceptional therapist, and had worked with the Wards before now. If any non-cape knew how to help capes (especially young ones) with their issues, she did. "Also, housing prices are eminently affordable. I made sure of it."
There were other good therapists out there, some of whom had also worked with capes. They would also be getting offers. I didn't believe in putting all my eggs in the one basket, or even the same building.
She paused, long enough that I knew she was tempted. With the way Brockton Bay was going, who wouldn't be? "Well … I'll think about it. No promises."
"That's good enough for me. I'll knock on your door at seven oh-two. Toodles."
I ended the call and opened the door back into the kitchen. My casserole was still intact, but Cherie was definitely eyeing it off. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I sat down again, and took up my fork.
'Aww, you're back," Cherie observed with a grin. "How'd it go?"
"Three down, one to go." I took up a forkful of casserole. It was still very nice, even if it was a little cooler than before. "I'll be sending Amy a ping on PHO."
"Think she'll bite?" asked Dad, though the expression on his face showed his opinion on the matter.
"We shall see," I decided. "But enough about that." I turned to Cherie. "So, how's the book going?"
Her expression brightened all the way up. "They've just got to the factory and wow, the descriptions are so amazing …"
<><>
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: TheRealPanacea
From: Atropos
Subject: Up For Another Excursion?
Hi,
So, there's another villain whose life I want to turn around.
I'll drop by just before 7 tomorrow night.
Interested?
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: Atropos
From: TheRealPanacea
Subject: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
What, another full-body job, or a half-body one?
Just checking.
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: TheRealPanacea
From: Atropos
Subject: Re: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
Neither, actually. The subject already has a body, and for a surprise twist, will be keeping their powers intact.
Accordingly, you won't be alone on this one. You'll be part of a team I'm bringing in to do the surgery.
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: Atropos
From: TheRealPanacea
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
Okay, yeah, that's different.
How complicated is it going to be if you need a whole team?
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: TheRealPanacea
From: Atropos
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
I'm pretty sure it's a situation you've never dealt with before.
On the upside, the people I'm bringing in are really, really good at what they do.
So between you, I'm betting you can get it done.
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: Atropos
From: TheRealPanacea
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
But are they villains or heroes?
Actually, scratch that. I'm in.
Goddamn it, you always know how to get my attention.
■
PRIVATE MESSAGE
To: TheRealPanacea
From: Atropos
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Up For Another Excursion?
Mwahahaha. (Sorry, that just slipped out.)
Be in costume by 6:56 tomorrow night.
Toodles!
■
