Trump Card (Worm AU) [Complete]

[Ack]

There are many things I would like to see done to Coil... but that is not one of them. The moment a Deus Ex Machina needs to be deployed... for the sake of humour in a serious fic needs to be considered deeply. Is this right... or will it break the flow and make people go... wut?

Click to shrink...

Ack has done this before with Coil, in Security! if I'm remembering things right.

Click to shrink...

Contessa is a walking, taking Deus Ex Machina, yes.

However, unless you butterfly her out of the system, she will show up and she will do shit, if it's important enough.

In Security!, Mike knew of her and was working with her.

In Trump Card, Hax does not know of her, but she needs to keep Hax alive and well. (And yes, I could't figure out how else to move Coil from his 'safe in my office' timeline.)

 

[Ack]

Flowchart added to bottom of story post.

 

[esotericist]

Flowchart added to bottom of story post.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, that helped.

 

[theonebutcher]

Coil should have come to hax and told her that their powers could synergize to a ridiculous level to make them completely invincible. Then asked for her price and Not Contact Her in one timeline. You know, how he usually does it.

Coil could then in one timeline tell her to split, in her second timeline split himself, in that split's second timeline tell her to split again and so on and thus gotten any number of timelines. Take out the S9 with it, to get her trust. Coil is incredibly powerful, but he's always the antagonist(Except in Dudebro, a fic about Nice Guy Taylor I am dragging my heels on...)

 

[Xilph]

Coil should have come to hax and told her that their powers could synergize to a ridiculous level to make them completely invincible. Then asked for her price and Not Contact Her in one timeline. You know, how he usually does it.

Click to shrink...

There is one key problem with that, he didn't actually know what her power was. See even as late as when Alibi self destructed to kill him he was uncertain what she did and considered that she'd taken control of his power and forced him to drop the timeline, so that kind of potential weakness would be a huge no to him.

 

[Ack]

You know, how he usually does it.

Click to shrink...

What, like he did with Dinah and Lisa?

 

[Navrin]

As far as I can tell, one of his issues is needing to be in control of the Thinkers; he can't seem to work with them as equals or even as employer and fairly employed.

 

[Ack]

As far as I can tell, one of his issues is needing to be in control of the Thinkers; he can't seem to work with them as equals or even as employer and fairly employed.

Click to shrink...

And i'm fairly certain he wouldn't want to have anything to do with a Trump that he doesn't have absolute control over.

 

[Navrin]

And i'm fairly certain he wouldn't want to have anything to do with a Trump that he doesn't have absolute control over.

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Well, some Trumps he'd probably be fine with, but Hax can use Thinker powers so she definitely falls under the "must control" category.

 

[Chojomeka]

Coil's like your standard Pokemon player; he's gotta have'em all and then lock them away in a PCroom and only bring them out when he needs them.

 

[theonebutcher]

What, like he did with Dinah and Lisa?

Click to shrink...

You're right... Man he's an idiot. He claims this deal with the devil thing, but he doesn't use it.

 

[Ack]

You're right... Man he's an idiot. He claims this deal with the devil thing, but he doesn't use it.

Click to shrink...

More to the point, he makes agreements with people, then breaks them as soon as they become inconvenient.

Which, you know, gets him killed.

 

[Navrin]

Was reading SB backlog of Trump Card, and it inspired this.

How I imagine that tinkertech works: First, the tinker requests help from the shard in constructing X. Shard figures out how to do it, and then subconsciously feeds the tinker information on how to produce an extremely flawed version of that technology with lots of deliberate obscurity built in for the very specific conditions that they're in. Humidity, light level, heartrate, skin-temperature, background magnetic field, any field-effect parahuman abilities active at the time, air pressure, etc. Change any of those and, even if the actions were duplicated perfectly, the tinkertech would not be produced.

When tinkertech does things that should be absolutely impossible, they're taking advantage of passive shaker effects that shards somewhere are producing on the planet. These could be the tinker shard clusters in particular, but they might also be taking advantage of completely different ones. That, or human understanding of physics in the Wormverse is ludicrously incomplete even before dimensional shenanigans are involved.

One of many consequences if this is correct: Even if Hax was currently duplicating a tinker's power, there's a chance that she could not build anything through Alibi as the shard would be feeding her information for how to build it where Taylor's body is, with her body, and all other relevant factors. She probably could unless the shard is opposed to teleoperation or whatever since shards tend to like her, but it is a possible limitation.

On software: If a shard wants it to not work upon being copied, it won't be. These sets of code activate solely to heat up parts of the board under these circumstances to change the magnetic fields here, here, and here like this and other limitations that tie the result very, VERY closely to the hardware. And, incidentally, decrease the lifetime reliability of the circuitry by 98% without active maintenance.

And even if you had a perfect copy of the hardware you programmed it on (somehow) it might still fail to work since while the software was being written minute changes were being produced on the circuit-board from very specific amounts of heat being applied at the right times and other changes; you would need to duplicate the programming experience (including all timings, humidity, ambient temperature, etc) in order to copy the tinkertech in some way. In other words, it isn't happening unless the shard wants it to happen.

 

[Xilph]

When tinkertech does things that should be absolutely impossible, they're taking advantage of passive shaker effects that shards somewhere are producing on the planet. These could be the tinker shard clusters in particular, but they might also be taking advantage of completely different ones. That, or human understanding of physics in the Wormverse is ludicrously incomplete even before dimensional shenanigans are involved.

Click to shrink...

That seems incredibly unlikely, because technically speaking shards are just giant tinkertech. None of it can do stuff that's impossible, it's just all clarketech so we can't see how it would be possible, so it's definitely the case of we just don't understand physics anywhere near well enough.

 

[Navrin]

Note that physics could include shards that will make X happen in situation (really complicated y) that, while still within physics, only work because of active dimensional shenanigans. Shards aren't limited exclusively to working through their bonded parahumans if they don't want to be, after all, and it's unknown precisely what rules for the cycle actually were. Having conditions deliberately set up to make certain pieces of tinkertech function to improve effect and obscurity would seem reasonable.

For example: It would be completely reasonable to have a perpetual-motion device tinkertech (despite us knowing that it is, in fact, impossible) because through the power of dimensional shenanigans it's making it look like it's working. All without the tinkertech itself having any technology that messes with dimensional physics.

 

[Ack]

I have a slightly simpler explanation.

Tinkers are Shakers that alter physics to allow that shit to work. To be honest, Taylor may actually be able to Tinker via Alibi, but she doesn't believe she can, so she's not going to try.

It's not so much changing physics to allow a random collection of junk to become a laser pistol, but to allow the tools they have to create the superscience materials they need to make that shit happen, or to combine them in the precisely balanced way to get the effect that they need.

Dragon can retro-engineer Tinkertech because she can use her Thinker power to precisely duplicate the exact conditions that were used to make the original.

 

[DieKatzchen]

On software: If a shard wants it to not work upon being copied, it won't be. These sets of code activate solely to heat up parts of the board under these circumstances to change the magnetic fields here, here, and here like this and other limitations that tie the result very, VERY closely to the hardware. And, incidentally, decrease the lifetime reliability of the circuitry by 98% without active maintenance.

Click to shrink...

From what I've heard, this actually happens with evolutionary software (which is where you have programs with slight variations compete for most efficient. Rinse and repeat). Any given program will only work on the specific hardware it evolved on, because it will do things like have an infinite loop over here which creates a magnetic field which shifts this bit over here. The slightest manufacturing variance will invalidate it.

Don't know how true it is, but that's what I've heard.

 

[Lantalia]

From what I've heard, this actually happens with evolutionary software (which is where you have programs with slight variations compete for most efficient. Rinse and repeat). Any given program will only work on the specific hardware it evolved on, because it will do things like have an infinite loop over here which creates a magnetic field which shifts this bit over here. The slightest manufacturing variance will invalidate it.

Don't know how true it is, but that's what I've heard.

Click to shrink...

If you evolve it on fixed physical hardware that can definitely happen, as has been seen on FPGAs

 

[Ack]

Trump Card

Part Eighteen: Fallout


The phone on Director Piggot's desk rang. She eyed it suspiciously, then picked it up. "This is the Director."

"Ma'am, this is Major Caswell. We've had an incident on the roof. The guard there reports that Armsmaster just dropped off two people."

"Dropped off? On the roof?" Piggot frowned. "How did he do that?"

"Ma'am, the report was that he used some sort of teleportation effect."

"Is he still there?"

"No, ma'am. But the people he dropped off are. One of them is a teenage girl who says her name is Taylor Herbert."

She clutched the phone tightly. "Herbert? Or Hebert?"

He paused. "Oh. Right. Yes, Hebert."

She could scarcely force the words out. "Is she all right, Major?"

"Yes, ma'am. She says that she was kidnapped by Coil, and rescued by Armsmaster."

"Coil." The word was a growl. "Issue an all-points. We're going to be going after him."

"Uh, no need, ma'am," the Major replied. "Armsmaster also dropped Coil off at the same time."

Piggot forced herself to take a deep breath. "Wait ... so you're saying you have Coil in custody?"

"That's what they say, ma'am. Backup's on the way to the roof right now."

"Good. When they get there, have them contact me directly."

"Will do, ma'am."

She sat back in her office chair, breathing deeply and steadily, feeling an entire afternoon of tension melting away from her. A residue remained – it could somehow be a hoax, or still turn out badly – but, if true, this was the best news she had received all week. Despite the fact that the Hebert girl was a parahuman, despite the regular irritation that she had suffered when trying to deal with her, even despite the chewing-out she had gotten from Alexandria over the matter, she was still happy to hear that the kid was alive and well.

Her intercom buzzed; she clicked the button so that the line stayed open. "Piggot."

"Ma'am, this is Sergeant McKendrick. I'm on the roof now. There is one teenage girl and one male adult in a black costume, matching that of Coil. Body type also matches the description of Coil. He's currently restrained with electrical tape. The girl fits the imagery we have of Taylor Hebert. She appears to be healthy and uninjured."

Piggot bit back the 'oh, thank god' initial reaction. "Sergeant, let me speak to the girl."

There was a pause, then a fumbling noise. A girl's voice came through the speaker. "Hello?"

"Ms Hebert, this is Director Piggot. Do you remember me?"

An amused snort. "Heh. Yeah. As if I could forget."

Piggot gritted her teeth together. "When you were brought in, who sat with you?"

The reply was immediate. "Kid Win. We talked about ways to improve his Tinkering. How's he doing with that?"

Involuntarily, the Director glanced at a report on her desk, detailing a new invention that the young Tinker was working on; it apparently made great use of modularity. "Reasonably," she hedged. "Please give the radio back to the sergeant."

"Sure, okay."

More fumbling noises ensued, then McKendrick's voice sounded from the speakers once more. "Orders, ma'am?"

"Search Coil and secure him with your own cuffs," Piggot told him, "then have him taken directly to a secure cell. Activate all counter-escape measures. Have Ms Hebert brought to my office at once. I want to see her with my own eyes."

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned the intercom channel off, then picked up her phone and dialled a number.

"Hello?"

"Armsmaster," she greeted him. "I just want to thank you for a job well done."

He paused. " … pardon?"

She frowned. Modesty was one thing, but surely he knew how important this was. "The rescue of Taylor Hebert. Remember? Just by the way, how long have you had a teleport device?"

Another long pause. "Ma'am, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Piggot felt a chill run down her back. "You didn't rescue Taylor Hebert, and deliver her to the roof of the PRT building?"

"No, ma'am," he replied bluntly. "I've been working on my helmet software for the last two hours."

"Then I suggest you get yourself to my office as soon as possible," she told him. "Because something is most assuredly rotten in the state of Denmark."

"Stranger situation?" She had to admit, he caught on fast.

"Stranger situation," she agreed.

<><>​

When they searched Coil, I was a little worried that they might search me and find the metallic strip stuck to the back of my neck, which transmitted my control signal to Alibi. But it was hidden back under my hair, and no-one even looked at me twice. Coil was starting to move and mumble by this point, which reminded me; I dug into my bag and located his phone, which I handed over to the soldier escorting me. "His," I told him. "They gave it to me, to give to you."

He accepted it, nodded to me, and tucked it away in a pouch on his belt.

<><>​

Calvert regained a measure of his consciousness and self-control. He was being held up by his arms, in what he recognised as one of the elevators in the PRT building. Both of his timelines were running in synch.

Raising his head, he looked around. A guard standing opposite him, with one holding on to each arm. His legs, he realised, were still fastened together, as were his arms. Behind his back, which would assuredly hamper any escape attempt.

So, not physical force then. He would have to fall back on greed.

"Gentlemen," he announced in one timeline. "I am prepared to pay one million dollars to whoever shoots his fellow soldiers and gets me out of here."

"And I," replied the soldier who was standing opposite him, "am prepared to tase the living fuck out of you if you even think about attempting to suborn my men again."

He tried again, in the other timeline, and was immediately tased for his pains; apparently ten million dollars was more of a provocation than one million.

That timeline was dropped, and another started, but he didn't speak again.

He would just have to bide his time.

<><>​

Director Piggot looked up as we entered her office; the soldier escorting me opened the door and ushered me in, then he followed, closing the door behind him.

"Miss Hebert," the Director greeted me. "You're all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," I confirmed. "He didn't touch me. But I want him put away forever. He kidnapped me thinking I had powers and was going to work for him. Who knows who he'll try it on next?"

"So it's really Coil?" she asked.

I knew what she meant. It's not a body double?

"It's really him," I confirmed. Yes, I was copying his powers.

"Good," she noted, tapping away on her keyboard. A picture came up, of a security camera in a cell. As we watched, Coil was half-carried into the cell, to fall heavily on to the floor.

"Don't take his cuffs off yet," she instructed; the guards could obviously hear her.

One of them looked toward the camera. "What do you want us to do?"

"Get that mask off of him."

I saw him twist, straining against the electrical tape and handcuffs. "No," he protested. "No. You can't. The unwritten rules -"

"Strongly suggest that we don't go after capes in their normal identities," Piggot informed him with relish. "But that doesn't count, here. You stand accused of the abduction of a minor. Of attempting to break the unwritten rules yourself. It didn't happen, of course, because she's not a cape -" the Director wasn't slow; she'd picked up on my hint, and was running with it, " - but the intent was there, and we can't have that. Get that mask off of him. Now."

One of the men pulled a fighting knife from a sheath. He grabbed at the cloth on the side of Coil's face, pulled it out. He began to struggle, attempting to break his bonds, to wriggle free. To no avail, of course. No timeline trickery he could pull was going to get him out of this.

I could just imagine him shouting pleas, threats, making offers, extravagant bribes. I could also imagine him being tased, or stabbed, or beaten to the ground, and choosing to drop those timelines because in this one at least, he wasn't injured.

<><>​

The soldier expertly slashed the knife through the cloth, and then used that hole to tear the mask wide open, pulling it over Coil's head, to reveal his face. He flinched away, turning his face from the camera.

"Show me his face," she ordered.

The soldier grasped his chin in an iron grip, and pulled his head around until she could see his features clearly.

"Well … I'll … be … damned," she growled. "Calvert, as I live and breathe."

"Wait, you know him?" the Hebert girl blurted.

"Certainly I know him," she retorted. "I should. Thomas Calvert is a PRT strike squad commander. Or he was, up until ten seconds ago." She studied his set features with distaste. "Calvert, I always knew you were a slimy snake. I just didn't know how slimy."

He blinked and looked around. "Emily … oh thank god, finally, I can talk. Emily, this is all a huge misunderstanding. I've been Mastered, made to pretend to be Coil, but the bastard's finally let me go. I can talk now."

The shift in attitude, in body language, was sudden and total. Even Emily had a sudden surge of doubt, and she saw the soldiers in the cell glancing at one another. What if he's telling the truth?

"Bullshit," Taylor snorted, her voice cutting through the sudden tension in the air. "Oldest trick in the book. Get caught betraying your own organisation and all of a sudden it's 'oh no, I was Mastered'."

Piggot glanced at her sharply. "All the same, I find it hard to believe that a PRT strike squad leader would suddenly turn on us like that."

"Suddenly?" Hebert tilted her head. "Not suddenly, no. But has he always been in good standing with the PRT?"

The Director blinked. "No. In fact, he was dismissed from the PRT ten years ago." She grimaced, recalling the exact circumstances.

"Emily," Coil spoke again, urgently. "You have to believe me. It's the Undersiders. They have a member called Regent. He can take over your body, make you into a puppet. Literally make you walk out of your life, do whatever he wants."

Piggot frowned, beset by doubt. "I've heard of them. They're pretty low-key."

He snorted. "That's what they want you to think. They run a large underground crime ring, and Regent just grabs people to use as he needs."

"Bullshit!" snapped the Hebert girl again. "Does he keep control of you twenty-four-seven? How long's he had you Mastered for? Has his control of you ever slipped before? And why the hell is he letting you go now, right when it's most convenient for you?"

Sergeant McKendrick cleared his throat. "And then there's this phone," he noted, pulling it from his belt pouch. "Ms Hebert gave it to me, just before. The battery's been pulled, but I'm sure the techs will be able to open it up."

"I can give you the unlock code for it -" offered Calvert.

"Or rather, the wipe code, maybe?" retorted Hebert. "No thanks." She tilted her head. "Wait, is Regent a kid with curly hair, wears a white shirt, big sleeves?"

Piggot pulled up a new window. Keys rattled under her fingertips. She called up the PRT files on the Undersiders. To her disappointment, there was nothing on Regent. Which proved nothing, of course. She looked up at the Hebert girl. "You saw him?"

"Hell yes I saw him," Taylor responded. "He's the one who stuck a needle in my arm and walked me off the bus. I saw him clear as day. He made my arms and legs move like a puppet. Mind you, he wasn't really good at it. And I doubt that he'd be able to make someone do and say stuff flawlessly, not without lots and lots of practice on that person."

"So you were Mastered too," Calvert noted. "That makes anything you say just as suspect."

She smiled grimly. "Except that for his purposes, making you look innocent would be best, yeah? He had to drug me up to make me easy to move. Not drugged now. Nor are you. I'm saying that you've never, not ever, been under his influence. If you had been, and you came out of it, you would've had him killed. You've got enough men working for you."

"And I say that I was a puppet who's lost its use for him, so he's discarded me," he snapped. "I'm no longer under his influence."

"Enough," snapped Emily. "Remove his restraints. Give him standard parahuman prison sweats. He gets no contact. Full Master/Stranger protocols when dealing with him."

"You're making a big mistake, Emily," Calvert told her as they began to remove the restraints. "We need to work together to stop him -"

"Even if you're telling the truth," she overrode him, "you would be a liability to me. I could never trust you."

She pressed the button that cut the connection, and sagged back into her seat.

<><>​

"Wait, so the supervillain who had me kidnapped and taken to his secret underground base was in the PRT?" I had trouble getting my head around that. I probably shouldn't have; the PRT had missed Sophia's activities in Winslow with an ease that bordered on the mystical. That they had also totally overlooked that one of their number was also a supervillain, whether Mastered or otherwise, wasn't all that astonishing.

Not that I said any of that out loud. But Piggot, although she lacked Alexandria's capacity to read people, seemed to pick it up loud and clear.

"So it appears," she conceded, staring into space. Then she turned to me. "So, that was indeed Coil, yes? He had powers?"

I nodded. "He had powers, yes. He can split timelines, and pick the best one."

"Which would fit," she murmured. "Yes, it would definitely fit." She looked at me searchingly. "Would it be possible for him to be Mastered in such a way to force him to use his powers?"

"By that kid who Mastered me?" I shook my head. "Not a chance. That's not how that guy's power works. Physical powers only."

"So he's lying." Her tone was definite. She paused. "Wait. Tell me something about that meeting that only you and I would know."

"I tasered Sophia Hess, using Miss Militia's powers," I told her promptly. "And yes, he's lying, all the way there and back."

"Good to know." She paused. "Wait. You said this kid was close enough for you to see. How did he manage to catch you by surprise?"

I spread my hands. "I knew he was there. With my powers, I'll pick up on capes just by walking down the street. But I don't pay any attention to faces; unwritten rules and all. And I sure as hell don't expect them to stick a needle in my arm." I pushed my sleeve up, showed her the pinprick I'd put there before leaving the base. "That dulled my brain right down. I was basically a puppet."

"But you're all right now?" Her tone was concerned.

"Sure," I agreed. "It's all out of my system, now. I feel fine."

"Good to hear." She gave me a searching glance. "If you feel at all unwell, let me know, and I can have our medics check you over."

"No, I'm good. No aches, no pains, no weird sensations."

A brisk nod. "So." She placed a digital recorder on the desk, pressed a button on it. "This is Director Emily Piggot. The time is twenty-one seventeen, and the date is Friday the fourteenth of January, two thousand and eleven. I am here with Taylor Hebert, discussing her abduction by the supervillain known as Coil. Taylor, do you mind giving me your statement at this time?"

I shook my head. "I do not mind. I want you to put that bastard away."

A grim smile creased her lips. "Just what I wanted to hear. So, tell me what was happening before the abduction began."

I took a deep breath. "I was on the bus, going home from school … "

She held up a finger, and I stopped. "What?"

"Which bus line was it?"

I blinked. "The red line. It goes past my house."

"Where did the abduction take place?"

I paused. "What do you mean, where? I was on the bus. We were moving."

She let out a huff of annoyance at herself. "Sorry. Which stop were you taken off at?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't exactly paying attention at that point," I told her.

"Because you were drugged, right." She frowned. "Do you have any idea where it might have been? Even a rough guess?"

I frowned. "Uh, somewhere around Mitchell Street? We might have passed that big shopping centre just before it happened. I was reading a book, so I don't really remember."

"Well, that's a start," she noted. "Okay, so tell me what happened."

"I was sitting there, reading, and this kid sat down beside me."

Again, she held up a finger, and again I stopped. Her expression was intent. "Can you describe him?"

"I, uh, he had black curly hair, and a sort of pretty face, and he kind of made me think of a dancer; you know, kind of skinny, not bulky. But I didn't look at him much. Oh, and he had a bit of a Canadian accent."

The Director nodded approvingly. "Good, good. What happened then?"

"Well, I glanced at him, like who-are-you. I'd already pinged him as a cape, but I didn't want to look too hard at him, you know? He was just a kid with powers, he didn't know I knew that, so I didn't want to bother him. But then he jabbed me in the arm with a needle, and I went all woozy."

"Can you supply me with the capabilities of his powers?"

The question caught me a little off guard, and I thought fast. "I – he – had the ability to make people's bodies move without their volition, I guess. Like I said, I wasn't prying, and I didn't really want to try to figure out who he was through his powers. And by the time it became important, I was all wrapped up in cotton wool."

"But you'd know him again."

I nodded, definitively. "Oh, yeah. I'd know him anywhere, now."

She made a little wave with her fingers. "Go on. Did you see what he injected you with?"

I shook my head. "No. There was something he was slipping back into his pack, but that was all I saw. And then my brain was doing slow rolls. We pulled up at the stop, and he got me to get out of my seat, and he walked me down the aisle. Some woman saw us, I think, and he made out that I was drunk, and she accepted that."

Piggot grimaced. "That's unfortunately common, these days. So what happened then?"

I thought for a moment. "We walked away from the bus stop and around the corner. There was a van there. It was white, I think."

"Did you see the license plate?" she asked, eyes intent.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Director, I was having trouble seeing my own feet at that point. No, all that happened then was this big guy put a cloth over my face and it smelled horrible, and then I was in la-la land."

"Big guy? Description?"

I gestured. "Taller than me. A lot wider. Bald. Big black eyebrows. I remember thinking that they looked like caterpillars. Unshaven. Black sweater. He grabbed the back of my head with one hand, and put this dirty cloth over my face with the other. I don't know what it was, but a couple of breaths, and all I knew was that I woke up in a cell."

She gazed at me intently. "No idea where you were?"

I shrugged. "No idea."

"Describe the cell."

"Uh, about ten foot square. Concrete. Light in a grille in the ceiling. I was lying on a really thin mattress. A few minutes after I woke up, the door clicked open. A guard came and took me to a sort of lounge."

"So they were watching you in the cell."

I nodded. "I guess so, yeah."

"The guard, how was he dressed? What did he look like?"

"Um, sort of like military camouflage, but black and grey. He looked ordinary. You could walk past him in the street and not pick him. He had a rifle on him, and a taser. He was polite, but he didn't turn his back on me."

Piggot nodded. "Professional, then."

"Uh, yeah," I agreed. "Like your soldiers here. He had a job to do and he was doing it. Not personal."

The Director nodded. "Did you see anything noteworthy on the way to the lounge?"

I tilted my head. "Concrete corridor. Doors. We walked for about twenty yards, I guess."

She seemed to consider that. "Describe the lounge."

"Um, it was a lounge? A couple of armchairs, a big wall-screen. A coffee machine. There was wallpaper and carpet."

"So, more like a waiting room than a lounge."

"Waiting room, yeah," I agreed. "That could be more like it."

She gestured for me to go on. "So, what happened then?"

"He talked to me over the wall-screen."

"This is Coil, yes?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Coil. He told me that he wanted to employ me for my powers. I told him that I didn't have powers. He didn't believe me." I gave her a hard stare. "Now, I wonder where the PRT employee might have gotten the idea that I had powers?"

She looked just a little uncomfortable. "He could possibly have gotten some basic information, with his clearance. Or he might have contacts feeding him data. I'll have to check on that."

I nodded. "Yeah. Please."

"We're getting off track," she stated sharply. "What happened after you told him that you didn't have powers?"

"When I insisted that I didn't, he came to the lounge, or waiting room, or whatever you call it," I told her. "He was just telling me that he knew something happened at the school, and how he knew so much about my life, and then there was a big flash of light, and when I could see again, the guard was down, and Armsmaster was there with a couple of PRT guys."

Piggot's lips compressed. "But it wasn't Armsmaster, was it?"

I looked innocent. "It looked like Armsmaster."

She glared at me. "Was it Armsmaster?"

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't."

"Do you know who it was?"

I looked her in the eye. "Even if I did, I'm not going to tell you."

She gritted her teeth. "Masquerading as a superhero is an offence."

"How about kidnapping a teenage girl?" I shot back.

"Weren't you at all concerned, given that you knew that they weren't who they seemed to be?"

"Nope. They let me know they were on my side."

"How did they do that?" she demanded.

I shook my head. "That would be telling."

She took a long moment, then seemed to regain her composure. "Fine. What happened then?"

"Someone else showed up on the wall screen and raised the alarm. So Armsmaster – okay, fake Armsmaster – punched out Coil, and then teleported us all out of there."

"Where did you go to?"

I shrugged. "Their base, I guess."

She leaned forward. "What details can you give me?"

I leaned backward, relaxed. "None."

She blinked. "What?"

I spread my hands. "None. They saved me. I'm not about to pull a dick move like that. Anyway, once they were sorted out, we came straight here. And here I am."

She scowled. "All right. About this fake Armsmaster."

I made sure not to smile. "What about him?"

"The real one's on his way over," she told me. "I'm going to need you to tell us of any differences in his armour, how he moves. And in the meantime, you'll be able to tell me of what powers he had."

"I could," I agreed. "But I'm not sure if I should."

Her lips compressed. "Withholding information from the PRT -"

"Coil kidnapped me!" I snapped. "They got me out! Not you, them! Face it, you dropped the ball. Again. And I can guarantee you, Alexandria's not gonna sign off on you hitting me with something so frivolous."

"Who's they?" she asked quickly.

"The ones who saved me, duh," I responded cheerfully. "Dressed up like Armsmaster and a couple of PRT goons." I paused, pretending to think. "Come to think of it, they had nametags."

I was honestly worried for her teeth, the way she was grinding them. "What. Did. The. Nametags. Say?"

"Hmm." I rubbed my chin, looked at the ceiling, as if deep in thought. "It was something familiar. I'm sure it'll come to me in a moment."

"Ms Hebert!" she snapped. "This is not a good time -"

"Really?" I shot back. "Really? When's a good time, then? When you send armed men into my house, to manhandle my dad and point guns in my face? Was that a good time? Because you surely dropped the ball then, too. Or how about when you let Shadow Stalker bully me for months on end? Was that a good time?"

"Shadow Stalker has confessed to all of her crimes and is now in juvenile detention," she riposted weakly. "You can't hold that over us any more."

I jerked my chin up. "Took you long enough." I smiled sourly. "In fact, it took you just long enough to utterly fuck up your attempt to trap me after the North Side robbery, and for Alexandria to come to town. I bet she had a private chat with Shadow Stalker. And I bet that Shadow Stalker only confessed after that happened."

The Director shot me a look of baffled anger and confusion. If we were playing cards, her expression said, I was looking at her hand. And she didn't like it in the slightest.

"Still, it's done," she declared. "You told us that Shadow Stalker was the biggest stumbling block stopping you from joining the Wards. She's gone, now."

"Biggest, yeah," I retorted. "Not the only one. Not by a long shot."

"Well, what are the other ones?" she demanded in frustration.

I ticked off on my fingers. "Let's see. 'you're all dicks,' 'I don't want to,' 'you only put Sophia away because she actually fucking confessed,' 'I don't like being told what to do,' and 'the guy who kidnapped me was PRT.'" I gazed at her blandly. "Just off the top of my head, mind you."

"Fine," she snarled. "Get out of my office. Get out of this building. Go home."

"Oh, no," I told her. "I like it right here. I'm waiting for Armsmaster."

"But why?" she demanded. "If it's just to snipe at him too -"

I shook my head. "Nope. When he gets here, you both get to find out what actually happened. Who rescued me. The whole ball of wax." I shrugged elaborately. "If, you know, you're interested."

She sent me a malevolent stare. "You're treading on very thin ice."

I rolled my eyes in reply. "Next time, keep an eye on all your fucking Wards. Particularly the psychopaths."

Her expression was one of sour satisfaction. "We were keeping an eye on her. Or so I thought. I attended the exit interview of the woman who was supposed to be doing that job, just yesterday."

"Well, it's a start," I observed, somewhat acidly. Leaning back in the chair, I closed my eyes. "Wake me when he gets here."

<><>​

It was only another ten minutes by the clock in Über and L33t's base when I felt Armsmaster's powerset come within my range. I followed it carefully, so that when the doors opened and Armsmaster strode in, I opened my eyes and sat up. "Hi," I greeted him cheerfully. "Thanks for rescuing me."

He looked from me to the Director and back. "I didn't," he stated bluntly.

"She knows," Piggot informed him, glaring at me. "She's just trying to get a rise out of us."

"Well, who did rescue you?" he asked me. "And for that matter, who kidnapped you?"

"Well, it was Coil who kidnapped me," I replied cheerfully. "Turns out he's someone you know. Thomas Calvert, PRT strike squad leader, and all round douchebag."

His head whipped toward Piggot, who nodded wearily. She was massaging her temples by now. "That's him," she confirmed. "Though he claims he was Mastered by a teenage villain called Regent."

"Which is total bullshit," I interjected. "His story's got more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese. And anyone who accepts it for more than five seconds would have to be smoking something that the Merchants would love to get their hands on."

She pushed down on her obviously rising temper, then glanced at Armsmaster. "He's here. You can tell us now."

"Tell you what?" I asked innocently.

"Tell us what?" Armsmaster asked, almost at the same time.

"Who it was that rescued you," she grated.

"Oh, I never said I'd tell you," I corrected her blithely.

"You goddamn well did!" she snapped, her voice rising dramatically at the end.

I shook my head. "Nuh uh. I said you'd find out. You can go online with that computer, right?"

She swung her head to look at the computer. "What about it?"

I spread my hands. "So go online."

A few hasty keystrokes later, and she looked up from the keyboard. "What now?"

I grinned. "Youtube."

A rattle of keys, and she looked up again. "Yes?"

"Turn the screen this way, so we can all see it," I instructed. "And type this in for the actual clip." I dictated the alphanumeric string that Alibi was reading off the screen, of the clip that had been put up mere moments before, then nodded. "That's it. You can hit Enter now."

She didn't want to. I knew she didn't want to. But nor did she not want to know what was going on. So, with all the eagerness of a member of the Fortune 500 elite picking up a decaying skunk, she pressed the key that set it in motion.

<><>​

It took a few moments to load the clip, and then it began, in all its glory. The time since dropping me off at the PRT building had been spent wisely; in between fits of laughter, they had edited the final draft of the Youtube clip, getting it online more or less at the same time that Armsmaster walked in through the doors to Piggot's office.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" declared a domino-masked Über, still wearing his PRT uniform, sans helmet, his nametag prominently on view. "Welcome back to another episode of Über and L33t!"

"Or rather," L33t corrected him, stepping into view, dressed much the same, "Über and L33t and Hax!" He gestured, and Alibi stepped up. She was wearing the armour, but the holocloak made it look more articulated than powered, and it exposed more of her 'face' than normal. It made her look adult, mature. Certainly not a fifteen year old. A holographic nameplate on the armour read 'HAX', of course.

At the same time, the old 'Über and L33t' logo slid across the screen, with a new addition; 'and Hax'.

"Thank you, boys," 'she' greeted them. "It's good to be here. And I'm very pleased to be a part of this team."

"If you'll recall, viewers, Hax took part in our last heist as well, where we deprived the Brockton Bay Central Bank of one point three million dollars," Über pointed out. "We introduced her on the episode that covered that event, but she didn't do much talking. However, quite a few of our viewers have been somewhat intrigued about our newest member, and we've been overwhelmed with questions."

"Some of which were rather personal," 'Hax' went on, "and of those, I'll answer just one. Yes, I am a real woman. I'm not CGI."

L33t rolled his eyes. "She's not kidding. The day that she moved in, we did nothing but clean the place."

"Well, then she cooked us dinner," Über reminded him. "And she's a kickass gamer as well."

"Oh god yes," L33t agreed. "She cooks. Oh god, does she cook. And she games too. Seriously, I don't mind scrubbing the shower cubicle once a week. It's so worth it, having her on the team."

"And before you start thinking we only got her in to do the cooking, have a look at these clips," Über stated.

Immediately, choice shots began to show up from the armoured-car heist. Me ripping the door off the truck. Me going hand to hand with Blockade. And a good bit of the fight with Glory Girl.

"So, Hax," L33t commented after the last one vanished from the screen. "Do you think you can top those?"

'She' grinned and spread 'her' hands. "Well, L33t, as you can see, I work with various types of armour. Plus, just between you and me, I'm a bit of a Brute. But I'm not just a dumb grunt. I have feelings too. So, when we found out about the kidnapping of a teenage girl by a Brockton Bay supervillain who will remain unnamed -"

At this point, Über coughed loudly, quite audibly saying, "Coil!" And then, just to make the point, a subtitle appeared: (cough) Coil! (cough).

" - I alerted the boys, and we set out to rescue the girl." 'She' looked sternly at the camera then. "Just to make this perfectly clear. We may be villains, but if you kidnap a kid here in Brockton Bay, and we hear about it, we will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Only not as nice and fluffy."

"She's not kidding, folks,"Über told us. "When Hax decides to go all out, the only sane thing to do is to stand back and award points for style."

"So, without further ado," L33t added, "let the action begin."

<><>​

It began with a shot of me in the Armsmaster holocloak, brandishing the faux halberd. Armsmaster leaned forward, staring, his face intent. Piggot looked from the screen to the armoured hero and back again.

"Are you sure that's not -" she began, and then the picture changed. Über and L33t and I stood together, their nametags plain to see, myself in the Armsmaster disguise. A multispectrum light flashed, and we were gone.

Between us, Über, L33t and I walked the audience through the action that followed. It didn't take long; it had only seemed longer because of all the branching timelines that I had been following. Finally, we grabbed Coil and teleported out of there. At all times, the images that showed Alibi's face were carefully blurred out.

"And here we are on top of the PRT building," 'Hax' related. "As you can see, we're still in our disguises, and they seem to be working remarkably well."

We approached the guards, handed over Coil and myself, and then they were gone once more. With that frame frozen, the discussion continued.

"So why do you think they didn't realise you weren't Armsmaster?" asked Über.

"I'm glad you asked me that," 'she' replied. "It's probably because no-one ever thinks to question him. I mean, seriously, he's Armsmaster. Who's going to look twice at him? Even though, you know, he's a bit of a dick."

"Oooh," observed L33t. "Burn."

I didn't look around, but I was pretty sure that the sound I could hear was Armsmaster grinding his teeth together.

"So anyway," Über commented, "that was us being heroes for once, and being absolutely awesome, all at the same time. Due in no small part to Hax."

"Thank you, Über," 'she' replied. "So boys, do you regret not making any profit this time around?"

L33t snorted. "Not hardly. It's not about profit, anyway. It's about video games. And who plays video games?"

"Kids," declared Über. "That's who. Teenagers. And that's one teenager who's going to be sleeping in her own bed tonight, thanks to us. So yeah, I'm good with doing good."

'Hax' held up her hand, and Über high-fived 'her', then they both high-fived L33t. Then they all turned to face the camera.

"We'll be back next time with more Über, L33t and Hax shenanigans," declared Über.

"See you then," added L33t.

"And just remember," 'Hax' pointed out. "It's Über, L33t and Hax from now on."

"Damn right," L33t agreed. "So what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Well," 'Hax' considered, "I was thinking of a nice bolognese … "

The image faded from the screen, leaving just the logo there, and Piggot clicked the window off. I tried to look at the view counter before she did, but it wasn't showing on the screen. That was fine; I had Alibi check it out. It was scrolling upward so fast I couldn't even tell what the last digit was, from second to second.

Piggot straightened her screen on her desk, then looked at me, as did Armsmaster.

"If I find out even the slightest hint that any of this was a put-up job … " began the armoured hero.

I stared at him. "Seriously? That's what you're taking away from this?"

He glowered at me; or at least, I presumed that he was glowering. "Hax and I will meet, someday," he promised. "And on that day … "

I shrugged. "No skin off my nose where and when you get your ass kicked," I told him cheerfully.

"This is no laughing matter," Piggot growled. "You've caused the PRT a lot of damage."

"Me?" I shook my head. "Sorry, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. If anyone's caused you this damage, it's Coil. He's the one who did the kidnapping. And seriously, Über and L33t and Hax just did you a huge favour. Got me back, and also brought Coil in for you. You can't tell me that's not a bonus. Especially considering who he is. I think my kidnapping just saved you a crapload of damage."

Piggot looked even more sour; I was right, of course, and she knew it. But she wasn't beaten quite yet. "If I could prove, even for a second, that you and Hax were the same person … "

"Yeah, that would be a good trick, wouldn't it?" I agreed. "I go and rescue myself, then help Über and L33t make and edit a Youtube video while I'm sitting here in your office." I shook my head. "Try again. You know my powers. And there's no duplicators in Brockton Bay that I know of."

She shook her head. "Just for one second," she muttered. Then she looked at me. "Well, you've had your fun. Taunted us with our failure. Was there anything else you wanted to show us?"

"Nope." I got up from the chair and slung my pack over my shoulder. "I'm good. Call my dad for me?"

Grudgingly, the Director nodded. "I'll do that. If you can go and wait in the lobby, I'll send someone to let you out when he arrives."

I smiled brilliantly. "Thank you."

<><>​

Piggot sat watching the lobby cam feed. Taylor Hebert sat in a chair, apparently content to wait quietly; McKendrick stood at parade rest next to the doors. She flicked to the other screen, showing Coil's cell. Calvert was pacing back and forth, possibly shouting; she knew that his words were being recorded, but that the guards outside could not hear them.

Back to the first screen. Hebert was still there, as was McKendrick. And then headlights flashed through the glass doors. McKendrick produced keys, unlocked the inner doors. Taylor rose, stepped through. McKendrick opened the outer doors, stepped out with Taylor. The view of the person who got out of the car wasn't good; Piggot switched to another camera, one with an outside view. It was Danny Hebert; just to make it official, Taylor hugged him tightly. They climbed into the car and drove off; McKendrick re-entered the building.

She turned to Armsmaster. "They've gone."

He nodded. "Good."

"I understand that you're working on lie detection software for your helmet?" she ventured.

He nodded. "Still working on it, I'm afraid. That's what I was doing when you called me up. It's still very basic. I can't guarantee on not getting false positives. Or false negatives."

"Understood," she noted. "What was your impression of what she said?"

He paused, then spoke slowly. "I ... can't be sure. Some of what she said, and some of what they said on the film clip, seemed to shade the truth, but my software didn't pick out any specific lies."

"About Coil?" She really wanted to know that one.

He shook his head. "No, about him she was absolutely certain. My software pegged solidly on 'truth' there. She believes implicitly that he was not Mastered."

She nodded slowly. "I got that impression myself. She's very good at getting her point across."

"She never did state specifically that she wasn't Hax," he noted.

A snort. "She didn't have to. It's pretty obvious that she's either doing it in such a way that we can't prove it, or it's not her. Which basically leaves us in the same position either way."

He pressed his lips together. "I sincerely do want to meet Hax sometime."

"I'd be careful of what you wish for," she advised him. "She took down Aegis and Vista at the same time -"

" - if that was her," Armsmaster pointed out.

"It fits the profile," she responded. "And even discounting that, Blockade and Glory Girl. Plus, teleporting into Coil's base. If Hax is indeed Taylor Hebert, then she's got access to Über's skills and L33t's Tinker capabilities. And with the money and components they've recently liberated, that gives her a huge head start in resources. She could build anything she wants, and learn to use it like an expert in minutes."

"Christ," muttered Armsmaster. "This could get very, very bad."

"We're forgetting the 'two places at once' thing," Piggot reminded him. "How do we fit that in?"

"Maybe a projection?" hazarded Armsmaster.

"Hm," she muttered. "Not enough information. In any case, we're still under orders to stay backed the hell off from Taylor Hebert and her father. We assume nothing as far as those two are concerned."

He nodded. "Understood, ma'am. If you want, I could analyse the Youtube footage for clues."

"You do that," she agreed. "Take it apart."

"Ma'am." Turning, he left the office, closing the doors behind him.

With a sigh, she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Thank god that's over ...

The phone on her desk rang. She opened her eyes and picked it up. "Director Piggot speaking."

"This is the Chief Director. I presume that the abduction of Taylor Hebert has been resolved, and Coil taken into custody?"

Her eyes opened wide. "I - yes - how did you -"

"I, too, watch Youtube," the Chief Director informed her. "Also, just so you know, my Thinkers assure me that Thomas Calvert has never been Mastered. You may feel free to prosecute him to the full extent of the law."

"I, uh, thank you, ma'am," stammered Piggot. "Uh, is there anything else?"

"Just that Taylor Hebert is safe from that Master, should she encounter him again."

"Uh, about that," blurted Piggot.

"About what?"

"The Youtube clip. It's a PR disaster for us. People are going to be laughing at us for weeks. How do we deal with that?"

The Chief Director's tone was firm and clear. "We deal with it in the same way that we deal with any other setback. We stay professional, and we don't let them bait us out. Show that we're able to deal with a joke at our expense. If we ignore it, it will go away. Do you understand?"

Piggot wasn't so sure, but she knew which answer she had to give. "I understand, ma'am."

"Excellent. Good night, Director Piggot."

"Good night, Chief Director," she replied, but by the time she completed the phrase, she was speaking to dead air. She put the phone down slowly.

Well, that answers that question.

<><>​

"So what happened?"

I grinned across at Dad. He had most of his attention on the road, but every now and again, he gave me a worried look.

"It's okay, Dad, really. It's basically what I was worried about – you remember, forced recruitment?"

"I remember." His jaw set grimly. "Is that what happened?"

I chuckled. "More or less. Except that I'd already taken measures. So when Coil tried to kidnap me, he bit off more than he could chew."

He shook his head. "I don't understand."

"I'll explain it when we get home," I told him. "Trust me, you're gonna laugh."

<><>​

"Holy shit, guys, come check this out."

Lisa looked around at the sound of surprise in Brian's tone. He was leaning back on the sofa with his laptop, apparently browsing the net. She closed her own laptop down and slid over to watch.

"What is it?" asked Alec, putting his game on pause.

"Latest Über and L33t," Brian told them. He set the clip back to the start and pulled the headphone plug out of the laptop. "The last heist wasn't a fluke, apparently."

"Bullshit," Alec muttered. "Those two are losers. They couldn't rob a -"

"Sh!" Lisa reprimanded him, her eyes fixed to the screen. Impressions flooded in on her as she studied the clip intensively; she even managed to ignore the startled response to the mention of Coil. Although she didn't miss Alec's start of surprise when the action started in Coil's base. Once it was over, she sat back, thinking, correlating her conclusions.

"Think it's for real?" asked Brian. "They got Coil?"

Absently, she nodded. "Yeah. They got him. But more to the point … this is a problem for us. Because Coil was our boss." She looked at each of them. "We're going to have to move our bank accounts, now. Before they freeze his accounts and start looking at who he's been paying."

"Wait, what?" asked Alec. "We were working for that guy?"

"Yes, we were," Lisa told him. "And that job you did – it was to kidnap that girl, wasn't it?"

His start of surprise was visible even to Brian, who put his hand over his eyes. "For fuck's sake, Alec. This is exactly what I was talking about."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea," Alec responded defensively. "He just wanted her walked off the bus."

"For which you got a nice big bonus," Lisa observed caustically.

"And she got delivered to Coil. Whereupon Über, L33t and this Hax chick teleport into his base, pretending to be Armsmaster and a couple of PRT guys, and rescue her and capture him." Brian's tone was equally sharp. "Lisa, why Armsmaster?"

She grinned. "Hax doesn't like him. When she says he's a dick? That's personal experience." She paused. "Actually, could you run that back a bit?"

Brian obliged, and she watched it once more. "There's a connection between Hax, and the girl they kidnapped." She turned to Regent. "Alec, what did the boss tell you about her?"

He sighed. "Not much. I just got told that she goes to Winslow, what bus she uses, and that her name's Taylor Hebert. He sent me a photo, and I used that to pick up on her."

"Winslow?" Lisa's instincts went into high gear. "I remember something about that."

Sliding back to her own laptop, she opened a new page and rapidly began to research news items. "Okay, there was a disturbance at Winslow on the start of school this year. PRT hushed it up."

"That might not mean much." Brian's tone was dismissive.

"Except that it does." Lisa knew she was on to something. "The PRT doesn't go to random high schools except where it's cape business. It wasn't a villain attack." She was free-associating as she spoke, her fingers blurring on the keys. "Best bet, someone triggered, and it was a public trigger. So they went in and told everyone to STFU about it."

"So, what … you think this Hebert chick is a new trigger?" asked Regent, trying to keep up.

"More than that. I knew I'd seen that name somewhere before." Lisa scrolled up until she found messages posted on the Connections board for the PHO on the third of January. And then she clicked on one.

"To Uber and Leet," she read out. "Player three has entered the game. PM for details." She paused, then looked at the other two. "Signed, Hax."

There was a long silence. Brian broke it with a long, low whistle. "Well, shit. So, this Hax is Taylor Hebert?"

"Can't be," Alec objected. "Hax helped Über and L33t rescue her."

Lisa frowned, pulling up the video on her laptop, and letting the footage run through. "That's what I'm trying to work out. There's a connection there. They share some of the same mannerisms and speech patterns, even when Hax is trying to talk like Armsmaster. The way they move … there's some sort of link between them."

"Holy shit," muttered Brian. "I think I've got it. What if Hax is Taylor's aunt or mom or older sister or something? She's triggered, maybe while visiting the school, and Coil found out. So he had Taylor kidnapped to get leverage on her. Only, Hax is working with Über and L33t, so that goes sideways really, really fast."

Lisa ran the footage through yet again. "That … actually kind of fits. You can see the protective posture that Hax is showing toward Taylor. Like a mother toward her child." She frowned. "Not so much on the roof. I wonder why."

"Maybe she was working to make sure no-one else picked it," Alec suggested. "Even if you're innocent, being the kid of a supervillain kind of sucks."

"Maybe." Lisa rubbed her chin. "Well, this could get interesting. Über and L33t actually know what they're doing, or at least Hax seems to be the catalyst they needed."

"Yeah, holy crap," Brian chuckled. "She really burned Armsmaster."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy," agreed Alec.

Lisa nodded and smiled, and watched the filmclip once more, with the sound off, so as not to distract her. Well, well, well, she thought. Holocloak. Probably over a set of power armour. Thigh length is disproportionate to calf length from the stride, which means that you're not that tall. Maybe five seven, five eight. About Taylor Hebert's height, in fact.

She leaned back, rubbing her chin. So, how did you manage to double yourself?

It was an intriguing question.

One which she'd get into, right after she finished hacking Coil's bank accounts.

<><>​

Dad leaned leaned forward in his chair, tears streaming down his face, struggling to breathe and laugh at the same time.

"Oh god … oh god … oh god," he gasped.

I chuckled myself, even though this wasn't the first time I'd seen the clip. "So what do you think?" I asked unnecessarily.

"I think it's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time," he managed, before breaking into laughter again. "How did Armsmaster take it?"

I grinned. "Let's just say … I'd hate to be his sparring practice dummy right now."

He snorted, then watched the action begin again, holding his arms across his stomach. "Oh god," he gasped weakly. "And you know these guys?"

I nodded. "They're pretty cool, once you get past the whole 'supervillain' thing."

"So how does this thing work with Hax? Are you Hax, or is that someone else, or do you pilot the armour remotely, or what?"

"No, I'm Hax," I told him. "You know what my power is."

"To copy other peoples' powers, yeah," he agreed.

"Exactly." I froze the action and tapped the screen where L33t was. "He's a universal Tinker. With his power, I can build anything. So I built a body double."

"And that's what Coil kidnapped?" he asked dubiously. "And he didn't notice?"

"It's a pretty realistic body double," I assured him.

"Yeah, I'd have to see that to believe it," he retorted.

I didn't answer for a moment, and he turned to look at me. "What?"

For a moment longer, I hesitated, then I bit the bullet. "Uh … you have met the body double."

He frowned. "No, I'm sure I'd remember that."

"Uh, you know how I spent the last five nights at home?"

"Yes … " He paused. "No. No way in hell."

I nodded. "Yes way. It is that good."

He shook his head. "You've been sending a robot home, the last five nights?"

"Body double, Dad. There's a difference." I took a deep breath. "It may as well be me; it's my brain controlling her, and I can make her do and say anything I like. I have been spending time with you, just as I've also been spending time with the boys."

He gave me a searching glance. "So … how do I know that it's you, right now, and not the body double?"

I shrugged. "Because I'm me? Right now, Alibi's playing Call of Duty three-player with the boys. We're kicking ass."

Dad blinked. "Alibi?"

"That's my name for her. Because she's my alibi."

He snorted. "Right. Well, I'm glad you have her, because she obviously saved your bacon this time, but do me a favour?"

"Uh, sure," I agreed. "Whatever you want."

He grimaced. "If you send this … Alibi home instead of yourself … let me know, okay?"

I felt a sudden surge of guilt. "Of course, Dad. I never meant to hurt your feelings." I paused. "And one way you can check." I swept my hair forward and showed him the control strip, adhering to the back of my neck. "This is what I use to control Alibi with. If I don't have it on, I'm probably Alibi."

He smiled. "Okay then. So you are indeed my daughter."

"Of course I am. Mind you, Alibi's organic parts are based on my DNA anyway … "

"Not the same, kiddo." He hugged me; I hugged him back.

I didn't argue. It was nice, being home with Dad.


End of Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

 

[inverted_helix]

"Good to know." She paused. "Wait. You said this kid was close enough for you to see. How did he manage to catch you by surprise?"

I spread my hands. "I knew he was there. But I didn't expect him to stick a needle in my arm." I pushed my sleeve up, showed her the pinprick I'd put there before leaving the base. "That dulled my brain right down. I was basically a puppet."

Click to shrink...

Something I feel she should have pointed out is that she passes by most capes in the city on a regular basis and knows they are capes with her powers, but the unwritten rules mean that her standard procedure is to ignore it.

And it's not like she knows what they're planning or thinking, just where they are. She can't know he's going to walk up and stab her with a needle.



Also I'm kind of surprised Lisa didn't think that Taylor triggered with a Projection type power. That seems the most logical conclusion to jump to, and her power does give false answers sometimes when the evidence is pointed that way. Hax could be a projection like Genesis that's capable of shapeshifting and has a brute/mover rating. Actually Genesis' power could replicate everything that Hax has done on screen, and explain how Taylor could be rescued by herself.

 

[Ack]

Something I feel she should have pointed out is that she passes by most capes in the city on a regular basis and knows they are capes with her powers, but the unwritten rules mean that her standard procedure is to ignore it.

And it's not like she knows what they're planning or thinking, just where they are. She can't know he's going to walk up and stab her with a needle.

Click to shrink...

Well, that's what she meant. She just didn't spell it out (because it sounds kind of pretentious). "Oh, I can tell any cape within ten yards. But I just ignore them all. Because of the unwritten rules, you know?"

Also I'm kind of surprised Lisa didn't think that Taylor triggered with a Projection type power. That seems the most logical conclusion to jump to, and her power does give false answers sometimes when the evidence is pointed that way. Hax could be a projection like Genesis that's capable of shapeshifting and has a brute/mover rating. Actually Genesis' power could replicate everything that Hax has done on screen, and explain how Taylor could be rescued by herself.

Click to shrink...

A projection is one possibility that she will be considering. But she was originally looking at the physical evidence on the screen, and making conclusions from that.

 

[inverted_helix]

A projection is one possibility that she will be considering. But she was originally looking at the physical evidence on the screen, and making conclusions from that.

Click to shrink...

How does she know it's a holocloak and power armor though? Instead of just the projection itself being able to take on different shapes.

 

[Ack]

Section with Coil rewritten for sake of realistic procedures.

 

[Ack]

How does she know it's a holocloak and power armor though? Instead of just the projection itself being able to take on different shapes.

Click to shrink...

Bullshit intuition power is bullshit.

 

[Dr. Mercurious]

HILARIOUS finish to the previous TOTALLY AWESOME precog war. But the question is: what now? Hax may be Hax but if she pisses the PRT off too much, they might start getting inventive and all it takes is one slip-up on the part of Hax....

 

[Trilonias]

I just wonder if Lisa will thank Taylor as well...

 

[Chojomeka]

It might be awhile 'fore Lisa gets around to thanking Taylor at all, she's likely going to be to busy draining as much of Coil's accounts as she can and having The Number Man fixing the Undersiders accounts to safer newer ones.

 

[Ack]

Chunk of text added; Piggot interviewing Taylor.

 

[Trilonias]

I like the additions. Not much more to say though, sorry.

 

[Jack of Olives]

It definitely helps set up the scene better, this way.