4.10 - *000000* - CHERREADS

Inside, you could tell there were at least half a dozen people, though enough heat signatures overlapped that you weren't comfortable putting a firm number on things. Rachel seemed much more confident in her assessment, and she told you as much.

'Seven of them in there. Smells like rat poison, puke, and perfume. Stinks.'

Seven wasn't a number you expected. Kaiser, Othala, Krieg, Night, and Fog made five, and though you supposed it was always possible that there were others you didn't know about, or even civilian members of the Empire. Perhaps those who worked with Gesellschaft. Hell, for all you knew, Stormtiger and Cricket were in there looking to defect from Iron Rain – it simply wasn't safe to make presumptions. Not until you got a better look in, and trying to merge with the walls and come out inside would have guaranteed you a conflict whether you wanted one or not. Armsmaster would have your hide if you set things off without confirming.

'Stay here for a minute. Stay quiet. I'll let the PRT know what's going on.'

Rachel stayed poised, leaning forward on the tips of her toes – no, you realised. Not leaning forward. She had begun the shift from plantigrade to digitigrade, her body morphing even as you looked on. Still, she didn't move, and you trusted her enough to follow your orders.

Before calling, you needed quick confirmation and you sought it through use of your thinker power, quickly obtaining agreements that not only was the warehouse ahead of you an Empire hub, but that Kaiser was present. That was more than enough to permit the phone call.

When the ringing stopped, you were surprised at the voice that came through from the other side.

'Penumbra, this is Armsmaster. Update me.'

You rushed through things, giving him the most in depth summary that you could without taking too much time or focusing on irrelevant details. Most importantly, you highlighted the verification you got from using your thinker ability to confirm your suspicions.

He was silent as you spoke, your voice hushed even as the rain provided more than adequate coverage for your conversation; if anyone inside the warehouse could hear you over the thunderous clanging of rain on thin metal roof, they probably deserved to catch you.

'Back out. Stay within eye line of the warehouse but make no move; backup will be sent. The Director has confirmed that, were you to find them in an appropriate space, we are to move in and take them. From the sounds of it, this warehouse meets the criteria; I repeat, await back-up before making a move.'

Your heart thudded in your chest, and you indicated to Rachel to move away; if you were going to be heading in, regardless of anything else, you both needed to get into your costumes. Perhaps Rachel herself would be fine with simply slipping her mask on and leaving the bodysuit out, but you weren't going to risk anything – the costume had to go on unless lives were in danger otherwise. Anonymity wasn't worth blood, but it was worth almost anything else. That meant taking turns keeping eyes on the warehouse, and distance would help with that.

'Anything else, sir?'

'Yes. I've spoken to the captives.'

'Did anything come of it? Miss Militia said you had a way of verifying information, is that true?'

'Of sorts. It isn't perfect yet, but it's enough to support any given statement or provide reasonable doubt. In any case, Victor and Rune have refused to talk other than to utter some particularly disgusting instructions. Fenja and Menja, on the other hand, were willing to give up some information.'

That surprised you, and you told Armsmaster as much. If anything, the two giants seemed closer to Kaiser than almost anyone else and the idea that they would give away information willingly seemed frankly unbelievable.

'Whether they wished to or not is besides the point. You will find, as you gain experience, that asking the right questions can lead to confirmation whether someone wants to give it or not, particularly with a device such as my own truth verification software.'

'So you cheated it out of them?'

'Not all, but some, yes. The fact remains, they have given clear evidence that Iron Rain has been deemed too dangerous for the Empire's long term plans to stay around, and Gesellschaft has, it appears, given permission to Kaiser to remove her from the battlefield. Either permanently, or temporarily – if the latter, she is to be sent abroad for "reprogramming". We can now confirm our beliefs that Kaiser will be acting with lethal intent.'

You could almost see the grimace in his words, and you mirrored it. Whatever kind of actions an organisation such as Gesellschaft might take to reprogramme someone felt like it would be the stuff of nightmares. Perhaps worse.

'Anything else, sir?'

'Much else. Your earlier message for Tattletale was simple enough to arrange. Regent was consulted and he passed along her PHO profile, and she was both contacted formally via Protectorate channels and through the messaging service by Regent. She has confirmed that while her information is potentially out of date in some regards, we are correct in our beliefs about the true identities of Kaiser, that Iron Rain is his sister out of costume rather than simply as a front, Iron Rain wishes to engineer Kaiser's death to usurp his position at both Medhall and within the Empire, and additionally, she has informed us that Cricket is, in fact, a rogue agent.'

Much of his confirmation was merely a formality. You were already fairly sure about the rest of it – nothing new under the sun; or, perhaps, under the storm clouds.

Cricket not being entirely in with the Empire, however, seemed to have come out of left field, and it made very little sense. If Tattletale knew that, it must have come either as a result of her own machinations (unlikely) or as part of her association with Coil, and the PRT had seized his electronic equipment. Any records of her affiliation with Coil's organisation should have been part of the record. Something that, even if you hadn't been made privy to it, Armsmaster should have known.

'Can you repeat that last point, sir?'

It was impossible to keep the scepticism out of your tone.

'Tattletale informs us that Cricket was on her way out of the Empire. She joined with Hookwolf, as essentially his personal lackey, and remained for the sake of safety and security, but was never truly convinced with the goals of the group. Lacking options and on the run as an accomplice to murder from her time with Hookwolf, she stayed until Tattletale herself made contact and she began a relationship with Coil. This first contact occurred roughly three weeks before Coil's own capture, and long before true defection could take place. Her Toybox acquisition, it seems, came from the same place as Coil's mercenaries, rather than the Empire proper.'

You were gobsmacked, and couldn't find the words to communicate it properly. Settling, therefore, for silence, you allowed Armsmaster to continue.

'After using the device to escape the premature explosion of Medhall's first bomb by an inconsiderate Stormtiger, her acquisition of the device was revealed, her disloyalty suspected, and she is now on the run from the Empire – it was for this reason Fenja and Menja were after her. Had you not intervened, she would likely be dead.'

And what a bittersweet revelation that was; congratulations, Taylor. You're a hero. You saved the life of Cricket, who you absolutely hate, and now you can't even hate her quite as much because she's no longer in with the Nazis. Well done. You decided that you would simply continue to hate her, at least for now.

'So I just wait? Get in costume, and wait?'

'Yes, you do. Miss Militia, Dauntless, and I will be sent out as a singular unit – Assault and Battery are both on patrol but will be re-routed via Console. Triumph will act as sentry near ABB territory to ensure no changes from that angle, but otherwise, our full forces will be dedicated to this.'

'Hey.'

You turned your head sharply, surprised by hearing the voice, gritty with the contortions of a barely human voice box, rise above silence.

'What is it?'

'They're moving.'

And Rachel was right. Though you had dropped out of range to sense them with your parahuman detection, you could still see them through their thermal signature, through the thin window that mirrored the one you had looked through weeks ago to see the aftermath of Hookwolf's bloodbath, bright red and orange stark against the steel blue and cold blacks of the rain and the warehouse walls, and they were in motion.

'Armsmaster, they're moving.'

'Stay back. Wait until they are a safe distance, and then pursue but do not engage; you will receive a call when we are in your vicinity, and then you give us more precise location instructions. Do you copy?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. Be careful, Penumbra.'

The phone clicked and you relayed the information to Rachel, who was happy to simply slip her mask on over her face while you took the bag containing your costume and phased through a nearby wall, quickly getting dressed in your costume before stuffing the bag containing your drenched clothes into an alley as you emerged. Rachel's eyes were still locked on the warehouse, but she had begun to move around as if to keep a direct line of sight on the doors. Wind whipped up around you, a fine spray of rain coating the hem of your cloak and soaking into Rachel's pants as she knelt in it.

The doors didn't open immediately, and the longer it waited, the longer you expected them to simply become still and re-settle themselves. A false alarm, perhaps.

Then, in the space between one breath and another, you saw what had them waiting. The cloud cover had parted slightly, just enough to allow a glimpse of the blue sky through it and see the slanted lines of light pour in a soft gold across the shimmering concrete and steel of the warehousing district.

Hanging in the sky, high enough that you could tell the temperatures must have been frigid, was a single figure – pure white, glowing brightly enough that it hurt to look, an angel in the tempest. She floated in the oasis in the sky, and the rain almost seemed to freeze in place. Silence seemed to grip Brockton Bay.

You recognised her, but hadn't expected to see her.

Then she raised her hand, light seared a path through reality, and the world screamed.

Actions Remaining:

- Do a PHO Q&A

- Do First Aid training with the PRT on April 8th

- Try your thinker power on Endbringers (after the Empire is done with)

- Consult the others on strategies for engaging the Empire

- Get in touch with Dragon to talk about the Birdcage

- Follow up with Vicky after she and Gallant talk to Amy

4.9

You had known for a long time that Purity was strong. There wasn't an abundance of video footage of her at work, but you had seen the little that existed, and her work was always, grimly considering the context, impressive and imposing. There were very few long range blasters that you could imagine outclassing her, and one of them was Legend; that was the tier she was on.

She seemed to know it as well as you did. The air rippled as though in protest as her first blast launched from her outstretched hand, a double helix of pure white light matching her blinding body. You had to blink profusely just looking and you got the feeling that if you weren't wearing a helmet you would have been seeing bright spots of light for the next thirty minutes – as it was, you still felt the sting.

And the effect was immediate. Floating a good distance away, her blast came in at a low angle but still high from the ground and it impacted the warehouse near the roof. Peeling back the metal ceiling like a tin of sardines, melting half of it and sending the other half splintering off into the sky, the Empire safehouse was all of a sudden an Empire holding pen, with Purity stationed to take advantage of the now exposed gang members inside.

From your position of slight elevation, you could see almost all of them; half of the walls had been ripped away with the peeling rooftop and there was truly no longer anywhere for them to hide except behind one another. Kaiser, clearly there, his gleaming metal glinting against the blaze of Purity's light, so bright that she almost replaced the sun which was still hidden behind the thick cloud cover.

The two figures with cloaks, too, that had been with him at the Memorial Hall, were stood towards the back of the warehouse and seemed unperturbed by the events; Othala, by stark comparison, was panicking, clinging on to Krieg in a way which you believed Victor wouldn't appreciate at all. Krieg himself was immobile, but clearly tense even from such a distance.

The other two figures, who you hadn't known, were still unknowns.

You couldn't make out any details.. They were tucked against what remained of the closest wall to you, and were short – perhaps young? You could see the top of one of their heads and nothing of the other.

Instinctively growing a line of vents along your jaw, you began seeing the world again in its temperatures, blues and reds and oranges highlighting Brockton Bay, trying to work out who was there.

Again, Kaiser's body took up less space in his armour than you anticipated, and catching Purity from the side of your eye was painful – she glowed white even through heat vision, perhaps hotter than any other human being you had ever seen.

Focusing your gaze on the two younger figures, you squinted in confusion, pulling your head back as if to re-centre the image. You weren't entirely sure – it seemed absurd enough that it couldn't be true – but while your assumption that one of the figures was a younger boy, perhaps a teenager, was correct the other figure appeared altogether smaller.

Tucked in among a pile of pale orange matter, perhaps blankets or swaddling, you swore that it was a baby.

Details were hard to come by with such an unusual, unintuitive sense, particularly at such a distance, but it was either a baby, a small dog, or maybe an unusually lifelike doll. All three options appeared ridiculous to the extreme and you had difficulty considering what other choices there might be; only the option of the dog was dismissed. If that was the case, Skýla would have already informed you before the roof got torn off.

Whatever was the case, you weren't relying on chance. There were powerful young capes all over the world – Vista was proof of that, if nobody else, and for all you knew the taller of the two figures was here on Gesellschaft's behalf; the twins had told Armsmaster that the plan was to submit Iron Rain for reprogramming, and it would make sense for them to have sent a cape with the capacity to subdue her.

That, in turn, presented a unique problem for you. With your brute capacities you knew that, unpleasant as it might be, you could probably beat any Empire cape in a straight up fight but you had no real resistance against mastering or even stranger effects; even less direct forms of combat were enough to trouble you. Cricket's sonar had told you that much, if nothing else.

Thinking quickly, you resorted to your usual backup; asking questions.

Chances that there's a master or stranger among the two unknowns in the warehouse?

Inconclusive.

You cursed. It had been a while since that kind of result had come back, and you had hoped that simply being able to see them and knowing they came from Gesellschaft would have been enough to give you some information.

Unless they weren't from Gesellschaft, but in that case it made even less sense; why would the Empire have grabbed two kids and brought them along? It defied understanding.

Whatever the reason, you felt your heart rate increasing. Purity had raised her hand again and your body was flaring a violent white, and you knew she was about to launch another shot – you just weren't sure of the target.

Any direct hit on the warehouse could kill people. As much as you had no problem with the death of an Empire member if it had to happen, you weren't sure you could justify allowing it to happen when capture was still on the table. And if that smaller heat signature truly was a baby, there was absolutely no universe where you permit that in circumstances like these.

And so, you were forced to act.

'Skýla, get on the defensive. Scout the area, if there are any civilians get them out of here. Avoid the blasts from Purity – if you sense the Empire members trying to make a break for it, alert me. Don't try and be subtle, just make sure I know.'

'Hn.'

The growl came as Rachel leaned forward and erupted into her larger form, growing rapidly before your eyes – you remembered as the bone plates began to darken and turn black that you had empowered her not long ago, and apparently it had yet to wear off. She moved fast enough that you knew she could dodge anything as telegraphed as Purity's lasers, and darted off into the alleys between the buildings.

Meanwhile, the pinpoint of light at Purity's hands looked to be reaching an apex, and you knew that the time for thinking was over.

Mentally apologising to Armsmaster for disobeying his commands, you pushed off from the ground as hard as you could, launching yourself into the air before your wings flickered to life on your back, a pale green that washed out in the greying light of the storm but which intensified as you pressed into them, the buzzing sound escalating in your ears until it was deafening.

Purity's laser broke the limits of its space, pouring out from wherever it came from and erupting into white heat that scalded through the air, the helices turning around one another like a drill bit aimed at the warehouse. From the angle it was going, it was aimed more towards the robed figures at the back and you breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't putting the younger people at risk on purpose.

Nobody, however, was truly at risk.

At the halfway point between Purity's aerial spot and the warehouse, you collided with the beam.

It hurt.

Not badly enough to make you cry out, or even to back away, but enough that you felt the heat instantly and felt your speed drop precipitously as it shoved against you, concussive. It splashed against you, washing over you like a river against a stone, before trailing off in wisps to either side of you. .Your wings beat furiously against it, and you began moving towards Purity herself.

She seemed shocked as you pushed through. From the distance it was difficult to make out her facial expressions, particularly through the blazing white blankness of her face, but you thought you saw her mouth open and contort in a snarl.

It meant nothing to you. You waded through the force, acclimatising to it as it pressed into you, trying to push you away but getting nowhere, and after only a few seconds of flying you found yourself hovering only a few feet from Purity, her outstretched hand near to yours.

You reached out and pressed your palm to hers, slotting your fingers between her own, and the light died. Snuffed out. Attack over.

'Purity,' you started, tone gentle. It galled you to try and play softball with a person like she was, but regardless of what you could absorb, Brockton Bay was more fragile. You couldn't let her get too worked up – property damage was clearly not something she considered a problem. 'What are you doing?'

'Get the fuck off me!' She pulled back, tugging her hand but not able to free it from your grip. 'You can't stop me getting them back, I won't let you.'

Puzzled, you moved to ask what she was talking about, but couldn't before her other hand swung up to point towards your head. Clicking your teeth in frustration, you decided to end this struggle much more quickly; the memories of trying to go easy on the twins and having it come back to bite you were still fresh in your mind.

Reaching out, you grabbed her other hand and pinned it to her side, before allowing your entire body from the sternum down to bleed into a long, serpentine form – a trick you were getting accustomed to using. You allowed your tail to whip up, momentarily catching its orientation in the air – snakes were not, you were growing increasingly convinced, meant to fly like this – before wrapping it around Purity's torso, pinning her arms to her sides as your tail encircled her glowing frame.

You could feel the heat of her body, blistering to anyone else you assumed, warming the cold-blooded scales of your tail and you contemplated thanking her for the pleasantness.

Instead, you tried again.

'What's going on, Purity? Talk to me. You haven't been out for weeks, and now this? Do you want to go to jail?'

Despite your attempts at diplomacy, you were getting nowhere. She replied, but her tone was vicious, and she spoke with a rabid furiousness. You caught her mentioning Kaiser, killing him, and taking someone back, but you couldn't get much more out of it than that. She sounded as close to insane as you had ever heard anyone, driven into madness by something you didn't quite understand.

The demand to kill Kaiser, though, felt all too familiar and you ran a question. You were starting to become weary of them; you hadn't reached your limit yet, but you were getting close and if you asked too many more you might be forced to try a painkiller in the field or else accept a repeat of the Coil scenario. Not the kind of thing you were looking forward to.

Chances that Purity is working for or with Iron Rain?

Chances that she's acting under duress in some way?

You couldn't say you were entirely surprised. While Iron Rain would have solved the mystery somewhat – an Empire affiliated cape picking a side, nothing more or less – you also couldn't deny that nobody had to work with Iron Rain to hate Kaiser. Echoes of his speech earlier that morning rang through your memory and you had half a mind to put a fist through his chest plate yourself.

Purity strained against the constriction of your serpent tail but couldn't gain any leverage or purchase; even in optimal conditions, there was nothing she could do. You were simply too strong for her to force her way out of, too resilient for her burning shroud to drive you away. You felt that you could hold her for hours and never develop anything more than a mild tan; she would run out of energy before you ran out of durability.

Intending to make another appeal, you were cut off before you could speak. A howl echoed from below, loud and keening as it broke off into a higher octave, and you turned your gaze to the ground.

Skýla was still safe – but the Empire was moving. She'd signalled you clearly enough, and you could see that they were attempting to use your restriction of Purity as an opportunity to flee. Kaiser and Krieg had already left the warehouse and, trailing behind him, was Othala clutching what looked like a lump of blankets. She was next to the taller unknown figure, who looked like he might have been a young teenager from your now-improved angle, and the two were followed by the robed figures who you knew as Night and Fog. Rear guard, you supposed.

Questions flashed through your mind; keep Purity out of things and safe, or intercept their escape? If you moved, Skýla would move with you – you knew that much. Getting her dragged into a fight wasn't your intention, not without backup. Even if you were confident that you could mop up the Empire on your own, even holding Purity captive the entire time, you couldn't guarantee that none of them would get to Skýla before you finished, and while you were confident in her strength and the toughness of her empowered bone armour, you had no real desperation to see it battle-tested against Kaiser's blades.

The image of her thigh, torn open from Hookwolf's whirring assault, flashed into your mind. The blood puling from under your hands, washing like red paint across the salt-water slicked wood of the Boardwalk. Your cloak, crusted in scarlet.

Just as these thoughts flashed through your mind in an instant, the world too continued moving.

Between the heavy coils of your serpentine grip, Purity's light shone brighter and brighter, and you could feel her warming up even hotter – similar to the first beam you had blocked. Her hands were completely restricted beneath your grasp, and you knew that there was little she could do, but without her cooperation it was becoming untenable to continue as things were.

She loosed the blast, probably intending to try and get you to release her if only slightly, and her entire silhouette dimmed slightly in response. The burn was intense, and you could feel it like holding your hands near a campfire; were you not there, she would have destroyed something – or everything – that was nearby, without any regard to those who might be in the area. You had sent Skýla to evacuate people, but you had little knowledge of how many she would have gotten to before this particular freak-out or how clearly they would have received her instructions.

Though you did suppose that if they chose to stick around after a giant werewolf showed up in front of them, they were taking their life in their own hands one way or another.

'What do you think you're doing?' You hissed out, your serpentine jaw morphing your words while rage loosened your control over your diction. 'I think there's a baby down there, you could have killed them if I wasn't here. You want me to let you go just for that?'

The last dregs of her beam died down, the light shining from between your coils going dim and her main body returning to something of the brightness of its former self – she looked, nevertheless, dimmer than she had upon first arriving. You wondered how many of those she had in her.

'Of course I know there's a baby down there, you idiot! That's my baby, they've stolen her!'

Stunned, you couldn't help but let the follow up question out unobstructed.

'Why would they do that?'

'Because Kaiser owes them! He owes them for their support, so he's going to give them my daughter and if you don't let me out he's going to get away with it. Please, let me out, please.'

Her voice descended into her chest as she rambled, a wetness to it that spoke of tears and if you looked closely you thought you could see steam coming from where her eyes would be without her power active.

'Then who's the other kid? There's more than one of them, you're trying to convince me that Kaiser has just kidnapped children to sell to Gesellschaft?'

'They're his children too, you idiot! The other one's from his ex-wife, not me.' She strained again, and you thought you heard her teeth grinding together from the effort. 'Please, let me go, I swear to you, I just need my daughter back and then I'll go. Please. I am begging you.'

'What about the other one?'

'Him too, yes, both of them. Please.'

You knew you didn't have much time. While the backup from the Protectorate should be closing in soon, you knew that you were nevertheless on the edges of the city – not quite as far as Coil's hideout had been, but far enough away that you weren't expecting the Protectorate to show up immediately en masse. Either they'd arrive in the order their speed allowed, in which case you would see a slow trickle of arrivals, or they would arrive as a singular bloc in which case they would be restricted to the speed of their slowest members.

Making decisions was hard, but it had to be done. You weren't entirely sure how true Purity's belief was, but you could tell that she definitely believed it, and you weren't willing to waste a question on something so inconsequential; she'd never believe you even if you told her she was wrong. Working with her assumption was all you had, and you trusted yourself to pull it off.

'Look, I don't have any kids myself,' you started and you ignored the withering look she gave you. The fact that you were a Ward probably gave away that much. 'But I know that kidnapping kids is screwed up. I'm on your side here. But if I let you go, you're just going to start destroying stuff again and I can't let you do that. They're about to get away, they're already halfway down the street, so if you want to get them now, you have to follow my lead. Pump the brakes, no more beams, we stall them out. Protectorate's on the way, we can put Kaiser away, your kids are safe, everyone is happy. Take it or leave it. Deal?'

'What else? I have to stop him!'

'I constrict you until you pass out, get you in a cell, and then hunt them down later myself and find out if you were telling the truth. That's what else.'

Her shoulders fell as she realised she had very little else in the way of options. She didn't have to speak for you to know she was accepting the ultimatum.

Like the waking of an enormous wyrm, the coils of your tail slowly loosened from around her torso and you felt her inhale dramatically. You hadn't been holding her that tightly, but given the situation you were willing to excuse some melodrama.

Looking back down, you saw that the Empire had made some progress; unfortunately for them, not only did conversation not take nearly as long as some people anticipated, the warehousing district was disordered at the best of times let alone in the aftermath of Purity's assault; on the ground level, you imagined it was similar to a maze, and while most of the parahumans could almost certainly make their own escape despite that, Othala was a key individual they had to keep safe but who had very little in the way of her own mobility. She couldn't boost herself, after all – you were similar to her, in that regard.

And that was even before you thought about what she was carrying, and the forlorn looking teen stumbling alongside them.

Consequently, as you flew down to head the Empire off, Purity in your wake, you didn't have to travel particularly far. Thirty seconds of flight or less.

You turned harshly as you approached the ground, your centre of motion pivoting around your hip and allowing you to pull out from a straight dive into an upright position faster than the Empire could register to run; you were ahead of them. Behind them, approaching at admirable speeds, was a fully enlarged Skýla. She was over ten feet by this point, and while you still weren't eager to see her in combat against Kaiser, you had no issues fighting alongside her.

She was preferable to Purity, even if circumstances made fools of you all.

'Stop. We have received plausible information that you are the perpetrators of a kidnapping. If you stop now and hand yourselves in, you will be subject to normal protocols of parahuman detainment. If you attempt to escape, you will be tracked from the air, and captured shortly after. If you attempt to fight, that would be regrettable for you. Stand down.'

Outlining the options was something the PR handbook always encouraged, even if you were absolutely certain beyond all question that the Empire would rather shoot themselves in the head than be taken alive. There was precedent, after all.

'No, you stand aside, child. Nobody has to be hurt here.'

'Oh yes they do,' Purity said, catching up. She was far from a slow flier, but as far as you were aware, there was nobody in Brockton Bay who could outpace you and you weren't exactly concerned with her ego in cutting the Empire off. 'Hand her over, now.'

'Purity,' his voice came smoothly, all false promises and grease. 'Please, don't be unreasonable. They are mine just as much as they are yours, are they not? And more so, in the case of Theo here. You're more than welcome to join us and you'll be right alongside them once again. How about that?'

You had heard more than enough of Kaiser's slimy verbiage for a single day, and so you chose to interrupt the family drama.

'Non-negotiable. Hand over the children, Kaiser. If you have legitimate rights to see the children, file them through the court. I assume,' you turned to Purity for confirmation, 'that you aren't still together?'

The image of Kaiser doing anything like that make you feel vomit in your throat, but you resisted the urge to gag.

'We aren't. I left that life behind me.'

'Please,' Kaiser spoke. 'You say pretty words, but cowardly words – we both know what you get up to in your little vigilante hunts. Don't pretend otherwise. You belong with us, and you are coming to remember why you joined in the first place. Don't you feel so ridiculous stood next to a Ward, pretending to be a hero by betraying your ideals? Come back to us and you'll have your children back, it really is as simple as that.'

As disgusting as his continued chatter was, it was achieving your goals. Action had slowed to a crawl, and the stall had begun; the moment the Empire started moving you knew that just waiting things out was no longer an option, but stretching for time? Any teenager who had done a presentation in school knew how to do that.

'And what makes you think she's betraying anything, Kaiser? People can do bad things and do better. Just because you're irredeemable doesn't mean the same for anyone else.'

The steel-clad man turned towards you with a stoic look, his body remaining stationary while his head swivelled at the neck. There was something uncanny about how he was moving, something that was at odds with the shudder that ran through the bodies of Othala and the children behind you. As Othala shook, you heard a mewling sound coming from the swaddling in her arms and Purity started forward. You caught her arm.

'So the Ward has teeth, does she? Be quiet while the adults are talking, there's a good girl.'

Your hand balled into a fist and you breathed deeply, feeling the flush of the vents in your helmet. There was a lot you could stomach, but being condescended to by Kaiser was very low on that list. Still, you needed to stall. Decapitating him with his own grieves wouldn't help anyone in the moment. Miss Militia was right. Breathe.

'Don't talk to her like that, you pig.' The vehemence in Purity's voice took you by surprise, and apparently it did the same for several of the Empire. Krieg blinked suddenly enough that it was clear even through the foggy glass of his gas mask, and the grey cloaked man – Fog – started with alarm too.

Kaiser didn't react.

'I must admit, Purity, I am surprised. Perhaps you're friends with this,' he paused to find the word. 'Disgrace? Not something that I had expected.'

'We aren't friends. But she's the only thing stopping me from erasing your skull right now, so if I were in your position I would watch my fucking mouth.'

'If you were in my position, the Empire would have fallen years ago. You are far too weak, despite the strength of your powers. Perhaps you need a visit from Gesellschaft too – it can be arranged.'

Your hand was still wrapped around Purity's wrist, and you were glad that it was, as she started forward again and had to be held in place.

Stalling for time. Stalling for time.

Where the hell is the Protectorate? Dauntless at least should have been here by now, flying.

'It will be the day the Empire dies before you sell me and my children off to your bosses, Kaiser. I'm giving you one last chance.'

Her voice was in shambles, and despite the lack of detail on her glowing face you could still feel the animosity pouring off her. You weren't sure if you had ever seen someone as angry – perhaps Rachel after you had given her the opportunity to fight Hookwolf, but even that was tinged with a level of sorrow you couldn't really grasp. Purity had none of that. She was molten anger to the core.

Kaiser either failed to detect the threat or dismissed it.

'I'm not selling anyone to anywhere. The reality is that the Empire has taken some blows as of late, largely due to your irritating friend there, and we simply need more power. Gesellschaft has developed a method to grant people powers. They will benefit from it greatly, I assure you of that much.'

'They have a method to make freaks, sure. Monsters.'

'Penumbra to console.'

Your voice carries easily across the space between you and the Empire, cutting over the rising tension. Keeping your voice casual was easier to attempt than to succeed, but you felt like it was the best opportunity to divert the obviously escalating stakes. The reality of the situation was that for as horrific as Kaiser's plans were, he couldn't enact them when stood in the pouring rain outside of a warehouse in Brockton Bay – the longer he stayed there, the longer Gesellschaft weren't a factor.

'You should be careful of getting others involved where they could get hurt.' Kaiser called over. 'You may be strong but Purity can be quite reckless, as I'm sure you've noticed.'

'Maybe you shouldn't have pissed her off so much, then. Perhaps a lesson for you in future, Kaiser. You may need to learn more tact inside the Birdcage.'

Again, a muted response, as if Kaiser were disconnected from the situation somehow. As though he was acting rather than reacting, playing a role – as though the shell was all that was there. You could sense the heat of a living being inside, so you knew it wasn't simply ventriloquism through mobile armour, but you weren't sure whether the man inside was altogether stable. He didn't appear to be processing things in the same way that even the other Empire capes were. It was strange.

Glancing across the rest of the Empire, it was easy enough to read them, even for someone as inexperienced as you in dealing with people, and even through costumes. Othala was terrified – understandably. Though she was vital to the Empire, she herself was all too mundane, and anyone else other than the children would render her devoid of breath and blood instantly if they so wished.

Krieg seemed largely bored by the proceedings, but his head moved minutely every now and again, and you could tell he was processing his environment and considering his options.

Night and Fog stood, unmoving for the most part aside from Fog's occasional twitches and the readjustment of his posture. You wondered if he was injured, or otherwise unwell.

The children looked miserable. The baby's mewling had morphed into soft crying that Othala was failing to support, and the teenager – you could see him more closely now, somewhat portly but with a set jaw – was evidently terrified. You would have been too, you thought, if you had no powers. He couldn't be more than your age, perhaps a touch younger, and there was fear in his eyes the likes of which you had rarely seen.

He certainly looked like Max Anders, if a younger, more pathetic version.

The baby cried more loudly, and you could feel Purity tugging at your grasp.

'Penumbra to console, ETA please.'

Skýla hunched over, ready to move as soon as something happened.

Othala had a tear streaking down her face. You weren't sure if you felt sorry for her or disgusted. You wondered if she had played that role to Rune in the same way as she was playing it now; a hollow, fake thing. A disgrace to every mother who bled themselves dry for their children, a facsimile that only saw in them their utility but still lacked the bravery to be honest with themselves about what they were doing and own it.

Theo shuddered, his face growing red. He pressed his palm to his temple, letting out a low groan.

'Console to Penumbra, ETA three minutes.'

'Besides,' Kaiser spoke up again, his attention returned to Purity. 'Even if Gesellschaft's powers changed them, wouldn't that be for the better? More loyal. More understanding of the truth. More precious, to us? Better fighters for the cause? Who wouldn't give their children to that cause, which is, after all, their cause; the future?'

Purity tensed at your side.

'Who wouldn't sacrifice any number of mundane lives for the future of our movement? What is one infant worth in the face of that?'

Purity moved.

The other hand, the one you weren't holding, shot up and she loosed off a beam. Weak, without the charging the earlier blasts had received, it nevertheless soared through the zone between you and the Empire with a blinding light and the steel that made up Kaiser's costume grew vast panes of metal, blossoms of it, absorbing the blast.

The sound was ungodly, screeching as the metal scraped over itself and then was subject to the boiling concussive force of Purity's blast, and you felt more than saw panels and shrapnel shredding off from the main body of the steel and being flung through the air.

Crashes came from the buildings nearby as metal lodged into them deep enough that they stayed stuck. You hoped nobody was in there, taking cover behind walls.

Releasing Purity's hand, you quickly outstretched your own palm and blasted Krieg with a pulse of your gravity wave, propelling him backwards through a wall and adding to the cacophony before he could make his own move to control the battlefield. You were sure that he would have cushioned his own fall well enough to survive, but you hoped he'd broken at least something in the collision.

Purity slumped a little, visibly exhausted, but cast another shot from the hand you had just released, smaller and narrower but attempting to bore through the metal.

It worked, punching a hole through like a laser cutter, but Kaiser was no longer behind it. Instead, he had moved off to the side and gestured towards Othala and the children, who were prompted enveloped in great beams of steel that were extruded from a large sheet of the shrapnel given off by Purity's first assault. Beams criss-crossed around them until they faded from view, somewhere inside a dome of metal. Nobody could get in or, as you supposed was the intention, out.

You could still hear, muffled through the metal, the crying of an infant.

Skýla roared her defiance as Krieg emerged back onto the battlefield, brushing dust from his coat, and she descended upon him. He slowed her rapidly enough that she didn't disembowel him with her first strike, but he still fell back under the weight of it, stumbling, and she pressed the advantage.

Purity moved again to Kaiser, lagging in her motions but willing to let another pulse of white spawn in her grasp.

Night turned to Fog, as though to give a command, and you braced yourself for the battlefield to flood with toxic smoke – your filters kicked into high gear as you sent a pulse of thought to your helmet.

You moved, attempting to stop their tried and tested strategy from taking over the battlefield. The utility of Fog's smoke alone, even without its corrosive effects, was horrific to deal with, and every report you had seen concerning the duo mentioned that Night's alternate form was something powerful. Confident as you were in your brute powers, you didn't want to have to engage in such a fight while mostly blind with unpowered children in the immediate vicinity.

As soon as you moved, you felt yourself drop from the sky, as though strings had been cut. Your feet touched the ground but you barely registered it.

The clanging of combat from Skýla and Krieg had come to a halt, too. Everything was quiet, in fact. Even the rain seemed to have hushed in reverence for the strangeness of the moment.

Your body felt alien to you, with the exception of the void in your head which stretched and strained against your skull as though eager to escape, or to lead you in a direction that you couldn't quite comprehend, through a space that wasn't there. It hurt, but you were numb to it all at once.

Huge creatures filled your perception.

They were reflected off each other, and everything else, in a thousand angles – a thousand planes, intersecting and diverging, dividing and recombining without moving at all. Only Vista's enhanced power was anything like it, the melting of everything into a singular that was nevertheless multitudinous beyond your recognition.

It was painful to look at. It was bliss to look at. They were alive, but not in a way that you knew, but in a way that you knew too well, all at once. Nothing that became everything on its way to dissolution, evolving millennia in minutes and then phasing through it, as though time were simply an inconvenience, as though space were simply were time lived; the two inconsequential.

They moved together, and against each other. In beautiful dissonance. They spoke nothing at all, not in a language you could understand, but your brain throbbed and told you of an agreement they had made, a trajectory they would travel until the end.

You gagged into your mask as the image vanished, and Skýla was launched backwards into a wall as Krieg must have recovered before she did, taking the opportunity to seize an advantage. You looked around, unsure of where you were, and saw Purity was in much the same position, thrown across the dirt, her white flickering and showing hints of blonde hair beneath. Fog was kneeling in place, shaking. Night remained unreactive.

The crying from within the metal sphere grew louder and louder.

Then the sphere splintered, and a metal hand the size of a car emerged, as though it had punched its way out from inside.

The shrapnel that surrounded you began to lift from the floor, slowly but steadily, moving in listless rotation through the air but gaining speed until it began to glow cherry red at the edges from the friction of the air alone. High pitched whining came away from it, blending in unison with the baby's cries.

'Aster!' Purity cried.

The hand pushed out further, before withdrawing.

Half of the spinning metal stopped, before dropping from the air.

The air began to stretch open – there was no other way to describe it, the space between particles of the atmosphere being rent apart like wounds in the sky, as more metal began to emerge. Blade after blade, pouring through the gaps in perception. Metal from nowhere. Steel joining the storm. Iron Rain.

A hideous cackle filled your ears.

The flash of Dauntless' lance crackled through the air, cutting the laughter short.

Fog climbed back to his feet.

What the fuck was happening?