ARC 2: FURY
Con l'unghie si fendea ciascuna il petto; battiensi a palme, e gridavan sì alto, ch'i' mi strinsi al poeta per sospetto.
Fury 2.1
Cold air hit me as I stepped out of a portal, leaving the white hallways behind me. Snow crunched underneath my feet as I found stable footing. The cold and thin air would have killed an unprotected normal person within minutes. I had far gone beyond normal with my body.The mountain range was enormous, and I was near its highest point. The sky was a pristine blue.Not too far away, on another peak, sat a pale figure: a woman, wearing a flowing white dress. Her skin was alabaster white, flawless. Her face covered by a black mask with ruby-red decorations, portraying a frowning face, theater-like.She glanced towards me, hugging her knees."Call your sisters." I spoke out, the strong wind drowning out my voice. She heard it all the same.Two other figures suddenly appeared next to her, floating just above the snow. Identical to the first one, except that the expression on their masks was different: one was smiling, while the last portrayed a snarl.The first of the three, the frowning one, spoke out."Why do you bother us in our time of solitude?""It is rude to talk without introducing yourself!" The smiling one punctuated."Even ruder to have onlookers spying on us." The snarling one concluded.They spoke out of tune, but synchronous all the same. Three, but one, but also three. Fully embracing their inhuman nature."I am Blackwall." This time my voice echoed across the mountain range, hearable for miles. "There is no need for violence. I've come to talk, to find a way to work together.""If you wish to talk then do not come ready to kill!" The frowning Blasphemy shrieked. Less than a heartbeat later, a sonic boom resounded as two of the three became pale blurs cutting the sky, flying towards me. The indifferent one remained still.Time slowed down as I pushed my speedware into overdrive, jumping back and barely dodging their assault. At the same time, another figure joined the fight, wearing a black costume. She appeared from a gateway in the sky, crashing against the faster of the attackers. An ally, coming to help.The smiling Blasphemy was suddenly tackled by Alexandria, dragging her with supreme strength and crashing the Blashphemy into a far off mountain. The frowning Blasphemy continued her assault towards me, while the snarling Blasphemy turned around and began fleeing.I reached for my hidden holster and shot an explosive bullet right in her face. Blue flames blinded the frowning Blasphemy. She did not look phased by the fire. Her arm turned fully gray as her fingers lengthened and sharpened, becoming a large claw. She swiped at me, and I could barely dodge in time.A small graze appeared over my cheek, cutting into my synthetic skin and leaving a gash into my subdermal armour. This alone spoke to the power behind her attack. The sides of my left arm opened as power flowed through it, filling it with strength. I counterattacked with a jab to her face, creating a shockwave that sent snow beneath us flying away.The frowning mask cracked as my knuckles met with the crystalline material. In the distance, I could see Alexandria also winning her fight, keeping her enemy pinned beneath the snow.But before we could move to either capture or finish the Blasphemies, they both disappeared into nothingness. A small fracture in reality was left behind where they stood, quickly mending and disappearing.Summoned by the third sister, who had long since fled.Alexandria sighed and floated up, reaching me, her costume was slightly damaged. But she was unhurt otherwise."It went well." She commented. There was no irony in her tone, because it did go well. Usually the Blasphemies did not engage in conversation with Cauldron, and always immediately began to attack.This was a promising start."Door me." I whispered. A dimensional portal appeared just besides me, and both I and Alexandria stepped in.
■
We appeared in the meeting room. Doctor Mother sat at the table, reading through some documents. Eidolon was by her side. Contessa and Legend were nowhere to be seen, the former likely on a mission, while the latter hadn't been told about the meeting in the first place."We can still see them. They've not gone into hiding." Eidolon spoke up."Excellent. That is more progress in a day than we've managed in the years since they appeared." Doctor Mother commented. Usually the Blasphemies would become invisible to Thinker powers after an engagement like this. The fact that they didn't meant that they were open to talk again, in a different context."I suspect that they either know, or suspect something about me, and my relation to the Agents.""Likely." Alexandria agreed with me."What are your next steps?" Doctor Mother asked. "There is not much time before the next Endbringer attack. A week, two at most we think. I'd like for this to be solved before that happens.""They reacted badly to Alexandria. It's fair to assume that Eidolon and Legend would cause the same reaction.""Indeed. So what then? Are you going to face them alone?""No." I answered, not elaborating. Doctor Mother nodded at my words, satisfied with that answer. I did not work for her after all, and there was an understanding that I would hide some information from her. After all, they did the same with me."Door me." I asked again, to the ever-listening parahuman.
■
Gone were the sterile white hallways of Cauldron, instead I stepped into an abandoned section of their facilities that had been repurposed into my own laboratory. It was the start of July. Slightly less than a month had passed since I had left Brockton Bay.My workshop was working at full throttle. Automated machinery produced highly complex parts that I would either need for a future project, or made to have spares in case of accidents or damages. I could hear some rumbling in the background, coming from the wider training room. Likely my protegé.I placed my Burya on the workbench. The handcannon had served me quite well since I got to this world, but now it was the weakest element of my equipment. I had overhauled every single part of my cyberware, making full use of Cauldron's resources and contacts. Some of the alloys on Earth Bet were much better than any from my own world. But I hadn't been given access to any Tinker technology.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.The door to the training room opened. Taylor walked in, wearing her new costume.It was very much like her previous one, black, made of spider's silk and covering everything but her hair. But now it was merged with a rather complex muscle exosuit, no thicker than normal fabric, layered beneath the silk. It made her about twice as strong and, most importantly, ten times as fast on her feet. Though in appearance it was the same as her costume"Blackwall." She nodded towards me, then walked to the fridge, raising her mask and taking out a bottle of cold water."What are your latest benchmarks?" I asked."About the same. I think I hit a roadblock with these models. H4 still works better than H5, but W5 is an improvement over W4. A1 is still the best, by far, even if I can barely handle the suit.""And the implant? Any problems?""Aside from a bit of itching, no." Taylor shook her head.I had refused to give her any significant cyberware. It would take months for her body to adapt to the changes, if it ever did. Even if cyberpsychosis was not a problem given my expertise, that didn't mean that her immune system would take kindly to too many additions. And I wasn't going to make her a full borg, like me. She was a kid, after all, even if she was forced into the life of a soldier.There was one notable exception though. One addition I had approved to do to her body, one so small that it could be removed at any time without many issues. And one that fully worked with her power."Itching is normal. It means that the implant is working fine and is connected to your nervous system. If it gets worse do tell me.""How did the scouting go?" Taylor changed the subject."Good. Surprisingly. They still attacked us. I have come up with another course of action, and I'd like for you to join me.""Alright." She answered, trying to keep her tone calm. But I could see her eyes lighting up at the opportunity. Finally she'd be able to put into action what she'd practiced for the last month."You have your standard equipment. But take this as well." I raised the Burya, handing it to her by the handle. "You've seen me use it. It will sync with your HUD once you unholster it. Do be careful if you're using it in short range. The Arachne is still not ready for field action - and I'd like to keep it hidden until the next Endbringer attack."She silently took the gun, weighed it in her hand, then holstered it into a hidden pocket of her costume."Where are we going?""Rome."
■
We took the long way, appearing with Doormaker's portal some few kilometers away and beginning the long trek to the city. I wanted to make sure the Blasphemies did not immediately react badly to my presence, and already they'd shown the ability to perceive Cauldron's portals."Repeat the parameters to me." I asked Taylor while we walked."Our targets are the Three Blasphemies. No real distinction between each aside from the decorations on their mask and behavioural profile, though they still act as one despite these small differences."Their baseline is an Alexandria package, but focused on speed rather than durability - they're able to reach supersonic speed from rest, and they boast a similar level of strength, though not nearly as invincible. Low caliber bullets will bounce off, while higher firepower can hurt and disable them. They can morph their limbs to take the shape of sharp or blunt weapons, having a preference for claws. At any point any of the three can summon the remaining two, so it is important that not even one escapes. They have a limited ability to become invisible and imperceivable, though there are no accounts of them using it in a fight.""Correct." She had studied well."... their abilities go through a change when one of the Blasphemies is destroyed. With one dead, the remaining two become even more durable and gain a Blaster power of considerable strength, able to demolish a three-story building easily. They don't become faster or stronger, physically. But they also gain the Shaker ability to create thick forcefields, both stationary and movable. Unclear what the limits are on those."If a second Blasphemy is taken down, the last becomes significantly stronger. Her Brute rating increases to the point that only heavy artillery can inflict even the smallest harm, she becomes significantly faster than even Legend, and her Shaker forcefields become All or Nothing walls. Worst of all, her Blaster power becomes even more enhanced, though we've never seen its full potential, nor we're sure that's all they can do. By this point the remaining Blasphemy is considered an S-Class threat.""Good, you memorized the report. But you didn't say anything about their revival.""That's the part everyone knows, though it's also what we know the least about. It's their most famous characteristic. As long as one lives, the other two will come back. Unclear how, or how much time it takes."We began to hear the sound of cars passing by. Not a highway, rather the smaller streets that connected Rome to the country-side."Indeed. Did you spot anything around us?""No. Everything seems normal further ahead. Just some cars. And kids on bikes. The edge of my range has begun to overlap with the outskirts of the city, so I'm beginning to gather more insects.""Don't overdo it, your old identity is still rather famous.""Speaking of, what happens if a hero spots me? Not many people from Europe came to the Leviathan attack, but…""It won't be a problem. But you should choose a new cape name. Something more heroic.""Weaver." Taylor immediately said. She probably had thought on it for a while. It was fitting, especially given her incredible skill with the Arachne suit. Most myths overlapped between this world and my own, and the story of the young seamstress' hubris was famous in both."Very well. I'm contacting the local hero groups to alert them of our presence.""Not to ask permission to enter the city?" Weaver asked."No," I quickly answered while also mentally sending a text message, "I'd rather ask for forgiveness than for permission. Besides, of the two biggest hero teams in Rome, one I have found out is connected to the Gesellschaft, and the other is the private strike force of the Vatican. I don't trust either of these groups to act with humanity's best interest in mind.""I'm not sure it's smart to alert them then. Why not enter quietly?""If a fight breaks out, I'd like to be able to at least have the most basic of excuses to avoid the 'villain' label. We need all the freedom we can get."Weaver frowned under her mask. She knew it well, having had her own path to herodom cut off by a series of bad decisions. Still, this was the first step to get back on the good path.Before she could ask another question, her head suddenly jerked to the side, towards the city. She had noticed something."I found them."The Blasphemies. Already? Then they probably knew of our arrival."Get to a safe location. Then lead me to them."