"You're sure?" Doctor Mother asked from across the table. Contessa and Eidolon by her side. She never met me without at least one of them available to protect her."I am. The current Pontiff is dead or replaced, and right now the Vatican is being led by someone using his body as a puppet."Doctor Mother looked to the side, towards Contessa."Nothing." The boogeyman simply answered. Whoever was keeping a tight leash on the Blasphemies was immune to Thinker precognition themselves. Eidolon openly frowned from the other side."This has likely been going on for a while." I theorized."That is concerning. There were moments during the rise of our organizations where we didn't keep a close eye on the world, but... It is worrying, thinking about what others could've done during that time. It's even possible that they are organizing an attack on us, right now." Eidolon began to worry."I don't believe that to be the case. Contessa was more than enough to stop the creation of more Blasphemies after the first three. She has blind spots, true, but we've always worked around them when possible. This one in particular I believe has escaped our eyes only because they rarely acted." Doctor Mother responded.Narrowing my eyes, I tried to fully parse what Doctor Mother was suggesting…"You think someone tipped this 'Employer' off? While you were building up your resources.""Yes. Or, if they have a Thinker power, they could have just extrapolated enough about us to know that laying low was the right course of action. After all, Contessa only acts when it comes to those that could threaten our mission. We've let a sizable amount of leaks go, simply because they wouldn't prove to be a problem in the long term."Contessa was still one woman, and none of the other Thinkers Cauldron had on staff were even close to her utility, with one exception. Nowadays they could offload some of the work to Number Man, though he mostly kept to behind the scenes."But that has come and gone. Now, to focus on the present… It wouldn't be wise for the PRT to try and meddle with a foreign nation's internal affairs."Meaning I would get no direct aid from the Triumvirate."However, we have intel that you could find useful." Doctor Mother slid a document across the table. It contained information on known parahuman criminals present within Rome, active and not.A good chunk of the info within wasn't available anywhere on the net, not even among private servers. Meaning Cauldron had used Contessa to gather this information.My eyes stopped on a particular entry:"Grayson Crowley? One of the Fallen. So he fled to Italy." The eldest of the Crowley siblings, he'd fled from North America following a string of murders that had put him in hot waters. "And I suppose this is who he was here for."I flipped the document onto the next page, which showed a dossier on 'Cariddi', or 'Charybdis' internationally, a villain cape that had triggered following Leviathan's attack on Naples in 2000. A Kill Order had been placed on him the following year.It hadn't stuck.The Kill Order had been rescinded once it was apparent that killing him just wasn't an option, and rather just made him more violent and prone to destruction. He had been 'caught' twice, both times because Julius's own power worked well against his, but he'd eventually escaped. Transporting him was not feasible. There was no vehicle on earth that could move Cariddi even if he was immobilized and unconscious.I glanced up at Doctor Mother and waited for her to explain:"The local heroes don't seem aware of Grayson or Charybdis. The two also move a lot, so we can't give you their precise location. But I sincerely doubt that whoever is puppeting the Pope hasn't kept a tab on the most dangerous parahuman in Italy."I nodded, agreeing with her judgement. "Any other individual of interest? Not necessarily parahuman.""We don't know. Contessa's path goes blind if we use one of our Thinkers to check that info, and I'd rather not risk walking into the unknown. There's a lot more to focus on outside Europe."That meant that a sizable number of non-parahumans were connected to the one behind the Pope. By itself it was already valuable info."I have what I need then. Thank you.""One more thing. Number Man was asking for you.""...I'll see if I can find the time." I wasn't really happy to talk to the ex-Slaughterhouse Nine member, but his contribution to the cause was undeniable.I stood up and whispered the usual command:"Door me."
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Just as I stepped beyond, the gate closed behind me. Cauldron was very careful in making sure I couldn't analyze the doorways for too long. It was another way of showing that they had leverage over me.Of course I did not let them know that I had already a contingency in place.The sight that welcomed me was of a dry desert filled with small craters. Mechanical bug-like robots were spread all across the ground and sky, some of them spasming in confusion.At the center was Taylor within the Arachne frame. The first stable prototype. Just as I walked by she ejected from the pilot seat, flying in the air before crashing back onto the ground. Her landing was anything but graceful as she groaned in pain. She began to lift herself up, struggling, with sweat dripping from her forehead. Her signature black costume had cushioned the fall, reducing the impact to pretty much nothing, but it must have not been a pleasant fall."Fuck… That… The pilot cabin is so… cramped. Couldn't you have made it at least a bit bigger?" Taylor glanced at me, aware of my presence."Not without risking your safety." I partly lied. Walking closer, I helped her get up. She wasn't injured, only a bit shaken.I couldn't help but admire her fortitude. Taylor had not forgotten the details of her trigger event, but she had already mostly overcome the physical trauma of it. What likely bothered her about the Arachne was that the frame interacted synergistically with her power. It allowed her to fully focus on what the constructs and her bugs were sensing at all times.It was sensory overstimulation. Still, she was improving visibly day after day. It spoke to a level of mental resilience that few could boast to have.She'd insisted that the Arachne be built with her fears in mind. After all, parahuman powers became significantly stronger when the parahuman in question was put in a situation that imitated their trigger event."Right. It's still…" Taylor took a deep breath, slowly calming down, "it's still a lot. But in a positive way too. I was almost scared of what I could do while inside the Arachne.""I did not allow you to join me merely because of sentiments. I'm aware of the influence you could have on a battlefield against an Endbringer if given the right tools.""Did you get what you needed?""Mostly. Not as much as I wanted. Let's go."Cracking her neck, Taylor spoke up:"Door me. Apartment, Rome."The shimmering doorway appeared. We stepped beyond, into the apartment that I had bought to more easily go back and forth from the city. Taylor walked to the window and reenstablished control over the bugs she'd left. I quickly checked the cameras I had installed."Seems clear." Weaver spoke from the side. She had placed multiple fragile webs along the entrances and exits, and none of them had been disturbed. I nodded, confirming that I too didn't find anything suspicious.Weaver walked up to the fridge and took out a cold water bottle, taking a sip. Then she pointed the bottle towards me, offering. I shook my head."There are no Blasphemies in my radius, by the way."The bright doorway hadn't closed yet, as a handful of Weaver's Wasp began flying out, turning invisible the moment they crossed into Earth Bet. Last to come through was the mechanical centipede. Weaver had begun to favour that one especially. It wasn't as specialized as the Wasps, but it was significantly more resilient. In fact, this was the same one that had helped me during the fight at the colosseum. It had survived the blast due to the shields, but had been flinged very far away, almost outside of Weaver's own range.It too became invisible, then climbed down the window and onto the street, before going into the sewers."There is a lot to cover, we'll have to split up. Keep a look out on the exit to the Vatican, try to memorize some faces. If someone looks suspicious then try to find out their name and address." I quickly checked the equipment as I spoke. Weaver had decided to only bring the Burya, a thermal knife and a stun baton. Tools that could be easily hidden within her costume.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."Understood. Rendezvous in three hours?""Yes. Not here though. I've sent you the address. Keep in contact.""Will do." Weaver nodded and began leaving the apartment, exiting from the front door. I waited ten minutes, then also left.
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As much as Rome was a beautiful city, it also was ancient and antiquated. It didn't take long to reach the worst neighbourhood in the cities, ones that had been left to fend for themselves. Nothing like Brockton Bay, of course, but this city too had been left reeling after Leviathan's attack on the peninsula. Some of the tidal waves had reached all the way here.To the south-west of the city centre lay 'Nuovo Corviale', an ambitious kilometer-long residential complex that would have housed thousands upon thousands of people.It was never finished.Now it was an abandoned structure that housed immigrants and gangs, parahuman and not. Through the years it had been cleaned up multiple times. But no politician wanted to take the risks necessary to finish the construction, so it eventually fell into criminal control again and again.I kept my hood up as I entered the complex. Colloqually people called it 'the long serpent' for its coiled structure, apartments and hallways twisting upon themselves. I walked for about an hour, taking note of all the faces I saw, trying to get what I could from simple observations. Eventually I decided to come into contact with some of the locals.A group of young adults was chatting at the edge of the hallway, sitting over the unfinished windows of an apartment, close to its entrance. The wooden door had been torn off its hinges to allow easier access. I walked up to them."[The fuck you want?]" One of them stood up and stopped me, speaking in a strict dialect."[Info. I can pay.]" I'd approached them because they clearly weren't seasoned criminals. Rather, they were angsty teenagers that had dipped a bit into delinquency. They likely didn't have a boss to report to. And probably didn't live within Corviale."[You a pig? Naah, thanks.] Chi si fa i cazzi suoi campa cent'anni."'Mind your own shit and you'll live a century'.I doubted humanity would see the end of the next decade, I wasn't worried about the century.Instead of trying to convince him, I took out a stack of euros. Around two hundred, in fifty-euros bills."[At least hear the question. I'm just looking for a party.]"The teens glanced at each other. One of them began smiling and nodding fiercely, greed apparent in his eyes."[...Alright. Ask.]""[Heard anyone mention an american surname, Crowley, around here?]"He glanced at the money. I placed half of it on the window next to me, then took a step back. He took half a step and swiped it off the counter, pocketing it."[Yeah. I mean, I don't know the name, but there is a lot of talking about an American guy lately. The guy is constantly having parties down in Fiumicino, by the docks. Sometimes the party is on a boat, sometimes it's in an abandoned cargo hold. All the college guys I know want to go to those parties, but it's not easy to get invited. The location changes constantly and without an invite it's impossible to guess where they'll be next.]"That perfectly fit the Crowleys' MO."[Alright. Thanks.]" I handed him the remaining money, then turned around to leave.Something pinged in my sensors, though it was too small to be accurately detected."Leave the city. Blackwall." A voice spoke from behind me in perfect English.I couldn't take a step before a sudden blow hit me right in the neck. Strong enough to shatter bone. A human neck would have snapped to the side.The sound of broken bones echoed in the hallway.Not mine.I jumped back and looked towards the attacker, my left hand reaching for them and grabbing them by the left arm.It was the kid.The same kid who I had just spoken to.His right arm lay limp by his side, broken. The one he had used to strike at me.Black veins stretched from beneath his shirt and covered every patch of visible skin. He was spasming in pain, blood pooling in his mouth. His eyes had lost the white and turned fully black, without pupils.The other guys behind him began spasming as well. I barely spotted a black thread slithering out of a pipe and piercing one of the kids' ankles. Black veins began to spread from that entry point.With unerring coordination they roared and leapt forward, clawing towards me. The concrete beneath cracked under the strength of their jumps, even their own bodies broke under the strain of this newfound strength. They were moving much much faster than should have been possible, even disregarding human limits. Even as I tried to jump back, they somehow kept up with my enhanced body. That alone would have put them on the high end of Brute ratings, at least offensively.I activated my speedware.The world slowed down to a crawl. Color drained all around.From my knuckles small arcs of electricity began to spread as I turned on the 'stun' setting.With my speedware active I managed to precisely strike at their necks, making sure to avoid fatal strikes. They couldn't react this time, faces going slack as electric shock spread from the point of impact and knocked them out.It wasn't enough.Their unconscious bodies didn't fall down. They kept attacking me. One of them just barely managed to grab onto my arm.His grip was iron-tight.I tried to strike him in the soft spots between the shoulder blades. A normal human would have instinctively let go of that, nerves numb, but the boy didn't. Instead he pulled himself forward and began headbutting me. Again. And again. And again.I felt panic rise within me. Not because I was in any danger, no. My subdermal armor was specialized against blunt forces, my systems barely registered the impacts of his forehead against mine… But the kid fared much worse.His skull caved in after the third attack. Then he kept on going. His brain splattered across my skin, but even as his gray matter dripped down to the ground he did not stop. I wrenched myself free from his grip - tearing off fingers in the process - and jumped back. The boy was dead, my sensors watched as his vital signs plummeted. His heart stopped.The corpse did not fall. He rushed me once again.A high number of pings began filling my interface.More people began to come out of their apartments, teeth locked into a snarl. Black veins spread all across their skin, painting their veins from inside. With unerring coordination they walked out and then broke into a mad dash towards me, their own limbs breaking under the speed of their movement.They surrounded me perfectly, there was no gap I could pass through without risking killing some of the controlled hostages.I overclocked my speedware. I needed a moment to think. More precisely, coming to terms with what I'd have to do to try and safeguard these people's lives.My next set of actions was measured. Precise. Unerring. My knuckles struck their kneecaps, crippling them. I tried to do the least possible amount of damage to immobilize them. But it would still take months to heal, if not years, if ever. Some of the puppeted attackers were elderly. They wouldn't be able to heal within their lifetime, so I tried my best to avoid them, but sometimes it wasn't possible.The moment I managed to find the smallest breathing room I turned my strikes against the nearest wall. A kick made the concrete shatter and explode outwards, creating a hole to the outside.Even with their legs broken, the puppets tried to crawl towards me. Trying to sink their teeth into my steel-clad skin.I jumped out of the building, trying to get as much distance as possible between me and the hostages. Maybe this way they would be let go.An eerie feeling overcame me. I glanced up.There, the frowning Blasphemy floated amidst the cloud. She curved her head to the side, waving hello.Was she here to gloat? No, that didn't make sense. The Three would've sent the smiling one if that were the case. This was their way of informing me. That this hadn't been caused by them… But the Master that controlled them.The puppeted people couldn't manage to follow me once I got into an open space. It didn't take long to disappear into the city, avoiding any cameras that could have spotted me. But no doubt there were eye witnesses at the scene.It seemed that whoever was behind the Pope and the Blasphemies wasn't fond of my presence here.