"So close to the birthplace of our religion… It feels almost holy, wouldn't you say, Blackwall?"Grayson gleefully chuckled as he re-established control over the conversation. Most of the other people in the room were not aware of their surroundings, nor would Grayson care if they were. The Fallen, especially the Crowleys, were not known for their subtlety.I kept looking at Charybdis beyond the door.The Brute 8/Shaker 9. Charybdis's power in concept was quite simple: he stored water. He could use that absorbed water to increase his body's density, to slowly regenerate wounds, or to simply release the water once again. For every liter of water he absorbed, he could make himself one kilogram heavier, without increasing volume.By carefully combining his abilities he was able to apply unprecedented compression on the water he absorbed, which when released shot out at ten times the pressure of industrial water cutters.Witnesses saw Charybdis just… walk into the ocean the moment after he triggered. And he didn't reappear until a month later.Conservative estimates put his storage at over two trillion liters of water."I could kill you before he wakes." I tried to cut through Grayson's bullshit."I don't think you could." Again, a transparent image of him overlapped his body for an instant. "Let's not put it to the test, though."I had no data on him, as he almost always avoided using his power in front of heroes, and Cauldron themselves did not have a clear idea of what he could do. I only knew that it had something to do with duplication.Even if his power could safeguard him, I was rather confident that I could take him out without much danger. Like the other Crowley siblings, Grayson's power was focused on duplicating, though I did not know what.The issue was Charybdis, sleeping butt naked in the other room. Even if I could escape the parahuman calamity, everyone else in this house - no, in the neighbourhood - would die.My sensors also alerted me to two other people, a man and a woman, in the room that were sober, both attentively listening to our conversation. I recognized their faces from Cauldron's files. Other parahumans. The first could create water-like blades that were extremely sharp, while the other could change direction of gravity in an enclosed space, like the room we were in. Both were a non-issue."You triggered from Leviathan too, I believe? I remember reading about it on PHO back then. The attack on Brockton Bay… Quite the incredible sight, that was. Valefor sent me a picture just the other day, the new lake is wonderful."The Fallen had arrived in Brockton Bay then. Right. I wanted to send Tattletale a message but I was reminded that Tinkers and Thinkers were on the lookout for me still."Why the silence? Did you come all this way from another continent just to stare at my face? Say something, Blackwall.""It is arrogant to think that I'm here because of you. You're an afterthought.""I may be, but is Charybdis?" Grayson leaned forward, pushing the women off his legs. "And who do you think he listens to now? It was hard, trying to convince him of his importance. Of his value. He's not yet convinced of his role in all of this, but he listens to me now."Metal groaned in my hand as I tightened my fist."He is just the first example of what the world will turn into, soon enough. Already more and more parahumans are born with abilities rivaling the Triumvirate, rivaling the blessed Endbringers. I don't think it is a coincidence that 'three' seems to be a recurring number amidst the powers of the world. By that logic, two more powers like Charybdis will soon rise. Or have already risen."It was just a statistical anomaly. 'Three', as a number, is simply the smallest 'random' number in the human mind. One is too small, and Two is too orderly."Stop speaking in propaganda and fanaticism. I know you don't believe all of that. You're not like your siblings, you've never even spared a real thought to religion. You're a cult leader, abusing the weak and the broken to gain authority and power.""If not me, there would be someone else. Besides, saying that while so close to Vatican City? How peculiar. Do you think that just because their god is not a parahuman they are not just like us?"Did he know about the Master behind the Pontiff? From his tone of voice it didn't seem like it.I took a sudden step towards him. He jerked back in response. So he did fear me…"Humans are flawed. Unhappy. They seek solace in anything they can find, because the alternative would be falling apart. I don't blame the glass for cracking and shattering. I don't blame humans for trying to find something to keep them afloat. But you? You abuse that. You take in the vulnerable and the gullible and then pump them full of drugs. You don't heal their wounds, you just cover them, so that if they ever dare betray you, all it takes is putting pressure on those cracks to break them apart."He grit his teeth, frowning. "That is what heroes do as well. They proudly display their morality and righteousness, thriving on the struggling parahuman that has no option aside from criminality." Grayson tried to argue back."And they too are wrong," My mind went to Cauldron, "but don't you dare compare yourself with people that are just trying to do the right thing." "Mh." Grayson huffed, annoyed. "I thought you would be more fun than this, given what the rumors said. The Nine must have gone easy on you."It spoke to his madness that he could mention the Nine so off-handedly. As though they were another group of villains. My arm - the one the Siberian had ripped off - itched."I've grown tired of entertaining you, Blackwall. Please leave, this party is still ongoing and you're a total moodkill. I'll be forced to call the authorities otherwise." He gestured for one of the people in the corner of the room. "What's the number here? 118? Pass me that phone wouldn't-"He froze.We both heard a groaning coming from the door beyond. Followed by heavy steps. Unnaturally heavy for a person.Charybdis came out of that room wearing only the lower half of a kimono. He was covered in scars, his body rather muscular.My sensors returned data that didn't match with his appearance: he was impossibly dense, easily ten times as much as the average human. I knew from his file that this was far from his limit.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it."[Who's the pale lady?]" He asked with a very strict north-italian accent."[Someone, uhm, from back home.]" Grayson tried to answer in broken Italian, getting his meaning across.Charybdis took a step towards Grayson. The flooring creaked underneath his weight. Some of the tripping partygoers felt the danger and moved aside."[Help or trouble?]" Charybdis asked, glaring at me. His expression was bored, disinterested. Grayson couldn't fully understand the question, so he turned to one of his people to try and ask for a translation."[Trouble]." I answered in perfect Italian."[Mh]." He chuckled. "[I don't mind trouble. Are you here for him or me?]""[Both. Neither. I just want to make sure you don't mess with my important business, Charybdis.]" He frowned when I mentioned his cape name."[It's Cariddi. Not your British bastardization of the name. And there is no such thing as your business while you're on my peninsula. I'll get involved if I want to. Or not. I've yet to decide.]" He took a step towards me, glancing more closely at my face. "[Your face is familiar. I've seen it on tv… You're the cape that killed all those people in the Serpentone.]"Grayson was struggling to keep up with the conversation. He was gritting his teeth, clearly annoyed that his blessed one had decided to pay more attention to me than him."[Within a week I've been visited twice by strangers. One asks me for help, and the other asks me to stay out of it. It's not a coincidence, is it?]"I narrowed my eyes. Had the Master also come? Likely one of his puppets. This confirmed that they knew about Grayson and Cariddi. We were very far from Rome though… Was the Master's range so wide, or had he recruited help?"[Who was it?]" I tentatively asked."[That's not how it works. You don't ask questions. You beg for answers.]"Cariddi took another step towards me. His eyes were brown, but there was the slightest hint of blue when looked at the right angle. A side-effect of his power?"[Who was it?]" I asked again, firm in my stance. He scoffed at my question, but this time deigned to answer:"[I don't know who. Once, they were connected to the bald man, but now he is locked up in your parahuman prison.]"The bald man… Teacher. "[I'll tell you what I told them: get me Julius and I'll be on your side. I don't care about anything else. I just want to crush his fucking bronze skull… And don't you dare kill him before that. He's mine to torture. Give him to me I'll gracefully stand by you when the time comes.]"Grayson tried to interject."[Wait, Lord Cariddi. She's not-]""[Shut up. I'm still tired. Turn off that fucking music and send these people home. And you…]"[You fuck right off.]" Cariddi clapped his hands and let out a loud shockwave. Everyone on the floor and on the couches startled awake. The sound echoed all across the neighbourhood.He turned and went back into his bedroom, closing the door behind. Grayson only dared glance back up when he heard the door closing.When Grayson looked in my direction, I was already gone.
■
"It's no use, I can't get through." Weaver spoke, close to the window. Outside the glass we could see Vatican City not too far in the distance."Try the drill." It would make a lot of noise, but every other option had failed."...no. Doesn't work. It doesn't even leave a scratch. Whatever this metal is, it's tougher than anything you've ever shown me. I have to pull the centipede out, there's people who heard the drill.""It's fine. I doubt we would have been able to make any progress anyway." I sighed, glancing down at the map of the Vatican City underground.It was a mess of tunnels and catacombs. Escape routes, tombs of past popes and cardinals, hidden vaults full of rotten scrolls and relics.Until, at the very center, and placed right beneath the Pontiff's office, was a large section completely sealed off by a wall of black metal. It surrounded that section of the underground in every direction, and the metal had resisted anything Weaver had thrown at it. It was clearly parahuman in nature. Maybe tinkertech, but it didn't feel right. It was perfectly smooth, lacking ridges or tiles. "We've exhausted our leads. I don't know what else we can do in the city as of now…""You proposed trying to convince Julius to join us. Have you made any progress regarding that?"Weaver shook her head."He's very paranoid. I don't think I can convince him without risking being turned into a bronze statue and getting captured.""Continue to keep an eye on him. We must make sure that the Master does not get Cariddi's help." Already the Blasphemies were going to be a mighty opponent. I doubted I could take care of them plus Cariddi if it came down to it."Maybe we pull back? Wait for the heat regarding your 'crime' to die down. So that we can get more help from Cauldron.""That's not an option. We've discussed it already.""...I agree. But it was worth bringing up. The next Endbringer attack should arrive before the end of the month. Every day that passes we're pushing our luck."Weaver was right, of course. We could not afford to just patiently investigate the situation and find out who the Master was. I needed to deal with the Blasphemies before the time was up."Alright. One last attempt." I decided, standing up. "Door me."I walked through the dimensional portal and into my armory. Weaver followed.My side of the armory was rather small. There were only four items: the new thermal katana, a gun and two improved floating javelins. Hidden there was also my secret weapon, a knife that was camouflaged among the scrap weapons. I took it out and hid it in a pocket within my abdomen implants, secure from prying eyes.I connected to the two javelins, engaging the Shatterbird's engine within them and running diagnostics. Meanwhile I also sheathed the katana and holstered the new gun."I will act as bait to bring out the heroes. So that I can better analyze their behaviour and powers to find out which of them are connected to the Master.""And if you don't find anything?" Weaver asked, dreading the answer.I did not respond.If I did not find anything, then I would have to consider drastic measures.