A Darker Path Pt 4 (Patreon)

Part Four: Spreading the Word

[A/N 1: this chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]

[A/N 2: I made use of the PHO Interlude Wizard to make the PHO segment. I hope you enjoy.]

[A/N 3: Many of the names and comments in the PHO segment have been adapted from users and comments in the SB thread, while others are from canon PHO users.]

[A/N 4: I know, I know, a PHO segment without Void Cowboy making an insensitive comment and being banned for it? Has the universe gone crazy?]

Undersiders Base

January 4, 2011

6:03 AM

Tattletale

Lisa had chosen her ringtone, once upon a time, to be able to get her attention at any time or in any place. It had saved her bacon, metaphorically speaking, on more than one occasion. But now, after she'd been up until three in the morning doing a deep-dive into everything she could locate about the Ruby Dreams casino, it felt like broken glass scraping on the inside of her soul.

I swear, once I wake up, I'm going to murder someone. With their own phone.

But plans of mayhem aside, she had to answer the damn thing. So she fumbled across her nightstand until she located the musically buzzing demonic device. By way of sheer muscle memory, she flicked her thumb across the screen, then held it to her ear. "H'lo?"

"Tattletale." It was Coil, of course. Very few other people she knew would be calling her at this insane hour, and in any case she lived with three of them. "Wake up."

Wedging one eye open, she peered blearily toward the window. Only the slightest glimmer of gray light crept around the curtains she had hanging there; she estimated that sunrise was still an hour away. "'S not even daylight yet," she mumbled. "C'n it wait 'til noon?"

"No. It cannot. This is a priority tasking, Tattletale." His voice was crisp and commanding. "Get up, now. Make coffee. I need your head clear for this."

"Why?" she hated the whining tone in her voice, but she'd been asleep, damn it! Sometimes, a whine was earned. "'S it En'bringers?" She hoped it wasn't, and anyway, she couldn't hear sirens.

"This is important." She could hear him gritting his teeth. "I need a threat assessment performed immediately. Once it's done, you can go back to bed."

She still didn't see why he couldn't wait until midday, but if she pushed back too hard, he was likely to send a couple of mercenaries to yank her out of bed, shove her under an icy shower, and pour coffee down her throat until she was lucid. Or at least, that was what her power was telling her. Which would be a first; revealing to Brian and the others who their secret boss was would be a huge step.

All of a sudden, she decided that she wanted to see what had his tights in a twist. "'Kay, 'm gettin' up."

Half-falling out of bed, she stumbled from her bedroom to the kitchenette where she set the coffee machine going. Leaving her phone on the counter—Coil could listen to the machine gurgling, for all of her—she went back to the bathroom and shocked herself partially awake with a quick medium-chilly shower. By the time she was done and dressed, the coffee machine was ready to go, and she poured herself a fresh cup.

The first jolt of caffeine served to clear her head almost completely, and she took the cup and her phone over to the sofa where she kept her laptop. It wasn't much of a guess that she was going to need it, so she hit the power button as she leaned back and took another mouthful of chemical wakefulness. "Okay, I guess I'm awake now. Hit me."

"Good." He still didn't sound happy. "Go to the PHO boards, the new capes section. Look for Atropos. I need you to do a threat assessment. Call me back with your results." He ended the call without further ado.

"Okay, okay," she muttered, dropping the phone beside her and sipping her coffee as the laptop booted up. It seemed as reluctant to wake up as she had been, and she briefly sympathised.

Soon enough, it was up and running, and she clicked on the PHO tab she kept at the top of the screen. Navigating according to Coil's instructions, she found the thread he was referring to and began to read.

<><>

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♦ Topic: Hi there!

In: Boards ► Brockton Bay ► New Capes

Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Posted On Jan 3rd 2011:

Good evening, Brockton Bay.

I'm a new cape on the scene, but that doesn't mean I'm new to the city. And as anyone who knows the place will admit, it's a shithole.

Who's to blame for this, you ask? Well, that's easy. The gangs. It's literally in their best interests to keep the cops looking the other way and the heroes chasing the small fish so the big fish can keep shitting in the water all day long.

Well, I'm done with accepting that. So, here's what I've got to say. The gangs are no longer welcome in Brockton Bay. It's time for you to leave. The door's thataway.

I am specifically calling out the Empire Eighty-Eight, the Azn Bad Boys, Coil's crew and fuck it, the Merchants, because they sell drugs to schoolkids and that isn't cool either. The other gangs in the city, I do know who you are but you're not on my list yet. You'll keep.

So, the leaders of those gangs I just named: Kaiser, Lung, Coil, Skidmark. You have twenty-four hours to either a) leave town for good or b) surrender to the PRT. In twenty-four hours from midnight tonight, if you haven't all done this, I'm going to kill one of you that hasn't. Just one.

Then I'll start the clock again.

TL: DR – Kaiser, Lung, Coil, Skidmark. GTFO or die.

Oh, and Lung? Yeah, that was me.

Your move.

Atropos

(Showing page 1 of 10)

►Mr Unhappy Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Well, that was unhinged.

►Gritty Morty

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Fir--dammit!Well, this looks interesting.

►LightFromTheShadows

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Yeah. Interesting. Will watch from a distance.

►Ring Island

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

And after that, what? Teatime with Alexandria?

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

If she asks politely.

►BirdsEye

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@Atropos ... if you can kill anything, how about killing all conflict on earth?

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

I could try, but I'm pretty sure I'd die of old age first.

►Hades82

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Seconding (thirding?) interest.We've got a live one here, folks.

►TheSkinnyBlueGuy

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Look upon the field where I grow my Fucks and behold for it is barren!... what? That's the vibe I'm getting.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(Showing page 2 of 10)

►GleamingGlare

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Oh, boy.Because you know, villain capes NEVER escalate.

►UnconcernedFox

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

*gets out the comfy chair and the popcorn*

►BirdsEye

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay then, could you kill bigotry? Racism? The idea of theft?Betrayal? Torture? Falsehood?

►SkyWalkerJA

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

I'm thinking the answer would be "would die of old age first".because, you know, those things are pretty entrenched

►JediMedic

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@TheSkinnyBlueGuy - That's the exact thing I was thinking when I read OP post.

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@TheSkinnyBlueGuy - that's kinda my jam now, yeah.

@SkyWalkerJA - Essentially, yes. I could kill that sort of thing in one person, right in front of me, but everyone everywhere? Way too tedious.

@GleamingGlare - and then I'll just have to cut a bitch.

►BigRedSharpie (Moderator)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay, I'm done. This has gone on long enough. Thread is locked. Atropos, you just bought yourself a ticket to Ban-town.Maybe next time don't be so Edgy McEdgelord, hmm?

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Meh, Ban-town was boring. I'm back.

►UnconcernedFox

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Hahahha*munches popcorn*

►GleamingGlare

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

wut

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(Showing page 3 of 10)

►BirdsEye

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Did you just ... did you just kill a threadban AND a threadlock?

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Well, duh.What part of 'can actually kill anything' did you not get the first time?

►SkyWalkerJA

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay, I've got to ask. How did you add all the extra tags?

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Killed the blocks preventing me from getting them. How else?

►BigRedSharpie (Moderator)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

I said, this thread is locked.

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

And I said it's not.Sorry, Sharpie. No hard feelings? I just wanna chat with my fans.

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay, if this is how it's going down ...

@Atropos - is it true you killed Oni Lee earlier tonight? Because there's a strong rumor that it was a new Death-themed cape, and your note for Lung above ...

►LotusBlade

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Lung's rage is mighty

Atropos will die to flame

So vows the dragon.

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@LotusBlade - Yeah, yeah, get him to come talk to me himself.

@Bagrat - Wow, the Guy in the Know asking ME about stuff? I am honored, and I mean that totally unironically. yeah, that was me. Had to establish my credentials, y'know?

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Just to put all speculation to rest, yes, Oni Lee was approached by an unidentified person earlier tonight. That person disabled Lee's companion ABB members, then attacked Lee himself. In the ensuing melee, the suspect apparently took Lee's gun and shot him with it. The suspect was reportedly unharmed in the fight.

When last seen, the suspect was wearing a black long-coat, a broad-brimmed hat, a black morph mask, and otherwise dark clothing. They may have armed themselves with Oni Lee's personal weapons.

Personal description: tall, slender, long dark hair.

If you encounter anyone matching this description, do NOT approach. Treat as armed and dangerous, and notify the PRT immediately.

@Atropos - If you hand yourself over to the PRT now, we can avoid any more bloodshed, and I do include you in that. You have no idea of the amount of danger you're in right now, from handing out a reckless challenge like that. If you want to fight crime, that's not the way to do it. We prefer live heroes to dead vigilantes.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(Showing page 4 of 10)

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Aww, you almost sound like you actually care.

Hard pass, sorry. I've got a job to do, and Oni Lee was just the start.

Appreciate the offer, though.

►PureBlood01011000 (Temp-Banned)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

I don't care what you do with Lung or the other idiots, but if you come near Kaiser, I hope you like having metal spikes in your everywhere.

►BigRedSharpie (Moderator)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay, I can't lock this thread and I can't ban Atropos, but I can definitely ban other people. Let's tone down the ITG stuff, okay? As soon as someone with more pull than me gets online, this thread WILL be locked down, and everyone's posts will be examined to see if further actions need to be taken.

Just calm your frontal lobes, people.

►Wherewolf

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

So, uh ... I'm guessing the PRT is going to be going after Atropos now, and not the villains they're targeting? Because somehow Atropos is the bad guy now?

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

There are no capes in Brockton Bay with a kill order on their heads. Everyone deserves due process and their day in court.

►RaRaRa

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Well, that escalated quickly.

►SecretlyAJetFighter

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Dayumn. That mic drop just went *subterranean*.

►BeginningToEnd

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Welp, naming yourself after the Greek personification of Fate and Death.

Nope, not pretentious at all.

►dranasty

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Okay, heroes and PRT going after Atropos, I get that. Murder is a crime.

But seriously wow, how many people have the gangs killed, and they're not anywhere near the priority that Atropos is going to end up on, and for what reason? Because status quo is king?

►AuthorBug

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@BeginningToEnd - Oni Lee might argue that point. Taking him and his flunkies out with no injuries? That takes more than luck. Just saying.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(Showing page 5 of 10)

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@BeginningToEnd - oh yeah, I know it's edgy. But hey, I gotta go with what works.

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@dranasty - it's more to do with the fact that if some of the gangs decide that Atropos is a false-flag operation designed to bring the opposition down in secret, we'll have all-out war in this town. And there's nowhere near enough heroes in BB to contain something like that.

►dranasty

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

@Reave - so, status quo. Got it.

►Atropos (Original Poster) (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me)

Replied On Jan 3rd 2011:

Hahaha false flag? Is that what they're saying?

Nope. They're all going down or leaving town. One or the other. I don't care which.

Anyway, signing off. See you lovely people in the morning.

And remember: twenty-four hours.

Mwahahaha.

<><>

Tattletale

By the time she finished, the coffee cup was empty, but that was okay. Lisa was awake. She was definitely awake. Almost gingerly, as though she expected the name on the screen to jump out and bite her, she scrolled upward and read through the thread again, up to the point where Atropos had left the chat.

"Jeeesus H. Christ on a Tinkertech pogo stick," she muttered, putting the cup down on the sofa arm without looking. Chills were chasing each other up and down her spine, each one sparked by one of Atropos' seemingly off-hand comments.

Some people could shout threats all day and not be intimidating. Others merely had to whisper. With Atropos, all she had to do was put words on a computer screen to scare the absolute shit out of Lisa.

'The other gangs in the city, I do know who you are but you're not on my list yet. You'll keep.'

That those words were aimed at her and the rest of the Undersiders, she had zero doubt whatsoever. Someone who had the sheer planetary-scale neutronium testicular fortitude to kill Oni Lee and call out Lung (as well as Kaiser, Coil and Skidmark) on the same night was absolutely not someone she wanted to cross. Especially since her personal assessment was that Atropos (signs pointed to her being a girl) was actually capable of carrying out the threat.

It wasn't much of a comfort that they weren't on Atropos' list. She knew for a fact that the word 'yet' had been included deliberately. Once Atropos had finished dealing with the current big names in the city, then the list would be updated. And if the terrifying intent embodied in the initial greeting stayed the same (she had no reason to think it would change) then the Undersiders would be facing a stark choice, made none the easier for Coil being dead or elsewhere. Leave the city, surrender, or die.

Drawing a deep breath, she picked up her phone. The call went through with just one ring sounding in her ear. "Yes?"

For a moment, she was tempted to tweak him by drawing it out, then she mentally shook her head. "My assessment is 'yes'. Atropos is totally capable of doing whatever she says she can do. She intends to kill Lung, Kaiser, you and Skidmark. Barring unusual interference, she'll succeed." By 'unusual interference', she meant 'power shenanigans', and they both knew it.

"Even inside my base, with my mercenaries on high alert?" He sounded more on edge than normal, which wasn't altogether surprising. "How is she even going to find me?"

"I don't know. Maybe she can't." Lisa rubbed her forehead. A tiny headache was starting to grow, expanding each time she attempted to analyse Atropos' actual capabilities and weaknesses. "But every time I ask myself, 'can she kill everyone on the list?', my best answer is 'Yes'."

"Can you tell me who she'll be going after first, at least?" She didn't have to even wonder why he was asking that. If her power's analysis was correct, Atropos' initial target had less than eighteen hours to live.

Leaning back against the sofa cushions, Lisa closed her eyes. "Nobody's going to be leaving town or surrendering to the PRT … unless you are?" Scornful silence greeted her sally. "Right, right. Silly of me. She won't be hitting Skidmark first. You aren't a hugely obvious target, so it's likely to be Kaiser or Lung. And she's already hit the ABB once."

"So you're saying she'll probably go after Kaiser first." He was clearly doing his best to sound calm and collected, but she could hear the tension behind his voice. "How much faith do you have in that assessment?"

"A lot less than I have in knowing that she's dangerous as fuck, and that I don't want to be in the same town as her if she's pissed at me," Lisa answered honestly. "Every time I try to venture a guess at her exact motivations or capabilities, I get back a vague answer plus a headache. As best I can tell, she's running a mild ongoing anti-Thinker effect. It's really irritating."

<><>

Coil

Yes. Yes, it is.

"Understood. If anything changes, let me know." Thomas Calvert ended the call and dropped the phone on his desk. Resting his elbows on his desk, he laced his fingers together and pressed his thumbs to his temples. Then he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

What do I do? There existed the outside possibility that his Tattletale was trying to panic him and stampede him from the city. But therein lay a dilemma. If it was just her playing her irritating little mind games, he could devote his full power (and all his men) to tracking her down and bringing her to heel. However, that would leave zero resources free for staying under the radar from Atropos.

Atropos killed Oni Lee. Thomas could not afford to ignore that fact. As such, he considered it only prudent to keep himself safe and secure, leaving Tattletale until after Atropos had been dealt with. While there was a two-in-three chance that he was not the assassin's current target (he agreed with Tattletale's assessment that Skidmark was more of an afterthought than a serious contender) he still considered a thirty-three percent chance of death to be unacceptably high.

Opening his eyes again, he looked once more at the email displayed on his work laptop. Not only had they sent it out to all ranking PRT officers, but they'd also contacted each off-duty officer via phone to alert them to its presence and to inform them that they were now on duty. The phone calls had started going out at just before six in the morning, going by rank and alphabetical order; he supposed he should consider himself lucky that his surname began with C.

It could be worse. The post did say midnight. By midnight, I'll be tucked away in absolute security and absolute obscurity. His house in the suburbs had a state-of-the-art alarm system, and his bunker under the city held fifty well-armed mercenaries, each one as loyal as money could buy.

In the best case, Atropos would take out Lung or Kaiser before she was inevitably killed. Either way, he would benefit.

I always win.

<><>

Kaiser

Max Anders rose a little after seven and enjoyed a moderate workout in his home gymnasium, followed by a stinging-hot shower and a healthy breakfast. He ate looking out toward the Bay from the patio of his three-storey house on the slopes of Captain's Hill; by half-past eight, he was finished and ready to go to work. With a nod to his butler—the less well-off could scoff, but having someone to anticipate one's needs could be invaluable at times—he dressed in the immaculate suit that had been laid out for him and descended in the elevator to the six-car garage.

As he settled into the genuine leather seat of his preferred town car, the driver pressed the button on the dash and the garage door motored open. He took up the morning copy of the Financial Times from the seat beside him and prepared to see how his stocks had performed overnight. But just as the car exited the garage, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

With a slight frown on his face—the caller ID indicated an Empire 88 call, rather than one for business—he pressed the button that raised the soundproof barrier between himself and his driver. While his personal employees were selected for their views, none of them knew of his connection to the Empire. What they didn't know, they couldn't talk about, even by accident.

"Yes?"

"There's a potential problem." Krieg was normally as unflappable as a man could get. Right now, however, he sounded a little stressed. "A cape showed up last night, killed Oni Lee in public, then announced on PHO that they're going after the gangs. Specifically; you, Lung, Coil and Skidmark."

"That can't be right. How did they kill Oni Lee?" God knew the Empire had tried enough times over the last few years.

"He was shot in the face with his own gun at a range of six feet. Our current theory is combat precog. The cape's name is Atropos."

"Well, damn." Whoever had pulled that little stunt off had done very well indeed. 'Atropos'—the member of the Fates who cut the thread and ended the life of mortals—was a good name for someone who could manage that. Then the rest of what Krieg had said caught up with him. "What do you mean, they're coming after me personally?" That was never good news; even the most inept of assassins could get lucky, eventually.

"I'm emailing you the link to the PHO thread. It's all the information we have, right there."

"Okay, thanks." Max ended the call. Pressing the intercom, he spoke to the driver. "I've just received word of a potential threat. Move our posture to high security."

Through the glass, he saw the driver nod. "Yes, sir."

With the high security protocols, the window glass darkened until it was impossible to see in, and three other town cars would be exiting garages within the next few minutes. Each one identical to the one he was currently riding in, they would all take different routes to the Medhall building, where the secure undercover parking lot would be waiting for them. It was so nice to have money to throw at problems like this.

The initial precautions taken care of, he opened the email that had just dropped into his phone. From there he went into the PHO thread and began reading.

A problem, he decided after he'd finished. But not an insurmountable one. Either Lung will get Atropos, or my security will. And if they don't, I will.

Everything was, as always, under control.

<><>

Taylor

I was in the middle of eating breakfast when Kaiser popped into my awareness. He was aware of me and my challenge, just as Coil was. Lung had, of course, been aware since last night; his seething rage had barely abated since then. About the only one who hadn't heard about it was Skidmark. In fact, none of the Merchants had.

That didn't matter.

They had three days to learn about it.

In the meantime, Kaiser, Lung and Coil awaited my attention; not necessarily in that order.

Eeny, meeny, miney moe …

Part 5