Interlude 1.a
Author's Note(SPOILER): I'd like to clarify why Coil didn't just cancel the timeline where he got exposed and tried another time. You see, Coil's power actually makes two simulations about two different choices according to the information it has, it already knows which simulation Coil will choose so it lets him live through the one he would have chosen while drip-feeding him what would have happened in the other simulation at the same time. So he gets the illusion that he's actually simultaneously living in two timelines.
But Amel was suddenly able to reflect the Shard's scans, which meant that the simulations weren't really that accurate. Coil had chosen the simulation where the Merchants were able to occupy Accelerator long enough for his men to silently kidnap Dinah and get away, but when he actually lived through that choice the Merchants got captured along with his men and Dinah was free, so he got fucked up.
Coil was actually lucky/unlucky this sort of interaction never happened to him before, someone like Mantellum would have given him a bigger headache.
The bank robbery happened a day earlier than canon by the way, Butterfy Effect and all that.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
--Armsmaster--
[April 13th 2011 ; 07:41 AM]
'Today was an absolute disaster' Armsmaster thought while watching Accelerator close the door behind him.
Today was a disaster, but at least it had some useful results.
The Merchants were captured, a Thinker child was saved, and a huge infiltration within the PRT was uncovered.
"Armsmaster, upgrade Accelerator's Brute/Breaker rating to 9, his Shaker to 5, and add a 2 Trump/Stranger, we can use his actions today to scare off whoever will try to fill up the Merchant spot." And the Trump/Stranger due to his immunity to Thinker effects.
He had already made a note of that through his helmet. "Understood." he nods.
The Director presses a button on her computer. "Yes Ma'am?" Quickly answers the assistant. "Get me Renick and the PR team here right now, tell them to hurry."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She turns to me. "We need to keep this hush-hush, if it goes out that the PRT was infiltrated so deeply by a Parahuman..." She doesn't finish the sentence, its implications clear.
They say that the PR in PRT is for Public Relations, and they may as well be right. Throughout his career in the Protectorate, Armsmaster was deeply aware that its reputation plays a bigger role in safekeeping a society than the direct consequences of catching a villain and capturing him.
A city with a powerful team of heroes and a competent branch of the PRT plays a lot in the deeper dynamics of a city's being, which means that more businesses are willing to invest, and a newly triggered parahuman would more likely choose to join the side of the angels rather than commit crime, and most importantly that people could go out of their homes and feel safe in their own neighborhood.
New York is a big example of this phenomenon, the hero to villain ratio is almost equal to Brockton Bay's, and even despite the presence of Legend the villains are resourceful/dangerous enough to actually contend with the local Protectorate, but because of the local heroes' reputation the citizens are able to live particularly average lives.
In Brockton Bay, the people are already losing hope in the local heroes, and the lack of external support doesn't help things. The local situation is a powder keg waiting to explode, and it is only the relative strength of the local heroes that is able to barely hold the status quo.
But if it gets publicized that the PRT was infiltrated to such a degree, it would spell doom for the city, the Director would certainly have to resign, the wards transferred, and the Gangs would be able to use the commotion in order to expand their territories and ruin things even further.
"I will leave you to your measures, ma'am, I will have to plug any possible breaches in our system as soon as possible, we cannot rule out the suspect's infiltration of our digital data." It would be more efficient to do so.
"You do that." She dismisses him.
He remotely adjusts the orexin receptor antagonism factor in his Coffee machine before getting to his lab, preparing for another sleepless night.
Time slips away quickly as he gets to work.
"Armsmaster." A female voice can be heard from his monitor.
"Dragon." He responds.
"I have received a general overview from the Director. This is a grave matter."
He nods. "I have made a general search through our database, there are no signs to any electronic infiltration, the PRT van at the scene had legitimate -albeit fake- accessories, license plates, licenses, the works, everything is as legit as can be." He takes a sip from his coffee. "I also analysed the money trail, the car and equipement were legitemately registered within our database, although they were scheduled for repairs."
It was normal for PRT equipement to be subjected to several repairs in a period as short as a month, the nature of the job -especially in BB- dictates that.
"The algorithm shows no signs of overt Master/Stranger influence, neither does any signs of Thinker affection." He scratches his beard. "All signs point to someone capable of being meticulous enough to make no mistakes, or some sort of Thinker power that allows them to commit acts without any. All characterestics common with Coil's operations."
"Armsmaster, I may have found something." Echoes Dragon.
He turns to the screen, showing records of several entries into the database, there was no electronic sabotage and the times of entry didn't follow any particular pattern. Armsmaster would have dismissed it as nothing, but if Dragon said there was something, then there is.
"I cross referenced employees entry into the database with camera footage available in the database, for some reason, all entries were made from computers either in hidden zones of the camera's sight, or where camera surveillance wasn't allowed. Until I found this."
Another screen lights up, showing footage of a nondescript man entering a diner.
"That is Agent James." He comments.
"Yes, he was clearly going on an unauthorised lunch break, but according to the log in records, he was using the database to look into emails."
Armsmaster hums. "Did you check the emails."
"Yes, whoever did this didn't check anything flagged, but there was a noticeable concentration on messages from higher ranked employees."
She showcased the emails, Collin noticed they were mostly non assuming matters, requests for forms, unscheduled missions, fammilial statements, nothing shocking.
"So someone was capable of figuring out our agent's password, and that same person finds unimportant information like this significant. Those are signs for a Thinker."
"Whoever it is, if they are not our moles, then they could be working with or for him."
Collin didn't know who the mole is, but he was pretty sure Coil was a part of it, the mercenaries, the covert operations, the spies, it was all that guys MO. But he never showed signs of this kind of information gathering powerset before.
"Dragon, are there any historical anecdote of Thinkers working together?"
"Yes, but they are quite rare. Most notoriously is Teacher's pets, but that was due to Teacher's powerset. Thinkers usually have the habit of trying to prove they're the smartest, so they don't usually mesh well. In most cases either for one of them has a secondary Thinker power, a group trigger, or..."
"One is doing so either unknowingly or by force."
Dragon's silence was enough of an assent.
Armsmaster abruptly stood up.
"I need to see the Director, I don't know who the mole is, but I think I may have a string to pull."
The mechanical sound of the automatic door hisses behind him.
"We need to see our wannabe spy."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
--Taylor Hebert--
[April 13th 2011 ; 08:23 AM]
Today was such a quagmire when Taylor received the message from Lisa, she had asked Accelerator for advice, but the man was probably too busy to answer a teenager's questions at all times.
She did some research on his civilian identity, he was some sort of prodigy, Leviathan orphan at 14, graduated high school at 15, and has two PhDs at 22, there is no way a guy like that has time for me.
So she took matters into her own hands, she met up with the Undersiders, they gave her money and asked her to join.
When she read Mr. Amel's message later on it occurred to her that the initial money was meant to butter her up, especially since they didn't call him too.
But she joined because she was a hero, she hoped that she could gather enough information about them so that the PRT could catch them once and for all. But she didn't expect them to be so... human.
Lisa was a bitch, but she looked out for others, Brian was an honorable man, and he was only into this so that he could help his sister. Alec was an actual asshole, but he grew on you like a fungus. And Rachel is just misunderstood, and only wants to be with her dogs.
In a deep part of her heart, she was definitely missing interaction with people her age. But she was on a mission, she'll gather information, let the PRT catch them, and with the reputation, she'll be able to join the Wards on her own terms.
The fact that the Undersiders have a Boss is something that no one knows, she bets Armsmaster will be surprised to know that!
To be honest, the Protectorate leader was a prick, she called him and talked about the situation, but he didn't appreciate my efforts and told me to join the Wards.
Just wait.
Today was pretty stressful too, she couldn't believe she robbed a bank, it went without a hitch, and only the Wards came, she hoped she didn't hurt any of them.
She was on the family computer, finally reconnecting in PHO, so she thought she'd tell Accelerator about this, only to find that he messaged her just recently.
She clicked on the chatbox.
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): wtf Weaver.
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): I heard from armsmster.
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): did you know that the bank robbery was a diversion?
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): whoever paid u to rob the bank tried to kidnap a 12 y/o girl
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): u should get out of this fast, bcz the Undersiders are suspects as accessories to the crime
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): It's not too late to ditch them
[08:19 AM]►Book_Owl: whut are u talking about?
[08:19 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): someone tried to kidnap the mayor's niece while u were robbing the bank
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): PRT think some thinker set it up
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): and that the undersiders were involved
[08:20 AM]►Book_Owl: i knew the Undersiders had a boss but i didnt know abt the kidnapping
[08:20 AM]►Book_Owl: i dont think the others knew either
[08:20 AM]►Book_Owl: they just get paid to do stuff no one knows who the boss is
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): (...)
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): they have a boss?
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): (...)
[08:20 AM]►Accelerator(Verified Cape): tell me everything