Worm: Escalation IC
--Emily Piggot--Director Emily Piggot was many things.
A wary soul, armed with a cautiousness that bordered on flat out paranoia. It was something she honed, like a fine blade, and she was not afraid to admit it to the parahumans under her command. She was stubborn in her beliefs, unyielding in her duties to protect the unpowered from the bullies and monsters who inhabit the world. But above all, she prided herself in her patience, the ability to sit back and know when to strike against the gangsters in her city.
Her self awareness was nothing to scoff at either. She was aware of her flaws. Her days as an active field agent were long gone, and she’d lost the muscle and stamina required of a foot soldier, leaving her frumpy and obese. Decades worth of fighting and disappointments in a world gone mad marred her face with stress lines, leaving her with a severe expression permanently stapled to her brow. It was this self awareness and patience that let her deal with the system she worked in, but she knew she was getting to her wits end.
“Three additional heroes.” Emily said through grit teeth, “The city with the highest parahuman crime in the nation and all they can send is three.”
Miss Militia kept her silence. The fact that the villains outnumbered the heroes wasn’t just a Brockton Bay thing, it was a worldwide issue. But in the entirety of the United States, most cities merely outnumbered the heroes two to one. In Brockton Bay, they were outnumbered three to one. Those facts were left unsaid. If there was anyone in Brockton Bay who needed to be reminded of that, it sure as hell wasn’t Emily Piggot.
“There is a silver lining to this though.” Miss Militia started, closing the folders containing the profiles of the new heroes, “Another Tinker would be a blessing to the city. I’m sure Armsmaster is ecstatic, in his own particular way.”
Emily Piggot snorted, but let her continue.
“Our offensive options are broadened as well. With Black Star, we can actually have a Shaker on the field without pulling Vista out from the Wards.”
That was a good thing, Emily had to admit. The PRT had taken a massive PR hit when news came out that the Empire’s heavy hitter, Hookwolf, had impaled Vista through the chest. The girl recovered relatively easily, showing a maturity beyond her years during a press conference meant to appease the public. Yes, the Director decided, it was yet another reason to shield the thirteen year old girl from the gang violence.
“As for Guardian Sentinel…” Miss Militia’s expression was a pained one, and it wasn’t hard to figure out the reason why. The two of them shared a major similarity; the use of firearms. However, as the longest serving hero in the nation, Miss Militia had an abundance of good will from the public, showing a willingness to use rubber bullets and other non-lethal options whenever possible. She was proud to admit that she never killed anyone using live ammunition. But the same couldn’t be said for Guardian Sentinel.
Emily huffed, “If she steps out of line, she’ll be dealt with, quickly and quietly. The city needs heroes, but what we don’t need is yet another wannabe vigilante trying to escalate things and add fuel to a fire that we barely have under control.”
There was indeed a fine balance in the city, one that was already being shaken up by the hero's arrival. Miss Militia couldn’t imagine that the Empire would step any more cautiously, but she could see the Azn Bad Boys getting a little...peckish. Their lack of numbers of capes was always a concern to them. If word got out that law enforcement was getting reinforcements, it might push them to be more aggressive in their recruiting. And frankly, they were already plenty aggressive.
“We’re all agreed on that front.” Miss Militia said grimly, “Armsmaster will have eyes on her as much as possible. In fact, he was the first to bring up these issues to the Chief Director. He objected the second he saw the dossier, but the fact of the matter is--”
“--is that we need more bodies on the streets.” Emily scowled, “Speaking of Armsmaster, where is he? He should be here as well.”
“He’s briefing the newcomers. He’s being a control freak again, he feels like she should personally be in charge of the welcoming committee, especially with a group as eclectic as this one.” The corners of Miss Militia’s eyes crinkled, unheard laughter echoing through them.
“Good initiative. You can go ahead and rejoin them, I have some paperwork to take care of, and some thanks to send off to the Directors of other cities for finally helping us out.”
Miss Militia nodded and promptly left the room, shuffling the dossiers in her hands as she quietly shut the door to Emily’s office. Emily leaned back in her chair for a moment, sighing. It rankled, having to depend on the Chief Director to relocate outsiders to Brockton Bay to help. Even with the help of independent hero teams, like New Wave, the PRT were overwhelmed. Perhaps the injection of fresh blood would be enough to turn things around.
Emily could only hope.
---Armsmaster---
“...and with that, you all have been brought up to speed about the conditions surrounding the city. Our patrol routes have been updated accordingly, allowing us some level of aggression into known gangland territory.” Armsmaster finished, shutting down his wrist mounted projector.
Colin Wallis, otherwise known as Armsmaster, was dressed in his Tinker power armor. He knew he cut an imposing figure. It was among a list of primary factors to account for during the creation of his suit. It was a deep midnight blue, with silver highlights accentuating his breastplate, legs, and arms. His helmet had a visor that covered his eyes but left the lower part of his face exposed, revealing a neatly trimmed beard. With his trusty Halberd strapped to his back, he looked every bit the leader Director Emily and the public expected him to be.
“Now, we aren’t expecting you all to begin patrols today, but you will be tomorrow. Normally, you’d all be welcomed to the city with a press conference to announce your arrival, but I convinced the Director that that wasn’t necessary.” Armsmaster knew how important PR events were, but the war on the streets wouldn’t courteously curtail its fighting for the heroes to smile and wave at the camera.
“I highly recommend getting familiar with the base, or as the Wards have decided to call it, the Rig.”
The Rig was actually a floating base some distance out from Brockton Bay’s Docks, visible to the entire city. With a forcefield bubble and a missile defense system, the Rig was more or less impenetrable to anything short of heavily concentrated firepower. Firepower that no gang could hope to possess, not without bringing entire teams of Protectorate heroes down on their heads.
“There are a number of basic facilities here, like a gym, showers, cafeteria, and the like. You should all have access to these rooms to use in your off time. As for the more specialized areas, like the Tinker laboratories, you’ll have to wait a bit for approval. The Director is already in the process of fast tracking such requests.”
Armsmaster nodded to Gargoyle with a dull pang of sympathy. The fact was that Tinkers wanted to Tinker, and being made to wait on the bureaucracy’s approval for materials was an irritation that every Protectorate Tinker had to endure at some point. Even as a veteran member there were some materials that needed an absurd amount of paperwork to acquire.
“You may also speak to the Wards, if you wish. Aegis and Gallant are considered the leaders of the team, but only Aegis is currently on base right now.”
Silently, the door to the meeting room opened, and Miss Militia stepped in lightly. Armsmaster nodded to her. It was a relief his second in command was here, actually. His social skills were considered to be low by many. It was a skill he never really developed, instead spending the vast majority of his time Tinkering. Miss Militia, on the other hand, was the woman sent to deal with fresh Triggers and to make overtures to independent capes to join the PRT.
“If you have any questions, I will defer you to Miss Militia here. She can give you even more detailed information on the threats and gangs in the city, as well as a rundown about your teammates if you need it. If there’s nothing else you need to know, feel free to roam the halls.” Armsmaster intoned emotionlessly.
With that, he left the room, not sparing the occupants a second glance. Already, he was tired of standing around talking. There were projects he needed to finish. More soldiers to the cause was always welcome, but his armaments needed working on.
Miss Militia watched the man go with exasperation. He really needed to attend the PR training seminars she recommended to him, but his stubbornness was only matched by Director Emily. With a sigh, she turned to the newest heroes in Brockton Bay with a smile. A smile that was covered up by her scarf, but was still projected out by body language.
“Questions?”
Originally Posted by Light Fantastic
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