Inheritance - Consequence 4.7

Tuesday May 10th, 2011

For once the Butchers were silent, none of them offering comfort or mockery as I struggled to understand just what I was seeing before me.  I wasn’t sure what to say or think, my emotions warring between the desire to lash out or drop to my knees and wail.  I’d thought things were going well, that if anyone lost someone it would be my father losing me to the inheritance.  I would be another voice, but he would still be there, I’d be able to at least give him a message through my successor.

Now I wouldn’t even have that.

The close call with Hookwolf should have taught me otherwise, yet I’d grown lax even when I knew there were bad actors about.  I’d planned for something, but a bomb wasn’t on the list, especially a Tinkertech one that produced a fucking timestop effect!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to process anything as a dozen different things drew my attention.  Purity’s little group was now pulling away from the Arena, neatly avoiding sightlines that Robbie might use with his rifle to pick her off.  Fine, I didn’t have the time to deal with the Nazi bitch.

Back at Parian’s a fight had broken out, with Chrissie spinning up her fields faster than ever as they mulched a man in the span of a single second.  Madison had moved Charlotte away from the fighting, and was twisting their form with each passing moment so they would be ready to join the fray.  Sophia picked up a clothes hanger and threw it, phasing it as she did.  It struck one of the men, and embedded itself in his chest, fused to his heart and lung. 

He was dead before he hit the ground.

Yet, something was wrong about that, because there were others present, and the fighting continued.  I tried to reach out with my swarm, but Pyro’s teleport wasn’t responding yet despite the keening in the back of my mind.  One of those figures grabbed Amelia by the wrist, and promptly crumpled to the ground.  I couldn’t tell if they were dead or not, but she shouted something to the others about a Stranger, and then another grabbed her by the waist and hit something on their belt just as her hand reached back to touch their face. 

A blinding light lit up the room, and Amelia’s relay was pulled far away to the west before it completely vanished from my swarmsense.  The other figures began to pull away just as my teleport returned and I burst into Parian’s shop in a roaring flame and tore through the closest figure I had picked up.  I couldn’t see them with my eyes, but with so many bugs in the air they were impossible to miss now. 

I’d made the mistake of trying to not stand out with my swarm and it had allowed Amelia to be taken.  I leapt forward, buried my claws deep within another that only my bugs told me was present.  It was so similar to how Aisha appeared to my senses and I had somehow missed them?  No, something else was going on.  With how they had teleported Amelia away, they must have also brought the Strangers in the same way while I was distracted. 

Two bodies were now visible, and I turned towards the third to — 

Every figure I could detect vanished at the same moment.  Eyes widening, I turned back to the nearest body, only for the device on their belt to burst into purple flames and swiftly engulf their form.  Every fallen form swiftly followed, leaving Parian’s shop engulfed in exotic flames that defied physics. 

“Everyone out!” Madison yelled, her voice inhuman in her shifted form.  “Those are Bakuda ordinance!” 

“The Boston bitch?” 

“Why the hell would she be fucking with us?” 

Stratego was quick to cut them off.  “This has all the hallmarks of an Elite operation, even if they used some of her technology.” 

Elite, heroes, whatever — they had all just signed their own death warrants.  Whoever had arranged this knew about my ability to track my people, as well as my eyes across the city.  They had planned for all of this, a premeditated attack on me and mine out of costume.  All bets were fucking off and before the day was done, every member of the Elite I could get my claws on would be fucking dead!

“Calm yourself,” Reflex whispered.  “They expect blind rage.  They’ve certainly planned for it.  Giving in will only serve to grant them what they desire.” 

Despite how much I wanted to lash out, I instead grasped the calm that seemed to radiate off of him.  Rushing off dick first was how we got new Butchers.  No, I needed to remain rational and cold as I executed yet another gang that had targeted me and mine.  There would be no prisoners, only corpses, when the heroes arrived on the scene.  

That was my vow. 

My father was as good as dead, which meant they had all forfeited their right to life.  They had taken Amelia, forfeiting their right to liberty.  All of that would be repaid in blood and pain as I extracted my vengeance from each of them in an act that was worthy of my name and legacy.  The Teeth would ride to war once again, but this time? 

I would make sure everyone got the fucking message.

First thing, I needed to take stock.  

Parian’s shop was lost, even as my swarm moved to recover what it could before the flames reached them.  Only a few articles were salvaged, including a dress that had a six figure tag attached to it.  Insurance on the place was astronomical, but I’d made sure it covered cape related incidents in full, and they didn’t need to know that the dress wasn’t lost.  It would be a mess of a claim, and I’d do my best to do right by her, but that would have to wait until I’d extracted every drop of blood I could from the Elite. 

“Fuck that shit up,” I said, gesturing towards the Elite’s car. 

Sophia sent something phased through the driver’s window right before Chrissie’s blades sprung up and shredded the car like a woodchipper.  That wasn’t my primary concern, however, as I had a few stops to make on my way back to the arena.  I opened the limo and lifted one of the seats, revealing two of my OTs-62, checking to ensure they were loaded.  They absolutely were. 

“Send word that everyone is to return to the arena that isn’t already there.  Truce rules extend to Missy if she wants to stay, otherwise I want an escort for her, Protectorate or otherwise.  She’s as much a target as the rest of the people we care about.” 

“Taylor,” Sophia said, drawing my attention at how concerned she actually sounded.  “You’re crying.” 

I didn’t need to touch my face to know that she was right. 

“They bombed the docks,” I said, and left it at that. 

Madison, now back to their usual form, paled, cursing as they pulled out their chiming phone.  “Protectorate just announced a general recall.  No reason given.” 

I nodded mechanically.  “You’re free to go, but if you do you’ll need to be kept in the dark for what is to come.  The choice is yours.” 

A heavy swallow ran down the shapeshifter’s throat.  “Because what comes next is going to cement the Teeth’s reputation.” 

“Yeah, it is,” I said, looking across the city through the relays.  “Chrissie, get everyone home safe, I’m going for Lisa.  We will get Amelia back, I swear.” 

“Fuck yeah we will,” Chrissie agreed.  “See you back home.” 

I reached out with my swarm, locating Lisa’s pendant and the special bug within and stepped through the space between.  I arrived in fire, radiating wrath and vengeance.  Lisa had moved back, but the others were knocked aside from the force of my arrival.  I could practically taste the fear in the air, as well as the confusion. 

“You did just appear in civvies,” Butcher teased.

“Which of them are Elite?” I demanded, not directly addressing Lisa, but she knew. 

“The two across from me,” Lisa said.  

Two others pushed away from them in the moment it took for me to raise my guns.  I didn’t hesitate, putting a shell from each gun towards one of their skulls.  I knew that Lisa wouldn’t like that, it went against her desire to avoid killing, but she was no doubt getting a picture of what was happening — assuming she hadn’t overstressed her power.  The man on the left crumpled headless to the floor as expected, but the one on the right did the impossible.

He somehow brought the pen in his hand up, the tip brushing against the side of the slug, and pushed it aside with a single swipe of the fountain pen.  I pulled the trigger again, and the pen swiped back across, knocking the shell through the wall of windows off to the side opposite of where he deflected the first shot, the explosive round collapsing the reinforced glass with a thunderous crash.  He stared up at me, eyes bulging with fear and adrenaline.  

“That’s some power bullshit right there,” Marauder snarled. 

Butcher snorted.  “Let’s see if he can pull off that miracle again while dealing with the Butcher special.” 

Well, that sounded like as good of a plan as any so I turned his world into pain and rage before I removed his skull with a third shot.  Question answered, I took a deep and calming breath before turning back to face Lisa.

“Any others?” 

“Not Elite, but the blonde man there is a hardline Empire supporter,” she said, pointing to one of the men backed up to the wall behind her. 

“You dar—” he started, but cut off as his head disappeared in a flash of fire and gore.  It would be clear to everyone present that the Butcher was acting on Lisa’s word.  It would be up to her how she chose to leverage that. 

My swarm flowed in through the vents, and began to consume the flesh of those I had killed.  “This doesn’t leave this office,” I said, looking over those who remained.  “The Teeth control Medhall now.  By the end of the day, the Elite will be finished, and anyone still harboring hopes they might save you, well, the news will speak for itself.” 

I then hopped off the table, several pressing further into the corner of the room away from me as I walked right up to Lisa.  Her eyes shimmered, but it wasn’t out of disgust or fear of me.

“What happened?” Lisa asked. 

I opened my mouth, but could feel my voice hitch.  My swarm buzzed fiercely to hide it, and Lisa didn’t miss the implications. 

“We’re going back to base,” I said, moving towards the door.  

Lisa followed right on my heels.  In the room, more than one person started to cry, two had soiled themselves, and one I had to scare away from jumping out the shattered window.  We didn’t need that sort of attention drawn to the room.  My swarm would take care of everything, no matter how far I was from the building.

The elevator was already waiting, having been summoned by my bugs, Lisa and I entered without a word.  It was only once the door shut that I allowed my emotions to flow back into me from my swarm, let myself be human for a moment where it was safe to be vulnerable.  I’d dropped to my knees, and Lisa practically fell with me, wrapping me in a hug as she did. 

“They killed dad,” I said, forcing it out between wrenching sobs.

“Oh Tay,” she started, but I wasn’t done. 

“And took Amelia,” I finished. 

Lisa took a sharp breath, falling silent as the elevator descended.  I focused on anything I could to serve as a distraction, the bugs gnawing flesh from bone, the swarms patrolling the route the limo was taking back to the Arena, Lily escorting Sabah to the rig where she would be safe.  Missy was walking alongside Dinah and Aisha as they made their way to the lounge, and Victoria was flying Ashley across the city towards the Arena. 

I hoped someone broke the news to her, because I wasn’t sure I would survive being the one to tell her that I had failed to keep her sister safe. 

“Do you know where she is?” Lisa asked. 

I shook my head, sending my discomfort back into the swarm.  “West, several miles outside of my range.  She had a relay with her, and I got a weird echo as she was pulled away.” 

“Better than I hoped,” Lisa said with a grimace.  “I’ve got a migraine from hell, but they won’t get away with this.” 

“No, they won’t,” I said, rising back to my feet.  

Lisa moved with me, then stepped aside before frowning.  “You’ve got blood on you.” 

“Ah,” I said, bringing several bugs out to clean it off.  Lisa blinked, and the chorus chuckled from the dark, even if they didn’t have much enthusiasm behind it.  I hadn’t even realized I’d pushed them down in my anger and sorrow.  Slowly, I let them back to the surface, bracing myself for the howling anger, but it didn’t come. 

“Hey,” Fester said, her voice soft and caring.  “You’ll get through this, and Amelia will be back in the cuddle pile before sunrise.” 

“And our enemies will be nothing but blood and shit,” Sabertooth added. 

That was a rally I could get behind, and one that I would relay to the rest of the Teeth when we arrived.  My swarm finished their task and disappeared back into the folds of my outfit.  The guns couldn’t be hidden as easily, but I wasn’t exactly attempting to hide at the moment.  When the elevator let out, I strode forward with total confidence.  Lisa followed on my heel and didn’t flinch when the first person screamed. 

I didn’t react, nor did she, as we made our way to the parking garage where her driver was waiting.  I picked up a few calls for emergency services, but my swarm was now eating the bones of those I killed above.  By the time the police arrived, there would be nothing left of them.  I took my place in the car at Lisa’s side and shut my eyes, working through the problems to come. 

The odds were good that the police would be too busy with other things in the hours ahead to care about a few missing rich fucks.  The coming slaughter would be outside city limits, I knew that much, and no doubt some of the police would be called out to assist with the cleanup.

One thing I did know was that we were pressed for time.  Amelia would be smart about the kidnapping, but there would be only so much that she could do to delay being taken wherever these bastards planned.  Her status as an open cape was only so much of a shield, and I wasn’t about to let the Elite hide behind it, or any claims of legitimacy they might pull out of their asses.

It still meant I would need to act fast.  Already I was pulling my relays back, thinning my coverage of the city.  I wouldn’t cut myself off from any part, but all redundancies were being eliminated as my swarm of relays began to shift towards the west.  I worked smarter not harder, allowing those on the east side of the city to shift to cover those leaving from the west. 

I wasn’t about to admit that it was Stratego to point that out to me. 

Above the arena, my swarm was gathering from across the city; flies, mosquitoes, and anything else I could use to darken the sky and send a message.  The actual biting and stinging bugs were instead gathering themselves in the motorcade by one of our transports.  I would fill it to the brim with anything and everything I might need for the coming battle.

Most of my capes made it to the arena before I did, and it surprised me that they hadn’t been harassed along the way.  A part of me was waiting for Purity to drop out of the sky and try to kill one of mine, but best I could tell, she was sitting pretty out on the rig waiting for orders to re-deploy.  No doubt they were expecting us to rampage across the city for this, and after the brazeness of the kidnapping… 

“Lisa,” I said, raising my head.  “What are the odds that the PRT is working with the Elite to throw us off?” 

“I’m no Omen,” Lisa began, her brow furrowed.  “But I’d put good money on some coordination going on, but not outright cooperation.  Someone really wants us out of the city, but draws the line at working shoulder to shoulder with villains to see it done.” 

“Makes sense,” Alkaline said, nodding along. 

I repeated her words, then added my own.  “Tagg and his ilk are too hardline for this, unless they’re that desperate to get rid of the Teeth…” 

“Don’t underestimate what happens when the law is confronted with giving criminals legitimacy,” Lisa said.  “The Elite never outright tried to supplant local elements like we did.  They’ve always been insidious, and work more like corporations than a gang.” 

“Which appeals to many paper pushers in government,” I said with a sigh.  “No matter, we’re still slaughtering all of them.  If we don’t send a message, the next group to come along will be convinced we’ll treat them with kid gloves.  The Teeth need to remind everyone why we have the reputation we do.” 

“Taylor,” Butcher said sweetly. 

Yes?

“Please tell me we finally get to use the minigun.” 

I thought about it for a moment, then in answer, I sent my swarm into the armory to begin an inventory check and prepare my loadout, among which– and sitting atop a literal pedestal– was the minigun.  Behind it Wolf Slayer sat, sunk into a block of concrete to hold it upright.  Bringing both wasn’t really practical, and there would no doubt be throngs of disposable minions being sent our way… 

Fuck it. 

“I’m not about to ask if you’re coming with, or try to talk you out of it,” I said, pulling Lisa close.  “You know what we’re about to do, are you certain you can handle that?” 

Lisa smiled softly.  “Tay, I just watched you gun down one of my parents, I think I can handle further bloodshed.”  I sucked in a breath, but Lisa put a finger to my lips.  “I was there for Coil’s takedown, I was there when you fought the Empire.  I know what it means to be a member of the Teeth.  If it means keeping Amelia safe, I’ll leave a trail of bodies in my wake.” 

“Think we can get her to try Alice’s chili?” Marauder asked. 

Best not push it. 

Alice’s chili was a Teeth favorite, but the secret ingredient was now in very short supply with the loss of the Empire.  There was a reason I didn’t eat any, and made sure my dad did the same when Alice was walking him through her recipe.  Not everyone had the stomach for long island Nazi, and that was a line many of my predecessors weren’t willing to cross. 

It was bad enough that I remembered what man flesh tasted like. 

The arena entered my aegis, the relays remaining in place in the event I needed a rapid return during the coming battle.  There was a chance I’d be able to stretch my relays the entire distance to wherever Amelia was being kept, but I knew that was a baited trap to lure me in alone.  They expected the Butcher to arrive with fury and rage, to fight and slaughter, and no doubt they had a plan for just that. 

What they wouldn’t expect would be for the Butcher to arrive with an army at her back and tactics at her fingertips.  No, they declared war by targeting someone sacrosanct, and I would make them pay in blood for the transgression. 

“Shit Tay, save the good stuff for the speech,” Pyro teased. 

I rolled my eyes as the car pulled into the parking garage of the Arena.  The limo had arrived ahead of us, but by only a minute.  Chrissie, Sophia, and Madison were waiting for me while Charlotte was off to the side talking to someone over the phone.  I stepped out, my tears now dry but the signs were no doubt still there.  

Chrissie was moving before I had my feet on the ground and nearly tackled me with a glomping hug.  Lisa was right behind her, pulling me further into what was quickly becoming a group hug.  I was just thankful that neither Madison or Sophia tried to join in.  I could tell Charlotte wanted to, but she also understood that what was happening wasn’t just two people showing compassion. 

“Alright,” I said, my voice shaky.  “I want us on the road in the next thirty, so let’s get everyone moving.” 

“You got it, boss,” Lisa said.  “I’ll figure out the likely locations they might have taken her.” 

I nodded.  “Good.  That’s good.  Chrissie, go rally the capes, Robbie is already getting the rest of our people ready for war.  Have a map of the probable areas flagged so I can brief our people on what to expect.”

They both nodded, Lisa taking off at a run that few humans could ever hope to match.  Her body was Amelia’s pride and joy, and it showed.  She had ensured her girlfriend would be as safe as possible, and soon Lisa would be putting it to the test.  Thinkers were rarely on the front lines, but I knew better than to deny her.  Not today.

Interestingly enough, my bugs picked up similar sentiments from more than a few Teeth around the arena.  Amelia had healed a lot of people over the years, and while the Teeth weren’t exactly the types to go to a hospital, their siblings, cousins, and grandparents were.

"She healed my grandma." "She fixed my hernia." "She purged sixteen STDs from my system!"  "...what?"

Of course, some of them were worried about their drug supplies, but at least one person expressing that view got kicked in the balls by another member who almost lost their dad.

Dad…

My brain flashed back to our last real conversation about my situation.  Evicting the Elite from the Bay was the sort of legacy I wanted to leave, but this was going to be closer to running them through a woodchipper pointed inland.  “Don’t you go soft on us now —” Butcher started, and to my surprise, most of the rest shouted him into submission.

“More than just some murder —” “— heroes going after the others —” — everyone hates the Elite —”

“SILENCE!” roared Chisel, startling the rest of the collective into silence before continuing normally.  “Taylor has a point.  Up until she took over, we weren’t eliminating entire rival gangs or claiming entire cities.  We couldn’t eliminate rival gangs.”

“We definitely could have taken out the Adepts,” Knockout grumbled.

“But we didn’t,” Ironsides continued.  “Chisel is right.  We wiped out the Empire, and good riddance.  But we’d be idiots to think that splattering the Elite everywhere is the same thing.”

“Bastard Son’s crew can be worse than us,” Alkaline pointed out, sending a few memories of clashes with them in her time, along with villain meetings talking about the fate of independents when the Elite muscled in.

Ironsides shook his head, metaphorically.  “But the others aren’t.  Hell, Uppercrust is still selling his tech to the heroes.”

“We are NOT abandoning Amelia,” Fester snarled.

“Obviously not,” Damascian said, rolling her eyes hard enough that I mimicked the motion.  “That being said, retrieving her without colossal loss of life remains a viable proposition.”

The others broke into arguments at that — Alkaline surprised me being just as thirsty for Elite blood as Marauder and Sabertooth, but then again none of them were arguing against massive and decisive retaliation.  We just had to decide on details.

It wasn’t until Reflex chimed in with a quiet “Taylor, you need to make a decision,” that I realized two things.  First, the hero hadn’t even made a token complaint about the call for retribution, nevermind more noise.  He seemed resigned that the only realistic path forward was violence.

Second, neither had I.

“I…”  We couldn’t let the Elite’s insults and aggression go unanswered, and going after the Butcher’s loved ones was about the stupidest thing that a cape could do.  But what was brewing in the lair wasn’t targeted retribution, it was a slaughter — the exact thing Legend had warned me off of doing at Somer’s Rock.  Would they continue to look the other way?  Did I truly care about their opinion of me?

“They let Amelia get taken,” Butcher hissed, dredging up the memory of how we found Dinah.

“Yes they did,” I murmured, then stalked towards the loft where my capes were gathering.  “And if they’re going to just sit back and do nothing, then I guess we’ll clean up their mess.”

My predecessors started cheering — “With fire!”  “And acid!”  “Feed them to Rachel’s dogs!” — but my mind was already thinking ahead to the battle.  There would be no keeping all of my men alive.  Coil’s base was one thing, with the halls and limited open spaces, it was easy to direct people and have the Capes that could take the bullets up front.  Something told me this would be different when I led the Teeth against the Elite. 

For one, they had national levels of resources to draw upon, though they weren’t likely to bring everything they had to bear.  The second thing would be the number of capes they had at their disposal.  Coil only had a few, and I had flipped most of them to my side before the battle even began.  That wouldn’t be the case this time. 

The Elite were able to field one of the largest Parahuman forces on the planet.  They had dedicated Endbringer response teams in addition to the crews they sent to claim cities.  Bastard Son was only one piece of their larger game, and he could potentially draw upon dozens of Parahumans, if not hundreds, if they deemed the risk worthwhile. 

Stepping into the loft, all my capes were assembling.  On the big TV, a map of a compound showed on screen and I scowled.  It was the old prison outside the city limits that closed following the Slaughterhouse Nine’s trip through the Bay in the late 90s.  It was where Sabertooth had once met with Jack Slash to secure their services, the decimated prison serving as a macabre resume for what they could offer the Teeth. 

He was replaced as Butcher just days later following the death of two Teeth capes at the hands of the Nine and Pyromaniac had enough of his shit.  It was almost nostalgic knowing the Teeth would be returning to face an enemy on those grounds once more.  Had the Elite done that on purpose, or was it chosen as a site of opportunity? 

Damien, Alice, Michael, and Elliot were standing together to represent the old guard.  Madison, Rachel, Alec, Chrissie, Aisha, Dinah, and Lisa stood across from them representing the new guard.  Sophia split the difference, standing between them.  All of them were kitting themselves out with their gear, uncaring about the audience. 

Missy approached Madison and the pair began a whispered conversation that I made no effort to eavesdrop on.  Whatever choice they made would be their own and I would stand by it.  Madison had already fought one battle for me today, which carried weight as far as I was concerned.  Missy would be useful, especially with her ability to shorten space itself.  We could easily catch the Elite flat footed by closing the distance far faster than they were prepared for, but that would be up to her. 

Finally Victoria landed, setting Ashley down with surprising gentleness before her thunderous face fell upon me and the entire collective shivered at the wave of emotion that rolled off the Alexandria package.

All of the capes were arrayed around the railing, with the squad leaders of my mundane forces gathered in the pit under Big Robbie’s direction.  The rank and file were still milling about in the stands, but the loft’s positioning meant that being heard would not be an issue.

However, before I could get started, Alice intercepted me.  “Heard about your dad,” she said, sounding almost serious.  “That sucks.”

I peered at her.  “Thanks.  Didn’t think you cared that much about outsiders.”

Based on the brief moment of bafflement, neither did she.  Then she ruined the moment with, “Most of them aren’t a good lay,” and a smirk; I was tempted to pain blast her but the others stayed my hand.  

“Damn,” Quarrel whistled.  “Didn’t peg her as sentimental.”

“But you did peg —” Marauder started and I pushed them all away with a sigh.

“Right,” Lisa said, drawing everyone’s attention.  “On the screen you’ll see the site of the old Brockton Prison.  A quick check of the purchase records showed it was bought last month by a shell company run by the Elite.  This is the likely place where the Elite set up their forces in preparation for removing us from the Bay.” 

I stepped up and took the mic from her.  “The Teeth have fought on these grounds before, and it ended in defeat.”  

“The fuck you bringing that up for?” Damien demanded.

“Crimson and Winter got lucky, that’s all,” Alice grunted.

I saw red — today was not a good day to be needlessly combative.  “Don’t like that?  Then fucking change it!” I shouted, drowning out their complaints.  “We’re going back, and we aren’t leaving a single fucker alive.  It’s open season on the Elite, and I expect plenty of trophies to show for our actions in the coming hours!” 

The jeers were quickly replaced with cheers at the coming slaughter, and I was shouting right there with them.  The only ones not shouting were Victoria and Ashley.  I wasn’t sure if they were there to help, or if Victoria just wanted to blame me for Amelia being taken.  Whatever it was, I would talk to her after the speech. 

“The people of Brockton still speak of our legendary war with the Empire,” I continued.  “Let us make this coming battle so spectacular that people brawl over which was more worthy of song!” 

More cheers followed and I gave them a moment to trail off.  The raw fury within me hadn’t settled, but it was growing focused, ready to lash out at anyone I deemed worthy of the wrath of the Butcher.

“They’ve taken Pandemic, for what reason we don’t yet know,” I said, my relays slowly extending towards the old penitentiary.  “They did that which Hookwolf could not and killed my father!”  Cries for blood rang out and I welcomed them.  “What I do know is that they will suffer for these transgressions, and for every drop of blood they shed, we shall make them pay in gallons!” 

“WAR!” Big Robbie cried out, and the masses echoed him.  The capes repeated the cheer, and the Arena shook from the echoing answer, my swarm joining in with the cacophony of so many voices joined in unison as their declaration carried across the city. 

If any of my enemies had been there to hear it, they would have shit themselves. 

For all that I had done to reinvent the Teeth’s image, at their core they were a gang of depraved monsters willing to feast on human flesh and rip spines from bodies to adorn themselves with grisly tokens of conquest and valor.  The Teeth were not cute and cuddly, they were not marketable.  They were savages. 

And those savages had a target. 

The nest was kicked and people scrambled to follow the directives of Robbie’s men, guiding them to the vehicles that would ferry them to the battlefield.  Nodding, I jumped off the crate and let myself twist through space into the armory so I could begin to suit up.  Above, one bug clone walked over to where Lisa was conversing with Dinah before splitting in two.  Stratego took form alongside my clone and got to work.  That wasn’t the only clone I was speaking through, another had formed next to Missy and Madison.  

“Missy, Madison,” I said in greeting.  To Missy’s credit, she didn’t flinch at the talking mass of nope.  “Both of you are free to leave if you want.  You’re both Wards, which means you’ll get in trouble if you try to help us.” 

“Fuck em,” Madison spat.  “This was preventable, and they allowed it to happen.  Sophia had the right idea of it, and if they push, I’m joining the Teeth full time.” 

I nodded, accepting their answer. 

Missy was biting her lip, looking over to where Dinah was wincing as she and Lisa ran the numbers.  I had another clone formed, bouncing ideas off of them as we worked out the plan of action that would be followed once the bullets and exotic effects began to fly.  I knew both of them were tapped out, but neither voiced any complaints as we continued to talk strategy and tactics.

They were willing to give it their all and power through the pain.  There wasn’t one among us who would deny them their chance to contribute. 

“I don’t want to fight my friends,” Missy said, looking at Aisha, then to Dinah.  “The Protectorate would make me fight them…” 

“Then stay here and keep them safe,” I said.  “I won’t ever force anyone under my protection to do something they don’t want to.”

“And if the Protectorate attacks here?” Missy whispered. 

My clone shrugged.  “I’ll leave the choice up to you, and won’t hold it against you if you decide to remain neutral or even return to them.” 

Missy nodded, and I hoped that was enough for her to come to a decision she could live with.  I didn’t envy how she was caught between her friends and her duty, but I would ensure she didn’t feel pressured to choose one over the other, even if the other side thought differently.  

Across the room, yet another clone was speaking with Alec about another problem at the same moment. 

“You want me to stay here,” he said, no emotion on display other than his usual false amusement.  “Why is that?” 

“As fun as it would be to send their former buddies to fight them, I think having minions we don’t care about throwing at Purity would be better.” 

“I can see that,” he said after a moment.  “We need the meat shields ready to go, and someone has to stay and hold down the fort.” 

My swarm nodded.  “Aisha will be staying as well, despite her grievances.  Dinah too for that matter since the numbers confirmed she won’t be taken without me present.” 

“Ah yes, the great Omen will need protection,” he said, rubbing his nonexistent facial hair.  “Truly a pair of princesses worthy of my illustrious protection.” 

It wouldn’t be enough to hold off Purity if she decided to try and drop the roof.  Militia was another concern as she could easily rain death on them, but at the same time Aisha could just stab the bitch and be done with it.  If they attacked the Arena while we were gone, it would be open season on any and all comers regardless of affiliation. 

I just had to hope they would be enough to hold the line until I could return.

“Victoria,” my final clone said, addressing the rather furious Brute.  “Will you be joining us tonight?” 

“Of course I will!” she snapped, her expression twisted in fury as the very emotion seemed to radiate off of her.  “That’s my sister they took and I intend to do everything I can to get her back!” 

Ashley placed a single hand on Victoria’s shoulder, and the blonde leaned into the touch, then straightened with renewed determination.

“I don’t intend to play by the heroic rulebook,” my swarm said.  “I won’t force you to kill, but the Teeth are out for blood.  Can you accept that?” 

“Anything, if it means getting Ames back,” Victoria said, her eyes firm and jaw set.

“I’ll admit, I expected her to blame us right off,” Alkaline said. 

“Ashley must have talked to her first,” Reflex said with a soft smile.  “I’m proud of her, even if she isn’t the hero I hoped she would be, she’s still found herself a place in the world.” 

That she had. 

“Then we ride for death and ruin!” Ashley declared.  “Those snivelling, useless bureaucrats will rue the day that they ever stepped foot on my coast!  Their worthless trinkets and cowardly tactics will not save them when faced with true power, and they will learn to tremble in terror when facing the great Damsel of Distress!”

Her rant was met with silence.  “I won’t be leaving you many skulls to make into cups, you realize,” she continued, throwing her hair dramatically over one shoulder.  “I’ve wanted a crack at the Elite for years.  Haughty West-Coast bastards thinking their money makes them better than me.  We’ll see how well it saves them tonight!”

“Then fold in with the rest of the capes, and happy hunting,” my clone said, and merged back into the shadows.

Down in the armory, I secured the last of my blades to the harness then eyed Wolf Slayer as my swarm finished redoing my braid.  I could bring her in the jeep, but the odds of her being of use were low.  Thus, I would leave her for Alec to use with the Brute he had enthralled.  In her place, I finally reached out and took the mass of death that had been the Butcher’s signature for years.

The minigun was light in my hands as I fastened on the ammo drums and attached the looping belts.  Two more drums were being loaded into the jeep as I worked, making up a nontrivial fraction of the total munitions we were bringing.

“It’s been a hot minute since we were able to cut loose,” Ironsides mused as we watched over the last checklists being consulted by Robbie’s surprisingly sober crew.

Butcher chuckled.  “It might not be Nazis, but Capitalists aren’t that poor of a substitute.” 

“Too true,” Fester said. 

“Down with the oppressors!” Pyro cheered.  “Anarchy!” 

“Time to make the bastards pay,” I said softly and brought my mask up, securing it over my face.  The Elite thought themselves able to stand against the Teeth?  Well, it was time I showed them how fucking wrong they were.  Maybe then the PRT would get the memo.

A flash of fire brought me into the motorpool where cars were already pulling away.  My own vehicle was to be one of Coil’s armored carriers rather than the usual jeep.  The presence of Miss Militia back in the city meant she might try to snipe me on the way out, something I didn’t want to chance. 

As far as I knew the Protectorate forces were still waiting on the Rig, but that wasn’t a promise with the sort of Strangers that could be called upon in a pinch.  The drive would take less than an hour, especially with how we were completely disregarding any and all traffic regulations. 

Only a fool would attempt to pull over a Teeth convoy riding to war.

“Breaking the law, breaking the law!” 

Blowing through a red light near Captain’s Hill, an angry Karen started to yell as we cut her off.  It was only when the second vehicle followed, the normies hanging off the rails and screaming for blood, that she realized her mistake.  The third vehicle had more normies, and these had their guns up and ready, she screamed and ducked, but it was her fancy Tinker made car that ate the lead instead.

I almost wished I could have seen her face with my own eyes. 

“She might have actually fainted in a puddle of her own piss if you did,” Sabertooth chuckled.  “Stupid looking car though.  Who the fuck would want to drive a dumpster?” 

Chisel snorted.  “Besides people with more money than sense?”

“I’m surprised he even sells them in the states,” Damascian said.  “Given what happened with me, you would think others would be more cautious.” 

“Toybox is still a thing despite us,” Ironsides reminded her.  “For some, greed trumps common sense.” 

Like the Elite.

The collective laughed, but it wasn’t as boisterous as it could be.  They knew what I was going through, they could feel my every emotion.  I’d lost my father to what amounted to a distractionary tactic, nothing more.  All to take someone else who was important to me.  Many assumed that I would be different from past Butchers, and in a way, they weren’t wrong. 

While others would have fallen into a fit of rage, I had turned cold.  My predecessors would have sown chaos, where I was plotting mass murder.  I had forty trained warriors, and almost two hundred willing participants that Robbie approved to join us.  That wasn’t even factoring in the more than a dozen capes accompanying me.

My relays had reached the prison grounds and I set a group to surround it as others branched out further.  The few bugs within were intentionally left alone, not wanting to risk the Elite being tipped off to just how far reaching my range truly was.  I’d made it a point to keep that aspect downplayed, but it was obvious that some Thinker asset of theirs knew of a potential threat given how far they had taken Amelia outside the city limits. 

It was then that I picked up the specialized relay built into her costume, and its senses fell under my aegis.  Amelia was still wearing her hoodie, which was part of the organism that made up her biological costume.  The original had been tossed on my dresser while we worked to get Amelia settled into the much needed cuddle pile on the couch.  They had also stuffed her into a hazmat suit with a closed system to prevent her from being able to affect things outside of it, yet hadn’t bothered to ensure she had no access to biological matter. 

An oversight, no doubt. 

She was currently sitting in an empty room, but several others were watching monitors not far away, and while I didn’t have enough bugs in the room to tell what was being said, I knew they were shouting.  Worse, any bug that got too close to any of them died inexplicably.  

Tinkertech bug zappers of some sort, the kind Coil had tried to order but had only managed to get enough to protect his office.  These were more refined, and now that I knew what to look for, I was finding them all over the compound.  Amelia’s room had multiple, and even with her relay I was finding it difficult to reach through and target the room for a teleport.  Probably more Tinkertech being used to keep her from being rescued.  It didn’t matter, I could tell she was alive and no doubt she was aware that her relay cluster had just joined up with the network.  Help was coming, and Amelia knew it. 

The Elite were scrambling to reorganize, likely having been tipped off that it wasn’t just me coming, but the entire goddamn Teeth.  No matter, it would all fall, and soon enough.  The Elite’s blood would paint the prison grounds scarlet and the Teeth would revel in the violence wrought upon the grounds.  

Up ahead, I signaled the lead car to pull into a parking lot at the base of a hill that overlooked the prison grounds, Lisa’s chosen staging area. 

Big Robbie was quick to take command of our forces, setting the command post up along with those that would coordinate things through actual tech, not just my swarm.  I was wearing one such earpiece as well, even if I would use my swarm to speak with them instead of my voice.  We’d practiced dozens of times since the Empire raids, and now it was time to put everything we learned into use. 

I stepped out of the back of the armored van and slung my minigun over my shoulder.  Lisa and Chrissie fell in beside me as we stepped over to Robbie’s ad hoc setup, a paper map of the prison grounds laid out before us.  I moved a few bugs onto it, denoting positions I could detect some people setting up.  The rest of my bugs began to spread into the sky, swarming in geometric patterns that could never be mistaken for something natural.  I was letting the Elite rank and file know I was here, and that I was pissed.

“They have Tinkertech devices everywhere, limiting my swarm,” I said, the bugs shifting across the map.  Fireflies flashed over each device I’d identified.  “It isn’t perfect coverage, but it is restricting me from just jumping in there to grab Amelia and fight my way out with her.” 

“Pity you can’t teleport with others,” Chrissie said with a frown. 

It was a bit of a sore point with Pyro that the inheritance hit her power so hard, but there was no point complaining about something that couldn’t be fixed.  Since I inherited, Pyro’s power had been fluctuating, but never to the point of reclaiming its former glory.  That had proven true of many of the Butcher’s powers, yet it was never consistent or permanent.

Shaking that thought off, I turned my attention back to the map.  “The plan hasn’t changed, shock and awe and a hell of a lot of blood and guts.” 

“Preferably theirs,” Robbie said.  “I don’t want you all to run in there dicks first.  We’re gonna be smart about it.” 

“Of course,” I agreed.  “Though, some of us will be making it seem like we are running dick first in.” 

“So they underestimate us!” Chrissie said with a grin full of teeth. 

“Right,” Lisa said with a grunt.  I could tell her head was still throbbing but there wasn’t much that could be done about that with the timeline we were on.  She would get pampered right alongside Amelia once we were all safe back home, but until then we would all have to do our parts.  “Weaver is going to go full Butcher, minigun and all.  Bitch and Animos will join her, the purpose will be to inspire fear and convince them we don’t have anything resembling a plan.  The rest of us will be doing different things.  

Different things being specialized strikes or just general chaos to distract from Big Robbie’s best teams taking down their Tinkertech defenses.  Once my swarm could descend things would quickly spiral into our favor.  Getting to that point would be the struggle, as I wanted a clear shot at Amelia before revealing just how fucked the Elite were.

Even in most of our battles with the Empire, I’d rarely pushed my abilities.  My debut came closest, funny enough, and after that it became essentially routine.  Now I would be commanding more people than I ever had before all while cutting down anyone who stood in my way in the most gruesome ways I could imagine.

What would my past self say if she saw how I was smiling in anticipation of justified murder?  Would she understand, or would she be rightfully horrified at what I had become?

Chisel tsked.  “What would your future self say if Amelia was killed because you weren’t decisive enough?” 

I laughed, though it was a shallow thing.  “Yeah, ignore my musings, just idle thoughts while we get set up.” 

Those around me were long used to random comments made to the collective, and only paid me a passing glance.  Lisa was outlining what everyone was expected to do, especially following the initial acts which would be all about presentation.  The Elite no doubt had cameras set up, security or otherwise, and it absolutely would find its way into the public eye. 

We wanted to send a message, and by the collective we were going to send it.

Throwing my minigun over my shoulder, I walked up the hill.  Rachel fell in beside me with her dogs and Elliot began to shift into his demonic form.  Rachel’s dogs were growing as well, albeit slower than the Changer.  Rachel herself would remain behind her dogs, and follow along only after— 

Danger sense pinged and I twisted out of the way, a high caliber round passing where my head had once occupied.  It probably wouldn’t have killed me, but it would have been an annoyance having my mask shattered.  I spotted the sniper with ease, tucked into a window of the tower and readying another shot.  I pulled my Ots with my free hand and fired a single shot.  Quarrel’s power guided it through the window and the explosive round relieved the man of his head. 

“Boom, headshot!” Quarrel cheered. 

“The first of many,” Marauder said gleefully.

Bloodsight lit up all the targets in my field of view and for the first time I focused Quarrel’s power to its limits.  I stowed my pistol before I brought the minigun around, the barrel spooling up as I did.  The minigun lit up, bullets spraying out by the dozens each second, and each was guided along an individual path streaking out to find the sources of life-giving fluid my power identified.

The burst lasted less than two seconds, and all who had presented themselves to my sight laid fallen before me.  Barely an instant and so many were already dead, yet it represented a mere fraction of the death that today would bring. 

“Oh, now that is the stuff,” Butcher moaned.

All around me our men had moved up and were now shouting as they hammered weapons against shields.  The din of their voices meant not one truly stood out, but the effect was all the same.  The Teeth had come and death was owed to them.  It would be paid in blood, fire, and agony. 

Beside me, Animos let out a guttural howl, matched shortly by Rachel’s hounds.  The air filled with shimmering fields as Chrissie screamed a war cry she’d long since perfected.  Even Victoria, the hero that she was, growled with the rest of us, united in cause all the same. 

“Teeth!” I yelled, the crowd falling silent as I turned to face them.  Above, my swarm blotted out the sun and answered in unison.  “Rip and tear!  Leave none alive!” 

And with that pronouncement death descended upon the Elite.