Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 52

Contrary to popular belief, Piggot didn’t hate capes. Her demeanor might not support that fact, but she wasn’t narrow-minded or stupid enough to sweep an entire group of people under one banner and classify them all as the same. Being the director of the PRT ENE, in a city with the largest organized neo-Nazi group outside of Europe, made one very careful about how they spoke and thought about large groups of people.

Piggot didn’t hate all capes. What she hated were the capes who thought that just because they went through some tough times and got a little bit of power, they were above the everyday man. Above the law. It seemed like every new trigger was more stupid and belligerent than the last, and Piggot was not in the position to let them off the hook with a slap on the wrist and a sternly worded warning. If she showed any weakness in front of the gangs that liked to think they ran her city, then all faith in the Protectorate, as well as their authority, would dissolve in an instant. That meant every time she had the opportunity to throw the book at someone, it was leaving her hand at the first opportunity.

So far, her hard stance on cape crime had worked, at least somewhat. The gangs in the city were rampant, but they were manageable. Kept in check by each other and the heroes together. But with the newest player on the board, Piggot wasn’t sure if that would last much longer.

Yosei had come out of literally nowhere, seemingly materializing onto the cape scene fully grown and fully competent with her powers. Her appearance and relation to Lung had flipped the carefully stacked power dynamic in the city on its head. In only a few months, one woman had taken the ABB and changed them from a minor threat to one that was well on its way to becoming the most powerful gang the city had seen since the Teeth. And she had done it all after her father had been sent to the Birdcage. That was a problem.

As a matter of fact, pretty much everything that Yosei had accomplished so far seemed to be with the direct goal in mind of making Piggot constantly renew her prescription painkillers just to deal with her constant headaches. From leading a one-woman attack on the Rig itself to overhauling the ABB to be much more effective and dangerous, the woman had shown that she was much more proactive than her father and just as powerful as the man had been at his peak. 

Her little war with the Empire, if you could even call it that, was probably the worst thing she had done so far. While Piggot could barely stomach the Empire’s presence in her city, it was better to have a single gang who was kept in check by the others rather than one that wasn’t. The ABB had already pushed out the Merchants. If they did it again with the Empire, then it would only be Piggot’s people standing in their way of completely dominating the city, and that was a situation that the director would rather avoid at all costs.

Which was why she was sitting at her desk in her office, practically pleading with the two people on screen to see her reasoning and send her some form of assistance.

“-and even though I've stretched hours and mobilized every hero and squad we have, including the ones you sent us, we just can't keep up with the Empire and the ABB at the same time. We're stuck running damage control and responding to the attacks as they happen. Even the drones Dragon sent are being run ragged. We need more reinforcements.”

Piggot knew what the answer to her plea would be even before it left her mouth. Neither of the people on the screen reacted to her plight in the slightest, though Director Armstrong at least seemed somewhat sympathetic. The other however…

“I'm afraid we've already given you everything we currently can.” Chief Director Costa-Brown apologized with a stoic expression, “Giving you more troops would take resources away from other directors who need them just as much as you do.”

Piggot expected that. Her department had been hung out to dry on more than one occasion because of the same circumstances. If she didn’t know any better, she would say that the Chief Director had some sort of vendetta against her department, but as much as she didn’t like to hear it, she knew that the woman wasn’t lying to her. 

“My entire department is on red alert right now, Piggot.” Armstrong said, a frown creasing his face “The Teeth are nosing in on Accord's territory and he isn't taking it lightly. We're a few incidents away from being in the same situation as your city.”

“Must be some sort of epidemic.” Piggot said, frowning at the news, “Can you really not spare anyone? If we don't do something about this soon, I’m not sure if we are even going to be able to do anything about it.”

Armstrong closed his eyes, clearly thinking, and Piggot allowed herself to hope just for a moment. While Piggot wouldn’t say she was friends with the other director, they had a genial working relationship and a mutual respect for each other. They disagreed on some things internally when it came to capes and public relations, but it wasn’t unheard of for them to lend support to one another because of their close proximity.

“I can spare two squads…” Armstrong finally said, “And maybe two or three capes, but it’s up to them whether or not they want to volunteer for the task. I can’t and won’t force them to join an active gang war just as a favor.”

That was both more and less than Piggot was hoping for. Three capes might go a long way depending on which ones he sent her way. She wasn’t expecting Bastion, but Armstrong had access to a couple capes who could be just as effective as the man if they were utilized correctly. The two squads of troops would accomplish little, but she wasn’t going to refuse the help.

“Thank you, Director Armstrong.” Piggot thanked the man who just nodded in return.

“Has Yosei herself made any appearances in this war yet?” The Chief Director asked though to what end, Piggot wasn't sure.

“She’s been seen occasionally, but she hasn’t done anything too overt apart from that first fight with Kaiser’s capes. She's been using hit and run tactics alongside precision raids to keep Kaiser guessing. I have to admit, it's pretty effective.”

“I see… Well let's hope it stays that way.” The woman glanced off screen with a small frown, before looking back forward, “In regards to Yosei, have you managed to get some scope of her abilities?”

Piggot nodded, “Armsmaster believes that she has similar powers to her father, though altered quite a bit like most second generation triggers tend to be. I'll send you her updated threat assessment and some notes on what we managed to find.”

A moment later, something pinged on a device just out of sight on the Chief Director’s screen. She looked over, and her eyes widened minutely as she saw the report that Piggot had sent her way

“I see… This is rather concerning.”

Piggot barely withheld a snort. She’d call someone with ratings like those a lot of things, but concerning was putting it lightly.

Trump 9, Changer 7, and Brute 3. Those were the only ratings that Yosei had but they spoke volumes. Even Lung didn't warrant such high ratings but after Yosei replicated his famous feat and then piled even more on top of that, it was definitely warranted.

“Those are just preliminary classifications of course, but I personally feel like they're accurate given what we've seen her do so far.”

The Chief Director had an unreadable expression on her face as she quickly read through the notes that had been provided alongside the ratings. Piggot wondered what was going through the woman's mind. She was always so unreadable in every situation, like a stone wall in the face of whatever adversity came her way. Piggot wished she had half her composure.

Turning back to the screen, the Chief Director's face was set in a serious expression, “If you believe this is accurate, then this is more serious than I realized.” She said gravely, “I’m afraid that I still can't send you much assistance, but I'm giving you full disclosure to act how you see fit when it comes to Yosei barring killing her.”

The words were like music to Piggot's ears after so long of having to sit and watch as Yosei did what she wished. She kept her face neutral even as she wanted to jump with joy inside, “Thank you, Chief Director.”

The woman just nodded, before glancing off to the side once more, “I’m afraid I'll have to cut this meeting a bit short. I have another meeting in five minutes with the Guild to discuss some things regarding Dragon. With any luck, she'll be able to mobilize more suits to assist in your situation but I can't make any guarantees.”

“Well take all the help we can get.” Piggot said sardonically.

“Indeed. Good luck, Director Piggot.” 

As the screen went black, Piggot leaned back in her chair as all the tension in her body released in one, massive sigh. That hadn't gone as well as she hoped but at least she hadn't been completely hung out to dry again. That was a victory in her eyes.

With two extra squads of troops on top of the four she'd already been sent, as well as the capes that Armstrong promised to send her way, she might actually be able to do something about the chaos in her city. Preferably before she had a stroke from the stress that this job was putting on her.

Piggot swiveled in her chair, gazing out of her office window and into the city beyond. A tower of smoke rose into the horizon from a burning building downtown and she glared at it like it had personally offended her, before turning back to her desk to call Armsmaster to her office. 

Now that she has some assurances of reinforcements, it was time that they stopped being so reactionary and went on the offensive. This was her city, and she'd be damned if she let some upstart villain take it from her.

~~~

The line to Director Piggot cut off and Rebecca’s monitor went dark, leaving her staring at a reflective back screen and the reflection held inside. This close, she could just see the telltale smudges of the makeup she had meticulously applied to her static features, granting the illusion of age that her powers no longer allowed.

She stood up, pressing a small button on her intercom to connect her to her secretary, “I’m staying in for lunch. Pause my appointments for the next hour or so and make sure nobody bothers me.”

“Yes ma’am. Have a good lunch.” The voice came promptly, and Rebecca pulled her finger off of the button, satisfied to have her order obeyed without question.. She knew that the woman would make sure nobody even thought of entering her office while she was away. That was why she had her put in that position, after all.

Turning to regard the empty room, Rebecca took in the soft light just barely leaking in through her closed shutters. She was so high up in this office that nobody on the street below would be able to see her, but it was still good to take precautions just in case.

“Door me.”

Stepping through the glowing portal, Rebecca walked into a larger, open room that was decorated just as sparsely as her own office. She nodded to the people sitting at the end of the table in front of her, and Doctor Mother returned her greeting with a smooth glance, while beside her, Number Man ignored her existence in favor of working on something on his laptop.

“Alexandria.” Contessa greeted the woman as the portal snapped shut behind her, “How was your meeting?”

“It went as expected.” Rebecca answered, knowing what the woman was really asking, “The situation in Brockton Bay is growing more turbulent. Piggot has once again requested reinforcements on top of Dragon’s drones and the four squads I already granted her. Apparently she feels the issue is much bigger than she originally suspected.”

Rebecca frowned, “Her power is quite impressive. A Changer power that only gets stronger in reaction to the threat she's facing. Given what she's shown, Piggot believes that it only allows her to transform into mythological creatures and I'm inclined to agree, but that isn't much of a drawback.”

“She could be a useful asset to Cauldon with that kind of power.” Contessa says.

“She already is. Yosei has already proven to be an interesting variable in the Terminus Project.” Doctor Mother responded, “I never would have imagined for the experiment to take this course, but I suppose that’s what happens when things are allowed to play themselves out without our guiding hand.”

“Coil has certainly tried to guide things in his favor. I believe this entire war is his doing.” Rebecca responded, “Though I doubt it's worked out the way he intended. He might have overplayed his hand this time.”

“He's had his uses but the very intention of the project was to see how things play out naturally without our interference. If he requests it, we may pull him out and put him to work elsewhere but for now, we will leave things alone.”

Rebecca nodded, accepting her decision without question. Personally she thought Coil was much too convincing to be trusted in any official capacity. The man simply couldn't resist trying to play a situation in his favor no matter the consequences. Maybe this time they'd actually catch up to him.

Doctor Mother turned to Number Man, “What is public reception to the situation?” 

“Yosei’s actions are causing people to lose trust in the Protectorate. At least in Brocton Bay.” Number Man said, “It seems that the people in the city are losing trust in the heroes thanks to their inability to do anything. It's interesting to watch public opinion shift so completely in such a short amount of time.”

Rebecca frowned, “What about the greater Protectorate? If people start losing faith in heroes everywhere, that could be bad for us.”

“The general consensus seems to be the same.” He dismissed, “Brockton Bay has always been on the end of one controversy or another since the Teeth were driven out. It seems that most people just see this as par for the course.”

“Her effects on the Path have been minimal as well.” Contessa spoke, “Some branches have gotten longer, but just as many have been shortened by a few steps. Generally, we stand exactly where we did a few months ago.”

“Then the experiment will continue.” Doctor Mother concluded, “We won't interfere with the situation in Brockton Bay directly and see how things play out as we always have.”

“At the rate things are going, she is well on her way ousting all other hostile forces.” Rebecca said, “The Teeth aren't leaving Boston any time soon so they're a non issue for her. If she stays on this path, she'll become the de facto ruler of the city’s underworld. It'll take quite a bit of work to get rid of her influence then, even if we kill her.”

“As long as it doesn't interfere with the Path or our goal, then she can do as she pleases.” Doctor Mother said, “A city run by parahumans was always a possible end result of the Terminus Project. If that's how this plays out, then it's just more data for us to work with.”

Her words received acceptance from everyone in the room, and Doctor Mother nodded, turning to Contessa, “Have you progressed on that situation we discussed? Any significant group assaulting Elisburg at this point would be disastrous.”

Contessa nodded, “Their leader has come around to our way of thinking. He'll be disbanding the group shortly and moving on to goals that suit us instead.”

"Good. And what about Rinke himself? Is he still satisfied ruling his little kingdom?"

"As far as we can tell, he's as content as he has always been. As always, we're keeping an eye on him for any movements or changes."

Just as quickly as it had been brought up, the fate of Brockton Bay faded quietly into the background as those present discussed more pressing matters in the greater parts of the world. It was cruel to disregard all of those lives in favor of their goals, but everyone present had long since abandoned any morals on their path to victory against a greater foe.

After all, the damage that had been done to one city wasn't even a blip on the radar in the face of the devastation they hoped to prevent.