Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 76

The silence in the room was heavy but not exactly foreboding. It crackled with tension, but didn't leave my shoulders trembling with worry like usual.

​I stood in front of the full-length mirror, working the straps of my armor over my shoulders. The snarling visage of my mask glared at me, set slightly askew on top of my head and waiting for me to slide it into place.

​​This is it. I thought, staring at my own reflection. It’s strange. It feels like everything has been building to this. I thought I'd be more worried.

Coil had been a lurking presence since I took the mantle of Yosei. From the very first day that I stepped into the shoes as my father's right hand, he had been there, pulling strings and playing his game. If only I had known them just how far his reach truly stretched, maybe this all could have been avoided before it started.

I shook my head. There was no use thinking about could-haves. Here was a chance to cut out the last piece of rot in my city. I was not going to let it go to waste.

​The door handle turned softly behind me and I glanced in the mirror, a smile falling across my lips as a blonde head poked in, followed by a grinning face. Just like me, Tammi was already dressed for war. Her coat was bulked with armor and a belt of grenades was wrapped around her waist, easy to grab whenever she wanted to use them.

"They're all ready downstairs.” She said, closing the door softly behind her. “What are you doing up here? It doesn’t take that long to put on a costume.”

“I’m thinking,” I replied, adjusting my top. “It’s all I seem to do anymore.”

“Overthinking, more like.”

I hummed in agreement, loosening the straps on my vest so it didn’t strangle me as much. As I finished and turned, it was to find Tammi standing a short distance away, staring at something in my reflection. I followed her eyes and flushed as I caught sight of the red bruise lingering on the edge of my costume’s collar. I pulled the garment down as the memory of the previous night perked its head up in my mind, causing red to pour over my cheeks.

“Perhaps we should have thought that through better.” I muttered as I tried and failed to hide the mark.

Tammi’s heavy coat swished around her boots as she crossed the room in three short strides and gathered me in her arms. I didn’t flinch, relaxing into her grip the moment she wrapped her arms around my waist, looking up at her curiously. She had an intense look on her face as she stared at the mark, before her eyes flicked up to my own and she leaned in.

The kiss wasn’t very soft and she tasted like coffee. When she pulled back a moment later, there was a small smirk playing on her lips. 

“I don’t think we did much thinking at all.” She commented as I got comfortable against her. “That’s what made it so much fun.”

I had to agree. Last night, though certainly a surprise at the time, was something truly special, and even though it had left its… marks, I was more than happy to bear them and the knowledge that things were going to be alright.

Because they had to be. After everything we had gone through to get to this point, failure simply wasn’t an option. Even if the raid on Coil’s fortress failed, even if we fell down at the final hurdle and lost the race, we’d simply have to pick ourselves back up and keep running. To do anything less would be a betrayal to everyone and everything we’d already sacrificed.

​”You’re thinking too loud,” Tammi’s chest rumbled as she murmured into the crown of my head. Apparently she had heard my thoughts.

​”I didn’t realize that you recently triggered with a Thinker power. I’ll try to think quieter.” I laughed softly, earning a snort from the girl above me.

​”You’re worrying.” She corrected, reaching up to adjust the collar of my yukata. “I can practically hear it, Yuko. Stop it. We’ve been planning this for weeks. We got this. We’re gonna take down Coil, I’m gonna put two in the back of my aunt’s head, and Kon’s gonna be there to see it all.”

“You say that like it’s a sure outcome.”

“It’s gotta be. We didn’t come this far just to not win.” She smirked, unintentionally echoing my earlier sentiments. I smiled back, feeling a bit better, and she squeezed be once before letting me go

“Perhaps you’re right.” I slid my mask over my face, relishing the cool porcelain against my skin. “Let’s get to work.”

~~~

Thomas Calvert sat in his office, stewing in contemplation. The screens in front of him buzzed with motion, surveillance cameras capturing every second of the intense preparation going on within the halls of his base, and even what was happening beyond.

He held a glass of mineral water, watching the monitors. On one screen, a PRT squad was currently breaching the front door of his civilian home. He watched with a detached, clinical interest as they threw flashbangs into an empty foyer. In this timeline, he had already burned the hard drives. In the other, he was still trying to download the last of the encrypted files from the PRT mainframe.

He collapsed the second timeline as the door to his office burst open and his sternum cracked from a beanbag round. It seemed that Miss Militia wasn't in the mood to play.

“Hey, I just talked to the commander,” a voice said from the shadows of the doorway. Trickster entered his office, a deep frown shadowing his face. “People are buzzing around outside. Streets are clearing. Something's about to happen.”

Coil didn't turn, sipping his water languidly. The Travelers were an expensive investment, but here was a chance for them to prove their worth. “It seems the ABB is finally making their move.”

Trickster's frown deepened. “The ABB? They're coming here?”

“As I already told you they likely would.” Coil gave the man a glance. “I imagine that soon enough, they'll be knocking on our door.”

Trickster stepped further into the room, shaking his head. “We didn’t sign up for this, Coil. You’re talking about a full-scale gang war against a girl who treated Leviathan like a punching bag.”

​“You signed up to do as you were told,” Coil replied, his voice dropping into a cold, dangerous register. He set the water glass down on the obsidian surface of his desk with a deliberate clack. “The contract was clear. You provide services, and in exchange, I provide the resources and research necessary to find a cure for Noelle. I believe that is a trade you were quite eager to make.”

​The mention of the girl's was like a physical blow. Trickster flinched, his anger momentarily replaced by the raw, desperate guilt that defined every choice he made. Coil had seen it in many men he'd employed before and just as before, it failed to instill any pity in him

“You haven’t delivered. It’s been months, and she’s not getting better. If anything, the confinement is making the episodes worse.”

​“Research takes time. I'm doing all I can, but you and I both know how dangerous your friend's condition can be,” Coil said smoothly. He turned his chair around fully now, his tall, slender frame casting a long shadow over the mercenary, even seated. “However, I can promise you this: if the ABB gets their way today, if Yosei reaches this room, all that research dies with me. My servers will wipe, and my doctors will be executed or forced into hiding. If you want Noelle to have a future, you will continue to provide the services I paid for, is that understood?”

​Trickster stared at him, his jaw set so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. He hated the man behind the desk. He hated the city. But most of all, he hated that Coil was right. They were trapped—pawns in a game where the only prize was a chance to go home.

​“Fine,” Trickster spat, the word dripping with venom. “But if we survive this, we want results, not just promises.”

​Not waiting for an answer, Trickster turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, disappearing back into the flickering shadows of the hallway.

​Coil watched him go, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t worried about Trickster’s temper. Loyalty built on desperation was far more reliable than loyalty built on respect. As long as Noelle remained a monster in a basement, Trickster would stay in line and as long as he did, so would his comrades.

​He turned back to his console, watching with a cool expression as several vans began to approach the streets up above. She knew where he was, or at least his approximate location. Unfortunate. He had been hoping for a little more time to prepare.

​He reached out and pressed a button on the intercom.

​“Mr. Pitter?”

​“Yes, sir?” the voice of his assistant came back instantly.

​“Bring me my pet.

~~~

The safehouse’s living room was almost as tense as the War Room had been the day I was thrust into my role. There was a buzz of discomfort in the air, a backdrop of wariness and borderline hostility that refused to go away.

Spook stood in the furthest corner, a dark shadow against the wall that practically oozed an uncomfortable presence. I looked at him and gave him a nod, ignoring the spike of nerves that shot through me at the gesture. He smiled thinly, returning it with one of his own

At the center table, the dynamic was far more explosive.

Glitz and Glam stood to one side, looking like they’d stepped off a high-fashion runway and into a war zone. Glitz was tapping on her thighs, filled with nervous energy while Glam was silent, practically shoulder to shoulder to his sister as he stood with crossed arms. He was glaring off to the side, eyes boring into Bitch who was on the other side of the table 

“I still think we should have brought a few more men in the first wave,” Glitz muttered, glancing at me. 

“We have more than enough as it is,” I replied. “The bulk of my men will be following behind us and securing the area as we pass through. If we get bogged down, they can provide some assistance, but we can't rely on them.”

To my left sat the Undersiders. Tattletale was hunched over her tablets, her eyes bloodshot. Beside her sat Skitter, whose presence still made the hair on my arms stand up. The insect controller was silent, but her posture was tense, unable to fully relax in enemy teritory.

Bitch sat on the floor, ignoring everyone including Glam, occupying her time with scratching the ear of one of three dogs by her side. Two of them were at her feet while the last – the one she was scratching – was laying contendedly upon her lap. Across from her, Regent was leaning back in a chair, playing on his phone like a student who was bored in class.

Clearly not everyone understood the stakes, or perhaps he just didn't care. As long as he did his job, he could do as he wished.

“You realize you aren’t a Noctis cape, don’t you, Tattletale?” I asked, breaking the tension.

Tattletale jumped slightly, then flashed a weary grin. “Every power has a handicap. Do you have any idea how dangerous I’d be if I could stay up twenty-four seven? Watchdog wouldn’t have anything on me.”

“I can imagine.” I stepped up to the table. “Status.”

“Piggot is beyond pissed,” Tattletale said, her fingers flying across the screen. “Waiting until the last ten minutes to give her the address for Coil’s civilian cover was a masterstroke of bridge-burning, Yuko. She feels handled, but she’s following through. Dragon is moving her mechs into position over downtown.”

“Coil has too many ears in the PRT,” I said. “If we had told her an hour earlier, he would have had a suitcase packed. This way, we pin him in the hole.”

“He’s in the hole, alright,” Tattletale agreed, bringing up a map. “The boys in blue hit his place less than ten minutes ago. House is empty, hard drives drilled or missing. Either he was the victim of a nasty little home invasion, or he burned his civilian life and went to ground. Or well, under it.”

”So the snake has gone back to his burrow,” I stated gravely.

”And barricaded the door,” Tattletale agreed. “He’s dug in and with his power… well, we all knew this was never going to be easy. Still, I’d expect some heavier resistance. He definitely knows we’re coming now.”

”Then let’s not waste any more time. We end this today,’ I growled.

”We still need to talk about the hostage,” Spook said from his spot nearby. “If Kon is in there, they will know we will try and rescue him. I don’t doubt that someone like Coil would do the most to leverage such an asset. If we come across him, are we prioritizing retrieval or the target?”

It was a cold question, but a necessary one.

“We prioritize both,” I said without a moment of hesitation. “But no matter what happens, Coil dies today. Kon would understand.”

Skitter was the only one who seemed to have a problem with that, stiffening slightly before relaxing. She didn’t offer a protest though, so I suppose she must have come to terms with it rather quickly.

“Agnes belongs to Herald,” I declared, glancing at Tammi. “Coil belongs to me. Anyone else who stands in our way is collateral damage”

“As long as you let me gloat a little bit before you do the deed,” Tattletale said, her usual grin turning slightly nasty. “I’ve got down stuff to work out.”

“You'll get your closure,” I promised, stepping away from the table. “Ws for the rest of you, load up into the vans and let's get a move on. We can't afford to waste any time.

~~~

Downtown Brockton Bay was a ghost of the bustling city it had once been.

The vans took us as far as the rubble-choked streets would allow. As we stepped out into the grey, salt-laden air, the silence was almost deafening and broken only by the creaking of the shifting husks around us. Leviathan had shattered the very soul of this part of the city, leaving behind nothing but skeletal skyscrapers and the smell of stagnant water and rot.

We moved in a loose formation. Bitch’s dogs, large and growing larger by the second, padded just behind us us, their claws clicking against the cracked asphalt like hailstones on a tin roof.

When we finally arrived at the perimeter, our target looked supremely disappointing. It was a squat, ugly block of corrugated metal and grey brick sitting beside a small parking garage. It looked like a thousand other abandoned industrial buildings in the city, vacant, and unassuming.

But I knew that unassuming exterior hid a dirty secret, and the key to finally securing peace in my city.

We held position in an alley about fifty yards from the main entrance. The tension was so thick I could taste it, a metallic, copper tang on the back of my tongue. My power built inside of my mind, preparing me for the battle ahead.

“Wait!” Tattletale hissed.

I froze mid step and looked back at the Thinker. She was staring at the building, her eyes darting with terrifying speed. She looked like she was having a seizure in slow motion.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“He isn't watching the perimeter,” she whispered, her voice suspicious. “No guards in civvies, no motion senser–hell, I don't even see any cameras.”

“Because he doesn't need them,” Skitter said sharply. The insect controller tilted her head. “Movement. Third floor of the office building. And the roof of the one across from it.”

“Shit! Move!” Tattletale grabbed Skitter's arm and ducked back into the alley.

A flash of light bloomed from a third-story window as we followed her lead, and panic surged within me as I heard the loud rapport of a rocket echo through the street.

The RPG hit the concrete ten feet in front of us and fhe world vanished in a roar of orange flame and grey dust. The shockwave slammed into my chest, physically pushing me backwards as I covered my eyes from the blinding flash. My ears rang with a high-pitched, screaming whine that drowned out the world.

“Ambush!” I heard someone scream as we ducked in cover. Machine gun fire began to chew up the asphalt just outside, a rhythmic crackling that kicked up chips of stone and sent bullets sparking off of the rusted dumpster Tammi had pulled in front of us.

“Do we have eyes on? How many are we dealing with?” I yelled over the cacophony.

“At least twenty! They’re in the buildings!” Skitter’s voice was only slightly panicked. Above us, a massive swarm of dragonflies and wasps began to coalesce, in a miasmic cloud.

I growled, the vibration rattling my mask. I looked at Glitz and Glam. Glitz seemed especially antsy, and coils of bright blue light whirled around her arms like miniature whirlwind as she stared across the street. I preempted her with a shout, holding her back with a gesture. 

“Don't!” I barked. “You’ll be shredded!”

“They’re bracketing us.” Tattletale said, pressing herself flat against the brick wall. She looked pale, her power likely giving her a play-by-play of the dozen ways we died in the next thirty seconds. “We probably have a few minutes before more pour out of the buildings around us and trap us in a kill box. ”

I assessed the situation in a heartbeat. We were pinned, and none of us had the means to progress forward. Skitter might be able to create a smoke screen with her bugs, but the bullets would chew through the empty space all the same, leaving us in the same position. It was just us, trapped in a concrete throat while Coil’s mercenaries rained hell from the high ground.

I could transform – the situation had given me quite a bit of juice to play around with – but I didn't want to waste energy on unnecessary transformations, especially not before we even entered the belly of the beast.

“I can blind the ones on the roof!” Skitter called out as the sound of gunfire became louder. “But I can't get them all!”

I frowned behind the mask, wondering what to do, when the sky tore open with the sound of thunder.

It sounded like the world was being unzipped. Two massive, sleek shapes plummeted from the clouds, banking at impossible angles. Dragon’s mechs came swooping down from on high like predatory angels.

They didn't hesitate or ask for permission to engage. The moment they were within range, the chain guns on their undercarriages spun up with a sound like tearing canvas. The bullets that came from the guns weren't live ammunition, but it didn't matter in the slightest. At that velocity, few things would.

It was devastating. The snipers on the roof were swept away in a hail of faux bullets and the windows below them – what was left at least – cracked as Dragon's mechs rained suppressive fire upon the Ken inside.

A third mech, heavy and bulky just like the one that brought the heroes to the battle with myself and Kaiser, slammed into the street at the mouth of the alley, its weight cracking the pavement. The hatch hissed open, and PRT agents in full riot gear poured out, weapons already raised and poised to shoot.

Leading them was Miss Militia. Her scarf billowed in the hot exhaust of the mechs, a massive sleek  rifle already in her hands. Beside her, a blur of red and white flickered, and Velocity vanished into the office building to clear the floors Skitter couldn't reach, quickly followed by several agents

Miss Militia looked into the alley. She saw me, out eyes met, and for a singular heartbeat, I could see her eyes crinkle in distaste, before she gave a sharp, singular no ld which I didn't heasitate to return.

“The area is being cleared!" I barked into the comms. “Move up! Secure the perimeter behind the PRT line and follow us once you're done.”

“Understood, Yosei-sama. We're on our way.”

I stood up as Tammi moved the dumpster out of the way and cataloged our situation. The street outside was chaotic – flashing lights, Dragon’s AI booming warnings, and the sharp crack of bullets both rubber and real – we wouldn't be able to get through in any meaningful amount of time.

”Tattletale,”  I grabbed the Thinker by the shoulder before we moved into the open. "Are we on top of it?"

Tattletale stumbled but caught herself, squinting down at the cracked asphalt beneath our boots. “Yeah, but if we drop down here, it'll take a little while to get our bearings. We'll be sitting ducks until I figure out where we are.”

“I'll take care of that.” I said as we stepped back into the alley. “Just stand behind me.”

“Wait,” Skitter started, realizing what I was about to do. “Is that a good idea. if we destabilize the foundation while we're on top of it–”

“I don't care about the structure.” I cut her off. “I care about getting in.”

I stepped into the alley, mentally moving through my catalogue of forms. I slipped past the useless forms, the squishy ones or the ones that were simply just weak. I needed mass, weight, and durability, with as little energy as possible.

Mist surged and my skin hardened into thick grey armor and my hands became gnarled and clawed. I grew taller and my muscles more defined, a living siege engine of moving rock with a snarling face and folded wings.

I shifted my stance, raising both fists high above my head, entwining fingers of stone into a single, massive hammer.

”Back away!” I roared, my voice akin to a growling landslide. My team followed my commands and I waited until they were far enough before I brought my fists down.

The impact pulverized the pavement. The shockwave turned the asphalt to dust and snapped the rebar in the concrete foundation like dry twigs, and for a split second, we were weightless, suspended in a cloud of debris and gravity.

And then we fell.