Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Marethyu, Beans, Mike God of Lore
The Guild of Gamers: The Supervillain
Chapter 33: Armsmaster
– Emily Piggot –
As her heroes gathered, she glanced briefly at Elastigirl. The woman looked entirely unrepentant about her actions, and was noticeably sat far from her husband. She'd always liked Elastigirl for her professionalism, finding Mr Incredible to be annoying with his habit of breaking protocol to do what he believed was the right thing. It was heroic, but downright inconvenient. Now, she was stuck losing two of her strongest Wards and one of her most experienced heroes.
Her final paperwork was still being filed, so for now she remained a member of the Protectorate. This was likely the last weekly PRT meeting she would ever attend.
As the meeting began, she droned through the weekly report. Crime was down, in almost all of the city. Lung was missing in action since his power had been damaged by Prophet, Midas' territory had an extremely low crime rate and now Kaiser was following Midas' example because the Empire had always advertised themselves as the gang that cared the most about the city. They couldn't have worse crime rates than the Syndicate and so he'd been forced to clean up most of his act. Easier done now that Hookwolf was dead, though she'd heard Stormtiger had left the gang in protest. It remained unconfirmed for now, but it seemed Purity had returned to her roots and taken over Hookwolf's old faction within the Empire.
"The farms are shut down?" Miss Militia asked, genuinely shocked.
"So it seems, and Thinker support agrees," Emily replied. She didn't mention Prophet, but she didn't need to. She was not going to give that smug asshole credit, but it had been him and Oracle who'd discovered the Farms' location and a joint effort between the Independent Alliance and the BBPD. "Lung remained a no-show, and Oni Lee and Dabi were driven off. With this, there are no known active ABB sex trafficking rings ongoing. Their brothels are slowly closing as well."
"So, is nobody going to address the elephant in the room?" Assault asked, looking amused.
"And what would that be?" Emily asked, already displeased.
"Midas made their sex trafficking unprofitable. We all know Midas has his own brothel empire, ranging from the ultra-high class with genuine supermodels to the affordable girls for the common man," Assault said, putting on a faux-salesman voice. "The ABB has been bleeding profits because all their customers are going to Midas instead. Midas' girls are hotter, more talented and far more willing."
"So that's what you spend your paychecks on," Dauntless added, getting a snort from Assault who threw a pencil at him. Children.
"Puppy turned down my date plan, unfortunately. I just keep my ear to the ground. The only people still going to the ABB are the ones who want unwilling girls, and that's just not enough to keep their business profitable. Lung didn't bother protecting the Farm because it hadn't had any new girls in over two weeks. Kidnapping incidents are down, no white vans pulling up to ABB hideouts in the middle of the night."
"I have heard that the ABB has been putting less pressure on the families in their territory for their daughters to take on... work," Velocity added. He was oddly familiar with the Asian community.
"And now, the Empire is copying Midas' homework. Sure, Kaiser words it differently but their operations have been shifting to match Syndicate operations," Assault continued. "Lung hasn't had a change of heart, seeking absolution for his sex slaving ways. It's just not making him enough money and he can't muscle Midas out of the industry."
"Should we thank Midas for making his sex trafficking so profitable?" Emily asked tartly.
"Nope, he's still a villain. But pretending we don't know why Lung suddenly isn't interested in his prostitution rings is just foolish. I know you have an aneurysm whenever anyone mentions Midas improving the city, but reality isn't going to change if you close your eyes hard enough," Assault quipped, his feet on the table as she glared at him before getting herself under control.
"Lung worries me. He's been too passive. The Syndicate and Empire are chipping away at the edges of his territory. Yurei was snatched by the League of Villains, now his main source of income has been hit. Lung is many things, but he isn't a coward. It can't just be his power being altered that has him disappearing," Miss Militia pointed out with a frown. "I wouldn't be surprised if he skipped town and set up operations somewhere else, but we've seen no sign of him anywhere."
And a Lung you couldn't see was a Lung that could show up at any moment and destroy half the city.
"Has anybody… I don't know, asked our local Prophet?" Assault asked bluntly. Armsmaster stiffened like she didn't know he'd arranged a meeting with the leader of the Independent Alliance. He'd claimed to have no plans to switch factions, but she knew that Prophet was just as… convincing as his asshole brother. Armsmaster was on probation after his colossal fuckup with Kid Win, and it would be all too tempting to abandon his sinking career to latch himself onto the 'winning' hero team.
"Oracle has been investigating the ABB cape situation, but the results are inconclusive," Emily replied, his tone clipped. The fact that they had to keep running to the IA for help was not a good look for them. Even Strider had joined the newly-founded faction, giving Prophet access to one of the strongest Movers. "I have requested Watchdog look into the matter, but their results remain inconclusive as well."
Whatever Lung was doing, it had managed to go truly under the radar and that was surprising for him. He was not a subtle man.
"Moving on. The… Syndicate is holding a firework show over the Bay to celebrate it being cleared. King Midas has requested that we ensure that no flyers are in the air during this Saturday night from 8-11pm on account of the… Tinkertech fireworks created by Fuse, an explosives Tinker on his payroll. Fuse is confirmed to be Bakuda, formerly of the ABB, who allegedly faked her death to swap teams without incurring Lung's wrath. The Chief Director has advised us to agree, suspending any flights in the area for the timeframe."
"...the Rig is in the bay," Armsmaster pointed out, looking rather perturbed. She didn't blame him. A villain had just walked up to them and told them it was going to be setting off tinkertech explosives above their heads, and to please stay indoors.
"I am aware of that, yes," Emily replied. "Something I pointed out to Costa-Brown. She assured me that her thinkers believe that the show will be entirely safe as long as we keep flyers out of the marked range."
She was almost certain Midas had something on Costa-Brown. Or the ice-cold bitch didn't care about throwing them under the golden bus to gain some benefit she'd never explain and certainly wouldn't share. Midas had been making some waves about the League's anti-Endbringer plans that had drawn international attention, and Costa-Brown seemed to believe he was onto something and was all too willing to hand him Brockton Bay to keep those plans moving in the right direction.
As the meeting continued, covering such fascinating subjects as… Midas' new super-yacht that was marked near the Rig, the progress on the theme park Midas was building outside of the city and the increase in tourism and the issues that came with that, and Midas' brain dance club that had opened and its incredible success, Emily wondered when her life became sitting in her office, watching a pair of twin assholes taking over her city while being told she wasn't even allowed to try fighting back.
A year ago, 'villain and tinkertech explosives near the Rig' would have caused an emergency crisis with the appropriate reaction. Now, she was had fuckers planning to use their time off to sit on the Rig's helipad to watch the show from the best spot in the city.
Fucking Midas.
The worst part was that she knew it would be amazing.
– Rachel Lindt (Bitch) –
Life was good.
Looking over the dog sanctuary that she ran, she nodded to herself.
Some people really overcomplicated things. She was not one of them. Midas was the boss. The boss paid well and took care of his people. You do what the boss tells you to do. It was that simple.
Midas had brought her the dogs from Hookwolf's rings. She was disappointed she didn't get to kill him herself, but at least the heroes finally did something useful. She didn't see why Kid getting mauled was such a big deal when Hookwolf was killing people all the time, but it wasn't really her business either. She just got to look after the dogs Hookwolf had left behind. He was dead, the dogs were safe, why make it more complicated than that?
Brian had a bunch of issues with the new boss, but Rachel didn't get it. His family was safe, he was paid better, but instead of being happy he just got pissy over things. He always was one for overcomplicating things. Alec was happy doing… whatever Alec was doing. Mostly sitting around acting as Aisha's peanut gallery as far as she could tell. Lisa was doing Lisa things that Rachel wasn't even going to try and work out. That was a doomed effort. The smug blonde seemed extraordinarily happy with how things were going either way.
As for her? Midas took care of her and made sure that she had everything she needed to take care of her dogs. He made sure Hookwolf's dog fights were ended, making Kaiser back down with his tail between his legs no matter what the Nazi tried to call it. So, Rachel was happy to do what he wanted her to do.
For the most part, that meant dog breeding and training. Fancy breeds for rich people, but only if they passed her test. Midas didn't want animal abusers in his territory, so she'd only give her dogs to people who didn't feel like assholes. Part of buying one of her dogs was agreeing that she could check up on the dogs without warning. Besides, people were scared to break their word to King Midas. Having the biggest villain around as your boss was pretty useful for things like that. It wasn't like when they were the Undersiders, just some petty thieves working for some guy hiding in the shadows. Everyone knew they worked for Midas and everyone knew that fucking with them meant fucking with their boss.
She was less happy about breeding and training dogs to work as guard dogs, but Midas was right. Some breeds were literally made for this. It was selfish of her to want to keep them home and safe when their natural urges wanted to work. He kept those for his Syndicate men, and only ones who trained with her got a K9 partner. They guarded his operations, patrolled the streets with his men, and they were well treated and weren't risked stupidly.
His 'Pump Up' power worked on them, and he occasionally came around to help make another batch bigger, faster and stronger than normal dogs. He'd done it for Brutus, Judas and Angelica as well. They had fancy protective harnesses and if anything did happen to them, he had his healer fix them up. Some had been hurt, but no dog had been killed. And those who did hurt them? He gave to her.
So yeah, working for Midas was pretty fucking good and all she had to do to keep this perfect life was what he told her to. No need for planning beyond what to feed her dogs and what to train them.
Biting down on the sheets, she grunted as Midas pounded into her from behind. He wasn't as muscular as she might have preferred, but he had a nice body under his fancy suits and he knew how to use it, one hand on the back of her head as the other spanked her ass with each thrust.
Brian had tried to point out how Midas was taking advantage of her because he bent her over whenever he visited, but again, Brian made things way too complicated for no good reason. Midas was the boss, who had made her life way better in pretty much every way. She wasn't some blushing virgin, and she enjoyed sex. Midas was hot, had a large cock, and knew how to use it. It wasn't taking advantage of her when she'd been the one to offer in the first place.
Honestly, it kinda pissed her off. Did Brian think she was so stupid that she'd been tricked into sleeping with the boss? He was the best man around, and he was very much not looking for a relationship so she could fuck him without any stupid drama afterwards. Sure, she'd have liked it if he had a bit more hair on his chest and if she could be in charge in the bedroom, but Midas was the boss in more ways than one.
A girly moan slipped out as he hit her in that just right spot again, knowing her body better than she did. She bit down on the pillow harder, face flushing. Hopefully he hadn't heard that over the sound of their skin clapping together. His hand gripped her hair, tugging it back to pull her head out from the pillow as he sped up, gasps and grunts leaving her as he railed her from behind.
Despite Alec's stupid jokes (that she punched him for), doggy style wasn't the only way she had sex, but Midas liked her ass and it was the best way to show it off while letting him stay in control. His free hand remained firmly on her toned ass, groping and spanking it as he took her hard and fast, finally sheathing himself inside her with a grunt of his own, the familiar feeling of his cum flooding her. Wasn't a problem, the grumpy bitch made sure she wouldn't get knocked up when she came around to look at the Dog Fighting rescues. Rachel had no interest in kids any time soon.
Pulling out of her, Midas shuffled off her bed as she rolled over and watched him, uncaring of the semen slowly leaking out of her.
"We done?" Rachel asked plainly, wondering if she should bother getting dressed.
"I believe so. I have another appointment soon. A pleasure, as always, Miss Lindt," Midas agreed after checking his watch. She just grunted in agreement. "Do let me know how the new power feels, and how Judas, Brutus, and Angelica handle Amelia's upgrades."
"Sure," Rachel agreed easily.
"Now, is there anything you wish to speak about or shall we call this meeting to a close?" Midas asked, as she paused.
"Need more room. The breeding and the dog fight rescue are pushing this place to the limits. Can fit them, but not comfortably," Rachel pointed out.
"Easily sorted. Message Lisa and tell her that I have authorised an expansion. Perhaps a second branch of this business, on the new land I've purchased," Midas agreed without a care. She didn't know how much that was going to cost but the nice part about working for Midas was that money was never an issue.
"Need more people to help look after them as well, then," Rachel said.
"Naturally. Lisa will handle it. Or she'll get one of her minions to handle it. Have her gather some potential workers and you can choose the ones you believe will best fit into your workforce," Midas agreed again. She had a bunch of people working for her now. It was weird to be a boss, but they all respected and listened to her.
"Oh, and Brian and Shinso keep having secret meetings in the tunnels connecting my place to Aisha's place. Angelica smelt them. Didn't hear what they were saying," Rachel reported. She didn't know what they were doing, but she wasn't going to let it fuck up what she had here.
"I see. Thank you, Rachel," Midas said, ruffling her hair. She frowned, swatting his hand away but he just chuckled. "You've been most helpful."
"Just doing my job," Rachel shrugged. "That's everything. Unless you want a dog."
"Oh, I believe I would be a poor owner. I simply don't have the time, and I find it hard to care about lives that aren't my own," Midas admitted shamelessly. "Besides. I have plenty of pets to take care of as it is."
"You'd be a shit dog owner, but I thought I'd ask. You are the boss," Rachel agreed with a firm nod. She didn't really want to give him a dog, but he was in charge. She was glad he was smart enough to know he'd be a shit owner. If more people could do that, there'd be less assholes she had to beat up and take their poor dogs from. "...got time for a quickie?"
"Technically no, but the advantage to being me is that I can be late to my own meetings and nobody can call me out on it," Midas agreed with a smirk, grabbing her leg and pulling her to the edge of the bed.
Yeah, life was good for Rachel Lindt.
– Colin Wallis (Armsmaster) –
Being kept waiting was not something he particularly enjoyed, as he sat in the lobby of Prophet's club. There were few who he would patiently sit on his hands for, but as much as he hated to admit it, his career was plummeting, years of work lost in a matter of months, and he had no idea how to fix it.
So, he was willing to wait for the one who would.
"Prophet will see you now," the pretty waitress said, getting his attention as he stood up awkwardly. Despite being told drinks were on the house, he left an adequate tip for the girl for his juice. He wouldn't drink alcohol before a serious meeting, after all.
"Thank you," Armsmaster said, nodding to her as he followed one of the security up to the office. It was well decorated, tastefully classy while showing off Prophet's wealth. He suspected the twins had a rivalry when it came to things like this, as they both did the same thing and always seemed to be trying to one up each other.
"My apologies for the delays. My last meeting dragged on unexpectedly," Prophet greeted, wearing his more casual outfit. Since his connection to Midas had become public knowledge, he'd stopped wearing the full bodysuit and mask, swapping out for a mostly white suit and black tie with a domino mask. It didn't really cover anything, but when you shared a face with your main rival, worrying about them finding out what you looked like didn't really make sense, did it? Nobody really thought that Prophet was focused on any villain other than his brother. Colin suspected that there was a kiss/kill factor to their relationship due to them allegedly triggering together. With their existing relationship, it presenting itself in an intense, obsessive rivalry made far too much sense. "Please, take a seat."
"Understandable. I know your time is in high demand," Armsmaster said, remembering his social training for once. He didn't overly like the smug thinker, but Prophet was a force for good and the best counter to Midas the city had. He wasn't fond of kissing Prophet's ass, but he was negotiating from a position of immense weakness with his current standing. He was toxic, PR wise. His reputation was being dragged through the mud for failing to do his duties and being responsible for Kid Win's near death.
They weren't wrong. Yes, readjusting the Wards patrol paths should have been low priority given the mostly peaceful occupation of Coil's territory but it was still his duty and would have taken him around twenty minutes to set them on a safer, Boardwalk-only patrol until things had settled. He instead spent that time obsessing over how the Imps had compromised his technology and ignored his other duties to the detriment of Kid Win's health. Had Chris died, he would have demanded he be punished harsher than the probation he was currently on. If his inaction and distraction had led to the death of a Ward under his command, jail time was the least he would demand.
"You have no idea. As I mentioned before, we're stuck playing catch up with Midas and I've been busy prepping the counter for his next move," Prophet agreed with an almost fond sigh.
"You already know his next move?" Armsmaster asked.
"That's the issue with Midas. Knowing it isn't the problem. He's barely hiding it, this time. His alliance with the Empire, chipping away at the ABB's territory. Midas and Kaiser have already carved out the ABB's territory on a map, deciding who gets what and I don't need to tell you the issue if they succeed and keep this peace agreement they've made," Prophet explained.
"They'd be left with one common enemy. The heroes," Armsmaster agreed grimly, imagining a world where the villains didn't fight each other for a full year. A year of their full efforts being focused on the PRT and Independent Alliance. It was a grim picture. "You plan to save the ABB?"
"No. At this point there is no saving them. Lung has left the city. Possibly in search of new allies against Kaiser and Midas, but with him gone, Oni Lee is failing to even slow down the two gangs. The territory won't last long enough for him to come back, but that's the issue. The Syndicate and Empire are both going to get a major win from this, being the organisations that ended the ABB's reign of terror and drove away the Dragon of Kyushu," Prophet explained. "We'll come back to this, but you had other things to discuss first, didn't you?"
"...was Midas right?" Armsmaster asked, Midas' mocking words ringing in his head. "Is Dragon the reason I can't rise any further?"
"It's not quite that simple, and we both know Midas worded it in the best way to place a wedge between you and Dragon, likely to prevent you from requesting her aid in Brockton Bay," Prophet explained. Of course Midas was worried about Dragon, not him. The worst part was that it had worked and Colin had no excuse for that. He knew Midas was trying to split them apart, but the idea of being the sidekick stung at his pride so deeply. He thought he was better than that. "But your issue is twofold, and both tied to public perception. Firstly, Dragon. She truly is amazing, the closest thing we have to a successor for Hero. And that's the issue. Much like how every Brute is called an Alexandria package, it's all too easy for every Tinker to get hidden in her shadow, especially when her specialisation allows her to duplicate other Tinkers' work. Your specialisation is amazing, miniaturisation and efficiency has endless possibilities but…"
"I've worked with her so much she's learnt most of my tricks. Half of her suits have my own miniaturisation tech in them," Armsmaster agreed.
"Which is a sign of your own talent, but to the public it simply says 'Dragon can do everything Armsmaster can do, and more'," Prophet pointed out. "Add in Dragon's fame, the mystery of her shut-in nature, and her… at the risk of sounding insulting, more PR-friendly personality, any Tinker would be forced into her shadow, even if they didn't work with her so often. For someone who is known to work with her on such a regular basis?"
"I became the sidekick. The lesser tinker she deigned to help on his projects," Armsmaster finished. "You said two things?"
"The second is much simpler. The status quo," Prophet replied. "You and I both know that keeping Brockton Bay from devolving into complete anarchy has been a full-time job. It is not so simple as to just arrest the villains and magically make everything better. But, from the public's eyes, the PRT just maintained a world where they had to deal with a sex-slaving dragon, minorities being lynched by literal neo-nazis in the year of our lord, 2011, and the Merchants running free, grabbing people and drugging them with every substance known to man in the hopes of getting a new customer. They don't see that the PRT stopped things from becoming worse, they only see that you didn't make things better."
"And then Midas did," Armsmaster finished.
"Exactly. The city is improving, for the common man. To them, they don't understand the complications of heroism. The numbers game, and the red tape. The heroes couldn't stop the villains, but then another villain came in and did your job for you. If Midas could do all this so easily, what was stopping the government when you had more capes, more resources, more everything," Prophet asked rhetorically. "Of course, Midas is heavily pushing that exact rhetoric as he engages in all manner of city improvement schemes. He has Poison Ivy rejuvenating the parks and growing trees along his streets. He has his men collecting trash and repainting buildings. To them, he's doing everything the government refused to do. For all your talent and work, all the public is asking is 'why didn't you do more'. You've had plenty of wins, but with constant jailbreaks and the status quo never changing, the public don't see them as wins. Why would they care that you arrested Hookwolf if he's back on the street a week later? Why care that you drove back Oni Lee when the ABB are still grabbing girls off the street? Now that someone is actually making a change, it makes the PRT's work to maintain the status quo even worse. To us, stopping the villains is a hard won victory. To the public, they just see two capes fighting and then nothing changing. Especially now that Midas is waging a PR war against the heroes of the city, painting himself the benevolent saviour who is doing what you couldn't, or wouldn't do."
"Even though he's allying with the neo-nazis?" Armsmaster pointed out.
"Firstly, the public doesn't see that. At worst, they see the two gangs agreeing not to fight, which again makes things better for the common man, knowing they aren't going to get caught up in some capes' grudge match. Secondly, I think the only person convinced this alliance will last is Kaiser himself. I know my brother, and he's almost certainly already started planting the seeds for the alliance to implode through 'no action of his'. When he regrettably crushes a self-destructing Empire 'for the good of the city', it'll leave him smelling of roses, likely with half the Empire capes on his roster," Prophet predicted with a cold laugh. "Kaiser sees himself as an equal to Midas, the two grand schemers playing a game for control of the city. Midas sees Kaiser as a pawn, ready to be discarded. I'm almost certain he's already turned Purity, but what good would revealing that do? The alliance falls apart sooner, again through 'Empire in-fighting' and Midas makes his move earlier. Then, Midas exposes us as having stoked the fires that started the Empire civil war that caused so much destruction."
"You think him taking over the Empire is inevitable?" Armsmaster asked grimly.
"I do. The Empire is, by its nature, fractured into smaller factions and Midas excels at plucking at those kinds of strings, sowing hatred and distrust. Kaiser is not a true white supremacist, he merely plays the part. His Gesellschaft and Herren clan allies would turn on him if he revealed what he truly thought of the cause, seeing them as nothing but tools for his own success. Hookwolf's death opened a void that Purity filled, using her abuse at Coil's hands to rally the most violent members to her side. Kaiser's failure to protect their daughter has planted a seed of hatred that Kaiser- arrogant to a fault- hasn't noticed in her. The entire Empire is ready to implode as it is," Prophet explained. "I am half-tempted to wage war against them before they can, but at the same time…"
"What if Midas is planning on that? What if he's waiting for us to try a preemptive strike so he doesn't have to break the alliance," Armsmaster groaned.
"Exactly. The entire thing is a house of cards, and whoever starts the collapse is going to look like the ultimate villain, responsible for countless deaths, even if we try to prove that Midas set the entire thing up to begin with, before pouring gasoline all over it and giving everyone a lit match," Prophet agreed. "It's a very Midas move. Giving everyone a loaded gun, then saying 'well, I didn't make them shoot each other.' when it devolves into a shootout. He's such a cunt."
"You said you had a plan to counter his next move?" Armsmaster asked grimly.
"I do. His plan with the Empire is tactically sound. Their scheme is to push out the ABB, and then occupy the territory so there is no void for outside gangs to fill. He doesn't want the Teeth or some other gang pushing in to fill the space he's opened up, which is wise. If we try to stop him, he uses his PR machine to ask why the heroes are protecting the sex slavers, then the ABB collapses anyway after so many losses, gang wars break out between the many different ethnic gangs Lung forced under the umbrella of 'Asian' and the city asks why the heroes helped save the gangs now trashing former ABB territory," Prophet laid out.
All too true. Without Lung's overwhelming presence, infighting was inevitable.
"And yet, if we don't stop them, the end result is the Empire Eighty-Eight and Golden Syndicate grow even stronger, while also getting the great PR win of being the one to excise the rot of the ABB after so many years of apparent failure from the heroes," Prophet continued.
"Midas has set up a scenario where we lose if we stop him, and lose if we don't," Armsmaster agreed with a scowl. He was starting to think Brockton Bay had been blessed with how few Thinker villains it had dealt with so far. Coil was the main one and he'd nearly caused an utter catastrophe on his way out.
"Not quite. We can stop him, but not by fighting him directly. We just need to beat him to the punch," Prophet laid out, making Armsmaster pause. "The ABB is doomed, that much is clear. Kaiser and Midas are just preparing for a joint effort to finish off a headless snake, and take credit for it. My plan is simple, in theory. I am going to have the Independent Alliance strike first, clearing the ABB and then establishing patrol routes and a powerful hero presence in the former ABB territory to prevent anyone, either local or otherwise from moving in. The end result is almost the same, the ABB removed, but the renown for removing them goes to the good guys and the status quo changes for the better, with us being the cause."
"You're going to take territory," Armsmaster pointed out, a small frown on his face.
"Heroes don't take territory… but essentially yes. I've made arrangements with Big Rig to construct a large headquarters for the Independent Alliance on land I've legally purchased in the middle of Lung's territory. A large, visible presence to deter villains from moving in. It is not ideal, but the simple truth is that if we don't, Midas will," Prophet explained. "Midas is being slowed by Empire inefficiency, amusingly enough. He had to work with them or they'd try and stop him, but Kaiser's operation is far from professional. His skinheads and fanatics are not the trained, disciplined soldiers of the Syndicate and Kaiser is having to sooth ruffled feathers over the Empire allying with a lesser race like Midas to begin with. It gives us an opening, not a large one, but a chance to steal the thunder."
"You want me to get the PRT to agree to help," Armsmaster replied, musing it over. He couldn't see any other way to stop Midas, but Director Piggot would hate it.
"I do. As I said, your reputation, and the reputation of the Protectorate, is held back by the status quo. The status quo is about to change, even if we sit on our hands and do nothing, and keeping the Protectorate strong is a victory for me because if you keep rotting away as Midas chips at you, I'll be left with the IA facing down the Empire and Syndicate alone," Prophet admitted softly. "I can handle the Empire. I might be able to handle the Syndicate. Midas won't give me the mercy of letting me deal with them one at a time once his prize is snatched out of his hands for a second time."
"I'll aid the efforts. I don't know if the Director will agree, but I am sure several of the other heroes will join as well," Armsmaster offered. He didn't need to like Prophet to see that the young man was fighting perhaps the only war that had a chance of winning against Midas's seemingly unstoppable growth.
"I am aware of the Director's dislike for me. Admittedly, I didn't help matters but I have never gotten along well with authority figures, call it a personal flaw. That said, to work towards the cooperation between the Independent Alliance and the Protectorate, I am willing to offer a free power enhancement for any Protectorate Hero willing to aid in this campaign."
"When are you making your move?" Armsmaster asked, trying not to show how much he wanted that.
"Saturday night. Oracle and I have marked the major ABB strongholds and key figures, and we have the manpower to strike," Prophet explained. Only four days away?
"Wait, the fireworks?" Armsmaster realised.
"Midas has an ego, it is one of his only weaknesses. He is physically incapable of not being there to give a speech, bask in the adoration of his adoring public. Many of his heaviest hitters are there as part of the show or as security. I have no doubt he'll catch on to what we are doing almost immediately, but he'd never show weakness by leaving his own event. The man is a slave to his own reputation and legend," Prophet snorted. "But it means we need to act fast, hit hard and have the territory secured before the show ends. If we're still fighting when the show ends, the Syndicate will move in and turn it into a three-way brawl. If we have everything secured, he won't escalate it into a second fight because it would go against his image as someone trying to improve the city."
"And Kaiser?" Armsmaster asked.
"Won't move unless he has Midas supporting him, and won't be able to muster his men fast enough to get involved before it's all over. Especially now that he's foolishly given Rune to the Imps, removing one of his best ways to transport his men," Prophet laughed, shaking his head. "Whatever power upgrade he got, it wasn't worth it. As I said, Kaiser only thinks he is Midas' rival. At best, they'll do a show of force at the border which won't escalate as long as we have enough force of our own that Kaiser isn't willing to risk it. He knows that if he suffers a big enough loss, Midas will pounce regardless of their agreement. Even a victory could make Midas see them as weak enough to no longer be worth allying with, unless it's a truly overwhelming one and they simply don't have the forces to do that."
"Especially if the PRT sides with the IA for this," Armsmaster agreed, seeing a light at the end of the dark tunnel he'd been forced into. "A unified front of Brockton Bay's heroes wouldn't be something Kaiser could attack without expecting significant losses."
"Exactly my point," Prophet agreed with a pleased smile. "I'm glad we're on the same page here. Now, I mentioned having an idea of how the Imps were compromising your technology? Midas has several tinker powers he keeps hidden, and unfortunately, if you recall, he stole your Armscycle and one of your halberds. I believe he has since studied them enough to get an idea of how to compromise your technology. Fortunately, I have those same tinker abilities and I am sure we can come up with a workaround. I've cleared my schedule for the rest of today, and between the two of us I believe we can counter the virus he is weaponising against you."
As they began to talk shop, Armsmaster mentally admitted that he had initially judged Prophet rather harshly. The man was abrasive when it came to the PRT and their endless red tape, but he was a hero, and might just be Brockton Bay's last chance at avoiding black and gold flags flying over every street.