The trailer - Hatchet Face and Crawler, no doubt about it. In the van with the "Industry Communications" logo, insects discover Mannequin - he's not hard to recognize, hard to mistake for anyone else. After all, there aren't that many people in the world who are mannequin dolls with built-in deadly mechanisms... and if he wasn't moving, I might have assumed that tailors were riding in this van, carrying a sewing mannequin to demonstrate cosplay. But Mannequin constantly moves, turns his head, rotates his limbs and chatters like... like a cricket. Riding with him in the cabin are a girl with burns on the right side of her face and another girl playing with glass shards floating in the air before her. Burnscar, Shatterbird - these are clear. Behind the wheel is another girl I can't identify. The only thing I can say about her is that her white shirt is unbuttoned three buttons at the chest, and in the cleavage is visible the most disgusting tattoo I've ever seen. If this girl wanted to make her body unattractive for sexual assault this way - she succeeded.
In the front van ride three people. In the back cabin on the seats sleeps a naked woman, her skin white with black tiger stripes. The Siberian. Strange... but my insects sense her as an ordinary woman... I even managed to land a mosquito on her arm. Normal skin, warmth, pulse... probably she changes when entering combat mode, just like Lung or Hookwolf. Though those still changed externally, while she apparently doesn't change. And why is she always naked? Narwhal is also always naked, but that's understandable - force fields simply tear any clothing on her... but why this one? If she has normal skin? Probably just an exhibitionist.
Riding with the Siberian are two others. Behind the wheel is a man in a leather jacket and bandana on his head. Graying hair sticks out from under the bandana. Overall, the man looks like an aging biker still trying to look young. Next to him in the front seat is a girl. About twelve or thirteen years old in appearance, she's like a porcelain doll in a Victorian-era dress with lace and frills, the kind princesses wear in children's cartoons. Based on what I know, these are Jack Slash and Bonesaw. As I suspected - Jack Slash always keeps Bonesaw and the Siberian close to him... his golden girls.
My task is very simple - eliminate the Slaughterhouse Nine and capture Bonesaw. I have neither time nor resources for warnings, surrender offers, or other such nonsense. I'll just wait until the red Ford finally overtakes the convoy and breaks ahead - the only car still traveling alongside the Nine's vehicles. The oncoming lane is empty - Laser Show, despite all her antics, is a very responsible girl. Glory Girl stopped the cars behind... and now, when the red Ford with a family of dad, mom, little son and dog Toto overtakes the convoy and gets to a sufficient distance - I'll strike. At the trailer with Hatchet Face and Crawler - with missiles carrying experimental warheads from Tomoko-chan. Crawler, if not killed immediately, will adapt to the damage and then killing him will become much harder. Hatchet Face is a negator, nullifier of abilities, but will this work on a bomb? Unknown, so not to risk it - we detonate the bomb outside the negation field, only the effect will reach him. It's like exploding a grenade - the shrapnel are already just pieces of metal with considerable acceleration.
The second van - strike with Zero-T warheads. Zero Time will freeze everyone inside, giving me a chance to deal with them later... or rather, not giving such a chance. I calculate the strike so that the Zero Time fields overlap each other, which means... right, at the boundaries of each Zero Time field a temporal-spatial paradox arises. The shoulder is in Zero Time plus nanosecond, the knee in normal time flow, and the head in Zero Time minus nanosecond. This tore even Alexandria apart, even an Endbringer ripped like paper... what can we say about the Nine's van.
And finally - the first van. My target. Jack Slash, the Siberian and Bonesaw. This is more complex - I can't hit them with missiles, I need Bonesaw alive... preferably alive. After Alexandria, I'm not so sure of my abilities to raise capes from the dead... and she's my last hope for peaceful resolution with the Government, PRT and Protectorate. If I don't have a living Alexandria in my hands by the day after tomorrow... they'll issue a Kill Order on me and declare me an outlaw. And... it's clear that such a position doesn't hinder the same Nine or the Three Blasphemies, or Heartbreaker... the Machine Army and Nilbog... the stronger you are, the less chance they'll put you in the Birdcage. However, I don't want to inspire fear and terror. I have tasks and goals that are much harder to achieve as a wanted criminal. Not to mention that dad would be upset.
So the first van... here are several plans at once, plan A, plan B and all that... as soon as the attack begins - my "Kunoichi" who have already penetrated inside the van will sting each passenger with a horse dose of tranquilizer. If that doesn't work - I'll activate Tomoko's bomb that paralyzes with some kind of radiation. If that doesn't work either - I'll attack personally. Distract Jack and the Siberian, try to immobilize Bonesaw... and if that doesn't work either, then I'll separate them, lead them apart and attack the Siberian and Jack with Zero-T missiles. I'll manage one Bonesaw somehow. And if not - Zero-T again. Still, Tomoko created an incredibly useful thing. Zero Time. She even has a Black Hole bomb, but I personally imposed a testing ban on that - such things are better not tested at home.
I spread my dragonfly wings behind my back and soar into the air. Not as cool as Glory Girl or Laser Show, but I can fly. On the roadside, camouflaged in bushes - missile installations with rangefinders and target acquisition control blocks. I feel slight annoyance... still, for some reason I want to rush toward the vans personally and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Siberian, test Mannequin's durability, grab Jack by the throat... what kind of psychological distortions are these?
"That would be illogical, but fun," Fifth tells me. "For you, a fight you won at distance is like no fight at all. Like a wedding night without a bride - the taste and meaning are lost."
"Oh, you're back already. How was it in the cockroach?" I ask. "Don't you miss it?"
"Pfft. Please, Taylor," he smirks. I know exactly how he got out of the cockroach. I specifically took a sick and barely alive one, plus dragged it with ants to the very bottom of an anthill and covered it with earth... in that state it would have died for several more days, but... that's not Fifth's way. He somehow contorted and ate out his own belly... sick bastard. Devoured himself. I even felt respect for him... unlike me, he couldn't transfer pain or frustration to the swarm, he lay in the cockroach's body and slowly tore his own flesh with mandibles, feeling every movement. And now he acts like nothing happened.
"Still, I think it's better to avoid sweaty close combat," he continues. "You can handle everything without lifting a finger... so why bother? Think of it as a victory of your intellect. After all, all that matters is who's smarter than whom, understand? Though... if I were you, I'd involve everyone - all three cape groups and your mercenaries, everyone. Yes, I know you can handle it yourself, they'd just get in your way. But this is important for team spirit, understand? Fighting shoulder to shoulder, losing comrades, winning victories - this unites your supporters. Right now 'Administration' is you and your blonde slut. The rest are somewhat aside. You have no common goals, you just pay them salaries. And that won't do, Taylor. You should become a leader, not an employer."
"Sometimes you say surprisingly correct things," I reply, flying even higher. The road turns into a dark ribbon below, next to me hover my "Valkyries," their wings humming with bass tones.
"I always say correct things, Taylor. Your mind just isn't capable of understanding it. Yet," Fifth replies. "But keep going your way and someday you'll regret not listening to me... or at least your blonde."
"I'm so glad you expressed your enlightened opinion to me, Fifth. Now shut up, I have work to do. The Slaughterhouse Nine won't destroy themselves. Someone has to do it."
"One more thing, Taylor. Jack... he's an unusual cape. So many years he alone remains a permanent member of the Nine. Others come and go, but he always remains. It's not hard to understand that he IS the Nine. Without him, this group of capes won't exist. His power is Cutting Edge... but I think he's bluffing here. He must have Master or Thinker talents, understand? Keeping together such individuals as Crawler, Mannequin and the Siberian... I think you'd better not talk to him at all."
"I wasn't planning to."
"I'd prefer to hit with something like 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' right at his van... but you need that little sadist..."
"Yes, I need Bonesaw."
"Hit with Zero-T so her head stays outside the field, then cut her off... hmm, amputate her..." there's a smirk in his voice. "What a pun, eh? Amputate from Bonesaw. I'd say it's karma... but I don't believe in karma."
"Are you done, our witty one? Or should I find you another cockroach? This time I'll tear off its legs and rip out its jaws. They say cockroaches can live ten days even in that state..."
"You're sick, Taylor. Though... I even like it. We're similar... and no, don't. I've said everything. Except... listen, if possible - don't block me. I might be useful to you."
"You're a damn maniac and..."
"Taylor! Look around! We're in the middle of fucking nowhere! There are no people or animals here! The only ones I can take it out on are the Nine. I hope you don't feel sorry for them? Just, if Jack is still a Master..."
"Okay, I won't block you and won't put you in a cockroach. But don't get underfoot, Fifth... or I can be quite vindictive."
"Don't I know it. Good hunting, Taylor."
"Good hunting, Fifth." I stop gaining altitude. The red Ford long ago overtook the convoy and I can already see it on the horizon. Well... after it passes, everything will begin. I mentally check all my weapons. "Valkyries," "Medics," "Kunoichi," "Stings," missile installations along the road, portable missiles under the "Valkyries'" hulls... and of course Lisa, who sits at the base, but I have direct mental connection with her through the beacon.
"Hey," I mentally tell her. "How are you there?"
"Worried?" she chuckles understandingly. "I understand. It's the Slaughterhouse Nine. No one has ever been able to handle them. Even your beloved Big A lost an eye. And Hero..."
"I'm not Alexandria. And not Hero," I say, watching the red Ford pass below on the road.
"Oh yes. You're Taylor. Seventeenth of the Hebert line. Administrator of Brockton Bay, Scourge of Endbringers..."
"What?!"
"Haven't you read the forums? There are many nicknames... Mistress of the City, A-Boss, Whore of Babylon..."
"Hey! Where did that come from?!"
"Honestly, I started that one..." Lisa giggles. "But you really... don't quite match public notions of a pious girl..."
"I don't want to hear this from someone who tried to seduce me next to Alexandria's body!"
"Technically speaking... we consider her still alive, right? And besides - tried to seduce? I remember the attempt succeeded... if only..."
"I see," I say. The convoy of three vehicles finally enters my field of vision. "Valkyries" in position, missile installations tracking targets... I'm in place.
"Lisa," I say.
"What?"
"Say the word."
"Ah, that. I was supposed to quote something, right? But... whatever. Taylor!"
"Lisa?"
"Execute, execute, execute!"
"Roger." My "Valkyries" flip belly-up and dive steeply down at the convoy. Missiles tear from their hulls, leaving white trails stretching toward the truck and van, camouflaged missile installations on the roadside fire, launching heavy missiles with enhanced warheads, and in the first van my "Kunoichi" simultaneously sting all passengers - Jack Slash, Bonesaw and the Siberian! Spikes grow on the road, puncturing tires, and the white van begins swerving, losing speed.
Green flashes of Tomoko's acid warhead activation flare up, the second van freezes in place, torn apart by Zero Time, the truck, turned into green glassy mass, continues moving, hitting Zero Time bubbles and flying apart in all directions as fragments! I fall down, folding my wings and ready for battle! Air whistles in my ears, the gray ribbon of road approaches, the white van rolls onto the shoulder, falls on its side and stops. I fall right in front of it, but my "Kunoichi" report everything is already under control. Behind the wheel of the overturned van sleeps a man in a leather jacket and black bandana, looking like an aging biker. A girl in a doll dress has fallen on him. She's also sleeping deeply. In the cabin... I don't see myself, but insects transmit the image of a naked woman with white and black stripes all over her body. She never woke up. "Valkyries" descend, controlling the road. The trailer with Crawler and Hatchet Face flew apart into pieces, into fragments of green glass lying everywhere, the second van is caught by several Zero Time bubbles at once, already mangled, I see how it's twisted due to the difference in detonation time... I imagine what happened to the people inside.
Could it be... it worked? For the first time something went according to my plan... this is amazing. Fifth is right, it's pleasant to feel your intellectual superiority. The Slaughterhouse Nine... and that's it? A smile stretches my lips apart by itself. It worked!
"Lisa!" I say. "It worked! Now I'll prepare Bonesaw for transport. The Siberian and Jack are unconscious here, I'll give both another dose of tranquilizer... bring everyone to base... we'll deal with them there."
"Taylor!" Fifth's voice sounds. "Something's wrong here!"
"Of course," I agree with him, climbing onto the van lying on its side and opening the door. "For the first time something goes according to plan. And you know - you're right about intellectual superiority. It's pleasant. The Slaughterhouse Nine, huh?"
"I will bring down the proud and raise up the humble, Taylor... pride never led to anything good..." Fifth says. "Don't get cocky. I don't like something... but what..."
"Fine," I agree with him. "I'll be modest. A modest girl who defeated the Slaughterhouse Nine!"
"You're not listening to me," he sighs. "Okay, okay... wait! What's that?!"
"What?" I look where he's pointing in my head. At the naked woman lying in the van's cabin, of course. All Butchers are very sexually obsessed, so this one saw a naked woman and got excited, tsk-tsk-tsk, and he's supposed to be Fifth. Cold reason and all that. Pfft... and he's not even bothered that this isn't just a naked woman, but the Siberian. A maniac who killed so many people the count is in thousands. Or does that actually attract him?
"Well, yes," I say. "Beautiful woman. Nice hips and high breasts. And naked too. However, this is the Siberian and you, buddy, have no chance with her... she'll tear everything off you when she wakes up."
"Fool! That's a tattoo! That's not the real Siberian! And... that's not the real Bonesaw! Back away! Don't you dare touch her!" The girl in the doll dress suddenly opens her eyes and in them I see pain and despair. How can she be conscious?! There's enough tranquilizer in her blood to drop an elephant! And she weighs... how many kilograms? Thirty?
"Taylor Hebert," she says and I see that she would like to say other words, but can't... she's like a robot that must fulfill its function.
"Jack sends his regards," she says and her face contorts with pain. I want to take her hand and heal her, but...
"Under no circumstances!!" Fifth screams. "She's a bomb! A virus tuned specifically to you! Under no circumstances!"
"I can't pass by!" I grab the girl's hand and only now understand how all her insides are twisted, she has no stomach, no liver, no intestines - in their place issome kind of mechanism. I feel that I can't move, paralysis spreads through my entire body, and the mechanism inside the girl starts heating up. The girl screams and... the world goes dark.
The "Valkyries" above the road see a huge fireball erupting over the white van. I, Amy, open my eyes and slam my fist on the table. I've lost Taylor's body! I fell for such a simple trap!
"What were you saying about intellectual superiority?" Fifth asks dryly, and I lower my head. And... why is Lisa silent?!