pretoria, meet behemoth

[mxglam]

Glam talks to Armsmaster about the possibility of maybe being given access to confidential files on the Slaughterhouse Nine and is, somewhat predictably, completely shut down, on grounds that the rules are there for a reason. They try sharing their strategies, Armsmaster thanks them for it and assures them he'll look into the raised matter, but they still need to wait until they're a full member of the Protectorate to take advantage of these resources.

And is that supposed to make them more likely to want to stick around? Ugh.

The three following weeks are fairly quiet and peaceful for a change. No major engagements, the Empire Eighty-Eight has been keeping quiet, the various Asian gangs reduced once more to fighting each other, the Teeth haven't yet rebuilt. Blasto, Lung, and Oni Lee are still awaiting trial, though it's likely the tinker will be given a lighter sentence in some parahuman containment center while the other two will be sent to the Birdcage.

And then, somewhat earlier than would normally be expected, telltale seismic activity is registered in Pretoria, South Africa. The capes wishing to help must make their way to New York, to depart in an hour - small aircraft is waiting at the PHQ for the trip there.

Comments

[msglam]

"...oh shit, what if this makes a new one appear? There was four years between Behemoth and Leviathan, and eight between Leviathan and the Simurgh..."

[thinkering]

"A new one might have appeared anyway, no one was killing them before, maybe sixteen years post Lausanne we'd have been saying hello to Death Destroyer Of Worlds, but not killing them is the wrong response."

[msglam]

"I'm not saying it is," she says helplessly.

[thinkering]

Snuggle. "I'm reminding myself as much as anything. We don't know how they respond to what we do; so we have to decide independently of that; and I am in favor of deciding to make the fucking things blow up. Considering Scion was on hand to contain it I would even describe the explosion as 'satisfying'."

[msglam]

"It sounds like such a childish thing for him to do, like some final act of spite, but I'd probably have done the same in his place."

[thinkering]

"I'm disinclined to anthropomorphize like that."

[msglam]

"Yeah, probably makes more sense to think of them as natural disasters."

[thinkering]

"And you killed one."

[msglam]

"We killed one."

[thinkering]

"All right, yes, we killed one."

[msglam]

She smiles, a little. "So now all we have left are the other Endbringers, the Nine, the Blasphemies, Sleeper, the Ash Beast, Moord Nag..."

[thinkering]

"I think the Simurgh you should handle from way back. Like, you have to be within low-delay transmission range but that just means 'right continent'."

[msglam]

"Yeah. And besides, you'll be hypnotizing me so technically you'll be the one killing her, and you're supposed to be her blind spot."

[thinkering]

"Right. But in case I'm not a big enough spot to hide you, be not there."

[msglam]

"Yeah. Not there is probably a good place to be."

[thinkering]

Snuggle.

[msglam]

Snuggle.

"I dearly hope you're a good enough blind spot, though."

[thinkering]

"Me too." Squeeze.

[msglam]

"I love you."

[thinkering]

"I love you too."

[msglam]

She snuggles up and sighs.

[thinkering]

"Wonder what the news'll look like."

[msglam]

"...I was kinda thinking the same."

[thinkering]

Squeeze.

[msglam]

"I could conjure a copy and get them to go read the news for us."