Swordsman? 13

Emily rubbed at her eyes. It was seven fucking a.m. "So, what I hear you all saying is that she is in the network, she runs the fucking network. All the powers are hers. She is in fact a Borg Queen, the Borg Queen."

She turned her head to look at Legend "Meanwhile you all think she is on the side of the angels. Though the left side apparently as she is perfectly willing to kill if it advances Taylor Herbert's plans. Or secures her safety.

"Oh, and she is cranking Taylor Hebert up into being the physical manifestation of her. Made in her image.

"OK, at what point does the power disappear into the TX that she is building for herself to occupy?"

Commander Cobb, day strike commander, shrugged "Why should it, she, whatever. Like my Master Chief says 'if you got it flaunt it' and she has it all, six two, built like a brick shithouse, pardon the vernacular, so smart she is pushing CPU's on damn fast laptops into early silicon graves, and exhausting at least six analyst every shift keeping up with her, a face that would make Helen of Troy weep. Green eyes, you don't see that often.

"Beats the crap out of anyone who is stupid enough to try her, in whatever numbers they care to try. If she uh, occupies her body like a normal power, it might limit her.

"Last but not least it would take away the mystery and point us squarely at Taylor Hebert. There are still some charges out there. While easily defended as defense of self and others she would have to spend resources defending herself. Sound tactical and strategic planning." He shrugged.

Miss Militia scowled. How she communicated it was a mystery, you really couldn't see her actual face below that bandana veil of hers. "So we just let her run around and spam capes everywhere? An additional Panacea or five is a good deal, twenty two Tattletales is not." She got some dark chuckles.

Dragon nodded in her video "Though when they get serious it can be impressive. Tattletale is really good at ferreting out information. Taylor is the planner in the group though. They all feed her and she in turn keeps the whole thing on track somehow.

"Claire apparently takes instructions over the shard internal network and somehow Amy Dallon is helping? In the network as well. She and Taylor are only separated when Amy is at school."

Emily nodded "Which brings up another point. Amy Dallon could be used as leverage against Taylor Hebert and therefore Swordsman."

The Directorate Master Chief shrugged "Only by someone who doesn't have a biology. I think we have to assume she is a bio tinker as well. For some reason she has never shown the ability. She has been known to turn people off when they were acting out in emergency rooms though."

Armsmaster nodded "At Endbringer events as well, Parahumans that are not in control of themselves do not act out in the medical areas."

The third shift Ops officer shrugged "Amy Dallon is getting the 'be all she can be' tune up as well."

Emily snorted "And apparently I stun at least two capes into tonic immobility whenever I walk by them. It seems to be something Swordsman added. I mean they didn't have to do that. They could have just fixed my kidneys, legs, and heart."

She suddenly had a thought "Where is Squealer?"

Dragon supplied "At a medical facility, Not sure where but they have given me access to the monitors on her. She is being minimally supported right now and the Iaso with her thinks she will wake up soon. Tattletale has designed a program to engage her and keep her distracted from her mental addiction. The physical addiction has been broken and her body healed." Emily arched a brow. Dragon shrugged "They actually sent the program to the PRT mental health advisors. They were impressed." Emily drummed her fingers. Dragon frowned and put up window with a video in it. "Yes she received the makeover." Dragon glared at Colin running his scanners over the obviously naked woman with her breast and hips covered by the folded sheets lying on the table. "From the scale the table is on she got the full makeover. Denser muscles and bones included. The IV is a high percentage glucose solution supplemented with vitamins and minerals."

Armsmaster asked "Why the UV light in addition to the supplements?"

Emily interrupted "Lets save the technical discussion for another time. Unless it's significant?" Armsmaster and Dragon nodded and quieted. Emily continued "Thank you. We are going to slow this down and dive deeper. The situation is stable for now. Let's try to get back to a routine. At least until the Empire loses their mind.

"Legend, Armsmaster, Miss Militia stay please. The rest of you are dismissed." Emily returned the nods and waited. The Master Chief had stayed as well. Emily looked at the other four "So what are we going to do about Vista?"

Legend huffed in frustration "Lose her to the Swordsmen probably. It's the way the system is structured. We can't make her the wards leader, no matter how she test. If we can get the test on line. I don't think she has the patience to wait on us. I know I wouldn't. Flechete and Gully as well. Probably some others."

Armsmaster nodded "We can design modifications to the program and the plan to get them through the system as expeditiously as possible but that will only help those who follow. In Vista's case it will probably happen before she graduates to the protectorate."

Miss Militia agreed and added "Really this Directorate and Protectorate office aren't helping. Our wards patrol more. They also engage more villains than almost all of the others."

Legend nodded "New York has a higher number of incidents across the five boroughs but there are five teams. Sub regions, so it doesn't look as bad. Los Angeles is larger by both population and area but the same holds, there are three directorates Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim, plus each of those have sub regions. Brockton Bay is odd. A statistical outlier that influences the curve for all other metropolitan areas.

"That's aside from having Lung in it. Or having had Lung in it in the past."

Emily smirked "So, you're saying it's a tough town?"

Legend chuckled darkly "On paper. The reality here on the ground is that this fucking place is a meat grinder in hell. Why people live here I don't know. The tourist flocking here should be fucking locked up and the key thrown away. Maybe sent to a quarantine zone. That they bring their kids is even worse."

Emily snorted a laugh. "Fine. Come on. We can get in a work out. Maybe ask Taylor and Anne if they are going to get anymore powers today. Hell, maybe Tattletale can find us a way around the regulations and the damn Youth Guard. She's a villain, fucking over the government is what she does." Legend gave her a look and shook his head as she got up and moved, with her long legged strides to the couch and grabbed her go bag.

The Master Chief sighed and vocalized for a moment as he followed. He was going to have to get her alone and remind her that regulations were for the guidance of the commander and she could do whatever the fuck she wanted to really. Or whatever her career could stand. And Swordsman would probably hire her for more than she was making now truth be told. Officers, the more things changed the more they stayed the same.

Swordsman?

Taylor stood by the door to the locker room blinking. Amy had kissed her on the way past running out the door to catch up with Vicky to get a ride to school. She looked around the Locker room at the blushing Anne and the grinning Claire. And all the other grinning women. Crystal waggled her eyebrows. Taylor face palmed. A kiss on the cheek and she was going to suffer all day. What had Amy been thinking? "Hey Supergirl! Come spot me!" Taylor blinked at Emily walking past in her cat suit having already peeled out of her clothes. Then she shrugged and followed her. The other women blinked and then went on with what they were doing. Michelle sighed and headed off after her charge. She was going to have to suggest the BUB get moved to the evening. Keep it off of PT time. Maybe after PT? Nah, the night shift would have to be moved then, all the shifts really.

Swordsman?

"It's not making smoke anymore. Steam either. Neither is the refinery." Max looked out his window as the sun rose from its position behind the area Swordsman had taken over.

Victor nodded "Apparently she analyzed the smoke and found things in it she wanted. She has four pretty high rated tinkers in her range, maybe five. She found a way to capture the stuff she could find a use for including heat. Oddly it isn't very noisy either. Between the mill rolling or forging in near vacuum conditions and 'vibration being wasted energy'.

Kreig nodded "So her pilot operations are up and running and she can just add a like unit whenever she needs more production."

Brad pointed "Fishing boats."

Max nodded "Nearly autonomous. Piloted by captains in arm chairs from shore with deck hands using robots to do whatever the hell it is deck hands do.

"The cannery and fish processing operation is being looked at from what our people say."

Victor shook his head "Our people, the butchers and fishmongers."

Brad nodded "The bakers will be next. She bought the Continental operation out. She got the slaughter houses and Tannery when she took out the druggies."

Kaiser snorted "And we don't have anyone there. Just our Bakers, Butchers, Hospitals, everyone, buying from them. What she hasn't automated she has old people supervising or driving robots for. Tell me we have farmers still?"

Victor winced "The few we had."

Brad nodded "We can use her model. Buy up the places near them and I can send my guys out there to work the places under the farmer's supervision. Don't need robots."

Kreig nodded "Our Italian friends run most of the groceries."

Kaiser nodded "And are as loyal to the apparent winner, and where the money is going, as they always were. Retail and service aren't going to help us. We need the manufacturing and production."

Brad waited in the silence that followed that for a moment "We can send Rune to the Swordsmen."

Kreig glared "Or Cricket."

Max contemplated the idea as the two squabbled over who would be losing a female parahuman. It wasn't a bad idea really. Jessica and Nessa were right out though. Purity would do something permanent to them. He couldn't afford to lose his power hitters. Something they were very smug about. And spending a lot of his money over. How many shoes could a twenty something need for god's sake? Oh! That reminded him, he still needed to put out a contract on those purse designers. Fifty thousand dollars for a fucking purse? Seriously?

Swordsman?

Michelle watched Taylor who was eying Lisa from the corner of her eye and grinning like a monkey. The main Lisa. Who was typing so fast you couldn't hear the separate key strokes, merely a sort of buzz. She leaned forward "What are you doing?"

Taylor turned her head to her "Just watching. The Lisa's are having a competition sort of. It started with modifying this plan from this Accord guy and took off. Do thinkers have fugues? I know Tinkers do."

Michelle blinked "Accord?"

"Yeah he had this plan on the internet. Several versions of it. The Lisa's have made it into a program. You plug in local variables and it refines it. We need names for them."

Michelle rolled her eyes "Only if you keep them around? I thought they were temporary?" She held her hands out palm out at the look "OK, so not?"

"They're cute." Taylor pouted.

Mary chuckled "And what does Amy think of you keeping a harem of thinkers."

Taylor blushed "Not a harem." She looked at the arched brows "Not."

Amy walked in "Besides, Amy likes them and thinks they are cute too." She bent over and kissed Taylor on the cheek. The room went silent. The pair looked up into grinning faces everywhere.

Taylor stood up and grabbed Amy's hand towing her away "We have to talk." Alec and Brian winced. The girls looked at them. Then laughed.

Taylor towed Amy all the way to her bedroom and onto her bed. Amy blinked "Uh, little fast."

Taylor nodded "It was, this morning and just now." Amy looked at the bed then at Taylor. Could she really be this obtuse? "I mean, well, I don't think of girls that way, really anyone that way." OK, she could.

Amy smiled slightly "Well, you had that break up, or rather your girlfriend cheated on you, and then left you so I get it. But if you are uncomfortable let me know. We can slow down."

Taylor blinked "Girlfriend?"

Amy had a flash of sympathy for Barnes. A microsecond, easily, and ruthlessly, crushed fuck that bitch, you move you fucking lose. "Taylor, from the things you have told us, you two were inseparable. I'd go so far as to say you loved her."

Taylor opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again. Then groaned and flopped down on the bed. She mentally went back to first grade and did a quick review. She tried to cast it as friends. Since she hadn't had any others though, that was difficult.

As for Emma, she had had competitors more than friends, aside from her. Frenemies maybe? She wrapped an arm around Amy as she snuggled into her side.

For her part Amy waited patiently. Finally Taylor announced "Boys. I like looking at boys. Some of them."

Amy nodded "Me too. Some of them are pretty. Alec for example."

Taylor huffed "Brian I thought."

Amy slid on top of Taylor and held herself in a plank position. She grinned at her "I got muscles too. Or, Claire can make me brown?" Taylor spluttered. When Amy let herself down on her, of course, was when the other girls charged in. Amy laughed as Taylor covered both of their heads with the pillow. Amy kissed her on the lips this time, which got the pillow tossed into Glory Girls face hard enough to knock her on her butt. Of course it exploded.

Michelle looked at the feathers drifting out of the room down the hall "What do you know, no shit down. Lung went all out."

Swordsman?

The parents caught up to the girls in the rolling mill. Obviously something was going on. Sarah gave Carol a lifted brow and got a groan.

Danny shook his head. "So, what have you all been up to Taylor?"

Taylor shrugged "Work. Study. Watching the Lisa's duke it out? Well smart girl fight? They are sort of still at it. They got the plan thing done and went after all the money. Integrating that into the plan. Apparently we all have to take a check. Fucking Social Security, man! Like that will even be around when I retire."

Danny looked at her and nodded. The caught himself and laughed. The other adults too. "Welcome to adulating? Well Child Laboring. We apparently can't get around that. Unless you figured out a way to distinguish between yourselves? Wow, I think I gave myself a headache."

Taylor nodded sympathetically, I know right? You should be in here." She tapped herself on the temple. "We think Amy, Claire, or the Amy's can work out something, a scar on the fingerprints if nothing else.

"Of course then, they all have to have social security numbers apparently. Damn Government."

Danny tried to keep a straight face. He really did. He was not successful.

Armsmaster walked up and saved it, or at least saved Danny from being glared at "Your current run is more HY 80 than even low carbon STS."

Taylor took the out and dove in "It's the silicon. We're playing with all the components. Got a couple of runs of HY 130. Some higher than that. Waiting on it to cool so we can check weldability. Already got some interest from the defense department."

Dragon looked at Amy and emoted an arched brow somehow. She chuckled at the eyebrow waggle she got back. Vicky touching her with one finger on the shoulder and making a hissing noise turned it into a laugh. The laugh stopped when Amy looked at her with narrowed eyes "We need to talk."

Danny, Neil and Mark backed up a step. The women, not Amy and Dragon, shook their heads. Men. Terrified little creatures. Amy snot a look at Taylor who was studiously ignoring her, men and Taylor. Amy hooked Dragons arm by holding hers shoulder high and led her off. Anne and Claire joined the pair.

Swordsman?

Jack mashed the accelerator to the floor. He had a feeling they were in the clear for at least an hour and they could make the crossing into Mexico he had picked. It was in the middle of the dessert and mostly unused, which made it dangerous, because it was in the middle of the desert and mostly unused. He sent the prewritten text to Manton. Whose shitty fucking van was lagging, again. Jack sighed, he had told him to get one with a V8. Well he wasn't stopping for him now. His daughter was just going to have to make the crossing happen for him after she scouted for the rest of the Nine.

Chaco looked at the RV. More gringos. Well these would be fun, lost little lambs that they were. He circled down to the dead tree. The Buzzard could wait. Gringos didn't last long.