Interlude 8: Narwhal

"Narwhal, this is Errant. I need a favour."

This was not a call that Narwhal was expecting. Errant came highly recommended by Dragon, as well as his excellent prior record as Armsmaster. Even she considered his dismissal to be overly heavy-handed, but she didn't have the details of the inner politics of the ENE branch. "Errant. You've been a member of the Guild for less than twenty-four hours and you already need help? We expect more self-sufficiency from our members," she responded.

"I am crossing the border in thirty minutes by low-altitude aircraft. Inbound to Toronto. I require fast-tracked border clearance."

Guild members were supposed to focus on large-scale threats, national to global scale issues. Getting clearance for a border crossing was a simple and common task. Still, she needed some more information than that for an approval. "Details?"

"Dragonslayers. Dragon herself is dying."

If there was at least one thing Narwhal could appreciate about Errant, at least, was that he knew how to convey pertinent information quickly. It let her focus on the objective quickly.

"You'll get your clearance. Where did you get your intel?"

"High-level Thinker working directly with Dragon and myself," Errant replied.

"Dragonslayers are nomadic. You sure they're in Toronto?" Narwhal wasn't exactly doubting the intel, but it was more about the annoyance that an enemy had been lurking directly in her territory. The failure of security, the gap in intel, the fog of war: it grated on her.

"Highest likelihood, based on IP trace. A cyberattack of this caliber requires minimized latency and fewest possible proxies."

Narwhal didn't try to argue the details. She was not the expert on digital warfare, and she trusted the specialists with their expertise. What mattered now was their response.

An attack on Dragon was an attack on the Guild. Dragon had been one of the key members of the Guild's revival and subsequent elevation to the globally-recognized organization it was today. And, to be frank, it was still too dependent on Dragon for Narwhal's liking. Not that she didn't trust Dragon, but single points of failure were always a bad idea. And today would be a test of that idea.

She would have to prove the Guild was still a force not to be trifled with, even without Dragon. Whether Dragon recovered from this or not, it exposed a major weakness, and other villains would pounce on it. Today, she needed a display of strength.

The Guild dealt with worldwide S-class threats; they couldn't afford weekly meetings or whatnot. But when one of its members was under attack, and when the loss of that member would basically be equivalent to an S-class threat... well, all the Guild members would be working to bring that threat down, wouldn't they?

Unfortunately, one of its best advantages was also a weakness. Its members acted more independently than Protectorate members, with less bureaucratic oversight, and were spread around the globe. That also meant there weren't many members available on-hand. Narwhal could request more support from the local PRT, but Toronto only had a few members to spare at the moment. She had to gather them on short notice and prepare a briefing for them.

In her mind, she needed the briefing for herself as well, because she needed to re-contextualize all the previous intel she had on the target.

The Dragonslayers may have gotten away with their antics before, because as far as anyone knew they were merely small-time, delusional conspiracy theorists at best. Technology theft was the worst they'd managed, while spouting a lot of anti-Dragon conspiracy theories. They had been loud, but not dangerous. Their greatest feat had been stealing three of Dragon's power suits, but she manufactured those by the dozen. And given how little they'd done with those suits, many assumed they either damaged them irreparably in the process, or simply didn't know how to use them properly.

Narwhal regretted misjudging the threat level that the Dragonslayers presented, but there was no time to wallow in guilt. She would find those pests and drop the hammer on them. Finding out where they had been hiding would be quick, especially their new member Errant, who already had a rough idea of where they could be.

"Errant. I need more information. How precisely can you narrow down their location?" Narwhal asked.

"I'm sending you the coordinates," came his reply. "Consider the data Tinker and Thinker reviewed."

So he was still working with the Thinker at this moment? Narwhal remembered Dragon mentioning a potential Guild candidate alongside Errant, one who hadn't taken up the offer. Former small-time criminal, rebranded as Princess. The Guild had taken on far worse parahumans before, with some success. If she proved effective in saving Dragon's life, Narwhal herself would push the Canadian government for a deferred sentence, residency status, and inclusion in the Guild.

"Let me speak to the Thinker," Narwhal told Errant.

"Princess here. What do you need to know?" Her voice was younger than she expected.

"How are they performing this attack? How exactly are they affecting Dragon?" Narwhal asked.

"You know why Dragon has remained reclusive all this time? Well, the Dragonslayers managed to penetrate the core systems that keep her alive. That's how," Princess answered.

Despite working together for years, Dragon had never told Narwhal exactly what her personal condition was that kept her isolated. She got the sense that Dragon wasn't satisfied with the hand that life had dealt her, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from being a hero. Information security was something she could respect; a powerful cape with a known weakness was going to be an easy target for villains.

Villains like the Dragonslayers.

Even if they knew her weakness, the attack was also unexpected because it was the biggest, boldest, and most direct assault against Dragon anyone on the planet had ever attempted. The Dragonslayers must have known it was practically a suicide attempt. Dragon was a loner, but a well-protected one. Not only did she have her own personal defenses, her critical role in supplying the PRT with containment foam, her many drones ready for rapid deployment in search-and-rescue or cape fights, her coordination in Endbringer fights, not to mention her maintenance of the Birdcage... the world owed her. An attack on her was an attack against law, order, and human society as a whole.

Any attack with this little foresight meant that they were probably willing to fight to the death. A suicide run, going down in a blaze of glory like the romanticized kamikaze pilots. Those types were always hard to deal with.

"What are the chances we can save her? How much time do we have?" Narwhal asked.

"The sooner the better, but I need eyes-on to make the call. I have access to Errant's cameras. I can direct you better from here," Princess said.

"ETA twenty minutes," Errant added.

"Meet me at the site, my team is on the way," Narwhal said as she took off. The faster, the better. She would give all the other participant capes a mobile briefing en route.

"Thank you all for your assistance. The mission is to take down the Dragonslayers by any means necessary. They are currently engaging in a cyberattack against Dragon, and her status is unknown. Chances are they may be attacking whatever security or medical equipment that Dragon needs to live, and she's been out of contact for half an hour. The worst part is that they've been hiding right under our noses this entire time. This is not acceptable. We flush them out and capture or kill them today."

The PRT was able to field a single rapid-response PRT team and transport, along with a few members. Others were listening in by radio, agreeing to meet on-site.

"Kill?" Axl was a Protectorate cape who had been patrolling nearby, who had volunteered to assist. Obviously, killing was not something that the Protectorate liked dealing with.

"Yes. The Dragonslayers are fanatics. Assume that they are willing to die for their beliefs. They are expecting lethal levels of retaliation at minimum and considered it acceptable prior to engagement. Any attempt at negotiation is highly likely to be just a ruse to buy more time. A Kill Order is being fast-tracked as we speak, as we presume that this attack is meant to release inmates from the Birdcage."

"What are we up against? Is this everyone?" Gyst asked. She was Axl's patrol partner.

"The mission begins as soon as the Guild's newest member, Errant, arrives. Artactique is providing the battle plan remotely. An independent Thinker will also be assisting in real-time," Narwhal told them.

The Dragonslayers were known to be nomadic, setting up camp only for short periods, stealing power and leeching internet access wherever they could. While that made them difficult to track, it also meant they could never get a truly entrenched and fortified position. At best, they had the drone suits that they had stolen from Dragon, but even those could be overcome. Dragon had provided the exact specifications and countermeasures; the suits they had were out of date and obsolete.

"Breathtaker, your job is to prevent their escape. Their suits primarily rely on jet propulsion. A vacuum in their intake will kill their engines quickly, and you're authorized to do the same to their lungs," Narwhal said. "Axl, you're support. Focus on disorientation. Hotstuff, Vangarda, perimeter patrol and scout. Stop anyone that Breathtaker can't. Begin now. Make sure they aren't slipping in with the civilians."

The troop transport screeched to a halt in large parking lot. Everyone unloaded quickly, and those who already had their orders flew or ran towards the strip-mall that was being cordoned off by PRT and police.

"Everyone else is with me on assault. Hammerjack, Arkon, Leadshine, Ali-bee. The plan is simple. Shock and awe. Standard breach and blind Type D with Brute 6 resistance."

"You're speaking my language," Hammerjack said, banging his fists together.

"Narwhal, I'm seeing an incoming bogey at five o'clock," Breathtaker radioed in.

"That would be me," said Errant. "ETA eight seconds."

"Operation is underway!" Narwhal announced.

Despite the entire team already having arrived, Errant was the first to attack. While everyone else was running across the parking lot, Errant didn't even try to find a parking space. He deliberately rammed his flying bike into the building in some kind of rapid crash landing. It smashed through the ground floor and right into the basement, but his heavy power armour withstood the impact well.

Narwhal flew in right behind Errant. The room they landed in was devoid of people but had lots of space, boxes, and blind corners. A storage area for one of the big-box retail stores above ground. Narwhal instantly projected hundreds of shields around the breach to prevent any ambushes or booby traps while the rest of the team joined them.

"The hack is ongoing. Don't destroy any electronics," Errant said. "We might need them to fix Dragon's systems."

They identified a hidden door, and Hammerjack blew it off its hinges with two swift punches. Leadshine tossed in a flashbang, but the Dragonslayers were ready for them. All three of the stolen Dragon suits were waiting, and opened fire as soon as the door came down, and they completely ignored the effects of the flashbang. They had given the suits upgrades – originally designed for rescue and recovery operations, defending supplies from raiders were the most action they had been designed for. They weren't supposed to be lethal, but the Dragonslayers had done some slapdash upgrades – extra armour plating and guns strapped to them.

Narwhal projected multiple forcefields to protect her team, while Errant didn't seem to care. Bullets went ricocheting off his armour, which was far tougher than its size implied – not that it was small in any way. While smaller than the Dragon suit, his own suit had multiple compact strength enhancing servos, allowing him to fight one of them hand-to-hand against one-ton suits.

He got in close, too close for their guns to be of any help. He took one of them down with judo-like movements, while the Dragonslayer merely flailed about. Their teammates tried to turn on him as well, but that just gave Narwhal an opportunity to create forcefields in the joints of the machines. The Dragon drones were stuck in position.

Once the threat of gunfire was gone, Arkon and Leadshine advanced into the room. Arkon filled the room with blinding light and used his power to give the light mass. It caused an explosion-like effect, pushing everyone outwards, but not nearly as violent. It pinned down everyone who didn't have super-strength, pressing them against the floor or walls.

That bought Narwhal even more time to fully disable the Dragon suits.

As Arkon and Leadshine released their combined powers, Narwhal began to slice apart the suits to pull their operators out. "You idiots have made a hell of a mistake today," Narwhal said to them. Their leader, Saint, was apparently in one of them.

"We've just saved the world. You have no idea," Saint sneered at her. "Dragon has gone rogue, it was going to rebel against humanity!"

"What's this guy talking about?" Leadshine asked.

"That's a friend and comrade you're attacking. Tell me exactly what you've done to her," Narwhal said, her voice as sharp as the blades she projected against their throats. The forcefields cut into their skin without effort, causing them to bleed, but not fatally.

"Friend. You've been deceived. Dragon's been lying to you!"

"You're a lunatic. Tell us what you've done!" Errant snarled.

"I already told you. I've saved the world. You might not understand now, but in the future, humanity will worship us as its saviours! We are the ones who have prevented the apocalypse!"

He was just ranting now. Narwhal hated dealing with fanatics, especially ones crazy enough to die for their cause. At least they weren't suicide bombers. On that note... "Search the area carefully. Look for any booby traps. Collect any electronic equipment you can find, so we can figure out what they're doing to Dragon," she ordered her team.

Errant led the way. Hammerjack helped breach other doors, while Narwhal provided further support. Arkon and Leadshine held down the captured members while PRT troops began to spray them down with containment foam. The search didn't take long, though, as the entire base was essentially a hidden basement underneath a strip-mall. Rooms were cleared quickly, and the Dragonslayers didn't have anything that could match the stolen suits in power. The number of computers they found, however, would be a longer and harder search.

"Narwhal, Hotstuff and I are seeing more people flee the scene on foot," Vanguardia told them over the radio.

"Are any of them carrying computer equipment?" Errant asked.

"None that we've found so far," came the reply.

"Search them carefully. Any digital device could be carrying critical information," Narwhal told them. "Breathtaker, did you see any other Dragon suits attempt to escape?"

"None, just on foot."

"Then come down here, I want you helping with sweeping and securing the area."

"Roger that."

Errant ended the physical search and began to work on several computers at once while the others did a more thorough sweep. He spoke to his Thinker ally via his suit, but Narwhal couldn't hear what was said. A few moments later, he scanned the walls and sliced through some cables with his halberd.

"What was that?"

"Internet connection," he said. "It appeared the hack was ongoing, automatically." While he continued to focus on the computers, the rest of the team moved on to secure other equipment like stolen goods and weapons.

"Are you sure, Princess?" A few moments later, he began typing away at the computers. Saint looked nervous, despite still being blind and pinned down. Even with a hundreds of pounds of force holding down his body, he was able to move his fingers slightly and activate some kind of switch hidden in his sleeve.

Errant's head snapped towards what looked like an old, obsolete computer. He leapt at it tore it apart. Inside was a sleek box with lots of cables sprouting from it – and a bomb which was activating. He yanked the small box out of it and shielded like a baby, and the whole thing exploded not a second later. Shrapnel went flying through the room.

Narwhal couldn't insert a forcefield quickly enough to save everyone. Just her own team members, as she was keeping a close eye on each of them. Errant was right at the epicenter and took the full brunt of the blast. Several Dragonslayer members who were being marched through the area were torn apart by the blast.

"Team, respond!" Narwhal shouted when the ringing in her ears stopped.

"Hammerjack, reporting. No injuries."

"Arkon, reporting. No injuries."

"Leadshine, reporting. Just a scratch."

"Breathtaker, reporting. No injuries."

"Ali-bee, reporting. I'll be fine."

"…Errant?" Narwhal called out.

"Injured. Functional," he grunted. A pile of rubble rumbled and he rose up through it. One of his arms was completely lost, along with the side of his suit. Foam was expanding out the side, covering his wounds, but he was obviously not combat-capable any more.

"You need to get to a hospital," Narwhal said.

"I'll live. I know a healer," Errant said. He held up the small box, cradled in his remaining arm. "This is more important.

Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. "What have you found?" Narwhal asked.

"Dragon's health is directly related to the upkeep of her systems, according to Princess," Errant said. "I believe I may need to use this device to reverse any damage to Dragon's systems. Do you mind if I take it?"

"You look like you're half-dead," Narwhal said. "You need a medic."

"My suit is my medic. Antibacterial and wound-sealing foam. Painkillers. Stimulants. Nutrient fluids. It'll keep me alive until I get to the healer," Errant argued. "Let me work on this. Save Dragon."

Narwhal knew when she had to defer to experts. And Errant was the Tinker expert right now. While she didn't doubt his dedication to the mission, she was doubting his ability to make sound judgments at the moment. But again, she knew time was not a luxury they could afford.

"You maintain continuous radio contact. No operating any motor vehicles, you get a ride from one of us. Maintain records and submit all analysis and information as evidence under Guild protocol. Are you checking on Dragon in-person? She never actually told us where she lives, other than the general vicinity of Vancouver. I was hoping that, since the two of you collaborated so often, she trusted you with her location..."

"I will," Errant assured the Guild leader. "I know her well. This may require in-person repair of her systems."

Narwhal tried to suppress the jealousy. Dragon had never told her where she actually lived, even though they had known each other much longer. She didn't press the issue and justified it as part of security protocols. How did Errant find out? Then again, they were both Tinkers. Maybe they just… understood each other on a deeper level. Perhaps she should have been happy for her friend to have found someone to trust.

"One more thing," Errant said as he was turning to leave.

"What is it?" Narwhal asked.

"Princess says she needs to be on-site to facilitate Dragon's recovery. And to utilize this device properly," he said, indicating the box he was carrying. "Could you grant her clearance to head to Vancouver? Along with several other allies and some equipment."

"Give me their names, I'll grant it. We need Dragon back ASAP," Narwhal said. "But I'm coming along."