*000000*

Coil drummed his fingers as he observed the children from afar.

Out of all the girls he'd seen thus far, these group seemed to be composed of the youngest. It definitely showed in their actions; both of the tailed girls had trouble properly lifting their swords, and the blue one seemed to tire out rather quickly. No signs of Brute or Thinker powers, and seemingly no training either.

He had sneered at that; to him, they were just children playing at being heroes. They would be an easy catch.

That assumption was dashed upon making the first attempt. He had sent a small group to carry out the operation, with the rest waiting hidden in their vehicles. His men were armed with tasers, rope, flashbangs, and sacks. They waited in one of the safe areas where a person could easily be abducted.

That attempt failed. Both the younger girls were nearly subdued when the older twins reacted quickly, and took his men down without hesitation. He wasn't able to see much, and what he did see gave him no information to work with; a scythe as tall and claws as large as the girls shouldn't be able to move that fast unless they both had similar powers, which seemed like the logical answer.

Tranquilizers then. So long as his men administered the antidote, there weren't any large chances of them dying.

That attempt failed as well. Or perhaps he should say that whether by luck or some other external influence, one of the tailed girls noticed his men lining up shots, and immediately brought their presence to the others' attention.

The closest he'd gotten was after they had passed through the Boardwalk. They had walked with some of the Wards, and despite his fears they separated and went their own ways. The pink one had to go to the bathroom to relieve herself, as evidenced by the large disposable cup she had been carrying with her near the start when his men had started to follow them.

He cursed as one of his men escalated to assault, and the girl had quickly revealed to be capable of using her tail as a weapon, and the end spun as it bisected the idiot from the crotch up.

Coil recalled that group; he reminded himself to shoot that moron for fucking up an opportunity.

Again and again, despite the group's slow movements, they were either quick enough to react to his mens' actions, defend themselves at the drop of a hat, or preemptively stop their attacks. Numerous timelines were made and discarded within minutes, irritating him. Still, he was a patient man, and it's not like they would know what happens in the alternate timelines.

Finally, he called Trainwreck. The Case 53 was a mole in the Merchants, but he was able to leave their sight with simple excuses. Then he called Circus. Coil directed them to start creating a disturbance near another one of the safe spots, keeping watch over the Protectorate as he did; it wouldn't do for them to interrupt his plans.

Trainwreck brought several addicts with him, and together they started raiding businesses, destroying property and generally causing mayhem to the hapless civilians. All the while another group of mercenaries took positions to capture the girls. The plan was for Trainwreck to separate the older girls from the younger ones, who will be fighting Circus.

And the attempt did work. Circus' powers made him(her? Them?) an ideal opponent for those who relied on brute force, and despite the coordination between both girls, they had no chance. When the blue one flagged near an alleyway, his men took the chance and managed to successfully capture her. The pink one, now lacking her partner, also fell quickly, and was detained as well.

Circus was paid handsomely, and his men rode back as quickly as possible.

Now all he had to do was wait.

---

Rozaliya opened her eyes, only to see nothing. She laid where she was, limp and feigning unconsciousness.

[Number_1_Idol: So, think we've arrived?]

[Liliya: Nyet, we are only a few minutes away from their base. Why is your tracking system shut off?]

[Number_1_Idol: So I can properly act out my part!]

[Liliya: You are bad at acting. Just prepare to break out after you've indulged yourself enough, please.]

[Number_1_Idol: Just tell me when we've arrived. I'll have to practice my lines for this.]

When her sister elected to not reply, Rozaliya smiled internally, and her consciousness sank as she rehearsed her lines in peace.

---

[AI-Chan: Please answer the call.]

Bronya blinked, then produced a cellphone in her pocket. It started to ring, and she picked it up. "Zdravstvuyte, Bronya speaking."

"Bronya?" It was the principal. "Sorry to interrupt your break, but the twins got 'kidnapped'. Rozaliya said that she wanted some action, and let herself be captured."

"I will go pick them up." She waved off Mei as she gave a worried look. "What about Seele and Schere?"

"They're fine, if somewhat miffed about Rozaliya's actions." There was a beep, and Liliya's tracker appeared on the map. "Coordinates have been sent. Good luck out there."

"Spasibo. I shall be going then." She placed and absorbed the phone. "Mei-senpai, The Bronya was called for an emergency. Will they be alright carrying the prisoners by themselves?"

Mei looked at their prisoners. Bound tight in straightjackets and forced to kneel, the villains made for a pathetic sight. Alabaster was also bound, but was frozen again after.

"We'll be alright. Your orders are also nearly finished. We'll just meet you afterwards, okay?"

"Da." Bronya gave a smile that quickly turned smug. "The Bronya shall finish this within the hour. Will Mei-senpai require the Type 07?"

Mei coughed. "Honestly, I think that we might need Project Bunny. We won't have enough hands to carry takeout and the prisoners."

"Then The Bronya shall leave Project Bunny to Mei-senpai." Project Bunny's chest compartment opened, and Bronya picked up a small, street-legal motorcycle. She picked up the accompanying helmet as well.

"Good luck, Bronya."

"Spasibo." Bronya nodded, and with a loud roar, the motorcycle sped down the road towards her destination.

Note that this all happened in front of the restaurant, with numerous people staring and pointing their cameras at them.

"I had to watch from the counter, since the order wasn't ready yet." Kiana came over with their orders. "Did she really just drive off in a tiny motorcycle?"

Mei nodded. "Yeah. She found and ordered one online."

"Oh my gosh," Kiana bent over laughing. "That was so cute!"

---

Liliya noted the vehicle's engine shutting off, and concluded that they have arrived at their destination. A quick check confirmed this: they were in an underground parking lot beneath one of the numerous front companies Coil owned. They had in fact gone past the building several times in a misguided attempt to mask their movements from external surveillance.

She thought they were just being stupid: what fool wastes time after making such an attempt?

[Liliya: We have arrived.]

[Number_1_Idol: Give me a bit more time, I'm still choosing my pre-asskicking one-liners!]

Liliya sighed and chose not to reply. It was simpler to just prepare herself, and luckily for them, their captors chose to bring handcuffs or forearm restraints, as to not encumber themselves. Even if it is Tinker Tech, simpler devices means easier means of freeing themselves.

In keeping with Rozaliya's wishes, she also didn't try to thrash around and impale their captors with her horn. Or do anything that would give the game away, really; they were taught several methods to escape confinement without revealing anything too exotic to witnesses, even ones thought to be impossible, such as breaking their Brute-rated restraints.

For now, she kept to herself, and let Rozaliya's muttering through their channel lull her to sleep.

---

Bronya spotted Seele and Schere on the sidewalk, the latter sporting an angry expression even as she sipped from a cup of soda.

"Ah, Bronya." Seele handed the twins' greatswords to her. "Please have a talk with them about this. I was terrified for a moment there."

"Da, I will." Bronya leaned up and kissed her on the cheek. Schere started and walked towards them, bending down to get a kiss from her as well. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, we're helping clean up the mess." Schere pointed to Trainwreck, the hulking giant unconscious and with several parts cleanly cut off. "Go, and give those two a piece of my mind for me."

"Mmm." With her detour finished, she sped down the road.

---

Taylor pursed her lips as their ride hovered just above the outside parking lot. Below, the Immortal Blades were doing their best to usher people away from the soon to be battle zone. Vehicles were gently lifted and placed next to each other, away from the underground entrance to Coil's base, and barricades were set up in layers, to prevent the hired mercenaries from escaping.

That is, if they aren't all dead by the time the twins are finished.

[Alloy_Bronya: I have arrived. Have the twins set something on fire yet?]

[Bella: No, I think we're early. Their movement through the base is most likely them still being moved.]

[Alloy_Bronya: Their movement does not match with Rozaliya's exuberance.]

Taylor can agree with that. Their introductions have been chaotic, to say the least. And it was only Bronya that they listened to; no one else, even Seele, was able to stop them without getting caught in their pace. She wished she could make people behave themselves just by grabbing their heads.

Rita waved at them, and she dropped down to meet up with her, Bronya slightly lagging behind after placing...

'Is that a tiny motorcycle?'

"That thing is street legal. I think they already existed since 2010?" Her power noted distractedly. "Might even be earlier, depending on how the technology developed in this world."

She admired the small thing for a little while longer, before focusing her attention to their briefing.

After some discussion, Taylor was assigned to lead the Immortal Blades down the stronghold, while Rita would stay aboveground to catch anyone who tries to escape. Bronya would go towards the emergency exit and attack from another direction.

The explosion a few minutes later spurred her to go faster.

---

Coil frowned as he stared at the feed from outside his company building. He didn't know how, but his base had already been located, and a sizeable force was dispatched to surround the area in both timelines. And this was in spite of the locations being different in either one.

He clicked his tongue; an order to his men had the girls' route through the base changed, towards the hidden exit near the bay. He himself changed, and ordered his double to stand in for him as he left through the emergency exit leading up to an underground private parking lot. He would have to find the source of his leak and deal with them personally.

The base rocked with an explosion as the elevator went up, shaking the car and forcing him to grip the handrails lest he fall down.

"Status report!" He barked into his radio.

No one replied, just the constant screaming of his men as they shot and were shot by something that sounded too large to be able to catch anyone by surprise.

"Shit!" He slammed his fist into the wall.

No matter, he'll be able to recover from this easily. Worst case scenario, he'll lose around a tenth of his assets, which can easily be replaced by careful manipulation of the stock market.

With that in mind, he triggered the self-destruct in his base.

He won't let anyone take action against him without losing something in the process, even if his own men would die. They can be replaced.

---

Liliya quickly realized that something was wrong when they abruptly changed routes. Their captors were talking in clipped tones, and guns were readied as they walked faster.

[Liliya: Roza, it seems that your party will have to be cut short. We're being brought to the hidden exit.]

"What?!"

They were immediately dropped as the mercenaries took positions and shot them with more tranquilizers.

"I mean, meow?" Rozaliya made a token attempt at feigning unconsciousness, before sitting up and breaking her restraints. Liliya wiggled her tail, and the lengthy appendage bent in unnatural ways to grip and shatter the hastily attached manacles connecting it to her arm. "Guys, what gives? We're supposed to be placed in the jail cell in the very heart of the underground base, right?"

Liliya removed the sack obscuring her vision with her tail, even as she flexed and shattered her handcuffs. "Most likely, the others have already arrived and are planning a siege. We should leave."

Rozaliya pouted. "Mou, we were supposed to be having our escape sequence! I even had hairpins and everything!"

"I don't think they would use simple locks for prisoners." Liliya commented as the rain of needles stopped and the men just stared at them flabbergasted. Swan Lake, her greatsword, materialized from her hand, and the men started firing again. "It's most likely to be Tinker Tech."

"Boo!" Rozaliya shouted as her own greatsword, Sleeping Beauty, grew out from her tail, which wrapped around it tightly. "What self-respecting villain wouldn't use locks that can be fiddled with hairpins?"

"An intelligent one." Liliya wrapped her tail around her weapon as well, and shielded herself just as a bullet struck its surface. She moved, the sheer speeds involved cutting through men and stone alike, though it did get stuck in the earth. She activated her sword's explosive function activated twice in succession, sending a tremor through the underground, but she did manage to get her sword out.

BGM: Left Foot Trapped in a Sensual Seduction

Spoiler

Rozaliya gaped and whirled around to glare at her. "Hey, I was supposed to have first dibs!"

"Do it faster then."

"Hmph, I'll do just that!" With that, she sprinted around the corner. Liliya followed at a more sedate pace. She could hear her humming the tunes to something.

She caught up to Rozaliya, just in time to see her sister facing a group of men with their weapons pointed at her. "Hey guys, how's your health plan?"

Rozaliya grinned as bullets ricochetted off her shoulder.

"APPARENTLY, IT'S GREAT!"

She leapt towards them, holding her sword away from her and starting to spin wildly. In seconds, there was only blood and chunks of mercenary left.

Liliya sighed. "We should find a shower."

---

Taylor decided that she should just stop trying to use martial arts against people with guns, and proceeded to charge through them. Mercenaries were bowled over, limbs were crushed, weapons were pulverized and Tinker Tech let out small pops as she passed.

She didn't bother destroying the fortifications in her way; instead, she jumped over them, feet snapping out to kick at grabbing hands before she landed in a roll and continued on her way. Taylor didn't pay attention to what happened to them, but she could hear their screams pretty well.

She ignored the elevator and broke through the wall near it instead, coming out to a stairwell, and careful use of strength and acrobatics displaying a level of flexibility that she was certain she wasn't capable of before her body changed brought her down floors with little momentum wasted.

Her power was either staying quiet, or she couldn't hear them. With that in mind, she brought up the map and followed the quickest route towards the twins. The entire underground complex was massive, enough that getting from one end to another would take nearly an hour normally, which is not helped by the twisting passages.

[AI-chan: Coil tried to activate the self-destruct on the base. Keyword being 'tried'. He's on his way up.]

Nothing she had to get involved in. She trusted the others to take care of him; she only had to pay attention to her mission.

Now, if only the twins stopped moving deeper into the complex!

---

Coil sighed as he exited the elevator, his anger having cooled to a low simmer during the rest of the ride up. A setback was a setback, no matter how minor it was, but at least he knew better about what the new organization was capable of now. He will just have to recoup his losses and-

He drew his gun and split the timeline as soon as he heard the footsteps. He took aim and fired at where he heard the sound coming from. Idly, he noted that the entire parking lot was dark, with the emergency lights as an exception. Did those people really cut the power from the entire building?

He died immediately.

He twitched and split the timeline again, with ran towards his car in one.

He died immediately.

He split them again, and slowly retreated back to the elevator. It was reinforced, and he would be gone by the time his mystery assailant got close enough-

As soon as his foot passed the threshold, he died immediately.

Sweat poured down his head as he thought of a way to escape this situation.

Did Cauldron send their enforcer to silence him for whatever reason? No, they already stated that they wouldn't take any actions unless he leaks any information about them.

Coil flinched as the assailant shot near him.

He split the timeline. "Help! I just managed to escape-"

He split the timeline. "Don't shoot! I'll pay anything-"

He split the timeline. "Men, secure the perimeter! We will take a squad and go down this hidden passageway-"

He split the timeline and dialed on his phone.

"911, what's the emergency?"

He died.

He split the timeline...and just stood there.

What can he do? The enemy didn't seem intent on killing him immediately, taking their time in indulging their sadistic pleasure.

He slowly moved his hand behind him, palming the grenade hooked on his belt.

Finally, the unknown assailant came close enough for the light from the elevator to clearly present their figure.

Spoiler

It was one of the members of the team who took down the Empire. Her last known information stated that she was headed to the temporary detention center Saint Freya constructed. Why was she here?

He gave her a nod. "Miss Zaychik. It is strange to find you here, but I'm currently on a secret mission here."

She gave a slow, languid blink. "Nyet."

"Excuse me?"

"Measures were taken to hide elevator's existence. Measures were taken to hide underground parking lot's existence. Parahuman Response Team did not share any information about any secret missions."

He grit his teeth, but kept his voice calm. "That is why it's a secret mission. We can't exactly let others know, because it compromises agents working under cover."

"Incorrect." Came the monotonous reply. "Meeting between leaders occurred beforehand, and any opportunities to inform about undercover agents was present throughout. Subject Calvert's position as PRT Special Forces Captain would make it doubly important to inform us about such a mission. Subject Calvert also came out of elevator, which renders your entire argument invalid."

She had a Thinker power to see through walls then. But how was she controlling the strange construct during that fight?

He growled. "Again, I was under cover. I am working as a double agent in Coil's forces, relaying information to the PRT."

"Incorrect. Subject Calvert's body structure is a close match to any mentions of Coil. Working as undercover agent is rendered impossible by the fact that both subject Calvert and Coil have matching appearances."

In one timeline, he pulled the pin and lunged at her.

In the other, he pulled the pin and threw the lever at her. "You'll never take me alive!"

The trigger was pulled, and the grenade flew off in the distance where it detonated.

Coil looked at the hole in his stomach. The major organs were missed, and it was very close to the spine by a few centimeters, but the wound wasn't lethal.

He spasmed as the taser was pressed to his abdomen, and fell to the ground.

"I believe that this is checkmate, Coil."

---

Bronya took slow, careful steps as she went down the hidden parking lot. It was dark, as the circuit breaker was shut off beforehand.

[As sad as it is, we need Coil alive. Taylor won't have an issue getting to the twins, so you'll be in charge of capturing and bringing him back to the authorities.]

She had a body camera on her. Technically, they were all 'wearing' body cameras, as to present the recordings during debriefing with the local PRT, but this time she actually had to look like she was wearing one. This one had its night vision active, albeit on a far higher quality than what would be found on the market, outside of a Tinker's creation.

It was capable of using what little sources of light were present and creating a clear view of its surroundings, if in monochromatic shades of green.

It was more than enough to catch Coil red-handed.

[Now, the annoying thing about Coil is that unless you didn't need to keep him alive, any decisions to shoot him have to take lethality into account. That is, until you add his power into the equation.]

In the far distance, using eyes that can see through nearly everything, she noted the false wall lifting, the elevator doors opening, and Coil coming out. He was not wearing his outfit, but hopefully enough, his actions would condemn him.

If nothing else, they can send someone unknown to assassinate him, should he manage to slither his way out of his current predicament.

[That bastard fancies himself a chess player in the metaphorical playing field, so the best option is to keep him indecisive.]

There was only one exit to this area, which is currently behind her. That was the primary issue regarding secret passages: they usually don't make more than one, which turns it into a deathtrap the moment it is found.

[He'll abuse his power whenever it suits him, so make your presence obvious. Let him drown in his own paranoia.]

She stopped moving carefully, and let her footsteps be heard.

[He'd try to find ways to escape, so we can consider any swift and reckless actions to be him testing his power, and thus you can shoot him dead. In the worst case, we can excuse our actions as having suspicions about him, considering he came out of an elevator connected to his secret base and all. He might not be flagged as Coil, but he'd definitely be considered a traitor or something.]

She can see his eyes moving around, most likely trying to remember where everything was positioned.

[If he shoots, kill him. If he tries to get back to the elevator, kill him. If he does nothing, give a warning shot and make him act. Do not let him talk until you see each other face to face.]

Sweat was pouring down on his head. Whatever he's been experiencing cannot be pretty.

[Don't think about the 'what ifs' about the other 'timelines' he 'creates and destroys' at his leisure. Rather, pay attention to the here and now. You can see him, and that is more than enough.]

She aimed and shot near his head, making him flinch and take action.

He made excuses to his presence here, but it quickly dawned on him that his fate was sealed.

He tried committing suicide.

He wasn't successful.

And now he is captured.

---

She finally caught up to the twins, after a lengthy period of time where she had to traverse this shitty, twisting maze. Coil's mercenaries lay broken where she passed, and the trail of corpses had shown that the two did not made any decisions to hold back.

But now they're trapped, unable to exit the showers with her blocking the exit. She wasn't sure what expression she was showing right now, but Rozaliya looked guilty, and even Liliya looked the slightest bit afraid.

"I finally got you two." She glared at them both. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

Rozaliya, bloody, wet and covered with soap, could only shrug in response.

"Hehe."

He stood in front of the restaurant.

With its new, brightly painted walls, a cheerful logo design above the entrance, and a signboard beside the doors displaying the image of a girl deep within the throes of a food binge, and heading towards an impending food coma, the establishment presented a rather welcoming aura. The image was odd, but it does convey the message of people being able to fill themselves with food.

Spoiler: Reference Image: Restaurant LogoSpoiler: Reference Image: Kiana's Upcoming Food Coma

As first impressions go, he noted that these people didn't take themselves too seriously. Or at least not frightening enough to scare people off. It is a restaurant, after all.

James snorted, drawing his attention. "They're certainly eyecatching, that's for sure."

Ben focused on what his friend was looking at.

Spoiler: Reference Image: Immortal Blades

Yeah, those were definitely guards, cheerfully greeting and opening the door for customers while wearing armor and openly carrying weapons. They had halberds strapped to their backs, and their rifles hung loosely in their grip. He'd ask why they kept parts of their bodies exposed, but he was a tactful person, so he'd just let that oddity pass. Their armor kept their vital areas protected anyway, so it was probably to prevent heatstroke.

With a nod and a smile, his group were let in, and they came up to the receptionist, who was also the colorful, eyecatching type. She wore a black and white ensemble that drew in eyes to her body, and the name tag on her chest read 'Kasumi'.

Spoiler

"Welcome, sir." The receptionist greeted. "Do you have a reservation?"

Prior observation had shown that many customers went into the restaurant. It was also large and had three floors, which would explain why they still had vacant tables, from what little he could see through the doorways at the end of a short hallway.

Online research the day prior had also revealed that no one seemed to have any bad things to say about its quality of food or service. The employees themselves were another matter, but that's to be expected for a cape-run establishment, especially with ones that would've been considered as Case 53s if it wasn't for the fact that nearly all of them looked identical to each other. He was fairly sure there was a Case number for the phenomenon.

"We have." Ben nodded. "One reservation, under 'Chubster', 'Chevalier', 'Myrddin', 'Campanile' and 'Clay'."

Either the formality was necessary, or they didn't recognize them at first glance. That was fine; the popularity can feel uncomfortable sometimes, and being treated like normal people is quite nice.

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, I have your reservation: table for five, allergy warning for shellfish and soy, and no religious dietary restrictions. Is there anything else to add?"

Ben rubbed his chin, then looked at his friends. They either shook their heads or said no. "No, that's all of it."

The receptionist nodded, then waved towards a nearly identical woman walking up to them. "Understood. Please allow the hostess to escort you to your seats."

Spoiler

"Greetings, honored guests." The hostess bowed, and Ben pointedly looked away from her cleavage in her purple dress. Her nametag read 'Fae' "This way, if you would please."

The acoustics were kept in mind when this establishment was constructed; what had been a faint sound near the entrance grew louder as they entered the dining area. The loudest source was from the singer playing on the piano.

Spoiler

Spoiler

"Weather-wise, it's such a lovely day~ Just say the words and we'll beat the birds down to Acapulco Bay~"

They headed up the stairs, and stopped at a private booth. The receptionist turned to them. "Here you are, sir."

The seats were sofas, surrounding a large table that can comfortably seat eight people at once. The curtains were thick enough to prevent silhouettes from being seen, though one side had a window allowed them to see the floor below. There were no risks of being seen unmasked by other diners; a quick check revealed that the glass used was tinted on one side, and there were no noticeable signs of the other booths being used.

"Of course, we do have other private seating available upstairs as well, if this location is not to your preference."

Ben already had his answer. Their objective was to see the interior themselves, after all. "No, this is fine. I don't see my seat though." He said jokingly.

"Please do not worry, sir." She reassured him. "Our seats are more than capable of carrying your weight."

He chuckled, and slowly sat down. The seating didn't even make a groan of protest. He shifted slightly until he was comfortable, and there was still nothing. He grinned. "Alright, then."

Taking that as their cue, the others sat down as well. Michael sat on the other seat at the end, Bill on the middle, and Jess on his right, while James flopped down next to him.

They were given their menus. "All dishes listed have their ingredients and nutritional data detailed within, and there are also options to remove or replace some of them." The receptionist explained. "Should you require any clarifications or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask. To open the menu, please press the button on the top right."

They nodded as she left, and Ben looked at his menu in confusion. Maybe he should've asked what she meant with that last part?

"The fuck?" Jess breathed out, as she stared at the screen in front of her. "They're seriously using tablets as menus?"

"Well, she did say that the dishes have details in them. You don't need a the waitress to order your food either." James answered her calmly as Ben opened his own menu. Sure enough, each dish had a picture, the ingredients used, as well as the nutritional data available for perusal. There were also clearly labeled options to hide the details. "Although for such a fancy restaurant, their prices are actually cheap."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that in some of the comments. There were no complaints about the food though."

"This probably isn't their primary source of funds then." Michael pointed out. "The quality, the price, and the transparency would make sense if this restaurant exists as a PR move. It's difficult to fail in gaining popularity with cheap and high-quality food."

"Okay, but let's talk food now." Bill piped up, having been silent until then. "We should start with appetizers first. We have the option of having individual or group platters. They have alcoholic drinks available too."

He did notice that; a banner at the top stating that there is a discount on alcohol for the day. There was a drop-down menu on the upper right corner of the screen, and he found the drinks section fairly quickly. The first page contained all the bottled water brands, juices, teas, soft drinks and shakes, while the second page onwards had the list of alcoholic drinks available, with a small warning for customers intending to get drunk.

"Should we get a platter, or order our own?" James asked.

"Two platters would be good, I think." Ben answered absentmindedly. There were so many options available that he's actually having trouble choosing. The best choice would be something with low alcohol content. It was amusing that there are ways to rearrange the list to sort drinks by alcohol content, primary ingredients, in alphabetical order and more. They also had the option to mix drinks.

"I'll have the baked mussels." Jesse stated.

"Aren't you allergic to shellfish?" Bill asked.

"Not allergic to mollusks though." She hummed. "After that, I'll take Deep-Fried Pork Belly, with the accompanying Lechon Sauce, Garlic Fried Rice, and the Atsara, which are pickled fruits and vegetables as a side dish."

"I'll have two orders of Fish and Chips then." Michael listed his own order. "Any suggestions for the appetizer?"

"How about a Mediterranean Platter?" Bill suggested. "And speaking of Mediterranean, I'll have Chicken Shawarma and Shakshuka."

"Mediterranean's fine." James agreed. "I'll have a slice of Deep Dish Meat Lovers, which is actually available here, and Garlic Bread as a side."

"You're proving your stereotype, and we're definitely going to get absolutely stuffed here." Ben grinned, and James chuckled. "I'll have the Chef's Choice Platter then. What about drinks though? They have a discount on alcohol today."

"Should we even drink alcohol?" Michael mused. "I feel like that would be bad."

"It depends on your tolerance and the alcohol content, and we can handle a pitcher or two." James waved his concerns off. "Let's just have them choose low alcohol drinks for us, because it's probably going to take us hours to go through the sheer number of combinations here. Anyone else agree?"

When everyone else nodded in assent, they ordered their meals.

---

"I'm bored."

Spoiler: Reference: Kallen Kaslana

It wasn't anyone's fault that she was in her current predicament. She was ordered to stay away from the establishment during working hours lest she distract the Sakuras (she had yet to leave Nirvana after discovering that particular revelation) from doing their jobs, like the irresistible urge to keep ordering food as an excuse to flirt with them.

Of course, this meant that she had to stay somewhere else and eat whatever food she could find. But after tasting culinary heaven, the only reason she kept eating was to find a dish she hadn't tasted before and share it with the network for the Sakuras to improve.

Kallen couldn't believe that there'd be a day where eating was a boring chore, but even having her fifth box of Munchkins (which is counted separately from the jelly donuts, donut bars, glazed donuts, etc.) at a Dunkin' Donuts to go with her sandwich did not lift her spirits.

"Your order, Ma'am." The cashier said as he placed down another box and took the empty one with him. "These are the last donut flavors available on the menu."

"Thanks." She had paid for everything upfront, and tipped the workers generously for their time, so there shouldn't be any issue with leaving now, right?

Just as she bit into her latest batch of donuts, she spotted an armored vehicle pass by.

"..." She swallowed before speaking. "Did I just see an APC pass by in broad daylight?"

"Yeah."

"Saw it too."

"Fairly sure I saw a swastika."

She stood up. "I should stop them then."

"Don't the Empire have like, a lot of capes?"

"I have something better: competent personnel. Who I will have to call in right now." Kallen shot back, smiling. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

Grabbing the box, she accepted an offered bottle of water with a nod of thanks and dashed out the door.

---

She called in as she started running after the vehicle.

[Kallen: Potential Empire goons spotted. Requesting full city coverage, please.]

[AI-chan: Deploying drones. We're sending in a transport as well.]

She saw the vehicle in the distance. It really had a swastika on the side, in a bizarre (to her) display of stupidity. There was no way that this is anything but a diversion.

'Or,' She thought as she saw the thugs carrying a couple to the apc, the man unconscious and bleeding from the temple while the woman was screaming and struggling in their grasp. 'They're getting hostages.'

Whatever miniscule amount of levity she had at the obvious identification disappeared at the sight, and as she passed by a cafe, the box of donuts was placed on an empty table, while her free hand had a gun out and took aim.

They had noticed her coming towards them, and the gunner on top began firing the mounted gun at her. It did nothing as her barrier faded into visibility, and all bullets simply fell as it struck the surface, their inertia gone.

She ignored the gunfire, and shot the ones carrying the man. They fell over twitching, and taking a running slide along the ground, she managed to catch the man before he fell down with one hand, taking care to prevent whiplash damaging his head injuries further. The men inside the apc started shooting at her, but like the gunner on top, they failed to do anything, especially when her barrier adjusted itself to block the door as well.

The two carrying the woman were already in the process of aiming their guns at their hostage's head, but she was faster. Before they could blink, she had already shot the gun out of one's hand, and as he clutched his suddenly spasming appendage, she shot the other one too.

The woman took this as her chance to move. Instead of running away, she, in a surprisingly tactical choice, chose to move towards Kallen instead. Kallen nodded in approval; why risk getting shot by the gunner from the apc's roof when she could take cover within the bulletproof shield, after all?

"Please help him, they hit his head!" The woman pleaded.

Kallen nodded, and switched her gun's mode to spread shot. A single blast took out the group shooting at her from behind, and switched back to single fire as the other thugs, having exited the vehicle from the other door, started shooting at her again. They were easily brought down as well.

Satisfied that there wasn't any obvious threats, she brought up a hand to her ear in a visual display of communication. "This is Kallen, requesting medivac for injured hostage. Damage is located on right temple, and swelling might have occured. Subject is still breathing."

"Acknowledged. Transport ETA is one minute. Please administer first aid."

"Understood." She set the man down gently and started rifling through her pouch. "Ma'am, I need a verbal response for formality's sake. Do I have permission to administer first aid with Tinker Tech?"

"Yes, please." The woman nodded frantically. "Please help him!"

She inserted a syringe to the man's wrist vein and depressed the plunger. "This syringe contains medical nanites that will help close the wound and keep any fractured bones in place. We have an incoming transport with onboard facilities that can deal with the damage better, but for now he'll be safe."

The woman nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Yes. Thank you very much."

Kallen placed a small device on the ground, and a larger barrier sprung up. "Stay inside while I handle cleanup."

Standing up, she turned and came face to barrel with the mounted gun, which was now unmounted and aimed directly at her face, inside the barrier.

"Die, you race traitor." The man growled, as he pressed the trigger.

Nothing. Several rounds were fired, entered the intertia-absorption field and stopped, were pushed by more bullets, and fell to the ground.

Kallen calmly shot him. "Yeah, that doesn't work."

She scanned their surroundings, walking around the apc and even checking below the vehicle, before she was satisfied. She walked back to the couple as the transport appeared, gently and silently landing before several Valkyries exited, carrying stretchers and restraints.

Kallen tapped the apc. "Bring this along, and head to the hospital first."

The Valkyrie saluted, and within the minute the transport took off, the vehicle firmly secured underneath. Kallen was left with a large case of deployable barriers, medical nanites, and an assortment of non-lethal mines and grenades.

[AI-chan: We've spotted several other groups all over the city. Valkyries have been sent to most of those locations, but we don't have enough. The others have been notified, and the majority of the Immortal Blades are coming as backup, but Durandal is still busy with her ongoing task. Immortal Blade ETA is twenty minutes. A group is also headed towards the restaurant, but no need to worry about that. Take them out and worry about prisoner transport later; medical assistance takes priority.]

[AI-chan: A path has been laid out for you. You are cleared to use those grenades and mines.]

[Kallen: Acknowledged.]

---

Spoiler

"Here are your Baked Mussels, honoured guests." One of the waitresses, in a much more modest attire, announced. She waited for them to get themselves presentable or wear their masks, if needed. "As well as the Mediterranean Platter and the Sangria."

"Let's have it, then." Jess said with a smile, and the waitress bent over to lay down the dishes. He read her nametag, 'Jade', then looked away as she stood up.

The dishes looked and smelled very appetizing, as expected. The mussels didn't have that much additions, merely baked with butter, garlic and sprinkled with cheese, but that was to be expected from an appetizer.

The Mediterranean Platter, on the other hand, was large enough to comfortably feed two to three people. The sheer variety - from the standard fare of flat bread, hummus, tahini and tzatziki sauces, to the assortment of vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes, to the olives, nuts, and cheeses - made his hands twitch, itching to just start eating.

"The Chef's Platter will take longer to be prepared, and your other orders will be ready by then as well." The waitress informed them. "For the drinks, we have a Sangria made in-house using blood oranges, lemons, limes, apples, and orange juice. The mixtures are kept refrigirated until ordered, after which we mix in soda water and local red wine according to specifications. This particular mixture only has minimal alcohol content; a perfect beverage to drink during lunch break."

"We'll have four then." James said, and Jade nodded and brought out their drinks.

The four glass pitchers were covered in a layer of condensation, and he could feel the sheer cold radiating from the one placed in front of him, which probably explained the rubber grip on the handle, as well as the middle section. The Sangria itself was of a lighter coloration than the ones he'd seen before, although the brief explanation provided preempted any questions. Inside, sliced fruits were floating or sat at the bottom, depending on their weight or the shape they were cut. They were given two pitchers of water as well.

Once the waitress left, they spent the next few minutes eating in silence, occasionally broken by appreciative sounds. The appetizers were shared between five active heroes and were quickly cleaned.

Minutes after Bill wiped the bowl of hummus clean, and Jess popped the last piece of olive into her mouth, the waitress returned, pushing a cart. They were quietly nursing their drinks and letting the food settle in their stomachs, the fruit peels on the wooden platter proof that even the fruits were not spared their attention.

"Your meals are here." She announced, once they let her in. "First we have the Deep-Fried Pork Belly, Lechon Sauce, Garlic Rice and the Atsara?"

"That's my order." Jess raised her hand, and the plate was served. The dish wasn't much to write home about: it was pork, it was deep-fried, and it contrasted heavily in color with the Garlic Rice and the Atsara. The pickled side dish was rather colorful, and its deep colors indicated its freshness.

"We have two variations for the Lechon Sauce: one made with liver and one without. Which do you prefer?"

"I'll take the latter."

The saucer of condiment was placed beside the plate, and the waitress moved on. "Next, we have two orders of Fish and Chips?"

"Here, for both of them." Michael answered with a grin. He rubbed his hands as both dishes were placed in front of him. The fish were coated in a solid shell of batter, and the 'chips' came as both large logs of fried potatoes, and wedges with the skin on. The customary lemon wedge was present, as well as the tartar sauce, a mustard dip, most likely mixed with honey, and vinegar. And there was a saucer of lemon juice to the side.

"There are two kinds of fish used as per your specifications: cod and halibut." The waitress stated. "The lemon juice serves the same purpose as the lemon wedge, just in case you require more of it."

She picked up a larger plate. "Next, Chicken Shawarma and Shakshuka?"

Bill waved, and they were placed in front of him. The Shawarma was the same as the many variations he'd eaten: soft flatbread wrapped around chicken, vegetables, and the unmistakable smell of garlic sauce. The Shakshuka was red, being made out of tomatoes, red bellpeppers, and other red ingredients that he can't make out properly. An egg topped the dish, as it does normally.

"Several ingredients are spicy, just to inform you in advance." The waitress warned.

"That's fine." Bill grinned. "I like the spice."

The waitress nodded, then picked up the next plate. "Deep Dish Meat Lovers and Garlic Bread?"

"Yeah, that's mine." James wiggled his fingers as the pizza was placed in front of him. Cheese was oozing out the sides and off the top, and James pulling a bit off the edge caused it to stretch out without breaking. "Nice."

"And the Chef's Choice Platter?" The waitress presented the large, thick wooden tray upon which several plates sat on. His eyes widened as he saw the three skewers of differing meats stood upright impaled in half a pineapple, with a wedge of cheese sitting beside.

"That'll be mine." Ben answered, and his eyes got even wider as he was treated to a visual feast: a small squid lay in the center of a bowl of soup, with mussels sitting around it. An equally small whole chicken lay on a plate, with a bowl of gravy beside it. The paella, a variation that didn't use seafood, was prepared in a visually aesthetic way. The skewers contained sausages, picanha, a beef cut made popular in Brazil. and sirloin steak. There were small bread loaves with cold cut meat on another plate, and the entire ensemble was capped with a mug of sweet-smelling beverage.

"The drink is Tepache, which is made with pineapple and spices, and fermented for a week. There is only a minimal amount of alcohol content." The waitress explained. "Do you require details on the dishes?"

Ben waved her off. "No. No, this is beautiful. I want to discover everything myself."

"Is he crying?" Jess asked.

The others laughed as the waitress bowed, and taking the empty dishes and pitchers with her, leaving them and their suddenly hungry stomachs.

Their active lifestyle made keeping in shape simple if difficult (and he also made sure that he didn't become obese), but it seems that they'll have to get a diet after this. And get the leftovers for takeout.

---

These people, despite their racist front, were actually indiscriminate when targeting people to use as hostages. Or maybe it's because they're taking hostages? They also didn't have any priorities on who to target; so far, they seemed to just aim for anyone within easy grabbing range. This makes the process faster when they only had to stop near the sidewalk, gang up on their victims, then make their escape.

So far, she'd stopped over a dozen incidents already, with the other Valkyries regularly sending updates as well. By now, around six medical transports are constantly moving around the city, picking up five to six people, with injuries ranging from broken bones to concussions and internal hemorrhaging. They were all equipped with the necessary technology to keep the injuries from getting worse, so a transport can afford to wait until the general area they were in was devoid of empire members, then they went to the hospital, where Panacea had to be called to aid with the constant stream of patients coming in.

[AI-chan: Good news: Durandal's group finished early, so she's heading back. ETA is seven minutes, which is the fastest she could go without breaking aviation laws. There's also only a few thugs left within reach of the others, so head back to the restaurant.]

[Kallen: Acknowledged.]

She had been waiting for the excuse. A jump took her to the rooftops, which she started leaping across towards her destination. A thought accessed a drone, and she observed the standoff at the entrance.

Kaiser, Krieg, Hookwolf, Night, Fog and Rune. Durandal's report stated that they've already taken care of the others, so what backups this group will have is limited to unpowered personnel...who were either back at Brockton Bay, or being cleaned up by the other Valkyries. She brought up their profiles and arranged her targeting priorities according to their powers and capabilities.

Kaiser, Krieg and Rune were the easiest to take down; it didn't matter what they could bring to bear, as they had no protection against blunt force. It was also a simple matter of shooting them, and her level of mobility wouldn't even be hindered by any physical obstacles created.

Night and Fog were a tag team. A Changer and a Breaker respectively, Fog has the capability to transform into his namesake (a thick blanket of water vapors, compared to the lighter mist), which can erode any biological matter within his range, as well as to blind others through simply blocking their sight or damaging their eyes for Night to use her powers. Night can transform into a monster when no one is looking, though it does seem that electronic means of surveillance doesn't affect her. What her capabilities are in this form are largely unknown, but what was known is that she is faster, stronger, and has bladed limbs, from what survivors and autopsies revealed.

Then there was Hookwolf. He was a Changer, and detailed observations of publicly recorded encounters (as well as private ones that they've 'found') pointed to him having a weakpoint; all Parahumans, from careful research, seemed to have a weakpoint of some sort, which prevented them from being truly invincible. Getting to hit that weakpoint was the problem...for most. He preferred to keep his alternate form canine, but it was also known that he could regenerate parts of his metallic body through producing more blades that gave him his name, which didn't rule out the possibility of him shifting to other forms to gain an advantage.

Aside from the unknown weakpoint, he was well-rounded enough that some effort is required to take him down; his alternate form was large enough that he could keep up with vehicles outside of roads where the vehicle can go faster without fear of collision, being metallic meant that only attacks that can destroy metal affects him, but he can regenerate from the damage, and having participated in so many fights meant that he had better experience than most.

But that was all he had to bring against them. The general guidelines for fighting him is to simply bisect him in the middle, and determine if he can also regenerate from that: if he does, they then have to determine which half regenerates and repeat, removing parts until they've isolated his weakpoint and attack that.

She decided to go with Night and Fog first. She wasn't exactly sure if their current status would allow for Night to transform in front of her, but she won't take any chances. Kaiser, Krieg and Rune can go last, while she'll have to call for someone to deal with Hookwolf in her stead.

Speaking of which, he jumped off the vehicle and transformed, which meant that he was already prepared by the time they reached the entrance.

Upon stopping, the others stepped out and prepared themselves as well; Kaiser and Krieg were at the front, Rune hopped on a dumpster and started floating, while Night and Fog were at the back, most likely waiting for the hostages that will never arrive.

There were the thugs too, like the person driving the vehicle, but they weren't important.

Now, how will she deal with this? Smoke grenades can deal with Night and Fog, especially the ones she has that produces enough to cover the entire street. She doesn't have experience fighting living gaseous entities, but she reckoned that anything that could disrupt his form, or forcibly change his state of matter.

She will use the Tranquil Rhapsodies then; a pair of double-barreled pistols that can rapidly lower ambient temperatures would work best against him and possibly Night.

Night, she didn't know if the alternate form has any other methods of detection besides sight, but she was fairly sure that mines can deal with her, especially ones that can discharge electricity on contact, release a net to snare anyone close, or outright produce ice to block pathways or trap anyone caught within the area of effect. She could also just shoot the bitch to see if it works.

The restaurant had already shut its doors, with Kae at the front prepared to fight. She could take care of Hookwolf, then they'll beat the remaining three.

Spoiler

She ignored the tiny voice in her head asking why she knew every Sakura clone by sight. (They all had subtle differences in their appearances: Kae had natural pouting lips, Shae had a small mole under her lip...)

Now, only thing left is for her to wait for an opportune moment...

[BK_Excelsis: Incoming. Please designate a target for me.]

Kallen raised an eyebrow and looked around, even as she reflexively painted the largest target on the field, the same target that Kae also chose. She didn't see Durandal, nor did she hear the telltale sound of those engines in that battlesuit of hers. It was only when she checked their locations through the battlefield map that she saw.

Oh.

Oh!

She grinned.

Hookwolf was the first to get close enough to notice Kae's presence. With a roar, he charged forward, the numerous sharp implements that made up his body beginning to rapidly spin and tore up the road as he did so.

[BK_Excelsis: BRACE!]

Kallen dropped down to the ground (though she was too far to be affected by any possible shockwaves), even as Kae blinked and crouched low to the ground. Hookwolf didn't look like he knew what hit him, as Durandal collided with him and carried him to the far end of the street.

She actually turned off her engines before she came to earshot, and only reengaged them once she got near enough. Kallen shook her head and had a brief laugh. That was definitely an attention-grabbing stunt right there!

She was already near when Durandal appeared, so she took the opportunity to pull the pins off the smoke grenades. She let them pour out their contents for a while, completely covering her, then she threw all but two into the enemy.

Fog and Night had noticed her when the cloud had thickened and moved to intercept her, but she had pulled out the mines already and threw them like frisbees across the pavement. Given that two immediately went off in quick succession with a muted bang, then either Night was fast enough to avoid the resulting effects, or those two mines have been in close proximity to each other.

She switched to infrared, allowing her to see that, indeed, two mines had went off beside each other; Night was encased in ice, and the ice was wrapped with a net. It was redundant, but she wasn't exactly throwing them one by one in the first place.

Now, where was Fog? Was he unable to phase through the smoke with his powers or something?

After a while spent examining the area, Kallen gave up and just decided to start clearing out the smoke. Night was trapped anyway, and Fog being unable to kill her with his powers can be explained away as a power, which was always a decent excuse. She unclipped the spent grenades on her belt, reduced to emitting faint wisps of colored smoke, tossed them away and waited.

The suspense was getting to her a bit, and she started humming to herself as she played with her pistols, spinning them around.

Anytime now...

Finally, someone tried to stab her from behind, and she turned to see Fog trying to stab her again. She kneed him in the gut, which he recovered from quickly, and shot him before he was able to do anything else. Tossing him towards the frozen Night, she picked up one of the ice mines and froze him as well.

Job done, she ran back to the rest of the fighting, but it seemed to have finished already. Kaiser and Krieg were unconscious with cauterized wounds all over their bodies. Rune was curled up on the pavement, both hands clutching her stomach, while Durandal was dragging Hookwolf's unmoving body towards them, with the hulking mass of twisted metal that was the remains of his repeatedly brutalized Changer form behind her.

Of course, there were the thugs as well, who were either lying inert on the sidewalk, or were sitting in a well-behaved manner like a child who got scolded by their mother. They flinched as Hookwolf was tossed beside Kaiser.

[BK_Excelsis: Good work everyone. Please pick up these capes for medical care and imprisonment.]

[AI-chan: Transports are incoming. Please load prisoners according to the seriousness of their injuries.]

[Kallen: What about frostbites? How bad are they?]

[AI-chan: As long as the person hasn't been frozen that long, then it shouldn't be that bad. Nevertheless we'll load them first to make sure.]

Kallen went back to the frozen pair, noting that Night was now a person and not monster. She carefully shattered the ice encasing them, and laid both beside each other. Night still looked healthy, but Fog's fingertips were already turning red. She pulled out a syringe.

[Kallen: Night just turned back to human. I don't know when, but I'll just inject both just in case.]

[AI-chan: Go ahead. Transports are here.]

And they were. Kallen injected both and let them be loaded up into the transport. Within seconds, the transport was airborne and heading towards the hospital. They were immediately followed by other transports carrying the other capes. The rest carrying the thugs turned and headed towards the detention center in Brockton Bay.

[AI-chan: Now that the incident's settled, let's focus on what'll happen next: the Pricipal was called to speak to the local PRT branch in the Bay, because their capture of Lung failed and the resulting explosion was seen by everyone. Please keep a low profile and avoid wanton destruction if you can help it.]

[Kallen: The local villains wouldn't be that stupid, right?]

[AI-chan: Accord and his Ambassadors can keep his territories in check. The Teeth are the biggest threat right now, although we have surveillance on every road leading into the city, and the most recent news is that they're still in New York. Blasto hasn't come out recently, but we're keeping tabs on him. Anyone breaking the law right now would probably be someone who recently gained powers, who we can probably convince to stop, or normal criminals, which can be dealt with by the police.]

[Kallen: Understood. I'll be inside the restaurant if anyone needs me.]

With that, she started whistling as she went inside the restaurant, grinning at Kae's amused look as she took a seat at the bar.

---

They managed it.

It took them longer than an hour, but they managed to finish everything on the table, and everyone was slowly nursing a cup of hot tea. It had been a while since Ben had felt this painfully bloated, and the others weren't faring any better.

"So next time, we'll order one less appetizer?" Jess moaned.

"Or just get one dish each." Bill groaned. "I'll be stuck on the toilet tonight."

"Guess I got lucky then." James smiled wanly. "I'm only a bit above full. All that cheese is not going to leave my body peacefully though."

Michael's phone rang, cutting through the peaceful atmosphere. He sucked the lemon juice off his fingers before picking up. "Chevalier."

"..."

They were intently watching as Michael blinked and looked outside. "What? We didn't hear anything." Ben sat up straighter at that.

"..."

"We're at the second floor right now. We'd have stood out if we were at the ground floor."

"..."

"Yeah, nothing seemed to happen inside at least, so there's not much to say." Michael sighed. "Are we needed right now?"

"...?"

"We underestimated how much food we ordered, so we're a bit overfed right now." Michael leaned on the backrest. "Yeah, we'll give our reports later."

"What happened?" James asked as he leaned forward.

"Apparently, while we were eating, the Empire Eighty-Eight from Brockton Bay tried to attack this place." Michael sighed and picked up his tea. "We didn't notice anything because of...something. The building is probably soundproofed?"

"I could still hear the outside when we entered the lobby, but not when we went into the restaurant proper." Ben chimed in, and Michael nodded.

"But no one was hurt?" Bill asked.

"The Empire tried taking hostages, but Saint Freya immediately deployed their people to deal with it. There weren't any casualties, at least for now. Panacea had to be called for some injuries, although she can't do brains, which is unfortunate because most of the victims have head injuries."

They sighed at that; hostage situations were the worst, especially when the hostages were injured during abduction.

"But the Empire was taken in?"

"Yeah. Apparently, the Empire headed towards here as Saint Freya began operations to clean up the Bay. Every major villain groups in that city are in prison right now. That's a good thing, but add in their near-perfect performance, especially with how fast they've managed to react to the attack here, and now the higher-ups are scared."

James clicked his tongue. "'No good deed goes unpunished', huh?"

"Hopefully not." Michael frowned. "There will be a sudden power vacuum, yeah, but if they could remove the major villain groups within a day, then they could keep the city relatively crime-free until the infrastructure is fixed."

Ben nodded; most knew about Michael's studies in trying to fix the underlying issues that cause new triggers to become villains. His proposed idea was crude, but it was effective when it took Saint Freya's capes into account.

"But we don't have to report right now?" Jess asked, and Michael shook his head.

"The situation was resolved without our involvement, so the most we have to write about is our experiences inside the restaurant...which is most likely going to be praising the food. We aren't in a hurry, in any case."

They nodded at that.

"Let's get takeout and the check then." Ben suggested.

They blinked, and everybody shared a chuckle as they pulled out their menus.

=====

April 10th

34 days until Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay

=====

Conversation died down as their guests arrived in the meeting room. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet on the floor, and their seating on the large table was equally silent.

On one side, were the various monitors showing the faces of nearly every PRT Directors who didn't have other pressing matters to attend to. On the other end of the table sat Director Armstrong and his assistant.

In the middle was a screen on a swiveling mount, showing Dragon, or at least her 'Avatar'. The reclusive Tinker's identity was only known to few, and her true identity even less, thus she uses an avatar of her Hero persona during meetings. It would be like she's wearing a mask.

As for the guests...

Theresa cleared her throat. The blue-haired girl bent down and placed down a stool, upon which the leader of Saint Freya stood.

"Chief Director, Director Armstrong," She nodded at Rebecca Costa-Brown, then at Armstrong. "And all the other PRT Directors. Now that we're all here, it is time for introductions. I am Theresa Apocalypse, the leader of the organization, Saint Freya. With me are a few of my associates who make up the core of the organization."

The man beside her took that as his cue to stand up himself. "I am Walter Yang, the leader of Saint Freya's sister organization, Anti-Entropy." He waved to the remaining three guests. "And these are some of the organization's leading scientists, as well as part of the founders of the organization."

Spoiler

The blue-haired girl nodded and stood up. "I am Lizelle, code name 'Einstein'. I head the Theoretical and Experimental Physics Research Department."

Spoiler

The redhead crossed her arms as she stared at the Directors. "I am Frederika, code name 'Tesla'. I head the Machinery, Electrics and Weapons Research and Development Department. I was involved in creating those transports you saw ferrying those mooks to the Detention Center."

Spoiler

The brunette, by far the calmest-looking member of the group, looked up from the datapad she was perusing and nodded. "Reanna, code name 'Schrödinger'. I head the Quantum Mechanics and Dimension Physics Department. You might have seen some of the field operatives pulling out weapons and other equipment from thin air; that is one of my inventions."

Spoiler

With the introductions over, their guests sat back down.

"'Dimension Physics', which means the application of dimensions in your work?" The Chief Director asked. "Which is how your field operatives are capable of changing armor and pulling out an energy cannon in an instant?"

Schrödinger nodded. "Yes. In simple terms, you can consider it as a subspace pocket."

"And your work involves accessing alternate dimensions and such?"

"Correct."

"Then would I be correct in my speculation that your groups are not natives on this Earth, but rather came from another?"

The tension rose at that. Several Directors frowned as they understood the implications, while others were wide-eyed in their surprise. They all observed their guests as they waited for the answer.

In contrast, their guests barely look surprised. Tesla handed over a hundred dollar bill to Einstein, Walter was discreetly signalling them to stop, and Theresa appeared slightly unfocused.

"Yes, we are from a different world." Schrödinger didn't even bat an eyelash. "Although, we never used your naming sense, as we only called our version of Earth as 'Earth'."

"What are you then? Interdimensional refugees? Criminals?"

Tesla snorted. "What criminal organization would actively help people?"

"The kind with a hidden agenda?" The Director from the Virginia branch guessed.

"We'd be less public if that were the case." Einstein noted, as she tilted her head. "At least, that's how such organizations operated back home."

"To answer your question," Theresa cut in. "We are refugees. Our civilization was on the verge of destruction, so everyone who was still alive came here."

"So you had Endbringers in your Earth too?" The California Director asked.

"Our civilization wouldn't have been destroyed if we only had three destructive beings to contend with." Theresa pulled out her own datapad and projected a picture on the table.

Spoiler

"This is the Houkai, or the Collapse; silicon-based lifeforms that are hostile to humanity."

"How large is it?" The Ohio Director inquired.

Spoiler: Reference: Chariot Honkai Beast

The meeting room quickly erupted in shouts and cries of panic. The Chief Director sighed and tried to get their attention to no avail.

A loud noise finally snapped them out of it, and everyone looked at Einstein, who had an airhorn in hand. Everyone else were covering their ears.

"Now that we have everyone's attention again, I would like to say that they will not be appearing here." Theresa stated.

"How can you be sure of that?" Rebecca asked.

"We've been incognito in this Earth for nearly a decade now. More than enough time for the Houkai to have appeared hundreds of times. They have a tendency to show up in large groups, so no government censorship would've hidden them from the public."

"No wonder your world was lost, if you had to face these frequently." Armstrong commented as he stared at the image.

"Well, that's just one of the species that appear." Theresa corrected him. "These guys are weak individually, so B-Ranks can handle them quite easily."

"And what qualifies for such a rank?" Legend asked.

Theresa showed the battle against the empire, specifically the part where Kiana shot Fenja and Menja. "Kiana here is S-Rank by technicality. In actuality she's B-Rank, as events conspired to delay her rank-up exams years ago. That stunt of hers would place her at the lower end of A-Rank."

She switched to Carole's fight against Mush. "Carole, in comparison, actually is B-Rank."

Legend pursed his lips. "So you're saying that even without ranged options, you can defeat those multistory giants?"

"Yes. The primary issue has always been numbers. Our people can tire, but the Houkai do not. There are multiple species, some smaller, others larger, but it isn't always an indicator of power."

"What was the strongest, in your opinion?"

"There are many, but one easily stands out in my memories: a monster that was large enough to swallow entire cities, which is not hyperbole. The Houkai Beast designated as 'Chiyou' really had historical evidence of it swallowing cities."

"'Historical evidence', meaning that it was unnoticed by your generation?"

Theresa shook her head. "More like we didn't bother it, because it was dormant until something awakened it. It existed as far as five or six centuries ago."

"And it waking up started the destruction of your civilization." Legend noted sadly.

"No, the cause was something else. We managed to kill it, but only because some of our people got swallowed, and decided to take the opportunity to head to its hearts and cause enough disturbance for our sensors to detect, whereupon we shot at it with our flagship."

There was a bit of an awkward silence at that. It wasn't helped by the somewhat blasé attitude their guests were showing.

"...so what did cause the end?"

"Last Stand situation." Theresa sighed. "By the end, it was either die or escape through an unreliable method. We were lucky that we ended up here. Previous testing of the device used to breach through dimensions resulted in unfortunate consequences."

"I was trapped in what you could call a space between dimensions for years." Schrödinger clarified. "After I managed to return, I immediately set to recalibrating the device."

"..." No one knew what to say to that. They only had to handle situations within their assigned region, or in a fixed location when an Endbringer appears. An actual extinction event or an 'out-of-reality' situation was not something any of them had any experience in.

"Perhaps we should call for a recess for now." Legend proposed. "It is nearly lunch time, and we can take the time to mull over the discussion. Afterwards, we should get back to our original intention, which was to review Saint Freya's actions taken last week."

---

---

"So where is Director Piggot?" Theresa asked Acting Director Renick as the others disconnected. "We were turned away last week."

"Medical complications." The man sighed. "She was expecting your operations to take months to finish and ending in your loss, not for your group to steamroll over every major villain faction in the city. She's in Intensive Care right now, so I'm in charge for the time being."

Theresa winced. "Er...sorry?"

"For what? Proving everyone who told her to get her conditions treated?" Renick snorted. "At least your actions made it easier for us, since she was barely holding everything together."

"I was wondering about that." Armstrong piped up. "How is it that the city with the most villains never sent out any requests for support?"

"We did. The Chief Director denied nearly all of them, because the city hasn't actually fallen into actual chaos. We only got a budget increase, which does not solve the issue of 'not having enough people to handle the mess'. We still haven't done anything with the Coil situation."

"The what now?"

"Thomas Calvert, who was the PRT Special Forces Captain, was actually the villain Coil. He was caught leaving the hidden entrance to his base and was captured."

Armstrong winced. "Okay, that's really bad. The media don't know then?"

"Yes, and we intend to keep it that way until every mole he has is removed."

"Good luck then."

Renick nodded at them, then disconnected as well.

"Now then," Armstrong looked at her. "I suppose that this is a good time as any to try out your restaurant's services. They do deliveries, correct?"

"Only within Boston for now." Theresa nodded. She placed a datapad near Armstrong. "Is there a dish you're interested in? Our chefs are knowledgeable in a wide variety of dishes, so it's rare to encounter a dish we have no knowledge about."

"I guess I'll get the first thing I find interesting."

---

The other Directors came back to the group sipping tea.

"Alright, let us start with the encounter you had with the ABB." Legend started. Armstrong's assistant typed on his computer, and a video appeared, of the Immortal Blades raiding buildings. "You've taken some rather reckless-looking actions when disabling people and rescuing the captives. Did you have knowledge on where the load-bearing points are?"

"We do. Our personnel are equipped with technology to see through walls, as well as identify load-bearing points, and structurally-compromised locations."

"And there are no side effects from this?" The Kentucky Director asked. "No radiation, no sudden cancer, nothing?"

"Like we'd deploy something that dangerous." Tesla snorted. "We haven't used X-Rays for decades."

"And the weaponry you used?" Legend cut in before anyone could derail the conversation again. "Is it like Miss Kaslana's pistols?"

"Well, the melee weapons are still dangerous but yes, all ranged weaponry can be set to non-lethal shooting."

"In the fight against Lung, you killed Oni Lee immediately." Rebecca stated, as the scene changed. "Do you have an explanation for this?"

"Because that guy already has a Kill Order?" Armstrong raised a questioning eyebrow at his superior. "And he's also devastatingly effective with his powers and explosives?"

"There was also the concern that Lung would've ordered him to kill the captives." Theresa pointed out. "The fact that he committed suicide to try and take us out makes that a high possibility."

"And also because he has a Kill Order." The Pennsylvania Director added.

"We were planning to capture him to demoralize the ABB."

"And now he's dead, and you cleaned up the gang anyway." The Director replied cheerfully.