The Occultist, Ch08: Fame

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Marethyu, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Beans, Malcolm Tent

The Guild of Gamers: The Occult

Chapter 08: Fame

– Jean-Paul Vasil/Alec (Regent) –

As he drank from the beautiful girl, he didn't bother asking who she was or where Alex had gotten her, too busy imbibing her crimson nectar to care. She didn't react beyond a light moan, enthralled by his new powers as she willingly bared her neck.

Despite his hunger, he pulled back and looked at the flushed girl, a college-aged blonde girl with impressive curves and a beautiful face. A part of him wanted to drain her to the last drop, but it would be a shame to destroy something so beautiful.

His long-since muted emotions felt more intense than ever, and he reached out with the new powers (Presence and Dominate, his mind provided him) as his 'sire' guided him through his new powers and emotions, changing her pliable mind to putty in his hands.

"C-can I keep her?" Alec asked, turning to where Alex was watching him with a raised eyebrow. His mind went back to his past; his father would never have let him keep anything, but Alex just nodded with a calm smile.

"Taming her will be good practice for your new powers, Alec. If nothing else, you can keep her locked up as a blood-bag," Alex agreed, making Alec smile darkly as he licked his lips. His hand moved up her side, tracing her curves, but the girl was too enthralled by Alex's might to react.

Alex was helping him this time, but in future, it would be up to him to keep her under control. 

"As I told Rachel, you are free to wander the manor and its grounds, but do not leave without my permission. Get your new pet under control, and don't try anything with my pets, but beyond that? Practise your powers and relax; get used to your new life, Alec," Alex advised, making Alec nod with a small grin.

He was technically dead, right? It was funny, but he'd never felt so alive. His mind went back to his father and family, his fangs glinting as his smile took on a dangerous edge.

"Can I be mastered?" Alec asked, making Alex stroke his chin.

"I don't believe so. One of my powers allows me to control all my childer and ghouls as a hive-mind. Even if you were mastered, I believe I'd be able to break any control over you through our bond. I am your master, Alec, and I don't share," Alex explained with a knowing smile. "I can feel your rage, Alec, but calm yourself. Learn how to control your new powers; your time will come. Nikos Vasil will die, and when we claim his life, you will drain him to the last drop and take his powers for yourself."

Alex's promise made him smile darkly, and he'd be counting down the days before he could rip his bastard of a father's throat out. He'd spent so long running from his past, but with his new powers and new sire, it would be Heartbreaker who was sent running.

And he wouldn't get far.

– Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) –

She'd known this was coming, having watched Ebon take every last prisoner except her.

Being led through the manor by the red-headed thrall, Emma. She hesitated as Emma opened the door to a room, gesturing for her to enter. Emma's scowl made her speed up, well aware that whatever Ebon had done had made his pets very strong.

Entering the room, she looked at Ebon with a hesitant stare as he gestured for her to sit, almost dismissively. What had he done with the others? He'd killed Brian, but what about Rachel, Alec, Aisha, and Brian's mom?

"You realise that you are playing with fire, Ebon? Our employer won't take this lying down, and neither will the PRT or other villains when word gets out," Lisa started, making him smile grimly. 

Her power, usually so loud, gave her nothing as he stared at her with burning crimson eyes.

"Ah, yes, your employer. You once tried to recruit me, knowing that joining wasn't in my best interests. You were rather insulting," Ebon drawled, making her blink.

Okay, sure, she'd known that Ebon joining them would allow Coil to put a leash on him, but-

Wait, there was no way.

"You targeted us… because I insulted you?" Lisa asked, shock and disbelief clear in her tone as Ebon smiled. "Are you utterly-"

As she went to speak, her words caught in her throat as she felt something wrong with her. Her heart wasn't beating, making her clutch her chest as Ebon watched her with a small smile on his lips.

"Do you still feel so superior to me, Tattletale, knowing that your life is in my hands? Perhaps you're right, and my actions will have painful consequences, but it will not be in time to save you. Is your boss about to kick down the door and rescue you from my clutches? I think not," Ebon said darkly as Lisa felt her heart start again, gasping as the pain in her chest began to fade. 

He'd done all of this, killing Brian and possibly the others as well, just because she'd made fun of where he was hiding? How egotistical could one man be? Of course, Coil wasn't going to rush to save her; he'd probably already written her off as a loss, and he didn't act recklessly.

It was more likely that he'd blackmail Ebon with the knowledge down the line, but Ebon was right. It didn't save her.

"What did you do with Bitch and Regent?" Lisa asked, making Ebon smile easily as he clicked his fingers.

The door opened, and her two missing teammates walked in. Regent strutted in with a cocky look in his eyes and a fanged grin on his lips. Bitch just stared her down challengingly, moving behind Ebon.

Rachel sees Ebon as her Alpha; she has been empowered and has switched sides. Her heart isn't beating. Alec is smug at his new powers, seeing Ebon as his master. He's excited about… something? They aren't mastered.

"Your power… you can spread it," Lisa realised with a start, making Ebon nod easily. 

"I have made Alec and Rachel my childer. I have options. I can turn people into ghouls, empowering them somewhat, but at the cost of an addiction to my blood. I can turn people into vampire childer, gaining several of my disciplines based upon the clan they become, or I can just drain them entirely and take their powers for myself. Emma is a ghoul, Alec and Regent became my childer, and Brian became a part of me," Ebon explained easily, giving her a dark look. "The question is simple: which should I do with you, Lisa? Are you worth more to me alive, or should I take your powers for myself?"

If Ebon was right, and given the speed at which he was growing she believed he was, he was a special kind of cape, one that the Unwritten rules would rapidly no longer apply to. The category that Lung fell into: someone who was too strong to punish for his crimes.

Lounging in his chair, Alec gave her a lazy smirk.

"You should try this whole vampire thing; it's amazing," Alec drawled.

Alec is wondering what your blood tastes like; he's hoping you fuck up so he can taste you before Ebon drains you. He's wondering if he could convince Ebon to let him keep you as a blood bag.

Rachel said nothing, arms crossed, as she stared Lisa down.

Rachel expects you to fuck this up and anger Ebon with your inability to shut up. She's getting ready to beat you down if you try to run. She plans to break your arms and legs to stop you from troubling her master. Her dogs are near, ready to chase you.

Thanks for the faith, dickheads. She wasn't surprised; the Undersiders hadn't been together long enough for any true camaraderie to form. They were a bunch of minor villains who were together because Coil had pushed them together. Grue might have helped her if he had been turned, but he was dead and gone.

"Your boss, who is he?" Ebon asked, making her hesitate before she sighed.

"Coil, and he's far more powerful than he pretends to be. He likes being underestimated, but you've put yourself in his sights," Lisa warned, making Ebon smile darkly.

"And who is Coil?" Ebon asked.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be in this mess. I don't even fully understand how his power works; I definitely don't know his civilian identity," Lisa retorted. If Coil were so easily worked out, she'd have killed him and gotten out from under him already.

Ebon remained silent for a moment before smiling.

"Rise," Ebon demanded, watching as her body disobeyed her and followed his demand. "Approach."

She hated how powerless she felt, her body obeying his commands as she stood before him, watching him rise to his feet with a dark smile.

"Bare your neck," Ebon demanded, and her head tilted up to expose her neck to him, watching with fear as he leaned in, licking her neck briefly before his sharp fangs pierced her skin, making her gasp even as her body reacted in a very different way, a sense of serenity and pleasure overcoming her.

He didn't drain her entirely, pulling back and licking his lips as he moved back and sat back down. It was Alec who gave away what just happened, gasping with wide eyes.

Alec is getting more powers, through Ebon.

Feeding on Capes empowered him, even if he didn't drain them. He'd gotten stronger, and by extension, so had Alec. Something to do with his 'clan'? Rachel didn't get stronger. Did she not have the 'discipline' that Ebon had just improved with her blood?

– Alexander Shaw (Ebon) –

[Auspex, Discipline of Sensing: Adept]

[The Spirit's Touch]

By examining an object, you can learn of its past and its previous owners from the resonance left behind.

[Spirit Ties]

By examining the residues of a target, such as their hair or blood, you can learn a great deal of information about them.

[Telepathy]

Allows you to probe someone's mind, reading their surface thoughts or projecting a telepathic message to them.

Looking over Lisa, I consider my options. Her power is tempting, and I could probably empower myself further and gain Expert in Auspex if I drained her, but until I have a better understanding of the consequences of draining someone and taking their soul into me, I am hesitant to do so.

I could have Alec drain her, but he is naturally gifted in Dominate and Presence, not Auspex. Rachel is out; maybe she could gain Auspex by draining Lisa, but it's just not her. Rachel isn't a thinker, and I don't want to change her perfect simplicity by adding Lisa's soul into her body.

I can't let her go, so the question is, will she be a ghoul or a vampire childe? Making her a vampire almost feels like a reward, which she doesn't deserve, but I can sense her rage towards this Coil figure. 

If I empower her, I could put her on the task of hunting for Coil so we can kill him and drain him. It would also make her eternally mine; she'd be under me until one of us dies, and I don't intend for it to be me. 

Biting down again, I make my decision as she gasps. Alec chuckles, watching me drain the rapidly paling Lisa before I let go and watch her collapse. Slicing my wrist, I offer it to her.

"Drink, or you will die," I warn, seeing the rage in her eyes before she moves, the resentment. She hates this, but she hates the idea of dying more. I'll have to keep a close eye on Lisa; Alec and Rachel are perfect recruits, easy to please and keep loyal. Lisa will be less so, and I may have to kill her later, but I will give her a chance to prove she is worth the blood she is gulping down.

I could guide her to Toreador, but I just let her nature guide her. 

Lisa Wilbourne has been turned into a Mekhet, gaining access to your Disciplines of Auspex, Celerity and Obfuscate.

Having vampires of several clans under you that possess Auspex and Celerity has boosted both Disciplines.

[Celerity, Discipline of Dexterity: Adept]

[Blink]

You are able to move great distances with sudden, short bursts of speed that allow you to move so quickly that it seems like you are teleporting.

[Traversal]

You now move even faster and are able to run on water easily.

Lisa collapses, making me smile in pleasure. I need to be as strong as possible before I undergo the PRT's tests. I want them to beg for me to join them on their hands and knees, and for that, I need to utterly wow them without showing them my Master powers.

This is a good start, but only a start nonetheless. Checking the time, I smile to myself.

"Alec, Rachel. Tonight, I am going on another hunt. You two will remain here; you still haven't gotten used to your powers," I order, making Rachel nod easily, and Alec raises a lazy eyebrow. I can feel his eagerness to try out his new speed. His past has left his emotions muted, but we Toreadors are emotional beings by nature. I may need to keep an eye on his mental state. "I'm going to get a blood bag for Lisa when she wakes up, but you two are to keep a close eye on her. She isn't as intelligent as you two and may decide to cause trouble. I don't want to have to hunt her down myself; I will need to focus and not split my attention between my prey and Lisa."

"That's Tats for you," Alec agrees with a shrug. "She's what is commonly referred to as a 'pain in the ass'."

"And I'm counting on you two to prove you can handle a single little girl throwing a tantrum," I say, making Alec smirk as he nods. 

"She isn't going anywhere," Rachel promises, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. I can already tell she would see Lisa fleeing as a betrayal of her new pack. 

"Good, because I plan to set her on gathering intel on Hookwolf and his Dog Fights once she comes to," I say, and I can tell that Rachel sees the bait for what it is, but still, I can see her grow more determined to keep Lisa here. Rachel isn't stupid, but she doesn't care that I'm blatantly baiting her. I just gave her another reason to keep Lisa here.

Smiling at them, I move Lisa to the cell and shackle her up. She will be hungry when she awakens, and I don't need her going for one of my pets.

"S-Sir," Emma starts as I leave, making me smile. 

"You want to become a vampire, don't you?" I say, cutting her off as she freezes, making me gently stroke her cheek with a warm smile. 

"I know I don't deserve such power-"

"You will be one of my childer, in time. When I change you, you won't be able to return to your normal life. The sun will become your enemy, and I still have plans for you that require you to be able to move freely," I say, making her eyes widen as I place a kiss on her forehead. "You were my first servant. I'm sorry you couldn't be my first childe, but as I said, I still have need of you."

Emma beams up at me.

"Whatever you need, I won't let you down, master," Emma swears, and I believe her. She sold her mother's freedom to me, arranged for me to be able to kill her father, and she's been working on luring her older sister back to the Bay so I can complete the Barnes set. I place a kiss on her lips and she beams at me as I bite my lip and let some of my blood leak into our kiss, making her shudder. 

Taylor's tortured soul still demands vengeance. Seeing Emma reduced to such an obedient little pet has soothed her rage, but Sophia and Madison have gone unpunished. Winslow has gone unpunished despite their constant ignoring of Taylor's complaints, which I now know is because of Sophia's position as a Ward.

Taylor's soul is a strong one; her rage at the injustice she faced still lives inside my soul. In comparison, Leet and Uber were forgettable little men, attention seekers who were happy to be the clowns of the cape world as long as people were watching them. Grue saw himself as a professional, but he was a fool being led around by Coil. From his memories, I can tell Coil never would have given Grue what he wanted, and the PRT could have helped him get Aisha out of her unsafe environment so much easier. 

The funny thing? Lisa knows this as well. Lisa was the little devil on his shoulder, guiding him to villainy and away from his goal for the sake of her own aims. Lisa did to Brian what she was planning on doing to me. 

Brian's soul is potent, but most of the traces come in the form of his protective love for Aisha, and in that, I can promise that Aisha will be safe and happy. I had some of my ghouls buy her some new clothes and an expensive gaming set-up; she's having a great time, even as she tries to convince me to let her join my cape life. Aisha adores me, more than she ever did Brian. 

I'm hoping that satisfying Taylor's need for revenge will help satisfy her soul and lessen its effect on me. That's why I'm limiting what souls I take into my body, using my childer to take the powers I want.

Still, there is one soul and power I want for myself. It's not who I am hunting today, but it's going to be a step in the right direction.

– Lisa Wilbourn (Tattletale) – Later –

As the blood from her first 'meal' still coursed through her veins, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her already fair skin had become even more pale, and her two fangs were noticeable, but after a moment of focus, she watched them both fade as she used her new powers.

Mortal's Mask hid the signs of her change, and as much as she was angry at what Alexander had done to her, she couldn't deny the power she now possessed at her fingertips. 

Auspex, which was only enhanced by her own Thinker power. Celerity, which allowed her to move at speeds that would make Velocity jealous. Obfuscate, allowing her to go invisible and silence any sound she made. 

She had feared that her own Thinker power would suffer from whatever had made Ebon so resistant to it, but instead, she'd found her power was stronger. It responded faster, and she didn't get thinker headaches nearly as quickly anymore.

Auspex was insanely powerful; she had genuine telepathy now. Her power, combined with the ability to read minds, was immensely effective, and that wasn't even mentioning the other powers she had gained. Any one of these powers would have made a decently powerful Thinker in the right hands, but all of them in her hands?

As much as she was bitter at once again being captured and enslaved by another villain (even one pretending to be a hero), she couldn't deny that she could almost understand why Alex was so damn arrogant with all this power at her fingertips. She was weaker than him, and she felt invincible. 

She was a Mekhet, and while the word had meant nothing to her before, she now understood it, and the word resonated with her. The Mekhet were a clan of wisdom, finesse and stealth. They ruled from the shadows, weaponising the information they gathered to pull the strings of the world from behind the scenes, leading shadowy cults and conspiracies. 

She wasn't as flashy as Alex and Alec, the pair of Toreadors, or as wild as Rachel, the Gangrel. But her new clan felt… right, like this was what she was always meant to be.

It was just unfortunate that this new power came with so many downsides; her new weaknesses were a problem but not the end of the world. She wasn't that attached to sunlight, and blood was far sweeter than she expected, but the biggest problem?

Ebon was her sire, and she could not defy him. Unlike Coil, who needed threats to keep her in line, Ebon was bonded to her and could simply puppet her body as he pleased. His orders were absolute in her mind, and freeing herself from his control would be far more complicated.

That said, much like Alec was hungering to slay his father, she saw an opportunity to use her new powers to slay Coil and claim his power for herself. That was the biggest appeal of her new powers. Ebon could take the powers of capes he drained, and now so could she.

Coil had become more paranoid after Ebon arrived because Ebon interfered with his power. He was more vulnerable now than ever before, and she would find and kill the bastard who'd started this entire mess. She'd have been safe and happy as a rogue if it weren't for him grabbing her, far away from narcissistic vampires and the chaos that was now her life.

Once Coil's power was hers, she'd consider her options for Ebon himself. He'd promised Rachel that once she claimed Hookwolf's power, she could make her own clan, no longer a mere childe. Alec wasn't interested in creating his own clan, happy to be under Ebon, but could she slip his leash and keep all her new powers? She could handle him being nominally above her if she was in another town, with a clan of her own childer to serve her as she embraced her Mekhet nature and became what Coil only wished he was.

If not, being unable to defy him simply meant she needed to be smart about how she worked against him, and she was definitely clever. She could outsmart Ebon, and maybe she could even drain him.

– Alexander Shaw (Ebon) –

Stalking through the night, I smile as I reach my destination. 

I considered turning my attention to the Empire first, but after a moment, I decided against it. Kaiser is still trying the soft sell, seeing my rapidly growing power with covetous eyes, 

The Merchants are under my control. Squealer has them following her orders, and Skidmark has been left to rot. Mush is pushing for her to try to rescue Skidmark, but I may have to arrange for Mush to disappear. Squealer picked several influential pimps and dealers that I turned into ghouls, binding them to my will. They won't say anything, and Squealer controls their supply of the crimson nectar they need, so they won't work against her because they know I'll cut them off if they do.

Really, it's business as usual for them. They just have a new drug, and Squealer is the one controlling the supply, not Skidmark.

Using [Unseen Presence], I move slowly through the building, bypassing the Asian guards with ease as I wait for someone else to open the door to slip inside. 

The smell of sex in the air makes my nose curl as I make my way through the 'abandoned' motel, planning my next move as I explore the ABB's infamous farm. It's just outside of the city proper, well-hidden and remote.

As for how I found it?

I looked up missing women in the city, looking for a recent one, found out where they lived and found something that belonged to them. A fifteen-year-old Korean girl vanished on her way home from school; I found out about her thanks to her mother pleading for more information on a wanted poster. 

With Auspex, I used the girl's favourite dress and her hairbrush to use [Spirit Ties] and [The Spirit's Touch] to gather more information on her, then [Unerring Pursuit] to use that information to locate her.

It is hard to hide from me, and before long, I found my target, the infamous farm. Most of the girls here will be sold to brothels out-of-town; the ABB brothels don't keep all the girls they capture, preferring girls who dubiously agreed to become whores rather than the grabbed girls. Finding the man in charge of this place isn't hard. He is a somewhat elderly Chinese man sitting in an office, and his mind reveals a lot of the details about how this little operation works.

Lung is currently out of town, something about a new recruit that he decided to recruit personally. Telepathy has helped me scour the ABB thugs for information, so only Oni Lee is around to defend the Farm should anything happen.

Something like this, for instance.

Calling on [Black Metamorphosis], the shadows rise and envelop me, hiding my features and coating me in pitch-black armour as I begin my work. The elderly man realises he's not alone as my Stranger powers fade, and grabbing his pistol, he desperately aims it at me, but with my speed, endurance and assortment of powers, regular thugs just aren't a threat to me anymore.

I'm careful not to kill him as I backhand him into the wall because I know what he is going to do as I leave him coughing up some blood from the force behind my blow, heading into the base as I begin the mayhem.

He's a well-trained man, and as he realises that a Cape has discovered the newest location of the farm, he pulls out his phone and sends a message, summoning Oni Lee to defend the place.

I smile, even as I descend upon the panicking thugs, the shadows spreading as [Shroud of Night] plunges the entire motel into darkness. The sounds of screaming, gunshots and shouting are muffled by a cloud of living shadows, [Oblivion's Sight] letting me move freely as I hunt.

– Oni Lee –

Arriving at the farm, he looked around for the cape who had dared attack Lung's property with calm eyes despite the chaos.

Finding the threat wasn't hard; the shadow-cloaked figure was toying with the ABB men who were meant to defend the Farm, tossing them around with ease and dodging their attacks as the cape dashed around at inhuman speeds.

As the figure stopped, holding one of the ABB thugs by the throat, seemingly taunting him, Lee struck. Teleporting next to him, Lee pulled his usual modus operandi, trying to blow up the intruder, even if it killed several of his men.

Teleporting away, he left a clone to explode and frowned as something struck him the moment he teleported away, the cape dashing towards him at ungodly speeds, striking him in the chest and sending him tumbling away. Despite the pain and likely a cracked rib, Lee just moved again and tried again, teleporting behind the figure and trying to shank them with his knife, but the cape grabbed his wrist and snapped it with a mocking laugh.

"This is the fearsome Oni Lee? This broken little worm?" the man asked, but Lee didn't rise to the taunts as he pulled the pins on his grenades. 

As he teleported away, watching the cape outrun his explosion, he went to move again before he felt a shard of fear for the first time as his vision went pitch black. He needed to be able to see to teleport, but his eyes failed him as he swivelled his head around desperately.

As he felt a pair of fangs bite into his neck, he tried to blow himself up anyway, but his arms refused to move to his bandolier of grenades. Lung would kill this fool, but Lee knew it wouldn't be soon enough to save him.

It was with indifference that he felt his lifeblood being drained, his body going limp.

– Alexander Shaw (Ebon) –

Oni Lee is unique because his mind is so damaged by his own power that he barely remembers who he is anymore. His soul is the weakest I've seen, and it is because of that fact that I'm willing to claim it for myself.

[Autonomic Mastery] is a hard counter for people who need to be able to see. I simply turned off his sight, and he was left powerless. I'm actually mildly impressed that his final act was to try and kill us both, but I wasn't going to allow him to deny me my hard-won meal.

[Oni Lee: Double Trouble]

While using any form of teleportation ability, you leave behind a copy of yourself for five seconds, which will follow your mental commands.

[Dementation, Discipline of Madness: Adept]

[Confusion]

Cloud your target's mind, causing them to wander around in a daze, mostly unresponsive to stimuli.

[Silence the Sane Mind]

Suppress part of the victim's mind, affecting them in different ways such as making them confused, enraged or even catatonic. 

[Mass Hallucinations]

Inflict Hallucinations on everyone within your range. You do not control what they see, but you can choose the theme of the hallucinations, such as making everyone see what they fear or forcing them to see their loved ones dying in brutal ways; you do not need to know their loved ones or fears for it to work, as their minds provide the details.

[Voice of Madness]

Your voice can drive those who hear it into extreme fear or anger, spreading terror and making those who listen to you cower or flee or driving them into a homicidal rage.

[Total Insanity]

Drive your target's mind into a temporary insanity, though you do not choose which insanity is inflicted upon them.

[Devil in the Mind]

Cause your target to lose all inhibitions and social morals while bringing their impulses to the surface.

It says a lot about Lee that his broken mind was able to give me two full levels of Dementation, granting me new powers ready to inflict madness upon the world. Lee's soul is as pathetic as I expected, fading into the others without a fight. 

Looking down at his body, I scoff before I get to work and slice my wrist, letting my blood drip onto him and watching as [Ashes to Ashes] does its work, reducing him to nothing as Oblivion takes him.

Lee's decision to blow himself up repeatedly made short work of the witnesses, and I head back inside as I make my rounds, overpowering the remaining thugs who weren't smart enough to run, convinced that Lee would handle it.

Binding them all with ropes made by [Nightshades], the pitch-black ropes utterly unbreakable by people so damn feeble, I let my [Black Metamorphosis] fade as I put on the facade of a true hero.

Dozens of traumatised girls of varying ages are freed, ranging from early forties down to preteens, a smile on my lips as I put my acting skills to work, playing the concerned hero. Auspex, Dominate and Presence combined ensure that things go smoothly, though I don't do anything too heavy to make sure not to trigger the PRT's master-stranger protocols as the heroes finally arrive.

Miss Militia dismounts her bike, two PRT vans pulling up behind her as she approaches me, hesitating as she spots nearly forty women in various states of undress and abuse. What little clothes they have been torn, semen stains their bodies, and they are littered with bruises, making it very obvious what happened to them.

"Hello again, Miss Militia," I say, giving her a small smile and a nod as she approaches, though my smile looks strained, and a look of distress is poorly hidden as she looks around.

"Ebon, a pleasure. Your message mentioned Oni Lee. Is he still here?" Miss Militia asks, looking around at the clear blast marks.

"I overpowered him, but he fled. He was no real match for me; I'm too fast for him to catch with his little grenade trick, and I'm fairly certain I broke his ribs with a blow," I explain. "I chose to remain behind; I hadn't taken down all the thugs yet and didn't want to leave the girls unattended. I'm fast, but teleporters are hard to pin down," I admit with a frown, but she gives me a soft smile despite her own concerned look.

"You did the right thing, Ebon; how did you even find this place? We had trouble finding it even with your directions," Miss Militia admits, making me pause and nod over to one of the girls, the one who led me here. The girl is sat on the floor, her legs pulled up to her chest, utterly nude. She has been here the shortest, I think, but she too has that broken look in her eyes, semen leaking from her abused holes and bruises covering her slender body.

"I have almost a dozen different Thinker powers at this point. I was looking into a missing person case, that is Song Su-Bin. Her mother put up a missing person poster, and it got me wondering. I asked her mother for some of her belongings, a dress she loved and a hairbrush, and used them to track her down," I explain, truthfully no less. That's a rarity for me.

I catch Miss Militia's eyes widening at the idea of me having so many powers, but she is a consummate professional as she nods. 

"Impressive, though you are lucky that Lung didn't respond. This could have gone very differently if he did," Miss Militia admits, making me grin.

"Luck is for fools. As I said, I have a lot of Thinker powers, and I know Lung is out of town. He has headed to New York to try and recruit the Cornell Bomber. I saw an opportunity, and I couldn't leave several dozen girls to be violated," I say, getting a soft look from her even as I catch her surprise at the revelation of Lung's plan. "Oni Lee is dangerous, but he is no Lung."

"Lung won't take this lying down; when he gets back, he will come for you," Miss Militia warns, making me shrug. "If he manages to recruit this bomb tinker, things could get very unpleasant for you."

"True, but I don't regret a thing," I say with a cocky smile. Lung is going to hunt me?

No, Lung is going to bite the bait I've left out for him and find himself hunted because he is very powerful, and it is that power that I want. Lung will be a part of me, joining Lee inside my soul.

Miss Militia continues her informal interview as more PRT troops arrive, securing the thugs and identifying the girls, reconfirming that I'm still coming in for power testing as planned. 

I didn't want to go in with meagre power and no reputation, but this should put me in the spotlight, and my growing powers will make me all the more tempting a recruit for them. That doesn't mean I'm done yet; there's one last thing I need before I'm satisfied.

The most in-demand type of Cape, above all else, are healers. My smile grows as I talk with Miss Militia, making it clear that I do want to take the credit since 'Lee' will tell Lung about me either way.

— Bonus Scene — Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) 

Piggot's report on Ebon was as scathing as she'd expected from the bitter woman, already hating Ebon for his arrogance and recklessness.

Piggot would hate him far more if she knew what his true nature was: a self-perpetuating Master and Trump, growing stronger and spreading his power to those he deemed worthy of his 'gift'. 

Ebon was far from subtle in his actions, and his unknowing interference in their Brockton Bay experiment had drawn their attention when Coil had contacted them in the hopes of buying another power after Ebon had removed the Undersiders from his control. His precious power could not work on Ebon, and it had him terrified and hateful of the disruption to his plans,

Ebon was a threat, similar to Teacher in many ways, but Rebecca just rubbed her chin in thought. No doubt Piggot would be happy to throw him into the Birdcage when his deeds were revealed, and Ebon was simply too careless and prideful to hide them forever.

They couldn't predict Ebon himself, but the aftermath of his actions was a different situation. Regent, Bitch and Tattletale were all now far stronger, and Ebon could claim the powers of those he drained. 

She was half tempted to send him into the Birdcage, not to imprison him but to have those powers that were wasting away drained. Ebon wanted to be a hero, not out of the goodness of his heart but because the man was a Grade-A Narcissist and loved the spotlight.

Such a man would be easy to control despite their inability to read him. He wanted wealth and glory, of which she could provide in great measures. Stroking her chin, she considered what was the best way to approach the upcoming meeting with Ebon.