Chapter 43: Well shit

DrTravia - Ah... I see... I wish you didn't tell me this, but it's useful.

Guest - An interesting idea, and one that might be done later.

Saif Omar - I like the Titan comparison. And yeah, it sort of does look like a BST, though it's not.

Guest - You'll see why I did this later.

Redburndragon - I didn't even plan for that, but now that it's said, I can see it.

DDJ - Cauldron didn't try to talk to them, but I've explained why in an earlier ch.

Barbaric Bob - lol.

[Amy's POV earlier]

Walking into the nearest shelter, which was a high school, because of course it would be, I turned to the nearest PRT goon, even though there were 4 of them all armed and wearily looking at me, I focused on the guy that looked like he didn't even know where to start on his mortgage and was trying to juggle a pair of kids. "Worst cases, take me to them now!" Poor fuck didn't deserve it, but I wasn't in the mood to care.

Today was meant to be the start of something great, a full on partnership with Pantheon wasn't set up right off the bat, but I knew it was in the cards. Khepri had Unmasked to me, shared a familial relationship that while I knew wasn't legit, though it might because logic had been taken out back and double tapped when it came to Pantheon, and I was given a key to their base. So even if it wouldn't be now, I had a pretty good idea that there was a sales pitch for me in the future...

And I didn't know what I would reply to it...

Shelving that thought for later, I started following him, and apparently his partner too, into the building, I mentally scowled and went over what I knew of the situation. (Most, if not all, of the hospitals are down thanks to fucking Bonesaw and her spider bots, so even if I went to the nearest one, which is a good 15 minutes away, I'd be too late.) I knew I couldn't save everyone, especially now, but I was going to do my fucking best to save whoever I could. (Other shelters are less accessible then this one, but probably just as packed...) Looking at the people lining the halls, the classrooms, and pretty much everywhere, I couldn't help but bite my cheek.

The Slaughterhouse 9 were the worst, a group of crazy assholes who just wanted to watch the world burn and toast marshmallows over the fires. (And I'm in the thick of it, great idea Amelia, fucking outstanding foresight we've got.) Getting rid of that thought, I walked into what seemed like the nurse's office, my escorts moving away as I moved towards my patients.

With practiced ease, I put all other thoughts out of my mind, falling into routine. I had patients to heal, all other distractions were meaningless. Walking up to the first guy, and idly noticing he was down an arm and had what seemed to be a broken leg, my hand reached out, there was no point in asking for permission considering what was going on, my Power feeding me all I needed to know about him as soon as I made contact with him. (Hmm, left arm is gone down to the elbow, so I'll need to seal the wound at the moment, regrowing the limb can come later. Slight scarring in his left lung, isn't an immediate issue but it'll help in keeping complications from popping up. Around 45% of his left leg is fucked, so lets mend the bone, regrow the flesh, and get rid of that wound on the back of his leg.) Taking my hand back, I looked over the guy I fixed, then nodded and turned to the next patient.

Getting lost in my work was easy... It might've been too easy really, and I knew Vicky called it unhealthy, and also knew that it was, but it was just what I did. But despite how 'Unhealthy' this was, I couldn't help but thank it as I moved from patient to patient. Especially when I reached a kid who my Power told me was only 7. The little girl had nearly both of her legs crushed, a real bad concussion that while I cou...- Couldn't, heal, and seemed to have a small fracture along her skull that would lead to internal bleeding if it was treated later.

Working on kids, especially ones this hurt, was always something I hated. It not only took a real piece of shit to hurt a kid real bad, but there was also the fact I didn't really like them in the first place. Most of them were annoying little shits, said things without a filter, or just generally did stupid shit that all kids did. (My thoughts are fucking going places.) Shaking that whole train of thought away, I focused on my work.

It took a bit, but I managed to deal with the rest of the serious cases, the last being a woman with a dislocated shoulder, one that was closer to being torn off, and had a fuckton of internal bruising that would've led to a ruptured organ if left alone.

With all of those guys done, I looked to the PRT goon I ordered earlier. "Where next?"

The guy frowned a bit, turning to his partner. "The cafeteria is full, right?"

The other guy, whose name I didn't know, nodded. "Yeah, but there aren't any people that need immediate attention..." Frowning himself, the guy grumbled for a bit, before bringing up his radio. "Come in, Johnson, how's the secondary med bay coming? Over."

"It's... Coming along. We've got some supplies stacked up, makeshift beds set up... But that's about it. Over."

"Is there anyone in need of immediate attention? Over."

"... Yeah. We've got a few we're trying to keep stable, but the odds aren't looking good, over."

Looking to me, I got the message, and we nodded. "I'll be bringing in Panacea, so hold out for a minute, over."

"Thank fuck... Over." I snorted, getting a small smile from the goons.

That done, they started guiding me towards this other med bay. We didn't talk, the situation was too serious for small talk, and it wasn't like I'd ever meet these guys again after the situation here was done, so we didn't waste time talking.

It didn't take long to get to the other med bay, it was only a floor up, and was apparently in some kind of club room. A quick scan around the room made me think music or something like that, but the people being carried onto what looked like the makeshift beds I'd heard about earlier. My entrance was noted, and while some people tried to flag me down or get me to treat their relatives, the goons and other PRT personnel kept me from being bothered. (Maybe I'll thank em later. Probably going to forget though.)

That thought, I went to work, starting from the most dire case to the less. It said something that there were only a dozen or so people needing my attention, but I wasn't going to delve into that. This was only the nearest shelter, not the only one. More people were bound to have survived, and would need my help later. (As long as they don't die before I get to them.) Grim, but still highly possible.

Realistic too.

I put that aside, and ke...- The goon's radios buzzed, grabbing my attention. ""Thorn detachment, be advised subject Burnscar has been sighted coming towards your location, over.""

The goons, and people in the room, reacted to that. The former straitened up and gripped their weapons tightly, while the people started to panic. I scowled, keeping the worry about the psycho bitch to myself. I watched as the goons raced out of the room, not even giving me a 'By your leave.' As they did, the weight of 'My' weapons reminded me that I could help, I didn't have to be a bystander or the squishy healer that had to be protected. (Granted, I am squishy, and haven't exactly had the chance to test out firing a goddamn sniper or pistol, especially a Tinker Tech sniper/pistol...) Shaking it off, I turned an eye to the moth on my shoulder, it was easy to forget it was there considering how the thing hadn't moved at all.

"Khepri." The moth twitched, scuttling a bit to turn and look at me. To make sure she was 'Here', and it wasn't a fluke, despite the fact the moth probably would've flown off it it was, I went on. "You can hear me, right, Khepri?" When the moth flapped its wings, I nodded, taking that as an answer. "So, Burnscar is coming, and I really want to shoot her in her stupid fucking face... What do I do?" As callous as it was, Khepri had experience shooting people, and I was going to need some words of wisdom... Then I remembered that we didn't have comms, so she... Couldn't...

When I saw a fuckton of bugs rushing to a corner of the room, I just stared, because that was both terrifying, and something that I remembered Khepri could do. Staring at the scene also helped tune out the idiots shouting and panicking. Eventually, the bugs formed what looked like a disembodied head, because I needed nightmares about something like this apparently, and spoke. "I can handle her if I get an opening." The 'Voice' made goosebumps form on my skin, I doubted anyone could listen to hundreds of bugs imitate a human voice and not get freaked out by it.

Still, I nodded at that. (Yeah, definitely going to have nightmares.) Letting that thought go with a grunt, I looked at a metal poll close to me, the distorted image of me in my gear, a pistol on my waist, knife on the other, and a sniper strapped onto my back, met my eyes... And I could admit, part of me liked it. This was something that made me more then just 'Panacea the healer.' That aside, I focused on the sniper on my back, reaching out to it. "I don't actually know how to use this thing though."

"Depending on distance, it'll be simple. If she's anywhere in the minimum range, which again is 50 meters, and you've got her dead to rights, she'll be hit." That got a nod out of me. Sure, I was still annoyed at the measurements being in meters, I was American and preferred feet, but it didn't exactly matter. So, bringing the sniper to bear, I started making my way to the window, the gun thrumming to life as I did. "Stun or kill."

I froze, that second option ringing in my mind as the gun suddenly felt heavier then it already was... Which I knew was purely psychological, but I still felt it. I remembered what Narwhal asked me, remembered my response, and bit my lip. (But, there's a choice here. I don't have to kill her... Even if she deserves it... I don't have too...) Letting out a breath, and preparing to take the easy route, I mounted the sniper against the windowsill, and dropped to a knee... (Note to self, pad my knees.) There was also the chance I was positioned wrong, but the knees thing would be good in the long run. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to cross that line... So as dumb as it ism I'll stick to the stun option." That said, I made sure it was on stun, which was something I'd been told how to do, then mentally nodded.

"Then make the shot count. Give me an audible countdown before you fire, so I'll know when to act." That sounded easy enough...

I blinked. (Is she even coming down this way?) The idea that I was doing all this and the bitch wasn't coming from somewhere I could see/shoot her from was something that annoyed me. (Note to self, find out where the person I want to shoot is before I set up to shoot them...) I had to take a moment to just process that, because that was never something I ever thought I'd think. (But then again, I'm here in a Slaughterhouse scenario with The Guild and Pantheon...) Putting it like that made it make sense.

Shaking the thought off, I looked through the scope, searching for the pyro bitch. It wasn't hard to find her, I just had to look for the spot with the brightest and biggest flames. It was even easier when said flames kept growing, her Power fanning them even more then they naturally would burn. Seeing that, I couldn't help but scowl. (I'm not looking forward to the amount of casualties that'll come from smoke inhalation.) Charred corpses were also not something I was looking forward too, though those were easier for me to handle.

Putting that morbid thought aside, I locked onto the Villain, the reticle finding center mass easily. Feeling my hands shake, and the gun by extension, I tried to breath, to calm myself down... But it wasn't working as well as it usually did. (Oh gee, I wonder why.) The thrum of the sniper seemed to increase at that, but I was half sure it was just my imagination. Forcing my anxiousness down, I spoke to my impromptu partner. "I'm ready."

That was a fucking lie, and one I was sure she knew. "Take a deep breath Panacea, it'll help." Doing just that, I took in as much air as I could, holding it. I was pretty sure snipers were supposed to do this, and did my best to focus on the Villain. It helped, a little bit, and I was thankful that it did. "Good. Now with me. 3." My finger pressed against the trigger. "2." Just a little tighter. "1..." I was ready, I was sure of it. "Fire." I squeezed the trigger, and thunder rang in my ears.

I wasn't prepared for the sound, so I flinched, blinking and letting out my breath as I did. When my eyes opened, and I looked back through the scope, I saw Burnscar on the ground, convulsing and probably screaming as the fires around her rag...- The sudden swarm of bugs that crawled out of everywhere made my skin crawl, and I shuddered when she was engulfed in them.

Though, when they dispersed, and the Villain looked like she stopped moving... I felt my stomach churn. "Is... Is she..?"

"She'll live." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Getting up, I mentally shook it off, Burnscar would live, but she'd be sent to the Birdcage to rot like she deserved.

Sure, she also might've deserved to have the prickliest and thickest cactus shoved u...- My head snapped towards the hall, the sound of people rushing towards the room putting me on edge. When a PRT goon, one I hadn't interacted with, came in, I was ready to put the shield thing Dragon made for me to the test. "Someone's crashing, we need you." I relaxed at that.

Work was something I could do. And as unhealthy as it was, it would be better then thinking about the small ringing in my ears, and the weight on my back.

[Melody's POV earlier]

"! Hatchet Face looks like he's making his way over to the local ENE. You can handle him, but if you take too long against the tin man you'll be in a double team neither of us will like. !"

I rolled my eyes at that, turning to give my sister a look. At the moment, myself and a parallel process of Erin were in my room of our server, me avatar sitting in a replica of a mecha cockpit, while Erin's parallel was laying on the bed. Erin was working off of a pair of parallel's at the moment, one with me, the other with Tess, and her main conscious working on her information network, as well as the situation at large. The majority of my focus though was on piloting the Dragon Suit, and the upcoming confrontation with Mannequin, while a smaller portion kept track of Anubis and Khepri's feeds. "# Now isn't exactly the best time for innuendo, Erin. #"

My sister shrugged. "! It's not, but innuendo and other topics help in getting rid of nerves. !" I just hummed in response, conceding the point. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Erin frown. The data I received showed me why, and I frowned with her. "! The PRT'S going to need a while with Panacea... This is a mess. !"

And it was... So I pushed the thrusters harder, the Dragon Suit tearing through the sky as I raced towards my destination. "! T-minus 20. !"

I mentally nodded, preparing the weapons systems. My current suit was fitted with a Micro Fabricator situated in the center of my frame, Fabrication Drones in the form of spines running up and down my body, powered by an upgraded Pulse Reactor. I was theoretically capable of turning a junkyard into a military ammunition depot, one that would automatically be arming the compatible weapon systems within my frame, without much issue. (My offensive capabilities, mixed with my defenses, mobility, and processing power, should be enough to handle Mannequin. Though considering how prolific the Twisted Tinker is, I'll need to be prepared for a fight.) Steeling myself, I dove into the feed of the Dragon Suit, putting everything else to the side.

The wind whipped around my frame, the muted senses coming through easily enough with the specifications of this suit. "# Note to self, get personalized suits made back home. #" Designs had been in the works, Illiyana and Tess were working on them, as well as the designs for Anti Endbringer weaponry and Endbringer tracker program. That latter was reaching completion, 4 A.I's working with a Cerebrocrustacean and Galvan made that one go along smoothly. It would take another week or so, but it would be done eventually.

Those thoughts, and the string of confirmation from my sister, were the last things I got before I reached my destination.

Without announcing my presence, I blurred forwards, slamming my head into the Twisted Tinker, sending his body flying. Said body didn't stay airborne for long, an arm shooting towards the ground and piercing it as he slowed himself down. Not going to let him get any reprieve, I opened my maw, the 'Garuru Cannon' in my throat readying itself as it hummed it Pulse Energy. (Fire.)

A blast of Pulse Energy tore through the air, hurdling towards the Twisted Tinker. Unfortunately, Mannequin retracted his arm, the rest of his body flattening onto the ground as he avoided the blast. Quickly getting up, the Tinker brought himself back up, his arm returning to bare as he stared at me with his blank face. The both of us ignored the way the blast collided into a nearby building, my cannon receding as I stood up, and took stock of the other.

Mannequin looked the same as he did last time, perhaps a little sleeker, which didn't tell me much. His capabilities had been noted since his last appearance, but given the nature of Tinkers, there was a good chance some of those capabilities were either gone entirely, or upgraded to another level. "! The real threats are his mono molecular wire, that shit'll cut through the frames, and shields if it's crushing against you for too long, his on board Fabricator, and his ingenuity. Any other threats can be handled when they come up. !" I agreed with that, but was still a little miffed that my sensors weren't picking up anything from him. When this was all said and done, I was going to ensure my own suit had above average scanning equipment "! Time to establish some Aerial superiority. !"

Internally grinning at that, I flapped my wings, the anti gravity modules lifting me into the air along with a little push from my thrusters. As I did, Mannequin dashed towards the closest overturned vehicle, vents on his legs opening up in a smokescreen that my optics couldn't see through. (Yes, beyond average sensors are going to be necessary.) Putting the thought away, I gave my wings another flap, blowing the smoke away as I turned towards the vehicle Ma...- My shields began to drop, and I saw where the damage was coming from. "# Shit! #"

Performing a barrel roll, I sent Mannequin flying into a building. The run towards the vehicle was a distraction that allowed the Twisted Tinker to get underneath me, wires coiled around my hind legs and taking a small portion of my shields. They detached as he got a certain distance away, which was good for me since the small amount of time they were there took away 8% of my shielding. Turning towards where Mannequin was sent, I opened my weapon ports, my shoulders opening as I locked onto where he was. "! Fire in the hole! !" My missiles shot forwards, careening into the building and expl...- Mannequin shot forwards, using the force of the explosions to propel himself towards me.

Seeing the incoming Tinker I spun by using my thrusters to assist in my rotation, lashing out with my tail. Through my optics, I watched in slow motion as the Twisted Tinker practically turned himself into a ball, narrowly missing being slammed by my tail, then bringing out and hooking a leg against said limb. His body opened back up, his chest opening to expose some form of weapon. (Yeah, shield or no shield, I'm not letting that happen.) Ordering my Pulse Reactor to overcharge, I felt the currents of Pulse Energy surge through my frame. "# Discharge! #" A burst of Pulse Energy erupted from my frame, electrocuting Mannequin long enough for me to spin again and send him crashing into the earth.

When I reoriented myself, I stared down towards Mannequin's prone form, charging my boosters in preparation for my next move. "! Wha... That little menace! !" I put that aside, charging towards Mannequin as the Twisted Tinker got up, back opening to let out bombs. I saw them coming towards me, but let my shields take it, charging through the smoke as I opened the ports on my wings, exposing the mini turrets installed into them, just as his arm opened to reveal more mono molecular wires. Even when the wires slashed towards me, a mesh of them turning into a net, I charged forwards and shot from my turrets.

Wire and shielding clashed as my rounds tore into them, and shot after the Twisted Tinker, my shields falling as we clashed. (I need more!) Pushing my Pulse Reactor, I let my thrusters overcharge, my frame blasting through the net and towards Mannequin again, maw open to bite the Twisted Tinker in two.

Unfortunately for me, Mannequin bent his body all the way back, his legs re-configuring themselves into a single limb, turning into a cannon of his own as I took a point blank sonic blast. My shields absorbed the majority of the sound waves, and even the minor amount of damage that went through wasn't enough to deter me from my prey.

Overcharging my reactor again, I let out another discharge, freezing the Twisted Tinker in place long enough for me to reposition my head over his body, maw open wide, and snapped down, causing the sound of metal crunching beneath metal to ring out. That should've been the end of it, but when I heard whirring coming from Mannequin's body, I reflexively used my scanners, which actually gave me results this time, most likely due to the damage I was doing to his body.

My perception of time slowed as I parsed through the readings I was getting, and my eyes widened when I took it in. (The madman's working with a small scare Fission Core. If he goes through with the self destruct...) I didn't bother calculating the blast radius, returning my processing speed to normal speeds as I flapped my wings, anti gravity module working at full capacity as I fired all thrusters at beyond their maximum. (I need to get this to the sky!) The Dragon Suit shot into the air like a bullet, the wind whipping around my frame as I kept the Mad Tinker in my maw.

Within a minute I was bursting through the clouds, my frame going higher as I entered the Stratosphere. (Faster! Higher!) My Pulse Reactor churned and crackled as I pushed it further, energy being diverted from my shields to my thrusters, a sonic boom going off as my frame rocketed into the Mesosphere. (This should be enou...-) An explosion rocked my frame, and I was thrown out of the feed from my Dragon Suit, giving me a headache.

Rubbing my brow, I groaned and sank into my seat. "# Why am I even susceptible to headaches? #"

"! Because the world sucks and it hates us. !" I absentmindedly nodded at that, it made sense. When I was capable of it, I turned an eye to Erin, who was frowning and going through the last moments of my suit. "! We might have a problem. !" Frowning at that, I watched as she swiped the feed she was looking at towards me, and let the footage play.

Said footage was right when Mannequin began to overload his Fission Reactor. I hadn't notice it due to the urgency of the situation, but moments before I lifted off, his head cleanly detached from his body, small tentacles propping his head up as he scurried away.

Seeing that, I scowled. "# Of course he got away. #" With the escape of Mannequin, I couldn't count this as a win. The fact I stopped him from detonating a WMD in the city took off a majority of the bitterness I felt at the loss, but it wasn't enough.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I tu...- Erin and I paused when we felt Tess' conscious hiccup, which was a strange experience in of itself, but then we jolted when Erin Prime shot us an emergency message. "! BONESAW SECOND TRIGGERED! !"

The parallel of Erin and I stared at the message... Then said what we thought. ""#! Shit. !#""

[Dragon's POV earlier]

Barreling towards my targets, I kept all weapon ports open, and steeled myself. I would be handling three of the Slaughterhouse 9, three of their most infamous really, so there would be no punches pulled. The optimal plan would be to keep aerial superiority over the trio of Villains, sure Jack Slash's Power gave him ranged capabilities, but they wouldn't be able to breach my shield unless I just sat in front of him and allowed him to hit me.

The same went for The Siberian, the projection couldn't fly so her Power would also be useless against me.

Bonesaw was the same, unless she had some form of creation to aid her, so staying in the air would be the optimal choice.

As I flew, I kept an eye on the feeds coming from Anubis and Khepri's suits, making sure they were okay. (Not like they need it. Phoenix managed to create a forest in moments, while Taylor is showing just how acrobatic she is.)

There was a sense of... I wanted to call it pride, "! It is pride, so just call it like it is. !" I rolled my eyes at my sister's commentary, but decided to do just that. I was proud of them, they had been prepared to engage in battle against the Slaughterhouse 9 without a hint of hesitation after all. Sure, one could say they were overconfident in their Powers and string of successes, but considering their Powers, training, and how capable they were, one could find themselves being told to go away.

(Plus, this team is quite powerful in our own right. Myself, Melody, Narwhal, and Panacea. Really, this set up is one that may need some exploring later on.) Slipping into a slower perception, I thought about it all. Narwhal hadn't gone on missions for a while, she dedicated a majority of her time to managing The Guild, and having her own downtime. So while it would be preferred for Narwhal to work with us on more of a regular basis, I doubted it would happen. (Well, if not Nat, then I believe Paige and Delphi would be open to the idea of joining Pantheon.) The former would most likely be amenable to working with them, maybe not going out in the field, but still amenable. The latter though would most likely see an opportunity there, and jump for it. (Opportunists will be opportunists)

Shaking that thought off, I returned my perception back to normal speeds, and put those trains of thought to the side. It was time to fight, and I wouldn't be distracted by idle thoughts.

Locking onto my targets, weapons hot and ready to fire, I focused onto Jack Slash, and unleashed my payload. The moment I did, the man snapped towards me, then immediately jumped to the side... (So he has taken augmentations from Bonesaw.) It was speculation before, but with the distance Jack Slash had jumped from a simple standing position was enough to prove that particular inquiry.

Him aside, The Siberian didn't seem to care about the incoming projectiles, while Bonesaw avoided the payload with a childish skip that took her out of the blast radius.

Frowning, I hovered above them, the wind coming from my wing flaps getting rid of the smoke so my optics could continue marking them all. As they did, Erin worked in the background, coming up with plans of action to subdue/decommission the trio before me. With her doing that, I looked at the three before me, keeping them all in my sights as I spoke. "This will be your only warning. Surrender or be taken down."

An amused chuckle went through the area, my optics turning towards Jack Slash to see the madman happily flipping his switch blade. "Now Dragon, I thought you were supposed to be nice. Shooting first and asking for compliance later? Doesn't seem so nice to me. Really, one would mistake you for an American with behavior like that."

I ignored him, roaming to Bonesaw, who was just giggling. "I can fix that! Manners are important, all good girls know their manners!" Not even thinking about that, I readied my weapons, unloaded several drones to break down nearby vehicles and debris, and kept them all in view. Especially The Siberian, she was the most dangerous threat to me and one I couldn't afford to underestimate.

For a moment, no one moved. The three psychopaths before me had grins that practically split their faces, while I frowned in my seat. (This'll be difficult.) Tensing my claws, I readied myself...

Then, The Siberian pounced, her frame shooting through the air as if she was shot from a bow. Using my thrusters, I ascended to avoid the claws coming from the madwoman, retaliating with a burst of Pulse Rounds coming from the turrets in my wings. Predictably, the rounds did nothing to the woman, who just let them slide off of her as she dropped back do...- Tucking my wings in, I dove, preventing the slashes from impacting my shield. While they would do hardly any damage, I'd rather they didn't take any unnecessary damage if I could avoid it.

Firing up my thrusters, I shot towards Jack Slash, spreading my wings and locking onto him with my turrets. "! Machine 11 o'clock. !" Lashing out with my tail, I slammed it into what appeared to be a spider like creation. That distraction didn't stop me though, and I fired at Jack Slash, the man laughing as he evaded the hail of rounds shot his way.

Even if he evaded those, my frame reached his body, and I knew what to do. Overcharging my Pulse Reactor, I let the power surge from me, and noted the way Jack Slash's eyes widened before any power escaped me. "Discharge!"

Pulse Energy exploded outwards, and even though Jack Slash managed to back peddle a bit away, he was still caught in the radius of my attack, his body shaking as he was electrocuted and burned. The crazed Nuker fell and screamed, but I paid it no mind as I ordered my drones to create a pair of cuffs directly on the leader of the Slaughterhouse after he was done convulsing. "UNCLE JACK!" I heard her, and watched Bonesaw charge towards me, with The Siberian copying her action.

Activating my thrusters, I took to the sky, the drones would be able to detain Jack Slash in a few mome...- The Siberian jumped again, and before I could take evasive measures, the woman landed on one of my hind legs, her mad grin the only warning I received before she sunk her claws into my frame, the shield doing nothing to stop her as she tore into my leg. "! Disconnect it, we can't risk her damaging any of the important systems. !" I agreed with that, and decoupled the leg. For a moment, The Siberian looked surprised, almost as if she forgot I was using a machine to fight her. "! Heh, dumb bitch. !"

While I also agreed with that, I didn't voice it, and allowed the woman fall with the leg. Her temporarily de...- The Siberian suddenly stopped falling, acting as if gravity was a suggestion as she brought my leg up and hurled it at me. I easily took evasive maneuvers, avoiding the impromptu projectile, and watched as the monochrome woman huffed and dropped down to the earth. (The sudden disregard for gravity could be dangerous.) Erin agreed with me, but didn't comment, instead choosing to send me a diagnostic of my suit. (No damage to my Pulse Reactor or my flight systems, but now there's a constant drain on my shield and a weak point that can be exploited...) I frowned at that.

While the weak point didn't exactly matter, The Siberian didn't need a dedicated weakness in order to hurt/kill someone, it would be dangerous against Bonesaw, her creations, which were crawling out of the wood works, and Jack Slash, who had stopped convulsing. The Nuker had also been spared from being shackled due to the timely assistance of the Bio-Tinker, who had crushed the shackles my drones had made.

That aside, I watched as the three of them collect themselves, gathering Pulse Energy in my throat as I did. Something must've given me away considering Jack Slash's moment of panic. (Too late anyway.) Opening my maw, the cannon extended forth, thrumming with Pulse Energy. (Fire!) A massive shot burst forth, I'd provided more then enough power considering who I was up against, and careened towards the trio beneath me.

Again, they scattered like ants, only a few of Bonesaw's creations being caught up in the blast, and hid beneath the smokescreen the blast created. That didn't keep them safe from me though, a quick scan of my surroundings showing just where they were. (Let's see them hide from this.) Ordering my drones to create explosive weaponry from the surrounding materials, I armed myself and opened up the chambers on my back where those ordinances were created. In moments, the payload I created was unleashed, missiles flying from my back and towards the earth below.

The instant the first missile hit the ground, it exploded, causing a chain reaction that caused the un-ignited ones to follow suit.

Safe to say, the area around me was bathed in an explosive symphony that lasted for a minute. When it was over, I cleared the smoke covering the area, turning towards my main target. Jack Slash stared back at me, a grimace on his face as he did. "Quite trigger happy aren't y...-"

"YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMIIIN!~" Something shot down from the sky above me, slamming into Jack Slash like a falling star. There was a sickening crunch that resounded through the air, and we all stared at the source. Said source was my nephew, his base and suit clad form of Anubis riding upon Behemoth, which was crushing Jack Slash beneath its multi-ton frame. "By the time it's hit you, Ya Last Surprise!~" And of course he finished whatever reference he was singing.

"! I've saved that by the way. !" I mentally snorted at that, but remained vigilant.

With the loss of Jack Slash, I could see the brain matter sliding off of the front wheel of my nephew's bike, now would be the most opportune time to deal with Bones...- "Uncle Jack?" Despite knowing where the source of the voice came from, I felt my heart ache. Bonesaw was a mass murderer, but she was also a child, and hearing a child sound that... Broken, hurt.

Turning to look at the Villain, I could easily make out the shock on her face, and even with the small splotches of blood and the grime on her clothes, she looked far smaller then before. Perhaps seeing the same thing I did, I idly took notice of a massive explosion happening above us, The Siberian dashed towards Bonesaw, placing herself in front of the child as she barred her fangs towards my nephew. Seeing that, he scoffed. "Whatever." Revving Behemoth, the motorcycle shifting as its sides opened up to reveal a pair of turrets, he made the whole scene more gruesome as blood and bone flowed from the spot Jack Slash's head used to be. "Let's R...-" Before he could even finish speaking, The Siberian popped, disappearing.

Again, for a moment, we were all still.

Said moment eventually passed as my nephew barked out a laugh. "She's got the best timing in the world." I had to agree with that. With both Jack Slash, and The Siberian down, I began landing.

As I did, I kept watch of Bonesaw, the child starting to shake as she looked at Jack Slash's corpse, and where The Siberian had been moments earlier. "S-Sibby? Where'd... Where'd you go?" Her eyes were visibly dilating now, and I was sure she was entering shock. "Uncle Jack... Sibby..."

Anubis huffed, getting off his bike, the vehicle returning to base as he brought out a pair of cuffs. "They're dead, so hush." Unnecessarily harsh, but that could be brought up later.

The moment I landed, Bonesaw turned to Anubis, her body shaking rather worryingly. "THEY'RE NOT! T-THEY WOULDN'T! THEY CAN'T!"

I sighed, tearing my eyes away from the Bio-Tinker. "Ugh, shout louder why don't ya?"

I made a mental note to work on his manners in the future. "! Like that'll work. !" Another eye roll was my response to that.

From there, the Bio-Tinker collapsed like a puppet without its strings, tears leaking from her eyes as she devolved into a muttering mess. "Sibby..." My heart went out to the child before me, but I shelved that away. The child was one thing, Bonesaw was ano...- "Mommy..." And there went my attempts of dissociating the two.

Thankfully, this would be over soon. The suppressant cuffs would ensure Bonesaw would be subdued, we couldn't risk her dying and unleashing whatever plagues were in her system, so Panacea could work on her.

Of course, it was when my nephew was moments away from cuffing her, that things went wrong.

It started when Bonesaw snapped towards Anubis, her eyes fearful and dilated to the point they were mere dots, looking but not seeing. The moment that happened, Anubis jumped back like a cat with a cucumber, the cuff being dropped as he leapt through the air. Following the jump Bonesaw's eyes rolled back into her head, while said head was thrown back. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

My feed glitched, and I found myself yanked from the connection between my suit as my consciousness flickered between waking and restarting. I groaned at the felling, shaking my head as I tried to make sense of wh...- "! BONESAW SECOND TRIGGERED! !"

I stared at the message for a moment... Then nodded. "Well shit."

And that's how it happened.