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Yesterday, this was an ordinary twenty-first century city. Today it's a war zone, tomorrow it'll be walled off and abandoned.
A few collapsed buildings, shattered streets, and assorted craters. The place is mostly empty, with scattered groups of mostly humanoid monsters roaming and trying to escape the guarded fence around the city. The most instantly noticeable change is an ongoing wordless singing in the back of the mind of anyone present. By itself it's just a sound. An unpleasant sound, and almost but not quite predictable as if someone were trying to attack the listener's sanity without saying anything, but possible to ignore. But along with it, any time a listener closes their eyes they get flashes of memories. Not their worst memories, but whatever negative ones can stick with them unforgettably. It builds up associations between the feelings in those images and almost anything else. Sometimes there's a recognizable common thread and other times there isn't.
An angel fights off teams of opponents. She's fifteen feet tall, extremely winged, with more wings than is strictly necessary for an angel. Even some of her wings have wings. All of them are asymmetric and varyingly sized. A spherical halo of weaponry surrounds her, firing at her more distant enemies from across the battlefield. Her opponents cycle in and out: a golden man, a man surrounded by a bubble, a woman in a dark costume, all flying. Others make certain to stay away after taking their turn, on rare occasions spending too long hearing the angel's music. Those ones voluntarily self-destruct.
A small group of ordinary humans takes refuge in a house as far from the battle as they can reach. The song is quieter here, and, they hope, less potent. Some of them run away from and back to the house, occasionally calling for help. They haven't found any.
whole_new_can
wormcan
"Thanks. We will. And you can call us, of course in the event that you're here and need anything." She glances around at the empty battlefield and the Nearly One Blasphemy. "However unlikely that may be."
ertia
"Thanks."
Kithabel goes back to the United States. On her way she kills Sleeper, since she's killing particularly nasty villains now; Sleeper is a lot easier than the Blasphemies, a pleasant anticlimax she punctuates by eating a sandwich during the rest of her flight. She notifies her PRT contact.
The Protectorate is networked enough that she can just hang out in Arkansas for a while for a change of scenery, right?
Kithabel goes back to the United States. On her way she kills Sleeper, since she's killing particularly nasty villains now; Sleeper is a lot easier than the Blasphemies, a pleasant anticlimax she punctuates by eating a sandwich during the rest of her flight. She notifies her PRT contact.
The Protectorate is networked enough that she can just hang out in Arkansas for a while for a change of scenery, right?
wormcan
Easily. Given that it's Arkansas there might be pretty much nothing but the scenery, but someone somewhere along the line will be able to come up with a local list of tasks anyway.
ertia
Well, she's not picky about it being Arkansas in particular. Somewhere that isn't her usual handful of Northeasterly cities.
She notifies her contact person that at some point she may develop the ability to resurrect the dead and intends to try doing it periodically. Who should be her test subject and when she manages to dredge them up where should she drop them off so they can have things explained?
She notifies her contact person that at some point she may develop the ability to resurrect the dead and intends to try doing it periodically. Who should be her test subject and when she manages to dredge them up where should she drop them off so they can have things explained?
wormcan
The person to start with, any PRT person will agree, is Hero. The name makes it obvious. That, combined with the fact that he was the world's greatest tinker and the fact that his death was what convinced the public that heroes don't always win in the end, means he's the guy. The New York Protectorate would probably be the best place for explanation, but chances are good that at least one of the people who'd want to do the explanation would be able to get to wherever she happens to be faster than she can get there.
(A list starts being drawn for who else should be resurrected first, depending on the constraints. The two most cited are of course William Shakespeare and Thomas Jefferson, who'd need rather more explanation. But the Protectorate wants to focus it on capes for obvious reasons, and that's most of the result.)
(A list starts being drawn for who else should be resurrected first, depending on the constraints. The two most cited are of course William Shakespeare and Thomas Jefferson, who'd need rather more explanation. But the Protectorate wants to focus it on capes for obvious reasons, and that's most of the result.)
ertia
Kithabel considers focusing on capes - well, heroes, in particular - reasonable. Although she develops the impression that she's really supposed to know who Shakespeare and Jefferson are, reads a couple sonnets, approves Shakespeare, disapproves Jefferson but strongly considers Ben Franklin, and mostly just tells her contact "sure, Hero's first in line, go ahead and compile more of a list for whenever I manage him".
wormcan
They do. Apparently an awful lot of heroes have died over the last thirty years.
There's a bit of debate about whether it counts as a violation of the Endbringer truce if they resurrect heroes who died during the attacks but not villains. Who knows; the truce wasn't set up with this in mind.
The other part of the reaction is to redouble the efforts to make sure Kithabel's list of tasks is as nonrepetitive as possible. It's only a slight improvement since that was already a focus, but it's there.
There's a bit of debate about whether it counts as a violation of the Endbringer truce if they resurrect heroes who died during the attacks but not villains. Who knows; the truce wasn't set up with this in mind.
The other part of the reaction is to redouble the efforts to make sure Kithabel's list of tasks is as nonrepetitive as possible. It's only a slight improvement since that was already a focus, but it's there.
wormcan
It is; on the other hand, it's not like there's nothing in it for them. And more variety also means clearing out hospitals less frequently, so niceness might be debatable. But the assorted PRT people are ultimately very glad to have Kithabel on their side.
The momentum keeps increasing.
The momentum keeps increasing.
ertia
Zoom.
(Kithabel will empty a hospital whenever she damn well pleases; she remembers where they are. The list is a fallback guideline; it is not mind control.)
(Kithabel will empty a hospital whenever she damn well pleases; she remembers where they are. The list is a fallback guideline; it is not mind control.)
wormcan
(And it would be impolite to suggest otherwise, especially so soon after the incident with not one but two sets of supervillains. Nobody mentions this.)
ertia
(Good. Kithabel is a nigh-omnipotent sorceress and when she wants the lame to walk and the blind see they will fucking do it.)
wormcan
The lame and the blind are themselves in favor. And it's not all that much of a decrease from maximum variety.
ertia
Indeed, indeed.
...While she's at it, since the Protectorate seems pretty good at making coherent priority lists of people, she can render a small number immune to aging. This counts as a sustained effect, not a one-and-done - rolling back would be one-and-done - but she can cover some people with it. Any suggestions?
...While she's at it, since the Protectorate seems pretty good at making coherent priority lists of people, she can render a small number immune to aging. This counts as a sustained effect, not a one-and-done - rolling back would be one-and-done - but she can cover some people with it. Any suggestions?
wormcan
The PRT's actuaries say aging isn't a risk that affects most capes very much. Powers generally come in when they're young, and life expectancies are unreliable. There are plenty of exceptions, but they'd likely benefit more from being rolled back and less from being stopped.
Might be a good idea to use aging immunity on the current President; Presidents are known for aging quickly, so to speak. And people in relevantly similar positions, some of whom are high up in the PRT.
Might be a good idea to use aging immunity on the current President; Presidents are known for aging quickly, so to speak. And people in relevantly similar positions, some of whom are high up in the PRT.
ertia
Kithabel has formed no opinions on the current President and doesn't want to make it look like she has. She'll halt some PRT people though. A few. And then she can sell the rest of her capacity and donate the money. No good to have a passive capacity like that she isn't using.
wormcan
She has recently passed the threshold between able to solve practically any problem the PRT can point her at to so powerful that she's creating new complications. This is technically an improvement.
wormcan
And eventually: Hero.
He appears on his back in a badly damaged suit of golden armor. He's silent for a bit while comparing his last memory (Eidolon failing to heal him after a near bisection by the Siberian) with the state of his armor (featuring an appropriately placed gash) and his helmet's timepiece (2011).
"So what'd I miss?"
He appears on his back in a badly damaged suit of golden armor. He's silent for a bit while comparing his last memory (Eidolon failing to heal him after a near bisection by the Siberian) with the state of his armor (featuring an appropriately placed gash) and his helmet's timepiece (2011).
"So what'd I miss?"
ertia
"Eeeeeee I did it! Um, you missed awhile. I'm supposed to drop you off in New York for an explanation," says Kithabel, beaming, and she teleports them up in a few hops.
whole_new_can
New York has been the center of the Protectorate since the Protectorate was the four founders and a few copycat teams they were doing their best to encourage. The headquarters is going to be vastly different from what it was in 2000 (notably including: bigger) but Hero can recognize where he is.
Legend is there as soon as Kithabel arrives, of course, and Eidolon soon after. "It worked?" one or the other of them exclaims, as Alexandria joins them. There may be some heroic tears shed. Even Alexandria is smiling. (Hero himself has less to take in stride; it wasn't over eleven years for him.)
Legend is there as soon as Kithabel arrives, of course, and Eidolon soon after. "It worked?" one or the other of them exclaims, as Alexandria joins them. There may be some heroic tears shed. Even Alexandria is smiling. (Hero himself has less to take in stride; it wasn't over eleven years for him.)
ertia
"It worked!" whoops Kithabel, spinning delightedly in the air. "Oh man I need to do another fifty people like right now where should I go."
whole_new_can
"Surely here works as well as anywhere else?" says the one person with no information. "Wouldn't want to make people stay...out...longer than they have to."
"Here does work. This wasn't exactly unexpected."
They do in fact have space set aside for like fifty people to appear, and can start calling family members as soon as the resurrections are underway.
"Here does work. This wasn't exactly unexpected."
They do in fact have space set aside for like fifty people to appear, and can start calling family members as soon as the resurrections are underway.
ertia
Kithabel goes right down her list, pausing occasionally between minute-long-then-shorter periods of concentration to do a backflip.
whole_new_can
The newly not dead of them are laughing and swapping backstories. "Behemoth, 1998." "Jack Slash, 2008." "Slipped on a banana peel, 2003."
They get brought up to speed on some of the larger-scale changes over the past few years. There is now a third Endbringer, here's what she does. Kyushu and Newfoundland have been wiped off the map; one of them was put back on and resettled. And we're getting better at fighting them off. There are now a lot more capes, with all the same effects you're used to but more so. And so on, with broad strokes, pausing to clarify or go into detail when asked.
Resurrection is a limited commodity. Most of you were chosen because we need heroes and, not to put too fine a point on it, you're powerful. Maybe one day there'll be more to go around and we can be more egalitarian.
Legend pauses at that point to ask Kithabel. "Any idea how fast it'll increase?"
They get brought up to speed on some of the larger-scale changes over the past few years. There is now a third Endbringer, here's what she does. Kyushu and Newfoundland have been wiped off the map; one of them was put back on and resettled. And we're getting better at fighting them off. There are now a lot more capes, with all the same effects you're used to but more so. And so on, with broad strokes, pausing to clarify or go into detail when asked.
Resurrection is a limited commodity. Most of you were chosen because we need heroes and, not to put too fine a point on it, you're powerful. Maybe one day there'll be more to go around and we can be more egalitarian.
Legend pauses at that point to ask Kithabel. "Any idea how fast it'll increase?"