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Glam talks to Armsmaster about the possibility of maybe being given access to confidential files on the Slaughterhouse Nine and is, somewhat predictably, completely shut down, on grounds that the rules are there for a reason. They try sharing their strategies, Armsmaster thanks them for it and assures them he'll look into the raised matter, but they still need to wait until they're a full member of the Protectorate to take advantage of these resources.
And is that supposed to make them more likely to want to stick around? Ugh.
The three following weeks are fairly quiet and peaceful for a change. No major engagements, the Empire Eighty-Eight has been keeping quiet, the various Asian gangs reduced once more to fighting each other, the Teeth haven't yet rebuilt. Blasto, Lung, and Oni Lee are still awaiting trial, though it's likely the tinker will be given a lighter sentence in some parahuman containment center while the other two will be sent to the Birdcage.
And then, somewhat earlier than would normally be expected, telltale seismic activity is registered in Pretoria, South Africa. The capes wishing to help must make their way to New York, to depart in an hour—small aircraft is waiting at the PHQ for the trip there.
She sure will try! But Behemoth will also choose that moment to leap and get a dozen capes within his kill aura, a hundred feet from where the Siberian was. She looks around as if she's confused and then follows after him and grabs his arm. And hugs it. His arm is thick enough that she can't immediately deprive him of it with the hug, but now it's hanging by half as much mass as it was before.
She will of course carry right on with that until the arm falls off. Bots flock after Behemoth.
Off Behemoth's arm goes! But with it goes the Siberian as he flings her once again, this time at the bots. To add insult to injury, he fries them all, and immediately burrows underground.
Replace the bots, Glam, and then the Siberian is going to not hurt the bot that comes to give her a ride, she's going to be light and weightless as it flies her to the new Behemoth location.
...except there doesn't seem to be an immediate new Behemoth location. He's not emerging.
...Maybe he's really smart. C'mon Glam you and Lorica are going for a fly instead of sitting on this roof, she's gonna carry you, your suit does antigrav so you're quite light.
...on the other hand, being carried by Lorica. Yeah, scratch that, they totally need to be carried.
(No sign of Behemoth yet. But some more seismic activity here and there makes it clear he's not gone.)
She goes up until they're out of vertical range of frying attacks if Behemoth should come up right under them.
"We can't find him," Alexandria's voice comes from the comm. "Can you map subtle seismic activity and help us trace him? I'm doing it but your software's probably better."
"Can you give my software your data? It's not made to pick up seismics but it can chew arbitrary data."
"My data is gathered by my own eyes and brain. There are probably tinkers who can help you with that around." She sends a general request through the comm, and finds one whose specialty could be routed that way if you give him three minutes and a half.
Three and a half minutes and conjured arbitrary tools from Glam?
The arbitrary tools aren't strictly necessary, it's mostly a change in software, and then the guy has a map of seismic activity around the city and its environs.
Until, that is, a point at the eastern edge of the city starts concentrating a few of those bubbles.
—five hundred feet from the predicted location, amidst the thickest cluster of people. Some twenty capes are incinerated from within, and another thirty are variously injured by this sudden appearance.
And the Triumvirate are on him.
And the bot with the Siberian goes to drop her on the monster and Lorica resumes narrating about what's going to happen.
The Triumvirate cooperate with the Siberian. Well, actually, Eidolon and Alexandria do—Legend seems to be suspiciously absent whenever she's close to the Endbringer.
(In the background, bots operate the ray gun. Glam is totally here and doing the ray gun thing.)
Behemoth's strategy when it comes to the Siberian seems to be "leap a lot." That may be causing much more damage than his usual strategy of standing around lobbing balls of stuff, incinerating things, and melting people within range.
The Siberian should aim to make leaping ineffective by being thoroughly attached to Behemoth. Maybe take his other arm off. Yes, do that and then try burrowing again.
He manages to get rid of her again and burrows once more. This time his path is very easy to predict, as he starts causing explosions and small volcanic eruptions along his way across the city.
A bot carries the Siberian where he's heading again. Usually he leaves when he's been hit hard enough, the fuck's he doing. Lorica stays in the air.
And then he emerges again, and the Siberian's on him, and off with his arm, and off with one of his leg, and he falls much more heavily than a thing his size and mass ought to fall.