Various Loricas other than Plumata try to figure out by introspection what their powers are.

One of them has the feeling she can... poof.

Well that doesn't sound like something to test this minute but it's good to know if she encounters an emergency situation in which it would be useful to go poof.

Tattletale receives a text.

Huh, that would explain why Lorica wasn't answering her phone.

"Lorica clones at our ex-PRT office acting nice."

"For real?"

"Maybe?"

Helpful.

Skitter continues negotiating with Miss MIlita about a temporary alliance, regardless of what Tagg is saying, and simultaneously assembles a swarm clone in the ex-PRT outpost.

"What happened?" a sudden fuckton of bugs asks the Loricae.

"Uh, hi, Skitter," says one. "I'd say you could text me but I guess you couldn't."

"I turned Lacuna, or a Lacuna, he looked like him but was being evil for some reason, into a bird. And also the big case-what-the-fuck that copied me."

This can be repeated to Tattletale for confirmation.

"Yup, that's her."

"How stable is it?"

"Do I look like I know? I've had this power for fifteen minutes! I don't even know if I can let go of them without them turning back and wreaking havoc."

"Can you keep them that way as long as you're holding them?" asks the fuckton of bugs, as Taylor moves even more bugs towards the building.

To Miss Milita:

"We have Echidna pinned down and temporarily neutralized, if you want to help you can. If anyone tries to mess with us on this, on Tagg's orders or otherwise, I'll treat it as if they violated the Endbringer truce."

"I think so? Is this even a real PRT office or did you co-opt it."

"Both - they've defected." The outpost shares enough connections with the rest of the PRT that they manage to act as a regular PRT operation in many respects, even if they do answer to the Undersiders ultimately. She's not enthusiastic about the concept, leaving in place ties to such a flawed system, even if it was her idea. She can't build peace without the PRT in the long run. A changed PRT anyways.

It takes under two minutes for the Undersiders to arrive, minus Tattletale.

"Hi. Frankly I don't care who gives it to me, I just want a place I can let go of these where they won't immediately level a city and turn a dozen people into five dozen evil people or something. Do you have something like that?"

"First we have to get Grue, Lucien, and whoever else is still in her out."

"I'm... not sure how that will work while she is still a bird. You're saying they're salvageable? There's going to be six of us?"

"Emote, is there anyone in there?" asks Taylor

    "Hurts to look at something this small but yeah?" replies the slightly older cape, visiting town for the crisis.

"What, do you have a veterinary surgeon?"

"I'm pretty sure I can induce vomiting - birds don't chew their food before swallowing," she says, having felt many live bugs inside the digestive tracks of birds.

"Eww."

"And will they be - birds? Miniature?"