*000000*

When Emily exits the bathroom, she leaves behind a very filthy tub of water, and a Ratling that is… actually doing better than expected, considering the emotional fluctuations in her power. Adaptation is improving rapidly. Still cutting it rather close, but it would have been rude to leave after she — somehow — talked herself into showing off like that. Also, the door was locked.

What is it about watching a girl towel off and pull on panties that's just so arousing?

Once she's dressed and out, she beats a hasty retreat to the room she claimed as hers, presumably calming her nerves as evidenced by the slowly weakening aura. Eventually, my clone can even return to the living room to wait for her.

She emerges from her room again nearly an hour later. I had been growing concerned, but figured she needed some time. Apparently, she had also brushed out her hair, banishing the tangled, matted mess it had been since we met. Her hair is beautiful in the sunlight streaming in through the window, a pale gold to regular vision, shimmering with colors I have no name for to the more developed eyes of my Organisms.

"Are you… is the talking minion still in the living room?" She asks the Ratling that had taken over Emily duty after its brave and heroic companion dragged itself away to rest. It makes a vague nodding motion with its head in answer.

The first I see of the newly scrubbed Emily is when she meekly sticks her head into the living room and looks around. "Ah… H-hi?" She squeaks when she sees the clone's clothes-obscured form calmly sitting and waiting for her.

"Come sit down, Emily. There's no point being shy now, is there?"

"Ah, don't talk about… it!" Despite her protest, she comes and sits down opposite the clone. "So… um…"

"I was going to explain how my powers worked, but you seem to have gotten the gist of it yourself."

"Please don't talk about… that. I umm… I was right then?" Is it possible for a blush to become permanent? She's fidgeting in her seat and avoiding looking at me. I just want to hug her and never let go.

"Focus on your power, Emily." I remind her. "Right. When I got my powers… You remember I said I was a monster cape when we met?"

"Mhm. You said… umm…" Her brows wrinkly as she tries to remember. "That your power did something to you?"

"Pretty much. I… don't really have a human body anymore."

"Don't… Wha-? No! That's horrible!" She forgets to be shy as she launches herself at my clone, wrapping her arms around me.

I pat her head. "It's not so bad. So… The body I have is just this large, tentacled, brain-like thing. Can't move or anything. Instead, I can… change other beings, and control them."

"Tentacled… brain… thing? I want to see! Oh but… right, my power, huh?" She asks.

"Yes. The minions aren't really… They're expendable. If a dozen die today, I can make two dozen tomorrow. My actual body… well, I haven't experimented with creating more of it." I hadn't even considered that until now, actually. Can I grow another Overmind form as a backup? Do I need to, now that I have other organisms?

"Why don't you just, uh… change yourself then?"

"Tried, it… doesn't work. That's why I've been making these minions to act through. I call them organisms and there are a few types. You know the Ratlings, and I have a couple more focused on combat roles. I'll have flying ones in a day or two too!"

"Oooh what are the combat ones like?" Her eyes are practically sparkling.

I laugh a bit at her excitement. "I'll have some come over when they are available. Anyway, for how I control my minions well…"

She suddenly seems to realise her position, and practically teleports back to her seat. "Uhuh?"

"You picked up on most of it." I want to tease her a bit more about how she went about that, but better not overdo it. Don't want her to be too embarrassed to do something like that again. She said please after all. "It's not so much that I control the organisms or minions. More like… I am them."

"All of them? At once?"

"Yes and no? It's like... Hmm… Sort of like a hand. It's your hand, it does what you want, and you don't have to look at it to move it or even think about it when picking something up. That's kind of what the vast majority of my organisms are like, just all doing what I want without needing to think about it. But! That isn't helpful in some situations, like when… If you're writing, you have to focus on it and look right? Or it comes out all messy."

"Oh! So when you look at a minion?"

"Then I effectively am that minion. All its senses, even its body my own." I confirm.

"Aaand earlier… in the bathroom… you were… there… right?" She pulls her legs up and peeks at me from behind her fingers.

"Didn't you just tell me not to talk about that?"

We talk for some time long longer. Eventually, I bring up the raiders — with care. Specifically, my plan to attack their raiding party. They might have prisoners, and if they do, I will need the clone to try to deal with that. Considering how well my last attempt to use the clone went, I may not be available to talk until a new one is grown, though I'm expecting less outright hostility if the clone is covered up and rescuing them.

The sun is sinking towards the horizon by the time the raiders are done loading up for the return trip. They do indeed have prisoners, so I let Emily know my clone will be away for a time. She'd been very quiet for the past few hours, secreted away in her room.

"I want to come too!"

What? "No way, that's way too dangerous, the raiders have guns and who knows what capes." I know, I've been tracking them to their target, and watched the attack go down. It was bloody, and they lost a good number of fighters. They also have two capes with them.

"Shouldn't you be like spying on them so you know what capes they have? You'll keep me safe, right?"

"… Yes. I am. And of course I'll keep you safe." Damn girl catches on too quick.

"Then let's go!" She jumps up and heads for the door.

"What? No! I didn't agree!"

"Sure you did. You said you'd keep me safe." I can hear the grin in her voice without even needing to look. Impeccable logic. "Besides, I'm bored with sitting around and doing nothing all the time. I'm a cape too, you know."

Yes, a very dangerous but incredibly squishy cape. I… can see how she'd be tired of being inside doing nothing of note. "It'll be really messy and bloody. I have little use for prisoners and no viable way to keep them, except maybe their capes if possible."

"Good. These are the same group that attacked mom and me and everyone, right? I want to watch."

Can't argue with that. "… Fine."

I peel off half my reserve of Zerglings to protect her. From a safe distance. I don't know if my attempts to make them look friendly with smooth blue armour and fur are successful, or if she just likes weird animals — I suspect it's the second — but Emily is absolutely in love with them.

"Sorry Emily, they don't have the same adaptation the Ratlings are undergoing yet, so you can't pet them too long. Keep your aura down unless you are in danger. They'll keep anyone from getting to you." My clone will remain nearby too until needed.

She makes herself comfortable in a building overlooking the ambush site. I at least convinced her she can watch from there, out of sight rather than right on the ground. Then she spends the entire time we are waiting for the enemy to arrive by poking her head into every room and closet. The books fall apart at her approach, much to her anger. The handheld game console is made of sterner stuff. Or rather, inorganic stuff.

Caleb cracked open a bottle of booze while the truck they rode on bounced over the rough broken road of Canberra. Livewire had rewarded the troops with a case to each squad for finishing the mission before he crashed in the first truck's cab. Guy was a hyperactive asshole most of the time, but he knew what motivated the men.

"To Zoe." He toasted Liam.

"To Zoe." Liam, his only surviving squad member responded.

The two drank for a bit in silence. Honestly, neither of them had even known the other two members of their squad, late minute additions just before they left Capital Hill. Zoe had been with them for a couple of mission though. Also, she was hot.

Could be worse. The only other soldier in their truck was Jack, and he was the sole survivor of his squad. It hadn't even been a bunch of randoms stuck together for the mission. Jack hadn't even touched his case, and Caleb couldn't fault him for it. Jack's squad had been together since joining the Independent Nation of Canberra.

Casualties had been bad. The upstart rebels they had been sent to deal with had been well prepared, that Tinker 'Solaris' had been working with them, which had not been in the briefing.

Thank god that Reflect had come along. Her bubbles were the only reason they were not forced to retreat. At least he assumed it was the work of god. If the mission planners had suspected Solaris to be present, surely they would have planned the attack for night-time like the other suspected locations.

Ah well, the superiors fuck up and soldiers die. Such is life. Still better than being a 'Citizen'. Those poor bastards didn't even get to eat if they didn't fill their salvage quota. Sometimes Caleb felt it was wrong to treat fellow Australians like that, but it always made sense when the President explained it, and he's the President. He knows what he's talking about better than some ex-blue-collar worker.

Caleb looked over at Jack again. It was a small mercy that they had put the man in this truck with him and Liam. He couldn't imagine being stuck with one of the few squads that had avoided permanent casualties. Those guys were having a fucking victory party. Like the fuckers in the truck behind them. Wankers probably just stayed in cover the whole time. Even worse, the ones that were taking 'liberties' with the captured Citizens. That Caleb definitely disliked, and he suspected the President did too, since he never spoke out in favour of the practice.

"Oy mate." Liam spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"I gotta take a piss. Keep me steady?"

"For fuck's sake, can't you wait?"

"Not with the way this driver is bouncing us around."

"Bloody hell. I swear you piss into the wind again, I'm pushing you out." Caleb grumbled, but still grabbed onto the back of Liams belt to keep him steady while he did his thing over the side of the truck.

"Bet I can hit the pond."

"Just fucking hurry."

"Oy mate, what's that?"

"Your bloody prick, ya wanker!" Seriously, fuck Liam. Good in a fight, trash sense of humour.

"No, there's something -" Whatever Liam was going to say was lost when the truck lurched and swerved into a hard stop. Caleb lost his grip on Liam and fought to keep his own position. The sound of a splash told him that at least Liam had 'hit the pond'.

As soon as the truck stopped, Caleb rose to his feet to see what the hell had happened.

Some kind of giant blue bug-thing the size of a compact car had rammed the front truck, bringing it to a crushing stop, and a second one was rising out of the dirt right next to it. It opened its jaws, and a fire-hose spray of dark orange steam and liquid sprayed out and into the mangled cab.

He grabbed for his pistol and brought it up to aim at the two monstrosities, when the truck rocked again and something landed next to him. He turned just in time to see a smaller blue shelled creature standing on two legs come out of its landing and swipe at him with foot-long blades.

The pistol dropped from his hands and he stumbled backwards, falling onto his back, pain searing through him. Multiple gunshots were coming from all around. One rang out next to his ear, nearly deafening him. Jack had his own pistol out — good man. The creature rocked from the impact but didn't fall.

Caleb groped around for his dropped weapon, but his gut burned, and his arms were all tangled up in rope. Where did those even… oh…

I'd lost track of the female cape. She wasn't a major worry. As far as I could tell from observing their attack, her power was to make bubbles around people, but they only reflected energy. I was mainly concerned with the one that turned into a lightning elemental straight out of D&D, I had nothing I was certain would hurt him in his Breaker state, and his lightning bolts would probably fry Zerglings, maybe even the Roaches.

He was also passed out in the front seat of the lead truck though, and a surprise Roach roadblock followed by a full strength acid blast into the confined space ended that threat before he even woke. A shame, if his Essence reflected his power it would have been incredibly useful, but since I had no certain counter for him… Too risky.

Immediately, my Zerglings swarm over the trucks, their scythes rending flesh and limb. The raiders are unprepared and caught with their pants down. Literally in one case. The drivers try to reverse out of the ambush, but the narrow path restricts their movement, and even that ends when the Roaches in the rear rise out of the ground. Any vehicles that keep trying to move got hosed down with acid. Only the prisoner and supply trucks are left — mostly — unmolested.

Windshields cave under the impact or heat of the acid sprays, but most of of them hold. Side windows are less durable. Most drivers and cab occupants die with a whimper, their throats and lungs scorched by acidic steam. A few are not so lucky, they manage to open their doors and fall or stagger out of the wrecked cabs, their bodies covered head to toe in sizzling, steaming acid. Blisters from the burns don't even have time to form before the flesh dissolves and drips off their bones while they roll on the ground screaming.

The female cape has a trick up her sleeve I hadn't seen. Instead of making bubbles around herself or the three raiders with her, she creates constructs for them to wield, resembling a tower shield. Apparently these shields can reflect more than just energy, as I find out when they — somehow — reflect a Roachs acid spray and wash down a dozen Zerglings, inflicting the worst casualties so far.

Their eyes are wild with terror as they try to make their way off the battlefield, stepping over puddles of rancid acid and torn limbs. The shields keep them safe for now, but as other parts of the battlefield fall silent, more and more Zerglings home in on their position. Advancing becomes impossible. They will tire, and then they will fall.

My clone stands by the window with Emily, looking down at the ambush site. Should I be worried that she can stomach it? Granted, we are far enough away that she can't see the most gory details, or smell the stink of acid, blood, and offal soaking into the ground. The screams, on the other hand…

"Was revenge the only reason you wanted to come see this?" I ask her. She's quiet for so long I don't think she's going to answer.

"I've been thinking… Masters… have a terrible reputation… Like, in school they tell us to report if someone is… acting strange, because they could be… controlled. There was this… huge thing about a Master in, uh… Brisbane I think, last year? Nobody told me or the other kids the details, but… the teachers got real paranoid after. I heard that two of them even reported each other as being Masters. When you… you explained about your powers… I think people are going to hate it."

I sigh. "That sounds about as expected. Bio-tinkers are just as bad… maybe worse. I've got some ideas to try to… negate the poor reputation, but… combined with being a Master…" This feels like way too mature and serious of a conversation to be having with a girl her age. Yeah, not even going to bother bringing that up after the events of this morning.

"School… they don't tell us much about the Endbringers, just that they are bad. The internet fills in what the teachers won't talk about. I… I've read about Behemoth. All the Heroes that die to him every time. Even if I can't throw fireballs or shoot lightning… The way I… melt everything… People will compare me to him, won't they?"

"Possibly. At least outside they would. In here, with the quarantine, people are likely more worried about the Simurgh, all things considered." I say.

She looks up at the latticework of the dome's frame crisscrossing the sky. "That too… I don't want to… grow up and… probably die in here… locked away from the world."

"Soon we won't even be able to see the sun… But I'm not staying in here like a bug in a terrarium. Once I build up my forces I am leaving."

"That will… scare people a lot." She says, a massive understatement. My nature is going to be ringing every alarm bell between here and the north pole. Also breaking out of a Simurgh quarantine zone is going to make some very powerful people very scared.

"It will. I… I think the rules are different once you get strong and scary enough. It's going to take time and… a lot of corpses. Mountains of corpses, till they stop sending more… Once started, there's no going back."

"Are you… are you prepared to go all the way with this, Alexei?"

I watch the park below, the gunfire and screams slowly falling silent. "Yes. Yes, I am prepared to go all the way, Emily."

"Good. I'm coming with you." She turns from the window at last. "Take me home. I've seen enough."