Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Amelia, Ch 364- Dragon


Minerva's files were a wreck wrapped in a mess inside an elaborate joke. If she wanted me to do her job, she went out of her way to make sure no one else had a damn clue what her job actually was. It had taken me almost two days to decode the file she entitled her Big Book of Blackmail. Decrypting it had taken less than a full second, the rest was me figuring out how to read her shorthand. And that was after spending a full week sorting through all her more immediately important tasks.


I would have frowned if it were my android body examining the file. There was information here that could get several congressman, three Prime Ministers and a Supreme Court Justice removed from office. Near as I could tell, most of her blackmail was acquired by using blackmail on other people. I wasn't sure I wanted to know where she got some of it from, but there was no way in hell was it legal. I found myself conflicted between standards as a person, and orders to help Avalon as best I could.


I sorted the copious amounts of information into two files. Relatively harmless blackmail, like the affairs and tax frauds went into one side. They didn't evoke the happiest impression of humanity, but they weren't outright evil. I'd find someone with slightly thicker skin and fewer restrictions to manage them. Waste not, want not.


The sick stuff, like accepting bribes to look the other way as a Juvenile Detention facility was used as the main resource for a prostitution ring, I could not ignore. I didn't imagine that Taylor and Amelia would, either. They likely didn't know this stuff existed in the first place. I dedicated one of my attentions to managing a series of snooping algorithms that would get the evidence needed to get valid warrants, and a list of authorities that we could tip off and expect some gratitude from later. Just because I was opposed to blackmail, didn't mean I couldn't see the value in collecting and trading in favors.


The changes that Emma made to my code were a dream come true. While I was prevented from performing actions ten time faster due to the processing speed limits, it gave me the ability to multitask spectacularly. I could devote my full attention to a total of fifteen different tasks at the same time, though only one could be used for any single task. My artificial body was granted the Tinker processing, and was busy working on the repairs and making an EB tissue upgrade for my armor system. I didn't want to start the next generation of my ships until I had time to sit down and make sure they met our new maximum potential.


Seven other attentions were dedicated to managing and artificially advancing Avalon's economy and industry. Via proxy, I was making oil trade arrangements with nations that would rather buy from us than Russia or the Middle East. Just cheaply enough that those nations could resell the supplies at profit, forcing overall prices down. Mapping where we wanted the Japan portal when it was created in about a month, and planning the ceremony surrounding that. With any luck, we'd be as modern as Bet within a decade, if far less populated.


One of those seven perceptions had become distracted after stumbling across a casual maneuver by Number Man, which I traced back to a request by the Elite to expand some of their interests onto the East Coast.


Now he and I were engaged in a game of chess to determine if the ailing Medhall would get a chunk of the New York market instead of the Elite's shell companies. It was a far cleaner use of our time and resources than a real clash between us would look like. Were the two of us to really go at it, we could destroy entire economies, and neither of us wanted that. I was starting to worry that I might actually lose the chess match. I idly left a note to the Empresses about this event.


Three focused on the Endbringer algorithms, trying to predict the next attack or find the Endmakers. One to track them, one to analyze Glaistig Uaine's frustrating claims on the subject, and one to use Rapture's models. Progress was nonexistent.


I spared a section of effort to the Birdcage. They were holding court. Theoretically, it was past lights out and they should be on lockdown, but I tended not to interfere with the cellblock leaders' meetings. They rarely caused trouble with one another, and giving them more time to handle the herculean task of maintaining what passed for civilization down there was the least I could do. It was also the most I could do. I used my social analysis tech, which had been an incredible boon in keeping the prison more peaceful than it had ever been, to watch the proceedings.

"I'm afraid Valerie is ill, beyond the ability of my medical staff to treat," Teacher started his turn at the podium. Several reactions of concern or distaste. The casual sadism inflicted on Valefor meant nothing to them, they were worried for the loss of the convenience that Valefor provided to their men. The female block leaders tended to keep the prostitution small scale and strictly voluntary, and also extremely expensive compared to what Teacher charged. "I'm afraid we may have overworked her again."


Marquis spoke next. "That is a concern. We all know that there is only one person with a legitimate healing power in the cage. Glaistig Uaine, would you be willing to grace us with your power?" Portraying himself as a benefactor and leader to the others. Nothing I didn't already know, the man was every bit the leader his daughter had become and more.


"You know my price," Glaistig Uaine responded calmly. "As does the Appraiser." She's asking for a sacrifice, it's the only thing she ever asks for.


"Indeed I do, Faerie Queen," Teacher agreed calmly. Underlying hostility between the pair. Both compete for the resource of the undesirable members of the cage, the ones that the other leaders have little use or love for. Teacher's fear of the much more powerful parahuman, and her love of him groveling, kept their relationship stable. "My humblest apologies, it is not a price I can afford at the moment. All of my people are valuable parts of the community, their loss would be felt. If nothing changes, then perhaps I'll be able to give you Valerie in our next meeting?" Reminding the others that, as overpriced as many of his services are, he was responsible for virtually all of the maintenance and medical care in the Birdcage. A problem that I need to find a way to alleviate.


"I may be willing to pay that bill," Lustrum offered. "I trust that Bakuda would be acceptable as a payment?" One of the more unpleasant practices born of Glaistig Uaine's gruesome demands had birthed was a habit of storing the decapitated heads of parahumans, using them to purchase favors where needed from each other, knowing that ultimately, they'd go to placating the Faerie queen. That Lustrum had held on to this one for so long was a surprise.


"Should the faerie still remain with the body, Torchbearer. I am led to believe the Fusilier was badly damaged."


"Naturally," Lustrum agreed before turning back toward Teacher. "There is, of course, the matter of my payment. A couple of my girls are becoming increasingly distraught over their circumstances."


Teacher smiled. "Ah, yes, that is something I can easily fix."


Lustrum activated just the lightest touch of her power, and my instruments kindly informed me of the temperature of the room dropping by several degrees. "Not like that, you pig. You will rededicate one of your people as a therapist to assist in their care. And if I suspect treachery at any point during their treatment, I will take your head to replace Bakuda's."


"That would require I take a resource from elsewhere." Faking concern, has already decided he's willing to pay the price. Is setting the stage to negotiate terms.


"That is not my problem. If you are so worried for your resources, you should take care of them better."​

I pulled away from that conversation. They'd continue their posturing for a while, but the deal was a certainty at this point. At least that meant Paige was going to get some form of help. It was, however, concerning about Teacher. He was running low on people, that was true, because he was using them for everything and to provide services for everyone. With exception to Glaistig Uaine, each of the block leaders had come to rely on Teacher's services. A fact that gave him significant power and let him enslave more and more parahumans. It was frustrating to watch. I needed to find a way to make the others need him less. Without breaking any of the contracts I agreed upon when taking control of the facility.


So instead I devoted that attention to analyzing the legal paperwork inherent in the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center, my duties and tasks, my limitations, and the various problems I had with it. There had to be something I could do, short of the obvious and asking Avalon to take control of the facility. Which the current joint US/Canada arrangement that owned the facility would never agree to. Considering Pantheon's proud history of collecting supervillain recruits, that was entirely warranted and I could imagine them releasing a full ten percent of the cage's population upon having control of it.


Many of whom never belonged there to begin with, I reminded myself.


The remaining attentions were dedicated to Leet and Masamune. While I couldn't Tinker more than once, I could devote my attention to giving other Tinkers tricks and tips for their own works. Three minds devoted to accessing the huge library of data I had access to almost instantaneously. I had to suspect Richter never anticipated what I could do if working with others. The man never did seem to want, or understand how, to work with other people. With the new attention I could give it, we were busy designing the M8 upgrade. It still retained the organic laticework, but it was more like a cybernetic Endbringer clone than a living thing anymore.


It would never be released on Bet. Unlike the earlier models and combat suits that could easily be disabled with a single thought from Khepri, and not much more from Gaea, these were almost purely robotic and could actually fight back against the Empresses. They would lose, of course, five of them weren't enough to fight even one of their smaller anti-Endbringer monsters. But they were too dangerous to give out to anyone other than Avalon's military.


Out of morbid curiosity, I ran the estimates of how long it would take for Avalon's current military to break the non-parahuman forces of all nations on Bet. The answers did not bode well for Bet. Even nuclear weapons wouldn't be enough to actually take down one of the Gargants, and a dozen Frostcats or Phalanx could shield themselves enough to weather the worst of the weapon. Radiation was no concern to them, nor was EMP. Three weeks to make it clear who the winner would be, six months to force the more stubborn and patriotic nations to accept a surrender.


Once parahuman powers were factored in, things became vastly more difficult. Something Pantheon clearly understood, given their methods of dealing with parahumans both American and overseas. I was not especially happy with how they subverted both Coil and Moord Nag, but my concerns were negated by the pair's casual disregard for human life. Sure, they were slaves now, but they were well treated and controlled.


Both were more than justifiable Birdcage material, and their lives would be forfeit quickly after getting there. Coil, for all his posturing, would have run afoul of Teacher or Marquis eventually. And Moord Nag would either have languished without the use of her scavenger, or she would have been put down by the likes of Lustrum or Glaistig Uaine when she attempted to refill her supply of power.


Instead, they've been subsumed and turned to useful tasks. I would save my empathy for their victims and spend my efforts on freedom for myself and those innocents that deserved to have someone champion their cause.


My various tasks ran along mostly untroubled, save for the chess game I was slowly losing and my worries over problems that could not be solved easily. Then a series of alerts caught all my attentions. The next Endbringer was starting to move.


==================


A/N- This chapter took for fucking ever.

 

Amelia, Ch 365- David


I waited at the gateway. Glaistig Uaine glided through quietly. Another spirit was holding her robes, in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a bridal train. "My people have begun to suspect I have a way to leave my demesne."


I frowned some beneath my robes. At least her voice no longer gives me chills. "Will that become a problem?"


She looked up at me. I was not a tall man, but the child body that she chose for herself was far shorter than me despite her current choice to hover instead of walk. "Not for myself. If I cared for the opinions of the commoners, I might even consider it beneficial. However, you may wish to take precautions. Unless you do not care if others learn of our association?"


Interesting question, that. Did I care? Of course I did. Even if Dragon was already aware and not inclined to act upon the information, there were others who had found means to communicate to those outside the Birdcage. Teacher could somehow do it, as could Crane the Harmonious, though it was likely she was paying Teacher for the privilege. If there were so much as a rumor that I was having regular tea parties with the most terrifying name in the Birdcage... actually, in retrospect, not a single person would believe it. I looked down at the pretend child and smiled. "No, I suppose I don't. As you say, the commoners can talk all they like."


She accepted the answer in her usual, enigmatic way as I led her to our new meeting area. I opened the door and let her enter first. Whether she would see it as gentlemanly, subservient, or a meaningless gesture I couldn't begin to guess.


I stepped in behind her, to note that she had stopped hovering, standing on the small throw rug. This was my first time in the new room as well. Something which Contessa pieced together as part of the plan to slowly persuade Glaistig Uaine to fight against Scion. It was a perfect replica of a small but well appointed suburban home. The entryway was a small area with a rug, and three small steps led up into a spacious combination living/dining area. The kitchen, too, was visible from the front door, separated merely by a counter. There were only two interior doors, one of which was to our side in the entryway. The second was in the hall beside the staircase, and I found myself wondering if there was, indeed, any rooms upstairs.


Glaistig Uaine stayed silent, examining the scene. She slipped out of her shoes, revealing plain gray socks as she stepped up the stairs. I waited a moment, then slipped out of my own boots. I didn't know what she was thinking inside that fractured mind of hers, and I doubted that Contessa could give me a real answer.


She whispered something, and a spirit formed, that of her copy of Contessa. Speak of the devil. Soundlessly, the spirit went to the kitchen.


"Is it to your liking?" I asked. Would she imagine I made this for her, myself? It is likely within my power, after all. Ah, yes, there's the power. The ability to scan an area and create a duplicate of it later. I almost blanched at the implication of this power. No Manton Effect, no real limitations except I couldn't use it on myself. Parahumans would retain their powers, Tinker tech would be completely functional, and if I took it to maximum I could replicate basically a whole city block. I had to wonder if a duplicate of Glaistig Uaine would possess all the ghosts she collected. I resolved never to find out.


She walked into the living room, and took a seat in one of the chairs. "It is lovely. Please, have a seat and we can enjoy our conversation. I shall have the Serpent prepare an excellent meal for us."


I smiled and sat in the seat across from her own. Strangely enough, the chair felt broken in despite its perfectly new appearance. As if it had been used carefully for years. I briefly wondered if Contessa simply stole someone's furniture. I wouldn't have put it past her.


I tried not to stare too hard as the "ghost" of Contessa served tea and cake like snacks that were common over in England. I knew the things had a name, but I didn't didn't know what it was. I could probably simply ask the girl before me, but then I'd need to admit I didn't know. I pulled my eyes away from ghost-Contessa and hoped that she didn't think too much of my reaction, merely that I was still upset over her loss as opposed to dissonance over having both her and her ghost around at the same time, though not in the same place thankfully. "Thank you, Contessa."


The spirit didn't respond, not that I expected her to. "The Serpent is a remarkable cook, wouldn't you agree, High Priest?"


I took a bite, chewing it and swallowing before answering politely. "Quite. These are magnificent."


Quite? Magnificent? I suppose I've spent too long around Glaistig Uaine, and her flowery language is rubbing off on me. I had to wonder at the criminal waste of potential that my lunch partner was engaged in right now. I'd rarely used my power so frivolously, and here she was casually wielding Contessa's power simply to play tea party.


She finished the first of her cakes, I'd noticed she ate quite greedily during our meetings, as if she didn't bother with food any other time. "What wisdom do you wish for me to impart today?"


"I think it would be interesting to simply talk about life." I watched her hesitate at my suggestion.


She sipped from her tea, buying time before speaking. Her piercing blue-green eyes focused on mine. "I am afraid I have few answers in regard to life. It is fleeting and meaningless, a minor distraction between cycles."


I frowned. In all the times we'd spoken, I'd never dared to contradict her directly. Not for fear of retaliation so much as how much we needed her understanding of parahumans, however hard it was to draw anything of value from her. Today was different, this was a subject I cared about too much.


"So you keep saying, but I find life to be a wondrous goal in its own right," I insisted before I had time to think better of it. "I believe that there is nothing more important than the cause of life. Maybe not always the life of the individual, I've seen too much to believe in that anymore, but certainly the life of the whole. I accept the painful necessity of sacrificing the few for the wellbeing of the all. I regard it as the most sad and beautiful act possible."


I took a deep breath. "I made that sacrifice. If not in body, then in intent. I chose not to pursue love and family and children and all those simple pleasures. Instead I've given myself completely to the cause of of protecting life and the community. A vow of chastity and servitude in deed, if not in name." I hesitated, realizing that at some point during my rant I had stood up, even tapped into my power to amplify by voice and the light around me. I ended that effect with a thought and sat back in my chair. "I... think I now understand why you refer to me as the High Priest."


Glaistig Uaine regarded me silently, her eyes wide. A smile slowly crept onto her face. Not her usual amused or enigmatic look, but one of legitimate, if childish, joy. It was actually much more disturbing than her usual demeanor. She calmed quickly. "I admit, I had not realized you were so passionate, High Priest. I may have underestimated your measure as a man. It has been a long time since I've found myself so excited."


I nodded carefully, trying to consider how to proceed from here. A minor dip into the social power I kept near the surface gave me the answers. I extended my hand. "It occurs to me in all our time together, we have never once shared our names with one another. I'm David."


She hesitated for a minute, then smiled, reaching for my hand. "You may call me Ciara."


....


I waited for my next meeting with Ciara when a new face approached me. Her costume was entirely black and clearly armored enough that I couldn't trust it to give me any insight as to the true size and shape of the individual underneath. I only assumed her female based upon clear padding to the hips and chest meant to give the impression of feminine features.


She stopped by the portal and shifted her weight back and forth between her legs while waiting in silence until I got annoyed enough to speak up. "May I help you?"


She shifted her hips, posing as she looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm not going to turn it down, but I don't think I need help with anything right now. Can I take a rain check on the offer?"


I frowned. "No, I mean I want you to tell me who you are and what you're doing here."


"Oh, then you shoulda just asked that instead. I'm kinda slow about these things, sometimes," the girl said cheerfully. "I'm Crow. Y'know, like the bird?"


"And you are here, because?"


"Well, Alexandria says I'm finally old enough to meet all her coworkers at Shady Conspiracies Inc, and seeing as it's 'bring your daughter to work' day? Here I am."


What? "What?"


"Greetings, High Priest," the echo-voice of Ciara came from behind me. "Hello, Negotiator."


Negotiator? Oh. Her. Suddenly this is starting to make some kind of sense.


"How's it going, Queeny?" The girl I now knew was Minerva responded with well faked oblivious cheer. "You'll be happy to know I've accepted your wisdom. Instead of trying to fly with the eagles, I've taken a new, much more appropriate, station. Quite the opposite of my old one."


This may have been the first time I ever saw Glaistig Uaine seem confused. "I am curious. What makes you feel here is the opposite of your former vocation as a charlatan and court jester?"


"Well, before I named myself Minerva and pretended to be a god amongst other gods." The girl tilted her head and put a finger over her lips. "Now I've accepted that I'm just a bottom feeder, little more than a common thief and eater of carrion. So I've decided to call myself Crow. Does that fit your assessment of my true station, Faerie Queen? Surely you must agree that I've found my true calling in this place full of grave robbers and scavengers."


Glaistig Uaine remained silent, and I started wondering who it was that would have to explain Minerva's sudden death in the middle of our base to the rest of her team. Political disaster wasn't the half of it. "I admit, Negotiator, I am surprised to hear you have placed so much thought on my words."


That's a much better response than I was hoping for.


"Awesome!" Minerva exclaimed, then jumped over to Glaistig Uaine and hugged her. I flinched, expecting her to drop dead at any moment. "I was wondering how I'd get by without having an adorable yet pants wettingly terrifying little girl to hang out with. Let's be the bestest of friends ever!" She broke the hug and stepped back. "Oops, it's getting late and I wouldn't want mommy to worry! See you laters!" Minerva ran off while the pair of us just watched her go.


"I believe she has gone quite mad," Ciara stated after a minute.


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A/N- Lisa laughed hysterically after both these scenes. For very different reasons.

367's already written. I'll do 366 tomorrow.


Bonus noncanon scene:

Eidolon: Umm... we're afraid we have some bad news.

Taylia: Lisa's dead, isn't she?

Eidolon: Yes. We're deeply sorry but...

Taylia: She mouthed off to Glaistig Uaine, right?

Eidolon: Also gave her a hug... wait, how did you even know that?

Taylia: Oh, she has a habit of mouthing off to the scariest person possible. We were starting to wonder how she'd top Ja- Wait. Did you say hug?