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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
No Archive Warnings Apply
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - WildbowVampire: The Masquerade
Characters:
Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverLasombra Antediluvian (Vampire: The Masquerade)
Additional Tags:
Canon-Typical ViolenceAlt-Power Taylor HebertCompetent Parahuman Response Team | PRT
Language:
English
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Published:2025-06-22Updated:2026-02-11Words:157,182Chapters:25/?Comments:650Kudos:1,401Bookmarks:539Hits:75,849
Abyssal Escalation
Zahariel_Scholar
Chapter 16: Interlude - PHO
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Topic: DEATH OF THE SIMURGH IN CANBERRA CONFIRMED
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on February 24th, 2011:
Yes. It's real. I know nobody dared to believe it; I certainly didn't when I first heard the news.
But it's true.
By now, you've probably already heard the news, if for no other reason that the worldwide party that's taking place right now.
The Simurgh, the False Angel, the Hopekiller, and a thousand other nicknames whose writing here would get my account suspended, is dead.
God, I can't believe I'm writing this. It feels … it feels great.
Alright, enough sentimental bullshit for now (I fully expect to end up crying several times before the reality of it all really settles in, and I don't think I'll be the only one).
Here is the PRT official announcement on the subject, in which not even all the layers of bureaucratic speak could manage to completely drown out the writer's enthusiasm.
Yesterday at 22:17 EST, the Third Endbringer descended to attack Canberra, the capital of Australia. Thanks to the Dragon satellites keeping a permanent watch on her, capes worldwide immediately began to mobilize, with Strider teleporting as many volunteers to the rallying points as possible.
Scion was halfway across the globe helping with a collapsed tunnel in Europe, so hopes of a quick fight weren't high. It looked like it was going to be another gruelling battle, ending with driving off the Endbringer, probably at the cost of the city and its people, condemned to live the rest of their lives in yet another quarantine zone. I'm sure there are analysts somewhere who can tell us just how bad that would have been for Australia, and the entire region.
But it didn't happen. Instead, the Simurgh descended on Canberra, and died there.
There is no footage of the fight, because not only is Endbringer footage rare at the best of time (not that an Endbringer attack is ever a good time … you get what I mean), but the hero of the day, Lasombra, also has a Stranger power that messes with all camera systems, even advanced Tinkertech ones. This apparently caused a bit of an issue with the Dragonflight, since Dragon's suits rely entirely on electronic sensors, and having them glitch out whenever Lasombra got in their field of view wasn't exactly optimal.
But there were a lot of capes present who could see Lasombra just fine, and they are giving reports on what they saw. Making sense of them is an ongoing process, but one thing is clear: Lasombra was the one who made the Simurgh's death possible.
If you haven't heard of him before, Lasombra is an independent heroic cape who first appeared in the American city of Brockton Bay. Here is a link to the thread about him (which, at time of writing, has been locked by the moderators for obvious reasons), but suffice to say, he's been very busy in the month since first showing up, cleaning up two of the city's major gangs more or less single-handedly. Which included a showdown with Lung, the cape who once fought Leviathan to a standstill while Kyushu sank beneath the waves.
Not only did the Space Pigeon get killed, but Lasombra (with the help of everyone present, including the Triumvirate) did it fast enough that none of the capes were exposed to her scream long enough to be turned into ziz-bombs. Same thing for the civilians in the shelters. Canberra is still being quarantined, just to be sure, but everyone inside is too busy cleaning up the mess or partying to try to leave anyway.
As I said, while there is no recording of the fight, we do have the testimonies of the dozens of capes who witnessed the battle, and the PRT (and every news organization on the planet) is in the process of collating their testimonies to get a clear idea of what happened.
Still, I've managed to put together a rough timeline: after trading blows with the Simurgh for a few minutes (and reducing a good chunk of the city center to rubble in the process, not that anyone is going to blame Lasombra for it), Lasombra opened a portal to some unknown but very scary place, and pushed the Simurgh through the portal with the help of every flying Brute in the city, before closing the portal on her – severing her head in the process.
And, as it turns out, not even the False Angel can survive decapitation. Probably something to take a note of for the next time one of the other two attacks.
So that's it. The Simurgh is dead. For the first time ever, an Endbringer has been killed. What this means for the future … I have no idea. I didn't really think it could be done, not anymore. But I tell you: I've never been happier to be wrong about something.
Now, if you'll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I have a party to get to.
EDIT: Here are some of the tags, sculptures, and professionally-made drawings of the fight. And here is a collection of all the selfies capes took with the Simurgh's severed head before it was hauled away for safekeeping by the Triumvirate (no idea what they are going to do with it; showing it off in a museum would be nice, but keeping people from spitting on the glass case might be a challenge).
Iblis (Verified Not a Devil) (Veteran Member)
FUCK YEAH !
(User was infracted for this post.) TinMother: In view of the current circumstances, I'm letting the language pass for now, but the rest of you stay polite, now.
Jaesten
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
The bitch is dead the bitch is dead, all hail the shadowy tentacle overlord? Is there a sign up sheet to join the cult or do I gotta start it myself?
Krounous
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
The Simurgh is dead? No way, there's no way that happened! You can't kill an Endbringer, everyone who's ever tried is either in a body bag, the looney bin or permanently drinking through a straw!
RedFerret
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Krounous Mate, her head popped off like Marie Antoinette's.
I'm already at the bottle shop, and will be BBQ'ing ALL the chickens.
Light_seeker
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Krounous Oh, brother, you better fucking believe we were getting ready to this ever since the 80s. Our family had a literal buttload of booze getting prepped in a our basement so we can open it when someone kills one of those things. Neighbors didn't believe there will be the day! The VINDICATION!
ImspecialIswear
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Ok so, question, we don't need to worry about her anymore, and the Internet is the Internet, So how long until we get the Simurgh enjoying those tentacles? My bet is 2 seconds.
TRJ
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
ImspecialIswear On the one hand, curse you for putting those images in my head. On the other hand, I'm probably going to get so drunk I won't remember them anyway.
eersc
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
What did Lasombra want with the Simurgh's body? It's a conspiracy I tell you! He's clearly doing something with it, but no one knows!
Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
… huh. I never thought I'd see the day.
By the way, happy as I am, I can't help but notice that there hasn't been any sighting of Lasombra during the night, even after the battle of Canberra. … You don't think he got hurt? I mean, if anything could hurt him, then it'd be a fight with an Endbringer, right?
Nathanial_Hotep (Certified Masked Messenger)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
The Shadowed One is not gone, they wait in the darkness of the abyss.
Lenny_has_arrived
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
I for one accept our new shadowy overlord and the eternal night that they bring. I can just get a sun lamp to get my vitamin D.
Mister_Nefari0s (Verified Cape) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Posted on February 24th 2011:
I was in Canberra when the Simurgh fell.
Before today, I was a villain. I used my power to steal things I wanted, and got into a few fights with the local heroes. Nothing serious: I never killed anybody, and I never wanted to. Still, I'm not proud of what I did, especially now.
When the sirens rung, I was just as scared as everybody. But I went to the mustering point, because, like Hell I was going to run. I mean, I probably could have, but how was I supposed to ever look myself in the mirror again if I did? So I stood with the others, and tried my best not to shit my pant as the Simurgh descended.
And when the sun went dark, followed by the entire sky from horizon to horizon, you can bet your ass I was fucking terrified.
Then I saw Lasombra punch the Simurgh through a building, looking like some kind of fucked-up spider made of darkness and nightmare fuel. It was the single more horrifying thing I'd ever seen, and God as my witness, I cheered.
I can't fly, so I was fighting the Simurgh's fucked-up Tinkertech beasties halfway across town from where Lasombra and the fliers were fighting the Simurgh, but I still heard them. Gods battling overhead, while we fought monsters on the ground.
Then I saw it, that big black gate opening in the sky, and Lasombra and every flier – including the whole Triumvirate – pushing the Simurgh through it. I have no idea what that gate actually was, other than spooky as fuck, but it made the Simurgh freak out, which was good enough for every flier to join Lasombra in pushing the feathered tart through it, until it closed down right on her neck and cut her head off like the world's edgiest guillotine.
I don't know if Lasombra reads PHO, but if he does, thank you, mate.
Also, I'm going turn myself in now, see if I can get a deal with the authorities to become a hero. I want to say it's because being so close to death or madness has made me seen the error of my way, but the truth is? I'm too scared of ever ending up on Lasombra's bad side. Sure, the guy is from the East Coast of the USA, but clearly little things like 'distance' and 'the motherfucking Sun' are but minor inconveniences to him.
Abacus (Wiki Warrior)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
So, in light (heh) of the recent revelation that Lasombra can apparently TURN OFF THE SUN, I tried to compile an estimate of Lasombra's powers based on the eyewitness reports we've been getting, both of the Death of the Simurgh and previous encounters back in Brockton Bay:
Brute 12 – Able to swap punches with Endbringers and it's a tie,
Shaker 12 – Able to create shadow tentacles in nearby shadows and TURN OFF THE SUN,
Mover 12 – Teleportation anywhere in the world, apparently instantly, and teleportation is practical in combat situations,
Changer 6-8 – turns into huge shadow beast that looks like something out a nightmare,
Stranger 1 – can block cameras and manipulate shadows to hide,
Trump 5 – can apparently override Master effects and block Thinker abilities,
Master 5 – shadow wolf Master creation that appears able to attack opponents that are otherwise immune to damage,
Thinker 2 – apparent ability to detect crimes or something that indicates crimes
File note: Is apparently vulnerable to sunlight or bright lights. Note, can teleport and TURN OFF THE SUN, so this may be less useful than it immediately appears.
AtrociousFrog (Verified Villain) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
I was there in the fight when Lasombra made the sky go dark, and what a lot of people aren't mentioning is just how DARK it got. It wasn't like nighttime where there'd be some stars and the moon, or even just the moon. There was nothing but the streetlights, and without them most of us would have been fightin' in total darkness.
And it was so cold once the sun was gone, so cold …
I know I've done a lot of horrible shit over the years, but seeing what Lasombra did, and what he became once he switched from human form to whatever shadow-demon thing he's been holding back till now.
I think I'm going to take the amnesty offer.
I need to rethink my life.
I need to rethink a lot of things.
RedFerret
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
This all reminds of Revelations:
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
(Answer: Lasombra. Lasombra is able to stand. Fuck you, Ziz, wherever you are. By God, fuck you.)
Xyloloup
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
GUYS. Guys. I just learned something from an acquaintance of mine who was one of the capes who was at the fight, and who wasn't yet drunk enough not to answer his phone when I called him.
See, at some point during the battle, Lasombra got smashed away from the Simurgh and crashed into the street. For a moment, he didn't get up, and the Simurgh descended toward him. According to the cape I talked with about this, they were all really worried that was it; Lasombra had fought well, but the Hopekiller had defeated him, just like the feathered bitch had defeated so many other capes who thought they could fight an Endbringer.
And then, out of nowhere, Blue Knight, a local hero with some kind of energy manipulation power (here is the thread on him, though it's been closed now because … well, keep reading), put himself between the downed Lasombra and the Hopekiller. Stared the bitch in the eyes.
She killed him. Obviously. Smashed him out of her way with her telekinesis, with as much thought behind it as you or I would put into swatting a fly. But still, he stood between Canberra's savior and its would-be destroyer.
And it looks like that REALLY pissed off Lasombra, because when he got up, he actually spoke a full sentence (usually, Lasombra speaks in single-word sentences due to his voice being creepy as fuck).
That sentence ? "You will pay for that." And then he started going berserk, culminating in opening what can only be described as a portal to Hell and throwing the Bin Chicken of Doom into it with the help of every flying Brute in the fight.
Lasombra literally had a power-up from witnessing Blue Knight's heroic sacrifice.
RIP, Blue Knight. You were a real one.
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Holy shit. Guy deserves a statue. I mean, all the capes who fought at Canberra do, obviously, but I feel like Blue Knight should get priority, you get what I mean ?
Also, eerc ? Come on, man. It's a historic day, let's just enjoy it for what it is. Wherever Lasombra sent the rest of the Simurgh's corpse, I'm sure the heroes will find out once they manage to get him to sit down and answer a few questions … oh wait, the PRT and Protectorate of BB have been trying to do that since the night he popped up in the city.
Oh well, I'm sure they're going to get a lot more help from their superiors now !
HeWhoWalksAbove
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Well, check this out. It seems one of the capes at Canberra has a power that lets him shape stone and other stone-like stuff, and she's been working on building statues while they wait out the quarantine.
Letes
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
… so, crime in Brockton Bay is going to stop, right? I mean, if I were planning to do something illegal in the city with the Endkiller, I would reconsider.
Focus (Verified cameraman) (Former USMC)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Are we sure that is Lasombra and not Baron Samedi out on a walkabout as you Aussies say?
Larrikin (Verified Cape) (Aussie Battler) (Verified Prankster)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Nah mate. Though Baron Samedi (the cape) is here and lets just say you couldn't make the mistake of confusing the two as Samedi loves his bright colors … poor bugger got rooted when the flamin' c*nt hit him with a backhander when he and the other flying brutes were helping stuffin' her through our cob' Losombra's bloody shadow gate. They're still looking for the rest of his body parts .…
Oh he's not dead or anything, his power prevented that. Though … Is still kind of disturbing to witness to a man being so jovial while reduced to just his upper body .… with a surprisingly good singing voice and plays some bangin' pub blues. He's been entertaining for us still in hospital (apparently he can't be moved until they find the rest of him since his regen requires him to get a majority of his remaining parts back before he can restore himself).
AtrociousFrog (Verified Villain) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
I've heard through the grapevine that a couple 'less than reputable' Capes might have some of those as souvenirs.
As for what was missed by sticky fingers, I say stick the good ole'Baron in a shopping cart and drag him through Canberra. That should speed things up. evil ribbit
Ashfall (Verified Cape) (Verified Volcano Chaser)
Replied on Feb 24th 2011:
Can't really feel the cold in my changer form, but other people have mentioned that as well – that it got cold a lot faster than it should have with the sun 'down'. Another thing I've noticed is that no one seems to describe Lasombra's shadow monster form the same way.
My own impression was of a lot of tentacles around a vaguely human form, but others I've talked to have mentioned eyes, or teeth, or many arms, or et cetera … Just a lot of other things that I don't remember seeing. And no one seems to have a clear memory of what was beyond that portal he formed. That I couldn't see from my angle, and I suspect I'm better for it.
Larrikin (Verified Cape) (Aussie Battler) (Verified Prankster)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Mate. You remember how the man got the backhander? The Baron can fly (which let me tell you only adds to the disturbing part when he's floating around Hospital without the lower half. Though its better when he's bangin' out pub blues) He's been going out looking for where the rest of his body landed. But says it shouldn't be long since he can sense when they nearby but was confused on how they got so far apart from each other lately… Now we know why I guess..Oh there he is! I'll let him know …
.… Annnnnd he's off.
MaidtoKill (Verified Hero) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
The only thing I want to know is what the fuck was up with those tinker monsters. One of the damn things almost cut my head off after we pushed the Ziz through The Gate.
Who made those things? Did we get them all? Also, all of us need to keep our eyes and ears open for any death-switches.
It wouldn't be out of place for the flying bitch to leave a last goodbye present.
NightyNight (Verified Cape) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
MaidtoKill
Don't worry about the Canberran monsters, the PRT deployed Thinkers after the Simurgh was confirmed dead, and they helped locate them so that the rest of us could clear them all out (didn't want them to crash the party, that would have killed the mood something fierce). Apparently, some poor bastard Tinker built them in the sewers; according to the scuttlebutt I've heard, they were supposed to eat the garbage to clean the city or something like that.
Death-abomination switches, though, that's something to worry about. Although then again, the Simurgh was a precog, so maybe she didn't think she could die? Lasombra sure hell took her by surprise.
Panoptes (Verified Cape) (Verified Watchdog Member)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
The PRT and other parahuman groups across the world are on alert for any sign of activity the Simurgh may have triggered in her final moments. So far, nothing has tripped our sensors, but we will remain vigilant, even if it means missing out on the partying.
No, I am not bitter, why do you ask?
Handlewithcare
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
If that is true what about the victims? My uncle was caught in Madison. Any news about that? Anyone we could contact maybe?
HearNowTheTollOfTheBell
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
Handlewithcare
Well, the people inside are still fucked in the head. It would be nice if the Simurgh's death returned them all to normal, but so far, it doesn't look like that's happened. Which makes sense, disappointing as it is.
Wait. Lasombra healed two capes who were brainwashed by Gesellschaft, right? Do you think he can do the same thing for the victims of the Simurgh ?
Panoptes (Verified Cape) (Verified Watchdog Member)
Replied On Feb 24th 2011:
I mean, maybe? No cape has ever been able to help the poor bastards (and when she first started, the authorities tried EVERYTHING, with a bunch of heroes – and even villains, whether for money or fame or just plain basic decency – trying only to fail, often in horrible ways that we're pretty sure were planned by the Simurgh).
But then again, no cape has been able to kill an Endbringer either. The problem, or at least one of the problems because God knows there are more, is that there are a lot of people in the quarantine zones. Lasombra would need to spend weeks, months just healing them all. And from what I've found about him online, it looks like he's some kind of time limit on how long he can operate each night.
… page 258 of 284 …
Sydneysider6-7
Replied On Feb 26 2011:
I have a question for AtrociousFrog. You said that you were taking the amnesty and becoming a hero, have you picked a new cape name and costume yet?
AtrociousFrog (Verified Villain) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 26th 2011:
Not yet mate, I'm working with a PR person on a new Cape name, but we've got my new costume designed but it's still being made. Open to suggestions though.
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Feb 26 2011:
Looking at your history and powers on the wiki, why didn't you go with 'Cain Toad' as your villain name?
AtrociousFrog (Verified Villain) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 26th 2011:
Cus some other bloke was already using that name and Cain Toads are an invasive species down under. My brother loves killing them with a cricket bat every chance he gets.
Sydneysider6-7
Replied On Feb 26 2011:
That reminds me, what happened to Cain Toad anyway?
AtrociousFrog (Verified Villain) (Veteran of Hopekiller's End)
Replied On Feb 26th 2011:
He got killed in a bar fight three years ago.
Brockton_Born_and_Proud :
Replied On Feb 26th 2011 :
So I know that everyone is happy about the death of the Overrated Chicken but is no one going to talk about the Cult to Lasombra forming right now? I was going Pub Crawling and I saw like five preachers preaching about how Lasombra is a Dark God. There was even a fairly large crowd of people around them offering prayers to Lasombra. I've even noticed symbols popping up everywhere for the guy.
I get the guys done a lot for the city but seriously this is getting kind of creepy, and why a crown of all things?
StarMan19
Replied On Feb 26 2011:
Don't know if Lasombra will see this but I want to say to them, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You. That Beast killed my family when I was a child, I was lucky enough to have been outside of the city with my grandma when the attack happened, so knowing that monster is finally dead and will no longer hurt anyone else brings me peace, and also hope that the others will be next.
… page 321 of 321 …
TRJ
Replied on Feb 27th 2011:
Ugh, just woke up from all the partying with the mother of all hangovers. How is everyone else feeling ?
RedFerret
Replied on Feb 27th 2011:
Same, mate. Any word on Lasombra?
Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied on Feb 27th 2011:
Nothing. If the PRT have seen or talked to him since Canberra, they haven't said anything. Shit, the medal ceremony with all the bigwigs is tomorrow, right? It would be great if he were here, although I'm guessing he'd need to blot out the Sun again if it takes place during the day.
EDIT : Nevermind. The old boy is back at it!
Notes:
AN : Last chapter had a bit of a mixed reception, which is fair. I promise that I did think about any seeming inconsistencies (like QA being able to appear in the Abyss when the Simurgh dissolved), and things will be explained later. Even if I wasn't satisfied with the chapter, I needed the stuff it set up for later.
Big thanks to everyone who contributed one or more posts for this chapter. Check out the SpaceBattles thread after the Endbringer chapter if you want to see the originals, as well as a whole bunch of very nice Omakes.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Zahariel out.
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Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - WildbowVampire: The Masquerade
Characters:
Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverLasombra Antediluvian (Vampire: The Masquerade)
Additional Tags:
Canon-Typical ViolenceAlt-Power Taylor HebertCompetent Parahuman Response Team | PRT
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Published:2025-06-22Updated:2026-02-11Words:157,182Chapters:25/?Comments:650Kudos:1,401Bookmarks:539Hits:75,849
Abyssal Escalation
Zahariel_Scholar
Chapter 17: Response
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Lisa took a deep breath, and pressed the ring bell of the small, slightly rundown home. Even after meeting Taylor several times and getting to know the young, heroic, awkward teenager behind the terrifying shadow-wielding cape, it still felt weird that this was the home of Lasombra, currently the most sought cape in the world.
Getting here from the Undersiders' base had been something of a challenge. The streets were packed with partying people, and there were almost no buses running, what with the national holiday which had just been declared by the White House once someone on the President's cabinet had realized there was no point trying to force people to get to work today.
Once she'd told the news to the rest of the Undersiders, they'd been torn between fleeing the city, joining the festivities, or joining her to, as Regent had put it, 'swear their undying fealty to the new King of Darkness'.
She'd managed to convince them that their reasons for staying in the city under Lasombra's protection were still valid, and that they probably didn't want to risk pissing off the cape who'd just sent the Simurgh to Hell (according to the most popular theory on PHO anyway) by exposing his civilian identity to the entire team instead of just Lisa.
A tall, balding man wearing glasses opened the door and squinted at her suspiciously. Lisa had to look up to meet his gaze, plastering her most inoffensive smile on her face. So that was where Taylor had gotten her height from, she thought, right before her power started going off :
Barely slept last night; is running on coffee and sheer stubbornness. Has been struggling with depression for years. Depression caused by death of Taylor's mother. Knows Taylor is Lasombra. Revelation still recent. Learned it last night. Learned it as a result of the Simurgh's death. Is very protective of daughter. Feels like he's failed her. Determined not to fail again. Feelings of guilt caused him to Trigger –
She winced, expecting a headache as her power started to go on a tangent, but … nope, nothing beyond the normal strain warning her not to over-exert herself or risk a standard Thinker headache. Huh. It seemed Danny Hebert didn't share his daughter's anti-Thinker effect.
And it also seemed that he was a better father than her own, even if he'd missed his daughter's own Trigger event.
"Hello, Mister Hebert !" she said cheerfully. "My name is Lisa. I'm one of Taylor's friends from her part-time job, and after last night, I wanted to check on her, see how she's doing."
Not the most subtle way of saying 'I know your daughter is Lasombra and I am worried about her after she took down the Simurgh', but judging by the sudden darkening of the older man's expression, the message had been received.
"I see. Taylor ?" He called out without taking his eyes off Lisa. "It's Lisa from work. Can she come in ?"
"Oh ! Yeah, yeah, it's fine, Dad !" came the reply from inside the house.
Well, at least Taylor was alive and awake. That was one weight off Lisa's mind.
"Come on in, then," said Mister Hebert, moving out of the doorway and gesturing for her.
Taylor was sitting at the dinner table, still in her PJs. Lisa consciously suppressed her power, and looked her over using her own brain only. She looked pale and exhausted, but otherwise alright, and was picking at the remnants of an omelet.
"I see you're already eating. That's good, but you should save some space in your stomach, because I brought cake !" Lisa said, brandishing the box.
"Oh ?" asked Taylor. "What kind ?"
"Let me show you," Lisa said dramatically, putting the box on the table before opening it to reveal its contents.
The cake was a huge construction, made of a truly sinful amount of chocolate, with the words 'HAPPY ZIZ DEATHDAY' written in strawberry sauce atop it. The slightly distorted letters betrayed the fact that the pastry chef who had written them had done so while still suffering from the effects of spending the night celebrating before dragging himself to his shop to open in time for the rush of previously-dieting customers looking to mark the death of the Simurgh by having a cheat day.
"That's a lot of cake for three of us," Mister Hebert remarked, while Taylor stared at the dessert with wide eyes.
"Everything else was sold out," Lisa shrugged. "The shops that are open are making absolute bank right now, with everyone buying food and drinks to celebrate. Add to that the message on top, and I couldn't help myself."
"Well, I suppose killing an Endbringer is worth some cake," said Danny. "Let me get some plates out."
"So … Taylor, you're fine ?" Lisa asked. "I was worried after seeing the news."
"Well, 'fine' might be pushing it," the dark-haired teenager replied around a mouthful of cake. She swallowed, and continued : "but I'm alright for now, and I will recover fully eventually."
"Alright. I suppose congratulations are in order, then. I admit that I'm still a bit shocked that someone I knew killed an Endbringer."
"How do you think I feel ?" Taylor riposted. "And it wasn't just me. I had help."
"Yes, but from what I could put together from the PHO posts, it was you who made it possible in the first place, and you still did the bulk of the work."
"I know I couldn't have done it alone, Lisa," Taylor sighed. "If not for … Blue Knight, I think his name was. If not for him standing between the Simurgh and my projection, I don't think I'd have achieved anything except shorten the time before it left."
Interesting. Taylor was using 'it' to describe the Simurgh, whereas most people had called the Hopekiller a 'she', on account of her obvious feminine features. Lisa kept her power from trying to figure out what that meant – she didn't want to get a migraine now.
"So," she said as casually as she could, "I should tell you that I figured out Mister Hebert is a recent Trigger."
Both Heberts froze at her declaration, though it was only the father who glared at Lisa suspiciously.
"How can you possibly know that ?" he asked accusingly.
"I'm Tattletale of the Undersiders," she replied. "Figuring things out is my whole shtick."
"She's a Thinker, Dad," Taylor cut in. "It's how she deduced I was Lasombra. Apparently, while my power blocks direct use of Thinker powers on me, they can still be used to piece together the clues."
"Oh. Then, are you supposed to tell me that ?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought civilian identities were a big deal."
"I already told Taylor," she shrugged. "Also, since I figured out you're a parahuman, it's less awkward all around."
And she didn't want to give the cape who'd killed an Endbringer ANY reason to be pissed off at her.
Taylor isn't a parahuman. Taylor is Lasombra. Taylor isn't Lasombra –
Fuck. She'd been doing so well ! It was almost like her power wanted to look at Taylor, even though it never went well. Once again, Lisa forced her power away from that chain of reasoning, and its attention instead landed back on Danny –
Knows Taylor isn't a parahuman. Knows real source of Taylor's powers. Knows the source of his own powers. Has information on the source of all para –
Suddenly, her power shut down, and she couldn't help but scream as a sudden spike of agony bore into her skull. It wasn't like whenever she overused her power, or even when she'd tried to use it directly on Taylor or Lasombra and hit the Stranger effect protecting them; it was just pain, sudden and inescapable.
"Lisa ?!" She heard Taylor say, alarmed. "Lisa, what's wrong ?"
"P-power," she moaned. "Headache. My-my bag. Painkillers …"
She stayed on her chair, shaking with pain, hands pressed against her temples until someone pressed a glass of water against her mouth. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Danny holding a glass in one hand and a pill in the other – just one, not nearly enough, but then he was a reasonable man and didn't want her to overdose on painkillers. She snatched both and downed the pill.
"Let's get you to Taylor's room," said Danny softly, half-carrying her up, Taylor picking up her other side. "We'll close the blinds so you're in the dark until it passes; we can talk more once you've recovered."
Moments later, she was laying on a bed, in a room with the windows mercifully obscured, and Taylor and her dad left her with another glass of water – which she used to drink another two pills the moment they were gone. Soon, the headache went from agonizing to merely torturous.
What the fuck was that ?!
Inside the temporary quarantine zone, Canberra was partying, as was the entire rest of the world.
Villains and heroes who had been clashing in the streets of their home cities mere days prior laughed together as they toasted each other. Restaurant owners had opened their doors after leaving the shelters, giving away food for free out of sheer relief and delirious happiness at the death of the Simurgh and their own salvation.
It was fortunate the quarantine was keeping paparazzi away and the locals had other things on their minds, because Alexandria had witnessed more than a few new couples slip away from the festivities to celebrate in a more intimate manner. Still, she was pretty certain that by the time the checks for Simurgh influence were over and the capes were allowed to return to their home towns, there'd be a lot of drama waiting to happen.
But she couldn't bring herself to care much about it right now. Rebecca had forgotten just how much the Endbringers had taken from them. No, she corrected herself : she hadn't forgotten, she couldn't forget. But she'd … repressed it. Yes, that was it. She'd forced herself not to think about it, for the sake of her own sanity.
She was hardly alone in this, she knew. Suicide rates had been steadily climbing worldwide since the day of Behemoth's first attack, and nothing the heroes did could put a definite stop to it. There were still people who remembered a world without the constant threat of the city-destroying horrors, but for most humans on Earth-Bet, this was simply the way things were : an endless downward spiral, civilization circling the drain with everyone's best efforts doing little more than delay the inevitable.
But now, a miracle had happened. The Simurgh, most feared of the Endbringers, was dead. There wasn't any video footage of it happening due to Lasombra's Stranger effect, but there were plenty of witnesses, from the capes who'd gathered for the fight to the civilians who hadn't made it to the shelters in time.
Internet access around Canberra had been cut off when the Simurgh had descended, as was standard procedure, but it'd been restored after the battle's end, and the news of the victory had spread like wildfire all across the world. At first, people had refused to believe it, believing it to be another plot by the False Angel, until images of the Simurgh's severed head had been released to the public in order to quell conspiracy theories that every single cape involved, including the whole Triumvirate, had become puppets of the Simurgh.
For now, following the last of the selfies they'd authorized as a mix of a reward for the capes who'd joined the fight and propaganda coup, the head of the Simurgh was being kept under lock and key. Once the quarantine dropped and the parahumans were allowed to leave, it would be sent to the highest security vault the various world powers could find : while the idea of studying the corpse of an Endbringer had countless scientists salivating, nobody wanted to take any risk with the remnants of the Hopekiller.
From what Alexandria understood, there'd been some conflict about just who should take possession of the head, but someone (with, she suspected, Contessa's prompting) had idly mentioned the possibility of the Simurgh somehow turning her own death into a ploy to damage international relations as one final fuck-you to the human race, and everyone had agreed to not let any dispute escalate, if only because their respective populations would drag them out of office and tear them to shreds in the street if word of it got out.
Still, despite the wave of joy and optimism that was spreading across the globe, Rebecca still had duties to perform, which was why she was flying above Canberra, toward the caped silhouette that had hovered at an altitude of several hundred meters for the last hour or so.
"David," she stopped her flight next to the other member of the Triumvirate. "What's wrong ?"
"Rebecca ? Oh, sorry," replied Eidolon absent-mindedly. "I've just been … watching. Listening. And thinking. We have been fighting the Endbringers for so long, and we never achieved anything other than forcing them to escape, but now …"
He sighed.
"I thought I had to be the one to deal with them," he continued. "It made sense, right ? I'm the strongest cape Cauldron has ever created, the strongest in the entire world." He didn't mention the Enemy, who wasn't a cape at all. "But when we killed her … Rebecca, for all his power, Lasombra didn't do it on his own. He contributed the most, yes, and he provided the opportunity, but all on his own, I don't think he could have pushed the Simurgh through. Or maybe he could have," Eidolon shrugged, "and I'm just projecting my own feelings of inadequacy on him. Still, it's making me think about how ridiculously arrogant of me it was to think that I could somehow solve all of our problems single-handedly, just because of my power."
"You're being unusually introspective tonight," Alexandria said carefully.
"If not now, then when ?" he asked rhetorically. "Now that we've finished with the clean-up, there is nothing else to do. You know how rare it is for us to have time to simply think."
She did know. As Alexandria and Rebecca Costa-Brown, she had to manage her time very carefully, and as the Protectorate's most powerful and polyvalent hero, Eidolon was constantly on the move, following leads from the PRT or Contessa to deal with threats before they became problems. The only reason they were still here was because breaching the quarantine would do more harm than whatever good they could achieve in the little time saved this way.
"Come," she said eventually. "I'm afraid your time off is over. We have a meeting we need to get to."
The two of them flew down into one of the buildings which had been converted into temporary housing for the capes trapped in Canberra, and reserved for the personal use of the Triumvirate.
"Door," she said once they were out of view, and they stepped through the hole in space, leaving not just Canberra, but Earth-Bet itself behind them.
The leaders of Cauldron met in their base of operation, on an otherwise empty Earth. The compound had been built in the eighties, using the work of numerous Tinkers, and been constantly improved since. The room where they met was one of dozens of identical others in the compound : white walls, white floor, glass ceiling.
They didn't have much time. They never had much time, but especially now, all of them had urgent duties elsewhere : it was only the use of Doormaker's power to cut down on travel time that made this meeting possible in the first place.
The Number Man typing on a computer, handling the myriad duties which were required to keep the patchwork economy of Earth-Bet running at something approaching a sustainable rate. Nobody remarked on it. If he felt he had anything to bring to the conversation, he would speak up; everybody knew that he could follow the meeting while working at the same time.
Contessa and Doctor Mother were already present as well, and they greeted David and Rebecca with a nod. Legend was the last one to arrive through another of Doormaker's portals. He looked exhausted but jubilant.
"We are all here," said Doctor Mother. "You all know why we're here, so let's get to it right away. The Simurgh. You can confirm that she is dead ?"
"I watched an Australian villain try and fail to bounce her head off the ground when it was his turn for a selfie with it," chuckled Legend. "And when it was her turn, Mouse Protector made a Marie Antoinette joke that, in hindsight, was in appallingly bad taste yet still made everyone watching laugh themselves sick. Yes, Doctor, I'm pretty sure she's dead."
"Decapitation might not be enough to kill the Simurgh," Doctor Mother pointed out. "We know very little about the physiology of the Endbringers."
"No, she is dead," Legend replied, shaking his head. "Trust me on this. That gate she went through … there is no coming back from it. I don't know how to explain it, but I just know it. Don't you agree, David, Rebecca ?"
Eidolon and Alexandria both nodded. They had both witnessed the black portal Lasombra had opened, and while neither of them could explain it either despite their Thinker powers, they both knew, on some deep, instinctive level, that the Simurgh couldn't have survived wherever it was Lasombra had cast her.
Alexandria tried very hard not to think of the word 'Hell', which several of the capes who'd participated in the final battle against the Hopekiller had used. As someone who had performed countless morally dubious acts in the pursuit of Mankind's survival, she didn't want to think that any religion was correct – not because of the fate it implied for her own soul, but because the idea that God had allowed the last decades of horror and hopelessness to happen was utterly repellent to her.
"When Lasombra opened that Gate, I saw … things, on the other side," Eidolon said slowly. "I still have no idea what they are, but I know that there's no way the Simurgh survived once she passed through."
"Alright, since you were the ones there, I will take you word for it," Doctor Mother conceded. "But if we assume that the Simurgh is dead, that leaves the question of what happened to the rest of her body – specifically, if Lasombra can recover it somehow, and what he intends to do with it if he can. Which leads us to our next point : we need to make contact with him, as soon as possible."
"I tried to path the quickest way to speak with Lasombra the moment I got the news of what had happened," said Contessa, stating the obvious solution they'd all been thinking of. "It didn't work."
"Like with Scion, Eidolon and the Endbringers ?" asked Rebecca, frowning as she considered the implications of that.
"Not quite," the strongest Thinker in existence (not just the strongest human Thinker, now that the Simurgh was dead) shook her head. "It's difficult to describe, but in their case, it's like there's a wall that blocks me from seeing the Path. In Lasombra's case, it's like there's nothing at all."
"Considering that Lasombra was able to spoof the Simurgh's precog, that's not too surprising," said Legend. "We knew her own precognition could work around Contessa's, beyond her being a blind spot. Lasombra's anti-Thinker ability extending to Path to Victory makes sense in that context."
"I have a feeling Lasombra's powers don't come from the same source as ours," said Eidolon. "What I saw inside that Gate … it felt different from what the agents are capable of. Not just in scale, but in nature."
There was a pause as they all considered Eidolon's words. Even now, despite all the years of studying the corpse of the Entity from which they extracted the elements used to create Cauldron vials, they still knew painfully little about the species of the Enemy.
"There is the possibility that Lasombra is another of Scion's kind," Rebecca said. "When I met him after the battle, he said something that implied he wasn't human. However, he also mentioned that he'd been wounded in the fight, maybe from pushing himself too far. If Lasombra, like Scion, is a projection of an Entity used to interact with our world, he shouldn't have suffered from the strain."
"Why not ?" asked the Number Man, without raising his gaze from his work. "Scion may never have shown signs of strain even while engaging the Endbringers, but he's never killed them, either. Whatever Lasombra used to create the gate may be an ability that's hard to use even for them."
"The way he spoke … Scion has never talked since telling us his name," said Rebecca. "In the short time he's been active, Lasombra has already spoken more than him by a large margin. Honesty, we have no way of knowing one way or the other. We need more data."
"We should bring Chevalier in on this," said Legend. "See what his sight tells him about Lasombra."
Chevalier's power allowed him to perceive the agents of other parahumans, gaining some knowledge of their own powers and Trigger events in the process. He wasn't part of Cauldron, being a natural Trigger rather than an induced one, but the organization trusted him as much as they trusted anyone who wasn't in the inner circle.
"First, we need to find Lasombra and meet him in a setting that allows for proper communication," said Doctor Mother. "That means contacting him 'out of costume', but if he's immune to even Contessa's power, that's going to be difficult. We're going to need to rely on mundane investigation."
"Are we sure we want to do that ?" asked Legend, looking troubled. "He might take it poorly, and we definitely don't want to turn him against us."
"He hasn't made contact with the Protectorate despite repeated offers from Armsmaster and every other hero who met him," replied Rebecca, pulling up the reports on the subject she'd read from her eidetic memory. "He's been willing to entrust the aftermath of his interventions to the authorities, and he gave us the head of the Simurgh, so clearly he isn't hostile to us, or at least doesn't want to give that impression for one reason or another."
"We should expect everyone to be looking for Lasombra," said Legend. "Increasing the hero presence in Brockton Bay is what will be expected of us, if only to keep the city safe from the villains who may converge on it with the goal of gaining the glory of killing Lasombra. Not that I expect anyone to succeed," he added with a wry smile, "but we need to look out for the civilians who may be caught in the crossfire."
"I should be on standby while we investigate, just in case he does turn hostile," said Eidolon. "I … I don't think he will, but we should still follow protocol for a potential S-Class threat."
"We'll coordinate with the local PRT," decided Rebecca. "One member of the Triumvirate should be in the Bay at all times, ready to deploy to meet Lasombra once he reappears. We'll start with a soft approach, trying to convince them to meet us on his own terms. If that doesn't work, then we'll consider other options."
"That's softer than the approach you usually recommend," Doctor Mother noted.
"The Simurgh just died," she replied with a rare smile. "I'd rather avoid us fucking things up by ruining the closest thing to a silver bullet we've ever gotten out of paranoia."
The corridors of the Fallen hidden base were full of the sound of screams.
That much wasn't anything new. All too often, the unbelievers needed to be taught the truth in order to join the fold. Mama's powers gave her a great many ways to make people suffer without killing them, and she was well-practiced in using every single one of them.
Today, however, the suffering of the unbelievers wasn't paving the way to their eventual illumination; it was merely there to allow the leader of the Mathers branch of the Fallen to vent her apoplectic fury. Which was her right as the servant of the gods, of course, but her son worried that she might be letting herself go too far this time.
"Mama," said Valefor during a brief decrease in the intensity of the screaming, brought not by release, but sheer exhaustion. "You need to stop, or they aren't going to be of any use."
"These infidels dare to claim they killed the Great Angel," Mama Mathers hissed.
"I know, Mama. I know," said Valefor in a calming tone of voice. "But they are only blindly repeating the lies they have been told. They need to suffer for it, yes, but isn't it more important to chastise those who dare speak those lies in the first place ?"
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the whimpers of Mama's victims.
"You're right," Mama took a deep breath. "Such a good child you are, Valefor, always looking out for me. Venting my anger on these fools won't solve anything. We must go to the source of this blasphemy."
"The cape whom they claim killed the Simurgh, Lasombra, is well-known as a resident of the city of Brockton Bay, on the East Coast," Valefor offered.
"Hmm. Very well. Gather the faithful," Mama ordered. "We are going to Brockton Bay, and we will teach that cesspool of the city the price of defying the holy Endbringers. Then, once the arch-heretic Lasombra has watched his precious city brought low around him, he too will be taught the ultimate lesson."
"Yes, Mama," Valefor replied obediently.
The Teeth's base of operation in the Boston area had once been a mall, before poor economic conditions had led to its closure and the general abandonment of the surrounding area – an exodus that had been completed when the gang had moved in and the locals had quite wisely decided to leave before the roving band of cannibals went hunting for them.
Now, the building had been remade into a lair for the handful of capes and dozens of unpowered thugs who had gathered around the Butcher. It was, unsurprisingly, an absolute cesspit of filth, drugs, alcohol, and loot, and the quarters of the Butcher were the most dangerous part of it all.
On average, the Teeth were content to let whatever cape currently wore the mantle of Butcher do whatever they wanted, and follow them into battle whenever the voices in their head got too loud to ignore. Right now, however, one member of the gang was nervously making his way toward the workshop which had been requisitioned for the supervillain's use, having drawn the short straw.
"Uh, Butcher ?" he called out tentatively.
"What !" barked Quarrel without turning away from the workbench on which her bow was currently disassembled.
"The others are asking if we're we still going to the Bay ?" he asked.
"Course we are !" roared the Butcher, abandoning her work to face her lackey, who forced himself not to recoil (showing weakness was marginally more likely to get him killed than not showing 'proper respect'). "Now that those Empire fucks are in the ground, it's time for us to go back to our roots and take back our fucking city !"
"It's just, boss, have you read the news ? Brockton Bay's the home turf of that new cape, Lasombra, who's all over PHO lately. There's going to be a lot of heroes in the city trying to find him. And Lasombra took out the Simurgh. The Simurgh, boss !"
"So what ? Either I kill him, or he kills me and becomes me. Either way, the Butcher wins, because the Butcher always wins !"
Quarrel laughed, a demented, disjointed sound that made the Teeth member shudder as he made his way out of the room, and followed him as he went back to tell the others the plan was still on.
"Well, well, well," said Jack Slash, reading the newspaper he had picked up from the motel's lobby. "Isn't that interesting."
The news that the Simurgh was dead was a big surprise, but not so much as the fact that it'd been done by a newcomer to the cape scene. Oh, the Protectorate was doing its best to prop up the contributions of the Triumvirate, but if they'd been able to actually fight the Endbringers they'd have done that years ago. It was obvious this Lasombra fellow was the one who had done the heavy lifting.
He toyed with the idea of travelling to Brockton Bay and having a conversation with Lasombra, to show him that he was wasting his time coddling the masses and would be much happier indulging his darker (heh) instincts and rampaging at will. Already the sheep were hailing him as a savior; how much horror would it cause when Jack stripped him of his delusions of heroism and turned him into another mad monster let loose upon the world ? And since Lasombra had apparently moved from Brockton Bay to Australia with his own power, nobody on this world would feel safe ever again.
Oh yes, the prospect sounded very appealing to Jack. At the same time, however, the Protectorate was sure to be out in force in the region. Lasombra had disappeared right after killing the Simurgh, and the cape didn't have a formal relationship with the heroes. So it was likely there'd be at least one member of the Triumvirate in the city, with a lot of support, all of them looking for Lasombra. That would make it difficult for his crew to operate discreetly and find Lasombra themselves.
No, Jack decided. Better to let others feed themselves into the wood-chipper first : he'd no doubt there would be plenty of would-be challengers headed toward Lasombra at this very moment. He would stay clear of Brockton Bay himself, but only for now. Once the situation settled down, and he had Alan hack into a few governmental databases for information, he would reconsider his options.
In the meantime, though, the Slaughterhouse Nine would need to work twice as hard to keep the sheep from growing too optimistic and forgetting their place in the world. With a smile, he tossed the newspaper back on the table and got up. Time to see if the others had finished their game of hide-and-seek with the motel's previous occupants, and if Bonesaw was done setting up her field laboratory.
Notes:
AN : After looking it up and asking the readers on SB, I've decided that, at the time of this chapter's events, the Slaughterhouse Nine haven't gotten around to capturing Mouse Protector and fusing her to Ravager in order to create Murder Rat. I think it makes sense timeline-wise, and more importantly, it creates the possibility of Lasombra interacting with MP, which isn't something I realized this story needs until now.
I am trying to be as generous with my presentation of Cauldron as I can, despite their many, many, MANY mistakes and fuck-ups. Like many Worm elements of this fic, I'm taking inspiration from the various stories by Fabius Maximus. Still, I must admit it is deeply satisfying to have them milling about trying to figure out what's going on with Lasombra. If they sound out of character, I'm blaming it on the rather unique circumstances of the Simurgh's recent death.
What's that ? That sounds like an excuse to keep throwing curveballs at them so I can keep writing them however I want while also fucking with some of the most morally questionable characters in the history of fiction ? I don't know what you are talking about.
Fun fact : Contessa tried to use PtV immediately after the Simurgh died. Meaning she used it while Taylor and Danny were in the Abyss. I thought I would point that out, just in case you missed that minor, unimportant detail.
Next chapter, Lasombra gets back to work, and the PRT and Protectorate finally gets to sit down and have a chat with the Endkiller ... kind of. You will see what I mean.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Zahariel out.
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