Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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This chapter was supposed to be two parts.
A small peek at what Coild and Pierre are doing and then return to Henry. But it Coil's part end up bigger than I expected.
I still liked how it came out.
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Thomas Calver (Coil) POV:
Timeline A.
"Just one more time before I'm done for the night," I think wearily.
My eyes drift across the monitors filling the command room. Dozens of live feeds stare back at me through the cameras mounted on my men's gear.
Every available soldier is out there tonight. They are carrying enough tinker tech to outfit a small army.
Not that it will make any difference
"Captain, report," I said, drumming my fingers against the armrest.
"We're all in position, sir. Waiting for the target to arrive," the captain replies.
I hum in acknowledgment and lean back in my chair.
This time, the ambush is set in an empty parking lot in Downtown.
Four of my men are waiting in the open while the rest are concealed inside the surrounding buildings.
Now all that is left is to wait for her to pass through.
"We have eyes on the target," the captain said over the comms, his voice tight with tension.
My attention snaps back to the monitors.
And there she is.
Ushiwakamaru.
She moves from rooftop to rooftop at an unhurried pace, looking as though she's out for a leisurely stroll through the night.
I know better.
Her eyes constantly scan her surroundings. One hand rests on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice. She never lets her guard down.
A shiver runs down my spine as memories resurface.
All the times I've watched her cut through my men without hesitation.
Without effort.
They never last more than a minute against her.
"Begin," I said.
My men spring into action.
Suddenly, a scream rings out throughout the night, loud enough to catch Ushiwakamaru's attention. She sharply turns toward the source of the sound and leaps in its direction.
Within seconds, she lands atop a rooftop and looks down at the parking lot, swiftly finding the source of the scream.
Three of my men surround a woman beneath the flickering glow of a lone streetlamp. The woman, another one of my mercenaries, clutches her purse tightly to her chest, but one of the men tears it from her grasp.
The woman opens her mouth to beg it back, but a sharp slap across her face silences her.
She crumbles to the ground, trembling and stunned, while the men loom over her like vultures.
Ushiwakamaru leaps from the building and lands in front of my men with her back turned to the woman. Before they can react, Ushiwakamaru slams her fist into the stomach of the one closest to her, launching him backwards. She follows with an elbow to another man's face, breaking his nose, then delivers a roundhouse kick to the head of the last one, sending him crashing to the ground.
And just like that, it is over in the blink of an eye.
I have seen this so many times, and I'm still surprised by how fluid all of her movements are.
Anyway, I'd better focus, since the next part is about to begin.
Ushiwakamaru checks on the woman, helps her to her feet, fetches the purse, and hands it back to her.
That is when another group of my men, disguised as civilians, arrives in the parking lot, shouting angrily at Ushiwakamaru and making threatening gestures.
Ushiwakamaru steps in front of the woman, shielding her from the apparent threat. One hand settles on the hilt of her sword as she lowers her center of gravity, prepared to spring into action at any moment. With her back turned, she doesn't see the woman reaching into her purse and drawing a tinker tech pistol.
The weapon rises silently, aimed squarely at Ushiwakamaru's back.
Just as the woman's finger tightens on the trigger, something streaks out of the darkness and slams into the pistol. The impact tears it from her grip. The weapon crashes onto the pavement with a deafening clang that echoes across the night.
Ushiwakamaru reacts instantly.
She whirls around and draws her blade in one seamless motion. The slash tears across the woman's chest. Blood pours from the wound she collapses to the ground.
Oh well.
She served her purpose.
Now, let's see what struck the tinker tech pistol.
"Zoom in on it," I order.
The image enlarges, revealing the answer immediately: an arrow. Its shaft has punched clean through the tinker tech pistol before burying itself in the pavement beneath, pinning the weapon in place.
Hm.
Looks like it's one of those times when someone is providing Ushiwakamaru with cover.
Not that she needs it.
Even alone, she would tear through all of my men without breaking stride. She has already done that several times over.
Seeing the woman being taken out, the group of men reaches inside their coats, draws tinker tech rifles, and unleashes a barrage of laser fire.
The beams race towards Ushiwakamaru.
And miss.
Not because she turned invisible. Not because she teleported.
She simply moves.
One moment, she is there. Next, she is gone, moving so fast that the camera loses track of her.
And if the cameras can't track her, neither can my men.
Ushiwakamaru reappears behind them in a lowered stance, calmly sheathing her sword.
A moment later, diagonal wounds open across each of their bodies, and blood bursts from the cuts. One by one, my men collapse to the ground, groaning in agony. Their tinker tech rifles slip from limp fingers and clatter against the ground.
In all my attempts, she hasn't killed any of my men, but I have a feeling that is because Magus ordered her not to. Otherwise, I doubt she would have hesitated.
After all, history paints her as a far more ruthless individual.
Then again, history also claims that Ushiwakamaru was a man. So who really knows the truth?
I'm certainly questioning a lot of things ever since Pierre told me about the moonlit world.
"I'm going to focus on that later. First. I need to finish this," I think, rubbing my temples in a futile attempt to ease the pounding headache.
"Captain, I want her surrounded," I said.
"I'm sorry, sir. Could you repeat that?" The captain asked, thinking he had heard wrong.
"I want everyone to surround Ushiwakamaru," I said flatly.
"That isn't a good idea, sir. We should split the men. We can use the windows as a cover-" I interrupt the captain.
"Don't bother. Taking cover by the windows makes no difference. Anyone placed there is still an easy target to whoever is assisting Ushiwakamaru," just as they were every previous time. "The best option is to confront her. She can't keep moving at speeds like that forever."
That is a lie.
I still haven't seen her get tired.
"And keep the comms open. I want to hear what is going to happen," I said.
"Understood. All units, move in!" The captain orders.
My men flood out of the surrounding buildings and form a ring around Ushiwakamaru. Tinker tech rifles come up in unison.
She doesn't flinch.
Her gaze sweeps across them before settling into something cold and dangerous. One hand tightens around her sword sheath.
The parking lot falls silent.
Ushiwakamaru breaks the silence with a subtle push of her thumb against the sword guard, her blade sliding forward a fraction.
"Open fi-GAH!" The captain begins to shout.
He never finishes.
Ushiwakamaru appears before him in a blur of motion, her blade flashing once. The caption collapses before anyone can react.
All hell breaks loose at that.
The remaining soldier opens fire, desperate to hit their target, but Ushiwakamaru is moving too fast for anyone to hit her. Laser fire crisscrosses the parking lot, striking allies as often as empty air. My men fall screaming as friendly fire tears through their ranks.
Meanwhile, Ushiwakamaru dances through the storm. She slips between beams, glides around the attacks, and cuts down anyone who crosses her path. Each stroke of her sword leaves another body behind, blood splashing across the concrete.
It is a massacre.
One that I have witnessed far too many times.
I mute the audio feed and sigh.
Well, time to talk with Pierre.
I dismiss this failed timeline.
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Timeline B.
"Captain, the mission is canceled. I want everyone back to the base, pronto," I said.
"Understood," The captain said easily, already used to missions being canceled out of nowhere.
I lean back on my chair, grab my ninth cup of coffee of the night, and do my best to ignore how exhausted I am.
I really want to go to bed.
I drain the last of my coffee, grab a stack of papers, and begin writing a report on the latest attempt to ambush one of Magus' servants.
Over forty attempts and as much as I have learned about the servants, I can tell that it is still not even the tip of the iceberg of what they are capable of. And I'm not getting any new information with these last few attempts.
Cauldron isn't going to be pleased with this.
Fucking Magus.
Why the hell did he choose Brockton Bay of all places!?
Once I finish the report, I grab the stack and head over to Pierre's workshop.
A few minutes later, I stop at the door and knock.
"Come in," Pierre said.
I enter the room, and my eyes easily find him.
He has his back to me, inspecting the tools hanging on the wall, trying to decide which one he needs.
My eyes slide to what he's working on.
There, resting on a table in the middle of the room, is a robo-no, not a robot.
A golem.
Like the ones you see in novels or movies.
Apparently, not all of them are made of clay or stone.
It's over two meters tall, metallic gray from head to toe. A red visor serves as its eyes, and thick armor protects its arms, legs, and torso. Strange symbols are inscribed all over its body.
And it's not the only one.
I glance at the other three standing on the other side of the room. They look exactly like the one lying on the table. Motionless as statues, they wait for Pierre to issue an order.
How are these things any different from robots?
Pierre grabs a strange-looking screwdriver and turns around.
"Ah, monsieur Coil. Done for the night?" Pierre asked.
He walks back to the golem and taps its chest plate. The armor opens with a hydraulic hiss, revealing the intricate workings beneath. Pierre immediately sets to work.
I nod.
"Door," Pierre said, not looking away from what he's doing.
A small portal opens in front of me, I place the report inside, and the portal disappears.
"What exactly do you have to do to get access to the portals?" I asked.
Pierre chuckles, "Oh, I wish I knew that. They only gave me temporary access to the portals."
Shame.
"Has le jeune Trevor given any news of when his tech is going to be ready?" Pierre asked
"It should be ready before noon," I said.
Pierre hums before pausing, "What time is it?"
"Two in the morning," I said tiredly.
"Oh, it won't take much longer than. That's good," Pierre nods, pleased. "So, how did it go this time?" he asked about my latest attempt.
"Same as always. I tried to ambush Ushiwakamaru, and she destroyed my men," I said.
"You have such an interesting power. I would love to be able to run some experiments with my golems without having anyone find out," Pierre said with a chuckle.
I'm not even going to question what he would like to experiment with.
Some things are better left unsaid.
"Unfortunately, magic seems to interfere with my power, so you would have to be selective with what you use," I said with a shrug.
"Hm?" Pierre stops working on the golem, fully focusing his attention on me.
I crossed my arms, "I made only one attempt to attack the hotel that Chaldea owns. Once my men entered their force field-"
"Bounded field," Pierre corrects me.
"-Bounded field," I resist the urge to pinch my nose. "My power started to glitch. I ended the timeline immediately so as not to run the risk of being stuck with it."
"Did you get anything out of it?" Pierre asked.
"My men are reporting that the space around them is warping. They couldn't tell which way was up and down anymore," I said.
"Has this happened when you attacked other servants?" Pierre asked, rubbing his chin.
"Only when they used their more magical abilities. Otherwise, there was no problem," I said.
"Yeah, I know what this is. You see, it's unpredictable how Thinker powers and mystics might affect each other. I've seen some power fail completely, while others worked just fine. I thought that you were in the clear since you'd already used your power on Magus. Turns out, it's only to a certain degree," Pierre said with a thoughtful hum.
What!?
"You should have told me," I said coldly, glaring at him.
This could have ended in a disaster!
Pierre shrugs unapologetically,"If I had, you would've been more hesitant to use your power, which would've made gathering information a lot harder. Besides, everything worked out in the end, didn't it? So, don't worry about it."
I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and fight down the urge to find a weapon to kill him.
I'm going to remember this.
Pierre resumes working on the golem.
"Before I forget. It's magecraft, not magic," he said.
"What is the difference?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Basically, magic is miracles, while magecraft is the ability to bring what is possible through science with supernatural means. Also, magic is more commonly referred to as true magic," Pierre said.
That doesn't really explain anything and raises so many questions.
I'm far too tired for this crap.
"I haven't been able to gather new information in my last few attempts," I said bluntly.
"That was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, your men are normal humans," Pierre said.
"If I had more time, I could acquire stronger tinker tech and bring parahumans to help us," I said, scratching my head in annoyance.
"Ah, mon ami, time is the one thing we do not have," Pierre said with a humorless chuckle.
"When do you think Chaldea is going to make their move?" I asked with a grimace.
"I'd say soon. By now, they must have noticed the protective wards I placed on your base," Pierre said.
"And how effective are these...wards going to be against them?" I asked with an undertone of doubt about the effectiveness of these things.
"I'm not really sure. Best case scenario, we won't be caught with our pants down," Pierre said, grabbing another tool.
"Excuse me?" I asked with a frown.
Pierre stops working, "We're dealing with a situation that, even by my standards, is highly unusual. You aren't the only one who is flying blindly here."
"Aren't you supposed to be a specialist in this kind of thing?" I asked in disbelief.
"When it comes to magi, sure. Not when we're dealing with familiars that claim to be the most famous figures in history, or whatever the hell servants are supposed to be," Pierre said, stretching his arms before returning to work on the golem. "Hell, I even told Contessa this was outside my expertise, but she insisted I come anyway," He shrugs in a 'what can you do' way.
Oh god, I'm so screwed.
After one final inspection of the golem, Pierre nods to himself. He picks up a briefcase from the floor, opens it, and pulls out a purple orb roughly the size of a basketball.
"What in the world is that?" I asked, my gaze firmly on the strange orb.
I need to focus on something else, or I'm going to start tearing my hair in frustration.
"The core of my golem," Pierre said with a proud smile.
It's a power source, then.
I want to ask more questions, but according to the crash course Pierre gave about the moonlit world, you never question a magus about his craft.
Not unless you want to die or worse.
The occult side of the world is filled with psychopaths.
Pierre gingerly places the core into the golem's chest. The chestplate seals shut with a hydraulic hiss, and the red visor flickers to life. The golem rises from the table and turns toward him.
"Go stand with the others," Pierre orders.
The golem obeys, crossing the room to join the others.
"They are impressive," I said with a hum.
"You think so?" Pierre replies. "I find them adequate at best. I have something far better than these," an enigmatic smile spreads across his face. "These golems are merely a side project. Since I started working for Cauldron, I've had far more opportunities to experiment, and it's been quite exciting."
He crosses his arms, his gaze drifting into the distance as though recalling something only he can see.
...I'm not even going to bother.
"What is our next step?" I asked, bringing the conversation back on track.
Pierre coughs in his hand, returning his attention to the discussion.
"Right. So, we make the first move, or else Chaldea will steamroll us. How much explosives do you have at hand, Monsieur Coil?" Pierre asked.
I think for a moment.
"I have quite a bit of it," I said.
"Is it enough to destroy a city block?" Pierre asked.
I shake my head.
Pierre clicks his tongue, "Looks like I'm going to have to use some of my stock. Oh, well." He walks to the side and grabs a small briefcase. "Do you still have men inside the PRT HQ?"
"Not as many as before, but I still got a few," I said, curious to see where he's going with this.
Pierre walks back to my side.
"Is Lung still in containment?" Pierre asked.
"He is never going to help us," I said immediately.
"Whether he is willing or not is irrelevant," Pierre said with a cold smile. He opened the briefcase.
There is a syringe filled with an eerie green and purple substance.
"What is that?" I asked.
I can't explain, but just looking at it fills me with dread.
"Don't worry about it. Just have your men use this on him and watch the spectacle," Pierre said, handing me the briefcase. "Off you go. There is much to do and not much time," he said, pushing me out of his workshop.
I look at the briefcase in my hands and let out a tired sigh.
I really wanna go to bed.
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