Linda
Mika was nervous, actually. It was one thing to go out with an easily concealed humanoid corpse, but after she'd gone into that stupid *State* She got into when she was tinkering around, her hands had gotten out of control and she'd ended up creating something that was truly monstrous. She'd done her best to hide its nature from the world by draping a series of loose bedsheets over the damn thing, but even then it looked like the worlds most unsettling ghost costume.

Still, it wasn't like she was going to just leave it at home. This city was a crime-filled hellscape, so... Was there anything really wrong with bringing a bit of *Hell* To them instead? It would be a waste not to. 

So, with her monstrosity and pair of zombie bouncers in tow, she stepped into the alleyway where she knew a busy Nova Imperium slave den resided. They'd probably try to stop her.

Her skull mask glanced up to look *Up*, and *Up* At her newest creation.

Well, if they did... That was *Their* Problem.
Amy
As Diabolist moved through the alley she barely got a quarter of the way though before a foul stench filled her nostrils. A stench that wasn't unfamiliar to her, decaying flesh. Continuing to move the odour only got stronger until she came across a small alcove halfway down the alley, flanked by small rectangular windows at ground level. The alcove lead to a few small steps that ended at a door.

If she looked up she would see a cctv camera pointed towards the door, most likely to keep track of those coming and going. It was difficult to say if there was an active feed or if it was simply recording. Suddenly Diaboloist would feel something hit her mask followed by another as rain began to fall.
Linda
Diabolist looked up towards the camera, then back down towards the door. She was flanked by her newest creations, a grim sort of determination. She didn't have much of a clue for what was causing that smell, but she was certain it wasn't a good thing, either way. Generally speaking it was never a good thing to be smelling *Decaying flesh*.

She shuddered and glanced at her creations. With a look towards the largest one, she spoke simply.

"Break down the door. We're going in."

Things were different, this time. She was sure of it.
Amy
With a look from its master it let out a laboured grunt before charging right at the door easily ripping it off it's hinges as well as taking part of the door frame with it. Almost immediately shouting could be heard from inside as the occupants were clearly surprised at their new visitor.

*"What the fuck!"*

As the dust from the whole battering situation began to settle Diabolist would see a man rush forwards to the side of her bovine monstrosity and embedding a knife deep in the creatures shoulder.
Linda
Pointless. While theoretically a knife *Might* Be able to have eventually taken down one of her original creations, the animated human corpses, trying to use a knife to defeat her bovine monstrosity would be like using a paint brush to demolish a castle. 

Diabolist laughed quietly from outside, though it might have ended up sounding more like a giggle. Her minions, meanwhile, were eerily silent.

"Knock them out, carefully, please."

Her precision in commands wasn't the best, she knew, but she just hoped they wouldn't be *Too* Brutal...
Amy
Hearing the command the bovine beast swung its head to the side straight into the the knife wielding racist. The force of the impact threw him up into the door frame where he hit his head before collapsing to the ground motionless.

Looking where he fell Diabolist could see there was another person who seemed to be under her minion. They were most likely behind the door when she had busted through. Now though there wasn't any sign of others in the building, at least she couldn't tell from where she was.
Linda
*Hmm.*

Diabolist wasn't buying it. Two people? Well, maybe... She could have come at a good time. Still, better to remain on her guard. 

"You, in front. Defend me. You two, behind. Defend."

With those commands given, she headed deeper into the builder, trying to stay... Vaguely stealthy, but without *Too* Much concern. With her new minions added on, she felt significantly more confident than she had before, at least.
Amy
As her minions fell into their designated positions Diabolist moved into the building. She appeared to be in a relatively bare room with a couch, a tv and a messy carpet with an upturned corner. The tv was on but only static was on the screen. In the corner of the room was an empty door frame leading to what appeared to be steps heading up.

The room didn't smell great and was clearly not maintained well but it wasn't the source of that foul smell of death that hung in the air. It was far stronger than it was outside however and was beginning to cause her to choke up.
Linda
*God, what the fuck?*

It was the first and last thing that came to mind, given the circumstances. She had a walking horror show with her, yet this was the creepy shit. It felt like it should be *Her* Hideout or something, though she couldn't *Stand* The reeking smell. Why the creepy TV...?

Well, either way, given that this was a gang hideout of some kind, the first thing to do was the most obvious. She carefully shooed her minions off of the rug and pulled it up by the corner, checking for anything suspicious underneath. It was possible they were just messy and so the corner was upturned, but... Hidden floor doors under carpets were a stable of gang culture, right?
Amy
Reaching down and lifting the rug away from the floor Diabolist would find her suspicions correct. A sturdy hatch was situated in the centre of the floor, made from wood with a hinged metal handle that lay flat against the surface. It wasn't a small hatch, not by a long shot but whether or not the Bovine Horror could fit through was debatable. It was clearly designed with humans in mind.
Linda
*Huh. Well, that seemed about as expected. Still, god, had the smell actually gotten worse?*

Diabolist cringed and tried to cover her nose, then waved the Bovine Horror forward. True, it'd be a tough squeeze, but her creations were nothing if they weren't flexible. Not needing to adhere to normal human bending standards helped with that a lot. She issued a quick order to the giant creature, informing it to lift the hatch and then head down ahead. After all, there was approximately 0% chance that *She* Was going to go down there first.
Amy
Reaching down the horrifying creation used its claws to attempt to pull up the the hatch. It took a little longer than one would expect to hook the handle but they managed to get a hold and pull. As soon as the hatch came up and awful smell filled the room. The unmistakable odour of death. Still that didn't bother the already dead minion and through a bit of effort it managed to squeeze in through the gap and down the stairs. Once through diabolist could see there was some source of light in there but unless she stepped in she wouldn't be able to see anything more.
Linda
Diabolist suppressed the urge to ask her creation what it had found and instead just struggled against her instincts to leave. This place was disgusting and she'd barely even found any gang members, let alone people to actually fucking save. Still, she was here, and she had a responsibility as a hero to investigate what was going on here.

She slipped into the hatch behind her bovine horror, and used the light from her phone to look around.
Amy
Slipping into the hatch and entering the lower level it would take Diabolist great willpower to not gag then and there from the stench. She raised her phone to use the light but it appeared to be unneeded as the area was illuminated already. She found herself in a long hallway with doors on the right side at regular intervals and another door at the far end of the hallway. In total there were four.

After adjusting to her new environment for a moment Diabolist would only then notice something off putting about where she was, and it wasn't the smell. Looking at the sources of light in the hallway it became apparent that it was coming from a series of light bulbs in the eye sockets of pigeons grafted on the ceiling. The beady eyes of the creatures following the movements of her and her minions. Perhaps the most disconcerting thing about them was it was hard to tell if they were actually dead.
Linda
Mika's face scrunched up underneath her mask, and she didn't actually bother to *Not* Gag, she freely did so. What the fuck?

"*What the fuck...?*" She muttered, her voice heavy with disgust. "Fucking pigeons?"

She coughed and held up her phone to the walls, looking around. Okay, this was some cape shit. She commanded her other two minions to follow her down as well, then started to push down the hallway. She knew she'd need to explore the other doors as well, but right now she had the feeling that whatever sick fuck was down here doing this shit was in the farthest door. It was the only one that didn't match with the others, after all.

She told her Bovine Horror to kick it down.
Amy
As Diabolist and her undead entourage moved down the corridor the pigeon lights seemed to follow their every movement. As she moved deeper in hell there was a sound she realised she had been blocking out subconsciously. The sound of pained groans coming from all around her, behind every door she passed and the door she was about to knock down.

Still this didn't affect Diabolist's creations at all and they proceeded to fufil their orders to the best of their ability, the bovine horror knocking through the door with little to no effort. As soon as the large creature was no longer obscuring her view Diabolist would see a truly horifying scene. The room was a operating theatre of sorts with multiple operating tables. Lining the wall there were several very much still alive humans that appeared to have been physically grafted to the brickwork.

At the centre operating table was a man dressed in blood soaked scrubs with a facemask concealing his identity. His left hand was currently buried in the torso of a person whilst the other held a scalpel. As soon as the door was broken he seemed to have lowered the blade towards his patients neck as his shook his head.

*"I wouldn't move anymore if I were you. I'd hate to have to kill a fellow flesh sculptor and I would really hate having to kill such a valuable test subject as my friend here."*

It would be at this moment Diabolist noticed all of the victims in the room were non-white.
Linda
It took Diabolist a moment to really process what she was seeing. It was objectively horrible in a twisted, disgusting sort of way and she could feel the bile rising in the back of her throat. If she hadn't already been numbed to this exact sort of thing— slightly— by her previous experience with her own power, she would surely have been in an even worse shape.

As it was, disgust was warring with horror and her mind was overwhelmed in more ways than one, leaving her with only one real logical course of action when presented with the scene in front of her, and the person in front of her that was currently in the midst of it all, reveling in it.

"Kill him," She whispered, loud enough for her minions to hear. She would have shouted it, had she been able to, but the forcefulness of how much she really truly *Meant* That order didn't surprise her in the least. If anyone deserved that sentence, it was this man. "*Now.*"

He was threatening to kill the patient? That was better than the alternative. Kill him. Kill him. Killhimkillhimkillhim. The fact that he was some distorted dark mirror of her herself only made the emotions more intense.
Amy
*"Shame."*

He pulled his hand out of his 'patients' stomach, a needle in his hand with its plunger fully pressed. Then, with a surprising amount of speed he began to move to the far corner of the room in an attempt to gain some distance on Diabolists minions who upon hearing their masters command began to rush the man.

*"Here comes the airplane!"*

Suddenly the corpse hanging in the corner of the room the Doctor was approaching seemed to split apart with tendrils reaching out and pulling the doctor inside. The bovine horror and regular undead minions rushed towards the wall but stopped seemingly unsure what to do now their target was out of view.

At that moment a sound should be heard as the body on the operating table began to convulse. Their head turned to look at Diabolist with bloodshot eyes and black tears.

*"Pl-Please.. Help me..."*

Any further attempt to speak was halted but an awful cough, followed but a black liquid flowing out of their mouth. Whatever hope Diabolist may have had of saving them was ended as their flesh turned black before seemingly decaying and breaking apart leaving a cloud of black particals in the air.
Linda
Diabolist covered her mouth in horror. Not only was her minion entirely too slow to stop this sick son of a bitch from escaping, but he'd somehow had the time to kill the... *Victim*... Before he made his escape through what she'd wrongly assumed was a dead-end. What the hell was she meant to do now? This was beyond fucked.

No, *No*. This wasn't over. Stupid minions. Idiots. She was an idiot, too. Her hesitation had cost her precious milliseconds.

"Go *Through* It. Rip and tear. *Find him*. *Kill him.*" She urged them desperately, not wanting that kind of monster out loose on the city for a moment longer. Was this really all she could do? She refused to give up so easily. Her creation was built with destruction in mind and *That* Was what she needed right now.
Amy
In an instant Diabolist's minions began to tear through the mutated person and from there they continued to demolish the wall revealing a crawl space behind it. A disturbing laugh could be heard coming from the hallway.

*"Come catch me little hero! I'm over here! Hehehe HA HA SUCH FUN!"*

All the while the black cloud that was once a person seemed to be expanding and what was more concerning was the fact it seemed to be dissolving the ceiling and walls it came into contact with.
Linda
"Fuck. No, no no no..." She muttered to herself, looking around the room in a panic once she'd noticed the gas spreading.

Thinking quickly, she came to a decision. It was the only one she could really come to, given the circumstances, though it pained her greatly regardless. She moved as she spoke, frantically looking around for and grabbing the first nearest thing that she could which was valuable or useful, then heading for the exit, calling for her minions as she went.

"We're... We're leaving. Come on. *Leave.*"

At this rate the place was going to collapse, and she knew better than most that walking into a Tinker Trap was asking for way more trouble. She headed for the exit, feeling utterly defeated, merely hoping there was *Something* To recover here amidst her emotional turmoil and maximized horror.
Amy
Diabolist and her creations turned to leave heading back into the hallway. Diabolist herself and her two regular creations managed to get through without trouble but the bovine horror was far larger and part of it had to pass through the dark particle cloud. As it did the top part of its head began to get eaten away revealing the creatures skull. A large part of one of its shoulders also seemed to decay. Once they were in the hallway they could see the doctor standing on the stairs standing there staring.

*"Why do you try to stop my research?! You're ruining the fun!"*

He reached into his lab coat and pulled out a still beating heart with several tubes attached. Reaching down he pulled a small tag from the top of it before throwing it down the hallway. He then turned and began to move up the stairs whilst crackling laughter couyld be heard.
Linda
"*Oh, fuck you...*" Diabolist cursed, running forward as soon as she saw the heart. 

It was obviously some kind of explosive, but she'd be absolutely *Fucked* If she let this bastard get the better of her. She wasn't the *Most* Coordinated person in the world but either way she did her best to catch the thrown projectile, then turn and *Throw* It far back into the room she'd just exited. 

"Come on! Hurry!" She shouted orders to her minions, dreading the damage she could already see on them.
Amy
Through sheer luck and desperation she managed to grab the thrown heart, she could feel it still beating subtly. It was fucking disgusting. She spun around a threw it into the room she had just come from and it passed through the cloud of black particles it began to dissolve. What ever it was meant to do had been thwarted by this mans own tinker tech.

The device dealt with Diabolist and her creations rushed back up the hatch that had lead to this underground corridor in the first place. As she arrived back in the room with the TV she could see the doctor running out the destroyed door.

*"You can't catch me little hero!"*
Linda
*Catch him...?*

It wasn't the *Furthest* Thing on her mind, but it was pretty low on her list. Much higher were things like panic, fear, and anger. She knew perfectly well that she wasn't being a particularly good heroine right now but she was terrified that not only would she lose her precious creations, she would lose her *Life* If she weren't careful here. Her lack of information had ended up with her accidentally stumbling into a tinker's lair, one of the worst possible places you could be, especially when it came to the sorts of *Freaks* Like this guy.

She jogged out of the house, panting. Panic and adrenaline was still coursing through her veins and she just hoped that this *Psycho* Wasn't coming back for her. Just to be safe she directed herself and her minions in as completely opposite the direction of his voice as she could manage until she completely broke line of sight with the apartment, then she whipped out her phone with a shaking hand. She would... She'd call Quartermaster. That was a real hero. Not like herself. She'd know what to do.
Amy
Diabolist ran in the opposite direction, the disturbing cackling laughter getting quieter but never quite leaving her mind. It seemed to hang in their air like a bad odour. It didn't take long for her and her minions to exit the alleyway onto a quiet street. It was hard to imagine just a few metres away there had been true horrors unfolding for god knows how long. Taking out her phone and dialling the number several moments passed. Then just as it seemed there would be no answer a click was heard.

*"Well if it isn't my favourite newbie tinker, whats up Diabolist?"*
Linda
"Quarter...! Master..."

Her voice started out too loud, and then much too quiet after a pause, but it was muffled. She took a few failing breaths, then ripped the bottom of her mask up to let her breathe and speak more clearly, though it didn't help much.

"I... There's a tinker, a monster, he... There were pigeons, and the people he worked on were *Alive*, it was like a fucking slaughterhouse nine scene in there, I can't, I *Can't*... Oh god, I feel sick."

She felt broken, and she sounded broken, too, in her rush of despaired words. She was only silent for a moment, then choked on a sob. This was really the best she could do? This was the extent of her talent as a hero? It was pointless, wasn't it? Wasn't she just... Worthless? Even her greatest creation yet could only really stand there and dissolve while people suffered in front of it.

"I can't *Do* This. I'm... I'm not good enough to be a hero. I couldn't save anyone, and I couldn't stop him.I even tried to kill him because he *Deserves* A kill order but I couldn't, I couldn't do *Anything*..."
Amy
She said nothing as Diabolist spoke, simply listening as the young cape let out her heart, her pure emotional response to the situation she had just been in.

*"Diabolist, stop and breathe. First things first are you safe? If so stay put, I've dispatched Utopia she will be there soon to secure the scene and escort you to Vanguard HQ. I think it's high time we spoke properly. You did good, you went in and you got out safe. Once you realised the severity of the situation you called me, you remembered you aren't alone. You did good. Now please stay on the phone with me until Utopia arrives, so I know you're safe."*

A few minutes later 5 humanoid robots could be seen flying through the sky carrying someone before landing in front of Diabolist. The robots let the individual down on the ground and she walked closer to Diabolist. Her outfit bore a striking resemblance to Quartermasters only with no bandoliers and what seemed to be a radio pack and antennas attached to her helmet.

*"I'm here Quartermaster, you can hang up now."* She looked at Diabolist. *"Come on, hop on one of my machines. They will take you straight to Vanguard HQ."*
Linda
"Safe? I-I... Think so...?"

Breathe? She was practically hyperventilating, and she wasn't really the type to hyperventilate usually. Still, she tried to take the moment to calm down but instead just ended up shaking from the stress.

"Oh god," She worried.

Part of her thought that maybe this was it. Maybe this was when they finally just sent her straight to prison or killed her, discarded for having a power that was simply too evil. But she knew it wouldn't be that. Quartermaster had helped her. Actually seemed to *Like* Her. 

So it was only for a moment that she considered running, and then it was gone.

"Okay... Okay..."

She stared at what could only be Utopia, and slowly nodded.

"I'm... I'm so sorry for wasting your time," She said in a small voice as she climbed onto one of the machines. "I couldn't catch him."
Amy
*"You haven't wasted any of our time. We're heroes remember, this is what we do. Now hold tight."*

The whirling sound of the robotic man's flight pack powering up could be heard for the few seconds it took to reach its desired power and took to the sky. As it rose up Diabolist could see what looked like about 30 similar machines only land based approaching from a variety of directions. Soon they faded into the distance as Vanguard HQ got ever closer.

Rather than taking them down to the regular entrance Diabolist and her mechanical companions (Carrying her undead companions) seemed to gain altitude heading towards the landing pad reserved for the Fliers of Vanguard. They slowly touched down on the surface of the landing pad high. The mechanical men then seemed to line up like soldiers standing at attentions, one's hand towards the large door at the end of the landing pad.
Linda
It felt *Wrong* Being here, like she was intruding, but she had to remind herself that she was being *Invited*. By some of the biggest heroes in New London. She stifled a shiver as she looked between the robot soldiers, then back at her monstrous undead creations which were tainting this beautiful place.

Would they see under the covering and reject her? It was bad enough, right now, that even if they did she would understand. She would understand... Being horrified by this sort of thing, especially now.

She walked towards the door, creations in tow. If this were to be her judgment day, there would be no better people to judge her than these.
Amy
As she approached the door it automatically opened revealing a room that in reality was little more than a corridor leading towards an elevator. Stepping inside however revealed something different, this wasn't a mere hall but a journey through history. Both walls had been lined with decorative bricks atop which rough but stylistic artwork had been painted.

The first section depicted Scion above the bow of a ship. Next the appearance of Vikare, the first hero, and his death soon after. Each major event involving parahumans had at least a small depiction in the artwork, the appearance of the Endbringers and the Slaughterhouse 9. Behemoth's death was shown followed by the appearance of the new Endbringers. Then the start of that terrible event, Gold Morning. Scion wreaking havoc upon our world until the centre piece of the entire artwork.

A depiction of a one handed woman in a christ like pose, the rising sun behind her head and a crowd of people rising with her. No personal detail at all, but none was needed. Everyone in New London had been told the stories of what had happened that fateful day. It saved those who remained on that earth but was unspeakable. It did not stop there however, no the story continued as it displayed the formation of Vanguard and New London. The rebuilding of Humanity. Hope. The past wouldn't be forgotten but it didn't have to dominate their future.

*Ding*

The sound of the Lift reaching the floor, its doors sliding open to reveal none other than Quartermaster. She wore her helmet but Diabolist could see the sad smile on her face. She held her hand out towards the younger cape.

*"Are you okay?"*
Linda
Right. Hope... It was hard for her to have hope, right now. Not after everything... Not after what had just happened.

Still, her heart skipped a beat as the elevator doors parted to reveal her personal hero, Quartermaster. It was part elation at seeing her in person once again, and part dread at the prospect of disappointing the famed Tinker. 

*Am I... Okay?*

"Y... No, I'm... I'm really not, sorry. I know... I know I *Should* Be. I'm a Hero. I'm supposed to be okay when others aren't, I'm supposed to lead the way and save people and make the world a better place. But instead I just fucked... Fucked everything up, and failed. I even managed to get one of my creations damaged through my own *Stupid* Incompetence."

She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes through her mask, staring at the ground dejectedly.
Amy
Quartermaster looked at Diabolist as she spoke, her helmet concealing any sign of what she was truly feeling. A moment of silence followed as the words seemed to hang in the air. She steps forwards and places a hand on the young capes shoulder.

*"Listen, being a hero doesn't mean we aren't human. We aren't immune to mistakes or feeling overwhelmed. We have our own struggles, our own moments of doubt. What makes us different is how we respond to those challenges."*

Her hand waves towards the brick wall in the direction of one of the murals shortly after the central piece denoting gold morning. The sun now depicted at the very top of the wall it's rays of light enlightening a trio standing below. The central figure clearly represented Excalibur and to his left and right were Sovereign and Quartermaster respectively.

*"We failed, each of us could do nothing as our home was wiped from existence, but failure is not the end. It's an opportunity to grow and become stronger. Even the best of us stumble along the way. What matters is your dedication to making the world a better place, that's what makes you a true hero."*

She stood back to her full height and took a step back.

*"And when you feel like you have stumbled too far, fallen into an abyss you cannot escape. Others will be there to help you back to the surface. I believe in you. Vanguard believes in you. When one of us falters, we lift each other up. Which brings me to this."*

Quartermaster holds her hand out towards Diabolist, revealing an armband with the emblem of Vanguard on it.

*"How about it Diabolist? Let us face the challenges together, learn from our missteps and fight for a brighter future. You have the potential to be the best of us you just need to trust in yourself."*

Her hand remained hovering, waiting to see if the cape would take it.
Linda
Diabolist *Shuddered* When she felt the hand on her shoulder, and her downcast face slowly looked up to meet the expressionless mask in front of her. She strained her ears and the rest of her body was tensed too, as if she were desperately drinking in the words she was hearing, clinging to them like a lifeline.

Heroes could make mistakes, too. She knew that. But, had any hero made as *Many* Mistakes as she had? Had any hero been cursed with such a godawful power? True, she'd had her own moments of doubt and moments of struggle, but Quartermaster seemed to be talking about some kind of hallowed *Heroic* Response to those things, and Diabolist could feel her spirit sinking again as she considered the meaning behind those words.

Was she responding to those challenges in a way that was approproiate for a Hero? Was she acting like a Hero in any real capacity, in a way that would make her proud to represent that ideal?

No, she felt certain that she wasn't. 

Failing to protect a world— to stop a *God* Like Scion— wasn't in the same league of thinking as her failing to apprehend some kind of flesh-render demon who worked on living people. Not when it should have been fully within a *Single* Heroes capability to do so, realistically.

At the end of the day, what this meant was simply speaking, exactly what she was afraid of. She *Wasn't* Good enough. 

Yet... Quartermaster didn't care about that. Maybe the Hero didn't understand the exact details. But, somehow, Diabolist felt reasonably certain that even if she had fully explained everything about what happened today, the woman would *Still* Believe in her, and think that she could become some kind of shining Hero that Diabolist felt certain she couldn't.

The girl stared at the outstretched hand for a long time, contemplating. She didn't know what it meant to be offered a place in Vanguard in any material sense, but she knew that as far as *Ideals* Were concerned she was far too... *Marred*. If she joined Vanguard, they would suffer for her addition. People would think less of the group by association with her.

More importantly, she *Didn't* Trust herself. Not after what she'd seen down there. It was simultaneously too awful to imagine, and yet also disturbingly close to the sort of thing she knew that she herself was capable of.

Mika took a frightened step back from the proferred hand, visibly shaking from the stress, and desperately shaking her head.

When she spoke, her voice was weak and fragmented. Yet it was tinged with a strange thread of hope, like she *Wanted* The Hero to disagree with her. She desperately did. Wasn't this too good to be true? It was, but... Surely that was just because Quartermaster had made a mistake?

"You... You don't want me, Quartermaster. You might think you do, but you don't. I would only make things worse. For you. For everyone."

She'd give the Hero an opportunity to take back her mistake.
Amy
*"I can't claim to know everything about you and I wont force you to join us. That is a choice only you can make. Just know this, if you decide to give it a chance, to walk this path with us I'll be right by your side. Every step of the way I will be there to support and guide you."*

Quartermaster remained where she stood, her hand still outstretched awaiting Diabolist's response.

*"Nobody is perfect Diabolist, don't punish yourself because of that."*
Linda
"...No, I'm sorry, Quartermaster. I'm so sorry. But not today. Not *Now*. Not right after what just happened. I... I still feel *Dirty*. The things down there, Quartermaster..."

She recoiled from the hand, her mind envisioning the crawling, squirming things she'd seen down there, still alive when they should be dead. In that respect, her creations really were better.

"I... I guess it isn't really a no, per se, but I can't... I just can't do it. Not right now. I hope... Please forgive me. It's... It's not because I'm not *Perfect*, but it's because I can't even *Pretend* To be perfect. You can."

Her heart hurt. Diabolist took a deep, shuddering breath and swallowed a sob as she looked at her hero, barely managing to meet her eyes. She took a couple slow steps away, hesitant still, but resolved in her course of action now, at least.
Amy
*"If thats what you want I won't force your hand. If you change your mind at any point you can always contact me. You know how. Come on follow me, I need to debrief you either way."*

There was something in her voice, not disappointment but a subtle sadness. She turned and walked back towards the elevator, motioning for the young cape to follow. Before entering it however she would stop and turn to look at Diabolist.

*"Look, I have to ask, do you really think I'm perfect or at least pretending to be perfect? I just want you to know that is far from the truth. The man you faced today goes by the cape name the Angel of Death. I knew him in his civilian identity though, a fine man, a good man. Then I killed his child and birthed the horror that you witnessed today."*

She stepped into the elevator, waiting for Diabolist to enter. As she did she reached up and removed her helmet, letting her long brown hair fall to her side. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out a photograph and held it out towards the other hero.

*"I want you to know I am truly sorry for everything I have put you through."*

The photo she held showed a woman who was now identifiable as Quartermasters civilian identity in a pure white wedding dress standing next to a man in an expensive suit. His eyes stared directly into the camera and by extension whoever looked at the photos. Diabolist had seen those eyes before, they were unmistakable. Just moments ago they had been poking over the top of a surgical mask.
Linda
"Okay, I... I understand."

Her mind was still reeling from the effort involved in actually declining an offer to join *Vanguard* From *Quartermaster* No less. Was there something wrong with her? Surely there was. Any other Tinker in the city would have literally murdered someone for the opportunity she had just so callously rejected. But... It was, she felt, what she had to do. There wasn't really another way.

Then, of course, things just got even more complicated, like they always did.

She placed her hands over her mouth in horrified shock as the pieces began to fall into place. The way Quartermaster had been behaving. The way that *Man* Had been behaving, and maybe even why he'd been there— in a place that she hadn't expected to even find a Cape, let alone a *Thing* Like that— in the first place. If he'd known that Quartermaster had taken a particular shine to her and had a grudge against the woman, that might explain targeting Diabolist by extension.

"Wh... What the *Fuck?*? How? No, what?" She laughed then, a disbelieving laugh filled with confusion and fear. "I... Can't believe that. Anyone you'd... You'd *Marry*... Nobody could just *Hide* That kind of horrific bullshit with nobody knowing! It's not *Fucking* Possible! You...!"

She shook her head, angrily, trying to reject what was clearly in front of her, some of the fear from earlier finally translating to anger.
Amy
Quartermasters face didn't hide her feelings. Even a blind man could see the shame she was feeling.

*"I..."*

She began to talk but stopped as if she couldn't breathe. Her hand clenched into a fist before she swung at the elevator controls causing the whole thing to shudder into movement.

*"It happened six years ago. I didn't even know I was pregnant, I wouldn't find out till after. The Top Hats had just started to become a powerful gang able to extend their influence over an entire district of New London. We got a call for help, they were holding a shopkeeper and his family hostage and there was a cape presence in the area."*

She paused for a moment to catch her breath, as though the very words she was saying were physically exhausting.

*"I arrived, managed to get the civilians away from direct danger and everything looked good. Turns out it was a trap, as soon as I was with the civilians and thought I was safe a dozen Top Hat capes appeared and surrounded us. I'm good but even I would have struggled against 10, especially whilst defending civilians. Without a second thought I injected myself with my R.A.G.E serum."*

The R.A.G.E serum was familiar to almost anyone who had even a smattering of knowledge about Quartermaster. It allowed her to transform her body granting her abilities equivalent to that of Brute and Mover capes. There was no denying it was a strange addition to a tinker most famous for her mechanical equipment.

*"Well I won that but after a week I still felt incredibly ill. I did some tests and well, that's when I found out the serum makes your body extremely hostile to anything it considers a foreign parasite and that I had been pregnant."*

Her shame had transformed to extreme guilt but her eyes, her eyes displayed something else. Sorrow.

*"He blamed me for that of course. I don't blame him for that, it is after all a result of my actions. He also blamed that shopkeeper though, they were the reason I had to go all out. Him and his family were indian and so all indians were to blame after that. Eventually it expanded to all foreigners, then finally anyone different. It took a year but we all thought he was dead, that was until yesterday when rumours arose. Then of course today, when you encountered him."*

The elevator hissed as it slowed and came to a stop, the doors sliding open. Quartermaster replaced her helmet before stepping out. She turned back to Diabolist.

*"I understand if you want someone else to complete your debriefing. If that's the case just say and I'll call Sovereign down."*
Linda
Diabolist couldn't really do anything than just listen in mounting horror. It was an accident. A terrible one, true, but how could someone who supposedly loves you just... React like that? Especially over something as mundane as a miscarriage? 

She was well aware that certain parts of the population— especially men, really— treated that sort of thing as if it were somehow tantamount to actual murder, but Mika had never really understood that line of thinking. The value of a life was proportional to the amount of it that was lived or could be lived.

Miscarriages happened all the time, though, even without Tinker serums. She hadn't even really *Needed* To tell him it was because of the serum.

"Don't be stupid," She said, without even really thinking. A beat passed unmentioned, then her hands darted to her mouth and unhidden shock painted her face as she realized she'd actually just said that *Out loud* To *Quartermaster*, whilst she was in the midst of explaining what was probably one of the most traumatic moments of her life.

"I-I'm so sorry! That— I didn't mean to—" She stuttered, then tried to collect herself quickly. "I just meant that... It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for that and neither should he. When you said... Sorry, no. He's just an awful person. Maybe he always was? I don't know, but nobody who has a good heart would just *Turn on you* Over something like that. Nobody who had a good heart could *Ever*... Turn into what I saw down there."

Her voice had taken on a darker tone near the end, words backed with iron certainty. There was no redemption for what she saw down there. None.
Amy
*"Maybe. Maybe not. All that matters now is it's my responsibility to protect people from him and to do that I need to know everything you can possibly tell me. Come."*

Quartermaster began to walk through a long corridor lined with large glass panes with doors between each. Every door was marked differently the first two Diaboloist could see were marked as General Tinker Lab 1 and General Biotinker Lab. Looking through the glass revealed the former was filled with work benches with several half constructed mechanical devices on them. Two people in costume, both no older than 15 seemed to be working on something. The latter was filled with a hydroponics bay as well as what seemed to be someone on some form of life support machine.

Passing those first two rooms the rest of the windows seemed to be blacked out. Most likely to conceal whatever was being done within from those going about their day. The first 6 rooms were simply marked as 'Collaboration Lab 1-6'. These were then followed by several blank rooms whose windows weren't darkened revealing they were empty within before coming to rooms with the names of individual tinkers. Some that caught Diabolist eyes included Reclaimer and Utopia. At the end of the hall the duo came across the final door.

*Quartermaster*
*Head of Tinker Division*

*"Alright then, this is us. Make yourself comfortable okay."*

She held her hand up to the scanner at the side of the door and it slid open revealing what seemed to be a generic office were it not for the expansive lab visible through a glass door in the back of the room. She walked over to her desk and took a seat, pressing a button on the side of her desk causing a computer to appear from its hidden compartment within. She motioned to the seat opposite.

*"Take a seat young hero..."*

Behind Quartermaster were several shelves that seemed to be filled with newspaper clippings and awards. As was to be expected the majority of them appeared fairly modern but two object caught Diabolists eye. One was a newspaper headline from something called the 'News of The World' that had a picture of Quartermaster in a very different costume in the hands of Leviathan. In her hand was a rifle of some form firing a concentrated beam of plasma through the endbringers arm. Above the image was the text **Quartermaster Thwarts Leviathan Attack on Rio While on Vacation**. The second thing of note was the framed trading card depicting two individuals in green scaled power armour, signed **D&D** In the bottom left corner.

*"And tell me everything you know about the Angel of Death."*
Linda
Diabolist stared wistfully at the two doors as she passed by them, her eyes practically glazed over with unhidden lust for the power and secrets they held behind them. She'd just turned this down though, hadn't she...? Maybe it wasn't too late to change her mind? She could feel the *Possibilities* From her power whirling around in her skull now, begging to be made into reality. If she had the infinite resources that Vanguard could provide, what sorts of things could she make? 

Surely, her power whispered tantalizingly, she could even grow strong enough to challenge the strongest capes in the city, like Dreadnought?

The doors faded behind her, and she tried to clear her head. She needed to focus. Stay herself.

Well... Plus or minus a little bit of well-earned gaping as she looked around at the incredibly impressive suite of technology and laboratory equipment that belonged to, she had to remind herself, the *Best Tinker in the world*.

"Ah... R-Right," She muttered uneasily, sitting down whilst still looking around at everything. "He was... Awful. Sadistic. Monstrous. Should I keep picking synonyms? He seemed to be some kind of biotinker... Or maybe just a regular tinker that relies on biological functions in some way? It seemed like everything he'd created was *Alive*. It was horrifying. I thought *My* Power was bad, but that... If my power necessitated using living things, like him, I'd be an even worse monster. I'd probably just have to... To kill myself."

She shuddered.
Amy
As Diabolist spoke Quartermasters face fell. She seemed to be holding out a sliver of hope that they were wrong, that this wasn't who she thought it was but the description only confirmed their fears. Any glimmer of hope had died. The look on her face only displayed more sorrow at the young tinkers revelation on what she would do with that mans power.

*"Don't say that. He is a man that has broken the laws of both man and nature. If some one with such a heroic heart as yourself were curse with his abilities I have no doubt that you would find away to use your powers without resorting to his..."*

She paused clearly looking for the words that would best describe the horrific acts the so called Angel of Death had wrought.

*"Monstrosities. Perhaps in the medical field or to create body enhancements for others. Either way you've confirmed he this cape you encounter is almost certainly the Angel of Death, Utopia's reports from the lab only corroborate what you say."*

She reached down and opened a draw in her desk. First she pulled out a roll of cash placing on the desk, next she pulled out a toolbox style case and placed it next to the cash.

*"Here's what I'm going to do, there's £2000 here. That is how much we pay provisional members for participating in a raid, which is essentially what you did solo. Second is a reward for finding and reporting the location of the A-Class threat the Angel of Death. A collection of spare parts I have from my tinker tech, I may or may not have put more than the official reward in but we don't need to mention that. Of course if you ever do change you're mind you're Vanguard offer is also still there."*
Linda
She didn't really know what to say. She didn't really know what she *Could* Say. Sorry? It felt hollow. This was supposedly the man that had somehow fooled someone as inherently *Good* As Quartermaster to fall in love with him, all whilst hiding that sheer depth of evil within him, and Diabolist was simply bearing witness to her personal hero having to come to grips with that fact right in front of her.

How would she have reacted herself, if she had learned that someone she had trusted and loved was now one of the worst monsters in the entire world?

She had serious doubts that she would have handled it any more graciously, especially in the face of some dumb young heroine stubbornly refusing to join the premiere heroing organization of the new world for selfish reasons like fear.

It made her want to change her mind, but for whatever reason she just... Couldn't. She wasn't even sure why, anymore. It just truly felt like she didn't deserve it. Maybe... If she could prove herself? If she could stop that monster, bring him to justice... Surely then she'd see herself as worthwhile?

"...Thank you," She finally decided on, as she stared at the roll of cash and gift, "I'm so sorry for your loss."

She knew it was an empty platitude, but it was all she could do for now. At least, until she could become strong enough to stop these sorts of tragedies entirely.
Amy
Quartermaster bore a sad smile as Diabolist apologised for her loss. Despite the clear attempt to conceal it the pain was clear to see just beneath the surface.

"*You really have it to be the best of us. I had hoped we could speak in less dire circumstances but maybe next time. For now though I'll apologise but I need to write up this report and I doubt you want to sit here whilst I do it. Why don't you head down to Meteor Shot's and get something to eat? Tell the captain Q sent you and he'll sort you out.*"

With some impeccable timing the door opened as she finished speaking revealing a short girl in a black bodysuit covered in circuitry, the upper half of her face concealed by a black visor. This girl barely looked old enough to be called a teenager.

"*You called boss? Need another private email hacked?*"

Quartermaster let out a deep sigh.

"*What have I told you about jokes like that? Anyway no, I don't need you for anything power related. I need to finish this report and was hoping you could escort Diabolist here on her way out of the tower. Can you do that?*"

The girl shrugged her shoulders in response.

"*Oh this is cocaine girl? Sure thing boss. Come on Miss Cocaine, I'm Netrunner but you can call me NT. Thats what my friends call me.*"

She stepped to the side motioning for Diabolist to follow.
Linda
Though the offhanded 'joke' commentary made her wonder just how much the Vanguard capes *Bent* The rules. After Gold Morning, maybe Capes felt a bit more justified in doing whatever they needed to do to keep the city safe? She wouldn't blame them. It's what she would probably do.

"Cocaine—" Diabolist choked out, then just sighed, loudly. She *Really* Hoped that wasn't the sort of thing that stuck around.

"Please don't call me Miss Cocaine, or anything to do with Cocaine," She managed to state semi-firmly, "But it's nice to meet you, NT."

She followed the pre-teen out into the hall.
Amy
"*Alright then, no drug refences. You're the boss Di.*"

As the young cape walked back through the hallway Diabolist herself had walked through a short whilst earlier she had a noticeable hop in her step. Whether she had something to be happy about or if she was this bouncy in general was impossible to tell.

As she approached the lift the door opened automatically and she stepped in, turning as she did to face Diabolist. She waved her hand to the side motioning for the other cape to enter the lift. Once she did enter the doors close behind her and the small cabin begins to descend.

"*So Di.. What do you think of the boss lady? She's pretty darn cool right? More fun than Excalibur at least, he's always going on about 'Our duty as heroes' and 'The responsibility that comes with powers' really boring shit. Not saying he's wrong of course but damn when you hear it all the time it does get tiring. Oh shit, here let me give you my contact details. Delphyne?*"

As she spoke she didn't seem to take a breath, as if pausing for a moment would some how lead to the end of the world. Still she did pause after speaking the name, holding her open palm out in front of her. A moment passed before a small hologram of a dragon appears. It's head looks up at Netrunner as its wings flexed out to their full length.

"*Yes my lady?*"

"*Could you shoot my details over Diabolist here? She seems like a cool gal.*"

"*Of course my lady.*"

The holographic image vanished just as the lift came to a halt and the door slid open. Netrunner turned to Diabolist.

"*Well this is the lobby, you want me to walk you out or are you good?*"
Linda
Diabolist was a bit taken aback. These sorts of cheerful, upbeat people were lovely to be around, but she had hard time with it. It took her time to get acquainted with people well enough to feel comfortable acting like herself. People that were usually guarded or cautious were, ironically, easier for her to deal with then since she could be equally guarded in response and feel comfortable.

Someone as openly, graciously friendly as Netrunner threw that all out of whack and made her feel uncomfortable for being too unfriendly in response, or she tried to awkwardly reciprocate without behaving properly.

"Di...? Uhm, right. Quartermaster was—*Is*—my favorite Cape, actually! She's been a big inspiration to me since even before I got powers. I just wish I could have gotten more *Normal* Tinker stuff, then maybe we could have worked together... Properly?" Diabolist said, not even really considering the irony of the statement given that she'd just turned down Quartermaster's offer for that exact sort of thing.

"Cool dragon, by the way! That wouldn't happen to be inspired by *The* Dragon, would it? From the old world?" She asked with great interest before realizing awkwardly that they were standing by the exit already.

"Uh, n-nevermind! Sorry! Bye!" She stammered awkwardly, nearly tripping over her own feet as she tried not to overstay her welcome and headed for the exit with haste.
Amy
"*See ya!*"

The Vanguard cape shouted out as Diabolist sped through the lobby, quickly ending up standing outside. Now outside of Vanguard Headquarters Diabolist could see the whole area was pristine when compared to the rest of the city. Almost as if she had been transported from the mortal world to the realm of the gods. Well trimmed hedges surround the tower along with several well maintained gardens and fountains. A paved road circles the tower like a barrier keeping the rest of New London out. As Diabolist took the view of the city in, she felt her phone vibrate.

'*She is named after Dragon! Isn't Dragon so fkn cool?!!!?!?!?!?! Anyways cya around Di* 💖 '