3152/Into the Light

Into the Light
Date of Scene:	05 October 2015
Location:	Brockton Bay
Synopsis:	.
Cast of Characters:	151, 554, 707

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Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Sometime before the meeting was called... A transmission is sent on Cauldron encryptions, using some sort of satellite transmission device. It is Ainsley's voice, a soft voice with no accent but a peculiar gravity to it, such as in the voice of a reserved scholar that is full of cold fury.

    "Your prophecy came true."

    *static*

    "You had better have a good plan in place."

    *static*

    "A plan that you need to tell everyone else. The time for hiding in the shadows is long past. This is when you prove your necessity to the world, or be left in a crater in the corpse of the world you shaped."

    *stati<span style="color:*

    "cred">We need to talk.</span>"

    The transmission ends with an abrupt crackle.

Defiant (554) has posed:
     Cauldron's co-ordinates lead to a dark room in a secure facility, like a meeting room. There's a desk on one end of the room, where a trio of figures sit. In the middle is a dark-skinned woman, dressed like a doctor. To her left is an olive-skinned woman in a dark suit. To her right is a man who can best be described as unremarkable. To those who have been searching for Cauldron, it's highly likely that these are the Doctor, Contessa and the Number Man respectively.

     Around the room are scattered a myriad of groups. There's the Guild, represented by Dragon, Defiant and Narwhal, all looking ridiculously tall. There's the Protectorate, represented by Chevalier and a smattering of other capes. There are villains, too - Saint, in particular, apparently representing Teacher's group, and the Undersiders. And other groups, who might not be immediately recognisable. There's a spot for the Union delegates, too.

     Cauldron was called out, and they're still trying to make it clear that they're in control of the situation, even as the world burns.

     "So, we're all here," Doctor Mother says, and her eyes stare right at Ainsley and the other members of the Union. "Good."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu looks like there are plenty of other places she'd rather be right now than talking to Cauldron's leaders, but she's here. In her usual Shinra 'work'/battle outfit, including the fact that she has her monk staff. She didn't sleep particularly well after last night's battle, either, and it kind of shows ... but she meets Doctor Mother's gaze with only a slightly baleful look.

Hopefully it won't take long to disclose to *her* why this meeting is happening.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    The diminutive reptile woman finds her seat with a certain grace. Ainsley settles in and holds her posture as tall and comfortable as she can make it. Occasionally, her tail twitches, giving the impression of agitation, though nothing else about her confident posture suggests the same. Left in her lap is a large folder, the purpose of which is not immediately clear. It's thick with papers, though, so one might assume she will reference it at some point.

    Except maybe the piercing sky blue stare focused directly on the Doctor in return. It's an expectant look, waiting for her to say something of worth. She hasn't even displayed a twitch of her eyes to the others, not even Saint, someone she should despise.

Defiant (554) has posed:
     The Doctor doesn't even seem to flinch. She meets Ainsley's gaze with her own and doesn't look away for a moment. It's a battle of wills. "First things first, we have a number of sources that can corroborate the same story. One of these is Bonesaw, who isn't the most reliable source. The other is Tattletale. The third is Marquis - and I believe that our fourth is seated with the Union. Ainsley, wasn't it?"

     "You knew Scion would do this?" Chevalier asks, voice tight.

     "Yes," the Doctor says, finally breaking eye contact with Ainsley to glance at the leader of the Protectorate.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
The plot is thickening in a hurry, thinks Xiaomu, sitting back a bit in her chair. Maybe this won't hav ebeen a wasted trip after all.

Not that she's any more relaxed. Somebody KNEW Scion was going to go rogue? And didn't warn anybody else who might have been in a position to try and prevent it? The sage fox's gaze is somewhat less displeased now, but still rests on the Doctor - none too comfortably, most likely.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    "Correct," Ainsley answers, her voice just as chilly and business-like as the unblinking leer she's locked onto Doctor Mother. Like Doctor Mother, though, her gaze breaks away, and settles on Chevalier. His voice spawns a strange sadness in the reptile's face, easy to read there. And then it seems to fuel the icy leer even further. Her gaze turns back to Doctor Mother, and begins to speak. Her voice is loud and very clear.

    "They knew from square one. From everything I can tell, they have been working around this knowledge from the very beginning, and that means they are responsible for the vast majority of cape activity throughout the world. Human experimentation, the sale of powers, the Protectorate and other organizations, perhaps the arrival of the Endbringers, and even disabling the second Entity... Eden. Presumably to harvest her for the abilities they had used in the former activities, a source for their operation to thrive. I have no proof that Eden even exists beyond a vague mention, but it is clear these powers came from somewhere, and if they were clearly not from Scion, then they were from Eden. Every single cape received their abilities from one of them."

    She holds up the folder next to her head. Then she would drop it on the nearest available surface.

    "You seem like the types that have a very long plan for the world. So, how do we kill Scion?"

    She refocuses that stare at Doctor Mother as before, clasping her hands in her lap.

Defiant (554) has posed:
     "We don't."

     The Doctor's voice is cool and calm. "In truth, as much as we've stockpiled countermeasures, gathered information and planned ahead, we fully expect to fail."

     Silence reigns.

     "You are correct. We have known 'from square one'. Everything we have done has been to improve our chances, even by half a percentage. We stopped Eden, encountered her at just the right time where it was vulnerable, and we've used her cells to grant abilities to volunteers - or those who will pay for it. If you have all the pieces, why was Scion so listless? Why was he so vulnerable to manipulation?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu's ears twitch. Her tails as well, for that matter. "I should probably defer to Ainsley on this, she's more scholarly about this than I am ... but I was *there* and I can hazard a guess. Scion came all that way to help fight Jack Slash, and was told he needed to stay out of it - however Frika put it to him, he was left watching from above as my allies took Jack down."

She turns to look at Ainsley. "And Jack took the opportunity to tell Scion something while he was there and watching, as I recall Defiant's report ... how far off the mark is my guessing?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley turns her gaze momentarily to Xiaomu, and then back to Doctor Mother.

    "Jack had the ability to talk to Scion, presumably through his own shard. It takes a special sort of being to be able to speak to these things. To my knowledge, there are..." She holds up four fingers. "Four people that have done so in any meaningful fashion." She then goes on to recount, "First, the man that sparked Scion's aimless heroics. Second, the one that man directed Scion toward. 'Listen to him,' something along those lines. Then there is me," she points to her face with an index finger, "And finally, Jack."

    "The earliest cases indicate that Scion does not think on the same level as we do. It may be our only mercy that he is not as intelligent as Eden seems to be. Because Eden was the brains of their little operation, an operation that meant the total domination and eventual destruction of this world, simply as a part of their life cycle." She turns her gaze around the room. "Scion was left without his guidance and feeling depressed, and so he received it from whoever he could understand. Unfortunately, Jack was uniquely geared toward talking to him, which is why... this is happening."

    She replaces her hand back on her elbow. "Scion is destroying because that is his purpose. He is the Warrior, and so he fights."

Defiant (554) has posed:
     "More or less correct," the Doctor states. "We've been trying to locate the first man you mentioned, Kevin Norton, however, it appears he was killed during Scion's first attack. This is troubling as Scion's actions since that time appear to indicate that he is following a pattern. We know some of what Scion was told by him, but not everything. If we could talk to him it might give us an idea of what Scion will do next."

     "You see, if it were only mindless destruction, we would not have a chance. The United Kingdom was the first target he struck, and he was totally obliteratd. He hit Brockton Bay next. Casualties were a third of his first strike. In his next half a dozen attacks, he targeted specific individuals. In Russia, his beams started fires. He cut off every escape route and set the fire from the outside in. In fifteen minutes, he had cooked everyone there alive. Any hero that attempted to stop him was killed. Other than that, he waited. He's experimenting, learning."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"So," Xiaomu says slowly, "it's probably a good idea if we intercept Scion and shut him down - fatally if necessary and possible - before he learns the full extent of his powers."

She lets out a breath. "We're potentially talking about a worse fight than the Endbringers and the Slaughterhouse put together, aren't we? Scion's the most powerful cape currently on record, right?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley blinks slowly as Doctor Mother speaks, and then there's a slow tilt of the lizard woman's head, a very slight cant that suggests that there's some thought going in that strangely-shaped reptilian head of hers. She smiles softly as Doctor Mother finishes those points... And then she holds out one hand, to one side, and says:

    "He's still as simple as ever," she speaks up, "Because there is a pattern there."

    "That fire in Russia... I was there." A beat, for dramatic effect. "When he doused it. He is going to every single area where he performed his heroics in the world, and he's reversing them. He's taking back all of his efforts. He's targeting specific people because he saved them directly, and he's destroying whole areas when he saved whole areas. Brockton Bay... The United Kingdom..."

    "We have something we can track."

Defiant (554) has posed:
     "An intriguing hypothesis. Number Man?" Doctor Mother asks, looking to her companion.

     "Fairly precise. Unfortunately, Scion has had many heroic events during his time here. Even the simple act of reversing what good he has done will still ensure significant casualties. I'll spare you my estimation."

     "Tracking won't help if he can just kill us all when we get there," Defiant says. Beside him, Narwhal nods.

     "But maybe we can get people out," Chevalier puts in. "It's worth a try."

     "As grim as this seems," the Doctor continues, "This is our best-case scenario."

     Chevalier snaps, "Don't." The slam of his gauntlet against the hilt of his cannonblade is enough punctuation.

     "A poor choice of words," the Doctor recovers smoothly, "What I mean is to say that a very large number of powerful capes remain active and alive. We are able to respond - /somehow/. And I think that these 'Elites' will be the key. Number Man?"

     "All of the statistics point to a decline in population over the ensuing few years. We believe that this is part of Scion's plan. Scion distributed all the powers he could, although he left a chunk of himself still acive - still alive - and he kept all of the key powers. He has laid down the rules of this engagement and, if we follow them, we will not prevail. This fight, yes, would be worse than anything on record."

     A young girl, shadowed in darkness and not belonging to any one group, says: "He experiments, he plays, but he doesn't yet abandon hope. He needs to find his reflection in the mirror. He will wait and bide his time, in the hope that which was taken will return to him."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Nicely tracked," Xiaomu murmurs to Ainsley. That was an impressive bit of research and analysis for sure, from where Xiaomu's sitting - but there are reasons why Reiji does most of the pair's paperwork.

Otherwise, she's primarily listen as the Cauldron's 'officers' discuss matters. Xiaomu can't speak for any Elites other than herself, so she doesn't want to make any noises that would commit other Union Elites - even those who are already involved in this world - to helping intercept, contain, and/or neutralize Scion. There's one question that pops up in the back of her head and quickly wriggles up to the front of it, though ...

"So besides seeing himself as a 'Warrior,'" the sage fox inquires, "do we know what drives Scion? Does he want to be a protector or a savior, or is he really just as content to be a destroyer ... ?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    "Scion originally came here to kill everything that lived here. He only stopped because he became depressed." Ainsley smiles wanly at Xiaomu. "He is motivated by his need to exercise his strength, from what I can derive of all of this..."

    "So we hit his real body." Ainsley reclasps her hands in her lap, turning her attention around the room in search of the mystery voice. After a brief frown into the darkness, she elaborates, "The golden humanoid form that all of us are familiar with is a projection. His real body is something else, and I believe we need a weapon that can pierce dimensions in order to get to his core. Unfortunately, that means we need to slow him down long enough to hit him with it, provided anyone knows how to make something like that."

    At this, she looks at Saint, eyes focused on him meaningfully. Probably meaning Teacher and his legion of Tinkers.

    She looks over to Doctor Mother. "I think you will find there will be no shortage of people willing to put their lives on the line to get that opening." Then she looks toward Dragon, and adds, "There should be ways to calculate where Scion should be..." She sweeps a look over the room as a whole.

    "Even with all the planning and the best weapon, there will be a hefty loss of life," she concludes, "Even the Endbringers were difficult to defeat, with Elite intervention. Scion will hurt us... but we can hurt him back."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Projection?" Xiaomu quirks an eyebrow. "Do you mean an astral projection of some sort? Anti-spirit rounds could probably hurt that ... but it depends on how it's projected."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    "A piece of his body, I believe, like a finger," Ainsley replies, wiggling her pinkie at Xiaomu. "You can try the anti-spirit rounds, but I have my doubts."

Defiant (554) has posed:
     Doctor Mother adjusts her glasses, responding to Xiaomu. "What else drives any form of life? The urge to reproduce. While not a precise approximation, it is close enough to sum up what we know about the entities. Eden is his mate, and we made sure that she would never be a threat soon after she arrived and was still vulnerable."

     Saint replies, "I'll see what Teacher will provide."

     "If he holds anything back-" Defiant growls out.

     "Neither the time nor the place, cyborg."

     "I'll /kill/ you."

     "Oh my God, the end of the world is coming and you have a /vendetta/. I'm terrified. Not of you, but of your shortsightedness."

     Dragon cuts off Defiant's response, placing her hand on his forearm.

     "I'll calculate what I can," Dragon tells Ainsley. "I should be able to develop a working model."

     "A hand, finger, the metaphor works," the Doctor says. "Based on what Tattletale told us earlier, it is likely that the greater bulk of Scion's body operates as a well for his golden avatar. We would need to sever the connection, destroy the 'well', and then take down the avatar. Now, unless there is anything else, I believe we all have things that we should see to."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"I'll see what Shinra might be able to turn up for something like this," Xiaomu says, although she sounds somewhat skeptical. She doesn't know how Scion's superpower works, but the suggestion of anti-spirit rounds was based on the premise (at least in part) that there was SOME kind of supernatural component.

It might still work, or it might not ... time will tell.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Having not needed to reference the file at any point, Ainsley picks it right back up again and stands. Then she nods at the members of Cauldron, and then the rest, each in turn. Her tail does a quick swish of the floor and she leaves with such a gentle step that she hardly makes any sort of noise. "Thank you~" she chimes to everyone as she leaves, as sweet as sugar cane. Such a dissonant tone to take, evidently she's satisfied with how the meeting went.