Orb Weaver Side story: Queen of Winslow 2

This happens before the Endbringer attack and after Orb Weaver’s raid on the dog ring.

Reina fell out of the sky, paper wings letting her glide down to where Lung was, along with some ABB guards. This time she was graceful in her landing.

“Kanshi,” Lung rumbled. “You are ready?”

“Yes.” She said.

“Good. Let us enter.” He gestured, and Reina took up her place, to his side and slightly behind, as was proper.

They entered Somer’s Rock. Reina looked around and frowned. The smell was terrible and the place looked… well, like what her mother would have warned her about.

Kaiser was there, forming a chair into a throne, flanked by his two women. Hookwolf sat to his right, Victor to his left. The rest of the Empire was not in evidence.

A sign? He does not need to bring his full strength here? Or a threat, after all, with us here, they are free to act. Lung would no doubt quiz her on that issue.

Coil was there, Faultline as well,

In the seats around them were the second rank gangs. The Undersiders, the Zoots, the Zulus… Most of them straightened as they looked at Lung.

Reina smiled. They may not be our friends, Kaiser, but they are even less yours.

Around the table were drinks, mostly alcohol. Reina signaled the waitress as she sat. Lung had informed her of what to do. “Diet coke, please.” She wrote on a paper, and then the girl nodded and brought it to her.

“What’s a matter, girl, afraid Mom will ground you?” Hookwolf said.

Reina shook her head. “Drunk can be stupid… as you are well aware, Hookwolf.”

Hookwolf leaned back and chuckled. Well it would be too much to assume you could score on him so easily. And she wasn’t going to give the real reason—Reina wasn’t about to drink anything that came in a glass from this place.

“Very well, we can finally begin,” Kaiser said. “The explosion and other affairs have put the City in an unstable position. As has the intervention of a number of rogues that I feel threaten us.”

“Is Alabaster still trending on PHO?” the girl, Tattletale said from the booth. Laughter ran around the room.

“For a group that lost their leader to Lung you seem rather happy,” Victor said.

“Yeah, well, Grue is smart—smarter than you, targeting a teen and turning her into an open Ward.”

There was a rumble in the room.

“Really, Kaiser, I know your public stance on this, but if you can’t control your own people…” Coil shrugged. “Perhaps the instability is yours?”

“Enough,” Lung said. “Why have you called this meeting, Kaiser?”

“Orb Weaver.” Kaiser leaned forward. “He may be targeting the Empire now, but he will move to you soon enough. And his methods… I can think of a few other groups that use terror.”

“If you’re talking about the Slaughterhouse, they also have a body count.” Faultline said. “So far, Orb Weaver seems more interested in seeing pants soiled than killing people.”

“He also provided information to the PRT and the FBI,” Kaiser said. “Damaging information, that might imply he’s working with the Undersiders.”

“Sorry, nope, Orb Weaver ain’t on our side,” Tattletale replied. “Yeah, he must have been there when we hit your little charity, but it was coincidence. But let me guess, it’s not just Orb Weaver—you’ve also been getting your clock cleaned by the Investigator.”

“A pity about that,” Faultline said. “You send your men into the city to protect us from a Brute 8, and it turns out you stab the very girl she victimized—who said Brute then carries to a hospital.”

Kaiser seethed, then nodded. “Those responsible have been disciplined.”

“Well, they were fortunate,” Coil said. “I have certain sources and it looks like Madison Clements might be a Brute 9.” He leaned forward. “But I can see why you are concerned. Orb Weaver may be… a challenge, but the Investigator walked into a Master’s lair and solved a Teacher Plot within a few days of being hired.”

A Teacher Plot?

“What?” Faultline asked. “Teacher’s been birdcaged.”

“Yes,” Coil said. “And his granted powers supposedly failed after a few months—which turned out to be wrong.”

The PRT spoke of a Master… But not one linked to Teacher.

“And you are revealing this, why?” Lung asked. “We are not fools. You have sources we do not, and yet… why tell us this?”

“The Investigator is dangerous,” Coil replied. “The PRT and Protectorate are using her as an off-books detective, and she’s already resolved an issue with one of their Wards. I had a long-planned operation that she destroyed and made it look easy.”

“She is associated, at least in part, with Orb Weaver,” Victor murmured. “Maybe she is the one pointing Orb Weaver at targets?”

“I have a plan to bring her into my organization,” Coil said. “After which, she would be no problem, at least in the sense of helping the Protectorate and PRT. I might need some assistance.”

“To give you a thinker? No.” Kaiser said.

Why would Coil think we would aid him to obtain a thinker? Reina frowned.

Lung said nothing, then gestured at Kaiser. “You brought us here to seek to enlist us to help the Empire. Do you think I am stupid?”

“No, but possibly a truce, while we resolve our issues?”

“You mean, give you a chance to shore up your defenses.”

Reina frowned, then nodded. “What about your intentions regarding the damaged part of the city?”

“Lung, control your pet.” Kaiser gestured at her. “Your betters are speaking girl, and we will talk about your attacks on white teens at your school.”

“You mean the fools who brought guns and drugs? Would you rather I report them to the administration? Disorder at school benefits none of us.”

“Kanshi,” Lung rumbled.

Reina ducked her head. “Forgive me.”

“I am curious,” Lung continued. “What are your intentions about the ruined parts of town?”

“Why?”

“Because they form a border between the ABB and E88 zones.” Lung smiled. “Deed them to us, and we will not move beyond that border.”

An easy enough promise. The neighborhoods beyond that were pure E88.

“Deed them?”

“Put no pressure on the owners to demand a high price,” Lung said. “Do not send your capes into the area.” He smiled. “And since you have become so fearful at sounds in the darkness, we will then respect all your territory, for… the next six months? That should be more than enough time for the mighty Empire to defeat Orb Weaver.”

Kaiser growled, then looked at the others. He nodded. “So long as nobody makes a move against the Empire while we deal with this pest, you will be safe—for now.”

Six months… They might not be able to secure the full zone, but thinking about it, they could, at the very least secure the northern portions, which would directly link two of the largest Asian neighborhoods in the city.

By the time the Empire finishes with Orb Weaver, if they do, we will be very well situated to deal with them.

The rest of the meeting went calmly. The Empire left, first leaving Lung to introduce Reina to the lesser gangs that clustered around the ABB.

“Heard you helped out Cindy,” The head of the Zoots said. Unlike many, he wasn’t a parahuman, with Granite standing by him, covered in the rocky exoskeleton that gave him his name.

“The ABB is not the Empire, even if some need to be reminded of it.”

“Whatever you say. Her Mom is friends with mine, but man, having her come to the door and seeing freaking Oni Lee on the other side of the street…” He chuckled. “You got big cajones to be ordering him around.”

Reina didn’t know how to respond to that. “Ah, yes. Thank you.”

And then, she was in the seat with Lung as they drove back to the ABB territories.

Lung turned to her. “Explain.”

“The Empire is weak, not just materially, but in terms of how they are seen. They need this truce.”

“Then why did I give it to them?”

“Because…” Reina frowned. “The Empire might… destroy Orb Weaver?”

“And in the process might be weakened. Or they might fail, and we will learn more of Orb Weaver’s capabilities. Orb Weaver lurks in the shadows, not because he is a coward, but because he is clever. He is playing Go, fencing the Empire off. But he will eventually turn on the ABB.”

“Ah.”

“But there is another point. Coil. Why did he speak of the Investigator?”

“He wanted help.” Reina shook her head. “But why would he think we would give it to him…”

“You missed an important point. He wanted help, and I expect the Empire will give it to him.”

“What?”

“They know how dangerous the Investigator is. Coil also operates from the shadows, and a Thinker who could tell him where to strike…”

“They will try to neutralize her before he can get her.”

“And Coil will be waiting with an offer of sanctuary. He also plays Go.”

“We have already proven our word is good with the Investigator…” Reina frowned. “But I do not think she would deal with the ABB. Not in that way. She values her independence. Also, if she truly did break a plot extending from the Birdcage… I expect if she truly needed sanctuary, the Protectorate would offer it.”

“Agreed. I also play Go. If we offer her sanctuary, even if she does not accept it, that will predispose her to see us fondly, and if she is working with Orb Weaver…”

“Ah. I am to open communication’s with her, then.”

“Yes.” Lung paused. “On the school. You should have feigned ignorance. That would have forced Kaiser to withdraw his claim or admit his lack of control to the others.”

“I will do better, Lung.”

“For your first meeting, you did well. We will drop you off by your home.”

Thank you. She would have time to read to her little brother before bed.

****

Yeah, I just scrapped 700 words from Leviathan, because I realized I just made Alexandria look really stupid in tactics. So have a sidestory bit with our favorite Paper hero.