-----Chief Director Morgana Yu-----

-----Talos-1 Research Station; L2 Lagrange Point; Lunar Orbit-----

-----01/05/2011-----

"Based on the video Director Piggot managed to collect, I would have to agree. This 'Brockton Bay' seems to be experiencing a Typhon infestation."

"Care to speculate on their behavior, doctor? Raiding electronics stores doesn't exactly match up with your descriptions of standard Typhon behavior." The Chief Director of the PRT says.

"Most likely, those Phantoms are being directed by Typhon Prime to acquire sufficient computer hardware to fabricate a Technopath, or multiple Technopaths. While Typhon Prime is theoretically capable of emulating a Technopath's abilities, those abilities are really only viable within a given radius of itself, therefore to further facilitate its grip over the area, it will need additional Technopaths."

"Why would it need electronic components to spawn a Technopath?" The gruff, beareded man knowns as "Armsmaster" asks.

"Because typically the Typhon lack the ability to directly interfere with electronics or computer systems with any meaningful level of finesse. The closest that they would normally get is the brief electromagnetic interference their bodies seem to naturally produce which is exasperated by Voltaic Phantoms. In order to perform any advanced sabotage or subversion of digital systems, they need a medium to interface with. Up here on Talos-1 they would typically try to corrupt an Operator to use as a mobile cyber warfare platform. Down there, I really don't know. It's possible that Typhon Prime may try to recreate Operator frames with the express intent of creating Technopaths that it's familiar with, though there is the possibility for it to improvise or adapt on an as needed basis."

"And what should we do to protect our systems from being at risk of being compromised by a Technopath or by Typhon Prime should it come down to that?"

"Destroy the Technopaths. That's pretty much the only real way to end their control over any electrical or digital system they've managed to compromise. Exposure to the Exotic Material that composes the Typhon's bodies results in major changes to infected hardware and software to help facilitate their dominion over such things."

"You're saying there's no practical way to safeguard our systems from a Technopath attack?" Armsmaster all but growls the question at me.

"Perhaps it may be different for you due to the anomalous nature of 'Tinkertech', but there's no real way of knowing for sure until such time as it happens or doesn't happen."

"Thank you, doctor. Do you have any advice for containing or eliminating the Typhon before they proliferate out of control?" The Chief Director asks me.

"As I said in my previous briefing. Hit them hard and fast from long distance. Don't bother closing in because you'd just be getting within effective range of the majority of their known abilities."

"Understood." The Chief Director then terminates the connection.

"Well, I'd say that things are progressing in a most interesting direction." I say outloud more or less to myself.

Then the Chief Systems Engineer, and my girlfriend, Mikhaila Ilyushin, speaks up. "Are you sure about all of this Morgana? This seems rather..."

"I think I know what you mean, Mika. I'm not super happy about it, but it is what it is."

"But you didn't tell them everything we know. About the Nightmares. The Apex. You kept that from them. Why?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to make things too easy on them, wouldn't I? I feel bad enough giving away so much information on Typhon Prime's capabilities as it is."

"You did manage to sell the remorseful humanitarian act rather nicely. I don't think any of them doubted your sincerity about wanting to end the 'Volunteer Feeding Program'."

"Well, I do want to end that particular program. We can only get away with throwing death row convicts at the Mimics for so long before the truth gets out and the bleeding hearts start making a fuss and tanking our stocks. Those acting and dramaturgy Neuromods really do continue to pay dividends."

"You're not wrong. Though why give them so much information to begin with? Isn't there a good chance they may succeed in destroying Typhon Prime?"

"Highly unlikely. That one's a survivor, gifted with the best Neuromods and put through the most rigorous testing in the Looking Glass simulations. Honestly, this breach is a good thing for stress-testing and development. We'd more or less peaked at the limits of the Typhon's adaptive ecology here on Talos-1 and the Pytheas Moon base trials, and these 'Parahumans' ought to provide sufficient stressors to push the development of the Typhon even more."

-----???/Our Protagonist-----

-----Sewers of Brockton Bay, CT-----

-----01/05/2011-----

While fiddling around with the various electronic components and tools, I find myself more or less operating on autopilot as the relevant knowledge just trickles forth to the forefront of my mind.

I don't know how or why I know how to build Operators, but I clearly do know how to build them and convert them into Technopaths, so I'm going to do so. I'm clearly on the back foot in terms of information and "knowledge is power".

Eventually though, I managed to kludge together something that met the bare minimum requirements to pass for a Technopath. I then ordered three Mimics to gather around the Operator chassis and used my power to Weave them together with the Operator.

With the Technopath online, I at last proceeded to the next phase of my plan. I had my Phantoms escort the Technopath through the sewers towards the Brockton Bay Public Library to take advantage of the free internet.

Having reached the library's wi-fi hotspot, I order the Technopath to begin scouring the internet for data on potential threats and assets within Brockton Bay.

"Threats" in this case being known Parahuman's, Rogues or Groups, that may threaten me. "Assets" being individuals who may possess the relevant knowledge, skills, or psychological temperament to be of use to me.

While sifting through ParaHumans Online, or PHO, along with relevant wiki entries to correlate data, I come to understand the basic layout of the local power blocs.

Hmm, this Empire Eighty-Eight seems to be a problem simply due to sheer Parahuman volume. Über and Leet are mostly harmless. Azn Bad Boys have Lung, who once contended with the entirety of the Brockton Bay Protectorate, and won, not to mention fighting evenly against Leviathan, the Second Endbringer.

Oni Lee is the equivalent of an "Etheric Phantom on crack" to borrow human vernacular; which is to say he's annoying, but manageable. The Undersider's are a small-time group of thugs who keep mostly to themselves. There powers aren't outwardly impressive. Coil... is largely an unknown. I don't like unknowns.

Then there's the local Hero's. I require more information. To that end, I order the Technopath to begin a raid on the local PRT and Protectorate database to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with.

-----Some Underpaid PRT Intern-----

-----PRT ENE Field Office-----

Wow, today's shaping up to be kind of ridiculous. The higher ups are keeping hush hush about it, but apparently something, or someone managed to really kick the hornets nest last night. Rumor has it it's connected to a series of kidnappings that happened earlier this morning, but what do I know?

Suddenly, my computer starts to spaz the fuck out as files, tabs, windows, etc. are being opened and closed at breakneck speed. "Son of a bitch! Get someone in charge! Someone's hacking our systems!"

-----Colin Wallis/Armsmaster-----

-----His Workshop, Protectorate Base "The Rig"-----

"Dragon, what is your opinion on these 'Typhon'? If this 'Project Cobalt' that Dr. Yu spoke of truly worked, could they possibly be reasoned with? Could they help us fight against the Endbringers?"

Dragon then responds from her wall monitor "I truly don't know, Colin. It's all very strange. Wait a second- Colin! Someone's trying to hack your lab! Wait- They're attacking the entire Rig!"

What?! "Close down all external server connections! Lock down everything!"

"I'm trying! They're incredibly- wait. Huh? They just... stopped? Why did they stop?"

"Perhaps they achieved their objective? In any event, we need to continue the lockdown and go over our systems with a fine-toothed comb to make sure they didn't leave any nasty surprises in our systems."

"Right. Oh, I've received a notification from the PRT Field Office. They were also attacked at seemingly the same time as The Rig."

"What the hell? Who in Brockton Bay would have the kind of hardware and knowhow to pull something like this?"

"Well, technically Leet could conceivably build a Tinkertech device capable of it based on what we know of his specialization. But an abrupt cyberattack out of nowhere with none of their usual 'flair' seems rather atypical. Other than that, the only other Tinkers we know of are Squealer and Trainwreck."

"Who lack anything remotely resembling a cyberattack specialization. Have you managed to trace the source of the attack?"

"I have. It seems to have originated from... The Brockton Bay Public Library?"

"...Dragon?"

"Colin?"

"You don't think?"

"I sincerely hope not, but it probably is."

"That's what I was afraid of. Call Director Piggot and let her know there's a high probability that Technopaths are now in play."

*At The Same Time*

-----Thomas Calvert/Coil-----

-----Timeline A-----

-----PRT Field Office-----

The appearance of these "Typhon" here in Brockton Bay are extremely unpleasant. I'm not actually cleared to know about the files on all known Typhon subspecies and their respective abilities, but I got my hands on the information regardless and I hate absolutely everything about them.

I didn't survive Nilbog's army of monsters at Ellisburg just to have my future kingdom overrun by a bunch of shadowy humanoid monsters. Of course, it's at that moment that everything goes to shit as all of a sudden, a massive cyberattack is executed against the PRT Field Office.

Reports are also coming in from The Rig indicating they're also under attack. Almost as quickly as it had started, it suddenly seemed to stop. Most of my "coworkers" believe it had something to do with Dragon's intervention, I however know better.

-----Timeline B-----

-----His Base, "Unfinished" Endbringer Shelter-----

I however know better, because I'm sitting here at my personal laptop watching the attack continue, using the backdoors I painstakingly installed into the PRT's systems.

The attack on The Rig's mostly tapered off in earnest due to them locking down their external connections, and having Dragon keeping a close eye on things. The PRT's database however, is nowhere near as secure, I made sure of that.

Unfortunately, my diligent efforts are coming back to bite me in the ass as whoever this bastard is managed to quickly find the backdoors I installed into the system, and are using them to tear through the PRT's firewalls without tripping any alarms.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough, they seemingly managed to back trace my connections and started hacking MY database! The fucker's now plundering MY hard-earned information that I've accumulated through painstaking effort! There's so much shit that could bury me in there, it's not even funny!

"Shut down all external server connections now!" I scream into the intercom. Moments later, I thank the powers that be that the team nearest the server room responded as quickly as they did. I just hope that whoever this piece of shit is, they didn't get anything too useful.

Then a thought occurs to me and I pull up one of my files on the Technopaths with a creeping sense of dread.

-----???/Our Protagonist-----

Huh. Coil's been a naughty, naughty boy. Civilian identities on nearly the entirety of the E88, the Merchants, the ABB, and so on. Along with dossiers on most of the Powers of nearly every Hero, Independent, and Villain Cape in Brockton Bay.

Correspondence with Accord over in Boston, MA. All kinds of dirt and detailed plans to try and oust Director Emily Piggot so that he can take over as director of the PRT ENE. His identity as the backer of The Undersiders, as well as being Trainwreck and Circus's true boss.

This is good stuff. Thank you Coil. Thank you very much. I wonder what I should do with him. Some of this intel, he seemingly added out of nowhere, and he's demonstrated an uncanny ability to always succeed at whatever endeavor he sets out to do, with minimal deviation.

If he isn't a Cape, I'll eat my tendrils. Thomas Calvert. What are you hiding? Perhaps Sarah could be persuaded to tell me. She does love to run her mouth after all...