Editing Plague (section)

==Summary==
The cape factions of the city meet to discuss their response to the Nine, including Dinah's prophecy. Mostly ejected from the general meeting by Hookwolf's manipulations, the Undersiders and Travelers strategize in private. After the meeting, they encounter half of the current Nine, who introduce Regent and Bitch to the testing process and announce Shatterbird's usual citywide attack. Tattletale is wounded after revealing Cherish's plan to subvert the Nine, but entices Jack to a deal- if the tests end with more than half the candidates surviving, the Nine take the first volunteer and leave town.

Taylor uses her bugs to warn as many people as possible of the imminent devastation from Shatterbird's power. (Her dad is injured, but Coil's medics arrive immediately and take him to get treatment.) While she's working to provide relief to the injured in her territory, Mannequin attacks. He kills several of her people, but she promises to make him regret it, and succeeds.

At the other end of town, the Nine instigate the violent dissolution of the Merchants and greets Mannequin when he slinks back in defeat.

The final interlude describes the venture of a young woman who comes into contact with Cauldron, a major mystery, who empowered her and now ask for several favors of her, with their final one being the most costly.