Editing Battle against Echidna

{{fight
|prev= [[Coil's Betrayal]]
|conc=[[Skirmish in Boston]]
|next=[[Incident at Arcadia High]]
|name={{PAGENAME}}
|conflict=Echidna escapes from Coil's base and goes on a rampage
|place=[[Brockton Bay]]
|date= June 20, 2011<ref name="I19">[[Interlude 19.y]]</ref>
|result=
*[[Echidna]] is killed.
*The [[Travelers]] are returned to Earth Aleph, sans Trickster.
*The existence of [[Cauldron]] is revealed to the public.
*The [[Triumvirate]] is discredited.
*The [[Irregulars]] are formed.
*A portal to [[Earths#Earth Gimel|Earth Gimel]] is opened in Brockton Bay.
|side1=
*The [[Protectorate]]
**[[Triumvirate]]
**[[Brockton Bay]] team
**[[Chicago]] team
**Other heroes
*[[Undersiders]]
*[[Faultline's Crew]]
*[[Travelers]]
|side2=
*[[Echidna]]
**[[Ignis Fatuus]]
**[[Apocrypha]]
**[[Chitter]]
**[[Scape]]
**[[Abhorror]]
**[[Carnie]]
**Various other [[Echidna Clones|Echidna clones]]
*[[Trickster]]
|casual1= 
*[[Myrddin]] and several other Protectorate capes are killed
*[[Shatterbird]] is killed
|casual2= *[[Echidna]] is killed
*[[Trickster]] is captured
*All [[Echidna Clones|Echidna clones]] killed
}}The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' marks the battle between the assembled forces of the [[Protectorate]], as well as [[The Undersiders]], against [[Echidna]] and her clones.
==Prelude==
In 2009, the [[The Simurgh|Simurgh]] attacked [[Madison|Madison, Wisconsin]]; in addition to necessitating the quarantine of the city, by drawing on the technology of [[Professor Haywire]], she brought a building containing a gaming team that would eventually become the [[Travelers]] from [[Earths#Earth Aleph|Earth Aleph]] into Earth Bet.<ref>[[Migration 17.2]]</ref> In their attempts to sustain themselves, the Travelers acquired powers by drinking from [[Cauldron vial]]s, but their main priority soon became helping [[Noelle]], whose lower body grew increasingly monstrous after drinking only half of a vial.<ref>[[Migration 17.7]]</ref> Eventually, the Travelers were hired by [[Coil]], who promised to find a cure for her, and they began to claim territory in [[Brockton Bay]].<ref>[[Migration 17.8]]</ref>

The Travelers remained in Coil's employment as his plans developed, with Noelle placed in confinement in his base. The kidnapping of [[Dinah Alcott]] had long been a point of contention between Coil and his other employees, the [[Undersiders]]; as his plans came to fruition, Coil [[Coil's Betrayal|betrayed the Undersiders]], almost killing [[Skitter]].<ref>[[Monarch 16.10]]</ref> Skitter survived the trap set for her, however, and eventually killed him. As his final act of spite, however, Coil made sure that Noelle heard his death over the phone. Her last hope of being cured gone, Noelle broke out of her cell and set out to kill the Undersiders for what they had done.<ref>We stopped when we reached Tattletale.  She stood facing the vault door.  The one that was used to seal Noelle within.<br><br>There were two vault doors, one set behind the other, and both were ruined, the one closest to us nearly folded in half, hanging by one hinge.<br><br>“A final act of spite,” Tattletale said.  She looked at the phone in her hand.  “He made sure she heard our conversation.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/monarch-16-13/ Excerpt] from [[Monarch 16.13]]</ref>

Noelle's absence was soon noticed as the Undersiders returned to Coil's base. [[Ballistic]] explained the nature of her high-rated [[Master]] powers to them, before they left and encountered [[Miss Militia]] at a damaged building, who informed them that [[Vista]] had been kidnapped.<ref>[[Queen 18.3]]</ref> They negotiated with the [[PRT]], who kept Noelle as an A-Class threat despite [[Tattletale]]'s efforts to persuade them to make her S-Class. However, they did agree to work with the Undersiders and brought in [[Eidolon]], [[Chevalier]], [[Myrddin]], and other Protectorate capes and Wards.<ref>[[Queen 18.4]]</ref> After a brief strategic meeting and a communication with Noelle herself, the capes moved out and began to act.<ref name="18.5">[[Queen 18.5]]</ref>
==Battle==
{{Incomplete}}The battle had two stages. The first was when Noelle was considered an A-Class threat. The Undersiders and [[Chicago]] [[Wards]] were sent together to warn Ballistic and [[Parian]] and also retrieve [[Scrub]] on Tattletale's request. On their way, however, the two groups encountered three of Noelle's [[Scape|Vista clones]], though without Noelle herself present.<ref name="18.5" /> The three Vistas were eventually defeated, but not before two of the Wards, [[Raymancer]] and [[Wanton]], were taken out of the battle by one of the clones. Meanwhile, [[Dragon]]'s armband reported that Eidolon had found Noelle and was planning to engage her one-on-one; the Undersiders and remaining Chicago Wards, [[Tecton]] and [[Grace]], decided to ignore Eidolon's command to stay away and located the two. Through her bugs, Skitter overheard Eidolon talking to Noelle, mentioning [[Cauldron]].<ref>[[Queen 18.6]]</ref>

Noelle and Eidolon began to fight one-on-one while the Undersiders and Wards dealt with the clones. Observing Noelle, Skitter realized that she was keeping the capes she was cloning inside herself.<ref>[[Queen 18.7]]</ref> Tecton managed to trap Noelle, allowing them to attack her directly, but her clones continued to be a problem, and the heroes sustained some injuries. The Travelers arrived to help; after Noelle accused them of betraying her, [[Trickster]] sided with Noelle.<ref name="18.8">[[Queen 18.8]]</ref>

Trickster removed primary threats such as Eidolon and the other Travelers from the battle while swapping out [[Grue]], [[Regent]], and Skitter toward Noelle to be absorbed.<ref name="18.8" /> Noelle (dubbed Echidna by the PRT) eventually negotiated with Eidolon to let her capture the three remaining Undersiders without challenge in exchange for her cooperation afterward. Fighting for control over her own body, Echidna reached Coil's base and began to fight Tattletale and Bitch.<ref>[[Interlude 18]]</ref>

While Tattletale fended off clones of the other Undersiders, heroes from the Protectorate arrived, and [[Shatterbird]], now free from Regent's control, began to use her power. Bitch sent her dogs to Echidna to be absorbed, trapping her as she grew, while [[Weld]], who was immune, rescued the absorbed capes from inside Echidna. The heroes and Undersiders retreated, and built-in mechanisms within Coil's base caused it to explode, buying them time as Echidna was buried under the rubble. Echidna's threat level was upgraded to [[S-Class]], and other assets were called in.<ref name="19.1">[[Scourge 19.1]]</ref>

While the PRT attempted to secure the base with [[Containment foam|containment foam]], Skitter talked with Weld and Miss Militia about her killing Calvert, as well as about Eidolon's involvement with Cauldron. Skitter (healed by [[Scapegoat]]) had Imp take Grue home. Responding to the newly-increased threat level, the reinforcements, including the rest of the [[Triumvirate]], arrived; Tattletale tested them and determined that all three of the Triumvirate knew about Cauldron.<ref>[[Scourge 19.2]]</ref> The Undersiders joined up with the Chicago Wards, and Tattletale requested to see the Travelers and revealed that she invited [[Faultline’s Crew]].

[[Myrddin]] was killed, along with several other capes in the belly of Echidna and ensuing fight.
==Aftermath==
[[Ignis Fatuus|Eidolon's clone]] had effectively discredited the [[Triumvirate]], revealing the existence of [[Cauldron]] as well as the Triumvirate's association with it. [[Contessa]] continued to silence people who were present at this event and spoke out about this for some time afterward. Many [[Case 53]]s broke away from the [[Protectorate]] as a result of this revelation, forming their own group, the [[Irregulars]], while suspicion grew within the Protectorate itself about the loyalties of Cauldron capes. Heroes such as [[Pretender]] and [[Legend]] resigned from their positions, the latter being replaced by [[Chevalier]] as leader of the Protectorate. This damage persisted for years.

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