Skitter's Surrender
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Skitter's Surrender marks the occasion when Skitter surrendered to the PRT.
Prelude
Taylor didn't tell any of the Undersiders what she was planning except for Tattletale, who she asked to keep it a secret. She told Tattletale to act against the PRT at sunset unless she recieved a signal.<ref name=":0">Interlude 21 </ref>
She visited each of the Undersiders to make sure that they could manage their territories and privately say goodbye.<ref>"She paid me a visit," Grue said. "I didn't realize it until I got the call from Tattletale. She was saying goodbye. Not out loud, but… checking I was okay, making sure I'd be able to manage… after she was gone."
Bentley was still growing. His flesh split at the shoulder, and he brought one back leg up, kicking at the air as if he had an itch he wanted to reach but couldn't.
The pitbull and wolf puppy were growing too. The pitbull looked a lot less comfortable with the process than the other animals, more alarmed. Bitch tugged the chain absently to keep him in line.
"She visited us too," Regent said. "Imp and me."
"Me too," Tattletale spoke from her perch on the stairs, quiet.
Not me, Parian thought. Unless I count that meeting with Miss Militia and Lily.
That served the same purposes, didn't it? Getting things settled? Making sure things would be okay in the future. Ensuring the heroes could help out with my territory? - Interlude 21 </ref> She visited Tattletale, and briefly discussed the plan.<ref name=":1">Imago 21.7 </ref>
Events
Taylor travelled to the PRT ENE Headquarters and surrendered.<ref name=":1" /> They gave her a bunch of contradictory orders, then brought in Clockblocker to freeze her.<ref name=":2">Cell 22.1 </ref>
Cauldron were immediately concerned.<ref>Interlude 21 (Donation Bonus 1)</ref>
When Skitter awoke from Clockblocker's effect, she was cuffed and Director Tagg, the Protectorate and the Wards were all present. She was taken to a secure cell by Clockblocker and Triumph. A female PRT officer had her strip and searched her. She listened in on the heroes' discussions regarding her goals and how to contain her using her power.<ref name=":2" /> Her capture was widely reported on both TV and radio across the country,<ref name=":0" /> with the PRT press release designed to emphasize how dangerous her allies were.<ref name=":2" />
Flechette contacted Parian to tell her and ask what was going on, but Parian had no idea. The Undersiders met up to discuss what had happened. Bitch refused to consider the possibility that she had left, dismissing it as another of Taylor's plans. The Undersiders and Parian met with Accord, who was offended by Skitter's seeming departure.<ref name=":0" />
Flechette was asked to leave Skitter's range to make a phone call,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> which she used as an excuse to meet up with Parian. She waited for half an hour for her to get back to her house, getting herself into trouble with Miss Militia. She asked to defect and become Parian's lieutenant.<ref name=":0" />
Kid Win began working with Sere to complete anti-Skitter defences. The heroes brought in Dinah Alcott, but she refused to cooperate and got in an argument with Tagg, telling him there was a 22.813% chance he was going to die slowly and painfully. They noticed the bugs in the air reacting to Skitter's anger and realised that she could hear them arguing.<ref name=":2" />
After some time, Kid Win completed his drones and began sending them throughout the building to try and destroy Skitter's bugs.<ref name=":2" /> Flechette emailed Miss Militia to reveal she had defected.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">Cell 22.3 </ref>
Tagg and Miss Militia interrogated Skitter, and she revealed the deadline she had set up with the Undersiders.<ref name=":2" /> They allowed her to call her lawyer Quinn Calle. While Skitter waited silently for him to arrive, Tagg described his time fighting Simurgh victims in Lausanne, argued that the Birdcage was worse than execution, and pointed out that other villains had been inspired to attempt to take over other cities by her actions. Calle arrived, and he and Taylor talked privately, discussing her crimes and outlining the demands she hoped to make the PRT meet in exchange for her surrender.<ref name=":4">Cell 22.2 </ref>
After almost two hours of work, Taylor and Calle presented her demands: in exchange for her surrender, the Undersiders would be quietly allowed to operate unhindered, and Tagg would retire and be replaced by Miss Militia. She would become a PRT operative hunting the Slaughterhouse Nine. But Miss Militia revealed that the Nine had destroyed Toybox and vanished into a pocket dimension.<ref name=":4" /> While Skitter revised her terms, Tagg decided to bring in Taylor's dad, and sent out teams of heroes across the city. Taylor had Tattletale make a bid for the land around the portal in downtown Brockton Bay.<ref name=":3" />
Aftermath
[coming soon]
References
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