7.11

The Undersiders, a team of young supervillains, arrive at one of Coil’s secret bases. The base, hidden beneath a construction site, is a hub of activity, filled with armed soldiers in uniform.

They meet Coil, their employer, who is in a discussion with four other individuals. Coil dismisses them and turns his attention to the Undersiders.

Tattletale, the team’s strategist, voices their concerns about the increasing danger of their missions. They’ve had several close calls, including a confrontation with Lung and Oni Lee, followed by a clash with the Protectorate, Wards, and Empire Eighty-Eight. They feel they’re not strong enough to handle these constant high-stakes situations, even with Coil’s assistance.

Bitch, initially resistant to Coil’s offer of a long-term deal, has reconsidered, seeing potential benefits for her and her dogs. However, the rest of the team has developed reservations, particularly regarding Coil’s methods and the risks they entail.

Coil acknowledges their concerns and apologizes for his recent maneuver against Empire Eighty-Eight, which involved outing the secret identities of its members, putting them and their families at risk. He admits it was a heavy-handed move, one he planned before even meeting the Undersiders. He explains his long-term goal of uncovering the civilian identities of his enemies, a project that has been ongoing for four years and has only recently borne fruit, thanks in part to Tattletale’s contributions.

Coil promises that if they accept his deal, he will consult them, the Travelers, and other independent villains working for him before undertaking any major plans in the future. He hopes this will allow them to identify potential flaws and unintended consequences in his schemes.

The Undersiders remain skeptical. They express a lack of trust in Coil, and Tattletale admits that even her powers can’t guarantee he won’t try to circumvent their agreement. Coil concedes that he can only earn their trust through consistent, trustworthy actions.

Coil then addresses their concerns about safety. He introduces them to Dinah Alcott, a young girl with precognitive abilities. Dinah can calculate the probability of various outcomes, making her an invaluable asset to Coil. He asks her to predict the Undersiders’ chances of success in a hypothetical mission against Kaiser, without his help. Dinah gives them a 46.62354% chance of all returning, and a 33.77901% chance of only some returning.

Coil then asks for predictions if the Travelers were sent instead, to which Dinah gives a 60.21009% chance of all returning, but a 44.1743% chance of someone getting hurt or killed.

When Coil asks Dinah to calculate the chances for both teams if he were to assist them, the numbers unexpectedly drop. Dinah claims the Undersiders would have a 32.00583% chance of returning unharmed, and the Travelers a 41% chance. Coil is confused and distressed, as these numbers are lower than without his help.

Dinah becomes agitated, insisting the numbers are correct and accusing Coil of trying to cheat her out of candy. Coil tries to calm her down, promising her candy after one more question. He asks again for the Undersiders’ chances of returning intact from the mission against Kaiser, without his help. Dinah gives a 12.3133% chance.

Coil abruptly ends the demonstration and sends Dinah away with a soldier. He mutters about an anomaly affecting the numbers, and dismisses the Undersiders, saying he needs to focus on this new problem.

As they leave, Regent comments on the surreal encounter, but the others are disturbed. Skitter reveals that Dinah is the missing child from the Amber Alert that overshadowed news of their bank robbery. The bank robbery was a distraction orchestrated by Coil to allow him to kidnap Dinah. The Undersiders, unknowingly, played a part in her abduction.