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Description

Sex: Female

Species: Mutated rat

Location of Origin: Salem, New Jersey

Date encountered: March 20th, 1980

Height: 12 meters (39ft)

Length: 18 meters (59ft)

Weight: 680 metric tons

Threat level: Extremely high High

Aggression level: Extremely high

Known mutations:

- Psionic link with The Rat King and The Living Tide allows The Brood Mother complete control over her subjects. She can control them individually or as a horde if need be, depending on the circumstances. Even without her hive mind link, her subjects are fiercely loyal and will throw their lives away to defend her. This link allows her to literally "see" the outside world through the eyes of her minions, and she acquires all knowledge and experience that her subjects learn, thus increasing her intelligence. If this link is broken, her subjects may be killed outright because of the neural backlash. Those that survive this ordeal revert to feral, uncoordinated instinct.

- High fertility allows The Brood Mother to give birth to hundreds of young in the span of a few days. As a result, her body is swollen and bloated with countless offspring waiting to be born. Once born, her young will suckle on the protein rich milk from her teats which accelerates their growth. This constant state of pregnancy renders her completely immobile and vulnerable.

History:

The creature that would become The Brood Mother began life as a rodent living in the irradiated area formerly Salem, New Jersey in the wake of V.I.P.E.R's 1977 attack. The high levels of Nebranium radiation left behind ensured that it would not be the last mutant to originate from this area, and indeed it wouldn't be. The female rat that would become The Brood Mother and the male that would become The Rat King would be exposed to tremendous levels of radiation that would trigger the Belua gene present in both of their bodies, initiating an onset of hideous mutation. The rodents would evade US Army patrols protecting the near-completed Salem containment zone and flee towards Pennsylvania, eventually arriving in the city of Philadelphia. After scouting out the city, the mutants eventually hollowed out a large burrow beneath the 22nd St subway station. With their nest established, the monsters set about acquiring food to feed themselves and their future young. Their activities usually occurred at night, and involved raiding closed restaurants and convenience stores, which led local authorities to believe that a string of burglaries was happening where no money was taken, only food. Eventually, the two mutants began to mate, and soon enough the number of mutants would multiply exponentially. With plenty of food available, the young thrived and quickly grew to adulthood, continuing the cycle of gathering food and other materials to expand the nest. Using her psionic link to her minions, The Brood Mother “gifted” her offspring the knowledge of where to best locate food, usually places The Brood Mother and proto-Rat King had raided before. As the rodent’s population exploded, sightings of large rats in the sewers and subways began to rise, a natural consequence of so many of the creatures now running around.

One such mutant was found and killed by subway workers in the Market St line, gaining newspaper headlines as well as stoking fears that mutants had gained a foothold in the city. These fears were not unwarranted, as the Offspring of The Progenitor had been seen near Conshohocken which was but a few miles from the city limits. However the city’s call for inquiry went unanswered by the US Army, stating that large rats inhabiting city subways were not uncommon and not a sure-fire sign of mutant activity. However as the sightings increased, attacks on citizens began to rise as well, with at least one person being mauled to death by an enormous rat that was rummaging through their garbage. Police investigations into the matter ended with a close encounter with one such giant rat, with the officers unable to kill the creature before it fled into the sewers. Throughout these encounters with humans, The Brood Mother began to learn more about the humans she shared this city with. They were frail and usually unable to defend themselves against something bigger than them, however they possessed weapons that could even the odds. The breeder-beast quickly came to the conclusion that humans posed a significant threat to their existence, as their surface activities were being increasingly monitored by humans. One such instance involved a human reporter who descended into the dark tunnels to snap pictures of the tunnels carved out by the rodents. Her minions stealthily observed this intruder from the shadows, The Brood Mother seeing the human’s every move through the eyes of her minions as though she was right there herself. It would only be a matter of time before the nest was located, and so she had to shore up her defenses to ensure the survival of her species. For now, their numbers were still not great enough to where they could wrest the city from human hands, so she would have to wait.

Eventually, the US Army arrived in the city and began patrolling the subways and sewers of Philadelphia in search of the mutant rodents following the police sighting days before. It wouldn’t take long for the soldiers to spot their first mutant, and open fire. However things didn't go as expected, as there was not one or two of the creatures, but dozens of them swarming in from the pitch black subway tunnels. The humans killed several of the creatures, but several more scurried out from the shadows to replace their fallen kin. The Brood Mother watched these events unfold and contemplated her next move. These particular humans were far more dangerous than the usual ones on the surface, and though with great difficulty, could slay their number by the dozens. The breeder-beast determined that it was time to strike back against the humans, first driving the armed intruders out of the subways before gathering her forces for a massive counterattack. Using her smaller minions, The Brood Mother observed a mass exodus of humans out of the city, with the closest concentration being on a large bridge over the river. Several armed humans guarded the others as they fled on foot and in their vehicles, however their number was few and her swarm would sustain light casualties. Her army mobilized, taking position in key areas around the entrance of the bridge until the moment to attack came. Hundreds of the rodents lay in wait; some for the purpose of attack, others as reinforcements in the unlikely event that the humans put up more resistance than expected. A powerful psionic signal from The Brood Mother was the equivalent of a whistle being blown, and her minions emerged by the dozens from storm drains, manholes, and drainage pipes to swarm the humans on the bridge. The attack caught them completely off guard, and the rodents set about slaughtering any they came across. The humans armed with rifles were no match for the sheer onslaught, and the few casualties they were able to inflict did little to slow the horde.

As the mutant rats ran amok on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, The Brood Mother suddenly sensed several other living creatures approaching from the river, just a tiny scent detected by one of her countless minions, but it was enough. In unison, the horde ceased their attack and turned towards the river, which began to bubble and churn. The rodents scaled the bridge anywhere they could to watch what was going on, The Brood Mother also observing through their eyes. The water erupted, and several large amphibian mutants emerged from the water bellowing. The sudden appearance startled the horde, and the rodents began to mass on the asphalt of the bridge to size up their new enemies as they approached. The Brood Mother ordered her minions to make an intimidation display, shrieking and chirping at the new arrivals in an attempt to make them back down. The Brood Mother knew that she had the numbers in reserve to potentially overwhelm these new enemies, however she instead chose to test them to see what they were capable of first. With these bigger mutants refusing to back down, The Brood Mother incited her minions to attack and let their ravenous instincts do the rest. The Offspring of The Progenitor effortlessly killed the rodents by the several dozen, using their superior size and corrosive abilities to wipe out scores of the mammalian horde. The Brood Mother watched her minions die one by one, seeing their last moments down to the nanosecond right before they died. She did not mourn the fallen, as she had more beyond counting awaiting her beck and call. Instead, she gained valuable insight from their short-lived experiences, and quickly formulated a strategy to deal with them more effectively.

Setting her plans in motion, The Brood mother had her minions feign retreat, scurrying under the legs of The Offspring and back into the city. Predictably, these voracious predators gave chase and the breeder-beast’s plan was underway. The rodent horde split into three smaller groups, one for each creature and led them into different parts of the city to isolate them. Their predator instincts overriding those of survival and rendering them unaware of the deliberate plot to separate them. The main target, The Mauler, had arrived to it’s trap-zone where dozens of the rodents lie in wait inside buildings and storm drains. When the moment was right, the mutants sprang from their hiding spots and swarmed the bulky creature. Teeth and claws bit and slashed into the creature's rubbery skin. The Mauler attempted to defend itself, grabbing entire groups of the creatures off of it and crushing them in it's huge hands. Others were bitten and swallowed whole, yet still they pressed their attack. The huge mutant attempted to roll itself over to crush it's swarming attackers, and while it succeeded in killing the ones clinging to it's back, more rushed in to fill the gap completely covering the struggling creature. It's regenerative healing was able to mitigate much of the damage done by the smaller mutants, but was quickly becoming taxed by the sheer volume of attacks. The Mauler attempted to call out to it's siblings for help, but they had been purposely led far enough away to where they were isolated from one another. The damage began to take its toll, and wounds that once closed within moments now remained open and weeping with streams of blood. The rodents attacked these weak points further, causing even more damage to the child of The Progenitor. The Mauler felt the creatures digging into it's skin and innards, but refused to go down without a fight. A swipe of it's mighty arms flung a dozen of the rodents into the side of a building and killed them on impact. The other arm brought it's fist down on another incoming pack, crushing them into gory pulps.

Yet no matter how many of the rodents fell, the horde seemed to be never ending. The Mauler continued to fight to it's very last breath, even as the rats ate it alive. After a while, the struggling stopped and the rodents feasted upon their kill. The Brood Mother was delighted with her minions for their impressive kill, and ordered the carcass to be dragged elsewhere so it may be brought to the nest as extra food for the latest generation of soldiers yet to be born. However The Brood Mother found that this tactic produced less-than-favorable results against the other two Offspring, their superior agility and more potent corrosive abilities compared to The Mauler allowed them to fight off the horde long enough for them to escape the trap. The Brood Mother determined that it was time to deploy some of her best warriors to deal with the new threats, and to that end she sent out numerous scouts to determine the location of the Offspring. Some days later, one such scout was skulking the abandoned city streets when it spotted The Firstborn emerging from the Schuylkill River under I676. The creature shadowed The First Born until it’s brethren prepared a trap for it in Logan Square. Once everything was in place, the diminutive mutant emerged from the shadow and shrieked to get the monster’s attention, with more soon joining in. The First Born’s first instinct was to attack, and the Living Tide scurried away towards the park where they had their champion waiting. The First Born followed the creatures all the way to Logan Square where the trap was sprung. Emerging from the sinkhole that swallowed the Swann Memorial Fountain, The Rat King had risen to challenge The First Born. The creature obliged, and a mighty clash ensued wherein The Brood Mother observed through the hive mind.

The two brutes were evenly matched, trading blow after blow yet unable to fell the other. However the battle came to a conclusion when The First Born pinned The Rat King to the ground and snapped it’s neck. A trivial loss, as plenty more Rat Kings were pining for the opportunity to enter battle with their enemy. They would soon get the chance, as one of The Brood Mother’s scouts had located the US Army’s outpost located in City Hall. The dog-sized rodent did not linger long, only enough to size up the exterior defenses before retreating into a storm drain. The Brood Mother was confident that she had the numbers to overwhelm the base and eradicate the human military presence in the city. Once they were gone, she could commit all her forces to destroying The Offspring once and for all. However amidst these preparations, the nest was intruded upon by an unseen presence. Though invisible, The Brood Mother could smell the intruder; it wasn’t one of hers, therefore it was a threat. Directing her nest defenders to the exact location of the intruder, the trespasser revealed itself to be a Mk. 2 Rosalis dispatched by the humans to scout out the location of the nest. The creature didn’t last long, and barely put up a fight before it was crushed under the sheer might of numbers. However unbeknownst to The Brood Mother, the creature had already accomplished it’s mission. Tracking data from the dead Rosalis had been received by the US Army and had identified The Brood Mother as a high value target. In the coming days, The Brood Mother’s scouts had brought in a bounty of food from the surface, left behind by the humans in large quantities unattended.

This plentiful food supply was in truth rigged with canisters of neurotoxin gas that the humans had deliberately laid out with the expectation that the mutants wouldn’t pass up the opportunity for free food. The moment her soldiers brought these rigged crates into her lair, she had sealed her doom and was none the wiser. The humans intended to wait until all the canisters were inside the nest to ensure maximum casualties. This would cost them, as The Brood Mother’s soldiers moved into position to attack the US Army’s HQ. The surprise attack was devastating, and the perimeter defenses fell within minutes from the onslaught by The Living Tide and several Rat Kings. However in her blind fervor assaulting the humans, The Brood Mother overlooked a critical danger imminently approaching. The Offspring had reunited and had chased a flock of Living Tide into a subway station, and were burrowing a direct path towards the nest. This sudden attack forced The Brood Mother to divert her attention away from attacking the humans to the intruders at hand. Several Rat Kings leapt to her defense, and engaged the Offspring in bloody battle. The Brood Mother also called her entire army back to the nest to defend it, halting her attack on City Hall. This would allow the humans to recover and fortify their defenses for the nest assault, but her safety and that of the nest was a top priority. Soon The Living Tide poured in from every entrance where they could fit and swarmed The Offspring. Mighty as they where, even they could not fight off such a massive assault. Little by little, their strength began to fail under the weight of the horde. The Brood Mother shrieked in delight as her minions wore down the intruders; how foolish of them to think they could assault her domain unopposed. Right as it seemed that The First Born and The Devourer would meet the same fate as The Mauler, the humans back at the HQ detonated the neurotoxin canisters, flooding the room with a vile pale-yellow gas. The effects on the rodents was immediate, and several began to collapse in a seizure while choking on their own saliva and vomit.

The Brood Mother too was affected by the airborne poison, her body convulsing with seizures as she spewed out the contents of her stomach. This caused her hold over her minions to shatter, sending a psychic backlash to each and every one of her soldiers both present and above ground. Some were killed instantly, their brains literally reduced to pulp from the overload. Others reverted to feral instinct and fled, but for any inside the nest who attempted to flee, the poison ensured that they wouldn’t make it far. Before her bond was severed, she could feel the pain and anguish of all her minions at once. She saw and felt their life forces be snuffed out one by one through their very own eyes. Even her unborn offspring within her mountainous girth ceased to live. The Brood Mother managed to bellow in defeat through her clogged airways before succumbing to the neurotoxin. In the aftermath, hazmat teams were dispatched into the tunnels to begin disposing of the thousands of corpses of The Living Tide as well as The Rat Kings and The Brood Mother herself. The bodies were piled in meter high mounds and set ablaze with thermite. Those that survived on the surface would be hunted down and killed by both the US Army and The Offspring, until The Brood Mother and her mighty legion were no more.

Description

Sex: Female

Species: Mutated rat

Location of Origin: Salem, New Jersey

Date encountered: March 20th, 1980

Height: 12 meters (39ft)

Length: 18 meters (59ft)

Weight: 680 metric tons

Threat level: Extremely high High

Aggression level: Extremely high

Known mutations:

- Psionic link with The Rat King and The Living Tide allows The Brood Mother complete control over her subjects. She can control them individually or as a horde if need be, depending on the circumstances. Even without her hive mind link, her subjects are fiercely loyal and will throw their lives away to defend her. This link allows her to literally "see" the outside world through the eyes of her minions, and she acquires all knowledge and experience that her subjects learn, thus increasing her intelligence. If this link is broken, her subjects may be killed outright because of the neural backlash. Those that survive this ordeal revert to feral, uncoordinated instinct.

- High fertility allows The Brood Mother to give birth to hundreds of young in the span of a few days. As a result, her body is swollen and bloated with countless offspring waiting to be born. Once born, her young will suckle on the protein rich milk from her teats which accelerates their growth. This constant state of pregnancy renders her completely immobile and vulnerable.

History:

The creature that would become The Brood Mother began life as a rodent living in the irradiated area formerly Salem, New Jersey in the wake of V.I.P.E.R's 1977 attack. The high levels of Nebranium radiation left behind ensured that it would not be the last mutant to originate from this area, and indeed it wouldn't be. The female rat that would become The Brood Mother and the male that would become The Rat King would be exposed to tremendous levels of radiation that would trigger the Belua gene present in both of their bodies, initiating an onset of hideous mutation. The rodents would evade US Army patrols protecting the near-completed Salem containment zone and flee towards Pennsylvania, eventually arriving in the city of Philadelphia. After scouting out the city, the mutants eventually hollowed out a large burrow beneath the 22nd St subway station. With their nest established, the monsters set about acquiring food to feed themselves and their future young. Their activities usually occurred at night, and involved raiding closed restaurants and convenience stores, which led local authorities to believe that a string of burglaries was happening where no money was taken, only food. Eventually, the two mutants began to mate, and soon enough the number of mutants would multiply exponentially. With plenty of food available, the young thrived and quickly grew to adulthood, continuing the cycle of gathering food and other materials to expand the nest. Using her psionic link to her minions, The Brood Mother “gifted” her offspring the knowledge of where to best locate food, usually places The Brood Mother and proto-Rat King had raided before. As the rodent’s population exploded, sightings of large rats in the sewers and subways began to rise, a natural consequence of so many of the creatures now running around.

One such mutant was found and killed by subway workers in the Market St line, gaining newspaper headlines as well as stoking fears that mutants had gained a foothold in the city. These fears were not unwarranted, as the Offspring of The Progenitor had been seen near Conshohocken which was but a few miles from the city limits. However the city’s call for inquiry went unanswered by the US Army, stating that large rats inhabiting city subways were not uncommon and not a sure-fire sign of mutant activity. However as the sightings increased, attacks on citizens began to rise as well, with at least one person being mauled to death by an enormous rat that was rummaging through their garbage. Police investigations into the matter ended with a close encounter with one such giant rat, with the officers unable to kill the creature before it fled into the sewers. Throughout these encounters with humans, The Brood Mother began to learn more about the humans she shared this city with. They were frail and usually unable to defend themselves against something bigger than them, however they possessed weapons that could even the odds. The breeder-beast quickly came to the conclusion that humans posed a significant threat to their existence, as their surface activities were being increasingly monitored by humans. One such instance involved a human reporter who descended into the dark tunnels to snap pictures of the tunnels carved out by the rodents. Her minions stealthily observed this intruder from the shadows, The Brood Mother seeing the human’s every move through the eyes of her minions as though she was right there herself. It would only be a matter of time before the nest was located, and so she had to shore up her defenses to ensure the survival of her species. For now, their numbers were still not great enough to where they could wrest the city from human hands, so she would have to wait.

Eventually, the US Army arrived in the city and began patrolling the subways and sewers of Philadelphia in search of the mutant rodents following the police sighting days before. It wouldn’t take long for the soldiers to spot their first mutant, and open fire. However things didn't go as expected, as there was not one or two of the creatures, but dozens of them swarming in from the pitch black subway tunnels. The humans killed several of the creatures, but several more scurried out from the shadows to replace their fallen kin. The Brood Mother watched these events unfold and contemplated her next move. These particular humans were far more dangerous than the usual ones on the surface, and though with great difficulty, could slay their number by the dozens. The breeder-beast determined that it was time to strike back against the humans, first driving the armed intruders out of the subways before gathering her forces for a massive counterattack. Using her smaller minions, The Brood Mother observed a mass exodus of humans out of the city, with the closest concentration being on a large bridge over the river. Several armed humans guarded the others as they fled on foot and in their vehicles, however their number was few and her swarm would sustain light casualties. Her army mobilized, taking position in key areas around the entrance of the bridge until the moment to attack came. Hundreds of the rodents lay in wait; some for the purpose of attack, others as reinforcements in the unlikely event that the humans put up more resistance than expected. A powerful psionic signal from The Brood Mother was the equivalent of a whistle being blown, and her minions emerged by the dozens from storm drains, manholes, and drainage pipes to swarm the humans on the bridge. The attack caught them completely off guard, and the rodents set about slaughtering any they came across. The humans armed with rifles were no match for the sheer onslaught, and the few casualties they were able to inflict did little to slow the horde.

As the mutant rats ran amok on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, The Brood Mother suddenly sensed several other living creatures approaching from the river, just a tiny scent detected by one of her countless minions, but it was enough. In unison, the horde ceased their attack and turned towards the river, which began to bubble and churn. The rodents scaled the bridge anywhere they could to watch what was going on, The Brood Mother also observing through their eyes. The water erupted, and several large amphibian mutants emerged from the water bellowing. The sudden appearance startled the horde, and the rodents began to mass on the asphalt of the bridge to size up their new enemies as they approached. The Brood Mother ordered her minions to make an intimidation display, shrieking and chirping at the new arrivals in an attempt to make them back down. The Brood Mother knew that she had the numbers in reserve to potentially overwhelm these new enemies, however she instead chose to test them to see what they were capable of first. With these bigger mutants refusing to back down, The Brood Mother incited her minions to attack and let their ravenous instincts do the rest. The Offspring of The Progenitor effortlessly killed the rodents by the several dozen, using their superior size and corrosive abilities to wipe out scores of the mammalian horde. The Brood Mother watched her minions die one by one, seeing their last moments down to the nanosecond right before they died. She did not mourn the fallen, as she had more beyond counting awaiting her beck and call. Instead, she gained valuable insight from their short-lived experiences, and quickly formulated a strategy to deal with them more effectively.

Setting her plans in motion, The Brood mother had her minions feign retreat, scurrying under the legs of The Offspring and back into the city. Predictably, these voracious predators gave chase and the breeder-beast’s plan was underway. The rodent horde split into three smaller groups, one for each creature and led them into different parts of the city to isolate them. Their predator instincts overriding those of survival and rendering them unaware of the deliberate plot to separate them. The main target, The Mauler, had arrived to it’s trap-zone where dozens of the rodents lie in wait inside buildings and storm drains. When the moment was right, the mutants sprang from their hiding spots and swarmed the bulky creature. Teeth and claws bit and slashed into the creature's rubbery skin. The Mauler attempted to defend itself, grabbing entire groups of the creatures off of it and crushing them in it's huge hands. Others were bitten and swallowed whole, yet still they pressed their attack. The huge mutant attempted to roll itself over to crush it's swarming attackers, and while it succeeded in killing the ones clinging to it's back, more rushed in to fill the gap completely covering the struggling creature. It's regenerative healing was able to mitigate much of the damage done by the smaller mutants, but was quickly becoming taxed by the sheer volume of attacks. The Mauler attempted to call out to it's siblings for help, but they had been purposely led far enough away to where they were isolated from one another. The damage began to take its toll, and wounds that once closed within moments now remained open and weeping with streams of blood. The rodents attacked these weak points further, causing even more damage to the child of The Progenitor. The Mauler felt the creatures digging into it's skin and innards, but refused to go down without a fight. A swipe of it's mighty arms flung a dozen of the rodents into the side of a building and killed them on impact. The other arm brought it's fist down on another incoming pack, crushing them into gory pulps.

Yet no matter how many of the rodents fell, the horde seemed to be never ending. The Mauler continued to fight to it's very last breath, even as the rats ate it alive. After a while, the struggling stopped and the rodents feasted upon their kill. The Brood Mother was delighted with her minions for their impressive kill, and ordered the carcass to be dragged elsewhere so it may be brought to the nest as extra food for the latest generation of soldiers yet to be born. However The Brood Mother found that this tactic produced less-than-favorable results against the other two Offspring, their superior agility and more potent corrosive abilities compared to The Mauler allowed them to fight off the horde long enough for them to escape the trap. The Brood Mother determined that it was time to deploy some of her best warriors to deal with the new threats, and to that end she sent out numerous scouts to determine the location of the Offspring. Some days later, one such scout was skulking the abandoned city streets when it spotted The Firstborn emerging from the Schuylkill River under I676. The creature shadowed The First Born until it’s brethren prepared a trap for it in Logan Square. Once everything was in place, the diminutive mutant emerged from the shadow and shrieked to get the monster’s attention, with more soon joining in. The First Born’s first instinct was to attack, and the Living Tide scurried away towards the park where they had their champion waiting. The First Born followed the creatures all the way to Logan Square where the trap was sprung. Emerging from the sinkhole that swallowed the Swann Memorial Fountain, The Rat King had risen to challenge The First Born. The creature obliged, and a mighty clash ensued wherein The Brood Mother observed through the hive mind.

The two brutes were evenly matched, trading blow after blow yet unable to fell the other. However the battle came to a conclusion when The First Born pinned The Rat King to the ground and snapped it’s neck. A trivial loss, as plenty more Rat Kings were pining for the opportunity to enter battle with their enemy. They would soon get the chance, as one of The Brood Mother’s scouts had located the US Army’s outpost located in City Hall. The dog-sized rodent did not linger long, only enough to size up the exterior defenses before retreating into a storm drain. The Brood Mother was confident that she had the numbers to overwhelm the base and eradicate the human military presence in the city. Once they were gone, she could commit all her forces to destroying The Offspring once and for all. However amidst these preparations, the nest was intruded upon by an unseen presence. Though invisible, The Brood Mother could smell the intruder; it wasn’t one of hers, therefore it was a threat. Directing her nest defenders to the exact location of the intruder, the trespasser revealed itself to be a Mk. 2 Rosalis dispatched by the humans to scout out the location of the nest. The creature didn’t last long, and barely put up a fight before it was crushed under the sheer might of numbers. However unbeknownst to The Brood Mother, the creature had already accomplished it’s mission. Tracking data from the dead Rosalis had been received by the US Army and had identified The Brood Mother as a high value target. In the coming days, The Brood Mother’s scouts had brought in a bounty of food from the surface, left behind by the humans in large quantities unattended.

This plentiful food supply was in truth rigged with canisters of neurotoxin gas that the humans had deliberately laid out with the expectation that the mutants wouldn’t pass up the opportunity for free food. The moment her soldiers brought these rigged crates into her lair, she had sealed her doom and was none the wiser. The humans intended to wait until all the canisters were inside the nest to ensure maximum casualties. This would cost them, as The Brood Mother’s soldiers moved into position to attack the US Army’s HQ. The surprise attack was devastating, and the perimeter defenses fell within minutes from the onslaught by The Living Tide and several Rat Kings. However in her blind fervor assaulting the humans, The Brood Mother overlooked a critical danger imminently approaching. The Offspring had reunited and had chased a flock of Living Tide into a subway station, and were burrowing a direct path towards the nest. This sudden attack forced The Brood Mother to divert her attention away from attacking the humans to the intruders at hand. Several Rat Kings leapt to her defense, and engaged the Offspring in bloody battle. The Brood Mother also called her entire army back to the nest to defend it, halting her attack on City Hall. This would allow the humans to recover and fortify their defenses for the nest assault, but her safety and that of the nest was a top priority. Soon The Living Tide poured in from every entrance where they could fit and swarmed The Offspring. Mighty as they where, even they could not fight off such a massive assault. Little by little, their strength began to fail under the weight of the horde. The Brood Mother shrieked in delight as her minions wore down the intruders; how foolish of them to think they could assault her domain unopposed. Right as it seemed that The First Born and The Devourer would meet the same fate as The Mauler, the humans back at the HQ detonated the neurotoxin canisters, flooding the room with a vile pale-yellow gas. The effects on the rodents was immediate, and several began to collapse in a seizure while choking on their own saliva and vomit.

The Brood Mother too was affected by the airborne poison, her body convulsing with seizures as she spewed out the contents of her stomach. This caused her hold over her minions to shatter, sending a psychic backlash to each and every one of her soldiers both present and above ground. Some were killed instantly, their brains literally reduced to pulp from the overload. Others reverted to feral instinct and fled, but for any inside the nest who attempted to flee, the poison ensured that they wouldn’t make it far. Before her bond was severed, she could feel the pain and anguish of all her minions at once. She saw and felt their life forces be snuffed out one by one through their very own eyes. Even her unborn offspring within her mountainous girth ceased to live. The Brood Mother managed to bellow in defeat through her clogged airways before succumbing to the neurotoxin. In the aftermath, hazmat teams were dispatched into the tunnels to begin disposing of the thousands of corpses of The Living Tide as well as The Rat Kings and The Brood Mother herself. The bodies were piled in meter high mounds and set ablaze with thermite. Those that survived on the surface would be hunted down and killed by both the US Army and The Offspring, until The Brood Mother and her mighty legion were no more.