Editing Summary:Mitosis

[[David Charleston]] and [[Abraham]] visit a hotdog stand in [[Newcago]], where the [[Sam (vendor)|vendor]] gives them their hot dogs half off. David introduces Abraham to Chicago-style hotdogs, which Abraham finds distasteful. David enjoys the hotdog, reflecting on the way things used to be before the [[Epic]]s came. David and Abraham go greet the newcomers at the entrance of the city, where they’re being processed. As David greets people, he notices a suspicious man slipping into the city, and follows him. David watches the man from a distance. The man looks around, then splits into two identical versions of himself, and the two walk in different directions. David calls [[Tia]] and Abraham, and tells them that they have a big problem.

As David tails the Epic, Tia looks him up in her files. She tells him that he’s called [[Lawrence Robert|Mitosis]], and that he can split himself into identical clones. David’s file on him says that the more clones he makes, the dumber they all get, and that Mitosis hates music. Abraham goes to the government offices to get the city officials to safety, and Tia informs David that [[Prof]] is too far away to help. As they talk, the Mitosis clone that David is following steps out into the street, pulling out his gun. Mitosis announces that he is here to fight David and take control of the city. Mitosis announces that for every five minutes that pass without David revealing himself, he will kill a random civilian.

As David and the others discuss what to do, Mitosis counts down the minutes. David abruptly steps out into the street, shooting Mitosis in the head. All of the Mitosis clones start chasing after David, and he engages one of them. Mitosis keeps duplicating as David kills him with his rifle, but David manages to defeat the group. David runs into an abandoned hotel, trying to buy time for Tia to find out and utilize Mitosis’ weakness. Tia tries to find some music from Mitosis’ old band, and they think that it’s his weakness. The clones find David and crowd into the hotel, attacking him. David tries to fight them off, and discovers that the more clones there are, the more unstable their molecules become. More clones break in and start to overwhelm David, and Tia finally finds the music from Mitosis’ old band, [[Weaponized Cupcake]].

David plays the song on his mobile, and the clones close to him melt. David runs from the clones and escapes the hotel, but gets shot in the side. David is forced to throw his mobile to distract the clones, then runs for the understreets. He tells Tia to find a way to play Mitosis’ old music across the city.

Hundreds of Mitosis clones chase after David as he runs into an air vent, which is narrow enough that only one clone can enter at a time. As Mitosis corners him, David desperately starts singing one of Mitosis’ old songs. David sings, and each clone melts as they approach. They clones slowly grow closer as David’s voice gives out. Mitosis demands to know how [[Steelheart]] really died as David begins to black out. David hears distant singing from outside the tunnel. He realizes that all the citizens of Newcago have come outside and have begun singing. At the sound of the singing throughout the city, the Mitosis clones all melt.

David awakes in a hospital bed, Prof sitting next to him. David recalls what had happened, and asks Prof about it. Prof tells him that Tia sent out a notice to everyone in the city, and that they had responded. Prof tells David that he has done well, but that he needs to be less reckless. David asks Prof about the nature of Epic weaknesses, saying that Mitosis’ weakness was his band’s bad music and that maybe Epic weaknesses are somehow tied to their pasts.

{{summaries|done}}

[[Category: The Reckoners|+1.5]]