#i should note that i havent read the imp epilogue in a while so if it got brought up there then feel free to say

[spindle-girl]

I've always wondered what Alec's and the rest of the Heartbroken views were of heroes and their lack of effectiveness against their dad.

Cause if you think about it, there about four main issues for taking on Heartbreaker at the start:

1) his power affecting you

2) his power affecting your allies and the people he's surrounded himself with

3) Heartbreaker apparently being sneaky with his location

4) the thralls he has in high places to cause mayhem if he's captured/killed

As the years pass, you also have to account for his kids' powers in case they fight you as well.

And like, for a small group, any one point seems like a difficult hurdle to get through, let alone all of the them together and you can kinda see how he never got taken down

But

(Even ignoring the fact that Imp managed it because she has a power that nullifies the first two points, Tattletale for the third, probably didn't care too much for the fourth, and I think she talked the rest of the kids into standing by if they noticed her at all (I'm including this bc Cherish managed it and I don't remember all of their powers))

The heroes had Dragon. Like, yeah she's busy as hell, but Dragon alone takes care of the first and third points, she could use the same skills that solved the third point to backtrack and minimize the fourth point, and she's apart of a large team to help with the second point. The kids are the wildcards, but that they could, I dunno, observe for a week and see what info they pick up. I can't imagine the kids kept their powers underwraps and a few even went off to school during during the day so it's not like it's a constant worry. (Or just go in bc their supposed to be heroes and save the victims from the Worst Parent TM)

Also, you know, they could have done it before Heartbreaker had the chance to traumatize multiple kids into gaining powers. They've all been around for a while.

Maybe the kids just never gave it too much thought. I'm sure they've seen some heroes try and fail, but with all the times Dragon comes in to Brockton Bay I could see Alec just getting pissed his power doesn't directly help and go "well where the fuck have you been all this time if you can shit out mechs like this constantly?"