This chapter beta'd by: mrwizard70 (Thank you!)
—
"They say it's polite to greet your host."
What?
I blinked and exhaled, a foggy stream of color exiting my mouth.
I looked around and found the origin of the voice immediately. She stood about ten paces from me, an endless white plane stretching out beyond her, empty and featureless except for us. She was a reflection of me, just like the one I had seen in Shatterbird's glass.
Something creeped up my spine as I looked at her and I took a step back. She was still, but there were vibrations radiating off of her into the air around her like an aura. The velocities vibrated with a rhythm and I could see her actively controlling the space around her, with tiny little movements that echoed around her. The control and precision involved in it were something I knew I could do, and my heart sped up in response. I took a slow breath, and set about building a countermeasure to whatever it was she was trying to accomplish.
Then she put her hands together like a doll and went completely still, the aura around her disappearing. It didn't change how unnaturally still she was though, and I shuddered before I forced myself to breathe again. The strange colored fog exited my mouth, and I stared at it for a moment, taking in the oddity of it.
I'm dreaming.
"Hello Taylor." She smiled after she said it before letting out a small laugh. She turned her head toward an array of mirrors. I leaned back as she seemed to step into the reflections themselves somehow closing the gap between us, to the point where our noses were almost touching.
"You wanted this." She gestured to herself.
I blew out the weird stream of foggy coloring.
"I did, for a moment. But you aren't what's best for me."
The other me grinned. "I know. But you could be me, just like you could be so many things. You just have to decide."
She circled around me and stood behind me before I felt her back come into contact with mine as she leaned into me. Her head fell back against my shoulder as she breathed and I could catch a small smile out of the corner of my eye.
Silence stretched for a long time before eventually I asked, "Is there a point to this dream?"
She spoke but it was no longer my voice. "I'm glad you didn't listen to him."
Something vast and other seemed to grow in the space around me. A flash of the heated betrayal I associated with the gun against my temple crashed into me and I felt my eyes widen and hair raise in response.
I took a breath, gathering my courage and turned to face whatever it was.
I woke up.
I let out a breath as I sat up on the couch and rubbed my face with my hands before putting my feet on the ground.
What the hell was that?
I took stock of myself, pushing the weirdness from my mind. I was still in those stupid pajama pants, my armor resting on the coffee table next to me. I glanced at my phone.
0524.
Early, but that might be for the best. I stood up and started coffee and breakfast. The air shifted and I quickly did the calculation on how much bodyweight would have caused it before speaking. "Hey Hana."
She yawned. "Hey Taylor, making enough for two?"
"Always, even if I don't have to share I'd still drink it. Scrambled eggs fine?"
"Throw some cheese on them."
I lifted the bag of cheese near the stove and she nodded before sitting at the table poking at her phone.
"Piggot put in a request for Damnation."
I paused. "I… okay… I'll make some this evening at HQ. She read the whole thing right? She didn't just pick highly lethal from the grab bag?"
"Crawler."
I nodded. "I don't entirely know if it'll work on him, but I wouldn't say the odds are bad."
"It's the consuming property that drew her attention I think. She's preferring containment though, it's a fallback. Armsmaster thinks he can do something with Escher, or rather, he filed a report about converting it into a field effect four weeks ago, and your use of it against him being successful, is a good sign." She flicked the phone once or twice more before she said, "We should head in today."
"Definitely. I've got about a hundred things I need to do and at most four days to do it."
"We need to check in anyway, I doubt Piggot has let the loss of the entire command and control infrastructure stop her from trying to find the Nine."
I couldn't help myself. "We did find them."
She let out a small laugh. "And lost them immediately after and were in no position to do anything of value."
I shook my head. "We saved Panacea."
Hana huffed. "There is that."
I finished the eggs, plated them and sat with her. We ate in silence for a bit before Hana spoke up. "Your Dad wanted me to ask if you had called Lacey yet?"
I smiled. "No, but I'm going to now."
—
The soft ticking of the wall clock was loud against the scribbling of her pencil. Lisa rubbed her forehead as she leaned over the paperwork. The office she was in was small, Battery having commandeered it. The picture on the wall had the woman's husband on display, she loved him and apparently he loved her back. A blissfully normal and happy couple, which was rare and not actually normal.
Lisa shook her head and stared at the question again trying not to groan.
Have you ever knowingly manipulated a business while utilizing your parahuman power in order to gain a financial benefit?
She looked up at Battery who was playing on her phone again. She was in civilian clothes with a domino mask on. Jeans, t-shirt of a local band, Down By The Docks, they were alright for a bunch of old men with ukuleles, and small gold earrings. Well, not actually gold. She had her feet up on the wall and her head back, letting her brown hair fall back.
"Got another one."
Battery stood up slowly and came over to look over her shoulder to read the question. Battery snorted and then let out a guffaw.
"I've done that." Battery said after she got control of herself.
"Your power isn't actually built to do just that."
Battery grabbed a handbook from the top of the desk and thumbed through some pages before she muttered a bit. "Anything within the category of normal social interactions can be excluded as long as those interactions were not engineered by power usage in advance."
Lisa groaned. "I'm going to be here for days."
"Grue was in and out in thirty minutes."
Lisa's eye twitched. "He only signed the temporary clause, I'm actually joining."
"True. Which… I kind of expected the reverse of that. He seems to have reasons, what with his sister."
Lisa shook her head. "He… The government has done him and his family no favors."
Battery nodded. "That I believe. Especially in Brockton."
The door clicked open and Amy Dallon stepped through the door, carrying a huge stack of papers looking more than a little mournful. Her lip twitched when she saw Lisa's stack was competing in size.
"At least I'm not alone."
Lisa snorted and drawled, "Have you ever used your power to sell something not normally available for a cost lower than the expected market value?"
Amy hummed. "No, but I once cured someone's cold without asking first because I was tired of handing them tissues. What can I say? I'm a rebel."
Battery laughed. Amy took a step in the small space and dropped the papers on the other side of the desk, grabbed the extra chair and began to fill them out. Lisa turned her head back to the NEPEA Disclosure and let the paperwork push her thoughts aside.
Boring was good, boring wasn't letting her power tell her all the horrible things Bonesaw could be doing at this very second. Boring was a channel to push the horrible gnawing inside her down.
She deserved better.
She took a breath and the follow on thought, the worse one, came shortly after.
He deserved better.
The pen in her hand creaked before she set it down and let out a huff. Amy's eyes looked up from her paperwork and Lisa turned her head away, finding the picture of the smiling couple again. She didn't like that particular view either and closed her eyes, tilting her head back.
Batteries hand was on her shoulder and then it was too much. She let out a shuddering breath and quickly wiped away tears that were stinging her eyes.
"I fucked up." She grit her teeth, squeezing her hands into fists. Everything felt so raw. Like the days before she had triggered, every thought was like a burning, keening tea-pot whistling to be taken off the stove. There was no solution to the problem, answers didn't help, and the answers she got she didn't want.
This is hell.
"Want to hear about my problems?" Lisa let out a startled laugh at Amy's nasally, wispy delivery.
God, anything but this. "Yes."
Amy shook her head and stared at the ceiling for a bit. "Should have thought twice before asking, but who knows… maybe it'll help."
Amy took a breath and laughed. "I'm in love with Victoria. Mom… Carol… whatever… kicked me out of the house."
Lisa paused to consider the information. The information wasn't really surprising to her, but Amy's nonchalance about it was striking.
"You seem to be… okay with that."
Amy shrugged. "I don't know what I feel about it at all. I mean it's upsetting, and honestly… Carol… what the fuck… but also…"
"But maybe a bit of a relief?" Battery asked from the side.
Amy shook her head, and ran her hands through her hair. Lisa noted that she was wearing it differently, more open, the puffy curls falling partially over her face. She usually wore clips to keep it back when she'd seen her before. There was a certain unkempt wildness to the way it changed the shape of her face. Where before the tightness of her hair along her scalp and the heavy overlap of the hood she always wore had made Amy's face seem constantly tense, now she seemed more relaxed. The shroud of hair framing her cheeks, made her freckles stand out in a way that drew Lisa's eyes to Amy's brown eyes, which were open and wide, compared to the grumpy squinting she usually did.
Amy continued, "No, I'm not relieved. This complicates everything for me, and the PRT is going to have its head so far up my ass about my power I'm going to have trouble breathing from all the heads lodged in my throat. That's okay though, Carol wasn't really any different. It's just…"
Amy stared at the paperwork before a sort of incredulous, lackadaisical tone of voice came out. "At least I'll be getting paid to put up with the bullshit."
Battery laughed, deep from her gut. "You found out the secret!"
Amy's lips quirked up. "No the real secret is my Dad. Now that I definitely have mixed feelings about."
"Marquis?" Battery asked it, as if confirming a rumor.
"Yeah."
"Hah. Dauntless owes me fifteen bucks."
Lisa couldn't help herself. "Assault's rubbed off on you."
Battery gasped, but it was playful. "You take that back!"
"I am a magical sitar I only speak the truth." Lisa put her hand over her heart and Battery gave her a wide grin in response.
"That's my favorite movie!"
Lisa smirked. "I know."
Battery bit her lip. "You're going to be very annoying."
Lisa's smirk grew into a wide grin. "I hope so."
Amy laughed. "I had a dream last night about him, I don't know if it was a memory or not. He was reading to me from Aesop's Fables."
Lisa threw her a bone. "That's a real memory."
"Oh… I liked the sound of his voice."
"He was a kind man to women and children." Battery offered.
Amy scoffed. "And an unholy murderous terror to his enemies. You think the Nine would have come back if he was still here?"
Lisa shook her head. "No."
Amy gave a soft smile. "Wonder what it's like to be that scary, that the Nine second guess themselves."
Lisa looked at her in disbelief. "Amy… you're that scary. The Nine probably spent the whole last year finding ways around you."
Amy unconsciously scratched at something beneath the long sleeves of her shirt before she tilted her head toward Battery. "The PRT is going to ask me to weaponize my power aren't they?"
Battery went quiet for a moment. "Probably."
Lisa watched in curiosity as Amy's face went through a myriad of emotions, she even caught the moment she was clearly thinking about Marquis and his bone manipulation. Amy bit her lip and put her left hand on the desk, idly rubbing her fingers over the paper.
Lisa's eyebrows raised as the paper filled itself with black marks, Amy's information slowly filling the page from where her hands were located.
Battery grunted. "You're making me jealous."
There was a lost look on Amy's face as she stared at the paper and Lisa could almost see the future rearranging itself as Amy considered the kind of cape she was going to be.
No definitive answer came from Amy who grabbed the pen and started to fill out paperwork manually. Amy gave her a smirk. "Wouldn't want to leave you all alone in your suffering."
Lisa laughed and got back to work, feeling a little lighter.
Have you ever knowingly manipulated a government official with the use of your parahuman power?
Damnit.
—
"Taylor is that you?"
I sighed in relief at the sound of her voice and I nodded before I remembered I was on the phone. "Yeah, are you okay?"
"We barely made it, I'm sorry I didn't call, but we've been busy."
I huffed. "I can imagine, I've been busy too."
"Knowing your luck you already ran into Jack."
I laughed. "About that."
Lacey went silent before she let out a soft, "God damnit. Please tell me you're okay."
It was like a sudden valve being opened, I let the nightmares bubble up and talk, "No. I'm actually not okay Lacey."
"Taylor-"
I rushed on. "I'm scared. He almost had me -" I took a shuddering breath, "He almost had me, I almost listened. I dreamt about it, there was a moment where if he had just pushed a little less hard, I would have listened."
My mind whirled back to the moment I saw that dark reflection in Shatterbird's glass, and I spoke about it. "I had a dream last night, I saw a reflection of me, a version of me that was just the numbers and I hate that I could be that. I don't know… He knew me. He shouldn't know me."
I let out a breath, shuddering. "That doesn't make any sense does it?"
Lacey let out a small laugh then her voice turned serious, "It doesn't matter what Jack does or doesn't know about you."
"But…"
She shushed me. "No, listen to me. He's not a god Taylor. I know what he does. I've lived with the Nine almost every day of my adult life. Did you know a large number of people from small towns moved to big cities just from the fear of them?"
She took a breath on the other end of the phone and went on, "But that's not Taylor Hebert. That's not Annette's daughter. Your mother followed a woman that scared men so much they put her in the Birdcage. And then she went on to raise you, and you have every right to be afraid, but you didn't listen. You chose, and you know what you chose."
I let the words settle and I thought about them quietly before I responded. "I chose you."
"Not just me. Not just your Dad, and not just the people you like Taylor. Because I know… I know whatever you saw, whatever it was you feared wasn't because you thought we would stop loving you. It was much worse wasn't it?"
I shuddered. "It was a monster wearing my skin. But I'm already so close, Lacey, I figured it out, I figured out I've been using my power for everything."
Her voice was so soft in response I barely heard it, "Oh baby girl. I know. I've known since the very first day I figured out you had a power. You have nothing to apologize for."
I let out a small hysterical laugh.
"Taylor, we all learn to cope in our own ways. You weren't doing anything wrong. Your power is part of what makes you, you. I'm not going to tell you to stop being Taylor. Taylor knows vectors, and how to make bullets that defy reality, that's just part of who you are now. Whatever reflection you saw was a trick of the light."
I let out a breath. "A trick of the light."
She let out a small laugh. "Yes. You make the choices, not your power."
"It's just so easy. You know..."
I could almost hear her roll her eyes while she interrupted me. "So is talking, and people have changed the world with it. The ease or difficulty of a task has no bearing on its importance. The screws that hold a plane together are just as important as the pilot, if either fails, the plane crashes. Even though putting in a screw is much simpler than training a pilot, it doesn't mean the screw is worthless. How many perfect flips you can do isn't a judgement on your character, that comes from your choices. And you already made yours. He doesn't know you, not in any way that matters."
I felt a smile grow. "I love you Lacey."
"Of course you do, who wouldn't?" The impish tone in her voice sent me into a giggle. I could hear the smile in her words when she finished. "I love you too. Save our city eh?"
"Why stop there?"
"Hah, there's the Hebert in you. I'm gonna miss all the fun."
I shook my head. "I'm glad you're safe. I miss you, but I'm so glad you're safe."
Her voice was soft in response. "I know. Kurt wants you to tell Sherrel hi for him."
"I will. I'll call again soon."
"You better."
—
I rolled my shoulders as I fussed with some of the internal zippers in my costume jacket. The armor did in fact fit under my jacket, just like the designers had promised, though now I definitely understood why the jacket had come with a manual . It was a relief to be back in my costume, especially as my leggings were much warmer than the pajama pants. Spring was close, but it was still too cold for such flimsy clothing.
I checked myself over in the mirror, confirming everything looked fine before I stepped out of the bathroom and walked to the kitchen. Dad was finishing another pot of coffee. He turned around with a smile, handing me a cup and I blinked slowly at his facial expression before it hit.
"I hate my power."
He let out a snort, and put an overly dramatic frown on his face. "Apologies."
"It's not like I didn't notice with Armsmaster, or Assault, or Gallant, or hell even Clockblocker that one time."
"Not Kid Win though?" He smirked at me as I scowled at him.
"It's not like that. Well… okay maybe it is a little, but we haven't talked about it, and I'm in no rush what with the current situation, and… and… well."
He slid the sugar bowl across the counter to me and I put a very small dab in to cover up the complete lack of tea flavor. Caffeine was caffeine though, and coffee came in bulk.
"And honestly, it's not like he's the only one out there."
Dad spun the spoon in his coffee around and nodded sagely. I let out a laugh but he spoke shortly after, "Maybe if Sherrell was a bit younger?"
My eyes widened and he let out a scoff. "She's gorgeous and she likes you, and technically she's available, I'd be surprised if you hadn't considered it."
I let out a huff. "I consider a lot of things." I shook my head a bit and I thought back to my dream the night before, the puffy smokey fog that I had breathed out, had smelled like propellants. I shook the strange thought out of my head but the dream lingered and I spoke about it. "It's just…"
He paused his spoon spinning and put his hand out. I grabbed it, before setting my coffee down and leaning forward over the counter onto my free hand. "I know what people are thinking, I'm privy to things they might not even realize about themselves. The human body gives away a lot, and my power is telling me about their heart rate, their pupil dilation, their breathing, the tension in their shoulders…" I groaned a bit. "I…"
I sat up straight and I let out a grin, "Mom would say the ethics are dubious."
He laughed. "She would have. She also would have told you that humans are social creatures, and that dubious ethics wouldn't change that. She would have been on Canary's side in her trial."
I blinked. "I had forgotten about that, I mean I know it was big news for a bit there, but it kind of went quiet."
Dad shrugged. "I think about the time they turned the case into an obvious railroad to the Cage was when the news stopped covering it. You know… typical government bullshit."
I laughed. "You know I work for the government?"
He lifted his hands up. "It's not the same."
"You're right. It's not. So, anything else interesting happening that I'm not paying attention to?"
He picked up his coffee and sipped it. "Actually yeah. There were a couple of hero groups that tried to enter the quarantine zone to help on the sly."
I scowled. "Idiots. Do they want to give Bonesaw an excuse?"
He shrugged. "I couldn't tell you what they were thinking, but it's unlikely that without significant thinker help they'll keep them all out."
I scowled. "It won't just be heroes then."
"It never is. Back to earlier though, I'm not going to tell you there isn't a concern with your power and manipulating people, but at the end of the day, you have a right to be loved just like everyone else. Romantic or otherwise."
I nodded into my coffee and cast my eyes about the room for a second. "Do you?"
He shrugged. "Probably, a bit soon to say. I'm simple though. Annette was… we didn't always get along, but she knew what I needed, and I… your mother was also simple in a way. She had big thoughts, big dreams, but kind words and small gifts was the language she wanted to hear from me. She wasn't much for displays, and ahem… conspicuous consumption… was just as likely to offend her as it was to impress."
I startled a bit at the level of sharing but asked, "Small gifts? Is… wait… did mom like cookies and brownies?"
He smiled, a small ounce of mischief flickering to his cheeks. "You think I learned how to bake for myself?"
I snorted, then let out a laugh. "Wow… I never knew," I paused for a moment before continuing, "She's not really anything like Mom."
He hummed. "Not really. She's kind though, and she loves you."
I couldn't contain the beaming smile in response, "It's mutual."
"Good," he paused for a moment, I watched him consider his words and a flash of uncertainty appeared before he looked me in the eye, "She's lovely. She's hard, hardened, sometimes the professionalism just ticks on and invades, but she's lovely." He let out a soft sigh. "I feel a little out of my element honestly."
I tilted my head in curiosity. "Strong women haven't ever been your problem."
He shook his own. "No, they haven't and if they had, your mother and Lacey would have beaten it out of me long ago." He rubbed his forehead with his free hand, before moving his hands down to the mug, wrapping it up. "You mother was a feminist. With a capital F. She wanted the patriarchy's serial numbers filed off of everything. That involved me doing more of some kinds of things, and less of others. A lot less of the traditional things. Hana is…"
I let out a laugh. "Are you telling me, the gun toting woman who actually wears an American Flag as her costume is too girly for you?"
He let out a yelping laugh. "Yes! I don't know what to do!"
"God Dad… just be yourself. She likes you."
He threw up his hands, his indignance on full display. "I'm not good at that!"
I sputtered at the words before I broke into a gale of laughter. He snorted a bit before he broke down into chuckles, and finally broke into laughter as well. I took a sucking breath in, "I'm not good at that!"
He let out another laugh, which turned into a wheezing sound. "I'm not!"
The sound of a door closing brought me up from my laughter, but I couldn't stop from chuckling periodically as Hana approached. "Not good at what?"
That set me off again and I let out a laughing wheeze trying to bring myself back down. Dad forced another choked laugh as he tried to calm his breathing. Hana raised her eyebrow at him which set him laughing again, but he straightened himself up and pulled her close to him, kissing her while he laughed.
I snorted at the display, but blinked as Hana melted into him. Then I just felt like I was intruding. I turned away, snorting again and I whispered to myself, "I'm not good at that."
I shook my head, and went over to my working table, and packed away some of the things I needed into my backpack. Hana tapped me on the shoulder a minute later and I turned to her, holding my laughter at her look of embarrassment.
"Sorry about that."
I shrugged. "Honestly… it's weird but it's not that weird."
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah. I need to see if Chris has signed in yet."
A flicker of worry passed on Hana's face but she schooled herself. "His parents haven't called either, but they did send their check in text."
I shrugged. "That's something."
She nodded and we left.
