Collector (Worm x Heroes)

Info

Taylor (Worm) x Sylar (Heroes)

Note / Disclaimer

• The fic is heavily inspired by Her Name Is Death, Impulse and several other fics.
• Taylor Hebert will be out of character. Sorry.
• The 3d renders / art I put up on the threadmarks should be mobile friendly, as they are 720p. I can downscale them to 420p if requested.
• Please do not re-upload the artwork without my permission.

All 3D Artwork (4K resolution)

Click here to see the whole album, or view specific images below! Keep in mind that I might forget to update the thread starter.

Intro
Coverpage
Coverpage No Text/Blood
Talent 1
Taylor Hebert - Street Clothes - Face
Taylor Hebert - Street Clothes - Upper body
Taylor Hebert - Street Clothes - Full
Talent 1.A
Ruth - Home - Face
Ruth - Home - Full
Talent 1.B
Daniel Hebert - Work - Face
Daniel Hebert - Work - Full
Taylor Hebert - Home Focused - Face
Taylor Hebert - Home Focused - Full
Talent 2.D
Sophia Hess - School (Gym) Clothes - Face
Sophia Hess - School (Gym) Clothes - Upper Body
Sophia Hess - School (Gym) Clothes - Full

Spoiler: How did you create the 3d renders / art?

I used a software called Daz 3d. You may contact me via a private message regarding this topic. Please do not post about it on this thread, I will ignore you.

Release Schedule

Expect updates every week. The art I post should be considered as a bonus.

 

Talent 1

Spoiler: Picture

Once in a while life just liked to put you in its mouth and chew you out, as if you didn't mean much to it. Finding out that one of her bullies at school was secretly a cape had come as a surprise. There were the normal stages of grief, but she didn't let herself go past the second one, anger. Deeming it her duty as a rogue Hero, she went off to track the other girl's movements. Taylor just wanted to see what her disgusting bully was up to in her free time and to gather some intel on who she worked for.

Taylor had secretly been hoping for the girl to be a villain so that she could deal with them accordingly. Most would say that what she had done was considered stalking, and some others would even dare say that she had done something illegal. Personally, she didn't give a damn about the rules, deeming it as a necessary exercise, an essential type of work that no one else cared enough to do.

It wasn't as if she had the money to throw bricks of cash at a private eye. Her bank account barely had enough money to buy a tootsie roll. Even if she had the funds to get a capable joe-schmo to do her dirty work, they would have figured out that her abuser was a cape. Which would result in either a lie or land her in hot water with the local government. The joe would want to keep themselves out of federal prison for outing a cape after all.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as Taylor found out that Sophia was Shadow Stalker, a well-known Hero that went out to stop criminals like the Empire. While Taylor was glad to have had the caution to keep her powers to herself, she was frustrated with the Heroes.

The steadfastness that Taylor had for so long, the foundation that she had used to convince herself to do nothing about the trio had crumbled to nothingness. Before the locker, she had contemplated their deaths but had never gone through with it. Taylor had fooled herself into thinking that she was better than them. That she was a better human being than the trio, that she would be rewarded for being such a good person in the end. Taylor had been willing to let go of all her frustrations towards her calamity, to be a Hero. To show everyone what it really meant to be a hero.

Now though? She was considering her options.

It wasn't as if her morality hinged upon the Heroes of the Brockton Bay, or that her sense of justice was reliant towards the governmental system that supported Sophia. Taylor was rightfully upset with the way she had been treated so far by everyone surrounding her.

Her father at home barely acknowledged her existence, unless she made an effort to interact with him. She didn't have any friends at school, and those that had been interested before had decided to keep their distance.

Getting lectured by the principal for the umpteenth time for having no legitimate evidence had cemented her heart further, breaking whatever trust she had with the justice system.

The bowl cut haired bitch even had the gall to threaten her. As if recording students at school was a criminal offence and that she had done her a major favour by not reporting Taylor to the police. Blackwell had done nothing to help her but take away the ten-dollar voice recorder that she'd bought from some vendor at The Lord's Market.

It wasn't as if what Taylor had done was anything new either, she had at one point given Blackwell emails she received directly from the trio’s accounts at school, and nothing had happened. Hateful words, all about Taylor killing herself or not showing up the school ever again.

None of it ever had been sufficient, and after finding out who Sophia really was, it all made sense. Why the school had done nothing to help her, even after the locker and why Blackwell kept trying to make her feel as if her problems didn't matter.

It didn't take her too long to figure out that the PRT and Protectorate were allowing Sophia's behavior to continue. Something that had her decide on a new path in life.

It wasn't as if her powers were anything spectacular, but someone in Brockton Bay thought that she was special. After creating a new anonymous account at home, using her old rust bucket of a computer, she got in contact with someone who thought they could help her.

They didn't think that her thinker power was useless, just that Taylor needed some help figuring out how her powers worked. A different perspective, at least that's what the online stranger said.

It wasn't as if she was naive enough to follow instructions from a random stranger on the internet, but after some more communication, the person sent some videos. The stranger apparently had their own powers, a sort of water manipulator. The person's powers seemed much more useful than what she had been gifted. Taylor wondered why the cape wasn't going out to help people but decided that the person probably had their own reasons. She hadn't ever heard of a water manipulator sort of cape in the city before.

Jealousy wasn't an emotion that she wanted to feel with a potential ally or friend, so she made sure to clear her thoughts. After a few more days of chatting and ridiculousness at school, Taylor decided enough was enough. Something had to be done, and it wasn't going to happen at school or at home.

Going to the local PRT department would have only landed her into trouble, and she wasn't even sure she had enough skill to anonymously send information about Shadow Stalker’s antagonist behavior at school without getting caught. That and she wasn't even sure that if she did reveal the ugly information, that they would act on it. She had a high suspicion that the PRT would try to do their best to sweep everyone involved under a heavy figurative rug. Her father would probably get shoved down there with her too, just for extra measure.

She doubted that this figurative rug would be so comfy and warm as most were. Taylor now knew that most of the PRT and Protectorate were no less than legal criminals.

Taylor wasn't delusional to think that every cape that claimed to be a Hero that worked with the Protectorate was a baddie, such as New Wave and Parian. Even so, there was corruption deeply rooted within the government-sponsored gang, and she wasn't strong enough to fix it. Not until she figured out how her powers worked.

"Next stop, George Street."

After taking a deep breath to make sure that she wanted to go through with her decision, she got off the bus. The neighbourhood was decent, clean and much more respectable than where she lived. Some would consider the area to be on the high end of Brockton Bay, but it was more middle class than anything.

It didn't take long to get to her final destination, a twenty-four Green Burrow Road. Coming up close to the dark red door, she paused once to make sure that she was presentable. Nodding her head in acceptance, she knocked on the door.

 

Talent 1.A - Ruth Herren (Rune, E88)

Spoiler: Picture

When she opened the door, she hadn't been expecting a tall, lanky brunette wearing what most would consider as poor clothes: a dirtied dark blue jean with a grey shirt that seemed to thankfully be stain free. Ruth didn't want to make her distaste known to the other girl, so she just smiled and looked straight ahead. Not one to be rude, she asked who the teenager was.

"Umm… I'm Taylor… you know from the forums. You said that I could come over today at around one to three…"

The girl seemed much more reserved than she acted online, but that was to be expected. Ruth had made sure to wear her most conservative clothing, a dull cropped blue shirt with traditional blue jeans. She didn't want to make her recruit feel out of place, and it appeared as if she was correct with her assessment. Brockton Bay citizens were starving, an unfortunate reality that would get resolved once Kaiser took over the city.

"Yeah, I did. Name's Ruth," she said holding her hand out.

The other teen shook her hand awkwardly before Ruth waved for her guest to come on in. Taylor took off her black sneakers and followed her to the living room. Thankfully Ruth's overbearing parents went out to some party and her little sister, Leah, had decided to check up on her boyfriend. Ruth didn't particularly enjoy Trevor's presence, but he was from an old money European family, and to their parents, that was good enough. It would have been better if her boyfriend was part of the Empire, but their parents were patient. They could wait for Trevor to get introduced to their world. Ruth didn’t have the time to go looking for boys, nor did she care enough to accept their advances.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" she asked, wondering what type of person her guest was.

"Tea is fine. Thanks."

Noticing the girl lingering around her, she could only smile. The other teen shifted her eyes around the room, a nervous tick that Ruth found adorable.

"Why don't you take a seat while I put the kettle on," she said as she guided her guest towards the comfy white leather couch.

Ruth went off to pour some water into the electric kettle that Uncle Keith had got them last Christmas. It was a dainty thing that looked as if it would break in two, but her mother loved the damn thing. She turned it on before heading back to the living room.

"Uh… where's the rest of your family?"

Raising her eyebrows at the strange question, Ruth decided to answer somewhat truthfully. It wasn't as if the girl could overpower her in any case, especially with what appeared to be thinker powers. If she had felt the need for protection, Ruth would have invited the girl over at some coffee joint.

"My parents are both out at some party and my younger sister is hanging out with her friends. They won't be back for a few hours, so we have more than enough time to chat."

Taylor seemed to relax, her shoulders slouching, which was definitely a good thing. Ruth was on a mission, and she wasn't one to fail. Especially not after informing Kaiser about the potential recruit that she was about to introduce.

"Aren't you a little afraid of telling someone online your address and stuff…," Taylor muttered, squirming in her seat as if unsure how to proceed.

Ruth had wondered why the question about her family had come from. Now she realized that Taylor didn't understand the rules.

"No, there are rules in place. Rules that go back to the beginning where capes started. Capes aren't allowed to attack other capes in their home." There were exceptions of course, where assholes like the Slaughter House existed, and in those scenarios, the rules didn't apply. Specifically, however, Ruth would kill anyone who decided to target her in her home, but she didn't want to scare the girl.

"Really… huh… how come no one ever talks about… these unwritten rules?"

Taylor's face devolved into something strange; it was quite tricky to place how she was feeling. It was as if the girl was constipated in frustration but at the same time trying to act like it was no big deal.

"All capes know about the unwritten rules, or if they don't, someone explains it to them. No one targets another cape in their civilian identity. If someone ever breaks it, all capes go after them, the PRT included."

There wasn't any point in letting her in on who she was just yet. Taylor's face twisted into confusion, as if not fully comprehending what she had been told. Ruth struggled to keep herself calm. It became even more challenging to prevent herself from chuckling as Taylor's nose scrunched up in distaste. Although the two were the same age, or close enough, it felt as if Ruth could easily read the other girl. Taylor wasn't a confident sort of person from a poverty-driven home, which meant that Ruth could easily control her. Some displays of affection, possibly some minor gifts and the girl would look up to her.

Hearing the kettle's beeping noise, she excused herself for a moment. She put one earl grey bag in the cups, poured some hot water and waited for a minute before taking the bags out. While she had waited, she had put some sugar cubes on top of a small plate. Ruth disliked sweets, or sugar specifically: it was an addictive drug that the masses thought harmless.

Soon enough she was back in the living room, placing down a silver tray on the coffee table. Taylor seemed to have been concentrating on something, and while it was usually distasteful to interrupt someone while they were thinking, this was going to be an exception. It wasn't as if Ruth didn't have other things to do after this scheduled meet.

"I'm sure you're wondering how I can help you."

The other teen shook before realizing where she was. As her dark brown eyes looked at me, Ruth could tell the girl was blushing in embarrassment.

"Yes, you did say that… but you never explained how exactly."

"I need you to help yourself by telling me what your power is telling you. Anything, even the littlest of details can help. You mentioned that you can read other people nearby, right?"

Taylor nodded and then froze mid-nod, looking directly at her. A dead-eyed cow look, which for a moment frightened Ruth. Thankfully, with years of experience under her belt, she didn't let her contrary emotion show. She hoped nothing had shown on her face, especially something that could influence the other girl's trust towards Ruth.

A few moments later, Taylor tilted her head to the right, not even blinking. Taylor moved closer to Ruth, but she stayed still, trying to let the girl's power do her thing. As Taylor rose her hand up towards Ruth's forehead, the girl blinked a few times before paling.

"Sorry about that," Taylor mumbled, looking down on the floor, placing her hands on her lap.

Ruth wasn't sure what the girl had been trying to do, but that didn't matter to her.

"Don't worry about it, powers work differently for everyone," she said as calmly as possible before grabbing her cup of tea. It was still hot but not scalding hot, which made drinking the tea that much more enjoyable.

Without pressuring or telling the girl to continue, Taylor decided to speak up.

"My powers… they're strange. The closer I… got to you… the louder I could hear this strange ticking noise… and it's as if I could understand how your powers work. You can move water around… but you can do more than that. How come you... never mind."

Ruth drank her tea trying to collect her thoughts. As far as she understood it, the other girl had some form of thinker power that could identify how other capes worked, with a capability of determining its limitations. Personally, she didn't find the ability to be that useful in any combat situation, but that didn't mean much.

Kaiser would always welcome any cape into their roster, as long as they were approved of. While having a combat-related powerset would have been great, such was life. Sometimes you received lemons, sometimes you got trash. There wasn't anything to do but accept it and move on.

Ruth was pretty sure that Kaiser would spend the money to hire a private Think Tank to figure out how her powers worked, especially if the girl joined up, which didn't seem that hard to do. Worst case she would follow her discreetly and figure out where she lived. Then she would report the encounter to her Uncle or Kaiser, which would result in a much more heavy-handed introduction to the Empire. ure, the Empire didn't go to people's houses, but that didn't mean anything. Workplaces, schools, anywhere else but a civilian’s home was free game. Realizing that she'd spent too long to think, she coughed and continued the discussion.

"You have a thinker power that has something to do with understanding how capes work. Most likely in a deeper way than capes usually would, but the strange part is that you can't use your powers on yourself. That's why you're having a difficult time figuring out how your powers work."

It should have been evident to the girl but apparently it wasn’t, as she nodded her head. Ruth looked down to see that Taylor's cup of tea was still untouched, but she didn't want to appear rude, so she didn't say anything.

Ruth needed to hook the girl in, to get her interested, so she followed with a simple line.

"I have friends that can help you, more than I can. They can help you figure out how your powers work exactly. We would help you and you… would help us."

The other girl's expression lit up as if excited to hear the prospect before it twisted into a deep frown. Ruth for a moment wondered if the girl understood who she was, but it had been a necessary step in their introduction. Already Ruth could see the girl have some sort of inner turmoil, trying to come up with a decision. She knew that most of the people who were Empire, didn't really believe, but that didn't matter too much to her. Ruth, for the most part, didn't care as well. But she needed to show a particular image to people she didn't trust. If Taylor did join up and informed Kaiser about her being 'anti-Empire,' even just a bit, she wasn't sure what type of punishment she would receive.

"I see… and what will it cost me?" Taylor asked, scanning her surroundings.

"Nothing really, my friends are always willing to help a sister out."

Apparently, Taylor was meek but not foolish enough not to understand who she was. Ruth had, after all, hid her true power on the clips she sent to Taylor. She didn't want to scare her recruit away before getting the chance to meet.

Ruth knew it was risky to let someone else acknowledge that she was part of the Empire, but it wasn't as if she could hide it forever in this case. Either the girl would be interested, or she would leave, the latter being the more annoying part for Ruth. It would result in her homework being accomplished later, which would result in a rush job. Thankfully it didn't seem like she needed to worry too much, since Taylor hadn't called her out as a racist or said something stupid enough that she would regret.

Her face, however, went red, which was interesting to see. After mumbling something to herself, the other girl nodded to herself. Ruth wasn't sure what the other girl had said or why her face was back to the strange constipated look.

"Okay. I'm already in the game and I can't back out now… so I'm going to have to play this out until the very end."

She didn't understand what had come out of the girl's mouth, but it didn't appear to mean anything negative, as Taylor went to grab her tea. It seemed as if Taylor was interested, which relieved Ruth. Another girl her age would be a welcome sight, even if she did dress up as a vagrant.

"Look, the Empire's not as bad as it sounds. The news usually likes to oversell what we do, and it's not like we're going out and abducting women off the streets like the Asians are."

Once Taylor finished her cup, she put it back on the tray. Ruth decided to let Taylor collect her thoughts, so she put her cup back on the tray as well.

"Do you want some more tea?"

"No... I'm fine but thank you, Ruth. You've helped me so much."

As Ruth walked back to the kitchen, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She turned on the kitchen faucet to put some water on the unclean cups. When she turned around to wipe her hands, she saw Taylor behind her holding something. Before she could ask herself why the girl had snuck up behind her, Ruth's vision went black.

"Don't worry about it, powers work differently for everyone," she said as calmly as possible before grabbing her cup of tea. It was still hot but not scalding hot, which made drinking the tea that much more enjoyable experience.

Without pressuring or telling the girl to continue, Taylor decided to speak up.

"My powers… they're strange. The closer I… got to you… the louder I could hear this strange ticking noise… and It's as if I could understand how your powers work. You can move water around… but you can do more than that. How come you... never mind."

Ruth drank her tea trying to collect her thoughts. As far as she understood it, the other girl had some form of thinker power that could identify how other capes worked, with a capability of determining its limitations. Personally, she didn't find the ability to be that useful in any combat situation, but that didn't mean much.

Kaiser would always welcome any cape into their roster, as long as they were approved of. While having a combat-related powerset would have been great, such was life. Sometimes you received lemons, sometimes you got trash. There wasn't anything to do but accept it and move on.

Ruth was pretty sure that Kaiser would spend the money to hire a private Think Tank to figure out how her powers worked, especially if the girl joined up, which didn't seem that hard to do. Worst case she would follow her discreetly and figure out where she lived. Then she would report the encounter to her Uncle or Kaiser, which would result in a much more heavy-handed introduction to the Empire. Just because the Empire didn't go to people's houses, that didn't mean anything. Workplaces, schools, anywhere else but a civilian’s home was free game. Realizing that she'd spent too long to think, she coughed and continued the discussion.

"You have a thinker power that has something to do with understanding how capes work. Most likely in a deeper way than capes usually would, but the strange part is that you can't use your powers on yourself. That's why you're having a difficult time figuring out how your powers work."

It must have been evident to the girl but apparently not, as she nodded her head. Ruth looked down to see that Taylor's cup of tea was still untouched, but she didn't want to appear rude, so she didn't say anything.

Ruth needed to hook the girl in, to get her interested, so she followed with a simple line.

"I have friends that can help you, more than I can. They can help you figure out how your powers work exactly. We would help you and you… would help us."

The other girl's expression lit up as if excited to hear the prospect before it twisted into a deep frown. Ruth for a moment wondered if the girl understood who she was, but it had been a necessary step in their introduction. Already Ruth could see the girl have some sort of inner turmoil, trying to come up with a decision. She knew that most of the people who were Empire, didn't really believe, but that didn't matter too much to her. Ruth, for the most part, didn't care as well. But she needed to show a particular image to people she didn't trust. If Taylor did join up and informed Kaiser about her being 'anti-Empire,' even just a bit, she wasn't sure what type of punishment she would receive.

"I see… and what will it cost me?" Taylor asked, scanning her surroundings.

"Nothing really, my friends are always willing to help a sister out."

Apparently, Taylor was meek but not foolish enough not to understand who she was. Ruth had, after all, hid her true power on the clips she sent to Taylor. She didn't want to scare her recruit away before getting the chance to meet.

Ruth knew it was risky to let someone else acknowledge that she was part of the Empire, but it wasn't as if she could hide it forever in this case. Either the girl would be interested, or she would leave, the latter being the more annoying part for Ruth. It would result in her homework being accomplished later, which would result in a rush job. Thankfully it didn't seem like she needed to worry too much, since Taylor hadn't called her out as a racist or said something stupid enough that she would regret.

Her face, however, went red, which was interesting to see. After mumbling something to herself, the other girl nodded to herself. Ruth wasn't sure what the other girl had said or why her face was back to the strange constipated look.

"Okay. I'm already in the game and I can't back out now… so I'm going to have to play this out until the very end."

She didn't understand what had come out of the girl's mouth, but it didn't appear to mean anything negative, as Taylor went to grab her tea. It seemed as if Taylor was interested, which relieved Ruth. Another girl her age would be a welcome sight, even if she did dress up as a vagrant.

"Look, the Empire's not as bad as it sounds. The news usually likes to oversell what we do, and it's not like we're going out and abducting women off the streets like the Asians are."

Once Taylor finished her cup, she put it back on the tray. Ruth decided to let Taylor collect her thoughts, so she put her cup back on the tray as well.

"Do you want some more tea?"

"No... I'm fine but thank you, Ruth. You've helped me so much."

As Ruth walked back to the kitchen, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She turned on the kitchen faucet to put some water on the unclean cups. When she turned around to wipe her hands, she saw Taylor behind her holding something. Before she could ask herself why the girl had snuck up behind her, Ruth's vision went black.

 

Talent 1.B - Daniel Hebert (Union Leader, Brockton Bay)

Spoiler: Picture

Daniel would have preferred to have spent the morning with his beautiful daughter. It wasn't as if he favored going out to work on a Saturday, but it was his duty as Union Leader to be on call. Well, until five in the afternoon every day, which included the weekends. His sweet, caring and usually understanding daughter hadn't reacted well to the change in his availability. A week ago, he had foolishly promised her that they would be able to visit the mall. The request had come as a surprise, a pleasant one to be sure, especially when all Taylor ever wanted to do was avoid him and do things on her own. It was normal really; teenagers were all rebellious at some point or another, so he tried to be understanding.

Even though Taylor hadn't appeared to be listening to him, Daniel still gave it his all. It hurt him as he saw her drown out his words, even more, when she increased the volume of the TV by two bars. She was on what appeared to be the usual teenage rebellious stage, so he tried to be as understanding as possible.

He could even remember when he had pissed off his own father by dating some apparent 'nobody' that came from poverty. It had taken him until senior year to figure out that his father had been right, and that Fiona hadn't been anything but a manipulative bitch. By the time he had got a chance to introduce his new girlfriend, Annette, his father had passed away due to a stroke. Regardless, the past was the past, and the now was much more relevant.

He'd told Taylor about how some new up and coming employer, a Fortress Constructions required some Union guys to come to clean up a series of factories near the east side of the Docks. The factories in question were closer to where the current commercial businesses were. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that the construction company was trying to help the city tremendously. Everyone but the Mayor and several of his cronies, however, couldn't comprehend that fact. All they publicly talked about was how these factories being renovated would hurt the economy. To him, it smelled like a stinky load of horse shit; the Mayor obviously wanted a cut, a piece of the pie.

The gods were with Daniel though, as several city lawyers, and the Mayor's primary opponent challenged the claim. The local newspapers were smearing the Mayor and his choice of words. Now after weeks of heated debates, the Union had been given the go ahead. It wasn't like Fortress Constructions even needed the Union; they had their own people, but the owner wanted to use 'local people' for 'local work.' Whoever the elusive owner was, Daniel would do anything to help them. The man or woman, he wasn't sure which, was practically a hero. Much more than the actual heroes in the city. Especially when the city's overall health had been on a steady decline for the last few years. Whoever the local director for the PRT was, they had allowed the criminals to run amok.

Being the key figure in getting everything rolling didn't sway Taylor's negative attitude towards his departure. She seemed to be in one of her contemplative moods as if something was on her mind. He couldn't directly ask her what she was thinking about. Well, he could have, but he was a coward when it came towards speaking to his daughter about said daughter. He had practically ignored her for six months and by the time he looked at her, truly looked at her, he saw a darker girl. Someone who didn't frequently smile, laugh at his jokes and quite enjoy the good things in life. He had continued to question her about school, about what had happened, but she would always go on the defensive and act as if everything was fine.

That didn't mean he wasn't trying his best. He had to practically pull Taylor's teeth to get her out of the house. Usually, they went out to his office or grabbed some delicious burgers at his favorite burger joint, Fuglys. Activities helped her mood, he was sure of it. Every time they went out and spent time together, even if it technically was work-related, her attitude brightened up.

Though he did have to force her to come whenever she was in one of her moods. She never said no to him, or act as if he was wasting her time.

Something had changed though, he could see her become much more secluded. It probably had something to do with her request to go to the mall. Now with him backing out of said promise, he would keep his pestering mouth shut. He didn't need to give her any reasons to get frustrated with him.

Thankfully the contract between the city and the construction company was fair, and nothing substantial had changed since he last received the initial draft. There were a few dates altered to allow the Union some more time in the case of an accident, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

The factories would first be checked for general work safety by the city inspectors, to gauge their zoning clearance level and then his Dockworkers would come in and clear out all the junk. The only detail that had him worried was at what level the zone would be set at. He wouldn't get the answer for that pickle for another few days, which did make him anxious. If the clearance level was set relatively low, then the work could be done at a steady but quick pace. However, if the level were set to its maximum safety level, then the crews would need to be observed by the firefighters in the case of an incident. That and they would need to set up reinforcement barriers in the case of a collapse. The pay wouldn't get affected, but Daniel feared that if the Mayor got involved, he would discretely manipulate the results, which would force the safety issue to its maximum level. Fortress Constructions would get ticked off, and then they possibly wouldn't want to get involved with the city again. Which in turn meant that they wouldn't be asking for Dockworkers for help.

In any case, Daniel could gauge the factories himself and would do his best to communicate his findings with the inspectors. If the city inspectors decided to ignore him and follow perhaps a much more Mayoral stance, then he would do his damndest to get them exposed. That wasn't to say that he knew exactly how safe the factories were. If Daniel thought the places were dangerous, then he would allow the inspectors to fill out whatever they deemed fit. But by his estimation, the factories had been abandoned by international organizations, rather than due to it being dangerous to work in or too costly to repair.

Fortress Constructions were footing the bill for everything, even the firefights, which meant the job was practically smooth sailing. They were sending out their trucks with their own guys to collect all the garbage left outside. All his Union guys had to do was the heavy lifting and cleaning up. It seemed like a straightforward job, a blessing that many of the Dockworkers needed. The city was hungry for work, and with every passing day, hardworking Union folk drifted away from honest work. Some went to other cities, a few even back to countries that they had relatives in. Most though joined one of the gangs. It apparently paid well to be working at a grunt. Not that much if he had to make a wild guess but most likely more than what the temperamental contract work did. Some of the gang recruiters had come to his workplace a few years back, but after calling the police every single time, the gangs got the message.

If the city council wasn't so bullheaded with the issues near the docks, some of the ships could get cleared out. The opportunity would allow a form of trade with the rest of the world. Brockton Bay could import and export resources more conveniently, which would increase the number of jobs all around the city. But the Mayor had different ideas, different goals, that had nothing to do with helping the people. It pained Daniel every time to see his proposals for clearing up the docks and bay denied, all with their own colorful reasons. He didn't even bother submitting the plan for a ferry either.

The reasons always led to funding cuts and how the city couldn't afford any frivolous expenditures. The projects were considered 'high risk with minimal to no reward.' Even some of the Union people agreed with the Mayor, which made getting approval impossible. The people in the city were depressed, as he had been with the loss of his loving wife. That didn't mean he wasn't trying his hardest to get his home, his people revitalized. Daniel knew that if the Bay were cleared just enough to allow a small ship through, it would create the opportunity for a global shipping company to contemplate building a dock. Unfortunately, his goals were going to continue to keep getting denied until someone with significant clout and funding could convince the members of the city council otherwise.

Coming back home after a long day of busy work, speaking to inspectors and crew leaders, left him tired and hungry. With the scent of fresh pizza hitting his nostrils, his stomach couldn't stop itself from leaping in joy. Taylor had cooked some dinner for him, something that usually didn't happen unless she was happy. A rare event, something that happened once in an old blue moon. He had been expecting to make some of his famous tuna sandwich with mayo. Considering it was a Saturday he wasn't sure what could have elated his rebellious daughter so much. Especially after breaking the promise with her.

"Hey Taylor, I'm home," he shouted as he took off his worn work shoes, an old set that had been with him for almost a decade. As he entered the dining room, which was basically their kitchen with a table, he spotted Taylor pull out the freshly baked cheese pizza.

"Taylor…" he half muttered, half drooled. The cheese on top was sizzled to perfection while the sauce looked like it was bubbling in joy. Taking one more sniff, his stomach practically begged him to tear out a slice.

"Oh, hey Dad, just give me a minute."

Daniel couldn't hold back the stupid smile on his face as he went to wash his hands in the sink. Once he felt as if his hands were clean and shinier than Mr. Clean's bald head, he sat down, awaiting his meal. Taylor brought two plates worth of slices, one for him and one for her. His plate had two extra slices, and looking at the countertop, he noticed that a third of the pizza was still left.

They sat there eating for a few minutes in silence, not uttering a word. Once Daniel's stomach had settled down, his hunger sated enough for him to think clearly, he asked his daughter about her day.

Instead of getting a response, Taylor instead had to think about it. Daniel didn't think the simple question would have been trying to answer. He suspected that she was going to lie to him, and before he could question himself about her further internally, she spoke up.

"I went out to meet a potential friend… found out that she wasn't a good person, but that's alright. She helped me figure some things out and even helped me out with something important."

He sat in his seat with a half-eaten pizza in hand, wondering where the good part of this long epic was. When Taylor went back to eating her food, Daniel could only sit there and wonder why Taylor was so happy. There usually was a good ending to most stories, especially ones that made people smile. Blinking a few times in confusion, he could only non-verbally groan.

Instead of continuing his questions, making it appear as if he was interrogating her, Daniel just shrugged and kept eating. If Taylor didn't want to tell him about why she was excited or about the mysterious friend that wasn't really a friend, then there wasn't anything he could do to sway her mind. Taylor was stubborn like that, and her bullying at school had only cemented her behavior towards speaking her mind. When he asked her about what had happened, she had initially told him about some people bullying her. Soon enough though, as the questions came from him and the police officer in charge of her case, she clammed up. Seeing as she wasn't speaking to him, the detective closed her case.

Daniel decided to wash the two dishes after they finished eating, which Taylor was pleased to find out. He frowned at the idea that he didn't do his fair share of chores at home, but Daniel didn't say anything. Taylor was already on the defensive, he didn't need to get her even more upset. Ten minutes later, he went upstairs to change out of his work clothes and into something comfy. By the time he entered the living room, he had noticed her watching the local news. Taylor usually didn't watch the local news, as she was more interested in action shows. Often, she spent her time reading, but whenever she was watching the television, it wasn't about what insane prank Uber & Leet had done.

Turning towards her, he saw Taylor mesmerized, not even blinking once. It was a bit odd to see her act so out of it, more than usual.

Spoiler: Picture (Bonus)

Giving her an overall look, he spotted a splash of dry pizza sauce on her white shirt. He knew that he wasn't the best father in the world, but that didn't mean that he couldn't provide Taylor with clean clothing. Daniel knew that she was a neat freak, just as Annette had been, which was one of the reasons why she did laundry twice or even three times a week. She was conservative with her load times, deeming to do washes only after eight.

"Taylor you've got a bit of sauce on your shirt."

Blinking twice, his daughter looked down for her to only get confused. She swiped a finger on the dry spot and then stuck her finger in her mouth as if to enjoy the remnants of the pizza.

"Hmm…," she muttered in a weird tone before completely standing up rigidly. Without acknowledging his presence, she whispered something about changing her clothes.

She was acting peculiar today, weirder than usual. Not that Daniel's daughter was an oddball, but she had her moments. While he wasn't one to chalk up her problems as her girl issues, there wasn't any sort of explanation that he could think of. He was being sexist, but he was too afraid to talk to her. Daniel hadn't even given her the talk, and now with his wife gone, he might have to. He shook in fear as if dreading the thought.

Putting that off for a bit, he turned back to the news anchor. Apparently, another person had been killed in the bay and while people dying weren't anything new, the victim had been attacked in their home. He knew the neighborhood, a place where a couple of his guys had recently gone off to work on some residential floodings. It was a safe area, with practically no crime and if he had to make an educated guess, the neighborhood was protected by the Empire.

Daniel could only shake his head in distaste before switching the channel to something much friendlier. He didn't want Taylor to see this type of news, especially ones showing graphic pictures of people's skulls being caved in. He could only shake his head in distaste. The local news must have lost their minds to show that type of content on a Saturday afternoon.

Soon enough he heard his daughter stomping down the stairs like a damn t-rex. He would need to talk to her soon, about the birds and the bees and the fact that she needed to not run down the stairs like a stampede of elephants.

 

Talent 2

Taylor was special, she knew it a certainty. Not even the serpent who sought out man's destruction could deny her strength now. All it had taken was a lying racist to reveal that fact to her. It wasn't as if Taylor needed some deceitful worm to teach her anything. Rune had simply uttered trash and Taylor had been able to read between the filth to understand what the blonde bitch was truly saying. The whole meet and greet had been a recruitment pitch. What made it even more disgusting was the fact that Rune had been trying to honeypot her. Rune was a parasite that had thought she was some fragile flower that could be manipulated and spoiled. Taylor would show everyone who underestimated her, show them exactly who they were dealing with, she wasn't to be trifled with. Taylor would show the world, show them all how strong she was. She wasn't some bug to be crushed or brushed off, a puppet meant to be used and abused. Taylor had control of her own fate and that meant the strings that moved her, was hers alone.

Taylor understood that killing other human beings was an unforgivable sin, something that she wasn't supposed to forget, but that didn't mean much. Had the one who saved the Hebrews from their destruction not murdered in God's name? Rune was a parahuman that had a duty to help the sheep. Taylor was simply a Judge, just that her people didn't know of her yet. A leader that would help lead the way towards greatness. She could sleep easy knowing that the city had been disinfected. That there was one less evil on this planet. The dice had been cast, the choice made, and she wasn't going to play the cops and robbers game. It was rigged, a nonsensical game that had no winners. She was going to break the chain of destruction with or without the help of the other Heroes in the city. If that meant taking away the power from the unjust, she would continue doing so. Taylor wasn't religious per se, but the stories in the past reassured her. That the path she was going on, was a path of righteousness.

Even with her conviction, or zealousness, that didn't mean she was wise. She wasn't born a genius or a tactician of some sort. She would need to be much more careful from now on, as she wasn't strong enough yet. Taylor knew that she had been reckless and that she had been bold on her assumptions regarding her actions. Relying on true crime novels and television hadn't been something she wanted to do in the future.

With her not comprehending who Ruth was, reminded her that she would need to have plans for any circumstance. It hadn't clicked in that the girl was Rune until she had mentioned the recruitment pitch. Then again, the criminal had lied to her from the very beginning. Practically fed her sweet lies the whole time, making her believe that in falsehoods. No human could have prepared for that unless they had some sort of thinker power to detect lies. She had been naive to have faith in others goodwill, yet again falling for other people's deceptions. Like a foolhardy child, she had let someone manipulate her, just like the time Emma had acted as if she wanted to be friends again. To go back to the good old times, the times that Taylor remembered to be honest fun. Rune hadn't been a water manipulator but a telekinetic and that very fact had confused her. Taylors power had been practically yelling at her, telling her that the girl's power worked differently. Now with her understanding just how Rune's power functions, she wasn't going to doubt them again. If her power told her that a person had the ability to burn people, she was going to believe it. Her power would never lie to her because it was hers alone.

And what made Taylor even more nauseous was the fact that Rune had been a rotten piece of filth. All that power and what did she do? Use it to hurt others that had a different skin color. Instead of going out to be an honest to god Hero, a Samaritan, the girl had joined the Empire. The number of people she killed to prove her loyalty to her cause had been displayed on the racist forums. Even the Parahuman Boards had a list of known and suspected victims. The people had no one to help them, they needed Taylor.

She knew that letting the girl live would have had significant consequences. Not only for her personally but for everyone in the city that hoped for a brighter future. She knew that taking Rune out helped her more than the city, but Taylor didn't see it that way. She would have been forced to join the gang, something that Taylor would never allow to happen. No gang would ever control her or her true power, no matter what petty reasons they desired to conjure.

When she had knocked Rune from behind as if in a mesmerized trace, Taylor had been able to crack open the girl's skull. Once she had done so, she could finally comprehend how everything worked, how it all made sense. But there was some sort of block to keep on understanding it. As she reached out towards the truth, her power guided her to the part that mattered. Taylor didn't want to think about the disgusting feeling of brain matter that slid down her throat, but it was the only way. She wasn't going to doubt her power, never again.

Taylor obtained Rune's telekinetic power and realized that Rune had limited herself even more than she had previously thought. So much so that Taylor had suspected that the girl had been a complete and utter idiot. As far as Taylor and everyone in the world was aware, Rune hadn't ever moved people, only objects with a line of sight. Taylor understood how to use the telekinesis without eyesight and could even affect flesh. The small little cut on the tip of her index finger was proof of that. Then again, Taylor was pleased with the epiphany. No one would connect her use of the power and Rune as easily as she had thought. If Taylor was careful enough, no one could ever accuse her of stealing Rune's power. Not that she thought of it as stealing, but perception mattered.

Thankfully for her, Rune had informed her about the missing family. Since they wouldn't be back home for a few hours, she had more than enough time to cover her tracks. Taylor didn't want to leave any evidence of her presence behind, so she made sure to use liberal amounts of bleach on anything she touched or assumed to have come close to contact with. She wasn't a criminology expert, but she had enough crime novel and shows under her belt. There was a pattern of with the use of household chemicals, such as bleach to get rid of evidence. She had read one murder mystery about how that statement was actually false, but Taylor wasn't that knowledgeable in the subject. Once she had deemed the area clean and obscure enough, she bleached her hands allowing the pieces of brain matter and blood drip down the kitchen sink. She made sure to use a napkin to open the front door before leaving.

Instead of taking the same mode of transportation back home, Taylor decided a calm walk towards the park nearby was necessary. With no one around, she quickly jogged down the street to only use the alleyways and side roads back home. She didn't want anyone to recognize her or spot a fleeing suspect just minutes after death. It wasn't as if she had prepared and brought something to cover her face. She had been tempted to use her new telekinesis to fly over the city but that brought upon its own problems.

When she got home safe and sound, she took a minute to catch her breath. She patted herself on the back for being calm and took a long shower to get rid of any evidence lingering on her nails or body. She went to wash her clothes with as much detergent as possible and even added a cup of bleach. Daniel wouldn't notice the extra load of laundry she was doing, so nothing would seem strange. No questions would be asked. Her father was at work and wouldn't be back until the afternoon, so he might not even notice the laundry being done. As long as she kept her mouth shut, her Freudian slips checked, no one would be the wiser of what had happened. If her father did ask, she would make sure to tell him something close to the truth. It wouldn't do well to make up lies to only get caught up on them.

Now all she had to do was make sure to use her powers for the people that needed her help. She couldn't stop a small chuckle from escaping, realizing the long road ahead of her. There would be many obstacles to stop her from achieving the end. She wasn't going to let it all go to waste, not as Rune had. She would clean up the scum once and for all. once she was strong enough, she would stop taking their powers and simply send them to prison. It was the right thing to do after all, and she knew that the Judge and Executioner shouldn't be the same person. That didn't mean right now, it couldn't be. Just that it couldn't last forever, not unless she had someone to check up on her. And that wasn't ever going to happen, because Taylor couldn't trust anyone. Not with what she was planning to do. Later when she had some sort of power to keep her identity secure, she would inform the Heroes of who Shadow Stalker truly was. If they deemed her evidence invalid, then that meant that the PRT and Protectorate as a whole were irredeemable. Another Sodom and Gomorrah would need to happen, with her being the one to burn it all down. There wasn't any room in her city for corrupt villainous backstabbing capes, not with her around, not anymore. Taylor was going to be the change, the vaccine that the city desperately needed.

Deeming that she was clean enough and that her clothes were stain free, Taylor went off to do some early spring cleaning. Lots of chemicals and sweat were involved and a bit of blood too with her testing her powers on herself. By the time she was satisfied with her cleaning, she decided another shower was in order. Only this time, a colder one to soothe her overactive mind. Feeling good about herself, she went downstairs to make an Italian pie for dinner. Her father would be pleased, and it was a good distraction. It would help him, and if that was needed to happen, that was what was going to happen.


~~~


Taylor spent the next few days watching the news and looking up potential targets. The local news respectively had run a segment on Ruth's death, but the details were kept sparse. The boards online spoke about Rune being transferred to Gesellschaft, a European neo-Nazi group. Everyone who wasn't in a gang had praised her, even if they didn't know it. Taylor felt relieved to know that people in the city approved of Rune's transfer. Every day that passed, the more relaxed Taylor got, the more confident she was with her cleanup job. She had been expecting the cops to come to her home or at school. She promised herself that she would be prepared next time. It wasn't as if she wanted to advertise to the world that a cape killer existed in the city. All of the criminals would be much more defensive, paranoid and worried about everything. And that simply wouldn't just do.

By the time she had completed her research, Taylor realized that there were so many capes that had been allowed to wander around the city. They had abused their powers for their own benefit. The cockroaches were practically asking for her to come to squash them, even if they didn't know it. She wasn't strong enough to take the Kaiser's or Lungs in the city or even a second in command like Oni-Lee. That left her with the C and D listers, the ones that had limited power sets. Powers that were weaker than the above average around the world. Their powers weren't that special, not that any power could ever compare to hers. She was anointed as a Judge after all.

With her report, there were over a hundred capes at her disposal. It wasn't as if she was going to go and kill every suspected criminal cape, especially on hearsay. Rune had been a special case, as she was well known, well documented. There was no room for sympathy for anyone in a known criminal organization. With that being said, she would need to do her own check on the unknown capes. She would need to make sure the ones she targeted were actually criminals, and that required hard work. No one else was willing to clean the city up, especially after finding out the truth about capes. It was if the Heroes and Villains were all playing a good ol' joke on everyone.

Finding out that the Heroes were practically letting the Villains go free due to this game had made Taylor even more furious. Even more than finding out about Sophia, because the implication was huge. Taylor knew that Rune hadn't been lying to her about the supposed 'unwritten rules.' One of the main reasons she hadn't gone off to take Sophia's power away was because Shadow Stalker was actually doing what was necessary. Taylor had seen it with her own eyes, and the forums all praised Shadow Stalker's tendency to be aggressive towards Villains. That didn't mean that she didn't deserve to be punished, but the scale of her punishment was less criminal and more civil. If Sophia ever let a Villain go, or perverted justice, then that was a different matter completely. Seeing as no one had accused Shadow Stalker of such, and knowing who she truly was as a civilian, Taylor doubted it. Sophia was a hardcore bitch that needed mental help, but she was at least a true Hero.

People were dying on the streets, getting robbed in their homes and kidnappings happened on a daily. Slaves were being sold, most in the ABB territories. All the while the PRT and Protectorate were having a laugh at their expense. It wasn't as if Taylor was all-knowing, so unless she saw some sort of evidence of this, she would bite her lips and keep her mouth shut. Or to put it more literally, not go after the supposed Heroes in their homes. However, if she ever caught a Hero letting a Villain go, she would do what was necessary. It wasn't as if turning the villains to the police would do anything either. The "Heroes" would be let go and the "Villains" would just escape, and that just wouldn't do. Until the government got better at holding onto criminal capes, with the combination of Taylor needing more power, Taylor would do what was necessary.

Why else had the Empire and ABB been allowed to grow out of control? It was as if there was an external threat controlling the lives within Brockton Bay.

After another week of strange events at school, most of them bullshit recruitment pitches from the gangs, Taylor had finally decided to start. She would start with a small list of targets, people that were well known and had been identified. Crimes that weren't Bird Cage worthy but a crime in her eyes, nonetheless. If Taylor knew how bullies worked, or most likely deduced from personal experience, she knew without a doubt that old habits die hard.

She would make these thugs, racist hillbillies and bullies pay for what they have done to her home. There were so many irredeemable crooks that just couldn't stop themselves from partaking in some illegal act. It was like an addiction for them, unable to stop from hurting others.

Once she was strong enough, once she could take on the likes of the Lung's on this planet, that's when she could finally be happy. She would have enough aptitude to control the narrative, to finally be able to get rid of the disease within the world. No one would be able to stop her. And if anyone got in her way, any obstacle, any Judas, she would do what was necessary. Just like how she had dealt with Rune.

 

Talent 2.A - Max Anders (Kaiser, E88)

It wasn't every day that Max went out of his comfort zone to deal with matters that needed his direct attention, especially ones that were in his civilian persona. That wasn't to say his people did not matter to him. There were people around him knew who he was and what he represented. Some even genuinely cared for their leader’s wellbeing. Generally, however, the only times he was introduced to someone, was only when they had been vetted thoroughly by the Gesellschaft and his own security detail. All it would take would one feeble peasant drunk on the promises of his enemies.

That didn't mean he could prevent random strangers, influential sorts, to come up to him during a public event. Thus, a strange conundrum existed; how could he allow anyone to seek him out without knowing them? One of his soldiers, a true follower, had been brutally killed in her home. Killed like a dog on the streets, as if she had not mattered. The death of capes in their private lives was unacceptable. The death of one of his own unpowered soldiers was a testament to how much Kaiser believed in that idea. He could even remember the fools face as if expecting some sort of grand reward. He hadn't even had to look at Brad for him to figure out what he had wanted to be done.

Max was the leader of the Empire, and that required a certain attitude in front of the public. He wasn't allowed to be frustrated or sorrowful, and his many years as a leader had proved that. With that all said, it didn't mean he couldn't show resolution, or be bitter with the whole ordeal.

Those that had come to the private event were close, so close that he could name each and every person's name, their relatives and who their families were. There would be a time for retaliation, but that wasn't it right now. Right now, the people needed to hear his confidence, to hear about the loss and the bright future ahead of them. Lifting up his empty wine glass, he tapped it twice, allowing some time for the room to quiet down to an acceptable level. It didn't take that long for the dozen or so, friends and family of Ruth to quiet down their personal discussions.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you today, a godfather to the family in grief. Standing before you all, I wish to say farewell to Ruth. She may not hear me, but she would know what I would have done for her. Words cannot describe the sorrow and loss that I am feeling right now, but I will try my best.

Ruth was a wonderful and sweet girl. Even as a child, she had a calm temperament and as she grew into a lovely woman, she always took things in stride. I remember the first time she showed initiative within the clan. I still remember when she asked to help at the Medhall foundation."

Most of the crowd understood, but there were a few that were left a bit lost. Most of her direct family were sobbing.

"Being the oldest of two, Ruth had always wanted the best for her family. She wanted to help. That's what she had been and will always be remembered by. A good-hearted woman that wanted to help the world. Some may disagree with what I am saying and that is fine, as everyone has the right to believe in whatever they wish. That doesn't mean what I've said is false, far from it.

Ruth, I know you are no longer on our plane, but I know in my heart that you would not want us to grieve far too long. Rather, Ruth would want us all to remember the good times we had shared with her. And to look into the prosperous future.

Goodbye, my… goddaughter. You will live in our hearts forever."

Leah and her family appeared to have been moved by the speech, and that was enough for the rest of the people to clap. A minimal one that was kept short, as it was to be respectful.

Wanting to give some personal solace towards the family, he walked up to Leah, the younger sister. She was already in the organization but that didn't mean too much. The girl looked sad but at the same time angry, and her grief was impacting her stability. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he only looked into her eyes and gave her a hard frown. Her father looked at the two but did not say anything. Taking his hand away, planning to leave, he felt his suit being tugged from behind.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering what the grief-stricken girl wanted.

"I… want to be there when you... when you get them."

He simply nodded before looking towards his assistant, Jessica. Max was not sure if he would allow the girl to see the death of the killer, but only God could predict the future on what he decides upon. She got the memo and walked in front of him as they left through the exit of the funeral home.

Max had reserved the space and had paid for all of the fees, it was the least he could do. He would make sure that the family received small lumps of payments over the next few months to ensure that they were well taken care of. He knew that the family wasn't in any financial trouble, but a bit of breathing room would help them.

As Nessa drove him and Jessica back to Medhall, he loosened up his black tie. A futile attempt to relax for a moment before getting back to what needed to be done. Grabbing his second cell, the one that mattered, he called his lieutenants. One by one, they had been told that a meeting was adjourned for the afternoon.

The time for retaliation was going to come, but right now he needed to reassure his men. Someone was going to pay with their life; he wasn't sure who yet, but he would find out soon enough. Ruth had revealed to him that she had a recruit and considering the fact that she was dead, he was going to find out just who this person was. He had told this relevant piece of information to those that mattered, those that needed that information. Using another phone, a much more personal one, he called up his agent at the police department. Hopefully, the man had figured out who had performed the murder and had been able to suppress the information from the rest of the department.

Max wasn't going to let the psycho who had killed Ruth rot in prison, or even get their fifteen minutes of fame with the media. No, he was going to make them regret their ill decision and bring their family with them along the ride. An example would be made, one that would preferably be better sooner than later.

 

Talent 2.B - Aaron Mason (Detective, Brockton Bay PD)

Aaron had been called "The Hound" since his first big case two decades ago, a name that he thought to be accurate but disrespectful in nature. While the name had its ups and downs, depending on who he was speaking to, it made people fear naturally cautious. His superiors didn't care enough to discourage others from using the name, as the only thing for people up the chain was results and public image. Seeing as his nickname wasn't anything disrespectful and was more or less unimportant to most of the public, they didn't give a rat’s ass.

While he wasn't one to appreciate someone using his nickname, it didn't mean that he would put it against them. Several of his colleagues, his boss even, a captain Hugo liked to use the name whenever a case became difficult. Not as in to call him directly but to refer to his expertise, to remind their superiors of his natural talent. There had been whispers, rumors really, long ago that described him as a cape. Those rumors died down after he went in for a voluntary checkup at one of the PRT facilities near the Docks.

His boss, a Captain Hugo, was a man who was in his late fifties. A hard-ass to be sure, but he was a respectful guy that had his men trust. He had personally requested Aaron to be in charge of a recent homicide. Something that was a bit of a surprise, considering the fact that he was already three months deep in a string of B&E cases. Every time he received a direct order from his captain, he usually had to hide the truth from the higher-ups. Pencil pushers, people that made far too much money to make any sense.

Covering the crime up usually gave him a bad taste, considering the fact that he strived himself to follow a loose code of ethics. The only reason he even kept things on the down low was that his Captain was a good guy that honestly wanted to help the city. There was always a solid reason, so he didn't question it anymore. That and the fact that he got paid a nice Christmas bonus that he wasn't going to complain about.

The victim was a sixteen-year-old high schooler from a white picket fence neighborhood, a Ruth Herren. Looking over the dead girl once more time, making sure that only his trusted partner was beside him, he looked around to spot any telltale pieces of evidence. Things that shouldn't be there, or things that had been touched or moved. Pictures of crime scenes before they became crime scenes usually helped to set the scene, as they were reliable. People's memories were not but it would be a good idea to ask the victim’s family about certain things that revolved around objects and their places.

The victim had been surprised, attacked from the front with what appeared to be a metallic violin trophy. The blood and liquid on the ground near the body confirmed what he smelled. Bleach was used heavily to cover the crime, an amateur move. Spending a few minutes looking around, pictures around the first floor placed the trophy in the living room. That didn't mean he wouldn't still ask about the murder weapon, but now it could be delayed. To see if one of the family killed the poor girl. Seeing as it wasn't too important right now though, he and his partner looked around more. The kitchen drain looked to be used, so he hoped the murderer was injured and had used the sink. Even then, Aaron suspected that the killer wasn't injured at all. The victim didn't have any defense wounds, just a repeated number of smashes to their head.

It looked like the murderer used the weapon to knock the girl out before using it as a hammer to cave the deceased skull in. The only thing that made the whole scene bizarre was the fact that a piece of brain was missing and if he had any guesses it was close to the frontal lobe Whoever had killed the girl had taken a piece of their brain as a sort of trophy in some shape or form. That meant that the killer was keeping vital evidence, evidence that would pin them to the wall if they were caught with it. Then again, the case would never be solved. His boss wanted to know who had done it and that was that.

Looking at the corpse again, there didn't appear to be any tools used, but nothing was conclusive until a team of forensics gathered evidence. An autopsy would help but he doubted the family would accept it. There didn't appear to be any other marks or bruises, only the initial injury and the repeated smashes to the front temple. The whole crime scene was bleached, even the couches, which indicated that the killer had been invited in. Someone who was familiar to the victim, someone who Ruth must have trusted. Thankfully that piece of evidence would make his job easier, as it would help recreate the scene at a later time.

Whoever had done the crime was an amateur, possibly their first kill, and hopefully their last. They didn't call him The Hound for nothing. His partner was checking the walls and floors to see if there were any marks, wet or bloodied. His mouth thinned as his partner shook his head in distaste.

"So… what do you think Mason?" his partner asked, a Jason Michael's. An average white detective with brown hair that liked the spice girls. Obviously, he didn't like anyone to know the last part, but they had known each other for far too long to not be able to know each other. Jason didn't usually ask questions unless he thought the case was going to be a cold one. Being pessimistic wasn't going to help, so he focused on the task ahead of him.

"Killer was an amateur. Left the murder weapon for us and even used bleach to cover their tracks. Forensics will gather any prints, as long as they're not smudged. The only issue is that this was probably their first kill and they might not even be in the system."

"How do you figure? The last part I mean." Jason asked, curious.

"They were invited in as a guest of sorts, possibly a friend."

"I see… hopefully, the neighbors or someone nearby saw something because the family are all accountable for…" his partner said with a frown.

"Shit… witnesses or just CCTV?" he asked.

"The first…" Jason said, clarifying the issue.

Cases like these were the norm, but that didn't mean jack shit to the higher-ups. They wanted results and it looked like this case was going to be bad. There wasn't much else he could do, they had done their scene analysis and the vultures outside wasn't helping anyone. Signaling his partner with his hand, they both exited from the front of the house.

"George you're up," he shouted as the reporters outside kept yapping at them. The forensics team leader yelled back an acknowledgment before he and his team walked towards the house. He saw one of the team members dust for prints on the door. Not one to waste his time, he walked towards his car. He wasn't going to pussyfoot around, so he called his captain. Several rings later, Hugo picked up with a groan. It sounded like the man had gone to sleep.

"So, you want the good or bad news first?" Aaron asked gruffly without introducing himself.

"Spit it out, I've got the… family, breathing down my neck."

It sounded like whoever the girl was, was much more important than the first thought. Especially if the Empire was involved in a crime like this. If he had any guesses, the girl was sexually involved with one of the higher-ups. Possibly even invited them over but had said something stupid. Then again, his theory was full of holes. If the Empire wanted to clear a body, it would have been much more discreet.

"Good news first then. Whoever murdered the victim had made sure to limit their sphere of influence, but they were an amateur and used bleach. The killer even took a piece of the victim's brain, possibly with their hands. We might be able to get DNA evidence there."

"And the bad news?" Hugo asked, now much more awake.

"While the killer did use bleach… they used a shit ton of it and even used a rag to clean up most of the scene. There might not be any prints and if there are… they probably won't be in the system. This might be their debut or their first and last one. You never know with these types of cases."

"You got Rogers and George with you, right?" The crime scene recorder and forensics team leader.

"That's correct sir."

"Alright. Keep me in the loop. Anything you find out. Until then, as I mentioned… fuck five hours ago? Keep your schedule clear because this is the only thing that matters."

Raising his eyebrow, his partner gave him a look. Aaron realized that he miscalculated not once but twice the importance of the girl. For a fraction of a second, he suspected that the girl was a cape, but then shoved it in a deep hole. If the boss didn't want him to know if the girl was a cape or not, then it wasn't his call to know.

Turning towards his impatient partner tapping his feet and pointing towards his watch, he waved for him to come. Going to the back of his car, he popped the trunk open. They both took their gloves and 'socks' off and threw them in a trash bag. Now came the tedious part of detective work, the human element.

 

Talent 2.C - Austin Pano (Mastermind, Rogue Villain)

Austin took off his headset when the impatient mother fucker outside his apartment banged on the door a second time. He'd ordered a medium pizza about thirty minutes ago from Old Rusty's Jimmy Pizzeria, short for Jimmy's for the local crowd. It was one of the best in town if he had any say Especially when Mia kneaded the dough and gave him one of her smiles. The only part about the whole deal was that their delivery times were god damn awful.

Before looking through the peephole, giving away the fact that someone was inside, he checked to see if his 'escape' plan changed. Seeing that his path towards escaping his apartment was the same, he decided it was relatively safe to proceed. That didn't mean he was confident, his power liked to fuck with him at times, so he looked through the damn little hole and saw Manny the prick. The guy was a solid driver, never late but damn did he always expect a tip for his time. Even though the damn pizzeria was only a short five-minute walk away. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact the guy was trying to get into Mia's pants.

Turning the lock, opening the door and shoving the money with a small tip, earned him his Hawaiian delight. Manny didn't even bother uttering a word as the transaction went through, and that was fine by him. With a non-verbal grunt, the floozy walked away. Austin closed the door with a form of ease and used the edge of the pizza box to lock the door.

Singing a subtle tune, he went on his way towards the shitty ass kitchen in his apartment. He wasn't rolling in the money and even if he had been, getting a more expensive apartment or condo would attract unwanted attention. People would be eyeing him up and down, salivating at all his non-existent cash. The druggies would imagine him carrying wads of cash and while he was strong enough to fight on a one versus one, that wasn't where his talent lied.

He wasn't a barbarian, so he grabbed two slices of pizza and put them on a white plate. They didn't call him Mr. Civilized for nothing. He grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge, one of his favorite beverages. Soon enough he was sitting in front of the TV, remote beside him.

His sister Jessica would have just eaten from the box not wanting to wash any dishes, the slob, but he wasn't like that. Ever since their last heated bout a few months ago, she had decided to move out and live with one of her "girlfriends". He had been too prideful to admit any wrong, even though he knew he had gone too far. Angry at himself for being stupid, he grabbed a slice and shoved it down his mouth. She had even given him chances to take back what he had said. Chewing, memories still fresh, he could only slump in sadness. Once he finished feeling sorry for himself, he switched channels to something he could enjoy. An old Aleph comedy called Blackadder was playing, so left it on. The taste of bittersweet cola went down his throat as time passed.

Austin's phone vibrated in his pocket, and before opening it up he made sure to check up on his 'escape' plan. Nothing had changed, so he opened up his phone to see who had messaged him. For a flash of a second, he hoped it was his sister but soon realized it was one of his contacts.

> R_Angel24: "Got a job for you. Interested?"

Seeing as he was looking for work, and didn't have much to do, he continued.

> MM: " I am but what's the gig?"

> R_Angel24: "S&E 5 thousand"

Secure and escape huh? Austin leaned back on his couch, contemplating the offer. Five thousand dollars would go a long way, that was practically six months’ worth of rent. He hadn't done a kidnapping in some time, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go back at it. Robbing stores were one thing but snatching people was another. It wasn't as if his contacts expected him to do any of the heavy liftings, just direct them over a mic.

The only thing that irked him with his powers was the fact that his plans could only involve him directly. That meant he was always involved, which brought room for betrayal and backstabbing. He would have preferred to be giving his valuable advice from afar, but such was life. Knowing that his contact in the Underworld was legit and had done over a dozen jobs already he didn't make the person on the other side wait for too long. Austin leaned back down, slouching practically and let his fingers do the work.

> MM: "When and where?"

Besides the apartment fees, there was food, clothing, electricity, and a whole lot of other shit. He also needed to set some money aside to pay Lung's protection tax, it wasn't as if the Empire loved to help the visible minorities. After a few seconds of no reply, Austin could only frown. His contacts were usually quick to respond, not one to waste other people's valuable time. Feeling a bit antsy, he used his power to plan an escape if it became necessary.

When he realized that the plan had changed, he got up from his comfy couch and ran towards his bedroom as if his life depended on it. Seeing his gun, he grabbed the Baretta and made sure it was loaded. The next step of his plan involved him shooting his closet, but that didn't make any sense to him. He needed to run, not make a shit ton of noise. He and the pigs weren't on friendly terms already. By the time he realized that there was someone inside his apartment, his arms were forced down to his sides, preventing him from capping the asshole who decided to attack him.

The closet opened and no matter what he did, he couldn't move, not even shout for help. A lanky teenager wearing a black bandana over their lower face exited the closet. He didn't know of any capes that could control other people, not in Brockton Bay at least. The cold feeling of dread slowly came upon him, as he realized that the person had been waiting for him. Waiting for him to get his food, even mess around before attacking. The only thing that made no sense to him was the way. And how his power hadn't discovered anything wrong. He wasn't sure what the fuck was going on but if the asshole thought they would get away with this, then they had another coming to them. No one attacked capes in their homes, especially other capes. The asshole had signed their death warrant, even if they didn't know it. His phone vibrated, a reply had finally come.

Austin tried to speak again but nothing could come out. The person must have realized what he was trying to do, but instead of allowing him to say anything they deemed to get closer. As if he was no threat, the gun in his hand under their control.

"Austin Pano, you had been gifted powers two years ago and instead of using them to help society, you decided to use them for petty theft."

It took him a second to realize that the person was a girl and once the shock went away, so did the fear. The words were true, but that didn't mean the story was right. Whoever the bitch was, thought that he had some sort of choice. Struggling to get free didn't do anything but cause him some mild discomfort. His powers weren't being helpful either as there was no possibility of escape. The intruder looked at his pocket and then slowly but surely, his phone floated towards her gloved hands.

Two minutes later, the person's eye told him enough.

"Now you've decided to another evil, for just five thousand. Instead of declining the offer, you decided that you hadn't had enough. That you needed to hurt this injured city more. That you needed to destroy whatever good there was in the people's hearts."

What right did this bitch have? What did she know? His parents had abandoned him and his sister. They had nowhere to go at the time. He had nothing to give to anyone and when he and his sister got attacked on the streets, he had obtained powers.

The girl a solid few feet away raised her hand and then pointed at his forehead. He wasn't sure what the bitch was doing but soon enough he found out. All he could feel was a pain as blood seeped down towards his face and then complete darkness.

 

Talent 2.D - Sophia Hess (Shadow Stalker, Ward)

Spoiler: Picture

Hebert didn't make any goddamn sense anymore, not since their last major prank before the winter break. Previously they had always received some reaction from the dumb and weak sheep. Now though, all they earned was a stupid ass stare that was blanker than a white piece of paper. At first, Sophia had thought that Hebert had finally grown a spine, trying to intimidate her. Soon enough it became apparent that the chicken had just gone tone deaf to anything they did to her. A form of selective hearing that ground Sophia's gear.

Recently Emma had been practically begging Sophia to do something much more dangerous than their usual setup. Sophia wasn't a cautious chick but there was this strange feeling that lurked behind her skull. It was bizarre, as she usually wasn't one to let uncertainties question her next action. With Taylor being a cow-eyed cunt, Emma yapping about breaking her over and over, and Sophia's social worker busting her figurative balls about school work, Sophia wasn't sure how to proceed.

If she decided to go with the usual, hurt Taylor physically more than usual, then there would be evidence. Then again, she had gotten away with their last prank, scott free. But Sophia wasn't stupid to be directly involved with a beat down.

One was considered a 'prank' and the other was considered battery. Sure, she could get the dipshits that followed Emma to give her an alibi but there were other assholes at school. Snitches that would love to get her into trouble. Specifically, Empire scum that would love to put a 'nigger' like her, in her place. They obviously didn't give a shit about Hebert, but an enemy of my enemy was a thing with them. Not that Taylor was an enemy, considering her pigment status. but that was beside the point. The Asian Bad Boyz wouldn't give a single fuck about Taylor either but they would use the lanky cunt against her. Those worms wouldn't mind using people in other ethnicities to do their bidding.

These sparse details came into Sophia's presence when she noticed that both gangs had recruiters try to interact with Taylor. First a blonde-haired dike, Abigail something from Math class. A posh mother fucking cunt who thought she knew everything. Later she noticed the ABB try their luck, as it was their turn for recruitment, to only get declined. Hebert had at least some common sense, even if she was a coward. If Taylor had joined them, or even sat with them, either of the gangs, Sophia would have had to teach a cockroach a lesson. And She knew how the saying went, 'to squash a bug is to save the yield'.

Turning towards Emma, she made her decision. The gangs were watching, interested in Hebert and Sophia didn't want any of her 'friends' to get in the line of fire. Even with that excuse, things were getting dry with their bitch and it was time to walk away. If the wolves wanted an old and abused dog, then what right did Sophia have to stop them.

"Look, I know you want to continue this… test with Taylor but enough is enough. It's been two years; the spineless worm hasn't learned anything and probably never will."

Truthfully, Sophia was bored with messing with Taylor. She had shit to do and getting distracted wasn't one of them. It was boring as fuck hurting a weak bitch, especially if said weak bitch didn't do jack shit, say anything, or even react. Sophia knew that Emma wasn't going to like the news, but that was fine. She was just a tool to be used for her enjoyment at school after all. And tools weren't allowed to question their owner.

Emma looked up at her as if betrayed but then her small round face scrunched up in turmoil, as if unsure what had been declared.

"You see the table over there?" Sophia asked, using her eyes to show the Empires 'gang' table.

Emma twisted her head to see what she was talking about. All Emma saw was several wannabe gangsters sitting together. The bunch was probably jerking each other off under the table, the sick racist fucks. Turning back to Sophia, Emma asked her one of the stupidest questions she'd heard in a long time.

"So… what?"

Not one for theatrics, Sophia went on to educate her friend.

"The gangs are interested in her now. That means, we're going to back off." That and the fact that Taylor was boring as shit now. Sophia didn't say that though, because she doubted her friend would ever get bored of Hebert. If Emma wasn't gayer than Legend, she would be surprised. Sophia wasn't stupid enough to let her thoughts known.

"But you're- you could take em," Emma said as if whining like a child.

"That's true, but can you?" Emma didn't say anything to that. It was a hard fact that Emma was the ‘socialized’ one in their group.

"I can't be there to back you up. Plus, Taylor's not even reacting anymore. I practically elbowed her in gym class two days ago, and guess what she did?"

Without letting Emma say anything, Sophia continued. "Nothing. She just got back up and went back to the classes exercise."

"That just means she's weak at shit. Taylor needs to be taught her place."

"And two years of teaching her wasn't enough?" Sophia knew she wasn't a bad teacher, that was for fucking sure but sometimes retards slipped through the admission process. "If she hasn't learned yet, she never will."

It was true, some people were dumb as bricks and her educating Hebert hadn't done jack all.

"...fine. But one last lesson." Jesus almighty, this bitch doesn't give up, does she? Sighing, Sophia scratched the side of her face and contemplated.

If she did something, something just as big or even bigger than the locker, people would notice. The gangs were already swimming around the cunt, noticing her attitude. Even though Hebert was declining their soft recruitment pitches, that didn't mean shit. Soon enough, one of the gangs will pressure her, get some blackmail on her and her life would be ruined. What she'd done to the girl would be paradise compared to what the gangs are going to do to her.

"No. I'm done. If you want to waste your time, then it's on you. Me? I'm going to sit here and eat my fucking fries before class."

She could have dissuaded her from doing anything, but Sophia was curious. Would Emma have the balls to do anything without her? That she didn't know and was hoping to find out. If she did, then it meant that she could one day rebel against Sophia. That was something she didn't want to happen, so depending on Emma's answer, Sophia would react differently.

"You're so mean sometimes Sophia," Emma said with a pout, her bottom lip out.

Ah, there's the tool Sophia knew and loved.

"I'm a mean bitch," she replied crisply, before turning her attention towards her food.

 

Talent 3

The situation at school was getting out of hand, so much so that Taylor decided to use her new powers to reduce the pests trying to suck on her blood. She needed to do something about the inhumane scum that kept nagging at her, on and on they kept rambling at her, as a simple no was no longer sufficient.

Apparently, the two major gangs thought they could recruit her in some fashion. It didn't take that long for her to come up with a suitable plan to stop their advances, Mastermind's powers were quite useful. But as the hours passed by, she had to adjust the plan to compensate for yet another hurdle. Taylor wasn't sure who had informed them about her, but if she ever found out, she would be sure to do something nasty.

By the time she finished having lunch, Taylor had already used several plans to get the two gangs to ignore her, at least for the rest of the day at school. It was unfortunate that there was no way to do it permanently, but Taylor was a smart cookie, she would figure it out soon enough. Thankfully she had been able to improve Mastermind's power by reducing the chance of failure but there was a drawback. The plan was only kosher for about thirty minutes and that meant Taylor had to constantly create new 'ignore Taylor' plans. She had spent a bit of time trying to create paths for others, but Mastermind's power was limited to the sole user.

After taking Rune and Masterminds power, Taylor suspected that any cape powers she took would get modified in a certain way. She wasn't entirely certain of the specifics, but Taylor was fairly confident that Mastermind's powers had worked a bit differently. She didn't have the details and with Mastermind dead, she wouldn't ever find out how his powers worked before. Sure, her power helped her identify a person's cape status, but it only showed her the version she would obtain.

To get rid of the Empire for the rest of the day, she simply stated her long, generations old heritage of being an Israelite. The recruiter had believed it but she wasn't sure if they would do a background check or not. She had a gut feeling that the recruiter would be back at it by tomorrow. For the ABB, she simply threatened the recruit with bodily harm, in the sense of gouging their eyeballs and feeding them their intestines. He obviously didn't believe her, but as he laughed, she kept her eyes on him. Soon enough, after becoming uncomfortable the guy walked away. The verbal threat worked well due to the fact that the recruit had an ego problem. Taylor suspected that most of the wannabe gangsters at school at the same fault. He didn't want to reveal he had been intimidated by a white girl, but at the same time, it wasn't as if he could do anything. She was sure the guy would be back, possibly with backup.

It was annoying to know that the recruiters would be back, possibly with their friends and maybe not so friendly. She didn't want to use her powers to solve her personal problems at school, but it was a necessary evil. How else could she help the city she loved if she couldn't help herself first. The evil in the city thought they could break her, but they didn't realize that she was unbreakable. As strong as iron, or steel or whatever metal one found to be desirable. All she had to do was go after them, one by one, and she wasn't one to waste their ill-begotten resources.

The PRT wanted all of the capes to follow their unwritten rules, but she wasn't going to follow them. If that meant attacking crime lords, drug dealers and bodyguards in their homes, so be it. Anyone that protected them, family or friend would be treated the same as the rest. The greater good mattered more than some nonsense that would only help crime spread without restraint.

Just as she would clean up the city, she would need to clean up her school. Taylor wasn't sure when the trio would go back at it, pull yet another stupid prank, to try to get her to react. Madison usually didn't give a flying fuck about Taylor unless she was seen by Emma and Sophia. That didn't mean the bitch wasn't vindictive on her own at times.

Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Madison barely keep her eyes open. Taylor wasn't surprised, considering Mr. Gladly's exceeding enthusiasm towards powered capes. The man, unfortunately, wasn't a criminal, so Taylor couldn't do anything about him. An idiot for sure, but a harmless idiot that sought out acceptance from his students. Specifically, the popular kids, the students that mattered to him. Old Taylor didn't mean jack all to the prick, none of her problems had mattered to him.

Taylor guessed that if she had been one of the popular kids, Gladly would roll over sooner than she could say spineless. She couldn't prevent a giggle from escaping her mouth, as the image of a tiny chihuahua took over as Gladly's shape. Realizing her mistake, she straightened up to only find out that her worlds issues teacher hadn't noticed her zone out. She spotted Madison on her right giving her a strange look, something was off about it, so she stared back. Once their weird challenge was over, Madison turned back to the front and she did the same. Whatever bug was up Madison's butt would soon scuttle around her intestines and sleep. Maybe even grow a hive and spread all the way into her skull.

Soon enough the bell rang, allowing her to hop all the way to her favorite class with Ms. Knott. Her computer teacher was pretty fair to all of her students and seeing as the nobody's that followed the trio didn't care enough to bully her in this class, it was practical heaven. With nothing to do, as all of her work was done weeks ahead, Taylor went to the boards to see what was happening around her city. Couldn't let something blindside her after all.


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♦Topic: Rune Gone?

In: Boards ► Brockton Bay ► General



True_Fan_Glory_Girl (Original Poster) (Cape Groupie)

Posted on January 26, 2011:



So... haven't seen much of Rune for the last.... month or so.... where did she go?


EDIT #1: Not advoctaing for the Empire but she was a person you know...


EDIT #2: I KNOW GIRL GIRL IS THE BEST. NO NEED TO MESSAGE ME ABOUT IT.




(Showing Page 3 of 56)

► FlippinMadHot (Troublemaker)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

I can confirm that Gloria_Burger is telling the truth... we have a long chat and she’s legit


► I_KILLED_RUNE_2834172432 (Banned)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


► WackyJack23

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Uh mods ^ ??


Anywho. I just got word that Rune left the city... no word where... but one can guess. ***CoughGermanyCough***


► AngelOnFire (Temp-banned)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Kreig just posted <REMOVED **** BY MOD: ISPYONYOU>. One less <REMOVED **** BY MOD: ISPYONYOU> in the city.


<POST LOCKED>


ISPYONYOU: You know the rules. NO EXTERNAL LINKS!


► SlipperySnape

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Moved out of the city last week its just not getting any better


► KillaRock6 (Banned) (E88)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

RUNE WAS HOT AF. Sucks that she went back home. I def woulda banged


► Clockblocker (Wards ENE) (SECRET BRUTE) (CHAMPION OF CLOCKS)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Well... thats one down. A couple dozen to go!


► ENE_PRT_OFFICER_1 (PRT Office)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

Just to clarify, the PRT and Wards ENE have nothing to do with Rune's "vacation." Clockblocker stop posting on this thread.


► JasonSD7

Replied on January 26, 2011:

2spooky5me


► theKnowHow93

Replied on January 26, 2011:

so called empire already falling down like dominos


soon lung will take over


and then we finally have piece

​

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 54 , 55, 56


(Showing Page 4 of 56)

► H0wl3rr (Banned)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

trust in god


for god will save you


go to --> god saves <DOT> ORG <__LEGIT


free books for all

free one to one

call now


► AmusedBoooper (Temp-banned)

Replied on January 26, 2011:

what? WHAT? How come mods didn't remove the link above?


EXTERNAL LINKS MY ASS. Only when it suits them.


ALSO LUNG AND RUNE BOTH CAN KISS MY SHINY METAL <REMOVED **** BY MOD: ISPYONYOU>.


ISPYONYOU: You know the rules, this is your second strike.

​

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 54 , 55, 56



Growing wary of the time left in class, Taylor cleared her browser history and rebooted her machine. The thread was full of idiots and trolls, but she was making a difference. An impact and that’s all she could ask for. For now, at least.

 

Talent 3.A - Madison Clements (Student, Brockton Bay)

One by one the other girls in the women's locker room left
The other girls in her gym class were already dressed by the time she could leave. Her gym teacher had asked her to stay and help clean up, a task that was picked at random. Madison knew complaining about the chore would result in being 'randomly picked' again, so she kept her mouth shut and did as she was told.

The locker room reeked with sweat and other nasty substances that she cared naught to learn about. She had a secret method that helped alleviate most of the disgusting odors, a tactic that only a select few were allowed to learn.

Trying her best to breathe from her mouth instead of her nose helped her ignore the smells. At least that was what she told herself. With incredible speed, Madison put her school clothes on and wrapped her dirtied gym clothes into a plastic bag. Once satisfied that she had put everything away and that she looked presentable, she walked out of the locker room.

After her gym class, she had worlds issues class with Mr. Gladly. While it was one of her most favorite places to be, it had nothing to do with her teacher's flat ass. The man never knew when to stop yapping nonsense, always droning on and on with his opinions. He flapped his lips as if he understood what it meant to be a cape. She had lost count on the number of times he had pushed his own agenda. His verbal nonsense ranged from delusional to deranged, as he implied that Alexandria was the perfect woman that ever existed. His thoughts on Legend knew no sane bound. The man was a fanboy that went beyond what was considered reasonable. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy learning about capes, but she didn't worship them. They were people, just like her, with their own problems and daily struggles.

The main reason why she enjoyed the classroom wasn't because of the lectures. No, it had to do with the fact that she could get away with anything she did, which in turn allowed her to relieve stress. Messing around with the losers in the class like Greg and Taylor hadn't ever been that interesting for her, as the bullying had just been about her gaining reputation with her peers. That didn't mean hurting the two losers didn't give her pleasure. Madison was confident that even her lame ass teacher appreciated the side projects she did.

Almost all her classmates found her jokes to be hilarious, all but two nerds. Nicole and James were hardcore pricks that had sticks up their asses. While she considered them to be losers like Taylor and Greg, they had friends. Friends in high places, friends that Madison knew not to fuck with. How the duo was still in Winslow and not in better schools like Immaculata or Arcadia was a mystery. Not that it was her mystery to solve, she wasn't Sherlock Holmes, and even if she were, she wouldn't have given a single fuck about their education. How they were friends with the Empire gangbangers at school made no sense to her. Then again, the Empire didn't care if you were studious or not, just that you had white skin and followed their ideology.

As she walked past Emma's locker, someone bumped into her. At first, she had been going to give the asshole who practically assaulted her a warning but then clamped her mouth shut. A beefy white guy who had Empire tats was looking at her all the while rubbing his shoulder as if he had been the one to get attacked.

"That hurt you know," the guy said, no longer rubbing his shoulder.

"Sorry about that," she replied casually.

Madison knew that acting like a pansy was the wrong thing to do but getting on the bad side of a racist loser was the last thing she needed. Especially when said loser looked like he could knock her out with one punch. If she had to act like a little bitch towards the wannabe gangster, like said something stupid, she would be in a world of hurt. She had seen many white people get labeled as a 'race traitor' and she definitely did not need to get such a label on her.

"No worries…. Madison. No worries at all..."

Her eyes popped out of her skull for a second before they rested back into their slots. The feeling of dread deepened, making her feel colder than it actually was. She wasn't sure what was happening, or what had warranted the attention of the gangster. Madison wanted to get away, but people were watching now. She couldn't run away, Emma would think her a weak punk.

"Uh huh," she said, waving him off like a peasant, before casually walking away. The guy hadn't moved, just kept staring at her as if she was a piece of meat.

Before entering her classroom, she took a deep breath and collected herself. The thug had been creepy as hell, and she hoped that her social status at school would be enough to protect her. The gangs usually left the unaffiliated students at school alone to their own devices.

Madison spent the rest of the lecture sitting in her seat, acting as if she was listening. She thought up ways to improve the way people thought of her at school. Someone laughing broke her train of thought. At first, she felt that Mr. Gladly had caught her zoning out, but it was only one person laughing.

No one else had noticed, so when she turned towards the stifled laughter, she was Taylor looking directly at her. She wasn't sure what the dumb slut was doing, but she wasn't one to give up a staring contest. Especially one with a loser like Hebert, who might or might not have asked the Empire shithead to bump into her. Realizing the thoughts that had popped into her head, she instantly turned her attention back to the front of the class.

Sitting there with a dark feeling, Madison felt her stomach growl in pain. There was no way that someone would bump into her, with Taylor of all people stare at her and laugh. By the time the bell rang, Madison had chalked up the two encountered to not be related at all. It wasn't as if Taylor of all people would join a gang, or that the Empire would want a weak bitch like her. But there was a chance that she could be wrong.

The guy bumping into her was either an accident, or it meant something else, possibly a warning. Madison decided that she would lay off the spineless girl for a while. She needed to make sure that nothing was amiss.

 

Talent 3.B - Daniel Hebert (Union Leader, Brockton Bay)

Taylor sometimes performed kind acts that always surprised him. She was much more considerate than he assumed her to be, not that he negatively viewed his daughter. She was a teenager, and most teens were a rebellious sort that had a hard time understanding their surroundings. He kept his face as relaxed as he could, all the while allowing his heart to swell in joy. He had raised his daughter right, no one could deny that. Taylor had such a soft heart for the people, someone that liked to help others. He could have compared himself to her, but she was different.

She had let an older lady with grey hair go ahead of them in the line. The woman was disabled and was using a walker. For a flash of a second, he contemplated Taylor being secretly Canadian but brushed that silly idea off his mind into a figurative bin. Negative or strange thoughts had to be disposed of, he didn't need to fall back into his old ways. Even if it had been a mental joke, he didn't need to be crude.

"You sure that's all you need?" he asked.

Taylor who was holding a basket full of groceries which included her set of items. It hadn't taken them that long to get the things that she had come looking for. A single bag of brown sugar, a bottle of vanilla extract and one bag mint chocolate chips.

He knew for a fact that Taylor didn't like mint chocolate, so she must have decided to bake something for someone else. Possibly a friend, or perhaps Daniel secretly. She didn't know of his secret addiction to mint chocolate desserts, and he didn't need to gain ten pounds overnight. He had sworn away from mint after his wife had baked two dozen cookies for him to find coming home late from work. While his wife's reaction had been priceless in the morning, the scolding he got hadn't been worth his deviousness. Thankfully, all he had to do to make sure the deadly secret was never revealed was to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, we have flour, eggs, and butter at home, so yeah…should be good enough," Taylor answered back.

Nodding his head in acceptance, he contemplated about where they were headed. Taylor had wanted to get her side shopping done before they went off to the mall, which was just four blocks away. She had been asking for some new clothes, and while they weren't really swimming in the money, it wasn't as if he couldn't afford some fresh white tees and jeans on the cheap. Unbranded, unnamed, and unmarked clothing.

The mall overall was a bit pricier than the lord’s market, but that didn't mean much. The Brockton Bay mall had sales, and some of the stores sold their products at an affordable price. He just hoped that Taylor understood that money was tight and wouldn't go on some crazy shopping spree. Thankfully Taylor was a bright cookie and knew exactly what she wanted and from what store.

The three items in their cart came up to twelve dollars and fifty-five cents. Surprisingly the extract had been the most expensive item. While Daniel wasn't an expert cook, he knew the thing would last for years if they used it sparingly so it wouldn't finish anytime soon.

As they drove to the mall in his red and rustic all American truck, they chatted about what Taylor needed. Or specifically, what Taylor needed. While she had been considerate enough for the old woman to go in front, Taylor for all purposes was pretty blunt with what she wanted. There was no nonsense with her, no exaggerations, straight to the point. He suspected that if she ever pursued to be a teacher, she would be one of the stricter teachers.

Daniel hadn't been a studious student, which made his conversations with Annette interesting. She'd been the one with the words, the one who knew what to say. He gripped the steering wheel to control his emotions as he drove them to the mall.

Soon enough they got to the mall, but it was packed to kingdom come, much busier than he had expected. Saturdays were usually crowded but never this chaotic. Daniel suspected that one of the Heroes possibly had decided to come to visit, or perhaps one of the New Wave. A public relations event maybe, one that would help give people hope. He didn't have any strong feelings about the Heroic capes in the city, only that they did their best. Just like he was doing at work, trying his damnedest to help the desperate find work.

Once inside the mall, Taylor pointed at a sign before walking towards it, and he followed.

"Timothy's is on the second-floor third sector, and Pine Lover's is on the fourth sector," Taylor yelled, as it was hard to hear with all the people around us talking.

He wasn't aware of the stores, or what they sold, so he just shrugged hoping his daughter understood. Taylor for the most part just sighed, and they went on their way. The first store was Timothy's, a clothing store that sold general purpose cloths. Glancing at the prices, Daniel was glad that most of the items were in his price range.

Taylor looked at some t-shirts, while he went off to look at some work clothes. He knew that some of the guys at work didn't have much, so he considered getting a few overalls for them. Regarding the pay they received from Fortress Constructions, Daniel justified the minimal cost as a work expense. Twenty minutes later, five basic overalls in his hand, he went to look for his daughter. She was contemplating between a dark blue jean and a grey one. Staring at her face scrunched up face, it was as if she was contemplating between life and death.

Sighing, he got closer and glanced at the price. They were both six dollars each, possibly the cheapest jeans he's ever seen on sale at the mall. While he was glad that his daughter knew that they couldn't afford expensive items, that didn't mean that they were dirt poor.

"Taylor, honey," he spoke softly. Taylor looked at him with a mild frown on her face.

"Yes?" she asked with her round brown eyes.

"If you need them both, just get them. We can… afford it."

Taylor's eyes opened up in surprise before deepening her frown.

"Okay," she mumbled neutrally before putting the two jeans with what appeared as five other pieces of clothing. A grey hoodie, one white polo shirt, and three black shirts.

The total for her clothes came up to thirty-four dollars, which he didn't think was possible. Especially when his overalls cost ten dollars apiece, reaching up to fifty dollars. Feeling that he owed his daughter, especially for bailing out on their plans last week, he decided to get some lunch at the food court. That and the fact that he was practically spending money on other people.

Taylor didn't agree to his plan to take them out for lunch but didn't specify why. He knew that she was considerate, but he wasn't budging on this. He could afford eating out with his daughter once in a blue moon. It wasn't as if the rest of the city was doing that good either, the economy in Brockton Bay was down.

Taylor wanted to get some tacos from TacoBeast, a fast food place that he didn't even know existed. He didn't care too much about what they ate, as long as his daughter was happy. She ordered some beef tacos for both of them, two combos that came with a side of fries and drink. He didn't question her decision, especially when the combos were on sale and were the cheapest item on the menu. He didn't want to come off as arrogant or rude, so he didn't say anything. He had to already pull her teeth, figuratively, for her to eat here.

They sat down soon enough, and as they went to eat the somewhat delicious smelling food, he noticed his daughter chew her taco slowly. All the while staring at someone behind him. Turning his head around he saw a trio of teenagers, and instantly he realized who two of them were. Panacea and Glory Girl, practically two tables away.

An imaginary light bulb flickered on as he realized why the mall was busier than usual. The people that were crowding them from a distance confirmed the two New Wave Heroes. Not one to let his food get cold, he went back to it. He didn't want to think about the people near them. Especially the ones that looked as if they were dying and looking like they had been begging for the Hero to heal them. Looking back at his daughter, he could only see her deep frown as she continued to eat her meal.

 

Talent 3.C - Dean Stansfield (Gallant, Ward)

His relationship with Victoria always puzzled him, and even the shitposters on the Parahuman Forums questioned their relationship. Considering the fact that his girlfriend like to flaunt her power to everyone and anyone, it was no wonder that people could see the disconnect between their attitudes. Dean preferred to be discreet with his public image, to keep things on the down low. That didn't mean he didn't know how Victoria worked, quite the opposite. He understood her more than most people did, but that didn't matter.

That didn't mean he appreciated her ill-thought actions, even if they were honest and made sense from an innocent perspective. His therapist recommended him to help guide and sway Victoria with words, rather than reprimand her. It wasn't as if he and Victoria hadn't had a talk about responsibility and what it meant to be a cape.

Even with her rash routes towards chaos, that didn't mean he was the only one involved. Every other weekend Dean was allowed a break from his duties as a cape, so Vicky liked to use 'their' time as efficiently as possible. That meant dragging him along with Amy and anyone else that Victoria could grab her little hands on. Sometimes Crystal would come along Victoria express, a wild ride indeed. The other Wards were a given, but they all had their own things to do this weekend.

Missy had piano lessons that her mother wanted her to do, in case the Hero gig didn't pan out. The younger ward hadn't been pleased with the prospect but there wasn't much she could do, she was a minor.

Carlos was apparently visiting his grandmother out of state and had dragged Chris with him. They were supposedly going to play some paintball as well, a 'monthly' activity. Dean suspected that the two were in a relationship, but he didn't say anything about it. It was their business, and he wasn't one to judge how people spent their time.

Dennis the menace as Missy liked to say was spending some time with his father at the Medhall long term medical center. An overpriced medical facility that had enough experience and funding to know what they were doing.

Sophia wasn't even an option to bring, as she hated Victoria's guts after their first interaction. It hadn't come off as a big surprise to him, and one didn't need emotion powers to know that Sophia was a problem child.

This weekend Victoria had decided to go to the mall, another sale of some sort. There was this amazing leather jacket that she wanted to buy, but he knew for a fact that her desire to get the coat was a lie. Dean knew that his girlfriend wanted to help his sister go out more, and that involved changing up Amy's wardrobe. That and to help Amy spend some time outside of school and the hospital. The younger sister looked as if she hadn't slept in years, it was something that he had even brought up once with Victoria. Surprisingly, Vicky knew about the issue and hadn't brushed it off like she usually did whenever he brought up any concerns, he had with her or her family.

Having a healthy amount of trust and communication was necessary for any relationship to work. That didn't mean Dean told her everything, especially about how Amy felt about Victoria. To him, Amy was an open book, as it wasn't difficult to see the desire she had for her sister. Victoria though didn't understand that her sister liked her more than what was deemed acceptable in their society. With him being the problem to Amy's depression, he wasn't sure what to do. Amy desired Victoria, it was a cold truth that Dean couldn't deny. But that was its own can of worms that he did not want to bring up. He knew it was wrong to keep silent, to keep the information to himself but he knew revealing it would be even worse. Especially as a family of capes, if the issue was brought up, it could tear New Wave apart.

"Okay, that's it."

Lifting his head up, his mouth away from his burger, he eyed Victoria to see what she was talking about.

"Hmm?" Amy asked, uncertain of what was happening.

"We're here to relax and have fun, not to be pestered all day."

He and Amy both realized what Victoria was about to do, but before he could say anything, his girlfriend stood up and faced the crowd. The very same crowd that they had been ignoring or doing their best to ignore. They were asking for Panacea to heal them, which was their prerogative. After the millionth time of explaining to the people that the two sisters were out to relax, New Wave and even the Protectorate had made a public announcement for the people not to bug them unless it was an emergency.

Amy could only visibly facepalm as she heard her sister ramble on about personal time and that if anyone wanted her sister to heal them, that they should go to the Brockton Bay Hospital. Victoria either knew that the queue for the public heal list was about five years or she didn't. Dean wasn't sure if it even mattered, especially when the crowd's constant pleading turned into anger, their emotions twisting into deep oranges. A few threats came their way, but overall the begging became even much more desperate.

This was going to be on the news tonight, there were already people on the side with their phones out. Luckily for him, he was a known figure in his civilian identity, so he had nothing to fear with the attention on him. He could see the anger, the shades of red and even a single dark red a few tables away. Not one to ignore an ill intention that was darker than what was normal, he turned his head towards the person with the blood like hue. A teenager with what appeared as her father was eating some food, but the girl was staring at Victoria.

Dean didn't want things to get worse, to let the crowd reach that level of anger and frustration, so he got up. Amy realized what was happening, especially when he waved for Victoria to get up.

It was time to go and having a confrontation with a random civilian teenager with the intent of killing Victoria wouldn't help. Especially if Victoria decided to use her strength on the girl. As they walked away, he could only sigh in relief as the girl decided to sit with the older man and not follow. If the girl had gotten up from her seat, he would have had to use his powers, and he definitely didn't want to have a conversation about using his powers on civilians with Piggot.

 

Talent 3.D - Ryan Beck (Lionheart, Independent Villain)

Ryan loved to play hardcore multiplayer games on his custom-built computer, especially ones that involved killing. First Person Shooters, in particular, were his favorite genre since it allowed him to show off his skill. Getting those sweet headshots felt good; it was like a drug that fueled him. He'd lost count of the dumb fucks who raged on his Steam profile calling him a hacker. Killing people all day was hard work, addictive even, so much so that he had forgotten entirely to resupply his snack stash. A not so secret pile of goodies that he helped himself to, one that not even his Mother was allowed to touch.

Ticked off about there not being any more bags of Cheez-e-tins or Mary Jane Cookie Bars, he made a mental note to go grocery shopping soon. The only thing that sucked was the fact that he was kicking VoidXBoyo's ass. The fuckhead had the gall to trash talk him on the parahuman forums. Said that Lionheart was a wuss that hardly qualified as a cape. When Ryan challenged the idiot to a game of Counter Boop, a free FPS game, he hadn't expected to get a response. Void was known as an idiot, someone who liked to spew out lies. With those two definitions, it wouldn't be hard to conclude that Void was a person who couldn't handle it when the going got tough.

Ryan thought that the guy was going to wimp out of the challenge. But in less than ten minutes he had gotten a response with the guy’s Steam username. With ten kills in the lead, Ryan knew that Void was all talk and no bite. The only way he could catch up now was if he started to cheat.

Void was just like the Empire thugs that kept acting as if they were the toughest assholes around. Those knuckleheads had tried to recruit him, but in a moment of grand inspiration, he acted as if he was from a Latino speaking country. It wasn't that hard to fake the accent, considering that most of his childhood friends were from Spanish speaking regions. That, along with the two Spanish classes he’d taken in Arcadia, meant the Empire thugs were none the wiser.

That was one of the reasons he stuck with the East Side Boys. Strength in numbers, or something like that. They were a small group of young blood that didn't give a rat’s ass about skin tone or heritage. Their leader liked to be discreet with their illicit activities, a way to keep prying eyes away. But they were a growing bunch, and the fat stacks near his desk proved that the gang provided to those who were loyal. Mainly they sold drugs to high-class private school kids that had more money than sense. His part in the gang was just to make sure no one caused a ruckus or tried to steal from them.

The game ended with him in the lead, eight kills ahead of Void. As promised, the dumbass was to edit all of his posts regarding Lionheart and present him in a better light. The doorbell rang causing him to get distracted from the chat message. He called out his mom to get the damn door; she was usually busy listening to the news on the TV. He messaged a few of his homeboys from college to see if they wanted to play some Apex Booper, but the damn doorbell rang again. Irritated that his mom hadn't gone to get the door, he got out of his seat and climbed up the basement stairs. He yelled out for his mother yet again, but there was no response. Just as he got to the door, Ryan realized that it was a Sunday and that she had gone to church. Looking through the peephole, he saw a female teenager in school clothes holding out a box. Not sure who the chick was, he opened the door.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, not one to waste his time. If the girl was annoyed about the way he was talking to her, or the way he was half-dressed, she didn't show it.

"Hi there. I'm selling some homemade cookies and was wondering if you would be interested in buying some."

Ryan was going to head out soon to get some more snacks, but it looked like fate was calling.

"It's for my school, we're running a fundraiser," the girl said, continuing as if trying to convince him.

As far as Ryan was aware, Arcadia wasn't running any fundraisers. Then again it wasn't as if he went to school anymore -- things had changed for him in the last three years.

"What type of cookies you got?" he asked casually, making sure to keep his eagerness hidden.

"I had salted caramel, chocolate and raisin… but they sold out… No one wanted the mint chocolate… and I really want to go home now but my sister…"

Ryan loved mint, and it was as if the gods had come through for him. It looked like he could delay his shopping until the afternoon when his mom came back. They could grab some coffee even at their favorite local shop. He knew he wasn't the best person in the world, but he loved his mom.

He kept his face contemplative, as if unsure -- he didn't need the girl jacking the price up to something unreasonable.

"How much for the box?" he asked lazily, hoping it was under twenty dollars. He knew that anything with the words 'homemade' usually had a hefty price tag.

"Uhh, to be honest, I just want to go home and play some games with my friends… so six dollars for the box of two dozen mint chocolate cookies? Did I mention that I baked them this morning?"

He couldn't believe the price, not one bit, but he kept his shock and pleasure hidden. Using his fantastic acting skills, he negotiated the cookies down to five dollars when he said that he only had a five-dollar bill on him.

The girl thanked him for helping her out, which made him feel a little bad. His mom would have smacked him on the head for being so unfair, possibly with a sandal. It didn't take him long to grab some milk and to completely forget about being a douche to the girl.

Sitting back down on his seat, he could only grin with all of the invitations he had gotten to play. It looked like it was going to be an all-nighter.

 

Talent 3.E - Aaron Mason (Detective, Brockton Bay PD)

The Herren homicide case had become colder than saint nick's balls. Mason wasn't much of a holidays guy, but he could appreciate the folktale that revolved around those type of events. His captain, however, wasn't in such a festive mood, he had been quite pissed off when Mason told him that the case was now on his backburner. Hugo had been antsy about the whole thing, especially when forensics came back with nothing. Not a single print that didn't match the family, not even a single strand of goddamn hair. The killer had apparently used too much bleach, and the liquid had been able to root itself into the evidence for far too long. George explained it as if heavy rain had come and had a chance to wash away all of the evidence.

The killer had gotten away with the crime, by sheer luck as it appeared. Hugo had gone on a rant with him and George, about how the case wasn't going to be closed, not until they had covered every angle. Mason suspected that the man would be shot if he even dared to think about closing the case. That or get replaced sooner than a person could say, Scion. Jason, his partner, had his own theories about how the victim was tied to one of the higher ups in the Empire. Mason was inclined to agree but on a grander scale. The girl had obviously been someone important, possibly even the cape known as Rune.

The victim's family was asking for updates, and since he hadn't been cleared to close the case, he could only lie to them about his progress. Surprisingly, the media had stopped pestering him, but there was still a persistent cockroach that didn't know the line. The number of voicemails from the asshole about the Herren case exceeded what Mason thought was normal. He suspected that the 'reporter' was just some prick who wanted to fuck with him.

Rogers at least had come through, especially when he informed him about another homicide. A killing that was quite similar to the Herren case, at least that was what he had been told over the phone. It had taken the man about five minutes to connect the dots. The victim’s mother, a Fiona Beck, had called it in as soon as she had come back from her church activities. Aaron wasn't much of a believer, but he respected people who could still hold onto their faith. Especially for people living in Brockton Bay, where things always turned sour.

"So, what do you got?" Aaron asked, looking down at the two detectives that were crouched. Soon enough he realized that they were looking at the victim, Ryan Beck.

It appeared that Jason had arrived sooner than he had, and Rogers’ partner was still on the other side of the city, dealing with some break-in at a hardware store. Apparently, some schmucks thought it was a good idea to steal some hot water tanks.

"As you can see here," Rogers said, pointing at the head with his pen, "the killer used some sort of saw to break the deceased’s skull. Pieces of their brain got cut out, in the same spot as our previous vic. The only thing that doesn't make sense is that there wasn't any struggle."

Aaron looked at the head and noticed the same pattern as the Herren case, but things were different. Instead of a rush job like last time, the skull was cut open with precision, allowing the killer easy access to what was becoming apparent to him as 'the trophy'. Not only that but the killer had improved in a way that made no sense to him. The killer had gone from sloppily bashing someone's skull to cutting with a saw that required experience to use. Practice that usually involved someone in the medical field or woodwork.

Spending a few minutes to look outside the box, he could only conclude that the bedroom was a mess. It wasn’t organized whatsoever, but there did seem to be a strange box beside the computer. Using some plastic gloves in his pocket, he opened it to only see a Halloween mask that looked like a demented lion. There was a golden jumpsuit underneath the mask, some gloves and boots.

"Fuck. Rogers, Jason, stop whatever you're doing and look at this."

His partner was the first to turn away from whatever he had been doing and walked over to him.

"Shit… is that what I think…"

Rogers came a second later, but it looked as if he didn't understand.

"What the hell am I looking at? The guy was probably into kinky shit… so what?" asked Rogers.

"This is Lionheart’s mask...." he replied, annoyed that the man wasn't as up to date as the rest of the police department.

"Who?"

"An independent villain that got caught dealing drugs for a small-time gang."

"What was their power?"

That he didn't know, but thankfully his partner did. "A brute that turned into stone or something. He got caught once a few years back by one of the Wards, but it looks like he got a light sentence or something. The only question is, how the fuck did the killer get the drop on him?"

Mason turned back to the body and could only frown as the feeling in his gut became apparent. The killer had used the same method to kill, or at least that was what they had been led to believe. There had been no struggle, just like the Herren case, but instead of a surprise attack, this one was different. Everything about this felt wrong and nothing made sense. Forensics would help solve most of the questions relating to the man's death, but there was still a problem regarding the reason. He told Jason that he would be back. Aaron went upstairs, passed a few of the regular joes and then pulled out his phone. He needed to ask questions, questions that only one man could answer.

"Mason?" asked Captain Hugo.

"We've got a problem."

 

Talent 4

The world was sicker than she had imagined. She shouldn't have been surprised to learn that New Wave wasn't as honest hearted as they preached themselves out to be. If a citizen in Brockton Bay spoke about Panacea, nothing but honeyed words would flow from their mouths. In the end, the honey was nothing but a lie, a falsehood to keep the population complacent. Yet again she was proven wrong about the intention of the so-called Heroes. Another sin had crossed her path, right in front of her eyes and no would even dare speak about it.

The local news covered the event at the mall, but it made out the New Wave sisters as the victims. All those poor people, the diseased, the sick had been ignored. Not a single picture, interview, nothing to give a perspective of things. All that power and what did the two supposed Heroes do when innocents sought them out for help? Nothing. They had run away. Cowards, the lot of them. Just like how the PRT was doing nothing against the Villains across the country. Her country.

While the leaders in the city continued to display their faults, her life at school became somewhat bearable. If you could call getting ignored by everyone but the teachers such a positive term. Even the gangsters that she wanted to cleanse so badly had finally ignored her, realizing that they could garner her favor. Her wit against their offensive recruitment schemes had been convincing, so much so that the recruiters were fearful of her. Taylor didn't want to reveal her cape status at school and getting attention from the masses would only increase that possibility. She had expected Sophia to accidentally bump into her while they did track, but the bitch had actually ignored her.

Not one to stare a gift horse in the mouth she ignored the 'Hero' and ran. Emma still murmured her petty taunts but the vigor, the energy that she was so proud of, had been sapped, like a drained battery. Her ex-friend sounded bored of her, and with Madison completely ignoring her, something had changed. The trio for all intents and purposes had stopped bullying her at school. Taylor knew that they hadn't forgotten about her. They had to be plotting, planning, making her lower her guard before pulling yet another 'ultimate prank'.

Things at home were getting better too. Her father was finally listening to her. Doing the things, she asked, which hadn't been much mind you, but it was still something. Her father was a pretty weak character, as he would say something but do something else. This was one of the traits that Taylor considered to be dangerous, as only assholes pulled feints on family members. Then again, she shouldn't be too hostile against her father, he was only human after all. People were allowed to make mistakes, to sin, but just if they were, in fact, human. Once they ascended beyond that, to become a Cape, they had a responsibility that bound them to follow the doctrine of justice.

With the capture of Lionheart's power, she had been blessed with his powers. Or to be precise, the ability to protect herself from dangerous savages that thought they could harm her with petty tools like a gun. She needed to get stronger, and with enough powers under her belt, no one would be able to challenge her. While the brute's power was useful, it took her a minute to fully activate. She suspected that the power had mutated, changed like her previous one. Taylor still wasn't sure why the powers she obtained were altered, even in minor ways. There wasn't enough information about the strengths and weaknesses -- Lionheart had been an unknown.

The forums and local media always mentioned the fact that independents didn't last long, usually with statistics to back up their statements. Taylor found that the people who spread those lies were either ill-informed or were trying to fabricate the reality of what it meant to be independent. With her digging more and more into the underbelly, she found that many independents had become discreet with their actions. A nefarious agenda must be in place. Either the Villains or PRT had set up these 'statistics' to garner recruits. While the idea was ridiculous, it made sense if you viewed all of the Capes in the city as nothing but trash. Utter garbage that did not care about the people, only for themselves.

Her bus eventually came five minutes later, in which she decided to sit in the back. There weren't that many people, but she did notice the two white supremacists enter. She usually wouldn't give a damn about them, but when they eyed her for a second, she knew something was up. Had they ultimately decided to pressure her to join with threats of violence? Of that, she wasn't sure, but she would surely soon find out. Not one to get concerned by the mosquitoes that sought her out, she stared out of the window. As the buildings, cars and people became a blur, so did her mind. Her thoughts delved into her plan to secure two capes that had piqued her interest: Smokescreen and Carnaval.

The independent villain Smokescreen was a mercenary that worked for anyone that paid well. It was a known fact that the man was a courier, who would ensure packages were delivered on time without issue. The only problem was the fact that no one had ever actually seen the cape. He usually worked for Coil, a big fish that liked to tout himself as a 'non-cape' that used tinkertech and mercenaries. A deadly combination that had proven to work quite well against the other gangs. Taylor had her doubts, but she couldn't do anything against such a foe. Plus, if Coil were just a moniker, a nickname for a civilian with no powers, then the police would have to intervene. She would need to bait out the cape, possibly with a job offer, or figure out what his identity was. Since the two options were impossible for her, as she had no contacts, obtaining Smokescreen's whereabouts seemed like an impossible task.

There was also Carnaval, a garbage tier cape that had a variety of powers all rolled in one. Not to be confused with Circus, another known independent villain. The cape was like a magician and had tricks up their sleeve. Parlour tricks really, well all but their recent stunt that had been caught on camera. They had created a rope that went all the way up to a fake looking cloud. The cape had gone up the rope, propelled by some force, which allowed them to escape. A gangbanger with a deathwish had followed the cape. Only this time, instead of escaping like the cape, the greyish cloud turned red. Then body parts rained down, confirming that the gangbanger had been killed. A few minutes later the rope and cloud faded away, and the gangbanger was still in pieces all over the ground. Taylor didn't really care for the idiot who had died, but it had been informative. She now knew how to prevent the cape from escaping. Deny her the chance to touch the rope, a reasonable conclusion.

She wasn't sure which of the two she would focus on tomorrow and going out in the city to 'randomly' look for them wasn't going to happen, ever. Taylor wasn't foolish enough to patrol the city. She was still far too squishy; far too mortal for her taste. Soon enough the bus called out the street that Taylor needed to get off on. Without even blinking an eye at the two dogs that followed, she walked towards her home. If the two dolts wanted to have a sleepover, she wouldn't deny them, even if they were boys. Sure, her father would mind, she was still a young teenager. But as long as ropes and tape were used, her father would be none the wiser. She had contemplated taking them somewhere else, like a police station, but this was Brockton Bay. The cops couldn't protect her forever, and if her father came to pick her up, the two bozos would call in their own ride. If the Empire goons followed them from the police station to their home, she would have no way to protect her father without outing herself.

When she reached the door, the two looked around for any witnesses. Unlocking and opening the door, she waved her two piglets in. She kept her face neutral; Taylor didn't want to scare them off. One of them looked confused, while the other looked as if he had won the lottery. The sick fuck licked his lips as he walked towards her, while the other kept looking around in a panic for a surprise. She wouldn't go easy on these two, no, once they stepped inside her home, their souls were hers. They had decided to harm her, to possibly rape and kill her even. As the cautious one closed the door, she could only look at the guy who dared touch her chin affectionately. He wanted her, lusted after her, she could see it in his fever pitched eyes. These two fools were nothing but soldiers, but that didn't mean that they would live. They had cast their allegiances, and now they would reap what they had sowed.