Confrontation (Worm fanfic)

[Chojomeka]

How about....Dr. Bees?

 

[Ack]

She turned down Hive Queen. I don't think she'll be willing to accept Monarch. (Besides, have you seen Venture Brothers? Yeah, that turned me off Monarch as a name).

Nah, the name she's going to settle on will be something quiet and unassuming. Like ... say ... Insectosaurus Maximus.

 

[moontheir4]

I always thought Legion was a good choice. No villainous overtones inherent to the word itself and it's vague enough to verge on being misleading. She definitely has the 'many' part covered.

It doesn't help that I more-or-less imagine the swarm voice as this:

Click to shrink...

 

[doomlord9]

Dear GOD that is the worst acting I have ever heard.

And that's only is she starts going Khepri, the Skitter-voice is composed of clicks, chirps, buzzing, and squeaks from various insects. It is absolutely and completely inhuman and is why it is so disturbing to everyone that is not Taylor.

 

[Guile]

Man, having these Ack stories spread out in their own threads doesn't really work for me.

I just saw that this is a thing, rather than just seeing the Omake thread pop up on Watched Threads.

 

[pepperjack]

Man, having these Ack stories spread out in their own threads doesn't really work for me.

I just saw that this is a thing, rather than just seeing the Omake thread pop up on Watched Threads.

Click to shrink...

It's a sad necessity of their being moved to the SFW side. I definitely feel your pain, though.

 

[Guile]

It's a sad necessity of their being moved to the SFW side. I definitely feel your pain, though.

Click to shrink...

Fair point. I just toss my SFW stuff in the same thread as the others, but that has its own issues.

 

[LeonTrollski]

She turned down Hive Queen. I don't think she'll be willing to accept Monarch. (Besides, have you seen Venture Brothers? Yeah, that turned me off Monarch as a name).

Click to shrink...

Venture Bros monarch is amazing though.

 

[Ack]

Man, having these Ack stories spread out in their own threads doesn't really work for me.

I just saw that this is a thing, rather than just seeing the Omake thread pop up on Watched Threads.

Click to shrink...

Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to inconvenience you.

It actually makes it easier for me to access them; rather than go to the Omake thread and scroll down, I just click on the link in my sig.

Also, putting them in SFW means that people who don't go to NSFW and don't read them (because they think it's NSFW) will get to read them,

 

[moontheir4]

Maybe the next time you do a new story in its own thread you could cross post the first chapter to your omake thread with a link?

 

[Ack]

Maybe the next time you do a new story in its own thread you could cross post the first chapter to your omake thread with a link?

Click to shrink...

So wait, linked which way?

 

[moontheir4]

A post in the omake thread, with the first chapter of any new story (because you know you really need more stories to update, right =) as sort of a 'teaser/story advertisement' and have a link to the new thread that is dedicated to the new story. It's what I would do, for whatever that's worth. Or just the link to the new thread without posting the first chapter, but that's easier to miss if you just skim for the story posts.

 

[Ack]

Well, for the moment, I am posting links to the Omake thread starter post when I put up a chapter for an SFW story that was posted in the Omake Corner.

 

[Ack]

Confrontation

Part Four: Joining the Wards


Monday, April 11

I picked up the phone and dialled. It rang exactly once before it was answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Dad," I responded. "It's me. Taylor. I just want you to know that I'm okay."

"Oh thank god, Taylor," he exclaimed. "Is it really you?"

"Yeah, Dad," I assured him. "It's really me. I'm all right. I'm not hurt." Not any more, anyway, I told myself. Panacea, sitting beside me, put her arm across my shoulders and squeezed encouragingly.

"Where are you?" he demanded. "I've been going out of my mind with worry. When you went out last night and didn't come back … "

I took a deep breath. "I'm at the PRT building, Dad," I told him. "I … there's something you need to know."

"What?" He seemed totally taken aback by my revelation. "Why? What's going on? Why are you there?"

Time for the half-truth, just in case someone was listening in. "I've kind of gotten a job with them. But we need you to come in and fill out some paperwork."

"Wait a second," he protested. "You're only fifteen. What did they hire you for? And why out of the blue like that?"

He was asking way too many questions. "It's uh, a kind of internship," I temporised. "But we really need you to come on in. Look, gotta go, see you when you get here, bye."

I put the phone down, then clasped my hands in front of me, trying to make the shaking go away.

Panacea looked sympathetically at me. "You okay?" she asked.

I nodded, then shook my head. "I hate lying to my dad."

She grimaced. "That must suck. My dad already knows about me being a cape, of course, but you know, teenage daughters are gonna find something to get in trouble for."

Her tone was so dry at the end that I giggled involuntarily. "Look, thanks for sitting with me," I told her. "I really appreciate it."

She smiled in reply. "You definitely made the morning interesting. Is your hair the right length?"

Thus distracted, I ran my hands through my hair. It felt really full and bouncy, like I'd spent a month's allowance on hair care product, and just gone wild on it.

"Yeah," I allowed. "If it's not, then I can't see anyone noticing. Thanks for growing it back for me."

"Well, between that and saving Lung's life from a cocktail of amazingly versatile venoms, yeah, I haven't had a boring moment all morning," she responded mischievously.

I closed my eyes and gently bumped the back of my head against the wall. "I am never going to live that down, am I?" I asked the air. "I didn't mean to nearly kill him. I thought the venoms would just put him down."

"And they almost did," she assured me. "The beating he got after that had him down and unconscious." She lowered her voice. "It was the tranquilliser that changed everything."

My eyes widened. "So it wasn't me."

"No." She looked warningly at me. "But if you say anything, Armsmaster gets in all sorts of trouble, and he did save your life by getting you to the hospital on time."

"Oh god," I groaned, bumping my head against the wall again. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't."

"Careful," she advised me, only half-seriously. "I can't affect brains. If you give yourself a concussion, you have to live with it."

I sighed. "Okay." Turning my head, I looked questioningly at her. "Can't affect brains? Like, at all?"

"Nope," she replied flatly. "The rest of the body, I'm good. Comes to the brain, my power just switches off. Won't do a thing."

"Huh, that's a weird limitation," I mused. "I suppose that's so you don't accidentally lobotomise someone you don't like while you're healing them."

She snickered, but there was a hollow sound to it. "I guess."

I put my arm around her shoulders; she looked a little startled. "Anyway, thanks for being here. For helping. I … well, I really appreciate it. A lot. And if you ever need anything, just ask. I mean it."

She ducked her head, but I saw the pink flush start in her cheeks before her hood covered her face. "That's okay," she mumbled.

Just at that moment, a voice exclaimed, "Ames! There you are! I've been wondering where you got to!"

We both looked around as Glory Girl burst in through the door. I knew her, of course; she was one of the better-known teen heroes in Brockton Bay. She barely spared me a glance, darting to her sister's side. "Seriously, Ames. This thing with you getting up in the middle of the night and walking to the hospital has got to stop."

Panacea shook her head. "People need healing, Vicky. It's what I do." From the resigned tone of her voice, I got the impression that this was not the first time that they'd had this argument.

Glory Girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Anyway, I go to the hospital, and I find that you've come to the PRT building. What's with that?" She appeared to notice me for the first time. "Hi, who are you?"

I was suddenly seized by shyness. "I, uh -"

"She needed healing," Amy put in. "And the PRT want to talk to her, so she's here now. And I got a lift with them."

I was very grateful that she had; she had seemed know that I needed someone to talk to, just so I didn't curl up in a ball and hide under the table. Everything was happening too fast; it wasn't until I had gotten to the PRT building that I had finally decided to make the plunge and call Dad.

It wasn't that I absolutely had to; Armsmaster had informed me of that little tidbit. But the PRT was usually much happier if the parents of their Wards were informed of what was going on. And so, I had decided that telling Dad and weathering the storm now was probably better than having him find out at some inconvenient moment later on, and having it happen then.

"I … thanks for being here," I told Panacea. "It helped, a lot."

"So why do the PRT want to talk to you?" asked Glory Girl. "You're not a criminal, or they'd be processing you. Not a witness, or they'd already be talking to you." She blinked, connecting the dots. "What, you're a cape?"

Panacea raised her head, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, why don't you say that a bit louder, Vicky? I'm not sure if they heard it in Boston. Seriously, she's only new, so cut her some slack."

"Hey, hey, ease off, Ames," Glory Girl told her sister placatingly, holding her hands up in surrender. "Victoria Dallon. Pleased to meet you. What do you call yourself?"

I gingerly shook her proffered hand; Glory Girl was widely known as an Alexandria package who could reportedly bench-press trucks. One took care when shaking hands with a Brute. "Uh … I don't really have a cape name yet."

Glory Girl frowned. "Huh? Wow, you are new. What are your powers?"

I shrank back; in the face of Glory Girl's relentless questioning, my resolve was starting to erode. However, Panacea came to my rescue.

"Leave her alone, Vicky. She went up against Lung last night. It didn't go well for her. So back off, okay?"

Glory Girl blinked, then stared at me. "You went against Lung, and survived? Shit, you must be tougher than you look."

"I nearly died," I admitted, in a very small voice.

"As opposed to actually dying, that's a pretty big contrast, especially when it comes to Lung," Vicky told me admiringly. "I could maybe take him, but I don't think I'd really want to try. Going up against Lung, unless you're in the Triumvirate, that takes balls of solid titanium."

Both Panacea and I winced at the same time; I did it because I recalled just where I'd been having my bugs bite and sting Lung. She must have been recalling the mess I'd made of them. Glory Girl didn't even notice. "Anyway, Ames, Mom wanted me to remind you not to be late to school. So I thought I'd fly you in."

Panacea rolled her eyes. "School. Yay." She turned to me and gave me a hug, which I returned after a moment. "Keep in touch, okay?"

"Uh, if it's all right?" I asked, unsure.

She grinned and knuckled my forehead gently. "Sure it's all right. I want to see how you're doing."

"Okay then." I smiled back at her. "I'll do that."

I watched them leave, and the waiting room got a lot quieter after that. Someone came in and asked me if I wanted something to eat or drink; I asked for tea, and got it in a paper cup. Cookies came with it; I nibbled some while I sipped my tea.

While I waited, I spread my senses out. There weren't all that many bugs in the PRT building; at least, there weren't as many as in the surrounding air and buildings, and certainly not as many as on the ground. But there were enough for me to get a good feel for the layout, and where I was in it. Interestingly, I noted levels below ground level; how far down this building extended, I wasn't sure.

I didn't do anything with the bugs, of course; I was a guest here. And as it was, I could barely use their senses to get anything understandable to my human brain.

Dad's arrival came as almost a surprise; I only recognised him via the bugs after he'd entered the building. He was escorted up in the elevator to my floor, and along the corridor to the room I was waiting in. I was already standing by the time the door opened.

"Dad!" I flung myself into his arms.

He held me tight, lifted me off the ground. "Taylor. Oh thank Christ you're alive. What happened? Why are you here? And why are you wearing those clothes? And where did you go last night?"

Once he released me from the hug, I looked sheepishly down at the clothes I had been given. They weren't really my fit; jeans that were just long enough in the leg, but required belting way in to fit my waist, and a t-shirt that basically hung off of me. Fortunately, my underwear had survived Lung.

I took a deep breath. "Dad … sit down. I need to talk to you about … stuff."

Slowly, he sat down. "Taylor, I'm going to need some answers. I don't understand any of this."

"Yeah, and I'm really sorry, Dad. Okay, I lied a little bit when I said I had an internship job here. The truth is, I have powers."

I stopped talking; he blinked at me.

"You have powers." His voice was flat.

I nodded. "I have powers," I repeated. "And I have a costume. And last night I went out for the first time, and I did something stupid, andInearlydiedbutI'mgoodnow, and they want me to join the Wards," I finished in a rush.

"Wait just a minute," he told me. "Back up just a little. The bit after you did something stupid."

I couldn't look him in the face. Staring at the carpet, I mumbled, "I kinda nearly died."

His arms went around me again. "Taylor! What were you thinking?"

My voice rose in response. "I was thinking I want to be a superhero, Dad! I have powers! I have a costume! I can help people!"

"Or you can run into someone who nearly kills you, apparently," he retorted.

The door opened, and Armsmaster stood there. "Which is why we would like her to join the Wards, Mr Hebert," he observed.

I wondered if perfect timing was a power that he had, or if he was just listening in. On second thought, I went with 'listening in'."

Dad looked from me to Armsmaster and back. "And why should she do that? It's obviously too dangerous for her."

"No, it's not -" I began, at the same time that Armsmaster started talking again. I shut up and let him go on.

"Perhaps, Mr Hebert, you'd like to know exactly who she went up against."

Danny tilted his head. "Do tell."

Armsmaster smiled slightly. "Lung. And he's now in custody, thanks in great part to Taylor's efforts."

Dad stared at him, then at me. "You went up against Lung?"

I shrugged. "Said I did something stupid."

"But you helped capture him?"

Another shrug. "Maybe not 'helped'. Made it easier, maybe."

"Mr Hebert," Armsmaster interjected. "Your daughter has powers. It's very hard for someone with powers to not use them. We can help her train with them, provide a safe working environment, and a team to fall back on if she gets in trouble. All she has to do is join the Wards."

Dad frowned. "Well, when you put it that way … "

I stayed silent. Please say yes, please say yes.

"There's a stipend, and a trust fund that money is paid into while she's in the Wards. She gets access to it when she turns eighteen," Armsmaster noted. "What school does she go to?"

"Winslow," Dad replied absently; he was still, I knew, thinking about it.

"Hm," Armsmaster responded. "It would make it easier if she was at Arcadia, but we can definitely work with Winslow." At the time, the comment seemed a little odd to me, but I let it go by. Later, of course, I would realise the significance.

"Dad … ?" I ventured, unable to stay quiet any more.

He sighed and turned to me. "If I said no, you'd sneak out anyway, wouldn't you, kiddo?" His tone was a mixture of exasperation and fondness.

"Maybe," I admitted, dropping my eyes.

He turned to Armsmaster. "And you'd make sure her grades didn't suffer?"

"It's part of our mandate," the armoured hero assured him firmly. "She would attend class just as often as she was able."

Dad nodded. "Right. Well … as it seems that I'm already outvoted in this matter … I guess I'm going to have to say yes."

I flung my arms around him again.

<><>​

That Afternoon

Shortly after Taylor's interview with Richardson

A knock sounded on Gerard's office door; he looked up. "Yes?" he called.

The door opened, revealing Aegis standing outside. "You called for me, sir?" His tone was polite and respectful.

"Yes, I did. Please, come in."

As Aegis did so, Gerard squared the files on his desk, then pushed his glasses up his nose a little. "You've been made aware that we have a new recruit joining the Wards?"

"Yes, sir; Armsmaster briefed me in, earlier."

Gerard allowed himself a slight smile. "Good. That makes my life a little easier. She's doing the paperwork right now. Once she's finished, I'd like you to introduce her to the rest of the Wards."

A frown creased Aegis' face. "Uh, yes, sir. I was going to be doing that anyway ..." He trailed off as Gerard raised a finger. "Uh, sir?"

"I also need you to do something else for me," the head of the Brockton Bay PR department stated. "I need you to ensure that Shadow Stalker is out on patrol before you do that."

If anything, the frown on Aegis' face deepened. "I'm … not sure that I understand, sir."

Gerard sighed. "Taylor is … fragile. She was badly shaken by her near-death experience, and is suffering a lack of self-esteem, of confidence, as a result. Also," he went on, raising his voice slightly as Aegis went to open his mouth, "I'm getting the distinct impression that she's undergone some sort of harassment or bullying, and not so long ago. Anything that comes across as a denigration of her self, her heroic identity, before she has a chance to get comfortable in it, could drive her away from us for good. I'm not sure that we could trust Shadow Stalker in this matter, even if you told her to leave the girl alone. Thus, patrol."

Aegis nodded slowly. "I can do that." He paused for a moment, apparently thinking. "I'd written up the roster so that Vista was due to go out on patrol with Browbeat. I'll switch it around so that Shadow Stalker goes with him instead."

It was Gerard's turn to frown slightly. "Browbeat's only been with us for a few days. Shadow Stalker tends to be fairly abrasive. Is it wise to pair them together so early?"

Aegis tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point. "Browbeat isn't exactly a people person either, sir. I doubt that he'll be interested in talking too much."

"Your point is valid. Very well, let's see how this goes."

"I'll go change the roster now, sir." Aegis turned and left the office, closing the door carefully behind him.

Gerard sighed and leaned back in his chair. Removing his glasses, he closed his eyes and rubbed them with finger and thumb.

Some days, he mused, this job is like tap-dancing in a minefield.

<><>​

I had thought the interview room was quiet before, while I was filling out the forms. But since the clerk and come and taken them away, even the sound of pen scratching over paper was gone. I looked around, at the large mirror covering most of one wall.

"Wow," I murmured to Dad. "It's like every police drama ever. I mean, I know for a fact that's one-way glass, with a room behind it."

The anechoic tiles on the floor and walls and ceiling simply took the sound of my voice and swallowed it; I found myself working my jaw, to pop my ears. It didn't help.

He looked quizzically at me. "What, your bugs tell you that?"

I shrugged. "I just know it is; why else would they put such a large mirror in the room? Also, yeah, there's bugs in there. I think there's also recording equipment, but it's all turned off."

He was staring at me. I blinked. "What?"

"Your powers. I'm still getting used to them. And the fact that you even have them."

"I really wish you hadn't had to find out this way," I apologised sincerely. "But there never really was a good time to tell you."

He sighed and nodded. "I guess. I've been pretty well caught up in my own problems. I guess I needed a wake-up call."

I put my arms around him, held him close. "I think this is a good thing for both of us. Now I can actually do something with my life, instead of the same old, same old at school."

He returned the embrace. "As well as," he corrected me. "But you're still going to school, remember? And I doubt that being in the Wards will be totally free of problems."

"Yeah." I rested my head on his chest. "But at least the problems I have in the Wards won't be the problems I have at school."

<><>​

"I don't fucking believe this!" snapped Shadow Stalker. "I had plans! And now you've changed the fucking roster around!" She jabbed a forefinger at the offending piece of paper. "Has that little snitch Vista been complaining to you about me?"

Aegis stood firm, though he took note of the slip. I might need to speak to Vista. "No," he stated flatly. "She has not. I changed the roster for my own reasons. One of which is that Browbeat is new to the Wards, and you know the city better than most. If anyone can show him where the trouble spots are, you can."

"He's a Brute! He'll slow me down!"

"I suggest that you adapt, then. You can't always choose the teammate you go out with." His tone hardened. "And if you ditch him to go off on your own, I will be noting it on your file."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Fine. Have it your way." She fitted her mask on her face and headed over to where Browbeat was sitting at the monitor console with Kid Win.

<><>​

"- so you switch between these screens using this monitor, and you can set it to four, nine, sixteen or twenty-five subscreens – oh, hey, Shadow Stalker."

Browbeat looked up as Kid Win greeted the dark-cloaked Ward. "Hi," he ventured. "Kid Win's been showing me the monitor console. It's pretty cool." He checked the time on the screen. "Oh shit; I think I'm supposed to be going out on patrol soon. Have you seen Vista?"

Shadow Stalker shook her head. "Roster's changed. You're coming out with me. Ready to roll?"

Browbeat blinked. "Oh, uh, sure. Just let me mask up and get a drink of water."

Shadow Stalker tapped her foot. "Hurry it up. There's muggers out there who haven't been beaten senseless yet." A pause, as both Kid Win and Browbeat stared at her. "A joke," she told them. "It was a joke. Come on, move it. I haven't got all night."

<><>​

I looked up as the costumed teenager entered the room. "Hi," he greeted us. "Aegis. Pleased to meet you."

Part of me wanted to look around to make sure that it was me - me! - who Aegis was addressing, was offering his hand to. Awkwardly, I rose, and shook hands with him.

"I, uh, hi," I managed, then flushed with embarrassment. "Taylor – um, sorry, Buzz."

His smile was easy, unforced; his teeth were very white against his tanned skin. "That's okay, Taylor," he replied. "We all have trouble getting used to our cape names at first. You're a Master, right? Bug control?"

I realised that I was staring at the very impressive muscle definition of his torso, as outlined by his costume, and jerked my eyes back up to his face. Way to go, Taylor. Officially a Ward for less than an hour, and already ogling my team leader.

Dad saved me; he rose from his seat and shook Aegis' hand. "I'm Danny Hebert. I want to thank you for giving Taylor this opportunity."

"Trust me, sir, it's our pleasure." Aegis nodded toward me. "Taylor promises to bring a very versatile powerset to the Wards, and we'll do our best to keep her safe while she learns to use it to its fullest potential."

I cleared my throat. "Uh, yeah, bug control, that's me."

His smile turned into a comradely grin. "Well, at least they got that right. I'm here to officially welcome you to the Wards, and to take you to meet them, and show you our base, if you want."

"I, uh, sure," I stammered. "I got my costume, here," I added lamely. "I can wear it … "

He nodded. "Sure. It'll probably be a good idea, just to give us an idea what you'll be wearing when you're out and about."

They'd shown me where the restroom was; I grabbed the carry-bag that had my costume in it, and scuttled out of the interview room, to get changed.

When I returned, Dad and Aegis were chatting familiarly about management, of all things. Of course, it kind of made sense; Dad was chairman of the Dock Workers Association, and Aegis was in charge of the Wards. On the one hand, Dad had more people to worry about; on the other, the Wards had powers, and regularly went out to fight crime. I did not envy either one of them.

Aegis turned as I entered, and I saw his eyebrows raise, under the mask. "Okay ..." he murmured. "I've seen pictures, but that costume's much more impressive in real life. I see you fixed the lens?"

I nodded. "I had spare swim goggles, and I made it so I could change them out if necessary."

"Good thinking," he praised me. "And those are armour panels?"

"Bug chitin bound together with black widow spider silk," I confirmed. "I don't know exactly what they'll stop, but they're the best protection I could create."

Dad was staring at the costume. "Taylor," he choked, "when exactly did you make this? I had no idea … "

I shrugged. "Weekends and after school, usually down in the basement."

He shook his head slowly. "Damn. I don't know whether to be impressed with your ingenuity, or upset with myself for not noticing something this big going on in your life."

I stepped forward and hugged him; hesitantly, he hugged me back. "You're part of it now, Dad," I assured him. "No more secrets."

Aegis slapped me on the shoulder. "Well, are you ready to meet your teammates?" He grinned. "This is going to be kind of a surprise to them. You get to make a big entrance."

All of a sudden, I didn't want to go. I glanced at Dad. "Can you come with … ?"

Regretfully, he shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo," he told me. "This is your world, now. I don't belong in this part of it." He forced a grin. "Besides, do you really want your old Dad turning up with you at your first day in your new job?"

I rolled my eyes, unseen, inside the mask. "When you put it that way, Dad, yeah, you have a point." I hugged him again. "Thanks for being so supportive."

His arms were tight around me. "It's what a dad's for, kiddo. Sometimes I might have forgotten that, but I'm going to try to be better from now on."

I felt a warmth in my heart, and I may just have sniffled slightly. "Thanks, Dad. I'll see you at home, and tell you all about it."

He gave me an extra squeeze, then let me go. "I look forward to it. Now go on, knock 'em dead."

I headed for the door; Aegis lingered a moment to shake Dad's hand again. "Thank you for being so understanding for Taylor, sir. Many parents would not."

"It's her choice," Dad reminded him. "Now please, take care of my little girl."

"I'll do my best," Aegis promised him, then joined me at the door.

"Bye, Dad," I called over my shoulder.

"Bye, kiddo," he replied.

<><>​

"Your dad seems like a good guy," Aegis observed as we headed for the lifts.

"He's the best," I agreed. "He's always tried to look out for me."

He hit the button for the lift; the doors interleaved open almost immediately. We stepped in, and he swiped his ID card and hit the button for the lowest floor.

"So what made you pick Buzz for a name?" he asked casually.

I shrugged. "It makes sense, and I do pick up a certain amount of information from the bugs; you know, the buzz, as in the news?" I frowned, thinking about it. "Actually, I think Mr Richardson suggested it, earlier, and it stuck in my head. Anyway, it's on the forms now."

"Well, we can always change it if need be, later," he assured me. The doors opened, and we stepped out into the stainless-steel corridor. "Down this way," he told me.

"I know," I replied. "There's bugs in the room. I can tell the other Wards are there."

He glanced at me, looking somewhat impressed. "Nicely done. We're definitely going to have to work with that. I think you've got a lot of potential for information gathering."

I smiled a little, under the mask, glad he couldn't see the slight flush on my cheeks. Getting praised by a well-known hero like Aegis was something I still wasn't used to.

We reached a retinal scanner, and Aegis paused. "I'll set it up so it can read you," he decided. Swiping the card, he typed something in, and pointed at the scanner. "See if it can read you through the lens."

I leaned forward, the laser probed my eyeball, and the machine beeped to show it had a good read.

"Excellent," he declared, typing something else in. "Right, you're now a known user. Give it another look at you."

When I repeated the procedure, the light turned green. However, when I pressed the button to open the massive steel doors, nothing happened.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked apprehensively.

He shook his head. "Sorry. Should have warned you. There's a time delay. When the door is activated, a buzzer goes off inside, to make sure that anyone who's unmasked can mask up."

"Oh, uh, that makes sense, yeah," I agreed. At that moment, the doors beeped and then slid open.

Aegis stepped through, into the Wards base; I followed.


End of Part Four

Part Five

 

[CptTagon]

Who was SS sent on patrol with, again?

Also, wondering if Panacea will put the "Armsmaster's tranqs rotted Lung's crotch off, not the spiders" on her paperwork. It appears she did in canon, but her comment here makes me wonder if that will hold true.

 

[Ack]

Who was SS sent on patrol with, again?

Click to shrink...

Not sure.

Some Stranger, I think. Can't recall his name.

Also, wondering if Panacea will put the "Armsmaster's tranqs rotted Lung's crotch off, not the spiders" on her paperwork. It appears she did in canon, but her comment here makes me wonder if that will hold true.

Click to shrink...

Crotch rot did not happen, this time. Fortunately for Taylor's peace of mind.

 

[Navrin]

Way to go, Taylor. Officially a Ward for less than an hour, and already ogling my team leader.

Since she's addressing herself, I think that should be "your team leader".


Anyway, fun chapter, thanks. How long can they really keep Buzz and Shadowstalker apart, though, especially if they're going to the same school? I'm thinking they could really use more internal communication.

 

[pepperjack]

Way to go, Taylor. Officially a Ward for less than an hour, and already ogling my team leader.

Since she's addressing herself, I think that should be "your team leader".

Click to shrink...

I was fine with "my." Perspective can be pretty fluid when talking to oneself.

How long can they really keep Buzz and Shadowstalker apart, though, especially if they're going to the same school?

Click to shrink...

Well, given that the title of the story isn't "Avoidance" ...

 

[Chojomeka]

That was another great chapter Ack!

Well, given that the title of the story isn't "Avoidance" ...

Click to shrink...

Yeah that's going one hell of a....confrontation.

 

[tEN]

She can put on the form that it was an interaction between the venom and the sedative. That either on their own would have been fine, and that as soon as the two capes were able to compare notes they realized the potential issue and alerted her of the problem. This is all true, and paints them both in a positive light.

 

[pepperjack]

Yeah, my memories of the early story are vague, but I think that in canon he didn't even mention Skitter's involvement, and so it looked like he'd used some kind of crazy Tinker venom or something and then tranquilized the guy on top of that. This situation is completely different.

 

[Ack]

Confrontation

Part 5: Meet and Greet


"Christ," muttered Shadow Stalker. "Could Aegis have possibly saddled me with a more useless partner?"

She paused on the corner of the roof and tapped her radio earbud. "Are you going to be catching up any time soon?"

There was no answer; she tapped it again. "I said, are you going to be -"

He puffed into view. "I heard what you said," he replied. "I'm doing my best, all right?"

"Oh," Sophia responded, belatedly realising that he'd heard her 'useless partner' crack. "Well ... hurry up, okay?"

"Doing. My. Best." He didn't say any more, but she saw his pace improve a little.

Turning, she leaped and shadow-glided across to the next rooftop.

<><>​

Aegis stepped though into the Wards base; I followed, gawking at the interior of the room. It was shaped like a big dome, with partitions blocking off areas from view; I guessed that was where the more private areas were. It wasn't much of a guess; my bugs had already located bathroom facilities and what felt like bedclothes.

"Everyone, your attention please," Aegis announced. "I've got someone for you to meet."

I gulped; it was nerve-wracking enough to meet the Wards, much less meet them as one of them. A formless terror rose in me; what right did I have to even presume I was good enough to be a Ward? These were all heroes; what was I but a kid in a homemade costume -

"Hi!" called out a tall blond guy, wearing T-shirt, jeans and a domino mask. "It's great to meet you."

I blinked as he strode up to us - to me - with a wide, genuine smile on his face. Almost, I looked behind me to see who he was talking to. But no, it was me. Reaching out, he took my unresisting hand and shook it firmly. "It's awesome to have someone else on the team," he assured me, almost as if addressing my unexpressed concerns. "And hey, that's a pretty cool costume. Must've cost you a mint."

"I, uh, made it myself?" I ventured.

His eyes widened behind the mask. "No kidding? Holy crap, that's seriously impressive. I'm Gallant, by the way. What's your cape name?"

"I, uh, Buzz," I mumbled.

"Well, let me tell you, Buzz, being able to make your own costume? Hella useful. You see Kid Win over there?" He jerked his thumb at the brown-haired kid sitting at the computer terminal, who offered me a friendly wave. I saw that he was wearing a visor that obscured the upper half of his face.

Gallant lowered his voice conspiratorially. "He's the one who actually made my armour and maintains it for me, which basically means that whenever he gets distracted, which is basically a daily occurrence -"

"Screw you too, Gallant," Kid Win interjected, though I could tell from the tone of his voice that he didn't mean it. "Hey, Buzz. Nice to meet you. And he's right. It's a pretty impressive costume. You some kind of cloth Tinker?"

"Cloth Tinker? Is that even a thing?" asked a red-haired boy in casual clothes, wearing another domino mask.

"Well, isn't that what Parian is?" retorted Kid Win. "Buzz, meet Clockblocker. Yes, the name's deliberate. Yes, he picked it himself. And yes, that does tell you everything you need to know about him."

"I, uh, thought that Parian animated cloth with her powers," I objected timidly. "Not Tinkered with it."

"Yeah, but that's no fun," Clockblocker argued cheerfully. "I just love the idea of someone stitching together cloth golems and sending them off to do her bidding."

While I was still trying to get my head around the idea of 'cloth golems', a door opened in one of the partitions, and a girl poked her head out. "Did I just hear – hey wow, who's this?"

She, alone of the Wards who had been here to greet me, was costumed up; I recognised her immediately. This wasn't hard, given that she was young, female, and not black. Her costume was teal and green, with a skirt.

"Uh, hi, uh, Vista," I greeted her, offering a bit of a wave. "I'm Buzz. I just joined."

Space distorted, and she was right there in front of me. Even as I blinked, trying to process what had just happened, she put her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Yay!" she exclaimed. "We've got another girl!"

"Um … I thought that Shadow Stalker … " I ventured, tentatively returning the hug. Of all the ways that I had envisaged being welcomed to the Wards, this was not it.

Kid Win snorted in response to my comment. "Yeah, but according to Vista, she doesn't count."

"You gotta admit, though," Clockblocker observed, "she is kinda -"

" - not here, and you're not going to talk about her behind her back," Aegis interrupted sharply. He turned to me. "Well, these are the Wards on base. The others are on patrol; you'll meet them sooner or later. I've got to get going, so I'll leave you to their tender mercies."

I blinked. Somehow, I had expected him to wait while I got to know the others. But of course, he was the team leader, and had other duties apart from me.

"I should be fine," I told him, with more optimism than expectation, "but, uh, about unmasking … is there a requirement … ?"

He smiled and shook his head. "All the Wards here know each other, and they've unmasked to Shadow Stalker, and vice versa. Browbeat hasn't unmasked, so they stay masked around him. You can opt to not unmask to all or some members of the Wards, but if you do that, you're expected to keep track of who knows your face and name, and who doesn't." He paused for a beat. "Got it?"

I nodded. "Okay, yeah. Thanks. I appreciate it."

He offered his hand. "You're welcome. And in case I forgot before – welcome to the Wards."

I shook it; his grip was firm without being overly crushing. "Thanks," I told him. "It's good to be here."

With a nod and a smile, he turned and hit the panel to open the heavy doors. They whooshed open, he stepped through, and they closed behind him. With a sudden feeling of loneliness, I turned to face the Wards, fully expecting them to have lost interest in me.

Far from it; Vista, who had released me from the ambush hug, grabbed my hand and towed me to a table. "Come on, sit down," she urged me. "It's been so long since I had another girl to talk to in here. What TV shows do you like?"

"Whoa, wait up a moment," chuckled Gallant, bringing the excitable young Ward to a halt with an outstretched arm. "Give her a moment to breathe, will you?" He turned his amused gaze on me. "I can see that you're a bit overwhelmed by all this. So take a moment if you have to. Look around. We've got sleeping alcoves, places you can store your stuff, spare costumes and the like. If you're interested in computers, Kid Win can show you the monitor console."

I blinked. "I do like computers, yeah," I replied. "But those look a bit out of my league."

"Ah, it's all pretty easy to learn," Kid Win told me cheerfully. "We all take our turn on monitor duty."

"Yay," Clockblocker and Vista retorted in near-perfect unison, their voices flat and robotic. "Monitor duty."

"Hey, I like monitor duty!" Kid Win protested.

"Which only gives more credibility to my idea that your armour cuts off the flow of blood to your brain," Clockblocker asserted. "Monitor duty is perhaps the most boring job on the face of the earth."

"I can think of fifteen other things that I'd rather do than monitor duty," Vista added. "And fourteen of them involve rearranging my underwear drawer."

"Not going to ask what the fifteenth one is, then," Clockblocker observed in a teasing tone of voice. "I – oof!"

I blinked again; Vista had done her space-twisty thing, and had neatly elbowed Clockblocker in the ribs, despite the fact that she'd been over five yards away from him at the time.

"Medic," he wheezed, hamming it up, staggering dramatically. "You're all witnesses. She assaulted me."

"All I saw," Gallant told him firmly, "was you asking for it. So don't go trying to play the sympathy card with us. And Vista?"

"Yes?" she beamed, turning toward him.

He could not help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Don't do that in front of our new guest, okay? It might give her the wrong idea about how we do things."

"Or the right one," Kid Win put in dryly. "Buzz, quick tip? We're not like this all the time. Just, you know, most of it."

I nodded. "Right. Thanks. Got it."

"So sit down," urged Vista. "Talk to us. What do you do?"

I frowned under my mask as I sat. "Uh, do?"

Vista seated herself, looking my costume over with intense interest. Gallant also took a seat, as did Clockblocker. Kid Win did something to the console, and came over as well.

"Yeah," Clockblocker clarified. "Your powers. How come you're in the Wards?"

I looked carefully at him, but the question didn't seem to be critical or derogatory. He honestly wanted to know.

This was a new experience for me; a bunch of people who I looked up to were interested in me. So I said the first thing that came to mind; "Wait, the Wards? You mean this isn't sale day at Macy's?"

There was a frozen pause, then they all burst out laughing. Kid Win slapped Clockblocker on the back, and even the redhead was grinning ruefully as he chuckled at my feeble joke.

"Nicely done," Gallant told me. "Clock, looks like you've got competition."

"Uh, sorry," I apologised almost at once. "It just slipped out."

"That's what – oof!"

I looked at Clockblocker; he had finished his statement almost before starting it, courtesy of an elbow via Vista.

"You were going to make a crude joke," she informed him primly. "Not in front of the guest." She grinned at me. "Well, not until we find out if you'd be offended, anyway."

"I'm fine," I assured her. I wasn't going to tell them about it, but I'd grown up around dock workers, who weren't always careful with their language. I was pretty sure I could match them for off-colour jokes. "Anyway, you were asking me about my powers."

Kid Win nodded. "Going by the theme … I'm thinking something insect related."

"Basically, yeah," I told him. "I sense and control bugs. Insects, arachnids, earthworms, crabs -"

Clockblocker perked up. "Do you mean -"

"Both types," I informed him hastily.

"Aw." He subsided, apparently mildly disappointed that I'd spoiled the incipient joke.

Gallant spoke into the subsequent silence. "So, uh, when you say 'sense' -"

I looked at him. "I mean that I know where they are, to the millimetre, and I can sorta-kinda tap into their senses. Bugs, by the way, have crap senses."

Vista was nodding. "And you can control them? How precisely?"

For an answer, I had a beetle fly over from where it was lurking in the corner. It circled her head twice, landed on the table in front of her, and walked in a circle. She looked somewhat taken aback.

"Wow," she managed. "That's pretty impressive."

Kid Win was rubbing his chin. "I'm guessing you can control more than one bug at a time."

I nodded. "Yup. I have a radius of about two and half blocks at the moment."

"And how many bugs can you control in that area?" asked Clockblocker.

I didn't even have time to answer; Gallant got there first. His jaw dropped. "Holy shit. All of them?"

My jaw dropped in turn. "How did you know that?"

"You were feeling so pleased with yourself, it couldn't be any other answer," he replied with a grin.

Clockblocker rolled his eyes. "You realise, if you keep doing this, you're going to have to turn in your not-a-telepath card."

"Wait, what?" I protested. "You read my mind?"

"No," he corrected me. "I saw your emotions. I see everyone's emotions. I can't not see them. It's what I do."

I frowned. "I thought you were some kind of Tinker." I paused. "Well, I did, until you told me that Kid Win made your armour."

He shook his head with a grin. "No, I'm an empath, and I can fire off bolts of light that give people a mild stun, and alter their emotions. The armour's just for personal protection."

"Actually, talking of that," Vista put in, reaching out to feel the sleeve of my costume, "what is this made of?"

"Well, actually, we were just talking about that," Clockblocker put in. "You see, apart from controlling bugs, she's also a cloth Tinker."

Vista blinked. "Wait, what?" She stared at me. "How does that even -"

Gallant chuckled, shaking his head. "Ignore him. It was something that came up before. Buzz made the costume herself." He looked at me. "Would I be correct in assuming that it's something bug related?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's black widow dragline silk. The armour panels are insect chitin held together by more spider web."

Vista stared at me, then at the costume. She pinched a bit of sleeve between her finger and thumb. "You had spiders weave this for you?"

"Took me months," I confirmed. "But it's the toughest thing I could get hold of."

"Okay," she declared. "It's a bit edgy and dark looking -"

Clockblocker coughed into his hand; I caught what sounded like 'Shadow Stalker!', but he looked innocently back at me when I glanced that way.

" - but," she continued, "it's also the coolest costume here, by a wide margin. The coolest costume in the Wards. Easily."

"I, uh -" I began.

She looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. "Could you make me one too?"

"I, uh -" I began again, but then Gallant cleared his throat.

"Vista, you did hear her when she said 'months', right?"

"I can wait," she protested. "Have you felt how smooth that is?"

"Uh, the other problem?" Clockblocker put in. "Buzz, I'm guessing that you need more than one or two … what was it, black widow spiders?"

I nodded. "Second strongest webbing in the world. I'd need a thousand or more."

"Right, right," he agreed. "Black widows. A thousand black widows. Where were you thinking of keeping them while they wove your new costume, Vista?"

"Oh," she told him with a sweet smile, "I was thinking your room."

He shook his head violently. "Oh, hell no."

"The point is probably moot anyway," Gallant noted. "We'd have to run it past the Director."

"And Miss Piggy would be all 'nope'," predicted Clockblocker.

"And we'd have to smuggle them in anyway," Vista added.

"And we'd get caught, and we'd be stuck in probation until we reached retirement age," concluded Kid Win. "You're right. Bad idea."

"I know," Clockblocker replied with a grin. "Let's do it."

I couldn't help smiling under my mask. They were just chatting, being serious and silly by turns. In other words, being typical teens. "Wait a minute," I protested. "Did you really just call the Director -"

Gallant rolled his eyes. "It was Clockblocker's idea. Her name's Piggot, and you have met her, right?"

I had, for a very brief interview, and I had come away with the impression of an overworked bureaucrat. One who was, I had to admit, noticeably overweight. Her blonde bob, almost certainly a dye job, didn't help her image, as far as I was concerned. Apart from that, I hadn't actually formed much of an opinion of her, either way.

"It's a bit mean, and disrespectful," I ventured.

"My point exactly," Gallant responded. "She's not the nicest person in the world -" He paused, apparently waiting for someone to challenge his statement, but no-one seemed to want to take the bait. " - but she's fair." Clockblocker looked like he wanted to object, so Gallant amended his words. "Tough but fair, okay?"

Reluctantly, Clockblocker nodded. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled.

I tentatively raised my hand. "Uh, I feel kind of silly all costumed up. I mean, you can't even see my face. Is there some place I can take my mask off? And can I borrow one of your domino masks?"

Gallant chuckled. "Sure. In fact, they're your domino masks now. They're there for anyone to mask up, if and when the door buzzer sounds." He nodded to Vista. "Go ahead and show her where she can change masks."

"Okay!" she replied eagerly, leaping to her feet. "Come on," she urged me.

I got up and followed along; she showed me to a small alcove with a bed and a chest of drawers. "This is mine," she informed me proudly. "We'll get you a room too, so you can leave stuff here, like Gallant said."

I looked around. "Cosy," I commented.

She grinned, and the walls began to recede. The bugs in the area gave back weird readings; I wasn't quite sure where they were, in relation to me.

"Better?" she asked, her expression mischievous.

"Wow," I commented. "Just wow. How do you do that?"

"I manipulate space," she explained, confirming my suspicion. "I can expand or shrink it, but not if there's people in the way."

I looked around at the suddenly-cavernous area. "I'm really impressed."

"Hey, I'm impressed with your bug control," she replied. "You can affect a wider area than I've tried working with so far, and there's lots and lots of bugs in Brockton Bay."

I grinned at her. "Oh, I know. Trust me – I know."

She looked up at me. "I'll leave you to change your mask, but I want you to know, it's really great having another girl on the team." Quickly, impulsively, she gave me another hug, and then she was gone, the door closing behind her.

How old is she, anyway? I wondered. She can't be more than twelve.

I dismissed the speculation. Age, in this case, didn't matter.

Sitting down on the bed, I lay back and breathed deeply, taking a moment to de-stress. This had, I realised, been the intent all along. I didn't need to go to another room to change masks; all I'd really needed to do was turn my back. But Gallant had seen in me the need to be alone for a few minutes, so he had made the suggestion, and Vista had picked up on it.

I appreciated it; I hadn't noticed the tension in my shoulders, but it was draining out of me as I relaxed in the quiet. It gave me time to think, to adjust.

So I'm in the Wards now, I told myself. How am I doing so far?

The Wards were … nice. Aegis had been friendly, welcoming. Gallant was making a particular effort to live up to his name, probably with the help of his emotion sense, and it was working. Even though I knew now that he could see what I was feeling, he was still succeeding in at putting me at my ease.

Kid Win was a nice guy, and Vista was just sweet. Clockblocker, on the other hand ... he was obviously a bit of a jokester, but I already knew that from his name. The fact that he was a redhead ... it didn't change matters. He didn't really remind me much of Emma, and his brand of humour wasn't mean or vindictive.

I think I could get to like these people.

Sitting up, I pulled off my mask and ran my hands through my hair. Holding up the domino mask to my face, I considered it. Should I just unmask to them right now, and get it over with?

I wanted to, I really did. I wanted to have the knowledge that I could trust them with my deepest secret. I wanted to be able to associate with them outside of the Wards. Going shopping with Vista … now that would be an interesting experience.

But I couldn't chance it, not quite yet. There was too much hurt, too many issues. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Taking a deep breath, I fitted the domino mask to my face. Then I pulled a pair of glasses from a pouch and put them on over the mask. I must have looked a little silly, but I didn't care.

<><>​

Browbeat increased the capacity of his lungs yet again, and fine-tuned his leg muscles once more. Shadow Stalker seemed intent on pushing him to his limits, or maybe beyond them. He didn't know if this was personal, if she had some reason for doing this, or if this was a kind of initiation; send the new guy out with Shadow Stalker.

He wasn't going to complain, not yet. Not unless the hazing went past what he personally considered to be unacceptable levels. Right now he was getting a good workout, so that was okay. But if she ditched him in some rough neighbourhood, to let him make his own way home, then he might consider putting in a complaint.

He still didn't know whether she'd meant him to hear the 'useless partner' comment. It may well have been just an impulsive outburst on her part, or it may have been calculated to wear down his morale. Either way, it had stung, just a bit. Just because I can't rooftop run like she can …

Still, he must be keeping up with her, and not holding her back too badly, because there had been no more comments like that, cutting or otherwise.

But something else was starting to bother him. He wasn't as knowledgeable about the gang territories as he'd like to be, but he'd looked at the map when he had found that he was going to be on patrol. And it seemed to him that something was off.

"Shadow Stalker," he stated.

The dark figure on the rooftop up ahead paused. "What is it, Browbeat?" Her voice was sharp, impatient.

"Uh, haven't we kind of overshot the patrol area?"

She sighed, clearly audible through the earbud. "Have we stopped any crime yet?"

"Uh, no. It actually looks pretty quiet."

"Which means we haven't gone far enough to find it yet. So we keep going."

"Is this a good idea?" He didn't think it would get the response he wanted, but he had to ask the question.

"If I wanted your opinion, Browbeat, I would have asked. Did I ask? No. Now, if you want to go back home to mommy, feel free. I won't stop you. But if you're on this patrol, you're on this goddamn patrol. Is that understood?"

He almost flinched, from the anger that came through with her words. "Uh, yes. Understood."

"So are you on this patrol or not?"

The way he saw it, he really didn't have a choice. "I'm on the patrol."

"Good. Now, keep quiet unless you've actually got something to say. And try to keep up."

Her voice cut off, and he saw her leap to the next building over. Grimly, he kept going, working to keep up with her.

<><>​

When I emerged, there were several cans of soda sitting on the table, including a Coke at my place. "This is mine?" I asked, picking it up.

"Sure," Gallant told me. "I wasn't quite sure what you liked, so I got you that."

"Because everyone likes Coke," Kid Win added dryly.

"I'm more of a coffee or tea drinker," I offered, "but sure, I'll drink soda." Pulling the tab, I took a drink. "So, what else did you want to know?"

"Who are you, and what did you do with the scary bug girl?" quipped Clockblocker. He grinned at me. "No offence, but you look a lot nicer when we can see your face. Nice glasses, by the way."

I didn't feel offended; in fact, I felt a slight flush start on my cheekbones. He said I looked nice.

"Oh, uh, thanks," I replied, and took another drink of soda, to hide my confusion.

"May I see?" asked Kid Win, holding out his hand. After a moment, I realised that he meant my mask, and I handed it over. Putting down his drink, he examined the mask carefully, looking at it inside and out.

"Spider silk as well?" he asked.

I nodded. "Armoured as well as I could. I was going to make it fully enclosed at the back, but then I decided that I was just stalling, so … "

"Got it," he agreed. "Sometimes you've just got to go out there and do it." He held up the mask on his hand, fingers spread, and looked into the empty goggle lenses. "You need glasses … lenses set in the goggle lenses?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I have several spare pairs."

He turned the mask around, running a finger over the detail. "I am really, seriously impressed. I especially love the mandibles. They give you a real don't-screw-with-me look."

"No, that's the whole costume," Clockblocker interjected. "Actually, you know what that costume would be great for? A villain."

Silence fell, as everyone looked at Clockblocker. Everyone except Gallant, who was looking at me. Who could detect, I was pretty sure, the sudden feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt that Clockblocker's words had awakened in me.

"Armsmaster said that too," I told them in a very small voice.

"Clockblocker, you idiot," Kid Win snapped, scathingly.

"But hey, what do I know?" Clockblocker went on brightly. "You know what? One person's villain costume is another person's ultra-cool hero costume. And seriously, are you gonna take my word for anything? Come on. You've met me."

"He's right," Vista told me, putting her arm around my waist. "I've been on this team longer than everyone but Aegis and Gallant, and I've seen some pretty good costumes. That one is super awesome."

"But Armsmaster -" I began.

Clockblocker snorted. "The day I take fashion advice from the Halbeard -"

Kid Win and Gallant both sprayed soda on the table; Gallant started coughing, and Kid Win patted him on the back.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll live," Gallant rasped. He stared at Clockblocker. "Where the hell did you get that from?"

Clockblocker rolled his eyes. "Someone used it on the PHO forums. I thought it sounded about right."

Gallant shook his head emphatically. "You do not use that name again, ever. Ever. We don't use it in public, and we don't use it in here. Calling Director Piggot Miss Piggy is bad enough; we don't let anyone hear us using a nickname like that for the head of the Protectorate here in Brockton Bay. Am I understood?"

Clockblocker frowned. "Aegis is in charge, not you -"

"Aegis," declared Gallant, "would come down on you twice as hard if you used that name in front of him." He eyed Clockblocker. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"But it's funny -" began Clockblocker.

I took a deep breath. "Armsmaster saved my life, last night," I stated, my voice firm. "Please don't disrespect him."

All four of them turned to look at me. "Last night?" asked Gallant. "Last night, Armsmaster brought in Lung."

I nodded. "I know. He also brought me in." The air in the base wasn't that cold, but I shivered anyway, and wrapped my arms around myself. "I took Lung on, and nearly died."

Four sets of eyes were fixed on me. "Holy shit," Vista managed. "You took on Lung? And survived?"

I nodded, and reached out to take my mask back off of Kid Win. "Yeah," I managed, past the lump in my throat. I held up the mask, so that the opening in the back was visible. "Those stains? Burnt hair. My hair."

Silently, Vista squeezed me. I leaned in to her support.

Clockblocker frowned. "But wait, if your hair was burnt -"

I shrugged. "I got lucky. Panacea was there. She grew my hair back, after."

"I'm guessing your injuries were more extensive than burned hair." Gallant's voice was quiet.

"Yeah." I glanced at Clockblocker. "And the only reason – the only reason – I'm sitting here is because of Armsmaster. So please don't use that nickname for him."

Clockblocker sighed. "Damn puppy-dog eyes get me every time. Okay, not using it any more. Happy?"

I smiled wanly at him. "Thanks."

Kid Win turned to me. "So how -" he began, but the question was never completed. Something blared on the computer console, and he leaped from his chair and trotted over to check on it.

"So about your favourite TV shows -" Vista began.

"Guys," cut in Kid Win. "We've got trouble. Shadow Stalker and Browbeat need assistance."

Vista rolled her eyes. "Dammit. Every time."

"Aegis has been notified," Kid Win went on. "He'll meet you on the roof, Vista. You guys go ahead – it'll take me too long to put my armour on."

Gallant nodded, and turned to me. "Feel up to going out?"

I nodded, although I didn't feel anywhere near as certain as I tried to look. "Might as well get back on the bike, right?"

Clockblocker slapped me on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. Let's buzz off."

Vista gave him a disgusted look. "You've been just waiting for an opportunity to say that, haven't you?"

He tried to look innocent. "Who, me?"

<><>​

Sophia wasn't sure what she hated more; being in this sort of danger, or being forced to call for help. On balance, she decided that it was having to call for help that was the most distasteful; after all, she had been in many dangerous situations in her career, and had emerged from most of them unscathed.

Of course, sometimes the odds caught up with you. As they had in this case.

She wasn't sure what Browbeat was doing; maybe growing bony plates on his arms? In any case, the newest Ward was also bulking himself out, his muscles growing with inhuman speed. Whatever it was, she hoped it was good. Against Stormtiger, they were going to need it.

If she had been on her own, she could simply have put some distance between her and the Empire cape. But Browbeat was here, and he couldn't outdistance Stormtiger.

Normally, this would not have been an overly problematic dilemma. But Browbeat was known to be out with her, and he had a phone too; if she simply abandoned him, he would certainly be able to notify the PRT of that fact. The reception that waited back at the base for her would certainly not be pleasant.

When the pair encountered Stormtiger, he'd had five mooks with him. Browbeat had wanted to hang back, but Sophia had pushed in for the attack.

It had not gone well; while she had taken down three of the mooks, and Browbeat had dealt with the other two, Stormtiger had not been idle. Sophia had taken a nasty slash on her left arm that had rendered the limb effectively useless, and Browbeat was limping.

The shirtless man, his face covered by a blue and white tiger mask, gestured, and Sophia felt odd breezes blowing around. "Bit off more than you can chew this time, Shadow Bitch," he taunted. "Your partner's big, but size isn't everything - "

"Is that what you tell your girlfriend?" Browbeat broke in, trying to circle around behind the man. Stormtiger turned to face him. Sophia moved to reload the one crossbow she could use at the moment.

"Very funny, Ward," Stormtiger sneered. "I'll be sure to repeat that joke to Kaiser when I see him next." His hand slashed down, and Browbeat tried to throw himself out of the way. He almost succeeded; the blade of air meant for his face hit his shoulder instead, and he fell sideways with a cry of pain.

Sophia brought up the crossbow and loosed the arrow; without seeming to even look, Stormtiger reached out with a gust of wind, and caused the tranq arrow to fly wide. Another blade of air slashed out at her; she went to shadow form, and it smashed through the centre of her. It couldn't touch her, not really, but she could feel the immense kinetic force behind it. The swirl of air disrupted her as it passed through her immaterial body

She rolled sideways, still in shadow, and reloaded on the way. Coming back to solid form, she went to take aim -

- and a second blade of air slashed into her leg. She fell, trying to track him with the crossbow. Too late and too slow; he came in hard and fast, kicking at the crossbow with one booted foot. The weapon went flying, and his follow-up kick would have taken her head clean off, but for the bulky figure that tackled Stormtiger at the last instant.

The two figures rolled over and over, then separated. They came to their feet, the Empire villain and the teenage Ward. Browbeat was unsteady on his feet, and blood ran down his arm from the wound in his shoulder, but the limb itself was still operational.

Sophia gritted her teeth and pulled out her knife. If she could cut a bandage from her cloak -

A thick buzzing cloud of bugs surrounded Stormtiger, covering his face and eyes. The neo-Nazi staggered back, conjuring winds to clear them away, but more and more swarmed in. He stepped back again -

- and froze solid, as Clockblocker seemingly appeared out of nowhere and touched him on the back of the neck.

"Well done," Aegis told the white-clad teen as he swooped in from above. "No other Empire capes around. Browbeat, how you doing?"

"Been better, sir," the bulky teen replied. "But I can fix the damage. Shadow Stalker's hurt worse than me."

Sophia, for her part, was looking up at the tall, skinny insect-themed cape who had stepped up to her. Bugs swarmed around the girl, and when she spoke, they added their buzzing noises to her voice.

"Hi; the name's Buzz. I just joined. Need a hand?"


End of Part Five

Part Six

 

[Chojomeka]

"Hi; the name's Buzz. I just joined. Need a hand?"

Click to shrink...

Oh that's not going to end well

Clockblocker snorted. "The day I take fashion advice from the Halbeard -"

Kid Win and Gallant both sprayed soda on the table; Gallant started coughing, and Kid Win patted him on the back.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll live," Gallant rasped. He stared at Clockblocker. "Where the hell did you get that from?"

Clockblocker rolled his eyes. "Someone used it on the PHO forums. I thought it sounded about right."

Gallant shook his head emphatically. "You do not use that name again, ever. Ever. We don't use it in public, and we don't use it in here. Calling Director Piggot Miss Piggy is bad enough; we don't let anyone hear us using a nickname like that for the head of the Protectorate here in Brockton Bay. Am I understood?"

Clockblocker frowned. "Aegis is in charge, not you -"

"Aegis," declared Gallant, "would come down on you twice as hard if you used that name in front of him." He eyed Clockblocker. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"But it's funny -" began Clockblocker.

Click to shrink...

Sometimes CB it's better to keep your humor to yourself....least you no longer have a self to keep anything to.

 

[moontheir4]

So, some interesting parallels here with the Undersiders. Vista/Gallant playing Lisa, Clockblocker playing Alec, Aegis and Kid maybe sorta Brian, but I feel I might be stretching at that point. Still, I half-expected the chapter to end with Sophia attacking being a Bitch to Taylor.

Space distorted, and she was right there in front of me. Even as I blinked, trying to process what had just happened, she put her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Yay!" she exclaimed. "We've got another girl!"

"Um … I thought that Shadow Stalker … " I ventured, tentatively returning the hug. Of all the ways that I had envisaged being welcomed to the Wards, this was not it.

Click to shrink...

This doesn't really follow in my experience. "We've got another girl" (without context) would just mean one more girl, not a second girl. I could see Vista saying it, but I don't think it would lead to this, or the SS doesn't count bit.

If you really want to fit that exchange in, I'd reword Vista's line a bit, something like "I've finally got another girl I can talk to" or add some lament about how she's the only girl on the team. Or move Taylor's response further down the line:

Far from it; Vista, who had released me from the ambush hug, grabbed my hand and towed me to a table. "Come on, sit down," she urged me. "It's been so long since I had another girl to talk to in here. What TV shows do you like?"

Click to shrink...

But doing it then means Aegis is gone and doesn't get his chance to play grownup, which would be a loss.

 

[Syqadelic]

Oh my god... this is going to be a bro!Stalker and enemy!Sophia situation, isn't it?

 

[Navrin]

Taylor: "He saved my life and I am eternally grateful."

So, how many days until she returns the favour for him and the Undersiders?

As always, Ack, thanks for the chapter.


Hn... I wonder if one of the Hero tinkers could/would build a device that uses Taylor's brain readings in order to map where all insects are (and what kind they are, of course) in range to feed to their appropriate Thinkers and entomologists to learn what they can. That kind of knowledge almost certainly could tell them a lot.

 

[Ack]

So, some interesting parallels here with the Undersiders. Vista/Gallant playing Lisa, Clockblocker playing Alec, Aegis and Kid maybe sorta Brian, but I feel I might be stretching at that point. Still, I half-expected the chapter to end with Sophia attacking being a Bitch to Taylor.

This doesn't really follow in my experience. "We've got another girl" (without context) would just mean one more girl, not a second girl. I could see Vista saying it, but I don't think it would lead to this, or the SS doesn't count bit.

If you really want to fit that exchange in, I'd reword Vista's line a bit, something like "I've finally got another girl I can talk to" or add some lament about how she's the only girl on the team. Or move Taylor's response further down the line:
But doing it then means Aegis is gone and doesn't get his chance to play grownup, which would be a loss.

Click to shrink...

Or maybe Taylor understood what Vista meant.
Girls do that sometimes

Oh my god... this is going to be a bro!Stalker and enemy!Sophia situation, isn't it?

Click to shrink...

maybe. Until the unmasking. And then WHOOOPS.

Taylor: "He saved my life and I am eternally grateful."

So, how many days until she returns the favour for him and the Undersiders?

As always, Ack, thanks for the chapter.


Hn... I wonder if one of the Hero tinkers could/would build a device that uses Taylor's brain readings in order to map where all insects are (and what kind they are, of course) in range to feed to their appropriate Thinkers and entomologists to learn what they can. That kind of knowledge almost certainly could tell them a lot.

Click to shrink...

Well, maybe if they didn't have all the other stuff that's going on.

 

[Navrin]

Hey, they make time to make merchandise of everything, why not a piece of tinketech (probably only lightly modified from other power monitors) that produces data they can sell to entomological scientists with the condition that they make sure to give the relevant data back to them? They could probably make a small fortune off of that data in a variety of ways. Even if the entomologists preempt some of it by releasing the data to the public for free. (Which is awesome and right and proper for scientists)

And, you know, find Coil's bases. That's nice, too. Probably also nets them every single drug manufacturing and storage facility.

 

[turbinicarpus]

Followed. Some thoughts:

"Because those venoms could have a really bad effect, when they coincide with too much in the way of tranquillisers."

Click to shrink...

Sounds awkward. Actually, I am not sure if Panacea would even know this. Her biomanipulation is intuitive, so something like this may not even occur to her.

My suggestion, have a doctor or a nurse mention it, and phrase it in the form of a question. "Do we know how Tinker-tech tranquilizers would interact with insect venom?" They are actually trained to think about these things. (What occurred would be considered a drug interaction.)

Sure enough, my bugs picked up Armsmaster and Panacea, both of them distinctive enough that even the crappy eyes of a tiny insect could tell them apart from doctors and nurses.

Click to shrink...

Taylor never really figured out bug sight. However, Armsmaster and Panacea would probably "taste" different, so maybe have her track them that way?

Her smile was wry. "No. I had to use metal cutting shears, and even then it took all my time. Why?"

Click to shrink...

Unlikely. More likely she had the spiders cut it the way they wove it, one fiber at a time.

 

[Ack]

Followed. Some thoughts:


Sounds awkward. Actually, I am not sure if Panacea would even know this. Her biomanipulation is intuitive, so something like this may not even occur to her.

My suggestion, have a doctor or a nurse mention it, and phrase it in the form of a question. "Do we know how Tinker-tech tranquilizers would interact with insect venom?" They are actually trained to think about these things. (What occurred would be considered a drug interaction.)

Click to shrink...

She has an honorary medical degree, enough to know human anatomy. And she would understand the interactions of chemicals of various types within the body.

Taylor never really figured out bug sight. However, Armsmaster and Panacea would probably "taste" different, so maybe have her track them that way?

Click to shrink...

Metal armour and long flowing robes are both distinct enough that she can follow them that way. Also, a big red cross. (She did figure out bug sight; it was just never really great).

Unlikely. More likely she had the spiders cut it the way they wove it, one fiber at a time.

Click to shrink...

Canon.

The reason I was so pleased with my costume was the fact that it was flexible, durable, and incredibly lightweight, considering the amount of armor I had put on it. At one point I had screwed up the dimensions of one of the legs, and when I tried to cut it off to start fresh, I had found I couldn't cut it with an x-acto knife. I had needed to use wire cutters, and even that had been a chore. As far as I figured, it was everything a superhero wanted for a costume.

Click to shrink...