Dragon's Progeny [Worm/ABB OC]

[Rotceh]

Good work i LOVE this fic

 

[Phraxius]

A satisfying (and delightfully ironic) end to Bakuda and a transition of leadership that immediately showcases why she's the best leader the ABB has ever had? Very nice.

It's going to be interesting to see the ripple effects of this.

Oh yeah, and Rune ran away from the E88 right before this all went down, no? I wonder how she's reacting to several days of radio silence from the protagonist.

At least 'I was dead, but I got better' is a pretty damn good excuse.

 

[Sadguychet]

"And your total comes out to 14.88." The cashier said happily, as if he hadn't charged Tammi nearly fifteen dollars for a fucking sandwich and nothing else.
Tammi sighed, reaching into her wallet to grab a five and ten dollar-bill. She put it on the counter, grabbing her sandwich in exchange, "Keep the change, I guess." She said, turning to leave with her meal.

"Have a lovely day, ma'am!" The cashier called after her.

Tammi held back the snort that wanted to come out of her mouth at his words, instead just waving her arm in a silent farewell to the surprisingly polite man. Have a lovely day. She hadn't had one of those all week, and she had a feeling that wasn't going to change any time soon.

She frowned as she got to the door of the shop, noticing that the Boardwalk had become quite a bit busier even though she had been in the store for less than ten minutes. That was just great. She should have come here earlier.

Making sure that all of her belongings were properly secured, Tammi stepped out of the shop and made her way into the crowd of meandering bodies, doing her best to not make eye contact with anybody as she did so. Thanks to all the shit that happened to the Merchants, the Enforcers had been particularly nasty lately and she definitely didn't look like she should be here. She'd rather not set them off if she could help it.

Journeying this far away from downtown was a bit risky but she had been craving this sandwich for some reason and decided that the journey was well worth the trouble. As long as she didn't take too long, she'd be back to the shelter in time to get her spot with more than enough time to spare.

Being homeless wasn't something that Tammi had ever thought she'd have to deal with but now that she had, she suddenly found herself much more sympathetic towards people who chose to join the Merchants. She was getting by well enough because she was a somewhat high-profile villain and as such, had managed to make quite a bit of money on the side that nobody in the Empire knew about. If she didn't have that, she could see how turning to pushing and using drugs would be a preferable alternative.

Still, even if she sympathized with them, trash was still trash, and the Merchants were the trashiest of them all. Tammi may be homeless now, but even if she didn't have money she'd die before becoming one of their whores or something disgusting like that.

Her face curling in disgust, Tammi purged the thought from her mind, instead preoccupying herself with finding somewhere to sit so she could eat her sandwich before the bread got soggy. After only a few seconds of searching, she managed to spot an empty bench overlooking the pier through the crowd and bee-lined towards it, pushing through the throng of people to reach it before someone else took it.

She made it to it in time and plopped herself down, sighing happily as the weight was taken off of her feet. As she settled in, she got stared at by people walking by as she took up practically half the bench with her backpack, but she didn't give a shit what they thought. She'd been for over two hours and this was her bench now, and would be until she decided to get up again.

She unwrapped her sandwich and bit into it, closing her eyes in bliss as garlic and oil slid over her tongue and coated her mouth in its delicious flavors. Oh yeah, this was definitely worth the hour-long walk.

As she ate, Tammi reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone, rolling her eyes as she turned it on and was immediately met with over a dozen messages from people she was almost certain she had blocked. Guess they really wanted her back if they changed their numbers just to get ahold of her.

Deciding that there was no harm in looking, she picked one of the message chains at random and opened it up, reading what they'd sent her. Threats from Alabaster and Krieg, some attempt to appeal to family by Purity which she probably could have predicted, and pleading by Ophelia to come back before her aunt did something crazy to try to get her back.

Tammi scoffed at the notion. Agnes probably didn't even know she was living in a homeless shelter now, much less which one she was at. The old bag could try and find her but with her power, she could be halfway across the state in just a few hours.

Tammi deleted her cousin's message, and then went through the rest of them and did the same, not even bothering to read what they said. They were probably all threats or some shit anyways.

As she deleted the last one, a bright white box lit up on her screen, causing her to scowl as she was met with a warning that her phone was dangerously low and would need to be charged soon.

She dismissed the alert angrily. That was just fucking great, there was no way any of the stores around here would let her sit in them and charge it. They were all tourist traps, they didn't like sit-ins and she wouldn't be surprised if she got the Enforcers called on her.

Hell, the only place that she could think of that had outlets and would let you sit and use them was that cafe she and Yuko always hung out at but that was at least ten miles away and in the other direction of downtown and she was not walking that far from her only place of shelter right now.

Yuko. The thought of her friend made Tammi frown slightly as she tossed her empty sandwich wrapper into a conveniently-placed trash can nearby. She hadn't heard from her best friend in way too long and even though her own state of affairs wasn't exactly the best, she couldn't help but start to worry about the other girl. They had been texting basically every day before this sudden lapse in contact, but she hadn't heard a single thing from the girl since before she abandoned the Empire. What was she up to? Was she okay?

Her frown deepening, she looked down at her phone, debating with herself as she took in the eight percent of charge the device had left.

'Screw it.' She decided as she pulled up her contacts to find Yuko's name, 'Not like I'll die if my phone does.'

As she pressed call and put the phone to her ear, Tammi wasn't really expecting much. She had been trying to get a hold of her friend for the last week and hadn't been able to. None of her texts had gone through and her calls didn't even connect, and she had a feeling today wouldn't be any different-

Tammi's thoughts halted as the call was picked up before the first ring could even finish, "Hello, Tammi." Yuko's soft voice came through her phone speaker, "I'm very sorry if I've missed any of your calls or texts. My phone was broken and I only just managed to replace it today."

Yuko's voice was like a soothing balm on Tammi's frazzled mental state, even moreso since she hadn't even truly been expecting to hear it. The worry for her friend that had been sitting in the back of her mind for the past week disappeared, replaced by an intense feeling of relief that filled her easily.

"Holy shit dude, I've been trying to call you for like a week!" A nearby person gave her a dirty look at her language but she didn't, ignoring them in favor of her best friend, "What happened to your phone? Is everything okay?"

"I'm alright, Tammi. Thank you for your concern." Despite her words, Tammi could hear something hidden in her friend's normally sincere tone that she was doing her best to hold back.

"You don't sound alright. What's going on, Yuko?" Tammi said, a bit of concern leaking into her voice.

There was a small pause after her blunt remark, "I… may have exaggerated a bit." Yuko admitted, "Truth be told, I received some horrible news recently and am having trouble coping with it. I believe I was on the verge of another panic attack the other day but of course, with my phone broken I simply had to deal with it."

Tammi sat up on the bench slightly, "Wait, really? Shit, I'm sorry to hear that. What got you so worked up?" She asked.

"It is a variety of things. Though the news definitely played a rather large factor in it." Yuko sighed, "Not to mention, on top of that, my workload has increased nearly threefold in the last two days alone. The combination of the lack of sleep and the stress of my occupation is not doing wonders for my mental health."

"You haven't been sleeping."

"Not much. Maybe two or three hours a night."

Tammi winced, knowing how hard Yuko already worked before the change, "Seriously? Is there nobody around to help you?"

"Even if there was, I likely wouldn't trust them to." Tammi could almost see Yuko shaking her head and heard the shuffling of papers in the background, "My job is extremely important. If someone else were able to do it, it wouldn't be nearly as required as it is."

"You want to talk about it? The bad news, I mean." Tammi asked, despite knowing what the answer would be. Yuko was oddly secretive when it came to certain things and she had a feeling this was one of those things.

She was proven right as Yuko immediately denied her help, "No. I appreciate it, Tammi, truly, but I think I need time to truly process things before I'm ready to talk about it. I hope you understand."

"Of course. I get it." Tammi said, understanding leaking into her voice, "If you ever do want to talk about it though, just give me a call. You're my best friend, dude. I don't want you feeling bad if I can do something to help, you know?"

"Thank you, Tammi. I'm very grateful to have someone like you in my corner." Tammi could hear Yuko's smile in her voice as she spoke, and it caused the blonde to smile as well, happy that she had cheered up her friend.

"Anyway, did you need something or would you just like to chat?" Yuko asked, her chair creaking in a way that Tammi assumed meant she was leaning back, "I'm not doing anything that requires a great deal of attention at the moment."

At Yuko's words, Tammi suddenly had an idea. She wasn't sure if it was a good one, but it was one that would get her out of that homeless shelter if it paid off.

She bit her lip, debating for a moment before deciding to just go for it, "I did need something, actually. If you don't mind, I mean."

"Of course I don't, Tammi." She could tell Yuko was smiling, "You're my friend. Ask away."

Tammi took a deep breath, gathering her courage, "Alright so uh, this is gonna sound super weird, especially since I haven't even really been to your house before but… You mind if I chill at your place for a few days? Maybe a week or two? I kinda got kicked out of mine and don't really have anywhere to stay."

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Yuko processed what she just said, before her voice came back, a small layer of anger underneath her polite tone, "Your parents kicked you out?"

"Well they didn't say they were kicking me out exactly but uh, there was a lot of shouting, screaming about responsibility and maybe about sending me to juvie too." Tammi sucked her teeth, "I miiiight have broken a lamp and maybe a really nice vase too before I left so I guess it was more me running away than being kicked out. Sorry."

"When did this happen?"

Tammi winced slightly, "A week ago? Give or take a few days."

"You've been on the street for a week!?" Yuko's polite voice gave way to one filled with horror which just made Tammi feel like shit.

Tammi tried her best to reassure the other girl, "Nah, I got a spot in the shelter downtown the first day so I've been mostly fine. I'd rather not stay there longer than I have to, though."

"Tammi, I'm so sorry. If I had known I would have done something right away. Of course you can stay with me."

Tammi smiled, a massive amount of relief filling her, "Seriously? Thank you so much, dude. I really appreciate it. I'll try to stay out of the way as much as possible and not overstay my welcome, I promise."

"Nonsense, I enjoy your company and would be more than happy to host you for however long as you'd like, Tammi." Yuko said and the sound of something moving in the background bled through the speaker, "There are several unused guest rooms in my house that I can get prepared for your arrival. Would you prefer the ground floor or the second floor?"

Tammi's mind stalled at her friend's words. Several unused rooms? Tammi had always suspected that Yuko had money given the clothes she wore or even the way she spoke, but she was thinking upper middle-class at best. If she was actually telling the truth, then Tammi had severely underestimated just how loaded her friend was.

"Uh… ground floor, I guess. I don't think I'm capable of using stairs when I first wake up." She said after a moment of thought.

"Wonderful, I'll tell someone to make sure it's clean for your arrival."

And she had servants too!? Holy shit, was she some sort of princess or something? Now Tammi couldn't wait to get over there and take a look at the house her friend lived in. It was probably absolutely massive.

Yuko spoke again, this time with much more hesitance in her voice, "Although…"

Tammi's smile fell at Yuko's tone, "What? Is there something wrong?"

"Possibly." Yuko said, "Before we do this, I need to speak with you about something. Something I've been meaning to speak with you about for while now."

Tammi's eyes widened slightly. A sentence like that could mean many things, but her mind automatically went to one. One that had been on her own practically all week after she was freed from the constraints that being in the Empire forced on her.

Her mouth felt dry as she spoke, "Yeah? What is it?"

"Not on the phone. It is something best explained in person. Do you know the fancy Italian restaurant off of Sixth and Cedar downtown?"

Tammi did. It had been a place she had been wanting to try with Yuko for a while now but had never asked. It was the kind of place that you didn't bring someone to unless you were with a party or had intentions. That made it off limits, Or at least it did while she was still in the Empire…

"Yeah, I know the place. Osteria-something, right?"

"That's the one. Would you like to have dinner there tonight? Say around…" Tammi could hear Yuko shuffling paper's in the background, "Eight? It would be my treat, of course."

Tammi's breath caught slightly, "Are you asking me out?" She asked before she could think. The moment the words were out of her mouth, she realized what she had said and immediately went into full-panic mode, trying to recover from her fuckup, "B-Because I wouldn't mind, you know. If that's even what you're asking, I mean."

What the fuck was she doing!?This wasn't some cheesy romance movie, people don't just ask that! They just kind of hope it silently until they get to the restaurant and are disappointed that they got their hopes up! She'd just primed herself for rejection and humiliation at the same time!

Fuck, she might have just screwed this all up. She hadn't wanted to let her feelings be known until she was sure that Yuko actually returned them! Spouting shit like that out of the blue was not the way to do it!

Yuko was silent for a long moment, only adding to Tammi's anxiety, before she finally spoke, "...That wasn't quite what I had in mind, no. The talk I had in mind was of a much different nature and certainly not so fanciful. I just felt it would be better received over your favorite meal. My apologies."

A knot of intense disappointment formed in Tammi's stomach, but she tried not to let it show in her voice, "Uh, right. Sorry I just thought… you know." She said after a moment, finding it oddly hard to speak all of the sudden.

"Of course, I understand. It's just… this is something that I probably should have told you quite a while ago. I would like to get it out of the way before you commit to living with me."

"Yeah. Yeah I get it, dude. Sorry for jumping the gun like that." Tammi said softly, cursing at herself in her head for being so hasty.

"It's completely fine, Tammi, really." Yuko's voice took on a different quality, much lighter and far less serious, "I will say, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to revisiting that subject after our talk. Should you still wish it after what I need to tell you."

Tammi blinked, barely believing what she had just heard, "...Really?"

Yuko giggled, the sound ringing in Tammi's ears like a soothing bell, "Of course. I'm rather fond of you, Tammi. You are probably the person I find myself looking forward to speaking to out of everyone I know." As Tammi was left stunned by Yuko's words, there was the sound of an opening door and a male voice saying something that Tammi couldn't understand, "Ah, I need to go now. I have a meeting I need to attend in a few minutes and need to get ready for it. I'll see you at eight?"

"Yeah." Tammi said, nodding her head automatically, "I'll be there."

"Wonderful. I look forward to seeing yo-"

Yuko was suddenly cut off in the middle of her sentence, breaking Tammi out of her daze, "Yuko? You there? Hello?"'

Nothing. Tammi pulled back her phone and was met with a completely black screen, and it only took her a second to realize that it had finally died on her, just barely lasting to the end of the conversation between herself and her friend.

Tammi stared at her now-dead phone for another moment before slowly putting it away. Afterwards, she just sat there for a few minutes, thinking about the conversation that had just ended. And what it meant for her and Yuko's relationship.

Tammi wasn't some stupid schoolgirl who had never had a crush before. She knew exactly how she felt about her friend, had for a while now actually, though she'd admit it took her an embarrassing amount of time to actually get there.

Even just a year ago, if someone had said that she would have developed a crush on another girl, much less an Asian girl, it would have sent Tammi spiraling into a raging denial that would probably have ended with a few thousand dollars in property damage at the very least. But that was a year ago when she still bought into everything that they were selling. Since then, Tammi had met Yuko and had had plenty of time to be introspective and more importantly, truthful to herself.

Tammi always knew in the back of her mind that the way that she interacted with Yuko was different. At first, she had just chalked it up to the fact that Yuko was pretty much the only friend she had, but there were only so many times that you could have your entire mood lifted by a single text from said 'friend' before you started to wonder if something else might be there.

Denial was the first reaction that she had to the realization of the depths of her feelings. She was still firmly in the Empire mindset, and although that mindset had been loosening more and more as the two of them hung out, she still maintained that she was completely straight. She'd had boyfriends before and even enjoyed the relationships for as long as they lasted. That meant she couldn't be a lesbian, right?

That defense fell apart extremely quickly as the two of them spent more and more time together, before eventually crumbling to dust completely after the trip to Boston. It had taken a little while, but she and Yuko had finally managed to get together so the girl could teach Tammi how to properly use the supplies that she had bought.

Since neither of their houses were available, they had rented out a room in a local store that was meant for board games and D&D and the like. They had set up there for a few hours as Yuko did her best to teach Tammi how to partake in one of her favorite hobbies.

Spending that much time with Yuko, just the two of them in that tiny room as she showed Tammi the basics of color theory and how to properly shade and all that jazz, had been extremely enlightening to her. As the hours went by, she found herself scooting closer to the girl to take a look at an example she was being shown and not moving back afterwards, instead remaining right there, their shoulders touching as Yuko practically gushed about art, ecstatic that Tammi was taking an interest in one of her own interests.

It was in that room, when Yuko had turned to her to answer a question and left their faces mere inches away from one another, that Tammi was forced to admit her feelings. A straight girl wouldn't have glanced down at her best friend's lips and wondered how said friend would have reacted if she leaned forward to close those last few inches. A straight girl wouldn't have spent the entire next day wondering how her best friend would have reacted if she had actually followed through on her fantasies and closed those last few inches between them, pressing their lips together in a decidedly not friendly kiss.

Faced with all of these facts, Tammi had to face the truth for what it was. She wasn't straight. Not only that, but she had feelings for her best friend. Her Asian best friend. While being a well known Empire cape.

That realization had led her to be much more careful with Yuko on the occasions that they spent time in person. She tried her best to ignore the things she was just now noticing, like how she had a tendency to close her eyes when she laughed too hard or the way that the other girl's touches seemed to linger just a bit too long on occasion and the hope that stirred within Tammi when they did. She ignored all of this and more, because she knew that she wasn't sneaky enough to hide a relationship from Kaiser and that being discovered would mean a beating at best and something happening to Yuko at worst.

…But now she wasn't in the Empire anymore. She didn't have to give a single shit what they thought or approved of. She was free of them. Free to do whatever the hell she wanted without them being able to do a damn thing about it.

Free to date the girl who, if she was reading the conversation right, might actually return her feelings.

Picking up her things, Tammi stood from the bench and began the long walk back to the homeless shelter. It was a little after five right now so she should have time to actually take a shower and make herself a little bit presentable for her date.

'Not a date, Tammi. Not officially.' She reminded herself as made her way back into the crowd, 'Yuko has something important she needs to tell you and you're gonna listen to what she has to say before trying shit.'

Her thoughts did absolutely nothing to bring down her mood however, and for the first time in days, Tammi found herself smiling as easily as she had before all this shit went down. She was glad that even when life had completely fallen apart, she at least had a best friend who was willing to assist her in her time of need and help her pick it all back up.

And maybe a bit more if she plays her cards right. Yuko said this talk might change her mind on wanting to date her but Tammi severely doubted it.

After all, it wasn't like Yuko's secret could be worse than her own.

---

Next five chapters available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[Izurukuma]

This chapter is cute really cute

 

[Soulcore]

You forgot to threadmark of the chapter but it was very very cute.

 

[CyrneIlysraa]

After all, it wasn't like Yuko's secret could be worse than her own.

Click to shrink...

this will be much fun to witness
tftc

 

[Sadguychet]

You forgot to threadmark of the chapter but it was very very cute.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for pointing that out. I forgot to do it on spacebattles as well lol, I guess I'm just not in it today

 

[Solare_The_Second]

Amazing chapter once more

 

[falsegod]

so fun, sad for dad-lung in birdcage but our mc is getting a posible wife

 

[Sadguychet]

Sitting in a booth in the back of the restaurant, I tried my best to keep myself from fidgeting too overtly as I awaited Tammi's arrival. I kept my fingers laced together, deliberately not looking towards the clock that was hung on the wall to my right.

This… might not have been a good idea.

"Excuse me ma'am." A voice came from my left. I turned to find a well-dressed waiter giving me an expectant look, "Would you like an appetizer while you wait for your companion? We have an excellent selection to choose from."

I gave him a smile, shaking my head, "Just water will be more than fine, thank you."

"Of course, ma'am. I'll be back in just a bit."

I stared after the man for a moment before returning my eyes to the table in front of me and turning my thoughts inward.

The last thing that I had suspected yesterday was a call from Tammi. I had been fully prepared to call the girl once I finished with my duties, and to have her call me herself was a bit of a surprise. Even more surprising was the subject of the call itself.

I could barely believe that Tammi had been kicked out of her home. Parents were supposed to care for their children above nearly all else. Barring the most extreme of crimes or actions, there was absolutely no reason for an adult to tell their child that they were unwelcome in their home. For them to kick out Tammi, a girl who, at least to my knowledge, was a completely normal teenager and threaten her with juvie was absolutely abhorrent.

I had half a mind to find out exactly who these people were and pay them a visit to find out what in the world they were thinking, preferably while in costume. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that Tammi would react to that rather poorly.

Almost as poorly as she might react to what was going to be revealed tonight.

Footsteps approaching me broke me out of my thoughts. I looked up, expecting to see the waiter having returned with my drink, only to be met with a very different sight.

Tammi gave me a slightly-nervous smile as she approached, along with a small wave, "Hey, Yuko. Sorry I'm late. I had a bit of trouble deciding what to wear."

I swallowed dryly as I took her in. Tammi had always been pretty, but tonight it was clear that she had deliberately stepped it up a notch. Her hair had been carefully brushed and hung in a draping curtain over her left shoulder and I could spot the barest hint of eyeshadow around her eyes that definitely hadn't been there ever before. I didn't even know she owned makeup.

"You're wearing a skirt." I said before I could think about it. Tammi's current outfit was pretty far removed from her usual attire, and to my knowledge she had never worn anything like it before. A denim skirt that hung around her knees and an open leather jacket that showed off her dark top.

The ensemble had a decidedly punk theme, yet somehow looked more refined on Tammi than it would on practically anyone else. It suited her perfectly

"Is it too much?" She asked, looking a bit embarrassed as she patted down her skirt, "I packed it without thinking when I left my parent's house and it's probably the nicest thing I've got right now. Figured a place like this would require at least a little dressing up."

I shook my head immediately, "No no, it looks nice. You look nice, Tammi."

It was too dark to tell, but I could swear that Tammi blushed at my compliment, "Thanks." she said softly as she sat down in the booth, "You look great too. I like what you've done with your hair."

I brought a hand up at her words, pushing the dangling black bangs out from in front of my left eye, "You think so? I thought it might be a bit too bold when it was suggested to me."

Tammi gave me a nod, smiling softly, "Yeah. It looks great on you. Adds a bit of flair and really accentuates your scar. I-In a good way, I mean. It's striking."

"Thank you, Tammi." I said, feeling a slight blush cross my cheeks.

I hadn't changed my hairstyle in years, always opting for the same straight and serious bob that I had maintained since I was thirteen. After all of the drastic changes that had happened in my life recently though, I felt that I was due one as well.

It had been a spur of the moment decision, but that single compliment made it more than worth it. I gave Tammi a smile as she grabbed her menu, looking through it eagerly, "Alright, so what do we have her-jeez!" I giggled as Tammi's eyes practically bulged out of her skull as she took in the prices on the menu. She looked up at me, "Dude, what the heck is with these prices? Forty dollars for a Rigatoni Martino? I can't afford this!"

"Which is why I said I'll be paying for it." I smiled gently at the blonde, "I told you. Tonight is my treat. I don't expect you to pay for it." Especially not with the talk that would take place afterwards.

This time, the blush that crossed Tammi's cheeks was plain as day as she returned my smile with one of her own, "Okay, Yuko. If you insist. Don't say I didn't warn you though. You know Italian is my favorite type of food."

I just giggled lightly as I picked up my own menu, doing my best to hide my anxiety as I gave her a soft smile, "That's why I picked it."

Hopefully the food would do its job of softening the blow of the revelation that was to come.

~~~

"Oh my god, that was so good."

I echoed Tammi's sentiment with a satisfied hum as I placed my own fork and knife on my plate, using a napkin to wipe my face free of the bolognese left on my lips. I wasn't the biggest fan of Italian, finding it a bit too oily and overly filling besides, but this was definitely a restaurant I was going to be patroning again. The meal was absolutely delicious.

But now it was over, and what I was about to do next loomed heavy over my head like a dark cloud. I temporarily debated ordering dessert as a way to postpone the impending talk, but that idea was quickly thrown out as I realized I was far too full to eat anything else. It seemed that it was time to get this over with.

"Tammi…" I spoke up, breaking her out of the food-induced haze of pure bliss. 'I think it's about time we have that talk."

She looked confused and slightly worried, before her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh yeah, that talk. Right, I almost forgot about that with all the fun we were having." Tammi chuckled lightly. I wished I could join her, but I couldn't bring myself to find any merriment in the current situation. She picked up on that, and her chuckles quickly faded into a frown and she became much more serious, sitting up in her chair, "So what's up. You got some bad news for me or something?"

"...I suppose you could say that." I nodded, "Truthfully it depends on your reaction to the news."

Tammi grinned, completely unworried, "Well you've done a fantastic job of buttering me up with this whole dinner date thing. So that's already a few points in your favor. Go ahead and let me hear it."

I couldn't help but wonder if she would say the same thing by the time this was all over. I closed my eyes, taking a moment to gather myself, before opening them once more.

"I suppose the easiest explanation begins with the reason for my near panic-attack last week." I said, lightly tapping my fingers on my thighs, "I received some extremely disheartening news that night and, combined with numerous other factors, caused the episode I told you about over the phone."

"You said you didn't want to talk about it." Tammi said, though her voice was curious instead of accusing.

"And I still don't. At least, not right now." I sighed, "Most of them are unimportant, or are a combination of several things that would require more explanation. The crux of the issue is that a little over a week ago, I lost my father, even though I wasn't aware of that fact."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that dude." Tammi immediately said, her voice heavy with sympathy and compassion. Though I was glad to hear the concern, I immediately knew that she had misunderstood me.

"He's not dead." I clarified, causing her to blink "He's just… permanently indisposed. I doubt I'll ever see him again."

Tammi's face twisted in slight confusion, "Was he like, arrested or something? For how long? Fourty, fifty?"

"Indefinitely." I answered, causing her to whistle lightly.

"Damn. He must've done something bad, huh?" She said, before suddenly wincing, "Oh uh, sorry. That's probably super fucking insensitive of me, isn't it? Keep telling your story, I'll just shut up for now. "

I sighed lightly, "You are not wrong, unfortunately. For all that he was a fantastic parent towards me even in the unfortunate absence of my mother, my father was far from a good man. He committed innumerable actions that would see him put away for life had he been anyone else, but he somehow always managed to escape capture. Until now."

This was it, there was no going back now. I took a breath to steel myself for her reaction before continuing.

"Somehow, some way, my father was captured by the Protectorate." I said simply, causing Tammi to freeze, "They brought him in a little over a week ago and decided that for his crimes, he was to be sent to the Birdcage. The transport left last week, while I was indisposed and that revelation was what caused my panic attack."

"What?" Tammi was shocked, looking at me with wide eyes, "But there haven't been any big arrests recently. They haven't caught any villains that would be sent to the Birdcage except for…" She trailed off, her mind making the connection almost instantly. Her eyes grew even wider if that was possible, her face going slightly pale, and something horrible curled in my gut. "Wait, you mean your dad is… Lung?"

"He was." I confirmed with a quiet nod.

"And that means you're…." She stopped before she said it, as if she was afraid of the answer.

"Yes." I took a breath, before looking into Tammi's eyes with a serious gaze, "I am Yosei. Daughter of Lung, once-heir to the ABB, and as of this week, its new leader."

My proclamation was met with stunned silence. Tammi was completely frozen, just staring at me with wide eyes as she processed what I had just said. I did my best to continue to meet her gaze, but the silence quickly managed to get to me, and I looked away.

"I'm sure you know why I wanted to tell you this before you decided to move in with me." I said, looking down at my empty plate, "It wouldn't be fair to you if I suddenly sprung this on you while you were living with me and left you with nowhere to go. I understand if you-

Tammi stood from her booth abruptly, rattling the table and causing my words to die in my throat. I stared up at her and she looked back with an indecipherable expression, before turning away from the table, "I've got to go."

She left before I had a chance to respond, walking away from the booth and out of the restaurant at a brisk pace. The speed at which she left caught the attention of practically every patron within the restaurant, and as she rushed out of the door and into the night beyond, those eyes turned to me, both pity and silent condemnation present in the gazes of those seated around me.

None of them concerned me. I was far too busy dealing with the knot that had suddenly appeared inside of my throat as well as the clenching in my chest that came alongside it. My eyes stung as I turned my eyes to my empty plate, tears making themselves known behind my eyes with the realization that I just lost my best friend.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had known this was an inevitability. There was no way that even someone like Tammi would be willing to continue associating themselves with such a dangerous person. Much less the new leader of a gang like the ABB.

The clattering of plates on the table caused me to startle, and I looked up to find that the waiter had returned and was cleaning up the dishes that Tammi had left behind. He looked at me with a slight amount of pity, before turning his head to look in the direction she had fled.

"If you don't mind my input, I would go after her if I was you." He said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. He shrugged, grabbing Tammi's empty plate and glass and stacking them atop one another, "It's not really my business, but that look on her face wasn't exactly angry. She looked conflicted. I'd say you still have a chance."

I chuckled sadly, "I doubt it. What you just saw was the result of irreconcilable differences, I'm afraid. I doubt she'll want anything to do with me after tonight."

The waiter looked oddly skeptical, "That wasn't what it looked like to me. I might be watching too many romantic dramas, but that look on her face told me that she really didn't want to leave, but felt like she had to. I'd go see what that was about. Try to get that happy ending that none of us do."

He suddenly shrugged, lifting up the dishes that he had been gathering, "Or don't. I'm just a single waiter who barely makes minimum wage. What do I know?"

What indeed…? I stared at him for a moment, before looking in the direction Tammi had fled in. I bit my lip, warring with myself internally, before coming to a decision.

Though he had misread the situation completely, the waiter was right. There was no way I was going to just let Tammi leave like that before I had a chance to properly explain myself. If I did, there was every possibility that I would simply never see her again. I would lose her for real.

I stood, ignoring all of the eyes on me as I reached into my wallet and pulled out three hundred-dollar bills. I slapped them on the table, giving the waiter a nod. "Keep the change. For the advice." I said, turning away from the surprised man to make my way out of the restaurant.

The amount was likely well over the price of the meal but I was technically dine and dashing since my payment hadn't been processed in any formal capacity. Hopefully this would keep me from being banned from the restaurant or something similar as I would admit that this was a rather enjoyable experience.

Now all I had to do was ensure that I would be able to repeat it in the future.

~~~

Finding Tammi wasn't that difficult. At this time of night, there were only a few places she could go and more importantly, I knew her. After a revelation like that, she would want to be somewhere where she wouldn't be bothered so that she could clear her head.

The closed public park was the perfect place for such a thing. The fence was easy enough to bypass, more of a polite suggestion than anything that would keep any sufficiently motivated individual from entering, and finding Tammi was nearly as simple. The girl was standing right under a street lamp, leaning up against it and staring at the sky as her hands fiddled with her phone.

Her hair was in complete disarray from her sprint here, frizzy and windswept as opposed to the neat style that she had put it in for our talk

She didn't look at me as I approached her, but I could tell that she knew it was me by the way her shoulders tensed and her fingers stopped moving on her phone. My heart sank slightly as I saw that and I stopped a few feet away from her.

For a moment, I just sort of stood there, not really sure what to say. Tammi seemed to be the same, or maybe she was just ignoring me, I wasn't sure. The silence stretched and I berated myself for not coming up with a plan on how to talk about this on the way here.

Eventually, I decided to just come out and say what was in my heart. It wasn't like I could make things much worse anyway.

I followed Tammi's gaze up to the sky, taking in the few stars that were visible through the light pollution, and spoke, "...I'm sorry, Tammi, for concealing this from you for so long. Truly I am. I should have told you long ago."

There was a noise as she shifted against the pole, but she didn't speak. I took that as a sign that she was willing to hear me out and continued, "I've been wanting to tell you for a while now but I guess I was just too scared. You were pretty much the only escape that I had from all of the stress and doubt that came with my position. The only lifeline in an ocean of responsibilities that threatened to drown me at any moment."

The words were flowing easily now as I explained myself the best I could. I looked at my friend, my eyes misting slightly, "With you, I didn't have any expectations or responsibilities. I didn't have to put on this… front of stoicism and leadership that I do with my men, pretending that I'm this impenetrable figure who always knew what she was doing even when she was lost. With you, I could just be Yuko and forget the ABB altogether, at least for a little while. I didn't want to lose that."

Tammi didn't respond at first, just continuing to stare up at the stars above us. My heart sank as she ignored me, her intentions made plain as day. Clearly, my apology had been insufficient. I had screwed this all up.

And then, just as I thought all hope was lost, she spoke.

"How long has… this," She gestured vaguely, "been going on? Since before you met me?"

Hiding my happiness that she wasn't ignoring me, I shook my head, "I've only been Yosei for a short while, six months at most but…I've been a parahuman for years now. I haven't been active in the cape scene due to my father's wishes."

"A while now?"

I thought for a moment, "I believe I triggered when I was around seven."

Tammi's head snapped towards me, all anger gone from her posture as she stared at me in wide-eyed horror, "You triggered that young?" She said, her voice just above a whisper.

I nodded solemnly, "Yes. I triggered during Leviathan's attack on Kyushu when I was a child."

"When you were drowning in that hotspring?" She asked, her voice oddly soft.

I shook my head, "No. It was after that. My father and I were unable to escape before he began sinking the country and I-" I cut myself off as the repressed memories reared their head, the image of asymmetrical green eyes peeking through the torrential downpour appearing in my mind and causing my heartbeat to quicken immediately. I swallowed roughly, "I… don't want to get into it right now if that's alright. It's not a happy memory."

Tammi just nodded, an odd amount of understanding in her eyes, "I get it." She said softly, before a bit of anger returned into her posture, "What I don't get, is why you're only deciding to tell me this now?"

I licked my lips, unsure of how to put this, "Well, along with all of the other factors I mentioned… I suppose I didn't want to get you involved. I know how headstrong you are and I also know that you wouldn't be content to just sit by and not play an active role in things. I…"

I hesitated slightly at my next words, but decided to follow through. I had already bared my biggest secret, what was one more?

"I care for you, Tammi." I confessed, "You're one of the most important people in my life. I didn't want to lose you by dragging you into the danger that Yosei often finds herself in."

Tammi snorted, but it was a short, humorless thing, "Yeah well, fat chance of that." She muttered angrily, though somehow, I could tell that the anger wasn't directed at me.

Still, I was confused by what she had said, "What do you mean?" I asked, before my eyes narrowed and my tone dropped drastically, "Have my men been giving you issues?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just…" Tammi shook her head, an oddly agitated expression coming over her face before she huffed, "Look, my own personal shit isn't exactly as bad as yours, but my life isn't all peaches and cream either. Even before all the shit that went down with my parents."

She pushed off of the pole that she was leaning against, and my gaze followed her curiously as she made her way towards the bench that we were standing beside.

She reached out with a hand, running it along the back of the bench as a conflicted expression came to her face, "Honestly, I don't really have any right to be angry with you, and I'm not even sure that I am." Tammi said softly as she rubbed the cool metal, "I think I'm more angry with myself. You're not the only one who's been hiding shit she shouldn't have. You're just the one who actually decided to man up and be straight with everything…"

She sighed, before looking at me. I was surprised to see that there was little to no anger there, just wariness, "So I guess I should follow your lead, huh?"

I gave the girl a confused look, but before I was able to say anything, I was left frozen in surprise as the bench that she had been touching suddenly began to move. It raised upwards, beginning to float into the air at the apparent behest of the girl next to me in a very familiar way. This was…

"I'm Rune." Tammi confessed, gesturing to the floating bench as I stared at it in shock, "Or well, I was. I left all that behind a week ago. It's part of why I was kicked out of my house. My parents didn't want anything to do with me when I was a part of the Empire, and because I left like I did, they didn't want Kaiser knocking on their door demanding me back."

I stared at her as I registered what she said. Tammi stared at the bench under her control and my mind almost automatically interposed an image of the telekinetic cape over my best friend. Her build was the same, as was the shade of her hair, a golden blonde that gleamed even in the dim light we now found ourselves in.

My mind went back to the cape's voice and how oddly familiar it had been. At the time, I had just thought I frequented a place that Rune happened to as well, but that wasn't the case was it. The reason that Rune's voice had been so familiar to me wasn't just random coincidence, it was because it belonged to my best friend as well.

And with that realization, came another, much more concerning one.

"The trip to Boston..." I said slowly as I remembered that last encounter I had with the cape, the fear on her face as I held her in my grip, "I was the one who broke your arm, wasn't I?"

Tammi snorted, looking at me, "That's what you got out of this? Not that I was a neo-nazi until a week ago?" My face held no humor in it and she immediately sobered up, looking away again, "Yeah, you broke my arm, and I called you a… yeah."

The silence stretched, and Tammi took the time to lower the bench back down to the ground, placing it back in its proper place with a soft motion. There was a tight frown on her face

"Do you… share their beliefs, as well?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tammi was silent for a long moment, much longer than I had hoped she would be. Then finally, she spoke.

"I used to." She admitted, "When I first joined, I practically ate up everything they fed me, from the racism to the other bullshit propaganda. I really believed that whites were better than anyone else, that all other races were… violent savages or just stupider than we were."

"...Oh." What could I even say to that?

"But I don't think that anymore!" Tammi insisted, staring at me imploringly, "O-or at least I'm trying not to. I still sometimes find myself thinking all these horrible thoughts when I look at people who aren't white, but I'm trying my best to fix that."

I processed what she had said, or at least tried to. I was more than a little overwhelmed by this sudden turn of events. I had come prepared tonight to reveal my greatest secret and possibly lose a dear friend in the process, not… this.

"What made you change your mind?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tammi paused, before looking me right in the eyes, "You did."

She said it so bluntly that it took me aback, "What?"

"I said you did." Tammi repeated, continuing to look at me with that oddly soft gaze, "When we started hanging out, I thought you were just… one of the good ones, as horrible as that sounds. But then we spent more time together and that started to change. I finally found an actual friend whose opinion I could care about, and suddenly theirs didn't matter anymore."

"I started questioning things that I hadn't before. Like what made white people so much better than all those other races even though we were the ones hunting minorities in our territory for sport. What made us better when we do the exact same shit that the ABB does, or even the Merchants? The only difference with us is that we like to pretend we're better than them because we were born with lighter skin tones."

"The hypocrisy made me sick. Even more so because I was a part of it for so long and even though I'm not in the Empire anymore, all of their bullshit stuck. I saw a black guy helping a woman pick up her fallen groceries the other day, and the first thing I thought was that he was going to ask for a handout or something." Tammi spat angrily, clenching her fists, "I don't want to think like that anymore, and I'm trying not to, but it's hard."

Tammi shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, looking away again, "So yeah. You're not the only one with a secret, though I'm not really sure who's is worse anymore."

I was silent as I thought about what had been revealed to me, my mind whirling as the silence stretched between us. That my best friend and crush had been a racist neo-nazi who probably would have been more than fine participating in the persecution of minorities if she was asked. I had never in my life imagined that someone like Tammi would be capable of such a thing. Sure, I knew that the girl was rough around the edges, that was what endeared me to her in the first place, and I may have suspected that she was hiding a bit more than she let on but this? This was so far out of left field I could never have guessed it.

But… When compared to my own secret life, was it really any worse?

After only a moment of thought, I ultimately decided that it wasn't. It wasn't like I was free of sin given that I currently ran the largest and most dangerous Asian-only gang on the East coast and perhaps even the entire country. And though I myself had nothing against other races joining the ABB, I knew that not everyone shared my beliefs. (That didn't matter of course. My word was law just as my father's was, but the law rarely changed people's way of thinking.)

And that wasn't even considering what I had done for my father in my short span as an active cape. Even in the few short months that I had been a member of the ABB, more blood than I cared to think about soaked my hands and continued to do so. The indirect killings from our drugs alone had likely earned me a reserved spot in hell, and I had no intention of changing that part of our operations any time soon.

Compared to all that I had done and would doubtlessly continue to do, Tammi's actions were practically nothing.

Not to mention, apart from the comments that she had made about my father, which I truly believed were out of concern instead of prejudice, Tammi had shown zero bigotry to anybody, including myself, while I was around. That, alongside the fact that she was clearly aware that her previous way of thinking had been wrong, made her a step above her former compatriots in nearly every regard.

She was at least trying to change. Which was more than I could say about myself.

"Tammi." I spoke up, causing her to look at me. I stared into her eyes, my own searching "Do you hold a grudge towards me for what I did? For… breaking your arm and sending Hookwolf and Stormtiger to jail?"

Tammi immediately shook her head, "Of course not. We were enemies and you didn't know it was me. As for those two, I couldn't give a damn what happens to them. It wasn't like we were friends anyways. They just saw me as a flying taxi or a punching bag or some shit."

I nodded, filing that away for later, "...Are we still friends?"

Tammi gave me a confused look, "What?"

"Are we still friends?" I repeated, completely serious.

She was still confused, "Are you for real? I just told you I was an active member of a neo-nazi gang and you still want to be friends with me?"

"And I am the leader of a gang that is just as large and dangerous as that one. I have no intention of changing that either." I said in response, causing her to blink, "So I will ask again, are we friends?"

She stared at me, trying to decipher my words and their meaning before nodding slowly. "...I'd like to be." she said softly.

I nodded at her words, making my decision, "Well then, in that case…" I drew myself up, straightening noticeably and causing Tammi to raise an eyebrow, "I suppose I should inform you that the ABB is no longer limited to those of Asian descent. If it suits you, I would offer you a place with us. As Rune, or if you would like to retire from cape life, as Tammi."

Tammi stared at me for a long moment as the offer hung in the air, before a scowl crossed her face and she shook her head slowly, "Yeah, no. Don't talk like that. You sound too much like Yosei right now and I don't want to talk to her. I want to talk to Yuko."

Her words brought me up short, and Tammi waited patiently as I gathered myself, standing there silently as I did my best to get my thoughts in order.

Finally, I spoke, this time in my own voice instead of the polite, serious one I took on in my parahuman persona, "Tammi… if you would like to live with me, the offer is still open." I licked my dry lips, looking away from her, "You don't have to join the ABB if you don't want to, but I certainly wouldn't refuse you if you did. Just having my best friend around will be enough."

Tammi walked up to me, her shoes just visible in my peripheral vision as I stared at the ground, "That sounds great."

I was suddenly wrapped in a hug, the taller girl pulling me close and pressing me against her chest. I didn't resist, happily accepting the embrace and leaning into her. She rested her chin on top of my head, holding me tightly as if she was trying to ward off the cool night air around us, "I'm not sure about the whole, 'joining the ABB' thing but we can talk about that later if that's alright."

I nodded, enjoying the way her arms felt around me, "That's more than fine. I understand if you wouldn't want to join my gang so soon after leaving the Empire. Whatever your decision is, I'll support it."

I could feel her smile into my hair, "...I appreciate that, Yuko. More than I think you realize." She pulled away, looking down at me with a much more somber expression, "You realize the Empire is definitely going to come after me, right?" She asked softly.

My expressions hardened, "Let them try. I fought the heroes on their own terms and still came out on top. In terms of power, I am just as strong as my father was. If they must learn that the hard way, then so be it."

Tammi stared at me, blue eyes wide in surprise by my proclamation, before they softened, "You'd seriously fight them for me?"

"Without hesitation." I protected what was mine, be they friends or those I led. If the Empire wanted Tammi back, they would have to go through me first.

Tammi chuckled, "Well damn, you're making this a whole lot easier than I thought it would be."

Huh?

Before I could process her words, Tammi leaned down and pressed her lips against my own in a chaste kiss. It was a quick motion, and she only held her lips against my for the barest of moments before pulling back with a satisfied smile on her face, leaving me wondering what had just happened.

As she stepped away, I blinked slowly, bringing a hand up to my tingling lips as I felt my cheeks warm as I realized I had just been kissed. Tammi laughed at my actions, though there was a clear blush on her cheeks as well, "Oh yeah. Just the look on your face makes this whole night worth it."

I pouted slightly, though it was undercut by a smile that wanted to peek through, "I wasn't expecting it. We just got done talking about all that serious stuff and then you go and do that. How am I supposed to react?"

"Just like that." Tammi grinned, and I couldn't help but drop my pout and return it with one of my own, far too happy to keep up the expression, "Now how about we revisit that whole date idea that you promised me, yeah?" Tammi gave me a mischievous grin, holding out a hand, "Maybe ice cream? There's got to be a place open at ten, right?"

I giggled at her words, "I doubt it." I said, reaching out to grab her hand. As our fingers laced together, I couldn't keep the slightly giddy smile from my lips which still tingled with the remembrance of Tammi's own pressed against them.

I stepped towards her, moving her arm around my back so she was holding me around the waist and not bothering to hold back a grin at her slightly shocked expression, "But it couldn't hurt to check."

~~~ Elsewhere ~~~

Agnes Herren was a woman of staunch discipline and control above all else. Those two factors had gotten her far in the corporate world and with some luck, they would take her further still.

As she listened to the man on the other end of the phone prattle on however, she found that control slipping more and more.

"...And we managed to rescue both Brad and Felix from the clutches of the heroes but Ophelia still has no leads on Tammi's location. It's possible she has fled the state, though I'm not sure how she would manage such a feat." The man sighed, as if he was exhausted by the current state of affairs that were his fault to begin with, "Alongside Brad and Viktor's latest argument, tensions are at an all time high in-"

"Enough." The single word was more than enough to stop the self-important man's speech dead in its tracks, "You've prattled on long enough. I do not care about the state of affairs within your inner circle. The only thing that concerns me is the current state of my family, and it seems to me that you have little to inform me of in that regard."

"I apologize. I was just-"

"I wasn't finished speaking, boy." Agnes' voice was angry, silencing the man before he could even begin, "I have supplied the Empire with much in the last several years, Maxwell, but hear me and hear me well. If my niece is not back in the Empire before the end of the month, so help me god, I will cut every single bit of funding that I have supplied that little outfit of yours."

"Frau Herren, please don't be hasty!" The man practically pleaded, a far removal from his earlier decorum, "I promise you, we're trying all we can to locate her."

"Your promises aren't worth the spit you shine your shoes with, Maxwell," Agnes said derisively, "I'll be putting some of my own resources towards this little issue. The pair of them will be arriving in the Bay by the end of the month and I expect you to treat them just like you would myself, is that understood?"

"...Understood."

She could practically hear the boy gritting his teeth, clearly unhappy with her interference. Well tough shit. Her brother had already abandoned the clan thanks to his father's rule; she'd be damned if she lost her niece as well.

"Good. I expect to hear good news soon. Goodbye, Maxwell. Give Kaiden and her children my regards."

She hung up on him before he could respond to her not-so-subtle jab, and placed her phone back in its holder. She then reached across her desk to press a delicate finger to her intercom, a voice coming through a mere second later.

"How may I be of service, Frau Herren?"

"Hans, dial the Schmidt's handler. I have a job for them."

"At once, Frau Herren."

It was perhaps a bit overkill to send those two of all people to retrieve what amounted to a rebellious teenager, but Agnes was fed up with everything that had come out of Brockton Bay and that whole operation and she wanted this done quickly.

If that brat wanted to be just like her father and failed to see the possible future that she could have with the Empire, then Agnes would be forced to show her.

By the end of the month, she would have her niece returned to her and perhaps even the other one while she was at it, and then she'd wash her hands of the Empire and this country that she had so stupidly decided to move to.

The company wouldn't suffer from another relocation, and the Herren clan always were far more comfortable in the Fatherland anyway.

---

Next five chapters available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[Hms Scarborough]

Is this an au thing? I thought the heerans were like klan or something not German.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about this depiction of the Herrens as like... higher tier than E88. Doesn't jive with what we know of them from Canon. and really recontextualizes a lot.

 

[Sadguychet]

Coil sat in silence at his desk, his hands steepled in front of him as he stared at the far wall, deep in thought about the recent developments in the city he hoped to one day rule.

Just a few short months ago, things had been going completely fine. His power and underground influence had been used to great effect, allowing him to move pieces on the board and witness the effects of his plays without anyone the wiser. This advantage had allowed him to prepare things to suit him, to set the stage just as it needed be for his eventual takeover.

In due time, the entire city would be under his control and completely oblivious to that fact.

Or at that was how it would be, if not for the thorn that had been lodged deeply in his side just a few months ago and thrown a wrench into all of his carefully laid plans.

Yosei was a variable that he could never have hoped to account for. Coil had no idea how he had never known that Lung had a daughter before the fact was made public, but it was a glaring oversight on his information network. And he hated nothing more than oversights in any of his operations.

As he gathered information on the woman to rectify this, he wasn't quite sure what he would find. At first, he had imagined that she would be like her father, powerful but lazy. He had been half right.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the half he wished for. Yosei was just as powerful as Lung, that much was easily apparent . Unlike her father however, she wasn't content to simply react to threats as they came along, languishing in her position until it was threatened. No, she had taken an active role in the ABB, cleaning up their operations and managing things from the top, becoming the boss in all but name, while at the same time holding a fierce loyalty to her father.

From what his informants had managed to gather the ABB had seen a nearly thirty percent increase in productivity in just the first few months she had been in charge.

Sp only was Yosei powerful, she was also an extremely competent leader. Her existence turned the ABB from a simple obstacle to be carefully played around, into an actual threat to his eventual rule over the city so long as she was at her father's side.

Coil would admit, he was at a loss for what to do for a long while. Careful poking and prodding had revealed little except for what he already knew, but there was one interesting tidbit of information that Coil believed might actually come in useful.

According to his sources, Yosei held her father in extremely high regard, placing his desires and commands above literally everything else. It was clear that he was the reason that she had taken up such a role in the ABB and perhaps if he was gone, she would lose the motivation needed to lead the gang and things would go back to normal.

It was a thin hope, truthfully, but it was also the only thing Coil had been in a position to do at the time. He couldn't simply just sit back and wait, watching as the ABB consolidated it's power and grew. He needed to strike as soon as possible to stop this before it got out of hand.

Convincing Emily and the other directors to send Lung to the Birdcage had been no easy feat. He had called in numerous favors and had likely put himself at odds with multiple people, but he imagined it would all be worth it. After all, without her father to lead her, Yosei would certainly be no threat.

Or so he had thought. To his horror and utter frustration, it seemed that Yosei was made of sterner stuff than he realized. Instead of crumbling underneath the pressure of leading the ABB, it seemed that her father's imprisonment had lit a fire under the woman and the ABB itself.

In the short amount of time since her father had been sent away, Yosei had underwent the arduous process of restructuring the entire gang and the way that it operated. With this restructuring, came a vast amount of scrutiny in basically every level of the gang.

Already, Coil had lost at least three moles to said scrutiny and had to pull out six more before they were caught as well. His play had been a complete and utter failure.

Any subsequent attempts to infiltrate the gang once again had quickly been sniffed out and taken care. Frustrated with the lack of progress, he had simulated an actual attack on the ABB itself, just to try and gain an idea as to the scope of Yosei's power.

It had been enlightening to say the least. If the attack on the Rig hadn't proved that Yosei was indeed Lung's daughter, then this certainly had.

The Undersiders and his newly hired Travelers put together did little to slow her down, much less stop her, and even when the Empire joined in, taking advantage of their biggest enemy's supposed preoccupation, Yosei and the ABB's pet demon had managed to hold their own quite well.

Not only that, but it seemed that she either had contacts in the Empire, or the few informants he had left in the ABB were in dire need of replacement. He wasn't sure exactly what kind of connection Rune had to the Asian gang, but the way she had defended their territory alongside Lung's heir had made it clear where her loyalties lied. And it certainly wasn't with Kaiser.

It had only taken a few hours of this simulation, during which the Protectorate from Boston was called in to assist with quelling Yosei's rage, before Coil had decided that he had seen more than enough and closed the timeline, musing on what he had witnessed and what it meant.

Overall, it was made abundantly clear that he couldn't touch the ABB right now. Not unless he wanted to arouse her suspicion or gain the ire of the city itself, villain population included. Any attempts at subterfuge were sussed out far too quickly, and even the more overt attempts would end in nothing but disaster. There was nothing he could do.

For now, he would have to leave the ABB be and focus on other, much more tangible pursuits.

Reaching down into the folds of his costume, Coil retrieved his phone, flipping it open and dialing a familiar number before holding it to his ear, waiting for an answer.

He didn't have to wait long of course, despite the early hour in the morning, she knew better than that.

On the third ring, the call was picked up, a carefully respectful voice undercut by a thin layer of annoyance coming through the speaker, "Yeah boss? What do you want?" Tattletale asked, her voice slightly gruff with sleep.

Coil raises an eyebrow at the teen's tone but decides to let it slide this time. He was always sure to give his Tattletale a bit more leash than his other subordinates. Just long enough to give her the illusion of freedom that she desired so much, but also short enough that a swift yank on said leash would bring her right back to him when she stepped out of line.

"Good morning, Sarah." Coil deliberately used the name he knew she loathed, "How is our newest recruit?"

"...She's doing fine." Tattletale answered, anger hidden in her tone, "She's a bit skittish, may be from an abusive household though I'm not sure, and she's still planning to sell us out to the boys in blue but I might be able to change that. Types like her tend to latch onto the first positive relationship that comes their way, so I'll see if I can't cozy up to her and convince her to stick around."

Coil nodded in satisfaction, "Good. Though, please ensure you don't get too close. I know how much the girl's situation may remind you of another that you keep close to your chest, but this is not the time to get distracted by ghosts from the past."

He continued before she could say anything in response, "Moving on, I have an assignment for your team. I'm going to need you to perform a high-profile heist on Brockton Bay Central Bank in a few days."

"What?" Tattletale was both confused and angered by this turn of events, "There's no way they'll agree to that! We both know that hitting a bank isn't worth the risk. We could make ten times as much going after one of the stashes the Merchants left behind. Not to mention, we might have another person to split the cut with if Skitter does decide to stick around!"

Coil frowned at her words, "You are hitting the bank because I am telling you to. I don't care about the money, that's none of my concern. I simply need a distraction from another one of my operations. And as for risk, the Protectorate will be out of town or husky on the afternoon you hit the bank, I'll make sure of it, so you'll only have the Wards to contend with. If you plan it correctly, and I know you can, I'm sure you will be able to deal with the children and escape unmolested." He said, deliberately playing to the teenager's ego with his last sentence.

Tattletale didn't say anything for a long moment, clearly mulling it over, "...I might be able to get them to agree. Alec might go for it. Rachel probably won't care as long as she gets a good cut. It's getting Brian to agree that's going to be an issue, and maybe the newbie too depending on how far she is willing to go to maintain her 'cover'."

"Try to convince them." Coil ordered, "If necessary, tell them I'll throw a little extra on top of what you can expect to take away."

Tattletale let out a low whistle, "Wow. You must really want this done, huh?" She said, her tone making it clear that she was trying to figure out exactly why that was.

Coil didn't say anything, continuing right past her words like they hadn't even registered, "Do your best to convince Skitter to come along as well. Her abilities will mesh well with the rest of the team and would be extremely useful to have on a heist like this."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Good. I'll contact you later with more details." He hung up without another word, ending the call right there.

He sighed, placing his phone back into the folds of his costume. Speaking with Tattletale was always a stressful affair, even over the phone. That power of hers was like a trip-wire, the smallest mistake setting off a chain reaction in her brain to lead her to a conclusion. He had to chose each word carefully lest she figure out what he was planning. He couldn't afford any screw ups. Not this time.

Reaching across his desk, Coil pressed on his intercom, "Mr. Pitters. Prepare the room for my pet's arrival. Ensure that you are well stocked just in case she turns out to be more resistant than we expected."

"Yes sir. I'll begin the preparations right away." The reply came promptly, causing Coil to smile. At least some of his men were competent.

He leaned back in his chair, glancing towards a closed file on his desk, the contents held within already more than familiar to him thanks to countless nights pouring over their every detail.

Soon, his pet would be in her rightful place by his side. And then everything would be much, much simpler.

---

Next five chapters available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[Robotic_angel]

Thanks for the chapter, I'm really looking forward to the next one. I wounder if Diana ends up with the Abb, as the safest option for her.

 

[Hudo]

really glad i stumbled upon this. great stuff!

 

[Sadguychet]

Six days later

My face was set in a mask of seriousness as I listened to Nana speak, an expression that was mirrored by the woman herself as she stood in front of my desk.

"...-and I've been working him over just as good as anyone else but he just isn't talking, Hime." Nana said, a small amount of frustration leaking into her voice as she spoke, "Either that old bastard is more resilient than we realized, or he just doesn't know a damn thing and was spouting bullshit about someone coming to kill him for talking."

My frown deepened at her words, "And what do you think? Would continuing his treatment provide any results or should we just give up our endeavors? I don't want to waste your time if you think you're trying to get blood from stone at this point."

Nana shook her head, "This is important. If there's any chance that Takao knows who put him on the job, then we need to know."

I nodded, leaning back in my chair, "And do you think he actually knows anything or was he simply, as you said, spouting bullshit?"

Nana clicked her tongue, "Hard to say. He's been squeaking like a mouse but it's mostly been things we already know. Kidnapping women he wasn't allowed to to put in his brothels, embezzling funds, selling out our people. Takao's been a naughty boy for sure, but I still don't know if he actually knows who he's been selling all that shit to."

That wasn't good. Takao was the lynchpin in all of this and literally our only lead at the moment. If he actually didn't know anything and was just bluffing, or was just unwilling to say anything even under the threat of torture then all of our leads dies with him. If he didn't talk, then we'd never know who was so interested in the ABB's internal operations.

The last thing we needed right now was an enemy in the shadows, poking and prodding at us in search of weaknesses in a time of such great reform. We needed to know who had been responsible for Takao's duplicity and why. It was much more difficult to fight an enemy whose face you didn't even know.

Nana was right, this wasn't something we could just give up on.

"Do what you must to get him to speak." I told the woman seriously, "If it doesn't work or is too much on him, then we can simply cut our losses. Any information he has, if any, is simply too valuable to lose. You have my full permission to use your own discretion from here on out, Nana."

It was a rare occasion that Nana was given leave to do whatever she wanted to her prisoners. The woman's normal methods could be constituted as cruel and unusual at the best of times. The things she would likely think up now that she wasn't held back by the normal conventions were horrifying to even consider, but now wasn't the time to be conservative. We needed results

Nana's resulting smile couldn't be called anything but chilling, "That right there is music to my ears, Hime. Give me a few days and I'll have him squealing like a pig in whatever key you want. I promise you that."

I held back the small shiver that was nearly produced at her words, "Right. Well, as always, I appreciate your efforts Nana. Please make sure to-"

Before I could say anything else, I was interrupted as the door to my office was opened unceremoniously. Both Nana and I looked over, surprised that someone had entered without giving any sort of warning or asking permission, though my surprised look faded into a smile at the person we were met with.

"Hey, Yuko, I've gotta ask you something." Tammi said as she came in. As always, Tammi had exactly zero cares to give as she practically barged into my office like she owned the place, not paying any mind to the fact that I was technically her leader now.

It hadn't been as much of a surprise as it probably should have when Tammi asked to join the ABB a single day after moving in with me. As unfortunate as it was, we both knew that it wasn't likely possible for her to return to a normal civilian life after all that she had done in and for the Empire. There was nothing saying that her former colleagues would follow the Unwritten Rules and leave her be, especially after she had so blatantly abandoned their cause. It only made sense that she would ally herself with the next largest gang in the city, barring the Protectorate.

The fact that her girlfriend was the current leader of said gang probably had something to do with it, but who could say?

Getting over her surprise, Nana turned towards the blonde, a smile slipping across her face, "Well look at what we have here." Nana's expression was like a cat eyeing its prey and I held in a sigh at what I knew was about to happen, "Hime's little girlfriend has come to visit? Don't you know that it's common courtesy to knock before you enter your leader's office? Even if she is your partner, what you just did was pretty rude, sweetheart."

Tammi crossed her arms, a scowl coming to her face at the woman's words and the sigh I was holding back came out full force, "And who the hell are you?" She demanded, not backing down an inch even when faced with Nana's intimidating demeanor, "I know she doesn't give a shit if I drop by unannounced, what I don't get is why I should care what you think."

Nana laughed at Tammi's words, surprising her, "Well aren't you just a treat? You've gone and snagged yourself a real spitfire here, Yuko!" Nana said, before the smile on her face turned slightly dangerous, "You should come visit me in my shop sometime, sweetie. There are a few things that I would love to show you."

Tammi's scowl returned and she went to respond, but I interrupted before this could get out of hand.

"That's enough," I said sternly, stopping her before she could form a rebuttal. Looking towards Nana, I continued, "I'll contact you in a few days to check on your progress, Nana. If anything pertinent comes up involving Takao, bring it to my attention immediately."

The woman saw the dismissal for what it was and pouted, "You really are no fun, you know that?" My stare didn't relent and her pout only deepened, "Fine fine, I got the memo. Have fun with your girlfriend, Hime. I'm off to have fun with our resident rat."

"Make sure to come by my shop again soon, alright? We still have to redo that tattoo on your back." She called back to me as she made her way to the door that Tammi had unceremoniously thrown open. Her face turned dark, "Months of work, completely ruined in a single second. I swear if that bitch wasn't already drooling at the walls and babbling like an idiot, I'd put her there myself. Ruined one of my best pieces and it was completely original so I don't even have stencils to remake it…"

She continued muttering obscenities towards the former Tinker as the door closed shut behind her, cutting her off. I gave it an amused look before turning my attention back to my girlfriend who looked completely befuddled by what she had just heard.

There was a moment of silence before she turned to me, surprise evident in her eyes, "You had tattoos?"


I giggled, surprised that that was what she singled out from everything that had just happened, "Yes, I did. A rather large one on my back that Nana took quite a bit of pride in, as I'm sure you can tell. She called it one of the finest works that she had ever produced."

"Was it?" Tammi asked as she stepped forward in front of my desk, sitting down in a chair.

I shrugged, "It was one of my own designs so I'm afraid my opinion would be biased in that regard. I quite liked it though. For the relatively small time I had it anyway. I can show you the design some time; I believe I still have it somewhere."

"Huh." She said, giving me an appraising look, "Y'know, now that we're basically all out in the open and junk, I'm just now realizing that I had you pegged completely wrong when we first started hanging out."

I raised a brow, "Is that so?"


She nodded seriously, "Yep. At first, I thought you were just some rich girl or something. Maybe your parents were really good lawyers or something and that was why you always had to leave in the middle of our hangouts. Y'know, to escape the hit men that were being sent after you."

"Lawyers?" I asked, amused by her words. She nodded seriously, though the glint in her eyes spoke otherwise.

"Yeah, lawyers. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that hate lawyers. Especially the really good ones. Figured that maybe your folks were on the 'right' side of the law and managed to make some enemies." Her face shifted in mock thought, "Though I guess being the daughter of a gang leader and a gang leader yourself isn't much better. Probably less hitmen though."

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know." I sighed, playing along, "I've only ever been the one set of parents, I'm afraid, and lawyering certainly isn't in our history."

"Yeah, I figured that. You can only have so much evil in your blood after all. StilI, I could get over the whole crime boss thing, but tattoos?" She shook her head, staring into my amused eyes with faux disappointment, "I can't believe I thought I knew you. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to forgive you for keeping something like this from me."

I gave her a sad look, thoroughly enjoying this now, "Is that so? And should I be expecting a heart-wrenching text sometime tonight proclaiming that the spark has died? I would like some forewarning so that I can make sure to keep my freezer stocked with ice cream for my inevitable heartbroken soap binge."

"Nah, I'm too lazy to break up with you. I mean, we just got together a few days ago and that was a whole thing. I'm not going through that again any time soon." She gave me a charming grin, "I guess you're stuck with me for now."

My lips twitched, "What a shame. However will I cope?"


"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're smart like that."

"I suppose you're right." I sighed at her words, before dropping the act and giving her a smile, "Now then, not that I'm unhappy to see you here, Tammi, far from it in fact, but might I ask why you've decided to pay me a visit so…" I looked back at the door which she had practically slammed open, "...abruptly?"

Catching my glance, Tammi actually had the decency to look a bit embarrassed at her actions, "Uh, sorry about that, I wasn't really thinking. I'm just starting to lose it because I've been so freaking bored these past few days. That's why I came up here in the first place."

I blinked, "Excuse me? You're bored?"

"I'm bored." Tammi nodded, "I've been a cape for years now and I'm not used to just sitting around like this, you know?"


"...Is that so?" I asked, somewhat confused, "I'm sorry, I thought your position in Kaiser's court was much like the one you currently have with the ABB. Was I mistaken?"


She nodded, "No, you're right, it was, but he also ran things a whole lot differently than you. The Empire has a ton more capes than you do and they used us a lot more, sending us out to check on shit or even just to patrol our territory. You haven't told me to do any of that yet so I've just been sitting on my ass so far and I'm getting antsy. I need something to do."

I was left momentarily stunned as I realized that she was right. I had been so caught up in managing the gang itself, that I had momentarily forgotten to utilize the resources that were now at my disposal.

Though, now that I thought about it, it made sense that I hadn't. Though our gangs were of similar size, the way that the Empire and the ABB operated couldn't be more different, and not just in our illicit activities. The Empire could field more than triple the amount of capes that we could at any given time and certainly weren't afraid to do so. Tammi had explained it to me that her job was akin to a courier or human transport, that she was always moving around their territory doing one thing or another at almost all times, and it seemed that the rest of the capes in the gang were like that as well, always having something to do to keep them busy.

The ABB, on the other hand, relied more on non-parahuman manpower. The way the gang was structured gave more authority to the individual members of the various branches of the organization. This was mostly out of necessity, as unlike the Empire, we simply couldn't afford to field a cape every single time there was an issue within our territory and instead left it to whoever was in charge of that area, usually an Officer.

This led to capes having a much more auxiliary role in the gang. I was a special case due to my status as heir to the gang, but both Lee and Bakuda were normally left to their own devices unless specifically called upon for a task. Bakuda used that time to tinker or try to fill my father's ear with nonsense, while Lee just disappeared until he was called upon.

I wasn't actually sure what Lee did in his spare time but given the nature of the man himself, I imagined it wasn't very exciting. The only thing I could be completely sure of was that he wasn't spending that time sleeping. Those bags under his eyes were practically etched in at this point.

My own position in the ABB was that of a manager, directing and overseeing things within the gang as I make sure things run smoothly and effectively. If there was an issue that required a cape to deal with it, I would either send Lee to deal with it or take care of it myself. Other than that, there was basically nothing for an Enforcer to do except wait.

But Tammi wasn't used to that and now that I actually thought about it, it wasn't exactly the most effective way of going about things. There were a lot of changes happening within the ABB; perhaps this could just be another.
"I'm sorry, Tammi. I never considered the fact that you might not be used to how things are run here." I finally said, giving my girlfriend an apologetic look, "Like you said, Enforcers in the ABB are used much differently than in the Empire. The position is more reactionary instead of proactive.
"That said, you're also right that you should have something to keep you occupied. Hmm… give me a moment."
I glanced down at my paperwork-covered desk as I tried to think of something that she could do that would keep her occupied and alleviate her boredom. As I did so, one sheet in particular caught my gaze and my eyes widened in remembrance of an issue I had completely forgotten about.

"You know what, I actually think I do have something for you to do." I said, as I moved some papers out of the way to get a better look at it, looking it over for a moment. Yes, this was perfect.

I looked up at Tammi who was giving me an eager look, "With all of the changes that our operations are undergoing, as well as the business with consolidating the territory that we gained from the Merchants, I have had my hands full and haven't quite been able to turn my attention to an issue that has popped up recently." I gave Tammi a small smile, "I was going to send Lee and a handful of men to deal with it later today if I couldn't get to it, but if you'd like, I can let you handle it instead."

Tammi gave me an eager look, "Let me hear it."

"For the past two days or so, I've been getting reports of an issue with one of the warehouses that we recently acquired from the Merchants leftover territory. It's a smaller warehouse that was probably used as housing, but we aren't sure yet." I explained, "My men say that nobody has been able to actually enter the building itself, though not for lack of trying. The way it was explained to me, it is as if there's an 'aura' of some sort that permeates the warehouse and the surrounding area, causing unease to anyone within a certain distance and only getting stronger the further into it you go."

She connected the dots quickly, "You think a cape set up over there?"

I nodded, "That's what I believe, yes. The aura they described is clearly some sort of Master effect, but it is localized entirely on that single warehouse and several meters outside of it. Clearly a parahuman at work.

"It's possible that it's a new trigger or it might even be a leftover member of the Merchants hoping to get their own fill of the scraps left by their former gang. Whatever the case, it is disrupting operations in the area and with things in such a tumultuous state, we need to know whether or not it is an actual threat to the ABB or not."

I lifted the paper up, revealing the report that one of my men had written out, "I was going to send a small taskforce to deal with the issue, but if you are really itching for something to do, I could give the assignment to you instead." I offered. Her mouth opened and I could immediately tell that she was going to agree, but before she could I held out the report to her, "Before you agree, read this over and tell me what you think."

She took it from me curiously, looking it over as she read the report. It contained a few key things such as the location of the warehouse and its proximity to our borders and possible civilians, but most importantly, it gave a detailed explanation on what exactly the aura did to one who entered it, courtesy of a particularly brave grunt who had already been commended for his admirable actions.

According to him, the effect was minimal if you were standing a good distance from the warehouse, akin to a minor amount of apprehension at best. That apprehension only grew more intense the close that one grew to the building. Mere shivers down the spine gradually grew into a feeling of being watched or even stalked, and if you actually made it to within a foot of the building, that feeling would have grown to a gut-curling fear akin to being stuck with a home-intruder in the dead of night.

The man who wrote the report hadn't actually had the ability to enter the warehouse, but I imagined that it only got worse from there.

Tammi read the report, taking in what was written, and frowned slightly.

"The cape, you think it's a Master?" she asked, putting the report back on my desk.

"That, or a Shaker of some sort." I nodded, "Though I find it unlikely that a Shaker would be able to keep their power active for this long. As you can see by the report, the effect hasn't dulled in the slightest since it began, remaining the same constant size and intensity. A Master with an area of effect power is most likely. Do you still want to take the assignment?"

Tammi nodded almost immediately, "Hell yeah, I'm gonna take it. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. If causing fear is the only thing they can do, then I shouldn't have too much to worry about."


"Alright then, it's all yours. I'll be assigning someone to join you on your task though, just in case of any unforeseen complications." I thought for a moment, "Let's see… Kon has been complaining about a similar boredom to you since he no longer has his task with Takao to keep him busy. He'll be more than happy to assist."

"The guy with the sucker?" I nodded, "Alright, I don't mind. He's pretty cool."

That was probably a bit of an understatement on Tammi's part. Though they had only spoken a few times since Tammi joined the ABB, she and Kon had gotten along like a house on fire. Something about Tammi's general abrasive nature paired extremely well with Kon's laidback attitude, and once they had gotten past the initial distrust due to Tammi's background, it hadn't taken long for them to become something akin to friends.

Part of me felt I should worry how they might influence each other, but the larger part of me was happy that two of the people closest to me got along so well. I had been somewhat worried that Tammi would only have me as a friend due to her background and the distrustful nature of my men towards anybody non-Asian.

Though with the changes I was making, there was only so much longer that that could go on. Pride in one's heritage was all well and good, but I was not going to be the leader of an Asian supremacist gang for any longer than I had to.

As I mused to myself on the possible effects of the ABB's sudden loss of their Asian-only status, Tammi hopped to her feet, a not-so-small amount of eagerness in her posture at the idea of finally going back out onto the streets, "Alright, I'm gonna go get suited up. Is he gonna meet me here?"


I nodded, "Yes, I'll call him in a moment. He lives nearby so it shouldn't take him too long to get here."

"Cool. I'll try to be quick then." Just before she turned to leave, Tammi paused for a moment, catching my attention. As I turned to look up at her, she grinned and leaned across the desk towards me, puckering her lips. Catching her intentions, I leaned up and met her halfway, happily pressing my lips to her own. After a lingering moment, Tammi pulled back, smiling like an idiot.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." She said as she settled back to her feet, grinning from ear-to-ear.

I giggled quietly at her words despite the blush that was doubtlessly covering my own cheeks, "Neither will I, I don't think. Though I'm certainly not going to complain about that fact."

"Heh, me neither." Tammi chuckled, still grinning like a loon, "We really need to go on another date soon. One without the heavy talks and mind-shattering revelations that basically ruined our last one."

I paused at that, thinking back to all of the work that I still needed to take care of. I doubted I'd be able to leave my office any time soon, "I'll see what I can do. I might be able to clear my schedule some time in the next week or so."

GIving me a grin, Tammi turned around and began heading towards the door, "I'll hold you to that, Yuko. I'll see you later."

"Oh, actually, one more thing before you leave, Tammi." I called out before she could actually leave the room. She paused at the door and looked back at me in slight confusion.

Despite the flush on my cheeks, I made sure that my face was as serious as possible as our eyes met, wanting to convey that I was speaking to her as her leader in this regard, and not just her girlfriend. She was surprised by my sudden shift in demeanor, but quickly gathered herself, sobering up quickly and gazing back just as seriously.

My lips twitched in slight approval at that, before I became serious once more, "Remember, your main goal is to figure out exactly what is going on down there. If you can manage to open a dialogue with whoever is responsible and negotiate, then you should prioritize that. If not, then just leave things alone and come back. The warehouse isn't important enough to start a fight over. Not right now."

Tammi gave me a solemn nod, "Got it. I'll keep the fighting to a minimum."

I returned her nod with one of my own, happy to see that she understood how serious this was, before my continence became much softer, "Wonderful. I'll contact Kon and have him ready to meet you outside for transport. Keep the flying to the minimum if you can. I doubt the Empire has figured out exactly where you've gone off to and there's no need to tip our hand this early."

"Honestly, they probably already have an idea." Tammi commented, "I wasn't exactly subtle with my friendship with you. My argument with my cousin probably made it to Kaiser by now, and there's no telling what Agnes knows."

"True enough. Even so, the element of surprise is not one I like to give away so easily. Let's try to keep it a secret at least until we get your new costume prepared if at all possible."

Tammi shrugged, "Makes sense, I guess. I'll do my best to keep it under wraps."

"Thank you, and good luck, Tammi. Call me if you run into anything the two of you cannot handle alone."

---

Next six chapters available to Patrons!

 

[Sadguychet]

"So yeah, Yosei is still doing damage control on everything Bakuda managed to do during her little three-day stint as leader. Because it's all tinkertech, we're probably going to have to call in outside help. With everything else going on though, it's going to take a while." Kon wrapped up as they pulled onto the street the warehouse was on.

Tammi processed his story she had just been told, "All of that, combined with what happened to Lung… She's really got her hands full, doesn't she?" she asked quietly.

Kon nodded, a slightly solemn look on his face, "She does, but she's handling it much better than I think anyone else would have. Despite everything that's happened, it's like that fire under her is only burning hotter and she hasn't slowed down at all since she took over."

Tammi thought back to how stressed Yuko had been even before she took over the ABB and frowned, "Hopefully she doesn't burn herself out taking on too much."

"Well that's why she's got us." Kon replied, "Yosei's workload honestly probably hasn't even increased that much from what it was before, but the emotional stress from everything that's been happening recently is probably taking a toll on her. She needs friends now more than ever."

He glanced over at her, grinning, "And her girlfriend, of course. You just being around is definitely helping her stay on top of things so keep doing what you're doing, yeah?"

Tammi smiled at the man's words, "That's the plan."

"Good to hear." Kon nodded as they turned onto an empty street surrounded by warehouses on all sides, "You know, I wasn't too sure about Yosei letting you of all people into the gang so easily, especially after we nearly went to war with the Empire, but I'm glad she did."

"Me too." Tammi nodded, before her expression became slightly thoughtful, "You know, it's funny, if you told me a year ago that the ABB and the Empire might have gone to war, I would have put my money on the Empire with no hesitation. Now though, even though Lung's gone, I'm not so sure."

"Yeah, we took a hit when he got shipped away, but since you joined up basically right after, it sort of evened out, didn't it?"

Tammi laughed out loud at his words, "You telling me I'm worth the same as Lung? That's fucking funny, dude. I know what my strengths are, and they definitely aren't on par with a man who can turn into a giant, fuck-off dragon with four arms."

"Eh, we'll see." Kon shrugged, "Your power might not be that strong, but it's all about how you use it. I'm sure you could be pretty strong if you put your mind to it."

Maybe. Tammi hadn't really had a chance to really use her powers when she was Rune. She was their only form of transport so too close to a fight was normally something she was told to avoid. Maybe now that she didn't have to worry about that, she could use her power to its full potential.

Whether or not that potential was anywhere near Lung, she doubted it. She could probably manage Glory Girl or Triumph though.

"And besides, depending on how this mission goes, we might manage to get another member of our little group." Kon continued, looking over at her, "Nice costume, by the way. Way better than your old one even if it's not as complex."

Tammi grinned, adjusting the bright red scarf wrapped around her face, "Thanks. I'm working on an actual costume but it's gonna take a while to finish so for now, this is me."

Tammi's 'costume' wasn't anywhere near what she had as Rune, being what basically amounted to a hoodie and a scarf to conceal her face. Yuko had found her some other bits and bobs as well, like a pair of fingerless gloves and a bulletproof vest to make the costume more practical, but it was still a far cry from what she was used to.

Tammi had never been an indie cape before joining the Empire. She had come into her scene with a professional costume made by Empire tailors and a name that she had picked out herself. That meant that this was the first time she had cobbled together a passable costume herself and she had to admit, it was somewhat satisfying. The whole costume had a sort of rustic feel to it and she kind of liked it. Especially the scarf. She couldn't wait to see how cool it looked when she was flying.

As for weapons, Yuko had told her to try not to advertise her former identity if she could help it, which meant she'd have to mix things up a bit and not just chuck whatever heavy shit she could find lying around. She had a few dozen ball bearings on her that she could use with her power, as well as a handgun that was sitting a bit uneasily in a holster on her hip.

Tammi was a bit unsure about the gun. She knew how to use one, having received basic firearms training from Victor, but she'd never actually had to use one on someone else and hopefully it would stay that way. Fighting with her power felt normal, using a gun felt… oddly personal.

Kon gave her an appraising look, "Well it looks good for a placeholder. Have you thought of a name yet?"

Tammi shook her head, "I've got a few but haven't really decided on one in particular. Got any suggestions?

"Hmm…" Kon made a thinking face, before a shit-eating grin spread across his lips, "How about Sabrina?"

Tammi's smile was immediately replaced by an angry scowl at her hated nickname, "No. And if I find out who came up with that name, I'm going to drop them from so high up, the splatter will reach the top of the Medhall building."

Kon snorted as the van came to a stop, "Good luck with that. That nickname has been around for years at this point, you'll never find who came up with it."

"Oh I'll find them. Trust me on that. And when I do, I'll make sure what I do to them gets on the trending page of PHO." Tammi said darkly as she got out of the van. They were surrounded by warehouses on all sides, but the one they pulled up in front looked especially run down, as if it hadn't been maintained in months if not years.

Tammi put her hands on her hips, looking around, "So this is the place?"

"Looks like it. Feels like it too." Kon said as he got out of the van as well.

Tammi stared at the warehouse with a small frown on her face. It looked completely normal, like any other rundown building that you could find in this part of the city, and if she didn't know any better, she would say that they had the wrong place.

There was something off though, a tingling in the back of her mind that told her that something wasn't quite right, unsettling her. That must've been the Master effect at work.

"So how should we do this?" She asked Kon as he walked up to her. "Do we just like, walk in? The effect is supposed to get worse the closer you get, right?"

Kon shrugged, not really sure himself, "I guess? It's not like we're going to be able to do much from here unless we want to just yell at whoever's causing this to try to get them to come out." He eyed the building for a moment, "Really should have brought a megaphone or something cause, gonna be honest, I'm not really looking forward to getting closer. Just standing here is enough to heebie my jeebies."

Tammi rolled her eyes, eying the building "That was so lame, dude. Don't ever say that again."

Kon grinned unrepentantly, "I just call it how I feel it."

"Well your feelings suck. Do better." Tammi said, "Now let's go see what's causing all of this. Ten bucks says it's actually a Tinker or something and our guesses were way off base."

"I'll take that bet."

Together, they began making their way towards the dilapidated building. As they approached the warehouse, the tingling in the back of Tammi's mind gradually increased, creeping from a general discomfort to actual fear that she couldn't quite place the origin of. It grew and grew, until it was actually a struggle to not simply turn around and head back towards the van instead of facing whatever might have been inside of that warehouse.

She wasn't going to turn back though. She had asked for this assignment and she'd be damned if she turned tail and ran before even stepping foot inside.

'It's just some stupid power fucking with my head. There's nothing to be scared of.' She told herself, rationalizing the feelings that she was feeling in hopes that it might help her get over them.

It did, though not much. She took a deep breath as they reached the door to the warehouse, her hands literally shaking from the fear that she was feeling. Kon looked over to her as he grabbed the handle, "You alright? Gonna be able to handle this?"

Despite his words, Tammi could tell that the fear was hitting him just as hard as it was hitting her. Sure was doing a good job of acting like he wasn't affected, but she could tell that he was just as scared as she was.

Still, the act did wonders in helping Tammi's own fear, and the blond nodded slowly despite the thumping of her heart ringing in her ears, "Yeah, let's do this."
Kon gave her a serious nod before throwing open the door in one quick motion. The inside of the warehouse was dark, the lights inside either just not functioning or turned off as the entire building was bathed in dark shadows, the only illumination coming from the windows high above the floor. Tammi shared a look with Kon, before hesitantly stepping inside, the man half a step behind her.

The moment that they cleared the threshold of the entrance, Tammi was struck by a fresh wave of terror, this one much, much stronger than anything she had felt previously. It caused her to freeze in place as her eyes went wide, her mind almost overcome by the emotion forcefully shoved into her brain as she trembled, rooted in place.

Beside her, Kon was clearly experiencing similar effects, his jaw clenched tightly around the wooden stick of his sucker to the point that he was in danger of snapping it in half. Somehow, managed to shrug it off much faster than Tammi did e and began moving again, jerkily taking another step inside as he looked around at the warehouse's interior.

Tammi was slower to follow his lead, having trouble moving past the fear that was keeping her stuck. She closed her eyes, reminding herself that this was just some messed up power and that there wasn't anything to be afraid of, and managed to follow her friend inside.

With some difficulty, both of them moved past the instinct to turn around and run in the opposite direction, pushing through the fear that they were feeling to continue into the warehouse, albeit much less confidently than before. The effect didn't seem to grow any more powerful than it already was as they moved, but that was a small mercy given the sheer potency that the effect already had.

Tammi shoved her hands in her pockets, placing her fingers against several of the ball bearings held inside of her jacket and tagging them as they slowly made their way inside of the dark warehouse. Her eyes darted every which way, scanning the darkness for any hint of movement that might be the one responsible for what was going on.

She couldn't see anyone yet, but there were signs that someone had definitely been there, and somewhat recently. Empty food boxes, chairs and a small table sitting in a corner surrounded by what looked like sleeping bags and blankets. It was clear that someone had made this place their home, and judging by the needles and discarded dime bags littering the ground alongside the rest of the garbage, it was clear who. Merchants.

Hopefully they weren't still here. Though given how hard it was for Tammi herself to keep from literally quivering in fear, she doubted any of the druggies were still around.

"Hello?" Tammi flinched as Kon called out into the darkness from right beside her. She shot him a glare for doing that without any warning, and he gave her an apologetic smile before yelling out again, "Hello? Is anyone there? We aren't here to fight! We're just here to find out what's going on with this warehouse!"

There wasn't a response, or at least not at first, but then suddenly a loud noise reverberated from out of the darkness. A bang, like someone knocking something over, followed by even more silence that left them more shaken than the noise had.

Tammi's jaw clenched with tension. The ball bearings came sliding out of her pockets, beginning to orbit her body in a tight ring as both she and Kon turned their attention towards where the noise had come from. Tammi couldn't see past the thick veil of shadows that practically covered the entire warehouse, but she could tell something was there. Some part of her could tell that she was being watched and she didn't like it one bit.

As Tammi mentally prepared herself for a fight, Kon managed to push past his fear and call out to the shadows where the noise had come from, "Hello? Please come out! We aren't here to fight you, we just want to talk! I swear!"

There was no answer and Tammi tensed even further, the orbit around her tightening with her anxiety, before suddenly, the fear that they had been feeling all but vanished as whatever power had been affecting them stopped doing that. The tension was still there, but the underlying terror that had followed them every step of their journey suddenly ceased to be, allowing them to breathe much more easily.

Before they could react to this sudden change in atmosphere, there was movement. Both Tammi and Kon's eyes snapped to the side as something shifted in the darkness to their left, before a massive figure slowly shambled out of the black, seemingly fading into being straight out of the shadows as it approached them.

Tammi could feel her eyes widen and her jaw go slack as more and more of the figure was revealed. Monstrous was the only way she could describe him. His skin was so pale that she could almost mistake him for Alabaster, and his face was so gaunt he looked starved. Jet black hair hung limply around his face and obscured his eyes and the majority of his nose underneath the tangled and poorly managed strands.

He wasn't wearing anything except for a pair of sweatpants that were at least two sizes too small for him, though that was understandable considering his size. He was easily over seven feet tall, even slumped over, and his arms practically dragged on the floor below him as he moved forward, long, clawed fingers gliding mere centimeters above the concrete. The slump was clearly natural as Tammi could see a hump on the man's back, like that one guy from that spartan movie Brad made her watch that one time.

To tie the image together, a massive tattoo in the shape of an upside down omega symbol was scrawled on his chest, the arms of the arch following the curve of his chest towards his protruding ribs, ending just below the first two, indicating what was obvious at a glance. This guy was a Case-53.

The moments that her eyes caught on him, the fear was back, though not quite as strong as before. The best that Tammi could equate it to was the feeling that she had felt back near the van, a feeling that something wasn't quite right, and her ball bearings began orbiting her just a bit faster as she eyed the man in front of them.

"Stop looking at me." Tammi flinched, jumping slightly the voice reverberated through the warehouse. The cape turned his head towards her, looking at her through his curtain of shaggy hair.

"Don't look directly at me." He repeated, his voice incredibly soft and extremely at odds with his appearance, "It only exacerbates the fear you're feeling. Keep your eyes off of me."

With some difficulty, Tammi followed his instructions, shifting her gaze over his right shoulder while making sure to keep sight of him in her peripherals. Almost immediately, the unease went away, disappearing just like it had when Kon had called out to him, and she sighed in silent relief.

While Tammi recovered from the experience, Kon managed to plaster a friendly smile on his face and speak, "Hello there. You must be the one responsible for all of this." He gestured around at the warehouse though Tammi noticed that just like her, he also didn't look fully away from the cape, "You've been scaring basically everyone who walks by this building, you know?"

The monster cape tilted his head slowly, "Is that so? I didn't realize that my power reached that far. It's an effect I'm not capable of turning off. I can only direct it or hold it back as I am doing now. I'm sorry if I caused any issues."

Tammi found her face twisting at his words. She couldn't imagine looking like that while also having a power that made people around you constantly on the verge of wetting themselves with fear. "Geez, I bet that fucking blows." She said quietly.

Kon was much more understanding of the man's plight, "I'm sorry to hear that." He said sincerely, "Thank you for dialing it down for us. Do you have a name?"

"Not one that I remember." He said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I just woke up one day and everything in my head was gone. I don't even remember what I looked like before." He tilted his head, as if thinking, "If you want to, you can call me Spook. It feels fitting."

Spook. He was right, that was extremely fitting. Tammi eyed the man warily or well, as best as she could without looking directly at him. She hadn't had much experience with Case-53's outside of the occasional run in with Faultline's crew, so she wasn't really sure how to handle this situation.

Kon noticed this and was more than happy to take the helm so to speak, "Alright then, Spook it is." He said happily, dispelling some of the tension that was present, "Now Spook, would you mind telling us what you're doing here? I haven't seen you around the Bay before. Are you from out of town?"

Spook shrugged, the gesture somewhat awkward with his long limbs, "Your guess is as good as mine. I only remember things as far back as a week and a half ago when I woke up."

"A week?" Tammi was slightly skeptical, "And you're telling me nobody's noticed you yet? That fear thing you're doing extends pretty damn far. Anyone walking on the other side of the street would have noticed it. How haven't the heroes paid you a visit yet?"

"This warehouse is pretty out of the way and in a pretty bad area besides that." Kon said before Spook could answer, "Nobody comes down here unless they have a reason to, so it's likely that he just hasn't been noticed. Have you been out of the warehouse much, Spook?"

Spook shook his head, "No. Not for long at least. The sun burns my skin like acid, and even moonlight is enough to make me itch. I haven't been able to go outside for more than a few minutes at most."

"So you've just been cooped up here for that long?" Tammi asked, wincing at the thought, "How haven't you gone nuts yet? Hell, what have you even been eating? All those food boxes look older than that." She nodded towards the pile of trash in the corner.

"I don't need to eat or sleep, or at least I haven't so far, so that isn't a concern. And as for boredom, I've been using this as a way to keep myself entertained and learn a little bit about things outside." Spook pulled a phone out of his pocket, showing it to them, "Apparently a rather large group of people were already inhabiting this warehouse before I arrived. I didn't know how to control my powers yet and they weren't as brave as you were. They ran away and haven't returned."

Tammi looked around at the warehouse, taking in the remnants of drug paraphernalia that were collecting dust all over the floor. "Were they Merchants?" She asked the obvious question.

Spook tilted his head, "Merchants? I've heard the term before but the context escapes me."

"They're a gang. Or well, were." Kon said, crossing his arms, "A pretty large group of mostly drug pushers and drug addicts. They liked to hide out in warehouses like this in groups before our leader defeated their's and sent them packing. What's left of them have been spreading around the area like rats but we've mostly cleared them out. We think."

"Your leader?" Spook asked, "You are a part of an organization?"

Tammi and Kon shared a look. 'Should we tell him?' Kon's mouthed to her, the words a bit hard to make out in the dark.

Tammi thought for a moment. This guy seemed friendly so far, but whether or not he would stay that way once he learned that they were a part of a gang as well was completely unknown.

'Up to you.' She mouthed back, before glancing towards Spook who was waiting patiently, 'I'll back you up if this goes wrong.'

Kon nodded, before turning his attention back to the Case-53 who was watching them curiously, "Yeah, we're both part of the ABB, another gang that holds territory over this part of the city. That's actually why we came here originally. When we took care of Skidmark and Squealer, we also took the territory that the Merchants held. This warehouse is part of that and your power was disrupting operations in the area so Yosei sent us to investigate."

"Yosei." Spook said the word like he was tasting it, "She's your leader?" Kon nodded, "I see. May I meet with her?"

Kon was shocked by the sudden question, but Tammi was immediately suspicious, "Why?" She asked.

Spook gave her a glance, and even though she wasn't looking directly at him, she could tell he had an amused grin on his face, "So that I can ask to join your organization, of course."

Both Kon and Tammi were completely shocked by Spook's words, and Tammi actually turned to stare directly at Spook, completely forgetting about the effects of his power in her shock. Spook was amused by their reactions, a small grin on his face that revealed a row of extremely sharp teeth.

Kon managed to recover first as Tammi hurriedly looked away again, "You do realize that we're not heroes, right? The ABB might be better than the Merchants and maybe even the Empire in some regards, but most of us aren't good people. We aren't going to force you to join, so why would you want to?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't really have much interest in being a hero in the first place." Spook said matter-of-factly, "Maybe I was a selfish person before… this, I'm not sure, but the idea of helping people I don't even know doesn't exactly appeal to me."

"And as for being bad people," Spook hummed thoughtfully, "I very much doubt most people in the world are purely good. You may be part of a gang, but you have neither attacked me, nor threatened me despite having nearly every right to do so given the circumstances. Instead, you spoke to me as if I were just another person and tried to resolve things peacefully. That alone tells me that you are likely not bad people. I'll reserve my judgment of your leader for when I meet her. If you'll allow it, of course."

Tammi and Kon exchanged another look, a silent conversation occurring between them. Eventually, Kon grinned and Tammi shrugged, turning back to Spook, "Sure, why not. We were supposed to let her know what was happening anyway."

It may have been a trap, sure, but it wasn't like Yuko wouldn't be able to defend herself if things came to that. Her power was basically a built-in danger sense and she had them as well. There wasn't really much this guy could do against her even if he wanted to.

"We'll contact her and see if she'd be willing to meet us here. Do you mind waiting a little while for her to get here?" Kon asked as Tammi's ball bearings began sliding back into her pockets.

"I'm not going anywhere." Spook replied, a small amount of amusement in his voice.

Kon smiled happily, bringing a hand up to his vest, "Great. Now just give me a second to get a hold of… her…"

Tammi raised an eyebrow as Kon suddenly frowned, patting down his vest as if he was looking for something and couldn't find it. His hands moved down to his pants, patting his front pockets, then the back, before he cursed, "Ah, dammit. I forgot my phone in the van."

Tammi snorted, causing him to give her an annoyed look, "Sloppy, dude. You really shouldn't forget shit like that. It sets a bad example for the rest of us. You need to be a better role model for our potential recruit here." She nodded towards Spook.

"Yeah? Well I guess it's a good thing you remembered yours, then." Kon said happily, "Go ahead and call Yosei so we can tell her what we've got."

Tammi nodded, reaching down to grab her own phone which was… not strapped to her thigh where it should have been because she wasn't wearing her old costume. Shit.

"Shit." She said aloud, not bothering to look inside of her empty pants pockets for something that she knew wouldn't be there.

"You forgot yours too, didn't you?" Kon asked, smiling at her wryly. Tammi scowled.

"Shut up. I normally have it strapped to me because I fly so much but I left that with my costume. I must have left it in the van too because of that."

"Excuses, excuses. You know, Tammi, you should really be a better role model for our possible recruit here." Kon threw her words right back at her, causing her to flip him off. He grinned at the gesture, before turning back to Spook who was watching the whole exchange with amusement, "We'll be back in just a minute. Hang tight, alright?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Spook repeated, walking back into the shadows and disappearing from sight once again. Tammi looked around, trying to spot a single hint of that alabaster skin in the darkness and shivered when she couldn't.

"That's so fucking scary, dude." She said as she and Kon began making their way out of the warehouse and back to the van, "Someone that big shouldn't be able to just disappear because there are a few shadows around."

"No, they shouldn't." Kon agreed easily, "And someone shouldn't be able to control objects with their mind just because they touched them for a few seconds or turn into a giant wolf literally made of lightning just because some guy wrote about it and it got popular over a thousand years ago."

Tammi cracked a smile at his words, "True. I guess all powers vary in degree of bullshitery, huh?"

Kon nodded, "That's what the PRT's scale is actually for, I bet. To tell whoever's fighting a cape how much bullshit they should have to expect to put up with so they can be prepared."

"You might be onto something there." Tammi chuckled before a thought suddenly crossed her mind as they made it outside, "Huh. You know, I just realized something?"

Kon gave her a curious look, "Yeah? What's that?"

"This is probably the interaction with another cape that didn't end with me throwing a dumpster or something heavy at someone. I was fully expecting some sort of fight today."

Kon chuckled as they reached the van, "Yeah well, don't jinx it. There's still more than enough time for that. I don't know about you, but any exchange with a cape that doesn't end in a fight is a win in my book. Actually getting a new member from it? That's just the cherry on top."

"Heh, true enough, I guess."

This hadn't turned out how she had expected but it definitely cured her boredom. If this was how things were going to go normally in the ABB, then she could definitely get used to it.

---

Next six chapters are available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[Sadguychet]

I heaved a small sigh of contentment as warm liquid slipped down my throat, the freshly brewed tea doing wonders to both warm me and invigorate me.

It was probably the most relaxing experience I'd had all week. With all of the various responsibilities that I had taken up with the mantle of gang leader, alongside the reforms that I had mandated and thus needed to oversee, there was little time for relaxation of any kind.

Most would hardly call having a simple cup of tea in front of a veritable pile of paperwork the most relaxing thing in the world but right now, I would take what I could get.

It was necessary and more importantly, the constant work that I had been putting in was starting to show results. Though it wasn't exactly flourishing, I had managed to pull the ABB out of the spiral that we had very nearly entered during the events of the last month or so. We were beginning to make money instead of losing it and recruitment had been increasing.

Sure, it was a far cry even from what it had been when I first joined, but it was better than it was before and that was all that mattered.

Still, there was a lot left to do, and I wasn't just talking about in the future. This paperwork I was working through seemed to be going by at a snail's pace. Luckily, my current company also helped take the edge off, if just a bit.

"And how are you handling the recent changes, Hiashi?" I asked the man sitting across from me, "It's not too much on your busy schedule, I hope."

Hiashi shook his head, a soft smile on his face, "No, Yosei-sama, not at all. As a matter of fact, it is quite the contrary."

I raised an eyebrow at his words, surprised by them, "Truly?"

"Indeed." He nodded, "Considering that I was practically doing Kaito's job along with my own job of overseeing our drug trade, the fact that I have now moved into the man's position proper and left behind my previous one has actually made things easier for me overall."

I smiled at his words, "Well then, I'm glad to hear that the transition is going well for you." With a quick flourish of my pen, I placed my signature on the request form issued by Tadao before placing it into the pile with the rest of my completed paperwork. As I grabbed another to begin working on, I smiled wryly, "Now all we have to do is find a replacement for your old seat instead of Kaito's. I have a feeling that will be much easier."

Hiashi didn't say anything in response to my joke, causing me to turn my attention from the paperwork to him instead. I was met with the man's frown as he stared at the paper that I had just begun working on with an odd expression on his face. He then turned to look at the massive stack of papers that I had been slowly working through all morning, and his frown became more severe.

Confused by his sudden change in demeanor, I spoke up. "Hiashi? Is everything all right?"


His face twisted, hesitation overcoming his features, "This may perhaps be out of line but… I can't help but notice that you haven't taken a moment to yourself since you took up the position. Yosei-sama." He said softly, "I understand that your power all but eliminates the need for sleep, but that doesn't mean you should deny your brain the chance to rest."

I blinked, surprised by his words, "Rest? Hiashi, I have no time to rest, there's far too much to do. Though you are doing your far share and I am eternally grateful, the ABB is still far from stable. It will take another week or two at least until things are able to run without the constant need to micromanage things. Once things are stable, then I can rest."

As I spoke, I set aside my current document, a paper on the expected costs of repairing and maintaining the useful buildings that we had acquired from the Merchants. I'd look over it later, when I had more time for it.

Hiashi frowned at me, but I ignored it as I grabbed another sheet from the pending pile and put it in front of me to look over. It was yet another report of a robbery that has taken place in our territory which normally wouldn't be something anyone would dare to bother me with, but the nature of these robberies was some cause for concern.

Namely, the fact that each and every one of them was almost definitely the work of a parahuman.

The perpetrator of these break-ins was clearly not interested in hiding their presence or was simply not worried about it as the evidence of parahuman activity was clear to anyone who had even half a brain. For one, cameras, alarms, and any other electronics that happened to be in the general vicinity of the places that were broken into were rendered completely useless, their internal circuitry fried to the point of being unsalvageable.

Secondly, the point of entry that the thief used was far from subtle, usually coming in the form of a person-sized hole burned into the wall. Stone and steel alike were melted to slag from an extreme heat or simply blasted through, the remnants scattered across whatever shop had been broken into at the time.

There wasn't an active parahuman with the ability to do either of those things within the Bay while also being foolish enough to do it to the ABB. The closest I could think of would be perhaps Circus or maybe Uber and Leet but the former didn't steal from gangs if they could help it and never so overtly, while the latter simply couldn't resist making a spectacle of literally everything they did.

That meant that whoever was responsible for the acts was likely a new player. That meant they warranted far more caution that we would normally employ.

Our current plan was to use a honey pot to try and lure the thief to a specific location and trap them, catching them in the act. Their preferred marks seemed to be things that were somewhat valuable while also being relatively easy to sell or pawn off. Jewelry, phone cases, things of that nature. We would fill a building with these items, advertise it discreetly, and monitor it from afar for the next few months. Hopefully they would take the bait and we would be able to catch them in the act and swoop in to capture them before they could escape.

And once we did, they would be dealt with. One way or another they would learn that thieves were not tolerated within my territory.

Sensing eyes on me, I looked away from the paper to find that Hiashi was once again watching me work with a frown. A small frown came to my own face as I saw this, "Is something the matter?"

"I know what you are doing, Yosei-sama." He said seriously, causing me to raise a brow at his words.

"Is that so?" I asked a bit sarcastically, "Then by all means, Hiashi, enlighten me."

"You're coping with your father's loss by throwing yourself into your work." He said curtly, making me pause, "I've seen it before and have done it myself, and as such I know that it is an unhealthy coping mechanism. Sooner or later, all of the emotions that you have bottled up will return with a vengeance and wreak havoc upon you. You need to take a moment to process what has happened before it comes back to haunt you."

I scowled, but as much as I wanted to refute his words, I knew that I couldn't. By all accounts, what he had said was completely true. Though the monotony of my days had been somewhat broken up by visits from Tammi or even Hiashi himself, I could count on two hands the amount of times I had stepped away from my duties this week that weren't essential functions such as using the bathroom or eating. Work had consumed my life, and I was introspective enough to know what I was doing and also to acknowledge that it wasn't exactly the best way to handle the loss of the one I loved the most.

Unfortunately, poor coping mechanisms weren't the only reason that my life had become this way.
I looked down at my paperwork, "I would love to do that, truly I would. Unfortunately, I don't have time to grieve for my loss with all the work I am doing. The ABB is just now getting back on its feet and there is still far too much to do."

Hiashi's frown deepened, "You are putting the well-being of the gang above yourself and that is admirable, but you of all people should know that an organization is only as strong as its leader is dependable. While you are doing a good job at fixing what has been done, we both know it won't last at this rate."

My gaze rose from my desk, a scowl appearing on my face unbidden, "Of course I know that, do you take me for a fool? Despite what you might think Hiashi, I am not blind to my own flaws, nor am I doing this just because I enjoy suffering!" I said scathingly.

Hiashi was taken aback by my tone and I was as well. I hadn't meant to speak to the man that way, nor had he deserved it. I reached for my cup, taking a sip of my tea to calm myself down and get my thoughts in order before another outburst.

Hiashi watched me with some concern as I leaned back in my chair, my expression becoming solemn, "I apologize, that was uncalled for. Believe me, Hiashi, I would love nothing more than to spend a day or two properly mourning my father but we are at a crucial point in the future of the gang. With him out of the picture, our enemies will doubtlessly believe us weak and seek to capitalize on that fact. Until I am sure of our security, I must continue as I have been."

Hiashi's concern gave way to slight confusion, "Would your actions on the Rig not prove to them that you are just as strong as he was?" He asked, "Surely people have heard of it by now."

"Perhaps some, but I doubt many know about it." I shook my head, "All electronics within my general vicinity were left without power as I fought and that includes any cameras that may have captured my battle with the heroes. Any mentions or leaks of the battle would be word of mouth or from fuzzy images and videos captured by those who happened to be on the docks that night. That doesn't exactly give credibility to my strength to anyone but those who were there for the battle itself."


My face turned serious, "And although it is true that I likely managed to strike fear in the hearts of the heroes, I doubt we will be so lucky with the Empire and that is the crux of our issue. They haven't made any moves yet, at least according to our informants, but it's only a matter of time at this point." I said grimly, "With the Merchants out of the way and the majority of their territory in our hands, the balance of power in the city has shifted in our favor. To someone like Kaiser, that is inexcusable. His pride, as well as that of his subordinates, will not stand the idea of the ABB winning such a victory."

That wasn't even mentioning what would happen when they discovered that Tammi had defected to my side. For the Empire to lose one of their capes was one thing, but to lose them to what was by all means their biggest adversary? There was no doubt in my mind that Kaiser's pride had been dealt a major blow.

And with everything that Tammi had told me about her aunt… Well I wasn't holding much hope that things would be resolved peacefully.

Being the smart man that he was, Hiashi easily heard what was left unsaid, "You believe they will start a war. Try to force us out of the city."

"It's what I would do if I were in Kaiser's position." I agreed, "By all accounts, the Empire is in the perfect position to completely oust the ABB and become the predominant gang in Brockton Bay. They likely see me as a threat now, but one as dangerous as my father was? I am unsure."

Pausing for a moment, I took a long sip of my tea, my throat parched from the conversation. Hiashi took the opportunity to speak. "So what are we going to do?" He asked, his expression serious.

"We'll prepare for the inevitable, of course." I replied simply, "We'll quietly shore up our defenses, take stock of our arms and cash, and get ready for what is almost certainly coming."

Hiashi's face tightened, "I don't think I need to tell you that we can't handle a sustained conflict, Yosei-sama. We simply don't have the resources for it and though it is certainly rising quickly thanks to all you have done, morale is the lowest it has been in a long while. Few would be willing to fight such a war."

I smiled wryly, "Then I suppose it is a good thing that I have no intention of entertaining a war with the Empire. Our preparations will purely be to ensure that once the conflict does begin, we will be properly prepared to defend ourselves until I take care of things."

Hiashi's eyes widened minutely at what I just implied, "Surely you don't believe you can take on the entire Empire by yourself?"

I actually laughed at his words and incredulous expression, shaking my head, "Of course not, Hiashi. My power is spectacular and practically made for fighting multiple parahumans, but I'm not so foolish or arrogant to overlook its flaws. Fighting against the entirety of Kaiser's court alone would be suicide."

"No," My face turned much more serious, "If the Empire does decide that they desire war, then we will swiftly and decisively dissuade them of that notion. We need not deal with the entirety of the gang, just most of its capes and most of all, Kaiser himself. After that, the rest should fall to infighting without a clear leader. And if that fails and we should lose, I can ensure that they are in no position to enjoy their victory."

I wasn't spewing falsehoods either. I completely believed that I currently had the means to completely devastated the Empire should I be unable to stop them in the field. It wouldn't exactly be a victory for the ABB by the strictest definition, but the Empire certainly wouldn't be able to claim the win either.

Though the man had spoken in anger, Takao hadn't been wrong when he claimed that the brothels were a prime source for blackmail. It may have been detestable at best, and I had still every intention of tearing the branch down to its roots the moment things were stable, but I couldn't deny that they had their uses.

It was a known fact among the higher ups that the blackmail we collected from the brothels was the most important facet of the entire operation. Sure, the sales themselves were a nice source of income, but they paled in comparison to the potential sway we could hold over city officials that were unable to keep their lips sealed when given a bit of drink and a warm body to cozy up to.

And it seemed that the executives of Medhall were especially loose-lipped when given sufficient… motivation. As the alcohol flowed and the night wore on, these executives revealed some very interesting information indeed.

Truly, who would have thought that Brockton Bay's preeminent pharmaceutical company was simply a front for its preeminent neo-nazi organization. Should this scandalous information break the news, along with certain names and faces to go with it, some very important people would be put in quite a predicament.

Of course, breaking the Unwritten Rules was a last resort. A rabid animal is most dangerous when it is cornered after all, and the last thing that I desired was for the Empire in its entirety to rampage across my territory, putting my people in harm's way.

That said, if I had to choose between defending those same people against said rampage or surrendering them to the clutches of the racists who would doubtlessly seek to do them harm, then I would choose the former every single time. If the Empire's victory was to be inevitable, then I would ensure that it was pyrrhic in nature.

Though at this stage, there was no guarantee it would come to that at all and I would do my damndest to keep it from doing so.

Hiashi gave me a shrewd glance, "You have a plan."

"The beginnings of one." I said with a nod, "Rest assured, Hiashi, if the Empire does decide to challenge us, it is not a battle they will walk away from intact. One way or another, they will fall."

Hiashi studied me, taking in my confident expression, before nodding slowly, "Very well then. I'll begin preparations on my end. How long would you say we have before actions are taken?"

"No longer than a month or two. Likely less than that." I looked down at my cooling beverage, contemplating, "There are other factors at play in the city. A player that has not made themselves known but is almost certainly there. There is no telling how they may decide to shift things this time."

"Are you referring to the one behind our moles?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yes. Nana has not yet been able to get Takao to tell us what he knows, if he knows anything at all, but what little he has said points to an overarching force acting with their own goals in mind. And until we can figure out who they are and what their goal might be, the security of the ABB will continue to be endangered."

Hiashi's frown returned at my words, "So what you're telling me is that you have no intention of taking a break to properly process your emotions." He accused, "Not with this looming threat."

I sighed. We were back on this?

"I never said that. Though it is certainly a concern, there is no guarantee that this mysterious player will make a move any time soon, this is all merely postulation." His expression didn't change and I suppressed another, heavier sigh, "I promise, once everything is taken care of, you won't see me in this office for a week, save for the most dire of emergencies." I told him somewhat sincerely, "Of course, I expect you to pick up the slack in my absence."

Hiashi wasn't happy at my clear deflection of the topic, but nodded anyway, "Of course I will. It is my job after all. But-

Hiashi went to say something else, but he was interrupted by the buzzing of my phone in my pocket. Thankful for the interruption, I immediately pulled it out, wasting no time in taking the call before he could say anything else, "Yes, what is it?"

I was slightly surprised as Tammi's voice flowed into my ear, not having checked the caller id, "Hey, it's me. Kon and I are at the warehouse and uh, we've got a bit of a situation here."

My brow furrowed, an inkling of worry filling me, "What kind of situation? Do you require backup?"

To my relief, Tammi denied the request with her usual nonchalance, "Nah, nothing like that. It's just not something we're really equipped to handle. The cape that was causing all that fear shit, we met him and now he… wants to meet you?"

I sat up a little straighter in my chair, an intrigued expression crossing my face, "Is that so? Tell me about it."

As Tammi regaled me with her current situation, I could feel my eyebrows creep their way into my hairline at what I was hearing. A Case-53 in my territory? Not only that, but a seemingly friendly one that might possibly want to join the ABB, with the only caveat being that he wanted to speak to me personally? It sounded too good to be true.

As a matter of fact, it sounded like a trap. Has this Spook deliberately been making noise in order to draw me out and simply adjusted his plan when Tammi and Kon showed up instead? Were his intentions truly to join the ABB, or had he simply sad that in order to get to me?

I suppose there was only one way to find out.

I turned my attention back to the phone, "Alright, I need to wrap up here and then I'll be there shortly. While I'm making my way there, sweep the area surrounding the warehouse. You may fly if you need to."

"You think it might be a trap?" She asked seriously

I hummed noncommittally, "Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, I would like to eliminate all possibilities. This is an unknown parahuman who just happened to appear in territory we recently captured. It would be best to take everything that he says with scrutiny."

"Gotcha. We'll keep a lookout. See you soon."

"I'll be there in around ten minutes. Stay safe, Tammi"

Hanging up the phone, I turned to Hiashi who was watching me curiously, "I'm sorry, Hiashi, but I must cut this meeting a bit short." I apologized semi-sincerely to the man as I stood, "It seems that Tammi and Kon have found something rather interesting on their mission that requires my personal attention."

Hiashi stood as well, giving me a nod of acknowledgement though the frown was still there, "Understood, Yosei-sama. If it's alright to you, we can continue this at a later date."

I held back a sigh, instead giving him a polite smile and a nod, "That sounds wonderful. Have a good rest of your day, Hiashi."

"You as well, Yosei-sama. Please remember to get some rest tonight."

…This was going to be a regular thing, wasn't it?

---

Next seven chapters are available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[diablo93x]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Sadguychet]

I arrived at the warehouse a bit later than I intended. Around twenty-five minutes after the call with Tammi ended, I touched down on the street across from the building, only a few feet away from where Kon was leaning against his vehicle. I looked around, noting the lack of anyone nearby as my wings faded away and Kon noticed me.

"Yosei, glad you could make it." He greeted me, pushing himself off of the van and made his way over, "Though I'll admit, I thought you'd be here sooner. What took you?"

"Hello Kon, and I apologize for the delay. I was having a bit of an issue with my costume." I explained as he reached me. I looked around, noting the absence of a certain blonde, "Where's… our friend?" I asked, unsure of what to call her. She still hadn't chosen a moniker after all.

"She's still scouting around. Should be back in a minute or two." He said as he looked me up and down, "I'd say that wait was definitely worth it. That costume looks badass, boss!"

I smiled, pride welling up within me at his words, "Thank you, I worked hard on it. Though I will admit, I underestimated how long it would take to put on."

Though it was a shame that my previous costume had been destroyed when Bakuda had killed me, it had also given me the perfect reason and opportunity to redesign it into something that would better fit my new position in the ABB. It has taken quite a while to find the time to do it amidst all of my work, but I had somehow managed it and now that I was wearing it, I was quite satisfied with the results of my work.

My old costume had been almost ceremonial in appearance, with the flowing kimono designed to give me an ethereal look to go alongside my moniker. It had been beautiful, but not exactly the most practical or fear-inspiring. Now that I was leader of the ABB, I needed something more functional, leading to what I was wearing right now.

My silk kimono had been replaced with a sturdy yukata of the same red and black as before. The garment itself was made of tough fibers that would do well stopping a knife on the off chance someone got close enough, yet was still breathable enough that I did not sweat wearing it. The hems of my sleeves had been trapped against my wrists with bandages while the same had been done with my pants just above my shoes, allowing movement while preventing them from getting in the way.

Unfortunately, the mythological iconography had been replaced with a rippling wave pattern, mostly due to the fact that it would have simply taken too long to stitch them all into the costume, but I was somewhat okay with that. I had some ideas regarding that anyways.

All in all, my new costume was elegant in its simplicity and if one were to look at it from afar, they would likely believe I had just modified what I already had into what I was now wearing.

That assumption was counteracted by the most important part of the design, my mask. Unlike my previous half-mask, this one covered my entire face, hiding my features underneath the snarling visage of a kitsune. Looking at it head on, it would appear as if the fox spirit was enraged by everything laid before it, teeth bared in rage at whatever stood in its path.

It was extremely reminiscent of my father's own dragon mask, which was why I had chosen it. The design was actually one that I had drafted long before I became Yosei in preparation for the role but had never had a chance to actually use. Now that he was gone, and I was left as his legacy, it felt appropriate to wear it.

Those who would look upon this mask would understand just how serious I was about my position. That I would do my best to take my father's place as the protector of the ABB and its people, even if that meant becoming something to fear.

Adjusting my mask so that it sat more comfortably on my face, I turned my attention back to Kon, "So what is the situation? Has the Case-53 made any demands or anything of that nature?"
Kon shook his head, "Nope, nothing so far. He just wants to meet with you. As far as I can tell, the guy is pretty sincere about what he's saying but I'll admit it's kind of hard to read him because… well, you'll see."

Just then, an odd sound like wind slapping against a door emanated from above us. Both Kon and I looked up, and a smile crossed my face as I was met with Tammi descending to the ground atop the inverted lid of a dumpster, her scarf fluttering in the wind behind her like some sort of cape.

She touched down and stepped off of her platform, jogging over to me, "Hey, you finally made it. About time. What happened to ten minutes?" As she reached me, she blinked, looking me up and down, "Wait, is that a new costume?"

"It is. Which is why it took me so much longer to arrive. I've never worn it before today so there were some adjustments I had to make." I explained, "Did you see anything while scouting?"
Tammi shrugged, "I saw a few people hanging around, but they were all civics so we shouldn't have to worry about them. The buildings around here all look abandoned though, so some people might be hiding in there; I couldn't check."

"That's fine. Given where we are, it's expected that one or two homeless people might be inhabiting the buildings around us. I'm not feeling anything with my power so if there are, they shouldn't be an issue." I looked towards the warehouse, "It seems my hunch was wrong."

"So you think he actually wants to join?" Tammi asked, "Seems kind of odd that he just… asked, you know? LIke, that's not how these things usually work."

"Weirder things have happened." I replied with a shrug, "Case-53's are notoriously unpredictable by nature. It isn't often that they appear but when they do, they're often confused and even sometimes hostile thanks to their lack of memories, and most search for some sort of companionship to figure out what has happened to them. It isn't far-fetched to think that one might want to join us."

"And if he does, it'll be a big opportunity for the ABB." Kon chimed in, "With Lung gone, we'll need more capes. With him, we'll have three pretty strong capes and Yosei. Those are some pretty good numbers. It'll make our enemies more scared to mess with us and make our people less scared to join up."

Tammi scoffed, confusing me, "Yeah, for all the good it will do us. What could we even do with a cape who can't leave his house?"

"What do you mean?" I asked her as we began to make our way towards the warehouse.

"Spook's skin apparently can't handle sunlight." Kon explained, "Even the moon is enough to hurt him. Oh, his name is Spook by the way."

"Really? He named himself Spook?" I asked, slightly confused as we crossed the street.

"You'll see why." Was all he said as he opened the warehouse doors and stepped inside. I shared a look with Tammi before stepping in after him into the darkness.

The man I assumed I was here to see was standing in the middle of the room, utterly massive even with his hunched form. The moment that my eyes came upon him, Kon's words rang completely true. Everything about Spook's body seemed designed to unnerve or frighten anybody who happened to lay eyes upon him, from his corpse-like skin to the almost gaunt nature of his body that brought with it a feeling of uncanny valley, as if I were looking at a creatures pretending to be human that couldn't get it quite right.

I could feel a hint of unease creeping along my spine as he turned to look at me, a curtain of hair obscuring his eyes. My shoulders tensed and I could feel my power build inside of me the longer I looked at him, warning me of the danger that laid directly in front of me.

"Oh shit, we forgot to tell her." Tammi cursed off to my side. A hand on my shoulder made me flinch slightly, but I kept my eyes glued to Spook, wary of any sudden movement, "Yosei, don't look directly at him. His power isn't just an aura. It makes anyone who looks at him afraid."

That explained the fear that I was feeling. I looked away from the man and immediately the tension began to go away, my shoulders relaxing gradually as my power settled within me once more. That was something else, his power was certainly potent.

I turned my gaze back towards him, making sure not to look directly at him, "You must be Spook. It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Yosei, as I'm sure you know."

"I do, it's good to finally meet you, Yosei." Spook bent his body in a vague approximation of a bow, clearly finding the action a bit difficult with his odd proportions, "I'm sorry for any issues I may have been causing inside of your territory. I am unable to shut off my power fully and had no clue that I was affecting people outside of the building."

The apology seemed sincere, as did the rest of the man's mannerisms despite his fear-inducing appearance, and I found myself relaxing at his polite tone. Perhaps I had been worried for nothing.

I returned the bow with one of my own, "I accept your apology, though I do not believe that it is necessary. I understand that your circumstances are out of your control. You need not be held accountable for something that you didn't know you were doing."

Spook gave me a thankful smile, "Thank you."

"Now then, my subordinates informed me that you wish to join the ABB?" Spook nodded and I hummed, "I see. May I ask why? You do understand that we are villains, correct? Though I may treat my own people the best that I can, the gang itself cares little for those who are not members or under our banner."

Spook gave me an amused smile, "Your friends said the same thing. Yes, I know you are all villains, and that is part of the reason that I want to join you."
I was left confused by his words, not understanding why us being villains could possibly be a reason for him to want to join us, "I'm afraid I don't quite understand. Would you mind explaining what you mean by that"

"I've done research on you and the ABB as well. Or at least as much as possible with what little I've got available here." He revealed, "Your gang stands out among the rest of the players in the city thanks to the changes you've been undergoing and by my understanding, it's all because of you."

I nodded, "Yes. Due to the recent loss of our leader, I was forced to step up and take his place."

"You've been doing a good job of it then." He said, "All of the message boards and even a few of the wikis are talking all about you and what you might do with the gang now that you're in charge. Most are worried, but some are hopeful that with you around, the ABB might become less violent."

"Is that so?" On the odd occasions that I even had free time to browse the internet recently, I did my best to stay off of PHO and sites that might give me insight to how the city at large was viewing my reforms. I didn't care or need to know what the greater population of Brockton Bay thought about me. All that mattered was the ABB's prosperity and that of those in my territory.

"It is." Spook said, "Though barely anybody agrees on exactly what you might do in the future, the general consensus is that you are a much better ruler than Lung ever was. In the months than you've been active, you've done more for the ABB than he did during his entire leadership. Most believe that if that continues, the ABB will become the predominant force within the city, perhaps even surpassing the heroes themselves. I would like to be a part of that, if you would allow me to."

I was unsure how to take his words. I had no idea that people thought that way about me, "I am just doing what I must to keep my father's legacy alive and do right by our people."

"And that's why you're a better leader." Spook said, "I've only been around for a little while, but everywhere I look online, everyone's talking about you and what you might do next. All eyes are on the ABB, Yosei, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon."

That was… somewhat disconcerting. I didn't really know what to say to that, not having known that my actions were being scrutinized so intently. I cleared my throat, focusing on the topic at hand instead of the concerning words of the man before me, "I see. Back to the matter at hand, I suppose if you truly want to join us, I should probably inform you of another player in the city that might interest you."

Beside me, Tammi looked at me weirdly, "You're really going to tell him about them? What if he joins them instead?"
"Then that's his choice." I responded, "He has a right to know before making a decision."

As Tammi gave a huff, Spook looked confused, "What are you two talking about? Another player"

"A team full of people like yourself." I explained, "Faultline is the leader of a mercenary group set up in a club on the east side of the city. She has either been seeking out or just happened upon several Case-53s who have all joined her crew. If rumors are to be believed, they are looking into their origins, trying to find out exactly who or what is responsible for their transformations. If you'd like, I could contact her and set up a meeting for you."

Spook stared at me silently for a long moment, but with his hair blocking his face as well as the fact that I wasn't looking directly at him, I couldn't really tell what his reaction was to the information I had just espoused.

Eventually, he spoke, his voice slightly confused, "Why would you tell me that? I was fully intent on joining the ABB, so why inform me about a rival organization knowing you might lose a new member."

"Because you would have found out eventually." I replied simply, "They aren't exactly an unknown entity even outside of the Bay if one is actively looking for them. If you joined the ABB without knowing all of your options, then you might as well not have joined at all."

Even with that fact, some might have thought that telling him about Faultline was stupid, that I could simply keep him in line with threats or violence if he ever found out and decided to leave. Those same people likely would have had the ABB fall down around their ears if they were in my position. I wasn't looking for simple manpower or capes. I needed loyal followers who wouldn't betray me at the drop of a hat. Lying was not the way to achieve that.

Spook seemed momentarily stunned by what I had said, before a touched smile appeared on his face "...I see. Thank you for letting me know, I appreciate your honesty, Yosei. But I already knew about Faultline's crew and while meeting them would be something I would love, I have no desire to actually join them."

My eyes widened, surprised by his words "Really? Why is that?"

"Because if they're looking into the origins of Case-53s, then I want nothing to do with them." He said bluntly, making me blink. He looked down at himself, "Whoever was able to do this to me isn't someone I want to meet, much less actively search for."

He shook his head, "No, I'd much rather just accept what has happened to me and move on with my life." He looked at me, "Hopefully alongside you and your comrades, if you'll take me."

I processed what he had said, before nodding slowly and coming to a decision. He seemed harmless enough so letting him join wouldn't be much of an issue and the ABB could use all of the capes it could get right now. I'd have Lee keep an eye on him just in case, but something told me that I was making the right decision.

"Alright then. I suppose if you are truly intent on joining the ABB then I see no reason to deny you." I finally said. Spook smiled at my words whole beside me, Kon let out an almost silent 'yes!'. I gave him an amused look, before turning back to Spook, "You'll be monitored of course, but if you don't have anything to hide, that shouldn't be a problem."

"You're seeing all I've got right now." He replied, holding his arms out, "I'm an open book, Yosei. Don't worry about that."

I chuckled at his words, "That's good to hear. I suppose we can talk at length about your terms once I inform my advisors about the recruitment. If you would like, we can take you to a more comfortable space, though it will be a bit difficult transporting you out of here without putting your skin in contact with the sunlight.

Spook waved off my offer, "It's fine, I'm actually quite happy in this warehouse. I suppose someone who looks like me naturally feels at home in dark and dingy spaces" Spook joked lightheartedly, "But if we're discussing terms of recruitment, can I suggest some more comfortable furniture in here? Or even furniture at all? I may not need to sleep, but sitting on concrete isn't exactly comfortable."

I smiled, "That can certainly be arranged. Tell me what you would like and I'll do my best to see that you get it. I would hate to have one of my future Enforcers live in discomfort."

After a little bit more discussion about what exactly Spook needed, as well as a promise to get it to him in a timely fashion, Kon, Tammi and I made our way out of the warehouse. I had a satisfied smile on my face, happy that this encounter had gone by so easily. Spook's power was incredibly potent and he would doubtlessly be a boon to the ABB. Not to mention, he seemed rather polite despite his less than ideal circumstances. I was looking forward to working with him.

Unfortunately, my good mood didn't last very long as the moment that I stepped out of the warehouse, I found my smile sliding right off my face at the sight I was met with.

It appears that someone had either caught wind of my presence or someone had tipped off the heroes, because Battery and Assault were standing next to Kon's van talking to one another in hushed tones that even my enhanced hearing couldn't make out from so far away.

Battery herself was looking through the window as if she was trying to find something inside, while Assault was leaning against the van, an amused hunch to his shoulders as he watched his partner search for contraband. Neither of the heroes had noticed us yet, but it would only take the smallest turn of the head for Assault to do so.

Before I could retreat back inside the warehouse to deliberate on what to do about this sudden development, Tammi and Kon emerged after me, confused about why I had suddenly frozen.

"What's going on? Why'd you stop-oh. Oh shit." Tammi cursed as she saw them and as the door closed loudly behind her, the noise rang out in the empty street, catching the heroes' attention.

The pair turned in surprise, and Assault's easy-going posture immediately disappeared as he caught sight of me standing at the front of our group. It seemed that he was just as unhappy to see me as I was to see them.

We eyed one another from across the street, and I immediately came to the conclusion that this confrontation was inevitable. There wasn't a chance the heroes were going to let us go without one and even if they did, they might discover Spook. Having one of my Enforcers captured mere moments after recruiting him wouldn't exactly inspire loyalty within him or anyone who found out.

Perhaps the biggest factor however, was the realization that this was my territory that the heroes were currently intruding upon. With my father, seeing a hero in this part of the city would be a rare sight unless they were called. The fact that they were suddenly present now that he was gone was an obvious attempt to regain some of the control that they had lost with his arrival.

It was truly unfortunate for them that I was here then, and even more unfortunate that I would stand their presence just as much as he had. I was the leader of the ABB and as long as that fact remained true, heroes were not welcome within my territory without my permission.

The fact that these people were part of the reason that my father was lost to me also played a significant part in the actions I was about to take, but I would do my best to not let any of my anger towards them show in my posture or actions. There was a time and place for that rage and this was not it.

With that thought in mind, I straightened my shoulders and began striding forward, heading directly for the heroes at an even pace. Tammi and Kon were half a step behind me, falling into line on my left and right respectively. In my peripheral vision, I could see Tammi reach into the pockets of her jacket while Kon's hand came down to rest near the pistol at his side, both of them ready for a confrontation should one happen.

Though hopefully it wouldn't come to that. I wasn't exactly worried about my chances, not against these two alone, but I would still rather avoid a fight if I could help it.

As we approached of course, both heroes tensed almost immediately. After sharing a look, Assault stepped forward and in front of his partner while Battery fell back a small bit and brought a hand up to the side of her helmet. I could see her lips moving but she was speaking too quietly for me to make out any words. Even so, it didn't take a genius to guess that she was likely calling for backup.

And probably charging her power while she was at it. Battery's power required for her to stay still or perform simple movements in order to charge it and judging by her rigid posture and the way she kept her face turned towards us even as she spoke to the person in her helmet, it was clear that she was expecting a fight.

Moving a bit faster before things escalated too far, I raised my voice to address the two of them, "Good afternoon, heroes. May I ask what you are doing in my territory?"

"Your territory?" Assault's demeanor was a far cry from what it had been that day in the alley. His face was a stony mask of anger and his shoulders were rigid with tension, "This is just another street in the city. You have no authority over it."

"Perhaps not officially." I agreed, "But we both know how much that matters. I am the leader of the ABB and just like my father, I will not tolerate heroes interfering in my operations. Please leave. I don't want any issues."

Assault's scowl grew even greater, "You hurt a lot of good people with your stunt on the rig two weeks ago. Those aren't the actions of someone who doesn't want trouble."

"An unfortunate result of your own actions." I replied, "I did what I had to to save my father and even in the heat of battle and under the influence of my power, I made sure not to kill anyone."

"Yeah, you just maimed seven and crippled two for life." Battery retorted angrily. As I processed her words, she subtly looked towards Assault and shook her head. Backup was likely not coming or if it was, it wasn't going to arrive in time to help them in a fight, "Andrews is paralyzed from the waist down and Davenport's pacemaker stopped working thanks to your emp. He went into cardiac arrest and nearly died."

I didn't know that, though I suppose I should have expected that there would be unintended consequences from my actions.

I kept my face placid even in light of the new information, "And while that is regrettable, they knew the risks of their profession when they joined. Injuries such as that are common in this line of work."

"Davenport was a secretary!" Battery snarled and I tensed as she moved forward a step, stopped by a hand on her shoulder from her partner.

"Yeah. A secretary on the biggest target in the entire city for anyone who wants to take a shot at you heroes." Tammi shot back before I could say anything, "You don't hear us complaining when you guys put one of us in the hospital and that's because we know that shit just happens. No use pissing and moaning over it."

I put my hand up, silencing Tammi before she could say anything else, but the damage was already done. Battery turned towards her, narrowing her eyes and for a moment, I worried that she had recognized Tammi's voice and figured out her true identity. While it wasn't exactly paramount to keep it a secret, it would be a useful one to have.

Luckily, that worry was eliminated by Battery's next words.

"You aren't Asian." The woman said, a small amount of confusion leaking through her blatant hostility. That hostility returned in full force as she turned back to me, an angry frown on her face, "I thought the ABB didn't recruit whites."

"One of the many changes that have been implemented since my father's incarceration." I replied easily, "Without the safety caused by his presence, the ABB has been forced to undergo a rather drastic transformation. We no longer recruit strictly from the Asian population of my territory."

A lie. While yes, my father being gone did somewhat factor into our new recruitment policy, it wasn't the biggest factor. The heroes didn't know that though, and there was no reason to tell them.

Especially with the reaction that the information had caused within the two heroes. Both of them looked taken aback by my words, before the frowns on both of their faces grew even deeper.

"It's been pretty successful." Kon chimed in, seeing what I was doing, "Recruitment is up by like, forty percent. Turns out that most non-Asian people aren't nazis or drug-addicts. Go figure."

He was exaggerating the numbers quite a bit but what he had said was mostly the truth. Recruitment was up by forty percent. What he didn't say was around twenty-five percent of that was from people who had abandoned the gang in my absence and had merely returned.

Both of the heroes scowled at that, but before they were able to say anything in response, everyone present, including myself, was struck frozen by a sudden wave of fear. It settled down upon our shoulders, holding us in place with its unseen presence, and my train of thought was immediately derailed as I was forced to deal with the sudden change.

It wasn't hard to understand what had happened. It seemed that Spook had stopped holding back his power or had simply let his concentration slip. Whether or not he knew that we were still here or even that the heroes were here along with us, I wasn't sure. What I did know was that it would be remiss to let such an opportunity go to waste.

With some difficulty, I moved past the fear, forcing my shoulders to relax as I regained my usual prose and addressed the even more tense heroes once more.

"As I said before, there is no reason that this has to come to blows." I said with as much composure as I could muster, "We can simply go our separate ways and pretend this never happened in the first place."

"And why would we do that?" Assault challenged, and I frowned lightly at his words. Was he being stubborn on purpose, trying to see how serious I was about this? Surely they must see that there was no way they would be able to win a battle between us with just the two of them. Even without Tammi and Kon, I was more than enough to take care of them by myself.

"Well, you don't have to. I was just being kind and giving you an… out? Yes, an out to the situation." I let a bit of my power loose, mist seeping from my skin and into the air as I stared directly into the man's visor, "If you'd like, I can retract that kindness, but truthfully, I don't fancy your chances should we come to blows. You are two heroes. That is three less than last time and unlike last time, I am not alone."

As if on cue, the fear aura surrounding us increased slightly, causing all of us to tense once more. I managed to keep my composure, staring into their eyes to make sure they knew exactly how serious I was about my threat. They met my gaze just as strongly, but eventually that strength wavered

Finally, Assault turned away, frowning deeply, "Come on, let's go." He said, shocking his partner.

"Assault! She-"

"I know, but there's nothing we can do." He sighed, "Let's go back to base and call this in. Even if we wanted to, you remember what Piggot said. We can't fight her unless we want an earful."

Oh? What was this? Had the Director given them orders about not engaging me? I knew that my father had something similar in place unless he went on one of his famous rampages but I had only recently shown the full extent of my power. Were they that scared of what I was capable of?

Battery looked like she wanted to argue with her partner, but instead she just sighed angrily, "Won't even let us do our fucking job. Fine. Let's go."

"Ready when you are."

Curiously, instead of just turning to leave, Battery froze in place, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared directly at me. It took me a moment to realize that she was charging up, readying her power inside of her body. As she did so, she spoke to me one last time.

"You may be powerful, Yosei, but even your father didn't try to fight the entire protectorate at once. There was a reason that Lung stayed to himself most of the time." Battery said, making my eyes narrow, "The gangs in Brockton Bay, the ABB and the Empire too, you think you run the city but we all know that isn't true. The only reason you're even still around is because Director Piggot hasn't been able to convince the Chief Director to send us more capes. The moment that she does, you're done and the citizens in your territory will be free."

"We shall see." Was all I said. Battery gave me another glare before turning towards Assault who kept his eyes on us. Her costume lit up a bright blue as she slammed a fist into her partner's stomach with a thud. At the impact, Assault shot off like a rocket though in the wrong direction, disappearing down the road at an extreme pace. Moments later, Battery was gone as well, zooming off down the street close behind her partner as they both raced away from us and I was left a little surprised at just how fast the two of them were moving, crossing meters worth of distance in the fraction of a second.

They truly were an incredibly effective duo, weren't they? The person who had decided to put them on the same team deserved a raise.

The moment that they were out of sight, the aura of fear surrounding us disappeared completely, proving to me that Spook had indeed been watching what was occurring from inside the warehouse. I cast a thankful glance back towards the warehouse, before letting out a small sigh as I turned back to my compatriots, "Well that went better than I expected."

Kon nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I actually thought they might have tried to fight us there for a second. Was not looking forward to getting my ribs broken today."

"They would have lost." Tammi said, staring down the street where the heroes had gone, "Assault and Battery are good at blitzing people and both of them can hit like a two-ton truck, but they regularly have trouble with Hookwolf and Yosei tore him apart. Literally. They didn't stand a chance and they knew it."

"And I am glad that they did." I said, looking around at the buildings around us, "I would rather not damage our newly acquired territory in an avoidable conflict. We might actually be able to get some use out of these buildings once the undesirables are cleared out."

"Eh, you probably could have taken them out fast enough to minimize the damage." Kon said, "You've got like a million forms to choose from. One of em's got to be fast enough to deal with them without actually fighting."

After that little display of speed by the duo, I wasn't sure about that. I certainly had physically stronger forms than them, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to output that same strength while still keeping up with that incredible speed. At least not while only fighting the two of them.

"Perhaps." I said instead of letting my thoughts be known, "But even so, a fight avoided is a fight won. I don't want to become the type of cape who engages in conflict at the drop of a hat. That would draw unwanted attention from the heroes that we cannot afford.'

I turned to give them both a smile, "Anyway, apart from that small hiccup, this mission was an astounding success. You figured out the issue with the warehouse and secured us a new recruit in the process. well done, the both of you."

"We really didn't do anything though." Tammi said, "It wasn't like it was that hard to talk to the guy and set up a meeting with you."

"That may be so, but you still did it, braving that potent fear aura while doing so. That deserves praise." I said, before turning to Kon's van, "Now come. I must meet with a few people to take care of our new recruit's needs and inform certain people about his new position. You are free to join me or take the day to yourselves."

"Do you ever stop working?" Tammi asked in a joking tone as they followed after me, "It's like you're always on one hundred."

I chuckled at her words, my smile a bit forced, "Sometimes I wonder…"

Tammi's words made mine and Hiashi's earlier conversation ring in my head. I wished I could take his advice and take a step away from everything for a day or two. It would be wonderful to finally relax after all of my hard work and actually deal with everything that had happened.

But alas, I still had much more work to do, especially now that we had a new member of our growing cape roster. I would simply have to bear with it for now and hope I didn't crash or have a nervous breakdown or something similar.

Though with all the work keeping me occupied, I doubted I even had the time for that.

---

Next eight chapters are available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[DrachenEngel]

Thy are right, she should set aside some time for a relaxing date with her girlfriend.

 

[TheCuriousGuest]

Lol, don't think Piggot will be pleased with Battery letting that piece of information slip...
Finally a use for the fake, leaking confidential information to Gang Leaders.

Yosei was likely expecting to see PRT reinforcements or retaliation due to her attacking the Rig itself, but now she knows even that didn't get them the extra capes or resources to do anything beyond continue stalemate of clinging to small part of Bay.

Guess gang recruitment is going to pick up when it's clear PRT don't do more than PR Stunts despite being soloed where they're meant to be in control, even if they captured Lung, all it's done is make ABB more appealing with a more powerful leader in charge.

Will be interesting how much the ABB can expand now they're getting a more stable foundations and decent balance of capes, just Spooky could keep random rival gang members from approaching certain borders if he travels between them during the night.

 

[Sadguychet]

Maxwell Anders tried his best to not let the tension filling him be seen on his face as he smiled at his guests, "Is everything to your liking? I hope you're enjoying yourself."

The couple sitting across from Max made various noises of assent, nodding their heads in response to his question.

One of them, a woman with bright eyes wearing a dark dress, gave him a smile that was just ever so slightly off, "We are! You know how to treat your guests, Maxwell. Isn't that right, dear?"

Beside her, her husband nodded, "I agree. It's been quite a while since I've been treated right as a guest. These pastries are delicious."

Dorothy nodded in agreement holding one up to taste, "You'll have to give me the recipe, Maxwell. These will go over extremely well at my social gatherings back home."

Max gave the woman a strained smile, "I'll have my secretary write it down for you."

"Hoping to get one over on Mrs. Braun, honey?" Geoff asked, a small smile on his face.

"That woman, I swear." Dorothy huffed, "She just can't resist making snide remarks to anyone and everyone who will listen. As if she has any room to talk; she barely has her house in order at all. Do you remember the rumors about her son and what he's been up to?"

Max had met Dorothy and Geoff Schmidt once or twice when his father was still alive and even as a teenager he had always found the two of them a bit strange to be around. As if a part of him realized that they weren't quite as normal as they seemed.

Because the Schmidt's weren't normal. Oh sure, they acted civil and played the part of a doting couple almost perfectly, but it was just an act. Max doubted they had the capacity for empathy much less love.

As the couple across from him began to chat about some inane gossip that they had picked up in their facsimile of a normal home life, Max kept a polite smile on his face, barely paying attention to what was being said even as he nodded along to their tale.

Though he was putting on an air of civility, Max was the furthest thing from happy that the Schmidts were in his home right now. They were naught but another symptom of his recent issues and their presence here did nothing but remind him of everything that had been going wrong.

His hold on the Empire was being shaken. It wasn't noticeable from the outside, but he could see that the recent developments were worrying those close to him. Brad especially had been rather outspoken as of late, beginning to actually question his orders and decisions in certain situations, something that he would have never dared do just a few months ago.

Worst of all, the Gesellshaft was beginning to stick their nose in things. Despite Max trying his best to make it seem like he still has things well in hand, they had somehow managed to sniff out the fact that not only had he lost a great deal of potential territory to a rival gang, but one of his members had abandoned the Empire altogether. As one could imagine, they were the furthest thing from happy, especially given who said member was directly related to.

He knew that Agnes had something to do with their source of information. The woman had done little to hide her hatred for him since his father had passed and he had taken over leadership of the Empire. She saw him as some upstart child, not fit to lead in Allfather's place and no matter what he had done, he hadn't been able to make her believe otherwise.

Which was why two of her pet parahumans were sitting before him right now. The Schmidt's may have owed their powers to the Gesellshaft, but their loyalty lied firmly with the Herren matriarch and they wouldn't hesitate to do anything she asked, regardless of the nature of the request. Their presence was her way of telling him that she no longer trusted him with the current situation.

As if he cared in the slightest what she thought. His father had been the one responsible for the Empire's growth, not her or even the Gesellshaft itself. If it weren't for the fact that he was still operating under their banner, he would have told her exactly where she could stick her trust.

Unfortunately, that was nothing but a fantasy. The current reality was much more distressing.

Dorothy apparently noticed that he wasn't listening to her story and gave him an apologetic look, "Oh dear. It seems I've gone on another tangent. I'm very sorry Maxwell. We should get down to business, shouldn't we?"

Max gave the woman a strained smile, "That would be for the best. My time has become rather limited recently."

Dorothy smiled gently, "Because of all the happenings in the city, right? Would you care to tell us about them? I'm afraid Agnes was rather brief on the latest developments within your organization, but we are dying to know what's new."

Max knew that the woman was lying through her teeth. They likely knew just as much as he did about what was going on in his city because, while he hated the woman with a passion, he could admit she was nothing if not thorough when it came to her personal affairs. He doubted she would have sent them here without some sort of dossier.

Even so, he couldn't exactly refuse their request. Especially when he had no clear reason to do so.

"Well, to begin, things in Brockton Bay for the last few months have shifted greatly, as I am sure you already know." Max began, "Chief among these changes, is the fact that Lung is no longer ruler of the ABB. While normally that would be cause for celebration, the woman ruling in his place is arguably worse than he ever was."

"High praise coming from you, Maxwell." Geoff commented, "She's giving you that much trouble?"

Max nodded, "Unlike her brute of a father, Yosei seems to possess some semblance of knowledge on how to properly run a gang. Since she has become a player however, they have taken a much more active role within the city and that is an issue for us. One that I intend to deal with soon, but an issue nonetheless."

Geoff raised an eyebrow, "Really? I was under the impression that the ABB were nothing but brutes only capable of strong-arming the people in their territory into giving them money and women like some sort of medieval warlords. Have they really changed that much in such a small amount of time?"

"They have thanks to Yosei. The biggest example of this is her performance with the Merchants a month or so ago. Though her action in divesting the leeches of their leadership may have been one of opportunity, the way she quickly laid claim over their lost territory was anything but."

Max frowned, "I'll admit, I was caught off guard by her actions. I had planned a slow, methodical subsumption of the Merchant's territory into the Empire's fold so as to prevent us from overextending. I had assumed that the ABB would have been slow to react as they always are when they aren't directly attacked. I was wrong and we lost a great deal of potential territory."

"She proved a bit too much to handle, hmm?" Dorothy gave him a small smile that was as dead as her gaze, "You should remember not to underestimate your enemies, Maxwell, even if they are members of a lower species. Even animals can be wildly unpredictable after all."

Max nodded, conceding her point, "You are correct. Thanks to Lung's constant inaction, I became too complacent and wasn't prepared for what his daughter might do. However, Yosei is no mere pest. She may be just as powerful as her father and even worse, competent.

Dorothy gave him an interested look, "Why, Maxwell, you almost sound like you respect her."

"Nothing of the sort, I'm simply giving credit where credit is due. Yosei is becoming a spectacular thorn in our side. One that I've already begun taking measures to ensure doesn't become more of an issue." Max said, "Though before I can deal with her, Rune will need to be returned. Her disappearance has already begun to affect our operations and that is an issue."

He wasn't lying to save face, either. Without Rune, their response time to incidents within their territory had dropped quite a bit. It wasn't the biggest issue as there were always other ways to get around, but that wasn't the biggest issue. Her absence was beginning to be noticed.

The Empire was supposed to stand as a united front and all of their internal squabbles were kept out of the public eye to keep that facade in place. Rune disappearing so suddenly and without a word, was beginning to make people speculate about possible internal strife within his court.

"Speaking of issues, Ophelia also seems a bit out of sorts." Geoff commented, patting his mouth clean of crumbs from his latest pastry. "Almost morose compared to the lively girl we knew. Even Victor couldn't cheer her up."

"Yes, it seems just before Tammi disappeared she had an argument with Ophelia." Max commented with a sigh, "I'm not sure what was said, but it affected her a great deal. I'm not sure what the specifics of the argument were exactly, but it seems she blames herself for what happened."

Dorothy shook her head sadly, "Ophelia is such a silly girl. Family squabbles happen all the time. She shouldn't be taking things so close to heart."

"Still, perhaps we should resolve this issue quickly." Geoff said, "Agnes has been rather inpatient recently and she wouldn't have chosen us if she wanted to wait for results."

"You're right, honey. We had taken care of this as soon as possible. Family shouldn't remain a part for so long." Dorothy agreed, before turning to Max. "I don't suppose you have a lead on where she might have disappeared to, would you, Maxwell?"

"We believe she has gone to the ABB." Max said seriously. "The argument that she and Ophelia had pertained to a new friend she had recently made. A young Asian girl who she had begun to spend time with over more civilized company."

There was quite a bit he was leaving out of that statement, but it wasn't anything they truly needed to know. More importantly, Agnes didn't need to know that it was likely his orders to keep her confined that led to Tammi's disappearance in the first place. That would just be one more thing for her to hold over him and he had no desire to give her any more leverage.

Dorothy frowned, "An Asian? Oh dear, I had thought Tammi had more sense than that. Agnes said she's been a bit of a rebellious spirit recently, but I didn't think it went this far."

"Are we certain this girl she's been spending time with is really with the ABB?" Geoff asked, "I would hate for us to waste valuable time looking in the wrong place."

"It's mostly speculation, I'll admit, but we have been given more than enough evidence to make us believe so." Max answered simply, "We aren't sure of her exact identity, but the fact that she has been able to spend time with Tammi inside of ABB territory without being harassed by those savages means that she is likely one of them."

Dorothy shared a look with her husband, "Well I suppose that's as good a place to start as any. Do you happen to have a picture of this girl, Maxwell?"

Max shook his head, "No, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get one. Before I do however, I must ask what exactly are you going to do if you manage to find her. I assume whatever it is, you'll be discreet?"

Max didn't really care whether or not the girl died, she was just some random girl after all, but these things required a bit of finesse so it didn't blow up in their faces. Finesse that he wasn't sure either of the two people sitting before him possessed.

Geoff gave him a smile that was clearly meant to be comforting, "We'll be as discreet as possible, Maxwell. Between Dorothy and I, I'm sure we'll have Tammi back with us before the end of the month."

With us? Max noticed the odd phrasing of that sentence but didn't comment, instead giving the man the most genuine smile he could muster, "I'll leave it up to the two of you, then. Please keep me informed on your progress."

"Of course, Maxwell, we'll make sure you're up to date. Wouldn't want to cause unwanted issues in your operations, now would we?" Dorothy chuckled wryly.

"No we wouldn't…" Max frowned at the woman's words as Geoff stood, reaching over to help his wife up as well. If you should require any help then don't hesitate to ask. I have a great deal of resources at my disposal and won't hesitate to put them all towards bringing Tammi back to where she belongs."

Dorothy smiled serenely as she stood alongside her husband, "We'll keep that in mind, thank you. Family shouldn't stay apart for so long. We'll clear up this little misunderstanding in no time, Maxwell. You have my word."

As he bid the couple farewell and watched them leave his home, the smile that Max had been perpetually forcing into his face fell away, leaving a deep frown in its place.

That meeting had gone just about how he had expected it to. Though they had expressed some polite interest, neither Dorothy or Geoff seemed to be concerned in the slightest with the Empire's operations. They were truly here for Tammi and nothing else.

It was surprising. Max had been expecting Agnes to have shown more interest in what the Empire was doing, but it seemed that she really was only concerned with having Tammi returned to more civilized company.

He sighed leaning back in his armchair as he thought about the headaches that were no doubt going to spawn from this situation.

At the very least, he didn't have to worry about Tammi being hurt or killed during this fiasco. The Schmidt's may have been psychotic and barely human, but they were loyal to Agnes and wouldn't hurt Tammi unnecessarily so long as that fact remained true. What he really had to worry about was the damage they might cause in their path to her.

Her friend would likely be killed once the Schmidts were done torturing or interrogating her for Tammi's whereabouts, but that could be easily swept under the rug. Anything more overt however….

"I'll need to have someone keep an eye on them both." He muttered to himself, "Those two are unlikely to follow an order from me and I doubt Agnes cares at all for the security of the Empire right now. Keeping them in line will be difficult."

Truthfully Max somewhat pitied Tammi for having those two of all people set upon her trail, but she had brought this on herself. If she had stayed pure and not let herself be swayed away from her rightful path in the Empire, none of this would be happening right now.

Once she was back with them, they could make sure she understood that fact.

---

Next eight chapters available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[theoretisch cool]

nice chapter. I almost feel sorry for them if they want to kidnap Tammi.

 

[Simplexity]

Can't wait for Agnes reaction when those two are sent back in bodybags.

 

[Honoa51]

Ho ho ho. So the Tammi retrieval squad has finally decided to start making some moves.

Night and Fog are formidable, but even jumping Yuko in her civilian form might be more trouble than they bargained for.

 

[skulker558]

>Blacklist every single 'WORM'-adjacent tag I can
>Still get this in my listings

Gobs danged forking cnut-liking flagon-rapping...!

 

[Herofox]

>Blacklist every single 'WORM'-adjacent tag I can
>Still get this in my listings

Click to shrink...

kek. Get recc'd idiot.

You will never escape the rabbit hole.

 

[Sadguychet]

I gently pulled Tammi behind me as I walked into Nana's tattoo parlor. The woman had asked me to meet her for some reason that she refused to explain over the phone and I was taking the opportunity to spend time with my girlfriend while also getting some work done.

Only… the parlor was seemingly empty. Nana was nowhere to be seen or at least, not up here. The smell of cigarette smoke wasn't nearly strong enough, for one.

Even so, my sensitive nose wrinkled at the smell, and I sighed in exasperation as I realized that the shop was completely empty, bereft of even the soft music that Nana liked to listen to as she worked her day job.

Behind me, Tammi seemed to realize the same, looking around at the empty shop in confusion, "I thought she asked you to meet her here. Where is she?"

I pointed towards the back of the shop where a curtain was hung, "She's probably downstairs in the basement. I wish she would have told me that though, I would have put on some less expensive clothes."

"...Why would that be a problem?" Tammi looked worried.

"It might not. But it never hurts to be prepared with Nana." I loved the woman to death, but her 'workstation' was rarely kept clean. Calling it a biohazard would be underselling it quite a bit.

As the two of us made our way towards the back of the parlor Tammi looked around at the walls, taking in the stencils and other art hanging around that displayed Nana's work, "So this is the place where you got your tattoo?"

I gave her an amused look at her disbelieving tone, "It is. What, did you expect me to have Nana come all the way to my home and tattoo me there?"

Tammi grinned, "Well, it wouldn't surprise me. I've been living at your place for long enough to know that you have the money for it."

I sighed "Tammi, the reason I even have that much money is because I don't spend it on things like that."

"Fair enough." Tammi nodded, "Still, I was expecting something more high-class or like, traditional." She scrunched her face, "Or at least cleaner. I've been in smoke shops that smelled nicer.'

I raised an eyebrow at one part of her sentence, "Traditional how, exactly?"

"Y'know, like… with a needle and a pot of ink or something. The ones where you dip it in and then stick it in their skin. That's how I've always heard you guys do it." She said, seemingly suddenly unsure of herself.

I stopped walking, prompting her to do the same. I stared at her for a long moment, utterly baffled by what I just heard, "Tammi… that method is antiquated and takes hours of excruciating pain to do the simplest of designs. Practically nobody uses it anymore and especially not here."

Tammi looked surprised, "Wait really? But everyone in the Empire said-" She paused as I gave her a look, and her face twisted guiltily as she realized what had happened, "Right. Of course they would. Anything to make you guys look bad."

I squeezed her hand, showing her that I wasn't offended as we started walking again, "Tebori, the method you described, is still used by some, but as I said, it is an extremely painful and difficult method of tattooing so it's only really worth doing for ceremonial purposes. "I explained as I opened the curtain at the back of the parlor, "I know of only one parlor in our territory that offers the service and it isn't Nana. She thinks the practice is too archaic and 'boring'."

Despite my soft tone, Tammi's face looked guilty, "Oh. Shit dude, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I always thought-I mean, I was always told-"

"It's okay, Tammi. I interrupted her, squeezing her hand again, "You were misled and were never told otherwise. I'm not going to hold that against you."

"I guess. Still feel shitty about it, though." Tammi said, her frown staying on her face.

"That just means you're serious about changing. If making such an assumption fills you with regret, even subconsciously, then you're on the right path to getting rid of those thoughts altogether." I reassured her softly, "Don't be discouraged. It's not something that's going to happen in a few weeks, Tammi. It'll take time, and I'll be here to help you as much as I possibly can."

My words succeeded in cheering her up, and Tammi smiled gently as she squeezed my hand back, "...Thank you. Like I said, I'm trying, but it's hard."

"You're trying. That's all that matters." I leaned up and gave her a quick peck on the lips, before grabbing the knob of the door to the basement, "Now come on. Let's see what Nana wants."

Opening the door to the basement, the two of us were immediately hit with an almost overwhelming scent. A mix of iron, cigarette smoke and oddly enough, salt wafted up the stairwell and smacked us in the face, making us both cringe.

"What the hell is she doing down here?" Tammi struggled to ask, reeling from the unexpected smell.

I shook my head, "You probably don't want to know. Nana's taste in entertainment are… peculiar. Just be glad it's likely over for now."

"Wait, you're telling me she finds torturing people fun?" Tammi's voice was incredulous as she stared at me in shock.

"Fun is an understatement. I believe she gets off on it."

Tammi gave me a horrified look, "Seriously?"

I nodded seriously. I wasn't one hundred percent sure, nor was I exactly in a hurry to prove it, but if it was true, a lot more things would make sense. Nana always seemed to enjoy her work a bit too much.

At my nod, Tammi shuddered, "Well that's the worst thing ever. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at her the same way."

I gave her an amused look as we began to descend, "You're telling me you looked at her normally before?"

"I never said that."

As we drew closer to the basement, the smell only grew stronger, and I began to make out a soft voice seemingly speaking to nobody,

"Can't believe you went and croaked like that. Just when we were starting to have fun too…" The voice belonged to Nana, of course, though the person she was speaking to didn't respond. Or more likely couldn't..

The reason for the foul smell that we had been hit with was quickly made apparent as we did so. The door to Nana's playroom was wide open, allowing all of the horrible smells inside to slip out into the open air.

The woman herself was standing just outside the doorway bent over as she finished zipping up a black body bag, thankfully obscuring the person inside and sparing them the no doubt grisly view.

Though the view of the woman herself was hardly better. It was clear that Nana had been having quite a bit of fun with her latest victim as she was absolutely drenched in blood. It caked her hands, from her fingertips to her forearms and even from behind I could easily see the splatters of red on her coat. She had been indulging more than usual, it seemed. I suppose it was my fault for giving her so much leeway this time.

As she finished closing the bag and stood back up to her full height, the woman placed her hands on her hips with an airy sigh, "Oh, Takao. You were a fun one, that's for sure. I just wish we could have spent more time together…"

The way she spoke about him was eerily reminiscent of someone speaking of a recently lost lover, and I shared an uncomfortable look with Tammi before clearing my throat, wishing to get this over with as quickly as possible.

At the noise, the woman whipped her head towards us, revealing that her face has splatters of blood all over as well. "Ah, Hime! You're finally here!" Nana gave me a wide smile, "Sorry about the mess. I was expecting you here a bit sooner and you caught me in the middle of cleaning up, I'm afraid."

"I understand, Nana." I gave her the best smile I could muster under the circumstances, "I went to collect Tammi beforehand so it took a bit longer to get here. …How did things go?"

"Weeell…" Nana cast a sidelong glance down at the body bag, "As I'm sure you can see, Takao couldn't quite stand up to my more thorough methods of information collecting. I'm afraid his already frail body just couldn't cut it. And just when we were getting to the really good part, too."

"I did say you could do what was necessary." I commented, though I couldn't keep the slight disgust out of my voice as I gazed at the blood soaked woman. "Still, you were able to get him to tell you what he knew before you did the deed, yes?"

Nana makes a mock offended face, "Of course I did, Hime. You know I wouldn't let him die until he figuratively spilled his guts. Well… sometimes figuratively."

I ignored the woman's remark and Tammi's gag, instead focusing my attention on the body bag that I assumed held the former Face. "So what information did you manage to glean from your… session?"

Nana shook her head, "Not down here. Let me wash up really quick." She said, flicking her fingers and causing blood to fly onto the floor, "I'm quite sticky at the moment, and while I might enjoy the smell, I know you don't. There's a shower upstairs in my room, let's meet there."

I nodded, somewhat glad that we wouldn't have to spend any more time down here, "Lead the way."

As Nana passed us by and made her way up the stairs, Tammi turned to look at me, silent horror in her eyes, "She lives here?"

~~~

Despite being a floor above the parlor and two floors above the basement, Nana's home was much cleaner than either of them. It looked like something one would expect from a modern apartment, with dark wooden floors and tasteful wallpaper. Normal, in other words, and not at all a representation of the woman herself.

Said woman gave us a smile as she sat a bowl of fresh fruit on the coffee table in front of us. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had yet to replace the prosthetic fingers that she had taken off during it, "Here, enjoy. I always make sure to keep fresh fruit in case I get some visitors."

"Does that happen often?" I asked as I reached forward to grab a grape out of the bowl. Tammi followed suit, grabbing what looked like a chunk of melon or maybe pear and biting into it.

"No, but it's also nice to have something to snack on if it's not time for dinner." Nana shrugged as she sat down across from us, "Anyway, I assume you want to know what Takao told me before he kicked the bucket?"

I nodded, "Indeed. I assume it was revealing."

Nana nodded, grinning from ear-to-ear, "Oh yeah it was. Turns out our little buddy there was employed by someone we didn't expect. Hell, even I didn't have him on my list. Coil."

"Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't have been, unless he just wanted to spite us with his dying breath or something." As she spoke, Nana reached into her pocket, pulling out her prosthetic fingers and beginning to screw it on, "It honestly might have just been a guess on his end, but Takao wasn't stupid and it makes sense at least. If it was the Empire or a new player, we probably would have learned about it before we did."

Nodding slowly, I leaned back in my chair, a contemplative expression coming to my face, "Coil… I've heard the name before but everything else escapes me. Who is he?"

"He's a small-time villain." Tammi answered before Nana had the chance to. There was an odd expression on her face, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Barely a player in the city, or he's supposed to be. He hires mercenaries to do his dirty work and I don't think anyone's actually seen him himself. He had moles in the ABB?"

"Apparently so." Nana nodded, "You know about him, Tammi?"

"Not much. I don't think anyone does, really. He's not really made any plays as far as anyone can tell. He's just there." Tammi shrugged, popping a strawberry into her mouth, "Before I left the Empire, we were pretty sure he was operating somewhere downtown but couldn't find out exactly where."

"That's oddly close to the Empire's own territory, is it not?" I asked.

Tammi grinned, "Yeah. Kaiser was always keeping lines out to try to figure out where he was hiding but the bastard's too sneaky. Drove him up the wall knowing that a hostile cape was working practically under his nose but he couldn't find him."

"And now he's targeting us for some reason." Nana commented, "Do we have any idea what he'd want with us? We don't have any issues with him, do we?"

I shook my head, "We didn't, no. But if Coil is competent enough to operate so close to the Empire and not be detected, then his information network must be extensive. He likely had moles in the ABB long before I took command."

But did he now, was the question. During my overhaul of the ABB, I had rooted out several individuals that might have been moles and some that definitely were,but there was a possibility I had missed some.

And given these new circumstances that wasn't a possibility I was willing to accept.

"We'll need to do another sweep of our ranks just in case Takao wasn't the only one reporting to him." I said aloud, "When I get back home, I'll call a meeting with the Faces to discuss the matter. I'll also speak to Kon to see if he has noticed anything unusual and perhaps set a date to interrogate some of the more suspicious Officers just in case."

I wasn't looking forward to having to do all of that again, but at the very least it would be much easier than last time now that things had calmed down just a bit.

To my confusion, Tammi and Nana shared a silent look with one another, before Tammi turned towards me with an oddly stern expression on her face.

"Yeah, no. That can wait for a little bit. You need a day off. You've been spending way too much time working here recently and I'm starting to get worried about you."

I raised an eyebrow. Someone had clearly been talking to Hiashi, "Tammi, I'm fine. I don't need a day off right now, what I need is to make sure the ABB is safe."

Tammi sighed, "It's as safe as it's gonna get, right now, Yuko. None of the Faces are having any issues, the heroes aren't knocking on our door and hell, even the Empire is quiet. You can take one day off to rest."

"She's right, Hime." Nana chimed in before I could respond, "And I know Hiashi's been telling you the exact same thing. It doesn't matter if your power lets you fire on all cylinders twenty-four seven, if you don't give your brain time to rest, it's going to make time. Believe me, I'd know."

I sighed, rubbing my face, "You two… I can't just leave the ABB without a leader, even for just a bit. Things are in such a place that a single action could cause disastrous and unexpected change. What if there's an emergency?"

"Then I assume we'll be able to reach you via your phone." Nana answered dryly, "You're one of the fastest capes in the city, Hime. You could be on the other side of downtown and be here in less than five minutes if we have an issue. Nothing's gonna happen that you couldn't react to like you were already here."

That… was a good point. One I was having trouble finding any flaw in.

"And besides, you still owe me a date, remember?" Tammi chimed in as I mulled over the woman's words, "I might enjoy just hanging out with you while we work, but a girl had needs you know? Even one like me."

That was also true, I had promised her that I'd try to find some time for her sometime soon. I looked over at her, finding her staring at me with a soft expression, and looked away as I thought about their words.

Though the worry tingled in the back of my mind, I had to admit that things were at least relatively stable at the moment.

Spook's warehouse was well on the way to being properly furnished and he had already been introduced to the Faces as was proper. It was decided that he would remain in that edge of our territory as a deterrent to anyone who might try anything over there alongside a contingent of loyal soldiers just in case my trust in him turned out to be misled

On top of that, all of the Faces had managed to get a handle on their operations. I was getting fewer reports on things that required my direct interference and I hadn't had to actually visit one of them in at least a few days…

Perhaps Hiashi and these two were right. Perhaps I could spare just a bit of time to myself. To unwind from all this stress and deal with the emotions of been bottling up.

"...Very well." I said finally, sighing in silent defeat, "I'll take a day off. Just one, though. No more."

"That's all we want." Tammi gave me a bright grin, one that I hesitantly returned, before leaning over to peck me on the cheek.

"I'm sure things will run just fine without you, Hime." Nana reassured, as Tammi settled back into her chair, "You've got some pretty competent people holding the reins in your absence. Everything will be fine."

I gave her a nod, feeling a bit better about the situation, "You're right, I was being paranoid. I suppose all the stress made me forget that I'm not the only one capable of keeping things together around here. I'll contact Hiashi and request that he takes care of things while I am away."

Nana grinned, "'Atta girl, Hime. You're learning one of the best parts of being a leader. Delegating your problems to someone else is always better than dealing with them yourself."

I snorted lightly, leaning forward to grab another piece of fruit, "Well I wouldn't go that far. I still fully expect you to contact me if an issue comes up."

She was right about one thing though, it's just a day. What was the worst that could happen?

---

Next eight chapters available at Sadguychet | Patreon

 

[SomePenguin]

What was the worst that could happen?

Click to shrink...

So either its the classic or we all be pleasantly surprised by the next chapter opening with the with the words "Apparently not very much" .
Anyway LOVE the Story keep it up!