Taylor Hebert is a ruthless strategist, wields absolute mastery over insects, instilling fear...
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My Girlfriend Is Terrifying [Worm Au][Taylor x Victoria x Lisa]
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Chapter 1: Maybe she'll become a hero?
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2023
- Messages
- 123
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- 4,833
January 2011
Coffee.
Amy needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled through the crowded hallway in a tired daze. How long had she been here? A few hours at least. Barely awake, Amy bobbed and weaved past rushing doctors and nurses. Thankfully, most of them were more than happy to give the mythic 'Panacea' a wide berth as she made her way towards the vending machine.
Extra strength, black.
Amy clicked the appropriate buttons, hitting the final one more than a few times in the vain hope that it would actually deliver her a stronger brew. Her forehead rested on the machine as it hummed and whirled. Pouring out the dark liquid into a plain white cup.
She took it in both hands, enjoying the warmth. Even inside, the cold winter air was getting to her. Hospital coffee wasn't good, nor was it particularly warm. But Amy craved it all the same. She took a deep sip and sighed.
"Why the hell did I come here again?"
A question she regretted asking herself. Amy wasn't here for any official service. She'd already completed the 15-hour limit that Carol had set for her. Carol wasn't even aware that she was here. The hospital graciously accepted Amy's help, the girl who could heal any illness with a simple touch. Who spent all her free time healing the sick without ever asking for anything in return. Saint Amy, some might even call her.
Amy wasn't here out of the goodness of her heart. Nor was she here out of some 'moral obligation' to use her powers for the betterment of mankind. No, Amy was here for the simple reason that she needed a distraction. Vicky had invited Dean over for the day and the two of them wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other. Using every and any excuse to swap spit. Even now, Amy knew that the boy probably had his dirty hands all over her sister, her Vicky.
Sure, they tried to keep quiet about it. Act sensible when Carol was around. But Amy knew, Amy heard, Amy saw. Victoria was embarrassed when the two of them were caught by Amy, she simply wanted them to turn the sound of their movie down, not knowing that it was masking an even worse noise.
It took all the willpower Amy could muster to not reach out. How easy it could've been. Placing a hand on Vicky's head and finally making her see exactly how Amy felt about her, make her feel the same way in return. Even give a spare hand to Dean and make sure he 'never' touched Vicky again.
Amy couldn't do that. She 'wouldn't' do that. She could control herself, even when it hurt. She refused to become the monster, no matter how good it would make her feel. Instead, she threw herself into her work. Curing the good people of Brockton Bay. Every moment spent here was one less moment thinking about her sister and the empty pit that was inside Amy right now.
"Amy? Amy Dallon?" A male voice asked out from behind the girl. Probably another doctor, or worse, a patient that wanted to 'thank her' for all the work she's done. Amy sighed as she finished her coffee, chucking it into the nearby bin before turning around.
The man in question was neither a doctor nor a patient. Instead, a well-dressed businessman in a full suit. He didn't look to be ill or emotional, Amy's next guess was hospital administration?
"Yes?" Amy said, considering getting a second coffee. She'd need the energy if this ended up becoming a long and boring conversation.
"Great, My name is Samuel Greene," The now overly energetic man said, extending a hand to Amy. She took it tentatively to shake. "I was hoping to take a moment of your time?"
Amy looked back towards the emergency department that she had come from. The never-ending influx of patients was once again building up. Brockton Bay was a busy city after all.
"I'm a little busy at the moment." Amy sighed, "And I don't exactly know who you are, Samuel."
"Apologies," The suited man said, pushing a hand into his jacket pocket. He eventually pulled out a laminated ID wallet, "Agent Greene, I'm with the PRT investigations divisions." His ID confirmed what he was saying. Amy relaxed, she was more accepting of PRT work over another businessman trying to buy her time… and powers. Agent Greene took Amy's relaxed state as confirmation and continued, "I'm here investigating a possible trigger event, but the patient isn't exactly in any state to question. So far, I haven't discovered anything conclusive and my caseload is piling up. Do you reckon you can take a quick look for me, tell me if we have a new parahuman on our hands?" Greene shot a grin at Amy.
"What the hell…" Amy agreed she could use the distraction -from her distraction.
"Great!" Greene said, leading Amy away to the emergency department. "You are a lifesaver. I always feel bad writing these things off."
Amy was led up a few floors into a shared hospital room with several other patients. Each one gawked at Panacea, hoping to get a free treatment before she left. Amy sighed, she wouldn't normally bother with people who had such minor ailments, but it wouldn't look good to ignore them.
Agent Greene pointed to the curtain in the far corner. The two stepped in to find a girl lying on the bed. She was awake but she also wasn't. Amy looked towards the Agent for confirmation, he nodded, and Amy took the girl's hand.
"Well… she's catatonic. I don't think she's even aware that we're here." Amy said, diagnosing her with her powers. "I can't do anything about that. Can't touch brains. But I doubt it'll be long-term. She also has-"
"Thank you," Agent Greene cut her off. "But we're not here to diagnose. The doctors have her case well-handled. All I want to know is if she's triggered."
Amy took another look at the girl's brain. Her Corona Pollentia was active. "Yes, definitely a parahuman."
Agent Greene sighed, "Dammit, I almost wrote her off. Alright, thank you. Any chance you can tell me what she's likely to do when she wakes up?"
Amy shook her head. "Sorry, No idea. It's receiving information so maybe a thinker? But honestly don't quote me on that. It's beyond even my skill set."
The Agent started writing down into his notepad. "I see. Guess we'll keep a close eye on her. Perhaps move her to Arcadia. Who knows, maybe we'll have a new Ward in a couple of months."
Amy was already moving over to the other patients in the room, they all had their hands out waiting for the cape to heal them. "I hope so," Amy mumbled, not really caring one way or the other. "Brockton Bay could use more heroes."
After reaching the last patient, Amy left the room to find Agent Greene waiting outside on the phone. He collapsed the foldable phone as he saw her. "Ah, thank you again for your help." He held out his hand for another overly enthusiastic handshake. "HQ has already accepted my initial report. We'll be transferring her to Arcadia once she recovers. Even if she doesn't choose to become a hero, it'll be good to get her out of that environment." He thought for a moment as Amy tried to worm her hand free from his grip. "You go to the same school? Would you mind keeping an eye on the girl? Nothing serious, just let us know if she starts flying or shooting lasers or whatever." He chuckled as he handed Amy a card.
"Sure…" Amy said, accepting the card. She didn't want to look out for some random parahuman and she doubted that she'd ever really interact with this soon-to-be transfer student. Still, it didn't hurt to be polite. "What's her name?"
"Oh," Agent Greene said, thinking to himself before checking his notes. "It's uh… Taylor Hebert."
--------------------------
Three months later.
Taylor held the knife close to Amy's neck. Glory Girl stood firmly on the other side of the room. A look of pure hatred at the supervillain.
"Don't come any closer." Taylor hissed, pressing the knife into Amy's skin. She hadn't drawn blood yet. That might have been the only reason Victoria hadn't lunged at her yet.
From the outside observer, it looked like the villain was cool, calm and in control. A spider lay on every single hostage, threatening to bite them with possibly deadly venom. Holding the 'great' Panacea at knifepoint in front of her own sister. Only Amy was aware of the little shakes and wavers in the masked cape's actions. The villain was way over her head and slowly being backed into a corner. If Amy could just make any kind of skin contact, this could all be over. Unfortunately, the Villain was dressed in a full-body suit, and Amy couldn't work through hair contact alone.
"I don't want to hurt you," Taylor whispered in Amy's ear. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Tell her to leave." The blade was still held to Amy's neck, she could feel the cold touch of metal.
"Vicky…" Amy said, careful not to make any sudden movements. "Just… take a step back." Glory Girl didn't break her gaze at the masked villain, but slowly did as her sister asked.
"What's going on here?" Asked another villain walking into the room. Spying on the situation before her. Tattletale wandered over to Taylor. "Oh damn, Panacea? Grue's gonna kill me for missing that one. You good Bug?"
"Yeah…" Taylor grumbled. "She tried to swing a fire extinguisher at me, but she missed. Managed to send a text to her sister though."
"Eh, you seem to have things under control, why not set your bugs on prom queen here?" Tattletale suggested.
"Because she's invincible and I'd rather not piss off the girl who can throw a school bus at us," Taylor growled, before looking back to Amy. "At least not any more than I already have."
Tattletale scoffed, "You know she's not really invincible, right? That's just an idea she's put into everybody's head. One good whack and her forcefield goes down. Then she's as human as you or me. For example…" Tattletale pulled out a small handgun and pointed it directly at Glory Girl. Her eyes went wide with shock.
"Don't…" Taylor said, placing her free hand on Tattletale's gun. Then she looked back up to Glory Girl. "Look, you want your sister back. We want to get out of here. We still have several hostages. We will let them go as soon as we're in the clear. Nobody needs to get hurt here." Glory Girl looked at the other hostages in the room, perhaps noticing them for the first time.
Grue jogged into the room and froze upon seeing the situation. "Bug, T. Wards are down. We're leaving. Now."
"We're all good, G" Tattletale called out. "Be with you in a sec."
"Are we good?" Taylor asked again, the implied threat towards Glory Girl. Slowly moving the knife away from Amy's throat.
Glory Girl grit her teeth and nodded. Darkness shot out around Grue and encapsulated the two other heroes. Amy was shoved out of the smoke shortly after. Glory Girl moved to hover, but Amy held her arm and shook her head. Pointing towards the other hostages.
"I'm sorry." Amy said, "I tried to intervene. Maybe mess up with her powers but she was too fast."
Glory Girl shook her head and welcomed Amy in with a hug. "It's okay Ames. I'm just glad you're safe."
The Undersiders got away after robbing the bank. Glory Girl didn't try to give chase. Opting to calm the remaining hostages. A few of the Wards got roughed up, but overall, there were no serious injuries. The spiders all began to scurry away. True to the bug villain's word, none of them bit a single hostage, even as said hostages kicked and punched at the fleeing spiders.
Amy knelt down and inspected one of the spiders that had been stepped on in the ensuing chaos. She touched the creature, it wasn't dead. Not yet. After inspecting the spider, she touched another one and then another. After investigating the arachnids, Amy laughed.
"What's so funny?" Victoria asked, walking over to her sister.
"Oh, nothing," Amy said, prodding a dead spider. "Just realising that this new bug villain bluffed the hell out of us."
"What!?" Victoria groaned.
"The spiders… They have no venom. They couldn't hurt a baby, much less grown adults." Amy picked up one of the live spiders and watched as it walked over her hand. "It seems like she really didn't want to hurt anyone after all."
"That bitch…" Victoria huffed. A little creeped out by the spider in her sister's hand. Amy nodded along with her statement.
Brockton Bay had yet a new villain to its roster. One that Victoria was looking forward to facing again one day. This new bug villain could run back to whatever sewer she crawled out of, Glory Girl would catch her one day. On that, Victoria promised.
----------------------------
Late January 2011
Victoria spotted a small crowd of students gathering in the hallway. Her first instinct is to see if something's wrong. No one seemed scared or angry, just a bunch of curious onlookers. The same kind of onlookers Victoria would get on days she flew into school.
"What's going on?" Victoria asked, sitting up straighter in her cafeteria chair to see better. She could hover, and get the full view from above, but she didn't want the attention that would bring.
Her friends all shrug. They have as much of an idea as Victoria does. The crowd isn't anything massive, but it is noticeable. Finally, Dean spoke up, his arm over Victoria's shoulder. "Oh, I think it's that new student?"
"What? Now?" Another person at the table asked, "How come I didn't hear about this?"
"Not our grade." Dean answered, "Year below us. I don't know. I overheard some teachers talking yesterday."
The crowd of students parted slightly, giving Victoria a view of the student in question. A tall and shy girl with long dark hair. She obviously didn't like the attention that she was receiving.
"Oh yeah…" Amy said, looking in the same direction. "I remember her."
The whole table turned to face Amy, waiting for her to elaborate.
"You know her, Ames?" Victoria asked, desperate for the gossip.
Amy shrugged. "Barely. Ran into her during a shift at the hospital. Couple of weeks ago now." She held back the part about her being a parahuman. Even if she wasn't a cape, it wasn't polite to reveal that fact to people.
"So?" Victoria asked, leaning closer to Amy. "What's her name?"
Amy paused for a good half minute then huffed with a shrug. "I forgot…"
Coffee.
Amy needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled through the crowded hallway in a tired daze. How long had she been here? A few hours at least. Barely awake, Amy bobbed and weaved past rushing doctors and nurses. Thankfully, most of them were more than happy to give the mythic 'Panacea' a wide berth as she made her way towards the vending machine.
Extra strength, black.
Amy clicked the appropriate buttons, hitting the final one more than a few times in the vain hope that it would actually deliver her a stronger brew. Her forehead rested on the machine as it hummed and whirled. Pouring out the dark liquid into a plain white cup.
She took it in both hands, enjoying the warmth. Even inside, the cold winter air was getting to her. Hospital coffee wasn't good, nor was it particularly warm. But Amy craved it all the same. She took a deep sip and sighed.
"Why the hell did I come here again?"
A question she regretted asking herself. Amy wasn't here for any official service. She'd already completed the 15-hour limit that Carol had set for her. Carol wasn't even aware that she was here. The hospital graciously accepted Amy's help, the girl who could heal any illness with a simple touch. Who spent all her free time healing the sick without ever asking for anything in return. Saint Amy, some might even call her.
Amy wasn't here out of the goodness of her heart. Nor was she here out of some 'moral obligation' to use her powers for the betterment of mankind. No, Amy was here for the simple reason that she needed a distraction. Vicky had invited Dean over for the day and the two of them wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other. Using every and any excuse to swap spit. Even now, Amy knew that the boy probably had his dirty hands all over her sister, her Vicky.
Sure, they tried to keep quiet about it. Act sensible when Carol was around. But Amy knew, Amy heard, Amy saw. Victoria was embarrassed when the two of them were caught by Amy, she simply wanted them to turn the sound of their movie down, not knowing that it was masking an even worse noise.
It took all the willpower Amy could muster to not reach out. How easy it could've been. Placing a hand on Vicky's head and finally making her see exactly how Amy felt about her, make her feel the same way in return. Even give a spare hand to Dean and make sure he 'never' touched Vicky again.
Amy couldn't do that. She 'wouldn't' do that. She could control herself, even when it hurt. She refused to become the monster, no matter how good it would make her feel. Instead, she threw herself into her work. Curing the good people of Brockton Bay. Every moment spent here was one less moment thinking about her sister and the empty pit that was inside Amy right now.
"Amy? Amy Dallon?" A male voice asked out from behind the girl. Probably another doctor, or worse, a patient that wanted to 'thank her' for all the work she's done. Amy sighed as she finished her coffee, chucking it into the nearby bin before turning around.
The man in question was neither a doctor nor a patient. Instead, a well-dressed businessman in a full suit. He didn't look to be ill or emotional, Amy's next guess was hospital administration?
"Yes?" Amy said, considering getting a second coffee. She'd need the energy if this ended up becoming a long and boring conversation.
"Great, My name is Samuel Greene," The now overly energetic man said, extending a hand to Amy. She took it tentatively to shake. "I was hoping to take a moment of your time?"
Amy looked back towards the emergency department that she had come from. The never-ending influx of patients was once again building up. Brockton Bay was a busy city after all.
"I'm a little busy at the moment." Amy sighed, "And I don't exactly know who you are, Samuel."
"Apologies," The suited man said, pushing a hand into his jacket pocket. He eventually pulled out a laminated ID wallet, "Agent Greene, I'm with the PRT investigations divisions." His ID confirmed what he was saying. Amy relaxed, she was more accepting of PRT work over another businessman trying to buy her time… and powers. Agent Greene took Amy's relaxed state as confirmation and continued, "I'm here investigating a possible trigger event, but the patient isn't exactly in any state to question. So far, I haven't discovered anything conclusive and my caseload is piling up. Do you reckon you can take a quick look for me, tell me if we have a new parahuman on our hands?" Greene shot a grin at Amy.
"What the hell…" Amy agreed she could use the distraction -from her distraction.
"Great!" Greene said, leading Amy away to the emergency department. "You are a lifesaver. I always feel bad writing these things off."
Amy was led up a few floors into a shared hospital room with several other patients. Each one gawked at Panacea, hoping to get a free treatment before she left. Amy sighed, she wouldn't normally bother with people who had such minor ailments, but it wouldn't look good to ignore them.
Agent Greene pointed to the curtain in the far corner. The two stepped in to find a girl lying on the bed. She was awake but she also wasn't. Amy looked towards the Agent for confirmation, he nodded, and Amy took the girl's hand.
"Well… she's catatonic. I don't think she's even aware that we're here." Amy said, diagnosing her with her powers. "I can't do anything about that. Can't touch brains. But I doubt it'll be long-term. She also has-"
"Thank you," Agent Greene cut her off. "But we're not here to diagnose. The doctors have her case well-handled. All I want to know is if she's triggered."
Amy took another look at the girl's brain. Her Corona Pollentia was active. "Yes, definitely a parahuman."
Agent Greene sighed, "Dammit, I almost wrote her off. Alright, thank you. Any chance you can tell me what she's likely to do when she wakes up?"
Amy shook her head. "Sorry, No idea. It's receiving information so maybe a thinker? But honestly don't quote me on that. It's beyond even my skill set."
The Agent started writing down into his notepad. "I see. Guess we'll keep a close eye on her. Perhaps move her to Arcadia. Who knows, maybe we'll have a new Ward in a couple of months."
Amy was already moving over to the other patients in the room, they all had their hands out waiting for the cape to heal them. "I hope so," Amy mumbled, not really caring one way or the other. "Brockton Bay could use more heroes."
After reaching the last patient, Amy left the room to find Agent Greene waiting outside on the phone. He collapsed the foldable phone as he saw her. "Ah, thank you again for your help." He held out his hand for another overly enthusiastic handshake. "HQ has already accepted my initial report. We'll be transferring her to Arcadia once she recovers. Even if she doesn't choose to become a hero, it'll be good to get her out of that environment." He thought for a moment as Amy tried to worm her hand free from his grip. "You go to the same school? Would you mind keeping an eye on the girl? Nothing serious, just let us know if she starts flying or shooting lasers or whatever." He chuckled as he handed Amy a card.
"Sure…" Amy said, accepting the card. She didn't want to look out for some random parahuman and she doubted that she'd ever really interact with this soon-to-be transfer student. Still, it didn't hurt to be polite. "What's her name?"
"Oh," Agent Greene said, thinking to himself before checking his notes. "It's uh… Taylor Hebert."
--------------------------
Three months later.
Taylor held the knife close to Amy's neck. Glory Girl stood firmly on the other side of the room. A look of pure hatred at the supervillain.
"Don't come any closer." Taylor hissed, pressing the knife into Amy's skin. She hadn't drawn blood yet. That might have been the only reason Victoria hadn't lunged at her yet.
From the outside observer, it looked like the villain was cool, calm and in control. A spider lay on every single hostage, threatening to bite them with possibly deadly venom. Holding the 'great' Panacea at knifepoint in front of her own sister. Only Amy was aware of the little shakes and wavers in the masked cape's actions. The villain was way over her head and slowly being backed into a corner. If Amy could just make any kind of skin contact, this could all be over. Unfortunately, the Villain was dressed in a full-body suit, and Amy couldn't work through hair contact alone.
"I don't want to hurt you," Taylor whispered in Amy's ear. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Tell her to leave." The blade was still held to Amy's neck, she could feel the cold touch of metal.
"Vicky…" Amy said, careful not to make any sudden movements. "Just… take a step back." Glory Girl didn't break her gaze at the masked villain, but slowly did as her sister asked.
"What's going on here?" Asked another villain walking into the room. Spying on the situation before her. Tattletale wandered over to Taylor. "Oh damn, Panacea? Grue's gonna kill me for missing that one. You good Bug?"
"Yeah…" Taylor grumbled. "She tried to swing a fire extinguisher at me, but she missed. Managed to send a text to her sister though."
"Eh, you seem to have things under control, why not set your bugs on prom queen here?" Tattletale suggested.
"Because she's invincible and I'd rather not piss off the girl who can throw a school bus at us," Taylor growled, before looking back to Amy. "At least not any more than I already have."
Tattletale scoffed, "You know she's not really invincible, right? That's just an idea she's put into everybody's head. One good whack and her forcefield goes down. Then she's as human as you or me. For example…" Tattletale pulled out a small handgun and pointed it directly at Glory Girl. Her eyes went wide with shock.
"Don't…" Taylor said, placing her free hand on Tattletale's gun. Then she looked back up to Glory Girl. "Look, you want your sister back. We want to get out of here. We still have several hostages. We will let them go as soon as we're in the clear. Nobody needs to get hurt here." Glory Girl looked at the other hostages in the room, perhaps noticing them for the first time.
Grue jogged into the room and froze upon seeing the situation. "Bug, T. Wards are down. We're leaving. Now."
"We're all good, G" Tattletale called out. "Be with you in a sec."
"Are we good?" Taylor asked again, the implied threat towards Glory Girl. Slowly moving the knife away from Amy's throat.
Glory Girl grit her teeth and nodded. Darkness shot out around Grue and encapsulated the two other heroes. Amy was shoved out of the smoke shortly after. Glory Girl moved to hover, but Amy held her arm and shook her head. Pointing towards the other hostages.
"I'm sorry." Amy said, "I tried to intervene. Maybe mess up with her powers but she was too fast."
Glory Girl shook her head and welcomed Amy in with a hug. "It's okay Ames. I'm just glad you're safe."
The Undersiders got away after robbing the bank. Glory Girl didn't try to give chase. Opting to calm the remaining hostages. A few of the Wards got roughed up, but overall, there were no serious injuries. The spiders all began to scurry away. True to the bug villain's word, none of them bit a single hostage, even as said hostages kicked and punched at the fleeing spiders.
Amy knelt down and inspected one of the spiders that had been stepped on in the ensuing chaos. She touched the creature, it wasn't dead. Not yet. After inspecting the spider, she touched another one and then another. After investigating the arachnids, Amy laughed.
"What's so funny?" Victoria asked, walking over to her sister.
"Oh, nothing," Amy said, prodding a dead spider. "Just realising that this new bug villain bluffed the hell out of us."
"What!?" Victoria groaned.
"The spiders… They have no venom. They couldn't hurt a baby, much less grown adults." Amy picked up one of the live spiders and watched as it walked over her hand. "It seems like she really didn't want to hurt anyone after all."
"That bitch…" Victoria huffed. A little creeped out by the spider in her sister's hand. Amy nodded along with her statement.
Brockton Bay had yet a new villain to its roster. One that Victoria was looking forward to facing again one day. This new bug villain could run back to whatever sewer she crawled out of, Glory Girl would catch her one day. On that, Victoria promised.
----------------------------
Late January 2011
Victoria spotted a small crowd of students gathering in the hallway. Her first instinct is to see if something's wrong. No one seemed scared or angry, just a bunch of curious onlookers. The same kind of onlookers Victoria would get on days she flew into school.
"What's going on?" Victoria asked, sitting up straighter in her cafeteria chair to see better. She could hover, and get the full view from above, but she didn't want the attention that would bring.
Her friends all shrug. They have as much of an idea as Victoria does. The crowd isn't anything massive, but it is noticeable. Finally, Dean spoke up, his arm over Victoria's shoulder. "Oh, I think it's that new student?"
"What? Now?" Another person at the table asked, "How come I didn't hear about this?"
"Not our grade." Dean answered, "Year below us. I don't know. I overheard some teachers talking yesterday."
The crowd of students parted slightly, giving Victoria a view of the student in question. A tall and shy girl with long dark hair. She obviously didn't like the attention that she was receiving.
"Oh yeah…" Amy said, looking in the same direction. "I remember her."
The whole table turned to face Amy, waiting for her to elaborate.
"You know her, Ames?" Victoria asked, desperate for the gossip.
Amy shrugged. "Barely. Ran into her during a shift at the hospital. Couple of weeks ago now." She held back the part about her being a parahuman. Even if she wasn't a cape, it wasn't polite to reveal that fact to people.
"So?" Victoria asked, leaning closer to Amy. "What's her name?"
Amy paused for a good half minute then huffed with a shrug. "I forgot…"
Last edited:
Chapter 2: She's kinda cute
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2023
- Messages
- 123
- Likes received
- 4,833
Two days after the bank job
"Here, this is for you," Lisa said with her usual vulpine grin. Holding a card between two fingers. Taylor looked back in confusion. "It's your pay. For the bank heist. Great job dealing with Glory Hole, and they say 'I'm' the socially manipulative one." She giggled to herself as Taylor took the gift in her hand.
"It's a… credit card?" Taylor asked, still confused.
"What? You didn't think we were just going to hand you a pile of cash again?" Lisa laughed as Taylor blushed in embarrassment, that was exactly what she was expecting. "Would you like that in a briefcase or a sack? And how were you planning to deposit all your loot later?"
"I don't know…" Taylor mumbled. The Undersiders had only paid her once, a two grand sign-on fee when she joined their ranks and that was entirely in cash.
Lisa patted Taylor on the shoulder, trying to hold in her giggle. She knew Taylor responded negatively to mocking. Lisa suspected bullying. If she wanted to keep on Bug's good side, Lisa would have to temper her teasing.
"The cards for your new bank account," Lisa explained as Taylor inspected the plastic in her hand. "I already got it set up, your share of the spoils is already in there. No need to worry about anyone tracing the money from the bank to this. Because it isn't the money from the bank." Taylor was confused again by that but Lisa quickly added, "The boss pays us, he'll clean whatever money we stole, that'll take months and all go directly to him. All future payments go into this, your allowance on the team and anything extra will be split up and divided out"
Taylor nodded along as Lisa casually placed an arm around her. "I guess that makes sense. I wasn't expecting this to all be so… organised." Lisa chuckled again at that statement. They were villains, working for a crimelord. A mysterious and unknown benefactor to all but Lisa. Taylor was now knee-deep in organised crime. "So, how much did we end up making?" She asked coyly.
"See for yourself," Lisa smirked, pulling out Taylor's phone from her pocket. Taylor opened her new banking app that Lisa had 'somehow' installed on her phone and looked at the new balance.
"Holy fu…" Taylor gasped. Lisa watched as the devil on Taylor's shoulder.
Lisa knew already, that Taylor had 'moral issues' with joining the Undersiders. While Grue and the others mistook Bug for a new villain on the streets, Lisa knew from day one that Taylor was 'trying' to be a hero. That Taylor had convinced herself that she was 'spying' on the Undersiders and planned to turn them all over to the heroes once she uncovered their boss.
But she also knew that Taylor was poor, lonely and actually enjoying her time with the group.
Lisa had a plan. To seduce Taylor to the 'dark side' with promises of wealth and friendship. Granted, the money was good and the friendship was genuine, so it wasn't as evil of a plan as Lisa made it out to be.
"Not bad for your first week on the job," Lisa chuckled, watching Taylor's jaw drop. "Don't spend it all at once." She wasn't sure if Taylor was listening to her anymore. Lisa enjoyed Taylor's reaction for a little while longer before adding, in a more serious tone. "Seriously though. Don't try spend it all at once, or on anything stupid. Like buying a car or renting out a fancy apartment. The protections in place won't stop being from picking up on extreme spending habits."
"I'm fifteen…" Taylor said in response. "I can't even drive yet."
"You get what I mean." Lisa chuckled again. "Just be smart about it and you'll have no issues. I'll take you shopping tomorrow and we'll pick out a whole new wardrobe. Show you how to live it up, Undersiders style." She watched Taylor's eyes light up with the possibilities.
Lisa smiled, she was happy to see Taylor relaxing around her. Lisa didn't mind that Taylor had issues with villainy, nor did she care that Taylor was 'planning to betray them.' She could read the guilt all over the girl's body language. Taylor wasn't going to follow through with that, the rest of the team never had to know that was the original plan and Lisa could have a new girl friend to go shopping with. Rachel certainly wasn't going to join in on the fun any time soon.
Beyond the guilt, Lisa's power told her that Taylor was genuinely grateful for being invited to the team. Being welcomed with open arms. Money was always a good incentive, but first and foremost, Taylor wanted friendship. Also, judging by the way the girl looked at Lisa, she wanted a little more than friendship. A nice compliment to know that she looked good, but Lisa didn't swing that way, or any way for that matter.
Lisa chuckled to herself, making a mental note to let the new girl down easy in the near future. She was certain that Taylor would become a permanent member of the team regardless, all she had to do was show her that the friendship went both ways.
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Three months ago
Taylor swallowed her nerves as her Dad said goodbye. She waved as the car pulled away. Turning around, she looked at the entrance to Arcadia High, her new school.
After years of constant bullying, Emma and the rest of the trio finally hit the limit. Shoving Taylor inside a filthy locker and traumatising the girl so hard that she ended up in the hospital. It was the final straw. Someone must have been looking out for her, because when she finally returned from her catatonic state, Taylor had been transferred out of Winslow and far away from the clutches of Emma.
Of course, there was no word on if the trio were even going to be punished. Taylor didn't care, she was out. She was free and ready to start her new life. She even had superpowers to boot. Taylor was still getting used to that last fact, a small trail of ants followed her as she walked. She quickly dispersed the line of insects, looking about to see if anyone else had noticed.
In her attempt to scan the area for witnesses, she became aware that she had access to a second sight… and the third, and a fourth, fifth, sixth… her bugs, she could see through her bugs.
Taylor shook her head. This was going to be a very weird day.
Every eye was on Taylor as she made her way through the halls. The 'new girl' who was transferred midway through the school year. Who came from the hellscape known as Winslow after 'something' big went down.
Taylor wanted to hide, wanted everyone to stop perceiving her. She could hear the gossip forming already, hushed whispers about who she might be and what she might have been a part of. Winslow had a lot of gang activity, maybe this new girl was part of the Empire? Did Emma's false rumours of whoring herself out to the ABB make it this far uptown? Taylor hunched over, pulling her hoodie over her face to hide from the onslaught of curious onlookers.
In truth, most students didn't even notice her. Taylor was just another part of the crowd, and in a school that suspected to hold most, if not all of Brockton Bay's Wards, Taylor was the furthest thing from anyone's mind right now. Most students were busy gawking at Glory Girl and Panacea as they flew in behind Taylor.
Taylor still being completely aware that two celebrities had just landed behind her as she walked in through the school door, and shuffled off towards the school administration office. Head facing down to her feet as she avoided eye contact with anyone and everyone on her route.
The Principle shook Taylor's hand and directed Taylor to her first class. She already had a private orientation on the weekend, and all the staff were made aware of Taylor's circumstances. However only the Principle was aware of Taylor's parahuman capabilities, not that they knew what it was that Taylor could do. It was safe to say that there would be a closer eye on the girl and no one was going to bully her again.
Actual rumours of 'the new girl' only started to spread once Taylor made it to her first class. Once students were informed of Taylor's existence, the gossip started up again. (For the first time) Taylor sat at the back of the class and kept her head down. Her seatmates attempted to introduce themselves but Taylor only responded with brief words and grunts. Shutting down any form of small talk sent her way.
At lunch, she was swarmed by a crowd of students in her grade wanting to get to know her. They weren't being openly hostile towards her but Taylor felt trapped all the same. Her desire for food quickly plummeted and she excused herself to the nearest bathroom.
The anxiety had finally reached a bursting point as she spent the rest of her lunch break leaning over a toilet, expelling her earlier breakfast.
Taylor couldn't handle the complete 180 of her life. Her mind refused to believe that kids would actually care about her life, and actually want to speak to her without any hidden agenda. They were all making fun of her, they had to be. The trio were gone but the scars remained and Taylor was never going to trust people again.
Students stopped trying to crowd the poor girl after the first few days. Many stopped talking about her by the end of the week. A full month later, Taylor had gone from the 'mysterious transfer student' to the 'quiet girl' who doesn't talk to people. A few of the teachers had concerns, attempting to bring the girl out of her shell. Unfortunately, Taylor was a creature of habit, sitting away from most students, hiding away during breaks and avoiding all other events after school.
No one was bullying Taylor anymore, except for herself. She gaslit herself into believing that school was evil, regardless of where she went. That students would still whisper behind her back and that all the pretty, popular girls were colossal bitches.
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Three days ago
Deep down, Taylor desperately craved a connection, someone she could
call a friend. Someone who would break through her barriers and pull her out of this pit that Emma had placed her in. She thought that maybe with her powers, she could make friends as a hero. Taylor wasn't expecting to be mistaken for a villain on her first night, let alone have the team of villains she assisted reach out and contact her.
Taylor was hesitant to deal with the Undersiders. The money was nice, but it wasn't her intention to get into villainy. The fact that Tattletale, Lisa, tracked her down on the second day was more than a little concerning. Taylor was more or less forced to meet with the rest of the crew, Lisa knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get Taylor to stick around.
When Lisa announced the plan to rob a bank, Taylor freaked out. Internally. It was one thing to finally get to hang out with a bunch of kids her age again. It was another thing altogether to commit 'acts of villainy' with her new friends.
She told herself that 'this was temporary.' That she would find out who this mysterious mastermind was and deliver them to Armsmaster. Finally cementing her as the hero she wanted to be.
A spike of nausea swelled in her stomach as she looked towards Lisa and the rest of the crew. It wasn't from her previous social anxiety, nor had it anything to do with her moral quandary of robbing a bank. As she looked at Lisa's smile and Brian's nod of approval, she felt the guilt of her incoming betrayal. The realisation that this group of villains were the first people in a long time who actually treated Taylor like a person, who didn't gawk or whisper behind her back.
She'd barely known them for a week and with the one obvious exception of Rachel, Taylor had finally made friends and she wasn't ready to let go of them. Taylor had promised to contact Armsmaster when she either discovered something worthwhile or if the Undersiders were planning something big. The bank job would have been classified as 'something big' and yet, Taylor didn't try to reach out.
If the Undersiders were going to rob the place regardless, Taylor could help… keep everyone safe? Have someone on the inside to make sure no one got hurt, that's heroic, right?
Taylor explained how she could take care of the hostages inside. An army of spiders, one for each hostage would keep them in check, and Taylor would be in charge of them, no one would get hurt in that case. She'd milk the venom out of all her spiders, just in case. Lisa liked her idea, and Taylor liked the fact that someone 'liked' her ideas.
It was a good idea. A safe idea. Taylor could keep her new friends and her morality. There was no downside to this at all.
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Two days ago
Taylor held the knife close to Panacea's neck. Glory Girl stood firmly on the other side of the room. A look of pure hatred at the supervillain.
Taylor was terrified. Glory Girl was terrifying. The white-gold goddess stood across from her and eyed Taylor as the knife shook in her hand.
How the fuck did she end up in this situation? Who's stupid idea was it to rob a bank? And why did they choose the same day that Panacea visited the place?
"Don't come any closer." Taylor hissed, her voice catching in her throat. She was holding a knife to the hero who dropkicks cars. The hero didn't even care about her spiders that stood on every hostage in the room. She probably knew already that it was a giant bluff. All Glory Girl needed to do was lunge at her and it was all over.
Taylor looked back to Panacea in her arms. She held a knife to the girl's neck, Panacea tried to attack her and Taylor only barely dodge in time. After a brief struggle over the phone, Taylor now was in this precarious situation. She held the knife back, realising that it was getting too close to the young hero's neck.
"I don't want to hurt you," Taylor whispered in a panic. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Tell her to leave." She was trying to hype herself up, she hadn't meant to say it out loud and yet, Panacea spoke up.
"Vicky…" Panacea said, deadly still in Taylor's arms. "Just… take a step back."
Taylor relaxed slightly as Glory Girl did as Panacea said. She wasn't out of the fire yet, but she had room to breathe, room to think.
"What's going on here?" Asked Lisa as she walked into the room. Taking a moment to take in the scene before walking closer to Taylor. "Oh damn, Panacea? Grue's gonna kill me for missing that one. You good Bug?"
"Yeah…" Taylor grumbled. No, she wasn't good at all. Freaking Glory Girl was a few meters from taking her head off, this whole bank job had gone to shit, the Wards were currently fighting Bitch's dogs in another room and Taylor was threatening the goddamn cure to cancer with a fucking knife. "She tried to swing a fire extinguisher at me, but she missed. Managed to send a text to her sister though."
"Eh, you seem to have things under control, why not set your bugs on prom queen here?" Lisa suggested. Taylor looked back at Lisa like she had said the single dumbest thing in the history of dumb things ever said.
"Because she's invincible and I'd rather not piss off the girl who can throw a school bus at us," Taylor growled, before looking back to Panacea. "At least not any more than I already have."
There was no way that Taylor was getting out of here and spinning it around into a 'heroic deed.' Taylor was a villain, Glory Girl would never stop until she was behind bars… or worse.
Lisa scoffed, "You know she's not really invincible, right? That's just an idea she's put into everybody's head. One good whack and her forcefield goes down. Then she's as human as you or me. For example…" Lisa pulled out a small handgun and pointed it directly at Glory Girl. Taylor's eyes went wide with shock, much like Glory Girl's.
"Don't…" Taylor said, lunging her free hand on Lisa's gun. If what the thinker was saying was true, then that gun could kill the hero before her. As terrified as Taylor was, she was more afraid of someone getting hurt. Thinking quickly, she turned back up to Glory Girl. "Look, you want your sister back. We want to get out of here. We still have several hostages. We will let them go as soon as we're in the clear. Nobody needs to get hurt here." Taylor could feel the sweat running inside her mask as the hero thought about her offer.
'Please please please please please' Taylor thought to herself.
Brian jogged into the room and froze upon seeing the situation. "Bug, T. Wards are down. We're leaving. Now."
'Oh thank god, we can leave now.' Another thought, letting Taylor relax.
"We're all good, G" Lisa called out. "Be with you in a sec."
"Are we good?" Taylor asked again, practically begging Glory Girl to stand down. Taylor lowered the knife as a show of goodwill.
Glory Girl gritted her teeth and nodded. Darkness shot out around Brian and encapsulated Taylor. A hand tugged on Taylor's shoulder, and she pushed Panacea forward as they all fell back. Quickly finding Rachel's dogs and climbing onto their backs.
Taylor could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute as they moved away from the bank. Her job was done, all she had to do was hold on for dear life and get hope no one gave chase.
-------------------------------------------------
Present day
Taylor walked to school in a daze. She'd taken a detour to the Undersider's base to collect her pay for the bank job. At first, she was worried that Lisa would be giving her another big wad of cash to carry around in her backpack. She was surprised on both accounts to discover that Lisa had set up a new bank account, and that they were paid almost triple the amount that they originally estimated to make.
'Who the hell was bankrolling them? …Us?' Taylor thought to herself. Still looking at all the zeros in her new account.
She closed her phone only after reaching the gate to Arcadia. Taylor didn't want to risk having to explain to any students why she had access to so much money. The rest of the Undersiders didn't understand why Taylor bothered with school, she was the only member who hadn't dropped out. Taylor had explained that it was mainly for her dad, who was happy to know that his daughter was out of whatever environment landed her in the hospital. Arcadia was also a lot stricter when it came to skipping classes, a fact that Taylor discovered during her first week in costume.
In any case, Taylor would continue to attend high school while working with the Undersiders. She would commit crimes after school and on weekends only. A ridiculous thought when she dwelled on it. Taylor still wasn't sure how she felt about the criminal element of her life. Taylor was without a doubt, a villain in Brockton Bay. There was no turning back from that, but Taylor now had friends.
A giggle through the hallway sent a chill up Taylor's spine. Not in the same way that Emma's giggle used to do. This was a new voice that scared her in new ways.
Arcadia's own celebrity student, Victoria Dallon was walking with her posse down the halls. It was no secret that Arcadia had heroes attending its classes. The rumours of who those students would be were still up in the air. Most people suspected the group of students around Victoria, for the obvious reason that she was New Wave's own Glory Girl.
Taylor could visualise some of the students who walked with her, and imagine costumes around them. It was pretty damn obvious that Victoria's friend/current ex-boyfriend 'Dean' was Gallant. It was an unspoken given that Glory Girl and Gallant were dating on and off. Pretty hard to keep a secret identity when with such a public person. The rest of the group was harder to put masks on faces.
It was safer for Taylor to assume the entire group were Wards and to keep as far away from them as possible. She couldn't even use the fact that they recently got into
a fight as a way to identify them because another member of the group was Amy. If any Wards had been injured the other day, they would be back to fighting form by now.
Other students made room as Victoria and co made their way down to class. A sense of awed respect swept over anyone who got too close to the group. Taylor tried to blend into the background. Make herself invisible to everyone, especially the team of heroes who wanted her dead.
It didn't matter, Victoria still noticed her. Blending in a crowd of many, Victoria still managed to lock eyes with Taylor.
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Victoria didn't know Taylor that well, at all really. Victoria didn't even know her name. She was that 'mysterious and quiet' girl in Amy's grade. Just another student in school. She'd heard from teachers that they were worried about the girl. No one was picking on her, it was incredibly hard to get away with bullying when Victoria was about. A small part of her was concerned about the girl.
She never saw her eat in the cafeteria? Amy didn't know anything more than she did about her. Did she have any friends? What did she get up to in her free time?
Victoria was unfortunately too busy to follow up for answers to her questions. School was starting, classes were being filled up with students and Vicky had enough sense than to bother a random junior who by all word of the students, wanted to be left alone.
With a lack of time on her hands and not much to do about it, Victoria did the least she could do. A token of kindness, a gesture of goodwill. She shot a smile at the strange girl. It cost nothing to smile at someone and always guaranteed that they'd have a better day.
The shy girl turned away from Victoria, hiding her face. Victoria wasn't blind, nor was she stupid. She was aware of the effect she had on people, mainly boys but she did notice the odd girl blushing her way. She didn't mind, she took it as a compliment.
With her well wishes sent forth in the form of upturned lips, Victoria went on about her day as an odd thought popped into her head.
'She's kinda cute.'
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Victoria made eye contact with Taylor and a chill ran up her spine. Taylor looked back into the eyes of the woman who glared bloody murder not two days prior. The intense feeling of Glory Girls' emotional powers swept over her. Taylor's internal fear was compounded with Victoria's aura of awe.
She was pretty, beautiful even. But that wasn't Taylor's first thought. The smile that would have made most people blush only added to her internal feelings. She'd held a knife to her sister's neck, threatened her to back down and actually got away.
Glory Girl must be hiding her internalised frustration and anger behind that smile. Taylor could sense it, that was the same sadistic smile that Emma had all the time. Where Emma had a trio, Victoria had a posse and now she knew that Taylor existed.
'She knows. She knows and she's going to kill me. They're all going to beat me, arrest me.' Taylor held back the anxiety in her gut.
Taylor looked away. Unable to stomach the hero looking her way. She wanted to disappear, she wanted to hide. Coming to school was a terrible idea, the Undersiders were right. She was an idiot and this was how she got caught.
A swarm of bugs stood ready in case Taylor needed to make a quick getaway. She wasn't sure how she would do it, but they would do something if the hero got too close.
Thankfully, Glory Girl said nothing. Taylor felt the sense of awe wash away. Her heart relaxed as the posse and the rest of the students started filtering away into class. Leaving Taylor alone with a single thought in her head.
'She's fucking terrifying.'
"Here, this is for you," Lisa said with her usual vulpine grin. Holding a card between two fingers. Taylor looked back in confusion. "It's your pay. For the bank heist. Great job dealing with Glory Hole, and they say 'I'm' the socially manipulative one." She giggled to herself as Taylor took the gift in her hand.
"It's a… credit card?" Taylor asked, still confused.
"What? You didn't think we were just going to hand you a pile of cash again?" Lisa laughed as Taylor blushed in embarrassment, that was exactly what she was expecting. "Would you like that in a briefcase or a sack? And how were you planning to deposit all your loot later?"
"I don't know…" Taylor mumbled. The Undersiders had only paid her once, a two grand sign-on fee when she joined their ranks and that was entirely in cash.
Lisa patted Taylor on the shoulder, trying to hold in her giggle. She knew Taylor responded negatively to mocking. Lisa suspected bullying. If she wanted to keep on Bug's good side, Lisa would have to temper her teasing.
"The cards for your new bank account," Lisa explained as Taylor inspected the plastic in her hand. "I already got it set up, your share of the spoils is already in there. No need to worry about anyone tracing the money from the bank to this. Because it isn't the money from the bank." Taylor was confused again by that but Lisa quickly added, "The boss pays us, he'll clean whatever money we stole, that'll take months and all go directly to him. All future payments go into this, your allowance on the team and anything extra will be split up and divided out"
Taylor nodded along as Lisa casually placed an arm around her. "I guess that makes sense. I wasn't expecting this to all be so… organised." Lisa chuckled again at that statement. They were villains, working for a crimelord. A mysterious and unknown benefactor to all but Lisa. Taylor was now knee-deep in organised crime. "So, how much did we end up making?" She asked coyly.
"See for yourself," Lisa smirked, pulling out Taylor's phone from her pocket. Taylor opened her new banking app that Lisa had 'somehow' installed on her phone and looked at the new balance.
"Holy fu…" Taylor gasped. Lisa watched as the devil on Taylor's shoulder.
Lisa knew already, that Taylor had 'moral issues' with joining the Undersiders. While Grue and the others mistook Bug for a new villain on the streets, Lisa knew from day one that Taylor was 'trying' to be a hero. That Taylor had convinced herself that she was 'spying' on the Undersiders and planned to turn them all over to the heroes once she uncovered their boss.
But she also knew that Taylor was poor, lonely and actually enjoying her time with the group.
Lisa had a plan. To seduce Taylor to the 'dark side' with promises of wealth and friendship. Granted, the money was good and the friendship was genuine, so it wasn't as evil of a plan as Lisa made it out to be.
"Not bad for your first week on the job," Lisa chuckled, watching Taylor's jaw drop. "Don't spend it all at once." She wasn't sure if Taylor was listening to her anymore. Lisa enjoyed Taylor's reaction for a little while longer before adding, in a more serious tone. "Seriously though. Don't try spend it all at once, or on anything stupid. Like buying a car or renting out a fancy apartment. The protections in place won't stop being from picking up on extreme spending habits."
"I'm fifteen…" Taylor said in response. "I can't even drive yet."
"You get what I mean." Lisa chuckled again. "Just be smart about it and you'll have no issues. I'll take you shopping tomorrow and we'll pick out a whole new wardrobe. Show you how to live it up, Undersiders style." She watched Taylor's eyes light up with the possibilities.
Lisa smiled, she was happy to see Taylor relaxing around her. Lisa didn't mind that Taylor had issues with villainy, nor did she care that Taylor was 'planning to betray them.' She could read the guilt all over the girl's body language. Taylor wasn't going to follow through with that, the rest of the team never had to know that was the original plan and Lisa could have a new girl friend to go shopping with. Rachel certainly wasn't going to join in on the fun any time soon.
Beyond the guilt, Lisa's power told her that Taylor was genuinely grateful for being invited to the team. Being welcomed with open arms. Money was always a good incentive, but first and foremost, Taylor wanted friendship. Also, judging by the way the girl looked at Lisa, she wanted a little more than friendship. A nice compliment to know that she looked good, but Lisa didn't swing that way, or any way for that matter.
Lisa chuckled to herself, making a mental note to let the new girl down easy in the near future. She was certain that Taylor would become a permanent member of the team regardless, all she had to do was show her that the friendship went both ways.
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Three months ago
Taylor swallowed her nerves as her Dad said goodbye. She waved as the car pulled away. Turning around, she looked at the entrance to Arcadia High, her new school.
After years of constant bullying, Emma and the rest of the trio finally hit the limit. Shoving Taylor inside a filthy locker and traumatising the girl so hard that she ended up in the hospital. It was the final straw. Someone must have been looking out for her, because when she finally returned from her catatonic state, Taylor had been transferred out of Winslow and far away from the clutches of Emma.
Of course, there was no word on if the trio were even going to be punished. Taylor didn't care, she was out. She was free and ready to start her new life. She even had superpowers to boot. Taylor was still getting used to that last fact, a small trail of ants followed her as she walked. She quickly dispersed the line of insects, looking about to see if anyone else had noticed.
In her attempt to scan the area for witnesses, she became aware that she had access to a second sight… and the third, and a fourth, fifth, sixth… her bugs, she could see through her bugs.
Taylor shook her head. This was going to be a very weird day.
Every eye was on Taylor as she made her way through the halls. The 'new girl' who was transferred midway through the school year. Who came from the hellscape known as Winslow after 'something' big went down.
Taylor wanted to hide, wanted everyone to stop perceiving her. She could hear the gossip forming already, hushed whispers about who she might be and what she might have been a part of. Winslow had a lot of gang activity, maybe this new girl was part of the Empire? Did Emma's false rumours of whoring herself out to the ABB make it this far uptown? Taylor hunched over, pulling her hoodie over her face to hide from the onslaught of curious onlookers.
In truth, most students didn't even notice her. Taylor was just another part of the crowd, and in a school that suspected to hold most, if not all of Brockton Bay's Wards, Taylor was the furthest thing from anyone's mind right now. Most students were busy gawking at Glory Girl and Panacea as they flew in behind Taylor.
Taylor still being completely aware that two celebrities had just landed behind her as she walked in through the school door, and shuffled off towards the school administration office. Head facing down to her feet as she avoided eye contact with anyone and everyone on her route.
The Principle shook Taylor's hand and directed Taylor to her first class. She already had a private orientation on the weekend, and all the staff were made aware of Taylor's circumstances. However only the Principle was aware of Taylor's parahuman capabilities, not that they knew what it was that Taylor could do. It was safe to say that there would be a closer eye on the girl and no one was going to bully her again.
Actual rumours of 'the new girl' only started to spread once Taylor made it to her first class. Once students were informed of Taylor's existence, the gossip started up again. (For the first time) Taylor sat at the back of the class and kept her head down. Her seatmates attempted to introduce themselves but Taylor only responded with brief words and grunts. Shutting down any form of small talk sent her way.
At lunch, she was swarmed by a crowd of students in her grade wanting to get to know her. They weren't being openly hostile towards her but Taylor felt trapped all the same. Her desire for food quickly plummeted and she excused herself to the nearest bathroom.
The anxiety had finally reached a bursting point as she spent the rest of her lunch break leaning over a toilet, expelling her earlier breakfast.
Taylor couldn't handle the complete 180 of her life. Her mind refused to believe that kids would actually care about her life, and actually want to speak to her without any hidden agenda. They were all making fun of her, they had to be. The trio were gone but the scars remained and Taylor was never going to trust people again.
Students stopped trying to crowd the poor girl after the first few days. Many stopped talking about her by the end of the week. A full month later, Taylor had gone from the 'mysterious transfer student' to the 'quiet girl' who doesn't talk to people. A few of the teachers had concerns, attempting to bring the girl out of her shell. Unfortunately, Taylor was a creature of habit, sitting away from most students, hiding away during breaks and avoiding all other events after school.
No one was bullying Taylor anymore, except for herself. She gaslit herself into believing that school was evil, regardless of where she went. That students would still whisper behind her back and that all the pretty, popular girls were colossal bitches.
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Three days ago
Deep down, Taylor desperately craved a connection, someone she could
call a friend. Someone who would break through her barriers and pull her out of this pit that Emma had placed her in. She thought that maybe with her powers, she could make friends as a hero. Taylor wasn't expecting to be mistaken for a villain on her first night, let alone have the team of villains she assisted reach out and contact her.
Taylor was hesitant to deal with the Undersiders. The money was nice, but it wasn't her intention to get into villainy. The fact that Tattletale, Lisa, tracked her down on the second day was more than a little concerning. Taylor was more or less forced to meet with the rest of the crew, Lisa knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get Taylor to stick around.
When Lisa announced the plan to rob a bank, Taylor freaked out. Internally. It was one thing to finally get to hang out with a bunch of kids her age again. It was another thing altogether to commit 'acts of villainy' with her new friends.
She told herself that 'this was temporary.' That she would find out who this mysterious mastermind was and deliver them to Armsmaster. Finally cementing her as the hero she wanted to be.
A spike of nausea swelled in her stomach as she looked towards Lisa and the rest of the crew. It wasn't from her previous social anxiety, nor had it anything to do with her moral quandary of robbing a bank. As she looked at Lisa's smile and Brian's nod of approval, she felt the guilt of her incoming betrayal. The realisation that this group of villains were the first people in a long time who actually treated Taylor like a person, who didn't gawk or whisper behind her back.
She'd barely known them for a week and with the one obvious exception of Rachel, Taylor had finally made friends and she wasn't ready to let go of them. Taylor had promised to contact Armsmaster when she either discovered something worthwhile or if the Undersiders were planning something big. The bank job would have been classified as 'something big' and yet, Taylor didn't try to reach out.
If the Undersiders were going to rob the place regardless, Taylor could help… keep everyone safe? Have someone on the inside to make sure no one got hurt, that's heroic, right?
Taylor explained how she could take care of the hostages inside. An army of spiders, one for each hostage would keep them in check, and Taylor would be in charge of them, no one would get hurt in that case. She'd milk the venom out of all her spiders, just in case. Lisa liked her idea, and Taylor liked the fact that someone 'liked' her ideas.
It was a good idea. A safe idea. Taylor could keep her new friends and her morality. There was no downside to this at all.
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Two days ago
Taylor held the knife close to Panacea's neck. Glory Girl stood firmly on the other side of the room. A look of pure hatred at the supervillain.
Taylor was terrified. Glory Girl was terrifying. The white-gold goddess stood across from her and eyed Taylor as the knife shook in her hand.
How the fuck did she end up in this situation? Who's stupid idea was it to rob a bank? And why did they choose the same day that Panacea visited the place?
"Don't come any closer." Taylor hissed, her voice catching in her throat. She was holding a knife to the hero who dropkicks cars. The hero didn't even care about her spiders that stood on every hostage in the room. She probably knew already that it was a giant bluff. All Glory Girl needed to do was lunge at her and it was all over.
Taylor looked back to Panacea in her arms. She held a knife to the girl's neck, Panacea tried to attack her and Taylor only barely dodge in time. After a brief struggle over the phone, Taylor now was in this precarious situation. She held the knife back, realising that it was getting too close to the young hero's neck.
"I don't want to hurt you," Taylor whispered in a panic. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Tell her to leave." She was trying to hype herself up, she hadn't meant to say it out loud and yet, Panacea spoke up.
"Vicky…" Panacea said, deadly still in Taylor's arms. "Just… take a step back."
Taylor relaxed slightly as Glory Girl did as Panacea said. She wasn't out of the fire yet, but she had room to breathe, room to think.
"What's going on here?" Asked Lisa as she walked into the room. Taking a moment to take in the scene before walking closer to Taylor. "Oh damn, Panacea? Grue's gonna kill me for missing that one. You good Bug?"
"Yeah…" Taylor grumbled. No, she wasn't good at all. Freaking Glory Girl was a few meters from taking her head off, this whole bank job had gone to shit, the Wards were currently fighting Bitch's dogs in another room and Taylor was threatening the goddamn cure to cancer with a fucking knife. "She tried to swing a fire extinguisher at me, but she missed. Managed to send a text to her sister though."
"Eh, you seem to have things under control, why not set your bugs on prom queen here?" Lisa suggested. Taylor looked back at Lisa like she had said the single dumbest thing in the history of dumb things ever said.
"Because she's invincible and I'd rather not piss off the girl who can throw a school bus at us," Taylor growled, before looking back to Panacea. "At least not any more than I already have."
There was no way that Taylor was getting out of here and spinning it around into a 'heroic deed.' Taylor was a villain, Glory Girl would never stop until she was behind bars… or worse.
Lisa scoffed, "You know she's not really invincible, right? That's just an idea she's put into everybody's head. One good whack and her forcefield goes down. Then she's as human as you or me. For example…" Lisa pulled out a small handgun and pointed it directly at Glory Girl. Taylor's eyes went wide with shock, much like Glory Girl's.
"Don't…" Taylor said, lunging her free hand on Lisa's gun. If what the thinker was saying was true, then that gun could kill the hero before her. As terrified as Taylor was, she was more afraid of someone getting hurt. Thinking quickly, she turned back up to Glory Girl. "Look, you want your sister back. We want to get out of here. We still have several hostages. We will let them go as soon as we're in the clear. Nobody needs to get hurt here." Taylor could feel the sweat running inside her mask as the hero thought about her offer.
'Please please please please please' Taylor thought to herself.
Brian jogged into the room and froze upon seeing the situation. "Bug, T. Wards are down. We're leaving. Now."
'Oh thank god, we can leave now.' Another thought, letting Taylor relax.
"We're all good, G" Lisa called out. "Be with you in a sec."
"Are we good?" Taylor asked again, practically begging Glory Girl to stand down. Taylor lowered the knife as a show of goodwill.
Glory Girl gritted her teeth and nodded. Darkness shot out around Brian and encapsulated Taylor. A hand tugged on Taylor's shoulder, and she pushed Panacea forward as they all fell back. Quickly finding Rachel's dogs and climbing onto their backs.
Taylor could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute as they moved away from the bank. Her job was done, all she had to do was hold on for dear life and get hope no one gave chase.
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Present day
Taylor walked to school in a daze. She'd taken a detour to the Undersider's base to collect her pay for the bank job. At first, she was worried that Lisa would be giving her another big wad of cash to carry around in her backpack. She was surprised on both accounts to discover that Lisa had set up a new bank account, and that they were paid almost triple the amount that they originally estimated to make.
'Who the hell was bankrolling them? …Us?' Taylor thought to herself. Still looking at all the zeros in her new account.
She closed her phone only after reaching the gate to Arcadia. Taylor didn't want to risk having to explain to any students why she had access to so much money. The rest of the Undersiders didn't understand why Taylor bothered with school, she was the only member who hadn't dropped out. Taylor had explained that it was mainly for her dad, who was happy to know that his daughter was out of whatever environment landed her in the hospital. Arcadia was also a lot stricter when it came to skipping classes, a fact that Taylor discovered during her first week in costume.
In any case, Taylor would continue to attend high school while working with the Undersiders. She would commit crimes after school and on weekends only. A ridiculous thought when she dwelled on it. Taylor still wasn't sure how she felt about the criminal element of her life. Taylor was without a doubt, a villain in Brockton Bay. There was no turning back from that, but Taylor now had friends.
A giggle through the hallway sent a chill up Taylor's spine. Not in the same way that Emma's giggle used to do. This was a new voice that scared her in new ways.
Arcadia's own celebrity student, Victoria Dallon was walking with her posse down the halls. It was no secret that Arcadia had heroes attending its classes. The rumours of who those students would be were still up in the air. Most people suspected the group of students around Victoria, for the obvious reason that she was New Wave's own Glory Girl.
Taylor could visualise some of the students who walked with her, and imagine costumes around them. It was pretty damn obvious that Victoria's friend/current ex-boyfriend 'Dean' was Gallant. It was an unspoken given that Glory Girl and Gallant were dating on and off. Pretty hard to keep a secret identity when with such a public person. The rest of the group was harder to put masks on faces.
It was safer for Taylor to assume the entire group were Wards and to keep as far away from them as possible. She couldn't even use the fact that they recently got into
a fight as a way to identify them because another member of the group was Amy. If any Wards had been injured the other day, they would be back to fighting form by now.
Other students made room as Victoria and co made their way down to class. A sense of awed respect swept over anyone who got too close to the group. Taylor tried to blend into the background. Make herself invisible to everyone, especially the team of heroes who wanted her dead.
It didn't matter, Victoria still noticed her. Blending in a crowd of many, Victoria still managed to lock eyes with Taylor.
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Victoria didn't know Taylor that well, at all really. Victoria didn't even know her name. She was that 'mysterious and quiet' girl in Amy's grade. Just another student in school. She'd heard from teachers that they were worried about the girl. No one was picking on her, it was incredibly hard to get away with bullying when Victoria was about. A small part of her was concerned about the girl.
She never saw her eat in the cafeteria? Amy didn't know anything more than she did about her. Did she have any friends? What did she get up to in her free time?
Victoria was unfortunately too busy to follow up for answers to her questions. School was starting, classes were being filled up with students and Vicky had enough sense than to bother a random junior who by all word of the students, wanted to be left alone.
With a lack of time on her hands and not much to do about it, Victoria did the least she could do. A token of kindness, a gesture of goodwill. She shot a smile at the strange girl. It cost nothing to smile at someone and always guaranteed that they'd have a better day.
The shy girl turned away from Victoria, hiding her face. Victoria wasn't blind, nor was she stupid. She was aware of the effect she had on people, mainly boys but she did notice the odd girl blushing her way. She didn't mind, she took it as a compliment.
With her well wishes sent forth in the form of upturned lips, Victoria went on about her day as an odd thought popped into her head.
'She's kinda cute.'
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Victoria made eye contact with Taylor and a chill ran up her spine. Taylor looked back into the eyes of the woman who glared bloody murder not two days prior. The intense feeling of Glory Girls' emotional powers swept over her. Taylor's internal fear was compounded with Victoria's aura of awe.
She was pretty, beautiful even. But that wasn't Taylor's first thought. The smile that would have made most people blush only added to her internal feelings. She'd held a knife to her sister's neck, threatened her to back down and actually got away.
Glory Girl must be hiding her internalised frustration and anger behind that smile. Taylor could sense it, that was the same sadistic smile that Emma had all the time. Where Emma had a trio, Victoria had a posse and now she knew that Taylor existed.
'She knows. She knows and she's going to kill me. They're all going to beat me, arrest me.' Taylor held back the anxiety in her gut.
Taylor looked away. Unable to stomach the hero looking her way. She wanted to disappear, she wanted to hide. Coming to school was a terrible idea, the Undersiders were right. She was an idiot and this was how she got caught.
A swarm of bugs stood ready in case Taylor needed to make a quick getaway. She wasn't sure how she would do it, but they would do something if the hero got too close.
Thankfully, Glory Girl said nothing. Taylor felt the sense of awe wash away. Her heart relaxed as the posse and the rest of the students started filtering away into class. Leaving Taylor alone with a single thought in her head.
'She's fucking terrifying.'
Last edited:
Chapter 3: She look's familar
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Late Afternoon
"Skitter, ready to go?" Brian asked behind the door, placing on his mask. The Undersiders were mounting up on dogs, about to commit yet another act of villainy. "Come on, we're on a time limit here."
"In a minute!" Taylor called out from her room. The team had given Skitter a place of her own inside their home/lair. She'd never stayed the night, so the bed was still unused. It was mostly a collection of terrariums for her insect swarm. "Just putting on my mask!" She added.
The Undersiders were already dressed and waiting when Taylor arrived. As the only member to still bother with school, Taylor had sprinted out from class at the end of the day to get here. Taylor wouldn't dare leave her costume anywhere near Arcadia, not with all the Wards about. She had barged through the door to the lair in a rushed and panting panic. Making a beeline for her room and suit.
Lisa and Alec both giggled as Brian sighed. Their leader wasn't all too happy that the latest addition to the team had such a limited schedule, and that didn't even take into account the risk factor for attending the school.
"Seriously, why did you think this a good idea?" Brian groaned at Lisa. It was more of a rhetorical question, everyone except Rachel had agreed that Skitter would be a valued asset to the team. But there were days like today when Brian remembered that 'Skitter' had a double meaning for the panicked mess of a girl.
"Almost done!" Taylor called out again, followed by a surprised yelp and a crash as something inside the room fell over. "All good, I'm all good. Coming out now." Lisa giggled as she wonders to herself how Taylor would react to finding out the name they chose for her came from how 'skittish' she was.
Skitter's door finally opened, and the 'villain' stepped out. A dark swarm was climbing up into her hair and backpack, adding to the disgustingly terrifying visage of Skitter. "Let's go," Taylor said, her mask now adding a muffle that made her all the more mysterious, even Brian with his skull helmet was slightly intimidated by the girl.
"Not it!" Called Alec, quickly as he jumped on one of Rachel's dogs.
"Not it," Lisa added
"Fuck you guys." Rachel barked.
"Not- gah fine…" Brian said too late.
Taylor had no idea what 'It' was. Lisa climbed onto the dog that Rachel was already sitting on. Brain climbed up on the third dog and reached a hand to Taylor.
It wasn't that anyone in the group didn't like Taylor. Well, Rachel might, but besides that, the rest of the group liked the girl perfectly fine. Riding with Skitter, however, meant riding with the girl who had bugs in her hair. As much as the Undersiders loved having a powerhouse like Skitter on their team, none of them wanted to deal with the creepy crawlies personally.
Brian thanked his past self for choosing to have a full head covering mask as Taylor climbed on and wrapped her arms around him. Even now, he could hear the insects buzzing and skittering about, mirroring Taylor's own nervousness about the upcoming job.
After fifteen minutes or so of dog riding, the dogs all climbed onto a nearby rooftop as the team got into place. Taylor finally asked the question that she should have asked before leaving.
"So, what 'are' we doing today?"
"Are you serious right now?" Brian sighed.
Taylor shrunk down, like a told-off child.
"Crime, obviously." Lisa laughed.
"We spoke about this, twice now." Brain added, "Smash and grab, tinker tech. Tattletale and I will identify the tech. Regent and Skitter are on crowd control, there shouldn't be any problems, just keep everyone together. And Bitch is support and our exit."
Rachel huffed. "Wait around as usual…"
Brian shot her a look, which was saying a lot considering the full-face mask.
Taylor vaguely remembered being informed of this upcoming job. They had been hired by someone to steal something. Taylor had hoped that after such a prolific job as a bank heist, that the Undersiders would go into hiding for a while, but life went on and Brockton Bay was a busy city, ripe with opportunity.
Skitter had since appeared in several daring crimes across the city. Ranging from simple 'smash n grabs' to the more prolific 'distraction jobs' which usually meant causing chaos in the streets and getting into fights with other heroes.
Taylor didn't like getting into fights, even though she was getting pretty good at them. Her swarm allowed her to attack people from a distance and Lisa had taught her some basic hand-to-hand combat defence during the downtime. On top of bringing Taylor shopping to gear up. Taylor refused to use a gun of her own, but through some convincing arguments, bought herself better equipment to help 'stay alive longer'.
The target for today's criminal activity appeared to be some fancy penthouse apartment. A wealthy collector of art had managed to get his hands on something 'techy', completely unbeknown to him. The poor fool was apparently displaying it as an 'Avant Garde' statue on his work desk.
The job was simple. Break in, steal the tech, take anything else of value and get out before anyone could respond. Each member of the team, except for Rachel, had a duffle bag over their shoulder. No one was sure exactly what they'd find at the place, but it paid to be prepared.
"Alright, synchronise your watches," Brian ordered everyone, taking the time to set a silent alarm. "In and out, ten-minute maximum. If you're not on the dogs by then, you're walking home."
With that, the dogs leapt across the rooftop. Taylor's nervous excitement turned to outright worry as she spotted the would-be victim of their crime. Sitting at an outdoor table, eating an early dinner and not by himself. A terrified family of three watched as the Undersiders descended upon their home.
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8 minutes later
Taylor hated taking hostages. She stood over the family and grimaced at the sight of all three of them sobbing on the floor. Taylor felt even worse knowing that one of the hostages was a little girl, barely five or six years old.
She made sure that none of the insects in her swarm touched the family, making a circle around the family instead. They were reasonably well-behaved, it did take Skitter about five minutes of back-and-forth discussion to convince the family that she wasn't going to 'eat' them.
Alec had left the second Taylor had surrounded the family. He wasn't interested in babysitting when there was loot to be gathered. Taylor could hear the rest of the Undersiders smashing up the place, looking for anything of value. She stared down at her own duffle bag, which was significantly empty.
Turning away from her hostages and scanning the room, Taylor didn't spot any valuables. They had all been moved into the child's bedroom, it wouldn't have anything worth taking nor would there be any hidden weapons that catch them off guard. While the two adults were scared out of their minds, the child was only mildly aware of what was happening.
'I'm a fucking monster…' Taylor thought to herself. She'd taken hostages before, in the bank. There were even small children at the time but breaking into someone's home felt like a new level of evil.
Taylor checked her watch, she had 40 seconds left to get on the dog. She sighed in relief as she stood up from the wall she'd been leaning on. The family shuddered in fear at Taylor's movement, flinching back from her as she moved to the door.
She knew that the family would rush to call the authorities the second that they were free, which would cause problems for the Undersiders. Channelling her 'inner villain,' Taylor turned back to the family.
"Stay here, wait another twenty minutes before calling anyone," Skitter said, her swarm echoing her words. "I'll know if you didn't wait." To add to her point, she twisted a digital clock in the room towards the family and pointed at the time. The family nodded in fear as Skitter left the room, the bulk of her swarm falling back inside her suit.
Lisa met her with a grin, loading the bags onto one of the dogs. She held a hand out for Taylor's bag. "Feeling a little light there," She sighed, taking the empty duffle bag. "You know you didn't have to stay in the room with them. That's what your bugs are for."
"Sorry…" Taylor mumbled, still feeling guilty for terrorising the family as Lisa pulled her onto the dog.
"Time!" Brian called, as the dogs leapt off and away.
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A short ride later
The Undersiders didn't go back to base, instead, they found a quiet spot to lay low as they all dismounted. Rachel took watch as Brian and Alec took stock of the stolen loot. Lisa was inspecting the stolen tech, which did indeed look like some odd metal paperweight, before placing it into a separate, small sack.
Lisa turned to Taylor and could immediately read all the guilt and self-hatred that dripped from her. Her 'morality' was once again getting in the way of her celebration.
"Cheer up, bugs," Lisa said, tying the small sack to her belt. "You did good, kept them safe. And no one got hurt. Plus, they weren't able to hit the panic buttons hidden all over the place. 'And' you made sure that they wouldn't for another twenty minutes. Freaking genius!"
Taylor couldn't help but smile at Lisa's compliments. "Yeah… it only made sense. I didn't want to risk getting into a car chase or anything." She remembered how she basically threatened the family before she left the room and felt terrible again.
"Hey…" Lisa said softly, picking up on Taylor's falling mood again. "If it's any consolation, remember that the man is actually a really horrible person." Taylor shot Lisa a confused look, one that would be lost behind her mask if not for Lisa's intuition. "What? You think we'd just break in and terrorise any old poor family?
The PRT would hang us for sure if we did that." She added with a chuckle. Lisa pointed towards the loot.
Taylor hadn't paid any attention to the stolen spoils, specifically the loot from the collector's private office. Looking at them now, Lisa's words made sense. All the 'artwork' was Nazi memorabilia in some way or another. Taylor watched on in disgusted shock.
"Seriously Skitter," Lisa laughed, "I know you tend to zone out when we start discussing crime, but you should pay more attention to our meetings. Dude bankrolls the Empire in his free time. Not a cape or a member himself but a strong supporter. True believer kind of shit."
Taylor could admit, child or not, she felt a little better knowing that she'd robbed and traumatised a Nazi sympathiser. Compared to her original feelings about assaulting a random wealthy family.
"Sorry…" Taylor said, "I should've remembered. I'm still getting used to…"
"Crime?" Lisa chuckled, "Being a dastardly villain?"
Taylor shrank down, still not like being called out on her immoral deeds, regardless of the victim.
"Skitter," Lisa continued, placing her arm around the girl, and playing the angel on her shoulder this time. "You don't have to be sorry for caring. Hell, we all care… Except for Regent, maybe? The point is to have fun, make money, teach the wrong people a lesson. Do whatever the hell you want. And if you start paying attention to our meetings, you'll be able to know ahead of time just how morally grey our crime of the day is."
Taylor nodded her head in acceptance. She was afraid that one day she'd be placed in a situation where she would be asked to do something truly terrible. It was both a legitimate fear and a silly one. The Undersiders weren't bad people, just 'bad guys.' Taylor needed to remember that.
"And if we ever do suggest doing something that you're not comfortable with." Lisa added, picking up on her mood, "You're more than welcome to throw in a veto. You're part of this team, we'll listen to you."
Lisa was also afraid that one-day Skitter would make a personal call in the heat of the moment if faced with a truly terrible situation. While the Undersiders had varying degrees of morality, Lisa didn't want to stress test any of the members when it came to their jobs. Sticking to quick crimes and quicker getaways.
"Alright, Regent, Skitter and Bitch will stash the loot until it can be picked up," Brian spoke up over the group. "T and me will deliver the tech and get our pay. We can all break from there." He gave us all a curt nod.
Taylor tensed up briefly, Alec and Rachel weren't exactly her favourite people in the group. Alec was fine enough in small bursts, but Rachel outright hated Taylor, at least from Taylor's point of view. The idea of spending time alone with them without Brian or Lisa to run interference was stressful.
"Can I go with you two?" Taylor asked, holding closer to Lisa in a grip that yelled 'Don't leave me alone with them, please.'
Brian paused for a moment and looked at Lisa. Lisa simply shrugged causing Brian to sigh.
"Fine, whatever." He groaned, "We could use the scare factor to keep them from doing anything stupid. Just don't go overboard. In fact, don't do anything at all. Stay with T and don't talk."
Rachel's dogs already moved to leave before Brian was done talking. Bitch and Regent headed home to hide the loot. Brian started walking in a direction, waving a hand for the two remaining girls to follow.
"So, uh?" Taylor started, looking at Lisa, "Who are we meeting? I take it that it's not 'the' boss?"
Lisa smiled and shook her head. "Nah, just rich asshole who collects tinker tech. There're always people like that, good money to be made if you know the right people. They can be kinda creepy, but just be on your best behaviour and we'll be in and out before you know it."
Taylor thought about that. Lisa had told her to pay more attention and be part of the team, and seeing more of the business she was now a part of would be a good thing. Taylor could handle it, she had Lisa and Brian watching over her. She'd be on her best behaviour, a simple sales deal, much less stressful than robbing some nazi's house.
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Half an hour later
Glory Girl was the first on the scene. She'd been in the area after dropping Amy off at the hospital. The call came in through the PRT crime watch. A supervillain fight had broken out in the streets. Several members of the Undersiders were engaged in combat with the ABB.
Victoria could see the black smoke engulfing the scene as she approached from the air. Gunshots rang out as she flew closer. People were running away in a panic as the villains duked it out in the street.
Tattletale was dodging a man's attempts to punch at her. The attacker was dressed in ABB gang colours. He couldn't land a punch on the Tattletale, who continued to mock him as he flailed over the place. A second man continued to fire wild shots into the thick dark fog that approached him. Victoria couldn't spot anything special about them. A standard person with a handgun.
Victoria figured taking out the gunner was the smart option before somebody got hit with a stray bullet. Flying down onto the unsuspecting man. They didn't even look up until the shadow of the girl fell over them. By then it was too late, the man raised their gun only to receive a fist to the face. The gun was crushed in Victoria's hand.
Tattletale and the first man paused their fight as they both noticed the hero's violent landing.
"Glory gi-" The man called out before also getting punched in the face. Tattletale taking his shock as an advantage. It wasn't as hard as a punch from Glory Girl, but it created enough space for Tattletale to break away and move towards Grue.
"We need to leave!" Grue barked, emerging from his smoke to call over Tattletale. "Get out and regroup."
Tattletale looked back towards Glory Girl and at the mess the villains had made during their fight. "But, what about Sk-"
"Now T!" Grue ordered, pulling Tattletale into the smoke with her.
Victoria watched as the two villains disappeared behind the smoke, she hovered to move but was distracted by the man Tattletale punched earlier, who was now picking himself up and charging at the hero. Vicky countered with a quick weave and arm tackle. The Man held his ground, barely.
Victoria hadn't expected the man to take her punch. The gang member was an apparent rogue cape. A parahuman with rather low-rated abilities who didn't feel the need to make a name for themselves. The man in question had the brute-like ability to hit harder than the common man by making his body denser than usual, but not by much.
Changing tactics, Victoria put more strength into her fists. Sending the man flying back into a nearby streetlight. The light pole bent slightly but didn't fall over, and the man didn't try to stand up.
Scanning the area, both Undersiders had managed to escape while Victoria was distracted. She did, however, pick up on the sound of insects buzzing.
"Skitter…" Victoria said with a growl. She didn't know what she had flown into, but Victoria wasn't going to give up the chance to repay the villain for threatening her sister at the bank.
Grabbing the two ABB members already taken out, Victoria bent a metal pole to keep them in place and then shot up into the sky. On the other side of the street was the mass of bugs, Skitter's swarm. They were giving chase of someone behind a building.
Victoria still couldn't see who Skitter was fighting, but she knew the villain must be close. A quick scan from above and Victoria had eyes on Skitter. She flew down towards the battle. Skitter must have heard her coming, because, at the last moment, Skitter jumped back out of Victoria's path. The swarm broke away to return for protection.
"You…" Skitter hissed, her swarm echoing the word. "Why are you here?"
"Arresting you," Victoria said smugly, hovering up from the ground. "Obviously."
"Stay out of this!" The swarm cried. Causing Victoria to fall back slightly as some bugs struck out at her. After rebalancing, she lunged at Skitter as a wall of bugs formed between them. The villain used the time to dodge out of the way. Victoria flew through the bugs to find nothing on the other side. The swarm tried to converge on her but Victoria didn't stay still long enough to be covered.
Skitter was already booking it down the street, hoping to make space between her and the brute.
"Running away?" Victoria said mockingly. Quickly closing the distance. "As expected for your kind."
The villain threw even more bugs her way, somehow pulling them out of her hair. A disgusting thought on top of the face full of bugs. Victoria started panicking, as one would if their face was covered in flies and cockroaches. It didn't harm her, but it was a sensation that no one should ever experience regardless.
"Fucking gross…" Victoria groaned, "Ew ew ew…" She wanted to cry, she'd much rather take a punch to the face over bugs any day of the week. A serious, deep shower was required after this, but first, she needed to find Skitter. She caught the villain trying to escape down a nearby alleyway.
There was a fiery explosion ahead as a small portion of the swarm caught fire and quickly died.
"I've been looking forward to this, Bug!?" Called a male voice ahead of her with a strong Asian accent. "You can run, but you can't hide!"
Flying up and ahead, hoping to cut off Skitter on the other side of the street, Victoria spotted the man who she had heard talking. It was Lung, the leader of the ABB who was supposed to be in PRT custody right now.
Victoria still didn't know what exactly was going on but Skitter no longer appeared to be the main issue in this situation. She quickly contacted PRT authorities to notify them of the development. Her mother had once given her a list of villains who
Victoria should under no circumstances ever engage with and Lung was near the top of that list.
Even so, Lung was here. He was growing larger by the second and tearing up the street. Civilians were fleeing in panic and Skitter looked like she was about to be roasted alive.
The larger villain looked between Skitter and Glory Girl. Trying to determine who was the bigger threat. Victoria moved to punch Lung but was too slow. Lung lifted a large garbage bin and swung the heavy object like it weighed nothing at all.
As the bin crashed into Victoria, she felt the full weight of the heavy object. Pushing her back as her forcefield broke. Another blow like that could leave Victoria as a red paste on the wall if she wasn't careful.
Skitter's swarm caught up to the Lung, the man turning to see the horde of insects approaching. He shot fire back, killing the bugs in bulk. A long streak of fire shot in Skitter's direction like a flame thrower, engulfing the bug villain entirely. Victoria's eyes went wide with shock as she believed to watch the woman burn alive.
Thankfully, Skitter rolled out of the way, still badly singed. Rolling on the floor and patting out the parts of her suit that had caught alight. Not wanting to do that again, Skitter decided to turn tail and run. It was at that point Lung decided to chuck the large bin in Skitter's direction.
Only Skitter wasn't there. Lung had thrown wildly and was set to hit a bystander. Victoria watched in horror as the Lung's impromptu weapon was now on a collision course with a civilian. The world moved in slow motion, or at least that's how it felt for Victoria as she moved to grab the bin from the air. It was too little, too late. She wasn't going to grab it before it struck.
The civilian in question was a teenager, looking around the same age as Victoria if she had to guess. Some random guy who was unlucky enough to be taking a shortcut just as a cape fight had broken out. Who was too concerned with the bug supervillain running at him to notice the incoming force of metal that was about to slam him into the pavement.
At the last moment, Skitter made her move. Diving at the teenager, pushing both out of the way of the impending heavy metal that threatened to splatter them along the pavement. The bin slammed into a car, causing a lot of damage but no injuries.
Victoria turned back to Lung, who was already looking for something else to throw. Forcefield reignited, she didn't give him the chance. Pressing forward, Victoria hit him at full force. As a brute and a hero, Victoria was always taught how to pull her punches and make sure not to use unnecessary force against her opponents. Against someone like Lung, Victoria didn't have to worry about holding back.
It was all over in a matter of seconds, Victoria had never been so determined to take someone down. Before she knew it, Victoria was hovering over an unconscious Lung. Panting and shaking, she checked to make sure he was breathing, before turning back to Skitter.
"It's just a scrape, you'll be fine," Skitter said as she checked over the civilian she'd saved. The teenager nodded in a panic and quickly fled the second he could stand.
Victoria wasn't sure what her plan was now. She'd watched the bug villain risk her life to save a civilian and the adrenaline from beating on Lung was wearing down. But Skitter was still a villain and Glory Girl still had a job to do. She moved towards Skitter and froze as Skitter looked back.
Skitter touched her face. Her actual face. Lung's flame thrower attack had singed her suit so bad that the mask had started melting. Skitter had pulled it off while she was fleeing, not even aware that she had done so until now.
Victoria recognised her face. She didn't have a name, but she had seen her before. It was on the tip of her tongue. Skitter's eyes went wide as she herself realised what was happening. Not only was the villain unmasked, but Victoria 'knew' her.
"W-wait!" Victoria called out. Reaching a hand towards the girl.
In a panic, the remaining swarm covered Skitter. Shielding herself from Victoria's view. Skitter ran off down the street, hand covering her face as the swarm blocked her from any onlookers. Most bystanders had already taken off.
Victoria could have followed after Skitter, but she let her go. The smart play was to keep watch over Lung until backup arrived. At least that's what she told herself as the swarm disappeared.
Victoria had seen her face, she knew who Skitter was. She couldn't place 'where' she'd seen Skitter, but it was somewhere in her memory. Replaying the thought repeatedly, she pieced together what little she knew. Skitter was a familiar girl, who looked to be about Victoria's age, if not younger. That meant Skitter went to school. 'That's' where Victoria recognised her from. Skitter was a student of Arcadia. Skitter was that 'mysterious quiet girl' in Amy's grade.
For now, the only question on Victoria's mind was.
'What do I do with this information?'
---------------------------------------------
A short while later
"How did you not know!?" Brian yelled, holding his arm. He'd been grazed with a bullet during the earlier fight. "It is literally your job to know these things."
Lisa hurriedly pulled out the medical kit from the bathroom and pulled out the relevant supplies. "I'm not psychic! That's not how my powers work, you know that."
She inspected Brians's arm before administering medical care. He was bleeding badly, but it did need to be taken care of soon.
Alec ran into the room, looking over his leader, bleeding on the couch. "What kind of party did I miss?"
"Not now, where's Rachel?" Brain grunted.
Alec shrugged. "She left as soon as we dropped off the bags, doubt she even saw your message."
"Well fucking call her back," Brian barked, "We need to rescue Skitter!"
"Again," Alec said, pulling out his phone. "What the hell did I miss?"
"The client sold us out." Lisa spat angrily, "Turned our deal into an ambush for the ABB, Lung was waiting for us."
"So, no pay I take it?" Alec joked, Lisa shot him an angry look before returning to patching Brian up. "What?... Oh, and Rachel still isn't picking up."
"Fuck!" Lisa swore, standing up from Brain and taking a moment to think. "Okay, just the three of us then. Where would Lung take Skitter?"
"She's probably already de-" Alec began before Brain shot smoke over his mouth.
Lisa tried to ignore the comment, even though it was the most likely scenario. Lung had been there for Skitter specifically. Rumours of his escape from custody were being kept on the down-low by the PRT, but somehow he had returned for his revenge.
"Okay, I can call in some old favours… maybe," Lisa said, panic in her voice.
"Or maybe she'll just walk through the door." Alec countered, pulling himself free of Brian's smoke.
"This isn't funny. Taylor might actually die." Lisa snapped.
Alec responded by pointing behind her. Taylor was standing at the door, dressed in casual jeans and a hoodie. Panting as if she had sprinted all the way back to base herself.
"Taylor!" Lisa gasped, running over to the girl and giving her a hug.
"How the hell did you make it out of there?" Brian asked, giving Taylor a concerned look over.
Taylor shrugged, or at least tried to as Lisa squeezed her. "Glory Girl got in the way. Took Lung down."
The rest of the Undersiders nodded, and Alec whistled at how impressive the feat seemed.
"How are you doing?" Lisa asked, looking over Taylor. "I'm sorry we left you. I should have seen the ambush coming. Are you okay, you seem really worried?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just, y'know. Almost dying…" Taylor lied. While the fight with Lung had indeed been scary, the thought of a hero seeing her face was at the forefront of Taylors' mind'. She forced a smile, pretending that everything was fine now, for Lisa's sake.
For now, the only question on Taylor's mind was.
'What do I do about school tomorrow?'
"Skitter, ready to go?" Brian asked behind the door, placing on his mask. The Undersiders were mounting up on dogs, about to commit yet another act of villainy. "Come on, we're on a time limit here."
"In a minute!" Taylor called out from her room. The team had given Skitter a place of her own inside their home/lair. She'd never stayed the night, so the bed was still unused. It was mostly a collection of terrariums for her insect swarm. "Just putting on my mask!" She added.
The Undersiders were already dressed and waiting when Taylor arrived. As the only member to still bother with school, Taylor had sprinted out from class at the end of the day to get here. Taylor wouldn't dare leave her costume anywhere near Arcadia, not with all the Wards about. She had barged through the door to the lair in a rushed and panting panic. Making a beeline for her room and suit.
Lisa and Alec both giggled as Brian sighed. Their leader wasn't all too happy that the latest addition to the team had such a limited schedule, and that didn't even take into account the risk factor for attending the school.
"Seriously, why did you think this a good idea?" Brian groaned at Lisa. It was more of a rhetorical question, everyone except Rachel had agreed that Skitter would be a valued asset to the team. But there were days like today when Brian remembered that 'Skitter' had a double meaning for the panicked mess of a girl.
"Almost done!" Taylor called out again, followed by a surprised yelp and a crash as something inside the room fell over. "All good, I'm all good. Coming out now." Lisa giggled as she wonders to herself how Taylor would react to finding out the name they chose for her came from how 'skittish' she was.
Skitter's door finally opened, and the 'villain' stepped out. A dark swarm was climbing up into her hair and backpack, adding to the disgustingly terrifying visage of Skitter. "Let's go," Taylor said, her mask now adding a muffle that made her all the more mysterious, even Brian with his skull helmet was slightly intimidated by the girl.
"Not it!" Called Alec, quickly as he jumped on one of Rachel's dogs.
"Not it," Lisa added
"Fuck you guys." Rachel barked.
"Not- gah fine…" Brian said too late.
Taylor had no idea what 'It' was. Lisa climbed onto the dog that Rachel was already sitting on. Brain climbed up on the third dog and reached a hand to Taylor.
It wasn't that anyone in the group didn't like Taylor. Well, Rachel might, but besides that, the rest of the group liked the girl perfectly fine. Riding with Skitter, however, meant riding with the girl who had bugs in her hair. As much as the Undersiders loved having a powerhouse like Skitter on their team, none of them wanted to deal with the creepy crawlies personally.
Brian thanked his past self for choosing to have a full head covering mask as Taylor climbed on and wrapped her arms around him. Even now, he could hear the insects buzzing and skittering about, mirroring Taylor's own nervousness about the upcoming job.
After fifteen minutes or so of dog riding, the dogs all climbed onto a nearby rooftop as the team got into place. Taylor finally asked the question that she should have asked before leaving.
"So, what 'are' we doing today?"
"Are you serious right now?" Brian sighed.
Taylor shrunk down, like a told-off child.
"Crime, obviously." Lisa laughed.
"We spoke about this, twice now." Brain added, "Smash and grab, tinker tech. Tattletale and I will identify the tech. Regent and Skitter are on crowd control, there shouldn't be any problems, just keep everyone together. And Bitch is support and our exit."
Rachel huffed. "Wait around as usual…"
Brian shot her a look, which was saying a lot considering the full-face mask.
Taylor vaguely remembered being informed of this upcoming job. They had been hired by someone to steal something. Taylor had hoped that after such a prolific job as a bank heist, that the Undersiders would go into hiding for a while, but life went on and Brockton Bay was a busy city, ripe with opportunity.
Skitter had since appeared in several daring crimes across the city. Ranging from simple 'smash n grabs' to the more prolific 'distraction jobs' which usually meant causing chaos in the streets and getting into fights with other heroes.
Taylor didn't like getting into fights, even though she was getting pretty good at them. Her swarm allowed her to attack people from a distance and Lisa had taught her some basic hand-to-hand combat defence during the downtime. On top of bringing Taylor shopping to gear up. Taylor refused to use a gun of her own, but through some convincing arguments, bought herself better equipment to help 'stay alive longer'.
The target for today's criminal activity appeared to be some fancy penthouse apartment. A wealthy collector of art had managed to get his hands on something 'techy', completely unbeknown to him. The poor fool was apparently displaying it as an 'Avant Garde' statue on his work desk.
The job was simple. Break in, steal the tech, take anything else of value and get out before anyone could respond. Each member of the team, except for Rachel, had a duffle bag over their shoulder. No one was sure exactly what they'd find at the place, but it paid to be prepared.
"Alright, synchronise your watches," Brian ordered everyone, taking the time to set a silent alarm. "In and out, ten-minute maximum. If you're not on the dogs by then, you're walking home."
With that, the dogs leapt across the rooftop. Taylor's nervous excitement turned to outright worry as she spotted the would-be victim of their crime. Sitting at an outdoor table, eating an early dinner and not by himself. A terrified family of three watched as the Undersiders descended upon their home.
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8 minutes later
Taylor hated taking hostages. She stood over the family and grimaced at the sight of all three of them sobbing on the floor. Taylor felt even worse knowing that one of the hostages was a little girl, barely five or six years old.
She made sure that none of the insects in her swarm touched the family, making a circle around the family instead. They were reasonably well-behaved, it did take Skitter about five minutes of back-and-forth discussion to convince the family that she wasn't going to 'eat' them.
Alec had left the second Taylor had surrounded the family. He wasn't interested in babysitting when there was loot to be gathered. Taylor could hear the rest of the Undersiders smashing up the place, looking for anything of value. She stared down at her own duffle bag, which was significantly empty.
Turning away from her hostages and scanning the room, Taylor didn't spot any valuables. They had all been moved into the child's bedroom, it wouldn't have anything worth taking nor would there be any hidden weapons that catch them off guard. While the two adults were scared out of their minds, the child was only mildly aware of what was happening.
'I'm a fucking monster…' Taylor thought to herself. She'd taken hostages before, in the bank. There were even small children at the time but breaking into someone's home felt like a new level of evil.
Taylor checked her watch, she had 40 seconds left to get on the dog. She sighed in relief as she stood up from the wall she'd been leaning on. The family shuddered in fear at Taylor's movement, flinching back from her as she moved to the door.
She knew that the family would rush to call the authorities the second that they were free, which would cause problems for the Undersiders. Channelling her 'inner villain,' Taylor turned back to the family.
"Stay here, wait another twenty minutes before calling anyone," Skitter said, her swarm echoing her words. "I'll know if you didn't wait." To add to her point, she twisted a digital clock in the room towards the family and pointed at the time. The family nodded in fear as Skitter left the room, the bulk of her swarm falling back inside her suit.
Lisa met her with a grin, loading the bags onto one of the dogs. She held a hand out for Taylor's bag. "Feeling a little light there," She sighed, taking the empty duffle bag. "You know you didn't have to stay in the room with them. That's what your bugs are for."
"Sorry…" Taylor mumbled, still feeling guilty for terrorising the family as Lisa pulled her onto the dog.
"Time!" Brian called, as the dogs leapt off and away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A short ride later
The Undersiders didn't go back to base, instead, they found a quiet spot to lay low as they all dismounted. Rachel took watch as Brian and Alec took stock of the stolen loot. Lisa was inspecting the stolen tech, which did indeed look like some odd metal paperweight, before placing it into a separate, small sack.
Lisa turned to Taylor and could immediately read all the guilt and self-hatred that dripped from her. Her 'morality' was once again getting in the way of her celebration.
"Cheer up, bugs," Lisa said, tying the small sack to her belt. "You did good, kept them safe. And no one got hurt. Plus, they weren't able to hit the panic buttons hidden all over the place. 'And' you made sure that they wouldn't for another twenty minutes. Freaking genius!"
Taylor couldn't help but smile at Lisa's compliments. "Yeah… it only made sense. I didn't want to risk getting into a car chase or anything." She remembered how she basically threatened the family before she left the room and felt terrible again.
"Hey…" Lisa said softly, picking up on Taylor's falling mood again. "If it's any consolation, remember that the man is actually a really horrible person." Taylor shot Lisa a confused look, one that would be lost behind her mask if not for Lisa's intuition. "What? You think we'd just break in and terrorise any old poor family?
The PRT would hang us for sure if we did that." She added with a chuckle. Lisa pointed towards the loot.
Taylor hadn't paid any attention to the stolen spoils, specifically the loot from the collector's private office. Looking at them now, Lisa's words made sense. All the 'artwork' was Nazi memorabilia in some way or another. Taylor watched on in disgusted shock.
"Seriously Skitter," Lisa laughed, "I know you tend to zone out when we start discussing crime, but you should pay more attention to our meetings. Dude bankrolls the Empire in his free time. Not a cape or a member himself but a strong supporter. True believer kind of shit."
Taylor could admit, child or not, she felt a little better knowing that she'd robbed and traumatised a Nazi sympathiser. Compared to her original feelings about assaulting a random wealthy family.
"Sorry…" Taylor said, "I should've remembered. I'm still getting used to…"
"Crime?" Lisa chuckled, "Being a dastardly villain?"
Taylor shrank down, still not like being called out on her immoral deeds, regardless of the victim.
"Skitter," Lisa continued, placing her arm around the girl, and playing the angel on her shoulder this time. "You don't have to be sorry for caring. Hell, we all care… Except for Regent, maybe? The point is to have fun, make money, teach the wrong people a lesson. Do whatever the hell you want. And if you start paying attention to our meetings, you'll be able to know ahead of time just how morally grey our crime of the day is."
Taylor nodded her head in acceptance. She was afraid that one day she'd be placed in a situation where she would be asked to do something truly terrible. It was both a legitimate fear and a silly one. The Undersiders weren't bad people, just 'bad guys.' Taylor needed to remember that.
"And if we ever do suggest doing something that you're not comfortable with." Lisa added, picking up on her mood, "You're more than welcome to throw in a veto. You're part of this team, we'll listen to you."
Lisa was also afraid that one-day Skitter would make a personal call in the heat of the moment if faced with a truly terrible situation. While the Undersiders had varying degrees of morality, Lisa didn't want to stress test any of the members when it came to their jobs. Sticking to quick crimes and quicker getaways.
"Alright, Regent, Skitter and Bitch will stash the loot until it can be picked up," Brian spoke up over the group. "T and me will deliver the tech and get our pay. We can all break from there." He gave us all a curt nod.
Taylor tensed up briefly, Alec and Rachel weren't exactly her favourite people in the group. Alec was fine enough in small bursts, but Rachel outright hated Taylor, at least from Taylor's point of view. The idea of spending time alone with them without Brian or Lisa to run interference was stressful.
"Can I go with you two?" Taylor asked, holding closer to Lisa in a grip that yelled 'Don't leave me alone with them, please.'
Brian paused for a moment and looked at Lisa. Lisa simply shrugged causing Brian to sigh.
"Fine, whatever." He groaned, "We could use the scare factor to keep them from doing anything stupid. Just don't go overboard. In fact, don't do anything at all. Stay with T and don't talk."
Rachel's dogs already moved to leave before Brian was done talking. Bitch and Regent headed home to hide the loot. Brian started walking in a direction, waving a hand for the two remaining girls to follow.
"So, uh?" Taylor started, looking at Lisa, "Who are we meeting? I take it that it's not 'the' boss?"
Lisa smiled and shook her head. "Nah, just rich asshole who collects tinker tech. There're always people like that, good money to be made if you know the right people. They can be kinda creepy, but just be on your best behaviour and we'll be in and out before you know it."
Taylor thought about that. Lisa had told her to pay more attention and be part of the team, and seeing more of the business she was now a part of would be a good thing. Taylor could handle it, she had Lisa and Brian watching over her. She'd be on her best behaviour, a simple sales deal, much less stressful than robbing some nazi's house.
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Half an hour later
Glory Girl was the first on the scene. She'd been in the area after dropping Amy off at the hospital. The call came in through the PRT crime watch. A supervillain fight had broken out in the streets. Several members of the Undersiders were engaged in combat with the ABB.
Victoria could see the black smoke engulfing the scene as she approached from the air. Gunshots rang out as she flew closer. People were running away in a panic as the villains duked it out in the street.
Tattletale was dodging a man's attempts to punch at her. The attacker was dressed in ABB gang colours. He couldn't land a punch on the Tattletale, who continued to mock him as he flailed over the place. A second man continued to fire wild shots into the thick dark fog that approached him. Victoria couldn't spot anything special about them. A standard person with a handgun.
Victoria figured taking out the gunner was the smart option before somebody got hit with a stray bullet. Flying down onto the unsuspecting man. They didn't even look up until the shadow of the girl fell over them. By then it was too late, the man raised their gun only to receive a fist to the face. The gun was crushed in Victoria's hand.
Tattletale and the first man paused their fight as they both noticed the hero's violent landing.
"Glory gi-" The man called out before also getting punched in the face. Tattletale taking his shock as an advantage. It wasn't as hard as a punch from Glory Girl, but it created enough space for Tattletale to break away and move towards Grue.
"We need to leave!" Grue barked, emerging from his smoke to call over Tattletale. "Get out and regroup."
Tattletale looked back towards Glory Girl and at the mess the villains had made during their fight. "But, what about Sk-"
"Now T!" Grue ordered, pulling Tattletale into the smoke with her.
Victoria watched as the two villains disappeared behind the smoke, she hovered to move but was distracted by the man Tattletale punched earlier, who was now picking himself up and charging at the hero. Vicky countered with a quick weave and arm tackle. The Man held his ground, barely.
Victoria hadn't expected the man to take her punch. The gang member was an apparent rogue cape. A parahuman with rather low-rated abilities who didn't feel the need to make a name for themselves. The man in question had the brute-like ability to hit harder than the common man by making his body denser than usual, but not by much.
Changing tactics, Victoria put more strength into her fists. Sending the man flying back into a nearby streetlight. The light pole bent slightly but didn't fall over, and the man didn't try to stand up.
Scanning the area, both Undersiders had managed to escape while Victoria was distracted. She did, however, pick up on the sound of insects buzzing.
"Skitter…" Victoria said with a growl. She didn't know what she had flown into, but Victoria wasn't going to give up the chance to repay the villain for threatening her sister at the bank.
Grabbing the two ABB members already taken out, Victoria bent a metal pole to keep them in place and then shot up into the sky. On the other side of the street was the mass of bugs, Skitter's swarm. They were giving chase of someone behind a building.
Victoria still couldn't see who Skitter was fighting, but she knew the villain must be close. A quick scan from above and Victoria had eyes on Skitter. She flew down towards the battle. Skitter must have heard her coming, because, at the last moment, Skitter jumped back out of Victoria's path. The swarm broke away to return for protection.
"You…" Skitter hissed, her swarm echoing the word. "Why are you here?"
"Arresting you," Victoria said smugly, hovering up from the ground. "Obviously."
"Stay out of this!" The swarm cried. Causing Victoria to fall back slightly as some bugs struck out at her. After rebalancing, she lunged at Skitter as a wall of bugs formed between them. The villain used the time to dodge out of the way. Victoria flew through the bugs to find nothing on the other side. The swarm tried to converge on her but Victoria didn't stay still long enough to be covered.
Skitter was already booking it down the street, hoping to make space between her and the brute.
"Running away?" Victoria said mockingly. Quickly closing the distance. "As expected for your kind."
The villain threw even more bugs her way, somehow pulling them out of her hair. A disgusting thought on top of the face full of bugs. Victoria started panicking, as one would if their face was covered in flies and cockroaches. It didn't harm her, but it was a sensation that no one should ever experience regardless.
"Fucking gross…" Victoria groaned, "Ew ew ew…" She wanted to cry, she'd much rather take a punch to the face over bugs any day of the week. A serious, deep shower was required after this, but first, she needed to find Skitter. She caught the villain trying to escape down a nearby alleyway.
There was a fiery explosion ahead as a small portion of the swarm caught fire and quickly died.
"I've been looking forward to this, Bug!?" Called a male voice ahead of her with a strong Asian accent. "You can run, but you can't hide!"
Flying up and ahead, hoping to cut off Skitter on the other side of the street, Victoria spotted the man who she had heard talking. It was Lung, the leader of the ABB who was supposed to be in PRT custody right now.
Victoria still didn't know what exactly was going on but Skitter no longer appeared to be the main issue in this situation. She quickly contacted PRT authorities to notify them of the development. Her mother had once given her a list of villains who
Victoria should under no circumstances ever engage with and Lung was near the top of that list.
Even so, Lung was here. He was growing larger by the second and tearing up the street. Civilians were fleeing in panic and Skitter looked like she was about to be roasted alive.
The larger villain looked between Skitter and Glory Girl. Trying to determine who was the bigger threat. Victoria moved to punch Lung but was too slow. Lung lifted a large garbage bin and swung the heavy object like it weighed nothing at all.
As the bin crashed into Victoria, she felt the full weight of the heavy object. Pushing her back as her forcefield broke. Another blow like that could leave Victoria as a red paste on the wall if she wasn't careful.
Skitter's swarm caught up to the Lung, the man turning to see the horde of insects approaching. He shot fire back, killing the bugs in bulk. A long streak of fire shot in Skitter's direction like a flame thrower, engulfing the bug villain entirely. Victoria's eyes went wide with shock as she believed to watch the woman burn alive.
Thankfully, Skitter rolled out of the way, still badly singed. Rolling on the floor and patting out the parts of her suit that had caught alight. Not wanting to do that again, Skitter decided to turn tail and run. It was at that point Lung decided to chuck the large bin in Skitter's direction.
Only Skitter wasn't there. Lung had thrown wildly and was set to hit a bystander. Victoria watched in horror as the Lung's impromptu weapon was now on a collision course with a civilian. The world moved in slow motion, or at least that's how it felt for Victoria as she moved to grab the bin from the air. It was too little, too late. She wasn't going to grab it before it struck.
The civilian in question was a teenager, looking around the same age as Victoria if she had to guess. Some random guy who was unlucky enough to be taking a shortcut just as a cape fight had broken out. Who was too concerned with the bug supervillain running at him to notice the incoming force of metal that was about to slam him into the pavement.
At the last moment, Skitter made her move. Diving at the teenager, pushing both out of the way of the impending heavy metal that threatened to splatter them along the pavement. The bin slammed into a car, causing a lot of damage but no injuries.
Victoria turned back to Lung, who was already looking for something else to throw. Forcefield reignited, she didn't give him the chance. Pressing forward, Victoria hit him at full force. As a brute and a hero, Victoria was always taught how to pull her punches and make sure not to use unnecessary force against her opponents. Against someone like Lung, Victoria didn't have to worry about holding back.
It was all over in a matter of seconds, Victoria had never been so determined to take someone down. Before she knew it, Victoria was hovering over an unconscious Lung. Panting and shaking, she checked to make sure he was breathing, before turning back to Skitter.
"It's just a scrape, you'll be fine," Skitter said as she checked over the civilian she'd saved. The teenager nodded in a panic and quickly fled the second he could stand.
Victoria wasn't sure what her plan was now. She'd watched the bug villain risk her life to save a civilian and the adrenaline from beating on Lung was wearing down. But Skitter was still a villain and Glory Girl still had a job to do. She moved towards Skitter and froze as Skitter looked back.
Skitter touched her face. Her actual face. Lung's flame thrower attack had singed her suit so bad that the mask had started melting. Skitter had pulled it off while she was fleeing, not even aware that she had done so until now.
Victoria recognised her face. She didn't have a name, but she had seen her before. It was on the tip of her tongue. Skitter's eyes went wide as she herself realised what was happening. Not only was the villain unmasked, but Victoria 'knew' her.
"W-wait!" Victoria called out. Reaching a hand towards the girl.
In a panic, the remaining swarm covered Skitter. Shielding herself from Victoria's view. Skitter ran off down the street, hand covering her face as the swarm blocked her from any onlookers. Most bystanders had already taken off.
Victoria could have followed after Skitter, but she let her go. The smart play was to keep watch over Lung until backup arrived. At least that's what she told herself as the swarm disappeared.
Victoria had seen her face, she knew who Skitter was. She couldn't place 'where' she'd seen Skitter, but it was somewhere in her memory. Replaying the thought repeatedly, she pieced together what little she knew. Skitter was a familiar girl, who looked to be about Victoria's age, if not younger. That meant Skitter went to school. 'That's' where Victoria recognised her from. Skitter was a student of Arcadia. Skitter was that 'mysterious quiet girl' in Amy's grade.
For now, the only question on Victoria's mind was.
'What do I do with this information?'
---------------------------------------------
A short while later
"How did you not know!?" Brian yelled, holding his arm. He'd been grazed with a bullet during the earlier fight. "It is literally your job to know these things."
Lisa hurriedly pulled out the medical kit from the bathroom and pulled out the relevant supplies. "I'm not psychic! That's not how my powers work, you know that."
She inspected Brians's arm before administering medical care. He was bleeding badly, but it did need to be taken care of soon.
Alec ran into the room, looking over his leader, bleeding on the couch. "What kind of party did I miss?"
"Not now, where's Rachel?" Brain grunted.
Alec shrugged. "She left as soon as we dropped off the bags, doubt she even saw your message."
"Well fucking call her back," Brian barked, "We need to rescue Skitter!"
"Again," Alec said, pulling out his phone. "What the hell did I miss?"
"The client sold us out." Lisa spat angrily, "Turned our deal into an ambush for the ABB, Lung was waiting for us."
"So, no pay I take it?" Alec joked, Lisa shot him an angry look before returning to patching Brian up. "What?... Oh, and Rachel still isn't picking up."
"Fuck!" Lisa swore, standing up from Brain and taking a moment to think. "Okay, just the three of us then. Where would Lung take Skitter?"
"She's probably already de-" Alec began before Brain shot smoke over his mouth.
Lisa tried to ignore the comment, even though it was the most likely scenario. Lung had been there for Skitter specifically. Rumours of his escape from custody were being kept on the down-low by the PRT, but somehow he had returned for his revenge.
"Okay, I can call in some old favours… maybe," Lisa said, panic in her voice.
"Or maybe she'll just walk through the door." Alec countered, pulling himself free of Brian's smoke.
"This isn't funny. Taylor might actually die." Lisa snapped.
Alec responded by pointing behind her. Taylor was standing at the door, dressed in casual jeans and a hoodie. Panting as if she had sprinted all the way back to base herself.
"Taylor!" Lisa gasped, running over to the girl and giving her a hug.
"How the hell did you make it out of there?" Brian asked, giving Taylor a concerned look over.
Taylor shrugged, or at least tried to as Lisa squeezed her. "Glory Girl got in the way. Took Lung down."
The rest of the Undersiders nodded, and Alec whistled at how impressive the feat seemed.
"How are you doing?" Lisa asked, looking over Taylor. "I'm sorry we left you. I should have seen the ambush coming. Are you okay, you seem really worried?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just, y'know. Almost dying…" Taylor lied. While the fight with Lung had indeed been scary, the thought of a hero seeing her face was at the forefront of Taylors' mind'. She forced a smile, pretending that everything was fine now, for Lisa's sake.
For now, the only question on Taylor's mind was.
'What do I do about school tomorrow?'
Chapter 4: She's not evil, just misunderstood
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Morning
'Skitter goes to Arcadia.'
The same thought echoed through Victoria's mind as she entered the building. Somewhere in this crowd of students was the infamous supervillain, casually living her life.
How many times had Victoria passed Skitter in the halls without ever realising?
Skitter might only have been an active villain for a couple of weeks now but the student behind the mask has been here for months. Victoria scanned every student she passed, trying to spot the girl with long black hair.
"What are you doing?" Amy asked, noticing Victoria's odd focus on everyone they passed.
"Uh, nothing." Victoria deflected, forcing her head forward and trying to act normal.
She hadn't told anyone about her recent discovery, not even her sister. A part of her reasoned that confronting a villain like Skitter in school would only end up putting civilian lives at risk, but in truth, Victoria wasn't sure if she wanted to arrest Skitter at all.
Not yet at least.
Victoria wanted to understand Skitter or the girl under the mask. Most villains Victoria met had been gang members, psychopaths and greedy crooks. She never paid much attention to 'who' they were. Villains were criminals, and why they did what they did never mattered much when 'Glory Girl' was taking them down.
But Skitter was a student. A teenager. Didn't every kid want to become a hero? Isn't that the cliché fantasy? Why was she a villain? Was she being forced? Was she just another heartless monster? Obviously not, she avoids harming civilians and actively saved one during a fight.
Victoria wasn't stupid, she knew that all the Undersiders were young. However, she never considered why a group of kids were committing crimes, she never cared to ask. Knowing that a member was going to her school finally got her to ask these questions to herself.
There was still one giant unanswered question that was bugging her.
"What's her name?"
"What?" Amy asked, looking up at Victoria.
"That girl, the quiet transfer, in your grade?" Victoria clarified. "What's her name?"
Amy shrugged. "Dunno. Why?"
Victoria didn't respond. Choosing instead to walk off on her own to go find some answers, leaving a confused Amy behind.
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Lunchtime
In her investigation, Victoria discovered… nothing. Skitter had either not come to school today or was incredibly good at hiding, and worse, no one even knew the girl's name. Every student Victoria approached either called her 'the quiet girl' or 'the weird girl.'
What little the students knew about her didn't answer any questions. In the four months since this 'mysterious transfer student' had arrived, she had managed to not make a single friend and the rest of her peers had accepted her desire to remain invisible. Most students couldn't even remember if they shared classes with her until forcibly prompted by Victoria.
"How does no one know who this girl is!?" Victoria sighed at her table of friends.
Her social group all gave each other a confused look before Dean spoke up.
"Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" He asked.
Victoria looked up at the group, quickly trying to think of a valid excuse that wasn't 'she's actually a supervillain and I want to know why.'
"It's just… frustrating, and sad. Isn't it?" Victoria asked. "The girl's been here for months and nobody even knows her name. Does nobody care?"
"It's hard to notice someone like that," Amy muttered through her food. "You didn't care until today, I'm sure most students don't think about it."
"The teachers would know," Dean added, thinking out loud. "They'd have to. Also isn't there a student registry or something?"
Victoria sighed to herself. Why didn't she think of that obvious answer? She was so focused on the students and learning about what the girl was like that she didn't think of asking a teacher.
Amy, Dean and the rest of the table watched as Victoria pushed off the table and hovered out of the cafeteria. Her blatant use of flying signalled how intensely focused Victoria was on her goal.
About ten minutes later, Victoria returned to the table. Slamming a large book in front of Amy and opening it to a list of names.
"Alright, so I couldn't find any teachers," Victoria began, flipping to the relevant pages "Because I don't even know which homeroom class she's in. But I spoke to the admin and they lent me a copy of the registry. Except it doesn't have any photos, just a list of names."
Victoria pushed the list closer to Amy, looking at her sister expectedly. "What do you want me to do?" Amy asked, confused and intimidated by Vicky's new obsession.
"She's in your grade. You even said that you 'forgot' her name when we asked." Victoria explained. "That implies that you knew it once, right? Just go through the list, point out whatever looks familiar."
Amy furrowed her brow before taking the book. She doubted that she could remember a random name she heard at the start of the year, yet her sister was counting on her, so she did her best. Scrolling her finger through the list of names, Amy could feel the pressure. Eventually, she paused as her finger traced a name.
"Taylor… Hebert." Amy read before tapping on the name. "Yeah, that name sounds familiar… I think. That's probably her."
Victoria grabbed the book back and looked at the name, nodding with a smile. "Taylor. Alright, Taylor. Taylor Hebert…" Victoria burned the name into her memory. Taylor Hebert was Skitter, but why? She looked back up at her sister. "You said you met her once, in the hospital? Do you remember what she was doing? Did you two talk about anything?"
Amy was taken aback. She barely remembered mentioning that fact let alone what happened that day. She took a moment to think back to that night before responding. "Uh… we didn't really talk. At all. She was-" Amy stopped herself before realising she was speaking about a patient, not a student. This was technically hospital business. She shook her head. "That's uh, confidential?"
Amy held up an apologetic frown met only by a more intense look from her sister.
"Amy…"
"I can't, Vicky." Amy countered. "I don't talk about patients. You know that."
"Amy."
Amy looked towards the rest of the table and then back to Victoria. She couldn't deny her sister, it was her one weakness after all.
"Fine," Amy sighed. "But not here."
Victoria practically pulled Amy from her seat, leading her away from the mass of students enjoying their lunch.
"Alright, spill," Victoria said once they found a private spot. "What do you remember about Taylor?"
"Not much," Amy admitted, trying to temper Vicky's expectations. "I was working at the hospital one night and some PRT agent came up and asked me to check some girl for him."
"The PRT?" Victoria asked as she leaned closer in, unaware of how Amy reacted awkwardly to her intense stare.
"Yeah, they were checking on a possible trigger. Wanted me to confirm it for them. So yeah, she's uh. Parahuman."
Amy shrunk down admitting that fact. Even for her sister, she didn't feel comfortable telling other peoples secrets.
"So the PRT know about her?" Victoria thought to herself before turning back to Amy. "What was her trigger? Must have been pretty bad to land her in the hospital."
Amy shrugged again. "Don't know. They didn't tell me and the girl was catatonic when I saw her."
"Catatonic?" Victoria gasped. Trigger events were always traumatic, but that sounded extreme.
"Yeah, she had no idea we were there. She was completely out of it." Amy said before looking down. "Sorry, I didn't really think much of it at the time. Just another patient in my day."
Victoria nodded to herself, patting Amy on the shoulder as thanks. She had a name at least, she could start from there.
------------------------------
Walking back to the school administration, Victoria returned the student registry she borrowed.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Ask the lady at the reception who had lent the book.
"Yes," Victoria said with a smile. "Thanks again for that."
"Anything for Glory Girl." The receptionist chuckled. Victoria didn't like using her 'hero status' to her advantage at school, but this was important. She was finding out about a villain, it counted as work.
"Actually, I was hoping for another favour?" Victoria asked, puffing her chest out and trying to look more heroic than usual.
"Oh, what did you need?"
"Taylor Hebert?" Victoria said directly to the point. "I need to talk to her. Any chance you can tell me what class she has next?"
The receptionist smiled, happy to help, turning to her computer and typing into it.
"Let's see. Taylor… Hebert… Ah." The lady said, reading her screen before looking up with an apologetic smile. "It appears Miss Hebert called in sick today."
"Probably should've expected that," Victoria muttered to herself. "Any chance I can look at her records?"
The receptionist blinked back at Victoria, it was an odd request that she wouldn't usually dare to take seriously if it were any other student. But this was Glory Girl.
"Uh, sure?" The receptionist said, a little confused but otherwise happy to help. "I'll print you a copy. Just don't pass it around to other students."
Victoria tapped the desk impatiently while the printer slowly spat out its paper. Eventually, it finished the job and the lady passed the documents to her and she took them gratefully. Scanning through to find any information on the girl that would give any insight into the villain.
"Winslow?" Victoria read out loud. "Heard there's a lot of gang activity in that school. Does Taylor have any affiliation?"
The receptionist looked back, a little shocked at the question. "I-I don't… uh. No? I don't believe so." She scanned the file on her computer. "Is she in any trouble? Like… hero trouble?" She whispered the last part.
"No!" Victoria snapped back, louder than she expected. "Uh, I mean. No, I'm just trying to get an understanding of her." Victoria definitely didn't want to panic the school about a villain attending their halls. "I just noticed she doesn't have many friends here. I was hoping to get to know her better." She lied.
The receptionist smiled. "Oh, how nice of you. I wish more students were as caring as you."
Victoria turned back to the document. "What's this 'locker incident' here?" She asked, pointing to a section on the paper. "She was transferred shortly after but it doesn't say what happened."
The receptionist looked over from her computer. "Not too sure? Hold up, there are some files sent over from Winslow." The computer started printing again.
Reading over the extra document, Victoria's face twisted to disgust at the horror she was reading. A janitor had found Taylor in the locker at the end of the first period. She was kicking and screaming to the point that police and paramedics had to be called to take her away.
The list of contents found in the locker alone made Victoria want to be sick, let alone the idea of being trapped in that hell.
However, the thing that really got on Victoria's nerves was that there was no mention of the culprit. As if the school just assumed that Taylor 'somehow fell' into a locker full of trash and locked herself in.
She was looking at obvious proof of bullying and there wasn't even a note about suspected students. Following through with the documents, Victoria found several other instances where Taylor would be found in obvious distress without the slightest hint of who put her in that situation. It went beyond sheer negligence or incompetence, Winslow was covering for someone or a group of people who had a vendetta against the girl and it had been going on for a long time.
"No wonder she became a villain. The poor girl probably thinks the world hates her." Victoria said quietly to herself. Angry and sad at the story unfolding in her hand.
Victoria had decided. She wasn't going to arrest Taylor, she wasn't going to attack her in school nor was she going to tell the PRT or anyone for that matter about her identity. She needed to meet with Taylor, face-to-face. Not as a hero and villain, but as two peers.
'But would Taylor even come to school?' Victoria thought to herself. The villain had been unmasked to a hero, Taylor might choose to run away and double down on her life of crime now that her civilian life was compromised.
Victoria could only hope that Taylor would return someday before Skitter got caught.
------------------------
A few days later
Taylor stood out the front of Arcadia High. She could only fake being sick for so many days until her Dad started questioning what was going on. Her first instinct was to run, just bolt down the street and into the Undersider's base. Give up on her civilian life completely and become 'Skitter' for the rest of her life. That would mean leaving her Dad behind, and that was something Taylor wasn't ready to do.
The past few days, Taylor was worried that the PRT would be kicking in her door any minute. She had a bag hidden under her bed ready to go the second her bugs picked up on anything strange. Lisa had told her once that there were 'unspoken rules' about attacking Villains in their own homes, but Taylor wasn't sure how serious those rules were.
No one had come in the night to arrest her, so either the rules were working or Glory Girl didn't recognise her as Taylor suspected. It was only a brief look and Taylor was pretty good at being invisible at school.
Taking her first shaky steps, Taylor made her way into the school. Her bugs were on extra alert yet still unable to pick up on any PRT uniforms hiding around the school. If they were planning to arrest her, a school would be a terrible place to do it. Any student could become collateral in an event like that, no sane person would authorise that.
Calming herself down, Taylor sunk into her usual routine. Blending into the crowd and making her way to class. She kept an extra eye out on the Wards, or at least the students who were strongly suspected to be Wards. Taylor took the extra long route to her locker just to avoid two boys who she was 70% sure was Clockblocker and Kid Win.
Collecting her things, Taylor made her way to class. Once the school day properly started, Taylor was able to relax. Nobody was after her, nobody even knew who she was, exactly how Taylor wanted it to be.
As long as Taylor could avoid Glory Girl for the foreseeable future, she could get through her school life. Glory Girl was also a whole year ahead of her and was due to be graduating in a few months. Taylor could keep to the shadows until then.
Reassuring herself, Taylor grew confident. All her worries were for naught, as the first set of classes ended and lunch period was about to begin, Taylor realised she forgot about one person in particular.
"Yeah, she's right here." Said a voice from behind Taylor as she walked through the halls. "Want me to talk to her or?" Taylor turned around to find Panacea, Amy Dallon, on the phone looking at Taylor. She had the usual tired look that Amy was known for but the girl waved a polite casual hand in Taylor's direction. "Oh, she noticed me. Want me to-"
Taylor bolted, she didn't care where. Down a random hallway, away from the hero and the mass of students. She needed to get out of there. Coming to school was a stupid idea, she should have stuck to her original plan and ditched her life entirely.
Calling her bugs, it was time for Taylor to disappear forever and for Skitter to become a full-time member of the Undersiders. A short sprint out the back, climbing the fence and Taylor would be home free. Bursting out into the school courtyard, Taylor dashed through the school's 'track and field' sports area.
There were no students out here yet, Taylor had a straight line to freedom. A few hundred meters to go before she was out and her new life began. Tears ran down her face as she said her goodbyes in her head. She probably wouldn't see her Dad for a long time. She would get back to base, find Lisa and hope that she had some smart way out of this entire mess.
Glory Girl landed between Taylor and her new life. More specifically, it was Victoria, as she wasn't dressed in her usual hero getup. Taylor stiffened briefly after seeing the hero descend before her.
"Taylor…" Glory Girl said, confirming without a doubt that she knew who Taylor was.
That was it, the heroes knew her name. There was no coming back from this, Taylor would be hunted for the rest of her life. She wasn't going to surrender. Taylor refused to go to prison. Calling her swarm to her side, Taylor prepared for battle.
----------------------------------------------
Victoria's phone rang in the middle of school just as Vicky was leaving class. Taking it from her pocket, she paused after seeing the caller ID. It was Amy, Vicky was about to have lunch with her sister so whatever she had to say must have been important.
Flipping the phone open Victoria answered with a smile. "Sup Ames?"
"You wanted to know when your mystery girl was here," Amy said.
"What?" Victoria asked before realising what she meant. "Oh, you mean Taylor?"
"Yeah, she's right here." Amy said, "Want me to talk to her or?"
"No!" Victoria said, already jogging in Amy's direction. "I'm heading to you. Don't lose eye on her."
"Oh, she noticed me. Want me to-" Amy said before pausing. "She just ran off. That's weird. I get that she's shy but I didn't expect-"
"Which way!?" Victoria asked, moving to a hover for speed.
"Oh, uh, sport's field I guess." Amy said, "Vicky, What's going on?"
"Nothing." She lied, "Probably just shy, I'll talk to her. Go have lunch, Ames, thanks."
Ending the call, Victoria found the nearest window she could open and flew out. Not something she would usually do in school but if Taylor was running then she needed to find her before something happened.
Taking to the skies, Victoria quickly saw a lone student with dark hair sprinting along the track field. Victoria could quickly catch up to someone on foot, even when they had a straight line to run in.
Landing down in front of the girl, Victoria stood face to face with Taylor. Her face showed the same fearful expression Skitter had when her mask was removed. There was no doubt these were the same people.
"Taylor, wait-" Victoria began. A swarm of bugs formed around the scared girl. It wasn't a large swarm like when they last fought, there weren't as many bugs around Arcadia and Taylor hadn't enough time to call them together.
The girl formed a shaky defensive posture as the bugs formed into an almost liquid pool of buzzing. She was ready to fight which was the last thing Victoria wanted to do.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Victoria said, raising her arms up high. "I come in peace. I don't want to fight."
Taylor paused at that. Her eyes darted from Victoria to the scene around her. They were alone, no Wards or PRT were encroaching on her. Taylor didn't drop her pose but her swarm did fall closer back to the girl.
Victoria could see that Taylor was shaking in fear, tears forming in her eyes. The girl was terrified and was a hair trigger away from doing anything to get away.
"I just want to talk," Victoria added, trying to calm the situation.
"Then talk." Taylor hissed, her voice catching in her throat, glaring at Victoria.
Victoria looked towards the swarm gathered around Taylor and then back to the school. Students would be coming out any second now. "Lose the bugs first." She asked the swarm buzzed angrily at the suggestion and Taylor clenched into a deeper stance. "People are going to see if you don't disperse them," Victoria added, concern radiating from her voice. "I haven't told anybody. No one knows but me. Please, put the bugs away and let's talk."
Taylor paused again and held her eyes to Victoria's. The swarm dispersed as students began to appear in the background, none of them noticing the intense confrontation at the edge of the school. Victoria let out a deep sigh of relief.
"What do you want?" Taylor asked, still tense. The swarm might not be together but she could easily pull them back if she needed.
"Just to talk, I promise," Victoria said again, keeping her movements calm and careful. "I'm not going to arrest you, or anything. Just… please relax."
"Why?" Taylor asked, continuing to glare at Victoria. She was confused and looking for what hidden angle Vicky 'must' be working. "You know me, you know I'm…"
"Skitter," Victoria said, holding her ground to Taylor's glare.
"So why? I'm not surrendering. Fight me and get it over with already." Taylor growled.
Victoria could hear the hurt in that statement. 'Get it over with already.' This girl already accepted the fact that Victoria was going to beat her, the idea that Vicky wanted to find an alternative was completely foreign to her.
"I won't fight you," Victoria said calmly. "So please don't attack me either. I think I understand you, a little at least…" Her eyes were saddened as Victoria thought back on Taylor's school history.
"What?" Taylor asked confused before getting angry again. "I don't need your pity."
"Sorry, that's not…" Victoria shook her head. "I looked into your time at Winslow, I know you were bullied." The mere mention of the school made every bug in the area buzz in anger. "I can't imagine what you've been through. So, I get it. I don't think you're... evil or whatever. You've had a rough time. So-"
"So you read some notes and think you understand me?" Taylor scoffed, angry and amused at the audacity of the 'hero.' "Again, I don't need anyone's pity. Especially not from someone like you."
'Someone like you.' There was something in the way she said that. There was more to the bullying that Victoria obviously didn't know. Taylor held anger towards her specifically or 'someone like her'.
"I don't understand you," Victoria said, trying to calm Taylor again. "I barely know you. No one does. But from the little I do know…" She thought carefully about how to approach the girl. "…You deserve better."
That caught Taylor off guard, her posture relaxed in the confusion.
"You should have a normal school life. I'm not going to take that away from you. I won't arrest you. I won't tell anyone here about you." Victoria said.
"I don't… understand?" Taylor said, cautiously returning to a more relaxed state. "You don't know me, you don't want to arrest me. What do you want?"
"You're right. I don't know you," Victoria continued, "But I want to understand you. Want to show you a better alternative. So let's make a… deal."
"A deal?"
"While we're at school. Or just in our usual civilian lives. I won't take any action against you." Victoria said, "You don't have to worry about me, nor any of the Wards that come here. I'll make sure none of them ever know about you."
Taylor thought on that for a moment. "And what do you want in return?"
"You need to start interacting with the other students," Victoria said with a smile. "Take part in the whole, 'school experience.' Learn that not every place is as awful as Winslow."
Taylor scoffed again. "Seriously? What? You expect me to just, make friends? You know that's not going to happen. All these people hate me."
Victoria was taken aback by that statement. Taylor genuinely believed that the entire student body hated her. More answers about how 'Skitter' came about and questions on Taylor's mentality.
"Start with me then," Victoria said, holding out a hand to greet Taylor. She suppressed giving the girl another sad look, not wanting to set Taylor off again by 'pitying' her. "I'll be your friend."
Taylor hesitated for a long moment before extending a hand to take Victoria's. Victoria's smile grew as they shook hands.
"Hi, Victoria Dallon. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a welcoming smile.
"Uh, Taylor Hebert," Taylor said in return, still confused as to how she got here. "It's… nice to meet you… again?"
"Want to grab some lunch?" Victoria asked, leading Taylor back towards the school. She didn't pull Taylor as she might with someone like Amy, instead gently walking in the direction and waiting for the girl to follow.
Taylor took a few shaky steps with Victoria, not letting go of her hand. The two found an equal pace and headed off for lunch. Taylor had no idea what to expect and Victoria had no idea what she was doing.
A plan formed in Vicky's mind. To seduce Taylor to the 'light side' with promises of memories and friendship. The memories would be good and the friendship would be genuine. On that Victoria would make sure.
As for what to do about Skitter, and how she'd interact with 'Glory Girl' going forward?
That would be a problem for tomorrow.
'Skitter goes to Arcadia.'
The same thought echoed through Victoria's mind as she entered the building. Somewhere in this crowd of students was the infamous supervillain, casually living her life.
How many times had Victoria passed Skitter in the halls without ever realising?
Skitter might only have been an active villain for a couple of weeks now but the student behind the mask has been here for months. Victoria scanned every student she passed, trying to spot the girl with long black hair.
"What are you doing?" Amy asked, noticing Victoria's odd focus on everyone they passed.
"Uh, nothing." Victoria deflected, forcing her head forward and trying to act normal.
She hadn't told anyone about her recent discovery, not even her sister. A part of her reasoned that confronting a villain like Skitter in school would only end up putting civilian lives at risk, but in truth, Victoria wasn't sure if she wanted to arrest Skitter at all.
Not yet at least.
Victoria wanted to understand Skitter or the girl under the mask. Most villains Victoria met had been gang members, psychopaths and greedy crooks. She never paid much attention to 'who' they were. Villains were criminals, and why they did what they did never mattered much when 'Glory Girl' was taking them down.
But Skitter was a student. A teenager. Didn't every kid want to become a hero? Isn't that the cliché fantasy? Why was she a villain? Was she being forced? Was she just another heartless monster? Obviously not, she avoids harming civilians and actively saved one during a fight.
Victoria wasn't stupid, she knew that all the Undersiders were young. However, she never considered why a group of kids were committing crimes, she never cared to ask. Knowing that a member was going to her school finally got her to ask these questions to herself.
There was still one giant unanswered question that was bugging her.
"What's her name?"
"What?" Amy asked, looking up at Victoria.
"That girl, the quiet transfer, in your grade?" Victoria clarified. "What's her name?"
Amy shrugged. "Dunno. Why?"
Victoria didn't respond. Choosing instead to walk off on her own to go find some answers, leaving a confused Amy behind.
---------------------------------------------
Lunchtime
In her investigation, Victoria discovered… nothing. Skitter had either not come to school today or was incredibly good at hiding, and worse, no one even knew the girl's name. Every student Victoria approached either called her 'the quiet girl' or 'the weird girl.'
What little the students knew about her didn't answer any questions. In the four months since this 'mysterious transfer student' had arrived, she had managed to not make a single friend and the rest of her peers had accepted her desire to remain invisible. Most students couldn't even remember if they shared classes with her until forcibly prompted by Victoria.
"How does no one know who this girl is!?" Victoria sighed at her table of friends.
Her social group all gave each other a confused look before Dean spoke up.
"Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" He asked.
Victoria looked up at the group, quickly trying to think of a valid excuse that wasn't 'she's actually a supervillain and I want to know why.'
"It's just… frustrating, and sad. Isn't it?" Victoria asked. "The girl's been here for months and nobody even knows her name. Does nobody care?"
"It's hard to notice someone like that," Amy muttered through her food. "You didn't care until today, I'm sure most students don't think about it."
"The teachers would know," Dean added, thinking out loud. "They'd have to. Also isn't there a student registry or something?"
Victoria sighed to herself. Why didn't she think of that obvious answer? She was so focused on the students and learning about what the girl was like that she didn't think of asking a teacher.
Amy, Dean and the rest of the table watched as Victoria pushed off the table and hovered out of the cafeteria. Her blatant use of flying signalled how intensely focused Victoria was on her goal.
About ten minutes later, Victoria returned to the table. Slamming a large book in front of Amy and opening it to a list of names.
"Alright, so I couldn't find any teachers," Victoria began, flipping to the relevant pages "Because I don't even know which homeroom class she's in. But I spoke to the admin and they lent me a copy of the registry. Except it doesn't have any photos, just a list of names."
Victoria pushed the list closer to Amy, looking at her sister expectedly. "What do you want me to do?" Amy asked, confused and intimidated by Vicky's new obsession.
"She's in your grade. You even said that you 'forgot' her name when we asked." Victoria explained. "That implies that you knew it once, right? Just go through the list, point out whatever looks familiar."
Amy furrowed her brow before taking the book. She doubted that she could remember a random name she heard at the start of the year, yet her sister was counting on her, so she did her best. Scrolling her finger through the list of names, Amy could feel the pressure. Eventually, she paused as her finger traced a name.
"Taylor… Hebert." Amy read before tapping on the name. "Yeah, that name sounds familiar… I think. That's probably her."
Victoria grabbed the book back and looked at the name, nodding with a smile. "Taylor. Alright, Taylor. Taylor Hebert…" Victoria burned the name into her memory. Taylor Hebert was Skitter, but why? She looked back up at her sister. "You said you met her once, in the hospital? Do you remember what she was doing? Did you two talk about anything?"
Amy was taken aback. She barely remembered mentioning that fact let alone what happened that day. She took a moment to think back to that night before responding. "Uh… we didn't really talk. At all. She was-" Amy stopped herself before realising she was speaking about a patient, not a student. This was technically hospital business. She shook her head. "That's uh, confidential?"
Amy held up an apologetic frown met only by a more intense look from her sister.
"Amy…"
"I can't, Vicky." Amy countered. "I don't talk about patients. You know that."
"Amy."
Amy looked towards the rest of the table and then back to Victoria. She couldn't deny her sister, it was her one weakness after all.
"Fine," Amy sighed. "But not here."
Victoria practically pulled Amy from her seat, leading her away from the mass of students enjoying their lunch.
"Alright, spill," Victoria said once they found a private spot. "What do you remember about Taylor?"
"Not much," Amy admitted, trying to temper Vicky's expectations. "I was working at the hospital one night and some PRT agent came up and asked me to check some girl for him."
"The PRT?" Victoria asked as she leaned closer in, unaware of how Amy reacted awkwardly to her intense stare.
"Yeah, they were checking on a possible trigger. Wanted me to confirm it for them. So yeah, she's uh. Parahuman."
Amy shrunk down admitting that fact. Even for her sister, she didn't feel comfortable telling other peoples secrets.
"So the PRT know about her?" Victoria thought to herself before turning back to Amy. "What was her trigger? Must have been pretty bad to land her in the hospital."
Amy shrugged again. "Don't know. They didn't tell me and the girl was catatonic when I saw her."
"Catatonic?" Victoria gasped. Trigger events were always traumatic, but that sounded extreme.
"Yeah, she had no idea we were there. She was completely out of it." Amy said before looking down. "Sorry, I didn't really think much of it at the time. Just another patient in my day."
Victoria nodded to herself, patting Amy on the shoulder as thanks. She had a name at least, she could start from there.
------------------------------
Walking back to the school administration, Victoria returned the student registry she borrowed.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Ask the lady at the reception who had lent the book.
"Yes," Victoria said with a smile. "Thanks again for that."
"Anything for Glory Girl." The receptionist chuckled. Victoria didn't like using her 'hero status' to her advantage at school, but this was important. She was finding out about a villain, it counted as work.
"Actually, I was hoping for another favour?" Victoria asked, puffing her chest out and trying to look more heroic than usual.
"Oh, what did you need?"
"Taylor Hebert?" Victoria said directly to the point. "I need to talk to her. Any chance you can tell me what class she has next?"
The receptionist smiled, happy to help, turning to her computer and typing into it.
"Let's see. Taylor… Hebert… Ah." The lady said, reading her screen before looking up with an apologetic smile. "It appears Miss Hebert called in sick today."
"Probably should've expected that," Victoria muttered to herself. "Any chance I can look at her records?"
The receptionist blinked back at Victoria, it was an odd request that she wouldn't usually dare to take seriously if it were any other student. But this was Glory Girl.
"Uh, sure?" The receptionist said, a little confused but otherwise happy to help. "I'll print you a copy. Just don't pass it around to other students."
Victoria tapped the desk impatiently while the printer slowly spat out its paper. Eventually, it finished the job and the lady passed the documents to her and she took them gratefully. Scanning through to find any information on the girl that would give any insight into the villain.
"Winslow?" Victoria read out loud. "Heard there's a lot of gang activity in that school. Does Taylor have any affiliation?"
The receptionist looked back, a little shocked at the question. "I-I don't… uh. No? I don't believe so." She scanned the file on her computer. "Is she in any trouble? Like… hero trouble?" She whispered the last part.
"No!" Victoria snapped back, louder than she expected. "Uh, I mean. No, I'm just trying to get an understanding of her." Victoria definitely didn't want to panic the school about a villain attending their halls. "I just noticed she doesn't have many friends here. I was hoping to get to know her better." She lied.
The receptionist smiled. "Oh, how nice of you. I wish more students were as caring as you."
Victoria turned back to the document. "What's this 'locker incident' here?" She asked, pointing to a section on the paper. "She was transferred shortly after but it doesn't say what happened."
The receptionist looked over from her computer. "Not too sure? Hold up, there are some files sent over from Winslow." The computer started printing again.
Reading over the extra document, Victoria's face twisted to disgust at the horror she was reading. A janitor had found Taylor in the locker at the end of the first period. She was kicking and screaming to the point that police and paramedics had to be called to take her away.
The list of contents found in the locker alone made Victoria want to be sick, let alone the idea of being trapped in that hell.
However, the thing that really got on Victoria's nerves was that there was no mention of the culprit. As if the school just assumed that Taylor 'somehow fell' into a locker full of trash and locked herself in.
She was looking at obvious proof of bullying and there wasn't even a note about suspected students. Following through with the documents, Victoria found several other instances where Taylor would be found in obvious distress without the slightest hint of who put her in that situation. It went beyond sheer negligence or incompetence, Winslow was covering for someone or a group of people who had a vendetta against the girl and it had been going on for a long time.
"No wonder she became a villain. The poor girl probably thinks the world hates her." Victoria said quietly to herself. Angry and sad at the story unfolding in her hand.
Victoria had decided. She wasn't going to arrest Taylor, she wasn't going to attack her in school nor was she going to tell the PRT or anyone for that matter about her identity. She needed to meet with Taylor, face-to-face. Not as a hero and villain, but as two peers.
'But would Taylor even come to school?' Victoria thought to herself. The villain had been unmasked to a hero, Taylor might choose to run away and double down on her life of crime now that her civilian life was compromised.
Victoria could only hope that Taylor would return someday before Skitter got caught.
------------------------
A few days later
Taylor stood out the front of Arcadia High. She could only fake being sick for so many days until her Dad started questioning what was going on. Her first instinct was to run, just bolt down the street and into the Undersider's base. Give up on her civilian life completely and become 'Skitter' for the rest of her life. That would mean leaving her Dad behind, and that was something Taylor wasn't ready to do.
The past few days, Taylor was worried that the PRT would be kicking in her door any minute. She had a bag hidden under her bed ready to go the second her bugs picked up on anything strange. Lisa had told her once that there were 'unspoken rules' about attacking Villains in their own homes, but Taylor wasn't sure how serious those rules were.
No one had come in the night to arrest her, so either the rules were working or Glory Girl didn't recognise her as Taylor suspected. It was only a brief look and Taylor was pretty good at being invisible at school.
Taking her first shaky steps, Taylor made her way into the school. Her bugs were on extra alert yet still unable to pick up on any PRT uniforms hiding around the school. If they were planning to arrest her, a school would be a terrible place to do it. Any student could become collateral in an event like that, no sane person would authorise that.
Calming herself down, Taylor sunk into her usual routine. Blending into the crowd and making her way to class. She kept an extra eye out on the Wards, or at least the students who were strongly suspected to be Wards. Taylor took the extra long route to her locker just to avoid two boys who she was 70% sure was Clockblocker and Kid Win.
Collecting her things, Taylor made her way to class. Once the school day properly started, Taylor was able to relax. Nobody was after her, nobody even knew who she was, exactly how Taylor wanted it to be.
As long as Taylor could avoid Glory Girl for the foreseeable future, she could get through her school life. Glory Girl was also a whole year ahead of her and was due to be graduating in a few months. Taylor could keep to the shadows until then.
Reassuring herself, Taylor grew confident. All her worries were for naught, as the first set of classes ended and lunch period was about to begin, Taylor realised she forgot about one person in particular.
"Yeah, she's right here." Said a voice from behind Taylor as she walked through the halls. "Want me to talk to her or?" Taylor turned around to find Panacea, Amy Dallon, on the phone looking at Taylor. She had the usual tired look that Amy was known for but the girl waved a polite casual hand in Taylor's direction. "Oh, she noticed me. Want me to-"
Taylor bolted, she didn't care where. Down a random hallway, away from the hero and the mass of students. She needed to get out of there. Coming to school was a stupid idea, she should have stuck to her original plan and ditched her life entirely.
Calling her bugs, it was time for Taylor to disappear forever and for Skitter to become a full-time member of the Undersiders. A short sprint out the back, climbing the fence and Taylor would be home free. Bursting out into the school courtyard, Taylor dashed through the school's 'track and field' sports area.
There were no students out here yet, Taylor had a straight line to freedom. A few hundred meters to go before she was out and her new life began. Tears ran down her face as she said her goodbyes in her head. She probably wouldn't see her Dad for a long time. She would get back to base, find Lisa and hope that she had some smart way out of this entire mess.
Glory Girl landed between Taylor and her new life. More specifically, it was Victoria, as she wasn't dressed in her usual hero getup. Taylor stiffened briefly after seeing the hero descend before her.
"Taylor…" Glory Girl said, confirming without a doubt that she knew who Taylor was.
That was it, the heroes knew her name. There was no coming back from this, Taylor would be hunted for the rest of her life. She wasn't going to surrender. Taylor refused to go to prison. Calling her swarm to her side, Taylor prepared for battle.
----------------------------------------------
Victoria's phone rang in the middle of school just as Vicky was leaving class. Taking it from her pocket, she paused after seeing the caller ID. It was Amy, Vicky was about to have lunch with her sister so whatever she had to say must have been important.
Flipping the phone open Victoria answered with a smile. "Sup Ames?"
"You wanted to know when your mystery girl was here," Amy said.
"What?" Victoria asked before realising what she meant. "Oh, you mean Taylor?"
"Yeah, she's right here." Amy said, "Want me to talk to her or?"
"No!" Victoria said, already jogging in Amy's direction. "I'm heading to you. Don't lose eye on her."
"Oh, she noticed me. Want me to-" Amy said before pausing. "She just ran off. That's weird. I get that she's shy but I didn't expect-"
"Which way!?" Victoria asked, moving to a hover for speed.
"Oh, uh, sport's field I guess." Amy said, "Vicky, What's going on?"
"Nothing." She lied, "Probably just shy, I'll talk to her. Go have lunch, Ames, thanks."
Ending the call, Victoria found the nearest window she could open and flew out. Not something she would usually do in school but if Taylor was running then she needed to find her before something happened.
Taking to the skies, Victoria quickly saw a lone student with dark hair sprinting along the track field. Victoria could quickly catch up to someone on foot, even when they had a straight line to run in.
Landing down in front of the girl, Victoria stood face to face with Taylor. Her face showed the same fearful expression Skitter had when her mask was removed. There was no doubt these were the same people.
"Taylor, wait-" Victoria began. A swarm of bugs formed around the scared girl. It wasn't a large swarm like when they last fought, there weren't as many bugs around Arcadia and Taylor hadn't enough time to call them together.
The girl formed a shaky defensive posture as the bugs formed into an almost liquid pool of buzzing. She was ready to fight which was the last thing Victoria wanted to do.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Victoria said, raising her arms up high. "I come in peace. I don't want to fight."
Taylor paused at that. Her eyes darted from Victoria to the scene around her. They were alone, no Wards or PRT were encroaching on her. Taylor didn't drop her pose but her swarm did fall closer back to the girl.
Victoria could see that Taylor was shaking in fear, tears forming in her eyes. The girl was terrified and was a hair trigger away from doing anything to get away.
"I just want to talk," Victoria added, trying to calm the situation.
"Then talk." Taylor hissed, her voice catching in her throat, glaring at Victoria.
Victoria looked towards the swarm gathered around Taylor and then back to the school. Students would be coming out any second now. "Lose the bugs first." She asked the swarm buzzed angrily at the suggestion and Taylor clenched into a deeper stance. "People are going to see if you don't disperse them," Victoria added, concern radiating from her voice. "I haven't told anybody. No one knows but me. Please, put the bugs away and let's talk."
Taylor paused again and held her eyes to Victoria's. The swarm dispersed as students began to appear in the background, none of them noticing the intense confrontation at the edge of the school. Victoria let out a deep sigh of relief.
"What do you want?" Taylor asked, still tense. The swarm might not be together but she could easily pull them back if she needed.
"Just to talk, I promise," Victoria said again, keeping her movements calm and careful. "I'm not going to arrest you, or anything. Just… please relax."
"Why?" Taylor asked, continuing to glare at Victoria. She was confused and looking for what hidden angle Vicky 'must' be working. "You know me, you know I'm…"
"Skitter," Victoria said, holding her ground to Taylor's glare.
"So why? I'm not surrendering. Fight me and get it over with already." Taylor growled.
Victoria could hear the hurt in that statement. 'Get it over with already.' This girl already accepted the fact that Victoria was going to beat her, the idea that Vicky wanted to find an alternative was completely foreign to her.
"I won't fight you," Victoria said calmly. "So please don't attack me either. I think I understand you, a little at least…" Her eyes were saddened as Victoria thought back on Taylor's school history.
"What?" Taylor asked confused before getting angry again. "I don't need your pity."
"Sorry, that's not…" Victoria shook her head. "I looked into your time at Winslow, I know you were bullied." The mere mention of the school made every bug in the area buzz in anger. "I can't imagine what you've been through. So, I get it. I don't think you're... evil or whatever. You've had a rough time. So-"
"So you read some notes and think you understand me?" Taylor scoffed, angry and amused at the audacity of the 'hero.' "Again, I don't need anyone's pity. Especially not from someone like you."
'Someone like you.' There was something in the way she said that. There was more to the bullying that Victoria obviously didn't know. Taylor held anger towards her specifically or 'someone like her'.
"I don't understand you," Victoria said, trying to calm Taylor again. "I barely know you. No one does. But from the little I do know…" She thought carefully about how to approach the girl. "…You deserve better."
That caught Taylor off guard, her posture relaxed in the confusion.
"You should have a normal school life. I'm not going to take that away from you. I won't arrest you. I won't tell anyone here about you." Victoria said.
"I don't… understand?" Taylor said, cautiously returning to a more relaxed state. "You don't know me, you don't want to arrest me. What do you want?"
"You're right. I don't know you," Victoria continued, "But I want to understand you. Want to show you a better alternative. So let's make a… deal."
"A deal?"
"While we're at school. Or just in our usual civilian lives. I won't take any action against you." Victoria said, "You don't have to worry about me, nor any of the Wards that come here. I'll make sure none of them ever know about you."
Taylor thought on that for a moment. "And what do you want in return?"
"You need to start interacting with the other students," Victoria said with a smile. "Take part in the whole, 'school experience.' Learn that not every place is as awful as Winslow."
Taylor scoffed again. "Seriously? What? You expect me to just, make friends? You know that's not going to happen. All these people hate me."
Victoria was taken aback by that statement. Taylor genuinely believed that the entire student body hated her. More answers about how 'Skitter' came about and questions on Taylor's mentality.
"Start with me then," Victoria said, holding out a hand to greet Taylor. She suppressed giving the girl another sad look, not wanting to set Taylor off again by 'pitying' her. "I'll be your friend."
Taylor hesitated for a long moment before extending a hand to take Victoria's. Victoria's smile grew as they shook hands.
"Hi, Victoria Dallon. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a welcoming smile.
"Uh, Taylor Hebert," Taylor said in return, still confused as to how she got here. "It's… nice to meet you… again?"
"Want to grab some lunch?" Victoria asked, leading Taylor back towards the school. She didn't pull Taylor as she might with someone like Amy, instead gently walking in the direction and waiting for the girl to follow.
Taylor took a few shaky steps with Victoria, not letting go of her hand. The two found an equal pace and headed off for lunch. Taylor had no idea what to expect and Victoria had no idea what she was doing.
A plan formed in Vicky's mind. To seduce Taylor to the 'light side' with promises of memories and friendship. The memories would be good and the friendship would be genuine. On that Victoria would make sure.
As for what to do about Skitter, and how she'd interact with 'Glory Girl' going forward?
That would be a problem for tomorrow.
Chapter 5: She's a little quiet
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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T/W: Very Mild Suicidal Ideation mention
Wasn't sure if I should put this in or not, but figured it'd be safer to err on the side of caution.
It's only one off sentence that gets cut off, I don't really plan to delve deeply into that topic, but warning for those it may bother.
Wasn't sure if I should put this in or not, but figured it'd be safer to err on the side of caution.
It's only one off sentence that gets cut off, I don't really plan to delve deeply into that topic, but warning for those it may bother.
Lunch
Taylor wasn't sure what she was expecting when she took Glory Girl's hand. The hero had her cornered, outed and could've easily arrested her or worse and yet… she offered a hand of friendship and led the scared villainess back into the school.
She was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. To work out what the hero's play was, throwing her off with words to get Taylor to drop her guard and then willingly lead her into a trap. That had to be it, right?
Glory Girl didn't want to arrest Taylor because she had something worse planned for her. Taylor should've fought when she had the chance, now she's back inside, away from her bugs, her exit and locked hands with a brute who could tear her arm off.
This was a terrible idea, why had Taylor accepted her offer? She lied, they always lie. Taylor fell for the oldest lie in the book. Friendship. Playing on Taylor's loneliness and insecurities. Glory Girl could give Lisa a run for her money.
Now Taylor is in the cafeteria and everyone was looking at them. At her. The pitiful girl behind was being led to the gallows by the Queen Bee of Arcadia. This is exactly where Glory Girl will make her statement, show to the entire school how she's in control and how Taylor is just another toy to play with. To torturer.
It's Emma all over again, except this time she had super strength and Taylor will never outrun her.
Taylor winced at the thought, her feet freezing in place. Glory Girl tugs gently on her arm before also stopping and turning back to see what's wrong. To see why Taylor is not moving. Not obeying her.
"Taylor?" Glory Girl asked, putting up the pretence of false concern. "Are you okay? Your hand is tensing up?"
Why are you so weird, Taylor? Why are you so meek and pathetic? Why can't you just do as you're told? Why are you so ugly and stupid? Why do I have to be seen with a freak like you? Why don't you just kill yo-
"Taylor?" Glory Girl said again. A little firmer this time. She squeezed Taylor's hand back and a gentle wave of calm emanated from the hero. "It's okay, we're gonna sit in the far corner. Okay? You don't need to worry about anyone else. I'll introduce you to my friends. They can become your friends too, okay?"
Taylor nodded gently, taking in a deep breath. Her feet started moving again, and she started feeling better with every step. The hero's hand gripped tightly, not pulling but guiding Taylor away from the large crowd of onlookers, most of which were moving on to get about their day.
Taylor's calming moments didn't last for very long as she caught eyes on Glory Girl's 'friends'. In hindsight, it was pretty obvious who they were going to be but Taylor wasn't exactly thinking straight at the time. Glory Girl was now pulling Taylor in front of her posse, the group of students who clung to the hero all day long, the group of students who Taylor was sure wore masks of their own. Taylor had fallen into the hero's trap. She was now face to face with the Wards.
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"Everybody, This is Taylor," Victoria said with a charming smile. Her group of friends all turned their heads to see the new girl Vicky had brought with her. "She's our new friend, starting now. Everybody say 'Hi'."
Victoria had no idea what she was doing when she took Taylor's hand. The girl was halfway to bolting off into the city and willing to start a cape fight on school grounds to get the rest of the way there.
It was a dangerous situation, like cornering a wild animal. The closer she got to Taylor, the more she found out about Taylor's history, the more she could recognise the pain behind her fear.
The girl even seemed like she had a mild panic attack simply walking into the cafeteria. Victoria was used to having everyone look in her direction, she was never one to 'flaunt' being the center of attention, yet she never had a problem with it either. Taylor on the other hand, hated being seen. That much was clear. Getting her away from the lunchtime crowd and tucked away at a table top priority.
Victoria didn't want to think what might happen if 'Skitter' had a full-blown panic attack while at school.
While Skitter might be a dangerous and terrifying villain, Taylor was a lonely and hurt girl that needed some friends. The plan remained. Introduce Taylor to her friendship group, and welcome her into the fold with open arms and a cheery smile. Show the would-be villainess that life can be good and that the world isn't an evil, rotten place. And maybe make a new bestie down the line.
Victoria could do this. Her friends were great, her friends are heroes!…
'Oh, god, all my friends are heroes.'
Taylor tensed up again upon spotting the table full of Wards. Granted, not everyone at the table was a Ward. Only Dean, Dennis and Carlos were the Wards at the table. Plus Amy, not a Ward but a hero nonetheless. The two other girls who sat with them were Jessica and Alice, they were standard civilians however Jessica liked to joke about being Vista whenever someone would ask. Not that anyone would take her seriously, the height difference alone made that obvious.
Taylor locked eyes with Amy and then Dean. It was pretty obvious to know that Dean was Gallant, it was a barely guarded secret around the school. Then Taylor looked towards Dennis and Carlos, the fearful worry across the girl's face made it obvious that Taylor knew, or at least had a good guess as to who they were.
Victoria gave Taylor's hand another affirming squeeze. As if to tell the girl that everything was going to be alright. Taylor's worried face dropped into a more neutral position yet her tight hand grip betrayed her poker face. She wanted to give Taylor some reassurance, some way to feel safe. Because Victoria could only imagine how difficult this situation must be for the girl.
She shot a pleading look towards the group, a look that said, 'Play along, be nice.'
The group shot into action, making space for the new girl and welcoming her onto the table.
"Hello, Taylor."
"Hola!"
"Hey…"
"Sup, Taylor."
"Hi."
Victoria turned back to Taylor with a gentle smile, hoping to ease the girl into a seat at the table. For all Taylor's anxiety that Vicky could feel in her hand, she did well at keeping a neutral face after the initial shock wore off. Now away from the large mass of students and only under the judging eyes of Victoria's posse, most people in the group only saw a quiet girl that didn't want to be there.
Only Dean could truly see the turmoil going on inside Taylor's head. The girl radiated fear, to the point that Dean would've assumed that Vicky had kidnapped the poor girl. He looked at Vicky as if to ask what going on. Victoria had built something of an obsession with this 'Taylor' the past few days and now here she stood, the mysterious girl.
Taylor sat down between Victoria and Dean. A supervillain casually sitting between Glory Girl and Gallant. Her obvious anxiety was understandable given the situation. The table went around introducing themselves.
"You finally found her." Dennis laughed, causing Taylor to flinch slightly. "So good to finally put a name to the mystery girl."
"Sorry about Vicky," Dean said, trying to calm Taylor with a smile of his own. "She can be a little intense, but she means well."
Taylor made an affirmative mumble as she tried to shrink down into her seat. One of the girls, Jessica was the first to launch into a question for the new girl.
"So, Taylor? How are you finding Arcadia? Did you transfer from out of town?"
"No," Taylor mumbled back, struggling to look the girl in the eyes. "I'm a local… came from Winslow… Arcadia is fine, I guess."
"Oh, Winslow? What was-" Jessica began before seeing Vicky shake her head with an intense stare. "-I mean, what do you like to do? Got any fun hobbies?"
"I like to read? Fiction novels and the like." Taylor said, speaking a little clearer.
"Oh, so we have another nerd like Vicky," Dennis joked before wincing with pain as Victoria kicked him, hard, in the leg. "What? Sorry. That's a good thing. Now you have someone to talk books with or whatever."
Taylor shrank down again after being called a nerd. Victoria glared daggers at Dennis and the rest of the table quickly understood the implication. Don't make fun of the new girl, lest you'll face Vicky's wraith.
Amy looked up at Taylor, inspecting her over. Then with a weary smile, she said, "So, we meet again."
Taylor squirmed in her seat. Believing that Panacea recognised her from the bank. Glory Girl might have given her some slack for being a troubled teenager but Taylor held a knife to Panacea's throat.
"Sorry…" Taylor mumbled again, preparing to bolt from the table. Victoria held her hand, this time a little firmer than when she led Taylor here.
"Amy met you a while back, during her work at the hospital," Victoria said quickly, making sure to explain what Amy meant.
Taylor blinked in confusion. It took her a few moments to realise that Amy didn't recognise her as a villain. She relaxed again in Victoria's hand.
"Oh?… I see." Taylor said, letting out a sigh. "I didn't remember."
Amy shook her head. "Doubt you would, I barely remembered myself." Looking over Taylor again, Amy tilted her head before extending a hand out to Taylor. "Do you want me to heal you?" She said it in such a casual way that it took Taylor a few seconds to understand what Amy was asking.
"W-what?" Taylor said, looking up to Victoria for confirmation.
"Your glasses?" Amy clarified, still holding her hand out. "Do I have permission to heal you?"
Taylor slowly pushed her hand out, contemplating Amy's offer before then pulling away. She shied away from the hand and stiffly shook her head. While the rest of the table was confused to see someone pass up on free 'magic' healthcare, Amy herself took no offence to the girl turning her offer down. Amy returned back to her food and didn't give Taylor much attention for the rest of the lunch break.
After a few more introductory questions at Taylor, the rest of the table eventually settled into a standard conversation among friends. Taylor herself shrunk into the background, more comfortable listening to the group rather than adding to the discussion. Victoria made sure to include Taylor along the way, often pausing to ask Taylor about her thoughts on whatever idle matter they were discussing.
Taylor would respond to this with one-word answers or short sentences that would've ended the conversation there. The girl was terrible at small talk, much like Amy in that regard. But whereas Amy avoided small talk out of disinterest, Taylor struggled out of her unfamiliarity with the new situation.
It was only the first meeting. Victoria knew if she kept at it, Taylor would eventually open up. She was determined to bring Taylor into the group, even if she had to have a firm 'one on one' chat with every member after this on how to approach Taylor.
Eventually, the topic of conversation turned to what everyone should do after school. Carlos and Dennis had 'work' and Dean was a little too forward in wanting to spend time with Victoria. Taylor picked up that they were currently 'on a break' as Victoria ignored Dean's suggestions.
"We're gonna go to the mall," Alice said with Jessica. "They've got that new antique store that I've been wanting to check out." Jessica
"Oh yeah!" Victoria chirped, "That place looked interesting. We should all go. Taylor? Do you want to come too? We can turn it into a whole 'girls day'?"
Taylor was only half listening at this point, she'd relaxed into her seat and was slowly beginning to realise that Victoria was serious about their 'deal.' She felt Vicky squeeze her hand again which snapped her back out of her thoughts.
"Huh, what? Sorry?" Taylor said, looking at Victoria and the two other girls.
"Want to visit the mall after school?" Victoria asked again, with her usual gentle smile.
"Oh… Sure, I guess." Taylor said with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. It was an improvement. Then Taylor let out a small gasp of realisation. "Oh, wait. After school, Today? Sorry. No. I can't I have… work?" She froze at that last word. To the rest of the table, it seemed like a perfectly valid excuse, students had part-time work all the time. Only Victoria knew exactly what Taylor meant.
"Oh, no worries then." Alice said, "What do you do for work?"
Taylor shifted awkwardly under Vicky's gaze. "Oh, y'know…" Taylor mumbled, trying to avoid Victoria's judgement. "A friend of mine got me a job. Admin work, at a construction company… It's just boring computer work and coffee making."
This was the given lie that Lisa had drilled into all the Undersiders. All their payment came under contract work from a 'Fortress Construction' and if anyone ever asked Taylor where she made her money, that was the excuse she was to give. Taylor had already had to tell her Dad about her 'new job' when she offered to help pay the bills.
"Oh, cool," Alice said, nodding her head.
"It pays the bills…" Taylor chuckled awkwardly, still avoiding Victoria's disappointed look.
Luckily for Taylor, the school bell rang. Signifying the end of lunch. Taylor wasted no time getting off the table and running to class. Leaving the group behind.
"Well, that was something." Dennis chuckled.
"She seems… nice?" Jessica added.
"She's a bit… skittish? Is she alright?" Carlos asked.
"She's… just not used to people. I think." Victoria said. "She had a bad time in her last school, she just needs time to learn how to have fun again. Amy can you look out for her during class. Since you're in the same grade."
Amy huffed to herself before looking up at her sister. "Yeah, sure."
"Great!" Victoria said with her usual smile. "And the rest of you. Can you 'please' be nice to Taylor. I know she's a little quiet but I think she just needs some coaxing out of her shell."
"Why are you so gung-ho about this girl?" Dean asked, "It's not like you to pick up strays."
Victoria didn't know how to answer that. She obviously couldn't admit that the girl was Skitter and that this was all the first step into reforming the girl from her villainous ways.
"Because she needed a friend," Victoria said, giving only the partial truth.
"It sounded like she already has friends," Dennis mentioned, raising a pointed finger. "The one that got her a job." Vicky shot him an angry look. "Not that a girl can have too many friends." He added in defence.
"Okay, what was that?" Dean asked, Victoria trying and failing to calm her emotions.
"Nothing," Vicky lied.
"You obviously have 'strong' opinions on Taylor's other friends, whoever they are."
"I just…" Victoria started, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Feel, that Taylor could use better friends… in school… friends in school. That's all."
"Mmhmm… Sure." Dean said, not completely buying it but not wanting to start an argument.
--------------------------------------------------
End of School
With classes over, Taylor collected her bag and headed off for 'work.' This had been the single most stressful day of school Taylor had in Arcadia since her first day here and she wanted nothing more than to hide away in the Undersider's base.
She always felt more confident as 'Skitter.' Something about wearing the mask, wielding her power openly and the 'respect' people showed her. While Taylor would always have 'moral issues' with becoming a villain, she had to admit, it could be fun at times to let loose.
Taylor was honestly looking forward to hearing what new kind of job Brian and Lisa had picked out for them today. After the last job had gone south, the Undersiders were looking for a safe and simple job to make up for the lack of pay from the tech robbery.
Before Taylor could leave, she caught Victoria waiting for her at the entrance of the school. This set Taylor on alert again. She'd come to terms with accepting that Victoria did indeed want her to have a 'normal' school life again, but now that school was over, it was about to get complicated.
"Taylor? Can we talk?" Victoria asked, walking away from the group of students she was with. Leading the two into a private spot to speak.
"Uh, I'm kinda running late already..." Taylor said, letting herself get swept up in Victoria's movement regardless.
"So, you're going to work?" Vicky asked, Taylor had admitted that during lunch and the hero knew what that meant.
"Um… maybe?" Taylor said, trying to find a subtle way of sidestepping the hero. "Is that… a problem?" She wasn't sure if that was meant to come out as a question or a threat. Taylor was still ready to fight if it came to it.
Victoria sighed but shook her head. "I won't stop you from going. I meant what I said. No fighting while we're at school." Taylor relaxed again after hearing that. "I don't agree with it. But I also don't expect you to stop after a single lunch with my friends… Thank you for coming with me. I hope that you weren't too stressed out."
"It was… a lot," Taylor admitted. "I didn't expect to be having lunch with heroes today… But it wasn't terrible." Victoria took the little victory.
"They're all really great people once you get to know them." Victoria said, "Even Dennis, sorry about him. I'll tell him to leave the jokes to a minimum."
Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright."
"Also?…" Victoria asked, hesitantly. "I was wondering why you didn't accept Amy's offer? I know she can be a little… abrasive, but I hope you two can get along too."
It was Taylor's turn to hesitate. "Uh… I was worried that she'd… I don't know. Find out who I am if she healed me."
"Oh, Right." Vicky shook her head and explained. "No, her powers don't work like that. She'll know you're a parahuman, she already does. But beyond that, she'd have no idea."
"I see…" Taylor said then looked away. "Also, I felt bad… having her heal my eyesight after… the bank and all that." Taylor turned down to her feet, afraid of Victoria's reaction to mentioning the bank. "I'm sorry… for that day. I never… I didn't… It all happened so fast, and then you showed up and I thought that you'd… kill me or something so I panicked and grabbed her. I wouldn't… you know… I'm sorry."
Taylor tensed up, expecting some kind of retribution. She was surprised to receive a hug instead.
"What's this for?" Taylor asked confused. Accepting the warm embrace from Victoria
"No reason," Vicky said, ending the hug. "I was pretty mad at the time… okay, I was pretty damn furious. But the apology helps. Amy already explained to me that she didn't think you were going to hurt her, it's nice to have it confirmed by you." Taylor let out a sigh of relief. "I still don't get the whole 'villain' thing or why you do it. Not fully. But I've never had a villain apologise to me, so I guess you're not all that bad." Victoria chuckled to herself.
"So? You're not going to follow me are you?" Taylor asked, worried about the limits of their 'deal.'
"No," Vicky chuckled again. "You don't have to worry about that. I don't 'want' to arrest you, Taylor. Even if my job says otherwise." The implication in those words was clear, 'I'm still going to try to catch Skitter if I come across her.' "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
Placing her hand into her pants, Victoria pulled out her cell phone and waved it with a smile.
"I forgot to ask for your number. Can't be friends if I can't call you every now and again."
Taylor looked at the phone and then felt the phone in her own pocket. She wasn't the greatest fan of them ever since her mother died. Lisa had bought her the phone during her first week in the Undersiders, so far she had only used it for 'villain business.' The idea of giving her number to Glory Girl seemed like a terrible idea.
Taylor was slowly picking up on a weakness she never knew she had, cute blonde girls who could break down her walls with a smile. First Lisa, the villain who welcomed her into the Undersiders, and now Victoria, the hero who welcomed her into her posse. Hesitantly, Taylor removed the phone from her pocket and exchanged numbers with the smiling blonde.
"Great!" Victoria beamed, "Oh, and we're going to the mall one way or another. Tell me when you're free from 'work' and I'll take you shopping."
Taylor thought for a moment, looking at the new contact in her phone. "Uh… I don't have any plans for Friday."
"It's a date!" Victoria said, jumping to a small hover off the ground. "We'll go after school. No backing out. I'll show you how to live it up, Arcadia style!"
--------------------------
Half an hour later
"I'm here," Taylor called out as she entered the Undersider's base. She was greeted by Rachel's dogs who did a quick sniff over the girl before returning back to Rachel. Taylor might not get on well with 'Bitch' but she was fond of the dogs, knowing which dogs to scratch in the right places.
Lisa welcomed Taylor with her usual grin and Brian gave a friendly nod. The two were already discussing the specifics of whatever job the Undersiders were planning to do next.
Alec waved Taylor over and threw a game controller at her. Taylor caught it in two hands and was quickly ushered onto the couch the boy was already lying on. He had a habit of making her play whatever shooter was popular at the time. Taylor wasn't great at video games, not owning a console of her own, so watching her fiddle with the confusing controls while getting shot was as entertaining to Alec as playing the game itself.
The difference between hanging out with Vicky's group and the Undersiders was night and day. Granted, today's session at lunch mimicked the early days of Taylor with the villainous team. It had taken a few days to really learn how to relax with the teens and understand each of their personalities. Learning the difference between what were outright teasing and just someone's usual behaviour.
Alec's insistence on making Taylor play his video games for example. Taylor didn't mind the game. When Alec had first done it to her, she was worried that the boy was making fun of her. Lisa quickly explained that he did this to everyone in the group. Lisa proved to be too good at the game to be interesting, Brian simply refused to play and Rachel is the reason why they only have one controller now. The fact that Alec kept passing the controller to Taylor was his way of saying that he liked having her around, without actually saying something mushy like that.
A lot of the 'crazy crime hi-jinks' the Undersiders got up to was actually a small part of Taylor's time with the group. Jobs needed to be planned, locations needed to be surveyed and everyone needed to prepare. The actual time spent committing crime went by pretty quickly. They'd spend three days getting ready to rob an apartment in ten minutes, whatever job they were planning wouldn't take place for a few more days.
Until then, Taylor's 'job' was getting to hang out with her friends while staying on call for their 'mysterious benefactor.' A much less stressful environment than sitting at a table with several heroes during lunch.
"Everything okay, Tay?" Lisa asked from the planning table.
"What?" Taylor said, turning away from the screen.
"Grenade, look out for the grenade! Never mind…" Alec laughed. Taylor turned back to see her character get blown up.
"You seem distracted," Lisa continued, "How was school?"
"Fine..."She lied, Taylor knew that Lisa picked up on that, so she added, "Made a new friend… I think?"
"On your left," Alec said, prodding Taylor. "Left left! The other way! And you're dead…"
"New friend, huh? What's she like?" Lisa said, implying more than her question asked.
"How'd you know it's a girl?" Taylor asked, looking at the controller and trying to remember which button to swap her weapon.
"Lucky guess," Lisa giggled, watching how Taylor blushed at the question. Whoever it was must have been cute to get Taylor to open up at school.
"You have to hit the glowing red bit. You're just wasting ammo." Alec continued, ignoring Lisa's conversation.
"So, have we got a new job?" Taylor asked curiously.
"Sure do."
"Actually, now might be a good time to explain," Brian said before calling Rachel from her room to join the rest of the group.
"Just in time." Alec laughed, looking at the bloody 'game over' screen.
Taylor put the controller down and climbed over the couch. Alec chose to stay on the couch but turned to listen. Rachel walked up with one of her dogs, leaning against a wall. Brain and Lisa took positions around the city map.
"Alright, clear your schedules, we got work this Saturday." Brian began, looking around the room. "Another smash n grab. Well, smash mainly, but we're free to take any loot we find."
Rachel huffed with a smile, she liked the loud jobs and smashing up a place was fun, and oddly therapeutic.
Lisa moved to talk, "This job comes from the boss themself, so make sure to be 'extra' smashy."
"I'll bring my good baseball bat, no worries," Alec said.
"Who's the target?" Taylor asked, hoping that it'd be another Nazi or someone of the like.
"Just some poor elderly man who selling junk," Lisa explained before noting Taylor's conflicted face. "Okay, it's not that bad. It's drugs, he's selling drugs from his store. However, he didn't go through the proper channels, old dude thinks he can set up shop as an independent and no one will know. Well, people know. We're trying to scare him out of doing business in the bay. Before someone worse, like the ABB, decide to give a more permanent message."
"Wait, we don't deal in drugs do we?" Taylor asked.
"No." Said Brian with a hint of anger in his voice. Taylor noted that drugs might be a touchy subject for him. "We don't touch the stuff, don't know why the boss cares, but I have no problem torching the place."
"Yeah, fire!" Alec chuckled.
"That was hyperbole…" Brian sighed, "We're not burning the place down, just smashing it up."
Alec looked genuinely disappointed. Lisa and Taylor giggled at his crestfallen reaction.
"Regardless, we need to scope out the place. It's still an unknown, we're told it's independently run but you never know. So, Lisa and Taylor will go first on Friday, and see if they can spot any hidden defence. If we're lucky, it will just be an idiot with his shop, it'll be easy money and we can call sleep knowing we took some drugs off the street."
"Oh, Friday?" Taylor asked, worried about her new deal with Vicky. "I kinda already made plans to go to the mall with that new friend. Any chance I can-"
Taylor wasn't sure what the deal was with asking for 'time off.' The Undersiders weren't exactly a standard job and she wasn't looking forward to explaining to Vicky how she'd have to cancel their plans to go commit crime. Even if 'scoping' a location wasn't a crime in itself.
"No worries," Lisa said, cutting Taylor off with a smirk. "I can join up with you and your friend. It's the same place after all. Some new antique store at the mall. We can make it a whole 'girls day'."
It took Taylor a few moments to register that comment.
"Oh… sure."
Taylor couldn't exactly tell the Undersiders that her 'new friend' was Glory Girl. She wasn't sure if Lisa picked up on her worry, if Lisa did notice anything, she didn't say a word.
"Great!" Lisa said with her vulpine grin. "It's a date!"
Chapter 6: She has a friend
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Undersiders Base
"I'm here," Taylor called out as she entered the Undersider's base. Lisa smiled as the girl walked in the door.
Comfortable with home base, thinks of it as a second home now.
Lisa watched as Taylor was greeted by the dogs who did a quick sniff over the girl. Taylor reached out and petted one of them.
Knows which dogs are safe to pet, wants the comfort of animal.
Stressed. Stressful school day. Something happened at school?
Alec waved Taylor over and threw a game controller at her. Taylor caught it in two hands and was quickly ushered onto the couch the boy was already lying on.
Accepted Alec's invitation without stumbling, looking forward to new job today, wanted distraction.
Something definitely happened at school today. Taylor more on edge than usual.
Brian kept trying to discuss details over the city map with Lisa but she was far too distracted at this point. She watched as Alec teased Taylor over her 'gaming skills.' It was a playful tease that Taylor had learned to enjoy rather than fear.
"Everything okay, Tay?" Lisa asked hoping to get some more info on what Taylor was trying to distract herself from.
"What?" Taylor said, turning away from the screen.
Fidgeting, nervous. School was stressful, wants to ignore it. Hang out with friends.
Considers us friends. Safe place. Needs safe place?
"You seem distracted," Lisa continued trying to hold her casual smile, "How was school?"
"Fine..." Taylor said.
Lying. Doesn't want to worry me. Worried? Afraid of something… someone?
Bullying? Taylor is being bullied again?
Lisa sighed internally, 'Alright, who do I have to kill?'
"Made a new friend… I think?" Taylor added with a small smile.
Not a lie? Unsure. Taylor doesn't know if true or not. Hopes it's true.
New friend in Arcadia, smiling involuntarily, blush forming along cheeks.
New friend is attractive? Reminds Taylor of me. Blonde? Charming? Girl?
"New friend, huh? What's she like?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow at Taylor.
"How'd you know it's a girl?" Taylor asked, turning away from Lisa,
Hiding embarrassment. Definitely a girl. Cute girl, forward. Extrovert. Taylor has a crush? Forming a crush? Early days. Just met her. Conflicting emotions. Scared of girl? Why? Unknown.
"Lucky guess," Lisa giggled, watching how Taylor blushed at the question.
"So, have we got a new job?" Taylor asked curiously.
Wants to change the subject, doesn't want me to know who new friend is.
"Sure do," Lisa said, letting it slide for now.
"Actually, now might be a good time to explain," Brian said realising that Lisa hadn't been paying attention since Taylor entered the room.
Taylor put the controller down and climbed over the couch. Alec chose to stay on the couch but turned to listen. Rachel walked up with one of her dogs, leaning against a wall. Brain and Lisa took positions around the city map.
"Alright, clear your schedules, we got work this Saturday." Brian began, looking around the room. "Another smash n grab. Well, smash mainly, but we're free to take any loot we find."
Rachel huffed with a smile.
Rachel in good mood, dogs like Taylor, make dogs happy, makes Rachel happy. Like's destructive jobs.
Lisa moved to talk, "This job comes from the boss themself, so make sure to be 'extra' smashy."
Lisa looked to Rachel for that last bit, she appreciated the not-so-subtle way of saying that Rachel was free to let loose on this job.
"I'll bring my good baseball bat, no worries," Alec said.
Alec happy with any job. Actually owns a 'good baseball bat.' Owns several for this specific type of job? Well prepared? No, just likes breaking things.
"Who's the target?" Taylor asked.
Needs reason to attack location. Must confide with moral code. Code flexible but won't admit it. Looking forward to job but won't admit it. Enjoys being a villain but won't admit it.
"Just some poor elderly man who selling junk," Lisa explained as a joke before seeing Taylor's conflicted face.
Too far for current moral code. Needs extra justification. Shouldn't tease too much when comes to crime.
"Okay, it's not that bad. It's drugs, he's selling drugs from his store." Lisa continued, watching Taylor relax. "However, he didn't go through the proper channels, old dude thinks he can set up shop as an independent and no one will know. Well, people know. We're trying to scare him out of doing business in the bay. Before someone worse, like the ABB, decide to give a more permanent message."
"Wait, we don't deal in drugs do we?" Taylor asked.
Drugs are a hard no for Taylor? No, just a 'strong' no? Could be persuaded if selling to right people. Moral code is 'very' flexible.
'Huh? Taylor's morals are more flexible than I thought. Note to self, never push Taylor too far. Could end up scary. Doesn't matter, Undersiders don't deal with drugs.'
"No." Said Brian with a hint of anger in his voice.
Hates drugs, Brian's mother is an addict. Will never work with drugs.
'Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Stupid power.'
"We don't touch the stuff," Brian continued, "Don't know why the boss cares, but I have no problem torching the place."
"Yeah, fire!" Alec chuckled.
Will start fire for any reason. Never give him matches.
"That was hyperbole…" Brian sighed, "We're not burning the place down, just smashing it up."
Alec looked genuinely disappointed. Lisa and Taylor giggled at his crestfallen reaction.
"Regardless, we need to scope out the place. It's still an unknown, we're told it's independently run but you never know. So, Lisa and Taylor will go first on Friday, and see if they can spot any hidden defence. If we're lucky, it will just be an idiot with his shop, it'll be easy money and we can call sleep knowing we took some drugs off the street."
"Oh, Friday?" Taylor asked, worried. "I kinda already made plans to go to the mall with that new friend."
New friend already taking Taylor out. On a date? Probably not? Worried about new friend's identity. Doesn't want Undersiders to know. Cute, Blonde from Arcadia, reminds Taylor of me. Parahuman? Cape?…
Lisa's eyes went wide with realisation.
'Taylor's new friend is Glory Girl.'
"Any chance I can-" Taylor was about to ask to postpone the job.
"No worries," Lisa said, cutting Taylor off with a smirk. "I can join up with you and your friend. It's the same place after all. Some new antique store at the mall. We can make it a whole 'girls day'."
Taylor afraid of us meeting. Doesn't want to worry Undersiders with personal issues. Worried we won't get along.
"Oh… sure," Taylor mumbled.
'What does Glory Girl want with Taylor?'
Unclear. Taylor is obviously afraid. Need to check her out. Make sure Taylor is safe.
"Great!" Lisa said with her vulpine grin. "It's a date!"
---------------------------------------------------
Friday After School
Victoria made sure that Taylor joined her for lunch every day while at school. It had been a few days since they made 'the deal' and Victoria was determined to be a positive influence on the girl.
Taylor was shy, that much was obvious. Throwing her into a large circle of people who didn't know her at all might not have been the best approach to start with. She didn't participate in the group conversations during the first days. Ending up getting talked over by some of the louder members of the posse. It didn't help that the rest of the group wasn't as dedicated as she was to including Taylor, that changed after the second day.
Victoria had sent out a group message to her inner circle of friends, explaining exactly why Taylor had become her 'new best friend.' Granted, it didn't explain 'everything' that was going on, but they all got the quick notes on Taylor's backstory. A shy girl, bullied out of her previous high school. Afraid of students her age and wallowing in misery over her 'unjust life.'
No one in the group except Amy knew that Taylor was a parahuman, and no one except Victoria knew what Taylor could do with her powers, or what Taylor did with her powers. Vicky really painted a picture that tugged on the heartstrings, while avoiding the mention that Taylor was also the new, infamous villain known as Skitter.
With everyone in the know, Victoria saw a quick turnaround with how friendly everyone was to the new girl. On the third day, Taylor was bombarded with care and friendship, much to Taylor's confusion as to what had changed. Alice and Jessica both started treating Taylor like she was something like an injured kitten that they wanted to see better, Dean had a good excuse for the conflicted emotions he could sense from Taylor, Carlos was always polite, to begin with, but he made extra sure not to talk over Taylor anymore, Amy acted like she didn't care but Vicky knew that she did and even Dennis held back from making jokes at Taylor's expense.
Victoria smiled at how well her plan was coming along. In just a few short days, Taylor had gone from being a social outcast to being surrounded by compassionate friends. It was a 'little' manipulative to use Taylor's 'tragic' history to speed things along, the girl might not like the fact that Vicky told everyone behind her back but Taylor was never going to open up on her own and it was 'for a good cause.'
Once Friday rolled around, Taylor had tasted what a 'normal' high school life should look like. There was always room to improve but it was a good first week. As the bell rang out for school to end, Vicky walked to the entrance of the school.
The next part of her plan was about to take place. Creating new, positive memories with Taylor, outside of school. No large group this time, just Taylor and Vicky.
Or so she had hoped…
Taylor had mentioned that a friend of hers had 'invited' herself along. At first, Vicky was happy to learn that Taylor had other friends. However, she quickly remembered that it was her 'friend' that gave Taylor her 'job' and that any other friends that didn't go to Arcadia were highly likely to be people she worked with.
Taylor's nervous expression when she told Vicky already gave away that fact. She had a terrible poker face. Someone from the Undersiders had invited themselves along to their outing. A villain.
Vicky wasn't sure what the plan was when it came to Taylor's 'friends.' She promised not to attack or try to arrest Taylor while in public, but did the same deal extend to her teammates? Victoria could justify letting Skitter's crimes slide for now but she knew nothing of the other members of her team. Victoria's moral compass could only move so far, for now, she decided not to start a fight unless first attacked. She was a hero, she would lead by example.
Victoria met Taylor by the school gate. Taylor greeted her with a small smile. It was a victory in itself, seeing the girl smile at her presence. Proof that Vicky was having a positive influence on the girl, causing the 'would-be' villain to smile involuntarily. Victoria shot back an even bigger smile, causing the girl to blush.
-------------------------------------------
"Ready to go?" Vicky asked, embracing Taylor in a hug. Taylor wasn't a big fan of physical attention. She'd often flinch at the slightest touch, an example of her mental state from being bullied, something Victoria was going to overcome through positive reinforcement.
"Yeah," Taylor mumbled, stiffened from the embrace. Victoria was the second friend to actively hug her in recent memories. Lisa also had the annoying habit of wrapping her arms around Taylor, although Taylor could admit that it felt nice after the initial shock. "How are we getting there? I'd usually take the bus."
"Don't worry about that." Victoria chuckled, letting go of Taylor. "I'll fly us there!"
"Wait, what?" Taylor stiffened up in worry again. "I-I don't know. That sounds a little scary."
"You'll be fine," Victoria said, casually lifting Taylor into a standard 'princess carry' position. "I fly Amy around all the time and she loves it."
Before Taylor could protest any further Victoria took to the air, soaring high above the school. Taylor held tightly to Victoria, afraid that the hero would slip and send her falling to the ground below.
Taylor expected to feel the freezing cold winds of a high altitude, or the intense g-force of shooting up at such high speeds but she felt neither. Only the slight breeze of the wind and an unusual warmth covered her whole body. She didn't even feel like she was being lifted by Vicky's arms, more like a force had picked up her entire body and lifted it along with Victoria. Taylor wasn't being carried while Victoria flew, they were both flying.
"Huh…" Taylor mused as she opened her eyes, shut tightly out of fear upon take off. She looked out over at the scene, she could see all of Brockton Bay from up here. Then she looked back and up at Vicky, the hero was also taking in the view. Her signature smile shined along her face as she gazed off into the distance. Golden hair gently flowing in the wind, somehow managing to stay together during the flight. Taylor couldn't help but comment on what she saw. "Beautiful…"
"I know right," Vicky said proudly. Still looking out over at the city. "I never get tired of this view, or this feeling."
Taylor blushed and mumbled an affirmative as she realised what she just said, thankful that Victoria thought she was talking about the city. She was only too aware now how tightly she was hugging the hero.
"So, uh… we should… the mall," Taylor mumbled in embarrassment.
"Oh, right." Vicky nodded, looking around before finding her target. "Let's go!"
The two shot off in a direction, the speed was incredible for Taylor. She'd read up on Glory Girl's capabilities online, but feeling it in person was a completely different thing. They reached the mall in no time, they'd probably still be waiting at the bus stop if they'd taken that route.
----------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall
"So, where are we meeting your friend?" Victoria asked as they walked into the mall.
"Not sure…" Taylor said, thinking to herself. As if to answer her question, her phone buzzed with a message. It was Lisa. Taylor read the message and then looked at Vicky. "Ah, she says she's running late. That we should go 'have fun' and that she'll find us when she gets here."
Victoria let out an internal sigh. She'd get a least a little time alone with Taylor before butting heads with a villain. Victoria made a quick mental note, Taylor was vague on who it was they would be meeting so Vicky tried to fill in the gaps herself.
'She?… So it's one of the girls in the group. That means it's either Hellhound or Tattletale… I don't know which is worse.'
Shaking her thought off, she turned back to Taylor who was looking around the mall with curiosity.
"Got any favourite shops?" Victoria asked, they didn't have a real plan once they got here.
Taylor shook her head. "Not really… I don't really come here much since…" She didn't finish the sentence. "Sorry, I'm not exactly sure what teenagers do in a mall anymore. I'm boring like that." Taylor chuckled in a self-deprecating manner.
"That's alright, you're not boring at all," Victoria said, taking Taylor's hand. She didn't like the way Taylor put herself down like that.
"Oh! Well, my friend took me shopping a few weeks back." Taylor chirped up, remembering when Lisa took her out to 'live it up, 'Undersider's Style.' "At the Boardwalk, just clothes and stuff. I don't know much about fashion but that's something we can do."
Victoria smiled at the idea. "Sure, we can do that. I know just the place."
A quick walk later and the two girls were in a popular boutique. All manner of clothing was on display as Victoria looked on with wide-eyed glee. Taylor herself, true to word, didn't know much about fashion. She was comfortable wearing the same jacket and jeans combo throughout the week rather than picking a new outfit every day. Looking at the tops, skirts and dresses on display, Taylor couldn't tell much of a difference from one design to another.
Victoria on the other hand was obsessing over a particular white dress that was on display in the center of the store. It looked pretty enough but not enough to warrant the audible gasp Victoria made when she saw it.
"Look at this…" Vicky said with awe as she reached out and felt the fabric. "Isn't it so pretty?"
"I guess," Taylor said in agreement. While she didn't understand fashion, she enjoyed seeing Victoria's passion shine through. "It kind of reminds me of your Glory Girl costume, I'm assuming you have a preferred style."
"I'm that obvious, huh?" Vicky said with a chuckle.
"No, I didn't mean-" Taylor stammered, afraid that she made fun of her friend, "It suits you, is all…"
"Thanks." Victoria said with another smile that made Taylor blush, "I love this store, they always seem to have exactly what I want. Between you and me, I think they've caught on that 'Glory Girl' shops here and are trying to target me specifically." Vicky turned back to the dress to admire it again. "And it's working."
Taylor smiled at the hero's expression. It reminded her of something, something painful that made her sad again. Victoria picked up on the sudden shift of mood.
"You okay, Taylor?" She asked, a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Yeah…" Taylor lied, the hand feeling firmer as Victoria coaxed an explanation out of her. "Sorry, you got all excited about clothing and it reminded me of my old friend… She's kind of a model. All pretty and popular… like you."
"Oh?" Victoria asked, still confused. She figured that Taylor remembering old memories of good times would lean more toward a positive side, especially if Vicky was similar to this 'old friend.' However the way Taylor said those last words reminded her of their first meeting at school.
'I don't need anyone's pity. Especially not from someone like you.'
Victoria put two and two together. Taylor's old friend had obviously been involved in the bullying, not someone Victoria wanted to be 'similar' with in any way. She wanted to pull Taylor into a hug and promise not to betray her like that, but Taylor shook herself out of the mood first.
"Sorry, ignore me," Taylor said, waving her hand, obviously wanting to change the subject. "You should buy the dress if you want it. I think you'd look great in it."
Victoria let the topic drop as she turned back to the dress. Then her eyes drifted down to the price tag. Victoria gasped again, this time not in awe, but in shock.
"Are you serious?" She whined, pointing to the price. "There's no way I can afford this. But I want it… No fair. They even had it in my size and everything."
Taylor looked at the price and let out a small breath. It was a pricey dress, even by general fashion standards. Not a ridiculous amount, but not something Taylor would ever consider putting money down on. Then again, Taylor spent the last few years living with her father while he barely managed to pay the bills, so the price of dresses never even entered her mind until now.
"It's funny," Taylor said as she thought out loud. "I always assumed that all you New Wave heroes were…" She cut herself off and shied away from the comment before mumbling an apology.
"What, rich?" Vicky chuckled letting Taylor know she wasn't offended. "I guess my parents are pretty well off, comes with the fame and all. But me? I'm just a teenager with an allowance." Taylor raised an eyebrow at that comment, something told her that Vicky's allowance was much higher than the one Taylor's Dad used to give her. "And…" Victoria continued to defend herself, "I 'may' have built up quite a bit of debt from my superhero antics… that I'm still paying back to this day."
This made Taylor actually gasp with a chuckled surprise. "You have a debt? How? To who?"
"To New Wave…" Victoria said with embarrassment, "Well, to the city. But New Wave paid for it, so part of my allowance goes to them until I pay it all off. I have, uh, had a habit of tearing up the city while fighting bad guys, especially in my first year. Turns out you can't just chuck a car at someone without people getting mad." Victoria chuckled at the comment.
"You throw cars at people!?" Taylor asked in horrified concern.
"No!" Victoria said quickly, then mumbling to herself. "It was only the one time. And I missed it anyway. Point is, I'm not as 'rich' as people think I am."
Taylor shelved the idea of Victoria throwing a car at another human for the time being. Still, watching Vicky's crestfallen expression was something Taylor could sympathise with. The hero had been good to Taylor, even when she didn't need to be, so Taylor figured she could give back in return.
Leaning over, Taylor picked up one of the dresses on the rack and held it to Victoria. Once she was sure it was the correct size she started walking towards the counter.
"Taylor?" Victoria asked, following along. "What are you doing?"
"Getting you a gift," Taylor said, a little unsure of herself. Taylor was embarrassed enough without Victoria pointing out what she was doing for her. Taylor placed the dress down on the counter as the store clerk scanned it.
The high price showed on the computer screen. Victoria watched on in amazement as Taylor didn't even double-check the cost or look at her phone before paying for it. She just placed down the dress, whipped out her card and swiped away. The dress was paid for, bagged and handed to Victoria in no time.
"Uh, ta-da," Taylor said nervously. Handing the bag to Vicky. "I hope you like it. I mean… I know you like it, that's why I bought it, but… y'know."
"You didn't have to…" Victoria said before smiling. "Thank you, Taylor. But why? And also how?"
"You've been a…" Taylor paused for a moment, thinking on her words. "A good friend, these last few days. This week… school doesn't suck as much as it used to… I guess. So, I wanted to say thanks."
Victoria couldn't hold it in any longer, she pulled Taylor into another hug. They'd only known each other for less than a week and Taylor already considered Victoria a 'good friend.' Her plan was working, better than she ever believed it could.
"Also, as to how…" Taylor said, a little more hesitantly while in Victoria's arms. "I did kinda rob a bank when we first met…"
Victoria let go of Taylor, looking over the girl. It was the obvious answer but Vicky had been so caught up that she forgot all about it.
"Oh my god!" Victoria whined. "You just paid for this dress with crime money."
Victoria shot the girl a disapproving look. Taylor shrunk down but still couldn't help but smile at that statement.
"Uh, yeah... Turns out…" Taylor chuckled. "That crime 'does' pay. A lot actually." Taylor shifted nervously under Vicky's gaze. "Sorry… We can… return it if you're not… comfortable. I was just trying to be nice."
Victoria let out a sigh but shook her head. "No, it's fine." She said, "I didn't expect you not to spend your ill-gotten gains. Besides, this is a… nice gift. Plus, now I have an excuse not to feel bad when I make you pay for everything." Victoria laughed at her joke as Taylor relaxed, eventually laughing alongside her.
"Oh, that's adorable." A female voice said from behind them.
Taylor stiffened up first, taking a wide step away from Vicky as she turned around. Victoria turned as well to see another blonde girl watching them. A devilish grin across her face as she looked between Taylor and Victoria.
"L-Lisa!" Taylor jumped with surprise. "When did you get here?"
Taylor looked in alarm between Victoria and Lisa, Victoria stood firm in a somewhat aggressive stance, wearily eyeing the new girl. Lisa didn't seem to care in the slightest that she was face-to-face with Glory Girl, or that Taylor was associating with her. She sauntered over to Taylor, ignoring the glaring hero.
"A little while ago," Lisa said, giving Taylor a friendly hug. She let go of Taylor after a quick squeeze but kept one hand locked on Taylor's hand. "Saw you two talking over the dress, decided to wait till you were done shopping." She turned towards Victoria, "Cute dress b-t-dubs. I'm sure it'd look great on you." Lisa extended a hand towards the hero. "Hi, I'm Lisa. Taylor's 'best' friend. I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Lisa smiled the same smug grin that Victoria had seen before, at the bank. Holding the same hand out casually as when it was extended with a gun. This was Taylor's 'friend.' She'd arrived in plain clothes and showed no hostile intentions. Victoria didn't relax in the slightest, she knew exactly who this is, a villain from the Undersiders. Tattletale.
Victoria extended her own hand to meet the villains. A firm grasp as they shook. She pulled her best 'fake' smile, the one her mother taught her how to use while talking to the media. "Oh, hey. Nice to meet you too. I'm Victoria. Taylor's new 'best' friend."
The two girls eyed each other down. Judging each other while putting up a pretence of polite conversation. Both of them had an idea of what the other person's plans were for Taylor, it was evident in the way they interacted with the girl.
Taylor was completely unaware of the rivalry forming before her very eyes. To her, this meeting was going better than she ever imagined. Lisa didn't try to shoot anyone. Vicky hadn't punched anyone through a wall. Granted, Taylor was too distracted to notice the subtle mood shift in the air. Something about having two pretty blonde girls both claim you as their best friend had an effect on the poor girl.
Taylor smiled a genuine smile. She had friends, best friends. Ignoring Lisa's smug grin and Vicky's tense glare, Taylor looked down at the source of the warm feeling she had. She held a friend in each hand, both gripped tightly, not letting go of her. This gave her a strange feeling that Taylor had thought was once impossible.
She never felt more wanted than she did right now.
"I'm here," Taylor called out as she entered the Undersider's base. Lisa smiled as the girl walked in the door.
Comfortable with home base, thinks of it as a second home now.
Lisa watched as Taylor was greeted by the dogs who did a quick sniff over the girl. Taylor reached out and petted one of them.
Knows which dogs are safe to pet, wants the comfort of animal.
Stressed. Stressful school day. Something happened at school?
Alec waved Taylor over and threw a game controller at her. Taylor caught it in two hands and was quickly ushered onto the couch the boy was already lying on.
Accepted Alec's invitation without stumbling, looking forward to new job today, wanted distraction.
Something definitely happened at school today. Taylor more on edge than usual.
Brian kept trying to discuss details over the city map with Lisa but she was far too distracted at this point. She watched as Alec teased Taylor over her 'gaming skills.' It was a playful tease that Taylor had learned to enjoy rather than fear.
"Everything okay, Tay?" Lisa asked hoping to get some more info on what Taylor was trying to distract herself from.
"What?" Taylor said, turning away from the screen.
Fidgeting, nervous. School was stressful, wants to ignore it. Hang out with friends.
Considers us friends. Safe place. Needs safe place?
"You seem distracted," Lisa continued trying to hold her casual smile, "How was school?"
"Fine..." Taylor said.
Lying. Doesn't want to worry me. Worried? Afraid of something… someone?
Bullying? Taylor is being bullied again?
Lisa sighed internally, 'Alright, who do I have to kill?'
"Made a new friend… I think?" Taylor added with a small smile.
Not a lie? Unsure. Taylor doesn't know if true or not. Hopes it's true.
New friend in Arcadia, smiling involuntarily, blush forming along cheeks.
New friend is attractive? Reminds Taylor of me. Blonde? Charming? Girl?
"New friend, huh? What's she like?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow at Taylor.
"How'd you know it's a girl?" Taylor asked, turning away from Lisa,
Hiding embarrassment. Definitely a girl. Cute girl, forward. Extrovert. Taylor has a crush? Forming a crush? Early days. Just met her. Conflicting emotions. Scared of girl? Why? Unknown.
"Lucky guess," Lisa giggled, watching how Taylor blushed at the question.
"So, have we got a new job?" Taylor asked curiously.
Wants to change the subject, doesn't want me to know who new friend is.
"Sure do," Lisa said, letting it slide for now.
"Actually, now might be a good time to explain," Brian said realising that Lisa hadn't been paying attention since Taylor entered the room.
Taylor put the controller down and climbed over the couch. Alec chose to stay on the couch but turned to listen. Rachel walked up with one of her dogs, leaning against a wall. Brain and Lisa took positions around the city map.
"Alright, clear your schedules, we got work this Saturday." Brian began, looking around the room. "Another smash n grab. Well, smash mainly, but we're free to take any loot we find."
Rachel huffed with a smile.
Rachel in good mood, dogs like Taylor, make dogs happy, makes Rachel happy. Like's destructive jobs.
Lisa moved to talk, "This job comes from the boss themself, so make sure to be 'extra' smashy."
Lisa looked to Rachel for that last bit, she appreciated the not-so-subtle way of saying that Rachel was free to let loose on this job.
"I'll bring my good baseball bat, no worries," Alec said.
Alec happy with any job. Actually owns a 'good baseball bat.' Owns several for this specific type of job? Well prepared? No, just likes breaking things.
"Who's the target?" Taylor asked.
Needs reason to attack location. Must confide with moral code. Code flexible but won't admit it. Looking forward to job but won't admit it. Enjoys being a villain but won't admit it.
"Just some poor elderly man who selling junk," Lisa explained as a joke before seeing Taylor's conflicted face.
Too far for current moral code. Needs extra justification. Shouldn't tease too much when comes to crime.
"Okay, it's not that bad. It's drugs, he's selling drugs from his store." Lisa continued, watching Taylor relax. "However, he didn't go through the proper channels, old dude thinks he can set up shop as an independent and no one will know. Well, people know. We're trying to scare him out of doing business in the bay. Before someone worse, like the ABB, decide to give a more permanent message."
"Wait, we don't deal in drugs do we?" Taylor asked.
Drugs are a hard no for Taylor? No, just a 'strong' no? Could be persuaded if selling to right people. Moral code is 'very' flexible.
'Huh? Taylor's morals are more flexible than I thought. Note to self, never push Taylor too far. Could end up scary. Doesn't matter, Undersiders don't deal with drugs.'
"No." Said Brian with a hint of anger in his voice.
Hates drugs, Brian's mother is an addict. Will never work with drugs.
'Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Stupid power.'
"We don't touch the stuff," Brian continued, "Don't know why the boss cares, but I have no problem torching the place."
"Yeah, fire!" Alec chuckled.
Will start fire for any reason. Never give him matches.
"That was hyperbole…" Brian sighed, "We're not burning the place down, just smashing it up."
Alec looked genuinely disappointed. Lisa and Taylor giggled at his crestfallen reaction.
"Regardless, we need to scope out the place. It's still an unknown, we're told it's independently run but you never know. So, Lisa and Taylor will go first on Friday, and see if they can spot any hidden defence. If we're lucky, it will just be an idiot with his shop, it'll be easy money and we can call sleep knowing we took some drugs off the street."
"Oh, Friday?" Taylor asked, worried. "I kinda already made plans to go to the mall with that new friend."
New friend already taking Taylor out. On a date? Probably not? Worried about new friend's identity. Doesn't want Undersiders to know. Cute, Blonde from Arcadia, reminds Taylor of me. Parahuman? Cape?…
Lisa's eyes went wide with realisation.
'Taylor's new friend is Glory Girl.'
"Any chance I can-" Taylor was about to ask to postpone the job.
"No worries," Lisa said, cutting Taylor off with a smirk. "I can join up with you and your friend. It's the same place after all. Some new antique store at the mall. We can make it a whole 'girls day'."
Taylor afraid of us meeting. Doesn't want to worry Undersiders with personal issues. Worried we won't get along.
"Oh… sure," Taylor mumbled.
'What does Glory Girl want with Taylor?'
Unclear. Taylor is obviously afraid. Need to check her out. Make sure Taylor is safe.
"Great!" Lisa said with her vulpine grin. "It's a date!"
---------------------------------------------------
Friday After School
Victoria made sure that Taylor joined her for lunch every day while at school. It had been a few days since they made 'the deal' and Victoria was determined to be a positive influence on the girl.
Taylor was shy, that much was obvious. Throwing her into a large circle of people who didn't know her at all might not have been the best approach to start with. She didn't participate in the group conversations during the first days. Ending up getting talked over by some of the louder members of the posse. It didn't help that the rest of the group wasn't as dedicated as she was to including Taylor, that changed after the second day.
Victoria had sent out a group message to her inner circle of friends, explaining exactly why Taylor had become her 'new best friend.' Granted, it didn't explain 'everything' that was going on, but they all got the quick notes on Taylor's backstory. A shy girl, bullied out of her previous high school. Afraid of students her age and wallowing in misery over her 'unjust life.'
No one in the group except Amy knew that Taylor was a parahuman, and no one except Victoria knew what Taylor could do with her powers, or what Taylor did with her powers. Vicky really painted a picture that tugged on the heartstrings, while avoiding the mention that Taylor was also the new, infamous villain known as Skitter.
With everyone in the know, Victoria saw a quick turnaround with how friendly everyone was to the new girl. On the third day, Taylor was bombarded with care and friendship, much to Taylor's confusion as to what had changed. Alice and Jessica both started treating Taylor like she was something like an injured kitten that they wanted to see better, Dean had a good excuse for the conflicted emotions he could sense from Taylor, Carlos was always polite, to begin with, but he made extra sure not to talk over Taylor anymore, Amy acted like she didn't care but Vicky knew that she did and even Dennis held back from making jokes at Taylor's expense.
Victoria smiled at how well her plan was coming along. In just a few short days, Taylor had gone from being a social outcast to being surrounded by compassionate friends. It was a 'little' manipulative to use Taylor's 'tragic' history to speed things along, the girl might not like the fact that Vicky told everyone behind her back but Taylor was never going to open up on her own and it was 'for a good cause.'
Once Friday rolled around, Taylor had tasted what a 'normal' high school life should look like. There was always room to improve but it was a good first week. As the bell rang out for school to end, Vicky walked to the entrance of the school.
The next part of her plan was about to take place. Creating new, positive memories with Taylor, outside of school. No large group this time, just Taylor and Vicky.
Or so she had hoped…
Taylor had mentioned that a friend of hers had 'invited' herself along. At first, Vicky was happy to learn that Taylor had other friends. However, she quickly remembered that it was her 'friend' that gave Taylor her 'job' and that any other friends that didn't go to Arcadia were highly likely to be people she worked with.
Taylor's nervous expression when she told Vicky already gave away that fact. She had a terrible poker face. Someone from the Undersiders had invited themselves along to their outing. A villain.
Vicky wasn't sure what the plan was when it came to Taylor's 'friends.' She promised not to attack or try to arrest Taylor while in public, but did the same deal extend to her teammates? Victoria could justify letting Skitter's crimes slide for now but she knew nothing of the other members of her team. Victoria's moral compass could only move so far, for now, she decided not to start a fight unless first attacked. She was a hero, she would lead by example.
Victoria met Taylor by the school gate. Taylor greeted her with a small smile. It was a victory in itself, seeing the girl smile at her presence. Proof that Vicky was having a positive influence on the girl, causing the 'would-be' villain to smile involuntarily. Victoria shot back an even bigger smile, causing the girl to blush.
-------------------------------------------
"Ready to go?" Vicky asked, embracing Taylor in a hug. Taylor wasn't a big fan of physical attention. She'd often flinch at the slightest touch, an example of her mental state from being bullied, something Victoria was going to overcome through positive reinforcement.
"Yeah," Taylor mumbled, stiffened from the embrace. Victoria was the second friend to actively hug her in recent memories. Lisa also had the annoying habit of wrapping her arms around Taylor, although Taylor could admit that it felt nice after the initial shock. "How are we getting there? I'd usually take the bus."
"Don't worry about that." Victoria chuckled, letting go of Taylor. "I'll fly us there!"
"Wait, what?" Taylor stiffened up in worry again. "I-I don't know. That sounds a little scary."
"You'll be fine," Victoria said, casually lifting Taylor into a standard 'princess carry' position. "I fly Amy around all the time and she loves it."
Before Taylor could protest any further Victoria took to the air, soaring high above the school. Taylor held tightly to Victoria, afraid that the hero would slip and send her falling to the ground below.
Taylor expected to feel the freezing cold winds of a high altitude, or the intense g-force of shooting up at such high speeds but she felt neither. Only the slight breeze of the wind and an unusual warmth covered her whole body. She didn't even feel like she was being lifted by Vicky's arms, more like a force had picked up her entire body and lifted it along with Victoria. Taylor wasn't being carried while Victoria flew, they were both flying.
"Huh…" Taylor mused as she opened her eyes, shut tightly out of fear upon take off. She looked out over at the scene, she could see all of Brockton Bay from up here. Then she looked back and up at Vicky, the hero was also taking in the view. Her signature smile shined along her face as she gazed off into the distance. Golden hair gently flowing in the wind, somehow managing to stay together during the flight. Taylor couldn't help but comment on what she saw. "Beautiful…"
"I know right," Vicky said proudly. Still looking out over at the city. "I never get tired of this view, or this feeling."
Taylor blushed and mumbled an affirmative as she realised what she just said, thankful that Victoria thought she was talking about the city. She was only too aware now how tightly she was hugging the hero.
"So, uh… we should… the mall," Taylor mumbled in embarrassment.
"Oh, right." Vicky nodded, looking around before finding her target. "Let's go!"
The two shot off in a direction, the speed was incredible for Taylor. She'd read up on Glory Girl's capabilities online, but feeling it in person was a completely different thing. They reached the mall in no time, they'd probably still be waiting at the bus stop if they'd taken that route.
----------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall
"So, where are we meeting your friend?" Victoria asked as they walked into the mall.
"Not sure…" Taylor said, thinking to herself. As if to answer her question, her phone buzzed with a message. It was Lisa. Taylor read the message and then looked at Vicky. "Ah, she says she's running late. That we should go 'have fun' and that she'll find us when she gets here."
Victoria let out an internal sigh. She'd get a least a little time alone with Taylor before butting heads with a villain. Victoria made a quick mental note, Taylor was vague on who it was they would be meeting so Vicky tried to fill in the gaps herself.
'She?… So it's one of the girls in the group. That means it's either Hellhound or Tattletale… I don't know which is worse.'
Shaking her thought off, she turned back to Taylor who was looking around the mall with curiosity.
"Got any favourite shops?" Victoria asked, they didn't have a real plan once they got here.
Taylor shook her head. "Not really… I don't really come here much since…" She didn't finish the sentence. "Sorry, I'm not exactly sure what teenagers do in a mall anymore. I'm boring like that." Taylor chuckled in a self-deprecating manner.
"That's alright, you're not boring at all," Victoria said, taking Taylor's hand. She didn't like the way Taylor put herself down like that.
"Oh! Well, my friend took me shopping a few weeks back." Taylor chirped up, remembering when Lisa took her out to 'live it up, 'Undersider's Style.' "At the Boardwalk, just clothes and stuff. I don't know much about fashion but that's something we can do."
Victoria smiled at the idea. "Sure, we can do that. I know just the place."
A quick walk later and the two girls were in a popular boutique. All manner of clothing was on display as Victoria looked on with wide-eyed glee. Taylor herself, true to word, didn't know much about fashion. She was comfortable wearing the same jacket and jeans combo throughout the week rather than picking a new outfit every day. Looking at the tops, skirts and dresses on display, Taylor couldn't tell much of a difference from one design to another.
Victoria on the other hand was obsessing over a particular white dress that was on display in the center of the store. It looked pretty enough but not enough to warrant the audible gasp Victoria made when she saw it.
"Look at this…" Vicky said with awe as she reached out and felt the fabric. "Isn't it so pretty?"
"I guess," Taylor said in agreement. While she didn't understand fashion, she enjoyed seeing Victoria's passion shine through. "It kind of reminds me of your Glory Girl costume, I'm assuming you have a preferred style."
"I'm that obvious, huh?" Vicky said with a chuckle.
"No, I didn't mean-" Taylor stammered, afraid that she made fun of her friend, "It suits you, is all…"
"Thanks." Victoria said with another smile that made Taylor blush, "I love this store, they always seem to have exactly what I want. Between you and me, I think they've caught on that 'Glory Girl' shops here and are trying to target me specifically." Vicky turned back to the dress to admire it again. "And it's working."
Taylor smiled at the hero's expression. It reminded her of something, something painful that made her sad again. Victoria picked up on the sudden shift of mood.
"You okay, Taylor?" She asked, a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Yeah…" Taylor lied, the hand feeling firmer as Victoria coaxed an explanation out of her. "Sorry, you got all excited about clothing and it reminded me of my old friend… She's kind of a model. All pretty and popular… like you."
"Oh?" Victoria asked, still confused. She figured that Taylor remembering old memories of good times would lean more toward a positive side, especially if Vicky was similar to this 'old friend.' However the way Taylor said those last words reminded her of their first meeting at school.
'I don't need anyone's pity. Especially not from someone like you.'
Victoria put two and two together. Taylor's old friend had obviously been involved in the bullying, not someone Victoria wanted to be 'similar' with in any way. She wanted to pull Taylor into a hug and promise not to betray her like that, but Taylor shook herself out of the mood first.
"Sorry, ignore me," Taylor said, waving her hand, obviously wanting to change the subject. "You should buy the dress if you want it. I think you'd look great in it."
Victoria let the topic drop as she turned back to the dress. Then her eyes drifted down to the price tag. Victoria gasped again, this time not in awe, but in shock.
"Are you serious?" She whined, pointing to the price. "There's no way I can afford this. But I want it… No fair. They even had it in my size and everything."
Taylor looked at the price and let out a small breath. It was a pricey dress, even by general fashion standards. Not a ridiculous amount, but not something Taylor would ever consider putting money down on. Then again, Taylor spent the last few years living with her father while he barely managed to pay the bills, so the price of dresses never even entered her mind until now.
"It's funny," Taylor said as she thought out loud. "I always assumed that all you New Wave heroes were…" She cut herself off and shied away from the comment before mumbling an apology.
"What, rich?" Vicky chuckled letting Taylor know she wasn't offended. "I guess my parents are pretty well off, comes with the fame and all. But me? I'm just a teenager with an allowance." Taylor raised an eyebrow at that comment, something told her that Vicky's allowance was much higher than the one Taylor's Dad used to give her. "And…" Victoria continued to defend herself, "I 'may' have built up quite a bit of debt from my superhero antics… that I'm still paying back to this day."
This made Taylor actually gasp with a chuckled surprise. "You have a debt? How? To who?"
"To New Wave…" Victoria said with embarrassment, "Well, to the city. But New Wave paid for it, so part of my allowance goes to them until I pay it all off. I have, uh, had a habit of tearing up the city while fighting bad guys, especially in my first year. Turns out you can't just chuck a car at someone without people getting mad." Victoria chuckled at the comment.
"You throw cars at people!?" Taylor asked in horrified concern.
"No!" Victoria said quickly, then mumbling to herself. "It was only the one time. And I missed it anyway. Point is, I'm not as 'rich' as people think I am."
Taylor shelved the idea of Victoria throwing a car at another human for the time being. Still, watching Vicky's crestfallen expression was something Taylor could sympathise with. The hero had been good to Taylor, even when she didn't need to be, so Taylor figured she could give back in return.
Leaning over, Taylor picked up one of the dresses on the rack and held it to Victoria. Once she was sure it was the correct size she started walking towards the counter.
"Taylor?" Victoria asked, following along. "What are you doing?"
"Getting you a gift," Taylor said, a little unsure of herself. Taylor was embarrassed enough without Victoria pointing out what she was doing for her. Taylor placed the dress down on the counter as the store clerk scanned it.
The high price showed on the computer screen. Victoria watched on in amazement as Taylor didn't even double-check the cost or look at her phone before paying for it. She just placed down the dress, whipped out her card and swiped away. The dress was paid for, bagged and handed to Victoria in no time.
"Uh, ta-da," Taylor said nervously. Handing the bag to Vicky. "I hope you like it. I mean… I know you like it, that's why I bought it, but… y'know."
"You didn't have to…" Victoria said before smiling. "Thank you, Taylor. But why? And also how?"
"You've been a…" Taylor paused for a moment, thinking on her words. "A good friend, these last few days. This week… school doesn't suck as much as it used to… I guess. So, I wanted to say thanks."
Victoria couldn't hold it in any longer, she pulled Taylor into another hug. They'd only known each other for less than a week and Taylor already considered Victoria a 'good friend.' Her plan was working, better than she ever believed it could.
"Also, as to how…" Taylor said, a little more hesitantly while in Victoria's arms. "I did kinda rob a bank when we first met…"
Victoria let go of Taylor, looking over the girl. It was the obvious answer but Vicky had been so caught up that she forgot all about it.
"Oh my god!" Victoria whined. "You just paid for this dress with crime money."
Victoria shot the girl a disapproving look. Taylor shrunk down but still couldn't help but smile at that statement.
"Uh, yeah... Turns out…" Taylor chuckled. "That crime 'does' pay. A lot actually." Taylor shifted nervously under Vicky's gaze. "Sorry… We can… return it if you're not… comfortable. I was just trying to be nice."
Victoria let out a sigh but shook her head. "No, it's fine." She said, "I didn't expect you not to spend your ill-gotten gains. Besides, this is a… nice gift. Plus, now I have an excuse not to feel bad when I make you pay for everything." Victoria laughed at her joke as Taylor relaxed, eventually laughing alongside her.
"Oh, that's adorable." A female voice said from behind them.
Taylor stiffened up first, taking a wide step away from Vicky as she turned around. Victoria turned as well to see another blonde girl watching them. A devilish grin across her face as she looked between Taylor and Victoria.
"L-Lisa!" Taylor jumped with surprise. "When did you get here?"
Taylor looked in alarm between Victoria and Lisa, Victoria stood firm in a somewhat aggressive stance, wearily eyeing the new girl. Lisa didn't seem to care in the slightest that she was face-to-face with Glory Girl, or that Taylor was associating with her. She sauntered over to Taylor, ignoring the glaring hero.
"A little while ago," Lisa said, giving Taylor a friendly hug. She let go of Taylor after a quick squeeze but kept one hand locked on Taylor's hand. "Saw you two talking over the dress, decided to wait till you were done shopping." She turned towards Victoria, "Cute dress b-t-dubs. I'm sure it'd look great on you." Lisa extended a hand towards the hero. "Hi, I'm Lisa. Taylor's 'best' friend. I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Lisa smiled the same smug grin that Victoria had seen before, at the bank. Holding the same hand out casually as when it was extended with a gun. This was Taylor's 'friend.' She'd arrived in plain clothes and showed no hostile intentions. Victoria didn't relax in the slightest, she knew exactly who this is, a villain from the Undersiders. Tattletale.
Victoria extended her own hand to meet the villains. A firm grasp as they shook. She pulled her best 'fake' smile, the one her mother taught her how to use while talking to the media. "Oh, hey. Nice to meet you too. I'm Victoria. Taylor's new 'best' friend."
The two girls eyed each other down. Judging each other while putting up a pretence of polite conversation. Both of them had an idea of what the other person's plans were for Taylor, it was evident in the way they interacted with the girl.
Taylor was completely unaware of the rivalry forming before her very eyes. To her, this meeting was going better than she ever imagined. Lisa didn't try to shoot anyone. Vicky hadn't punched anyone through a wall. Granted, Taylor was too distracted to notice the subtle mood shift in the air. Something about having two pretty blonde girls both claim you as their best friend had an effect on the poor girl.
Taylor smiled a genuine smile. She had friends, best friends. Ignoring Lisa's smug grin and Vicky's tense glare, Taylor looked down at the source of the warm feeling she had. She held a friend in each hand, both gripped tightly, not letting go of her. This gave her a strange feeling that Taylor had thought was once impossible.
She never felt more wanted than she did right now.
Chapter 7: She likes books
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Lisa smiled as she walked alongside Taylor. The hero kept giving Lisa some side-eye as she walked on the other side of Taylor. Lisa didn't let it phase her in the slightest, she knew that Victoria wouldn't try anything stupid while they were out in public. The three of them walked through the mall, the two girls pulling Taylor along by the hand as they explored the place. Lisa turned back to Taylor and took a read of the girl.
Happy but conflicted. Doesn't usually like it when people try to control her movements, or touch her in general, but doesn't mind being led this time. She likes it, she feels… cared for.
Lisa gave the girl a knowing smile, causing Taylor to fluster and try to pull away. Lisa didn't let her, holding her hand tighter instead as she broke into a giggle that caught Victoria's attention.
"What?" Victoria asked, already on the defensive.
Thinks I'm up to something, hates me for pulling gun on her in the bank. Thinks I'm a bad influence on Taylor. Trying to manipulate Taylor? Partly?… Wants to 'save' Taylor. From people like me.
"Nothing," Lisa said, smiling smugly back at the hero. "I just thought of a good store to take Taylor to."
Victoria frowned as Lisa started moving off in a direction, taking Taylor along with her. While Victoria was hesitant to follow Lisa's suggestion, Taylor held tightly onto Vicky's hand, not wanting the trio to separate.
Enjoys being with friends. Happy that we both consider her best friend. Wants us both to get along. Feels guilty for never considering best friend, can't decide who best friend is, thinking about previous best friend, negative connotations, spiralling into negative mood. Needs immediate distraction.
"Here we go," Lisa said, giving Taylor's hand another little squeeze. "What do you think of this place?"
It was Taylor's turn to gasp in excitement as they approached a bookstore, hidden away in a back corner of the mall. It had a cosy, aged vibe to it even though the store itself was only a decade or so old. Taylor let go of both hands as she approached the shop, moving to pick up a book sitting on a shelf by the front.
Nostalgic book, used to own a copy. Read to her as child, probably by parental unit. Evokes feelings of melancholy and yet, grateful to see again.
Lisa watched as Taylor pocketed the book before moving on to another one. She left Taylor to her own devices, letting the girl work her way through the store. Victoria watched Lisa cautiously, eventually relaxing her guard after she saw how happy Taylor had become. She joined Taylor in exploring the little bookstore, picking through some stories that she found familiar.
The two girls made their way through the store, Taylor picked out various books, recommending a few to Victoria. Taylor became a lot more talkative when it came to her favourite books and it turned out that Victoria was also quite a bookworm, contrary to her appearance. Lisa watched on with a proud smile from the store's entrance, she knew this was a perfect place to help Taylor relax into their little outing.
Victoria noticed that Lisa was hanging back and waiting by the store's entrance. Taylor had collected a small handful of books and had started a conversation with the store owner at the counter. Lisa braced herself as Victoria approached, now that the two were out of Taylor's view there would be no holding back.
Relaxed, wary, curious, no outwardly hostile intent. Recognised how I helped Taylor relax. Giving me benefit of the doubt… for now. Still considers me… a rival? Will argue with me after small talk to break the ice.
Lisa smiled as Victoria took up a spot beside her. The two girls didn't speak to one another for a brief moment. Finally, Victoria opened her mouth to speak.
"Not interested in books?" She asked. A probing question, trying to work out what type of person Lisa was.
Lisa considered how she would respond to that. "I can't really get into books."
"Ah," Victoria chuckled, "One of those people who get too distracted easily, can't concentrate on books?"
"Not exactly," Lisa said with a small frown, flicking through a random book she picked up. "I used to like reading a lot as a child. I was a big Sherlock Holmes fan, wanted to be a detective and everything. But these days, my power kinda… spoils everything I read." Lisa let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I can get about a third into a book before I work out the ending, then I usually drop it. The same thing with most movies, but at least they have some interesting visuals and sounds, y'know?"
Victoria gave Lisa a sad frown.
Confused, thought I was a psychic. Doesn't understand my powers. Surprised I admitted to having powers, assumed I'd pretend not to be Tattletale. Sad that I can't enjoy books or movies.
Lisa broke into her signature smile, tossing the book back into a pile. Her grin put Victoria on the defensive again.
"So tense." Lisa chuckled, "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"Gee, I don't know. Shoot me?" Victoria said with a huff.
Lisa gave a faux gasp, "Me? Shoot the 'invincible' Glory Girl? That would be pretty stupid."
Victoria glared at her in response. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Tattletale."
"Allegedly…" Lisa said with another smile.
"Cut the crap." Victoria said, "What 'are' you going to do? Are you spying on me? Making sure Taylor doesn't give up any of your secrets?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Lisa said with a huff of her own. "I came here to find out why 'Glory Girl' picked up a sudden interest in my friend. I half expected to find her led into some PRT trap."
"I would never," Victoria said with a gasp.
"Apparently so," Lisa said curiously. "Which makes me question your motives all the more."
"Hey!" Victoria said with a hiss, "I'm just looking out for Taylor. There's no 'motive,' she's a nice girl who needed a friend in school. A 'real' friend who isn't going to drag her down into a life of crime."
Lisa stared back at Victoria's scowl, sensing the truth in her words.
"Drag her down?" Lisa repeated, offended at the wording. "I lifted her up. She was damn near suicidal, taking on Lung when I found her. Now she has friends, a safe place to rest if she ever needs it, and more than enough money to fix any problem she'd ever come across. And now you come along thinking that she'd give it all up for what? A few good memories of high school?"
Lisa was surprised at how upset Victoria had made her, usually she was the one setting other people off with words.
"You're just using her!" Victoria hissed, both girls keeping their voices hushed so as to not arouse suspicion. "You saw some emotionally fragile girl with superpowers and baited her along with the promise of friendship and money. If you really cared about Taylor, you would see what's best for her, back off and-"
"And let you 'fix' her?" Lisa said with an annoyed chuckle, "That's what this is about, right? You caught a glimpse of the girl behind Skitter's mask and the 'hero' thinks she can fix her." Victoria looked away guiltily, fix wasn't the word she was going to use, but it was exactly what she was thinking. "You know, 'that' is exactly why I'm here. You don't care about Taylor, you've barely known her for a week. And when you realise that you can't fix her with a few more friends and some 'good times' during school. You'll get bored."
"No…"
"You'll give up on your little pet project." Lisa continued, "Then you'll drop her. Worse, you'll betray her. Like every other person in Taylor's life. And when that happens, you know what? I'll still be here. Her 'real' friend."
"Fuck you," Victoria said, a little louder. Both girls turned to see if Taylor had noticed, she was getting her new books bagged up at the counter. Victoria turned back to Lisa, returning to her hushed tone. "I would never betray someone like that. Especially not after everything she's been through. I just… want to show her that there are better options."
"Oh, like you? Glory Girl, the pinnacle of justice in Brockton Bay?" Lisa asked with her smug smirk returning. She chuckled, causing Victoria to frown. "You don't honestly believe that you're such a paragon of virtue do you?"
"Well… Yes." Victoria said, unsure where Lisa was going with her change of tone.
"Huh," Lisa said pretending to think aloud. "I wonder how virtuous it is nowadays to get your sister to cover for all the times you brutalise criminals?" Victoria looked at Lisa with a horrified expression. Lisa smiled back as she knew that she touched a weak point. "I did my own research on you, 'Glory Hole'. A lot of small-time Empire folks keep singing the same tune. That you beat them within an inch of their life and get Panacea to heal them back up again."
"That's not…" Victoria tried to explain herself.
"Hey, I don't judge," Lisa said, holding her smile. "Fuck those Empire types and all. But you wanna know the funny thing? Out of the two of us, you're the only one who almost killed someone… multiple times. And yet I'm the bad influence on Taylor? So why don't you get off your high horse before Taylor gets hurt, huh?"
Taylor wandered over towards the two girls, she looked as happy as she could be carrying a bag full of books. Lisa greeted her with a smile of her own.
"Had fun, Taylor?" Lisa asked, switching completely from her annoyed mood to a genuinely happy smile. "Get any good loot?"
"Yeah!" Taylor said, her eyes lighting up as she fished around in her back for the books she bought. "A lot of these books are ones I've already read before, but these are all first and second editions which is rare to find." Taylor showed the covers to Lisa who nodded along. Taylor then noticed Victoria who had turned away from the duo.
Legitimately hurt by my words. Doesn't want to hurt Taylor, worried that I might be right. Can't think of valid excuse for actions. Realising she might be a 'bad' person. Considering leaving us alone for now. Will cry when alone.
Lisa smiled to herself, she'd won this battle, perhaps even the war. It was foolish to pick an argument with a social thinker like herself. All Lisa had to do was sit back and watch the hero implode and Taylor would be safe from her clutches.
Then Taylor reached out and took Victoria's hand.
"You okay, Vicky?" She asked, gently tugging the girl back into the fold.
Noticed sour mood, concerned for friend. Won't let go until assured she's alright.
Victoria turned around, wiping her eyes which threatened to leak.
"I'm fine…" Victoria lied, attempting to pull her hand away from Taylor but relenting when Taylor didn't let go. "I was just thinking that I should…" She paused for a brief moment. "You called me Vicky."
Victoria broke into a smile as Taylor blushed in embarrassment.
"What?" Taylor said, "I guess? Sorry. Don't all your friends call you that?"
Victoria shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I just… It's nice to hear you call me that."
"Vicky?" Taylor asked, confused and still embarrassed.
"My friend," Victoria said with a smile.
Won't leave us alone. Won't leave Taylor alone. Doesn't care if I'm right. Considers herself Taylor's friend. Wants to help Taylor.
Lisa sighed audibly. She wasn't going to get rid of Victoria that easily. Taylor was already too connected to the girl to let her go and Victoria was now encouraged to stay.
"Where to next?" Victoria asked. Walking in a random direction with Taylor. Taylor reached out with the hand carrying the bag of books, looking towards Lisa.
Wants me to follow alongside. Wants to hold both our hands again. Doesn't know how to ask for that. Already carrying books, thinks it'd be awkward to try put hand in mine now.
Lisa smirked at Taylor's conflicted expression. The girl was silently debating whether she could manoeuvre the bag onto her shoulder or the like, just to free up her hand again. Lisa walked up beside Taylor and took the bag from her, replacing it with her own hand. Taylor sunk back into a more relaxed stroll, enjoying being led around by Lisa and Victoria.
"Well…" Lisa said, thinking out loud to Victoria's question, ignoring her side-eye. "Taylor did want to check out this antique store, right?"
-----------------------------------------------------------
The three girls stood outside 'Brockton Antiques.' A rather unassuming antique store in the mall that would be otherwise unremarkable if not for the fact that it was so new. Unlike other stores they visited, this one had a door separating it from the rest of the mall. From the window, Taylor could see all kinds of random objects from dolls to jewellery, kitchenware and mirrors.
Taylor looked to Lisa, and the two girls shot each other a knowing nod. They had a job to do, to scope out the location and determine if there were any unseen defences before the Undersiders hit the place tomorrow. A job that would be a lot easier to accomplish if Taylor wasn't holding hands with Glory Girl at that very moment.
It was one thing to spend crime money in front of Victoria, but to plan an actual crime right under the hero's nose made Taylor feel a special kind of guilty. Lisa went into the store first, followed by Taylor, Lisa was already spotting the three security cameras in the corner of the room. Taylor scratched her hair, letting several flies drop out and spread away to act as scouts while she took Vicky through the store.
Lisa needed to focus on what her power was telling her but Taylor could multitask without raising any suspicion. She 'oohed and aahed' along with Victoria as her bugs reached their way into the backrooms. The best part about this job was that Taylor didn't even need to fake it, she was interested in looking at all the baubles and trinkets that they passed.
Victoria caught her eyes on a plush raccoon that apparently looked a lot like her sister. After much internal debating on whether to buy it for Amy, Taylor offered to pay for it with her 'crime money.'
As they approached the counter, they caught eyes on the owner and soon-to-be victim of the Undersiders. A European man who looked to be in his mid-forties. Victoria placed the raccoon plush down on the counter and the man looked back at her with a stammered shock.
"Just that please," Victoria said, looking to Taylor who was already getting her card out.
"No." Said the man behind the counter in an accent that Taylor couldn't quite place.
It took Victoria a few seconds to process what the man had just said.
"Um, excuse me?" She asked.
"No." The man said again, taking the plush and putting it behind the counter. "Get out."
"What?" Victoria asked, even more confused.
"Out, out I say." The man said with a somewhat panicked wave of his hand.
"I just-"
"Out! What part of leave do you not get?"
"Do you even know who I am?"
"I know you." The man continued. "Glory Girl, superhero. You fly and you break things. Not in my shop. Very many expensive things. Get out."
Taylor gently tugged on Victoria's arm, nudging her from her combative stance that the hero had intuitively fallen into after being confronted. Victoria opened her mouth to think of another rebuttal but decided to let Taylor pull her away before she got into a shouting match with a stranger.
Lisa was waiting by the door, laughing at Victoria's confused and annoyed expression. The store owner called out something along the lines of 'Don't come back' by the door closed behind the girls before he could finish.
"Well, that was freaking rude…" Victoria said, still blinking in confusion over what had happened. "I just wanted a toy. Break things… I'll show him. I'll-"
"Throw a car through his window?" Taylor joked.
"Yes!" Victoria said with frustration. She wouldn't actually do it but it was a nice fantasy to have. "He's going to get a strongly worded review online at least."
Taylor watched as Victoria pulled out her phone and started searching for the store online. Sure enough, the girl was typing out her frustrations into the phone. Victoria immediately relaxed upon finishing the review, as if able to dump all her emotions into the message and return to being the happy, go-lucky gal that she usually was.
"Well since that was a bust, I pick what we do next." Victoria decided. Taylor looked towards Lisa, they both needed to discuss what they picked up on during their brief search but had no way to do so without Victoria overhearing. "Let's watch a movie!"
Taylor wasn't sure what type of movie the three of them would see, she hadn't kept up with what was popular. Vicky insisted that they all watch some murder mystery flick. Taking Taylor by the hand again, she led her off towards the cinema.
"Great!" Taylor said with a smile, just happy to be there.
"Great…" Lisa said, in a sarcastic and bored tone before jogging to catch up with Taylor.
-----------------------------------------
Two hours later
Taylor sat in the middle of the food court, sipping on an iced coffee. Lisa returned to the table with a drink of her own, sitting next to Taylor. Followed shortly by Victoria who sat on the other side of Taylor.
"This was fun, right?" Victoria asked Taylor.
Taylor smiled and nodded but Lisa spoke first.
"Great fun. So happy I got to meet you." Lisa said with her usual grin. "We should totes exchange numbers and hang out more."
Taylor smiled wider and looked between her two friends. Taylor wasn't sure when exactly she stopped looking at Victoria with distrust, somewhere around the third day if she had to guess, but Taylor was glad she did. This day had been fun, the most fun Taylor ever had since robbing a bank. And this fun was guilt and anxiety free. Mostly guilt free, she did a little bit of 'pre-crime' but she hadn't done anything wrong per-say, just some light spying.
Victoria put on a smile that Taylor could tell wasn't her usual smile but couldn't work out why it felt old.
"Of course…" Victoria said, holding out her phone. "I'd love that."
Taylor relaxed again as both girls shot each other a quick text back and forth. Confirming that all three girls were now in contact with each other. Her two best friends were now friends. That was something Taylor could actually say to herself. Two best friends, a massive upgrade from… her.
Lisa reached out and touched Taylor's hand, snapping her out of whatever spiral her thoughts was about to lead her down. She had the good habit of doing that, Taylor wasn't sure if it was even on purpose or not. Lisa was still talking to Victoria, making jokes about how she'll be sending her messages every day and yet she still had the awareness to grab Taylor's hand when her thoughts went askew. Eventually, they all finished their drinks and Victoria stood to stretch.
"Alright, I gotta get going to pick up Ames from the hospital," Victoria said, collecting her bag. "Do you need a lift home?" Lisa moved to raise her hand as a joke. "No," Victoria said flatly.
Taylor chuckled and shook her head. "No, thank you. Lisa and I will take the bus home. But I'll see you at school on Monday."
Victoria was looking down at Taylor was a gentle smile on her face. For the second time today, the same thought popped into Taylor's head, 'Beautiful.' Taylor couldn't deny it to herself, Victoria was attractive and Taylor was smitten. Victoria held the stare for longer than Taylor felt comfortable.
"What?" Taylor finally asked, feeling self-conscious again.
Victoria shook her head. "Nothing, you just have a cute laugh. You should laugh more."
Taylor looked away from the compliment only to see Lisa nodding her head in agreement. Victoria giggled before taking off into a hover. With a final wave goodbye, Vicky flew off from the food court.
"Show off…" Lisa mumbled, watching the hero leave.
"You're just jealous you can't fly," Taylor said, waiting for Victoria to leave their line of sight before breaking into their work discussion.
"Pretty sure you're the jealous one," Lisa said back with a smirk. "Although, the real question is whether you want to be her or be with-"
Lisa was cut off mid-sentence as a fly just 'happened' to land in her mouth. She choked and spat out the bug before giving Taylor a grossed-out gagging noise.
"You do realise how bad of an idea it is to associate with her, right?" Lisa said, stealing Taylor's drink to wash her mouth with.
Taylor shrank down like a told-off child. She knew exactly how dangerous the situation was but she also didn't have any good alternatives. Victoria knew who she was and was determined to be a part of Taylor's life. Taylor couldn't exactly tell her no, even if she wanted to. Which she didn't.
Lisa sighed, "I'm not saying don't be friends with her. Just… be careful. Okay? That goes double if your planning on dating her or whatever."
"I'm not!" Taylor said back defensively.
Lisa shot her a raised eyebrow. "Is this where you tell me that you have 'no' interest in her? Or that you're not actually gay?"
Taylor made a few flustered sounds before composing herself. She'd never told anyone of her interest in women, she didn't consider herself 'in the closet,' rather than just never coming out in casual conversation. Still, for Lisa to so blatantly call her out on it was… exactly what Lisa does best.
"So, you know?…" Taylor asked quietly.
Lisa giggled, placing another hand on Taylor. "Oh Tay, I knew you were gay from the second I caught you checking me out on that rooftop."
Taylor tried to shrink down some more but was already at her limit. Lisa tried and failed to hold in another bout of laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Lisa apologised while still chuckling away. "It's fine, honest. I don't mind in the slightest."
"Wait? Are 'you' gay?" Taylor asked, surprised at herself with how high her hopes got in that question.
Lisa laughed again before falling silent into thought. Eventually, she returned with a friendly wink, simply saying. "It's complicated." Taylor was about to inquire more into that line of thought before Lisa moved on. "We should get some work done before Brian gets annoyed. I've already got four texts from him."
Lisa pulled up her phone showing some texts from Brian who was growing increasingly impatient with the girls.
"Initial scope seems fine," Lisa said, reading some notes off her phone that she had apparently written earlier. "More cameras than usual, doubtful that they're tied to the other cameras in the mall. Most of the products in the store were either cheap hand-downs or outright fake. Owner is very protective of the back door and of course. Did you see how he reacted after seeing Glory Girl?" Lisa giggled. "The dude is a total amateur, bet he'd freak out the same way if a cop came walking in. Probably how he got made to begin with."
Taylor nodded, thinking back to what her bugs picked up on when they visited the store.
"Yeah, I managed to get some flies in the backroom," Taylor said, now wishing she had the foresight to write down what she saw. "There was one armed man sitting by the door and several other people loading bags of… stuff into random pots and other antiques."
"So as expected. A small operation, selling antiques is the cover story. But no lab, so where are they getting it all?" Lisa thought aloud. Taylor shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll tell Brian. Looks like this really will be as simple as smashing up a store. I love easy jobs."
-----------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall – 1:30 am
When Taylor was told that the job was going down on a Saturday, she assumed it would be sometime during the day, perhaps late afternoon. Unfortunately for her sleep pattern, Brian and Lisa meant the first thing Saturday.
The Undersiders all met up around midnight at their base, Taylor herself snuck out of her bedroom window an hour prior. Once dressed in costumes and geared up, they were waiting on the rooftop of the mall. Taylor was watching as three mall security guards did their rounds through the building.
Grue had already established an entrance and exit plan, the team held position around a skylight window that dropped relatively near the antique store. They were waiting for the guard to pass by which would give them the maximum time to smash up the store.
Regent was going around handing out a baseball bat to everyone. Most of the team had gotten a standard wooden bat while Regent kept the heavier metal baseball bat for himself. Taylor could admit that she felt pretty powerful holding the would-be weapon in her hand.
Bitch was practising her swings while on the back of Brutus, Taylor could imagine swapping out the bat for an axe or a sword, making her pretty intimating while riding into battle… more than she already was.
Tattletale looked to Taylor, waiting for her to give the all-clear and commence the operation. She ran through the basics of 'window entrances' letting Taylor know the best method of not getting covered in glass.
When the guard passed the corner, Taylor counted down from thirty as everyone readied themselves on a dog. Everyone knew what the job what to do. Smash and grab. Tattletale had already detailed where all the 'good stuff' was being held and everything else was set to be destroyed. There was an energy in the air that always came before a job.
The anxiety, the anticipation, that heart-pounding sensation that came when you knowingly were about to do something 'wrong.' Taylor would never admit it to anyone, but it was in these moments, when Taylor jumped through a skylight window and Skitter landed on the ground, that she truly enjoyed herself.
---------------------------------------------
Dallon Household – 9:30am
Victoria yawned as she exited her bedroom. Sleepily, she made her way towards the bathroom to find the door locked. She jostled it a few times before a voice called out from behind the door.
"Occupied!" Amy called out, causing Vicky to groan in annoyance.
Victoria waited a good ten minutes before she heard the toilet flush. She stood up a little straighter, expecting Amy to exit any second now, only to hear the sound of the shower turning on.
"For fucks sake…" Victoria sighed to herself. Amy always took long showers, Vicky was better off getting breakfast first and then coming back later.
She hovered down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her Mother was already making breakfast, unfortunately, she had only made enough for herself.
"What have I told you about flying indoors," Carol said, eyeing Victoria till her feet touched the ground.
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said with another yawn. "Can I have some eggs and bacon too?"
"We're out of eggs, but help yourself," Carol said, leaving the frying pan on. She took her own plate of food and headed off to the home office.
Victoria sighed again, ready to take a double heaping of bacon for herself before realising that there would be none left for Amy if she did. Cooking up all the bacon, Victoria left half of it on a plate for Amy and took her share to the living room.
Her Father was watching the morning news, happily eating away at his breakfast. Upon sitting down, Mark scooched over and placed one of his eggs on Victoria's plate. Vicky gave her Dad a smile as the two of them ate in relative silence, only the news to fill the air.
"And to our latest story in the city," The newsreader spoke. "Locals were surprised to find Brockton Bay Mall was broken into late last night, with police on the scene at around three in the morning. But to all those people wanting to shop on this lovely weekend, don't you worry. It seems only one store, in particular, was the target of this destructive B'n'E."
Victoria choked on her food as the screen showed the aftermath of the break-in. Brockton Antiques was completely destroyed, it was just a hollowed-out store with rubble strewn about on the floor.
The newsreader continued over the images, "The PRT has been called in as the speed and nature of the break-in leads many to believe parahuman involvement. Particularly, small traces of dog hair and the overabundance of insects found at the scene indicate perhaps that the villainous team known as the Undersiders is to blame for this attack. As to why-"
Victoria struggled to chew her food as she reached for her phone. The news was giving a limited rundown on who each member of the Undersiders was and their known capabilities, they were particularly focused on the newest member of the team, Skitter, who was making waves recently.
"Did you hit the antique shop last night????" Victoria sent as a text to Taylor.
Her phone buzzed five minutes later. A response text from Taylor, a single word with a picture attached.
"Sorry."
Victoria wanted to be angry, she was angry. A crime was planned out right under her nose. After all the progress she made with Taylor, Lisa had turned their little outing into a stakeout.
So, why the hell could she not stop smiling at this text in her hand?
Because Taylor looked too damn cute in her selfie, hugging a plush raccoon toy.
Happy but conflicted. Doesn't usually like it when people try to control her movements, or touch her in general, but doesn't mind being led this time. She likes it, she feels… cared for.
Lisa gave the girl a knowing smile, causing Taylor to fluster and try to pull away. Lisa didn't let her, holding her hand tighter instead as she broke into a giggle that caught Victoria's attention.
"What?" Victoria asked, already on the defensive.
Thinks I'm up to something, hates me for pulling gun on her in the bank. Thinks I'm a bad influence on Taylor. Trying to manipulate Taylor? Partly?… Wants to 'save' Taylor. From people like me.
"Nothing," Lisa said, smiling smugly back at the hero. "I just thought of a good store to take Taylor to."
Victoria frowned as Lisa started moving off in a direction, taking Taylor along with her. While Victoria was hesitant to follow Lisa's suggestion, Taylor held tightly onto Vicky's hand, not wanting the trio to separate.
Enjoys being with friends. Happy that we both consider her best friend. Wants us both to get along. Feels guilty for never considering best friend, can't decide who best friend is, thinking about previous best friend, negative connotations, spiralling into negative mood. Needs immediate distraction.
"Here we go," Lisa said, giving Taylor's hand another little squeeze. "What do you think of this place?"
It was Taylor's turn to gasp in excitement as they approached a bookstore, hidden away in a back corner of the mall. It had a cosy, aged vibe to it even though the store itself was only a decade or so old. Taylor let go of both hands as she approached the shop, moving to pick up a book sitting on a shelf by the front.
Nostalgic book, used to own a copy. Read to her as child, probably by parental unit. Evokes feelings of melancholy and yet, grateful to see again.
Lisa watched as Taylor pocketed the book before moving on to another one. She left Taylor to her own devices, letting the girl work her way through the store. Victoria watched Lisa cautiously, eventually relaxing her guard after she saw how happy Taylor had become. She joined Taylor in exploring the little bookstore, picking through some stories that she found familiar.
The two girls made their way through the store, Taylor picked out various books, recommending a few to Victoria. Taylor became a lot more talkative when it came to her favourite books and it turned out that Victoria was also quite a bookworm, contrary to her appearance. Lisa watched on with a proud smile from the store's entrance, she knew this was a perfect place to help Taylor relax into their little outing.
Victoria noticed that Lisa was hanging back and waiting by the store's entrance. Taylor had collected a small handful of books and had started a conversation with the store owner at the counter. Lisa braced herself as Victoria approached, now that the two were out of Taylor's view there would be no holding back.
Relaxed, wary, curious, no outwardly hostile intent. Recognised how I helped Taylor relax. Giving me benefit of the doubt… for now. Still considers me… a rival? Will argue with me after small talk to break the ice.
Lisa smiled as Victoria took up a spot beside her. The two girls didn't speak to one another for a brief moment. Finally, Victoria opened her mouth to speak.
"Not interested in books?" She asked. A probing question, trying to work out what type of person Lisa was.
Lisa considered how she would respond to that. "I can't really get into books."
"Ah," Victoria chuckled, "One of those people who get too distracted easily, can't concentrate on books?"
"Not exactly," Lisa said with a small frown, flicking through a random book she picked up. "I used to like reading a lot as a child. I was a big Sherlock Holmes fan, wanted to be a detective and everything. But these days, my power kinda… spoils everything I read." Lisa let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I can get about a third into a book before I work out the ending, then I usually drop it. The same thing with most movies, but at least they have some interesting visuals and sounds, y'know?"
Victoria gave Lisa a sad frown.
Confused, thought I was a psychic. Doesn't understand my powers. Surprised I admitted to having powers, assumed I'd pretend not to be Tattletale. Sad that I can't enjoy books or movies.
Lisa broke into her signature smile, tossing the book back into a pile. Her grin put Victoria on the defensive again.
"So tense." Lisa chuckled, "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"Gee, I don't know. Shoot me?" Victoria said with a huff.
Lisa gave a faux gasp, "Me? Shoot the 'invincible' Glory Girl? That would be pretty stupid."
Victoria glared at her in response. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Tattletale."
"Allegedly…" Lisa said with another smile.
"Cut the crap." Victoria said, "What 'are' you going to do? Are you spying on me? Making sure Taylor doesn't give up any of your secrets?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Lisa said with a huff of her own. "I came here to find out why 'Glory Girl' picked up a sudden interest in my friend. I half expected to find her led into some PRT trap."
"I would never," Victoria said with a gasp.
"Apparently so," Lisa said curiously. "Which makes me question your motives all the more."
"Hey!" Victoria said with a hiss, "I'm just looking out for Taylor. There's no 'motive,' she's a nice girl who needed a friend in school. A 'real' friend who isn't going to drag her down into a life of crime."
Lisa stared back at Victoria's scowl, sensing the truth in her words.
"Drag her down?" Lisa repeated, offended at the wording. "I lifted her up. She was damn near suicidal, taking on Lung when I found her. Now she has friends, a safe place to rest if she ever needs it, and more than enough money to fix any problem she'd ever come across. And now you come along thinking that she'd give it all up for what? A few good memories of high school?"
Lisa was surprised at how upset Victoria had made her, usually she was the one setting other people off with words.
"You're just using her!" Victoria hissed, both girls keeping their voices hushed so as to not arouse suspicion. "You saw some emotionally fragile girl with superpowers and baited her along with the promise of friendship and money. If you really cared about Taylor, you would see what's best for her, back off and-"
"And let you 'fix' her?" Lisa said with an annoyed chuckle, "That's what this is about, right? You caught a glimpse of the girl behind Skitter's mask and the 'hero' thinks she can fix her." Victoria looked away guiltily, fix wasn't the word she was going to use, but it was exactly what she was thinking. "You know, 'that' is exactly why I'm here. You don't care about Taylor, you've barely known her for a week. And when you realise that you can't fix her with a few more friends and some 'good times' during school. You'll get bored."
"No…"
"You'll give up on your little pet project." Lisa continued, "Then you'll drop her. Worse, you'll betray her. Like every other person in Taylor's life. And when that happens, you know what? I'll still be here. Her 'real' friend."
"Fuck you," Victoria said, a little louder. Both girls turned to see if Taylor had noticed, she was getting her new books bagged up at the counter. Victoria turned back to Lisa, returning to her hushed tone. "I would never betray someone like that. Especially not after everything she's been through. I just… want to show her that there are better options."
"Oh, like you? Glory Girl, the pinnacle of justice in Brockton Bay?" Lisa asked with her smug smirk returning. She chuckled, causing Victoria to frown. "You don't honestly believe that you're such a paragon of virtue do you?"
"Well… Yes." Victoria said, unsure where Lisa was going with her change of tone.
"Huh," Lisa said pretending to think aloud. "I wonder how virtuous it is nowadays to get your sister to cover for all the times you brutalise criminals?" Victoria looked at Lisa with a horrified expression. Lisa smiled back as she knew that she touched a weak point. "I did my own research on you, 'Glory Hole'. A lot of small-time Empire folks keep singing the same tune. That you beat them within an inch of their life and get Panacea to heal them back up again."
"That's not…" Victoria tried to explain herself.
"Hey, I don't judge," Lisa said, holding her smile. "Fuck those Empire types and all. But you wanna know the funny thing? Out of the two of us, you're the only one who almost killed someone… multiple times. And yet I'm the bad influence on Taylor? So why don't you get off your high horse before Taylor gets hurt, huh?"
Taylor wandered over towards the two girls, she looked as happy as she could be carrying a bag full of books. Lisa greeted her with a smile of her own.
"Had fun, Taylor?" Lisa asked, switching completely from her annoyed mood to a genuinely happy smile. "Get any good loot?"
"Yeah!" Taylor said, her eyes lighting up as she fished around in her back for the books she bought. "A lot of these books are ones I've already read before, but these are all first and second editions which is rare to find." Taylor showed the covers to Lisa who nodded along. Taylor then noticed Victoria who had turned away from the duo.
Legitimately hurt by my words. Doesn't want to hurt Taylor, worried that I might be right. Can't think of valid excuse for actions. Realising she might be a 'bad' person. Considering leaving us alone for now. Will cry when alone.
Lisa smiled to herself, she'd won this battle, perhaps even the war. It was foolish to pick an argument with a social thinker like herself. All Lisa had to do was sit back and watch the hero implode and Taylor would be safe from her clutches.
Then Taylor reached out and took Victoria's hand.
"You okay, Vicky?" She asked, gently tugging the girl back into the fold.
Noticed sour mood, concerned for friend. Won't let go until assured she's alright.
Victoria turned around, wiping her eyes which threatened to leak.
"I'm fine…" Victoria lied, attempting to pull her hand away from Taylor but relenting when Taylor didn't let go. "I was just thinking that I should…" She paused for a brief moment. "You called me Vicky."
Victoria broke into a smile as Taylor blushed in embarrassment.
"What?" Taylor said, "I guess? Sorry. Don't all your friends call you that?"
Victoria shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I just… It's nice to hear you call me that."
"Vicky?" Taylor asked, confused and still embarrassed.
"My friend," Victoria said with a smile.
Won't leave us alone. Won't leave Taylor alone. Doesn't care if I'm right. Considers herself Taylor's friend. Wants to help Taylor.
Lisa sighed audibly. She wasn't going to get rid of Victoria that easily. Taylor was already too connected to the girl to let her go and Victoria was now encouraged to stay.
"Where to next?" Victoria asked. Walking in a random direction with Taylor. Taylor reached out with the hand carrying the bag of books, looking towards Lisa.
Wants me to follow alongside. Wants to hold both our hands again. Doesn't know how to ask for that. Already carrying books, thinks it'd be awkward to try put hand in mine now.
Lisa smirked at Taylor's conflicted expression. The girl was silently debating whether she could manoeuvre the bag onto her shoulder or the like, just to free up her hand again. Lisa walked up beside Taylor and took the bag from her, replacing it with her own hand. Taylor sunk back into a more relaxed stroll, enjoying being led around by Lisa and Victoria.
"Well…" Lisa said, thinking out loud to Victoria's question, ignoring her side-eye. "Taylor did want to check out this antique store, right?"
-----------------------------------------------------------
The three girls stood outside 'Brockton Antiques.' A rather unassuming antique store in the mall that would be otherwise unremarkable if not for the fact that it was so new. Unlike other stores they visited, this one had a door separating it from the rest of the mall. From the window, Taylor could see all kinds of random objects from dolls to jewellery, kitchenware and mirrors.
Taylor looked to Lisa, and the two girls shot each other a knowing nod. They had a job to do, to scope out the location and determine if there were any unseen defences before the Undersiders hit the place tomorrow. A job that would be a lot easier to accomplish if Taylor wasn't holding hands with Glory Girl at that very moment.
It was one thing to spend crime money in front of Victoria, but to plan an actual crime right under the hero's nose made Taylor feel a special kind of guilty. Lisa went into the store first, followed by Taylor, Lisa was already spotting the three security cameras in the corner of the room. Taylor scratched her hair, letting several flies drop out and spread away to act as scouts while she took Vicky through the store.
Lisa needed to focus on what her power was telling her but Taylor could multitask without raising any suspicion. She 'oohed and aahed' along with Victoria as her bugs reached their way into the backrooms. The best part about this job was that Taylor didn't even need to fake it, she was interested in looking at all the baubles and trinkets that they passed.
Victoria caught her eyes on a plush raccoon that apparently looked a lot like her sister. After much internal debating on whether to buy it for Amy, Taylor offered to pay for it with her 'crime money.'
As they approached the counter, they caught eyes on the owner and soon-to-be victim of the Undersiders. A European man who looked to be in his mid-forties. Victoria placed the raccoon plush down on the counter and the man looked back at her with a stammered shock.
"Just that please," Victoria said, looking to Taylor who was already getting her card out.
"No." Said the man behind the counter in an accent that Taylor couldn't quite place.
It took Victoria a few seconds to process what the man had just said.
"Um, excuse me?" She asked.
"No." The man said again, taking the plush and putting it behind the counter. "Get out."
"What?" Victoria asked, even more confused.
"Out, out I say." The man said with a somewhat panicked wave of his hand.
"I just-"
"Out! What part of leave do you not get?"
"Do you even know who I am?"
"I know you." The man continued. "Glory Girl, superhero. You fly and you break things. Not in my shop. Very many expensive things. Get out."
Taylor gently tugged on Victoria's arm, nudging her from her combative stance that the hero had intuitively fallen into after being confronted. Victoria opened her mouth to think of another rebuttal but decided to let Taylor pull her away before she got into a shouting match with a stranger.
Lisa was waiting by the door, laughing at Victoria's confused and annoyed expression. The store owner called out something along the lines of 'Don't come back' by the door closed behind the girls before he could finish.
"Well, that was freaking rude…" Victoria said, still blinking in confusion over what had happened. "I just wanted a toy. Break things… I'll show him. I'll-"
"Throw a car through his window?" Taylor joked.
"Yes!" Victoria said with frustration. She wouldn't actually do it but it was a nice fantasy to have. "He's going to get a strongly worded review online at least."
Taylor watched as Victoria pulled out her phone and started searching for the store online. Sure enough, the girl was typing out her frustrations into the phone. Victoria immediately relaxed upon finishing the review, as if able to dump all her emotions into the message and return to being the happy, go-lucky gal that she usually was.
"Well since that was a bust, I pick what we do next." Victoria decided. Taylor looked towards Lisa, they both needed to discuss what they picked up on during their brief search but had no way to do so without Victoria overhearing. "Let's watch a movie!"
Taylor wasn't sure what type of movie the three of them would see, she hadn't kept up with what was popular. Vicky insisted that they all watch some murder mystery flick. Taking Taylor by the hand again, she led her off towards the cinema.
"Great!" Taylor said with a smile, just happy to be there.
"Great…" Lisa said, in a sarcastic and bored tone before jogging to catch up with Taylor.
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Two hours later
Taylor sat in the middle of the food court, sipping on an iced coffee. Lisa returned to the table with a drink of her own, sitting next to Taylor. Followed shortly by Victoria who sat on the other side of Taylor.
"This was fun, right?" Victoria asked Taylor.
Taylor smiled and nodded but Lisa spoke first.
"Great fun. So happy I got to meet you." Lisa said with her usual grin. "We should totes exchange numbers and hang out more."
Taylor smiled wider and looked between her two friends. Taylor wasn't sure when exactly she stopped looking at Victoria with distrust, somewhere around the third day if she had to guess, but Taylor was glad she did. This day had been fun, the most fun Taylor ever had since robbing a bank. And this fun was guilt and anxiety free. Mostly guilt free, she did a little bit of 'pre-crime' but she hadn't done anything wrong per-say, just some light spying.
Victoria put on a smile that Taylor could tell wasn't her usual smile but couldn't work out why it felt old.
"Of course…" Victoria said, holding out her phone. "I'd love that."
Taylor relaxed again as both girls shot each other a quick text back and forth. Confirming that all three girls were now in contact with each other. Her two best friends were now friends. That was something Taylor could actually say to herself. Two best friends, a massive upgrade from… her.
Lisa reached out and touched Taylor's hand, snapping her out of whatever spiral her thoughts was about to lead her down. She had the good habit of doing that, Taylor wasn't sure if it was even on purpose or not. Lisa was still talking to Victoria, making jokes about how she'll be sending her messages every day and yet she still had the awareness to grab Taylor's hand when her thoughts went askew. Eventually, they all finished their drinks and Victoria stood to stretch.
"Alright, I gotta get going to pick up Ames from the hospital," Victoria said, collecting her bag. "Do you need a lift home?" Lisa moved to raise her hand as a joke. "No," Victoria said flatly.
Taylor chuckled and shook her head. "No, thank you. Lisa and I will take the bus home. But I'll see you at school on Monday."
Victoria was looking down at Taylor was a gentle smile on her face. For the second time today, the same thought popped into Taylor's head, 'Beautiful.' Taylor couldn't deny it to herself, Victoria was attractive and Taylor was smitten. Victoria held the stare for longer than Taylor felt comfortable.
"What?" Taylor finally asked, feeling self-conscious again.
Victoria shook her head. "Nothing, you just have a cute laugh. You should laugh more."
Taylor looked away from the compliment only to see Lisa nodding her head in agreement. Victoria giggled before taking off into a hover. With a final wave goodbye, Vicky flew off from the food court.
"Show off…" Lisa mumbled, watching the hero leave.
"You're just jealous you can't fly," Taylor said, waiting for Victoria to leave their line of sight before breaking into their work discussion.
"Pretty sure you're the jealous one," Lisa said back with a smirk. "Although, the real question is whether you want to be her or be with-"
Lisa was cut off mid-sentence as a fly just 'happened' to land in her mouth. She choked and spat out the bug before giving Taylor a grossed-out gagging noise.
"You do realise how bad of an idea it is to associate with her, right?" Lisa said, stealing Taylor's drink to wash her mouth with.
Taylor shrank down like a told-off child. She knew exactly how dangerous the situation was but she also didn't have any good alternatives. Victoria knew who she was and was determined to be a part of Taylor's life. Taylor couldn't exactly tell her no, even if she wanted to. Which she didn't.
Lisa sighed, "I'm not saying don't be friends with her. Just… be careful. Okay? That goes double if your planning on dating her or whatever."
"I'm not!" Taylor said back defensively.
Lisa shot her a raised eyebrow. "Is this where you tell me that you have 'no' interest in her? Or that you're not actually gay?"
Taylor made a few flustered sounds before composing herself. She'd never told anyone of her interest in women, she didn't consider herself 'in the closet,' rather than just never coming out in casual conversation. Still, for Lisa to so blatantly call her out on it was… exactly what Lisa does best.
"So, you know?…" Taylor asked quietly.
Lisa giggled, placing another hand on Taylor. "Oh Tay, I knew you were gay from the second I caught you checking me out on that rooftop."
Taylor tried to shrink down some more but was already at her limit. Lisa tried and failed to hold in another bout of laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Lisa apologised while still chuckling away. "It's fine, honest. I don't mind in the slightest."
"Wait? Are 'you' gay?" Taylor asked, surprised at herself with how high her hopes got in that question.
Lisa laughed again before falling silent into thought. Eventually, she returned with a friendly wink, simply saying. "It's complicated." Taylor was about to inquire more into that line of thought before Lisa moved on. "We should get some work done before Brian gets annoyed. I've already got four texts from him."
Lisa pulled up her phone showing some texts from Brian who was growing increasingly impatient with the girls.
"Initial scope seems fine," Lisa said, reading some notes off her phone that she had apparently written earlier. "More cameras than usual, doubtful that they're tied to the other cameras in the mall. Most of the products in the store were either cheap hand-downs or outright fake. Owner is very protective of the back door and of course. Did you see how he reacted after seeing Glory Girl?" Lisa giggled. "The dude is a total amateur, bet he'd freak out the same way if a cop came walking in. Probably how he got made to begin with."
Taylor nodded, thinking back to what her bugs picked up on when they visited the store.
"Yeah, I managed to get some flies in the backroom," Taylor said, now wishing she had the foresight to write down what she saw. "There was one armed man sitting by the door and several other people loading bags of… stuff into random pots and other antiques."
"So as expected. A small operation, selling antiques is the cover story. But no lab, so where are they getting it all?" Lisa thought aloud. Taylor shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll tell Brian. Looks like this really will be as simple as smashing up a store. I love easy jobs."
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Brockton Bay Mall – 1:30 am
When Taylor was told that the job was going down on a Saturday, she assumed it would be sometime during the day, perhaps late afternoon. Unfortunately for her sleep pattern, Brian and Lisa meant the first thing Saturday.
The Undersiders all met up around midnight at their base, Taylor herself snuck out of her bedroom window an hour prior. Once dressed in costumes and geared up, they were waiting on the rooftop of the mall. Taylor was watching as three mall security guards did their rounds through the building.
Grue had already established an entrance and exit plan, the team held position around a skylight window that dropped relatively near the antique store. They were waiting for the guard to pass by which would give them the maximum time to smash up the store.
Regent was going around handing out a baseball bat to everyone. Most of the team had gotten a standard wooden bat while Regent kept the heavier metal baseball bat for himself. Taylor could admit that she felt pretty powerful holding the would-be weapon in her hand.
Bitch was practising her swings while on the back of Brutus, Taylor could imagine swapping out the bat for an axe or a sword, making her pretty intimating while riding into battle… more than she already was.
Tattletale looked to Taylor, waiting for her to give the all-clear and commence the operation. She ran through the basics of 'window entrances' letting Taylor know the best method of not getting covered in glass.
When the guard passed the corner, Taylor counted down from thirty as everyone readied themselves on a dog. Everyone knew what the job what to do. Smash and grab. Tattletale had already detailed where all the 'good stuff' was being held and everything else was set to be destroyed. There was an energy in the air that always came before a job.
The anxiety, the anticipation, that heart-pounding sensation that came when you knowingly were about to do something 'wrong.' Taylor would never admit it to anyone, but it was in these moments, when Taylor jumped through a skylight window and Skitter landed on the ground, that she truly enjoyed herself.
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Dallon Household – 9:30am
Victoria yawned as she exited her bedroom. Sleepily, she made her way towards the bathroom to find the door locked. She jostled it a few times before a voice called out from behind the door.
"Occupied!" Amy called out, causing Vicky to groan in annoyance.
Victoria waited a good ten minutes before she heard the toilet flush. She stood up a little straighter, expecting Amy to exit any second now, only to hear the sound of the shower turning on.
"For fucks sake…" Victoria sighed to herself. Amy always took long showers, Vicky was better off getting breakfast first and then coming back later.
She hovered down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her Mother was already making breakfast, unfortunately, she had only made enough for herself.
"What have I told you about flying indoors," Carol said, eyeing Victoria till her feet touched the ground.
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said with another yawn. "Can I have some eggs and bacon too?"
"We're out of eggs, but help yourself," Carol said, leaving the frying pan on. She took her own plate of food and headed off to the home office.
Victoria sighed again, ready to take a double heaping of bacon for herself before realising that there would be none left for Amy if she did. Cooking up all the bacon, Victoria left half of it on a plate for Amy and took her share to the living room.
Her Father was watching the morning news, happily eating away at his breakfast. Upon sitting down, Mark scooched over and placed one of his eggs on Victoria's plate. Vicky gave her Dad a smile as the two of them ate in relative silence, only the news to fill the air.
"And to our latest story in the city," The newsreader spoke. "Locals were surprised to find Brockton Bay Mall was broken into late last night, with police on the scene at around three in the morning. But to all those people wanting to shop on this lovely weekend, don't you worry. It seems only one store, in particular, was the target of this destructive B'n'E."
Victoria choked on her food as the screen showed the aftermath of the break-in. Brockton Antiques was completely destroyed, it was just a hollowed-out store with rubble strewn about on the floor.
The newsreader continued over the images, "The PRT has been called in as the speed and nature of the break-in leads many to believe parahuman involvement. Particularly, small traces of dog hair and the overabundance of insects found at the scene indicate perhaps that the villainous team known as the Undersiders is to blame for this attack. As to why-"
Victoria struggled to chew her food as she reached for her phone. The news was giving a limited rundown on who each member of the Undersiders was and their known capabilities, they were particularly focused on the newest member of the team, Skitter, who was making waves recently.
"Did you hit the antique shop last night????" Victoria sent as a text to Taylor.
Her phone buzzed five minutes later. A response text from Taylor, a single word with a picture attached.
"Sorry."
Victoria wanted to be angry, she was angry. A crime was planned out right under her nose. After all the progress she made with Taylor, Lisa had turned their little outing into a stakeout.
So, why the hell could she not stop smiling at this text in her hand?
Because Taylor looked too damn cute in her selfie, hugging a plush raccoon toy.
Chapter 8: She's not creepy
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Arcadia – Monday Lunchtime
"Skitter is so creepy."
Victoria wasn't sure who among the crowd said it, but it caught her attention. She looked among her group of friends for the offending voice. Sure enough, it was Dennis.
"Like Insects? For real?" Dennis said, pinching his face up in disgust, "It's so gross."
Several people around the table nodded their heads in agreement. Vicky held her tongue, her first instinct was to defend the villain who was, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, sitting right alongside them. Victoria's eyes moved to Taylor to gauge how the girl was reacting to the conversation.
It wasn't uncommon for conversations to devolve into the topic of cape talk, especially in high school. It was an expected part of life in Brockton Bay. It was rare however for Dennis to bring it up during the lunchtime conversation. The rest of the Wards usually avoided talking about cape life in public, it was too risky, and one could easily slip up and mention something about their own life, and yet there he was, musing on the topic of the Bay's newest supervillain.
Taylor didn't react in any outward way that Victoria could see. Nor did she nod in agreement with the rest of the group. Honestly, it was hard to tell if Taylor was even aware that Dennis had started talking about her, the girl had a habit of zoning out when no one was interacting with her directly.
"And of course, she's a villain. Cause why wouldn't she be?" He continued, "Some people just have 'evil' powers."
This struck a nerve with Victoria. It was one thing to call Taylor creepy but to outright call her power evil.
"That's not really fair." A monotone voice called up. The whole table, except for Taylor turned to the opposing voice. Amy had thrown her opinion into the discussion in a rare display of interest to the conversation. "Regardless of people's intentions, you can't just assume people with dubious powers are evil." Amy had pushed herself up from her usual lunchtime slouch, the topic seeming to get on her nerve.
Victoria nodded her head in agreement, silently thanking her sister for speaking up.
"But she is a villain?" Dennis argued, not really understanding the point.
Amy sighed in a huff as she sat back down, turning back into her usually 'invisible' self at the table, obviously not wanting to get into a debate. Victoria's smile fell again, she didn't expect her sister to speak up in the first place, so she couldn't expect her to keep arguing the point. Resisting the urge to give Dennis another swift kick under the table, Victoria chose to be more diplomatic.
"I think what Amy was trying to say," Victoria said, nodding to a now uncaring Amy. "Is that the powers don't make a person bad. You can't blame someone for having 'evil powers.' That's a rude thing to say."
"But-" Dennis was about to bring up his original point of 'Skitter is a villain.'
"And we don't even know anything about this 'Skitter' character, do we?" Victoria went on, talking over Dennis. "We can't just assume she's a villain causes shes… evil. Maybe there's um… circumstances we don't understand? Maybe she's being forced into it. Or coerced by a third party?"
Every at the table, particularly the Wards, gave Vicky an odd look. It was very out of character for Victoria 'Glory Girl' Dallon to give criminals the benefit of the doubt.
"Riiiight," Dean said after a long and awkward pause. "Or maybe she just likes money?"
"I don't know?" Carlos said, thinking more like a Ward than a kid, "Think about it, they start with a bank job, then they fight in the streets, break into penthouses and smash up shopping centers. Wouldn't they just keep hitting banks if it was about the money?"
"That's just the Undersider's MO." Amy added, "They've been doing that long before Skitter showed up."
"Which is exactly why she might be being coerced?" Victoria said again, trying to get her point across. "Obviously, the Undersiders are using her. She's new to the scene and probably fell in with the wrong crowd. We can't go blaming her powers for that."
Alice and Jessica nodded along as if Vicky's word was law. Carlos and Dennis both couldn't debate the possibility that Skitter was forced or tricked into being a villain. Dean frowned, obviously sensing something from Victoria's emotions and Amy still didn't care about the conversation beyond the one comment of 'evil powers'.
"Or maybe she just likes it. Cause it's fun?" Taylor said nonchalantly, everyone turning again to look at the second quietest person at the table. Taylor held a pretty neutral expression as she spoke. The heroes at the table gave her a disproving frown, except for Dennis, who felt validated. "What? Haven't any of you ever thought about doing it? Uh, if you had powers, I mean?"
'Because it's fun.'
Victoria sighed at that explanation. Taylor had a multitude of reasons to be Skitter, some of them Victoria didn't even blame her for, couldn't blame her for. But committing crime because it was 'fun.' That didn't stick right with her. It made her annoyed and she knew exactly why…
Dean and Carlos looked hesitantly at each other. "Uhm, well, no," Dean said with hesitation, "I think most of us… kids I mean… think about being someone like Alexandria and fighting crime and Endbringers. Bringing peace to the world and all that."
Taylor chuckled briefly as she waived the comment away. "Sure, sure. How very political of you."
There was something odd about how Taylor was acting. Her neutral poker face didn't give much away but there was something in the tone of the chuckle, a small part of Vicky couldn't help but think that Taylor was… upset? Annoyed? In any case, Victoria figured a change in topic would be best.
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Dallon Household – A day ago – Sunday night
Victoria's phone buzzed shortly after she climbed into bed. She could've left it for tomorrow, it was getting pretty late and it was a school night but she checked the message regardless as her teenage-phone-addicted mind wouldn't allow her to leave it be. The message on the screen was unexpected.
LW: Had a gd weekend?
Victoria sat up in her bed and unlocked her phone, reading the message properly and sighing when she saw who the sender was. Lisa, also known as Tattletale. The villain currently responsible for 'corrupting' Taylor.
Victoria frowned, unsure how to respond to the message. Did she even want to respond to the message? She only added Lisa to her contacts because Taylor wanted her to. There was only one message sent back and forth on the Friday and it hadn't been a polite one.
VD: Why are you messaging me?
LW: I tld u.
LW: Ill b sending u msgs ery single day
VD: Please, don't.
Victoria sighed a little longer now. Having a villain know her phone number was the last thing she wanted… Besides Taylor, that was different. Taylor was her friend.
LW: Mnt 2 msg u ystrday but slpt in. soz.
VD: Because you were busy robbing the mall.
VD: Great work with that, loved knowing that I was being played the entire time.
VD: So how about don't message me at all???
LW: Wow, rood. U wound me
LW: Here I thought we were friends
VD: I'm friends with Taylor, not you. We will never be friends and don't pretend like you thought differently.
LW: Hy now I cn b friends too.
VD: What do you want, Tattletale?
VD: Why message me? Why even give me your phone number? I could give this number to PRT, I should do that tomorrow.
LW: Bt u wont. And who says its my #?
LW: this is but 1 of many phns
LW: as 4 Y I msg u? jst trying to figure u out
LW: 4 Tay's sake
VD: I already told you. I'm not going to betray her.
LW: I no. I belive u.
LW: I jst curious. Y her?
LW: u distrust villains, distrust me. But like her? Y?
VD: Taylor isn't a villain, she's just misunderstood.
VD: It's people like you who are corrupting her!
LW: What if I am also misunderstood?
LW: Then cn we b friends?
Victoria was surprised by how emotional she got, willing to throw all the blame at Tattletale. Yes, Lisa was a villain but Victoria knew almost nothing about the girl. Lisa was around the same age and had only been an active villain for a year or so, as far as Victoria could remember. Vicky leaned forward as she typed into her phone.
VD: Lisa? Why are you a villain? Why do you do the things you do?
VD: Is it just about the money? Or is there something else?
Vicky watched as the message box appeared and disappeared several times. Indicating that Lisa was typing and then deleting her text before sending it. Victoria realised what kind of landmine she might've just stepped in, possibly akin to asking a parahuman what their trigger was.
LW: Let's see… Triggered shortly after my brother killed himself. Parents blamed me, I partly was to blame. Dad realised I had powers, used me to make money. Got a little too stressful, ran away, changed my name. Used powers to scam people. Got caught scamming the wrong people, owed them money, else they kill me. Did side jobs for them, given name and costume. Making money, never enough to pay back. Never let me out of debt. Kept doing jobs for them. Year passes by, still doing jobs for people. Still making money. Still in costume.
Victoria read the message over and over again. Her heart broke, even as a short summary over a phone text, it painted an awful picture. A girl who suffered an awful loss, with awful parents, running away only to fall into an even worse situation that they could never get out of. But Vicky could help...
Her mother was a lawyer, she could bring this to her. Get her out from whoever had a gun to her head, turn her away from the path of villainy. Then Taylor could follow suit. It would be hard, but Victoria would do, she had to do it.
VD: Holy crap. I'm so sorry Lisa.
VD: Do you need help? I can get you out of that. Let me know who, we'll take them down together.
VD: My Mom's a really good lawyer, we can build a case for you and everything.
LW: I don't know. It's all really scary…
LW: You'd do that for me?
VD: Of course. Anything!
LW: Wow, I guess we can be friends after all?
VD: Yes, of course. I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Honest.
Victoria felt awful. She had judged this woman so harshly upon meeting her when Lisa was carrying all this pain. A plan formed in Vicky's mind. To save this girl, and Taylor. Bring them both over to the side of the heroes with friendship and a good lawyer. Of that, Vicky was-
LW: Isnt it amzin… that all it tks is 1 sob story to be friends?
Victoria froze upon reading that.
VD: Um, What???
LW: LOL savour complex much?
LW: Do all heroes do that or jst u?
VD: The fuck?
LW: I ws lying
LW: But cn we stll b friends?
LW: I thnk Tay wld lke that vr much
Victoria couldn't decide if she was more angry or outright surprised at the audacity of this bitch. Crafting a made-up story just to tug on Vicky's heartstrings. Making her actually care for the well-being of this lying cow.
VD: What the hell is your problem!?
LW: im sorry. U gonna arrest me now?
VD: I fucking will, you bitch!
LW: Course that'd probs mean arresting Tay 2
LW: Just fyi
VD: Screw you!
VD: I can't believe you.
VD: Like seriously? Why are you like this!?
LW: Cause Im the villain <3
LW: Also I ws curious about ur reaction.
LW: Very interesting
VD: So that's why you messaged me? Just to see how I'd respond to your stupid made-up sob story?
Victoria threw the phone down on her table, it buzzed again but she didn't read the message till the following morning. She was angry, frustrated and wanted to punch something. The next time she caught Tattletale in costume she'd… do something that wouldn't also upset Taylor. With a grumpy huff, Vicky rolled over in her bed and forced herself to sleep out of sheer spite. The following message waited for her in the morning.
LW: I messaged you for the same reason I do what I do. Because it's fun.
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PRT Headquarters – Ward Level – Monday After School - Present Day
Victoria didn't spend too much time at PRT Headquarters these days, especially now that she was on a break with Dean. As a member of New Wave, the only times she would come in were either to transport her sister or whenever a major event was going down. But in the past, Vicky came through here all the time. The rest of the Protectorate treated her like an honorary Ward at this point and no one battered an eye as she walked into the Ward's meeting room.
Today wasn't a social visit. Choosing to sit down next to Clockblocker and Shadow Stalker, far away from Galant who was probably frowning under his mask. She was still on a break, this had now become the longest break from Dean since they started dating and Victoria was beginning to think it would be permanent this time. No, Victoria was here because her mother had told her to. The PRT had requested assistance and Carol had told the PRT that Victoria was free to join them.
This was probably a push to get Victoria and Dean working together, her mother was always working behind the scenes whenever it came to Victoria's relationships. Vicky tried to ignore it, she was here as Glory Girl, she'd do her job and then go home. Dean was just a friend now, nothing more.
"Alright, everyone's here," Aegis said, stepping up to begin the meeting. "Now, before we begin-"
"Who we fighting today?" Shadow Stalker asked over him, leaning back into her chair.
"Impatient and out for blood already. Classic Stalker." Clockblocker chuckled.
"Shut up, you know what I mean." Shadow Stalker snapped back. "We don't invite golden girl over here unless we plan on getting in a tussle." She prodded a thumb in Victoria's direction to make her point. "So, who we fighting?"
Aegis sighed but then chuckled. "I had this whole meeting speech planned out and everything. Alright, Okay." He pulled up a slideshow on the computer and clicked through a couple of slides, bypassing a lot of the speech he had prepared. "Long story short. Brockton PD uncovered a drug lab at the docks, it's not ABB or anyone else we know. PRT want the Wards to handle it, ourselves."
Shadow Stalker sighed and rolled her head back. "So we're taking on some small-time drug lab because it'll make us look good. While the 'real' heroes keep going after ABB and the Empire. This whole thing is a stupid publicity stunt." She sunk further into her seat. "Doubt they even have a cape with them. Such a waste of our time."
Victoria had to agree. When she heard that the PRT needed her, she imagined that some significant threat was going down. Maybe a raid on the remaining ABB strongholds? But this, this was just giving the kids a win just so that the PRT could advertise the Ward some more. Babies first drug bust.
"Hey now," Aegis said, trying to keep the mood light. "Don't look at it like that. This is still really important. Taking drugs off the street, stopping a new gang before they even have a name."
"More like before they even get wasted by a larger gang." Shadow Stalker muttered under her breath, only Victoria heard her.
"Stalker's right. This mission fucking blows." Vista said with a sigh.
"And language like that is why you're still on console duty." Aegis rebutted. Vista probably rolled her eyes as she too slouched in the chair. "Come on, don't act like this isn't exciting. Sure, it's not Lung or Kaiser. But don't act like we do that every day… or at all. We're here to make the streets safe."
A few of the other Wards nodded in agreement and stood up. Victoria didn't mind kicking down the door to some drug lab and taking it off the streets, she just wished she'd been called for a more important mission.
Vicky and the Wards all got ready. Aegis set up the plan of attack, entrances, teams, backups, supports and the like. "We make a perimeter around the warehouse, heavy hitters go in first, along with Shadow Stalker to scout the area. We need to know numbers before doing anything. Also, it's a drug lab, so expect chemicals and other dangerous materials. Be careful, we don't want to cause any explosions or the like."
"Oh no, Can't have too much fun." Shadow Stalker groaned sarcastically, Vicky laughed to herself.
"Alright, Wards!… And Glory Girl." Aegis said, trying to keep spirits high. "Let's get this done and be home by dinner. It's a school night after all."
"Yay…" The Wards said in unison. Half as a joke, Victoria knew 'most' of the Wards would take this seriously.
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Undersiders Base – Monday After school - Around the same time
"We have a new job," Brian said to the team. Taylor only just got herself in the door and was currently playing with the dogs.
"Already?" Alec asked with a tired yawn. "I don't know. As fun, as it was to smash up a store, I'm still pretty tired from doing the late shift."
"Alec, that was three nights ago," Taylor said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah but I didn't sleep that night, so really it's only two," Alec responded.
Brian shook his head, "That's not how that works."
Lisa chuckled and added to that. "You're just tired because you stayed up watching TV last night. Doing the exact opposite of what we told you to do."
"Keeping the dogs up with all the damn noise," Rachel growled.
Alec slouched down into the couch again, out of view. Tiredly, he mumbled. "I plead the fifth."
Taylor looked up towards Brian and Lisa. "Does he even know what that means?"
Lisa shrugged and Brian sighed.
"Anyway," Brian said, ignoring the fact that Alec wasn't really listening. "As I was saying, we have a new job. From the boss again, following up on the last job."
"We smashing up another store?" Rachel asked. Brian, Lisa and Taylor all blinked at her in surprise. "What? Don't fucking look at me like that. It was a fun job."
"Kind of, not exactly," Brian said, smiling now with the rest of the team at Rachel's sudden interest in work. "We found-" Lisa coughed sardonically, "Lisa, found where the antique shop was getting its supply from. We still don't know who they are exactly but they're not one of the major players in Brockton Bay and the boss is paying us to take them out before they get ideas of becoming one."
"Take out as in, destroy their equipment, lab… whatever?" Taylor asked. Brain and Lisa both nodded in agreement. "So, where is it?"
Lisa grinned as she pointed to the city map. "Only the most cliché hiding spot you could think of." Her fingers touched down on the docks, primarily ABB territory in the past, but with Lung (hopefully) still in prison, the question of who ran that zone was up in the air these days. "A warehouse."
"So, we run in, find the stuff and smash it like before?" Rachel asked, punching her hand into her fist.
"Actually," Brian stepped in, making himself heard over everyone. "Because the boss really wants to send a message, and since this is in a secured, lone warehouse, away from the public. I was thinking we do a flashy, more noticeable job." Brian smiled in a way that almost matched Lisa's mischievous grin.
"Like what?" Taylor asked, getting excited at Brian's enthusiasm.
"I'm thinking, this time… we burn it."
Alec jumped up from the couch, gasping like a kid at Christmas.
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The Docks – Monday Night
Victoria smelled the smoke before she saw the fire. She was flying low to the ground to keep speed with the rest of the Wards as they were transported to the Docks. Upon smelling the smoke, Vicky flew up higher to get a better view of the scene.
A lone building burned with the intensity of a summer fire. As the sun fell over the horizon, the light of the fire was becoming all the more visible. A rumble signalled another smaller explosion, probably the effect of whatever chemicals were being held there going up in flames.
"What do you see?" A voice in Vicky's ear asked. Vista, talking via control.
"It's burning," Victoria said, picking up speed to get a closer look. The building itself was rather isolated, for a city. So there wasn't an immediate threat of damage to nearby property, so long as the fire was contained eventually. "What do we do?"
"Contain the fire, investigate the cause. Apprehend any suspects on the scene." Control responded.
Victoria nodded to herself and picked up speed, any Ward with mobility powers or gear did the same. As a unit, they all sped towards the flame, ready to dive into action at a moment's notice. This wasn't going to be the simple drug bust the PRT wanted to air on the news tomorrow.
Getting closer, the fire didn't actually look too bad. The main warehouse was completely ablaze, and some fire had spread about the docks, but it was all contained in a single location. What was concerning was all the people lying about the place.
Vicky touched down and inspected one of the bodies. Finger to the neck, she sighed with relief as the person was alive. Most of them had some form of firearm near where they fell, and some of them even had bullet casings, indicating that there had been a firefight. But no one had shot back, so what knocked them out? And were they still here?
"What did you find?" A voice asked out to Victoria. Kid Win hovered down on his hoverboard, Shadow Stalker riding with him, jumping down to land by Vicky.
"Signs of a fight. Recent, I think." Victoria responded. The people on the floor were still groaning and rolling. "Couldn't have happened more than five, ten minutes ago?"
"Same for the fire," Shadow Stalker said, looking at the burning warehouse. "Judging by the damage." She held up a crossbow and looked to Victoria, "What are the chances whoever did this is still here?"
Victoria smirked, she'd been meaning to punch someone recently.
"We should wait for the Aegis and the rest." Kid Win said, reaching out to Victoria but both girls started walking towards the main building. "Or we could run in ourselves… that works too."
Two gunshots rang out as Victoria moved closer, all three heroes stopped to duck before realising no bullets came their way. Inching closer, they saw the lone gunman, a man running from the burning warehouse, waving a pistol about behind him and firing blindly. He didn't even notice the heroes, tripping over his foot and landing face-first into the ground.
Victoria and the other Wards still couldn't see who the man was attempting to shoot at, they were all waiting to see who was coming out of the burning building, afraid of being hit by a stray bullet until backup arrived. The smoke was dense, it was impossible to see inside the building.
The man rolled around briefly in a pained dazed, Victoria could see that his face was scraped by the fall. He turned on his back and raised the gun again with shaking hands. The heroes were about to pounce into action when Vicky heard the 'clicking' of the gun's empty chamber. The man was out of bullets but still desperately trying to shoot into the warehouse.
When he finally realised no bullets were coming out, the man threw the gun, and it fell pitifully, barely half a meter in front of him. The smoke pulled back, in a very unnatural way and Victoria finally realised that the smoke wasn't caused by the aforementioned fire, she'd seen that kind of smoke before, so had Shadow Stalker, judging by the way she gripped her crossbow.
"No, no no no no!" The man on the floor screamed, trying desperately to stand back up. Always tripping before he could find balance. Victoria watched in horror as a swarm of insects shot out from the warehouse and covered the man, head to toe.
Skitter walked out and towards the man, now a pile of bugs that would thrash about occasionally. Shadow Stalker pulled up and took aim at the villain and Skitter spun with the same speed. The swarm stopped moving, holding as still as Skitter was.
It was hard to tell where exactly Skitter was looking. Her yellow-eye goggles pointed in the general direction of all three heroes. Which one, in particular, she was looking at was up to perspective. For each hero, it looked like they were the target of Skitter's attention.
Victoria knew exactly where Skitter was looking, and probably had a good guess on how Taylor was feeling. This was the first time since their deal that they had come face to face with their cape personas. Glory Girl was going to try and arrest Skitter, and Skitter was going to fight back.
Skitter tilted her head to the side in a manner that felt inhuman. She hunched down into a combat position. Bugs started crawling down from her hair as her swarm slowly moved closer.
The swarm spoke as Skitter spoke, their voice was one and the same. It echoed and jittered exactly like you'd expect hundreds of bugs to sound. She only said two words.
"Hello… Victoria."
The hairs on the back of Vicky's neck stood up. She knew it was Taylor under that mask, sweet, cute, nerdy Taylor. Who would talk excitedly about books and get self-conscious in crowds. Who had a nice laugh and took adorable selfies with stolen loot. Even still, Victoria could only think one thing.
'Skitter is so creepy.'
As of 27/05/23 You are now caught up with the Ao3 version of this story. I'll be updating this randomly as its just a fluff story i started to wind down from after writing Shadow Bug.
"Skitter is so creepy."
Victoria wasn't sure who among the crowd said it, but it caught her attention. She looked among her group of friends for the offending voice. Sure enough, it was Dennis.
"Like Insects? For real?" Dennis said, pinching his face up in disgust, "It's so gross."
Several people around the table nodded their heads in agreement. Vicky held her tongue, her first instinct was to defend the villain who was, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, sitting right alongside them. Victoria's eyes moved to Taylor to gauge how the girl was reacting to the conversation.
It wasn't uncommon for conversations to devolve into the topic of cape talk, especially in high school. It was an expected part of life in Brockton Bay. It was rare however for Dennis to bring it up during the lunchtime conversation. The rest of the Wards usually avoided talking about cape life in public, it was too risky, and one could easily slip up and mention something about their own life, and yet there he was, musing on the topic of the Bay's newest supervillain.
Taylor didn't react in any outward way that Victoria could see. Nor did she nod in agreement with the rest of the group. Honestly, it was hard to tell if Taylor was even aware that Dennis had started talking about her, the girl had a habit of zoning out when no one was interacting with her directly.
"And of course, she's a villain. Cause why wouldn't she be?" He continued, "Some people just have 'evil' powers."
This struck a nerve with Victoria. It was one thing to call Taylor creepy but to outright call her power evil.
"That's not really fair." A monotone voice called up. The whole table, except for Taylor turned to the opposing voice. Amy had thrown her opinion into the discussion in a rare display of interest to the conversation. "Regardless of people's intentions, you can't just assume people with dubious powers are evil." Amy had pushed herself up from her usual lunchtime slouch, the topic seeming to get on her nerve.
Victoria nodded her head in agreement, silently thanking her sister for speaking up.
"But she is a villain?" Dennis argued, not really understanding the point.
Amy sighed in a huff as she sat back down, turning back into her usually 'invisible' self at the table, obviously not wanting to get into a debate. Victoria's smile fell again, she didn't expect her sister to speak up in the first place, so she couldn't expect her to keep arguing the point. Resisting the urge to give Dennis another swift kick under the table, Victoria chose to be more diplomatic.
"I think what Amy was trying to say," Victoria said, nodding to a now uncaring Amy. "Is that the powers don't make a person bad. You can't blame someone for having 'evil powers.' That's a rude thing to say."
"But-" Dennis was about to bring up his original point of 'Skitter is a villain.'
"And we don't even know anything about this 'Skitter' character, do we?" Victoria went on, talking over Dennis. "We can't just assume she's a villain causes shes… evil. Maybe there's um… circumstances we don't understand? Maybe she's being forced into it. Or coerced by a third party?"
Every at the table, particularly the Wards, gave Vicky an odd look. It was very out of character for Victoria 'Glory Girl' Dallon to give criminals the benefit of the doubt.
"Riiiight," Dean said after a long and awkward pause. "Or maybe she just likes money?"
"I don't know?" Carlos said, thinking more like a Ward than a kid, "Think about it, they start with a bank job, then they fight in the streets, break into penthouses and smash up shopping centers. Wouldn't they just keep hitting banks if it was about the money?"
"That's just the Undersider's MO." Amy added, "They've been doing that long before Skitter showed up."
"Which is exactly why she might be being coerced?" Victoria said again, trying to get her point across. "Obviously, the Undersiders are using her. She's new to the scene and probably fell in with the wrong crowd. We can't go blaming her powers for that."
Alice and Jessica nodded along as if Vicky's word was law. Carlos and Dennis both couldn't debate the possibility that Skitter was forced or tricked into being a villain. Dean frowned, obviously sensing something from Victoria's emotions and Amy still didn't care about the conversation beyond the one comment of 'evil powers'.
"Or maybe she just likes it. Cause it's fun?" Taylor said nonchalantly, everyone turning again to look at the second quietest person at the table. Taylor held a pretty neutral expression as she spoke. The heroes at the table gave her a disproving frown, except for Dennis, who felt validated. "What? Haven't any of you ever thought about doing it? Uh, if you had powers, I mean?"
'Because it's fun.'
Victoria sighed at that explanation. Taylor had a multitude of reasons to be Skitter, some of them Victoria didn't even blame her for, couldn't blame her for. But committing crime because it was 'fun.' That didn't stick right with her. It made her annoyed and she knew exactly why…
Dean and Carlos looked hesitantly at each other. "Uhm, well, no," Dean said with hesitation, "I think most of us… kids I mean… think about being someone like Alexandria and fighting crime and Endbringers. Bringing peace to the world and all that."
Taylor chuckled briefly as she waived the comment away. "Sure, sure. How very political of you."
There was something odd about how Taylor was acting. Her neutral poker face didn't give much away but there was something in the tone of the chuckle, a small part of Vicky couldn't help but think that Taylor was… upset? Annoyed? In any case, Victoria figured a change in topic would be best.
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Dallon Household – A day ago – Sunday night
Victoria's phone buzzed shortly after she climbed into bed. She could've left it for tomorrow, it was getting pretty late and it was a school night but she checked the message regardless as her teenage-phone-addicted mind wouldn't allow her to leave it be. The message on the screen was unexpected.
LW: Had a gd weekend?
Victoria sat up in her bed and unlocked her phone, reading the message properly and sighing when she saw who the sender was. Lisa, also known as Tattletale. The villain currently responsible for 'corrupting' Taylor.
Victoria frowned, unsure how to respond to the message. Did she even want to respond to the message? She only added Lisa to her contacts because Taylor wanted her to. There was only one message sent back and forth on the Friday and it hadn't been a polite one.
VD: Why are you messaging me?
LW: I tld u.
LW: Ill b sending u msgs ery single day
VD: Please, don't.
Victoria sighed a little longer now. Having a villain know her phone number was the last thing she wanted… Besides Taylor, that was different. Taylor was her friend.
LW: Mnt 2 msg u ystrday but slpt in. soz.
VD: Because you were busy robbing the mall.
VD: Great work with that, loved knowing that I was being played the entire time.
VD: So how about don't message me at all???
LW: Wow, rood. U wound me
LW: Here I thought we were friends
VD: I'm friends with Taylor, not you. We will never be friends and don't pretend like you thought differently.
LW: Hy now I cn b friends too.
VD: What do you want, Tattletale?
VD: Why message me? Why even give me your phone number? I could give this number to PRT, I should do that tomorrow.
LW: Bt u wont. And who says its my #?
LW: this is but 1 of many phns
LW: as 4 Y I msg u? jst trying to figure u out
LW: 4 Tay's sake
VD: I already told you. I'm not going to betray her.
LW: I no. I belive u.
LW: I jst curious. Y her?
LW: u distrust villains, distrust me. But like her? Y?
VD: Taylor isn't a villain, she's just misunderstood.
VD: It's people like you who are corrupting her!
LW: What if I am also misunderstood?
LW: Then cn we b friends?
Victoria was surprised by how emotional she got, willing to throw all the blame at Tattletale. Yes, Lisa was a villain but Victoria knew almost nothing about the girl. Lisa was around the same age and had only been an active villain for a year or so, as far as Victoria could remember. Vicky leaned forward as she typed into her phone.
VD: Lisa? Why are you a villain? Why do you do the things you do?
VD: Is it just about the money? Or is there something else?
Vicky watched as the message box appeared and disappeared several times. Indicating that Lisa was typing and then deleting her text before sending it. Victoria realised what kind of landmine she might've just stepped in, possibly akin to asking a parahuman what their trigger was.
LW: Let's see… Triggered shortly after my brother killed himself. Parents blamed me, I partly was to blame. Dad realised I had powers, used me to make money. Got a little too stressful, ran away, changed my name. Used powers to scam people. Got caught scamming the wrong people, owed them money, else they kill me. Did side jobs for them, given name and costume. Making money, never enough to pay back. Never let me out of debt. Kept doing jobs for them. Year passes by, still doing jobs for people. Still making money. Still in costume.
Victoria read the message over and over again. Her heart broke, even as a short summary over a phone text, it painted an awful picture. A girl who suffered an awful loss, with awful parents, running away only to fall into an even worse situation that they could never get out of. But Vicky could help...
Her mother was a lawyer, she could bring this to her. Get her out from whoever had a gun to her head, turn her away from the path of villainy. Then Taylor could follow suit. It would be hard, but Victoria would do, she had to do it.
VD: Holy crap. I'm so sorry Lisa.
VD: Do you need help? I can get you out of that. Let me know who, we'll take them down together.
VD: My Mom's a really good lawyer, we can build a case for you and everything.
LW: I don't know. It's all really scary…
LW: You'd do that for me?
VD: Of course. Anything!
LW: Wow, I guess we can be friends after all?
VD: Yes, of course. I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Honest.
Victoria felt awful. She had judged this woman so harshly upon meeting her when Lisa was carrying all this pain. A plan formed in Vicky's mind. To save this girl, and Taylor. Bring them both over to the side of the heroes with friendship and a good lawyer. Of that, Vicky was-
LW: Isnt it amzin… that all it tks is 1 sob story to be friends?
Victoria froze upon reading that.
VD: Um, What???
LW: LOL savour complex much?
LW: Do all heroes do that or jst u?
VD: The fuck?
LW: I ws lying
LW: But cn we stll b friends?
LW: I thnk Tay wld lke that vr much
Victoria couldn't decide if she was more angry or outright surprised at the audacity of this bitch. Crafting a made-up story just to tug on Vicky's heartstrings. Making her actually care for the well-being of this lying cow.
VD: What the hell is your problem!?
LW: im sorry. U gonna arrest me now?
VD: I fucking will, you bitch!
LW: Course that'd probs mean arresting Tay 2
LW: Just fyi
VD: Screw you!
VD: I can't believe you.
VD: Like seriously? Why are you like this!?
LW: Cause Im the villain <3
LW: Also I ws curious about ur reaction.
LW: Very interesting
VD: So that's why you messaged me? Just to see how I'd respond to your stupid made-up sob story?
Victoria threw the phone down on her table, it buzzed again but she didn't read the message till the following morning. She was angry, frustrated and wanted to punch something. The next time she caught Tattletale in costume she'd… do something that wouldn't also upset Taylor. With a grumpy huff, Vicky rolled over in her bed and forced herself to sleep out of sheer spite. The following message waited for her in the morning.
LW: I messaged you for the same reason I do what I do. Because it's fun.
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PRT Headquarters – Ward Level – Monday After School - Present Day
Victoria didn't spend too much time at PRT Headquarters these days, especially now that she was on a break with Dean. As a member of New Wave, the only times she would come in were either to transport her sister or whenever a major event was going down. But in the past, Vicky came through here all the time. The rest of the Protectorate treated her like an honorary Ward at this point and no one battered an eye as she walked into the Ward's meeting room.
Today wasn't a social visit. Choosing to sit down next to Clockblocker and Shadow Stalker, far away from Galant who was probably frowning under his mask. She was still on a break, this had now become the longest break from Dean since they started dating and Victoria was beginning to think it would be permanent this time. No, Victoria was here because her mother had told her to. The PRT had requested assistance and Carol had told the PRT that Victoria was free to join them.
This was probably a push to get Victoria and Dean working together, her mother was always working behind the scenes whenever it came to Victoria's relationships. Vicky tried to ignore it, she was here as Glory Girl, she'd do her job and then go home. Dean was just a friend now, nothing more.
"Alright, everyone's here," Aegis said, stepping up to begin the meeting. "Now, before we begin-"
"Who we fighting today?" Shadow Stalker asked over him, leaning back into her chair.
"Impatient and out for blood already. Classic Stalker." Clockblocker chuckled.
"Shut up, you know what I mean." Shadow Stalker snapped back. "We don't invite golden girl over here unless we plan on getting in a tussle." She prodded a thumb in Victoria's direction to make her point. "So, who we fighting?"
Aegis sighed but then chuckled. "I had this whole meeting speech planned out and everything. Alright, Okay." He pulled up a slideshow on the computer and clicked through a couple of slides, bypassing a lot of the speech he had prepared. "Long story short. Brockton PD uncovered a drug lab at the docks, it's not ABB or anyone else we know. PRT want the Wards to handle it, ourselves."
Shadow Stalker sighed and rolled her head back. "So we're taking on some small-time drug lab because it'll make us look good. While the 'real' heroes keep going after ABB and the Empire. This whole thing is a stupid publicity stunt." She sunk further into her seat. "Doubt they even have a cape with them. Such a waste of our time."
Victoria had to agree. When she heard that the PRT needed her, she imagined that some significant threat was going down. Maybe a raid on the remaining ABB strongholds? But this, this was just giving the kids a win just so that the PRT could advertise the Ward some more. Babies first drug bust.
"Hey now," Aegis said, trying to keep the mood light. "Don't look at it like that. This is still really important. Taking drugs off the street, stopping a new gang before they even have a name."
"More like before they even get wasted by a larger gang." Shadow Stalker muttered under her breath, only Victoria heard her.
"Stalker's right. This mission fucking blows." Vista said with a sigh.
"And language like that is why you're still on console duty." Aegis rebutted. Vista probably rolled her eyes as she too slouched in the chair. "Come on, don't act like this isn't exciting. Sure, it's not Lung or Kaiser. But don't act like we do that every day… or at all. We're here to make the streets safe."
A few of the other Wards nodded in agreement and stood up. Victoria didn't mind kicking down the door to some drug lab and taking it off the streets, she just wished she'd been called for a more important mission.
Vicky and the Wards all got ready. Aegis set up the plan of attack, entrances, teams, backups, supports and the like. "We make a perimeter around the warehouse, heavy hitters go in first, along with Shadow Stalker to scout the area. We need to know numbers before doing anything. Also, it's a drug lab, so expect chemicals and other dangerous materials. Be careful, we don't want to cause any explosions or the like."
"Oh no, Can't have too much fun." Shadow Stalker groaned sarcastically, Vicky laughed to herself.
"Alright, Wards!… And Glory Girl." Aegis said, trying to keep spirits high. "Let's get this done and be home by dinner. It's a school night after all."
"Yay…" The Wards said in unison. Half as a joke, Victoria knew 'most' of the Wards would take this seriously.
------------------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – Monday After school - Around the same time
"We have a new job," Brian said to the team. Taylor only just got herself in the door and was currently playing with the dogs.
"Already?" Alec asked with a tired yawn. "I don't know. As fun, as it was to smash up a store, I'm still pretty tired from doing the late shift."
"Alec, that was three nights ago," Taylor said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah but I didn't sleep that night, so really it's only two," Alec responded.
Brian shook his head, "That's not how that works."
Lisa chuckled and added to that. "You're just tired because you stayed up watching TV last night. Doing the exact opposite of what we told you to do."
"Keeping the dogs up with all the damn noise," Rachel growled.
Alec slouched down into the couch again, out of view. Tiredly, he mumbled. "I plead the fifth."
Taylor looked up towards Brian and Lisa. "Does he even know what that means?"
Lisa shrugged and Brian sighed.
"Anyway," Brian said, ignoring the fact that Alec wasn't really listening. "As I was saying, we have a new job. From the boss again, following up on the last job."
"We smashing up another store?" Rachel asked. Brian, Lisa and Taylor all blinked at her in surprise. "What? Don't fucking look at me like that. It was a fun job."
"Kind of, not exactly," Brian said, smiling now with the rest of the team at Rachel's sudden interest in work. "We found-" Lisa coughed sardonically, "Lisa, found where the antique shop was getting its supply from. We still don't know who they are exactly but they're not one of the major players in Brockton Bay and the boss is paying us to take them out before they get ideas of becoming one."
"Take out as in, destroy their equipment, lab… whatever?" Taylor asked. Brain and Lisa both nodded in agreement. "So, where is it?"
Lisa grinned as she pointed to the city map. "Only the most cliché hiding spot you could think of." Her fingers touched down on the docks, primarily ABB territory in the past, but with Lung (hopefully) still in prison, the question of who ran that zone was up in the air these days. "A warehouse."
"So, we run in, find the stuff and smash it like before?" Rachel asked, punching her hand into her fist.
"Actually," Brian stepped in, making himself heard over everyone. "Because the boss really wants to send a message, and since this is in a secured, lone warehouse, away from the public. I was thinking we do a flashy, more noticeable job." Brian smiled in a way that almost matched Lisa's mischievous grin.
"Like what?" Taylor asked, getting excited at Brian's enthusiasm.
"I'm thinking, this time… we burn it."
Alec jumped up from the couch, gasping like a kid at Christmas.
------------------------------------
The Docks – Monday Night
Victoria smelled the smoke before she saw the fire. She was flying low to the ground to keep speed with the rest of the Wards as they were transported to the Docks. Upon smelling the smoke, Vicky flew up higher to get a better view of the scene.
A lone building burned with the intensity of a summer fire. As the sun fell over the horizon, the light of the fire was becoming all the more visible. A rumble signalled another smaller explosion, probably the effect of whatever chemicals were being held there going up in flames.
"What do you see?" A voice in Vicky's ear asked. Vista, talking via control.
"It's burning," Victoria said, picking up speed to get a closer look. The building itself was rather isolated, for a city. So there wasn't an immediate threat of damage to nearby property, so long as the fire was contained eventually. "What do we do?"
"Contain the fire, investigate the cause. Apprehend any suspects on the scene." Control responded.
Victoria nodded to herself and picked up speed, any Ward with mobility powers or gear did the same. As a unit, they all sped towards the flame, ready to dive into action at a moment's notice. This wasn't going to be the simple drug bust the PRT wanted to air on the news tomorrow.
Getting closer, the fire didn't actually look too bad. The main warehouse was completely ablaze, and some fire had spread about the docks, but it was all contained in a single location. What was concerning was all the people lying about the place.
Vicky touched down and inspected one of the bodies. Finger to the neck, she sighed with relief as the person was alive. Most of them had some form of firearm near where they fell, and some of them even had bullet casings, indicating that there had been a firefight. But no one had shot back, so what knocked them out? And were they still here?
"What did you find?" A voice asked out to Victoria. Kid Win hovered down on his hoverboard, Shadow Stalker riding with him, jumping down to land by Vicky.
"Signs of a fight. Recent, I think." Victoria responded. The people on the floor were still groaning and rolling. "Couldn't have happened more than five, ten minutes ago?"
"Same for the fire," Shadow Stalker said, looking at the burning warehouse. "Judging by the damage." She held up a crossbow and looked to Victoria, "What are the chances whoever did this is still here?"
Victoria smirked, she'd been meaning to punch someone recently.
"We should wait for the Aegis and the rest." Kid Win said, reaching out to Victoria but both girls started walking towards the main building. "Or we could run in ourselves… that works too."
Two gunshots rang out as Victoria moved closer, all three heroes stopped to duck before realising no bullets came their way. Inching closer, they saw the lone gunman, a man running from the burning warehouse, waving a pistol about behind him and firing blindly. He didn't even notice the heroes, tripping over his foot and landing face-first into the ground.
Victoria and the other Wards still couldn't see who the man was attempting to shoot at, they were all waiting to see who was coming out of the burning building, afraid of being hit by a stray bullet until backup arrived. The smoke was dense, it was impossible to see inside the building.
The man rolled around briefly in a pained dazed, Victoria could see that his face was scraped by the fall. He turned on his back and raised the gun again with shaking hands. The heroes were about to pounce into action when Vicky heard the 'clicking' of the gun's empty chamber. The man was out of bullets but still desperately trying to shoot into the warehouse.
When he finally realised no bullets were coming out, the man threw the gun, and it fell pitifully, barely half a meter in front of him. The smoke pulled back, in a very unnatural way and Victoria finally realised that the smoke wasn't caused by the aforementioned fire, she'd seen that kind of smoke before, so had Shadow Stalker, judging by the way she gripped her crossbow.
"No, no no no no!" The man on the floor screamed, trying desperately to stand back up. Always tripping before he could find balance. Victoria watched in horror as a swarm of insects shot out from the warehouse and covered the man, head to toe.
Skitter walked out and towards the man, now a pile of bugs that would thrash about occasionally. Shadow Stalker pulled up and took aim at the villain and Skitter spun with the same speed. The swarm stopped moving, holding as still as Skitter was.
It was hard to tell where exactly Skitter was looking. Her yellow-eye goggles pointed in the general direction of all three heroes. Which one, in particular, she was looking at was up to perspective. For each hero, it looked like they were the target of Skitter's attention.
Victoria knew exactly where Skitter was looking, and probably had a good guess on how Taylor was feeling. This was the first time since their deal that they had come face to face with their cape personas. Glory Girl was going to try and arrest Skitter, and Skitter was going to fight back.
Skitter tilted her head to the side in a manner that felt inhuman. She hunched down into a combat position. Bugs started crawling down from her hair as her swarm slowly moved closer.
The swarm spoke as Skitter spoke, their voice was one and the same. It echoed and jittered exactly like you'd expect hundreds of bugs to sound. She only said two words.
"Hello… Victoria."
The hairs on the back of Vicky's neck stood up. She knew it was Taylor under that mask, sweet, cute, nerdy Taylor. Who would talk excitedly about books and get self-conscious in crowds. Who had a nice laugh and took adorable selfies with stolen loot. Even still, Victoria could only think one thing.
'Skitter is so creepy.'
As of 27/05/23 You are now caught up with the Ao3 version of this story. I'll be updating this randomly as its just a fluff story i started to wind down from after writing Shadow Bug.
Chapter 9: She doesn't surrender
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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The Docks – Monday Night
Regent cackled like a madman as the fire burned. The warehouse went up in a blaze rather quickly, far quicker than Skitter had assumed it would. She watched from the sidelines as Regent played with his impromptu flamethrower made out of an aerosol can and a lighter.
"Dammit Regent!" Grue barked, dropping his jerrycan and backing away from it. "Warn us before you start torching the place. I wasn't ready yet."
"Burn! Burn!" Regent laughed as he set fire to more things. Ignoring anyone who told him to do otherwise.
Skitter and Bitch were busy piling the unconscious bodies outside, making sure no one would be caught in the fire. They were both on clean-up duty now that the fighting was done. The warehouse lab had some hefty security, however, none of them were capes, which meant the Undersiders had swiftly dealt with them upon arriving. Skitter and her swarm taking care of the bulk of the men.
Looking over towards Tattletale, Skitter watched as the last remaining man was being interrogated by the thinker. Tattletale wanted to be sure that this was the only and last criminal outpost that these people had in Brockton Bay, and also find out who they were and why they thought it would be a good idea to set up shop in this city. Skitter had to admit, being tied to a chair while your business burned down was an intimidating tactic, the poor man was begging to leave at this point.
A small explosion went off in the main lab. Fire mixing with chemicals, it was beginning to get a little dangerous to stay inside this burning building. With everyone else cleared from the building, Skitter and Bitch returned to the group.
"We good here?" Skitter asked, looking over the tied-up man, who was on the verge of tears. "Do we know who they are yet?"
Tattletale waved her gun around the man's face before turning to Skitter with a smile. "Yeah, we're good. They're nobodies. Got kicked out of their hometown by a large crime syndicate. Thought they'd try make it in America."
"And they picked Brockton Bay to start?" Skitter asked in disbelief. Tattletale chuckled in response. The man on the chair finally looked up at the new villainess and promptly started backing away in fear. He didn't get very far tied to the chair but it was an amusing sight nonetheless. "So, what do we do with him?"
"Not sure…" Tattletale said, thinking aloud. "If he had any superiors, I would've considered using him as a ransom, but since he's just a small-time nobody, I guess we better just kill him."
Usually, this kind of response would cause Skitter to tense up. As fun, as it was to play villain and beat up foreign drug dealers, Skitter was no murderer. But neither were the Undersiders. This was all a ploy by Tattletale to squeeze any and all information out of their hostage and Skitter knew that. Either the man secretly was working for someone else, in which he would finally spill his guts as Tattletale suspected, or Tattletale was wrong, in which case-
In a desperate attempt to escape, the man threw himself backwards as the chair broke under him. He rolled away, freeing himself from the binds and picked up a nearby gun that Bitch hadn't removed from cleanup. Skitter dived at Tattletale and both of them fell to the ground as gunshots flew over their heads. Tattletale gave Skitter an apologetic smile as the rest of the Undersiders moved to strike back.
Grue pushed his smoke out onto the scene and blanketed the area, making sure that the man could not aim at any of them. Bitch whistled for her dogs and Skitter called her swarm back to her. Being the only one not in Grue's smoke, Regent watched as the man waved the gun behind him, pointing a finger gun at his target, Regent said "Bang."
The man barely made it outside as his leg spasmed, tripping over himself and landing face-first into the ground. Regent broke into another laughing fit as he watched the man roll over onto his back. Holding the gun up, he tried to fire again but was only met with the clicking sound of an empty chamber.
As the man pitifully threw his gun, Grue pulled back the smoke to allow the rest of the team to see. Skitter was already midway over to the man, her swarm acting as a shield in case more bullets came her way. Seeing how the man was out of tricks, Skitter stalked confidently towards her victim.
Skitter knew she was scary. She didn't design her suit to be this way, it just kind of, turned out like that. It originally bothered her when Armsmaster assumed she was a villain, she built this outfit to be a hero. Nowadays, it didn't bother her anymore. The Undersiders all agreed that she looked cool, looked badass, looked downright terrifying. And nights like tonight, when Skitter stood over some two-bit drug dealer, some stupid prick who thought they could come into turn her city stir up trouble…
Well then, Skitter would show them how downright terrifying she could be.
"No, no no no no!" The man on the floor screamed, backing away from Skitter, trying desperately to stand back up. Regent wouldn't let him get away, forcing the man to trip over and over again. Not that it mattered anymore. The swarm was already upon him.
Skitter watched in satisfied amusement as her swarm of insects shot out from the warehouse and covered the man, head to toe. Directing them to bite and sting the man, avoiding any vital parts and holding back some of the deadly bugs. She didn't want a repeat of what happened to Lung.
Walking closer to inspect her work, the swarm noticed the three bystanders before Skitter's own eyes did. Turning quickly into a defensive stance, she recognised three heroes looking back at her.
The first was Shadow Stalker, a 'hero' who held a grudge against the Undersiders. Specifically at Grue, they'd faced off a few times, she held her signature crossbows aimed directly at Skitter's center mass. The second was Kid Win, who Skitter had never directly fought with, but had seen in action enough times.
The third hero, and the one that caught Skitter's attention the most, was Glory Girl. Another villain might freeze up upon seeing her because of her abilities. Boasting the 'Alexandria package,' anyone would be scared to go toe to toe with Glory Girl, but that wasn't the first thought that ran through Skitter's head.
Glory Girl knew Skitter. More specifically, Victoria knew Taylor, the two were friends, 'best friends' if Victoria was to be believed. They had a deal, Victoria wouldn't try to arrest Taylor so long as Taylor participated in the 'school experience.'
"Hello… Victoria." Taylor said awkwardly as she readied herself for battle. She wanted to smile upon seeing her friend's face but the two other heroes staring her down made Taylor nervous.
There was another part to their deal, the unspoken agreement on what would happen if they were ever to cross paths. While Taylor and Victoria were best friends, Skitter and Glory Girl were-
"Glory Girl…" Skitter said, correcting herself with a bit more menace in her voice. A fight was about to break out. Between heroes and villains, there were no friends on this battlefield, Taylor might feel bad later, but Skitter wasn't about to surrender.
Shadow Stalker fired a bolt, aimed directly at Skitter's chest. The mini swarm emerging from Skitter's hair caught it as the villain dived into action. The larger swarm breaking off to attack the three heroes.
The rest of the Undersiders weren't far behind, getting the gist of what was occurring outside, they all sprang into action. Dogs launching out, one for each hero, giving Skitter room to fall back. The warehouse had quickly turned into a burning inferno, no longer being safe enough to run back into, all members of the Undersiders were forced out into the open.
"No playing around!" Grue ordered to the team, "There's probably more on the way, disable and then disengage."
"Keep them busy, backup is almost here!" Kid Win called out in counter.
Skitter told her swarm to run interference as she moved to find Tattletale. Her bugs picked up on Aegis, who was flying into the scene as the battle unfolded. With the leader of the Wards on the scene, the rest of the heroes wouldn't be far behind.
"This doesn't make sense, we only just got here. No way PRT act that fast." Skitter said as she backed up to Tattletale's side.
"They're as surprised to see us as we are to see them." Tattletale said in return, "Probably aiming to hit the same warehouse at the same time."
"Well, that's some shitty timing." Skitter groaned, splitting her swarm to cover Kid Win and Aegis.
"Ehh, to be expected really." Tattletale chuckled, "If I could work out this location with a laptop and my powers, I'm sure they could do the same with their resources." Tattletale's eyes widened as she looked up behind Skitter. "Heads up, your girlfriend's about to kill us."
"My what?-" Skitter asked as Glory Girl landed down on top of her. Skitter had lost track of her during the fight, assuming that the dogs had kept her busy. As 'all-seeing' as Skitter could be if a hero flew up high enough, they could still get the drop on her.
Glory Girl could've ended the fight with a downward slam but instead landed on Skitter with the same force as a regular person jumping on her back. It still hurt as Skitter fell to the floor, Glory Girl stood over her, knee pressed into Skitter's back. The hero was strong, and her forcefield could make her feel rather heavy. Skitter struggled to push up from the ground.
"Oh, hey. Glory Ho-" Tattletale said with a smile before being shoved away with force. Less of a super-strength punch, and more of a push as the purple-clad villain slid across the floor.
Thinking quickly, Skitter fished out a taser from her utility belt and jammed it into Glory Girl's foot. The forcefield took the blow but broke, turning the hero's weight from inhuman to manageable as Skitter pushed herself up.
Striking out again, Skitter threw her baton arm out to clock Glory Girl in the shoulder. Skitter had to keep up the assault before the forcefield returned. She got two good whacks in before Glory Girl caught the third. Strength returning, Glory Girl chucked Skitter directly at Tattletale who had only just pulled herself up from the ground.
The two villains fell to the floor again, one over the other. "Owww…" Tattletale groaned, looking up at Skitter on top of her. They both turned to Glory Girl who was slowly approaching the two of them.
"Give it up. You can't beat me." Glory Girl said, taunting Tattletale more so than Skitter. Tattletale responded with her signature smile, pulling up her pistol and taking aim. The gunshot cracked through the air as Glory Girl flinched. Forcefield breaking again. "You… shot me? You bi-"
Skitter's swarm moved to defend the two villains, slamming into Glory Girl. Using the distraction, Skitter pulled Tattletale away from the fight.
"We need to leave!" Grue ordered already on the back of a dog. He was making a beeline directly for Skitter and Tattletale, aiming to get the dog to attack Glory Girl.
Taylor panicked internally as the dog came towards them. Victoria was still vulnerable, if the dog attacked her it might cause some serious injuries.
Skitter slammed her shoulder into Glory Girl, the hero's forcefield still not back, pushing her out of the way of the dog. Grue looked to Skitter, neither one able to read the other's expression as they climbed onto the dog.
Skitter helped pull Tattletale onto the dog with them as Bitch whistled out. All three dogs moved to get as far away from the scene as possible. Through her bugs, Skitter could see Shadow Stalker attempting to aim a bolt in their direction. Sitting at the back of the dog, it was highly likely that she was going to be hit.
The bolt released and flew through the air, only to be intercepted by Glory Girl who had reignited her forcefield. It looked like bad timing as both heroes moved to attack at once, Taylor was left wondering if Victoria had done it on purpose.
--------------------------------
After several minutes on dogback, Grue let out a relaxed sigh. The Wards didn't give chase and they were in the clear. "Well, that could've gone better." He said, looking back at the smoke trail in the distance.
"I think it went pretty great." Tattletale said with a smile, "We took out the lab and caused trouble for the Wards, that's like, two jobs in one. I'm sure we'll get a bonus for that."
Grue huffed, probably smiling under his mask. "If you say so." He looked at the other two dogs before asking, "Anyone hurt?"
The rest of the team shook their head. Any injuries sustained in the fight were minor and not worth mentioning, Skitter's back ached from where Glory Girl landed on her but that would go away with a few night's rest.
"Skitter?" Grue asked, turning all the way around to look at her. "What was that about at the end there?"
"What?" Skitter asked, confused.
"Pushing Glory Girl out of the way?" Grue explained, "I was trying to disable her, you're lucky she didn't give chase."
"Oh… that? Uh…" Skitter fumbled to come up with a response, while Tattletale knew about their friendship, the rest of the Undersiders were still in the dark about it. "Just want her all to myself is all… to take her… in a fight…"
Tattletale giggled at the response, ignoring Skitter's probable glare shooting her way.
"Right…" Grue said, "Well try not to do that in the future. It's usually a bad idea to tackle a brute."
----------------------------------------
"What the fuck was that about at the end there!" Shadow Stalker yelled at Victoria. "I almost had them and you got in the way!"
"Yeah… well…" Victoria said back, thinking of an excuse. "You should've said you were firing, how was I supposed to know!"
Victoria didn't exactly know why she took the hit for Skitter. She was still in hero mode, responding to an active crime scene and Skitter was a villain getting away. But Taylor had just pushed her out of the way of being mauled by a mutant dog so Victoria felt the need to return the favour.
Overall, Victoria was upset. Taylor hadn't pulled any punches when it came to the fight, her shoulder told her that much, still stinging from where Skitter struck her. Not to mention how Lisa actually shot her. Victoria was still in shock from that. Her forcefield took the bullet, but there was no remorse, just Lisa's usual smug smile as she fired the gun.
"We should go after them." Shadow Stalker continued, changing the focus of her rage to Aegis. "They're getting away!"
"Stalker," Aegis said, authority strong in his voice. "We need to contain this fire, make sure these people are alive and safe."
A few more Wards showed up and quickly began moving into action. Pulling unconscious people further away from the fire. Aegis looked towards the burning warehouse and sighed, this wasn't going to look good in his report and Piggot was sure to give him hell for it. He turned back to Victoria and gave a tired shrug.
Victoria didn't know why it bothered her so much. She knew Taylor was Skitter, they had fought before, but it felt different now. She had to go to school tomorrow and have lunch with the girl, knowing full well that they had just fought. She didn't want to fight Taylor, she wished Taylor hadn't shown up at all. What the hell was Taylor even doing here?
She looked towards the blazing fire and the man who had ran out of the warehouse in a panic. He was unconscious now, bug bites covered him all over. Victoria remembered the fear in his eyes, the horror she herself felt as Skitter appeared.
Burning a building down, scaring the hell out of a drug dealer. Hospitalising multiple people. What was Taylor thinking when she did this? Why did she do this?
'Because it's fun.'
Victoria shook her head. She knew that Skitter is a villain. But Taylor wasn't like that, there was more to this, there had to be. This was… revenge on the world that wronged her. An unhealthy coping method that Lisa had pushed her into. Vicky knew the joy of breaking things, but she also knew the consequences, Taylor was new to this and the longer it went on, the higher the chance she would run into those consequences. Victoria had to do something, she had to save-
"Are you going to fucking help or what!?"
Victoria looked up at Shadow Stalker and realised she was standing around like an idiot. The Ward watched her suspiciously before Victoria quickly moved away to see how she could deal with the fire.
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Arcadia High – Tuesday – Morning
Victoria caught her eyes on Taylor as the taller girl entered the building. Vicky moved through the crowd of students to reach the girl. What surprised Victoria the most as she approached wasn't how awkward the girl was after their fight, it was the complete opposite. Taylor waved hello and smiled as she locked eyes on Vicky.
It was a weak and small smile, Taylor wasn't the most expressive girl, but a smile nonetheless. However, it was such a casual greeting, as opposed to the last time they met in person after fighting in costume. Victoria had expected to find Taylor being jumpy, maybe even afraid to show up to school again. Vicky had even written out a draft text letting Taylor know that their deal was still in place on the occasion that Taylor didn't show up to school today.
Seeing the girl casually stroll up to her like this annoyed her. It wasn't that she didn't like Taylor, she did, she was happy to see her friend in school, but surely the girl could show 'a little' bit of guilt over what just happened last night.
'She didn't even send me a cute apology selfie this time.'
"Good morning, Vicky," Taylor said, tilting her head curiously at Victoria's conflicted face. "Do you need something?"
"Can we talk?" Victoria said, taking Taylor by the arm and pulling her into an empty classroom. Taylor flinched at the touch but moved with her.
"Sure, what's up?" Taylor asked, less annoyed at the touch, more confused as to why.
"What's up?" Victoria asked with a hushed tone. Closing the door behind her. "I haven't seen you since we… y'know… And you just say 'good morning' like it's nothing?"
"...Um, what would you prefer I say?" Taylor asked back, even more confused.
"I don't know, what about 'sorry' for one?" Vicky said with a little more edge to her voice.
"For what?…"
"Gee, I don't know." Vicky sighed sarcastically, "Burning a building down, getting into a fight with the Wards, hitting me with your stupid baton thing."
Taylor paused for a moment, opening her mouth a few times, unable to think of a response. Finally, she spoke again. "Okay, but you attacked me though…"
"Because that's my job!" Vicky hissed, exasperated.
"Well, that's 'my' job." Taylor rebutted. "But fine. I'm sorry. Can we move on?"
"Taylor, you burned down a building. Your team put seventeen people in the hospital."
"And what were you going to do with them?" Taylor said, getting annoyed. "Ask them nicely to stop making drugs."
"We wouldn't have burnt the place down, for one." Vicky snapped back.
"No, you would have captured all the product, sent it to lock up only to have someone else steal it and put it out on the street later. We made sure that shit stayed gone." Taylor snapped back harder. Taylor really had a low opinion of Brockton Bay's law enforcement and it showed. "Why are you getting so hung up about this? I thought we had a deal."
Only then did Victoria notice the bugs that were forming around the room, barely a swarm but still there. Taylor was backing away from her, looking at Vicky with a mixture of annoyance, and sadness.
'You'll give up on your little pet project. Then you'll drop her. Worse, you'll betray her. Like every other person in Taylor's life.'
Lisa's words rang through Victoria's head. She could see it in Taylor's eyes, darting around the room, looking for exits, avoiding meeting her eyes. The first week had gone so well, she could almost forget that Taylor was a stressed-out girl with trust issues. She didn't expect Taylor to change in a day or a week. It was so easy for Victoria to fall back on her old 'black and white' worldview after fighting.
Victoria lifted up her hands in surrender. "We do, Taylor." She held her voice calm and steady. "The deal stays. I'm not…" She sighed at herself. "I'm new to this, okay? But you're still my friend. I promise."
Taylor held back for a moment, eyeing Victoria. Eventually, she let out a sigh of her own and relaxed again. The bugs moving away again.
"I'm sorry," Victoria said, walking slowly towards Taylor. "I'm just annoyed… at the situation. Not at you. I don't like fighting my friends."
"Neither do I," Taylor mumbled, looking away guiltily. "So, we're still… friends?" There was a hope in that voice that saddened Victoria, the fact that she made Taylor question that fact made her feel terrible.
"Of course!" Victoria said, pulling Taylor into a hug. "I told you, I'm your new best friend. I meant it." Taylor made a few grunting sounds which Vicky thought were just her usual anti-social self trying to pull away from the hug until she recognised the pained flinches Taylor made. Pulling away, Vicky looked over Taylor with concern. "What's wrong? I didn't squeeze too hard, did I?"
Taylor shook her head and put a hand on her upper back. "A little, my back's still sore from last night." Victoria gave her a confused look. "We don't all have a personal healer. In our house." Taylor chuckled, rubbing her shoulder.
Victoria understood, the kneeling kick from above, Taylor was still in pain from the attack. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Vicky jumped in surprise at the realisation. Pulling her phone from her pocket. "I'll get Amy to look you over."
Taylor jumped in surprise this time. "Oh, no," Taylor said, shaking her head. "I'll manage."
"Please!" Victoria begged, taking Taylor's hand. "It's the least I can do."
"Won't she get suspicious?" Taylor asked, "How am I going to explain the damage?"
"I'll make something up," Vicky said, already midway to dialling Amy.
-----------------------------------
Taylor was more than a little apprehensive about receiving treatment from Amy. But Victoria was persistent as she pulled through, forcing the girl into a meeting with the healer.
Class was starting in a few minutes, they quickly found Amy and hurried off to a relatively empty section of the school.
"Vicky? What's up?" Amy said once everyone stopped moving and pulling her about. "It's been five minutes, what's this emergency?"
"Taylor's been hurt," Vicky said, gently pushing Taylor closer to her sister. Taylor waited for the excuse that she said she'd 'make up' but it never came. Vicky knew Amy well enough that she didn't need to give a reason.
"Oh, okay…" Amy said with a sigh, holding her hand out towards Taylor.
Taylor looked towards the hand then back to Vicky. Victoria nodded, pressing Taylor on to take Amy's hand. With a hesitant shake, Taylor finally placed her hand down.
"Oh. Wow…" Amy said, staring off into space as she 'read' Taylor's body. "How'd you do this?"
Victoria's eyes widened in surprise, Amy never cared about that before, damn that traitorous and curious sister!
"Uh, I hit her. Accidentally" Vicky said with an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I snuck up behind her and slapped her on the back a little too hard. Super strength, y'know?" Victoria tapped her head with her knuckle, trying to make a point of what a 'klutz' she was.
"Vicky…" Amy said, looking back at her sister in what Victoria hoped wasn't suspicion. "…Are you a fucking idiot? You could've broken Taylor's back? Seriously what is wrong with you?" Amy shook her head and muttered a few more insults under her breath.
Victoria shrank down like the fool she was. As long as suspicion was away from Taylor, she could deal with her sister thinking she was a complete and utter moron.
"Alright, all done," Amy said after a few minutes. "Did most of the injuries around your torso and hands, did you want me to fix your eyesight while I'm at it?"
Taylor pulled her hand away the second Amy said she was done. Shaking her head, Taylor looked away in a panic and said, "NothankyouI'mgoodthanksforthatbye." And took off to class.
"She's very shy…" Victoria added, trying her best to smile. Amy hummed in response. "Thanks for that Ames, you're the best."
Amy waved the compliment off and gave Vicky a hug.
"So what's up with her anyway?" Amy asked, looking up from the hug.
"What do you mean?" Victoria asked back.
"Taylor had a lot of little injuries. The spine was sore, sure. But her arm looked like was burnt to hell, she had scratches all up and down her legs." Amy explained, listing out some of the obvious injuries she picked up. "Is she getting into fights or something?"
Victoria froze in a panic. "Uh, no… she was uh… bullied, remember? From her old school?"
Amy thought about it for a moment. "Wasn't that months ago now? Pretty sure that burn scar is only a week or so old."
Victoria panicked a little more, internally.
"Do you think?…" Amy began as Victoria feared the worst. "Should we ask her about her home life? Y'know…" Amy took a quick look around before whispering. "Does she have mean parents?"
Victoria let out a sigh of relief. "Uh, I don't think… but we should… 'I' should check with her. I'll do that. Don't worry, I'm sure Taylor's fine. And uh, thanks for caring."
Amy shrugged, "She's nice enough. Plus she's your new friend, so I'll look out for her and stuff…" She said as if Amy needed an excuse to care about someone. Amy broke off the hug and also left for class.
Relaxing again, Victoria moved to leave for her own class before noticing that another person was watching them. Dean was waiting by the corridor.
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"Everything okay?" Dean asked as Victoria walked by.
"Yes," Vicky said as casually as she could sound. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Dean looked back at Vicky with a very deadpan stare.
"Because I just sensed you freak out several times during that conversation," Dean said, nodding over to where Amy was earlier. "What happened to Taylor? I thought she didn't want Amy's help."
"Nothing happened to Taylor," Victoria said quickly, denying everything.
"Mmhmm," Dean responded, giving Victoria the same deadpan look. "What's really going on here, Vicky?"
"What do you mean?"
"You get obsessed with this girl all of a sudden." Dean explained, "You're just… laser-focused on becoming friends with."
"Yeah, and?" Victoria argued back.
"So you 'kidnap' her and force her to be friends with all of us."
"Taylor needed more friends…" Victoria paused for a moment before letting out an accusatory gasp, "Don't tell me you're just pretending to be friends with her!"
Dean held up his hands in surrender. "No, I like Taylor just fine. She's a little… skittish, but a nice girl. But I do pick up on some things… And judging by the way your panicking, I'd say you've picked up on it too."
"I don't…" Victoria began, trying to calm herself. "Taylor is a nice, normal girl. Who's had a few rough experiences. Any violent thoughts she may have, are just… just by-products from not having enough friends."
Dean looked back, confused. "You do know I read emotions, not minds? And I'm not talking about her depression. I'm talking about the other thing. Isn't it a little mean to string her along like this?"
"String her along?" Victoria repeated confused and upset. "I would never-"
"Come on Vicky," Dean said, attempting to pull a 'winning smile' that Victoria might have fallen for in the past. "Think of it from her point of view. A girl, down on her luck, shunned by the world and then along comes Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl, to lift her up and become her 'bestest friend.' Becoming the one bright light in her life. It's no wonder she feels that way."
"Feels what way?" Victoria asked, already knowing the answer but waiting for confirmation.
"Vicky…" Dean said with as much care as his smile could manage. "The girl has a 'major' crush on you. Or she's afraid of you?… It's hard to tell sometimes. Taylor's very… closed in. But she certainly doesn't have any strong feelings towards the rest of us. And look, I'm completely fine with girls crushing on girls, more power to them and all, but you should really talk to her before she gets the wrong idea."
"Huh…" Victoria mused, she already picked up on Taylor's 'wandering eyes' at times, but it was another thing entirely to know that attraction came from a full-blown crush. Victoria didn't know exactly how she felt about that. She didn't feel negatively about the crush, she just never considered it properly. If made her feelings… complicated. Of course, Taylor was a complicated person in general, a villain whom she hoped to convert, a girl that Victoria had only barely known if she was being honest.
"So yeah," Dean continued, trying to be sly. "You should let her know where you stand. Sooner rather than later… Wouldn't want another girl at the table to be jealous when we start dating again."
"When we what?" Vicky asked, snapping out of her thought.
Dean let out an awkward huff, "Y'know. When you're done with the break."
"Dean… It's been months." Victoria said bluntly.
"Well yeah, but we always…" Dean said, breaking into a mumble.
"I think it's time we call it. This wasn't going to work out between us." Victoria said, as gently as she could. "Just so you know where I stand." Vicky awkwardly patted Dean on the shoulder, she'd still be friends if he wanted, they'd always be friends.
As for Taylor? She wasn't sure how to approach that. It was still early days, and obviously, she still needed time to come to terms with her villainous side job before they could ever… ever what? Date?
She was single now. Not exactly looking to jump into a new relationship. Then again, it had been months since she was unofficially single. And Taylor was nice, Vicky never really thought about women in that way before but it… wasn't a terrible thought.
Could Vicky see herself doing that in the future? Going on a cute date with Taylor, the book reading, raccoon plush stealing super villain?
Victoria didn't need to think of the answer, the smile on her face said enough.
Regent cackled like a madman as the fire burned. The warehouse went up in a blaze rather quickly, far quicker than Skitter had assumed it would. She watched from the sidelines as Regent played with his impromptu flamethrower made out of an aerosol can and a lighter.
"Dammit Regent!" Grue barked, dropping his jerrycan and backing away from it. "Warn us before you start torching the place. I wasn't ready yet."
"Burn! Burn!" Regent laughed as he set fire to more things. Ignoring anyone who told him to do otherwise.
Skitter and Bitch were busy piling the unconscious bodies outside, making sure no one would be caught in the fire. They were both on clean-up duty now that the fighting was done. The warehouse lab had some hefty security, however, none of them were capes, which meant the Undersiders had swiftly dealt with them upon arriving. Skitter and her swarm taking care of the bulk of the men.
Looking over towards Tattletale, Skitter watched as the last remaining man was being interrogated by the thinker. Tattletale wanted to be sure that this was the only and last criminal outpost that these people had in Brockton Bay, and also find out who they were and why they thought it would be a good idea to set up shop in this city. Skitter had to admit, being tied to a chair while your business burned down was an intimidating tactic, the poor man was begging to leave at this point.
A small explosion went off in the main lab. Fire mixing with chemicals, it was beginning to get a little dangerous to stay inside this burning building. With everyone else cleared from the building, Skitter and Bitch returned to the group.
"We good here?" Skitter asked, looking over the tied-up man, who was on the verge of tears. "Do we know who they are yet?"
Tattletale waved her gun around the man's face before turning to Skitter with a smile. "Yeah, we're good. They're nobodies. Got kicked out of their hometown by a large crime syndicate. Thought they'd try make it in America."
"And they picked Brockton Bay to start?" Skitter asked in disbelief. Tattletale chuckled in response. The man on the chair finally looked up at the new villainess and promptly started backing away in fear. He didn't get very far tied to the chair but it was an amusing sight nonetheless. "So, what do we do with him?"
"Not sure…" Tattletale said, thinking aloud. "If he had any superiors, I would've considered using him as a ransom, but since he's just a small-time nobody, I guess we better just kill him."
Usually, this kind of response would cause Skitter to tense up. As fun, as it was to play villain and beat up foreign drug dealers, Skitter was no murderer. But neither were the Undersiders. This was all a ploy by Tattletale to squeeze any and all information out of their hostage and Skitter knew that. Either the man secretly was working for someone else, in which he would finally spill his guts as Tattletale suspected, or Tattletale was wrong, in which case-
In a desperate attempt to escape, the man threw himself backwards as the chair broke under him. He rolled away, freeing himself from the binds and picked up a nearby gun that Bitch hadn't removed from cleanup. Skitter dived at Tattletale and both of them fell to the ground as gunshots flew over their heads. Tattletale gave Skitter an apologetic smile as the rest of the Undersiders moved to strike back.
Grue pushed his smoke out onto the scene and blanketed the area, making sure that the man could not aim at any of them. Bitch whistled for her dogs and Skitter called her swarm back to her. Being the only one not in Grue's smoke, Regent watched as the man waved the gun behind him, pointing a finger gun at his target, Regent said "Bang."
The man barely made it outside as his leg spasmed, tripping over himself and landing face-first into the ground. Regent broke into another laughing fit as he watched the man roll over onto his back. Holding the gun up, he tried to fire again but was only met with the clicking sound of an empty chamber.
As the man pitifully threw his gun, Grue pulled back the smoke to allow the rest of the team to see. Skitter was already midway over to the man, her swarm acting as a shield in case more bullets came her way. Seeing how the man was out of tricks, Skitter stalked confidently towards her victim.
Skitter knew she was scary. She didn't design her suit to be this way, it just kind of, turned out like that. It originally bothered her when Armsmaster assumed she was a villain, she built this outfit to be a hero. Nowadays, it didn't bother her anymore. The Undersiders all agreed that she looked cool, looked badass, looked downright terrifying. And nights like tonight, when Skitter stood over some two-bit drug dealer, some stupid prick who thought they could come into turn her city stir up trouble…
Well then, Skitter would show them how downright terrifying she could be.
"No, no no no no!" The man on the floor screamed, backing away from Skitter, trying desperately to stand back up. Regent wouldn't let him get away, forcing the man to trip over and over again. Not that it mattered anymore. The swarm was already upon him.
Skitter watched in satisfied amusement as her swarm of insects shot out from the warehouse and covered the man, head to toe. Directing them to bite and sting the man, avoiding any vital parts and holding back some of the deadly bugs. She didn't want a repeat of what happened to Lung.
Walking closer to inspect her work, the swarm noticed the three bystanders before Skitter's own eyes did. Turning quickly into a defensive stance, she recognised three heroes looking back at her.
The first was Shadow Stalker, a 'hero' who held a grudge against the Undersiders. Specifically at Grue, they'd faced off a few times, she held her signature crossbows aimed directly at Skitter's center mass. The second was Kid Win, who Skitter had never directly fought with, but had seen in action enough times.
The third hero, and the one that caught Skitter's attention the most, was Glory Girl. Another villain might freeze up upon seeing her because of her abilities. Boasting the 'Alexandria package,' anyone would be scared to go toe to toe with Glory Girl, but that wasn't the first thought that ran through Skitter's head.
Glory Girl knew Skitter. More specifically, Victoria knew Taylor, the two were friends, 'best friends' if Victoria was to be believed. They had a deal, Victoria wouldn't try to arrest Taylor so long as Taylor participated in the 'school experience.'
"Hello… Victoria." Taylor said awkwardly as she readied herself for battle. She wanted to smile upon seeing her friend's face but the two other heroes staring her down made Taylor nervous.
There was another part to their deal, the unspoken agreement on what would happen if they were ever to cross paths. While Taylor and Victoria were best friends, Skitter and Glory Girl were-
"Glory Girl…" Skitter said, correcting herself with a bit more menace in her voice. A fight was about to break out. Between heroes and villains, there were no friends on this battlefield, Taylor might feel bad later, but Skitter wasn't about to surrender.
Shadow Stalker fired a bolt, aimed directly at Skitter's chest. The mini swarm emerging from Skitter's hair caught it as the villain dived into action. The larger swarm breaking off to attack the three heroes.
The rest of the Undersiders weren't far behind, getting the gist of what was occurring outside, they all sprang into action. Dogs launching out, one for each hero, giving Skitter room to fall back. The warehouse had quickly turned into a burning inferno, no longer being safe enough to run back into, all members of the Undersiders were forced out into the open.
"No playing around!" Grue ordered to the team, "There's probably more on the way, disable and then disengage."
"Keep them busy, backup is almost here!" Kid Win called out in counter.
Skitter told her swarm to run interference as she moved to find Tattletale. Her bugs picked up on Aegis, who was flying into the scene as the battle unfolded. With the leader of the Wards on the scene, the rest of the heroes wouldn't be far behind.
"This doesn't make sense, we only just got here. No way PRT act that fast." Skitter said as she backed up to Tattletale's side.
"They're as surprised to see us as we are to see them." Tattletale said in return, "Probably aiming to hit the same warehouse at the same time."
"Well, that's some shitty timing." Skitter groaned, splitting her swarm to cover Kid Win and Aegis.
"Ehh, to be expected really." Tattletale chuckled, "If I could work out this location with a laptop and my powers, I'm sure they could do the same with their resources." Tattletale's eyes widened as she looked up behind Skitter. "Heads up, your girlfriend's about to kill us."
"My what?-" Skitter asked as Glory Girl landed down on top of her. Skitter had lost track of her during the fight, assuming that the dogs had kept her busy. As 'all-seeing' as Skitter could be if a hero flew up high enough, they could still get the drop on her.
Glory Girl could've ended the fight with a downward slam but instead landed on Skitter with the same force as a regular person jumping on her back. It still hurt as Skitter fell to the floor, Glory Girl stood over her, knee pressed into Skitter's back. The hero was strong, and her forcefield could make her feel rather heavy. Skitter struggled to push up from the ground.
"Oh, hey. Glory Ho-" Tattletale said with a smile before being shoved away with force. Less of a super-strength punch, and more of a push as the purple-clad villain slid across the floor.
Thinking quickly, Skitter fished out a taser from her utility belt and jammed it into Glory Girl's foot. The forcefield took the blow but broke, turning the hero's weight from inhuman to manageable as Skitter pushed herself up.
Striking out again, Skitter threw her baton arm out to clock Glory Girl in the shoulder. Skitter had to keep up the assault before the forcefield returned. She got two good whacks in before Glory Girl caught the third. Strength returning, Glory Girl chucked Skitter directly at Tattletale who had only just pulled herself up from the ground.
The two villains fell to the floor again, one over the other. "Owww…" Tattletale groaned, looking up at Skitter on top of her. They both turned to Glory Girl who was slowly approaching the two of them.
"Give it up. You can't beat me." Glory Girl said, taunting Tattletale more so than Skitter. Tattletale responded with her signature smile, pulling up her pistol and taking aim. The gunshot cracked through the air as Glory Girl flinched. Forcefield breaking again. "You… shot me? You bi-"
Skitter's swarm moved to defend the two villains, slamming into Glory Girl. Using the distraction, Skitter pulled Tattletale away from the fight.
"We need to leave!" Grue ordered already on the back of a dog. He was making a beeline directly for Skitter and Tattletale, aiming to get the dog to attack Glory Girl.
Taylor panicked internally as the dog came towards them. Victoria was still vulnerable, if the dog attacked her it might cause some serious injuries.
Skitter slammed her shoulder into Glory Girl, the hero's forcefield still not back, pushing her out of the way of the dog. Grue looked to Skitter, neither one able to read the other's expression as they climbed onto the dog.
Skitter helped pull Tattletale onto the dog with them as Bitch whistled out. All three dogs moved to get as far away from the scene as possible. Through her bugs, Skitter could see Shadow Stalker attempting to aim a bolt in their direction. Sitting at the back of the dog, it was highly likely that she was going to be hit.
The bolt released and flew through the air, only to be intercepted by Glory Girl who had reignited her forcefield. It looked like bad timing as both heroes moved to attack at once, Taylor was left wondering if Victoria had done it on purpose.
--------------------------------
After several minutes on dogback, Grue let out a relaxed sigh. The Wards didn't give chase and they were in the clear. "Well, that could've gone better." He said, looking back at the smoke trail in the distance.
"I think it went pretty great." Tattletale said with a smile, "We took out the lab and caused trouble for the Wards, that's like, two jobs in one. I'm sure we'll get a bonus for that."
Grue huffed, probably smiling under his mask. "If you say so." He looked at the other two dogs before asking, "Anyone hurt?"
The rest of the team shook their head. Any injuries sustained in the fight were minor and not worth mentioning, Skitter's back ached from where Glory Girl landed on her but that would go away with a few night's rest.
"Skitter?" Grue asked, turning all the way around to look at her. "What was that about at the end there?"
"What?" Skitter asked, confused.
"Pushing Glory Girl out of the way?" Grue explained, "I was trying to disable her, you're lucky she didn't give chase."
"Oh… that? Uh…" Skitter fumbled to come up with a response, while Tattletale knew about their friendship, the rest of the Undersiders were still in the dark about it. "Just want her all to myself is all… to take her… in a fight…"
Tattletale giggled at the response, ignoring Skitter's probable glare shooting her way.
"Right…" Grue said, "Well try not to do that in the future. It's usually a bad idea to tackle a brute."
----------------------------------------
"What the fuck was that about at the end there!" Shadow Stalker yelled at Victoria. "I almost had them and you got in the way!"
"Yeah… well…" Victoria said back, thinking of an excuse. "You should've said you were firing, how was I supposed to know!"
Victoria didn't exactly know why she took the hit for Skitter. She was still in hero mode, responding to an active crime scene and Skitter was a villain getting away. But Taylor had just pushed her out of the way of being mauled by a mutant dog so Victoria felt the need to return the favour.
Overall, Victoria was upset. Taylor hadn't pulled any punches when it came to the fight, her shoulder told her that much, still stinging from where Skitter struck her. Not to mention how Lisa actually shot her. Victoria was still in shock from that. Her forcefield took the bullet, but there was no remorse, just Lisa's usual smug smile as she fired the gun.
"We should go after them." Shadow Stalker continued, changing the focus of her rage to Aegis. "They're getting away!"
"Stalker," Aegis said, authority strong in his voice. "We need to contain this fire, make sure these people are alive and safe."
A few more Wards showed up and quickly began moving into action. Pulling unconscious people further away from the fire. Aegis looked towards the burning warehouse and sighed, this wasn't going to look good in his report and Piggot was sure to give him hell for it. He turned back to Victoria and gave a tired shrug.
Victoria didn't know why it bothered her so much. She knew Taylor was Skitter, they had fought before, but it felt different now. She had to go to school tomorrow and have lunch with the girl, knowing full well that they had just fought. She didn't want to fight Taylor, she wished Taylor hadn't shown up at all. What the hell was Taylor even doing here?
She looked towards the blazing fire and the man who had ran out of the warehouse in a panic. He was unconscious now, bug bites covered him all over. Victoria remembered the fear in his eyes, the horror she herself felt as Skitter appeared.
Burning a building down, scaring the hell out of a drug dealer. Hospitalising multiple people. What was Taylor thinking when she did this? Why did she do this?
'Because it's fun.'
Victoria shook her head. She knew that Skitter is a villain. But Taylor wasn't like that, there was more to this, there had to be. This was… revenge on the world that wronged her. An unhealthy coping method that Lisa had pushed her into. Vicky knew the joy of breaking things, but she also knew the consequences, Taylor was new to this and the longer it went on, the higher the chance she would run into those consequences. Victoria had to do something, she had to save-
"Are you going to fucking help or what!?"
Victoria looked up at Shadow Stalker and realised she was standing around like an idiot. The Ward watched her suspiciously before Victoria quickly moved away to see how she could deal with the fire.
-----------------------------------------
Arcadia High – Tuesday – Morning
Victoria caught her eyes on Taylor as the taller girl entered the building. Vicky moved through the crowd of students to reach the girl. What surprised Victoria the most as she approached wasn't how awkward the girl was after their fight, it was the complete opposite. Taylor waved hello and smiled as she locked eyes on Vicky.
It was a weak and small smile, Taylor wasn't the most expressive girl, but a smile nonetheless. However, it was such a casual greeting, as opposed to the last time they met in person after fighting in costume. Victoria had expected to find Taylor being jumpy, maybe even afraid to show up to school again. Vicky had even written out a draft text letting Taylor know that their deal was still in place on the occasion that Taylor didn't show up to school today.
Seeing the girl casually stroll up to her like this annoyed her. It wasn't that she didn't like Taylor, she did, she was happy to see her friend in school, but surely the girl could show 'a little' bit of guilt over what just happened last night.
'She didn't even send me a cute apology selfie this time.'
"Good morning, Vicky," Taylor said, tilting her head curiously at Victoria's conflicted face. "Do you need something?"
"Can we talk?" Victoria said, taking Taylor by the arm and pulling her into an empty classroom. Taylor flinched at the touch but moved with her.
"Sure, what's up?" Taylor asked, less annoyed at the touch, more confused as to why.
"What's up?" Victoria asked with a hushed tone. Closing the door behind her. "I haven't seen you since we… y'know… And you just say 'good morning' like it's nothing?"
"...Um, what would you prefer I say?" Taylor asked back, even more confused.
"I don't know, what about 'sorry' for one?" Vicky said with a little more edge to her voice.
"For what?…"
"Gee, I don't know." Vicky sighed sarcastically, "Burning a building down, getting into a fight with the Wards, hitting me with your stupid baton thing."
Taylor paused for a moment, opening her mouth a few times, unable to think of a response. Finally, she spoke again. "Okay, but you attacked me though…"
"Because that's my job!" Vicky hissed, exasperated.
"Well, that's 'my' job." Taylor rebutted. "But fine. I'm sorry. Can we move on?"
"Taylor, you burned down a building. Your team put seventeen people in the hospital."
"And what were you going to do with them?" Taylor said, getting annoyed. "Ask them nicely to stop making drugs."
"We wouldn't have burnt the place down, for one." Vicky snapped back.
"No, you would have captured all the product, sent it to lock up only to have someone else steal it and put it out on the street later. We made sure that shit stayed gone." Taylor snapped back harder. Taylor really had a low opinion of Brockton Bay's law enforcement and it showed. "Why are you getting so hung up about this? I thought we had a deal."
Only then did Victoria notice the bugs that were forming around the room, barely a swarm but still there. Taylor was backing away from her, looking at Vicky with a mixture of annoyance, and sadness.
'You'll give up on your little pet project. Then you'll drop her. Worse, you'll betray her. Like every other person in Taylor's life.'
Lisa's words rang through Victoria's head. She could see it in Taylor's eyes, darting around the room, looking for exits, avoiding meeting her eyes. The first week had gone so well, she could almost forget that Taylor was a stressed-out girl with trust issues. She didn't expect Taylor to change in a day or a week. It was so easy for Victoria to fall back on her old 'black and white' worldview after fighting.
Victoria lifted up her hands in surrender. "We do, Taylor." She held her voice calm and steady. "The deal stays. I'm not…" She sighed at herself. "I'm new to this, okay? But you're still my friend. I promise."
Taylor held back for a moment, eyeing Victoria. Eventually, she let out a sigh of her own and relaxed again. The bugs moving away again.
"I'm sorry," Victoria said, walking slowly towards Taylor. "I'm just annoyed… at the situation. Not at you. I don't like fighting my friends."
"Neither do I," Taylor mumbled, looking away guiltily. "So, we're still… friends?" There was a hope in that voice that saddened Victoria, the fact that she made Taylor question that fact made her feel terrible.
"Of course!" Victoria said, pulling Taylor into a hug. "I told you, I'm your new best friend. I meant it." Taylor made a few grunting sounds which Vicky thought were just her usual anti-social self trying to pull away from the hug until she recognised the pained flinches Taylor made. Pulling away, Vicky looked over Taylor with concern. "What's wrong? I didn't squeeze too hard, did I?"
Taylor shook her head and put a hand on her upper back. "A little, my back's still sore from last night." Victoria gave her a confused look. "We don't all have a personal healer. In our house." Taylor chuckled, rubbing her shoulder.
Victoria understood, the kneeling kick from above, Taylor was still in pain from the attack. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Vicky jumped in surprise at the realisation. Pulling her phone from her pocket. "I'll get Amy to look you over."
Taylor jumped in surprise this time. "Oh, no," Taylor said, shaking her head. "I'll manage."
"Please!" Victoria begged, taking Taylor's hand. "It's the least I can do."
"Won't she get suspicious?" Taylor asked, "How am I going to explain the damage?"
"I'll make something up," Vicky said, already midway to dialling Amy.
-----------------------------------
Taylor was more than a little apprehensive about receiving treatment from Amy. But Victoria was persistent as she pulled through, forcing the girl into a meeting with the healer.
Class was starting in a few minutes, they quickly found Amy and hurried off to a relatively empty section of the school.
"Vicky? What's up?" Amy said once everyone stopped moving and pulling her about. "It's been five minutes, what's this emergency?"
"Taylor's been hurt," Vicky said, gently pushing Taylor closer to her sister. Taylor waited for the excuse that she said she'd 'make up' but it never came. Vicky knew Amy well enough that she didn't need to give a reason.
"Oh, okay…" Amy said with a sigh, holding her hand out towards Taylor.
Taylor looked towards the hand then back to Vicky. Victoria nodded, pressing Taylor on to take Amy's hand. With a hesitant shake, Taylor finally placed her hand down.
"Oh. Wow…" Amy said, staring off into space as she 'read' Taylor's body. "How'd you do this?"
Victoria's eyes widened in surprise, Amy never cared about that before, damn that traitorous and curious sister!
"Uh, I hit her. Accidentally" Vicky said with an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I snuck up behind her and slapped her on the back a little too hard. Super strength, y'know?" Victoria tapped her head with her knuckle, trying to make a point of what a 'klutz' she was.
"Vicky…" Amy said, looking back at her sister in what Victoria hoped wasn't suspicion. "…Are you a fucking idiot? You could've broken Taylor's back? Seriously what is wrong with you?" Amy shook her head and muttered a few more insults under her breath.
Victoria shrank down like the fool she was. As long as suspicion was away from Taylor, she could deal with her sister thinking she was a complete and utter moron.
"Alright, all done," Amy said after a few minutes. "Did most of the injuries around your torso and hands, did you want me to fix your eyesight while I'm at it?"
Taylor pulled her hand away the second Amy said she was done. Shaking her head, Taylor looked away in a panic and said, "NothankyouI'mgoodthanksforthatbye." And took off to class.
"She's very shy…" Victoria added, trying her best to smile. Amy hummed in response. "Thanks for that Ames, you're the best."
Amy waved the compliment off and gave Vicky a hug.
"So what's up with her anyway?" Amy asked, looking up from the hug.
"What do you mean?" Victoria asked back.
"Taylor had a lot of little injuries. The spine was sore, sure. But her arm looked like was burnt to hell, she had scratches all up and down her legs." Amy explained, listing out some of the obvious injuries she picked up. "Is she getting into fights or something?"
Victoria froze in a panic. "Uh, no… she was uh… bullied, remember? From her old school?"
Amy thought about it for a moment. "Wasn't that months ago now? Pretty sure that burn scar is only a week or so old."
Victoria panicked a little more, internally.
"Do you think?…" Amy began as Victoria feared the worst. "Should we ask her about her home life? Y'know…" Amy took a quick look around before whispering. "Does she have mean parents?"
Victoria let out a sigh of relief. "Uh, I don't think… but we should… 'I' should check with her. I'll do that. Don't worry, I'm sure Taylor's fine. And uh, thanks for caring."
Amy shrugged, "She's nice enough. Plus she's your new friend, so I'll look out for her and stuff…" She said as if Amy needed an excuse to care about someone. Amy broke off the hug and also left for class.
Relaxing again, Victoria moved to leave for her own class before noticing that another person was watching them. Dean was waiting by the corridor.
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"Everything okay?" Dean asked as Victoria walked by.
"Yes," Vicky said as casually as she could sound. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Dean looked back at Vicky with a very deadpan stare.
"Because I just sensed you freak out several times during that conversation," Dean said, nodding over to where Amy was earlier. "What happened to Taylor? I thought she didn't want Amy's help."
"Nothing happened to Taylor," Victoria said quickly, denying everything.
"Mmhmm," Dean responded, giving Victoria the same deadpan look. "What's really going on here, Vicky?"
"What do you mean?"
"You get obsessed with this girl all of a sudden." Dean explained, "You're just… laser-focused on becoming friends with."
"Yeah, and?" Victoria argued back.
"So you 'kidnap' her and force her to be friends with all of us."
"Taylor needed more friends…" Victoria paused for a moment before letting out an accusatory gasp, "Don't tell me you're just pretending to be friends with her!"
Dean held up his hands in surrender. "No, I like Taylor just fine. She's a little… skittish, but a nice girl. But I do pick up on some things… And judging by the way your panicking, I'd say you've picked up on it too."
"I don't…" Victoria began, trying to calm herself. "Taylor is a nice, normal girl. Who's had a few rough experiences. Any violent thoughts she may have, are just… just by-products from not having enough friends."
Dean looked back, confused. "You do know I read emotions, not minds? And I'm not talking about her depression. I'm talking about the other thing. Isn't it a little mean to string her along like this?"
"String her along?" Victoria repeated confused and upset. "I would never-"
"Come on Vicky," Dean said, attempting to pull a 'winning smile' that Victoria might have fallen for in the past. "Think of it from her point of view. A girl, down on her luck, shunned by the world and then along comes Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl, to lift her up and become her 'bestest friend.' Becoming the one bright light in her life. It's no wonder she feels that way."
"Feels what way?" Victoria asked, already knowing the answer but waiting for confirmation.
"Vicky…" Dean said with as much care as his smile could manage. "The girl has a 'major' crush on you. Or she's afraid of you?… It's hard to tell sometimes. Taylor's very… closed in. But she certainly doesn't have any strong feelings towards the rest of us. And look, I'm completely fine with girls crushing on girls, more power to them and all, but you should really talk to her before she gets the wrong idea."
"Huh…" Victoria mused, she already picked up on Taylor's 'wandering eyes' at times, but it was another thing entirely to know that attraction came from a full-blown crush. Victoria didn't know exactly how she felt about that. She didn't feel negatively about the crush, she just never considered it properly. If made her feelings… complicated. Of course, Taylor was a complicated person in general, a villain whom she hoped to convert, a girl that Victoria had only barely known if she was being honest.
"So yeah," Dean continued, trying to be sly. "You should let her know where you stand. Sooner rather than later… Wouldn't want another girl at the table to be jealous when we start dating again."
"When we what?" Vicky asked, snapping out of her thought.
Dean let out an awkward huff, "Y'know. When you're done with the break."
"Dean… It's been months." Victoria said bluntly.
"Well yeah, but we always…" Dean said, breaking into a mumble.
"I think it's time we call it. This wasn't going to work out between us." Victoria said, as gently as she could. "Just so you know where I stand." Vicky awkwardly patted Dean on the shoulder, she'd still be friends if he wanted, they'd always be friends.
As for Taylor? She wasn't sure how to approach that. It was still early days, and obviously, she still needed time to come to terms with her villainous side job before they could ever… ever what? Date?
She was single now. Not exactly looking to jump into a new relationship. Then again, it had been months since she was unofficially single. And Taylor was nice, Vicky never really thought about women in that way before but it… wasn't a terrible thought.
Could Vicky see herself doing that in the future? Going on a cute date with Taylor, the book reading, raccoon plush stealing super villain?
Victoria didn't need to think of the answer, the smile on her face said enough.
Chapter 10: She likes them both
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Noon – Undersider's home base
Lisa lay across the couch, flicking through the different channels on the TV. Today was a slow day, there was no job to be planned, nothing was even in the works. She'd go out later and see if she could find something 'fun' to do, but until then, all Lisa could do was relax until the call came in.
Brian was out, playing parent for his little sister. Something about shopping for furniture for their new apartment, their 'fearless leader' worked himself to death to support that girl. Someone needs to remind the poor guy one day that he's only seventeen.
Rachel was working at the dog shelter. It took Lisa far longer than she'd ever admit to realise that the shelter was an actual shelter, with volunteers, employees, and bills. She always assumed that Rachel was hoarding dogs under some bridge like a troll. She really misjudged that woman, Lisa made a mental note to apologise. Not that Rachel would know why Lisa was apologising.
Alec was out doing… God knows what. Lisa was almost afraid to ask what Alec got up to in his spare time. The curiosity she had was outweighed by the lack of effort to find out. So long as Alec stayed out of trouble, she didn't care what he got up to.
Taylor was at school. The only Undersider to bother attending high school. Probably the only supervillain in the world that bothered with such pedestrian things as homework. Reading online threads on her phone about the 'terrifying Skitter' was made extra amusing when paired with her phone's wallpaper. A selfie of Taylor holding up some plush raccoon to her face.
Taylor originally took the photo as an apology to Victoria after she discovered that their little shopping outing was a prelude to another smash-and-grab. Taylor then sent the same photo over to Lisa, seemingly for 'no reason'. Even looking at the photo days later, Lisa's powers could tell her exactly why Taylor sent it.
Taylor thinks she looks cute in this photo. Wanted your opinion on the photo. Values your opinion, wants to look cute for you. Wants to look cute for Victoria. Doesn't usually consider herself 'cute.' Likes how the photo hides half her face, not confident taking photo of entire face. Hopes plush toy distracts from actual face.
Her self-confidence aside, the photo made Lisa smile. It was cute, this was partly the reason why Lisa had made it her phone's wallpaper, for her personal phone anyway, she wouldn't have a picture of the Undersider's faces on her work phone.
The apology photo was a stupidly cute idea. Lisa was actually jealous of Victoria for getting it first. She'd been jealous of Victoria for a lot of things this week. It took Lisa weeks to get Taylor to start opening up to her. Between Taylor's hesitancy to become a villain and general anxiety when it came to being social, it took time for the girl to consider her an actual friend and not just 'that scary extrovert who won't leave me alone'. Then Victoria comes along, and speed runs the whole process in a week.
And of course, Taylor developed a crush on her, it's freaking Glory Girl, even Lisa couldn't look away from those legs of hers… and she's not even interested in that.
But who could have a chance of fighting against that, when presented with the option? Skitter was a cold and logical villain, Skitter knew how bad of an idea it is to associate with Victoria Dallon. But Victoria didn't corner Skitter during school. No, she cornered Taylor Hebert. And Taylor is a useless lesbian who stood no chance.
Lisa chuckled at the thought. It still annoyed her how easily Taylor fell for the hero. All it took was some pretty blonde hair and a charming smile and the hero had her eating out of the palm of her hand. The bitch stole a play right out of Lisa's own rule book and acted like she was a genius for doing so. Worst of all, the attraction was mutual. Taylor hadn't picked up on it yet, but once Victoria figured out that the real reason she was giving the villain the benefit of the doubt was because 'she's cute,' then it would be all over.
Naturally, there was an easy fix to that. Lisa could easily up her game and turn her charming smile into outright flirting. Taylor would jump at the chance, Lisa's power told her that almost every time they saw each other.
Taylor wants stronger friendship. Wants romantic relationship. Wants to be closer to Lisa Wilbourn. Interested in romantic relationship with Lisa Wilbourn. Interested in romantic relationship with Victoria Dallon. Unwilling to make the first move. Doesn't believe either woman is interested in her.
Taylor had already asked Lisa if she was gay, Taylor's not-so-subtle attempt to form that desired 'romantic relationship' and all Lisa could say in return was, 'It's complicated.' In truth, Lisa panicked. Was she gay? No, not exactly. Lisa was… Ace? At least, Lisa assumed she was a few months ago. She never really thought much about her sexuality, she could pick up on when people were interested in her, but never really found any interest in other people.
Lisa always knew when people were attracted to her, it was the downside of having a noisy power. It could come in handy at times, people were always more likely to talk to a pretty face than to punch it if given the option. As a social thinker, it gave her an edge to use on the job. As a girl living in Brockton Bay, however, it could be awkward as all hell.
From teenage Wards she fought, to the Mercs worked with, to the skeevy politicians and businessmen she bribed for information. Getting a brief insight into every person who ever looked at her funny could get tiring and made the whole concept of sexuality feel… disgusting at times.
Her teammates were no exception. Brian, for all his good intentions and gentlemen-like nature, couldn't resist the odd perve when he thought Lisa wasn't looking. Lisa didn't even need powers to know what Alec thought of her and even Rachel would sometimes give Lisa a look when she was, 'in heat.' It made her feel gross, even if she never brought it up.
So why then, when Taylor did the exact same things, did Lisa find it endearing? Partly because Taylor was more interested in hand-holding over ass-grabbing but mainly because Lisa liked Taylor.
She liked Taylor…
Lisa frowned at that statement. It felt like an understatement, Taylor was her best friend. Lisa had other friends, work friends, social friends and the like, but it had been years since Lisa had a 'best' friend. Even still, Taylor was special. Lisa didn't like Taylor, she 'liked' Taylor.
And that scared the hell out of her.
Lisa didn't 'like' people, she was never interested in all that nonsense. She didn't think it was possible. Sure, Lisa could tolerate a certain level of physical closeness, but romance and love? That was just a myth to the girl. She was too busy trying to survive her life in the city to care about romance or feelings. So why was she suddenly considering her feelings for Taylor?
When she first recruited Taylor, she just wanted a powerful parahuman to join their crew. Skitter was a certified powerhouse, taking on Lung by herself. Easy to manipulate, morally flexible, Lisa was the luckiest thinker in the world to stumble upon her. It was Taylor who needed the friendship and Lisa had no problems offering that friendship. Her whole plan hinged on making the new friend. A gal pal, a work buddy, a partner in crime and it worked… A little too well. Lisa didn't realise how much fun it would be to just 'be friends' with the girl.
The moment she realised how much Taylor meant to her, it scared Lisa worse than anything. Because she trusted Taylor, this business was no place for trust. Taylor was now wrapped up in Lisa's shit and the girl didn't even know it yet.
So when Taylor asked if she was gay, interested in forming that 'romantic relationship' that Taylor craved so much, Lisa wanted to say, "Sure, I'm gay… for you at least. I never considered forming romantic relationships before but I'd be interested in dating you. But I've never felt this way about anyone before and I'm scared that I won't be able to give you what you want. Also, my boss will likely use our relationship as another gun to my head and I have an inkling of what you're capable of if you ever found out how much danger I am actually in, which makes me feel incredibly guilty for pulling you into this life."
This was why Lisa panicked and instead said, "It's complicated." Changing the topic as quickly as possible that day.
Lisa looked back at the photo of Taylor on her phone and sighed. Of all the problems in her life right now, she was lying on the couch, worrying about her feelings for a friend. It seemed so… pedestrian.
What did she plan to do about Victoria? The hero obviously wasn't going to back off, as much as Lisa wished she would. It bothered her that that 'Glory Hole' was all over Taylor. Not just because of how dangerous it was for Taylor to be so close to a hero, but because… Lisa was jealous. Taylor really liked Victoria, her crush was obvious and yet, Taylor wanted the two girls to get along.
When they got back from burning the warehouse and fighting the heroes the other night, Taylor pulled Lisa aside to talk to her. Lisa pulled a gun on Glory Girl that night and shot at her, nothing lethal, or even painful for the hero, but a bullet was sent in her direction. While Skitter didn't say anything in the moment of battle, Taylor was not happy. When they got back to base the girl was pouting at Lisa… Actually pouting. It would've been adorable if Lisa didn't feel so bad.
Lisa promised to make it up to Taylor, somehow. Which meant that Lisa had to play nice with the hero. Since Victoria wasn't leaving anytime soon, it made an unfortunate amount of sense. With another audible sigh, Lisa flicked her phone open to her contact list and scrolled to Victoria. She might as well extend an olive branch and she knew exactly how to do it.
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Arcadia High – A few minutes later
Victoria's phone buzzed in her pocket. She was currently in class but that didn't stop her from sliding it out under her desk. It was a message from Lisa which caused Victoria to sigh internally. Lisa had promised to send her a text each day and so far Lisa was living up to her promise.
Today it was a small message with a photo attached. Vicky looked at it in confusion. She didn't know if she should be angry, shocked, or laugh at the absurdity of it. Victoria did want an apology for the fight, she just never expect Lisa to actually go through with it. Whether Lisa was genuine or not is a different question entirely. It looked to be a parody of Taylor's earlier apology for robbing the antique store. Victoria settled for huffing in disapproval while rolling her eyes.
"Sorry for shooting you. Hope we can still be friends." The message read while showing a selfie of Lisa. The girl was cuddled up, with an orange plush fox held over her face. A recreation of Taylor's selfie.
"Fuck you," Vicky responded into her phone.
She was still upset with the villain for actually shooting her. Victoria didn't actually think that they were friends, but she still was shocked to see Lisa actually shoot her. She was more than entitled to be angry at Lisa. Still, Victoria had to admit, begrudgingly, that getting the message did make her a little happy.
Her phone buzzed again and Victoria pulled it out again to see the response. A single heart emoji. Victoria fought her lips as they pulled into a smile. As infuriating as Lisa could be, it was a cute photo.
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The bell for lunch rang out and Victoria made her way to the cafeteria. She spotted Carlos and Dean midway through the trip, it had been a few days since Vicky had 'officially' broken up with the boy. So far, no announcement had been made. Victoria didn't feel the need to as in her mind she'd been single for months now.
Carlos perked up with a wave as Victoria got closer but Dean barely managed a smile. Vicky knew it was going to be awkward between them for a 'long' time. Hopefully, they could return to being friends in the future, but for now, Victoria let him have some space.
Vicky's usual posse formed as each member left their respective classes, the only odd ones out were the two socially awkward juniors who were already waiting at the table when the rest of them arrived. Amy and Taylor looked to be sitting in silence, neither girl was interested in engaging in conversation with the other. Victoria couldn't work out if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
She wanted Amy and Taylor to get along. They were both in the same grade and shared some of the same classes. Victoria and her friends would be graduating at the end of the school year leaving both girls behind. In the past, she'd worried about what Amy's final year at school was going to be like, with her entire table of friends gone. Amy acted like she didn't need anyone, but Vicky suspected that wasn't the truth, everybody needs a friend.
Taylor was the answer to this problem. As both girls were in the same grade, the obvious answer was to have them both become friends. But neither girl was particularly sociable, Taylor had the habit of only speaking when spoken to and Amy never had a reason to speak to Taylor directly. Watching the two girls sit in silence painted a grim picture of what their final year of school would be like.
Although, Victoria also had hope. Taylor and Amy had obviously come together from class. They were sitting next to each other, instead of on opposite sides of the table. While they weren't talking to each other, they didn't appear to be bothered by one another. Victoria knew that if Amy actually tried to talk to Taylor, Taylor would respond. Maybe this was just how asocial people socialise?
Her sister just needed coaxing out of her shell, they both did. Everyone in the group often remarked that Amy was something of a 'grumpy raccoon' but Victoria had seen her smile. Victoria wished more people could see the side of Amy that she saw. Amy could actually be very sociable, and not just for her Panacea work. She'd often spent hours talking to Amy, on those rare days where neither of them had any plans, back before life got complicated with school, capes and Dean. Not to mention how damn cuddly she got while they were alone. Amy seemed to crave hugs from Vicky, but only when the two of them were alone. Victoria assumed Amy was just shy like that.
Either way, Victoria still had time. Before school was over, she'd make sure that Taylor and Amy were the best of friends. Both girls gave small smiles as Victoria sat down across from them. The rest of the posse took seats around the table. They all broke out into conversation, Amy sighing slightly as her quiet was now ruined. Dennis told a crass joke about a rhino that caused everyone at the table to roll their eyes with a chuckle.
Victoria noticed that Taylor joined in with the collective group laugh. Not outwardly, just a little huff with a smile. That might as well have been an open-belly laugh for Taylor. It was such a joy to see how relaxed the girl was in this group now, especially considering how short of a time span it'd been. Victoria's beamed with pride, at both Taylor and herself. The girl had spent months alone in this school, treating it like a challenge to survive, and even longer at her old school living through hell when this was exactly what she needed all this time.
Vicky wanted to keep the momentum going. Getting Amy and Taylor to become friends was part of that but she tried to think of more things she could do for Taylor. Victoria wanted to see more of that smile, the one that Taylor tried to suppress. She made it her mission to see Taylor pull a smile as wide as Victoria usually did. Perhaps it was a selfish wish, but if Amy could secretly smile in her presence, maybe Taylor could too. But what could entice Taylor to smile wider?
'The girl has a 'major' crush on you.'
The thought had been going through her mind ever since Dean said it. Taylor had a crush on her, Taylor had a 'major' crush on her. Victoria was used to people finding her attractive. She'd overhear people talking from time to time, and come across several threads online about her. Most of which ranged from the 'kind of flattering' to the 'I never want to show my face in public again.'
She also knew that some women would occasionally crush on her too, but Victoria never gave it much thought. It was just something she lived with, being a celebrity and all. Having some random fan make a post online was completely different to know that the girl sitting across from you had 'feelings,' doubly so when that girl is your friend.
Victoria hadn't told anyone about Taylor's crush. She still wasn't sure how to handle it. The last thing she wanted to do was 'string Taylor along' like Dean had implied. Usually, Vicky would go to Amy when it came to talking about her dating life. Amy was always happy to listen and even if her 'advice' consisted of jokes to 'break up with him,' it was nice to have a sister to vent to.
The only reason she hadn't gone to Amy was that she wasn't ready to 'open the can of worms' about the topic of her growing sexuality. Victoria was still coming to grips with being… Bisexual? Bi-curious? Vicky didn't even know and she wasn't sure how Amy would react to her 'new interests.' She was afraid of having Amy think she was weird, not that she thought Amy would be homophobic or dismissive, she just felt an unexpected anxiety about making the subject public knowledge.
'Wait, is this what it's like to be 'in the closet?''
She shook off the tangential thought and looked back at Taylor. Taylor already smiled softly at the sight of her 'friend.' Victoria could almost imagine it, How much wider would that smile be if it was more than a crush? The vivid thought of Taylor breaking into a wide smile was stuck in Vicky's mind. Particularly, when the cause of that smile was Victoria herself giving Taylor a kiss…
Vicky blushed, hiding her face at the table even though no one else knew what she was thinking. That was an odd thought. It came out of nowhere and cemented itself in Vicky's brain. Victoria had only started considering adding women to her dating pool a few days ago and now she was fantasying about kissing one. Kissing her.
She'd had thoughts like these before, back when she used to crush on Dean. Looking back at the guy now, she felt no strong attraction towards him. There was history between them and she loved him, as a friend. Turning back to Taylor she felt… something building. Victoria couldn't decide if it was her desire to help Taylor, see her smile or just curiosity on what dating a woman would be like in general.
Taylor looked up at her, finally taking notice that Vicky had been staring at the girl for some time. She tilted her head in confusion. "What's up?" Taylor asked, shrinking down as if trying to hide from Victoria's sight. Victoria felt bad for making Taylor self-conscious again.
"Uh, nothing," Vicky said, shaking her head in embarrassment. Quickly thinking of an excuse, both for staring and to spend alone time with her, she followed up with, "Just wondering if you're free to hang out after school?"
Victoria fought another urge to blush. She was simply asking Taylor to do something outside of school yet her heart was beating like she'd just asked Taylor out on a date. Taylor smiled again briefly then paused to think.
"I have plans after school," Taylor said, more to herself as she remembered.
"Oh," Victoria said, a little disappointed. Then she raised an eyebrow but tried to keep a casual tone. "You mean work?" Victoria resisted sounding accusatory as she said 'work.' She didn't want to make the same mistake as the other day.
"No," Taylor said as she shook her head. "Was just meeting Lisa at the boardwalk." Taylor thought for a little longer then broke into another small smile. "You should come. If you want…"
Victoria weighed the option. She wasn't exactly keen on seeing Lisa again. She was still annoyed at the villain for shooting her, among other things. At the same time, it would be a responsible thing to go and make sure that no crime was about to take place. She could watch Lisa like a hawk and stop whatever break-in they were planning next. Plus, showing up unannounced was sure to annoy her, that in and of itself was a good enough reason to go.
"I'd love to," Vicky said with a smile.
----------------------------
The Boardwalk – After school
It was Taylor's second time flying with Victoria and she still wasn't used to the feeling. She still fought against her ingrained fear of heights that any human would have if they found themselves miles in the air with nothing but a forcefield holding them. Taylor kept her face forward, trying to look out to the sea instead of directly down to the ground.
As terrifying as it could be, flying was also exciting. Once she finally relaxed and realised that she wasn't going to 'suddenly drop at any moment,' it became a rather relaxing experience. Her heart was still beating a million miles a minute, but that was only because the very attractive blonde woman was holding Taylor in their arms.
Another reason Taylor was looking forward was because she was afraid that Vicky might catch her gawking at her face. Victoria was beautiful, but the immense joy on her face when she flew brought it to another level. Not to mention the closeness that came from being held while they flew.
Taylor was averse to hugging and touching. Her Dad rarely if ever hugged her and for the last two years the only physical interactions with people had been from getting shoved, kicked or tripped. On top of that, anytime Taylor was squeezed in by a crowd of people, she'd remember her time in the locker and be brought to the edge of a panic attack. Lisa was the first person to give her a genuine hug since her mother died. Taylor didn't realise how touched-starved she was by that point.
Sitting in Victoria's arms, she fought the urge to lean in and hug back. Because if she did that, Taylor would lose all restraints. She'd probably try to recover years worth of unreceived intimacy in a single hug and make a complete fool of herself. Victoria was just a friend, she didn't need to see Taylor break down in tears while in her arms and Taylor certainly didn't want to do that in front of anyone. She'd rather Victoria drop her before it came to that.
Her feelings for Victoria were more than complicated. She was afraid when Vicky cornered her. Afraid and upset. Victoria was the one who suggested the deal in the first place and yet it was her that got angry at Taylor for keeping to the rules. Taylor expected this to happen, Victoria reminded her of Emma after all. And Emma turned around and stabbed her in the back.
But, Victoria didn't betray her. She calmed down, apologised, and even took Taylor to go get healed. She actually cared about hurting her. The deal remained, and at the end of the day, they were both friends. A small part of Taylor's psych still refused to believe it, there would always be a part of Taylor that was ready for betrayal. That didn't mean Taylor wanted to be distrustful. She wanted to be friends with Vicky, friends with everyone in her posse, not just to avoid fighting and jail, but because she liked Vicky. Taylor really liked Vicky… to a stupid degree.
Taylor knew she was gay from the beginning. There was never any questioning about her type. In a city like Brockton Bay, that was something you kept close to the chest, lest you find the Empire knocking on your door. Still, that didn't stop Taylor from being stupid in the presence of a 'pretty girl.' Her friendship with Emma, wanting to be a hero like Alexandria, joining the Undersiders for Lisa and now flying in the arms of Victoria. Every dumb decision Taylor made could be traced back to her 'thinking with her loins.'
Here she was, landing down in the most popular section of the city. Carried by Glory Girl, publicly announcing that they're friends while she goes to visit her other blonde crush, all because Taylor liked the idea of spending time with two attractive blonde women.
As they touched down, Victoria was swarmed by a collection of tourists. Victoria quickly made a path out for Taylor before directing the crowd away from her. The hero would be stuck signing autographs for a good ten minutes. That gave Taylor enough time to text Lisa and organise a meeting spot.
Lisa was waiting by a random juice bar, sipping off a drink. She was dressed in what Taylor would call Lisa's 'rich bitch' disguise. Dressed up in designer jeans, shirts and sunglasses. With a matching handbag to top it off. Lisa had just finished making her 'rounds'. Taylor wasn't exactly sure what that entailed but it had something to do with pretending to be a wealthy, spoilt brat to meet with other wealthy business types. Lisa was basically shopping for new clients, seeing who among the boardwalk would be interested in the Undersider's services.
Lisa smiled at Taylor, waving a second drink as she offered a seat. Her smile broke as she noticed Victoria, walking behind.
"Oh, you brought Golden Girl," Lisa said with a half smile. "Great."
"Hope you don't mind. I invited her." Taylor said, picking up on Lisa's discomfort. Taylor completely forgot to inform Lisa about the change of plans, she felt guilty.
"No, no. Not at all." Lisa said, the full smile returning. She handed Taylor a drink, "We're all friends here, right?" She directed her smile at Victoria.
Vicky frowned and crossed her arms. Taylor looked back to Victoria in concern but Vicky broke into a similar smile. "Yes, Of course." She said, taking a seat. "The best of friends." She looked around the place for a bit, probably judging how much privacy they had to talk in before saying her next thought. "So, Lisa. How have you been? Robbed any banks today?"
Lisa chuckled. "Robbing banks!? Well, I never." She said in mock alarm. "What kind of monster do you think I am? I'll have you know, I only burned down three orphanages today."
"Only three?" Victoria retorted in mock amazement, "And here I thought you were a heartless bitch."
"Wow, that's rude," Lisa added, sounding a little more genuinely offended.
"I'm sorry." Victoria continued, still in a mocking tone. "How about I just shoot you and we'll call it even?"
Lisa looked to Taylor for some moral support. Taylor held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I told you to apologise the other night."
"I did apologise!" Lisa exclaimed with a whine. "I shot her a cute apology text and everything." Lisa pulled out her phone and showed Taylor the message, "To which she so rudely told me to get fucked."
Taylor looked at the message and then at the photo. It was a parody of her own apology to Vicky. She didn't even know that Lisa owned a plush fox let alone one so cute. Taylor made a mental note to ask Lisa for the photo later.
"Apologised my ass." Vicky laughed. "Like you're actually sorry. You 'shot' me."
"And you punched me in the chest." Lisa riposted, "What did you expect me to do? Roll over and die?"
"Oh please," Vicky huffed. "I shoved you. If I'd actually punched you, you'd be dead."
"And if I'd actually wanted to shoot you-" Lisa said with a grin.
"Alright, enough," Taylor said, cutting the conversation off in a rare display of annoyance. Holding both hands out to quiet the girls. "Please stop fighting, for me?"
Both girls went quiet, glaring at each other before looking back to Taylor. Silently, each girl reached out and took one of Taylor's hands in confirmation. Taylor's confidence quickly drained as she wasn't expecting either woman to actually hold her hand, she was just trying to avoid an argument.
Lisa smiled in her usual 'all-knowing' smug way before looking at Victoria. "I'm sorry," She said, looking first at Taylor and then at Victoria. "I wasn't planning on hurting you… that way. I'd never shoot you for real." Her free hand extended towards Victoria, "Friends?"
Victoria hesitated for a moment, looking at Taylor who nodded subconsciously. "Friends…" She said, not as confident as Taylor would've liked but her hand met Lisa's all the same. Lisa held her grin and Victoria resisted the urge to squeeze down on Lisa's hand.
Eventually, they all relaxed and Victoria got a drink of her own. The three girls settled into idle chatter, both about their personal lives and cape lives. Lisa and Vicky would occasionally throw barbs at each other, usually in the form of a biting joke. However, both girls kept smiling, it didn't devolve into throwing insults or the like. Taylor could really see it, the three of them as friends, perhaps she was just hopeful but she wanted to believe it could be done.
An intense, challenging look was shared between the girls that went right over Taylor's head. She was too focused on the circle of hand-holding that had taken place at the start. Taylor already knew that she felt all 'warm and fuzzy' when both girls held her hand, but watching the circle be completed…
An… idea formed in Taylor's mind. To seduce both hero and villain with the promise of friendship and affection among each other. She had no idea how exactly she would accomplish that. But it was a rather nice fantasy to have.
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Taylor Hebert is planning on being in a throuple with Victoria Dallon and Lisa Wilbourn
Lisa choked on her drink as her power pulled that little tidbit of information out of nowhere. It took several seconds of coughing before she could breathe again. Both girls looked towards Lisa in alarm.
Taylor Hebert is concerned for her friend. Victoria Dallon is concerned for Lisa Wilbourn
"I'm fine," Lisa said, coughing a few more times.
"Try not to inhale it next time," Victoria said with a chuckle.
"You alright?" Taylor asked, reaching a hand out to Lisa. Lisa nodded in response, patting Taylor's hand to let her know she was okay.
Lisa looked back up at Taylor and grinned. She already knew that Taylor had a crush on both women but for her power to just come out and 'say' that. Lisa held in the laughter that was teasing the edge of her lips.
She couldn't blame Taylor for having the thought. Not that Lisa knew it was what Taylor was thinking, she wasn't a mind reader. But you put two and two together and you have a good guess at what the blushing Taylor was contemplating. A fun thought experiment but it would never work. Victoria would never work with Lisa and Lisa… well she was still fifty-fifty on the whole Glory Hole situation.
"I'll get you a water," Taylor said, standing from her chair. She was still concerned about Lisa choking on her juice. Lisa was about to speak up and stop her but Taylor was already moving towards the convenience store down the street.
-----------------------
"She does know that this place sells water, right?" Victoria asked as she looked behind her. Taylor had left in a hurry to help her friend.
"Apparently not." Lisa chuckled.
Victoria sighed as she faced forward again on her chair. She was alone with Lisa. The two sat in relative silence while they waited for Taylor to return.
"So," Vicky said, breaking the awkward silence. "What was so funny earlier?"
"Huh?" Lisa asked, looking up from her now empty drink.
"You choked in a way my friend does after a funny joke," Victoria explained, pointing to Lisa's lips. "What was so funny?"
"Oh," Lisa chuckled, "Uh, nothing much. My power telling me the obvious. I guess."
"The obvious?"
"Yeah," Lisa explained, "That Taylor wants us to… get along and such."
"I see…" Victoria nodded, she could tell that there was more to it but Lisa didn't say anything. "You know, I still don't actually know what it is you do."
"I rob banks and burn orphanages," Lisa said with a straight face.
Vicky frowned, "Ha ha, I mean your powers. What is it? Do you read minds?"
"Yep, pretty much," Lisa said with a grin. "Does it bother you that I know all your secrets?"
"Bullshit." Vicky scoffed. Lisa held her smile and didn't back down. "Alright, prove it. What am I thinking of?"
"Let's see…" Lisa said, leaning in. She closed her eyes and placed two fingers on either side of her temple. Completely hamming up her performance. "You think… that I'm insufferably annoying but also… adorable as hell." She dropped her hands and opened her eyes, tilting her head with a smile. "How'd I do?"
"You're half right," Victoria said with an unimpressed stare.
"So you do think I'm adorable." Lisa chuckled, "Taylor is gonna be jealous."
"Shut up," Victoria huffed, a smile of her own cracking on her face. "Still hate you."
"Course you do." Lisa said casually, "That's part of my charm."
Victoria rolled her eyes, "Wow, you are so full of yourself."
"Says the literal celebrity. Did you sign any autographs on the way here?" Lisa broke into a laugh as she read Victoria's face, "Holy shit, you actually did."
"Shut up, they asked me," Vicky said defensively.
"But you enjoy it." Lisa added, pointing at Victoria, "Helps with your super-inflated ego. That's why you do the hero gig, right?"
"Fuck you," Victoria said, offended. "I do this to help people."
"There I go again, pissing people off." Lisa gently tapped the table with her fist and huffed. "It's bad a habit, I'm sorry."
"Have you tried not being a bitch?" Victoria asked.
"Yeah, but you make it really hard." Lisa said, Victoria opened her mouth in offence but Lisa held up a hand, "I'm trying. For Taylor's sake."
"You can't just say that." Vicky grumbled, "You know, I seriously can't get a read on you. Do you just fuck with people for kicks or is it like some cry for help?"
"A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B," Lisa said, mimicking a scale with her hand.
"See, this is exactly it," Victoria said pointing at Lisa. "I can't tell if you're serious or not? Like, do you need help or-"
"Yeah, shut up for a second," Lisa said, looking behind Victoria. Lisa's eyes went wide as she stood up from her chair, "Oh, fuck…"
"Fucking rude. Where are you going?" Victoria asked, turning in her chair to watch Lisa walk off.
Victoria looked past Lisa and spotted Taylor. She smiled at first but then noticed Taylor was currently in a discussion with three other girls, and she did not look happy. Taylor had the body posture of a turtle trying to retread into its shell. She knew Taylor could be shy but this was a new extreme.
Then the girls laughed. Not a friendly, jovial laughter. But a cackle, like hyenas. They kept walking away from Taylor, laughing all the while as the girl stood completely still. As if trying not to be noticed.
Victoria recognised one of the girls, the taller girl with dark skin. That was Sophia, the Ward. Shadow Stalker. Did Taylor know Shadow Stalker? Lisa was moving with purpose and Victoria felt the need to match pace.
Taylor found her footing and moved away from the trio of girls. Her head was locked down to her feet, not looking up at anyone as she walked. If not for her abilities, Victoria would've assumed that Taylor would run into someone walking like that.
Victoria caught up to Lisa just as Taylor was a few meters out. At this distance, Victoria could see that Taylor was crying. She was sniffling and rubbing her face as she moved, still refusing to look up.
"Taylor? Are you okay?-" Victoria asked gently, Taylor barrelled through both girls and kept on walking.
"I'mgonnagohome." Taylor mumbled under a sob. Not slowing down for either girl as she kept on walking.
Victoria was torn. On one hand, she had to follow after Taylor. She was not letting her walk home like that. But on the other hand, she needed to know what happened. Taylor was in a good mood when she left, not to mention that Taylor was a little more confrontational than she appeared to be. Often appearing ready to fight Victoria when cornered. To shrink away socially was one thing, but how she shut down and was now running away from those girls...
Does she know that it's Shadow Stalker? And why was Sophia there? What did those girls say and how did they know Taylor?
Lisa was looking in the direction of the three girls. They were still laughing away at whatever 'joke' they found so funny. Victoria knew in that instant who they were to Taylor.
"So, that's them?" Victoria asked, glaring at the trio.
"Yeah, looks like it…" Lisa said solemnly.
Victoria always blamed Lisa in her head, Lisa was the girl who was corrupting Taylor. Lisa pushed Taylor into a life of chaos and crime. But that was because Lisa had a face. Taylor's bullies were nameless entities, a collection of random students. It was a lot harder to lay blame on them.
Now they had a face, she even had a name for one of them. Shadow Stalker, Sophia. Victoria had never gotten along with the grumpy Ward, no one did. In the past, Vicky used to wonder what Shadow Stalker sounded like when she laughed. Now… She fucking hates it.
Vicky clenched her fists and drew in a breath. She wanted to hurt them, Badly.
For now, Taylor was the priority. They needed to find her and make sure she was alright. But Victoria wouldn't forget. Neither girl would forget. Victoria looked at Lisa, and Lisa nodded in understanding. Both girls turned to find their friend.
A plan formed in both of their minds. To destroy the women who made Taylor's life so miserable. On that, they both agreed.
Lisa lay across the couch, flicking through the different channels on the TV. Today was a slow day, there was no job to be planned, nothing was even in the works. She'd go out later and see if she could find something 'fun' to do, but until then, all Lisa could do was relax until the call came in.
Brian was out, playing parent for his little sister. Something about shopping for furniture for their new apartment, their 'fearless leader' worked himself to death to support that girl. Someone needs to remind the poor guy one day that he's only seventeen.
Rachel was working at the dog shelter. It took Lisa far longer than she'd ever admit to realise that the shelter was an actual shelter, with volunteers, employees, and bills. She always assumed that Rachel was hoarding dogs under some bridge like a troll. She really misjudged that woman, Lisa made a mental note to apologise. Not that Rachel would know why Lisa was apologising.
Alec was out doing… God knows what. Lisa was almost afraid to ask what Alec got up to in his spare time. The curiosity she had was outweighed by the lack of effort to find out. So long as Alec stayed out of trouble, she didn't care what he got up to.
Taylor was at school. The only Undersider to bother attending high school. Probably the only supervillain in the world that bothered with such pedestrian things as homework. Reading online threads on her phone about the 'terrifying Skitter' was made extra amusing when paired with her phone's wallpaper. A selfie of Taylor holding up some plush raccoon to her face.
Taylor originally took the photo as an apology to Victoria after she discovered that their little shopping outing was a prelude to another smash-and-grab. Taylor then sent the same photo over to Lisa, seemingly for 'no reason'. Even looking at the photo days later, Lisa's powers could tell her exactly why Taylor sent it.
Taylor thinks she looks cute in this photo. Wanted your opinion on the photo. Values your opinion, wants to look cute for you. Wants to look cute for Victoria. Doesn't usually consider herself 'cute.' Likes how the photo hides half her face, not confident taking photo of entire face. Hopes plush toy distracts from actual face.
Her self-confidence aside, the photo made Lisa smile. It was cute, this was partly the reason why Lisa had made it her phone's wallpaper, for her personal phone anyway, she wouldn't have a picture of the Undersider's faces on her work phone.
The apology photo was a stupidly cute idea. Lisa was actually jealous of Victoria for getting it first. She'd been jealous of Victoria for a lot of things this week. It took Lisa weeks to get Taylor to start opening up to her. Between Taylor's hesitancy to become a villain and general anxiety when it came to being social, it took time for the girl to consider her an actual friend and not just 'that scary extrovert who won't leave me alone'. Then Victoria comes along, and speed runs the whole process in a week.
And of course, Taylor developed a crush on her, it's freaking Glory Girl, even Lisa couldn't look away from those legs of hers… and she's not even interested in that.
But who could have a chance of fighting against that, when presented with the option? Skitter was a cold and logical villain, Skitter knew how bad of an idea it is to associate with Victoria Dallon. But Victoria didn't corner Skitter during school. No, she cornered Taylor Hebert. And Taylor is a useless lesbian who stood no chance.
Lisa chuckled at the thought. It still annoyed her how easily Taylor fell for the hero. All it took was some pretty blonde hair and a charming smile and the hero had her eating out of the palm of her hand. The bitch stole a play right out of Lisa's own rule book and acted like she was a genius for doing so. Worst of all, the attraction was mutual. Taylor hadn't picked up on it yet, but once Victoria figured out that the real reason she was giving the villain the benefit of the doubt was because 'she's cute,' then it would be all over.
Naturally, there was an easy fix to that. Lisa could easily up her game and turn her charming smile into outright flirting. Taylor would jump at the chance, Lisa's power told her that almost every time they saw each other.
Taylor wants stronger friendship. Wants romantic relationship. Wants to be closer to Lisa Wilbourn. Interested in romantic relationship with Lisa Wilbourn. Interested in romantic relationship with Victoria Dallon. Unwilling to make the first move. Doesn't believe either woman is interested in her.
Taylor had already asked Lisa if she was gay, Taylor's not-so-subtle attempt to form that desired 'romantic relationship' and all Lisa could say in return was, 'It's complicated.' In truth, Lisa panicked. Was she gay? No, not exactly. Lisa was… Ace? At least, Lisa assumed she was a few months ago. She never really thought much about her sexuality, she could pick up on when people were interested in her, but never really found any interest in other people.
Lisa always knew when people were attracted to her, it was the downside of having a noisy power. It could come in handy at times, people were always more likely to talk to a pretty face than to punch it if given the option. As a social thinker, it gave her an edge to use on the job. As a girl living in Brockton Bay, however, it could be awkward as all hell.
From teenage Wards she fought, to the Mercs worked with, to the skeevy politicians and businessmen she bribed for information. Getting a brief insight into every person who ever looked at her funny could get tiring and made the whole concept of sexuality feel… disgusting at times.
Her teammates were no exception. Brian, for all his good intentions and gentlemen-like nature, couldn't resist the odd perve when he thought Lisa wasn't looking. Lisa didn't even need powers to know what Alec thought of her and even Rachel would sometimes give Lisa a look when she was, 'in heat.' It made her feel gross, even if she never brought it up.
So why then, when Taylor did the exact same things, did Lisa find it endearing? Partly because Taylor was more interested in hand-holding over ass-grabbing but mainly because Lisa liked Taylor.
She liked Taylor…
Lisa frowned at that statement. It felt like an understatement, Taylor was her best friend. Lisa had other friends, work friends, social friends and the like, but it had been years since Lisa had a 'best' friend. Even still, Taylor was special. Lisa didn't like Taylor, she 'liked' Taylor.
And that scared the hell out of her.
Lisa didn't 'like' people, she was never interested in all that nonsense. She didn't think it was possible. Sure, Lisa could tolerate a certain level of physical closeness, but romance and love? That was just a myth to the girl. She was too busy trying to survive her life in the city to care about romance or feelings. So why was she suddenly considering her feelings for Taylor?
When she first recruited Taylor, she just wanted a powerful parahuman to join their crew. Skitter was a certified powerhouse, taking on Lung by herself. Easy to manipulate, morally flexible, Lisa was the luckiest thinker in the world to stumble upon her. It was Taylor who needed the friendship and Lisa had no problems offering that friendship. Her whole plan hinged on making the new friend. A gal pal, a work buddy, a partner in crime and it worked… A little too well. Lisa didn't realise how much fun it would be to just 'be friends' with the girl.
The moment she realised how much Taylor meant to her, it scared Lisa worse than anything. Because she trusted Taylor, this business was no place for trust. Taylor was now wrapped up in Lisa's shit and the girl didn't even know it yet.
So when Taylor asked if she was gay, interested in forming that 'romantic relationship' that Taylor craved so much, Lisa wanted to say, "Sure, I'm gay… for you at least. I never considered forming romantic relationships before but I'd be interested in dating you. But I've never felt this way about anyone before and I'm scared that I won't be able to give you what you want. Also, my boss will likely use our relationship as another gun to my head and I have an inkling of what you're capable of if you ever found out how much danger I am actually in, which makes me feel incredibly guilty for pulling you into this life."
This was why Lisa panicked and instead said, "It's complicated." Changing the topic as quickly as possible that day.
Lisa looked back at the photo of Taylor on her phone and sighed. Of all the problems in her life right now, she was lying on the couch, worrying about her feelings for a friend. It seemed so… pedestrian.
What did she plan to do about Victoria? The hero obviously wasn't going to back off, as much as Lisa wished she would. It bothered her that that 'Glory Hole' was all over Taylor. Not just because of how dangerous it was for Taylor to be so close to a hero, but because… Lisa was jealous. Taylor really liked Victoria, her crush was obvious and yet, Taylor wanted the two girls to get along.
When they got back from burning the warehouse and fighting the heroes the other night, Taylor pulled Lisa aside to talk to her. Lisa pulled a gun on Glory Girl that night and shot at her, nothing lethal, or even painful for the hero, but a bullet was sent in her direction. While Skitter didn't say anything in the moment of battle, Taylor was not happy. When they got back to base the girl was pouting at Lisa… Actually pouting. It would've been adorable if Lisa didn't feel so bad.
Lisa promised to make it up to Taylor, somehow. Which meant that Lisa had to play nice with the hero. Since Victoria wasn't leaving anytime soon, it made an unfortunate amount of sense. With another audible sigh, Lisa flicked her phone open to her contact list and scrolled to Victoria. She might as well extend an olive branch and she knew exactly how to do it.
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Arcadia High – A few minutes later
Victoria's phone buzzed in her pocket. She was currently in class but that didn't stop her from sliding it out under her desk. It was a message from Lisa which caused Victoria to sigh internally. Lisa had promised to send her a text each day and so far Lisa was living up to her promise.
Today it was a small message with a photo attached. Vicky looked at it in confusion. She didn't know if she should be angry, shocked, or laugh at the absurdity of it. Victoria did want an apology for the fight, she just never expect Lisa to actually go through with it. Whether Lisa was genuine or not is a different question entirely. It looked to be a parody of Taylor's earlier apology for robbing the antique store. Victoria settled for huffing in disapproval while rolling her eyes.
"Sorry for shooting you. Hope we can still be friends." The message read while showing a selfie of Lisa. The girl was cuddled up, with an orange plush fox held over her face. A recreation of Taylor's selfie.
"Fuck you," Vicky responded into her phone.
She was still upset with the villain for actually shooting her. Victoria didn't actually think that they were friends, but she still was shocked to see Lisa actually shoot her. She was more than entitled to be angry at Lisa. Still, Victoria had to admit, begrudgingly, that getting the message did make her a little happy.
Her phone buzzed again and Victoria pulled it out again to see the response. A single heart emoji. Victoria fought her lips as they pulled into a smile. As infuriating as Lisa could be, it was a cute photo.
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The bell for lunch rang out and Victoria made her way to the cafeteria. She spotted Carlos and Dean midway through the trip, it had been a few days since Vicky had 'officially' broken up with the boy. So far, no announcement had been made. Victoria didn't feel the need to as in her mind she'd been single for months now.
Carlos perked up with a wave as Victoria got closer but Dean barely managed a smile. Vicky knew it was going to be awkward between them for a 'long' time. Hopefully, they could return to being friends in the future, but for now, Victoria let him have some space.
Vicky's usual posse formed as each member left their respective classes, the only odd ones out were the two socially awkward juniors who were already waiting at the table when the rest of them arrived. Amy and Taylor looked to be sitting in silence, neither girl was interested in engaging in conversation with the other. Victoria couldn't work out if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
She wanted Amy and Taylor to get along. They were both in the same grade and shared some of the same classes. Victoria and her friends would be graduating at the end of the school year leaving both girls behind. In the past, she'd worried about what Amy's final year at school was going to be like, with her entire table of friends gone. Amy acted like she didn't need anyone, but Vicky suspected that wasn't the truth, everybody needs a friend.
Taylor was the answer to this problem. As both girls were in the same grade, the obvious answer was to have them both become friends. But neither girl was particularly sociable, Taylor had the habit of only speaking when spoken to and Amy never had a reason to speak to Taylor directly. Watching the two girls sit in silence painted a grim picture of what their final year of school would be like.
Although, Victoria also had hope. Taylor and Amy had obviously come together from class. They were sitting next to each other, instead of on opposite sides of the table. While they weren't talking to each other, they didn't appear to be bothered by one another. Victoria knew that if Amy actually tried to talk to Taylor, Taylor would respond. Maybe this was just how asocial people socialise?
Her sister just needed coaxing out of her shell, they both did. Everyone in the group often remarked that Amy was something of a 'grumpy raccoon' but Victoria had seen her smile. Victoria wished more people could see the side of Amy that she saw. Amy could actually be very sociable, and not just for her Panacea work. She'd often spent hours talking to Amy, on those rare days where neither of them had any plans, back before life got complicated with school, capes and Dean. Not to mention how damn cuddly she got while they were alone. Amy seemed to crave hugs from Vicky, but only when the two of them were alone. Victoria assumed Amy was just shy like that.
Either way, Victoria still had time. Before school was over, she'd make sure that Taylor and Amy were the best of friends. Both girls gave small smiles as Victoria sat down across from them. The rest of the posse took seats around the table. They all broke out into conversation, Amy sighing slightly as her quiet was now ruined. Dennis told a crass joke about a rhino that caused everyone at the table to roll their eyes with a chuckle.
Victoria noticed that Taylor joined in with the collective group laugh. Not outwardly, just a little huff with a smile. That might as well have been an open-belly laugh for Taylor. It was such a joy to see how relaxed the girl was in this group now, especially considering how short of a time span it'd been. Victoria's beamed with pride, at both Taylor and herself. The girl had spent months alone in this school, treating it like a challenge to survive, and even longer at her old school living through hell when this was exactly what she needed all this time.
Vicky wanted to keep the momentum going. Getting Amy and Taylor to become friends was part of that but she tried to think of more things she could do for Taylor. Victoria wanted to see more of that smile, the one that Taylor tried to suppress. She made it her mission to see Taylor pull a smile as wide as Victoria usually did. Perhaps it was a selfish wish, but if Amy could secretly smile in her presence, maybe Taylor could too. But what could entice Taylor to smile wider?
'The girl has a 'major' crush on you.'
The thought had been going through her mind ever since Dean said it. Taylor had a crush on her, Taylor had a 'major' crush on her. Victoria was used to people finding her attractive. She'd overhear people talking from time to time, and come across several threads online about her. Most of which ranged from the 'kind of flattering' to the 'I never want to show my face in public again.'
She also knew that some women would occasionally crush on her too, but Victoria never gave it much thought. It was just something she lived with, being a celebrity and all. Having some random fan make a post online was completely different to know that the girl sitting across from you had 'feelings,' doubly so when that girl is your friend.
Victoria hadn't told anyone about Taylor's crush. She still wasn't sure how to handle it. The last thing she wanted to do was 'string Taylor along' like Dean had implied. Usually, Vicky would go to Amy when it came to talking about her dating life. Amy was always happy to listen and even if her 'advice' consisted of jokes to 'break up with him,' it was nice to have a sister to vent to.
The only reason she hadn't gone to Amy was that she wasn't ready to 'open the can of worms' about the topic of her growing sexuality. Victoria was still coming to grips with being… Bisexual? Bi-curious? Vicky didn't even know and she wasn't sure how Amy would react to her 'new interests.' She was afraid of having Amy think she was weird, not that she thought Amy would be homophobic or dismissive, she just felt an unexpected anxiety about making the subject public knowledge.
'Wait, is this what it's like to be 'in the closet?''
She shook off the tangential thought and looked back at Taylor. Taylor already smiled softly at the sight of her 'friend.' Victoria could almost imagine it, How much wider would that smile be if it was more than a crush? The vivid thought of Taylor breaking into a wide smile was stuck in Vicky's mind. Particularly, when the cause of that smile was Victoria herself giving Taylor a kiss…
Vicky blushed, hiding her face at the table even though no one else knew what she was thinking. That was an odd thought. It came out of nowhere and cemented itself in Vicky's brain. Victoria had only started considering adding women to her dating pool a few days ago and now she was fantasying about kissing one. Kissing her.
She'd had thoughts like these before, back when she used to crush on Dean. Looking back at the guy now, she felt no strong attraction towards him. There was history between them and she loved him, as a friend. Turning back to Taylor she felt… something building. Victoria couldn't decide if it was her desire to help Taylor, see her smile or just curiosity on what dating a woman would be like in general.
Taylor looked up at her, finally taking notice that Vicky had been staring at the girl for some time. She tilted her head in confusion. "What's up?" Taylor asked, shrinking down as if trying to hide from Victoria's sight. Victoria felt bad for making Taylor self-conscious again.
"Uh, nothing," Vicky said, shaking her head in embarrassment. Quickly thinking of an excuse, both for staring and to spend alone time with her, she followed up with, "Just wondering if you're free to hang out after school?"
Victoria fought another urge to blush. She was simply asking Taylor to do something outside of school yet her heart was beating like she'd just asked Taylor out on a date. Taylor smiled again briefly then paused to think.
"I have plans after school," Taylor said, more to herself as she remembered.
"Oh," Victoria said, a little disappointed. Then she raised an eyebrow but tried to keep a casual tone. "You mean work?" Victoria resisted sounding accusatory as she said 'work.' She didn't want to make the same mistake as the other day.
"No," Taylor said as she shook her head. "Was just meeting Lisa at the boardwalk." Taylor thought for a little longer then broke into another small smile. "You should come. If you want…"
Victoria weighed the option. She wasn't exactly keen on seeing Lisa again. She was still annoyed at the villain for shooting her, among other things. At the same time, it would be a responsible thing to go and make sure that no crime was about to take place. She could watch Lisa like a hawk and stop whatever break-in they were planning next. Plus, showing up unannounced was sure to annoy her, that in and of itself was a good enough reason to go.
"I'd love to," Vicky said with a smile.
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The Boardwalk – After school
It was Taylor's second time flying with Victoria and she still wasn't used to the feeling. She still fought against her ingrained fear of heights that any human would have if they found themselves miles in the air with nothing but a forcefield holding them. Taylor kept her face forward, trying to look out to the sea instead of directly down to the ground.
As terrifying as it could be, flying was also exciting. Once she finally relaxed and realised that she wasn't going to 'suddenly drop at any moment,' it became a rather relaxing experience. Her heart was still beating a million miles a minute, but that was only because the very attractive blonde woman was holding Taylor in their arms.
Another reason Taylor was looking forward was because she was afraid that Vicky might catch her gawking at her face. Victoria was beautiful, but the immense joy on her face when she flew brought it to another level. Not to mention the closeness that came from being held while they flew.
Taylor was averse to hugging and touching. Her Dad rarely if ever hugged her and for the last two years the only physical interactions with people had been from getting shoved, kicked or tripped. On top of that, anytime Taylor was squeezed in by a crowd of people, she'd remember her time in the locker and be brought to the edge of a panic attack. Lisa was the first person to give her a genuine hug since her mother died. Taylor didn't realise how touched-starved she was by that point.
Sitting in Victoria's arms, she fought the urge to lean in and hug back. Because if she did that, Taylor would lose all restraints. She'd probably try to recover years worth of unreceived intimacy in a single hug and make a complete fool of herself. Victoria was just a friend, she didn't need to see Taylor break down in tears while in her arms and Taylor certainly didn't want to do that in front of anyone. She'd rather Victoria drop her before it came to that.
Her feelings for Victoria were more than complicated. She was afraid when Vicky cornered her. Afraid and upset. Victoria was the one who suggested the deal in the first place and yet it was her that got angry at Taylor for keeping to the rules. Taylor expected this to happen, Victoria reminded her of Emma after all. And Emma turned around and stabbed her in the back.
But, Victoria didn't betray her. She calmed down, apologised, and even took Taylor to go get healed. She actually cared about hurting her. The deal remained, and at the end of the day, they were both friends. A small part of Taylor's psych still refused to believe it, there would always be a part of Taylor that was ready for betrayal. That didn't mean Taylor wanted to be distrustful. She wanted to be friends with Vicky, friends with everyone in her posse, not just to avoid fighting and jail, but because she liked Vicky. Taylor really liked Vicky… to a stupid degree.
Taylor knew she was gay from the beginning. There was never any questioning about her type. In a city like Brockton Bay, that was something you kept close to the chest, lest you find the Empire knocking on your door. Still, that didn't stop Taylor from being stupid in the presence of a 'pretty girl.' Her friendship with Emma, wanting to be a hero like Alexandria, joining the Undersiders for Lisa and now flying in the arms of Victoria. Every dumb decision Taylor made could be traced back to her 'thinking with her loins.'
Here she was, landing down in the most popular section of the city. Carried by Glory Girl, publicly announcing that they're friends while she goes to visit her other blonde crush, all because Taylor liked the idea of spending time with two attractive blonde women.
As they touched down, Victoria was swarmed by a collection of tourists. Victoria quickly made a path out for Taylor before directing the crowd away from her. The hero would be stuck signing autographs for a good ten minutes. That gave Taylor enough time to text Lisa and organise a meeting spot.
Lisa was waiting by a random juice bar, sipping off a drink. She was dressed in what Taylor would call Lisa's 'rich bitch' disguise. Dressed up in designer jeans, shirts and sunglasses. With a matching handbag to top it off. Lisa had just finished making her 'rounds'. Taylor wasn't exactly sure what that entailed but it had something to do with pretending to be a wealthy, spoilt brat to meet with other wealthy business types. Lisa was basically shopping for new clients, seeing who among the boardwalk would be interested in the Undersider's services.
Lisa smiled at Taylor, waving a second drink as she offered a seat. Her smile broke as she noticed Victoria, walking behind.
"Oh, you brought Golden Girl," Lisa said with a half smile. "Great."
"Hope you don't mind. I invited her." Taylor said, picking up on Lisa's discomfort. Taylor completely forgot to inform Lisa about the change of plans, she felt guilty.
"No, no. Not at all." Lisa said, the full smile returning. She handed Taylor a drink, "We're all friends here, right?" She directed her smile at Victoria.
Vicky frowned and crossed her arms. Taylor looked back to Victoria in concern but Vicky broke into a similar smile. "Yes, Of course." She said, taking a seat. "The best of friends." She looked around the place for a bit, probably judging how much privacy they had to talk in before saying her next thought. "So, Lisa. How have you been? Robbed any banks today?"
Lisa chuckled. "Robbing banks!? Well, I never." She said in mock alarm. "What kind of monster do you think I am? I'll have you know, I only burned down three orphanages today."
"Only three?" Victoria retorted in mock amazement, "And here I thought you were a heartless bitch."
"Wow, that's rude," Lisa added, sounding a little more genuinely offended.
"I'm sorry." Victoria continued, still in a mocking tone. "How about I just shoot you and we'll call it even?"
Lisa looked to Taylor for some moral support. Taylor held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I told you to apologise the other night."
"I did apologise!" Lisa exclaimed with a whine. "I shot her a cute apology text and everything." Lisa pulled out her phone and showed Taylor the message, "To which she so rudely told me to get fucked."
Taylor looked at the message and then at the photo. It was a parody of her own apology to Vicky. She didn't even know that Lisa owned a plush fox let alone one so cute. Taylor made a mental note to ask Lisa for the photo later.
"Apologised my ass." Vicky laughed. "Like you're actually sorry. You 'shot' me."
"And you punched me in the chest." Lisa riposted, "What did you expect me to do? Roll over and die?"
"Oh please," Vicky huffed. "I shoved you. If I'd actually punched you, you'd be dead."
"And if I'd actually wanted to shoot you-" Lisa said with a grin.
"Alright, enough," Taylor said, cutting the conversation off in a rare display of annoyance. Holding both hands out to quiet the girls. "Please stop fighting, for me?"
Both girls went quiet, glaring at each other before looking back to Taylor. Silently, each girl reached out and took one of Taylor's hands in confirmation. Taylor's confidence quickly drained as she wasn't expecting either woman to actually hold her hand, she was just trying to avoid an argument.
Lisa smiled in her usual 'all-knowing' smug way before looking at Victoria. "I'm sorry," She said, looking first at Taylor and then at Victoria. "I wasn't planning on hurting you… that way. I'd never shoot you for real." Her free hand extended towards Victoria, "Friends?"
Victoria hesitated for a moment, looking at Taylor who nodded subconsciously. "Friends…" She said, not as confident as Taylor would've liked but her hand met Lisa's all the same. Lisa held her grin and Victoria resisted the urge to squeeze down on Lisa's hand.
Eventually, they all relaxed and Victoria got a drink of her own. The three girls settled into idle chatter, both about their personal lives and cape lives. Lisa and Vicky would occasionally throw barbs at each other, usually in the form of a biting joke. However, both girls kept smiling, it didn't devolve into throwing insults or the like. Taylor could really see it, the three of them as friends, perhaps she was just hopeful but she wanted to believe it could be done.
An intense, challenging look was shared between the girls that went right over Taylor's head. She was too focused on the circle of hand-holding that had taken place at the start. Taylor already knew that she felt all 'warm and fuzzy' when both girls held her hand, but watching the circle be completed…
An… idea formed in Taylor's mind. To seduce both hero and villain with the promise of friendship and affection among each other. She had no idea how exactly she would accomplish that. But it was a rather nice fantasy to have.
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Taylor Hebert is planning on being in a throuple with Victoria Dallon and Lisa Wilbourn
Lisa choked on her drink as her power pulled that little tidbit of information out of nowhere. It took several seconds of coughing before she could breathe again. Both girls looked towards Lisa in alarm.
Taylor Hebert is concerned for her friend. Victoria Dallon is concerned for Lisa Wilbourn
"I'm fine," Lisa said, coughing a few more times.
"Try not to inhale it next time," Victoria said with a chuckle.
"You alright?" Taylor asked, reaching a hand out to Lisa. Lisa nodded in response, patting Taylor's hand to let her know she was okay.
Lisa looked back up at Taylor and grinned. She already knew that Taylor had a crush on both women but for her power to just come out and 'say' that. Lisa held in the laughter that was teasing the edge of her lips.
She couldn't blame Taylor for having the thought. Not that Lisa knew it was what Taylor was thinking, she wasn't a mind reader. But you put two and two together and you have a good guess at what the blushing Taylor was contemplating. A fun thought experiment but it would never work. Victoria would never work with Lisa and Lisa… well she was still fifty-fifty on the whole Glory Hole situation.
"I'll get you a water," Taylor said, standing from her chair. She was still concerned about Lisa choking on her juice. Lisa was about to speak up and stop her but Taylor was already moving towards the convenience store down the street.
-----------------------
"She does know that this place sells water, right?" Victoria asked as she looked behind her. Taylor had left in a hurry to help her friend.
"Apparently not." Lisa chuckled.
Victoria sighed as she faced forward again on her chair. She was alone with Lisa. The two sat in relative silence while they waited for Taylor to return.
"So," Vicky said, breaking the awkward silence. "What was so funny earlier?"
"Huh?" Lisa asked, looking up from her now empty drink.
"You choked in a way my friend does after a funny joke," Victoria explained, pointing to Lisa's lips. "What was so funny?"
"Oh," Lisa chuckled, "Uh, nothing much. My power telling me the obvious. I guess."
"The obvious?"
"Yeah," Lisa explained, "That Taylor wants us to… get along and such."
"I see…" Victoria nodded, she could tell that there was more to it but Lisa didn't say anything. "You know, I still don't actually know what it is you do."
"I rob banks and burn orphanages," Lisa said with a straight face.
Vicky frowned, "Ha ha, I mean your powers. What is it? Do you read minds?"
"Yep, pretty much," Lisa said with a grin. "Does it bother you that I know all your secrets?"
"Bullshit." Vicky scoffed. Lisa held her smile and didn't back down. "Alright, prove it. What am I thinking of?"
"Let's see…" Lisa said, leaning in. She closed her eyes and placed two fingers on either side of her temple. Completely hamming up her performance. "You think… that I'm insufferably annoying but also… adorable as hell." She dropped her hands and opened her eyes, tilting her head with a smile. "How'd I do?"
"You're half right," Victoria said with an unimpressed stare.
"So you do think I'm adorable." Lisa chuckled, "Taylor is gonna be jealous."
"Shut up," Victoria huffed, a smile of her own cracking on her face. "Still hate you."
"Course you do." Lisa said casually, "That's part of my charm."
Victoria rolled her eyes, "Wow, you are so full of yourself."
"Says the literal celebrity. Did you sign any autographs on the way here?" Lisa broke into a laugh as she read Victoria's face, "Holy shit, you actually did."
"Shut up, they asked me," Vicky said defensively.
"But you enjoy it." Lisa added, pointing at Victoria, "Helps with your super-inflated ego. That's why you do the hero gig, right?"
"Fuck you," Victoria said, offended. "I do this to help people."
"There I go again, pissing people off." Lisa gently tapped the table with her fist and huffed. "It's bad a habit, I'm sorry."
"Have you tried not being a bitch?" Victoria asked.
"Yeah, but you make it really hard." Lisa said, Victoria opened her mouth in offence but Lisa held up a hand, "I'm trying. For Taylor's sake."
"You can't just say that." Vicky grumbled, "You know, I seriously can't get a read on you. Do you just fuck with people for kicks or is it like some cry for help?"
"A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B," Lisa said, mimicking a scale with her hand.
"See, this is exactly it," Victoria said pointing at Lisa. "I can't tell if you're serious or not? Like, do you need help or-"
"Yeah, shut up for a second," Lisa said, looking behind Victoria. Lisa's eyes went wide as she stood up from her chair, "Oh, fuck…"
"Fucking rude. Where are you going?" Victoria asked, turning in her chair to watch Lisa walk off.
Victoria looked past Lisa and spotted Taylor. She smiled at first but then noticed Taylor was currently in a discussion with three other girls, and she did not look happy. Taylor had the body posture of a turtle trying to retread into its shell. She knew Taylor could be shy but this was a new extreme.
Then the girls laughed. Not a friendly, jovial laughter. But a cackle, like hyenas. They kept walking away from Taylor, laughing all the while as the girl stood completely still. As if trying not to be noticed.
Victoria recognised one of the girls, the taller girl with dark skin. That was Sophia, the Ward. Shadow Stalker. Did Taylor know Shadow Stalker? Lisa was moving with purpose and Victoria felt the need to match pace.
Taylor found her footing and moved away from the trio of girls. Her head was locked down to her feet, not looking up at anyone as she walked. If not for her abilities, Victoria would've assumed that Taylor would run into someone walking like that.
Victoria caught up to Lisa just as Taylor was a few meters out. At this distance, Victoria could see that Taylor was crying. She was sniffling and rubbing her face as she moved, still refusing to look up.
"Taylor? Are you okay?-" Victoria asked gently, Taylor barrelled through both girls and kept on walking.
"I'mgonnagohome." Taylor mumbled under a sob. Not slowing down for either girl as she kept on walking.
Victoria was torn. On one hand, she had to follow after Taylor. She was not letting her walk home like that. But on the other hand, she needed to know what happened. Taylor was in a good mood when she left, not to mention that Taylor was a little more confrontational than she appeared to be. Often appearing ready to fight Victoria when cornered. To shrink away socially was one thing, but how she shut down and was now running away from those girls...
Does she know that it's Shadow Stalker? And why was Sophia there? What did those girls say and how did they know Taylor?
Lisa was looking in the direction of the three girls. They were still laughing away at whatever 'joke' they found so funny. Victoria knew in that instant who they were to Taylor.
"So, that's them?" Victoria asked, glaring at the trio.
"Yeah, looks like it…" Lisa said solemnly.
Victoria always blamed Lisa in her head, Lisa was the girl who was corrupting Taylor. Lisa pushed Taylor into a life of chaos and crime. But that was because Lisa had a face. Taylor's bullies were nameless entities, a collection of random students. It was a lot harder to lay blame on them.
Now they had a face, she even had a name for one of them. Shadow Stalker, Sophia. Victoria had never gotten along with the grumpy Ward, no one did. In the past, Vicky used to wonder what Shadow Stalker sounded like when she laughed. Now… She fucking hates it.
Vicky clenched her fists and drew in a breath. She wanted to hurt them, Badly.
For now, Taylor was the priority. They needed to find her and make sure she was alright. But Victoria wouldn't forget. Neither girl would forget. Victoria looked at Lisa, and Lisa nodded in understanding. Both girls turned to find their friend.
A plan formed in both of their minds. To destroy the women who made Taylor's life so miserable. On that, they both agreed.
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Chapter 11: She's feeling ill today
Gowonzu
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The Boardwalk – After school
Taylor was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of Lisa choking. She inhaled her drink in a strange way and started sputtering at the table. Lisa tried to wave the concerned looks away as she continued with her coughing fit. Pounding her chest a few times before taking a proper breath.
"I'm fine," Lisa said, coughing a few more times.
"Try not to inhale it next time," Victoria said with a chuckle.
"You alright?" Taylor asked, reaching a hand out to Lisa. Lisa nodded in response, patting Taylor's hand to let her know she was okay.
Taylor couldn't help but worry. In the three seconds that it took for Lisa to catch her breath, Taylor was already thinking of how to do the Heimlich. She'd done a basic first aid course back at Winslow, but so far hadn't had to use it.
Looking Lisa over, it was obvious to see that she was fine. The girl was blushing in embarrassment, giving Taylor an odd look but her usual grin held across her face. Lisa was good like that, able to take anything in stride. If it had been Taylor who accidentally choked on her drink, she would've shrunk away to hide.
Victoria was still chuckling, taking great amusement at watching Lisa make a fool of herself. There was a brief window where, she too, looked concerned for Lisa's well-being which made Taylor happy to know.
Taylor knew that the two girls didn't exactly like each other. Taylor wasn't blind, just optimistic. Deep down, Taylor had hope that the two girls would find in each other what Taylor saw in both of them. If they could consider her their best friend, then it wasn't impossible for them to think the same about each other. And if they all became best friends, then it wouldn't be impossible for all of them to become… something more? Right?
"I'll get you a water," Taylor said, standing from her chair. Lisa tried to stop her but Taylor was already on her feet and moving towards the convenience store they passed on the way here.
Taylor knew that the juice bar sold water. Any place that sold food and drinks in the city also sold water. Taylor picked the convenience store because it was all part of her 'evil plan.' Both girls had been acting a lot nicer with each other after Taylor intervened the first time. She'd proven to herself, that subconsciously, that they could get along. This was their chance.
She'd leave them alone at the table and use her bugs to watch over the pair. If both girls could continue to play nice, even outside of Taylor's presence, then there was a chance they could become friends, and if they became friends then there was a chance Taylor's 'dream' could come true…. Possibly? Maybe? Taylor was 'optimistic'.
Her bugs couldn't pick up on sound, so Taylor had to infer context through visuals alone. Both girls sat in silence for a painful amount of time. Then Victoria opened her mouth to speak. Lisa responded with a smile of her own, wider than Vicky's and the two started talking.
'They're both smiling or smirking at least. That's a good sign, right?'
Taylor was content to sit on a bench to spy on her friends. It wasn't really spying, more like, supervising in case they broke into another argument. She'd let both girls spend some time with each other and only step in if it looked like they'd get into another fight. Taylor thought she was a genius… until she was caught off guard by someone else calling her name.
"Hebert?"
Taylor jumped off the bench and spun around. She was so caught up in watching Lisa and Vicky, she didn't pay attention to what was around her. Amateur move, the Skitter side of her would be very disappointed.
"Holy fuck, it is you. Look who it is."
It took Taylor a few panicked seconds to get eyes on the approaching voice, but she already knew who it belonged to. Only one girl ever called her by that name. Sophia Hess was in the crowd of people passing by, pointing towards Taylor. Standing next to Sophia were Emma and Madison, both of which regarded Taylor with surprise and sadistic glee.
Emma's face dropped to her usual bitchy confidence as she started making her way over to Taylor, the rest of the trio following closely behind. In an instant, Taylor was taken back to Winslow. The fear and insecurity from seeing those three women approaching her.
Only this time it was different, it was worse. Taylor hadn't seen the trio since that day. The last time she saw those smug faces, the last time she heard the name 'Hebert' uttered in disgust, was the day Taylor was shoved into that locker.
The three girls encircled Taylor, constricting her movements, locking her in, covering her. She felt filthy, she could feel the trash pushed against her skin, smell that awful scent through her nose, taste the residue that was forced into her mouth. It was too much, she wanted to throw up.
"-listening to us?" Madison asked the trio. Taylor only caught the end of the sentence.
Emma clicked her fingers in front of Taylor's face. "Anybody home? I said I thought you left town? What the hell are you doing here, Taylor?"
Taylor's eyes flicked up to Emma's, she held her confident and judgemental stare, looking down at the taller girl. Taylor tried to speak back but her voice caught in her throat. Her hands felt clammy and her legs refused to move. The logical side of her brain screamed at her, she'd faced down far worse people and been able to function, she'd taken on Lung twice now and lived. Yet here were three ordinary girls who were able to break Taylor down just by getting up into her face.
"Say something you stupid freak." Sophia spat from the side.
Taylor tensed up, expecting to be hit, shoved tripped or pushed. All of her combat training with Lisa just crumbled in her mind. She wasn't Skitter right now, nor was she, Taylor. She was nothing, the girl in the locker that had nobody, that couldn't fight back and would die alone.
"Jesus Christ, is she crying already? Madison asked in disbelief. "We haven't even done anything yet?"
Taylor hadn't realised that tears were leaking down her cheek. She was too busy trying to keep deadly still, in the vain hope that they would simply get bored and leave.
"Guess that goes to show how weak she really is. Whatever, let's go. She's boring me." Emma added, with a pompous smile. "Taylor, I'd say I'm disappointed, but that would imply I thought better of you."
Emma broke into a laugh which was quickly echoed by the other two girls. The sound of their cackling rattled through Taylor's brain as she shrunk down into herself. She wanted to run away, far away from her, from everywhere. She wanted to disappear and die. She shut her eyes tight but her bugs wouldn't allow her to be blind to the world.
As the trio got further away, Taylor found the strength the start moving. She still couldn't face the world, looking straight down at her feet and relying on her bugs to look out for incoming people.
Home. She needed to go home. Nothing else mattered anymore. Taylor passed two blonde women who reached out to her, she clenched up again, not wanting to be touched right now. She might've mumbled something to them as she passed by Taylor wasn't focusing on herself.
Her body was simply a vessel, numb to the world, an empty husk that didn't exist. She let her bugs guide it away from the disgusting mass of people. Taylor had a vague idea of where she was going. Home was ahead of her, somewhere in the direction she walked.
The bugs picked up on Victoria and Lisa. They flew close to ground level, Victoria carrying Lisa while Lisa directed. They found Taylor in no time, landing down beside her as she kept walking. Taylor made no reaction to the girls, they might've tried talking to Taylor, but the bugs couldn't hear anything and Taylor never responded. Victoria tried reaching out to Taylor but Lisa stopped her, shaking her head.
In the end, both girls walked beside Taylor in silence as she went home.
Once they got to the house, Taylor didn't even turn to say goodbye. She simply strolled in through the front door, leaving both girls to wave awkwardly from out the front. Taylor ignored her father's words, whatever he said was lost on her as she marched like a zombie into her room.
Closing the door behind her, Taylor returned to the world. The irony wasn't lost on her that Taylor somehow felt safe locking herself up in her bedroom when it was being trapped in a confined space that brought her to this point.
Sliding down to the floor, with her back to the door. Taylor pulled her knees into her chest and let herself go. Breaking into a silent weep.
While she was aware of her body and surroundings again, she still had control over her bugs. Lisa and Victoria waited outside for another fifteen minutes. They spoke to each other, no insults, no barbs or pointed jokes. Taylor could tell that much through body language. They were probably speculating on what had happened, Taylor wasn't ready to talk about it. Both girls pulled out their phones as Taylor's own phone received two quick buzzes. Lisa then turned to Victoria and made sure she got whatever other message she sent before finally leaving.
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The following day – Lisa's apartment
Lisa stood up from her desk as she heard the knock at her front door. Her phone buzzed shortly after.
Impatient, wants to get inside quickly. Probably doesn't want to be seen.
Strolling out of her office and towards the door, Lisa made a final check to see if there was anything incriminating that was left around the place. With her safety satisfied, Lisa opened the door.
"Looking a little hot there, G-money?" Lisa chuckled as she looked Victoria over.
Victoria was dressed in multiple layers. She wore baggy jeans and a jacket with the hoodie down. Her face was covered by sunglasses and her hair was tied up in a ponytail that was covered in a cap. It was as if Victoria went out of her way to cover up as much of her body as possible, thinking that would hide her, not taking into account that it was the hotter side of the year and Vicky would stand out in public with that getup.
"Just let me in already." Victoria hissed, trying to keep quiet even though no one else was there to overhear them. Lisa stepped to the side and invited the hero in.
Lisa noted that Victoria was less 'angry' and more nervous. Not exactly the emotion she wanted to see for this revenge mission, but Lisa could work with it. With a sigh, Lisa shut the door and turned to the hero. Victoria pulled her cap and jacket off. Sighing as she discarded the extra layers, she ignored Lisa who simply chuckled at how ridiculous she looked.
"What's with the getup?" Lisa asked as Victoria piled her extra clothes on a spare dining chair.
"Oh, I don't know." Victoria said sarcastically, "I figured it would look bad if anyone recognised me entering the Undersider's evil lair."
"So rude." Lisa continued in mock disappointment, "Does this look like a lair to you?"
"What?" Victoria asked, actually looking around the place. "Well, no. I assumed you all hung out... It looks like a regular apartment. Didn't expect your lair to be so… domestic."
Assumed Undersider's lair was located in the sewers or a similarly dark place. Still struggling to understand villains as 'people'
Lisa laughed, "As if I'd invite you to the 'lair.' Grue would have my head for that. Not to mention Bitch's dogs would eat you alive."
"Wait?" Victoria cut in, filling in the gaps in her mind. "So this is… your place?"
"Sure is," Lisa grinned.
"Nice place." Victoria continued, unsure of what to say.
Victoria Dallon did not expect Lisa Wilbourn to trust her with this information. Considers herself honourable, will never use Lisa's address against her. Believes that Lisa trusts her more than she realised. Willing to trust Lisa more than she planned to.
"Do you have a parent or a roommate I should look out for, or?..." Victoria continued.
Lisa waved the comment away and started walking. "Come on. We have work to do."
Lisa moved back into the office she was just in and Victoria followed closely behind. Victoria was gawking at the apartment in amazement. It wasn't a particularly fancy apartment, the entire place was smaller than the Dallon's living room and kitchen combined but the mere fact that Lisa owned it all to herself was reason enough to be impressed.
"How do you afford?…" Victoria began before stopping herself. Lisa turned back with her usual smugness and Victoria frowned.
Victoria Dallon doesn't approve of Lisa Wilbourn's career choices.
'Ha, tell me something I don't know.'
Lisa reached her desk and sat down. Kicking up her feet and offering the spare chair to Victoria. The office was hardly ever used for 'work.' Lisa tried to avoid bringing incriminating evidence home with her and certainly never invited strangers over. So far, the only other people who knew about her apartment were Taylor and Brian.
"So…" Lisa drawled, she assumed that some level of small talk needed to be achieved before the pair could start working on their new 'project.' They might have a common enemy but that didn't immediately make them friends. "How was school? Learn anything fun?"
Victoria was silent for a few seconds. She sighed and leaned forward on the table. "Taylor didn't come to school today. I sent her a message and all she said was, 'I'm not feeling well.'" Victoria looked up and met Lisa in the eyes. "No time for bullshit, what's the plan?"
Lisa smiled and pulled her feet off the desk. She was glad that they could skip the awkward bullshit and move right into the fun things.
"Great," Lisa said, pointing to a pile of papers on her desk. "So I've compiled twelve plans of attack we could use against our targets. I've arranged them from harmless prank to lethal revenge." Her finger trailed up the stack of paperwork.
"Woah!" Victoria said, pulling up her hands. "Look, I'm pissed off at this cunts, believe me. But if you're talking about killing anyone then I'm out of here."
Victoria Dallon is regretting coming to Lisa Wilbourn for help. Losing trust in Lisa.
Lisa put her own hands up in surrender. "Hey, I was joking." Lisa chuckled. "Mostly... I wouldn't kill anyone over this. Jeeze Glory Hole, I assumed you thought better of me."
Victoria Dallon feels bad for assuming the worst of Lisa Wilbourn. Readjusting her trust in Lisa… and herself.
Victoria looked away in guilt. "Right, sorry. Yeah, I know… I'm just… Still getting used to this."
Victoria looked out the window for a few seconds to relax. During that time, Lisa took the top three plans from her pile and quietly dropped them in the bin.
"Alright then," Lisa said to Victoria, coming up with a new plan to convince the hero, "Let's start with what we know." Lisa pulled out a folder from her desk, it held dossiers on each girl. "So here's what I've been able to find out about them so far. Three girls, all from Winslow. One Emma Barnes, amateur model. Father is a lawyer, which might cause some issues. Definitely the leader of the bunch. Everything about her screams, Queen Bee Bitch. Not to mention this is Taylor's 'Ex' best friend, the girl who stabbed her in the back."
Victoria Dallon recognises photos. Knows more about Emma Barnes.
"I know her," Victoria said before Lisa could even ask. "Met her a few times when I went in for model shots." Lisa stifled a giggle, typical 'Glory' Girl doing modelling on the side. "Shut up. I first met her at a charity photo shoot I did with the Wards. She and her friends were bitching about having to wait for this other girl… who was disabled." She said that last part with disgust in her voice. "They kept whispering their 'jokes' all throughout until I had enough. Told all of them exactly what I thought about their jokes. Saw this bitch a few more times, we didn't talk after that."
Lisa nodded her head in understanding. Standard heartless bitch, Lisa was very familiar with the type. She moved on to the second dossier.
"Second girl is a Madison Clements." Lisa continued, "Honestly, not much to be found on her. Not that she's hiding anything. She's just a pretty boring gal. Appears to be more of a follower than anything, if I had to guess, she'd be the weakest link of the three. Ripe of exploitation."
Victoria didn't have anything to add to her file, although Lisa could tell that the hero was concerned with how much idle information Lisa had collected in less than 24 hours.
"And finally, Sophia Hess." Lisa sighed, pointing to the final dossier. "The muscle of the operation. Track team star, all-around athlete. Single mother, possibly having trouble at home causing her to act out in school. Taylor once said that Emma just…" Lisa clicked her fingers, "Hated her one day when Sophia showed up. So, this bitch had something to do with that."
Victoria Dallon recognises photos. Knows more about Sophia Hess.
"How did you get so much information about them in a single day?" Victoria asked, looking over Emma's dossier.
Ignoring Sophia Hess's file. Wants to focus on Emma Barnes. Hiding information.
"I've been collecting this ever since Taylor told me she was bullied." Lisa clarified, giving Victoria a raised eyebrow. "So, what else do you know about Sophia?"
Lisa slid the file on Sophia closer to Victoria. Victoria looked at it again, back to Lisa then away out the window.
"Hmm? Nothing. Barely know the bitch." Victoria said, turning back to Emma's file.
Lying. Knows Sophia Hess. Protecting her? No. Still angry. Most angry at Sophia? Knows Sophia personally? Held Sophia to higher standards? Lying to Lisa Wilbourn, knows Lisa is Tattletale, Tattletale is villain, Hiding information from villain.
Victoria turned back to Lisa, Lisa was staring off into space while her powers pulled an idea in her mind.
Victoria hiding secret from villain. Hero identity? Sophia Hess is a hero? A ward? Vista too short, blonde. Shadow Stalker? Right height, grumpy, violent, athletic. Matches Sophia's profile. Coincidence? Doubtful.
"Sophia Hess is Shadow Stalker?" Lisa said out loud. Victoria looked back in horror and stood up. "Dammit, this changes things." Victoria was busy spouting excuses and reasons why Lisa was wrong but every argument simply solidified the truth in Lisa's mind. Pushing most of the revenge plans into the bin, Lisa picked up the remaining paper on her desk. "Plan 5?… Yeah, I'd have to rework it but… that could work. Oh, I could even ask Grue-"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Victoria butted in, finally talking loud enough for Lisa to pay attention. "Look, I'm already very uncomfortable in having one villain know a Ward's identity. I mean, not that this is what it is… This is… fuck!"
Victoria Dallon is conflicted. Hates Sophia Hess, but knows not to reveal heroes identities to villains. Won't admit Sophia is Shadow Stalker. Might leave to solve problem on her own.
"I definitely don't want Grue or any of the other Undersiders going after Shado- I mean Sophia. Fuck!" Victoria was having a mini-crisis of conscience, "Leave Soph- Shadow Stal- the Ward to me. I'll handle this. Just don't tell anyone. I'll do this the proper way. Go through the PRT. And don't tell Taylor. I don't want her to know that a hero of all people did this to her."
Victoria Dallon retreating from Lisa's house. Regrets asking villain for help. Wants to do this 'by the book.' Will talk to PRT. PRT unlikely to do anything meaningful. Victoria Dallon's plan will fail. Will be back by tomorrow.
"Yeah, that would be bad. She might end up killing her." Lisa said to herself. "Good luck with the PRT, I'll be here when you need me."
Lisa waved Victoria off as the hero left. She didn't even watch her leave, Lisa was too busy making revisions to 'Plan 5.'
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PRT Headquarters – Later that day
"Well, this is a serious accusation," Armsmaster stated to Victoria, looking back in what probably amounted to disbelief.
Armsmaster sat across from a very annoyed Victoria. She'd barged into the front door and demanded to speak to the Director to 'right a great injustice in the Wards' only to be ushered into a meeting room and told to wait. After a full hour of waiting, Armsmaster showed up to listen to Victoria's complaint.
"So far all our reports about Sophia from school have been positive." Armsmaster continued, "I know she isn't the friendliest Ward around, but are you sure this isn't an over-exaggeration? You two did have an argument on your last mission together."
Victoria looked offended. As if she'd come all this way over some pretty nonsense, their 'argument' took only thirty seconds and consisted of Shadow Stalker complaining that Victoria got in her way. Which she technically did, but that was beside the point.
"No, haven't you been listening?" Victoria said back, trying to keep her anger in control. "Sophia and her friends are psychotic, they tortured and traumatised my friend over two years and have been getting away with it the entire time!"
"And this friend is?" Armsmaster asked, "You've been very vague on the details there."
"She doesn't want to be named, she's been through enough trouble already," Victoria said, it was a half-truth, Vicky was specifically trying to keep attention away from Taylor and entirely on Sophia.
"You do see how that's an issue for me?" Armsmaster said, "We have no reports about bullying, no victim to question. All we have is your word against Sophia's. I'm afraid without anything to go on I can't-"
Victoria sighed in exhaustion, "She shoved my friend into a locker filled with trash, locked her in until she broke down and had a goddamn trigger ev-!" Victoria placed a hand over her mouth, she hadn't intended to say that much.
Armsmaster stared at Victoria for a short while and then spoke again. "Right, I've pulled up the report here. Your friend, Taylor Hebert I presume? Wait, there's more here. Trigger evaluation report from an Agent Greene."
Vicky shrank down in her seat. She'd just shined a spotlight on Taylor, and now the head of the Protectorate was reading Taylor's file through his helmet.
"Huh…" Armsmaster said, frowning to himself. "Did Miss Hebert tell you about her Parahuman capabilities?"
"Uh, what? No?" Victoria stammered, realising how terrible of an idea this was. She needed to bring the focus back onto Sophia.
"Odd, the medical report stated that she was still catatonic when Agent Greene visited her. So how did he ask her?" Armsmaster was deep in thought, "Does she have an obvious ability? Do you know what Taylor can do?"
"No!" Victoria said, a little too loudly. "I mean, she hasn't said anything directly about her powers. I only know because my Sister told me."
Armsmaster frowned again. "You're lying. Partly." Victoria froze up, Armsmaster's helmet had an inbuilt lie detector.
"L-look, I don't want to talk about Taylor. She has a right to privacy." Victoria fell back onto mimicking her Mother, skirting the truth like a lawyer.
"Shit, I think I know what's going on…" Armsmaster said with a disappointed sigh. Victoria could feel her heart beat a million miles a minute. Armsmaster was a tinker, he was intelligent and had access to every spec of PRT intel behind his mask. He could figure out who Skitter was with enough information. "Did?… Did Panacea reveal Taylor's Parahuman capabilities in hospital without consent?"
"Uh? Maybe?" Victoria said it wasn't a lie. She had no idea, she didn't give it much thought at the time but thinking back over it…
Armsmaster let out a breath, "Oh, boy. Right…" He cleared his throat. "I'm just gonna put Taylor's file under a higher clearance for now. I also need to make a few phone calls with legal…" Armsmaster stood up, looking like he was doing three different things under his helmet at once.
"Wait, what about Sophia?" Victoria asked, slightly worried that she might've gotten her sister in trouble for something.
"We'll look into it. As I said, I have a few phone calls to make." Armsmaster said, holding the door open and gesturing for Victoria to walk through. "There isn't much evidence I can see, but you're not lying about it, so something will be done. I assure you."
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Arcadia High – The next day
Taylor didn't come to school again. A quick text confirmed that Taylor was still feeling 'ill.' It hurt Victoria to know that Taylor was sulking in her room right now. Vicky offered to swing by after school and try to cheer her up but Taylor never responded.
Victoria was deep in thought, sulking in her own right when Carlos approached her. Carlos gave a quick look around before he motioned for Victoria to talk somewhere quiet.
"Vicky?" Carlos asked with a hushed whisper, there was only one reason for the confident boy to act so cautiously. He wanted to talk about hero business.
"Yes?" Victoria asked back, finding a spare room for the two to talk quietly in.
"Can I ask what's going on between you and Sophia?" Carlos asked, he sounded more like a concerned manager.
Victoria was surprised at how quickly word had spread around. Armsmaster obviously got something done yesterday.
"Why? What happened? Did she get arrested?" Vicky asked, naively hoping that Sophia would be sent far away from Brockton Bay, and from Taylor.
"Arrest-what?" Carlos balked in confusion, "No, I got a message this morning. Apparently, you filed a complaint against her? Now I have to put her on console duty and anger management for a month, or something? I'm not looking forward to that conversation with her later today"
"That's it!?" Victoria said in disbelief. "Console duty? For a month?"
"Look," Carlos said, raising his arms to calm Victoria down. "I don't know exactly what's going on. All I was told is that the legal team wants to deal with this 'in-house.' So, just run me through what's going on and I'll talk to Sophia later today. We'll work on some strategies on how to make everyone happy, you could even come for some team building exercises. Oh, I'll even get her to apologise. I know she can be a bit… grumpy, but I know how to talk to her. Trust me."
Carlos gave a confident, heroic smile. Only caring about keeping the peace in his team, oblivious to how vile his teammate actually was. Victoria simply looked back at Carlos in disbelief. The PRT legal team had simply swept it all under the rug and elected to give Sophia a slap on the wrist.
She opened her mouth to complain, but Carlos was only one man. He might be the leader of the Wards, but he held no real power in PRT decision-making. If Armsmaster wasn't going to do anything more when he believed her, then Carlos was going to achieve even less.
"Vicky?" Carlos asked, noting her lack of response. "Victoria? Everything okay?"
Victoria simply strolled off angrily. Her Mother had warned her once that the PRT would always try to protect their image above all else but it still hurt to see. This was exactly the type of thing Mom would love to sink her teeth into. A hero's abuse of power that caused a trigger event.
But that would also mean throwing Taylor into the spotlight of a legal battle, and that was the last thing Taylor would want right now. Not to mention that whatever Amy had done was also problematic, judging by Armsmaster's reaction. If her Mother got into a legal scuffle with the PRT, there was now a chance that they'd throw that back in her face. Possibly? Victoria wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to find out.
With the legal option out of the way, Victoria fell back on her backup place.
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Later that day – Lisa's apartment
Lisa stood up from her desk as she heard the knock at her front door. Her phone buzzed shortly after.
Impatient, wants to get inside quickly. Angrier than usual, plan didn't work as predicted.
Strolling out of her office and towards the door, Lisa didn't bother to check her room this time. Victoria knew what she was about. Unlocking the door, she opened it with a smug grin.
"So, plan 5?" Lisa chuckled as she looked Victoria over.
"Plan 5," Victoria said, stomping through and towards Lisa's office.
Lisa watched as the hero radiated with anger, the perfect emotion for revenge. With a villainous smirk, Lisa shut the door and got to work.
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Chapter 12: She has a hero
Gowonzu
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Lisa's Apartment – Late Morning
"Kidding. I'm only kidding." Lisa chuckled as she scrunched up the page into a paper ball and tossed it into the bin.
The paper ball hit the side of the overflowing bin and landed on the floor, rolling towards Victoria's foot. Victoria held a stern, disappointed pout at the thinker.
"But it would work…" Lisa said once she finished giggling. "I'm just saying."
Victoria sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "For the last time, we're not kidnapping Emma and dressing her up as Grue." They'd been over this point several times today, Vicky pinched her fingers together and gestured to Lisa as she hammered her point home. "Shadow Stalker might 'literally' kill her."
"And what could be a better revenge than accidentally murdering your best friend in a fit of rage?" Lisa mused with a smile.
"I said, no killing," Victoria said back with a deadpan tone.
"I know, but 'We' don't kill her in this scenario." Lisa retorted. Victoria was unimpressed by her loophole logic. "Fine, fine. No killing. We'll use the mannequin instead." Lisa sighed as if it was such a big ask from the hero. There was a long pause of silence while Lisa thought to herself, and then she spoke up again. "But if we gave the suit a double layer of protection?…"
"Oh my god." Victoria exhaled, before breaking into a chuckle of her own. "We're not kidnapping anyone."
She looked down at the villain with a smile, the girls had been working on their revenge plan for almost two days now. Victoria had showed up at Lisa's door shortly after school and the two worked well into the afternoon, then Victoria returned again the following morning. At some point in the planning phase, suggesting incredibly violent ideas became something of a joke for Lisa. Trying to get a rise out of Victoria, however, she caught on to the ruse after the third suggestion.
'Plan 5' originally involved a face-to-face meeting of the Undersiders, believing that a group of supervillains would, in Lisa's own words, 'Scare the living crap' out of the trio. Now that Lisa knew that Sophia Hess was Shadow Stalker, she had reworked plan 5 into a trap for the hero.
The problem came down to what was acceptable once the trap was sprung. While Lisa would've loved to trap the entire trio in an elaborate deathtrap, the plan had been heavily modified due to Victoria's 'heroic sensibilities.' Victoria still wanted to be able to call herself a good person after this was all said and done, much to Lisa's disappointment. In the end, they decided on a simple 'frame job' that would destroy Shadow Stalker's reputation and most likely end her in jail. That didn't stop Lisa from suggesting more 'fun' ideas while they waited for information to come in.
Lisa's phone buzzed and she looked at the message before spinning around in her chair. She picked up a pin on her desk and stuck it to the wall behind her. Lisa was thorough with her information gathering, she had a map of the city behind them with various pins attached to it. Tattletale's underworld contacts had been keeping track of any sighting of Shadow Stalker and they had her general patrol route down.
"And that makes twelve sightings last night," Lisa said, moving back to the desk. "All centred around the same location. Girls not very varied with her movements."
"Well, she can't really go far," Victoria added, looking at the map. "She's meant to be stuck on console duty for a month. So these off-book patrols have to be in areas that the PRT don't usually go."
"Probably her old route from her vigilante days." Lisa theorised, "She did try to murder Grue right around there one time." Lisa pointed at a section of the map. Victoria moved to look to where she pointed, sitting on the desk and looking over Lisa's shoulder.
"Still can't believe she actually tried to murder someone." Vicky shook her head in disgust. "I'm all for beating down villains, but to actually hunt them down. And Grue of all people… he's hardly Lung or Kaiser."
"Doubt it's her first time. Wouldn't surprise me if Stalker actually did kill someone and just hid the body." Lisa said in thought before shaking her head. "Anyway, we know where she'll be and a general idea of when she'll be there. So, if we're 'not' kidnapping anyone and keeping this plan as PG for GG as possible. Then…"
Lisa brushed away all her draft plans and joke plans. Laying out the current 'Plan 5' to write down the updated positioning and possible locations where it would go down. Victoria wasn't quite sure why Lisa still called it Plan 5, at this point it was Plan 32 but she wasn't going to argue with the girl.
Victoria was surprised at how easily she got along with Lisa once they actually had a common goal and a common enemy. Lisa was interesting. Victoria had often found herself at odds with the villain, being the target of the social thinker's insults, but now that they weren't fighting each other, Victoria had to admit that the girl could be… fun.
Lisa was a mischievous girl. The girl was definitely 'evil,' not in the traditional definition of the word, but the villain had no mercy for anyone who got in her way. Someone that Victoria, or anyone for that matter, would hate to have as an enemy. But Lisa was also fiercely loyal to her friends, willing to work herself ragged to help the people she cared about. Victoria could respect Lisa, even if her methods weren't ideal for the hero.
'Taylor would be so happy to see us working together like this.'
Victoria hadn't spoken to Taylor since her meeting with the trio, not for a lack of trying. She'd sent Taylor several messages to check in on the girl and had only gotten simple messages back. Vicky had originally planned to swing by Taylor's house the other day but Lisa informed her that Taylor simply needed space and that she'd reach out to Vicky when she was ready.
Victoria didn't like waiting around for Taylor. She wished she could just comfort her, hold her and let her know that the trio would never touch her again. But Lisa was right, Taylor was stubbornly proud about dealing with her problems herself and probably wouldn't respond well to an overly protective 'Glory Girl Hug.' Lisa predicted that Taylor had already stopped sulking after the first day and was actually just using the solitude to relax, possibly caught up in one of her books.
Lisa's confidence in Taylor, and how she'd bounce back was inspiring but it also made Victoria jealous. Lisa was Taylor's best friend, they'd been literal partners in crime for months. Vicky was just some hero who butted into her life in the naive hope of 'saving' her. Now she'd turned her heroic obsession into an infatuation with the girl, and while Dean did say that Taylor had a crush on her, she could also see the way Taylor looked at Lisa. And judging by how hard Lisa worked to get revenge, she probably felt the same way about Taylor.
Vicky couldn't even blame her. She could see what Taylor saw in the girl. Lisa was smart, beyond her parahuman powers. Creative, in a villainous way and charming as all hell when she actually wanted people to like her. Not to mention how attractive she was now that Vicky actually took the time to look at her. Lisa radiated the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' energy that Taylor probably fell for, hook, line and sinker. No wonder Taylor succumbed to villainy, there was something so enticing about the girl-
Lisa looked up at Victoria and shot her signature smirk at her. The smile that screamed, 'I know what you were just thinking.' Victoria turned away in a blush, hoping to all hell that Lisa wasn't actually a mind reader. The jury was still out on her powers since Lisa still refused to explain it properly.
"S-so, are we good?" Victoria asked, desperately wanting to get back on track with why they were here.
"I don't know? Are we?" Lisa asked back, holding her smile.
"I mean with the plan," Victoria said, tapping the paper on the desk. Lisa chuckled softly and turned back to the plan in front of her.
"Yeah, we're good." Lisa nodded, looking it over one more time. "I'll have to make some phone calls, but I'm pretty sure I can get everything ready. Are we doing this tonight?"
"The sooner the better." Victoria said, "I can't stand knowing that she's out there for a second longer."
"Alright, Let's go over this from the top," Lisa said, reading what they had written down. "Grue, some hired mercs and I will be waiting along Sophia's illegal patrol route. She'll engage with us, we'll lead her into position and you'll be waiting… here."
"Right." Victoria agreed, looking at the location Lisa pointed to. "And you're completely sure that-"
"Yes yes." Lisa waved the question away before Victoria finished it, "Both Grue and the mercenaries will have no idea who Shadow Stalker is and I 'personally' promise that none of us will commit an actual crime… at that time."
Victoria held a disbelieving look at Lisa.
"What? Don't you trust me?" Lisa said, fluttering her eyelashes in 'innocence.' "I'll be good. I promise."
Victoria opened her mouth to retort with a snarky remark but her phone buzzed several times before she could respond. She took her phone out and read the message.
TH: Hey Vicky. Sorry for not messaging sooner. I'm fine now.
TH: We can hang out now.
TH: If you want?
TH: No pressure or anything.
TH: You're probably busy, it's cool.
TH: I'll see you at school next week.
"That Taylor?" Lisa asked, already knowing the answer. Victoria was already typing away a location they could meet before Taylor could convince herself to return to solitude. "Told you she'd reach out to you."
"Yeah, gonna meet her for lunch. I'll see you tonight then. Let me know if the plan changes." Victoria moved to gather her things before turning back to Lisa with a smile. "Do you?… Do you wanna join us?" Vicky asked.
Lisa smiled back at the question. It wasn't a smug smirk, but a gentle smile. A few days ago Victoria was hesitant to spend time with Lisa and now she was inviting the girl to come join her. Did that make them friends now? Victoria wasn't sure.
"Thanks, but no," Lisa said, shaking her head. "I've got some phone calls to make, need to convince Grue to do this without him asking twenty questions, not to mention setting up the scene. Tell Taylor I- actually best not to tell Taylor what we're doing. So… have fun, Victoria."
Vicky waved goodbye, leaving Lisa to her work. They'd meet later tonight to enact their revenge on Taylor's behalf, but right now she had a more important job to do, check in on Taylor and be there for her friend. She took off to the sky to meet Taylor, not anywhere as public as the boardwalk this time, Taylor had invited her to a local park in her neighbourhood. Thinking back to her last interaction with Lisa, Victoria couldn't help but smile.
'She called me by my name this time.'
--------------------------
Victoria caught her eyes on Taylor as she hovered towards the ground. Taylor was waiting on a park bench, already waving at Vicky, her bugs had obviously caught sight of the hero. Victoria touched down and looked the girl over.
"Hey, Vicky," Taylor said with a tired wave. She was dressed in her running gear, judging by the way she was sweating it was a fair assumption to say she had been jogging. "I'd shake your hand but I'm all sw-"
Victoria pulled Taylor from the bench and into a hug, much to the taller girl's surprise. Taylor responded by gently patting Victoria on the back.
"Hey, Taylor…" Vicky said as she gave her a squeeze. Lisa told her that she needed to give Taylor space. But Vicky knew that she would give a hug the second she laid eyes on Taylor. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good," Taylor said, nonchalantly. Vicky couldn't pick up any trace of her lying beyond her general nervousness from receiving a hug. Victoria pulled back and looked Taylor in the eyes, she wanted to be sure that Taylor was telling the truth. "I'm fine. Honesty." Taylor said, giving her weary smile.
"Good," Victoria said with a concerned smile. Victoria released Taylor and both girls sat down on the park bench."That's good. I was really worried about you these last few days."
Taylor blushed and looked away with a sad face full of remorse. "I'm sorry," Taylor said, not looking back at Vicky. "I know you were trying to reach out. I just needed-" She trailed off.
Neither girl spoke for a few moments. Once Victoria realised that she wasn't going to continue, she placed a comforting hand on Taylor's shoulder. She needed space, just as Lisa said.
"It's okay," Victoria said, gently shaking her head. "There's no need to apologise to me. Anyone would need space after dealing with… that." Vicky winced internally, she wasn't sure if she should bring up the trio around Taylor, judging by her previous reaction. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Whatever you need, I'm here to help. Be it some space or someone to vent to."
Taylor smiled a little more then her face dropped again. She looked directly forward and then shook her head.
Taylor brought her hands together and twiddled her fingers while she thought. Victoria chose to keep silent until Taylor was ready to talk. "Seeing them again… it brought back memories. I'd spent so much time at school… life in general being on my guard. Waiting for them, or people like them to strike at me. But these last couple of weeks, with you and your friends. I kind of… not forgot, but convinced myself that it was all in the past. Y'know?"
A butterfly came down and landed on Victoria's hand, the hand that was resting on Taylor's shoulder. Several other insects were currently moving around the park in an oddly uniform pattern, not doing anything specific but being controlled by Taylor all the same.
"It was a shock to see them again." Taylor continued, "I'm usually so aware of my surroundings. So having them just… walk up to me like that, well you saw how I reacted." Taylor scrunched her face up into a frown. "It's so stupid. I thought I was better than that. Stronger than that. I've had panic attacks before but this one surprised me. I just… shut down. Fell back on my bugs."
"You can't blame yourself for having a reaction like that," Victoria said softly, giving Taylor's shoulder another gentle squeeze. "And it's not stupid. It isn't a bad thing to convince yourself that the bad days are behind you. You're not… weak, or whatever for having a panic attack and needing some time for yourself. And you certainly don't need to apologise to me for it happening."
"That's not-" Taylor started before pausing to think. "I mean, thank you. Really. I did need some space to think it all over. But that's not exactly why I'm apologising." She let out a deep breath as if readying herself for a deep confession. "I wasn't… sick or anything. When I took those days off school." Victoria was about to bring up her previous point before Taylor cut her off. "What I mean is, I wasn't exactly brooding around in my room the entire time. Or at all for that matter. I went home, I cried for a bit, wallowed in self-pity until I got bored and then… I had a really bad idea."
Victoria realised that Taylor's inability to look her in the eyes wasn't from any kind of depressed state but out of a sense of guilt.
"What kind of a bad idea?" Victoria asked, bracing herself for whatever Taylor was about to say.
"I was angry. At myself, at them. At everything. I'm not usually one to hold grudges, even for them. I've… thought about it a few times. Once I got my powers, it was easy to daydream about 'using them.' But I never gave it any serious thought. I was out of Winslow, they were gone from my life and I wasn't going to…" Taylor let out another sigh, it was shaky with the nervousness in her voice. "This time though. I was angry at the state that they left me in. How easily they did that to me, I wanted to feel strong again. So I may have planned out… revenge… of a sort."
Victoria could sympathise, obviously. She and Lisa had spent the last few days planning revenge of their own. Taylor had tried to enact her own brand of justice without asking for help. She couldn't help by being worried about what Taylor had done.
"I didn't…" Taylor said, holding up a hand in protest. "The following day, when you messaged me and I said I was ill, I was actually scouting out Emma's house. Uh, she was the girl with the red hair. Used to be my friend until… Anyway. I figured that I'd pay her a visit… as Skitter." Taylor turned away from Victoria and scrunched her first into a ball. "I wanted to… I don't know. Hurt her? Scare her at least. Make her feel how I felt every single day while I was at Winslow. I was gonna use my bugs to unlock her bedroom window, come back in the middle of the night and… Fuck… I probably would've killed her at that point. I was so mad."
Taylor reached out and gently placed a hand on Vicky's leg. Victoria jumped slightly in surprise, not expecting Taylor to willingly touch anyone. Her face was still turned away in shame as she spoke.
"But then I decided against it," Taylor said, about to remove her hand before Victoria placed her free hand on top of it. "I didn't want to hurt her. Not because I stopped being mad or anything. But because… I thought of you. I was afraid that if I went to see Emma and did, whatever I was going to do. That you'd be… disappointed in me. Hate me even. That felt worse than anything Emma and the rest could ever do to me. Honestly, the reason I didn't come to school on the second day was because I was ashamed of what I had almost done. I couldn't risk looking you in the eyes knowing what I had planned to do. So, I'm sorry."
"Taylor." Vicky sighed as she held tightly onto her hand. "It's alright. I'm not disappointed in you. I'm glad you didn't murder anyone of course but I'd never judge you for fantasying about revenge." Victoria moved her hand from one shoulder to the other and pulled Taylor in for another hug. This one Taylor accepted without any complaint. "And don't think for a second that I didn't have the same thought. When I realised what those girls did… well I wanted to throw a garbage bin at them right then and there."
Taylor giggled. A relaxed and open laugh that she never made at school. The idea of the trio being smashed into a red paste by Glory Girl was a rather humorous image. Vicky joined in with the laughter.
"Right, I forgot," Taylor said with a smile, an honest to god smile, Victoria lit up in delight. "You're not the girl scouts the media paints you out to be. Throwing cars at people and the like."
"Hey, I never throw cars at people." Victoria chuckled back, "Only at Nazis and anyone mean to the friends I care about. None of them are people in my book."
"Well, I'm glad that you care about me," Taylor said as she rested her head on Victoria. "Really, it means a lot knowing that I have friends who care about me again. Especially ones who are willing to throw cars and bins at my enemies."
"It's the perks of being friends with me." Vicky said with a mischievous grin, "You get the full Glory Girl protection package. Next time you see those bitches, I'll lob them into space."
While Victoria was joking about the excessive use of force she would use, she wasn't joking about her protection. Vicky was going to make sure that nothing bad would happen to Taylor again, it might have been a gaudy and naive goal to make, but Victoria pledged to protect her new friend.
Taylor laughed again, looking up towards Victoria. "Well, look at that. It feels nice knowing that I have my own personal superhero to protect me."
She turned slightly and put her full weight on Victoria. Taylor had moved to give her a hug, turning Vicky's shoulder hug into a full cuddle. Choosing to initiate instead of just waiting for someone to grab her. She felt safe at this bench, comfortable with Victoria and smiled in contentment. This moment was perfect, Victoria could sit with her forever.
--------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Night
Nervous. Ready for combat. Doesn't like waiting around. Not happy with plan but willing to trust Lisa. Would trust Lisa Wilbourn with life. Considers Undersiders as second family. Loyal to family.
"What are you smirking at?" Grue asked as he leaned against the wall. Tattletale chuckled as she was called out.
"Nothing," Tattletale said, "Just thinking about how much of a scary villain you are."
"Shut up." Grue huffed in jest. "Are we doing this or what?"
"So impatient." Tattletale huffed back. "We're already doing this. Just stay there and act the part."
"You still haven't told me why I'm 'acting the part?'" Grue replied sarcastically. "I hate Shadow Stalker more than anyone on the team, but baiting her to attack me is just asking for trouble."
"Trust me, this will all make sense tomorrow." Tattletale waved away the question. "You two ready for your part?" She asked the other two people waiting alongside them.
Minor and Dimitri both nodded confidently at the villain. Both men were hired mercenaries who worked for Coil, they often did odd jobs for Tattletale whenever she needed hired muscle. They were only loyal to the dollar and Tattletale made sure to pay well for each and every job that she needed them for.
"I do agree with the boy." Dimitri added, "Is it wise to pick a fight with Stalker?"
"Shut up," Tattletale whined with a smile. "No one's fighting Shadow Stalker. You're just set dressing, remember? Stand around, look tough. Don't do anything illegal and run away when she inevitably shows up. Easy money, don't complain."
Minor nodded in agreement and Dimitri shrugged and moved back to his position.
"Still, this plan feels oddly simple. And pointless." Grue grumbled.
"Well, I did have this whole second part to it, with kidnapping, bloodshed and tears." Tattletale explained with a sigh, "But apparently that was 'too extreme.' So we keep this simple and boring. Does everyone know what to do?" Tattletale pointed at the mercenaries.
"Pretend to be making a shady deal in this alley." Dimitri said, "Don't say or do anything incriminating, get into an argument with Grue and promptly run away when the hero shows up."
Tattletale nodded and spun around to point at Grue. Grue huffed, probably rolled his eyes under his mask and spoke up, "Act like an intimidating supervillain, don't do or say anything illegal. Have Shadow Stalker attack me and lead her down that direction… assuming I don't already have a bolt through my head."
"Perfect. Then we spring the trap and exit out the back." Lisa said with a smile.
"And how does this trap does anything other than piss her off?" Grue asked. "And why is it worth possibly getting shot for."
"That's for me to know and you to find out, Sweetcheeks," Tattletale said, patting Grue's helmet.
Glaring at Lisa Wilbourn. Hate's being patronised. Want's to look tough in front of hired help. Would never attack Lisa to establish dominance, will act passive-aggressive later tonight.
Tattletale's phone buzzed and she looked at the message.
VD: Stalker on her way. ETA 12 minutes… probably?
"Alright boys!" Tattletale said as she clapped her hands. "It's showtime. I want to see everyone's game faces." Everyone stood up straighter and moved around a makeshift table. "And Dimitri? Remember I still need you for that other thing soon."
Dimitri nodded in understanding before placing a briefcase down on the table. It opened to several white bricks.
"I thought you didn't want us doing anything illegal?" Grue asked, looking at the case. "Why do you have a case filled with what looks like heroin?"
"It's flour," Tattletale said casually. "I wasn't gonna fill it with cash or anything that we'd actually want to lose. Now shut up and say your lines."
"What the hell is this?" Dimitri said, acting the part of a disgruntled 'possibly but not confirmed' drug dealer. "I thought you Undersiders were professional?"
"Hey, you get what you paid for," Grue said back, acting as well but with the awkwardness of someone who wasn't good at improvising lines. "What were you expecting?"
"I was expecting to see fucking Grue of the Undersiders. Terror of the shadows. With your big scary mask. Not some damn child."
Actually annoyed by the comment. Trying to remember it's all fake. Can't help but be offended. Want's to prove himself to the mercenary.
Tattletale smiled to herself as Grue fell into his 'method acting.' This part of the plan was rather childish all things considered. Grue and Dimitri would have a constant back-and-forth argument that would be heard by any noisy hero climbing around on rooftops. Dimitri simply had to keep repeating keywords like 'Grue' and 'Undersiders' while Grue simply had to play himself trying to salvage a bum deal.
It took all of five minutes before Tattletale's phone buzzed again. Three quick messages, Tattletale didn't even need to read them. It was a code that Lisa and Victoria came up with for the plan. One message meant that something went wrong and that Lisa should actually check the message. Two would mean that Shadow Stalker was on the scene and three meant-
Tattletale tackled Grue to the ground as two bolts embedded themselves into the briefcase. Judging by the angle, Stalker was behind and above them. Aiming directly for Grue.
"Shit!" Dimitri yelled out, backing away from the bolts that appeared. "Fucking capes. We're done here."
Half acting. Actually surprised by Shadow Stalker's attack. Will claim danger pay when next discussing business.
Tattletale pulled Grue up as another volley of bolts rained down onto them.
"Get to cover!" Tattletale called out, pushing Grue into a nearby building.
Shadow Stalker landed down in the alley behind them as they closed the door. Rushing through the storeroom of a closed store. Stalker phased right through the wall and pointed her crossbow at Tattletale. She ducked again, pushing Grue to the right as another bolt pieced into a nearby shelf.
Lethal bolt equipped. Aiming for head and center mass. Out for blood, no regard for our well-being.
They ran into another room, slamming the door behind them even though they knew that it wouldn't stop her. A bolt passed through the door, phasing like her power, glancing off Grue's arm. His costume blocked most of the impact but he couldn't take a direct shot at close range.
Grue pushed Tattletale forward and shot out his smoke. Blocking Shadow Stalker's approach. They had almost made it to their planned trap. Just in time for another bolt to fly out through the smoke.
Tattletale turned around to check in on Grue as the smoke fizzled out. Looking at her partner, now collapsed on the floor with a bolt lodged in his back, Tattletale screamed.
"Gruuue!"
--------------------------------------
Shadow Stalker didn't even need to hear the scream to know that she hit her prey. The loud thud of a body dropping combined with the dispensation of the smoke. Walking into the room, Shadow Stalker spotted Tattletale looking back at her fallen comrade. She shot a look of pure hatred and horror at Stalker which the hero relished as much as the hunt.
Tattletale turned to run, Shadow Stalker fired another bolt in her direction but didn't bother to give chase. She'd gotten her prey. A single bolt through the back wasn't enough to kill the villain, but judging by where the bolt was lodged, she'd gotten him directly in the spine, probably paralysing him for life.
Stalker thought on that for a moment. Perhaps that was a worse fate for the annoying worm, to spend the remainder of his life in prison, unable to walk, unable to even shit without help. The thought was amusing to imagine. However Shadow Stalker had made herself a promise, she had no plans to capture Grue alive. He was prey and she was a predator.
She stalked closer to the paralysed villain, removing a knife hidden from her belt. Kicking the body over onto its back. It was a shame that Grue had passed out, most likely in shock due to the pain. Stalker would've loved to hear him scream, she would have to settle on remembering Tattletale's cry when she looked back on this moment. Knife in hand, she plunged it directly into Grue's chest.
This was no methodical kill, she could have slit his throat and been done with it. But Stalker had been hunting this particular beast for over a year now. Combined with the anger she already felt for the PRT wasting her time with console duty. Stalker needed a release and this kill was the perfect time for it. Sophia jammed her knife back and forth into the villain's chest, and blood spurted out over her mask. She was violent, psychotic even. Sophia didn't care, she'd clean it up later, make it look like a drug deal gone wrong. No one would believe Tattletale. Grue was dead. The elation she felt, after all this time, she could taste his blood-
This wasn't fresh blood?
Shadow Stalker jumped off the body and touched some of the blood on her mask. It was blood, but not human blood, and certainly not fresh blood. She looked down at the supervillain's body. It had several stab wounds but none of them bled like a fresh cut. Whatever Stalker had stabbed into was filled with some kind of animal blood and made to feel almost human at a glance.
She moved her hand up to Grue's mask. Only now noticing that it was wearing a crude motorcycle helmet that almost but not quite matched Grue's actual look. It had the shape to it but none of the finer details. Lifting the visor, there was a note addressed to Shadow Stalker inside.
A poorly drawn picture of Tattletale giving the finger with the words, 'Fuck You. Look up and smile. ' written along with them.
Looking up from the note, Sophia spotted a camera looking down upon her. Recording her violent outburst. Sophia screamed in rage. She'd let Tattletale run away. And now the villain had blackmail material on her. What would they use it for? Could she catch up, hunt her down again?
Before Sophia could think of a plan, she heard multiple footsteps rushing in from all angles. Sophia watched as a single smoke grenade flew through a window, looking down as it spurted its contents across the room.
"Hands! Everyone show us your hands!" A voice yelled out as the door behind her burst open. "PRT, everyone on the floor. Now!"
"On the scene now. Once contact in the building." Another voice said, talking into a radio.
"PRT, responding to an active threat. Everyone stay calm and get on the ground." A third voice said in the smoke.
"Is that?… It's a body! Contact is standing over a body! Confirm! Primary target identified." The first voice said.
Sophia looked down at the fake body and at her blood-covered hands. "Fuck you…" She hissed to the camera.
"Step away from the body. On the floor!"
"Get on the floor! Interlock your fingers!"
"Don't even think about running!"
"It's Shadow Stalker?"
"It's a cape? Why is she covered in blood!?"
"She's not meant to be here."
Sophia closed her eyes as she assumed the position. All the voices merged into a mess of yelling and screaming. Eventually, someone managed to place handcuffs on her. The body might be fake, and the Undersiders might have planted the camera but that didn't change anything. Sophia was fucked, regardless.
--------------------------
Victoria landed down on the rooftop beside Tattletale. Surveying the scene below as the PRT escorted Shadow Stalker into the back of the van. Victoria couldn't help but grin at watching the chaos down below.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Tattletale huffed, quoting an old movie Victoria's Dad had once enjoyed.
"One Sophia Hess, life destroyed. Heading to prison for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among a pile of other charges, I'm sure." Tattletale said proudly, looking over the scene. "And nobody was killed or kidnapped. So you're moral compass can rest easy tonight." She turned to Victoria. "Still, didn't expect her to surrender. Was kinda hoping for a death by cop scenario." Vicky raised an eyebrow. "Kidding. I'm just kidding."
"So that just happened," Vicky said as the truck started to pull away. "Think it'll stick?"
"Course it will," Tattletale said, typing into her phone. "Especially after this…"
"After what?" Vicky asked.
"Just uploaded a preview of the footage onto PHO." Lisa explained with a smug grin, "I'll edit the high-quality footage and post the full video when I get home but this is enough to spark outrage."
"And what about Grue?" Victoria asked, "Did where'd he go?"
"Oh, look at you. Actually caring for a villain other than Taylor." Tattletale chuckled. "Grue got pissed when the PRT showed up. I didn't tell him that was part of the plan. He stormed off home but he'll be happy when he sees the news tomorrow. Great job with that B-T-Dubs. How'd you get the cops to show so quickly?"
"There may have been an anonymous sighting of Oni Lee a few blocks down," Victoria said proudly. "Making them in the neighbourhood when the actual call came in." Tattletale chuckled and gently fist-bumped Victoria on the shoulder. "Honestly, I feel like I didn't do much. I just trailed Shadow Stalker and called the PRT on her."
"Don't sell yourself short, Vic." Tattletale said, "None of this would've happened without your intel on Sophia, nor your knowledge on PRT strike teams which I promise I'll never abuse for any future crimes." Tattletale held up a grin to show she was joking. "Plus, my 'Plan 5' just involved using my team to scare the crap out of three civilians. Your 'Plan 5' ended up with a hero going to jail."
"You do realise that the numbering system doesn't work if it ends up being a completely different plan, right?" Victoria pointed out but Tattletale ignored her. "Also, when you said that we were using a mannequin, I assumed it was going to be a regular mannequin, not a?…"
"A meat mannequin?" Tattletale finished her sentence. "Wouldn't have been as believable. We needed to sell it. Luckily I already knew a guy who specialises in them. It's all just pig guts under the suit but it looked pretty damn good, right? Still… would've been more fun if Emma was inside the suit instead."
Victoria ignored the obvious bait, partly because she agreed with it. "Speaking of which…" Vicky turned to Tattletale. "That's one out of three down. What are we doing about the other two girls?"
"So eager." Tattletale teased. "Already looking forward to the next evil plan. We'll make a villain out of you yet."
"Shut up," Vicky gasped, "I'm not a-" She caught eyes on Tattletale's smirk. "I'm doing this for Taylor. That's all."
"Right, not because you have a taste of the power. Not because it's fun." Tattletale said, prodding a smirk out of Victoria.
"Alright, It was a little fun," Victoria admitted. "But this still was only about Taylor."
"Ah, I knew it." Tattletale chuckled. "You had fun. You had fun hanging out with me." Victoria didn't bother hiding behind a lie. She did have fun, not despite Lisa, but because of her. "I had a lot of fun too." Tattletale extended a hand to Victoria, "Friends? For real this time?"
Victoria hesitated, only for a second. Then she reached out to Tattletale, not to shake her hand, but to envelop her in a hug. "Friends." Vicky agreed. She could extend the same deal to Lisa.
"Taylor's still my best friend though," Tattletale said into Victoria's ear as she hugged back.
"Mine too." Victoria chuckled.
"I guess we can share, I don't mind." Tattletale chuckled back. "Though it might get awkward between us if we decide to ask her out."
Victoria broke the hug. "W-what? Why would I? I mean, I'm not even into girls. Pfft. What gave you that idea? I mean, has she said anything to you?"
Tattletale stifled a laugh while watching the gay panic roll over Victoria. "Oh, goody. Guess you don't mind if I ask her first then?"
"W-wait!" Victoria said, "I didn't say that."
"Oh, so you do want to ask her out?" Tattletale teased her. "Hmm, already straining our new friendship, how rude. Guess we'll go back to fighting."
"I don't want to fight you," Victoria said, trying to keep up with Tattletale's jests.
"Hey, I only offered to share a best friend, but if you wanna go deeper then I'll tell Taylor the good news." Tattletale continued.
"I didn't-" Victoria was growing increasingly flustered and Tattletale's jokes were only making it worse. Abandoning this train of thought, she returned back to the work that needed to be done. "Anyway. Back to my previous question. What are we doing about Madison and Emma?"
"Honestly, we're probably done." Tattletale mused, "Here me out. Madison is more of a follower than anything. We could go after her but I already picked up on some deep seeded guilt in her. Emma on the other hand. This is the fun part. She's heavily co-dependent on her superhero friend. Her entire worldview is rooted in Shadow Stalker. So now we've shattered it and by that, shattered her. All the mental walls she's put up over the years will fall and leave nothing but a crumbling mess of a girl behind."
Victoria raised an eyebrow at that. It felt so anti-climatic, but Tattletale was confident in what she was saying.
"Are you sure?" Victoria asked, wanting to be certain that Taylor was safe now.
Tattletale returned her mischievously evil grin, "Victoria, I personally guarantee that Emma will never bother Taylor again."
--------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – The next day
Emma Barnes was reading the news on her phone. Leaked footage online of Shadow Stalker's brutal takedown of the fake Grue was making waves along with the news that the Ward had been arrested and placed into custody.
"Stupid girl," Emma muttered. She'd warned Sophia on various occasions how her blood feud with the Undersider was going to get her into trouble one day. Emma was concerned for her friend, but in the same way, you were concerned for a friend who repeatedly jumped off buildings every night, eventually, you stopped staying up at night stressed with worry and the inevitable happens.
Emma would contact her father later and look into Sophia's case again. She wasn't sure what legal magic her Dad could work but she was sure that Sophia would get out of this. Sophia is too tough to be brought down by anyone. Emma had to believe it.
Bumping into a man who stepped out in front of her, Emma dropped her phone. "Excuse you," Emma said with a glare, looking up at the tall man.
"Apologies, Miss." The man said.
"You better not have broken my phone," Emma grumbled, bending down to pick it up.
A van drove up beside them and the side door opened. "Dimitri, is this the girl?"
Emma froze in fear as she realised they were talking about her. She looked up to get a better look at the man she bumped into.
"Dah," Said the man to the van, before a black sack was pulled over Emma's head.
-----------------------------------
Emma was kicking and screaming the entire ride over. It didn't matter at all. Her hands and feet were tired, along with something to muffle her mouth. She could do nothing but struggle as her kidnappers drove her to god knows where.
She wasn't so much as placed in a chair rather than dragged into one. By this point, Emma had lost all strength from the earlier struggle and was being tossed around like cargo. She was placed down in the uncomfortable chair and left alone with her thoughts.
This was how it ended. Tied up, kidnapped by some Russian creeper and turned into somebodies sex slave or whatever fucked up shit criminals did. Even after everything she worked through to get over the ABB attack, she was right back where she started.
A bucket of water splashed over the girl. The sack over her head absorbed the liquid and threatened to suffocate her. She tried again to scream but she only choked down water. The sack was pulled from her head and her eyes adjusted to the light.
Two people stood on either side of her, she couldn't see who they were but guessed one of them was 'Dimitri' who had picked her up. A third person, a woman stood directly in front of her.
"Do you know who I am?" The woman asked, Emma's eyes scanned around the room for any kind of identifying marks or locations that would tell her where she is and how to escape.
The woman moved closer and grabbed Emma by the cheeks. "I said. Do you know who I am?" Emma tried to talk but there was still a gag over her mouth. "Nod or shake your head." The woman said as she slapped Emma across the face.
Emma knew who the woman was, now that her eyes had adjusted. She'd never met her before but Sophia had more than enough to say about her. Tattletale of the Undersiders. Emma nodded obediently.
"Good." Tattletale said, "That'll make this all move so much easier. Now, do you know 'why' you're here?"
Emma shook her head, afraid to look away from the villain out of fear of getting slapped again.
"A friend of mine got hurt the other day," Tattletale explained, walking around Emma's chair. "Someone I really care about. Deeply. And I've been racking my brain around how to… make sure it never happens again."
Emma was confused. Was this about what happened to Grue? She thought the video was fake? But did they know about Shadow Stalker, about Sophia? Was she being targeted because of that?
"To answer your questions," Tattletale said like a mind reader. "Yes. I know all about Sophia Hess. And I know all about you. Emma. I know where you live. Where you go to school, Your sister, your parents. I know every naughty thing you've ever done and all your deepest darkest fears. For instance…"
Tattletale pulled out a switchblade. Emma tried her best to lean back but she could only move so much. She would've broken out into more screaming if her gag wasn't still in place. Tattletale reached out and felt a lock of her hair.
"I know that the very idea of having someone cut your hair with this knife throws you right into a panic," Tattletale said with a callous grin. "Why is that I wonder? A bad history? Maybe you've been in this exact situation before? Yes… I see it now. That makes sense. Probably how you first met."
Tattletale put the knife away before Emma broke into tears.
"You see, I had this idea. This plan. It was really rather simple." Tattletale went on, ignoring Emma's muffled scream. "But then some things happened, and it got a lot more complicated but it was still kinda fun if I was honest. Now Shadow Stalker… Sophia if you will, is in jail and I can't touch her due to all this legal bullcrap. But you… I can touch you."
Emma tried her best to talk. To plead for her life. She would give this woman anything to make her go away. Tattletale smirked back and wiped a tear from Emma's eye.
"Shh, hey. Hey." Tattletale cooed, sounding oddly caring for the situation. A gentle hand cupped Emma's cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill you. Today at least. This little meeting is more of a reminder of things." Tattletale's hand moved around to the back of Emma's head, gripping her hair tightly to the point where it hurt.
"I'm here to remind you of a lesson that you really should've learned last time you were in this position. A reminder of your place in this city. In this world." Tattletale said, holding Emma's head so that she couldn't look away. "You're not a predator, you never were. You're just a scared little girl who clung to her shitty worldviews and treated everyone like trash just to make herself feel good. A better person would tell you to go get therapy and do something meaningful with your life. I'm not that person. I'm here to tell you to stop being such a fucking bitch. Now I'm going to be watching you. You won't know it, but the second you decide to be a bitch again, I'll know. And I'll come for you.
Tattletale looked up to one of the nearby men. "Get the van ready. Drop her off near where you found her." Emma heard the sound of footsteps as her chair was dragged off towards the car. Another bag was thrown over her head leaving Emma alone in the dark again.
The car engine started and Emma could hear movement around her. The van started moving, driving back to the place it all started. As terrified as Emma was, she was glad that was soon going to be over. The first thing she was going to do when free was run to the nearest police station. Maybe even go directly to the PRT. They needed to know what a psychopath Tattletale was.
The warmth of another human radiated in front of Emma. Someone was standing over her. "And remember," Tattletale whispered into her ear. Emma stiffened, not even realising she was there, to begin with. Her bindings were being cut as the villain spoke. "You don't have a superhero to protect you anymore." Emma felt a chill run up her spine before she was promptly thrown out of the vehicle.
"Kidding. I'm only kidding." Lisa chuckled as she scrunched up the page into a paper ball and tossed it into the bin.
The paper ball hit the side of the overflowing bin and landed on the floor, rolling towards Victoria's foot. Victoria held a stern, disappointed pout at the thinker.
"But it would work…" Lisa said once she finished giggling. "I'm just saying."
Victoria sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "For the last time, we're not kidnapping Emma and dressing her up as Grue." They'd been over this point several times today, Vicky pinched her fingers together and gestured to Lisa as she hammered her point home. "Shadow Stalker might 'literally' kill her."
"And what could be a better revenge than accidentally murdering your best friend in a fit of rage?" Lisa mused with a smile.
"I said, no killing," Victoria said back with a deadpan tone.
"I know, but 'We' don't kill her in this scenario." Lisa retorted. Victoria was unimpressed by her loophole logic. "Fine, fine. No killing. We'll use the mannequin instead." Lisa sighed as if it was such a big ask from the hero. There was a long pause of silence while Lisa thought to herself, and then she spoke up again. "But if we gave the suit a double layer of protection?…"
"Oh my god." Victoria exhaled, before breaking into a chuckle of her own. "We're not kidnapping anyone."
She looked down at the villain with a smile, the girls had been working on their revenge plan for almost two days now. Victoria had showed up at Lisa's door shortly after school and the two worked well into the afternoon, then Victoria returned again the following morning. At some point in the planning phase, suggesting incredibly violent ideas became something of a joke for Lisa. Trying to get a rise out of Victoria, however, she caught on to the ruse after the third suggestion.
'Plan 5' originally involved a face-to-face meeting of the Undersiders, believing that a group of supervillains would, in Lisa's own words, 'Scare the living crap' out of the trio. Now that Lisa knew that Sophia Hess was Shadow Stalker, she had reworked plan 5 into a trap for the hero.
The problem came down to what was acceptable once the trap was sprung. While Lisa would've loved to trap the entire trio in an elaborate deathtrap, the plan had been heavily modified due to Victoria's 'heroic sensibilities.' Victoria still wanted to be able to call herself a good person after this was all said and done, much to Lisa's disappointment. In the end, they decided on a simple 'frame job' that would destroy Shadow Stalker's reputation and most likely end her in jail. That didn't stop Lisa from suggesting more 'fun' ideas while they waited for information to come in.
Lisa's phone buzzed and she looked at the message before spinning around in her chair. She picked up a pin on her desk and stuck it to the wall behind her. Lisa was thorough with her information gathering, she had a map of the city behind them with various pins attached to it. Tattletale's underworld contacts had been keeping track of any sighting of Shadow Stalker and they had her general patrol route down.
"And that makes twelve sightings last night," Lisa said, moving back to the desk. "All centred around the same location. Girls not very varied with her movements."
"Well, she can't really go far," Victoria added, looking at the map. "She's meant to be stuck on console duty for a month. So these off-book patrols have to be in areas that the PRT don't usually go."
"Probably her old route from her vigilante days." Lisa theorised, "She did try to murder Grue right around there one time." Lisa pointed at a section of the map. Victoria moved to look to where she pointed, sitting on the desk and looking over Lisa's shoulder.
"Still can't believe she actually tried to murder someone." Vicky shook her head in disgust. "I'm all for beating down villains, but to actually hunt them down. And Grue of all people… he's hardly Lung or Kaiser."
"Doubt it's her first time. Wouldn't surprise me if Stalker actually did kill someone and just hid the body." Lisa said in thought before shaking her head. "Anyway, we know where she'll be and a general idea of when she'll be there. So, if we're 'not' kidnapping anyone and keeping this plan as PG for GG as possible. Then…"
Lisa brushed away all her draft plans and joke plans. Laying out the current 'Plan 5' to write down the updated positioning and possible locations where it would go down. Victoria wasn't quite sure why Lisa still called it Plan 5, at this point it was Plan 32 but she wasn't going to argue with the girl.
Victoria was surprised at how easily she got along with Lisa once they actually had a common goal and a common enemy. Lisa was interesting. Victoria had often found herself at odds with the villain, being the target of the social thinker's insults, but now that they weren't fighting each other, Victoria had to admit that the girl could be… fun.
Lisa was a mischievous girl. The girl was definitely 'evil,' not in the traditional definition of the word, but the villain had no mercy for anyone who got in her way. Someone that Victoria, or anyone for that matter, would hate to have as an enemy. But Lisa was also fiercely loyal to her friends, willing to work herself ragged to help the people she cared about. Victoria could respect Lisa, even if her methods weren't ideal for the hero.
'Taylor would be so happy to see us working together like this.'
Victoria hadn't spoken to Taylor since her meeting with the trio, not for a lack of trying. She'd sent Taylor several messages to check in on the girl and had only gotten simple messages back. Vicky had originally planned to swing by Taylor's house the other day but Lisa informed her that Taylor simply needed space and that she'd reach out to Vicky when she was ready.
Victoria didn't like waiting around for Taylor. She wished she could just comfort her, hold her and let her know that the trio would never touch her again. But Lisa was right, Taylor was stubbornly proud about dealing with her problems herself and probably wouldn't respond well to an overly protective 'Glory Girl Hug.' Lisa predicted that Taylor had already stopped sulking after the first day and was actually just using the solitude to relax, possibly caught up in one of her books.
Lisa's confidence in Taylor, and how she'd bounce back was inspiring but it also made Victoria jealous. Lisa was Taylor's best friend, they'd been literal partners in crime for months. Vicky was just some hero who butted into her life in the naive hope of 'saving' her. Now she'd turned her heroic obsession into an infatuation with the girl, and while Dean did say that Taylor had a crush on her, she could also see the way Taylor looked at Lisa. And judging by how hard Lisa worked to get revenge, she probably felt the same way about Taylor.
Vicky couldn't even blame her. She could see what Taylor saw in the girl. Lisa was smart, beyond her parahuman powers. Creative, in a villainous way and charming as all hell when she actually wanted people to like her. Not to mention how attractive she was now that Vicky actually took the time to look at her. Lisa radiated the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' energy that Taylor probably fell for, hook, line and sinker. No wonder Taylor succumbed to villainy, there was something so enticing about the girl-
Lisa looked up at Victoria and shot her signature smirk at her. The smile that screamed, 'I know what you were just thinking.' Victoria turned away in a blush, hoping to all hell that Lisa wasn't actually a mind reader. The jury was still out on her powers since Lisa still refused to explain it properly.
"S-so, are we good?" Victoria asked, desperately wanting to get back on track with why they were here.
"I don't know? Are we?" Lisa asked back, holding her smile.
"I mean with the plan," Victoria said, tapping the paper on the desk. Lisa chuckled softly and turned back to the plan in front of her.
"Yeah, we're good." Lisa nodded, looking it over one more time. "I'll have to make some phone calls, but I'm pretty sure I can get everything ready. Are we doing this tonight?"
"The sooner the better." Victoria said, "I can't stand knowing that she's out there for a second longer."
"Alright, Let's go over this from the top," Lisa said, reading what they had written down. "Grue, some hired mercs and I will be waiting along Sophia's illegal patrol route. She'll engage with us, we'll lead her into position and you'll be waiting… here."
"Right." Victoria agreed, looking at the location Lisa pointed to. "And you're completely sure that-"
"Yes yes." Lisa waved the question away before Victoria finished it, "Both Grue and the mercenaries will have no idea who Shadow Stalker is and I 'personally' promise that none of us will commit an actual crime… at that time."
Victoria held a disbelieving look at Lisa.
"What? Don't you trust me?" Lisa said, fluttering her eyelashes in 'innocence.' "I'll be good. I promise."
Victoria opened her mouth to retort with a snarky remark but her phone buzzed several times before she could respond. She took her phone out and read the message.
TH: Hey Vicky. Sorry for not messaging sooner. I'm fine now.
TH: We can hang out now.
TH: If you want?
TH: No pressure or anything.
TH: You're probably busy, it's cool.
TH: I'll see you at school next week.
"That Taylor?" Lisa asked, already knowing the answer. Victoria was already typing away a location they could meet before Taylor could convince herself to return to solitude. "Told you she'd reach out to you."
"Yeah, gonna meet her for lunch. I'll see you tonight then. Let me know if the plan changes." Victoria moved to gather her things before turning back to Lisa with a smile. "Do you?… Do you wanna join us?" Vicky asked.
Lisa smiled back at the question. It wasn't a smug smirk, but a gentle smile. A few days ago Victoria was hesitant to spend time with Lisa and now she was inviting the girl to come join her. Did that make them friends now? Victoria wasn't sure.
"Thanks, but no," Lisa said, shaking her head. "I've got some phone calls to make, need to convince Grue to do this without him asking twenty questions, not to mention setting up the scene. Tell Taylor I- actually best not to tell Taylor what we're doing. So… have fun, Victoria."
Vicky waved goodbye, leaving Lisa to her work. They'd meet later tonight to enact their revenge on Taylor's behalf, but right now she had a more important job to do, check in on Taylor and be there for her friend. She took off to the sky to meet Taylor, not anywhere as public as the boardwalk this time, Taylor had invited her to a local park in her neighbourhood. Thinking back to her last interaction with Lisa, Victoria couldn't help but smile.
'She called me by my name this time.'
--------------------------
Victoria caught her eyes on Taylor as she hovered towards the ground. Taylor was waiting on a park bench, already waving at Vicky, her bugs had obviously caught sight of the hero. Victoria touched down and looked the girl over.
"Hey, Vicky," Taylor said with a tired wave. She was dressed in her running gear, judging by the way she was sweating it was a fair assumption to say she had been jogging. "I'd shake your hand but I'm all sw-"
Victoria pulled Taylor from the bench and into a hug, much to the taller girl's surprise. Taylor responded by gently patting Victoria on the back.
"Hey, Taylor…" Vicky said as she gave her a squeeze. Lisa told her that she needed to give Taylor space. But Vicky knew that she would give a hug the second she laid eyes on Taylor. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good," Taylor said, nonchalantly. Vicky couldn't pick up any trace of her lying beyond her general nervousness from receiving a hug. Victoria pulled back and looked Taylor in the eyes, she wanted to be sure that Taylor was telling the truth. "I'm fine. Honesty." Taylor said, giving her weary smile.
"Good," Victoria said with a concerned smile. Victoria released Taylor and both girls sat down on the park bench."That's good. I was really worried about you these last few days."
Taylor blushed and looked away with a sad face full of remorse. "I'm sorry," Taylor said, not looking back at Vicky. "I know you were trying to reach out. I just needed-" She trailed off.
Neither girl spoke for a few moments. Once Victoria realised that she wasn't going to continue, she placed a comforting hand on Taylor's shoulder. She needed space, just as Lisa said.
"It's okay," Victoria said, gently shaking her head. "There's no need to apologise to me. Anyone would need space after dealing with… that." Vicky winced internally, she wasn't sure if she should bring up the trio around Taylor, judging by her previous reaction. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Whatever you need, I'm here to help. Be it some space or someone to vent to."
Taylor smiled a little more then her face dropped again. She looked directly forward and then shook her head.
Taylor brought her hands together and twiddled her fingers while she thought. Victoria chose to keep silent until Taylor was ready to talk. "Seeing them again… it brought back memories. I'd spent so much time at school… life in general being on my guard. Waiting for them, or people like them to strike at me. But these last couple of weeks, with you and your friends. I kind of… not forgot, but convinced myself that it was all in the past. Y'know?"
A butterfly came down and landed on Victoria's hand, the hand that was resting on Taylor's shoulder. Several other insects were currently moving around the park in an oddly uniform pattern, not doing anything specific but being controlled by Taylor all the same.
"It was a shock to see them again." Taylor continued, "I'm usually so aware of my surroundings. So having them just… walk up to me like that, well you saw how I reacted." Taylor scrunched her face up into a frown. "It's so stupid. I thought I was better than that. Stronger than that. I've had panic attacks before but this one surprised me. I just… shut down. Fell back on my bugs."
"You can't blame yourself for having a reaction like that," Victoria said softly, giving Taylor's shoulder another gentle squeeze. "And it's not stupid. It isn't a bad thing to convince yourself that the bad days are behind you. You're not… weak, or whatever for having a panic attack and needing some time for yourself. And you certainly don't need to apologise to me for it happening."
"That's not-" Taylor started before pausing to think. "I mean, thank you. Really. I did need some space to think it all over. But that's not exactly why I'm apologising." She let out a deep breath as if readying herself for a deep confession. "I wasn't… sick or anything. When I took those days off school." Victoria was about to bring up her previous point before Taylor cut her off. "What I mean is, I wasn't exactly brooding around in my room the entire time. Or at all for that matter. I went home, I cried for a bit, wallowed in self-pity until I got bored and then… I had a really bad idea."
Victoria realised that Taylor's inability to look her in the eyes wasn't from any kind of depressed state but out of a sense of guilt.
"What kind of a bad idea?" Victoria asked, bracing herself for whatever Taylor was about to say.
"I was angry. At myself, at them. At everything. I'm not usually one to hold grudges, even for them. I've… thought about it a few times. Once I got my powers, it was easy to daydream about 'using them.' But I never gave it any serious thought. I was out of Winslow, they were gone from my life and I wasn't going to…" Taylor let out another sigh, it was shaky with the nervousness in her voice. "This time though. I was angry at the state that they left me in. How easily they did that to me, I wanted to feel strong again. So I may have planned out… revenge… of a sort."
Victoria could sympathise, obviously. She and Lisa had spent the last few days planning revenge of their own. Taylor had tried to enact her own brand of justice without asking for help. She couldn't help by being worried about what Taylor had done.
"I didn't…" Taylor said, holding up a hand in protest. "The following day, when you messaged me and I said I was ill, I was actually scouting out Emma's house. Uh, she was the girl with the red hair. Used to be my friend until… Anyway. I figured that I'd pay her a visit… as Skitter." Taylor turned away from Victoria and scrunched her first into a ball. "I wanted to… I don't know. Hurt her? Scare her at least. Make her feel how I felt every single day while I was at Winslow. I was gonna use my bugs to unlock her bedroom window, come back in the middle of the night and… Fuck… I probably would've killed her at that point. I was so mad."
Taylor reached out and gently placed a hand on Vicky's leg. Victoria jumped slightly in surprise, not expecting Taylor to willingly touch anyone. Her face was still turned away in shame as she spoke.
"But then I decided against it," Taylor said, about to remove her hand before Victoria placed her free hand on top of it. "I didn't want to hurt her. Not because I stopped being mad or anything. But because… I thought of you. I was afraid that if I went to see Emma and did, whatever I was going to do. That you'd be… disappointed in me. Hate me even. That felt worse than anything Emma and the rest could ever do to me. Honestly, the reason I didn't come to school on the second day was because I was ashamed of what I had almost done. I couldn't risk looking you in the eyes knowing what I had planned to do. So, I'm sorry."
"Taylor." Vicky sighed as she held tightly onto her hand. "It's alright. I'm not disappointed in you. I'm glad you didn't murder anyone of course but I'd never judge you for fantasying about revenge." Victoria moved her hand from one shoulder to the other and pulled Taylor in for another hug. This one Taylor accepted without any complaint. "And don't think for a second that I didn't have the same thought. When I realised what those girls did… well I wanted to throw a garbage bin at them right then and there."
Taylor giggled. A relaxed and open laugh that she never made at school. The idea of the trio being smashed into a red paste by Glory Girl was a rather humorous image. Vicky joined in with the laughter.
"Right, I forgot," Taylor said with a smile, an honest to god smile, Victoria lit up in delight. "You're not the girl scouts the media paints you out to be. Throwing cars at people and the like."
"Hey, I never throw cars at people." Victoria chuckled back, "Only at Nazis and anyone mean to the friends I care about. None of them are people in my book."
"Well, I'm glad that you care about me," Taylor said as she rested her head on Victoria. "Really, it means a lot knowing that I have friends who care about me again. Especially ones who are willing to throw cars and bins at my enemies."
"It's the perks of being friends with me." Vicky said with a mischievous grin, "You get the full Glory Girl protection package. Next time you see those bitches, I'll lob them into space."
While Victoria was joking about the excessive use of force she would use, she wasn't joking about her protection. Vicky was going to make sure that nothing bad would happen to Taylor again, it might have been a gaudy and naive goal to make, but Victoria pledged to protect her new friend.
Taylor laughed again, looking up towards Victoria. "Well, look at that. It feels nice knowing that I have my own personal superhero to protect me."
She turned slightly and put her full weight on Victoria. Taylor had moved to give her a hug, turning Vicky's shoulder hug into a full cuddle. Choosing to initiate instead of just waiting for someone to grab her. She felt safe at this bench, comfortable with Victoria and smiled in contentment. This moment was perfect, Victoria could sit with her forever.
--------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Night
Nervous. Ready for combat. Doesn't like waiting around. Not happy with plan but willing to trust Lisa. Would trust Lisa Wilbourn with life. Considers Undersiders as second family. Loyal to family.
"What are you smirking at?" Grue asked as he leaned against the wall. Tattletale chuckled as she was called out.
"Nothing," Tattletale said, "Just thinking about how much of a scary villain you are."
"Shut up." Grue huffed in jest. "Are we doing this or what?"
"So impatient." Tattletale huffed back. "We're already doing this. Just stay there and act the part."
"You still haven't told me why I'm 'acting the part?'" Grue replied sarcastically. "I hate Shadow Stalker more than anyone on the team, but baiting her to attack me is just asking for trouble."
"Trust me, this will all make sense tomorrow." Tattletale waved away the question. "You two ready for your part?" She asked the other two people waiting alongside them.
Minor and Dimitri both nodded confidently at the villain. Both men were hired mercenaries who worked for Coil, they often did odd jobs for Tattletale whenever she needed hired muscle. They were only loyal to the dollar and Tattletale made sure to pay well for each and every job that she needed them for.
"I do agree with the boy." Dimitri added, "Is it wise to pick a fight with Stalker?"
"Shut up," Tattletale whined with a smile. "No one's fighting Shadow Stalker. You're just set dressing, remember? Stand around, look tough. Don't do anything illegal and run away when she inevitably shows up. Easy money, don't complain."
Minor nodded in agreement and Dimitri shrugged and moved back to his position.
"Still, this plan feels oddly simple. And pointless." Grue grumbled.
"Well, I did have this whole second part to it, with kidnapping, bloodshed and tears." Tattletale explained with a sigh, "But apparently that was 'too extreme.' So we keep this simple and boring. Does everyone know what to do?" Tattletale pointed at the mercenaries.
"Pretend to be making a shady deal in this alley." Dimitri said, "Don't say or do anything incriminating, get into an argument with Grue and promptly run away when the hero shows up."
Tattletale nodded and spun around to point at Grue. Grue huffed, probably rolled his eyes under his mask and spoke up, "Act like an intimidating supervillain, don't do or say anything illegal. Have Shadow Stalker attack me and lead her down that direction… assuming I don't already have a bolt through my head."
"Perfect. Then we spring the trap and exit out the back." Lisa said with a smile.
"And how does this trap does anything other than piss her off?" Grue asked. "And why is it worth possibly getting shot for."
"That's for me to know and you to find out, Sweetcheeks," Tattletale said, patting Grue's helmet.
Glaring at Lisa Wilbourn. Hate's being patronised. Want's to look tough in front of hired help. Would never attack Lisa to establish dominance, will act passive-aggressive later tonight.
Tattletale's phone buzzed and she looked at the message.
VD: Stalker on her way. ETA 12 minutes… probably?
"Alright boys!" Tattletale said as she clapped her hands. "It's showtime. I want to see everyone's game faces." Everyone stood up straighter and moved around a makeshift table. "And Dimitri? Remember I still need you for that other thing soon."
Dimitri nodded in understanding before placing a briefcase down on the table. It opened to several white bricks.
"I thought you didn't want us doing anything illegal?" Grue asked, looking at the case. "Why do you have a case filled with what looks like heroin?"
"It's flour," Tattletale said casually. "I wasn't gonna fill it with cash or anything that we'd actually want to lose. Now shut up and say your lines."
"What the hell is this?" Dimitri said, acting the part of a disgruntled 'possibly but not confirmed' drug dealer. "I thought you Undersiders were professional?"
"Hey, you get what you paid for," Grue said back, acting as well but with the awkwardness of someone who wasn't good at improvising lines. "What were you expecting?"
"I was expecting to see fucking Grue of the Undersiders. Terror of the shadows. With your big scary mask. Not some damn child."
Actually annoyed by the comment. Trying to remember it's all fake. Can't help but be offended. Want's to prove himself to the mercenary.
Tattletale smiled to herself as Grue fell into his 'method acting.' This part of the plan was rather childish all things considered. Grue and Dimitri would have a constant back-and-forth argument that would be heard by any noisy hero climbing around on rooftops. Dimitri simply had to keep repeating keywords like 'Grue' and 'Undersiders' while Grue simply had to play himself trying to salvage a bum deal.
It took all of five minutes before Tattletale's phone buzzed again. Three quick messages, Tattletale didn't even need to read them. It was a code that Lisa and Victoria came up with for the plan. One message meant that something went wrong and that Lisa should actually check the message. Two would mean that Shadow Stalker was on the scene and three meant-
Tattletale tackled Grue to the ground as two bolts embedded themselves into the briefcase. Judging by the angle, Stalker was behind and above them. Aiming directly for Grue.
"Shit!" Dimitri yelled out, backing away from the bolts that appeared. "Fucking capes. We're done here."
Half acting. Actually surprised by Shadow Stalker's attack. Will claim danger pay when next discussing business.
Tattletale pulled Grue up as another volley of bolts rained down onto them.
"Get to cover!" Tattletale called out, pushing Grue into a nearby building.
Shadow Stalker landed down in the alley behind them as they closed the door. Rushing through the storeroom of a closed store. Stalker phased right through the wall and pointed her crossbow at Tattletale. She ducked again, pushing Grue to the right as another bolt pieced into a nearby shelf.
Lethal bolt equipped. Aiming for head and center mass. Out for blood, no regard for our well-being.
They ran into another room, slamming the door behind them even though they knew that it wouldn't stop her. A bolt passed through the door, phasing like her power, glancing off Grue's arm. His costume blocked most of the impact but he couldn't take a direct shot at close range.
Grue pushed Tattletale forward and shot out his smoke. Blocking Shadow Stalker's approach. They had almost made it to their planned trap. Just in time for another bolt to fly out through the smoke.
Tattletale turned around to check in on Grue as the smoke fizzled out. Looking at her partner, now collapsed on the floor with a bolt lodged in his back, Tattletale screamed.
"Gruuue!"
--------------------------------------
Shadow Stalker didn't even need to hear the scream to know that she hit her prey. The loud thud of a body dropping combined with the dispensation of the smoke. Walking into the room, Shadow Stalker spotted Tattletale looking back at her fallen comrade. She shot a look of pure hatred and horror at Stalker which the hero relished as much as the hunt.
Tattletale turned to run, Shadow Stalker fired another bolt in her direction but didn't bother to give chase. She'd gotten her prey. A single bolt through the back wasn't enough to kill the villain, but judging by where the bolt was lodged, she'd gotten him directly in the spine, probably paralysing him for life.
Stalker thought on that for a moment. Perhaps that was a worse fate for the annoying worm, to spend the remainder of his life in prison, unable to walk, unable to even shit without help. The thought was amusing to imagine. However Shadow Stalker had made herself a promise, she had no plans to capture Grue alive. He was prey and she was a predator.
She stalked closer to the paralysed villain, removing a knife hidden from her belt. Kicking the body over onto its back. It was a shame that Grue had passed out, most likely in shock due to the pain. Stalker would've loved to hear him scream, she would have to settle on remembering Tattletale's cry when she looked back on this moment. Knife in hand, she plunged it directly into Grue's chest.
This was no methodical kill, she could have slit his throat and been done with it. But Stalker had been hunting this particular beast for over a year now. Combined with the anger she already felt for the PRT wasting her time with console duty. Stalker needed a release and this kill was the perfect time for it. Sophia jammed her knife back and forth into the villain's chest, and blood spurted out over her mask. She was violent, psychotic even. Sophia didn't care, she'd clean it up later, make it look like a drug deal gone wrong. No one would believe Tattletale. Grue was dead. The elation she felt, after all this time, she could taste his blood-
This wasn't fresh blood?
Shadow Stalker jumped off the body and touched some of the blood on her mask. It was blood, but not human blood, and certainly not fresh blood. She looked down at the supervillain's body. It had several stab wounds but none of them bled like a fresh cut. Whatever Stalker had stabbed into was filled with some kind of animal blood and made to feel almost human at a glance.
She moved her hand up to Grue's mask. Only now noticing that it was wearing a crude motorcycle helmet that almost but not quite matched Grue's actual look. It had the shape to it but none of the finer details. Lifting the visor, there was a note addressed to Shadow Stalker inside.
A poorly drawn picture of Tattletale giving the finger with the words, 'Fuck You. Look up and smile. ' written along with them.
Looking up from the note, Sophia spotted a camera looking down upon her. Recording her violent outburst. Sophia screamed in rage. She'd let Tattletale run away. And now the villain had blackmail material on her. What would they use it for? Could she catch up, hunt her down again?
Before Sophia could think of a plan, she heard multiple footsteps rushing in from all angles. Sophia watched as a single smoke grenade flew through a window, looking down as it spurted its contents across the room.
"Hands! Everyone show us your hands!" A voice yelled out as the door behind her burst open. "PRT, everyone on the floor. Now!"
"On the scene now. Once contact in the building." Another voice said, talking into a radio.
"PRT, responding to an active threat. Everyone stay calm and get on the ground." A third voice said in the smoke.
"Is that?… It's a body! Contact is standing over a body! Confirm! Primary target identified." The first voice said.
Sophia looked down at the fake body and at her blood-covered hands. "Fuck you…" She hissed to the camera.
"Step away from the body. On the floor!"
"Get on the floor! Interlock your fingers!"
"Don't even think about running!"
"It's Shadow Stalker?"
"It's a cape? Why is she covered in blood!?"
"She's not meant to be here."
Sophia closed her eyes as she assumed the position. All the voices merged into a mess of yelling and screaming. Eventually, someone managed to place handcuffs on her. The body might be fake, and the Undersiders might have planted the camera but that didn't change anything. Sophia was fucked, regardless.
--------------------------
Victoria landed down on the rooftop beside Tattletale. Surveying the scene below as the PRT escorted Shadow Stalker into the back of the van. Victoria couldn't help but grin at watching the chaos down below.
"I love it when a plan comes together." Tattletale huffed, quoting an old movie Victoria's Dad had once enjoyed.
"One Sophia Hess, life destroyed. Heading to prison for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, among a pile of other charges, I'm sure." Tattletale said proudly, looking over the scene. "And nobody was killed or kidnapped. So you're moral compass can rest easy tonight." She turned to Victoria. "Still, didn't expect her to surrender. Was kinda hoping for a death by cop scenario." Vicky raised an eyebrow. "Kidding. I'm just kidding."
"So that just happened," Vicky said as the truck started to pull away. "Think it'll stick?"
"Course it will," Tattletale said, typing into her phone. "Especially after this…"
"After what?" Vicky asked.
"Just uploaded a preview of the footage onto PHO." Lisa explained with a smug grin, "I'll edit the high-quality footage and post the full video when I get home but this is enough to spark outrage."
"And what about Grue?" Victoria asked, "Did where'd he go?"
"Oh, look at you. Actually caring for a villain other than Taylor." Tattletale chuckled. "Grue got pissed when the PRT showed up. I didn't tell him that was part of the plan. He stormed off home but he'll be happy when he sees the news tomorrow. Great job with that B-T-Dubs. How'd you get the cops to show so quickly?"
"There may have been an anonymous sighting of Oni Lee a few blocks down," Victoria said proudly. "Making them in the neighbourhood when the actual call came in." Tattletale chuckled and gently fist-bumped Victoria on the shoulder. "Honestly, I feel like I didn't do much. I just trailed Shadow Stalker and called the PRT on her."
"Don't sell yourself short, Vic." Tattletale said, "None of this would've happened without your intel on Sophia, nor your knowledge on PRT strike teams which I promise I'll never abuse for any future crimes." Tattletale held up a grin to show she was joking. "Plus, my 'Plan 5' just involved using my team to scare the crap out of three civilians. Your 'Plan 5' ended up with a hero going to jail."
"You do realise that the numbering system doesn't work if it ends up being a completely different plan, right?" Victoria pointed out but Tattletale ignored her. "Also, when you said that we were using a mannequin, I assumed it was going to be a regular mannequin, not a?…"
"A meat mannequin?" Tattletale finished her sentence. "Wouldn't have been as believable. We needed to sell it. Luckily I already knew a guy who specialises in them. It's all just pig guts under the suit but it looked pretty damn good, right? Still… would've been more fun if Emma was inside the suit instead."
Victoria ignored the obvious bait, partly because she agreed with it. "Speaking of which…" Vicky turned to Tattletale. "That's one out of three down. What are we doing about the other two girls?"
"So eager." Tattletale teased. "Already looking forward to the next evil plan. We'll make a villain out of you yet."
"Shut up," Vicky gasped, "I'm not a-" She caught eyes on Tattletale's smirk. "I'm doing this for Taylor. That's all."
"Right, not because you have a taste of the power. Not because it's fun." Tattletale said, prodding a smirk out of Victoria.
"Alright, It was a little fun," Victoria admitted. "But this still was only about Taylor."
"Ah, I knew it." Tattletale chuckled. "You had fun. You had fun hanging out with me." Victoria didn't bother hiding behind a lie. She did have fun, not despite Lisa, but because of her. "I had a lot of fun too." Tattletale extended a hand to Victoria, "Friends? For real this time?"
Victoria hesitated, only for a second. Then she reached out to Tattletale, not to shake her hand, but to envelop her in a hug. "Friends." Vicky agreed. She could extend the same deal to Lisa.
"Taylor's still my best friend though," Tattletale said into Victoria's ear as she hugged back.
"Mine too." Victoria chuckled.
"I guess we can share, I don't mind." Tattletale chuckled back. "Though it might get awkward between us if we decide to ask her out."
Victoria broke the hug. "W-what? Why would I? I mean, I'm not even into girls. Pfft. What gave you that idea? I mean, has she said anything to you?"
Tattletale stifled a laugh while watching the gay panic roll over Victoria. "Oh, goody. Guess you don't mind if I ask her first then?"
"W-wait!" Victoria said, "I didn't say that."
"Oh, so you do want to ask her out?" Tattletale teased her. "Hmm, already straining our new friendship, how rude. Guess we'll go back to fighting."
"I don't want to fight you," Victoria said, trying to keep up with Tattletale's jests.
"Hey, I only offered to share a best friend, but if you wanna go deeper then I'll tell Taylor the good news." Tattletale continued.
"I didn't-" Victoria was growing increasingly flustered and Tattletale's jokes were only making it worse. Abandoning this train of thought, she returned back to the work that needed to be done. "Anyway. Back to my previous question. What are we doing about Madison and Emma?"
"Honestly, we're probably done." Tattletale mused, "Here me out. Madison is more of a follower than anything. We could go after her but I already picked up on some deep seeded guilt in her. Emma on the other hand. This is the fun part. She's heavily co-dependent on her superhero friend. Her entire worldview is rooted in Shadow Stalker. So now we've shattered it and by that, shattered her. All the mental walls she's put up over the years will fall and leave nothing but a crumbling mess of a girl behind."
Victoria raised an eyebrow at that. It felt so anti-climatic, but Tattletale was confident in what she was saying.
"Are you sure?" Victoria asked, wanting to be certain that Taylor was safe now.
Tattletale returned her mischievously evil grin, "Victoria, I personally guarantee that Emma will never bother Taylor again."
--------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – The next day
Emma Barnes was reading the news on her phone. Leaked footage online of Shadow Stalker's brutal takedown of the fake Grue was making waves along with the news that the Ward had been arrested and placed into custody.
"Stupid girl," Emma muttered. She'd warned Sophia on various occasions how her blood feud with the Undersider was going to get her into trouble one day. Emma was concerned for her friend, but in the same way, you were concerned for a friend who repeatedly jumped off buildings every night, eventually, you stopped staying up at night stressed with worry and the inevitable happens.
Emma would contact her father later and look into Sophia's case again. She wasn't sure what legal magic her Dad could work but she was sure that Sophia would get out of this. Sophia is too tough to be brought down by anyone. Emma had to believe it.
Bumping into a man who stepped out in front of her, Emma dropped her phone. "Excuse you," Emma said with a glare, looking up at the tall man.
"Apologies, Miss." The man said.
"You better not have broken my phone," Emma grumbled, bending down to pick it up.
A van drove up beside them and the side door opened. "Dimitri, is this the girl?"
Emma froze in fear as she realised they were talking about her. She looked up to get a better look at the man she bumped into.
"Dah," Said the man to the van, before a black sack was pulled over Emma's head.
-----------------------------------
Emma was kicking and screaming the entire ride over. It didn't matter at all. Her hands and feet were tired, along with something to muffle her mouth. She could do nothing but struggle as her kidnappers drove her to god knows where.
She wasn't so much as placed in a chair rather than dragged into one. By this point, Emma had lost all strength from the earlier struggle and was being tossed around like cargo. She was placed down in the uncomfortable chair and left alone with her thoughts.
This was how it ended. Tied up, kidnapped by some Russian creeper and turned into somebodies sex slave or whatever fucked up shit criminals did. Even after everything she worked through to get over the ABB attack, she was right back where she started.
A bucket of water splashed over the girl. The sack over her head absorbed the liquid and threatened to suffocate her. She tried again to scream but she only choked down water. The sack was pulled from her head and her eyes adjusted to the light.
Two people stood on either side of her, she couldn't see who they were but guessed one of them was 'Dimitri' who had picked her up. A third person, a woman stood directly in front of her.
"Do you know who I am?" The woman asked, Emma's eyes scanned around the room for any kind of identifying marks or locations that would tell her where she is and how to escape.
The woman moved closer and grabbed Emma by the cheeks. "I said. Do you know who I am?" Emma tried to talk but there was still a gag over her mouth. "Nod or shake your head." The woman said as she slapped Emma across the face.
Emma knew who the woman was, now that her eyes had adjusted. She'd never met her before but Sophia had more than enough to say about her. Tattletale of the Undersiders. Emma nodded obediently.
"Good." Tattletale said, "That'll make this all move so much easier. Now, do you know 'why' you're here?"
Emma shook her head, afraid to look away from the villain out of fear of getting slapped again.
"A friend of mine got hurt the other day," Tattletale explained, walking around Emma's chair. "Someone I really care about. Deeply. And I've been racking my brain around how to… make sure it never happens again."
Emma was confused. Was this about what happened to Grue? She thought the video was fake? But did they know about Shadow Stalker, about Sophia? Was she being targeted because of that?
"To answer your questions," Tattletale said like a mind reader. "Yes. I know all about Sophia Hess. And I know all about you. Emma. I know where you live. Where you go to school, Your sister, your parents. I know every naughty thing you've ever done and all your deepest darkest fears. For instance…"
Tattletale pulled out a switchblade. Emma tried her best to lean back but she could only move so much. She would've broken out into more screaming if her gag wasn't still in place. Tattletale reached out and felt a lock of her hair.
"I know that the very idea of having someone cut your hair with this knife throws you right into a panic," Tattletale said with a callous grin. "Why is that I wonder? A bad history? Maybe you've been in this exact situation before? Yes… I see it now. That makes sense. Probably how you first met."
Tattletale put the knife away before Emma broke into tears.
"You see, I had this idea. This plan. It was really rather simple." Tattletale went on, ignoring Emma's muffled scream. "But then some things happened, and it got a lot more complicated but it was still kinda fun if I was honest. Now Shadow Stalker… Sophia if you will, is in jail and I can't touch her due to all this legal bullcrap. But you… I can touch you."
Emma tried her best to talk. To plead for her life. She would give this woman anything to make her go away. Tattletale smirked back and wiped a tear from Emma's eye.
"Shh, hey. Hey." Tattletale cooed, sounding oddly caring for the situation. A gentle hand cupped Emma's cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill you. Today at least. This little meeting is more of a reminder of things." Tattletale's hand moved around to the back of Emma's head, gripping her hair tightly to the point where it hurt.
"I'm here to remind you of a lesson that you really should've learned last time you were in this position. A reminder of your place in this city. In this world." Tattletale said, holding Emma's head so that she couldn't look away. "You're not a predator, you never were. You're just a scared little girl who clung to her shitty worldviews and treated everyone like trash just to make herself feel good. A better person would tell you to go get therapy and do something meaningful with your life. I'm not that person. I'm here to tell you to stop being such a fucking bitch. Now I'm going to be watching you. You won't know it, but the second you decide to be a bitch again, I'll know. And I'll come for you.
Tattletale looked up to one of the nearby men. "Get the van ready. Drop her off near where you found her." Emma heard the sound of footsteps as her chair was dragged off towards the car. Another bag was thrown over her head leaving Emma alone in the dark again.
The car engine started and Emma could hear movement around her. The van started moving, driving back to the place it all started. As terrified as Emma was, she was glad that was soon going to be over. The first thing she was going to do when free was run to the nearest police station. Maybe even go directly to the PRT. They needed to know what a psychopath Tattletale was.
The warmth of another human radiated in front of Emma. Someone was standing over her. "And remember," Tattletale whispered into her ear. Emma stiffened, not even realising she was there, to begin with. Her bindings were being cut as the villain spoke. "You don't have a superhero to protect you anymore." Emma felt a chill run up her spine before she was promptly thrown out of the vehicle.
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Chapter 13: She has two hands
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Undersider's Base – Morning
Taylor approached the door and fumbled for her keys. Being a Monday, Taylor found it odd to be called into 'work' so early in the morning. She was dressed for school with her backpack over her shoulder, hoping that whatever meeting the team was having would be over fairly quickly. She'd received several messages on her phone to get over to the base for an important meeting.
The first message was from Lisa, simply letting her know that something was in the works and that Taylor should come on by. A second message from Brian told her that the entire team was waiting for her, and a third message from Alec told her to 'move her ass' and that she was missing out on 'the fun.'
The door opened before Taylor could find the correct key. Alec swung the door open with a smile.
"Heyyy. Skitter's here!" He cheered as he looked Taylor over. Several whoops were coming further in from the living room. "Come on, Bugs. You need to catch up."
"Catch up for what?" Taylor asked, stepping in and noting Alec's odd behaviour. The kid was loud, obnoxiously so. Calling her 'Skitter' for the entire neighbourhood to hear.
Taylor's bugs already picked up on the other Undersiders. While no insects were currently in the living room, the vibrations from whatever music they were playing could be felt in Taylor's terrarium. Entering the main room, the rest of the team turned to Taylor and cheered with a collective 'Taylor!' The source of the odd behaviour was evident in everyone's hand.
"Sit down, have a drink." Alec slurred as he landed on the couch. "You look like a cider girl."
Alec fumbled around on the other side of the couch before offering a bottle to Taylor.
"Uh…" Taylor hesitated as she looked at the bottle in his hand. She hadn't expected to be offered alcohol, especially not so early in the day. Taylor never had an alcoholic drink in her life and never had much interest in it. Alec continued to wiggle the bottle towards her.
"Taylor," Brian said in a huff, looking at the exchange while sipping on his own drink. "Don't feel pressured to drink if you don't want to. We have sodas in the fridge."
"What? If she wants to be boring like Lisa…" Alec said while rolling his eyes, "At least give me a chance to pressure my peers."
Taylor turned from the bottle in Alec's hand to look at Grue. "Yeah… thanks. What's all this about?"
"We're celebrating," Lisa said, exiting the kitchen with a red cup in one hand and a can in the other. She chucked a cola in Taylor's direction. Taylor caught the canned drink after the third fumble. "You're just in time. The news is about to start."
"The news?" Taylor asked, holding the can away from her as she opened it. It fizzed out and over her hand, causing Alec to chuckle at her.
Brian pointed his drink towards the television screen which was currently muted. It was showing some morning yoga program that Alec was a little too hypnotised by but had a countdown for the morning news that was about to begin.
"Lisa and I had our own private op the other night," Brian explained with a grin. "While I wasn't particularly happy with how it went, I certainly can't argue with the results."
Taylor looked at the time on the television and guessed that she had enough time to watch it before school started, still feeling slightly uncomfortable by the casual drinking around her.
"Show starts soon," Lisa said across the room. "Grab some snacks and get comfy."
Taylor found a spare seat off to the side and sat down. Brian offered a bag of chips to her before taking a seat next to Alec. Lisa stood behind the couch and unmuted the television. Before Taylor could see the logos of the morning news her view was blocked out by someone standing over her.
Rachel looked down at Taylor with her usual intimidating glare. For a moment, Taylor was worried that she had somehow sat down in Rachel's chair. Out of all the Undersiders, Taylor got along with Rachel the least. She was brutish, violent, and angry. The woman reminded Taylor a lot of Sophia at times and generally avoided her when she could. Now she stood over Taylor, inebriated with a drink in one hand and in the other… a puppy?
"Here," Rachel said, dropping the pup in Taylor's lap. "Be gentle with him." Taylor caught the dog with her free arm and settled the animal snuggly on top of her. The puppy immediately stood up and assaulted Taylor's hand and face with licks. "And don't feed him anything. I'll be watching," Rachel added as she sat down on the arm of the couch.
"Wh-what's this for?" Taylor asked, trying to keep her face clear of the dog's relentless attempts to lick her. Rachel looked back like Taylor had asked the dumbest and most obvious question in the world.
"Heard you had a fucked day. All unhappy and shit cause of some bitches." Rachel explained, looking at the television that was currently reporting the morning traffic. "Offered to sick Brutus on them but Lisa said you'd prefer this."
Taylor looked over to Lisa but was simply met with Lisa shrugging. She looked at the puppy in her lap and back to Rachel. "Oh, thanks. He's great." Taylor said, still confused by the entire exchange. She never expected Rachel of all people to do something nice for her.
"Yeah, whatever," Rachel said, ignoring the looks the entire team were giving her. "It's only temporary. Shelter needed someone to look after him this week. I'll take him back end of the week."
Alec shushed everyone. "I think this is it. Turn it up." The team turned their attention fully to the television as the news reporter spoke.
"And to our top story for the day. Brockton Bay Ward, Shadow Stalker, was found covered in blood the other day, during a bust gone wrong. While no apparent murder has taken place, video footage of the scene leaked online has sparked public outrage and a call to action. Beware, this footage may disturb younger viewers."
The news cut to a highly censored video of Grue hitting the floor as Tattletale cried out in the background. Taylor turned from the TV to Lisa, who bowed where she stood, acting as if she won an award for her acting skill. The footage then showed Shadow Stalker standing over the 'body' kicking it over and pulling out a knife before kneeling. From there, the footage was pixelated to all hell, but the audio alone said enough to paint a picture. Taylor looked between Lisa and Brain in concerned shock as both returned a smug smirk.
"Investigators have confirmed that while the body was modelled after notorious Brockton Bay Villain, Grue of the Undersiders." The news report continued, Alec chuckled at the description. "It was in fact, a fake body stuffed with animal meat and pig's blood. It is believed that the actual Grue remains unharmed and still at large."
"Hear that. You're a wanted man." Alec laughed, punching Brian in the leg. Brain didn't bother responding with the obvious point that the whole team was already wanted.
"While it is obvious that this was a ruse devised by the Undersiders, the fact of Shadow Stalker's blatant violence cannot be ignored, with many people calling for her immediate arrest. 'The Wards should be a beacon of hope in this city, not violent thugs' one mother commented on the now-viral video. A sentiment shared by many. We go now to PRT Director Emily Piggot's statement from earlier this morning."
The screen changed over to a PRT conference that took place sometime very early in the morning. The PRT had set up a podium where a very tired Director Piggot spoke to the press.
"Shadow Stalker's actions were not only reprehensible, but she went completely against the core values of the PRT. Piggot said in the small snapshot of the press conference. "Heroes are here to protect and serve the community, not to brutalise those they deem criminals. We will continue to strive to instil in our remaining young Wards with knowledge and values that will keep the people of Brockton Bay safe. As for Shadow Stalker, she shall remain in PRT custody pending a thorough investigation. Rest assured, Shadow Stalker has been retired and will no longer operate in the Brockton Bay area. Many of you have called out for an immediate jail sentence for the ex-Ward, however, due to article 21 of the Parahuman Cape Privacy Act, we cannot comment on if and where Shadow Stalker will be sent."
Lisa laughed with a short snort. "Will be, not could be." She raised her cup to the rest of the team. "Shadow Stalker's in prison. You can bet on that."
The rest of the Undersider's joined in, Taylor included with her canned soda. Everyone cheered and whooped, loudly enough to startle the puppy that was still in Taylor's lap. She petted the dog a few times until it relaxed again.
"Man, I wish I could've seen her face when you two fucked her over like that." Alec chuckled, turning towards Brian and Lisa.
"How the hell did you two pull that off? And why wasn't I invited?" Rachel asked, also looking at Brian.
Brain shrugged and raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me." He said, pointing to Lisa. "It was all her idea. I was just along for the ride."
Lisa looked over the team proudly. "What? Me? I did nothing." She said, badly acting casual. "Just used some insider knowledge of Shadow Stalker to finally nail that bitch is all. She hurt the people I care about, so I hurt her right back."
"Don't get all soppy on me now Lise," Brian said, acting somewhat bashful at the comment, "But seriously, thank you. I feel a lot better knowing I don't have to be looking out for her anymore."
Lisa continued to smile, but only Taylor realised that it was her that Lisa had looked to when she spoke. Taylor wasn't exactly sure why but she enjoyed the attention from Lisa all the same.
The Undersiders broke from the couch to either turn the music back on, grab more food or get another drink. Taylor used that moment as an excuse to leave. Picking up the puppy
in her lap and sadly handing it back to Rachel she said over the group, "I'm seriously gonna be late for school if I stay here any longer. I'll see you all later today?"
The rest of the team made over-exaggerated cries about how 'Taylor was ditching them' and that she should stay for a little while longer. "A real villain would skip school and drink with the cool kids," Alec called out, offering a drink to Taylor again before promptly being smacked over the head by Brian.
"Glad you could make it Taylor." Lisa said with a smile, walking over to her, "You sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Lisa shot Taylor her own brand of 'puppy dog eyes' to which Taylor struggled to find the will to resist.
"I… Really have to go…" Taylor said, hesitantly. She didn't want to go but she promised her Dad, and Vicky that she wouldn't skip school. She'd already taken a few days off, it was beginning to look bad.
"Alright, alright," Lisa said, mock disappointment in her voice. "I'll walk you out. Slowly."
The two girls moved away from the general party down the short hallway just before the main door. Lisa took the smallest of steps each and every way as a ploy to keep Taylor here for as long as possible. Taylor knew what Lisa was doing but simply smiled as she slowed her pace to match Lisa's.
"This was a nice surprise," Taylor said as they shuffled to the door. "The party, and what you did for Brian."
"Oh, I didn't do it for Brian," Lisa said quietly, looking into her cup. "I did it for me. Because I care too much." She looked up to meet Taylor's eyes. "I wanted to throw this whole shindig last night but I got caught up with some other work and you were... busy. Plus it was a school night anyway."
Taylor had spent her Sunday hanging out with Vicky again. After catching up in the park on Saturday, there were several times while hanging out with Victoria that Taylor felt like 'something' was going to happen. Taylor pushed down the feeling and labelled it as her overactive imagination but that didn't stop her from daydreaming.
Now, walking with Lisa, her 'imagination' was yet again running wild. With every sip of her cup, Lisa's lips looked more and more alluring.
"Speaking of surprise." Lisa chuckled, snapping Taylor out of the embarrassing thought, "The puppy Rachel gave you. I had no idea that was a thing. When Brian asked if we should bring you along to the Stalker bust, I idly mentioned that you were feeling down due to… y'know. I didn't even think anyone else heard me. Rachel kicks her door down and tells us that we should all just maul them with her dogs, so I said, 'Chill, relax. Just give Taylor a puppy to play with and she'll be better.' Next day, Rachel actually brings a puppy here."
She burst into a quiet laugh which Taylor joined in with. Both turned to look at Rachel who was handing the dog to a very curious Alec.
"Come on." Lisa continued, "Admit that you'd rather stay here and play with that adorable thing."
Taylor whined softly, looking at the dog and all her friends having fun. "I want to. I really, really do." Lisa was gently pushing on Taylor, away from the front door and back to the party. "But I can't. I know it's silly. But school's important… To me. It's what my Mom would want me to do. Plus… I'm sure Vicky wouldn't like it if she found out I skipped school for the Undersiders. Kinda goes against my whole deal with her."
Lisa sighed as Taylor turned back to the door. "That girl is always getting in the way of my plans of late," Lisa mumbled to herself.
"What?" Taylor asked, not hearing what she had said.
"Nothing," Lisa said with her smile returning.
Taylor frowned, looking a little sad. "Look, I get that you don't like Vicky as much as I do but-"
"Oh, no. I like her just fine." Lisa said, raising her hand to calm Taylor down. "Honest, we've been talking and everything. Good friends. She's just…" Lisa gestured with her hands as she tried to think of the words. "She's very competitive, and I can't help thinking that I'm in a competition with her… and that I'm losing. Y'know." She took another sip from her cup and mumbled into her drink. "I just had this whole plan in my head and it's not working which is frustrating."
"Lisa," Taylor said with concerned care in her voice. "You're my best friend. You won't lose me. I won't let that happen."
"I know…" Lisa said, looking into her cup. "I was never afraid of losing." Lisa looked up at Taylor again and licked her top lip. "Doesn't mean I won't try anything to get ahead."
Before Taylor could ask what she meant, Lisa leaned in and kissed Taylor. Lisa wrapped one arm around Taylor's waist and pulled her close. For a brief moment, Taylor stood frozen on her feet but then melted into Lisa's touch. The kiss lasted only for a few seconds, before breaking apart and leaving Taylor breathless.
They both stood in silence for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. Taylor's face burned redder than ever before and she began to stumble backwards. Becoming too shy to look Lisa in the eye, Taylor took a quick look down the hallway.
Brian and Rachel were in the middle of an arm wrestle, Rachel was winning, and Alec was acting as a referee while simultaneously playing with the puppy he was now holding. The other Undersiders weren't aware of what just happened. Taylor looked back to Lisa who held her usual smug smile as if fully expecting and relishing the fact that Taylor turned into a flustered mess.
"Wh-what w-was that f-for?" Taylor asked, still trying to make sense of the last few seconds. One moment they were talking and then she just-
"Don't quite know." Lisa mused with a smile, "I've been thinking about doing that these last few days now. Especially after dealing with… stuff." Lisa chuckled, shaking her now empty cup. "But I guess the drink's getting the better of me."
"I-I-I…" Taylor stumbled while touching her lip. Lisa continued to giggle as she watched the nervous girl go through several different emotional states, all good ones. Taylor's face flicked between trying to smile and being completely bewildered.
"You have school, right?" Lisa asked as casually as she could. "I'd hate to distract you, so don't let me keep you waiting. We'll talk more after school." Taylor's hand had somehow reached the door even as her eyes held on Lisa, or Lisa's lips specifically. She wanted Lisa to ask her again, to stay and skip school. To explore whatever the hell that kiss was, Lisa simply held her smug grin and waved Taylor goodbye.
-----------------------------------
Arcadia High School – Midday
Lisa was cruel. A cruel, mean, no-good villain. Taylor knew that she wouldn't get any schoolwork done today. She was too caught up on that kiss and Lisa just let her go after that. All of Taylor's thoughts now turned to Lisa's lips, her arms, or her hair. Taylor couldn't focus. Not right now. Her mind kept spinning with thoughts of how Lisa just suddenly made that move.
What did it mean? Was Lisa interested in her? She blamed it on 'the drink' but Lisa wasn't acting any particular way… at least until she did that. Was Lisa even gay? Taylor had questioned her once and all she ever got was an 'It's complicated.' How did she feel about the kiss?
Taylor loved it. She'd been fighting her stupid smile the entire day. Everyone had been looking at her oddly. The awkward, shy, quiet girl who usually tried her best to be invisible now sat with a dorky smile on her face and Taylor couldn't hide it.
Even Amy, who usually didn't give Taylor so much as an obligatory head nod, gave the girl a raised eyebrow when she saw her in math class. Now it was coming up to lunch and Taylor would have to sit with Vicky and co, grinning like an idiot for the world to see.
Every time Taylor calmed her face, resetting to a neutral position, she'd remember the experience and crack a smile all over again. A girl could only slap her cheeks so many times before people got suspicious. With the bell to lunch ringing out, Taylor took a deep breath, hoping to keep a steady expression for the next hour.
Amy waited by the door, the two had a habit of walking to the cafeteria together. Taylor wasn't sure exactly when it started, they both silently decided that since they were heading in the same direction anyway, they'd walk together. Between Taylor's general shyness and Amy's tired demeanour, the duo barely spoke a word to each other. Taylor liked to think they had a mutual understanding of each other, but in truth, she had no idea.
Amy continued to give Taylor some concerned looks as they walked but elected to remain silent the whole way. Taylor was all the more thankful for that. If Amy did decide to ask what was on Taylor's mind, she'd once again break into a smile that would never fall from her face. Both girls found their table and took their seats. Wordlessly digging into their meal while they waited for the rest of the posse to join.
Carlos, Dean and Dennis sat down together. Notably not with Vicky in tow. All three boys had a glum look on their faces like they had all received the same bad news and were processing it individually. Taylor thought it was strange until she remembered her assumption that they were all Wards and were probably reacting to the news of Shadow Stalker going to jail.
Victoria and the remaining girls joined shortly after, looking like her usual cheery self. She was in the middle of describing the dress that Taylor bought for her the other week back, both Alice and Jessica being enthralled by the photo on Vicky's phone. She sat down across from Taylor and shot her usual smile at the taller girl, then froze briefly as she took a good look at Taylor.
"Hey, Tay. Everything good?" Victoria asked, looking back to Taylor with an even wider smile.
"Yeah? Why?" Taylor asked as casually as possible.
"You're smiling," Victoria said, with a bright smile on her face.
Taylor wasn't
even aware that she was doing it again. She fought the urge to smile, trying to pull her lips back to neutral but that only made her more aware of what her cheeks were doing. Face reddening, Taylor covered my mouth with her hand and shied away into herself.
"S-sorry," Taylor mumbled, as the rest of the table was beginning to take notice.
Victoria shook her head. "Don't apologise, it's a good look on you." She said reaching out to pat Taylor's own hand. "Any occasion?"
"N-no." Taylor lied. Victoria raised her eyebrow, not believing her words. "J-just something unexpectedly good happened… is all."
"Well, I hope your day gets even better from here," Victoria said, her smile radiating in all its charming glory, or that could just be her aura, Taylor was getting used to feeling it in Vicky's presence.
A part of Taylor felt a little guilty. She knew she had a crush on Victoria and yet here she was thinking about Lisa and the kiss they shared. While spending the weekend with Victoria, Taylor had several moments where she had wished that Vicky kissed her but they never happened. Victoria claiming to be her 'personal hero' was a standout moment where Taylor's legs felt like jelly and yet it stayed in her imagination.
However, the more she looked at Vicky, the more that little pit of guilt swelled up. Lisa had kissed her, a literal dream come true. Taylor never believed that either girl would be into her, it felt silly to be guilty over a one-sided crush. What was she planning on saying to Vicky? 'Sorry, you probably didn't know I had a huge crush on you but my other huge crush gave me a kiss and maybe it'll turn into something more.'
Should she tell Vicky what had happened? Her immediate thought was to keep quiet about her life as usual but then she remembered Vicky. Her new best friend, who used to date the boy at the end of the table. Victoria could surely give Taylor advice on how to deal with her feelings.
She shook her head, Taylor didn't even know what she and Lisa were. They planned on 'talking more' after school and Taylor couldn't stop thinking about how that conversation would go. What did people even say in those situations? She had no idea how to proceed. She'd never been in a relationship. She didn't know how they worked. In short, Taylor was a nervous wreck.
"Taylor?" Vicky asked, looking at her in curiosity. Taylor snapped out of her thoughts and looked back to Victoria. Taylor usually retreated into her bugs when she didn't feel like participating in the daily lunchtime conversation, content to just sit and listen to the world around her. Victoria often got annoyed by that habit of Taylor's, wishing that the girl would engage more with the people around her. She'd gotten a little better over the last few days before she was 'ill,' but today Taylor had completely zoned out for the bulk of lunch.
"Sorry," Taylor said, hiding her face again. Too shy to let herself embrace the good mood she was in. "What did you say?" Taylor quickly tried to remember what the table was currently talking about.
Vicky shook her head with a huff but continued to smile. "I asked if you were doing anything after school. We're all getting ready to study for our exams. Want to join us?"
The school year was coming to an end in another month, while Taylor and Amy wouldn't be worrying about any exams for another couple of weeks, Vicky and her grade were preparing for graduation. The thought made Taylor a little sad when she dwelled on it, with how much time she spent alone in Arcadia before Victoria cornered her.
"I-I… I can't." Taylor said with a sad sigh. Now conflicted. On one hand, she did want to spend as much time with Victoria before the school year ended. But on the other… "I already have plans. With Li- Uh, my work friends." Taylor took a quick look to see who else was listening to their conversation. Taylor was still cautious of talking about the Undersiders with the rest of the table, keeping it vague as 'work friends.' Victoria nodded in understanding, frowning as she did.
"Oh… Okay." Victoria said, her smile faltering a little before she shook herself off. She turned back towards Taylor. "In that case. Can I talk to you about something?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Taylor said, noting the change in Vicky's mood. She leaned in and waited but Victoria shook her head.
"Not here," Victoria said, looking back to Taylor with an even more determined grin. "Follow me."
Standing up from the table, Vicky ushered Taylor to do the same and follow her. Taylor assumed this was code for, 'I want to talk about cape stuff' and quickly hurried after her. She wasn't sure what exactly Victoria wanted to talk about but perhaps this would make a good time to get her opinion on how to approach Lisa.
"Where are you two going?" One of the boys asked, the table taking notice of them leaving. It sounded like Dean but Taylor didn't turn around.
"Girl talk," Victoria said with a wink. "See you in class." She waved the table goodbye as she took a confused Taylor by the hand and led her away.
----------------------------------------
Taylor was led away from the cafeteria and into one of the corridors, which lead to a small classroom. Similar to the room where Vicky confronted her after their 'fight.' Admittedly, this made Taylor a little worried. She was sure that Victoria wouldn't betray her but the nerves came to her anyway.
Victoria closed the door and leaned in towards Taylor. Vicky was hovering off the ground slightly, a telltale sign that she was in a good mood which helped Taylor relax even more. "So," She said as she clapped her hand. Taylor noted the unusual nervous energy that she held in herself "I should've said something the other day but I kept postponing it because I was… I don't even know."
Taylor was getting the feeling that this wasn't just a simple chat about cape stuff. Victoria was trying to work her way up to something, and thinking back on the lunch she zoned out of, Victoria had been looking at Taylor far more than usual.
"You see really happy today." Victoria continued, changing the subject with a smile. "It's good to see. I like seeing you smile, you shouldn't try to hide it as much. You said something good happened today?"
Taylor froze briefly as she tried to organise her thoughts. Victoria had given Taylor the perfect opening to ask about relationships and how to approach them with Lisa.
"Yeah…" Taylor began, thinking up how to tell Victoria what happened, she figured it was best to tell the story from the beginning. "I woke up with a message to see the Undersiders. They were celebrating the arrest of…" Taylor realised that celebrating a hero being arrested might paint a bad image for Victoria.
"Of Shadow Stalker," Vicky said, finishing the sentence with a smile. "Yes, I heard she got caught the other night. Serves that bitch right."
Taylor was surprised to hear that from the hero. Vicky shrugged with a grin and Taylor matched her own smile. Victoria wasn't a girl scout, Taylor kept needed to remember that.
"Anyway. I show up there. And Al- uh Regent offers me a drink. And it's eight AM or something. Not to mention the kid is younger than me. So that felt a little weird. Then Bitch drops a puppy in my lap. I was pretty sure she hated me or something but apparently not. And we sat around watching the news-" Taylor continued, working her way through what happened as a smile grew on her face. Victoria was enthralled, not by the story but by how Taylor was telling it.
Victoria hovered closer to Taylor, the taller girl unaware of how close the two had gotten. Victoria was only barely an inch off the ground but they were now face to face with each other. Taylor stopped talking just as Victoria's face encompassed her entire view.
"Oh. Sorry." Taylor mumbled, embarrassed at how much she had been talking. "You brought me here because you had something to tell me and here I am…" She chuckled softly.
"So, a party?" Victoria asked with a chuckle. "Drinking underage and in the early hours. That's villain behaviour right there." She was obviously joking but it still caused Taylor to look away in guilt. "Honestly, I'm jealous. I've been trying to get you to smile like that all weekend, if I knew all it took was a party I would've thrown one ages ago."
"Well, actually it wasn't until Lisa-" Taylor said before Victoria sighed audibly.
"Of course, Lisa is to blame." Vicky chuckled.
"She said you two were friends now?…" Taylor asked wearily. Lisa had said so earlier today, but then again, Lisa was a lying liar who lied.
"Hmm. I guess." Victoria admitted, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't mean I stopped considering her my rival or whatever." She added with a smile.
"R-rival?" Taylor asked, suddenly aware of just how close Victoria was to her face.
"Don't worry." Vicky giggled, "Just a bit of friendly competition for our shared best friend."
"Oh?…" Taylor chuckled nervously. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right? Whatever happens between the three of us, we'll still be best friends." Taylor was sensing an extreme level of déjà vu, that was making her feel things.
"I know," Victoria said, her arm wrapping around Taylor's back. "But I still prefer to win regardless."
For the second time today, Taylor was pulled in for a kiss. Vicky's lips were pressed into hers, sending shivers down her spine. This kiss was different from the ones she shared with Lisa. Where Lisa was just a sweet chaste kiss with some mischievous intentions behind it. This one felt almost possessive as it lingered between the two girls. There was defiantly an experience in the kiss which she found as intimidating as it was enticing.
Taylor couldn't think of which kiss she preferred, mainly because she couldn't think at all.
The bell for class rang out as Victoria pulled away from Taylor. The taller girl was left dumbstruck by the kiss, it took half a
minute before Taylor made an actual sound. A part of her felt incredibly guilty because of Lisa, Vicky not knowing what Lisa had done and now Lisa not knowing what Vicky had done. But that still didn't stop her from smiling like an idiot. Taylor mumbled something about 'bad timing' to which Victoria responded with a giggle.
"Sorry," Victoria said still chuckling. "I had this whole thing planned in my head after school. I really like you… and I'm pretty sure you like me. But since you already had plans, I had to improvise." Taylor nodded her head in somewhat understanding, still awestruck by the events that just passed. "Look, I've gotta get to class. But uh, I don't really want to rush this. Can we talk, later today? I don't mind if it's late."
Taylor nodded again, a building state of panic inside her that Victoria took for general first-kiss nerves.
"Great," Victoria said, giving Taylor a hug before moving for the door. She turned around again and shot Taylor a bright smile before floating off.
------------------------------------------
Taylor was already distracted as all hell when she came into school today. Now for the final third of the school day, her mind had checked out. Both girls had kissed her, and both her best friends had expressed interest in Taylor. Boring, ugly, shy Taylor.
What was she to do?
When she woke up today, she thought that there was no chance in hell that Victoria Dallon thought of her that way, and Lisa was an enigma all in herself. Now both blondes had decided that today of all days was the time to kiss her and that left her with a choice that she really didn't want to make.
The obvious thought popped up in her head. Date them both. It was a dream that Taylor had come up with a few days ago. She never in a million years expected it to work, shaking the idea from her head even now. Even if she might be willing to do that, there was no way in hell Vicky and Lisa would agree to it. She had to be practical and stay in reality.
That left her with a choice. Either Lisa or Victoria. She tried putting them into mental boxes, pros and cons. Taylor quickly dismissed the idea, not liking the thought of 'who is the better person.' They were both wonderful, beautiful and different. Even the obvious cons like 'Dating a superhero would be suicide' would be countered by 'Dating a villain isn't any safer.' No, Taylor couldn't solve this debate on logic alone. She had to rely on her feelings.
How did she feel about them? Did she care for anyone over the other? She was attracted to each of them individually, she had enjoyed their conversations and had grown fond of their company. The guilt over being so indecisive ate away at her. She wasn't going to let this continue, by day's end, a choice would be made that would change their relationship forever, and that scared the hell out of Taylor.
She knew from the beginning what she had to do. With a sigh, Taylor pulled out her phone and sent a message to both girls.
-----------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – After school
The three girls sat around a private cafe table, a few blocks down from Arcadia. Taylor hadn't explained the nature of the meeting, even when Vicky asked her by the exit of the school. Both blondes looked at each other and then at Taylor expectantly.
Taylor knew she had to talk fast before Lisa's powers worked it out anyway. Wanting to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings, Taylor took in a deep breath and then started talking.
"OkaysoLisaactuallykissedmeinthemorningbutthenVickykissedmeatschooltodayandnowIdon'tknowwhattodobecauseIlikeyoubothandI'msosorryforthat."
Both girls looked at her in concern. Taylor mumbled the entire sentence at light speed to the point that neither girl actually heard what she said. Lisa was gesturing with her finger while she thought about the jumble of words they heard, replaying it slowly in her mind before giving Victoria the side eye.
"Wow…" Lisa drawled, turning to Vicky. "You just had to go in for the steal in the final minutes."
"What?" Vicky asked confused, turning to Taylor. "Tay? Could you say that again for me? I didn't quite hear you."
Taylor took in another breath and tried to speak normally this time. "Y-you both… kissed me today. And I don't know what to do. Or… I do know what to do, but I'm afraid to say it."
"Wow…" Vicky drawled back to Lisa. "Barely two days after calling us friends."
"You said you didn't mind if I asked her first," Lisa said with a smug shrug.
"I did not," Victoria said back. "I specifically said that I didn't say that. And you know that."
"You're not even into girls, remember?" Lisa said sarcastically.
"You knew damn well I was into Taylor," Vicky whined back, both girls on the edge of a full-blown argument.
"Please!" Taylor called out. Holding out her hands. "Don't fight. I don't want any of us to fight." Both girls quieted down and looked at Taylor. Taylor lowered her hands back to the table. "Look. I was… I am really happy. For today. Knowing that both of you of like me, like that. I never imagined…" Taylor looked between each girl, she could see it, both of them were waiting for an answer, the answer. Who would she choose, who gets to 'win.' "I haven't had a best friend in a long time. I'm so… happy to have two now. And I'd rather all three of us get along than complicate it. I'm sorry. That's how I feel. Can we all just?…"
Taylor struggled to look at either girl. Choosing to look down at the table while she waited for a response. She'd gotten everything she'd ever wanted today, twice over but it wasn't worth risking what she already had. Hoping that neither girl would be upset with her rejecting them in favour of their continued shared friendship.
Victoria nodded. She understood exactly what Taylor was saying. She didn't like it as much as what could've been, but if Taylor wanted all three of them to stay as friends, then that's what she would do.
Lisa sighed in an overly sarcastic manner. "Fine, I guess we are sharing after all." Placing her hand on top of Taylor's. "A throuple might be fun too." She added, causing the other two girls to look up in confusion.
"Wait, what?" Taylor asked, looking up at Lisa who smiled. "I meant the three of us as fr-"
"You drive a hard bargain." Lisa chuckled, "But I suppose I can tolerate her for you." Lisa turned over to Victoria, ignoring Taylor's confused and reddening face. "Whaddaya say? Think you could date me? For Tay's sake?" She extended a hand towards Victoria, who looked just as shocked as Taylor.
"I-I… what?" Victoria asked, looking at Lisa's hand. "How would that even work?"
"Don't know." Lisa chuckled, "That's half the fun."
"I think Taylor was just asking us to be friends," Vicky said.
"Yeah. but isn't that such a boring alternative?" Lisa responded.
"Would Taylor even want that?" Victoria asked, looking back to the bewildered Taylor.
"Oh yeah." Lisa giggled, also looking at Taylor's increasingly shy demeanour. "Look, either. It doesn't work out, one of us starts feeling jealous and such. In which case we all go back to being friends. Or…" Lisa looked back to Victoria, not even bothering to ask Taylor for approval, she already knew that Vicky was the only one here who actually needed to be convinced.
"Is that even allowed? It's not exactly normal." Victoria asked, it was clear that she'd never considered the idea until Lisa purposed it. Lisa laughed a little louder.
"Vicky," Lisa said, raising an eyebrow at the hero. "You were ready to start a gay relationship in Brockton Bay. Y'know, home of the freaking Empire Eighty-eight. It's already not that 'normal' around here." Victoria looked as if she just remembered the fact that she beats up Nazis for a living. "Besides, who the fuck cares what's allowed. We're villains remember." Lisa gestured between herself and Taylor. "Now come be gay and do crimes with us." She held her hand back out for Victoria to grab.
"I'm not a villain," Victoria whined, unsure of herself.
"Yes, yes." Lisa said as she rolled her eyes, "You're a hero to the people. Now are you in or out?"
"Shouldn't this be more of a romantic thing?" Victoria said with a pout. Her hand slowly inched towards Lisa's.
"Let's just all agree to it first, then I'll woo you later." Lisa chuckled. "I promise."
"W-what's happening right now?" Taylor asked in disbelief, finally finding words to say. Both girls held hands with each other and with Taylor.
"Good news," Lisa said with a grin. "We all get two girlfriends today." Taylor was already blushing like a tomato and Victoria wasn't that far behind. "Taylor's still my favourite." She added while looking at Victoria.
"Mine too." Vicky teased back to Lisa. "I guess we should make sure this can actually work, right?" Victoria asked, still sounding nervous but not wanting to be talked over by Lisa again.
"Oh, and what do you have in mind?" Lisa asked, curious about Vicky's building confidence.
"Well..." Vicky said, a little more sure of herself. "You wouldn't mind if I gave Taylor another kiss? Seeing as she's my girlfriend and all."
Lisa shook her head and gestured to say 'By all means' as Victoria turned back to Taylor, gently moving closer to the girl. Victoria moved in for a quick kiss, less passionate than the one during school but no less desired. A simple peck before looking back to Lisa for confirmation.
The question of 'how' this happened was still running through Taylor's mind. One moment, Taylor was telling them how they should all just stay friends and now Lisa was moving closer around the other side of Taylor to promptly give her a kiss of her own. Both girls kept their 'competitive spirit' alive regardless of the fact that everyone had already 'won.'
"What was that? You're first kiss?" Vicky teased Lisa, proving that she was comfortable with the arrangement.
"Second, actually." Lisa said, still smiling
smugly but a little red in the face.
"That was only my forth..." Taylor mumbled, not wanting to be left out of the banter.
All three girls chuckled. There was still an air of awkwardness to it all, but all three were willing to try.
Between the warm feeling in her hands and the constant beating of her heart. Taylor was pretty sure she died and went to heaven last night. It was almost perfect, although Taylor wasn't sure how she felt about being in a relationship with 'favourites.' It was a little scary knowing that her two best friends, her two girlfriends, were fighting over her still. Taylor could only hope that, in time, Vicky and Lisa could grow to care about each other the same way Taylor felt about them.
A/N: 13 chapters and the title finally makes sense!
I knew I'd get there eventually
Taylor approached the door and fumbled for her keys. Being a Monday, Taylor found it odd to be called into 'work' so early in the morning. She was dressed for school with her backpack over her shoulder, hoping that whatever meeting the team was having would be over fairly quickly. She'd received several messages on her phone to get over to the base for an important meeting.
The first message was from Lisa, simply letting her know that something was in the works and that Taylor should come on by. A second message from Brian told her that the entire team was waiting for her, and a third message from Alec told her to 'move her ass' and that she was missing out on 'the fun.'
The door opened before Taylor could find the correct key. Alec swung the door open with a smile.
"Heyyy. Skitter's here!" He cheered as he looked Taylor over. Several whoops were coming further in from the living room. "Come on, Bugs. You need to catch up."
"Catch up for what?" Taylor asked, stepping in and noting Alec's odd behaviour. The kid was loud, obnoxiously so. Calling her 'Skitter' for the entire neighbourhood to hear.
Taylor's bugs already picked up on the other Undersiders. While no insects were currently in the living room, the vibrations from whatever music they were playing could be felt in Taylor's terrarium. Entering the main room, the rest of the team turned to Taylor and cheered with a collective 'Taylor!' The source of the odd behaviour was evident in everyone's hand.
"Sit down, have a drink." Alec slurred as he landed on the couch. "You look like a cider girl."
Alec fumbled around on the other side of the couch before offering a bottle to Taylor.
"Uh…" Taylor hesitated as she looked at the bottle in his hand. She hadn't expected to be offered alcohol, especially not so early in the day. Taylor never had an alcoholic drink in her life and never had much interest in it. Alec continued to wiggle the bottle towards her.
"Taylor," Brian said in a huff, looking at the exchange while sipping on his own drink. "Don't feel pressured to drink if you don't want to. We have sodas in the fridge."
"What? If she wants to be boring like Lisa…" Alec said while rolling his eyes, "At least give me a chance to pressure my peers."
Taylor turned from the bottle in Alec's hand to look at Grue. "Yeah… thanks. What's all this about?"
"We're celebrating," Lisa said, exiting the kitchen with a red cup in one hand and a can in the other. She chucked a cola in Taylor's direction. Taylor caught the canned drink after the third fumble. "You're just in time. The news is about to start."
"The news?" Taylor asked, holding the can away from her as she opened it. It fizzed out and over her hand, causing Alec to chuckle at her.
Brian pointed his drink towards the television screen which was currently muted. It was showing some morning yoga program that Alec was a little too hypnotised by but had a countdown for the morning news that was about to begin.
"Lisa and I had our own private op the other night," Brian explained with a grin. "While I wasn't particularly happy with how it went, I certainly can't argue with the results."
Taylor looked at the time on the television and guessed that she had enough time to watch it before school started, still feeling slightly uncomfortable by the casual drinking around her.
"Show starts soon," Lisa said across the room. "Grab some snacks and get comfy."
Taylor found a spare seat off to the side and sat down. Brian offered a bag of chips to her before taking a seat next to Alec. Lisa stood behind the couch and unmuted the television. Before Taylor could see the logos of the morning news her view was blocked out by someone standing over her.
Rachel looked down at Taylor with her usual intimidating glare. For a moment, Taylor was worried that she had somehow sat down in Rachel's chair. Out of all the Undersiders, Taylor got along with Rachel the least. She was brutish, violent, and angry. The woman reminded Taylor a lot of Sophia at times and generally avoided her when she could. Now she stood over Taylor, inebriated with a drink in one hand and in the other… a puppy?
"Here," Rachel said, dropping the pup in Taylor's lap. "Be gentle with him." Taylor caught the dog with her free arm and settled the animal snuggly on top of her. The puppy immediately stood up and assaulted Taylor's hand and face with licks. "And don't feed him anything. I'll be watching," Rachel added as she sat down on the arm of the couch.
"Wh-what's this for?" Taylor asked, trying to keep her face clear of the dog's relentless attempts to lick her. Rachel looked back like Taylor had asked the dumbest and most obvious question in the world.
"Heard you had a fucked day. All unhappy and shit cause of some bitches." Rachel explained, looking at the television that was currently reporting the morning traffic. "Offered to sick Brutus on them but Lisa said you'd prefer this."
Taylor looked over to Lisa but was simply met with Lisa shrugging. She looked at the puppy in her lap and back to Rachel. "Oh, thanks. He's great." Taylor said, still confused by the entire exchange. She never expected Rachel of all people to do something nice for her.
"Yeah, whatever," Rachel said, ignoring the looks the entire team were giving her. "It's only temporary. Shelter needed someone to look after him this week. I'll take him back end of the week."
Alec shushed everyone. "I think this is it. Turn it up." The team turned their attention fully to the television as the news reporter spoke.
"And to our top story for the day. Brockton Bay Ward, Shadow Stalker, was found covered in blood the other day, during a bust gone wrong. While no apparent murder has taken place, video footage of the scene leaked online has sparked public outrage and a call to action. Beware, this footage may disturb younger viewers."
The news cut to a highly censored video of Grue hitting the floor as Tattletale cried out in the background. Taylor turned from the TV to Lisa, who bowed where she stood, acting as if she won an award for her acting skill. The footage then showed Shadow Stalker standing over the 'body' kicking it over and pulling out a knife before kneeling. From there, the footage was pixelated to all hell, but the audio alone said enough to paint a picture. Taylor looked between Lisa and Brain in concerned shock as both returned a smug smirk.
"Investigators have confirmed that while the body was modelled after notorious Brockton Bay Villain, Grue of the Undersiders." The news report continued, Alec chuckled at the description. "It was in fact, a fake body stuffed with animal meat and pig's blood. It is believed that the actual Grue remains unharmed and still at large."
"Hear that. You're a wanted man." Alec laughed, punching Brian in the leg. Brain didn't bother responding with the obvious point that the whole team was already wanted.
"While it is obvious that this was a ruse devised by the Undersiders, the fact of Shadow Stalker's blatant violence cannot be ignored, with many people calling for her immediate arrest. 'The Wards should be a beacon of hope in this city, not violent thugs' one mother commented on the now-viral video. A sentiment shared by many. We go now to PRT Director Emily Piggot's statement from earlier this morning."
The screen changed over to a PRT conference that took place sometime very early in the morning. The PRT had set up a podium where a very tired Director Piggot spoke to the press.
"Shadow Stalker's actions were not only reprehensible, but she went completely against the core values of the PRT. Piggot said in the small snapshot of the press conference. "Heroes are here to protect and serve the community, not to brutalise those they deem criminals. We will continue to strive to instil in our remaining young Wards with knowledge and values that will keep the people of Brockton Bay safe. As for Shadow Stalker, she shall remain in PRT custody pending a thorough investigation. Rest assured, Shadow Stalker has been retired and will no longer operate in the Brockton Bay area. Many of you have called out for an immediate jail sentence for the ex-Ward, however, due to article 21 of the Parahuman Cape Privacy Act, we cannot comment on if and where Shadow Stalker will be sent."
Lisa laughed with a short snort. "Will be, not could be." She raised her cup to the rest of the team. "Shadow Stalker's in prison. You can bet on that."
The rest of the Undersider's joined in, Taylor included with her canned soda. Everyone cheered and whooped, loudly enough to startle the puppy that was still in Taylor's lap. She petted the dog a few times until it relaxed again.
"Man, I wish I could've seen her face when you two fucked her over like that." Alec chuckled, turning towards Brian and Lisa.
"How the hell did you two pull that off? And why wasn't I invited?" Rachel asked, also looking at Brian.
Brain shrugged and raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me." He said, pointing to Lisa. "It was all her idea. I was just along for the ride."
Lisa looked over the team proudly. "What? Me? I did nothing." She said, badly acting casual. "Just used some insider knowledge of Shadow Stalker to finally nail that bitch is all. She hurt the people I care about, so I hurt her right back."
"Don't get all soppy on me now Lise," Brian said, acting somewhat bashful at the comment, "But seriously, thank you. I feel a lot better knowing I don't have to be looking out for her anymore."
Lisa continued to smile, but only Taylor realised that it was her that Lisa had looked to when she spoke. Taylor wasn't exactly sure why but she enjoyed the attention from Lisa all the same.
The Undersiders broke from the couch to either turn the music back on, grab more food or get another drink. Taylor used that moment as an excuse to leave. Picking up the puppy
in her lap and sadly handing it back to Rachel she said over the group, "I'm seriously gonna be late for school if I stay here any longer. I'll see you all later today?"
The rest of the team made over-exaggerated cries about how 'Taylor was ditching them' and that she should stay for a little while longer. "A real villain would skip school and drink with the cool kids," Alec called out, offering a drink to Taylor again before promptly being smacked over the head by Brian.
"Glad you could make it Taylor." Lisa said with a smile, walking over to her, "You sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Lisa shot Taylor her own brand of 'puppy dog eyes' to which Taylor struggled to find the will to resist.
"I… Really have to go…" Taylor said, hesitantly. She didn't want to go but she promised her Dad, and Vicky that she wouldn't skip school. She'd already taken a few days off, it was beginning to look bad.
"Alright, alright," Lisa said, mock disappointment in her voice. "I'll walk you out. Slowly."
The two girls moved away from the general party down the short hallway just before the main door. Lisa took the smallest of steps each and every way as a ploy to keep Taylor here for as long as possible. Taylor knew what Lisa was doing but simply smiled as she slowed her pace to match Lisa's.
"This was a nice surprise," Taylor said as they shuffled to the door. "The party, and what you did for Brian."
"Oh, I didn't do it for Brian," Lisa said quietly, looking into her cup. "I did it for me. Because I care too much." She looked up to meet Taylor's eyes. "I wanted to throw this whole shindig last night but I got caught up with some other work and you were... busy. Plus it was a school night anyway."
Taylor had spent her Sunday hanging out with Vicky again. After catching up in the park on Saturday, there were several times while hanging out with Victoria that Taylor felt like 'something' was going to happen. Taylor pushed down the feeling and labelled it as her overactive imagination but that didn't stop her from daydreaming.
Now, walking with Lisa, her 'imagination' was yet again running wild. With every sip of her cup, Lisa's lips looked more and more alluring.
"Speaking of surprise." Lisa chuckled, snapping Taylor out of the embarrassing thought, "The puppy Rachel gave you. I had no idea that was a thing. When Brian asked if we should bring you along to the Stalker bust, I idly mentioned that you were feeling down due to… y'know. I didn't even think anyone else heard me. Rachel kicks her door down and tells us that we should all just maul them with her dogs, so I said, 'Chill, relax. Just give Taylor a puppy to play with and she'll be better.' Next day, Rachel actually brings a puppy here."
She burst into a quiet laugh which Taylor joined in with. Both turned to look at Rachel who was handing the dog to a very curious Alec.
"Come on." Lisa continued, "Admit that you'd rather stay here and play with that adorable thing."
Taylor whined softly, looking at the dog and all her friends having fun. "I want to. I really, really do." Lisa was gently pushing on Taylor, away from the front door and back to the party. "But I can't. I know it's silly. But school's important… To me. It's what my Mom would want me to do. Plus… I'm sure Vicky wouldn't like it if she found out I skipped school for the Undersiders. Kinda goes against my whole deal with her."
Lisa sighed as Taylor turned back to the door. "That girl is always getting in the way of my plans of late," Lisa mumbled to herself.
"What?" Taylor asked, not hearing what she had said.
"Nothing," Lisa said with her smile returning.
Taylor frowned, looking a little sad. "Look, I get that you don't like Vicky as much as I do but-"
"Oh, no. I like her just fine." Lisa said, raising her hand to calm Taylor down. "Honest, we've been talking and everything. Good friends. She's just…" Lisa gestured with her hands as she tried to think of the words. "She's very competitive, and I can't help thinking that I'm in a competition with her… and that I'm losing. Y'know." She took another sip from her cup and mumbled into her drink. "I just had this whole plan in my head and it's not working which is frustrating."
"Lisa," Taylor said with concerned care in her voice. "You're my best friend. You won't lose me. I won't let that happen."
"I know…" Lisa said, looking into her cup. "I was never afraid of losing." Lisa looked up at Taylor again and licked her top lip. "Doesn't mean I won't try anything to get ahead."
Before Taylor could ask what she meant, Lisa leaned in and kissed Taylor. Lisa wrapped one arm around Taylor's waist and pulled her close. For a brief moment, Taylor stood frozen on her feet but then melted into Lisa's touch. The kiss lasted only for a few seconds, before breaking apart and leaving Taylor breathless.
They both stood in silence for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. Taylor's face burned redder than ever before and she began to stumble backwards. Becoming too shy to look Lisa in the eye, Taylor took a quick look down the hallway.
Brian and Rachel were in the middle of an arm wrestle, Rachel was winning, and Alec was acting as a referee while simultaneously playing with the puppy he was now holding. The other Undersiders weren't aware of what just happened. Taylor looked back to Lisa who held her usual smug smile as if fully expecting and relishing the fact that Taylor turned into a flustered mess.
"Wh-what w-was that f-for?" Taylor asked, still trying to make sense of the last few seconds. One moment they were talking and then she just-
"Don't quite know." Lisa mused with a smile, "I've been thinking about doing that these last few days now. Especially after dealing with… stuff." Lisa chuckled, shaking her now empty cup. "But I guess the drink's getting the better of me."
"I-I-I…" Taylor stumbled while touching her lip. Lisa continued to giggle as she watched the nervous girl go through several different emotional states, all good ones. Taylor's face flicked between trying to smile and being completely bewildered.
"You have school, right?" Lisa asked as casually as she could. "I'd hate to distract you, so don't let me keep you waiting. We'll talk more after school." Taylor's hand had somehow reached the door even as her eyes held on Lisa, or Lisa's lips specifically. She wanted Lisa to ask her again, to stay and skip school. To explore whatever the hell that kiss was, Lisa simply held her smug grin and waved Taylor goodbye.
-----------------------------------
Arcadia High School – Midday
Lisa was cruel. A cruel, mean, no-good villain. Taylor knew that she wouldn't get any schoolwork done today. She was too caught up on that kiss and Lisa just let her go after that. All of Taylor's thoughts now turned to Lisa's lips, her arms, or her hair. Taylor couldn't focus. Not right now. Her mind kept spinning with thoughts of how Lisa just suddenly made that move.
What did it mean? Was Lisa interested in her? She blamed it on 'the drink' but Lisa wasn't acting any particular way… at least until she did that. Was Lisa even gay? Taylor had questioned her once and all she ever got was an 'It's complicated.' How did she feel about the kiss?
Taylor loved it. She'd been fighting her stupid smile the entire day. Everyone had been looking at her oddly. The awkward, shy, quiet girl who usually tried her best to be invisible now sat with a dorky smile on her face and Taylor couldn't hide it.
Even Amy, who usually didn't give Taylor so much as an obligatory head nod, gave the girl a raised eyebrow when she saw her in math class. Now it was coming up to lunch and Taylor would have to sit with Vicky and co, grinning like an idiot for the world to see.
Every time Taylor calmed her face, resetting to a neutral position, she'd remember the experience and crack a smile all over again. A girl could only slap her cheeks so many times before people got suspicious. With the bell to lunch ringing out, Taylor took a deep breath, hoping to keep a steady expression for the next hour.
Amy waited by the door, the two had a habit of walking to the cafeteria together. Taylor wasn't sure exactly when it started, they both silently decided that since they were heading in the same direction anyway, they'd walk together. Between Taylor's general shyness and Amy's tired demeanour, the duo barely spoke a word to each other. Taylor liked to think they had a mutual understanding of each other, but in truth, she had no idea.
Amy continued to give Taylor some concerned looks as they walked but elected to remain silent the whole way. Taylor was all the more thankful for that. If Amy did decide to ask what was on Taylor's mind, she'd once again break into a smile that would never fall from her face. Both girls found their table and took their seats. Wordlessly digging into their meal while they waited for the rest of the posse to join.
Carlos, Dean and Dennis sat down together. Notably not with Vicky in tow. All three boys had a glum look on their faces like they had all received the same bad news and were processing it individually. Taylor thought it was strange until she remembered her assumption that they were all Wards and were probably reacting to the news of Shadow Stalker going to jail.
Victoria and the remaining girls joined shortly after, looking like her usual cheery self. She was in the middle of describing the dress that Taylor bought for her the other week back, both Alice and Jessica being enthralled by the photo on Vicky's phone. She sat down across from Taylor and shot her usual smile at the taller girl, then froze briefly as she took a good look at Taylor.
"Hey, Tay. Everything good?" Victoria asked, looking back to Taylor with an even wider smile.
"Yeah? Why?" Taylor asked as casually as possible.
"You're smiling," Victoria said, with a bright smile on her face.
Taylor wasn't
even aware that she was doing it again. She fought the urge to smile, trying to pull her lips back to neutral but that only made her more aware of what her cheeks were doing. Face reddening, Taylor covered my mouth with her hand and shied away into herself.
"S-sorry," Taylor mumbled, as the rest of the table was beginning to take notice.
Victoria shook her head. "Don't apologise, it's a good look on you." She said reaching out to pat Taylor's own hand. "Any occasion?"
"N-no." Taylor lied. Victoria raised her eyebrow, not believing her words. "J-just something unexpectedly good happened… is all."
"Well, I hope your day gets even better from here," Victoria said, her smile radiating in all its charming glory, or that could just be her aura, Taylor was getting used to feeling it in Vicky's presence.
A part of Taylor felt a little guilty. She knew she had a crush on Victoria and yet here she was thinking about Lisa and the kiss they shared. While spending the weekend with Victoria, Taylor had several moments where she had wished that Vicky kissed her but they never happened. Victoria claiming to be her 'personal hero' was a standout moment where Taylor's legs felt like jelly and yet it stayed in her imagination.
However, the more she looked at Vicky, the more that little pit of guilt swelled up. Lisa had kissed her, a literal dream come true. Taylor never believed that either girl would be into her, it felt silly to be guilty over a one-sided crush. What was she planning on saying to Vicky? 'Sorry, you probably didn't know I had a huge crush on you but my other huge crush gave me a kiss and maybe it'll turn into something more.'
Should she tell Vicky what had happened? Her immediate thought was to keep quiet about her life as usual but then she remembered Vicky. Her new best friend, who used to date the boy at the end of the table. Victoria could surely give Taylor advice on how to deal with her feelings.
She shook her head, Taylor didn't even know what she and Lisa were. They planned on 'talking more' after school and Taylor couldn't stop thinking about how that conversation would go. What did people even say in those situations? She had no idea how to proceed. She'd never been in a relationship. She didn't know how they worked. In short, Taylor was a nervous wreck.
"Taylor?" Vicky asked, looking at her in curiosity. Taylor snapped out of her thoughts and looked back to Victoria. Taylor usually retreated into her bugs when she didn't feel like participating in the daily lunchtime conversation, content to just sit and listen to the world around her. Victoria often got annoyed by that habit of Taylor's, wishing that the girl would engage more with the people around her. She'd gotten a little better over the last few days before she was 'ill,' but today Taylor had completely zoned out for the bulk of lunch.
"Sorry," Taylor said, hiding her face again. Too shy to let herself embrace the good mood she was in. "What did you say?" Taylor quickly tried to remember what the table was currently talking about.
Vicky shook her head with a huff but continued to smile. "I asked if you were doing anything after school. We're all getting ready to study for our exams. Want to join us?"
The school year was coming to an end in another month, while Taylor and Amy wouldn't be worrying about any exams for another couple of weeks, Vicky and her grade were preparing for graduation. The thought made Taylor a little sad when she dwelled on it, with how much time she spent alone in Arcadia before Victoria cornered her.
"I-I… I can't." Taylor said with a sad sigh. Now conflicted. On one hand, she did want to spend as much time with Victoria before the school year ended. But on the other… "I already have plans. With Li- Uh, my work friends." Taylor took a quick look to see who else was listening to their conversation. Taylor was still cautious of talking about the Undersiders with the rest of the table, keeping it vague as 'work friends.' Victoria nodded in understanding, frowning as she did.
"Oh… Okay." Victoria said, her smile faltering a little before she shook herself off. She turned back towards Taylor. "In that case. Can I talk to you about something?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Taylor said, noting the change in Vicky's mood. She leaned in and waited but Victoria shook her head.
"Not here," Victoria said, looking back to Taylor with an even more determined grin. "Follow me."
Standing up from the table, Vicky ushered Taylor to do the same and follow her. Taylor assumed this was code for, 'I want to talk about cape stuff' and quickly hurried after her. She wasn't sure what exactly Victoria wanted to talk about but perhaps this would make a good time to get her opinion on how to approach Lisa.
"Where are you two going?" One of the boys asked, the table taking notice of them leaving. It sounded like Dean but Taylor didn't turn around.
"Girl talk," Victoria said with a wink. "See you in class." She waved the table goodbye as she took a confused Taylor by the hand and led her away.
----------------------------------------
Taylor was led away from the cafeteria and into one of the corridors, which lead to a small classroom. Similar to the room where Vicky confronted her after their 'fight.' Admittedly, this made Taylor a little worried. She was sure that Victoria wouldn't betray her but the nerves came to her anyway.
Victoria closed the door and leaned in towards Taylor. Vicky was hovering off the ground slightly, a telltale sign that she was in a good mood which helped Taylor relax even more. "So," She said as she clapped her hand. Taylor noted the unusual nervous energy that she held in herself "I should've said something the other day but I kept postponing it because I was… I don't even know."
Taylor was getting the feeling that this wasn't just a simple chat about cape stuff. Victoria was trying to work her way up to something, and thinking back on the lunch she zoned out of, Victoria had been looking at Taylor far more than usual.
"You see really happy today." Victoria continued, changing the subject with a smile. "It's good to see. I like seeing you smile, you shouldn't try to hide it as much. You said something good happened today?"
Taylor froze briefly as she tried to organise her thoughts. Victoria had given Taylor the perfect opening to ask about relationships and how to approach them with Lisa.
"Yeah…" Taylor began, thinking up how to tell Victoria what happened, she figured it was best to tell the story from the beginning. "I woke up with a message to see the Undersiders. They were celebrating the arrest of…" Taylor realised that celebrating a hero being arrested might paint a bad image for Victoria.
"Of Shadow Stalker," Vicky said, finishing the sentence with a smile. "Yes, I heard she got caught the other night. Serves that bitch right."
Taylor was surprised to hear that from the hero. Vicky shrugged with a grin and Taylor matched her own smile. Victoria wasn't a girl scout, Taylor kept needed to remember that.
"Anyway. I show up there. And Al- uh Regent offers me a drink. And it's eight AM or something. Not to mention the kid is younger than me. So that felt a little weird. Then Bitch drops a puppy in my lap. I was pretty sure she hated me or something but apparently not. And we sat around watching the news-" Taylor continued, working her way through what happened as a smile grew on her face. Victoria was enthralled, not by the story but by how Taylor was telling it.
Victoria hovered closer to Taylor, the taller girl unaware of how close the two had gotten. Victoria was only barely an inch off the ground but they were now face to face with each other. Taylor stopped talking just as Victoria's face encompassed her entire view.
"Oh. Sorry." Taylor mumbled, embarrassed at how much she had been talking. "You brought me here because you had something to tell me and here I am…" She chuckled softly.
"So, a party?" Victoria asked with a chuckle. "Drinking underage and in the early hours. That's villain behaviour right there." She was obviously joking but it still caused Taylor to look away in guilt. "Honestly, I'm jealous. I've been trying to get you to smile like that all weekend, if I knew all it took was a party I would've thrown one ages ago."
"Well, actually it wasn't until Lisa-" Taylor said before Victoria sighed audibly.
"Of course, Lisa is to blame." Vicky chuckled.
"She said you two were friends now?…" Taylor asked wearily. Lisa had said so earlier today, but then again, Lisa was a lying liar who lied.
"Hmm. I guess." Victoria admitted, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't mean I stopped considering her my rival or whatever." She added with a smile.
"R-rival?" Taylor asked, suddenly aware of just how close Victoria was to her face.
"Don't worry." Vicky giggled, "Just a bit of friendly competition for our shared best friend."
"Oh?…" Taylor chuckled nervously. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right? Whatever happens between the three of us, we'll still be best friends." Taylor was sensing an extreme level of déjà vu, that was making her feel things.
"I know," Victoria said, her arm wrapping around Taylor's back. "But I still prefer to win regardless."
For the second time today, Taylor was pulled in for a kiss. Vicky's lips were pressed into hers, sending shivers down her spine. This kiss was different from the ones she shared with Lisa. Where Lisa was just a sweet chaste kiss with some mischievous intentions behind it. This one felt almost possessive as it lingered between the two girls. There was defiantly an experience in the kiss which she found as intimidating as it was enticing.
Taylor couldn't think of which kiss she preferred, mainly because she couldn't think at all.
The bell for class rang out as Victoria pulled away from Taylor. The taller girl was left dumbstruck by the kiss, it took half a
minute before Taylor made an actual sound. A part of her felt incredibly guilty because of Lisa, Vicky not knowing what Lisa had done and now Lisa not knowing what Vicky had done. But that still didn't stop her from smiling like an idiot. Taylor mumbled something about 'bad timing' to which Victoria responded with a giggle.
"Sorry," Victoria said still chuckling. "I had this whole thing planned in my head after school. I really like you… and I'm pretty sure you like me. But since you already had plans, I had to improvise." Taylor nodded her head in somewhat understanding, still awestruck by the events that just passed. "Look, I've gotta get to class. But uh, I don't really want to rush this. Can we talk, later today? I don't mind if it's late."
Taylor nodded again, a building state of panic inside her that Victoria took for general first-kiss nerves.
"Great," Victoria said, giving Taylor a hug before moving for the door. She turned around again and shot Taylor a bright smile before floating off.
------------------------------------------
Taylor was already distracted as all hell when she came into school today. Now for the final third of the school day, her mind had checked out. Both girls had kissed her, and both her best friends had expressed interest in Taylor. Boring, ugly, shy Taylor.
What was she to do?
When she woke up today, she thought that there was no chance in hell that Victoria Dallon thought of her that way, and Lisa was an enigma all in herself. Now both blondes had decided that today of all days was the time to kiss her and that left her with a choice that she really didn't want to make.
The obvious thought popped up in her head. Date them both. It was a dream that Taylor had come up with a few days ago. She never in a million years expected it to work, shaking the idea from her head even now. Even if she might be willing to do that, there was no way in hell Vicky and Lisa would agree to it. She had to be practical and stay in reality.
That left her with a choice. Either Lisa or Victoria. She tried putting them into mental boxes, pros and cons. Taylor quickly dismissed the idea, not liking the thought of 'who is the better person.' They were both wonderful, beautiful and different. Even the obvious cons like 'Dating a superhero would be suicide' would be countered by 'Dating a villain isn't any safer.' No, Taylor couldn't solve this debate on logic alone. She had to rely on her feelings.
How did she feel about them? Did she care for anyone over the other? She was attracted to each of them individually, she had enjoyed their conversations and had grown fond of their company. The guilt over being so indecisive ate away at her. She wasn't going to let this continue, by day's end, a choice would be made that would change their relationship forever, and that scared the hell out of Taylor.
She knew from the beginning what she had to do. With a sigh, Taylor pulled out her phone and sent a message to both girls.
-----------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – After school
The three girls sat around a private cafe table, a few blocks down from Arcadia. Taylor hadn't explained the nature of the meeting, even when Vicky asked her by the exit of the school. Both blondes looked at each other and then at Taylor expectantly.
Taylor knew she had to talk fast before Lisa's powers worked it out anyway. Wanting to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings, Taylor took in a deep breath and then started talking.
"OkaysoLisaactuallykissedmeinthemorningbutthenVickykissedmeatschooltodayandnowIdon'tknowwhattodobecauseIlikeyoubothandI'msosorryforthat."
Both girls looked at her in concern. Taylor mumbled the entire sentence at light speed to the point that neither girl actually heard what she said. Lisa was gesturing with her finger while she thought about the jumble of words they heard, replaying it slowly in her mind before giving Victoria the side eye.
"Wow…" Lisa drawled, turning to Vicky. "You just had to go in for the steal in the final minutes."
"What?" Vicky asked confused, turning to Taylor. "Tay? Could you say that again for me? I didn't quite hear you."
Taylor took in another breath and tried to speak normally this time. "Y-you both… kissed me today. And I don't know what to do. Or… I do know what to do, but I'm afraid to say it."
"Wow…" Vicky drawled back to Lisa. "Barely two days after calling us friends."
"You said you didn't mind if I asked her first," Lisa said with a smug shrug.
"I did not," Victoria said back. "I specifically said that I didn't say that. And you know that."
"You're not even into girls, remember?" Lisa said sarcastically.
"You knew damn well I was into Taylor," Vicky whined back, both girls on the edge of a full-blown argument.
"Please!" Taylor called out. Holding out her hands. "Don't fight. I don't want any of us to fight." Both girls quieted down and looked at Taylor. Taylor lowered her hands back to the table. "Look. I was… I am really happy. For today. Knowing that both of you of like me, like that. I never imagined…" Taylor looked between each girl, she could see it, both of them were waiting for an answer, the answer. Who would she choose, who gets to 'win.' "I haven't had a best friend in a long time. I'm so… happy to have two now. And I'd rather all three of us get along than complicate it. I'm sorry. That's how I feel. Can we all just?…"
Taylor struggled to look at either girl. Choosing to look down at the table while she waited for a response. She'd gotten everything she'd ever wanted today, twice over but it wasn't worth risking what she already had. Hoping that neither girl would be upset with her rejecting them in favour of their continued shared friendship.
Victoria nodded. She understood exactly what Taylor was saying. She didn't like it as much as what could've been, but if Taylor wanted all three of them to stay as friends, then that's what she would do.
Lisa sighed in an overly sarcastic manner. "Fine, I guess we are sharing after all." Placing her hand on top of Taylor's. "A throuple might be fun too." She added, causing the other two girls to look up in confusion.
"Wait, what?" Taylor asked, looking up at Lisa who smiled. "I meant the three of us as fr-"
"You drive a hard bargain." Lisa chuckled, "But I suppose I can tolerate her for you." Lisa turned over to Victoria, ignoring Taylor's confused and reddening face. "Whaddaya say? Think you could date me? For Tay's sake?" She extended a hand towards Victoria, who looked just as shocked as Taylor.
"I-I… what?" Victoria asked, looking at Lisa's hand. "How would that even work?"
"Don't know." Lisa chuckled, "That's half the fun."
"I think Taylor was just asking us to be friends," Vicky said.
"Yeah. but isn't that such a boring alternative?" Lisa responded.
"Would Taylor even want that?" Victoria asked, looking back to the bewildered Taylor.
"Oh yeah." Lisa giggled, also looking at Taylor's increasingly shy demeanour. "Look, either. It doesn't work out, one of us starts feeling jealous and such. In which case we all go back to being friends. Or…" Lisa looked back to Victoria, not even bothering to ask Taylor for approval, she already knew that Vicky was the only one here who actually needed to be convinced.
"Is that even allowed? It's not exactly normal." Victoria asked, it was clear that she'd never considered the idea until Lisa purposed it. Lisa laughed a little louder.
"Vicky," Lisa said, raising an eyebrow at the hero. "You were ready to start a gay relationship in Brockton Bay. Y'know, home of the freaking Empire Eighty-eight. It's already not that 'normal' around here." Victoria looked as if she just remembered the fact that she beats up Nazis for a living. "Besides, who the fuck cares what's allowed. We're villains remember." Lisa gestured between herself and Taylor. "Now come be gay and do crimes with us." She held her hand back out for Victoria to grab.
"I'm not a villain," Victoria whined, unsure of herself.
"Yes, yes." Lisa said as she rolled her eyes, "You're a hero to the people. Now are you in or out?"
"Shouldn't this be more of a romantic thing?" Victoria said with a pout. Her hand slowly inched towards Lisa's.
"Let's just all agree to it first, then I'll woo you later." Lisa chuckled. "I promise."
"W-what's happening right now?" Taylor asked in disbelief, finally finding words to say. Both girls held hands with each other and with Taylor.
"Good news," Lisa said with a grin. "We all get two girlfriends today." Taylor was already blushing like a tomato and Victoria wasn't that far behind. "Taylor's still my favourite." She added while looking at Victoria.
"Mine too." Vicky teased back to Lisa. "I guess we should make sure this can actually work, right?" Victoria asked, still sounding nervous but not wanting to be talked over by Lisa again.
"Oh, and what do you have in mind?" Lisa asked, curious about Vicky's building confidence.
"Well..." Vicky said, a little more sure of herself. "You wouldn't mind if I gave Taylor another kiss? Seeing as she's my girlfriend and all."
Lisa shook her head and gestured to say 'By all means' as Victoria turned back to Taylor, gently moving closer to the girl. Victoria moved in for a quick kiss, less passionate than the one during school but no less desired. A simple peck before looking back to Lisa for confirmation.
The question of 'how' this happened was still running through Taylor's mind. One moment, Taylor was telling them how they should all just stay friends and now Lisa was moving closer around the other side of Taylor to promptly give her a kiss of her own. Both girls kept their 'competitive spirit' alive regardless of the fact that everyone had already 'won.'
"What was that? You're first kiss?" Vicky teased Lisa, proving that she was comfortable with the arrangement.
"Second, actually." Lisa said, still smiling
smugly but a little red in the face.
"That was only my forth..." Taylor mumbled, not wanting to be left out of the banter.
All three girls chuckled. There was still an air of awkwardness to it all, but all three were willing to try.
Between the warm feeling in her hands and the constant beating of her heart. Taylor was pretty sure she died and went to heaven last night. It was almost perfect, although Taylor wasn't sure how she felt about being in a relationship with 'favourites.' It was a little scary knowing that her two best friends, her two girlfriends, were fighting over her still. Taylor could only hope that, in time, Vicky and Lisa could grow to care about each other the same way Taylor felt about them.
A/N: 13 chapters and the title finally makes sense!
I knew I'd get there eventually
Chapter 14: She doesn't mind.
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Dallon Household – Morning
Coffee.
Amy needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled through the empty hallway in a tired daze. Barely awake, Amy marched like a zombie down the stairs, her nose already picking up the delectable scent of lightly caramelised and almost nutty Ambrosia.
The warm mug was waiting for her on the kitchen table, taunting her sleep-deprived mind with every inhale. Reaching out, Amy pulled the mug close with two hands and held it to her face, Blowing on it gently until it was at the perfect temperature to drink.
Extra strength, black. Just how she liked it. It didn't matter that summer was right around the corner, the warmth held in her hand was more comforting than almost anything Amy could imagine. Second only to the loving embrace of Vi-
"Are you awake yet?" Carol asked, sipping on a coffee of her own. Amy jumped slightly in surprise, she had such tunnel vision for morning coffee that she didn't even question who made it, or why. "Good, we still need to finish our talk." Carol continued, gesturing for Amy to sit down at the table.
Amy rolled her eyes, what was left to talk about? Everything had been talked about already. Carol just wanted to complain to her some more, probably taking pleasure in the fact that she had yet another reason to control Amy's life. It was too early for this, Amy had been lured out of bed by some quality coffee only to be trapped in a conversation that didn't need to happen.
Carol had picked her up from school yesterday and driven her straight to the PRT. It was bad enough that it wasn't even one of Amy's assigned hospital days, but she wasn't even being called in to heal some hero.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Carol asked in her usual bitch tone. No amount of coffee was worth dealing with this so early and on a school day of all days. What the fuck was she expecting her to say?
"I'm sorry?…" Amy responded, confused. Trying her best to bite down the annoyance in those words. This obviously wasn't the correct answer because Carol's frown doubled down on her face.
"Sorry? Sorry isn't good enough Amy." Carol said as she began to sing the same goddamn song she's been singing ever since Amy was cursed with powers. "You have a responsibility to be better. You can't make mistakes like this. We taught you to be careful with your gifts. You're lucky no one is pressing charges. New Wave can't handle the media backlash it might bring. You're a fucking monster Amy and I wish I never had you."
That last part might have been exaggerated but Amy had long since stopped listening to whatever the fuck Carol was saying. She needed to at least finish her mug before being able to comprehend anything. With a satisfying gulp, Amy placed the mug down on the table and looked her 'Mother' in the eyes. Finally listening to what was being said.
"Why in gods name did you treat a patient without consent AND reveal her parahuman status to a complete stranger? In a room full of other patients no less." Carol asked, huffing as she finished whatever rant Amy had completely ignored.
"He said he was PRT. Showed me the badge and everything." Amy said, annoyed that it was the exact same answer as when Carol had asked her the last seven times. "It was like, midnight. I was tired as fu- hell. I'd been working non-stop for hours and he just asked me for some help. He's a cop, I'm a minor, what else am I meant to say? No?"
"He was a low-ranking investigator, basically a glorified intern." Carol spat back. "If he was a cop, he would've known what he was asking you to do was illegal. And you of all people should've known that it was… And what the hell were you doing at Brockton General at midnight?"
"Healing people. You know, my job that you make me do." Amy said in a tired, deadpan tone. What else was she to say? I wanted to get out of the house because Vicky was with her boyfriend and seeing that made me want to both kill myself and Dean. Carol would 'love' to hear that.
"I'm sorry okay. I fucked up." Amy said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Carol gave her a shocked and disapproving look at the expletive language. "I won't do any more late-night sessions, so you don't need to worry about it happening again, alright?"
"Of course, I'm going to worry." Carol huffed. "Which is exactly why you'll be spending this weekend reviewing medical law and ethics with me."
Amy couldn't hide her annoyance at that. Her entire fucking weekend was taken up, memorising stupid laws, most of which didn't even apply to her. Not to mention it means a weekend stuck with Carol, probably in her stupid office.
"What the fuck!?" Amy moaned, "All because I made one mistake. It was almost six months ago!"
"Amy!" Carol growled. "Don't you speak like that to me. We can't afford to make another mistake like this. Do you think I like spending my weekend this way either? Well, I don't, but it's something we have to do."
Amy was about to retort, she wasn't sure what she would say but she was sure it would be biting. Carol looked up behind Amy and stood, her attention pulling away from the argument as she called out.
"Vicky, no flying in the house."
"Sorry, Mom." Victoria yawned as her feet touched the end of the stairs.
"We'll finish this later," Carol said quietly to Amy before walking off. What the hell was there left to finish? Did she just want to argue some more later? Amy watched as she walked over to Vicky and kissed her forehead, giving a few gentle scratches on her head before leaving the kitchen. Vicky broke into another hover the second Carol left the room.
"Morning, Ames!" Vicky beamed, far too happy for the morning. Amy didn't know how the hell Vicky did it, able to wake up with some much energy, as well as being able to wake up looking like a goddess. Of course that was the reason why Amy loved her so much, one of the many reasons.
"Morn" Amy mumbled, she looked down at her empty mug. "Did you want some coffee? I think there's still some in the pot."
Victoria scrunched her face up for half a second and shook her head. "No thanks." She said, "I know how you and Mom like your coffee. I prefer mine sweeter."
"Right, I forgot. You like having a little bit of coffee with your sugar?" Amy said with a wry smile.
Victoria chuckled at the comment as she got some juice from the fridge, along with a collection of fruit. Amy noted how during the entire process of collecting, pouring and placing it all on the table, her feet never once touched the ground.
It was no secret that Vicky liked to fly. 'No flying in the house' was probably one of Carol's most common sayings in the Dallon Household. However, some things were objectively harder to do while floating in the air. Getting the apples from the bottom of the fridge, for example. It was a lot easier to simply crouch down and pick up rather than Vicky's maneuver of almost hand-standing to get a single piece of fruit.
Amy watched in astonishment as her sister would rather do a cartwheel than spend ten seconds touching the ground. It was an impressive level of commitment and not something Vicky would do on a normal day. Which put a thought into Amy's head.
Okay, Amy had two thoughts in her head.
The first was, 'Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. God, I wish she'd wrap those around my- Dammit.'
The second was, 'She only flies this much when she's happy. So what's making her so damn happy today?'
'What was making her so happy? She was happy yesterday too, and most of the weekend really. There was a down period at the end of the week but perked right back up on Saturday. She'd spent her free time with the new girl at lunch at the table, Taylor.'
Taylor Hebert, that girl was strange and that said a lot coming from Amy. A part of Amy blamed Taylor for the predicament that she was in with Carol, but that would be callous. Amy felt genuinely bad for violating Taylor's privacy that night, no amount of 'sleep-deprived excuse' changed that fact. On top of whatever the hell was going on in her home life to cause all those wounds Taylor had. Vicky said she was fine but no one is that quiet without some form of trauma, and Amy remembered her being catatonic post-trigger event. She understood completely why Victoria was giving the girl the whole 'abandon puppy' routine. That's just how kind Victoria is to people.
Amy also knew that Vicky was trying to get her and Taylor to become 'friends.' The constant prodding from Vicky to be nicer to her and watch over her in class. Amy could admit, she had a point, next year Victoria would be gone and only Amy and Taylor would remain. It wouldn't hurt to have someone she could tolerate for a whole other year. And she could tolerate Taylor. The girl was fine, respected Amy's desire for quiet, didn't bug her about cape life or healing, didn't ask for healing period. Probably the first person in their grade who didn't immediately ask for an autograph or a selfie. Amy could respect that and could imagine it was more or less the same for Victoria, probably why she liked her over all the other random dregs in school.
Still, that didn't account for this level of flying. Amy had seen this level of flying before. She braced herself for the disappointing truth that she already knew. Vicky was back with Dean again. It had been entire months since they last were dating and Amy had hoped that this time was different. She'd been avoiding him, ignoring his advances and simply too busy to deal with the boy.
So what changed? It was that damn study session Vicky had planned with her friends yesterday. Amy didn't pay attention to it because she had a meeting with Carol and the PRT Legal Department. At the very least, Victoria's latest obsession with Taylor should've kept her busy.
"What's up?" Vicky asked through a mouthful of fruit. "You're spacing out more than usual?
Did you have another argument with Mom again?"
Victoria frowned at the thought, Amy snapped back to reality and decided to bite the bullet. Better to have her heart smashed in the safety of her own home than be backhanded by watching her slobber all over Dean at school again.
"No," Amy said while pouring herself a second cup of coffee. "Well, yes. But that wasn't what I was thinking about. You seem extra happy today? I'm assuming that means something good has happened to you?"
"Damn, am I that obvious to you?" Vicky giggled, "Guess I should expect you of all people to know me so well."
Amy smiled at the comment, she knew her sister better than anyone. Which only made her follow-up question hurt all the more to ask.
"So I guess you and Dean are back together?"
Vicky laughed. Not in the 'girly teenager with a crush' kind of laugh that Amy was expecting to hear, but as if Amy had told a funny joke.
"No, no no no," Vicky said with a smile, shaking her head. "No, Dean and I are done. That's… yeah nah. Just friends now. Which is for the best, though I don't know when he'll be ready to talk to me again."
Amy lit up. Hope. Genuine hope. They were 'done,' 'just friends.' Music to Amy's ears. If she could fly right now, Amy would be zipping around the room… And then come to a screeching halt. What if there was another boy? Vicky hadn't mentioned anything but…
"So what then?" Amy asked with as best of a smile she could manage. Paying that whatever came out from Vicky's lips wasn't the name of some other boy, like… Dennis? Eww, could she imagine that? That'd be worse.
"I…" Vicky began then stopped. She turned back towards the way Carol left before turning back to Amy and leaning in. "I sorta… found something out about myself. And I'm still… It's hard to explain. So, don't tell Mom, okay? I'll tell her when I'm ready."
"O-okay," Amy replied, having no idea where this is going. Usually hearing Vicky saying the words 'Don't tell Mom' is usually followed by 'Please heal these Nazis I beat to a pulp before they die.'
"Alright, so…" Vicky said before taking a deep sigh. "I think I'm… Okay, so I know I'm… Fuck, why is it so embarrassing to say out loud." Vicky took yet another sigh, Amy was about to give her the whole 'you can tell me anything spiel' before Vicky just said, "I like women." Amy stared back, wordless to it all. "W-well I still like men. I like both… I think? I mean I do, but who knows maybe I-"
Women. Vicky liked women. Vicky was gay. Since when? Doesn't it matter, Vicky is gay? Victoria likes women. Amy's a woman? Amy's a girl. Amy likes women. Amy likes Vicky. Two plus two is four. The maths adds up. It was possible, right? It was certainly more possible than it was yesterday. Sure there was still the slight hiccup of possibly not being her type, not knowing that Amy was also gay and of course, being sisters. But that didn't stop Amy from being happy. From imagining what could be. Learning that a factual impossibility was now just an… improbability.
"That's amazing, Vicky," Amy said while Victoria was still in the middle of her confused ramble about her new sexuality. "I'm so happy… for you. I'm happy for you. And proud… and stuff."
Vicky stopped talking and shot Amy the biggest smile. Before Amy could say anything else, Vicky lunged over and picked her up. Wrapping Amy into a tight hug as they spun around the kitchen. The second mug of coffee spilled across the table but Amy didn't mind. She was being hugged by Vicky, her beautiful, caring, strong and apparently now gay sister.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Vicky said into the hug. Amy tried shaking her head but with snugly trapped in her arms. "I wanted to be sure before telling you all about it. I didn't know until only recently, I still don't know how I feel about everything. Y'know? Do I prefer one over the other, what are my types? But yeah… I'm so glad you're so cool with it. I mean, I knew you would be but hearing it from you just makes me so happy for some reason. I could almost cry."
Amy embraced the hug as her feet dangled from the air. At this moment, she understood exactly why Vicky preferred to fly all the time. This moment was perfect, whatever bullshit Carol said to her this morning was now washed away by the knowledge that Vicky was gay. There was a chance, however small, that Amy's dream could be accomplished without her powers. A goal to strive for, somehow, someway.
"And it just feels so different." Vicky continued, "Like, Dean was always kinda… I wouldn't say pushy, but he always tried to act 'manlier' than he needed to be around me. When I kissed Taylor, it was like… cute and soft. And you know how much I like cute things." She chuckled awkwardly at the joke.
"I'm sorry when you what?" Amy asked in disbelief. Cruel reality smashed back into her. Of course, Vicky already had a girl in mind. Of course, she already kissed her. Vicky realised she liked girls because she had a girl to like, how could Amy be so stupid? Gay, Straight. It didn't matter, it never mattered. Vicky would never love Amy like that.
"Oh, right," Vicky said with embarrassment as she gently put Amy back down on the ground. "Yeah, I might've kissed Taylor during lunch yesterday… And then again after school… A few times. We're um… Dating? It's kinda complicated, there's this whole thing and this other whole thing I can't even talk about with you. But suffice to say, Taylor is my girlfriend now."
Vicky smiled with all her heart. The damn girl was in love, or whatever the hell you call it when young people start a relationship. How the hell did someone like Victoria fall for someone like Taylor? Was that her type? Sad, socially awkward and emotionally dead inside? That was Amy! That was Amy to a T.
It's like Vicky went out of her way to pick the one girl in school who was most like her just to rub it in her face. This was Dean all over again except it was worse because it was Taylor. Couldn't Vicky see that? How easy it could be. Placing a hand on Vicky's head and making her see exactly that, make her feel the same way instead. Even give a spare hand to Taylor and make sure she 'never' touched Vicky.
Amy forced herself to smile. A broken smile that held back her true emotions. Vicky didn't notice, for all her love, Victoria had never learned the difference between Amy's smile and her fake one.
"I'm so…" Amy began, pausing to find the right words. "Happy for you, Vicky. I hope she makes you happy too."
--------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Yesterday, After School
"So, we're all girlfriends now?" Victoria mused. "That's not how I thought this day would go."
Lisa and Taylor chuckled at the thought. Taylor more so.
"So, how does this work?" Taylor asked, still bewildered by the current situation.
"Like most other relationships I suppose." Lisa said, "Just with three of us."
"Yeah but…" Taylor said, "I've never… y'know. Been in one."
"Neither have I." Lisa chuckled before turning to Victoria.
Victoria put up her hands in surrender. "Woah, hey. I've been on and off with one guy for a few years but this is completely new territory for me too."
"Still makes you the most experienced out of all of us." Lisa chuckled. "Tell us what to do… Mistress?"
"Shut up." Vicky scoffed as Lisa giggled in return. "Let's just go at our own pace. No need to compare relationships to each other. We'll discover how this works together. Like a couple… a throuple? That's what you called it right?"
Lisa nodded as she gave a salute, causing Vicky to roll her eyes.
"But we should have ground rules or something, right?" Taylor asked both girls. "So none of us do anything the other isn't happy with it."
"That's a good idea." Victoria said, "I mean, I prefer relationships to be more spontaneous but rules are good for something like this."
"Oh, I got one." Lisa chirped, raising slightly onto the table. "No arresting any of your girlfriends. Huh? Huh? Good rule right?"
"How about, neither of my girlfriends is allowed to commit any crime?" Victoria said back in a deadpan tone.
"Yeah… This relationship isn't gonna work out." Lisa said with a sarcastic sigh. Taylor made a quick move to bite Lisa with a mosquito. "I'm joking. I only joking." Lisa whined as she shooed the bug away.
"I meant real rules," Taylor whined. "I don't wanna make anyone upset, okay? Like, school. Lisa's not there so is it fair for us to do couple things together? And the same for when I'm at work? Or do we stick to dates and things like this?"
"It'd been boring if we didn't." Lisa said, "Besides, I wanna see the look on Grue's face when his teammates start 'fraternising' with each other." She chuckled again before looking over to Victoria. "So yeah, I don't mind one bit. Make out under the bleachers or whatever it is you do at school."
"We don't have bleachers in school. At least not any we can go under." Vicky said back with some snark. "But thanks. I'll do just that." She turned back to Taylor. "And I don't mind at all what you do with Lisa, just so long as I get the same amount of attention."
"O-oh," Taylor said, blushing for the millionth time today. "I guess that makes things easier. And I don't have any problem with you two… kissing and stuff either."
Lisa and Vicky gave each other a look while Taylor was busy flushing in embarrassment. Victoria thought about that idea while she stared at the girl.
'Pfft, like that'll happen. Just look at her, she's… oh no. She's actually beautiful. And we did just agree to be girlfriends. Oh shit, I could actually see myself…. Mind reader, mind reader!'
Victoria looked away first which caused Lisa to laugh in amusement. "No problems here," Lisa said, taking great pride in watching the hero squirm.
"Good," Taylor said, still not looking up. "Cause I don't want this to be a one-sided thing or anything. And the idea of
you two actually makes me happy…"
"Taylor Hebert wants to see Victoria Dallon and Lisa Wilbourn kiss," Lisa said with a smug grin. "It's always the quiet ones that are the most adventurous."
"What?" Victoria asked, still reeling from embarrassment.
"It's not like that." Taylor whined, "Don't make me out to be some kinda…" She waved her hands up as the mosquito returned to bite Lisa. "I just wanna see my bestfri- girlfriends get along."
Victoria laughed as Lisa tried and failed to swat the bug. "It's okay, Taylor," Victoria said, ignoring Lisa's cries for help. "I understand what you mean."
Taylor smiled back at Victoria. "Thanks. It's not like I'd specifically enjoy that-"
"My powers say you do- oww!" Lisa called out before two more mosquitoes descended upon her
"-I just want us all to be happy," Taylor said, ignoring the comment.
"I know I am." Victoria chuckled as she watch Lisa wave about the place. Taylor pulled the bugs away again after a short time.
"Well sorry" Lisa drawled, scratching an itch on her neck. "As long as you're happy, then I'm happy." She stopped to think briefly. "Although, now that I think about it, this might be a problem long term. What do you plan on telling people?"
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.
"Glory Girl is kinda a public figure," Lisa explained, pointing to Victoria. "Does she need to make a public announcement if she starts dating? Is New Wave comfortable having a gay member? Are paparazzi going to be following us home? Are people going to ask how we all met? We certainly shouldn't flirt in costume. Or we could, it'd be fun but y'know. Reputation and all."
"I don't… know?" Victoria said. "Again, this wasn't how I was expecting this day to go. I guess I'll tell my friends and family and go from there?"
"Grue is gonna flip when he hears about us with GG." Lisa chuckled, gently slapping Taylor on the arm. "Us, with a hero. I can't wait to see his face."
"Yeah, I don't plan on telling anyone about your day job." Victoria mused. "My Mom would literally kill you."
"I haven't even told my Dad I have powers. Not that I plan to." Taylor said. "Nor have I told him I'm a cape or spending my school lunches with Victoria Dallon."
"Look, not to be a downer or anything," Lisa said, getting a bit more serious. "But there are some people I work with who… know my face. So, keeping me out of the spotlight might be best. I mean, Taylor's fine, only people who know who she is the Undersiders and my boss-"
"The boss knows who I am?" Taylor asked in concern.
"-Yeah. No big deal. Point is, you can publicly date Taylor and I'll just be on the side-"
"That wouldn't be fair." Both Taylor and Vicky said before looking at each other.
"Look," Victoria said, gently knocking the table with her fist. "I know there'll be challenges. Especially with what you two do. But we'll work them out. Together. That's what coup- throuples do." She took both girls' hands and gave them a gentle squeeze before thinking to herself. "Though, I may drip-feed the news slowly to my Mom. I don't wanna overload her all at once. Maybe give all our friends at school a day or two to wrap their heads around us before we mention Lisa? I'm already anxious about telling Amy I'm gay or whatever I am."
"Wow, that's a turnaround from never hearing of a throuple before." Lisa chuckled. "Guess that's what we can expect from our 'mistress,' experienced in all things love and romance."
"Shut up," Victoria whined as she rolled her eyes.
"Make me." Lisa teased, knowing exactly what she was asking for.
Victoria tugged on Lisa's arm and pulled her close, enveloping her in a kiss. Taylor gasped in delight as Lisa kissed back happily.
The two girls pulled away, both cracking a smile as they wordlessly agreed that this was 'weird, but a good weird.' Victoria mused to herself once again. "Not at all how I thought this day would go."
-----------------------------------------------------
Arcadia High School – Midday
Someone was watching her. Taylor couldn't get the feeling out of her head. The entire school day she felt on edge. It wasn't a non-stop feeling, it came and went as she passed the halls. But now before lunch, she could feel the pressure drilling into her head.
Taylor chalked it up to anxiety jitters. She was a few minutes away from announcing to the table and therefore the whole school, that Taylor Hebert and Victoria Dallon were a 'thing.' It also might just be her usual anxiety. It did remind her of when she was convinced everyone stared at her with a burning hatred, although this felt more like one singular beam of hatred rather than a hundred tiny ones.
Her bugs couldn't spot anyone in class behaving oddly. No one was staring at her from the back of the classroom, the teacher was busy helping the other students. Most everyone was paired up to work on their assignments and the only other person who even looked at Taylor was her 'kinda, sorta maybe' friend Amy, who sat quietly next to her as they worked as a pair.
She still felt guilty for holding Amy hostage at the bank. She never planned to hurt the girl but that didn't change what had happened. Worst of all was that there was no way for Taylor to ever apologise to Amy without also revealing who she was to her.
Taylor turned to Amy who held her usual tired expression as they worked. While they were technically partners on this assignment, Amy had barely spoken to Taylor during the entire period. Both girls were competent enough in their studies to do the work by themselves, only partnered out of necessity, they wordlessly split the work between themselves. Every now and then Amy would stare at her. Glare at her to be more precise. It was sometimes hard to tell if the healer was upset at Taylor in particular or if she just had a sour mood in general. Taylor chose to believe the latter as Amy had been the one to approach her in class after all.
That made them friends, right? They ate lunch together, they walked through the halls together and now they did school work together. Amy was less energetic than her sister but who was Taylor to complain about that? They're friends. Taylor was sure of it. 70% sure of it. Vicky wanted them to become friends the same way she wanted Vicky to be friends with Lisa…
Okay, maybe not the same way. But Taylor would put in the effort and could already see Amy doing the same.
Still, what could Taylor say to her? She knew almost nothing about the girl beyond what little Vicky had already said about her. How did she make friends again? She thought back to all her recent friendships only to realise that in every single circumstance, there was a charismatic extrovert dragging her along. When it came to interacting with introverts like herself and Amy, Taylor had no idea how to proceed.
"So, Amy…" Taylor began, "How's the work going?"
"Fine," Amy said back before continuing to scribble away at her paper.
"Need help with any part?"
"No," Amy replied casually.
"Did you get up to anything fun yesterday?" Taylor asked, cringing at how forced that felt coming from her.
Amy kept writing. With the same deadpan tone that matched her face, she said, "No."
'How is this so hard?' Taylor thought to herself. 'Just find a topic you have in common and talk. What do you know about Amy? She's a cape, I'm a- Nope, what else? Does she like any books? I don't know. What could Lisa do? Exploit weakness and aggravate? No, why am I so bad at this? What about Vicky? We both like Vicky? Obviously, she doesn't like her like I like her, Idiot. Still, it's a start, right?'
"Did you know I'm dating your sister?"
Amy stopped writing and looked at Taylor for a solid few seconds. Then Amy let out an audible sigh through her nose.
A pang of regret shot up through Taylor. 'Why did I say THAT of all things? Wait, did she not know? Had Vicky not told her? Did I just out Vicky before she wanted? And to her own sister no less? But we're meant to be telling the table at lunch, aren't we?'
Amy's face made an approximation of a smile. The teeth were clenched shut like she was biting down something painful but the lips were tipped in the upwards direction.
"I… heard," Amy said. "I'm so… happy. For both of you."
Taylor relaxed again. She hadn't outed Vicky without her consent, she was just a socially awkward dork who had zero conversational skills.
"Right. Of course." Taylor chuckled awkwardly. "Thank you. Hope you're happy too. Uh, for whatever makes you happy." She turned away from Amy and sighed. How far away was the lunch bell?
Taylor spent the rest of the class in total silence. They completed the assignment in record time, Taylor compiling the paper together and checking over Amy's work before handing it in. The work was amazing, even better than Taylor's in some aspects. The only odd thing Taylor could see in Amy's work was the handwriting on the final pages, it was like she was gripping her pen differently or too tight. Regardless, the assignment was done and Taylor was certain they'd both get top marks.
Taylor waited by the door as the bell rang out. As per usual, the two girls walked together to their table for lunch. Once again, Taylor felt like someone was watching her, wishing something awful would befall her as she walked through the halls. Anxiety aside, Taylor wasn't worried. She had a constant vigil of bugs watching her every moment and was walking beside Panacea of all people. She was as safe as she possibly could be.
Taking her seat, they waited for the rest of the posse to arrive. Before Taylor could finish her homemade sandwich, everyone had populated their seats. The Ward boys were still acting glum which honestly made Taylor giggle inside, the other two girls were debating about a question in whatever practice exam they just took and Victoria silently grabbed Taylor's hand under the table.
"You ready?" Vicky whispered to Taylor.
Taylor nodded back but honestly wasn't ready at all. She made a complete fool of herself to Amy and now was going to do it all over again to the rest of this table. Vicky squeezed her hand again which reminded her that Vicky was just as nervous, if not more so. Taylor squeezed back even tighter in a show of solidarity. With a deep breath, Victoria knocked on the table and stood up in her seat.
"Everyone," Vicky said looking around at her friends. She looked back to Taylor who also stood up, both girls holding hands for everyone to see. "We have an announcement to make."
Coffee.
Amy needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled through the empty hallway in a tired daze. Barely awake, Amy marched like a zombie down the stairs, her nose already picking up the delectable scent of lightly caramelised and almost nutty Ambrosia.
The warm mug was waiting for her on the kitchen table, taunting her sleep-deprived mind with every inhale. Reaching out, Amy pulled the mug close with two hands and held it to her face, Blowing on it gently until it was at the perfect temperature to drink.
Extra strength, black. Just how she liked it. It didn't matter that summer was right around the corner, the warmth held in her hand was more comforting than almost anything Amy could imagine. Second only to the loving embrace of Vi-
"Are you awake yet?" Carol asked, sipping on a coffee of her own. Amy jumped slightly in surprise, she had such tunnel vision for morning coffee that she didn't even question who made it, or why. "Good, we still need to finish our talk." Carol continued, gesturing for Amy to sit down at the table.
Amy rolled her eyes, what was left to talk about? Everything had been talked about already. Carol just wanted to complain to her some more, probably taking pleasure in the fact that she had yet another reason to control Amy's life. It was too early for this, Amy had been lured out of bed by some quality coffee only to be trapped in a conversation that didn't need to happen.
Carol had picked her up from school yesterday and driven her straight to the PRT. It was bad enough that it wasn't even one of Amy's assigned hospital days, but she wasn't even being called in to heal some hero.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Carol asked in her usual bitch tone. No amount of coffee was worth dealing with this so early and on a school day of all days. What the fuck was she expecting her to say?
"I'm sorry?…" Amy responded, confused. Trying her best to bite down the annoyance in those words. This obviously wasn't the correct answer because Carol's frown doubled down on her face.
"Sorry? Sorry isn't good enough Amy." Carol said as she began to sing the same goddamn song she's been singing ever since Amy was cursed with powers. "You have a responsibility to be better. You can't make mistakes like this. We taught you to be careful with your gifts. You're lucky no one is pressing charges. New Wave can't handle the media backlash it might bring. You're a fucking monster Amy and I wish I never had you."
That last part might have been exaggerated but Amy had long since stopped listening to whatever the fuck Carol was saying. She needed to at least finish her mug before being able to comprehend anything. With a satisfying gulp, Amy placed the mug down on the table and looked her 'Mother' in the eyes. Finally listening to what was being said.
"Why in gods name did you treat a patient without consent AND reveal her parahuman status to a complete stranger? In a room full of other patients no less." Carol asked, huffing as she finished whatever rant Amy had completely ignored.
"He said he was PRT. Showed me the badge and everything." Amy said, annoyed that it was the exact same answer as when Carol had asked her the last seven times. "It was like, midnight. I was tired as fu- hell. I'd been working non-stop for hours and he just asked me for some help. He's a cop, I'm a minor, what else am I meant to say? No?"
"He was a low-ranking investigator, basically a glorified intern." Carol spat back. "If he was a cop, he would've known what he was asking you to do was illegal. And you of all people should've known that it was… And what the hell were you doing at Brockton General at midnight?"
"Healing people. You know, my job that you make me do." Amy said in a tired, deadpan tone. What else was she to say? I wanted to get out of the house because Vicky was with her boyfriend and seeing that made me want to both kill myself and Dean. Carol would 'love' to hear that.
"I'm sorry okay. I fucked up." Amy said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Carol gave her a shocked and disapproving look at the expletive language. "I won't do any more late-night sessions, so you don't need to worry about it happening again, alright?"
"Of course, I'm going to worry." Carol huffed. "Which is exactly why you'll be spending this weekend reviewing medical law and ethics with me."
Amy couldn't hide her annoyance at that. Her entire fucking weekend was taken up, memorising stupid laws, most of which didn't even apply to her. Not to mention it means a weekend stuck with Carol, probably in her stupid office.
"What the fuck!?" Amy moaned, "All because I made one mistake. It was almost six months ago!"
"Amy!" Carol growled. "Don't you speak like that to me. We can't afford to make another mistake like this. Do you think I like spending my weekend this way either? Well, I don't, but it's something we have to do."
Amy was about to retort, she wasn't sure what she would say but she was sure it would be biting. Carol looked up behind Amy and stood, her attention pulling away from the argument as she called out.
"Vicky, no flying in the house."
"Sorry, Mom." Victoria yawned as her feet touched the end of the stairs.
"We'll finish this later," Carol said quietly to Amy before walking off. What the hell was there left to finish? Did she just want to argue some more later? Amy watched as she walked over to Vicky and kissed her forehead, giving a few gentle scratches on her head before leaving the kitchen. Vicky broke into another hover the second Carol left the room.
"Morning, Ames!" Vicky beamed, far too happy for the morning. Amy didn't know how the hell Vicky did it, able to wake up with some much energy, as well as being able to wake up looking like a goddess. Of course that was the reason why Amy loved her so much, one of the many reasons.
"Morn" Amy mumbled, she looked down at her empty mug. "Did you want some coffee? I think there's still some in the pot."
Victoria scrunched her face up for half a second and shook her head. "No thanks." She said, "I know how you and Mom like your coffee. I prefer mine sweeter."
"Right, I forgot. You like having a little bit of coffee with your sugar?" Amy said with a wry smile.
Victoria chuckled at the comment as she got some juice from the fridge, along with a collection of fruit. Amy noted how during the entire process of collecting, pouring and placing it all on the table, her feet never once touched the ground.
It was no secret that Vicky liked to fly. 'No flying in the house' was probably one of Carol's most common sayings in the Dallon Household. However, some things were objectively harder to do while floating in the air. Getting the apples from the bottom of the fridge, for example. It was a lot easier to simply crouch down and pick up rather than Vicky's maneuver of almost hand-standing to get a single piece of fruit.
Amy watched in astonishment as her sister would rather do a cartwheel than spend ten seconds touching the ground. It was an impressive level of commitment and not something Vicky would do on a normal day. Which put a thought into Amy's head.
Okay, Amy had two thoughts in her head.
The first was, 'Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. God, I wish she'd wrap those around my- Dammit.'
The second was, 'She only flies this much when she's happy. So what's making her so damn happy today?'
'What was making her so happy? She was happy yesterday too, and most of the weekend really. There was a down period at the end of the week but perked right back up on Saturday. She'd spent her free time with the new girl at lunch at the table, Taylor.'
Taylor Hebert, that girl was strange and that said a lot coming from Amy. A part of Amy blamed Taylor for the predicament that she was in with Carol, but that would be callous. Amy felt genuinely bad for violating Taylor's privacy that night, no amount of 'sleep-deprived excuse' changed that fact. On top of whatever the hell was going on in her home life to cause all those wounds Taylor had. Vicky said she was fine but no one is that quiet without some form of trauma, and Amy remembered her being catatonic post-trigger event. She understood completely why Victoria was giving the girl the whole 'abandon puppy' routine. That's just how kind Victoria is to people.
Amy also knew that Vicky was trying to get her and Taylor to become 'friends.' The constant prodding from Vicky to be nicer to her and watch over her in class. Amy could admit, she had a point, next year Victoria would be gone and only Amy and Taylor would remain. It wouldn't hurt to have someone she could tolerate for a whole other year. And she could tolerate Taylor. The girl was fine, respected Amy's desire for quiet, didn't bug her about cape life or healing, didn't ask for healing period. Probably the first person in their grade who didn't immediately ask for an autograph or a selfie. Amy could respect that and could imagine it was more or less the same for Victoria, probably why she liked her over all the other random dregs in school.
Still, that didn't account for this level of flying. Amy had seen this level of flying before. She braced herself for the disappointing truth that she already knew. Vicky was back with Dean again. It had been entire months since they last were dating and Amy had hoped that this time was different. She'd been avoiding him, ignoring his advances and simply too busy to deal with the boy.
So what changed? It was that damn study session Vicky had planned with her friends yesterday. Amy didn't pay attention to it because she had a meeting with Carol and the PRT Legal Department. At the very least, Victoria's latest obsession with Taylor should've kept her busy.
"What's up?" Vicky asked through a mouthful of fruit. "You're spacing out more than usual?
Did you have another argument with Mom again?"
Victoria frowned at the thought, Amy snapped back to reality and decided to bite the bullet. Better to have her heart smashed in the safety of her own home than be backhanded by watching her slobber all over Dean at school again.
"No," Amy said while pouring herself a second cup of coffee. "Well, yes. But that wasn't what I was thinking about. You seem extra happy today? I'm assuming that means something good has happened to you?"
"Damn, am I that obvious to you?" Vicky giggled, "Guess I should expect you of all people to know me so well."
Amy smiled at the comment, she knew her sister better than anyone. Which only made her follow-up question hurt all the more to ask.
"So I guess you and Dean are back together?"
Vicky laughed. Not in the 'girly teenager with a crush' kind of laugh that Amy was expecting to hear, but as if Amy had told a funny joke.
"No, no no no," Vicky said with a smile, shaking her head. "No, Dean and I are done. That's… yeah nah. Just friends now. Which is for the best, though I don't know when he'll be ready to talk to me again."
Amy lit up. Hope. Genuine hope. They were 'done,' 'just friends.' Music to Amy's ears. If she could fly right now, Amy would be zipping around the room… And then come to a screeching halt. What if there was another boy? Vicky hadn't mentioned anything but…
"So what then?" Amy asked with as best of a smile she could manage. Paying that whatever came out from Vicky's lips wasn't the name of some other boy, like… Dennis? Eww, could she imagine that? That'd be worse.
"I…" Vicky began then stopped. She turned back towards the way Carol left before turning back to Amy and leaning in. "I sorta… found something out about myself. And I'm still… It's hard to explain. So, don't tell Mom, okay? I'll tell her when I'm ready."
"O-okay," Amy replied, having no idea where this is going. Usually hearing Vicky saying the words 'Don't tell Mom' is usually followed by 'Please heal these Nazis I beat to a pulp before they die.'
"Alright, so…" Vicky said before taking a deep sigh. "I think I'm… Okay, so I know I'm… Fuck, why is it so embarrassing to say out loud." Vicky took yet another sigh, Amy was about to give her the whole 'you can tell me anything spiel' before Vicky just said, "I like women." Amy stared back, wordless to it all. "W-well I still like men. I like both… I think? I mean I do, but who knows maybe I-"
Women. Vicky liked women. Vicky was gay. Since when? Doesn't it matter, Vicky is gay? Victoria likes women. Amy's a woman? Amy's a girl. Amy likes women. Amy likes Vicky. Two plus two is four. The maths adds up. It was possible, right? It was certainly more possible than it was yesterday. Sure there was still the slight hiccup of possibly not being her type, not knowing that Amy was also gay and of course, being sisters. But that didn't stop Amy from being happy. From imagining what could be. Learning that a factual impossibility was now just an… improbability.
"That's amazing, Vicky," Amy said while Victoria was still in the middle of her confused ramble about her new sexuality. "I'm so happy… for you. I'm happy for you. And proud… and stuff."
Vicky stopped talking and shot Amy the biggest smile. Before Amy could say anything else, Vicky lunged over and picked her up. Wrapping Amy into a tight hug as they spun around the kitchen. The second mug of coffee spilled across the table but Amy didn't mind. She was being hugged by Vicky, her beautiful, caring, strong and apparently now gay sister.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Vicky said into the hug. Amy tried shaking her head but with snugly trapped in her arms. "I wanted to be sure before telling you all about it. I didn't know until only recently, I still don't know how I feel about everything. Y'know? Do I prefer one over the other, what are my types? But yeah… I'm so glad you're so cool with it. I mean, I knew you would be but hearing it from you just makes me so happy for some reason. I could almost cry."
Amy embraced the hug as her feet dangled from the air. At this moment, she understood exactly why Vicky preferred to fly all the time. This moment was perfect, whatever bullshit Carol said to her this morning was now washed away by the knowledge that Vicky was gay. There was a chance, however small, that Amy's dream could be accomplished without her powers. A goal to strive for, somehow, someway.
"And it just feels so different." Vicky continued, "Like, Dean was always kinda… I wouldn't say pushy, but he always tried to act 'manlier' than he needed to be around me. When I kissed Taylor, it was like… cute and soft. And you know how much I like cute things." She chuckled awkwardly at the joke.
"I'm sorry when you what?" Amy asked in disbelief. Cruel reality smashed back into her. Of course, Vicky already had a girl in mind. Of course, she already kissed her. Vicky realised she liked girls because she had a girl to like, how could Amy be so stupid? Gay, Straight. It didn't matter, it never mattered. Vicky would never love Amy like that.
"Oh, right," Vicky said with embarrassment as she gently put Amy back down on the ground. "Yeah, I might've kissed Taylor during lunch yesterday… And then again after school… A few times. We're um… Dating? It's kinda complicated, there's this whole thing and this other whole thing I can't even talk about with you. But suffice to say, Taylor is my girlfriend now."
Vicky smiled with all her heart. The damn girl was in love, or whatever the hell you call it when young people start a relationship. How the hell did someone like Victoria fall for someone like Taylor? Was that her type? Sad, socially awkward and emotionally dead inside? That was Amy! That was Amy to a T.
It's like Vicky went out of her way to pick the one girl in school who was most like her just to rub it in her face. This was Dean all over again except it was worse because it was Taylor. Couldn't Vicky see that? How easy it could be. Placing a hand on Vicky's head and making her see exactly that, make her feel the same way instead. Even give a spare hand to Taylor and make sure she 'never' touched Vicky.
Amy forced herself to smile. A broken smile that held back her true emotions. Vicky didn't notice, for all her love, Victoria had never learned the difference between Amy's smile and her fake one.
"I'm so…" Amy began, pausing to find the right words. "Happy for you, Vicky. I hope she makes you happy too."
--------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Yesterday, After School
"So, we're all girlfriends now?" Victoria mused. "That's not how I thought this day would go."
Lisa and Taylor chuckled at the thought. Taylor more so.
"So, how does this work?" Taylor asked, still bewildered by the current situation.
"Like most other relationships I suppose." Lisa said, "Just with three of us."
"Yeah but…" Taylor said, "I've never… y'know. Been in one."
"Neither have I." Lisa chuckled before turning to Victoria.
Victoria put up her hands in surrender. "Woah, hey. I've been on and off with one guy for a few years but this is completely new territory for me too."
"Still makes you the most experienced out of all of us." Lisa chuckled. "Tell us what to do… Mistress?"
"Shut up." Vicky scoffed as Lisa giggled in return. "Let's just go at our own pace. No need to compare relationships to each other. We'll discover how this works together. Like a couple… a throuple? That's what you called it right?"
Lisa nodded as she gave a salute, causing Vicky to roll her eyes.
"But we should have ground rules or something, right?" Taylor asked both girls. "So none of us do anything the other isn't happy with it."
"That's a good idea." Victoria said, "I mean, I prefer relationships to be more spontaneous but rules are good for something like this."
"Oh, I got one." Lisa chirped, raising slightly onto the table. "No arresting any of your girlfriends. Huh? Huh? Good rule right?"
"How about, neither of my girlfriends is allowed to commit any crime?" Victoria said back in a deadpan tone.
"Yeah… This relationship isn't gonna work out." Lisa said with a sarcastic sigh. Taylor made a quick move to bite Lisa with a mosquito. "I'm joking. I only joking." Lisa whined as she shooed the bug away.
"I meant real rules," Taylor whined. "I don't wanna make anyone upset, okay? Like, school. Lisa's not there so is it fair for us to do couple things together? And the same for when I'm at work? Or do we stick to dates and things like this?"
"It'd been boring if we didn't." Lisa said, "Besides, I wanna see the look on Grue's face when his teammates start 'fraternising' with each other." She chuckled again before looking over to Victoria. "So yeah, I don't mind one bit. Make out under the bleachers or whatever it is you do at school."
"We don't have bleachers in school. At least not any we can go under." Vicky said back with some snark. "But thanks. I'll do just that." She turned back to Taylor. "And I don't mind at all what you do with Lisa, just so long as I get the same amount of attention."
"O-oh," Taylor said, blushing for the millionth time today. "I guess that makes things easier. And I don't have any problem with you two… kissing and stuff either."
Lisa and Vicky gave each other a look while Taylor was busy flushing in embarrassment. Victoria thought about that idea while she stared at the girl.
'Pfft, like that'll happen. Just look at her, she's… oh no. She's actually beautiful. And we did just agree to be girlfriends. Oh shit, I could actually see myself…. Mind reader, mind reader!'
Victoria looked away first which caused Lisa to laugh in amusement. "No problems here," Lisa said, taking great pride in watching the hero squirm.
"Good," Taylor said, still not looking up. "Cause I don't want this to be a one-sided thing or anything. And the idea of
you two actually makes me happy…"
"Taylor Hebert wants to see Victoria Dallon and Lisa Wilbourn kiss," Lisa said with a smug grin. "It's always the quiet ones that are the most adventurous."
"What?" Victoria asked, still reeling from embarrassment.
"It's not like that." Taylor whined, "Don't make me out to be some kinda…" She waved her hands up as the mosquito returned to bite Lisa. "I just wanna see my bestfri- girlfriends get along."
Victoria laughed as Lisa tried and failed to swat the bug. "It's okay, Taylor," Victoria said, ignoring Lisa's cries for help. "I understand what you mean."
Taylor smiled back at Victoria. "Thanks. It's not like I'd specifically enjoy that-"
"My powers say you do- oww!" Lisa called out before two more mosquitoes descended upon her
"-I just want us all to be happy," Taylor said, ignoring the comment.
"I know I am." Victoria chuckled as she watch Lisa wave about the place. Taylor pulled the bugs away again after a short time.
"Well sorry" Lisa drawled, scratching an itch on her neck. "As long as you're happy, then I'm happy." She stopped to think briefly. "Although, now that I think about it, this might be a problem long term. What do you plan on telling people?"
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.
"Glory Girl is kinda a public figure," Lisa explained, pointing to Victoria. "Does she need to make a public announcement if she starts dating? Is New Wave comfortable having a gay member? Are paparazzi going to be following us home? Are people going to ask how we all met? We certainly shouldn't flirt in costume. Or we could, it'd be fun but y'know. Reputation and all."
"I don't… know?" Victoria said. "Again, this wasn't how I was expecting this day to go. I guess I'll tell my friends and family and go from there?"
"Grue is gonna flip when he hears about us with GG." Lisa chuckled, gently slapping Taylor on the arm. "Us, with a hero. I can't wait to see his face."
"Yeah, I don't plan on telling anyone about your day job." Victoria mused. "My Mom would literally kill you."
"I haven't even told my Dad I have powers. Not that I plan to." Taylor said. "Nor have I told him I'm a cape or spending my school lunches with Victoria Dallon."
"Look, not to be a downer or anything," Lisa said, getting a bit more serious. "But there are some people I work with who… know my face. So, keeping me out of the spotlight might be best. I mean, Taylor's fine, only people who know who she is the Undersiders and my boss-"
"The boss knows who I am?" Taylor asked in concern.
"-Yeah. No big deal. Point is, you can publicly date Taylor and I'll just be on the side-"
"That wouldn't be fair." Both Taylor and Vicky said before looking at each other.
"Look," Victoria said, gently knocking the table with her fist. "I know there'll be challenges. Especially with what you two do. But we'll work them out. Together. That's what coup- throuples do." She took both girls' hands and gave them a gentle squeeze before thinking to herself. "Though, I may drip-feed the news slowly to my Mom. I don't wanna overload her all at once. Maybe give all our friends at school a day or two to wrap their heads around us before we mention Lisa? I'm already anxious about telling Amy I'm gay or whatever I am."
"Wow, that's a turnaround from never hearing of a throuple before." Lisa chuckled. "Guess that's what we can expect from our 'mistress,' experienced in all things love and romance."
"Shut up," Victoria whined as she rolled her eyes.
"Make me." Lisa teased, knowing exactly what she was asking for.
Victoria tugged on Lisa's arm and pulled her close, enveloping her in a kiss. Taylor gasped in delight as Lisa kissed back happily.
The two girls pulled away, both cracking a smile as they wordlessly agreed that this was 'weird, but a good weird.' Victoria mused to herself once again. "Not at all how I thought this day would go."
-----------------------------------------------------
Arcadia High School – Midday
Someone was watching her. Taylor couldn't get the feeling out of her head. The entire school day she felt on edge. It wasn't a non-stop feeling, it came and went as she passed the halls. But now before lunch, she could feel the pressure drilling into her head.
Taylor chalked it up to anxiety jitters. She was a few minutes away from announcing to the table and therefore the whole school, that Taylor Hebert and Victoria Dallon were a 'thing.' It also might just be her usual anxiety. It did remind her of when she was convinced everyone stared at her with a burning hatred, although this felt more like one singular beam of hatred rather than a hundred tiny ones.
Her bugs couldn't spot anyone in class behaving oddly. No one was staring at her from the back of the classroom, the teacher was busy helping the other students. Most everyone was paired up to work on their assignments and the only other person who even looked at Taylor was her 'kinda, sorta maybe' friend Amy, who sat quietly next to her as they worked as a pair.
She still felt guilty for holding Amy hostage at the bank. She never planned to hurt the girl but that didn't change what had happened. Worst of all was that there was no way for Taylor to ever apologise to Amy without also revealing who she was to her.
Taylor turned to Amy who held her usual tired expression as they worked. While they were technically partners on this assignment, Amy had barely spoken to Taylor during the entire period. Both girls were competent enough in their studies to do the work by themselves, only partnered out of necessity, they wordlessly split the work between themselves. Every now and then Amy would stare at her. Glare at her to be more precise. It was sometimes hard to tell if the healer was upset at Taylor in particular or if she just had a sour mood in general. Taylor chose to believe the latter as Amy had been the one to approach her in class after all.
That made them friends, right? They ate lunch together, they walked through the halls together and now they did school work together. Amy was less energetic than her sister but who was Taylor to complain about that? They're friends. Taylor was sure of it. 70% sure of it. Vicky wanted them to become friends the same way she wanted Vicky to be friends with Lisa…
Okay, maybe not the same way. But Taylor would put in the effort and could already see Amy doing the same.
Still, what could Taylor say to her? She knew almost nothing about the girl beyond what little Vicky had already said about her. How did she make friends again? She thought back to all her recent friendships only to realise that in every single circumstance, there was a charismatic extrovert dragging her along. When it came to interacting with introverts like herself and Amy, Taylor had no idea how to proceed.
"So, Amy…" Taylor began, "How's the work going?"
"Fine," Amy said back before continuing to scribble away at her paper.
"Need help with any part?"
"No," Amy replied casually.
"Did you get up to anything fun yesterday?" Taylor asked, cringing at how forced that felt coming from her.
Amy kept writing. With the same deadpan tone that matched her face, she said, "No."
'How is this so hard?' Taylor thought to herself. 'Just find a topic you have in common and talk. What do you know about Amy? She's a cape, I'm a- Nope, what else? Does she like any books? I don't know. What could Lisa do? Exploit weakness and aggravate? No, why am I so bad at this? What about Vicky? We both like Vicky? Obviously, she doesn't like her like I like her, Idiot. Still, it's a start, right?'
"Did you know I'm dating your sister?"
Amy stopped writing and looked at Taylor for a solid few seconds. Then Amy let out an audible sigh through her nose.
A pang of regret shot up through Taylor. 'Why did I say THAT of all things? Wait, did she not know? Had Vicky not told her? Did I just out Vicky before she wanted? And to her own sister no less? But we're meant to be telling the table at lunch, aren't we?'
Amy's face made an approximation of a smile. The teeth were clenched shut like she was biting down something painful but the lips were tipped in the upwards direction.
"I… heard," Amy said. "I'm so… happy. For both of you."
Taylor relaxed again. She hadn't outed Vicky without her consent, she was just a socially awkward dork who had zero conversational skills.
"Right. Of course." Taylor chuckled awkwardly. "Thank you. Hope you're happy too. Uh, for whatever makes you happy." She turned away from Amy and sighed. How far away was the lunch bell?
Taylor spent the rest of the class in total silence. They completed the assignment in record time, Taylor compiling the paper together and checking over Amy's work before handing it in. The work was amazing, even better than Taylor's in some aspects. The only odd thing Taylor could see in Amy's work was the handwriting on the final pages, it was like she was gripping her pen differently or too tight. Regardless, the assignment was done and Taylor was certain they'd both get top marks.
Taylor waited by the door as the bell rang out. As per usual, the two girls walked together to their table for lunch. Once again, Taylor felt like someone was watching her, wishing something awful would befall her as she walked through the halls. Anxiety aside, Taylor wasn't worried. She had a constant vigil of bugs watching her every moment and was walking beside Panacea of all people. She was as safe as she possibly could be.
Taking her seat, they waited for the rest of the posse to arrive. Before Taylor could finish her homemade sandwich, everyone had populated their seats. The Ward boys were still acting glum which honestly made Taylor giggle inside, the other two girls were debating about a question in whatever practice exam they just took and Victoria silently grabbed Taylor's hand under the table.
"You ready?" Vicky whispered to Taylor.
Taylor nodded back but honestly wasn't ready at all. She made a complete fool of herself to Amy and now was going to do it all over again to the rest of this table. Vicky squeezed her hand again which reminded her that Vicky was just as nervous, if not more so. Taylor squeezed back even tighter in a show of solidarity. With a deep breath, Victoria knocked on the table and stood up in her seat.
"Everyone," Vicky said looking around at her friends. She looked back to Taylor who also stood up, both girls holding hands for everyone to see. "We have an announcement to make."
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On Taylor's Shoulder
Gowonzu
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Alright, this idea really struck a cord with me.
Sorry in advanced, it might be too spicy for this thread? Idk, please advise if it is.
Lisa's tongue danced around Taylor's left ear. The warm, moist feeling of her lips on the skin there made Taylor want to moan, but she restrained herself. The outfit Lisa wore was already embarrassing enough to be seated next to.
Dressed as the devil on her shoulder. Lisa's red lingerie barely covers anything from her thighs up. Deep red boots came up to her knee, matched with lacy thin underwear of the same colour that didn't even hide the soft skin underneath. A pair of little red wings attached to her back made out of the same leather as the horns on her head. She was beautiful like this, with dark blond hair flowing over her shoulders and down to her bare back. Her green eyes almost glowed in the dimness of the room. She clung to Taylor's left side, one hand caressing Taylor's chest. Licking, kissing and nibbling on Taylor's earlobe.
"It'd be so fun," Lisa cooed into Taylor's ear. A whisper that sent shivers down the girl's spine. "To corrupt that little hero. To turn her into a villain... a bad girl. Like us."
Lisa chuckled before kissing Taylor's neck. "She'd do it, you know. She'd do anything you ask of her. And more." Lisa pulled away for a second and looked at Taylor's face. "Just think how we could help make her feel loved. No one will ever leave her again if we do this."
Lisa leaned in again and kissed Taylor's cheek. Then a finger gently guided Taylor's chin, pulling her closer to Lisa. Taylor's lips met hers. They were gentle, sweet kisses. They come one after another until Lisa began nipping at her bottom lip. Taylor felt herself being dragged closer to Lisa. She tried to resist, but it wasn't easy. She wanted this, too. So much. To finally have someone who made her feel like she mattered. Who cared about what happened to her. Each kiss was soft and chaste. A juxtaposition from the demon who gave them.
Then Taylor was pulled away. Gently hands cupped her cheek as another warmth greeted her right side. Turning to see an angel of all things, welcoming her with an embrace.
Victoria drew close, Long blonde hair flowed out behind her as two blue eyes glimmered like the sky. Dressed in the same amount of fabric as her devilish counterpart. Only she wore the brightest whites. Small feathered angel wings, with a halo to boot. Her silk skirt did nothing to hide what little clothing hid underneath and the sash only served to highlight Vicky's obvious curves.
Another tongue danced around Taylor's ear. Her right ear this time. Just as warm and inviting as the last. Biting down on her earlobe, threatening to pierce the skin but always teasing the edge of pain.
More hands worked their way over Taylor's body. Brushing her hair, holding her close. Victoria was strong, safe and capable. She took care of Taylor, and she knew everything about Taylor and her every move. She knew every dirty detail about Taylor, and Taylor had trusted Victoria with her life. She loved Vicky, despite all odds, despite the fact that they'd been on opposite sides. She clung to Taylor's right side. Licking, kissing and nibbling on Taylor's earlobe.
"You could be so much better," Victoria whispered into her ear. Her voice was as angelic as the outfit she parodied. "We could do so much good together. Including that mischievous villain. All of us. Think of what we could accomplish. How proud I would be of you." Victoria hummed before kissing Taylor's neck. "She wants you to help her. To save her from her life of crime. Ask her to run away with you. I'll protect you. I can protect you both."
Victoria leaned in again and kissed Taylor's cheek. Then three fingers guided Taylor's chin, pulling her closer to Victoria. Taylor's lips met hers. They were fiery, passionate kisses. A relentless assault of lips and tongue that Taylor couldn't get enough off. Each one pulled her in, consuming all her thoughts. She wanted this. So much. To have someone who protected her. Who could stop anything bad from ever happening to her again. Each kiss was rough and hungry. A far cry from the angel who sent them.
Lisa tugged again on Taylor's side, pulling her away from the angelic lips. She wasn't angry or upset. Only wanting to give yet another kiss. Taylor eagerly accepts the devil's gift, surrendering to it completely.
Another tug, as Vicky pulled her right back. Neither jealous nor bitter. Launching into another torrent of sensual smooches. Taylor greedily took the angel's love, falling from heaven like a biblical figure.
The tug of war continued for longer than Taylor could remember. Neither side was content with the amount of attention they gave the girl. It wasn't fair. But neither cared about fairness. What mattered was pleasure. The only thing that mattered was the pleasure. The pure unadulterated happiness. The pure joy that filled them when they kissed Taylor. When they touched each other. Their lips were moving, their tongues, their hands.
It was too much. Too intense, too wild. Taylor couldn't take any more. She pulled away, taking deep breaths to steady her breathing. Neither angel nor devil caring about the bruises and hickeys forming on the young woman's neck.
They were insatiable, unstoppable and incorrigible.
Both worked in unison to drag her back down on the couch they all sat on. Pulling her into their lap. Lisa's arms wrapped around her middle. Kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and then her mouth again. Victoria's wings fluttered, extending and wrapping around them like a protective shield. Her lips brushed against Taylor's neck.
Individually they were a distraction but now they had teamed up. And Taylor stood no chance of getting free. Not without making a scene, anyway. That wouldn't end well for her.
Truly. Being Taylor 'Two-Hands' Hebert was nothing but suffering.
Chapter 15: She's cute when she's embarrassed
Gowonzu
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Arcadia High School – Midday
Jessica and Alice squealed with glee as the new couple held their hands up together. Erupting into clapping on the spot while they hopped and down in their seats. Victoria puffed her chest out proudly as she bathed in the acceptance. Smiles all around from her circle of friends.
"Congrats." Amy huffed quickly turning back to her food.
"You and Taylor? Nice." Dennis said while nodding in approvement. Carlos slapped him over the back of his head. "What? I'm happy for them."
"Sure you are," Carlos said sarcastically before turning to Victoria with a smile. "This is an unexpected surprise. I'm very happy for you, Victoria. Although you might want to sit down before poor Taylor dies from embarrassment there."
Victoria tilted her head in confusion at Carlos before following his finger back to Taylor. While Taylor was standing up with her, the girl was looking away from the rest of the table, trying her best to become invisible. Covering her face with her spare hand and resisting the urge to curl up into a ball.
"I thought we were just going to tell them quietly," Taylor grumbled in a shaky voice. "Not stand up and announce it to the world."
Victoria's eyes widened in shock as she realised what she had done. The poor girl was already on edge and now Vicky had shone a spotlight directly onto the two of them. She tried to apologise with a smile, sitting back down in her chair. Taylor sat down with a speed that would've made the Triumvirate look twice, burying her head down into herself, trying to hide away from every eye that was now on her.
Taylor let out a soft whine that made Victoria want to cuddle her. She settled on the handholding they were already doing.
"So, you're… gay now?" Dean asked in as much of a casual manner as the boy could manage. Vicky watched as his eyebrows raised in disapprovement before he actively fought the expression. He looked surprised, somewhat hurt, most likely jealous but he nodded his head anyways. "That's… a nice development. Good for you." His words were chosen carefully, but his tone betrayed how he really felt.
Victoria fought the immediate urge to be upset with him. Dean's obvious reaction to the news wasn't positive but not for any homophobic reasons, Victoria knew Dean well enough to know he wasn't 'that guy.' A part of her felt bad for him, but she wouldn't deny her feelings to save his.
"Yes. Well bisexual, I guess?" Victoria explained to the table. "It's all really new for me."
"Honestly, I called that ages ago." Dennis chuckled. "Pretty sure I made a bet with someone. Yeah, Chris. He owes me money now."
"Dennis, I remember that conversation," Carlos said as he rolled his eyes. "You didn't make a bet, you told him you would 'pay money' to see Victoria-" He stopped talking and looked up to Vicky, she did not look impressed. "Uh, never mind."
Dennis smiled to himself. "Oh yeah. I remember now," He laughed heartily before turning to Taylor. "Congrats on bagging Glory Girly, Tay. You'll be the envy of Arcadia for sure now."
Taylor let out another whine, albeit a little softer now. Victoria shifted her unimpressed look to Dennis, who took it as a compliment.
"Speaking off," Victoria said, not daring to comment on the boy's crassness. "I haven't really told anyone else yet. So, I was hoping to keep it all on the 'DL' for now. This is Brockton Bay after all."
Carlos made a gesture of zipping his lips. Dennis and the girls nodded in understanding.
"Maybe you shouldn't've stood up and announced it to the table if you wanted it to be a secret?" Amy said sarcastically, Vicky detected an unusual hint of bitterness in her tone but chose to ignore it.
"Well, I trust all of you," Victoria said, waving the comment aside. "You're not going to gossip to any-"
"There's already a speculation post on PHO," Amy said bluntly, holding out her phone.
"What?" Vicky and Taylor said in unison. The latter finally pulled her head up from the table. "There's no way that got posted that quickly," Vicky added, looking at Amy's phone in disbelief.
"Yeah, it's a week or so old." Amy explained, scrolling through, "Something about students seeing Glory Girl 'getting cosy' with a mysterious brunette." Amy took her phone back. "I saw the thread a few times, didn't give it much thought till today." Amy's huffed again as she scrolled to the end of the webpage. "Oh, new post. A few seconds ago. Look familiar?"
Amy showed the phone to the table again. It had a photo of Vicky and Taylor from behind, standing up at the table, holding hands.
"How the-," Vicky asked, studying the photo. She was no stranger to finding candid photos of her online, it didn't make them any less creepy when she did come across them. Knowing that someone in the cafeteria had not only taken one but also uploaded it in this short amount of time made her feel extra gross.
Taylor once again retreated back into her 'not quite a ball' of shame. Her hair covered her face as she lay, face down in her arm. Lisa had warned about the pitfalls of dating someone like Victoria, but nothing could prepare you for the reality of dating a celebrity, and it was only the first day.
"I-it's just one speculation thread," Victoria said, trying to allay Taylor's worries. "Probably all posted by the same five creeps who 'ship me' with anyone I make contact with. I wouldn't worry about that." Vicky patted Taylor's hair, hoping to relax the poor girl. "But the rest of you," Victoria said, looking around the table. "Just keep it on the down low for now."
--------------------------------------
Amy watched as the table quickly fell into their usual chatter for the day. Taylor eventually recovered from her periodic bouts of shyness after some coaxing from Vicky.
She watched in disgust as Vicky stroked and scratched through raven hair. It was almost as bad as the days Vicky would do that to Dean. Not stroke his hair, Dean didn't have hair nearly that long. But the casual touching, the closeness of it all. It made Amy sick. She was lucky that she ate a light meal, or else the bile would be coming up inside her now for sure.
How many times over the years did Amy sit here, watching Vicky throw herself all over that idiot boy? And now it was finally for a girl, that wasn't her. Was that better or worse? Amy couldn't yet tell.
When Vicky had been with Dean, it was at least easier to rationalise why she wasn't chosen. It was very hard to imagine herself trading places with Dean in half the stuff he did at school. Being a boy, Dean was prone to doing and saying the dumbest shit imaginable, which against all odds, would cause Vicky to laugh, swoon or whatever the fuck else.
But with Taylor, how would it be different? She didn't come off as an insufferable shit. Not yet at least. Her shyness obviously held her back from doing public displays of affection, that was a plus. Then again, it was only time until Vicky convinced her to be bolder.
Sure, it starts with casual petting today. The next thing they'd be doing is having Vicky sat on her lap. Giggling like idiots until they start to make out. Amy could picture it now, clear as day.
'How would that even work?' Amy asked herself, stupidly. 'With Dean, he always tried to take the lead, being the 'man' and all. Pulling Vicky into his lap, but with Vicky and Taylor…'
A new picture formed in Amy's mind. This time Taylor sitting in Vicky's lap as the two of them cackled over some stupid shit.
'Oh hell no. That's my spot!' Amy roared in her head. The two imaginary girls ignored her in favour of each other.
Worse. It was so much worse. Taylor wasn't even the 'Anti-Amy.' She was more of an… Amy clone, a sister. It's weird. Vicky was dating Amy's freaky clone sister. That's so we-
'What if I dyed my hair black and straighten it?' Amy thought to herself, ignoring the hypocrisy of her previous thought. 'Would Vicky look at me differently? If I started emulating Taylor's looks, could I form some Pavlovian response in Vicky's brain that would make her find me attractive?'
Amy looked back over to Taylor, the real Taylor who was slowly coming out of her shell, not the imaginary Taylor who was slobbering on imaginary Vicky's face. Thin and Tall, Amy couldn't do too much about the height, but if she skipped out on dinner… yeah, she could do that.
And what of her outfits? Taylor never wore anything that flashy. Amy might even have that shirt in her wardrobe, somewhere. It's doable. All she'd had to do now is learn how to talk like Taylor, to walk like Taylor. Really act up the 'injured puppy vibe' she has going on for her.
'Who are you, Taylor Hebert?' Amy asked to the void. 'Tell me all your secrets. What makes you so much better than me.'
If the 'void' could speak, it would probably yell back, "She's not her damn sister, you absolute nutter." But alas, Amy was set in her ways.
A plan formed in her mind, she would befriend Taylor, as Vicky had wanted her to. She would discover everything that made this girl 'special' and then Amy would replace her. On that, Amy would make sure.
"Everything okay, Ames?" An angelic voice asked pulling Amy back from the recesses of her mind.
Amy looked up to Vicky, who was looking between her and Taylor. She had obviously been staring at Taylor too long, but the shy girl was too shy to say anything. The gall of this bitch, using Vicky against her like that.
"Sorry." Amy lied, trying her best to place a fake smile on her face. "I was just thinking." Amy looked towards Taylor, who relaxed in the presence of the 'smile.' "I really like that shirt."
"Oh… Thanks." Taylor replied with a confused half-smile. More of a smile than Amy usually saw from the girl.
Vicky's eyes lit up as she took the bait. "You and Taylor should go to the mall sometime. Maybe you can help Amy find a shirt like that."
'Typical Vicky, wanting to push her girlfriend and her sister to be friends.' Amy thought, imagining herself the villain in an elaborate masterplan, 'You've just played the first move in a long game of chess.'
"Uh, sure…" Taylor said, uncertain of herself. She looked up to Amy and then away again. "I mean if you want to. I don't mind."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Amy said in her usual, nonchalant manner.
Amy laughed wickedly behind her quiet smile. Taylor Hebert, your days are numbered.
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Outside the Undersiders base – After school
Happy. Yet nervous. General anxiety compounded onto fear of rejection of upcoming news to Undersiders.
"Everything okay, Tay?" Lisa asked as Taylor came into hugging range. A range that Lisa took full advantage of, wrapping her arms around Taylor.
Comforted, relaxing, happy. Enjoys Lisa Wilbourn's affection.
Lisa smiled as Taylor returned the hug in kind. Taylor dug her face into Lisa's shoulder and hummed an affirmative to her question.
"I'm fine," Taylor said, a small smile on her face. "Just trying not to think about what's about to happen."
Lisa patted Taylor on the back a few more times.
"I take it, it didn't go well at school with Victoria's announcement?" Lisa asked, probing what might have gone down.
"No, it went great," Taylor said back, shaking her head into Lisa's neck. She pulled back to look at Lisa properly while she spoke. "Everyone was accepting. Excited, curious. And Amy is even being nicer to me." Her face fell into a small frown after that last sentence.
Taylor Hebert feels guilty for threatening Panacea while acting as Skitter. Wants to form a platonic relationship with Amy Dallon. Worried that Amy Dallon will dislike her.
Lisa thought of several different things she could say that would cheer Taylor up at that moment. But the best and most direct path to happiness was also Lisa's favourite. She leaned in and kissed Taylor's frown away. It curled into a smile before Taylor was even aware of what had happened. Success.
"H-hey," Taylor said, not really doing anything to stop Lisa. "What if one of the others looked outside and saw us. It would ruin our entire plan."
Lisa huffed with a smile. "Oh please. Alec is too busy playing games to look out the window. Brian's been on the phone to his landlord or something for the last forty minutes complaining about mould and Rachel is out walking her dogs. No one is looking at us." She held a hand out to Taylor. "Now come on. Let's go tell everyone the good news."
"I still don't think Brian will see it that way," Taylor grumbled, taking Lisa's hand as she was led into the building.
"He's not gonna bite your head off." Lisa sighed. "He'll just grumble and complain. Tell us what a bad idea it all is and then… he'll be happy for us. You'll see."
"Okay, but wait," Taylor said, pulling on her hand to get Lisa to slow down. Lisa slowed to a walk but didn't stop moving.
"What is it?" Lisa asked with a smile, trying to pull her along.
"Do we have a plan?" Taylor asked, shifting nervously as she spoke. "I didn't really discuss it with Vicky and she kinda took over and it was really embarrassing. I'm hoping to avoid that with the rest of the team."
This caused Lisa to stop.
Very nervous about telling Undersiders about relationship. Doesn't want to be caught off guard again. Wants team to respect her and her choices. Has speech prepared for Brian when he inventively complains. Wants to be able to recite it without distractions.
"Alright, Taylor." Lisa sighed, dramatically. "We'll do this your way. I'll let you take the lead on this one."
Taylor let out a relieved breath. "Thank you."
"So how are we doing this?" Lisa asked a big smile on her face.
"I'm thinking…" Taylor said, composing herself. "We walk in there, act casual. Just say, 'Hey, we have something we want to tell all of you.' Then we announce that we're d-dating."
Still embarrassed to admit it out loud.
Lisa smiled at how cute that was.
Taylor continued, "Explain how we'll always be a team, and that nothing needs to change. Once everyone accepts that bit of news, 'then' we tell them about Vicky."
---------------------------------------
Taylor entered the Undersider's base first. Casually strolling down the hallway and into the main area. Neither member of the team really noticed her as she approached.
Brian was walking back and forth between the kitchen and the living room section of the loft. He was on his mobile and looked increasingly exasperated with whoever he was having a conversation with. Upon entering the living room section for the third time, he looked at Taylor and waved two fingers in recognition before turning back around.
"That's what you said last month." Brian said into the phone, his tone professional but his body language saying 'pissed.' "I've had this problem from the moment I've moved in… Well how hard is it to… Her bedroom is right next to it if it spreads… I'd do it myself but its in the walls-"
A grumpy Brian wasn't going to make this any easier to accomplish. Taylor steadied herself and looked at Alec. To her surprise, the boy was reading a book. He looked up at Taylor and shot her the same look of disbelief in jest.
"What?" Alec asked. "I know how to read. I'm not Rachel."
"I didn't-" Taylor began to defend herself, but Alec only chuckled.
"Dammit." Brian called out over from the kitchen. Flipping his phone shut and moving to chuck it before calming down.
"Didn't go well?" Lisa asked, coming in behind Taylor.
"Another two months." Brian sighed in annoyance. "Which by then, the mould will spread and the quote to fix it will be more."
"And you can't fix it yourself because?" Lisa asked in her typical smug fashion.
"Because I can't remove the drywall without voiding my bond." Brian snapped back sardonically.
"Just punch a hole in the wall." Alec suggested, "You can afford it."
"It's not about the money. It's…" Brian sighed, holding the bridge of his nose.
"It's what I would do." Alec continued, casually flipping a page in his book. "Oh, how about I punch the whole, then it's not even your fault?"
"Thanks but no." Brian declined. He turned to look at Lisa and Taylor, the latter who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Anyway, what's new with you girls?"
Taylor looked as incriminating as one could in a supervillain's lair, she came up with several excuses in her head to lob at Brian, most of them to the degree of 'Nothing' and 'Shut up, you're the one acting weird.' However, before Taylor could open her mouth to convey this, Lisa pulled her by the shirt and launched herself in for a kiss.
"Woah. Okay." Brian said in surprise. Suddenly unsure of what to do with his hands and having no idea if he should just turn away to give them privacy.
Brian stood in a somewhat defensive posture as the two girls ignored his awkward gesturing as the kiss went on for far too long. At least from Brian's point of view.
Finally, they broke apart, Taylor pulled back from her love-struck stupor to realise what exactly just happened.
"Lisa!" She whined, "You promised that we'd do it my way."
"Yeah, but this was more fun." Lisa giggled through her smug smile. A smile that she then pointed towards Brian. "Yeah, this is a thing now."
"Congratulations," Brian said was a drawl, bouncing back from the initial awkwardness he showed prior. "I'll let HR know."
Lisa chuckled at the joke and then pouted. "Aww, boo. I was looking forward to a bigger reaction."
Brian huffed, "You're not the only one who can read the room." Lisa shot her tongue out at him and he chuckled, "Wouldn't say I saw it coming, but it makes sense, considering how much time you spend with each other." He turned to Taylor and smiled. "I'm happy for you. Both of you."
"T-thanks," Taylor said with a small smile, growing bigger when looking back to Lisa, who gave an 'I told you so' stare.
"Pfft," Alec said, completely uninterested, turning back to his book. "I thought you two were already 'a thing.' Come back when you have something new to tell us."
"In that case," Lisa added, wiggling her eyebrows, and throwing her arm around Taylor. "We're actually part of a throuple." She held up three fingers to Brian to illustrate her point. "Give ya three guesses who the final girl is."
"Lisa, I swear to God, if you've somehow roped Aisha into-" Brian sighed.
"What? No." Lisa barked out with a laugh. "Could you imagine?" She laughed even harder before wiping her eye. Brian relaxed again, obviously not intending to play Lisa's guessing game. Lisa rolled her eyes before simply saying, "It's Glory Girl."
"Yeah, and I'm in a relationship with Gallant," Brian said sarcastically, not believing a word of what Lisa said.
Alec snorted at the mental image. "Always knew you two had chemistry." He chuckled, also not paying much attention to what Lisa had just said.
Brian smirked at his own joke before looking at Taylor, her lack of denial for anything Lisa had said raised several red flags. Taylor struggled to hold eye contact with the boy, flicking between him and Lisa.
"Wait…" Brian said, picking up the signs. "You're serious?"
Taylor looked away before giving a little nod. Lisa held her smile, ever loud and proud.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Brian gasped, his hand reaching for the bridge of his nose. "How? When? How? Was it at the bank?"
"Yeah," Lisa chuckled. "Our game is just that good. Pulled the hero during a bank heist."
"I'm in awe of your skill," Alec added in jest. Lisa bowed in response, as Alec politely clapped.
Taylor stepped out before Lisa could rile up Brian even more.
"Victoria approached me at school," Taylor began to explain. "She knew who I was but didn't want to arrest me for whatever reason. We became… friends. Until a few days ago."
Brian frowned at that and shook his head, "I don't like this. Nothing good can come out of dating a hero."
"Plenty good can come out of it," Lisa argued. Taylor nodded in support.
"Plus, it's not like we can ask her to forget who we are," Taylor added. "Even if we wanted to, which we don't. The only course of action is proceeding forwards."
"Great point, Tay," Lisa said, leaning in on the girl. "Besides, she's already brought something good out of it. She helped us take down Shadow Stalker."
"She did?" Brian asked, stunned at the statement.
"She did?" Taylor asked, mirroring Brian's stunned disbelief.
"Ooop," Lisa said, before placing a hand over her mouth. "Uhh… Forget you heard that."
"Seriously!?" Brian and Taylor asked in unison.
The door jostled for a few seconds then opened. Three dogs and one puppy barrelled through the living room, circling around Taylor, Lisa, and Brian before quickly rushing off to smell the final Undersider on the couch.
Rachel strolled in behind them all and whistled loudly. All three adult dogs lined up and promptly headed into Rachel's room. The puppy however was already scooped up by Alec, who had it resting on his chest while he continued reading.
"What are we all yelling about?" Rachel grumbled, looking between the three standing teammates.
"Those two are hooking up now," Alec explained, pointing between Lisa and Taylor with his free hand, his eyes not leaving the book.
Rachel gave a small nod of approval. "Not a bad catch." She added to her look. Taylor wasn't sure if she directed that at her or Lisa.
"They also bagged Glory Girl into their little 'ménage á trios,' if you catch my drift," Alec added, giggling at his joke. Rachel did not understand the joke, staring back at the boy with a blank expression. She did not know a single word of French and was currently deciding if Alec had somehow offended her by speaking in a different language. Alec sighed and rolled his eyes. "They're also hooking up with Glory Girl."
"Damn," Rachel said, her small nod of approval turning into a full head bob. "Always wanted to tap Glory Girl, any room for one more?" She asked bluntly and unashamed.
For the second time today, Taylor wanted to curl up into a ball and die from embarrassment. Lisa let out another hearty laugh as she elbowed the girl.
"What do you think, Tay?" Lisa chuckled, "Should we add this one to our harem too?"
"Stop," Taylor whined, hiding her face behind her hands. "It's not a-" Her voice disappeared into a grumble as she hid away from both girls' questions.
Rachel huffed and continued walking to her room. Not before taking the puppy from Alec's chest and placing it at Taylor's feet. "Whatever," Rachel said, not really bothered by the rejection. She looked back to Lisa who remembered to not smile directly at Rachel. "You know where to find me."
Taylor continued to descend into her ball of shame, breaking only to welcome the fuzzy embrace of the puppy that met her on the floor. Lisa bent down alongside Taylor, extending a hand to play with the pup.
All in all, everyone took it rather well. Brian still was in stunned disbelief over the whole Glory Girl side of things, but the rest of the team was more than accepting. Taylor hoped that her school friends would also be just as accepting when they finally let them know about Lisa.
In the excitement and awkwardness of it all, Taylor almost forgot that little comment about Vicky helping with the Shadow Stalker. She made a mental note to ask about it later.
Jessica and Alice squealed with glee as the new couple held their hands up together. Erupting into clapping on the spot while they hopped and down in their seats. Victoria puffed her chest out proudly as she bathed in the acceptance. Smiles all around from her circle of friends.
"Congrats." Amy huffed quickly turning back to her food.
"You and Taylor? Nice." Dennis said while nodding in approvement. Carlos slapped him over the back of his head. "What? I'm happy for them."
"Sure you are," Carlos said sarcastically before turning to Victoria with a smile. "This is an unexpected surprise. I'm very happy for you, Victoria. Although you might want to sit down before poor Taylor dies from embarrassment there."
Victoria tilted her head in confusion at Carlos before following his finger back to Taylor. While Taylor was standing up with her, the girl was looking away from the rest of the table, trying her best to become invisible. Covering her face with her spare hand and resisting the urge to curl up into a ball.
"I thought we were just going to tell them quietly," Taylor grumbled in a shaky voice. "Not stand up and announce it to the world."
Victoria's eyes widened in shock as she realised what she had done. The poor girl was already on edge and now Vicky had shone a spotlight directly onto the two of them. She tried to apologise with a smile, sitting back down in her chair. Taylor sat down with a speed that would've made the Triumvirate look twice, burying her head down into herself, trying to hide away from every eye that was now on her.
Taylor let out a soft whine that made Victoria want to cuddle her. She settled on the handholding they were already doing.
"So, you're… gay now?" Dean asked in as much of a casual manner as the boy could manage. Vicky watched as his eyebrows raised in disapprovement before he actively fought the expression. He looked surprised, somewhat hurt, most likely jealous but he nodded his head anyways. "That's… a nice development. Good for you." His words were chosen carefully, but his tone betrayed how he really felt.
Victoria fought the immediate urge to be upset with him. Dean's obvious reaction to the news wasn't positive but not for any homophobic reasons, Victoria knew Dean well enough to know he wasn't 'that guy.' A part of her felt bad for him, but she wouldn't deny her feelings to save his.
"Yes. Well bisexual, I guess?" Victoria explained to the table. "It's all really new for me."
"Honestly, I called that ages ago." Dennis chuckled. "Pretty sure I made a bet with someone. Yeah, Chris. He owes me money now."
"Dennis, I remember that conversation," Carlos said as he rolled his eyes. "You didn't make a bet, you told him you would 'pay money' to see Victoria-" He stopped talking and looked up to Vicky, she did not look impressed. "Uh, never mind."
Dennis smiled to himself. "Oh yeah. I remember now," He laughed heartily before turning to Taylor. "Congrats on bagging Glory Girly, Tay. You'll be the envy of Arcadia for sure now."
Taylor let out another whine, albeit a little softer now. Victoria shifted her unimpressed look to Dennis, who took it as a compliment.
"Speaking off," Victoria said, not daring to comment on the boy's crassness. "I haven't really told anyone else yet. So, I was hoping to keep it all on the 'DL' for now. This is Brockton Bay after all."
Carlos made a gesture of zipping his lips. Dennis and the girls nodded in understanding.
"Maybe you shouldn't've stood up and announced it to the table if you wanted it to be a secret?" Amy said sarcastically, Vicky detected an unusual hint of bitterness in her tone but chose to ignore it.
"Well, I trust all of you," Victoria said, waving the comment aside. "You're not going to gossip to any-"
"There's already a speculation post on PHO," Amy said bluntly, holding out her phone.
"What?" Vicky and Taylor said in unison. The latter finally pulled her head up from the table. "There's no way that got posted that quickly," Vicky added, looking at Amy's phone in disbelief.
"Yeah, it's a week or so old." Amy explained, scrolling through, "Something about students seeing Glory Girl 'getting cosy' with a mysterious brunette." Amy took her phone back. "I saw the thread a few times, didn't give it much thought till today." Amy's huffed again as she scrolled to the end of the webpage. "Oh, new post. A few seconds ago. Look familiar?"
Amy showed the phone to the table again. It had a photo of Vicky and Taylor from behind, standing up at the table, holding hands.
"How the-," Vicky asked, studying the photo. She was no stranger to finding candid photos of her online, it didn't make them any less creepy when she did come across them. Knowing that someone in the cafeteria had not only taken one but also uploaded it in this short amount of time made her feel extra gross.
Taylor once again retreated back into her 'not quite a ball' of shame. Her hair covered her face as she lay, face down in her arm. Lisa had warned about the pitfalls of dating someone like Victoria, but nothing could prepare you for the reality of dating a celebrity, and it was only the first day.
"I-it's just one speculation thread," Victoria said, trying to allay Taylor's worries. "Probably all posted by the same five creeps who 'ship me' with anyone I make contact with. I wouldn't worry about that." Vicky patted Taylor's hair, hoping to relax the poor girl. "But the rest of you," Victoria said, looking around the table. "Just keep it on the down low for now."
--------------------------------------
Amy watched as the table quickly fell into their usual chatter for the day. Taylor eventually recovered from her periodic bouts of shyness after some coaxing from Vicky.
She watched in disgust as Vicky stroked and scratched through raven hair. It was almost as bad as the days Vicky would do that to Dean. Not stroke his hair, Dean didn't have hair nearly that long. But the casual touching, the closeness of it all. It made Amy sick. She was lucky that she ate a light meal, or else the bile would be coming up inside her now for sure.
How many times over the years did Amy sit here, watching Vicky throw herself all over that idiot boy? And now it was finally for a girl, that wasn't her. Was that better or worse? Amy couldn't yet tell.
When Vicky had been with Dean, it was at least easier to rationalise why she wasn't chosen. It was very hard to imagine herself trading places with Dean in half the stuff he did at school. Being a boy, Dean was prone to doing and saying the dumbest shit imaginable, which against all odds, would cause Vicky to laugh, swoon or whatever the fuck else.
But with Taylor, how would it be different? She didn't come off as an insufferable shit. Not yet at least. Her shyness obviously held her back from doing public displays of affection, that was a plus. Then again, it was only time until Vicky convinced her to be bolder.
Sure, it starts with casual petting today. The next thing they'd be doing is having Vicky sat on her lap. Giggling like idiots until they start to make out. Amy could picture it now, clear as day.
'How would that even work?' Amy asked herself, stupidly. 'With Dean, he always tried to take the lead, being the 'man' and all. Pulling Vicky into his lap, but with Vicky and Taylor…'
A new picture formed in Amy's mind. This time Taylor sitting in Vicky's lap as the two of them cackled over some stupid shit.
'Oh hell no. That's my spot!' Amy roared in her head. The two imaginary girls ignored her in favour of each other.
Worse. It was so much worse. Taylor wasn't even the 'Anti-Amy.' She was more of an… Amy clone, a sister. It's weird. Vicky was dating Amy's freaky clone sister. That's so we-
'What if I dyed my hair black and straighten it?' Amy thought to herself, ignoring the hypocrisy of her previous thought. 'Would Vicky look at me differently? If I started emulating Taylor's looks, could I form some Pavlovian response in Vicky's brain that would make her find me attractive?'
Amy looked back over to Taylor, the real Taylor who was slowly coming out of her shell, not the imaginary Taylor who was slobbering on imaginary Vicky's face. Thin and Tall, Amy couldn't do too much about the height, but if she skipped out on dinner… yeah, she could do that.
And what of her outfits? Taylor never wore anything that flashy. Amy might even have that shirt in her wardrobe, somewhere. It's doable. All she'd had to do now is learn how to talk like Taylor, to walk like Taylor. Really act up the 'injured puppy vibe' she has going on for her.
'Who are you, Taylor Hebert?' Amy asked to the void. 'Tell me all your secrets. What makes you so much better than me.'
If the 'void' could speak, it would probably yell back, "She's not her damn sister, you absolute nutter." But alas, Amy was set in her ways.
A plan formed in her mind, she would befriend Taylor, as Vicky had wanted her to. She would discover everything that made this girl 'special' and then Amy would replace her. On that, Amy would make sure.
"Everything okay, Ames?" An angelic voice asked pulling Amy back from the recesses of her mind.
Amy looked up to Vicky, who was looking between her and Taylor. She had obviously been staring at Taylor too long, but the shy girl was too shy to say anything. The gall of this bitch, using Vicky against her like that.
"Sorry." Amy lied, trying her best to place a fake smile on her face. "I was just thinking." Amy looked towards Taylor, who relaxed in the presence of the 'smile.' "I really like that shirt."
"Oh… Thanks." Taylor replied with a confused half-smile. More of a smile than Amy usually saw from the girl.
Vicky's eyes lit up as she took the bait. "You and Taylor should go to the mall sometime. Maybe you can help Amy find a shirt like that."
'Typical Vicky, wanting to push her girlfriend and her sister to be friends.' Amy thought, imagining herself the villain in an elaborate masterplan, 'You've just played the first move in a long game of chess.'
"Uh, sure…" Taylor said, uncertain of herself. She looked up to Amy and then away again. "I mean if you want to. I don't mind."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Amy said in her usual, nonchalant manner.
Amy laughed wickedly behind her quiet smile. Taylor Hebert, your days are numbered.
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Outside the Undersiders base – After school
Happy. Yet nervous. General anxiety compounded onto fear of rejection of upcoming news to Undersiders.
"Everything okay, Tay?" Lisa asked as Taylor came into hugging range. A range that Lisa took full advantage of, wrapping her arms around Taylor.
Comforted, relaxing, happy. Enjoys Lisa Wilbourn's affection.
Lisa smiled as Taylor returned the hug in kind. Taylor dug her face into Lisa's shoulder and hummed an affirmative to her question.
"I'm fine," Taylor said, a small smile on her face. "Just trying not to think about what's about to happen."
Lisa patted Taylor on the back a few more times.
"I take it, it didn't go well at school with Victoria's announcement?" Lisa asked, probing what might have gone down.
"No, it went great," Taylor said back, shaking her head into Lisa's neck. She pulled back to look at Lisa properly while she spoke. "Everyone was accepting. Excited, curious. And Amy is even being nicer to me." Her face fell into a small frown after that last sentence.
Taylor Hebert feels guilty for threatening Panacea while acting as Skitter. Wants to form a platonic relationship with Amy Dallon. Worried that Amy Dallon will dislike her.
Lisa thought of several different things she could say that would cheer Taylor up at that moment. But the best and most direct path to happiness was also Lisa's favourite. She leaned in and kissed Taylor's frown away. It curled into a smile before Taylor was even aware of what had happened. Success.
"H-hey," Taylor said, not really doing anything to stop Lisa. "What if one of the others looked outside and saw us. It would ruin our entire plan."
Lisa huffed with a smile. "Oh please. Alec is too busy playing games to look out the window. Brian's been on the phone to his landlord or something for the last forty minutes complaining about mould and Rachel is out walking her dogs. No one is looking at us." She held a hand out to Taylor. "Now come on. Let's go tell everyone the good news."
"I still don't think Brian will see it that way," Taylor grumbled, taking Lisa's hand as she was led into the building.
"He's not gonna bite your head off." Lisa sighed. "He'll just grumble and complain. Tell us what a bad idea it all is and then… he'll be happy for us. You'll see."
"Okay, but wait," Taylor said, pulling on her hand to get Lisa to slow down. Lisa slowed to a walk but didn't stop moving.
"What is it?" Lisa asked with a smile, trying to pull her along.
"Do we have a plan?" Taylor asked, shifting nervously as she spoke. "I didn't really discuss it with Vicky and she kinda took over and it was really embarrassing. I'm hoping to avoid that with the rest of the team."
This caused Lisa to stop.
Very nervous about telling Undersiders about relationship. Doesn't want to be caught off guard again. Wants team to respect her and her choices. Has speech prepared for Brian when he inventively complains. Wants to be able to recite it without distractions.
"Alright, Taylor." Lisa sighed, dramatically. "We'll do this your way. I'll let you take the lead on this one."
Taylor let out a relieved breath. "Thank you."
"So how are we doing this?" Lisa asked a big smile on her face.
"I'm thinking…" Taylor said, composing herself. "We walk in there, act casual. Just say, 'Hey, we have something we want to tell all of you.' Then we announce that we're d-dating."
Still embarrassed to admit it out loud.
Lisa smiled at how cute that was.
Taylor continued, "Explain how we'll always be a team, and that nothing needs to change. Once everyone accepts that bit of news, 'then' we tell them about Vicky."
---------------------------------------
Taylor entered the Undersider's base first. Casually strolling down the hallway and into the main area. Neither member of the team really noticed her as she approached.
Brian was walking back and forth between the kitchen and the living room section of the loft. He was on his mobile and looked increasingly exasperated with whoever he was having a conversation with. Upon entering the living room section for the third time, he looked at Taylor and waved two fingers in recognition before turning back around.
"That's what you said last month." Brian said into the phone, his tone professional but his body language saying 'pissed.' "I've had this problem from the moment I've moved in… Well how hard is it to… Her bedroom is right next to it if it spreads… I'd do it myself but its in the walls-"
A grumpy Brian wasn't going to make this any easier to accomplish. Taylor steadied herself and looked at Alec. To her surprise, the boy was reading a book. He looked up at Taylor and shot her the same look of disbelief in jest.
"What?" Alec asked. "I know how to read. I'm not Rachel."
"I didn't-" Taylor began to defend herself, but Alec only chuckled.
"Dammit." Brian called out over from the kitchen. Flipping his phone shut and moving to chuck it before calming down.
"Didn't go well?" Lisa asked, coming in behind Taylor.
"Another two months." Brian sighed in annoyance. "Which by then, the mould will spread and the quote to fix it will be more."
"And you can't fix it yourself because?" Lisa asked in her typical smug fashion.
"Because I can't remove the drywall without voiding my bond." Brian snapped back sardonically.
"Just punch a hole in the wall." Alec suggested, "You can afford it."
"It's not about the money. It's…" Brian sighed, holding the bridge of his nose.
"It's what I would do." Alec continued, casually flipping a page in his book. "Oh, how about I punch the whole, then it's not even your fault?"
"Thanks but no." Brian declined. He turned to look at Lisa and Taylor, the latter who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Anyway, what's new with you girls?"
Taylor looked as incriminating as one could in a supervillain's lair, she came up with several excuses in her head to lob at Brian, most of them to the degree of 'Nothing' and 'Shut up, you're the one acting weird.' However, before Taylor could open her mouth to convey this, Lisa pulled her by the shirt and launched herself in for a kiss.
"Woah. Okay." Brian said in surprise. Suddenly unsure of what to do with his hands and having no idea if he should just turn away to give them privacy.
Brian stood in a somewhat defensive posture as the two girls ignored his awkward gesturing as the kiss went on for far too long. At least from Brian's point of view.
Finally, they broke apart, Taylor pulled back from her love-struck stupor to realise what exactly just happened.
"Lisa!" She whined, "You promised that we'd do it my way."
"Yeah, but this was more fun." Lisa giggled through her smug smile. A smile that she then pointed towards Brian. "Yeah, this is a thing now."
"Congratulations," Brian said was a drawl, bouncing back from the initial awkwardness he showed prior. "I'll let HR know."
Lisa chuckled at the joke and then pouted. "Aww, boo. I was looking forward to a bigger reaction."
Brian huffed, "You're not the only one who can read the room." Lisa shot her tongue out at him and he chuckled, "Wouldn't say I saw it coming, but it makes sense, considering how much time you spend with each other." He turned to Taylor and smiled. "I'm happy for you. Both of you."
"T-thanks," Taylor said with a small smile, growing bigger when looking back to Lisa, who gave an 'I told you so' stare.
"Pfft," Alec said, completely uninterested, turning back to his book. "I thought you two were already 'a thing.' Come back when you have something new to tell us."
"In that case," Lisa added, wiggling her eyebrows, and throwing her arm around Taylor. "We're actually part of a throuple." She held up three fingers to Brian to illustrate her point. "Give ya three guesses who the final girl is."
"Lisa, I swear to God, if you've somehow roped Aisha into-" Brian sighed.
"What? No." Lisa barked out with a laugh. "Could you imagine?" She laughed even harder before wiping her eye. Brian relaxed again, obviously not intending to play Lisa's guessing game. Lisa rolled her eyes before simply saying, "It's Glory Girl."
"Yeah, and I'm in a relationship with Gallant," Brian said sarcastically, not believing a word of what Lisa said.
Alec snorted at the mental image. "Always knew you two had chemistry." He chuckled, also not paying much attention to what Lisa had just said.
Brian smirked at his own joke before looking at Taylor, her lack of denial for anything Lisa had said raised several red flags. Taylor struggled to hold eye contact with the boy, flicking between him and Lisa.
"Wait…" Brian said, picking up the signs. "You're serious?"
Taylor looked away before giving a little nod. Lisa held her smile, ever loud and proud.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Brian gasped, his hand reaching for the bridge of his nose. "How? When? How? Was it at the bank?"
"Yeah," Lisa chuckled. "Our game is just that good. Pulled the hero during a bank heist."
"I'm in awe of your skill," Alec added in jest. Lisa bowed in response, as Alec politely clapped.
Taylor stepped out before Lisa could rile up Brian even more.
"Victoria approached me at school," Taylor began to explain. "She knew who I was but didn't want to arrest me for whatever reason. We became… friends. Until a few days ago."
Brian frowned at that and shook his head, "I don't like this. Nothing good can come out of dating a hero."
"Plenty good can come out of it," Lisa argued. Taylor nodded in support.
"Plus, it's not like we can ask her to forget who we are," Taylor added. "Even if we wanted to, which we don't. The only course of action is proceeding forwards."
"Great point, Tay," Lisa said, leaning in on the girl. "Besides, she's already brought something good out of it. She helped us take down Shadow Stalker."
"She did?" Brian asked, stunned at the statement.
"She did?" Taylor asked, mirroring Brian's stunned disbelief.
"Ooop," Lisa said, before placing a hand over her mouth. "Uhh… Forget you heard that."
"Seriously!?" Brian and Taylor asked in unison.
The door jostled for a few seconds then opened. Three dogs and one puppy barrelled through the living room, circling around Taylor, Lisa, and Brian before quickly rushing off to smell the final Undersider on the couch.
Rachel strolled in behind them all and whistled loudly. All three adult dogs lined up and promptly headed into Rachel's room. The puppy however was already scooped up by Alec, who had it resting on his chest while he continued reading.
"What are we all yelling about?" Rachel grumbled, looking between the three standing teammates.
"Those two are hooking up now," Alec explained, pointing between Lisa and Taylor with his free hand, his eyes not leaving the book.
Rachel gave a small nod of approval. "Not a bad catch." She added to her look. Taylor wasn't sure if she directed that at her or Lisa.
"They also bagged Glory Girl into their little 'ménage á trios,' if you catch my drift," Alec added, giggling at his joke. Rachel did not understand the joke, staring back at the boy with a blank expression. She did not know a single word of French and was currently deciding if Alec had somehow offended her by speaking in a different language. Alec sighed and rolled his eyes. "They're also hooking up with Glory Girl."
"Damn," Rachel said, her small nod of approval turning into a full head bob. "Always wanted to tap Glory Girl, any room for one more?" She asked bluntly and unashamed.
For the second time today, Taylor wanted to curl up into a ball and die from embarrassment. Lisa let out another hearty laugh as she elbowed the girl.
"What do you think, Tay?" Lisa chuckled, "Should we add this one to our harem too?"
"Stop," Taylor whined, hiding her face behind her hands. "It's not a-" Her voice disappeared into a grumble as she hid away from both girls' questions.
Rachel huffed and continued walking to her room. Not before taking the puppy from Alec's chest and placing it at Taylor's feet. "Whatever," Rachel said, not really bothered by the rejection. She looked back to Lisa who remembered to not smile directly at Rachel. "You know where to find me."
Taylor continued to descend into her ball of shame, breaking only to welcome the fuzzy embrace of the puppy that met her on the floor. Lisa bent down alongside Taylor, extending a hand to play with the pup.
All in all, everyone took it rather well. Brian still was in stunned disbelief over the whole Glory Girl side of things, but the rest of the team was more than accepting. Taylor hoped that her school friends would also be just as accepting when they finally let them know about Lisa.
In the excitement and awkwardness of it all, Taylor almost forgot that little comment about Vicky helping with the Shadow Stalker. She made a mental note to ask about it later.
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Chapter 16: She's a cheating cheater
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon
Victoria touched down on the street and began walking. The upside to flying everywhere was that it was never much risk to be late for anything. The downside was that you always made a noticeable entrance.
Even dressed in civilian clothes, most Brocktonites would recognise her when she landed. Or at least recognise that the flying blonde girl was a cape for New Wave. Whether they could tell she was Glory Girl, Laserdream or Lady Photon was up for debate. The people would stop and stare regardless, some of the braver citizens would approach for a photo or the like.
After dealing with the initial wave of curious onlookers, Vicky started walking. She didn't want to risk bringing attention to her actual destination, so she walked for another two or so blocks. Victoria checked her phone for directions, she wasn't used to looking for a place on ground level. Fighting the urge to fly up again, she eventually made her way to the building she was searching for.
It was a rather unassuming building. A convenience store on the corner, low-price housing on the higher floors. Neither of those interested Victoria. Walking past the convenience store and down a couple of steps was a door that was badly in need of better signage.
It did have a sign, a broken one that looked like it might have lit up… ten or so years ago. Vicky needed to squint to be able to read the sign now, she doubled checked it against the map on her phone. 'The High Hat.'
Confident that this was the place, she moved through the door and was immediately transported to another world. Not literally, but the change from a quiet, afternoon urban street to a darkly lit, smokey jazz club was night and day.
Victoria walked inside, inspecting the place. It seemed fairly empty. The stage was occupied by a band who looked like she had been there awhile, playing a song Victoria had never heard but fit the general 'jazz vibe'. What few customers that were in the club were all clustered together, chatting animatedly and drinking. A few of them turned to her and shot some odd looks before turning back into their group.
Victoria had tried to dress as 'mature' as she could manage without resorting to borrowing her mother's clothing, but it was still painfully obvious that she was the youngest person in the room. Vicky waited a few seconds to see if anyone would 'tell the kid to leave' but the bartender simply nodded his head into the far corner where another young girl sat.
Lisa waved from the back seat, pointing to the bartender and holding up her glass. Victoria turned back to the bar as two more glasses were placed in front of her. The bartender didn't say anything to her, turning back to talk to the other customers at the bar, Victoria correctly assumed that the drinks were for her and Lisa, taking them as she walked off to meet her date.
"You made it," Lisa said with a smile, taking a drink from Vicky's hand. "Hope you didn't get lost… oh, well hope you didn't get too lost." Victoria was about to mention that this place was a little hard to find but obviously, Lisa's power told her that first.
"Yeah, lucky you sent me a map," Victoria said, trying not to frown at Lisa's casual use of her power. She still didn't understand exactly how it worked and it frustrated Vicky to no end. "Are you sure we're allowed to be here? I can't exactly lie about my age when I'm one internet search away from people knowing it."
Lisa waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. They won't kick us out till eight, we'll be well done by then."
Victoria relaxed a little and sat in her chair. She took a sip of her drink, some concoction of fruit juice and syrups, a virgin cocktail of some kind. A wonderful drink for someone with a sweet tooth like Victoria. Lisa gave her signature smug smile, knowing that she'd chosen the 'perfect' drink for her.
"Besides," Lisa continued, "I come here all the time for work. They wouldn't throw me out, they love me." This made Victoria choke a little on her drink. "And no," Lisa added, holding up her hand. "This isn't some 'shady club' where crime happens in the backrooms. I just come here occasionally for business meetings with… trusted associates from time to time. It's got a good atmosphere, nice drinks and the bartender will never remember we were here. Just how I like it."
"It's a nice place," Victoria said, looking around. "I've never actually been to a jazz club before, but I've seen them in movies and stuff."
"I know it isn't exactly your first pick for a date location," Lisa said, moving her chair closer to Victoria. "But you haven't told your parents about me yet, so I figured it was best to keep this on the low-key."
"I don't 'not' like it…" Vicky mumbled with some embarrassment, taking another sip of her drink. "It just not a place I'd…" She thought about what Lisa just said, "How do you know I haven't told my parents?"
"My powers told me-" Lisa began before being cut off again by Vicky.
"Oh course they did." Victoria frowned. "You know, I still have no idea how you do that."
"One of life's great mysteries I suppose." Lisa chuckled back. Vicky frowned harder. "I already told you, I read minds." She said it like it was no big deal.
"Bullshit. No one can read minds." Victoria said, "True psychics don't exist. There hasn't been a single reported parahuman who's been able to accurately read minds."
"Oh, do you want me to prove it to you again?" Lisa taunted, licking her lips after taking another sip. Victoria didn't say anything, which Lisa took as an excuse to show off. As she did before, she placed two fingers on her temple and acted as if she was focusing 'her mind's eye.' "Let me see… You are, thinking that I'm full of shit, but entertaining enough to not interrupt me."
Victoria huffed a light chuckle before she said. "Right on both counts."
"So I can read your mind," Lisa said.
"You can dramatically state the obvious." Vicky corrected.
Lisa put her hand down from her head and sighed. "Alright then." She said, rising to the challenge. This time she cleared her throat and looked directly at Victoria, to the point where Vicky was slowly becoming self-conscious of the stare.
"What are you?-" Victoria asked before Lisa launched into her 'psychic predictions.'
"You feel awkward. Nervous. This feels like a first date which isn't far from the truth. You don't know how you're supposed to act around me. You thought about kissing me when you sat down but chickened out because we've only done that once. You thought about how if I was Taylor you definitely would've kissed her before sitting down. That made you feel guilty, me saying it now makes you feel embarrassed."
Victoria blushed bright red. "I didn't… I mean, I wasn't sure if you…"
Lisa scooted even closer to Victoria and placed a hand on top of hers. "I honestly felt the same way." She admitted. "A lot of my bravado is from having a power that knows things. But this," Lisa gestured between the two of them. "Relationships in general. I don't really know how it's all supposed to work. And that scares me, it throws me off my game."
Victoria relaxed at Lisa's admission. Turned towards the girl and gently leaned in for a soft kiss. She couldn't help but giggle into the kiss, which Lisa joined in with too.
"Why does that still feel?…" Victoria asked, both to herself and Lisa.
"Weird?" Lisa finished, both girls held their smiles. "Probably because we don't know each other like we both know Taylor. But that's always why I invited you out here. To get to know you better."
"You invited me?" Victoria asked sarcastically. "I seem to remember Taylor being the one who told us to spend more time with each other. In fact, she specifically told both of us that she was busy today and that you should take me out on a date."
"Yeah yeah," Lisa said with a hand wave. "But I still picked the time and place. And sent you the very romantic invitation."
Victoria frowned mildly at that last bit. Lisa had somehow managed to not only find her school locker but broke into it sometime during the night just to place a card and rose to be waiting for her the following morning.
"What did you end up doing with the flower?" Lisa asked, exaggeratedly batting her eyes.
"Trashed it, obviously," Victoria said back with some snark. "And please don't break into my locker in the future."
"I see," Lisa said, her smile not wavering. "You kept the rose and brought it home. It's now… sitting on your desk. No wait, window sill."
"Okay, seriously. How do you know that?" Victoria asked. She held up a hand before Lisa could say she was a mind reader. "Fine, whatever. It was actually really sweet. But also a little weird. Plus I still haven't told my friends about you yet, so everyone assumed that Taylor did it."
It had been a few days since the throuple became a thing. Victoria's friends were still in the dark about Lisa. Her family, Amy excepted, were still in the dark about her being in a relationship at all. Victoria was hesitant to explain to her mother that she was dating women, let alone what a 'throuple' was, and she couldn't risk other family members spilling the news, so that meant she hadn't even told her cousins yet.
"Damn, that girl." Lisa chuckled. "Taking credit for my ideas. What is she even doing today?"
Victoria thought about that question. "Taylor? I believe she's at the mall with my sister."
"Oh?" Lisa said with a mischievous grin. "Taylor's on a date with Panacea?"
Victoria shook her head. "Eww, no. Not like that. I've been trying to get them to become friends for weeks now. I think it's finally paying off. Besides, Amy isn't even into girls."
"You weren't until you met Taylor," Lisa said back smugly.
Victoria waved the comment away. Sharing Taylor with Lisa was one thing, it was a mutual three-way relationship. One of the ground rules the trio had decided on during the throuples formation was that there wouldn't be anyone else added to the relationship. The throuple would forever stay a throuple. Obviously, there were hypotheticals, like if the trio met someone they all connected with. But Amy was her sister, it was too weird to think about that. It was never going to happen.
"Y'know…" Lisa said, thinking out loud. "I don't really know anything about your sister. I only met her the one time, and we didn't even speak. What's she like?"
Victoria ignored the obvious elephant in the room that their meeting was during the bank heist. "Amy's nice…" Vicky said. Then she thought about how Amy is viewed by other people at school. "Well, I know she can come off as a little grumpy. All the hospital work has made her antisocial which is actually really sad. Because she's actually such a sweetheart."
"Ah, the antisocial type. I know them well." Lisa chuckled, probably thinking of Taylor. "I'll keep that in mind when I get around to meeting her for real."
"Trust me," Victoria said, not realising how relaxed she'd become after Lisa 'tricked her' into talking about a positive topic. "She might come off as a little standoffish when you meet her, but give her time to warm up to you and I'm sure you'll get along. Just look at her and Taylor, they're like, the best of friends now."
----------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall – The same time.
Amy studied every single aspect of how Taylor moved. From her stance as she stood by her side and watched their surroundings, from the look on her face to the amount of movement she was able to make. Everything was in detail in Amy's eye. Her focus was completely on Taylor's body language.
Taylor's movements were odd. The girl walked stiffly like she was uncomfortable in her own skin. Emotionally she was all over the place, easily flustered when given the spotlight, but also had the incredible ability to just 'stop having emotions' whenever she got overwhelmed. As if able to shunt them off and into some void. Amy wondered if it was related to her parahuman abilities.
Her supposed abilities were a question that Amy didn't know how to bring up. She knew that Taylor was a parahuman, but Taylor had never shown any outward signs of being a parahuman. Vicky hadn't mentioned what she could do and Amy knew it was rude to outright ask.
'What if her power had something to do with why Vicky is attracted to her?' Amy thought to herself. 'What if Taylor is a Master? Controlling Vicky with her mind, stealing her away from me!?'
Amy stared even harder at the girl, hoping to somehow recognise the signs of a human master. Taylor looked right back at her, once again acting self-conscious to a point before the emotion on her face dropped away.
Thinking about it again, Amy was confident that she would know if Vicky ever got mastered. She saw Vicky's brain every time she hugged her. If anything was ever done to her, Amy would know immediately. No, Taylor wasn't a Master, but she was still suspicious.
"S-so, what do you wanna do?" Taylor asked, coughing down her nerves as the two girls strolled through the mall.
"Dunno," Amy mumbled with a shrug. "Just do whatever you usually do."
Amy's only purpose here was to study and emulate Taylor. She first tried watching Taylor from afar at school, but somehow the girl always caught on to being seen. Amy chalked it up to her being horrible at spying on people.
So instead she followed Taylor around everywhere. It was all under the pretence of 'getting to know her better.' Taylor didn't seem to mind, much. The foolish girl was actually happy to have a new friend. Taylor eventually asked Amy to spend time with each other outside of school, which Amy accepted without much issue, Victoria was busy today with her own thing, so it wasn't like her research time was eating into her Vicky time.
Without any real plan, both girls decided to head to the mall because 'that's what the kids do, right?' Amy was admittedly hesitant to walk around the mall, it being the same place she triggered some two to three years ago. She quickly discovered, to her dismay, that this was not what Taylor usually did. She was just as antisocial as Amy was and didn't seem to have a life outside of her job unless Vicky was dragging her somewhere.
The constant parallels to her own life were a painful reminder. That it wasn't her depressive personality that kept her from having Vicky, it was something else altogether, something just out of reach.
"Uh, what about here?" Taylor asked, pointing in a random direction of the mall. "This seems… fun?"
Amy hadn't paid any attention to where they were going or where Taylor was pointing. Now Amy stood outside of an arcade, one that she hadn't been to for some years now. A part of her wanted to decline, as it was obvious that Taylor was out of her element, trying to find ways to entertain Amy. But the other half of her felt curious. This was a new environment for Taylor and would show her a side of Taylor that Amy had never seen before, perhaps would show the side that made Vicky fall for her.
Amy felt a small wave of nostalgia as she entered the arcade. Vicky had loved this place as a kid, often dragging Amy here back before either of them had hero duties. There was one game in particular that Vicky loved over all the others.
"Did you want to play that one?" Taylor asked. Amy had been staring at the machine long enough for Taylor to take notice.
Taylor stepped up to the machine before Amy could say otherwise, placing some tokens into it and gesturing for Amy to stand up next to her. Nostalgia mixed with déjà vu as Amy remembered all the times she was pulled into this stupid game by Vicky. Taylor wasn't near as forceful but urged her on all the same.
"I've never actually played this before," Taylor admitted, embarrassment evident across her face. "But it always looked like fun."
"I've played a few times," Amy mumbled, stepping up to the stage.
The machine in question was a very popular, two-player arcade game. Where you tapped specific buttons on the floor in time to a beat. Victoria loved to dance along to whatever music it would play, but Amy, being a more reserved girl, often struggled with the game.
It was an awkward sight, or so Amy imagined. The music started up and Amy quickly found herself out of pace with the beat. She wasn't terrible at the game but she missed the timing more often than she got a perfect. Victoria was always better at this game, Amy only played it as an excuse to watch her dance. There was an embarrassment about being up on the pad and kicking your feet. Even with the arcade as moderately empty as it was, Amy could feel every eye on her as she awkwardly shuffled from side to side.
'How did Vicky use to do this?' Amy thought to herself, 'Would I feel more or less silly if I swung my arms around? God, if I feel this ridiculous, I wonder how Taylor is doing?'
At that last thought, Amy turned her head to watch Taylor's side of the screen. Surprisingly, Taylor was rather talented at the game. She wasn't doing a perfect run, but she had yet to miss a step completely. Amy turned more to watch the girl and yet again, she was doing that 'weird emotion thing'.
'Definitely, a parahuman thing, that cheating cheater.'
Taylor had the most neutral poker face imaginable as if her spirit had left her body entirely. Her lower body moved with the speed and precision required to excel at the dancing game, but with none of the flair, someone who actually enjoyed themselves would give off. Taylor wasn't dancing, she was just pressing buttons with her feet, treating them with the same attention that one would give a treadmill in a gym.
After several minutes the game ended, leaving Amy gasping for breath. Taylor had almost tripled Amy's score, which made her sense of déjà vu flair up even more. This would normally be the point where a competitive Vicky would taunt Amy for being so bad at the game, but Taylor didn't puff up her chest in pride at the score on her screen.
"That was fun," Taylor said in an almost monotone voice that made Amy feel like she was lying. "Want to play something else?"
'Perhaps this is why Vicky likes her so much?' Amy thought, 'Able to try anything without complaining and lying about enjoying it. Maybe Vicky would love me if I stopped complaining about things.'
"Sure," Amy said, forcing a smile on her face. She could pretend to enjoy things. That was easy, she lied all the time. "Lead the way."
-------------------------------------------
The High Hat – An hour later
Lisa and Victoria were giggling up a storm. The bartender had to double-check that he hadn't accidentally served them alcohol. He triple-checked his work before placing two new drinks down on the girl's table.
"-and then the next day, she just brings in a puppy." Lisa laughed as she searched through her phone. "Like, she got super antsy with me as well." Lisa's deepened her voice to an approximation of Rachel's tone. "Where's Taylor? Is she done with that school thing yet? Is she coming into base today? I only have this pup for a week, where is she?"
Lisa eventually found a photo of Taylor holding the puppy in her lap as she sat on the couch. A cute, candid photo that Taylor wasn't even aware that Lisa took.
Victoria's giggles turned into exclamations of adoration. "Aww, that's so damn cute!" She cried as she took the phone from Lisa.
Loves animals. Always wanted a puppy. Never allowed one. Loves picture, thinks it's cute, thinks Taylor looks cute, wants to ask for a copy of photo but doesn't want Lisa Wilbourn to stop talking.
"But then Al- uh, Regent has been so taken with the puppy, that he's demanded-" Lisa said before switching to a pompous-sounding, exaggeration of Alec, "You can't send him back, he's become the very mascot of the Undersiders. Bringing him back to the shelter would be a crime."
Victoria chuckled again, a little softer than before.
Thinks Regent is scary. Knows that Regent is Hijack. Doesn't like thinking about him.
"So anyway, now we have this puppy around the base." Lisa continued, putting the focus of the story back on the dog. "And every time Taylor comes into work, Bitch picks up the dog and hands it to her." Both girls laughed heartily again. "Come to think of it, I don't think she ever gave him a name?"
Lisa shot off a text after she took her phone back. Vicky smiled as she felt her own phone buzz, knowing exactly what photo Lisa had sent her.
"What would you name the dog?" Vicky asked.
Want's to ask you more personal question. Wants to know the real Lisa Wilbourn. Knows you prefer to keep life private. Doesn't want to make you uncomfortable, picking silly question instead.
"I don't know…" Lisa said, thinking aloud. "Uh, Benedict?"
"Benedict?" Vicky chuckled.
"I don't know." Lisa chuckled back. "It was the first name that came to my head."
"It's a little weird, for a dog's name," Victoria said.
"Fine, I won't call him Benedict." Lisa said, "I'd call him…" There was a long pause as Lisa's smile dropped. Her voice went down to a more sombre and serious tone. "Reggie. I'd call him Reggie. I like that name."
She regretted saying the name the second it left her lips. Why did she say that? Because Victoria was looking for some personal connection? Victoria doesn't even understand the context, all Lisa had done was make herself sad. With a quick sigh, Lisa smiled again and opened her mouth to say something, anything that would change the topic.
Lisa Wilbourn planning to deflect uncomfortable topic with humour.
Lisa laughed again, it was very rare for her own power to be used on herself. Fortunately, the laugh was more disarming than whatever shitty joke Lisa was about to use.
"That's a better name." Victoria agreed, looking at the photo on her phone now. "He looks like a Reggie to me."
The name hurt less coming from Victoria's lips. Whether Vicky picked up on Lisa's discomfort or not, she placed her hand back on Lisa. A casual touch that didn't have any hidden agenda.
Likes being close to you. Enjoying your company. Picking up newfound appreciation for Jazz. Wants to kiss you again but waiting for 'the right moment'.
Okay, she had one hidden agenda. One that Lisa had no problem complying with.
She leaned in closer to Vicky and met her lips halfway. It was slow, deliberate, and sweet. They both tasted like fruit cocktails and their lips moved slowly against each other. Both of them tried to convey their intentions through every movement they made. Every kiss, every squeeze, each pull of their body.
Lisa noted how much easier her powers made dating. It was really quite a shame that she found so few people in this world attractive enough to pursue because her powers made her feel like a cheating cheater.
Victoria pulled away as the two girls stared at each other with a smile. Each kiss was getting less and less 'weird.'
"This is actually working," Vicky said. Not as a question, but as a statement to herself.
Was worried that romantic connection to Lisa Wilbourn would be cursory without Taylor around. Happy to know that there is still chemistry. Worried that she has offended Lisa Wilbourn.
Lisa chuckled again. "Apparently so." She added with a smile, letting Vicky know she wasn't alone in her worries.
"Okay, it's decided," Victoria said, gently slamming her fist on the table. "I should have done it the first night. But tonight, I tell my Mother about us, all of us."
"Just leave out the part about… y'know," Lisa said, nodding along with pride in Victoria.
"Right, of course." Victoria chuckled back. "I want her to like you, not kill you."
"Ha, you keep saying that." Lisa giggled, "But your mother wouldn't actually…"
Believes that Carol Dallon would murder any villain who got too close to her daughters.
Victoria didn't give any reply, Lisa suddenly wished she did have an alcoholic drink.
"A-anyway," Vicky said, in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "Did I ever tell you why I sometimes call Amy a raccoon?"
------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall – Around the same time
Amy was a raccoon. Victoria had mentioned it once as a joke but Taylor never gave it much thought until now. The two sat in the mall's food court, Taylor watched as Amy hunched over her food, nibbling away at a burger with big dark circles under her eyes, tired from whatever the hell it was she got up to at night. Definitely a nocturnal creature.
"What are you looking at?" Amy asked through a mouthful of food.
"N-nothing," Taylor said back, making a small smile before returning to her own food.
Amy was rather rude when she let her guard down, not like Taylor's bullies of old, but more akin to Rachel. Which was a great contrast to her harmless, public appearance. It was yet another comparison to a raccoon for Amy, looks cute from a distance, but will bite if you try to pat it.
Taylor wasn't sure what to make of this day. Amy had taken more interest in her ever since she announced that Taylor was dating her sister. Taylor had caught her watching her several times through her bugs at school. Eventually, she decided to just ask Amy to hang out.
Amy had spent the entire time watching Taylor closely. Victoria had warned that Amy could be a little antisocial at times, but the constant staring was putting Taylor on edge. Taylor hoped that finding a shared activity that they could do would put Amy at ease and the arcade seemed like a fine idea at the time.
But then Amy went immediately to the damn dancing game. Taylor was terrified of it. Dancing? In Public? She must've looked like a total fool. Thankfully she was about to escape into her bugs, a small swarm of roaches and flies were formed nearby in the walls. If anyone had X-ray vision, they might have been able to see the swarm tremble and shake with nerves as Taylor danced away.
The next few games they played were better. It turns out that Amy could become rather competitive when the game they played wasn't a psychically intensive one, with Amy challenging Taylor in all manner of arcade shooters and racing games. That didn't necessarily mean that Amy was good at any of the games, often grumbling whenever Taylor beat her in whatever contest they were having.
Overall, Taylor had fun, and Amy… also had fun? She assumed that she did. Amy was still here, after all, she hadn't excused herself to leave just yet. They had plans to go shopping after this, as Amy was apparently interested in Taylor's 'style.' Taylor herself didn't think she had a style, only wearing the clothes that Lisa had picked out of her, but Amy insisted.
Amy finished scarfing down her food and looked at Taylor expectedly. "We going or what?" Amy asked, still finishing the last few bites of her food.
Taylor was still only halfway done with her meal, she looked back to Amy, confused. "Um, soon. Why? What's the rush?"
"No rush," Amy said, cleaning up her side of the table. Her quick movements betrayed her words.
"Is this a celebrity thing?" Taylor asked, looking around to see if there were any paparazzi or gawkers.
"No. Yes. Maybe?" Amy said, adding to Taylor's confusion. "Most people don't recognise me without the robes. But I still don't like being stuck in the open like this. It can get… annoying when people do recognise me."
Taylor could understand why that would get annoying. She wasn't that hungry, so she decided to throw away the rest of her food in favour of moving on. Amy quickly got up and waited for Taylor to return from the bins before the two headed off.
"Vicky seems to enjoy it when people recognise her," Taylor said, continuing the topic of conversation. "You don't like the spotlight then?"
"Hell no," Amy said, shaking her head. "Vicky deserves- uh, can handle all the attention and love from her fans, but I'm not that interested in that. I get enough of it at the hospital. You can only hear 'thank you for saving my life' enough times before it becomes repetitive, y'know."
Taylor nodded her head.
"And people always come up to me, wanting to shake my hand." Amy continued her rant. "My whole power is on touch, do you know what kind of shit I see every time that happens? I don't need to know every bodies medical history. It's gross. And… ah shit." Amy clicked her teeth.
"It's okay," Taylor said, thinking Amy was worried about her public image now that she was ranting. "I won't tell anyone you said that."
"What? Oh." Amy said, looking back up to Taylor. "There's just a woman coming towards us now. Probably recognised me." Amy turned fully and tried to hide her face.
Taylor was worried that she would have to somehow hide Amy from an adoring fan or the like, that worry was replaced with outright fear when she noticed who it was that was walking towards them.
"Taylor!" Barked a familiar voice as the woman caught up with them. Rachel casually strolled up to the two girls. "Thought that was you."
"R-Rachel!" Taylor said, jumping in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Taylor hadn't expected to run into any of the Undersiders while out with Amy, least of all Rachel, what the hell was she doing in the mall?
Amy poked her head out once she realised that the woman was here for Taylor and not for her. This was about to become really bad if Rachel recognised Amy or vice versa. Rachel probably didn't have a problem with Taylor spending time with a hero in her free time, but the girl was brash and confrontational, Taylor had no way of knowing how this would turn out.
"Shopping run," Rachel said. Taylor knew damn well that Rachel never did the shopping run for the Undersiders. Rachel shot a quick annoyed look before explaining some more. "Fed Brutus some steaks this morning. Alec yelled at me, said they were Brian's. Now, I gotta go replace them before he gets back."
Taylor winced, not only had she just named Rachel out loud, Rachel just named Grue and Regent while Amy was present, not that Amy knew who those names belonged to… yet.
"I got no clue where the fuck the steaks are kept." Rachel continued, "Alec wrote it down on this paper shit but I can't…" Rachel didn't finish her sentence, waving a small torn and crumbled piece of paper before shoving it in Taylor's hand.
2 X Fillet steak – 6 oz each
Amy looked at the paper from behind Taylor before looking up at the butch girl. "The butcher is that direction." She said, pointing the way Rachel had come from. "Left side, keep heading that way."
"Dammit," Rachel grunted, looking back behind her.
"Just hand them the paper, and they'll give you exactly what you need," Taylor added, hoping that Rachel would leave as quickly as she arrived.
Rachel nodded her head, pocketing the paper again. "Alright." She turned to leave, Taylor let out a small sigh of relief but found it was too soon, Rachel turned right back around.
"Also," Rachel said, looking at Taylor and then at Amy. "You one of Taylor's old friends? Who the fuck are you?" There was a threat in her question that made Taylor's heart drop.
"Who the fuck am I?" Amy asked back, offended at the exchange. "Who the 'fuck' are you?"
Rachel growled in response, a very Rachel move but strange to anyone who didn't know her. On one hand, Rachel didn't recognise Panacea, which was good, on the other hand, Rachel was picking a fight with Panacea.
"She's a friend," Taylor said, stepping in between them. "New friend. From School." Taylor turned around to Amy, who Taylor could swear was also growling. "This is Rachel… Uh, friend from work." Taylor looked between both girls. "Amy, this is Rachel. Rachel, meet Amy… please don't fight."
Both girls stared each other down for a hot minute. "Whatever," Rachel said, returning to a more relaxed stance. "You coming round the base this weekend?" She asked.
"Base?" Amy asked, confused by the wording.
"I don't know yet," Taylor said, hiding her annoyance in the casual use of the word base. "I'll drop by 'the office' when I get some time."
Rachel nodded her head. "Whatever," she said again. "Better get these damn steaks before Brian gets pissed with me." Once again, Taylor let out a quick sigh of relief. Rachel would leave, and Amy didn't hear anything damning in the conversation. "He's already annoyed that you and Lisa keep making out on the couch."
Rachel casually walked away after dropping that bombshell, leaving Taylor behind to deal with the mess.
"The fuck!?" Amy gasped.
Taylor smushed her palm into her face. "Goddammit." She sighed under her hand.
"Who the fuck is Lisa?" Amy asked, an edge of anger in her voice that Taylor had never thought possible.
"She's no one." Taylor lied. She wasn't sure if lying outright was the best approach, so she added. "She's a friend from work."
"You're making out with a 'friend from work?'" Amy asked, using finger quotes as she said it.
"No." Taylor said, lying again and unsure what the optimal direction for this conversation to be, "Fuck, I mean, it's complicated."
"Complicated!?" Amy said. "You're… you're…"
"So, it's like this," Taylor said, quickly trying to explain the situation. "I'm dating Vicky, and I'm also dating Lisa."
"Cheater!" Amy said, pointing an accusatory finger at Taylor. "You're a dirty, not good, cheating… cheater!"
Amy went through several different variations of anger but also the occasional smile which was odd. Eventually, she settled on some disturbing middle ground between the two emotions.
"Amy, wait. I'm not explaining it right." Taylor called out as Amy moved away from her.
"No need!" Amy said, "Stay away from my sister you… cheating bitch!" Amy smiled as she said that.
Taylor tried not to be too offended by the insult. She understood where Amy was coming from, and how bad it must look from her perspective. It still hurt, all the same, to have her newest friend call her a bitch. She watched as Amy ran off, Taylor could've given chase and explained it all, but she assumed that Victoria would explain it better.
She could only hope that Amy could forgive her tomorrow and that they could become friends again.
---------------------------------
Dallon Residence – Later
Cheating. Taylor Hebert was cheating.
That bitch, that absolute fucking heartless witch. Did that girl have any idea how good she had it? Did she know that people would kill to be with Vicky? That Amy would kill to be with Vicky?
And she took it all for granted. Because of some slut named Lisa.
Amy wanted to hit her. Wanted to scream at her and yell at her but most of all…
Amy wanted to thank her.
It was perfect. Taylor Hebert was cheating, all Amy had to do was tell Vicky what was happening and then she'd be all hers.
Sure, Victoria would be sad, and that will hurt to watch. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, she didn't want Vicky to suffer at all. But Amy would be here to comfort her every step of the way.
Soon, Vicky would forget about that awful, no-good girl. And then maybe, when she was ready for a rebound. She'll notice the similarities Amy had to Taylor. Maybe notice how much better she is than Taylor. And then…
Amy giggled with delight.
Knocking on Vicky's door, Amy slid it open and peeked inside. Vicky was sitting by her window, playing with a rose she had been given today.
"What's up, Ames?" Vicky said with a smile. "Oh, how was your day with Taylor? Did you get that shirt you wanted?"
The poor girl was so love-struck, but Amy had to do this, for Vicky's sake. Amy took in a deep breath and stepped inside.
"About that…" Amy said, putting as much care into her voice as she could. "Vicky? I found out something about Taylor. Something you're not going to like…"
Vicky stiffened. She was taking Amy seriously, that was good. She already prepared a whole speech on why Vicky should believe Amy over her new girlfriend.
"O-oh? Really?" Vicky asked, sweat forming on her forehead. "What kind of things."
"Things about her work. And what she does." Amy said, feeling angry on Vicky's behalf.
Amy could've sworn she heard Vicky mutter, "Oh shit." But her sister held her smile and waited for Amy to continue.
"This girl came right up to us today," Amy explained. "Big butch woman with short hair. Really grumpy bitch." Vicky's eyes looked panicked, though Amy wasn't sure why. "Think her name was Rachel or something, doesn't matter. She and Taylor talked for a bit and when she left, she mentioned that Taylor made out with a 'Lisa' on their couch at work." Amy made a gesture with her hands that said 'Can you believe this shit?'
"Is that all?" Vicky asked, sighing in relief.
"Is that all!?" Amy said, flabbergasted. "Vicky, Taylor's cheating on you!"
Vicky stood to a hover and placed a finger to her own lips. Amy was confused, at both the gesture and Vicky's non-reaction.
"Look… Ames," Vicky said, trying to find the words. "I know about Lisa." Amy looked up in surprise. "I actually met with her today. That's what I was doing."
"You know?" Amy asked, not understanding Vicky's calmness. She'd been jealous over more petty things Dean had done in the past. How could she be so calm right now?
"I've been trying to think of how to tell everyone," Vicky said, nervousness evident in her voice. "I was planning on telling you all tonight, honest."
"Telling us what?" Amy asked.
"Lisa… And Taylor." Vicky said, fighting the urge to smile and failing. "I'm dating them both. We all are. It's a… well Lisa called it a throuple? It's when three people-"
Amy might've blacked out, she wasn't really sure. Vicky kept talking, kept explaining but none of it made sense. The world didn't make any sense. Vicky was dating Taylor, and Vicky was dating Lisa. Who the hell was Lisa? Where did she come from? Was she another girl like Taylor? What made Lisa so special? Why couldn't it be Amy instead?
"-so I'm sorry for any confusion Taylor, Lisa and I caused you." Vicky continued, Amy only catching the end of her explanation. "I know that you were only looking out for me. And I love you for that."
Vicky squeezed Amy in with a hug, and Amy hugged back. For the second time this week, her heart had been pulled from her chest and smashed by another woman.
"Are you okay, Ames?" Vicky asked, pulling back and looking at her stupefied sister.
"Yeah…" Amy lied, trying to find a good excuse for why her eyes might look sad. "I might have said some mean things to Taylor." A pathetic excuse, but one Vicky bought.
"It's okay," Vicky said, giving Amy another squeeze. "We can apologise to her next time we see her. I'm sure she'll understand." Vicky let go and looked Amy over. "Come on, let's help Mom set the table. I've got to tell her and Dad the good news. I'll need the support."
Amy was gently pulled out of the room and down the stairs, transported into a whole new world. A hellish world. A world where Vicky was dating two women and neither of them was her.
Victoria touched down on the street and began walking. The upside to flying everywhere was that it was never much risk to be late for anything. The downside was that you always made a noticeable entrance.
Even dressed in civilian clothes, most Brocktonites would recognise her when she landed. Or at least recognise that the flying blonde girl was a cape for New Wave. Whether they could tell she was Glory Girl, Laserdream or Lady Photon was up for debate. The people would stop and stare regardless, some of the braver citizens would approach for a photo or the like.
After dealing with the initial wave of curious onlookers, Vicky started walking. She didn't want to risk bringing attention to her actual destination, so she walked for another two or so blocks. Victoria checked her phone for directions, she wasn't used to looking for a place on ground level. Fighting the urge to fly up again, she eventually made her way to the building she was searching for.
It was a rather unassuming building. A convenience store on the corner, low-price housing on the higher floors. Neither of those interested Victoria. Walking past the convenience store and down a couple of steps was a door that was badly in need of better signage.
It did have a sign, a broken one that looked like it might have lit up… ten or so years ago. Vicky needed to squint to be able to read the sign now, she doubled checked it against the map on her phone. 'The High Hat.'
Confident that this was the place, she moved through the door and was immediately transported to another world. Not literally, but the change from a quiet, afternoon urban street to a darkly lit, smokey jazz club was night and day.
Victoria walked inside, inspecting the place. It seemed fairly empty. The stage was occupied by a band who looked like she had been there awhile, playing a song Victoria had never heard but fit the general 'jazz vibe'. What few customers that were in the club were all clustered together, chatting animatedly and drinking. A few of them turned to her and shot some odd looks before turning back into their group.
Victoria had tried to dress as 'mature' as she could manage without resorting to borrowing her mother's clothing, but it was still painfully obvious that she was the youngest person in the room. Vicky waited a few seconds to see if anyone would 'tell the kid to leave' but the bartender simply nodded his head into the far corner where another young girl sat.
Lisa waved from the back seat, pointing to the bartender and holding up her glass. Victoria turned back to the bar as two more glasses were placed in front of her. The bartender didn't say anything to her, turning back to talk to the other customers at the bar, Victoria correctly assumed that the drinks were for her and Lisa, taking them as she walked off to meet her date.
"You made it," Lisa said with a smile, taking a drink from Vicky's hand. "Hope you didn't get lost… oh, well hope you didn't get too lost." Victoria was about to mention that this place was a little hard to find but obviously, Lisa's power told her that first.
"Yeah, lucky you sent me a map," Victoria said, trying not to frown at Lisa's casual use of her power. She still didn't understand exactly how it worked and it frustrated Vicky to no end. "Are you sure we're allowed to be here? I can't exactly lie about my age when I'm one internet search away from people knowing it."
Lisa waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. They won't kick us out till eight, we'll be well done by then."
Victoria relaxed a little and sat in her chair. She took a sip of her drink, some concoction of fruit juice and syrups, a virgin cocktail of some kind. A wonderful drink for someone with a sweet tooth like Victoria. Lisa gave her signature smug smile, knowing that she'd chosen the 'perfect' drink for her.
"Besides," Lisa continued, "I come here all the time for work. They wouldn't throw me out, they love me." This made Victoria choke a little on her drink. "And no," Lisa added, holding up her hand. "This isn't some 'shady club' where crime happens in the backrooms. I just come here occasionally for business meetings with… trusted associates from time to time. It's got a good atmosphere, nice drinks and the bartender will never remember we were here. Just how I like it."
"It's a nice place," Victoria said, looking around. "I've never actually been to a jazz club before, but I've seen them in movies and stuff."
"I know it isn't exactly your first pick for a date location," Lisa said, moving her chair closer to Victoria. "But you haven't told your parents about me yet, so I figured it was best to keep this on the low-key."
"I don't 'not' like it…" Vicky mumbled with some embarrassment, taking another sip of her drink. "It just not a place I'd…" She thought about what Lisa just said, "How do you know I haven't told my parents?"
"My powers told me-" Lisa began before being cut off again by Vicky.
"Oh course they did." Victoria frowned. "You know, I still have no idea how you do that."
"One of life's great mysteries I suppose." Lisa chuckled back. Vicky frowned harder. "I already told you, I read minds." She said it like it was no big deal.
"Bullshit. No one can read minds." Victoria said, "True psychics don't exist. There hasn't been a single reported parahuman who's been able to accurately read minds."
"Oh, do you want me to prove it to you again?" Lisa taunted, licking her lips after taking another sip. Victoria didn't say anything, which Lisa took as an excuse to show off. As she did before, she placed two fingers on her temple and acted as if she was focusing 'her mind's eye.' "Let me see… You are, thinking that I'm full of shit, but entertaining enough to not interrupt me."
Victoria huffed a light chuckle before she said. "Right on both counts."
"So I can read your mind," Lisa said.
"You can dramatically state the obvious." Vicky corrected.
Lisa put her hand down from her head and sighed. "Alright then." She said, rising to the challenge. This time she cleared her throat and looked directly at Victoria, to the point where Vicky was slowly becoming self-conscious of the stare.
"What are you?-" Victoria asked before Lisa launched into her 'psychic predictions.'
"You feel awkward. Nervous. This feels like a first date which isn't far from the truth. You don't know how you're supposed to act around me. You thought about kissing me when you sat down but chickened out because we've only done that once. You thought about how if I was Taylor you definitely would've kissed her before sitting down. That made you feel guilty, me saying it now makes you feel embarrassed."
Victoria blushed bright red. "I didn't… I mean, I wasn't sure if you…"
Lisa scooted even closer to Victoria and placed a hand on top of hers. "I honestly felt the same way." She admitted. "A lot of my bravado is from having a power that knows things. But this," Lisa gestured between the two of them. "Relationships in general. I don't really know how it's all supposed to work. And that scares me, it throws me off my game."
Victoria relaxed at Lisa's admission. Turned towards the girl and gently leaned in for a soft kiss. She couldn't help but giggle into the kiss, which Lisa joined in with too.
"Why does that still feel?…" Victoria asked, both to herself and Lisa.
"Weird?" Lisa finished, both girls held their smiles. "Probably because we don't know each other like we both know Taylor. But that's always why I invited you out here. To get to know you better."
"You invited me?" Victoria asked sarcastically. "I seem to remember Taylor being the one who told us to spend more time with each other. In fact, she specifically told both of us that she was busy today and that you should take me out on a date."
"Yeah yeah," Lisa said with a hand wave. "But I still picked the time and place. And sent you the very romantic invitation."
Victoria frowned mildly at that last bit. Lisa had somehow managed to not only find her school locker but broke into it sometime during the night just to place a card and rose to be waiting for her the following morning.
"What did you end up doing with the flower?" Lisa asked, exaggeratedly batting her eyes.
"Trashed it, obviously," Victoria said back with some snark. "And please don't break into my locker in the future."
"I see," Lisa said, her smile not wavering. "You kept the rose and brought it home. It's now… sitting on your desk. No wait, window sill."
"Okay, seriously. How do you know that?" Victoria asked. She held up a hand before Lisa could say she was a mind reader. "Fine, whatever. It was actually really sweet. But also a little weird. Plus I still haven't told my friends about you yet, so everyone assumed that Taylor did it."
It had been a few days since the throuple became a thing. Victoria's friends were still in the dark about Lisa. Her family, Amy excepted, were still in the dark about her being in a relationship at all. Victoria was hesitant to explain to her mother that she was dating women, let alone what a 'throuple' was, and she couldn't risk other family members spilling the news, so that meant she hadn't even told her cousins yet.
"Damn, that girl." Lisa chuckled. "Taking credit for my ideas. What is she even doing today?"
Victoria thought about that question. "Taylor? I believe she's at the mall with my sister."
"Oh?" Lisa said with a mischievous grin. "Taylor's on a date with Panacea?"
Victoria shook her head. "Eww, no. Not like that. I've been trying to get them to become friends for weeks now. I think it's finally paying off. Besides, Amy isn't even into girls."
"You weren't until you met Taylor," Lisa said back smugly.
Victoria waved the comment away. Sharing Taylor with Lisa was one thing, it was a mutual three-way relationship. One of the ground rules the trio had decided on during the throuples formation was that there wouldn't be anyone else added to the relationship. The throuple would forever stay a throuple. Obviously, there were hypotheticals, like if the trio met someone they all connected with. But Amy was her sister, it was too weird to think about that. It was never going to happen.
"Y'know…" Lisa said, thinking out loud. "I don't really know anything about your sister. I only met her the one time, and we didn't even speak. What's she like?"
Victoria ignored the obvious elephant in the room that their meeting was during the bank heist. "Amy's nice…" Vicky said. Then she thought about how Amy is viewed by other people at school. "Well, I know she can come off as a little grumpy. All the hospital work has made her antisocial which is actually really sad. Because she's actually such a sweetheart."
"Ah, the antisocial type. I know them well." Lisa chuckled, probably thinking of Taylor. "I'll keep that in mind when I get around to meeting her for real."
"Trust me," Victoria said, not realising how relaxed she'd become after Lisa 'tricked her' into talking about a positive topic. "She might come off as a little standoffish when you meet her, but give her time to warm up to you and I'm sure you'll get along. Just look at her and Taylor, they're like, the best of friends now."
----------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall – The same time.
Amy studied every single aspect of how Taylor moved. From her stance as she stood by her side and watched their surroundings, from the look on her face to the amount of movement she was able to make. Everything was in detail in Amy's eye. Her focus was completely on Taylor's body language.
Taylor's movements were odd. The girl walked stiffly like she was uncomfortable in her own skin. Emotionally she was all over the place, easily flustered when given the spotlight, but also had the incredible ability to just 'stop having emotions' whenever she got overwhelmed. As if able to shunt them off and into some void. Amy wondered if it was related to her parahuman abilities.
Her supposed abilities were a question that Amy didn't know how to bring up. She knew that Taylor was a parahuman, but Taylor had never shown any outward signs of being a parahuman. Vicky hadn't mentioned what she could do and Amy knew it was rude to outright ask.
'What if her power had something to do with why Vicky is attracted to her?' Amy thought to herself. 'What if Taylor is a Master? Controlling Vicky with her mind, stealing her away from me!?'
Amy stared even harder at the girl, hoping to somehow recognise the signs of a human master. Taylor looked right back at her, once again acting self-conscious to a point before the emotion on her face dropped away.
Thinking about it again, Amy was confident that she would know if Vicky ever got mastered. She saw Vicky's brain every time she hugged her. If anything was ever done to her, Amy would know immediately. No, Taylor wasn't a Master, but she was still suspicious.
"S-so, what do you wanna do?" Taylor asked, coughing down her nerves as the two girls strolled through the mall.
"Dunno," Amy mumbled with a shrug. "Just do whatever you usually do."
Amy's only purpose here was to study and emulate Taylor. She first tried watching Taylor from afar at school, but somehow the girl always caught on to being seen. Amy chalked it up to her being horrible at spying on people.
So instead she followed Taylor around everywhere. It was all under the pretence of 'getting to know her better.' Taylor didn't seem to mind, much. The foolish girl was actually happy to have a new friend. Taylor eventually asked Amy to spend time with each other outside of school, which Amy accepted without much issue, Victoria was busy today with her own thing, so it wasn't like her research time was eating into her Vicky time.
Without any real plan, both girls decided to head to the mall because 'that's what the kids do, right?' Amy was admittedly hesitant to walk around the mall, it being the same place she triggered some two to three years ago. She quickly discovered, to her dismay, that this was not what Taylor usually did. She was just as antisocial as Amy was and didn't seem to have a life outside of her job unless Vicky was dragging her somewhere.
The constant parallels to her own life were a painful reminder. That it wasn't her depressive personality that kept her from having Vicky, it was something else altogether, something just out of reach.
"Uh, what about here?" Taylor asked, pointing in a random direction of the mall. "This seems… fun?"
Amy hadn't paid any attention to where they were going or where Taylor was pointing. Now Amy stood outside of an arcade, one that she hadn't been to for some years now. A part of her wanted to decline, as it was obvious that Taylor was out of her element, trying to find ways to entertain Amy. But the other half of her felt curious. This was a new environment for Taylor and would show her a side of Taylor that Amy had never seen before, perhaps would show the side that made Vicky fall for her.
Amy felt a small wave of nostalgia as she entered the arcade. Vicky had loved this place as a kid, often dragging Amy here back before either of them had hero duties. There was one game in particular that Vicky loved over all the others.
"Did you want to play that one?" Taylor asked. Amy had been staring at the machine long enough for Taylor to take notice.
Taylor stepped up to the machine before Amy could say otherwise, placing some tokens into it and gesturing for Amy to stand up next to her. Nostalgia mixed with déjà vu as Amy remembered all the times she was pulled into this stupid game by Vicky. Taylor wasn't near as forceful but urged her on all the same.
"I've never actually played this before," Taylor admitted, embarrassment evident across her face. "But it always looked like fun."
"I've played a few times," Amy mumbled, stepping up to the stage.
The machine in question was a very popular, two-player arcade game. Where you tapped specific buttons on the floor in time to a beat. Victoria loved to dance along to whatever music it would play, but Amy, being a more reserved girl, often struggled with the game.
It was an awkward sight, or so Amy imagined. The music started up and Amy quickly found herself out of pace with the beat. She wasn't terrible at the game but she missed the timing more often than she got a perfect. Victoria was always better at this game, Amy only played it as an excuse to watch her dance. There was an embarrassment about being up on the pad and kicking your feet. Even with the arcade as moderately empty as it was, Amy could feel every eye on her as she awkwardly shuffled from side to side.
'How did Vicky use to do this?' Amy thought to herself, 'Would I feel more or less silly if I swung my arms around? God, if I feel this ridiculous, I wonder how Taylor is doing?'
At that last thought, Amy turned her head to watch Taylor's side of the screen. Surprisingly, Taylor was rather talented at the game. She wasn't doing a perfect run, but she had yet to miss a step completely. Amy turned more to watch the girl and yet again, she was doing that 'weird emotion thing'.
'Definitely, a parahuman thing, that cheating cheater.'
Taylor had the most neutral poker face imaginable as if her spirit had left her body entirely. Her lower body moved with the speed and precision required to excel at the dancing game, but with none of the flair, someone who actually enjoyed themselves would give off. Taylor wasn't dancing, she was just pressing buttons with her feet, treating them with the same attention that one would give a treadmill in a gym.
After several minutes the game ended, leaving Amy gasping for breath. Taylor had almost tripled Amy's score, which made her sense of déjà vu flair up even more. This would normally be the point where a competitive Vicky would taunt Amy for being so bad at the game, but Taylor didn't puff up her chest in pride at the score on her screen.
"That was fun," Taylor said in an almost monotone voice that made Amy feel like she was lying. "Want to play something else?"
'Perhaps this is why Vicky likes her so much?' Amy thought, 'Able to try anything without complaining and lying about enjoying it. Maybe Vicky would love me if I stopped complaining about things.'
"Sure," Amy said, forcing a smile on her face. She could pretend to enjoy things. That was easy, she lied all the time. "Lead the way."
-------------------------------------------
The High Hat – An hour later
Lisa and Victoria were giggling up a storm. The bartender had to double-check that he hadn't accidentally served them alcohol. He triple-checked his work before placing two new drinks down on the girl's table.
"-and then the next day, she just brings in a puppy." Lisa laughed as she searched through her phone. "Like, she got super antsy with me as well." Lisa's deepened her voice to an approximation of Rachel's tone. "Where's Taylor? Is she done with that school thing yet? Is she coming into base today? I only have this pup for a week, where is she?"
Lisa eventually found a photo of Taylor holding the puppy in her lap as she sat on the couch. A cute, candid photo that Taylor wasn't even aware that Lisa took.
Victoria's giggles turned into exclamations of adoration. "Aww, that's so damn cute!" She cried as she took the phone from Lisa.
Loves animals. Always wanted a puppy. Never allowed one. Loves picture, thinks it's cute, thinks Taylor looks cute, wants to ask for a copy of photo but doesn't want Lisa Wilbourn to stop talking.
"But then Al- uh, Regent has been so taken with the puppy, that he's demanded-" Lisa said before switching to a pompous-sounding, exaggeration of Alec, "You can't send him back, he's become the very mascot of the Undersiders. Bringing him back to the shelter would be a crime."
Victoria chuckled again, a little softer than before.
Thinks Regent is scary. Knows that Regent is Hijack. Doesn't like thinking about him.
"So anyway, now we have this puppy around the base." Lisa continued, putting the focus of the story back on the dog. "And every time Taylor comes into work, Bitch picks up the dog and hands it to her." Both girls laughed heartily again. "Come to think of it, I don't think she ever gave him a name?"
Lisa shot off a text after she took her phone back. Vicky smiled as she felt her own phone buzz, knowing exactly what photo Lisa had sent her.
"What would you name the dog?" Vicky asked.
Want's to ask you more personal question. Wants to know the real Lisa Wilbourn. Knows you prefer to keep life private. Doesn't want to make you uncomfortable, picking silly question instead.
"I don't know…" Lisa said, thinking aloud. "Uh, Benedict?"
"Benedict?" Vicky chuckled.
"I don't know." Lisa chuckled back. "It was the first name that came to my head."
"It's a little weird, for a dog's name," Victoria said.
"Fine, I won't call him Benedict." Lisa said, "I'd call him…" There was a long pause as Lisa's smile dropped. Her voice went down to a more sombre and serious tone. "Reggie. I'd call him Reggie. I like that name."
She regretted saying the name the second it left her lips. Why did she say that? Because Victoria was looking for some personal connection? Victoria doesn't even understand the context, all Lisa had done was make herself sad. With a quick sigh, Lisa smiled again and opened her mouth to say something, anything that would change the topic.
Lisa Wilbourn planning to deflect uncomfortable topic with humour.
Lisa laughed again, it was very rare for her own power to be used on herself. Fortunately, the laugh was more disarming than whatever shitty joke Lisa was about to use.
"That's a better name." Victoria agreed, looking at the photo on her phone now. "He looks like a Reggie to me."
The name hurt less coming from Victoria's lips. Whether Vicky picked up on Lisa's discomfort or not, she placed her hand back on Lisa. A casual touch that didn't have any hidden agenda.
Likes being close to you. Enjoying your company. Picking up newfound appreciation for Jazz. Wants to kiss you again but waiting for 'the right moment'.
Okay, she had one hidden agenda. One that Lisa had no problem complying with.
She leaned in closer to Vicky and met her lips halfway. It was slow, deliberate, and sweet. They both tasted like fruit cocktails and their lips moved slowly against each other. Both of them tried to convey their intentions through every movement they made. Every kiss, every squeeze, each pull of their body.
Lisa noted how much easier her powers made dating. It was really quite a shame that she found so few people in this world attractive enough to pursue because her powers made her feel like a cheating cheater.
Victoria pulled away as the two girls stared at each other with a smile. Each kiss was getting less and less 'weird.'
"This is actually working," Vicky said. Not as a question, but as a statement to herself.
Was worried that romantic connection to Lisa Wilbourn would be cursory without Taylor around. Happy to know that there is still chemistry. Worried that she has offended Lisa Wilbourn.
Lisa chuckled again. "Apparently so." She added with a smile, letting Vicky know she wasn't alone in her worries.
"Okay, it's decided," Victoria said, gently slamming her fist on the table. "I should have done it the first night. But tonight, I tell my Mother about us, all of us."
"Just leave out the part about… y'know," Lisa said, nodding along with pride in Victoria.
"Right, of course." Victoria chuckled back. "I want her to like you, not kill you."
"Ha, you keep saying that." Lisa giggled, "But your mother wouldn't actually…"
Believes that Carol Dallon would murder any villain who got too close to her daughters.
Victoria didn't give any reply, Lisa suddenly wished she did have an alcoholic drink.
"A-anyway," Vicky said, in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "Did I ever tell you why I sometimes call Amy a raccoon?"
------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Mall – Around the same time
Amy was a raccoon. Victoria had mentioned it once as a joke but Taylor never gave it much thought until now. The two sat in the mall's food court, Taylor watched as Amy hunched over her food, nibbling away at a burger with big dark circles under her eyes, tired from whatever the hell it was she got up to at night. Definitely a nocturnal creature.
"What are you looking at?" Amy asked through a mouthful of food.
"N-nothing," Taylor said back, making a small smile before returning to her own food.
Amy was rather rude when she let her guard down, not like Taylor's bullies of old, but more akin to Rachel. Which was a great contrast to her harmless, public appearance. It was yet another comparison to a raccoon for Amy, looks cute from a distance, but will bite if you try to pat it.
Taylor wasn't sure what to make of this day. Amy had taken more interest in her ever since she announced that Taylor was dating her sister. Taylor had caught her watching her several times through her bugs at school. Eventually, she decided to just ask Amy to hang out.
Amy had spent the entire time watching Taylor closely. Victoria had warned that Amy could be a little antisocial at times, but the constant staring was putting Taylor on edge. Taylor hoped that finding a shared activity that they could do would put Amy at ease and the arcade seemed like a fine idea at the time.
But then Amy went immediately to the damn dancing game. Taylor was terrified of it. Dancing? In Public? She must've looked like a total fool. Thankfully she was about to escape into her bugs, a small swarm of roaches and flies were formed nearby in the walls. If anyone had X-ray vision, they might have been able to see the swarm tremble and shake with nerves as Taylor danced away.
The next few games they played were better. It turns out that Amy could become rather competitive when the game they played wasn't a psychically intensive one, with Amy challenging Taylor in all manner of arcade shooters and racing games. That didn't necessarily mean that Amy was good at any of the games, often grumbling whenever Taylor beat her in whatever contest they were having.
Overall, Taylor had fun, and Amy… also had fun? She assumed that she did. Amy was still here, after all, she hadn't excused herself to leave just yet. They had plans to go shopping after this, as Amy was apparently interested in Taylor's 'style.' Taylor herself didn't think she had a style, only wearing the clothes that Lisa had picked out of her, but Amy insisted.
Amy finished scarfing down her food and looked at Taylor expectedly. "We going or what?" Amy asked, still finishing the last few bites of her food.
Taylor was still only halfway done with her meal, she looked back to Amy, confused. "Um, soon. Why? What's the rush?"
"No rush," Amy said, cleaning up her side of the table. Her quick movements betrayed her words.
"Is this a celebrity thing?" Taylor asked, looking around to see if there were any paparazzi or gawkers.
"No. Yes. Maybe?" Amy said, adding to Taylor's confusion. "Most people don't recognise me without the robes. But I still don't like being stuck in the open like this. It can get… annoying when people do recognise me."
Taylor could understand why that would get annoying. She wasn't that hungry, so she decided to throw away the rest of her food in favour of moving on. Amy quickly got up and waited for Taylor to return from the bins before the two headed off.
"Vicky seems to enjoy it when people recognise her," Taylor said, continuing the topic of conversation. "You don't like the spotlight then?"
"Hell no," Amy said, shaking her head. "Vicky deserves- uh, can handle all the attention and love from her fans, but I'm not that interested in that. I get enough of it at the hospital. You can only hear 'thank you for saving my life' enough times before it becomes repetitive, y'know."
Taylor nodded her head.
"And people always come up to me, wanting to shake my hand." Amy continued her rant. "My whole power is on touch, do you know what kind of shit I see every time that happens? I don't need to know every bodies medical history. It's gross. And… ah shit." Amy clicked her teeth.
"It's okay," Taylor said, thinking Amy was worried about her public image now that she was ranting. "I won't tell anyone you said that."
"What? Oh." Amy said, looking back up to Taylor. "There's just a woman coming towards us now. Probably recognised me." Amy turned fully and tried to hide her face.
Taylor was worried that she would have to somehow hide Amy from an adoring fan or the like, that worry was replaced with outright fear when she noticed who it was that was walking towards them.
"Taylor!" Barked a familiar voice as the woman caught up with them. Rachel casually strolled up to the two girls. "Thought that was you."
"R-Rachel!" Taylor said, jumping in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Taylor hadn't expected to run into any of the Undersiders while out with Amy, least of all Rachel, what the hell was she doing in the mall?
Amy poked her head out once she realised that the woman was here for Taylor and not for her. This was about to become really bad if Rachel recognised Amy or vice versa. Rachel probably didn't have a problem with Taylor spending time with a hero in her free time, but the girl was brash and confrontational, Taylor had no way of knowing how this would turn out.
"Shopping run," Rachel said. Taylor knew damn well that Rachel never did the shopping run for the Undersiders. Rachel shot a quick annoyed look before explaining some more. "Fed Brutus some steaks this morning. Alec yelled at me, said they were Brian's. Now, I gotta go replace them before he gets back."
Taylor winced, not only had she just named Rachel out loud, Rachel just named Grue and Regent while Amy was present, not that Amy knew who those names belonged to… yet.
"I got no clue where the fuck the steaks are kept." Rachel continued, "Alec wrote it down on this paper shit but I can't…" Rachel didn't finish her sentence, waving a small torn and crumbled piece of paper before shoving it in Taylor's hand.
2 X Fillet steak – 6 oz each
Amy looked at the paper from behind Taylor before looking up at the butch girl. "The butcher is that direction." She said, pointing the way Rachel had come from. "Left side, keep heading that way."
"Dammit," Rachel grunted, looking back behind her.
"Just hand them the paper, and they'll give you exactly what you need," Taylor added, hoping that Rachel would leave as quickly as she arrived.
Rachel nodded her head, pocketing the paper again. "Alright." She turned to leave, Taylor let out a small sigh of relief but found it was too soon, Rachel turned right back around.
"Also," Rachel said, looking at Taylor and then at Amy. "You one of Taylor's old friends? Who the fuck are you?" There was a threat in her question that made Taylor's heart drop.
"Who the fuck am I?" Amy asked back, offended at the exchange. "Who the 'fuck' are you?"
Rachel growled in response, a very Rachel move but strange to anyone who didn't know her. On one hand, Rachel didn't recognise Panacea, which was good, on the other hand, Rachel was picking a fight with Panacea.
"She's a friend," Taylor said, stepping in between them. "New friend. From School." Taylor turned around to Amy, who Taylor could swear was also growling. "This is Rachel… Uh, friend from work." Taylor looked between both girls. "Amy, this is Rachel. Rachel, meet Amy… please don't fight."
Both girls stared each other down for a hot minute. "Whatever," Rachel said, returning to a more relaxed stance. "You coming round the base this weekend?" She asked.
"Base?" Amy asked, confused by the wording.
"I don't know yet," Taylor said, hiding her annoyance in the casual use of the word base. "I'll drop by 'the office' when I get some time."
Rachel nodded her head. "Whatever," she said again. "Better get these damn steaks before Brian gets pissed with me." Once again, Taylor let out a quick sigh of relief. Rachel would leave, and Amy didn't hear anything damning in the conversation. "He's already annoyed that you and Lisa keep making out on the couch."
Rachel casually walked away after dropping that bombshell, leaving Taylor behind to deal with the mess.
"The fuck!?" Amy gasped.
Taylor smushed her palm into her face. "Goddammit." She sighed under her hand.
"Who the fuck is Lisa?" Amy asked, an edge of anger in her voice that Taylor had never thought possible.
"She's no one." Taylor lied. She wasn't sure if lying outright was the best approach, so she added. "She's a friend from work."
"You're making out with a 'friend from work?'" Amy asked, using finger quotes as she said it.
"No." Taylor said, lying again and unsure what the optimal direction for this conversation to be, "Fuck, I mean, it's complicated."
"Complicated!?" Amy said. "You're… you're…"
"So, it's like this," Taylor said, quickly trying to explain the situation. "I'm dating Vicky, and I'm also dating Lisa."
"Cheater!" Amy said, pointing an accusatory finger at Taylor. "You're a dirty, not good, cheating… cheater!"
Amy went through several different variations of anger but also the occasional smile which was odd. Eventually, she settled on some disturbing middle ground between the two emotions.
"Amy, wait. I'm not explaining it right." Taylor called out as Amy moved away from her.
"No need!" Amy said, "Stay away from my sister you… cheating bitch!" Amy smiled as she said that.
Taylor tried not to be too offended by the insult. She understood where Amy was coming from, and how bad it must look from her perspective. It still hurt, all the same, to have her newest friend call her a bitch. She watched as Amy ran off, Taylor could've given chase and explained it all, but she assumed that Victoria would explain it better.
She could only hope that Amy could forgive her tomorrow and that they could become friends again.
---------------------------------
Dallon Residence – Later
Cheating. Taylor Hebert was cheating.
That bitch, that absolute fucking heartless witch. Did that girl have any idea how good she had it? Did she know that people would kill to be with Vicky? That Amy would kill to be with Vicky?
And she took it all for granted. Because of some slut named Lisa.
Amy wanted to hit her. Wanted to scream at her and yell at her but most of all…
Amy wanted to thank her.
It was perfect. Taylor Hebert was cheating, all Amy had to do was tell Vicky what was happening and then she'd be all hers.
Sure, Victoria would be sad, and that will hurt to watch. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, she didn't want Vicky to suffer at all. But Amy would be here to comfort her every step of the way.
Soon, Vicky would forget about that awful, no-good girl. And then maybe, when she was ready for a rebound. She'll notice the similarities Amy had to Taylor. Maybe notice how much better she is than Taylor. And then…
Amy giggled with delight.
Knocking on Vicky's door, Amy slid it open and peeked inside. Vicky was sitting by her window, playing with a rose she had been given today.
"What's up, Ames?" Vicky said with a smile. "Oh, how was your day with Taylor? Did you get that shirt you wanted?"
The poor girl was so love-struck, but Amy had to do this, for Vicky's sake. Amy took in a deep breath and stepped inside.
"About that…" Amy said, putting as much care into her voice as she could. "Vicky? I found out something about Taylor. Something you're not going to like…"
Vicky stiffened. She was taking Amy seriously, that was good. She already prepared a whole speech on why Vicky should believe Amy over her new girlfriend.
"O-oh? Really?" Vicky asked, sweat forming on her forehead. "What kind of things."
"Things about her work. And what she does." Amy said, feeling angry on Vicky's behalf.
Amy could've sworn she heard Vicky mutter, "Oh shit." But her sister held her smile and waited for Amy to continue.
"This girl came right up to us today," Amy explained. "Big butch woman with short hair. Really grumpy bitch." Vicky's eyes looked panicked, though Amy wasn't sure why. "Think her name was Rachel or something, doesn't matter. She and Taylor talked for a bit and when she left, she mentioned that Taylor made out with a 'Lisa' on their couch at work." Amy made a gesture with her hands that said 'Can you believe this shit?'
"Is that all?" Vicky asked, sighing in relief.
"Is that all!?" Amy said, flabbergasted. "Vicky, Taylor's cheating on you!"
Vicky stood to a hover and placed a finger to her own lips. Amy was confused, at both the gesture and Vicky's non-reaction.
"Look… Ames," Vicky said, trying to find the words. "I know about Lisa." Amy looked up in surprise. "I actually met with her today. That's what I was doing."
"You know?" Amy asked, not understanding Vicky's calmness. She'd been jealous over more petty things Dean had done in the past. How could she be so calm right now?
"I've been trying to think of how to tell everyone," Vicky said, nervousness evident in her voice. "I was planning on telling you all tonight, honest."
"Telling us what?" Amy asked.
"Lisa… And Taylor." Vicky said, fighting the urge to smile and failing. "I'm dating them both. We all are. It's a… well Lisa called it a throuple? It's when three people-"
Amy might've blacked out, she wasn't really sure. Vicky kept talking, kept explaining but none of it made sense. The world didn't make any sense. Vicky was dating Taylor, and Vicky was dating Lisa. Who the hell was Lisa? Where did she come from? Was she another girl like Taylor? What made Lisa so special? Why couldn't it be Amy instead?
"-so I'm sorry for any confusion Taylor, Lisa and I caused you." Vicky continued, Amy only catching the end of her explanation. "I know that you were only looking out for me. And I love you for that."
Vicky squeezed Amy in with a hug, and Amy hugged back. For the second time this week, her heart had been pulled from her chest and smashed by another woman.
"Are you okay, Ames?" Vicky asked, pulling back and looking at her stupefied sister.
"Yeah…" Amy lied, trying to find a good excuse for why her eyes might look sad. "I might have said some mean things to Taylor." A pathetic excuse, but one Vicky bought.
"It's okay," Vicky said, giving Amy another squeeze. "We can apologise to her next time we see her. I'm sure she'll understand." Vicky let go and looked Amy over. "Come on, let's help Mom set the table. I've got to tell her and Dad the good news. I'll need the support."
Amy was gently pulled out of the room and down the stairs, transported into a whole new world. A hellish world. A world where Vicky was dating two women and neither of them was her.
Last edited:
Chapter 17: She's gay
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Dallon Residence – Dinner
"Victoria, No flying in the house."
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria called back, her feet touching the ground as she sat down. She was the first one in the room, hovering over the dining table to get to her side. Vicky expertly flew into her chair and waited for the rest of the family to join her.
Amy waddled out of the kitchen shortly after carrying her own plate of food. Sitting next to Victoria, she had to walk around the table and pull out her chair like a regular person. Victoria could hear Amy grumbling under her breath about 'being a showoff.'
Carol and Mark entered the dining room together, sitting opposite their daughters. Victoria noted that her father was in a good mood today, which was always a pleasure to see.
The family started to dig into their nightly meal. It didn't take long before Carol said her usual rounds of questions.
"So, girls?" Carol said between bites. "How was school today?"
"Good."
"Fine…"
Both girls said back. Carol nodded along, satisfied with their usual answers. "And I noticed neither of you came home till late? What did you get up to after school?" Victoria shifted in her chair but noted that Carol's eyes focused more on Amy as she said that.
Amy quickly swallowed her food and cleared her throat. "Uh, I went out. To the mall. With friends, uh, a friend. To the mall with a friend, ma'am."
Victoria never liked how tense Amy got whenever she spoke with Mom. She knew that they didn't have the best relationship in the world but the way Amy would speak to her sounded more like she was addressing Director Piggot rather than her own Mother.
"A friend?" Carol asked, Victoria detected a hint of suspicion in that question. Carol was about to say something before Mark pipped up.
"A friend," Mark said with a smile. "That's great Amy. Are they a friend from school?"
Victoria smiled at the question. On the days when their Dad was in a good mood, he tried extra hard to be involved in their lives. As if trying to make up for all the off days by giving 200% more energy.
"Yeah," Amy said, looking between Mark and Victoria. She was still processing everything that had just happened. Amy got home thinking her 'new friend' was a lying, cheating bitch only to discover that it wasn't the case. Vicky was impressed with how quickly she could compartmentalise her prior feelings and go back to calling Taylor her friend. "She's a girl in my class. Hangs out with us at lunch. Vicky…" She didn't know how to explain the connection without outing Victoria so she didn't finish the sentence.
Both parents shared a look with each other the moment Amy said 'She's a girl.' Amy herself was too busy playing with her food to notice but Victoria picked up on the odd moment. She put that away in her brain as an 'ask Dad about it later' moment.
"She's a friend we've been spending time with," Victoria added, knowing that Carol would complain if Amy left a sentence unfinished. "I invited her to sit with us a couple of weeks back now, but she's in Amy's grade."
"And does this young lady have a name?" Carol asked, directing the question at Vicky.
"Taylor," Victoria responded with a smile.
"Taylor?" Carol repeated. Thinking to herself before shifting her gaze back to Amy. Victoria wasn't exactly sure what her mother was asking but Amy seemed to understand, nodding back in confirmation. "I see. Well, I'm glad to hear you girls have a new friend."
Mark nodded in agreement then turned to Victoria. "And what about you, Victoria? What did you get up to today?"
Victoria stiffened again in her seat. She was mentally preparing herself for this moment but now that it arrived, all of Vicky's plans of attack flew away from her.
"Uh, me?" Victoria said, scratching her neck and looking between Amy and her parents. "I was actually… on a… date?"
"Oh?" Carol said, a small smile forming on her face. "That's lovely, Victoria. Where did Dean take you this time?"
Of course, she'd assume that. It was only natural to assume that any date she'd go on would be with Dean, even if the last one was months ago.
"Actually…" Victoria said, clearing her throat and steadying herself. "It wasn't with Dean. We actually broke up. The other week. Officially. We've been apart for months now. But… yeah."
Carol's smile broke back down to her usual, neutral position. Mark looked with worry at his wife before his smile returned.
"Ah, so a new guy," Mark said, pushing forward. "Come on, let's hear it. Who are they? What are they like? Are you seeing them again? Must be pretty serious by the way you're blushing." Mark let out a soft chuckle. Victoria looked away, somewhat embarrassed for being so easily readable. "Do I have to give them the whole 'Shotgun Dad' speech?"
Victoria shook her head with a nervous chuckle. "No, no. No need for that. And you're right. It is serious. We're uh… It's a new, relationship? It started on Monday. I probably should've told you about it then. But uh… The thing is…" She took a deep breath, thinking about how welcoming her friends were at school, and how happy Amy was for her. She could do this, she could tell her parents. "Mom, Dad. I'm gay."
It's an important moment when a child comes out to their family. How everyone reacts can determine the relationship they'll have going forward. Her parents were silent, they both looked at Victoria, at first in shock, perhaps disbelief and then to each other. Neither spoke and yet they both appeared to have some kind of conversation from eye contact alone.
Mark turned back to Victoria, studying her over. Victoria stared back, hoping to convey how serious this statement was for her. It took all of five seconds and yet it felt like an eternity for Vicky's beating heart.
Finally, with a glimmer in his eye that probably meant 'I'm so glad that I have the energy today,' Mark's lips twitched into a smile, as he said the first words that came to mind, the words that every man in his position was supposed to say at this pivotal moment in their child's life.
"Hello, Gay. I'm Dad."
All three women groaned at the joke, Carol lightly slapping the man. Mark chuckled to himself as he rubbed his shoulder, this was the happiest Victoria had seen the man in a long time.
"Dad, this is serious," Victoria whined, a smile held on her face. The bad joke was as welcoming as any hug and she wouldn't trade it for the world. "I was on a date today. With a woman… My girlfriend. I was on a date with my girlfriend."
Amy made some kind of face and turned away, Victoria knew she already accepted her 'coming out,' so she assumed it was more to do with Amy not knowing Lisa and trying to hold off on her judgement.
"That's lovely." Mark said, "What did you get up to?"
"She invited me into this club," Victoria said, relaxing as she spoke. "A jazz club, in the city. We just talked, drank virgin cocktails and shared cute pictures with each other." She noted how high Carol's eyebrow rose when she mentioned a 'club' and 'virgin cocktails.' "Oh, she's around my age. A little younger, I think? Her name's Lisa."
Mark nodded along cheerfully, "And who is this, L-"
"Did anyone see you?" Carol cut in. The upbeat mood was halted in its path.
"What?" Victoria asked, unsure of the question.
"Did anyone see you in this club, with this… Lisa? Was it?" Carol asked again.
"Um… No?" Victoria said, thinking back. "I mean, there were a few people there, but no one really paid us any attention."
"Alright then," Carol said, nodding to herself. "Good."
"Good?" Victoria asked, trying not to sound too offended.
Carol sighed as if she was disappointed in Victoria for sounding upset with her. "I just want you to be safe. You should've come to us the second you knew. Then we could discuss these things. Who else knows about this?" Carol looked to Amy, and the younger girl shank back instinctively. "Did you?"
"Uh, she… on Tuesday," Amy mumbled, shrinking into her seat.
"I already told our friends. Dean, Carlos and the lot." Victoria said, pulling the attention away from Amy. "Discuss what things? And why should I care if people see us." This was as frustrating as when Dean acted sceptical to her announcement, but where Dean had the bitter excuse of jealousy, Carol was doing what? Being dismissive? Overprotective? She never cared this much when Vicky started dating Dean. Hell, Carol wanted them to be seen together.
"I think what your mother means is," Mark said, inserting himself back into the conversation. "That Brockton Bay has some… unsavoury elements, who would look down on this kind of relationship."
"You mean the Empire?" Victoria asked, sardonically. Everyone at the table looked uncomfortable, the Empire wasn't a popular talking point in the Dallon household for good reason.
"Among other people, yes." Mark continued, patting Carol's hand apologetically. "While we're both very proud of you and your life choices, we just want you to be safe." Carol looked intently at Mark, "And we wish that you came to us sooner, so we could discuss… precautions."
"Precautions?"
"Look, your mother and I... no one here ever wants to dictate who you can and can't date," Mark said, both Carol and Amy let out a small huff. "But being a public figure in this city. It can be dangerous. As a family, we're prepared to handle it, but any… outside relations might not be aware, or ready for whatever could happen."
"Plus, what do you really know about this, Lisa?" Carol added. "Hmm? Why is this the first time I'm hearing her name? Is she another new friend at school?"
A sudden fear came into Victoria's mind. Of her mother conducting a deep and thorough background check on both Lisa and Taylor. Finding out all their villainous secrets and deciding to arrest them, or worse.
"No, she's a friend of a friend." Vicky blurted out. "Of Taylor's. Taylor's work friend."
"Work friend?" Carol asked, "And where do they?-"
"Internship. Fortress Construction." Vicky shot back before Carol could finish. Taylor had mentioned her fake job enough time to the rest of the lunch table for Vicky to remember that much about the cover story.
"I see," Carol said. Victoria hoped that whoever ran Fortress Construction looked as clean as possible because Carol Dallon was no doubt about to requisition two employee records as soon as she could.
"Also…" Victoria said, figuring it was time to rip the band-aid off. "I wasn't sure how to bring this up. But since I already mentioned Taylor…" She took another breath, "I'm kinda dating her too…"
This statement caused some obvious confusion among her parents. Mark's smile broke as he tried to compute what was just said, and Vicky swore that her Mother's eyes twitched a little before falling back to her neutral position.
"Explain?" Carol asked, keeping her tone passive but firm.
"Well uh…" Victoria said, feeling very self-conscious. "Originally I was only interested in Taylor, but she had this friend, Lisa who also liked her. We didn't get along that well at first but after spending time with her while planning a… surprise party? Anyway, It turned out that Lisa was an… interesting woman. And then we both asked out Taylor on the same day, purely by chance. But Taylor didn't want to compromise our friendship by picking one of the other. So Lisa introduced us to the idea of a throuple, where all three of us date each other. But then Taylor was worried that Lisa and I didn't like each other the same way we liked her so I went on a date alone with Lisa today."
She sighed after getting all that out of her. Vicky looked to Amy for emotional support, unfortunately, the traitorous sister was casually eating her dinner, staring off into space, acting as if on 'autopilot.'
"So to be clear," Carol said after taking it all in. "You're currently dating two women at the same time. This Taylor, from school. And Lisa, her friend from work?"
"C-correct," Vicky said, trying to stand tall at her mother's possible judgement.
"Taylor… Hebert?" Carol asked, her eyes flicked briefly to Amy who was still spacing out before looking back to Victoria.
"Correct?" Vicky said, unsure of just how her mother knew that name.
"And Lisa?…" Carol asked, expecting a last name.
"Wilbourn," Victoria said, trying not to cringe at revealing Lisa's full name. She knew that she'd have to tell her mother about her, Lisa had consented to be publicly named, but even still, it felt off.
"Well then…" Carol said, looking at Mark. Both parents nodded wordlessly to each other before Carol turn back to Victoria. "Have them come round tomorrow. For lunch. We'd like to meet them. Get to know them."
"Oh.. okay," Victoria said, looking between her parents suspiciously. Mark's smile returned, finding the whole thing humorous while Carol was no doubt burning the name 'Lisa Wilbourn' into her brain to research later tonight.
Amy snapped out of her stupor to speak. "Uh, weren't we doing?… y'know tomorrow." She asked Carol, a tinge of hope in Amy's voice.
"We'll go over medical law in the home office instead," Carol said back, causing Amy to wilt again. "I expect you out of bed bright and early."
"I guess I'll tell them the good news," Victoria said, holding her phone up. Carol held a 'no phones at the dinner table' look until Vicky put her hand back down into her pocket. "After dinner, I mean." She returned to eat a few bites before looking up at her father. "So, what were these precaution thingies?"
"Well," Mark said, swallowing his food. "In the event that one of you turned out to be…" He made a gesture with his hands to Victoria but oddly enough both parents looked at Amy. "We'd invite your partner, or in this case, partners over. And explain this situation and the dangers. Work out strategies for safety, and how we're gonna handle the press and PR. Nothing to worry about really. We'll try not to scare them off or embarrass you too much."
Victoria nodded along, making a mental note to warn both Taylor and Lisa ahead of time. Tomorrow was going to be an awkward day.
"So, these girls. Lisa and Taylor." Mark said, trying to calm Victoria's nerves. "Tell us about them."
Victoria's face lit up as she started to talk about her two favourite people, avoiding mentions of any 'criminal activities.'
------------------------------------------------
Hebert Residence – Night
Taylor looked at the message on her phone. Vicky had told her parents, and Amy, about their relationship. It sounded like they were rather accepting and her parents wanted to meet both girls for a weekend lunch.
Taylor wasn't exactly excited to march right into a superhero family lunch but for Victoria, she would do anything. She confirmed the time and place, telling Victoria that she'd meet her there tomorrow.
"Woah, what's got you in such a good mood," Danny asked with a weak smile. He looked down at the phone in Taylor's hand but didn't say anything about it.
"Uh, just some stuff," Taylor said, unsure of what to tell him, or how.
Her father had been something of an absent parent ever since Mom died. Not that he wasn't there for Taylor, more that he wasn't emotional there anymore. Taylor didn't blame him, she felt the same way for a long time, doubly so after the locker incident. It was only recently, thanks to the help of Lisa and Victoria, that she was learning how to feel 'normal' again.
"Some friends invited me out tomorrow," Taylor explained, putting her phone away. Even if her father didn't say anything about the phone, she felt it was rude to use it in his presence. "I'm having lunch, don't know when I'll be home."
"That's good," Danny said with a half smile. "Be safe. Have fun. Let me know when you're on your way home."
Taylor noted how her father had been smiling more and more recently. Something good must be happening in his life to cause it. She wasn't sure what it was though. Was she a bad daughter for never asking? Could she try reaching out? Extending an olive branch or something?
"What about you?" Taylor asked after much internal deliberation. "Uh, good mood and all. You're smiling… Kinda."
Danny huffed as he looked back at his daughter. "I'm just… happy that you're happy." Usually, that would be the end of their conversation. They exchanged pleasantries, they had no need to talk to each other until tomorrow, Danny would let Taylor go read a book in her room or whatever she got up to. Today, Danny sat down on Taylor's bed and turned to speak again. "Ever since… Winslow… Well, I was worried about how they were treating you in Arcadia. But you seem to be doing better, right?"
Taylor nodded her head, unsure about her father's attempt at conversation but also, not wanting it to stop. "Yeah. It's been… better."
Danny nodded his head again. The conversation quickly died off. Neither Hebert knew what to do, they had spent so long being empty shells of themselves, casual conversation wasn't either of their strong suits.
"I made some new friends." Taylor finally said, cutting through the awkward silence. "At school, not just at work."
"Oh yeah?" Danny said, urging her to speak more about them.
"Yeah. There's Vicky, and her sister Amy," Taylor said, counting off her new friends. "Dennis, Carlos and Dean. Also Alice and Jessica. We all have lunch together. Most of them are in the grade above mine, except for Amy."
"Tell me about them," Danny said, his weak smile building strength.
"Well, Amy can be a little… grumpy." Taylor said, "We got into a fight today over a misunderstanding, so I hope we can get along tomorrow. Alice and Jessica are nice enough, they talk a lot about school gossip which I don't really care for, but they're not mean, just… nosy. Dean is… honestly I don't talk to him too much, but Carlos and Dennis are cool enough. Dennis is funny, though I'd never admit that to his face. And Vicky is-"
Danny's smile grew ever wider as he watched Taylor light up. It was still a weak smile, all things considered but one filled with pride.
"Oh, Vicky, is Victoria. Dallon. The uh, hero. Glory Girl." Taylor added. Taylor broke her own rule about waving phones in her father's face to find a photo of Victoria. She settled on a selfie she took that featured her, Vicky and Lisa. Taken at the end of the date that the throuple was established.
Danny didn't even doubt Taylor but was nonetheless impressed to see a photo of her hanging out with the Glory Girl.
"That's wonderful, little owl," Danny said, reaching out for Taylor but stopping midway.
Taylor could see the awkward hand movement through her bugs, her father's arm hovered behind her for a time. She casually moved her head into her father's shoulder, initiating a clumsy hug for the two.
"And who's this?" Danny asked, pointing to the other blonde girl on Taylor's phone.
"That's Lisa. From work." Taylor said, smiling at the photo before feeling bad about holding the phone. "I've told you about her before."
"You have." Danny agreed. He'd never seen a photo of her, but Taylor had made mentions when she started working for Fortress Construction. Danny wasn't sure how to feel about Taylor getting a job without even mentioning it to him but wouldn't complain when Taylor started chipping in for bills and groceries. "You three look very happy here. I take it those two are your best friends?"
Danny could remember a similar photo of Taylor and Emma that used to sit by Taylor's bedside. A photo that had one day disappeared without a word.
"Yes," Taylor said with a smile, a full smile that Danny hadn't seen for some years. "Actually we're…" Taylor began before cutting herself off. She pulled herself away from the hug and sat up straight. After a few seconds of silence, Taylor finally said, "Dad."
"What is it?" Danny asked, feeling the tension shifting.
"I have something that I should tell you," Taylor said, looking back at him with a powerful purpose. "Something I probably should've said a while ago. I just didn't know how to explain it to you, or what you'd think of me. But it's a part of me, it guides my every thought, my every action. It's at the core of who I am. And I'm sorry that I didn't say anything sooner, and that this will come as a shock to you."
There was another few seconds of silence, Danny didn't dare speak out of fear of interrupting his daughter.
"I…" Taylor said, taking a steadying breath. "Am gay."
Danny looked at his daughter, who didn't shrink away from the statement in the slightest. Then he looked around the room, from the new clothes she bought because Lisa said she 'looked cute,' to the giant posters of Alexandria, Miss Militia and Narwhal on her wall, to the straight-up rainbow pride flag stickers that adorned her study desk.
"Yeah…" Danny said, trying not to make light of what was a serious situation. "Your mother and I had a feeling that you might be." Taylor frowned partially at the statement but relaxed in her stare. "I'm very proud of you, little owl. As would be your mother."
Taylor moved to initiate another hug, this time using both arms. Danny put in the extra effort to properly hug her back. After yet another few seconds of silence, Danny spoke up again.
"I take it this announcement has to do with one of your friends?" Danny said, looking back at the photo on Taylor's phone. "Are you perhaps?…" Taylor nodded into the hug. "So, which one is it? Lisa or Vicky?"
Taylor mumbled her answer, causing Danny to mumble a 'what?' on his own.
Pulling her head free of the hug, Taylor said again. "B-both. I'm dating both of them. We all are. It's this thing c-called a-"
"Like a throuple?" Danny said, looking back at his daughter.
Taylor balked, looking back at her father in amazement. "H-how did you know about those?"
Danny let out a little chuckle, shaking his head as he did. "You really are your Mother's daughter."
"W-what?" Taylor asked. The realisation dawned on her. "Mom? She had… was in… Wait, with you?"
Danny held up his hands in surrender. "Woah, hey." He chuckled disarmingly, "No. Not with me. But she did roll with some pretty interesting people when I first met her. Personally, I prefer my relationships a bit more… traditional, but so long as everyone treats each other with respect, then that's all you really need."
Taylor giggled back softly. The overwhelming acceptance hit her like a ton of bricks. She'd often throw her excess emotions off into her bugs whenever it got too much for her, on top of promising herself never to cry whenever Lisa or Vicky hugged her. But Dad was different, she made no promises, she used no powers.
Danny held her daughter close, stroking her hair as she hid her face. He could feel the trickle of tears on his shirt but knew in his heart that nothing was wrong at this moment. Danny wondered which box held Annette's old diaries and if Taylor would be interested in reading them.
Once Taylor was ready to talk again, Danny turned back to his daughter and wiped her eyes.
"So, these girls. Lisa and Vicky. Tell me about them."
---------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – Late Night
Lisa couldn't sleep. She didn't know why she chose to sleep in her Undersider bedroom over her actual one, yet here she was. She looked over the texts she'd received, one from an overexcited Victoria who thanked her for a fabulous date, told her parents about their relationship and invited both girls over to meet the family.
Then a little later, she got another message from Taylor, who had told her father the same thing and was met with overwhelming acceptance and love.
Both texts made her smile. Both filled her with a warm joy in her heart. To know that both her girlfriends were accepted for who they were, and all the happier for it. They deserved it.
But deep down, both texts also made Lisa a little bit sad.
The Undersiders were a family, of sorts. They were moderate to very accepting of Lisa and Taylor. Brian might still have qualms about Glory Girl, but he accepted the relationship in general without much fanfare.
But there was another family on Lisa's mind. A family that Lisa had sworn to never think of again, and yet here she was. She had no parents to come out to, they were long gone from her life.
Even if they weren't, would they be accepting?
Probably not. Lisa's parents… Sarah's parents were awful people. She could imagine their disappointing looks and invasive questions. They might've been homophobic, Lisa couldn't even remember.
No, there was no love and acceptance to be found there.
Lisa pulled herself up from the bed, moving to leave the bedroom. It wouldn't help to wallow in self-pity, that was more of Taylor's thing.
Lisa walked into the main living space of the base, none of the other members were awake at this hour. Lisa had almost wished to find Alec still up, watching a movie on the couch. His bedroom door was shut, they all were except for one.
Rachel slept with her door open. The dogs would sometimes wake up and trot about the room, and if the door was closed, they would scratch it. Lisa looked into the room to find Rachel passed out with three dogs curled up on her bed.
Only three? Their new mascot was missing.
Lisa walked closer to take a closer peek into the room, not daring to step in. She knew that if Rachel found her watching her sleep, Lisa would get throttled. She couldn't see the puppy anywhere.
Two soft paw pressers into the back of her leg told Lisa exactly where the pup was. Lisa turned around a picked up the dog.
Recently peed on Alec's shoe. Likes Alec, marking territory.
Lisa stifled a giggle at that little titbit of information.
"You're a lil terror, ain't ya boy?" Lisa whispered to the pup. The dog yawned in response. "Right at home here then."
Lisa considered putting the dog down but decided to take it back into her room instead. Rachel didn't seem to mind all the times Alec kidnapped him, it was Lisa's turn to cuddle with him.
The puppy didn't mind at all being carried and placed on Lisa's bed. Lisa laid down beside the dog and gently stroked its fur. The dog looked back at Lisa, too tired to attempt to lick her, but not tired enough to fall asleep just yet.
"We still haven't given you a name yet, have we?" Lisa said, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Victoria. "Vicky was right. You do look like a Reggie."
The puppy- Reggie's ears twitched at the name. "You're a good boy, Reggie," Lisa said, the name feeling better each time she said or thought it.
Likes sound combination. Finds Lisa Wilbourn's voice relaxing
Lisa smiled and gently rubbed Reggie's chin.
It still caused her pain, but a pain that had no one to deflect from. For the first time in a long time, she realised that she could speak to someone and just be herself.
"I miss you," Lisa said, still petting the dog but talking past him. "I still think of you from time to time. I try to imagine how you would look like now... how you'd sound. And I know it's been years… God, has it been that long already?"
Lisa could already feel the emotion in her throat as she spoke. The odd sniffle in her nose, the wetness in her eyes.
"Some days I get scared, I think that I'll… forget what your face looked like, or how you sounded when you laugh. And I don't know if that'll be better or worse for me. Maybe in a few years, I'll hear your name and only think about this dog… Would I still smile then? Or would I?…"
Lisa didn't finish that thought, sniffling her nose before moving on to a happier topic.
"Hey, Reggie. Guess what?… I'm gay. I'm so gay. I'm like… I have two girlfriends, so that's double the amount of gay, right? That's how that works. I know you used to tease me about that. Very rude by the way, calling people gay as an insult. But I guess you were right." Lisa chuckled at her own joke. "I don't know if you'd be proud of me if you were here, or-"
Reggie, the puppy leaned forward and licked Lisa across the nose. A single lick before yawning and curling up again. It was Lisa's breaking point. She pulled Reggie in closer and start weeping. The poor puppy looked a little concerned. Lisa felt bad for crying in front of Reggie, but she couldn't stop the flow of tears anymore. She cried into his fur, the puppy letting it happen for as long as Lisa needed.
Eventually, Lisa pulled away after she ran dry of tears. Her entire body felt heavy and tired.
Weakly, Lisa spoke again. Her voice was on the edge of sleep. "I wish you could meet them. You'd get on so well with Vicky. And Taylor. She's a little shy but… I think I…"
Both girl and dog fell asleep. Comforted by each other's warmth. A smile on both of their faces.
"Victoria, No flying in the house."
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria called back, her feet touching the ground as she sat down. She was the first one in the room, hovering over the dining table to get to her side. Vicky expertly flew into her chair and waited for the rest of the family to join her.
Amy waddled out of the kitchen shortly after carrying her own plate of food. Sitting next to Victoria, she had to walk around the table and pull out her chair like a regular person. Victoria could hear Amy grumbling under her breath about 'being a showoff.'
Carol and Mark entered the dining room together, sitting opposite their daughters. Victoria noted that her father was in a good mood today, which was always a pleasure to see.
The family started to dig into their nightly meal. It didn't take long before Carol said her usual rounds of questions.
"So, girls?" Carol said between bites. "How was school today?"
"Good."
"Fine…"
Both girls said back. Carol nodded along, satisfied with their usual answers. "And I noticed neither of you came home till late? What did you get up to after school?" Victoria shifted in her chair but noted that Carol's eyes focused more on Amy as she said that.
Amy quickly swallowed her food and cleared her throat. "Uh, I went out. To the mall. With friends, uh, a friend. To the mall with a friend, ma'am."
Victoria never liked how tense Amy got whenever she spoke with Mom. She knew that they didn't have the best relationship in the world but the way Amy would speak to her sounded more like she was addressing Director Piggot rather than her own Mother.
"A friend?" Carol asked, Victoria detected a hint of suspicion in that question. Carol was about to say something before Mark pipped up.
"A friend," Mark said with a smile. "That's great Amy. Are they a friend from school?"
Victoria smiled at the question. On the days when their Dad was in a good mood, he tried extra hard to be involved in their lives. As if trying to make up for all the off days by giving 200% more energy.
"Yeah," Amy said, looking between Mark and Victoria. She was still processing everything that had just happened. Amy got home thinking her 'new friend' was a lying, cheating bitch only to discover that it wasn't the case. Vicky was impressed with how quickly she could compartmentalise her prior feelings and go back to calling Taylor her friend. "She's a girl in my class. Hangs out with us at lunch. Vicky…" She didn't know how to explain the connection without outing Victoria so she didn't finish the sentence.
Both parents shared a look with each other the moment Amy said 'She's a girl.' Amy herself was too busy playing with her food to notice but Victoria picked up on the odd moment. She put that away in her brain as an 'ask Dad about it later' moment.
"She's a friend we've been spending time with," Victoria added, knowing that Carol would complain if Amy left a sentence unfinished. "I invited her to sit with us a couple of weeks back now, but she's in Amy's grade."
"And does this young lady have a name?" Carol asked, directing the question at Vicky.
"Taylor," Victoria responded with a smile.
"Taylor?" Carol repeated. Thinking to herself before shifting her gaze back to Amy. Victoria wasn't exactly sure what her mother was asking but Amy seemed to understand, nodding back in confirmation. "I see. Well, I'm glad to hear you girls have a new friend."
Mark nodded in agreement then turned to Victoria. "And what about you, Victoria? What did you get up to today?"
Victoria stiffened again in her seat. She was mentally preparing herself for this moment but now that it arrived, all of Vicky's plans of attack flew away from her.
"Uh, me?" Victoria said, scratching her neck and looking between Amy and her parents. "I was actually… on a… date?"
"Oh?" Carol said, a small smile forming on her face. "That's lovely, Victoria. Where did Dean take you this time?"
Of course, she'd assume that. It was only natural to assume that any date she'd go on would be with Dean, even if the last one was months ago.
"Actually…" Victoria said, clearing her throat and steadying herself. "It wasn't with Dean. We actually broke up. The other week. Officially. We've been apart for months now. But… yeah."
Carol's smile broke back down to her usual, neutral position. Mark looked with worry at his wife before his smile returned.
"Ah, so a new guy," Mark said, pushing forward. "Come on, let's hear it. Who are they? What are they like? Are you seeing them again? Must be pretty serious by the way you're blushing." Mark let out a soft chuckle. Victoria looked away, somewhat embarrassed for being so easily readable. "Do I have to give them the whole 'Shotgun Dad' speech?"
Victoria shook her head with a nervous chuckle. "No, no. No need for that. And you're right. It is serious. We're uh… It's a new, relationship? It started on Monday. I probably should've told you about it then. But uh… The thing is…" She took a deep breath, thinking about how welcoming her friends were at school, and how happy Amy was for her. She could do this, she could tell her parents. "Mom, Dad. I'm gay."
It's an important moment when a child comes out to their family. How everyone reacts can determine the relationship they'll have going forward. Her parents were silent, they both looked at Victoria, at first in shock, perhaps disbelief and then to each other. Neither spoke and yet they both appeared to have some kind of conversation from eye contact alone.
Mark turned back to Victoria, studying her over. Victoria stared back, hoping to convey how serious this statement was for her. It took all of five seconds and yet it felt like an eternity for Vicky's beating heart.
Finally, with a glimmer in his eye that probably meant 'I'm so glad that I have the energy today,' Mark's lips twitched into a smile, as he said the first words that came to mind, the words that every man in his position was supposed to say at this pivotal moment in their child's life.
"Hello, Gay. I'm Dad."
All three women groaned at the joke, Carol lightly slapping the man. Mark chuckled to himself as he rubbed his shoulder, this was the happiest Victoria had seen the man in a long time.
"Dad, this is serious," Victoria whined, a smile held on her face. The bad joke was as welcoming as any hug and she wouldn't trade it for the world. "I was on a date today. With a woman… My girlfriend. I was on a date with my girlfriend."
Amy made some kind of face and turned away, Victoria knew she already accepted her 'coming out,' so she assumed it was more to do with Amy not knowing Lisa and trying to hold off on her judgement.
"That's lovely." Mark said, "What did you get up to?"
"She invited me into this club," Victoria said, relaxing as she spoke. "A jazz club, in the city. We just talked, drank virgin cocktails and shared cute pictures with each other." She noted how high Carol's eyebrow rose when she mentioned a 'club' and 'virgin cocktails.' "Oh, she's around my age. A little younger, I think? Her name's Lisa."
Mark nodded along cheerfully, "And who is this, L-"
"Did anyone see you?" Carol cut in. The upbeat mood was halted in its path.
"What?" Victoria asked, unsure of the question.
"Did anyone see you in this club, with this… Lisa? Was it?" Carol asked again.
"Um… No?" Victoria said, thinking back. "I mean, there were a few people there, but no one really paid us any attention."
"Alright then," Carol said, nodding to herself. "Good."
"Good?" Victoria asked, trying not to sound too offended.
Carol sighed as if she was disappointed in Victoria for sounding upset with her. "I just want you to be safe. You should've come to us the second you knew. Then we could discuss these things. Who else knows about this?" Carol looked to Amy, and the younger girl shank back instinctively. "Did you?"
"Uh, she… on Tuesday," Amy mumbled, shrinking into her seat.
"I already told our friends. Dean, Carlos and the lot." Victoria said, pulling the attention away from Amy. "Discuss what things? And why should I care if people see us." This was as frustrating as when Dean acted sceptical to her announcement, but where Dean had the bitter excuse of jealousy, Carol was doing what? Being dismissive? Overprotective? She never cared this much when Vicky started dating Dean. Hell, Carol wanted them to be seen together.
"I think what your mother means is," Mark said, inserting himself back into the conversation. "That Brockton Bay has some… unsavoury elements, who would look down on this kind of relationship."
"You mean the Empire?" Victoria asked, sardonically. Everyone at the table looked uncomfortable, the Empire wasn't a popular talking point in the Dallon household for good reason.
"Among other people, yes." Mark continued, patting Carol's hand apologetically. "While we're both very proud of you and your life choices, we just want you to be safe." Carol looked intently at Mark, "And we wish that you came to us sooner, so we could discuss… precautions."
"Precautions?"
"Look, your mother and I... no one here ever wants to dictate who you can and can't date," Mark said, both Carol and Amy let out a small huff. "But being a public figure in this city. It can be dangerous. As a family, we're prepared to handle it, but any… outside relations might not be aware, or ready for whatever could happen."
"Plus, what do you really know about this, Lisa?" Carol added. "Hmm? Why is this the first time I'm hearing her name? Is she another new friend at school?"
A sudden fear came into Victoria's mind. Of her mother conducting a deep and thorough background check on both Lisa and Taylor. Finding out all their villainous secrets and deciding to arrest them, or worse.
"No, she's a friend of a friend." Vicky blurted out. "Of Taylor's. Taylor's work friend."
"Work friend?" Carol asked, "And where do they?-"
"Internship. Fortress Construction." Vicky shot back before Carol could finish. Taylor had mentioned her fake job enough time to the rest of the lunch table for Vicky to remember that much about the cover story.
"I see," Carol said. Victoria hoped that whoever ran Fortress Construction looked as clean as possible because Carol Dallon was no doubt about to requisition two employee records as soon as she could.
"Also…" Victoria said, figuring it was time to rip the band-aid off. "I wasn't sure how to bring this up. But since I already mentioned Taylor…" She took another breath, "I'm kinda dating her too…"
This statement caused some obvious confusion among her parents. Mark's smile broke as he tried to compute what was just said, and Vicky swore that her Mother's eyes twitched a little before falling back to her neutral position.
"Explain?" Carol asked, keeping her tone passive but firm.
"Well uh…" Victoria said, feeling very self-conscious. "Originally I was only interested in Taylor, but she had this friend, Lisa who also liked her. We didn't get along that well at first but after spending time with her while planning a… surprise party? Anyway, It turned out that Lisa was an… interesting woman. And then we both asked out Taylor on the same day, purely by chance. But Taylor didn't want to compromise our friendship by picking one of the other. So Lisa introduced us to the idea of a throuple, where all three of us date each other. But then Taylor was worried that Lisa and I didn't like each other the same way we liked her so I went on a date alone with Lisa today."
She sighed after getting all that out of her. Vicky looked to Amy for emotional support, unfortunately, the traitorous sister was casually eating her dinner, staring off into space, acting as if on 'autopilot.'
"So to be clear," Carol said after taking it all in. "You're currently dating two women at the same time. This Taylor, from school. And Lisa, her friend from work?"
"C-correct," Vicky said, trying to stand tall at her mother's possible judgement.
"Taylor… Hebert?" Carol asked, her eyes flicked briefly to Amy who was still spacing out before looking back to Victoria.
"Correct?" Vicky said, unsure of just how her mother knew that name.
"And Lisa?…" Carol asked, expecting a last name.
"Wilbourn," Victoria said, trying not to cringe at revealing Lisa's full name. She knew that she'd have to tell her mother about her, Lisa had consented to be publicly named, but even still, it felt off.
"Well then…" Carol said, looking at Mark. Both parents nodded wordlessly to each other before Carol turn back to Victoria. "Have them come round tomorrow. For lunch. We'd like to meet them. Get to know them."
"Oh.. okay," Victoria said, looking between her parents suspiciously. Mark's smile returned, finding the whole thing humorous while Carol was no doubt burning the name 'Lisa Wilbourn' into her brain to research later tonight.
Amy snapped out of her stupor to speak. "Uh, weren't we doing?… y'know tomorrow." She asked Carol, a tinge of hope in Amy's voice.
"We'll go over medical law in the home office instead," Carol said back, causing Amy to wilt again. "I expect you out of bed bright and early."
"I guess I'll tell them the good news," Victoria said, holding her phone up. Carol held a 'no phones at the dinner table' look until Vicky put her hand back down into her pocket. "After dinner, I mean." She returned to eat a few bites before looking up at her father. "So, what were these precaution thingies?"
"Well," Mark said, swallowing his food. "In the event that one of you turned out to be…" He made a gesture with his hands to Victoria but oddly enough both parents looked at Amy. "We'd invite your partner, or in this case, partners over. And explain this situation and the dangers. Work out strategies for safety, and how we're gonna handle the press and PR. Nothing to worry about really. We'll try not to scare them off or embarrass you too much."
Victoria nodded along, making a mental note to warn both Taylor and Lisa ahead of time. Tomorrow was going to be an awkward day.
"So, these girls. Lisa and Taylor." Mark said, trying to calm Victoria's nerves. "Tell us about them."
Victoria's face lit up as she started to talk about her two favourite people, avoiding mentions of any 'criminal activities.'
------------------------------------------------
Hebert Residence – Night
Taylor looked at the message on her phone. Vicky had told her parents, and Amy, about their relationship. It sounded like they were rather accepting and her parents wanted to meet both girls for a weekend lunch.
Taylor wasn't exactly excited to march right into a superhero family lunch but for Victoria, she would do anything. She confirmed the time and place, telling Victoria that she'd meet her there tomorrow.
"Woah, what's got you in such a good mood," Danny asked with a weak smile. He looked down at the phone in Taylor's hand but didn't say anything about it.
"Uh, just some stuff," Taylor said, unsure of what to tell him, or how.
Her father had been something of an absent parent ever since Mom died. Not that he wasn't there for Taylor, more that he wasn't emotional there anymore. Taylor didn't blame him, she felt the same way for a long time, doubly so after the locker incident. It was only recently, thanks to the help of Lisa and Victoria, that she was learning how to feel 'normal' again.
"Some friends invited me out tomorrow," Taylor explained, putting her phone away. Even if her father didn't say anything about the phone, she felt it was rude to use it in his presence. "I'm having lunch, don't know when I'll be home."
"That's good," Danny said with a half smile. "Be safe. Have fun. Let me know when you're on your way home."
Taylor noted how her father had been smiling more and more recently. Something good must be happening in his life to cause it. She wasn't sure what it was though. Was she a bad daughter for never asking? Could she try reaching out? Extending an olive branch or something?
"What about you?" Taylor asked after much internal deliberation. "Uh, good mood and all. You're smiling… Kinda."
Danny huffed as he looked back at his daughter. "I'm just… happy that you're happy." Usually, that would be the end of their conversation. They exchanged pleasantries, they had no need to talk to each other until tomorrow, Danny would let Taylor go read a book in her room or whatever she got up to. Today, Danny sat down on Taylor's bed and turned to speak again. "Ever since… Winslow… Well, I was worried about how they were treating you in Arcadia. But you seem to be doing better, right?"
Taylor nodded her head, unsure about her father's attempt at conversation but also, not wanting it to stop. "Yeah. It's been… better."
Danny nodded his head again. The conversation quickly died off. Neither Hebert knew what to do, they had spent so long being empty shells of themselves, casual conversation wasn't either of their strong suits.
"I made some new friends." Taylor finally said, cutting through the awkward silence. "At school, not just at work."
"Oh yeah?" Danny said, urging her to speak more about them.
"Yeah. There's Vicky, and her sister Amy," Taylor said, counting off her new friends. "Dennis, Carlos and Dean. Also Alice and Jessica. We all have lunch together. Most of them are in the grade above mine, except for Amy."
"Tell me about them," Danny said, his weak smile building strength.
"Well, Amy can be a little… grumpy." Taylor said, "We got into a fight today over a misunderstanding, so I hope we can get along tomorrow. Alice and Jessica are nice enough, they talk a lot about school gossip which I don't really care for, but they're not mean, just… nosy. Dean is… honestly I don't talk to him too much, but Carlos and Dennis are cool enough. Dennis is funny, though I'd never admit that to his face. And Vicky is-"
Danny's smile grew ever wider as he watched Taylor light up. It was still a weak smile, all things considered but one filled with pride.
"Oh, Vicky, is Victoria. Dallon. The uh, hero. Glory Girl." Taylor added. Taylor broke her own rule about waving phones in her father's face to find a photo of Victoria. She settled on a selfie she took that featured her, Vicky and Lisa. Taken at the end of the date that the throuple was established.
Danny didn't even doubt Taylor but was nonetheless impressed to see a photo of her hanging out with the Glory Girl.
"That's wonderful, little owl," Danny said, reaching out for Taylor but stopping midway.
Taylor could see the awkward hand movement through her bugs, her father's arm hovered behind her for a time. She casually moved her head into her father's shoulder, initiating a clumsy hug for the two.
"And who's this?" Danny asked, pointing to the other blonde girl on Taylor's phone.
"That's Lisa. From work." Taylor said, smiling at the photo before feeling bad about holding the phone. "I've told you about her before."
"You have." Danny agreed. He'd never seen a photo of her, but Taylor had made mentions when she started working for Fortress Construction. Danny wasn't sure how to feel about Taylor getting a job without even mentioning it to him but wouldn't complain when Taylor started chipping in for bills and groceries. "You three look very happy here. I take it those two are your best friends?"
Danny could remember a similar photo of Taylor and Emma that used to sit by Taylor's bedside. A photo that had one day disappeared without a word.
"Yes," Taylor said with a smile, a full smile that Danny hadn't seen for some years. "Actually we're…" Taylor began before cutting herself off. She pulled herself away from the hug and sat up straight. After a few seconds of silence, Taylor finally said, "Dad."
"What is it?" Danny asked, feeling the tension shifting.
"I have something that I should tell you," Taylor said, looking back at him with a powerful purpose. "Something I probably should've said a while ago. I just didn't know how to explain it to you, or what you'd think of me. But it's a part of me, it guides my every thought, my every action. It's at the core of who I am. And I'm sorry that I didn't say anything sooner, and that this will come as a shock to you."
There was another few seconds of silence, Danny didn't dare speak out of fear of interrupting his daughter.
"I…" Taylor said, taking a steadying breath. "Am gay."
Danny looked at his daughter, who didn't shrink away from the statement in the slightest. Then he looked around the room, from the new clothes she bought because Lisa said she 'looked cute,' to the giant posters of Alexandria, Miss Militia and Narwhal on her wall, to the straight-up rainbow pride flag stickers that adorned her study desk.
"Yeah…" Danny said, trying not to make light of what was a serious situation. "Your mother and I had a feeling that you might be." Taylor frowned partially at the statement but relaxed in her stare. "I'm very proud of you, little owl. As would be your mother."
Taylor moved to initiate another hug, this time using both arms. Danny put in the extra effort to properly hug her back. After yet another few seconds of silence, Danny spoke up again.
"I take it this announcement has to do with one of your friends?" Danny said, looking back at the photo on Taylor's phone. "Are you perhaps?…" Taylor nodded into the hug. "So, which one is it? Lisa or Vicky?"
Taylor mumbled her answer, causing Danny to mumble a 'what?' on his own.
Pulling her head free of the hug, Taylor said again. "B-both. I'm dating both of them. We all are. It's this thing c-called a-"
"Like a throuple?" Danny said, looking back at his daughter.
Taylor balked, looking back at her father in amazement. "H-how did you know about those?"
Danny let out a little chuckle, shaking his head as he did. "You really are your Mother's daughter."
"W-what?" Taylor asked. The realisation dawned on her. "Mom? She had… was in… Wait, with you?"
Danny held up his hands in surrender. "Woah, hey." He chuckled disarmingly, "No. Not with me. But she did roll with some pretty interesting people when I first met her. Personally, I prefer my relationships a bit more… traditional, but so long as everyone treats each other with respect, then that's all you really need."
Taylor giggled back softly. The overwhelming acceptance hit her like a ton of bricks. She'd often throw her excess emotions off into her bugs whenever it got too much for her, on top of promising herself never to cry whenever Lisa or Vicky hugged her. But Dad was different, she made no promises, she used no powers.
Danny held her daughter close, stroking her hair as she hid her face. He could feel the trickle of tears on his shirt but knew in his heart that nothing was wrong at this moment. Danny wondered which box held Annette's old diaries and if Taylor would be interested in reading them.
Once Taylor was ready to talk again, Danny turned back to his daughter and wiped her eyes.
"So, these girls. Lisa and Vicky. Tell me about them."
---------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – Late Night
Lisa couldn't sleep. She didn't know why she chose to sleep in her Undersider bedroom over her actual one, yet here she was. She looked over the texts she'd received, one from an overexcited Victoria who thanked her for a fabulous date, told her parents about their relationship and invited both girls over to meet the family.
Then a little later, she got another message from Taylor, who had told her father the same thing and was met with overwhelming acceptance and love.
Both texts made her smile. Both filled her with a warm joy in her heart. To know that both her girlfriends were accepted for who they were, and all the happier for it. They deserved it.
But deep down, both texts also made Lisa a little bit sad.
The Undersiders were a family, of sorts. They were moderate to very accepting of Lisa and Taylor. Brian might still have qualms about Glory Girl, but he accepted the relationship in general without much fanfare.
But there was another family on Lisa's mind. A family that Lisa had sworn to never think of again, and yet here she was. She had no parents to come out to, they were long gone from her life.
Even if they weren't, would they be accepting?
Probably not. Lisa's parents… Sarah's parents were awful people. She could imagine their disappointing looks and invasive questions. They might've been homophobic, Lisa couldn't even remember.
No, there was no love and acceptance to be found there.
Lisa pulled herself up from the bed, moving to leave the bedroom. It wouldn't help to wallow in self-pity, that was more of Taylor's thing.
Lisa walked into the main living space of the base, none of the other members were awake at this hour. Lisa had almost wished to find Alec still up, watching a movie on the couch. His bedroom door was shut, they all were except for one.
Rachel slept with her door open. The dogs would sometimes wake up and trot about the room, and if the door was closed, they would scratch it. Lisa looked into the room to find Rachel passed out with three dogs curled up on her bed.
Only three? Their new mascot was missing.
Lisa walked closer to take a closer peek into the room, not daring to step in. She knew that if Rachel found her watching her sleep, Lisa would get throttled. She couldn't see the puppy anywhere.
Two soft paw pressers into the back of her leg told Lisa exactly where the pup was. Lisa turned around a picked up the dog.
Recently peed on Alec's shoe. Likes Alec, marking territory.
Lisa stifled a giggle at that little titbit of information.
"You're a lil terror, ain't ya boy?" Lisa whispered to the pup. The dog yawned in response. "Right at home here then."
Lisa considered putting the dog down but decided to take it back into her room instead. Rachel didn't seem to mind all the times Alec kidnapped him, it was Lisa's turn to cuddle with him.
The puppy didn't mind at all being carried and placed on Lisa's bed. Lisa laid down beside the dog and gently stroked its fur. The dog looked back at Lisa, too tired to attempt to lick her, but not tired enough to fall asleep just yet.
"We still haven't given you a name yet, have we?" Lisa said, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Victoria. "Vicky was right. You do look like a Reggie."
The puppy- Reggie's ears twitched at the name. "You're a good boy, Reggie," Lisa said, the name feeling better each time she said or thought it.
Likes sound combination. Finds Lisa Wilbourn's voice relaxing
Lisa smiled and gently rubbed Reggie's chin.
It still caused her pain, but a pain that had no one to deflect from. For the first time in a long time, she realised that she could speak to someone and just be herself.
"I miss you," Lisa said, still petting the dog but talking past him. "I still think of you from time to time. I try to imagine how you would look like now... how you'd sound. And I know it's been years… God, has it been that long already?"
Lisa could already feel the emotion in her throat as she spoke. The odd sniffle in her nose, the wetness in her eyes.
"Some days I get scared, I think that I'll… forget what your face looked like, or how you sounded when you laugh. And I don't know if that'll be better or worse for me. Maybe in a few years, I'll hear your name and only think about this dog… Would I still smile then? Or would I?…"
Lisa didn't finish that thought, sniffling her nose before moving on to a happier topic.
"Hey, Reggie. Guess what?… I'm gay. I'm so gay. I'm like… I have two girlfriends, so that's double the amount of gay, right? That's how that works. I know you used to tease me about that. Very rude by the way, calling people gay as an insult. But I guess you were right." Lisa chuckled at her own joke. "I don't know if you'd be proud of me if you were here, or-"
Reggie, the puppy leaned forward and licked Lisa across the nose. A single lick before yawning and curling up again. It was Lisa's breaking point. She pulled Reggie in closer and start weeping. The poor puppy looked a little concerned. Lisa felt bad for crying in front of Reggie, but she couldn't stop the flow of tears anymore. She cried into his fur, the puppy letting it happen for as long as Lisa needed.
Eventually, Lisa pulled away after she ran dry of tears. Her entire body felt heavy and tired.
Weakly, Lisa spoke again. Her voice was on the edge of sleep. "I wish you could meet them. You'd get on so well with Vicky. And Taylor. She's a little shy but… I think I…"
Both girl and dog fell asleep. Comforted by each other's warmth. A smile on both of their faces.
Last edited:
Chapter 18: She feels underdressed.
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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A/N: This ended up being way longer than I intended it to be, so I split the chapter at just the right moment.
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning
Taylor felt underdressed, she wore her usual get-up of jeans and a casual green shirt. More accustomed to hiding away, Taylor had very few outfits that didn't include layers. Not ideal with the seasons changing, the late spring heat invalidating all of Taylor's preferred clothing styles.
Lisa had picked out the pants, as Taylor was used to dressing in a manner that hid away from prying eyes. often favouring baggy clothing that would blend into a crowd. She'd much preferred the colder months, where she could have an additional jacket or the like to hide the shape of her body.
Taylor had several jackets and hoodies that would've been fine to wear out, that would've made her feel, perhaps not confident, but comfortable. She didn't know what to wear during the warmer months of the year. She wasn't the type of girl who enjoyed showing skin, so any form of dress or skirt was immediately discarded from potential outfit ideas.
Makeup was another avenue that caused Taylor to worry. Walking now, Taylor wondered if she should've attempted it again. Did this count as a date? Would Victoria's family judge her for dressing so plainly? Did she even know how to correctly apply make-up anymore? She didn't wear any, never had, not seriously anyway. There had been moments in her childhood when she experimented with it. Memories of her and Emma stealing Aunt Zoe's lipstick hit her with the sharp pain of nostalgia. A pleasant memory that was barbed with betrayal, tainted like all her memories with Emma.
Shaking the thoughts off, Taylor focused on her current life. She had enough worries in reality, the ongoing nerves of meeting Victoria's parents and having lunch with a family of heroes, she didn't need to add her depressive nostalgia to the mix.
Walking up to the meeting spot, Taylor had already spotted Lisa waiting for her. The bugs had caught eyes on the girl for some time as Taylor approached, she was sitting on a bench, looking down at her feet. It wasn't until Taylor had her own eyes on the girl did she realised how pretty she was today.
Lisa was wearing a very colourful, sun dress. The purple floral pattern of the dress complimented the bright colour of her hair. Hair that was tied neatly behind her as per Lisa's usual civilian fashion. The dress's short sleeves and flare left plenty for Taylor to gawk at, not that it was too short or risque. It was a far bolder fit than anything Taylor dare wear, but Lisa pulled it off perfectly.
"Taylor!" Lisa said with a wave. She stood up from where she sat and walked over to meet her halfway. As she approached, Taylor could see the light touches of foundation, mascara and lip gloss across Lisa's face. "Good morning," Lisa said with cheer as she embraced Taylor.
"Morning, Lise," Taylor said, hugging her back. Her previous worries about being underdressed were now doubled after seeing Lisa.
She already knew that Lisa was the prettier girl out of the two of them, it wasn't any surprise. But knowing that they were both about to be judged by Victoria's parents, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Taylor didn't want to be jealous, it was an emotion she quickly buried deep down as she enjoyed the hug.
Lisa brought Taylor back to the seat she was waiting on. A bus stop that they would take to get to the Dallon's house. Lisa could drive, however, questions of how Lisa learned to drive and how she could afford the car she had were things that they both agreed should be avoided in today's lunch. Instead, they waited for the bus.
"Don't be so nervous." Lisa chuckled, patting Taylor on the leg. Taylor wasn't aware that she was showing her nerves but then she remembered who she was sitting with. "I'm sure it'll be fine. We get on great with Vicky, you're already friends with Amy. I'm sure her parents are just as nice."
"I know," Taylor said, looking at Lisa's hand. "I just… Want to make a good impression." She turned her head back up to look at Lisa. "Speaking of which, you."
"Me?" Lisa asked, her vulpine grin already aware of what Taylor was going to say.
"I know you only have two modes," Taylor continued, giving Lisa a flat look. "Smug or charming. So I'm hoping that you'll play nice and be on your best behaviour today."
Lisa shot a mock-offended look at Taylor. "I'll have you know, that people find my smugness very charming. It's how I won you over." Taylor held her disproving look at Lisa's grin. Lisa rolled her eyes before speaking again. "Taylor, of course, I'll be on my best behaviour. I'm not looking to start a fight with Brandish." Taylor relaxed and let out a sigh of relief, Lisa chuckled at her girlfriend's reaction. They both fell silent for a short moment before Lisa looked over, smiling gently at Taylor. "Hey, you look cute, you know that right?"
"Oh… thanks," Taylor mumbled into a blush. "You look beautiful today. I mean most days… you always look good. But today especially… you're really pretty." Taylor felt a sudden pang of guilt as she realised she was too busy comparing Lisa's outfit to her own when she first arrived that she didn't even compliment her. Lisa smiled wider, enjoying Taylor's reaction and compliments.
Taylor's eyes flicked up over Lisa's face, she subconsciously trailed her finger over her own lips, wondering if she would look half as pretty as Lisa if she wore lip gloss like hers. She didn't even own anything of the sort back at home, it was a pointless thought experiment. Taylor doubted it would even look good on her anyway. Her eyes moved up to meet Lisa's eyes as she recognised the mischievous sparkle in Lisa's eye.
Before Taylor could ask what Lisa was planning, the girl straddled Taylor on the bench. Every insect in three blocks shook with anxiety as Lisa ignored all of Taylor's wordless protests to the action. The street wasn't entirely empty, as Lisa sat over Taylor in broad daylight. Taylor shied away from the odd looks the occasional passerby gave the two girls.
Lisa fished through her handbag, acting oblivious to Taylor's baffled stare. Taylor thought about pushing Lisa off her but in truth, she enjoyed the feeling of Lisa sitting on her, a fact that Lisa was most likely aware of, judging by the way her lips held in a smile.
"W-what are you?-" Taylor finally squeaked out before Lisa grabbed her by the cheeks.
"Shh,' Lisa hushed, pulling out a small stick of lip gloss. She released Taylor's face to twist the gloss up before looking back to Taylor. "Oh, don't pout… or actually, do. It'll make this easier to apply." It wasn't the exact same colour as Lisa's lips, but a lighter shade that matched Taylor's paler skin tone. "Next time we should meet up at your place first. I don't think I have enough that matches your complexion but I can do the basics. Fair warning, most of my experience comes from disguises and hiding bruises and I've only ever done this on one other person besides myself. But at least I know what to get next time we go shopping at the boardwalk."
Taylor sat in silence as Lisa applied the gloss to her lips, rummaging around her bag to pull out several other items to work on Taylor's face.
Eventually, Lisa leaned away to get a full view of Taylor's face. She nodded to Taylor with a smile and brought out a small mirror for Taylor to inspect. "What do you think?" Lisa asked as Taylor looked at her reflection. "I tried to keep it light, I could try applying some eye shadow if you want, but last time I did that Alec ended up looking like a raccoon, so maybe I'll just stick to what I know."
"Wow…" Taylor said in a quiet gasp. Touching her face as if to confirm that it was indeed real. She wasn't as gussied up as Lisa but her lips and eyes were now more prominent on her face, Taylor could almost believe that she was cute. "Thank you, Lisa." Taylor thought about what might have brought this on, Lisa had obviously picked up on Taylor's jealousy and self-confidence when it came to makeup, taking matters into her own hands. Taylor opened her mouth again to perhaps apologise for being jealous, and for having to rely on Lisa, but Lisa cut her off with her own reply.
"Pfft, I didn't do it for you." Lisa chuckled sarcastically. "Don't you know? I'm a vain and selfish villain. Who just wants to kiss pretty girls." She leaned in and kissed Taylor, who was once again aware that she was being straddled in public.
"Kiss pretty girls?" Taylor asked back, throwing her embarrassment into her bugs so she could match Lisa's confidence.
"Well… just two," Lisa added with another small chuckle. "But they're very pretty."
Taylor smiled back, she might not be able to call herself cute, but to Lisa, she was pretty. She could believe that.
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Brockton Bay Suburbs – Midday
The bus dropped the girls off a short walk away from Vicky's street. It wasn't that hard to get lost on the way to the Dallons, most Brocktonites knew the general suburbs of where New Wave lived, such local celebrities had their own tour bus that would pass by their house every weekend. Lisa couldn't imagine living such a life but then again, she was a villain. She actively avoided bringing attention to her personal life.
Lisa led the way using one such 'map of the stars' tourist pamphlet that she found at a newsstand in the city. Victoria had texted her the address, but Lisa thought it funny to be using a publicly available resource to find someone's house. Again, who could live like this? Having your home address advertised all over the place. It sent shivers down Lisa's spine.
"Found them," Taylor said, turning in the direction of their destination. "I can see Vicky pacing back and forth, A man, her father I'm guessing, is in the kitchen and-"
"And you have no concept of privacy do you?" Lisa asked with a mischievous smile. Taylor looked back at Lisa but made no outward reaction to her comment. She had a rather neutral face, but Lisa coined it as Taylor's '1000 yard bug stare.'
Nervous, wants to know what she's walking into. Micro-expression indicates embarrassment, hiding reaction in bugs. Didn't consider it spying until pointed out. Worried about being perceived as some kind of stalker and/or pervert.
"That's why you're such an asset to the team," Lisa added with a chuckle. "Lead on, Skitter."
Taylor shot back a worried and annoyed look at Lisa's blatant use of her cape name, even though there was no one around to hear them. Lisa could use a little more Skitter at this time. A cool, calm and collected Taylor would help stabilise the butterflies in her stomach. Lisa wiggled her eyebrows in response to Taylor's annoyed face, gesturing at her to lead.
"Damn…" Lisa said in awe a few minutes later. They came up to the Dallon's house, and she couldn't help noticing the sheer size of the place, the entire building had a gated fence around it. "Guess we should've expected this, being celebrities and all. Puts my little apartment to shame."
Taylor stepped up to the gate and pressed the doorbell. Lisa knew by now that Taylor had already mapped out the premises with her bugs, it would help to not be walking into this place completely blind. Lisa had to convince herself before leaving the base not to bring a smoke grenade on the off-chance this went poorly. It beeped several times but gave no response from the intercom. Lisa shifted around awkwardly, wondering if she should instead call Victoria to let them know they were there, but Taylor's stiff posture and unwavering head movements told her that something was happening inside the house.
The front door of the house swung open as Vicky shot out. She was hovering two inches from the ground as she made her approach to the gate. Skitter broke from her omnipresent '1000 yard stare' and fell into a relaxed half smile as Taylor saw the girl approach.
"Oh, my god. You're here!" Victoria cheered as she zoomed across the front yard. She sped right up to the gate and stopped moments short of slamming into it. While Lisa had no doubt that Vicky had practised and perfected this movement, she couldn't help but flinch at the speed Victoria arrived.
High manoeuvrability and speed, combat trained. Occasionally underestimates raw brute strength. Has broken the gate before. Could cause serious bodily harm to Lisa Wilbourn by accident.
Lisa shook off that idle thought. More than once her power reminded her just how dangerous Victoria could be; something about being anxious brought out the threat analysis side of things.
"Did you find the place okay?" Victoria asked as she tapped away at some buttons on her side. The gate started rolling open.
"Yeah, we had great directions," Lisa said, waving the tourist pamphlet as a fan, hoping her little joke would defuse any awkward tension and act as an icebreaker for the three girls. Victoria frowned briefly as she noticed what Lisa was holding.
Doesn't approve of tourist map. Finds aspects of celebrity fame daunting and invasive.
Lisa scrunched up the pamphlet and put it in her handbag, feeling guilty for her joke. Victoria's frown had already turned back into a smile, greeting Taylor with a hug.
Victoria let out a small gasp as she looked again at Taylor's face, "Taylor, you're looking great. Your lips look so pretty." Victoria said, giving Taylor a quick peck before inspecting her entire outfit. Taylor mumbled some kind of response to the compliment that Lisa couldn't hear but it caused Victoria to laugh.
Moving from Taylor, Victoria hugged Lisa tightly, giving her a small squeeze. "And wow, look at you," Vicky said, standing back and taking in Lisa's outfit. Lisa played up a half twirl to show off.
"Thank you." Lisa chuckled, "You don't look half bad yourself."
Victoria was wearing the dress Taylor had bought her the day she and Lisa first met. As Lisa had said the first time, it was a cute dress that looked great on her.
"This little thing?" Victoria asked, playing with the skirt of her dress. "I just finally found a good excuse to wear it. I took one look at it and instantly knew what I was wearing today."
Lying. Had several outfits picked out. Couldn't decide what to wear. Considered changing outfit the second we arrived. Thinks she's massively overdressed. Feeling self-conscious.
"Seriously, Vicky. You look amazing." Lisa added with a smile. Taylor nodded in agreement.
Victoria's smile got even brighter as she took both girls' hands and gave each of them another quick kiss. Then she led them towards the house. Her feet still refused to touch the ground the entire time.
------------------------------------------------
Victoria opened the door and gestured for both girls to walk inside. She followed shortly after and closed the door. The entrance led right into the hallway that split the living room from the kitchen, leading directly to the stairs. Right by the entrance was a shelf that held several family photos.
Lisa paused by the shelf, inspecting the photos and giving Victoria the occasional glance. Lisa looked like she was about to say something but chose to keep quiet. Taylor walked by inspecting the living room, walking like she had some familiarity with the place but not daring to go too far into the house without any further guidance.
"Mom, Dad! They're here!" Vicky called out before giving both girls an apologetic look. "Mom's up in her office with Ames, they're doing some medical law thing. I don't exactly know why but she'll be down in a second. Otherwise…" She gestured towards the kitchen. "Dad's making lunch, I'll introduce you."
"Something smells good," Lisa said, following her nose as much as she was following Vicky. Mark was stirring a pot on the stove, turning his head to greet the girls, he smiled as he caught sight of them.
"Ah, there they are, just in time," Mark said, wiping his hands on a towel. "You must be… Wait, let me guess." Victoria realised at that moment, that for all her enthusiasm for talking about her girlfriends last night, she didn't once show her father a photo of the girls. "Tay-?"
"Lisa," Victoria corrected, causing Lisa to giggle.
"Lisa, right," Mark said, clicking his fingers before extending the hand to shake hers. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark, Victoria's father, probably better known as Flashbang." With his spare hand, Mark formed a small orb of light in his hand and tossed it gently up and down before reabsorbing it.
"Wow, that's so cool," Lisa said in awe. Acting like a civilian who didn't get to see parahuman theatrics up close daily. Vicky frowned at the blatant lying but knew that it was probably the reaction her father was hoping for. "I'm Lisa, Lisa Wilbourn. The pleasure is all mine."
Lisa shook his hand with enthusiasm, even taking a moment to inspect the part of Mark's palm where the orb was absorbed again. Victoria wasn't sure how much of it was an act and how much of it was Lisa being curious.
"Which makes you Taylor?" Mark continued, looking up to the other girl who stood calmly at the back. Taylor made no attempt to act wowed by his display, she strolled forward with purpose and held her arm out stiffly.
"Taylor Hebert," Taylor said as she introduced herself. Mark adjusted to the more formal personality by giving a firmer handshake to the girl. "It's an honour to meet you, Mr Dallon."
"Please, call me Mark." He said with a smile, breaking from a more heroic persona back to a typical dad. "Hope you girls like Italian. I've got the pasta sauce simmering, should have it all ready in twenty minutes or so…" He slowed his speech and did a double take of Taylor, squinting slightly as his hand hovered near the girl.
Victoria had a brief moment of panic where she imagined her father somehow gained clairvoyance and knew who Taylor was, who Skitter was. Something had obviously caught the man's attention and all Victoria could do was run through her prepared list of excuses and defences of Taylor's character. In an instant, Mark struck out.
"Gotcha!" Mark said, grasping something directly above Taylor. Both Victoria and Taylor jumped slightly at the random movement, Taylor more so. Mark revealed his hand to show what had caught his attention, a dead fly in his palm. "Don't you worry. This kitchen is one-hundred percent insect free. Nothing escapes ole Flashbang's watch." He chuckled as he wiped his hand again.
Taylor and Lisa both gave an awkward chuckle in response. Taylor stared at the dead fly, now on the floor, as Victoria wondered just how attached she was to her bugs, and if that constituted as an insult or an attack against Taylor. Unfortunately, Victoria had no way of asking such questions, so all she could do was offer her hand to hold in apology.
Lisa and Mark both snuck a look at Victoria. Holding up thumbs up to show that the meeting was going well. Taylor quickly recovered from the fly's death and returned her gaze up, turning before the rest of the group heard the sound coming down the stairs.
"The pot is about to boil over, Dear. You might want to take care of that." A casual but authoritative voice said from the kitchen entrance. Carol had just made it down the stairs and was looking over the room. Mark quickly turned his focus back on cooking as Lisa and Vicky joined Taylor in their turn back to greet Victoria's mother.
"Mom," Victoria said with a smile. She gestured to Lisa and Taylor. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor-"
"Hebert," Carol finished, looking at the taller of the two girls. "Thank you for coming." She said politely as she shook Taylor's hand, then turned to Lisa and did the same. She started back at Victoria and let out a soft sigh. "Victoria?" She asked a question neither girl understood except for Vicky.
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said, gently touching the ground, once again becoming the shortest of the three girls. Lisa stifled a giggle, either at Victoria's height or picking up how common of an occurrence that interaction was. Knowing her, probably both.
Victoria could see it in her mother's gaze, she was itching to question both girls. Vicky hoped that her questions wouldn't be too invasive or revealing. It had only been a day, not even a full twenty-four hours, but she had no idea how much information Carol had been able to dig up since learning that Victoria was in a relationship.
Victoria's plan was to run interference on any leading questions about her girlfriends' work or Lisa's personal background. Hoping that what little information Carol did learn about them would be enough to sate her appetite.
Unfortunately, that plan went entirely out the window when Carol said seven little words.
"Can you go check on your sister?"
Victoria stared back at her mother, dumbstruck for a brief moment. Finally, she asked, "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Amy," Carol said again in her usual demeanour. "She's in my office, can you make sure she put the books away correctly and bring her down. Thank you." She waved Victoria away with one hand as she turned to the two girls.
Taylor didn't seem to be daunted by the idea of being left alone with her mother but Lisa shot a concerned glance at Vicky. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do without drawing attention, so Victoria could only apologise with her eyes and hope that she would be quick.
"Now," Carol said to the two girls as Victoria floated up the stairs. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two young women who make my daughter so happy. Tell me, how did you all meet?"
Victoria didn't hear the response to that question. Once she was out of view of her mother, she broke into another hover and rushed up the stairs. It didn't take long for her to reach her mother's office, Vicky could already hear muffled grumbling coming from behind the door.
"-stupid ass law books, wasting my goddamn day reading all this bullshit. Waking me up at six in the morning for-" Amy muttered to herself behind the door. Victoria didn't bother knocking as she threw the door open. Amy jumped in surprise, dropping the book she was holding. "V-vicky!" She yelped, "Dammit, you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Yeah, sorry," Victoria said in a rushed manner that didn't sound apologetic at all. "Mom said to come down. Taylor and Lisa are here."
Amy rolled her eyes and gestured to the three books on the table. "She also told me to 'make sure I put all theses away properly.' But she didn't tell me what bullshit system she organises her shelf by."
Victoria rolled her eyes this time and grabbed the remaining books, flying up and placing them in the empty portion of the top shelf. That wasn't where they were supposed to go but Victoria didn't have time to explain Mom's book organisation system, nor did she care at this moment.
"Good, done. Let's go." Victoria said, ushering Amy out of the room. Amy tried to argue with her but eventually folded as Vicky picked her up. Amy's feet dangled in the air as Victoria carried her with two hands under her arms. "Oh, and remember to apologise to Taylor when you see her," Victoria added, slowing down as they approached the stairs.
"Apolo- what?" Amy asked, already annoyed at how Vicky was treating her like a plush toy. "Why?"
"You said some 'mean things' to her yesterday, remember?" Victoria explained. "Now's the perfect time to apologise."
"Oh…" Amy said. Vicky assumed that Amy was still upset about what she said but Amy acted as if she only just remembered that. Victoria chalked it up to Mom distracting her with medical law studying. "Right… yeah."
It was barely a minute or three since Victoria left Lisa and Taylor alone with her Mother. She could only hope that nothing incriminating was said while she was away.
"-estly, it's kind of a boring job. Lots of waiting around, looking at screens all day. But hey, it pays the bills." Lisa said, finishing with a soft chuckle. Victoria only caught the end of the sentence as she came down the stairs.
Taylor and Lisa still stood in the kitchen, where Victoria had left them. Taylor looked as neutral as she always did, clearly more comfortable with letting Lisa do all the talking. Lisa on the other hand looked more relaxed than when Vicky first left her there, dialling up the charm as she spoke to Carol. There weren't any fires, fighting or yelling going on, so Victoria relaxed.
Carol turned to Victoria and let out another unamused sigh. "For goodness sake, Victoria. Don't carry your sister like that, you look ridiculous." Lisa let out a chuckle and even Taylor managed to crack a smile at the sight of Amy dangling helplessly from Vicky's arms.
Victoria placed Amy down gently, and her sister shot back a grumpy glare as she brushed herself off. Once Amy composed herself, Vicky nudged her slightly in Taylor's direction, urging her to speak.
Amy looked to Taylor and sighed, before walking closer to her.
"Hey, Taylor," Amy mumbled, neither girl looking the other in the eye. "I'm sorry about… calling you a… you know…" She shot her hand out to Taylor, who didn't quite understand the gesture until Amy spoke again. "Friends? Or… whatever?"
Carol watched the interaction, confused and missing some of the context. She looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to, instead turning to inspect Mark's cooking. Taylor smiled back, more emotion returning to her face as she realised what Amy was doing.
"Friends," Taylor agreed, shaking her hand. Amy looked back at Taylor as a similar smile crept along her face.
"Oh, and also…" Victoria said, sliding up to Lisa, who had gone uncharacteristically silent since she walked in. "Ames, this is my other girlfriend. Lisa. Lisa, this is my sister Amy." She gestured to each girl as Amy moved forward, extending a hand to shake.
"Hey," Amy said casually, her hand holding in the air. Victoria waited for Lisa to respond with her usual brand of charm but was met with… nothing.
Lisa stood unmoving, looking at Amy and then at Victoria. The silence held long enough for even Amy to find it awkward. Lisa's eyes flicked between Amy, Victoria and Taylor before she let out a slow breath. Victoria raised an eyebrow in concern but Lisa snapped out of whatever daze she was in and cracked a smile again.
"Sorry… Hi," Lisa said finally, extending her hand out hesitantly to greet Amy. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn. It's nice to finally meet. Victoria has already told me so much about you, Amy."
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning
Taylor felt underdressed, she wore her usual get-up of jeans and a casual green shirt. More accustomed to hiding away, Taylor had very few outfits that didn't include layers. Not ideal with the seasons changing, the late spring heat invalidating all of Taylor's preferred clothing styles.
Lisa had picked out the pants, as Taylor was used to dressing in a manner that hid away from prying eyes. often favouring baggy clothing that would blend into a crowd. She'd much preferred the colder months, where she could have an additional jacket or the like to hide the shape of her body.
Taylor had several jackets and hoodies that would've been fine to wear out, that would've made her feel, perhaps not confident, but comfortable. She didn't know what to wear during the warmer months of the year. She wasn't the type of girl who enjoyed showing skin, so any form of dress or skirt was immediately discarded from potential outfit ideas.
Makeup was another avenue that caused Taylor to worry. Walking now, Taylor wondered if she should've attempted it again. Did this count as a date? Would Victoria's family judge her for dressing so plainly? Did she even know how to correctly apply make-up anymore? She didn't wear any, never had, not seriously anyway. There had been moments in her childhood when she experimented with it. Memories of her and Emma stealing Aunt Zoe's lipstick hit her with the sharp pain of nostalgia. A pleasant memory that was barbed with betrayal, tainted like all her memories with Emma.
Shaking the thoughts off, Taylor focused on her current life. She had enough worries in reality, the ongoing nerves of meeting Victoria's parents and having lunch with a family of heroes, she didn't need to add her depressive nostalgia to the mix.
Walking up to the meeting spot, Taylor had already spotted Lisa waiting for her. The bugs had caught eyes on the girl for some time as Taylor approached, she was sitting on a bench, looking down at her feet. It wasn't until Taylor had her own eyes on the girl did she realised how pretty she was today.
Lisa was wearing a very colourful, sun dress. The purple floral pattern of the dress complimented the bright colour of her hair. Hair that was tied neatly behind her as per Lisa's usual civilian fashion. The dress's short sleeves and flare left plenty for Taylor to gawk at, not that it was too short or risque. It was a far bolder fit than anything Taylor dare wear, but Lisa pulled it off perfectly.
"Taylor!" Lisa said with a wave. She stood up from where she sat and walked over to meet her halfway. As she approached, Taylor could see the light touches of foundation, mascara and lip gloss across Lisa's face. "Good morning," Lisa said with cheer as she embraced Taylor.
"Morning, Lise," Taylor said, hugging her back. Her previous worries about being underdressed were now doubled after seeing Lisa.
She already knew that Lisa was the prettier girl out of the two of them, it wasn't any surprise. But knowing that they were both about to be judged by Victoria's parents, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Taylor didn't want to be jealous, it was an emotion she quickly buried deep down as she enjoyed the hug.
Lisa brought Taylor back to the seat she was waiting on. A bus stop that they would take to get to the Dallon's house. Lisa could drive, however, questions of how Lisa learned to drive and how she could afford the car she had were things that they both agreed should be avoided in today's lunch. Instead, they waited for the bus.
"Don't be so nervous." Lisa chuckled, patting Taylor on the leg. Taylor wasn't aware that she was showing her nerves but then she remembered who she was sitting with. "I'm sure it'll be fine. We get on great with Vicky, you're already friends with Amy. I'm sure her parents are just as nice."
"I know," Taylor said, looking at Lisa's hand. "I just… Want to make a good impression." She turned her head back up to look at Lisa. "Speaking of which, you."
"Me?" Lisa asked, her vulpine grin already aware of what Taylor was going to say.
"I know you only have two modes," Taylor continued, giving Lisa a flat look. "Smug or charming. So I'm hoping that you'll play nice and be on your best behaviour today."
Lisa shot a mock-offended look at Taylor. "I'll have you know, that people find my smugness very charming. It's how I won you over." Taylor held her disproving look at Lisa's grin. Lisa rolled her eyes before speaking again. "Taylor, of course, I'll be on my best behaviour. I'm not looking to start a fight with Brandish." Taylor relaxed and let out a sigh of relief, Lisa chuckled at her girlfriend's reaction. They both fell silent for a short moment before Lisa looked over, smiling gently at Taylor. "Hey, you look cute, you know that right?"
"Oh… thanks," Taylor mumbled into a blush. "You look beautiful today. I mean most days… you always look good. But today especially… you're really pretty." Taylor felt a sudden pang of guilt as she realised she was too busy comparing Lisa's outfit to her own when she first arrived that she didn't even compliment her. Lisa smiled wider, enjoying Taylor's reaction and compliments.
Taylor's eyes flicked up over Lisa's face, she subconsciously trailed her finger over her own lips, wondering if she would look half as pretty as Lisa if she wore lip gloss like hers. She didn't even own anything of the sort back at home, it was a pointless thought experiment. Taylor doubted it would even look good on her anyway. Her eyes moved up to meet Lisa's eyes as she recognised the mischievous sparkle in Lisa's eye.
Before Taylor could ask what Lisa was planning, the girl straddled Taylor on the bench. Every insect in three blocks shook with anxiety as Lisa ignored all of Taylor's wordless protests to the action. The street wasn't entirely empty, as Lisa sat over Taylor in broad daylight. Taylor shied away from the odd looks the occasional passerby gave the two girls.
Lisa fished through her handbag, acting oblivious to Taylor's baffled stare. Taylor thought about pushing Lisa off her but in truth, she enjoyed the feeling of Lisa sitting on her, a fact that Lisa was most likely aware of, judging by the way her lips held in a smile.
"W-what are you?-" Taylor finally squeaked out before Lisa grabbed her by the cheeks.
"Shh,' Lisa hushed, pulling out a small stick of lip gloss. She released Taylor's face to twist the gloss up before looking back to Taylor. "Oh, don't pout… or actually, do. It'll make this easier to apply." It wasn't the exact same colour as Lisa's lips, but a lighter shade that matched Taylor's paler skin tone. "Next time we should meet up at your place first. I don't think I have enough that matches your complexion but I can do the basics. Fair warning, most of my experience comes from disguises and hiding bruises and I've only ever done this on one other person besides myself. But at least I know what to get next time we go shopping at the boardwalk."
Taylor sat in silence as Lisa applied the gloss to her lips, rummaging around her bag to pull out several other items to work on Taylor's face.
Eventually, Lisa leaned away to get a full view of Taylor's face. She nodded to Taylor with a smile and brought out a small mirror for Taylor to inspect. "What do you think?" Lisa asked as Taylor looked at her reflection. "I tried to keep it light, I could try applying some eye shadow if you want, but last time I did that Alec ended up looking like a raccoon, so maybe I'll just stick to what I know."
"Wow…" Taylor said in a quiet gasp. Touching her face as if to confirm that it was indeed real. She wasn't as gussied up as Lisa but her lips and eyes were now more prominent on her face, Taylor could almost believe that she was cute. "Thank you, Lisa." Taylor thought about what might have brought this on, Lisa had obviously picked up on Taylor's jealousy and self-confidence when it came to makeup, taking matters into her own hands. Taylor opened her mouth again to perhaps apologise for being jealous, and for having to rely on Lisa, but Lisa cut her off with her own reply.
"Pfft, I didn't do it for you." Lisa chuckled sarcastically. "Don't you know? I'm a vain and selfish villain. Who just wants to kiss pretty girls." She leaned in and kissed Taylor, who was once again aware that she was being straddled in public.
"Kiss pretty girls?" Taylor asked back, throwing her embarrassment into her bugs so she could match Lisa's confidence.
"Well… just two," Lisa added with another small chuckle. "But they're very pretty."
Taylor smiled back, she might not be able to call herself cute, but to Lisa, she was pretty. She could believe that.
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Brockton Bay Suburbs – Midday
The bus dropped the girls off a short walk away from Vicky's street. It wasn't that hard to get lost on the way to the Dallons, most Brocktonites knew the general suburbs of where New Wave lived, such local celebrities had their own tour bus that would pass by their house every weekend. Lisa couldn't imagine living such a life but then again, she was a villain. She actively avoided bringing attention to her personal life.
Lisa led the way using one such 'map of the stars' tourist pamphlet that she found at a newsstand in the city. Victoria had texted her the address, but Lisa thought it funny to be using a publicly available resource to find someone's house. Again, who could live like this? Having your home address advertised all over the place. It sent shivers down Lisa's spine.
"Found them," Taylor said, turning in the direction of their destination. "I can see Vicky pacing back and forth, A man, her father I'm guessing, is in the kitchen and-"
"And you have no concept of privacy do you?" Lisa asked with a mischievous smile. Taylor looked back at Lisa but made no outward reaction to her comment. She had a rather neutral face, but Lisa coined it as Taylor's '1000 yard bug stare.'
Nervous, wants to know what she's walking into. Micro-expression indicates embarrassment, hiding reaction in bugs. Didn't consider it spying until pointed out. Worried about being perceived as some kind of stalker and/or pervert.
"That's why you're such an asset to the team," Lisa added with a chuckle. "Lead on, Skitter."
Taylor shot back a worried and annoyed look at Lisa's blatant use of her cape name, even though there was no one around to hear them. Lisa could use a little more Skitter at this time. A cool, calm and collected Taylor would help stabilise the butterflies in her stomach. Lisa wiggled her eyebrows in response to Taylor's annoyed face, gesturing at her to lead.
"Damn…" Lisa said in awe a few minutes later. They came up to the Dallon's house, and she couldn't help noticing the sheer size of the place, the entire building had a gated fence around it. "Guess we should've expected this, being celebrities and all. Puts my little apartment to shame."
Taylor stepped up to the gate and pressed the doorbell. Lisa knew by now that Taylor had already mapped out the premises with her bugs, it would help to not be walking into this place completely blind. Lisa had to convince herself before leaving the base not to bring a smoke grenade on the off-chance this went poorly. It beeped several times but gave no response from the intercom. Lisa shifted around awkwardly, wondering if she should instead call Victoria to let them know they were there, but Taylor's stiff posture and unwavering head movements told her that something was happening inside the house.
The front door of the house swung open as Vicky shot out. She was hovering two inches from the ground as she made her approach to the gate. Skitter broke from her omnipresent '1000 yard stare' and fell into a relaxed half smile as Taylor saw the girl approach.
"Oh, my god. You're here!" Victoria cheered as she zoomed across the front yard. She sped right up to the gate and stopped moments short of slamming into it. While Lisa had no doubt that Vicky had practised and perfected this movement, she couldn't help but flinch at the speed Victoria arrived.
High manoeuvrability and speed, combat trained. Occasionally underestimates raw brute strength. Has broken the gate before. Could cause serious bodily harm to Lisa Wilbourn by accident.
Lisa shook off that idle thought. More than once her power reminded her just how dangerous Victoria could be; something about being anxious brought out the threat analysis side of things.
"Did you find the place okay?" Victoria asked as she tapped away at some buttons on her side. The gate started rolling open.
"Yeah, we had great directions," Lisa said, waving the tourist pamphlet as a fan, hoping her little joke would defuse any awkward tension and act as an icebreaker for the three girls. Victoria frowned briefly as she noticed what Lisa was holding.
Doesn't approve of tourist map. Finds aspects of celebrity fame daunting and invasive.
Lisa scrunched up the pamphlet and put it in her handbag, feeling guilty for her joke. Victoria's frown had already turned back into a smile, greeting Taylor with a hug.
Victoria let out a small gasp as she looked again at Taylor's face, "Taylor, you're looking great. Your lips look so pretty." Victoria said, giving Taylor a quick peck before inspecting her entire outfit. Taylor mumbled some kind of response to the compliment that Lisa couldn't hear but it caused Victoria to laugh.
Moving from Taylor, Victoria hugged Lisa tightly, giving her a small squeeze. "And wow, look at you," Vicky said, standing back and taking in Lisa's outfit. Lisa played up a half twirl to show off.
"Thank you." Lisa chuckled, "You don't look half bad yourself."
Victoria was wearing the dress Taylor had bought her the day she and Lisa first met. As Lisa had said the first time, it was a cute dress that looked great on her.
"This little thing?" Victoria asked, playing with the skirt of her dress. "I just finally found a good excuse to wear it. I took one look at it and instantly knew what I was wearing today."
Lying. Had several outfits picked out. Couldn't decide what to wear. Considered changing outfit the second we arrived. Thinks she's massively overdressed. Feeling self-conscious.
"Seriously, Vicky. You look amazing." Lisa added with a smile. Taylor nodded in agreement.
Victoria's smile got even brighter as she took both girls' hands and gave each of them another quick kiss. Then she led them towards the house. Her feet still refused to touch the ground the entire time.
------------------------------------------------
Victoria opened the door and gestured for both girls to walk inside. She followed shortly after and closed the door. The entrance led right into the hallway that split the living room from the kitchen, leading directly to the stairs. Right by the entrance was a shelf that held several family photos.
Lisa paused by the shelf, inspecting the photos and giving Victoria the occasional glance. Lisa looked like she was about to say something but chose to keep quiet. Taylor walked by inspecting the living room, walking like she had some familiarity with the place but not daring to go too far into the house without any further guidance.
"Mom, Dad! They're here!" Vicky called out before giving both girls an apologetic look. "Mom's up in her office with Ames, they're doing some medical law thing. I don't exactly know why but she'll be down in a second. Otherwise…" She gestured towards the kitchen. "Dad's making lunch, I'll introduce you."
"Something smells good," Lisa said, following her nose as much as she was following Vicky. Mark was stirring a pot on the stove, turning his head to greet the girls, he smiled as he caught sight of them.
"Ah, there they are, just in time," Mark said, wiping his hands on a towel. "You must be… Wait, let me guess." Victoria realised at that moment, that for all her enthusiasm for talking about her girlfriends last night, she didn't once show her father a photo of the girls. "Tay-?"
"Lisa," Victoria corrected, causing Lisa to giggle.
"Lisa, right," Mark said, clicking his fingers before extending the hand to shake hers. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark, Victoria's father, probably better known as Flashbang." With his spare hand, Mark formed a small orb of light in his hand and tossed it gently up and down before reabsorbing it.
"Wow, that's so cool," Lisa said in awe. Acting like a civilian who didn't get to see parahuman theatrics up close daily. Vicky frowned at the blatant lying but knew that it was probably the reaction her father was hoping for. "I'm Lisa, Lisa Wilbourn. The pleasure is all mine."
Lisa shook his hand with enthusiasm, even taking a moment to inspect the part of Mark's palm where the orb was absorbed again. Victoria wasn't sure how much of it was an act and how much of it was Lisa being curious.
"Which makes you Taylor?" Mark continued, looking up to the other girl who stood calmly at the back. Taylor made no attempt to act wowed by his display, she strolled forward with purpose and held her arm out stiffly.
"Taylor Hebert," Taylor said as she introduced herself. Mark adjusted to the more formal personality by giving a firmer handshake to the girl. "It's an honour to meet you, Mr Dallon."
"Please, call me Mark." He said with a smile, breaking from a more heroic persona back to a typical dad. "Hope you girls like Italian. I've got the pasta sauce simmering, should have it all ready in twenty minutes or so…" He slowed his speech and did a double take of Taylor, squinting slightly as his hand hovered near the girl.
Victoria had a brief moment of panic where she imagined her father somehow gained clairvoyance and knew who Taylor was, who Skitter was. Something had obviously caught the man's attention and all Victoria could do was run through her prepared list of excuses and defences of Taylor's character. In an instant, Mark struck out.
"Gotcha!" Mark said, grasping something directly above Taylor. Both Victoria and Taylor jumped slightly at the random movement, Taylor more so. Mark revealed his hand to show what had caught his attention, a dead fly in his palm. "Don't you worry. This kitchen is one-hundred percent insect free. Nothing escapes ole Flashbang's watch." He chuckled as he wiped his hand again.
Taylor and Lisa both gave an awkward chuckle in response. Taylor stared at the dead fly, now on the floor, as Victoria wondered just how attached she was to her bugs, and if that constituted as an insult or an attack against Taylor. Unfortunately, Victoria had no way of asking such questions, so all she could do was offer her hand to hold in apology.
Lisa and Mark both snuck a look at Victoria. Holding up thumbs up to show that the meeting was going well. Taylor quickly recovered from the fly's death and returned her gaze up, turning before the rest of the group heard the sound coming down the stairs.
"The pot is about to boil over, Dear. You might want to take care of that." A casual but authoritative voice said from the kitchen entrance. Carol had just made it down the stairs and was looking over the room. Mark quickly turned his focus back on cooking as Lisa and Vicky joined Taylor in their turn back to greet Victoria's mother.
"Mom," Victoria said with a smile. She gestured to Lisa and Taylor. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor-"
"Hebert," Carol finished, looking at the taller of the two girls. "Thank you for coming." She said politely as she shook Taylor's hand, then turned to Lisa and did the same. She started back at Victoria and let out a soft sigh. "Victoria?" She asked a question neither girl understood except for Vicky.
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said, gently touching the ground, once again becoming the shortest of the three girls. Lisa stifled a giggle, either at Victoria's height or picking up how common of an occurrence that interaction was. Knowing her, probably both.
Victoria could see it in her mother's gaze, she was itching to question both girls. Vicky hoped that her questions wouldn't be too invasive or revealing. It had only been a day, not even a full twenty-four hours, but she had no idea how much information Carol had been able to dig up since learning that Victoria was in a relationship.
Victoria's plan was to run interference on any leading questions about her girlfriends' work or Lisa's personal background. Hoping that what little information Carol did learn about them would be enough to sate her appetite.
Unfortunately, that plan went entirely out the window when Carol said seven little words.
"Can you go check on your sister?"
Victoria stared back at her mother, dumbstruck for a brief moment. Finally, she asked, "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Amy," Carol said again in her usual demeanour. "She's in my office, can you make sure she put the books away correctly and bring her down. Thank you." She waved Victoria away with one hand as she turned to the two girls.
Taylor didn't seem to be daunted by the idea of being left alone with her mother but Lisa shot a concerned glance at Vicky. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do without drawing attention, so Victoria could only apologise with her eyes and hope that she would be quick.
"Now," Carol said to the two girls as Victoria floated up the stairs. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two young women who make my daughter so happy. Tell me, how did you all meet?"
Victoria didn't hear the response to that question. Once she was out of view of her mother, she broke into another hover and rushed up the stairs. It didn't take long for her to reach her mother's office, Vicky could already hear muffled grumbling coming from behind the door.
"-stupid ass law books, wasting my goddamn day reading all this bullshit. Waking me up at six in the morning for-" Amy muttered to herself behind the door. Victoria didn't bother knocking as she threw the door open. Amy jumped in surprise, dropping the book she was holding. "V-vicky!" She yelped, "Dammit, you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Yeah, sorry," Victoria said in a rushed manner that didn't sound apologetic at all. "Mom said to come down. Taylor and Lisa are here."
Amy rolled her eyes and gestured to the three books on the table. "She also told me to 'make sure I put all theses away properly.' But she didn't tell me what bullshit system she organises her shelf by."
Victoria rolled her eyes this time and grabbed the remaining books, flying up and placing them in the empty portion of the top shelf. That wasn't where they were supposed to go but Victoria didn't have time to explain Mom's book organisation system, nor did she care at this moment.
"Good, done. Let's go." Victoria said, ushering Amy out of the room. Amy tried to argue with her but eventually folded as Vicky picked her up. Amy's feet dangled in the air as Victoria carried her with two hands under her arms. "Oh, and remember to apologise to Taylor when you see her," Victoria added, slowing down as they approached the stairs.
"Apolo- what?" Amy asked, already annoyed at how Vicky was treating her like a plush toy. "Why?"
"You said some 'mean things' to her yesterday, remember?" Victoria explained. "Now's the perfect time to apologise."
"Oh…" Amy said. Vicky assumed that Amy was still upset about what she said but Amy acted as if she only just remembered that. Victoria chalked it up to Mom distracting her with medical law studying. "Right… yeah."
It was barely a minute or three since Victoria left Lisa and Taylor alone with her Mother. She could only hope that nothing incriminating was said while she was away.
"-estly, it's kind of a boring job. Lots of waiting around, looking at screens all day. But hey, it pays the bills." Lisa said, finishing with a soft chuckle. Victoria only caught the end of the sentence as she came down the stairs.
Taylor and Lisa still stood in the kitchen, where Victoria had left them. Taylor looked as neutral as she always did, clearly more comfortable with letting Lisa do all the talking. Lisa on the other hand looked more relaxed than when Vicky first left her there, dialling up the charm as she spoke to Carol. There weren't any fires, fighting or yelling going on, so Victoria relaxed.
Carol turned to Victoria and let out another unamused sigh. "For goodness sake, Victoria. Don't carry your sister like that, you look ridiculous." Lisa let out a chuckle and even Taylor managed to crack a smile at the sight of Amy dangling helplessly from Vicky's arms.
Victoria placed Amy down gently, and her sister shot back a grumpy glare as she brushed herself off. Once Amy composed herself, Vicky nudged her slightly in Taylor's direction, urging her to speak.
Amy looked to Taylor and sighed, before walking closer to her.
"Hey, Taylor," Amy mumbled, neither girl looking the other in the eye. "I'm sorry about… calling you a… you know…" She shot her hand out to Taylor, who didn't quite understand the gesture until Amy spoke again. "Friends? Or… whatever?"
Carol watched the interaction, confused and missing some of the context. She looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to, instead turning to inspect Mark's cooking. Taylor smiled back, more emotion returning to her face as she realised what Amy was doing.
"Friends," Taylor agreed, shaking her hand. Amy looked back at Taylor as a similar smile crept along her face.
"Oh, and also…" Victoria said, sliding up to Lisa, who had gone uncharacteristically silent since she walked in. "Ames, this is my other girlfriend. Lisa. Lisa, this is my sister Amy." She gestured to each girl as Amy moved forward, extending a hand to shake.
"Hey," Amy said casually, her hand holding in the air. Victoria waited for Lisa to respond with her usual brand of charm but was met with… nothing.
Lisa stood unmoving, looking at Amy and then at Victoria. The silence held long enough for even Amy to find it awkward. Lisa's eyes flicked between Amy, Victoria and Taylor before she let out a slow breath. Victoria raised an eyebrow in concern but Lisa snapped out of whatever daze she was in and cracked a smile again.
"Sorry… Hi," Lisa said finally, extending her hand out hesitantly to greet Amy. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn. It's nice to finally meet. Victoria has already told me so much about you, Amy."
Chapter 19: She's a parahuman
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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A/N: Damn this chapter was getting long. I had to split it again. My stupid ass actually thought I could cover all this in a single chapter.
The Dallon Household – A few moments ago
Lisa stepped into the house and inspected the entrance hallway. There were several photos strewn about the place. She saw them all on the walls and in the frames on the shelves that lined the walls. The pictures ranged from practised portraits of New Wave to candid ones of various family members: a mother holding a young Victoria by hand, two men who stood awkwardly next to each other around a barbecue, Victoria and another blonde girl posing in basketball gear.
Woman, Brandish, looks stiff, stressed. Child bored. Attempted photo multiple times. Males, Flashbang and Manpower, no smile in eyes, faking. Distance indicates recent argument before photo was taken? Only minor. Victoria and Laserdream. Pre-trigger. Gloating, proud. Beat older cousin in game? Laserdream happy for Victoria.
Lisa smiled at the last photo. It was easy to ignore the little details that painted people in a bad light. She had to remember that she was here to set a good impression, not fish out every tidbit of possible drama the Dallons might have.
Every family had issues, and every person had problems. While Lisa couldn't exactly turn off her never-ending stream of invasive data, she had learned how to ignore all the useless things her power pulled up. Things like, when someone last brushed their teeth, how old their shoes were or what random bird caught their attention for three seconds.
Lisa could apply the same logic to anything negative she came across today. Filter out all the bad and only take in the good. Use that information, not to manipulate, but to charm. She could do that, she was already learning to do it with Vicky, all she had to do was extend the same courtesy to the rest of the Dallons. It would be easy.
She looked at another photo on the shelf, this time showing Victoria and Amy in costume at the hospital.
Professionally taken photograph. Taken by journalist for news article. Panacea's first major appearance. Photo copied from website and printed. Dallon's proud of photo. No, photo printed by Victoria. Victoria proud of photo. Moved often. Set to back of shelf. Moved forward by Victoria.
Lisa scanned the shelf for more happy photos. Another family portrait of the Dallons, sitting formally around a couch. All in casual clothes, Brandish and Flashbang sit to the side with young Victoria sitting on her father's knee. A young Amy sat at the end, holding Vicky's hand.
No photo of Amy younger than six. Nervous, shy. Recently adopted. Brandish looking uncomfortable. Annoyed at replacing previous family portrait? Unexpected adoption.
'Why adopt then?' Lisa thought, looking for more details her power could pull.
Very few photos of Amy Dallon on shelf. No photo of Amy Dallon by herself. No photo of her at all on walls. Camera shy? No, child. Has no control over who takes photos of her. Organisation of photos suggest preferred structure. Rigid, controlling. Lawyer? Brandish is a lawyer, Brandish chose majority of photos to display.
'Is Brandish trying to hide Amy? But she's a public figure?'
Most photos of Amy are in costume. Dallon family hid Amy until she became a cape? Revealed out of necessity perhaps? Family caused trigger event? Unknown. Why hide Amy? Adopted into hero family. Timeline matches up with Brigades arrest of Marquis? Possible that Amy is related to-
Curiosity got the better of Lisa as she turned to Victoria, who was closing the door behind her. She wanted to ask Victoria about Amy's birth parents, upbringing and-
'No, no. Don't go there, Lisa. Happy thoughts.'
Lisa decided not to ask any invasive questions the second she walked in the door. She shoved any potential details about Amy's childhood into a mental box. Taylor walked by, stopping before getting to the kitchen entrance. She turned back to Victoria and waited for her to take the lead.
Victoria moved forward and Lisa followed close behind. The smell of a tomato-based pasta sauce was wafting in the air.
"Something smells good," Lisa said, hoping a compliment to the chef would set her off on the right foot. Flashbang turned to greet the girls.
Tired eyes. Depression. Clinical depression. On medication. Often forgets to take-
'Shut up, power.'
"Ah, there they are, just in time," Victoria's father said, wiping his hands on a towel. "You must be… Wait, let me guess. Tay-?"
"Lisa," Victoria corrected. Lisa giggled in response.
"Lisa, right," Mark said, clicking his fingers before extending the hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark, Victoria's father, probably better known as Flashbang."
Facial structure matches previous photo in hallway. Photo was taken four to five years ago judging by aged face. Facial structure doesn't share similarities with Victoria. Victoria took more physical traits from her mother? Or Mark is not her bio-
'Dear god, power. Shut the fuck up.'
Mark was in the middle of showing off his parahuman abilities so Lisa latched onto the distraction with childlike glee.
"Wow, that's so cool," Lisa said in awe. She really was impressed, just because she was a Thinker who was dating a Master and a Brute didn't make other powers any less interesting to witness. Once the demonstration was done, she stepped forward to shake his hand. "I'm Lisa, Lisa Wilbourn. The pleasure is all mine."
Can summon orbs from multiple body parts, prefer to use hands. Absorbed into skin. Made of pure energy, non lethal. Can be made lethal if larger. Controlled detonation, no fear of dropping orbs.
Lisa studied his hand for far longer than she intended to. Letting it go with embarrassment after a few seconds. She stepped back and allowed Taylor to make her own introductions. It was stiff and formal, as Lisa expected it to be. Ending with Mark catching one of Taylor's flies out of the air.
Surprised. Insulted. Feels when insects under her control dies. Doesn't feel the pain. Trying to act normal about it.
Lisa let out a forced chuckle which Taylor mimicked. Taylor had no problem sending waves of bugs to their death while she was controlling them, but always got annoyed when other people killed them. Lisa figured it was some mentality Taylor had developed, considering the insects to belong to her and killing them to be 'breaking her things.'
Taylor could recover. She wasn't one to hold a grudge over a dead fly. She wasn't someone who held a grudge at all, even when she had good reason to. Victoria on the other hand looked like she just witnessed her father spit in Taylor's face.
Lisa held a thumbs up to Victoria to indicate that nothing was wrong. The girl quickly relaxed… for about five seconds before a voice spoke from behind everyone.
"The pot is about to boil over, Dear. You might want to take care of that." The authoritative voice of Brandish spoke up, making her way into the kitchen.
Visible flinch from Victoria. Fear response? Trained to react quickly to mother's voice. Never physically harmed by parents. Strict upbringing. Unaware of reaction. Afraid to disappoint.
"Mom," Victoria said with a smile as she gestured to Lisa and Taylor. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor-"
"Hebert," Brandish finished, looking to Taylor.
Familiarity with name. Knows who Taylor Hebert is. Knows about Skitter? Unlikely. Concern and/or fear in eyes. Worried about Taylor? Worried for Taylor?
"Thank you for coming." She said politely as she shook Taylor's hand, then turned to Lisa and did the same. Lisa resisted the urge to flash a big toothy smile, settling for a reserved, professional smile she often used when dealing with her criminal contacts.
Brandish looked back at Victoria and let out a soft sigh and asked. "Victoria?"
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said, gently touching the ground.
Often flies in the house. House rule not to fly. Scratch marks and repainted sections of walls indicate damage from Brute flight. Victoria breaks rule often.
Lisa let out a small chuckle which she covered under a cough. Victoria shot her a faux-glare look before turning back to her mother.
"Can you go check on your sister?" Brandish asked. Victoria froze in place for a second.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Victoria asked, the edges of panic trailing in her voice.
"Amy," Brandish said again. "She's in my office, can you make sure she put the books away correctly and bring her down. Thank you." She waved Victoria away with one casual hand as she turned to focus on Taylor and Lisa.
Lisa looked to Victoria, hoping to read more into the worry that was on her face.
Apologising for leaving you alone. Will not speak up against mother.
Vicky moved off and out of the kitchen leaving the two hidden villains alone with Brandish and Flashbang.
"Now," Brandish said. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two young women who make my daughter so happy. Tell me, how did you all meet?"
"I met Vick- uh, Victoria at Arcadia, Mrs Dallon," Taylor said, the same stiff formality she used on Mark.
"Please, call me Carol," Carol said. Waving the pleasantries away with less charm than when her husband did it.
"Of course, Carol," Taylor said, correcting herself. "Victoria invited me to sit with her at lunch a few weeks back." Carol nodded in understanding.
Already knows this. Confirming story. Looking for possible divergence from Victoria's retelling. Determining honestly in Taylor's word.
"I introduced Victoria to Lisa a week later." Taylor continued, gesturing to Lisa. "She's a friend from work."
Carol squinted every so slightly at the phrasing but quickly returned to her neutral stance. "Yes, your work," Carol said, looking to Lisa. "Victoria tells me you both work as interns for a 'Fortune' Constructions? Is that correct?"
Annoyed undertone in voice. Misspeaking company name on purpose. Already looked into company. Attempted to access public employee records? Another attempt to catch us in a lie. On to us? No, Overly protective.
'No way in hell Coil would allow anyone to access employee records of his shell company.'
"Fortress Constructions," Lisa corrected, "And yes. That's how we met." Lisa gestured between her and Taylor. "I met Victoria at the mall sometime after. I was surprised to find out that Taylor was friends with a celebrity like Victoria, given that she was never too interested in celebrity gossip around the office." Lisa added with a chuckle. An attempt to make Taylor seem friendlier while also trying to relieve any suspicion that either girl was here to 'suck up to the celebrities.'
"And what is it you do, at work?" Carol asked. Directly aimed at Lisa.
Spent all night researching Lisa Wilbourn. Couldn't find anything of note. Annoyed at general lack of details in Lisa Wilbourn's life. Treating as hostile. Paranoid of strangers approaching family. Prone to assuming the worst until proven otherwise.
'Well, shit. Not much I can do about personal bias. Why is she giving Taylor the benefit of the doubt then?'
"Carol, Honey," Mark said, turning back from the stove. "Why don't we give them some time to relax before we play twenty questions?" He shot a calming smile at Lisa and Taylor.
'Flashbang to the rescue. Who expected the depressed parent to be the emotionally stable one? Can't imagine what this place is like on the days he forgets his meds.'
Trying to relax guests. Knows that Carol would treat Victoria's partners with suspicion. Also curious about Fortress Construction. Won't stop Carol if she keeps pushing. Want's Lisa Wilbourn to see him as a safety net. Hoping that relaxed attitude will make Victoria's partners open up. Expected and planned approach by both partners.
'That traitorous dick! They're actually trying to good cop, bad cop us!?'
"Oh, it's no trouble," Lisa said, putting on her best fake smile. "I'm a full-time receptionist. Taylor is part-time after school. We work in a small team for admin. Emails, online research, and some marketing stuff. Honestly, it's kind of a boring job. Lots of waiting around, looking at screens all day. But hey, it pays the bills." Lisa said, finishing with a soft chuckle. Carol relaxed her gaze, Lisa could tell that she was holding in several more questions but was interrupted as Vicky came back downstairs.
Victoria was once again flying. Carrying a very grumpy-looking girl in her hands the same way Rachel would hold out Reggie.
"For goodness sake, Victoria. Don't carry your sister like that, you look ridiculous." Carol sighed. Lisa let out a chuckle at the sight before her. Victoria put Amy down gently as the younger girl shot an annoyed glare back at her.
Annoyed. Embarrassed. Tired. Constantly running on a lack of sleep. Instant dislike of seeing adopted mother. Mutual distrust from Carol Dallon? Carol is abusive mother? No visible injuries on Amy Dallon. Does not strike children. Mental abuse? Signs of mild depression.
'No, Stop that. Don't care. Forget it. I ain't listening.'
Not as bad as adopted father. Used to being carried by Victoria. Not actually annoyed at Victoria. Holds Victoria in high regards. Victoria holds Amy in high regards. Both awed by each other's abilities. Enjoys being flown by Victoria. Favourite person? Most likely.
'See power, why can't you just stick to wholesome information like that?'
Victoria nudged her sister as Amy moved towards Taylor with a sigh.
Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Would prefer to avoid Taylor. Only speaking to her for Victoria's sake. Avoid her? Why? Dislike her? Hate her? Jealousy? Amy Dallon is extremely jealous of Taylor Hebert.
'Uh-oh. That isn't good, right?'
Lisa's eyes flicked to Taylor.
Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Knows what this is about? Knows she is jealous? Unknown. Wants to talk to Amy. Wants to get this over with and move on. Likes Amy Dallon. Thinks of Amy Dallon as new friend. Wants Amy Dallon to think her as new friend.
"Hey, Taylor," Amy mumbled, neither girl looking the other in the eye. "I'm sorry about… calling you a… you know…"
Called her an insult yesterday. Found out about Lisa Wilbourn yesterday. Assumed Taylor was cheating on her sister. Conflicted feelings. Anger, betrayal, resentment, jealously. Still coming to terms with sister's throuple.
Lisa relaxed a little. Amy was simply blindsided by the throuple and said some choice words to Taylor. That made sense, mostly. But where did the jealousy come into it?
Amy spoke again. "Friends? Or… whatever?"
Lying? Not entirely. Intends to be Taylor Hebert's friend. Half truth. Concealing intentions. Desire to manipulate Taylor? Doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Really doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Hates the idea of Taylor dating her sister. Feels strong emotion towards Taylor. Hate? Disgust? Jealousy? Jealous. How jealous? Still intends to be friends? Why?
"Friends," Taylor agreed, shaking her hand. Amy looked back at Taylor as a similar smile crept along her face.
Mimicking Taylor's smile. Mimicking Taylor's stance. Chosen outfit appropriated from Taylor's style of dress. Amy Dallon wants to be Taylor Hebert. Has recently developed new obsession with Taylor Hebert. Obsession. Miles beyond a simple fantasy. Entire friendship is Taylor is a ruse to study the girl. Recreating Taylor's scent in her hand. Using parahuman abilities to aid in her obsession. How? Hasn't healed Taylor without consent. Wants to change body to match Taylor Hebert. Can't Manton Effects forbids this. Amy Dallon parahuman capabilities more than healing. Bio-sculpting? Biokinetic.
'Calm down, Lise. So she's a little, fucking crazy. Maybe I've read it wrong. I've been wrong before.'
"Oh, and also…" Victoria said, sliding up to Lisa, "Ames, this is my other girlfriend. Lisa. Lisa, this is my sister Amy." She gestured to each girl as Amy moved forward, extending a hand to shake.
Micro-expression indicates anger, resentment. Hates Lisa Wilbourn. Actively hostile to Lisa Wilbourn. Imagining harming Lisa Wilbourn. Biokinetic. Could cause severe harm to Lisa Wilbourn. Why? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is Tattletale? No.
'What the fuck? She hates me? Hates me? Why!?'
"Hey," Amy said casually, her hand holding in the air, waiting for Lisa to grab it.
Extreme jealousy. Hatred. Amy Dallon despises Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon wants to kill Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon could kill Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about killing Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about giving Lisa Wilbourn cancer.
'I'm going to die, I'm going to die. Fuck me, I'm about to die.'
Guilty. Regretful. Expression changed. Feels remorse for wishing death on Lisa Wilbourn. Against personal code to bio-sculpt without permission. Will not harm Lisa Wilbourn.
'Let's break down the facts. Amy Dallon has an… unusual interest in Taylor. And might be more than your run-of-the-mill miracle healer. Obviously, her first impression of you was… negative. But she has biases, and by what little I picked up, a somewhat shitty home life. She won't try to kill me… today. She's jealous of me. Why?'
Doesn't approve of you dating her sister. Doesn't approve of either girl dating her sister. Wants everyone to leave Victoria Dallon alone. Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Wants to be Taylor Hebert? Wants Victoria Dallon for herself?
'Like… sexually? Eww, no. That can't be right.'
Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Victoria Dallon is her favourite person. Can't hate Victoria Dallon. Lisa Wilbourn is dating Taylor Hebert. Jealousy. Extreme jealous. Wants to be Taylor Hebert. Wants to be with Taylor Hebert?
'That's it! She's fucking in love with Taylor. God damn it! And Vicky said she wasn't gay.'
Lisa realised she had been standing still for a concerning amount of time. Victoria was about to interject before Lisa slapped on her standard smile again.
"Sorry… Hi," Lisa said finally, extending her hand out, hesitantly to touch the probably bio-sculptor who wished death on her.. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn. It's nice to finally meet. Victoria has already told me so much about you, Amy."
Her hand met Amy's and Lisa braced for the possible cancer or liquefaction that could come. Thankfully nothing happened. With a relaxed sigh, Lisa shook Amy's hand a little firmer as she looked back up at her face.
Amy Dallon is a Biokinetic. Can read your biology. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is panicking internally, knows Lisa Wilbourn is a parahuman. Suspicious of your hidden motives and behaviour.
'Oh, for fu-'
------------------------------------------------------------------
Taylor was sitting down at the table between Victoria and Amy. The four girls had chatted amongst themselves as lunch was prepared. Vicky took the lead in the conversation as usual.
Lisa was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting on the other side of Vicky. Giving Taylor and Amy the occasional side glance. Taylor figured that this was a rare display of Lisa giving into her nerves. While she looked up to Lisa as the confident know-it-all that she was, she understood that the girl was severely handicapped because of the fact that she had to 'play nice.' It wouldn't give a good first impression if Lisa was picking the Dallons apart with wordplay.
Not that there was much to pick apart from Taylor's point of view. The Dallons seemed like a perfectly reasonable family, being here brought back even more memories of visiting the Barnes. Mrs Dallon was a little grumpy, but she was a lawyer and if Emma's Dad was anything to go by, then perhaps all lawyers were strict parents. Mr Dallon balanced it out with being the friendlier face of the couple. Approachable, trustworthy. A lot like Aunt Zoe was, or used to be.
Amy on the other hand was certainly no Anne. But there were a lot of qualities in Vicky that-
'Jesus Christ, Taylor. Don't compare your girlfriend to her.'
Taylor mentality slapped herself. She didn't have much to compare a happy family to, it was either a fake family in one of her books or her old memories of the Barnes. Neither was a good base. Hopefully, in the future, Taylor would set herself new standards, starting with the Dallons. And who better to set the gold standard for a happy family than New Wave?
The dining room was an offshoot from the kitchen, separated by a bench. Taylor could see Mr Dallon walking towards them even without her bugs but the man didn't make any announcement until he was properly in the dining room section.
"I hope you girls are hungry," He said, almost with a sing-song tone. "Because I… made way too much. Seriously. We're probably going to be eating pasta all week." With that, he placed down a giant pot of simmering pasta sauce, followed closely behind by Mrs Dallon who had another equally large pot of spaghetti. It was obvious to almost anyone that there was way too much food, and yet Mr Dallon quickly jogged back to bring in a small plate of garlic bread for everyone.
Everyone took a turn dishing up their plate, Victoria blatantly hovering, much to her mother's frown, so that she could dish up for herself, Amy and Lisa. Taylor insisted that she dished her plate herself, not willing to subject herself to the sheer amount of food Victoria was casually slopping onto each plate.
Once everyone had food in front of them, there was an awkward pause as neither Taylor nor Lisa knew if the family had any rituals when it came to eating. Taylor played it safe and waited for someone else to take the first bite.
"Oh, almost forgot." Mr Dallon said, taking his wife's hand with his own and offering a second hand to Amy. "We need to say grace."
Taylor was halfway to grabbing both Victoria's and Amy's hands before the youngest daughter spoke.
"We do what now?" Amy said through a mouthful of food.
For all Taylor's local omniscient abilities, she didn't notice that only Mark attempted to hold hands with anyone. She became acutely aware that she had just been pranked by Mr Dallon, as the man held a tight-lipped smile.
Mrs Dallon sighed and shook her hand free, Lisa fought a smile of her own but knew better than to laugh and Amy let off a little snort at the joke which caused Taylor to shrink into her seat.
"Dad, please don't tease Taylor," Victoria said, the tone was mostly light-hearted but Victoria's eyes told Mr Dallon exactly how serious that statement was.
Mr Dallon's smile dropped to a serious position as he looked towards Taylor. "My apologies." He said with an awkward clearing of his throat. Taylor nodded in acceptance as Vicky relaxed back into her meal.
There was a silent moment where everyone was simply eating. No words were spoken beyond the occasional complimentary murmurs and the like. While the children were distracted with their meals, the two adults appeared to have a silent conversation with their eyes. Taylor had trouble reading their body language through her bugs but it appeared to look like both parents were nudging the other one to speak.
"So… Taylor." Mr Dallon finally spoke. Taylor shot up straighter in awareness. "We… kind of feel the need to address the elephant in the room."
"Elephant?" Taylor asked, tilting her head in confusion. Victoria also seemed unsure as to what her father was saying.
Mrs Dallon cleared her throat and patted her mouth with a napkin. "Due to an unfortunate lapse in my daughter's judgement," She looked towards Amy with a stern frown to make it clear which daughter she was talking about. "We have learned something about you that we had no right, nor intention of knowing. We can, however, sweep this all under the rug, so to speak. If you prefer. But perhaps due to the nature of our family, you might feel comfortable speaking openly about it with us." She turned to look between Taylor and Lisa. "That is of course, if all parties present are aware?"
'Wait, what? Do they know something about me? Because of… Amy? What? I'm confused. Why is she being so vague? Because of Lisa? Wait, do they know who I am? Oh, shit! That's it, they know I'm Skitter!'
Taylor's anxiety spiked through the roof before Lisa interjected herself. "Yes, I'm aware that Taylor is a parahuman." She said, giving Taylor a stare to drive the point home.
Mrs Dallon frowned at how bluntly Lisa said that, but it also nodded in thanks. Taylor couldn't tell if she was annoyed that Lisa cut through her vague words or respected Lisa's directness. Perhaps both?
"Right, very well then." Mrs Dallon said, turning her attention back to Taylor. "As I said, we can simply ignore this fact about you if you don't feel comfortable talking about it. You are very much entitled to your own privacy. However seeing as you are among a family of parahumans, I think you'd find that we can give a unique perspective on things."
"Exactly," Mr Dallon said. "If you ever had any questions or advice, or just need to vent about parahuman life without fear of judgement. Well, you've come to the right place."
"O-oh… okay," Taylor said, calming down.
She didn't exactly like the fact that Amy had told her parents but she supposed it could have been worse. She also could read exactly what Mrs Dallon wanted, she didn't need Lisa to tell her that much. Taylor could say she'd rather they ignore her supposed abilities but it was safer for her to control the information on herself. Being open and honest with Victoria's parents was preferable to having them investigate Taylor in private.
"I'm a parahuman," Taylor said, the words feeling odd. Like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Mr and Mrs Dallon both nodded. They shared another look before turning back to Taylor.
"I suppose we should start with the obvious questions." Mrs Dallon said, a slight smile on her face. "What is it that you can do, Taylor?"
"Obviously, we don't want you to feel pressured." Mr Dallon added, looking between Taylor and his wife. "This isn't an interrogation. But obviously, as parents, we have concerns. For our dau- uh, everyone's well-being."
Taylor knew this question was coming. Not from the Dallons specifically, but from somebody. It was the obvious question, one she was surprised Amy had never asked her. It was also the most dangerous. If Taylor told the truth, said she had fine control over every insect in her radius then she would be admitting to being the infamous Skitter. She could outright lie about her abilities, but that would risk people asking her to prove it later down the line. No, the best option was to skirt the truth.
"I have a kind of… super awareness?" Taylor said, not sure exactly how to describe it. "I can see, smell, feel and sometimes hear things out of my general vicinity."
"You can hear too?" Lisa asked in amazement. Victoria also looked curious at that part. "Since when?"
"Not really. Only a little." Taylor said, shrinking down. "Ever since that time at the boardwalk, I've occasionally heard the odd noise. I'm still working on it."
"How much do you see?" Mrs Dallon asked, "And how exactly do you see it?"
"Oh, just… a radius around me," Taylor said, being truthful but vague. She didn't want to mention that the radius was four to six blocks depending on her mood, so she gestured a circle spinning with her finger. "And it's not like I see with my eyes. But I kinda… see things." Taylor gestured again with her hands but gave up. "Sorry, it's hard to explain. It's like, colour for the blind? No, that's a stupid analogy."
"Like visions in your head or?-" Mrs Dallon said,
"Many parahuman abilities don't make sense to anyone beyond the owner." Victoria added, "They have an innate understanding but struggle to articulate it to others. Like a Tinker explaining how they built their device to non-Tinkerers."
Taylor nodded along to Victoria's explanation, thankful that her girlfriend was a giant cape geek.
"I know that feeling," Amy muttered into her food. "People ask me what I'm doing to them at the hospital, then get annoyed that I don't 'speak English' when I explain exactly how I healed them. Not my fault they don't understand basic biology."
"Either way," Mr Dallon said, looking at Taylor. "Sounds like a very useful ability. Very observant, no chance of people sneaking up on you and the like."
"Unless I'm distracted," Taylor said, thinking of how the trio walked right up to her the other week.
"And might I ask what you have been doing with your abilities?" Mrs Dallon asked, "I take it that you have not signed up for the Wards."
Taylor frowned at that statement. "No." She said before she relaxed again. "I mean, no ma'am. I have no interest in joining the PRT." Victoria looked at her with worry.
'Crap. Did I say that with a little too much disdain? Is my inner Skitter showing?'
Mrs Dallon chuckled softly. "Please don't misunderstand. I have little love for the PRT. However, I do understand parahuman nature. We all have an innate desire to use our abilities. I just hope that you are using them wisely."
"I try my best not to spy on people," Taylor answered, looking at Lisa briefly. "If that's what you mean. But I can't exactly turn it off."
Mrs Dallon nodded to that. An 'always on' power implied that Taylor had no, or at least less desire to use her ability, which would be reason enough to keep out of the cape life.
Amy looked like she wanted to ask Taylor a question but after glancing at her mother, she chose to hold her tongue.
"And Lisa." Mrs Dallon said, turning to the blonde at the end of the table. "I'm sorry we got so distracted with all this parahuman talk. Please don't think we've forgotten about you."
Lisa slurped her pasta, finishing with an audible gulp. The spotlight was shone directly onto her, and contrary to what the Dallons said, this was very much an interrogation.
"That's alright," Lisa said with a smile. "Power talk is always fascinating."
"Yes…" Mrs Dallon said. "You mentioned you worked full-time? Forgive my asking, but what about your studies?"
Lisa quickly wiped her mouth and sat up a little straighter. "I got my GED at the start of the year. It was a legal requirement for getting the job. As you may well know." She chuckled but it died off when Mrs Dallon didn't react.
"And you said you were a receptionist?" Mr Dallon added in before the pause was too awkward. "Answering emails, online research? Do you enjoy it? What's that like?"
"Yeah, I do," Lisa said while nodding her head. "Nice people, lots of downtime with bouts of busy periods. Boss can be a little demanding but he really values my opinion. Says I'm an… indispensable asset." She chuckled again, but Taylor detected a hint of sadness in her voice. Lisa perked up again quickly.
"What do receptionists research anyway?" Mr Dallon asked, "I've never really thought about them beyond welcoming people and answering phone calls." He chuckled at his statement which Lisa joined in with.
"Oh, you know…" Lisa said, thinking aloud. "Planning company parties. Organising employee reports. Scouting for potential new hires. That's how I met Taylor actually." She pointed towards Taylor who nodded, corroborating the story. "Her resume impressed me. I tried to hire her on the spot. Guess I know why." She smiled lovingly at Taylor, then shifted to a concerned look at Amy before quickly looking away. "Uh, and yeah. New hires, reports, threat analysis. The usual."
"Threat analysis?" Mrs Dallon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lisa had a brief half-second where she looked like a deer in headlights before she cracked another smile. "Ha, sorry. That's just a joke I tell myself. My boss sometimes asks me to look into what our competitors are doing. Y'know just… simple online searches, compare rates and such."
"You should be careful with how you phrase that." Mrs Dallon said, relaxing her frown. "People in my profession hear that and might think you're being coerced to do corporate espionage."
Lisa giggled. "What? Espionage? No ma'am, I'm far too young to attempt anything so bold."
"Indeed," Mrs Dallon said, taking another bite of her food. She swallowed quickly before returning her gaze to Lisa. "I do wonder… Your age, and your work. What do your parents think about all this?"
Lisa shot a questioning look at Victoria that probably meant, 'How much have you told them?' to which Victoria shook her head.
"Uh…" Lisa began, hesitant to talk. Taylor knew the general gist of Lisa's youth, but never pushed her for more information. She knew that Lisa wasn't acting when it came to how uncomfortable the topic was. Lisa took a deep breath and turned back to Mrs Dallon. "The truth is, they don't know. Or care. I don't live with my parents. They had a lot of issues and I had to get emancipated from them."
"I see." Mr Dallon said, "We're sorry for bringing it up."
Lisa shook her head. "Don't be. You didn't know. But yeah, my life before isn't…" She gestured and let the sentence remain unfinished. "But it's okay. I'm in a better place now. For the most part." Mrs Dallon looked like she wanted to ask another question but Mr Dallon rested his hand on hers. Lisa answered it anyway. "My uncle took me in. David Wilbourn. It's why I moved to Brockton Bay. He helped me get the job. I told him I didn't want to go to school and he damn near forced me into work." Lisa chuckled at that.
Taylor assumed David Wilbourn was a cover that Mrs Dallon could easily contact if she went looking. Amy looked like she wanted to say something but again, looked to her mother and chose not to. Victoria however made a strange face and did a double take at Lisa, like she just realised something shockingly important.
Mr Dallon gently slapped the table before Victoria could say anything. "I think it's time we get into the meat of why we invited you today." Both Taylor and Lisa turned to him with curiosity. Mr and Mrs Dallon looked at each other uncomfortably before turning back to the girls. Taylor and Lisa were forewarned by Vicky about the real reason why they were there. The Dallons wanted to go over 'precautions' that came with dating a member of New Wave.
"Now, of course, we're all here to get to know you both. And you both seem like wonderful women. However, we feel like it is our duty to inform you, or perhaps simply remind you, that Brockton Bay isn't the safest city in the world. And the nature of your relationship with our daughter might throw some… unwanted attention your way. Now there are a few ways we can go about this, but personally, we feel it best if…"
Mr Dallon paused to find the right words, however, he took too long to think of what to say and Mrs Dallon got impatient.
"We should get ahead of this." Mrs Dallon said, speaking directly. "There's no avoiding the court of public opinion, rumours are already spreading like wildfire. Obviously, the final choice is yours. But we can make an official announcement. Publicly recognise you as Glory Girls… girlfriends' and let the 'people' know that you are under New Wave's protection." The way she spat out the word 'people' let Taylor know exactly who she meant. "Nothing too gaudy. Just making an announcement on our website and social media pages." Taylor felt a little uncomfortable with that thought, having her name out in public. She expected it eventually but it still felt awkward. "You can discuss amongst yourselves and then we can hammer out the details."
Taylor looked to Lisa, who admittedly looked a little more worried than she did about it. Lisa had mentioned that she'd shown her face to some 'work associates,' so that was more of a gamble for her. However Lisa didn't speak up against the idea, so Taylor assumed she was just as prepared.
"I'm thinking perhaps," Mrs Dallon continued, thinking out loud. "A photoshoot? To accompany our announcement."
Taylor almost choked on her food.
The Dallon Household – A few moments ago
Lisa stepped into the house and inspected the entrance hallway. There were several photos strewn about the place. She saw them all on the walls and in the frames on the shelves that lined the walls. The pictures ranged from practised portraits of New Wave to candid ones of various family members: a mother holding a young Victoria by hand, two men who stood awkwardly next to each other around a barbecue, Victoria and another blonde girl posing in basketball gear.
Woman, Brandish, looks stiff, stressed. Child bored. Attempted photo multiple times. Males, Flashbang and Manpower, no smile in eyes, faking. Distance indicates recent argument before photo was taken? Only minor. Victoria and Laserdream. Pre-trigger. Gloating, proud. Beat older cousin in game? Laserdream happy for Victoria.
Lisa smiled at the last photo. It was easy to ignore the little details that painted people in a bad light. She had to remember that she was here to set a good impression, not fish out every tidbit of possible drama the Dallons might have.
Every family had issues, and every person had problems. While Lisa couldn't exactly turn off her never-ending stream of invasive data, she had learned how to ignore all the useless things her power pulled up. Things like, when someone last brushed their teeth, how old their shoes were or what random bird caught their attention for three seconds.
Lisa could apply the same logic to anything negative she came across today. Filter out all the bad and only take in the good. Use that information, not to manipulate, but to charm. She could do that, she was already learning to do it with Vicky, all she had to do was extend the same courtesy to the rest of the Dallons. It would be easy.
She looked at another photo on the shelf, this time showing Victoria and Amy in costume at the hospital.
Professionally taken photograph. Taken by journalist for news article. Panacea's first major appearance. Photo copied from website and printed. Dallon's proud of photo. No, photo printed by Victoria. Victoria proud of photo. Moved often. Set to back of shelf. Moved forward by Victoria.
Lisa scanned the shelf for more happy photos. Another family portrait of the Dallons, sitting formally around a couch. All in casual clothes, Brandish and Flashbang sit to the side with young Victoria sitting on her father's knee. A young Amy sat at the end, holding Vicky's hand.
No photo of Amy younger than six. Nervous, shy. Recently adopted. Brandish looking uncomfortable. Annoyed at replacing previous family portrait? Unexpected adoption.
'Why adopt then?' Lisa thought, looking for more details her power could pull.
Very few photos of Amy Dallon on shelf. No photo of Amy Dallon by herself. No photo of her at all on walls. Camera shy? No, child. Has no control over who takes photos of her. Organisation of photos suggest preferred structure. Rigid, controlling. Lawyer? Brandish is a lawyer, Brandish chose majority of photos to display.
'Is Brandish trying to hide Amy? But she's a public figure?'
Most photos of Amy are in costume. Dallon family hid Amy until she became a cape? Revealed out of necessity perhaps? Family caused trigger event? Unknown. Why hide Amy? Adopted into hero family. Timeline matches up with Brigades arrest of Marquis? Possible that Amy is related to-
Curiosity got the better of Lisa as she turned to Victoria, who was closing the door behind her. She wanted to ask Victoria about Amy's birth parents, upbringing and-
'No, no. Don't go there, Lisa. Happy thoughts.'
Lisa decided not to ask any invasive questions the second she walked in the door. She shoved any potential details about Amy's childhood into a mental box. Taylor walked by, stopping before getting to the kitchen entrance. She turned back to Victoria and waited for her to take the lead.
Victoria moved forward and Lisa followed close behind. The smell of a tomato-based pasta sauce was wafting in the air.
"Something smells good," Lisa said, hoping a compliment to the chef would set her off on the right foot. Flashbang turned to greet the girls.
Tired eyes. Depression. Clinical depression. On medication. Often forgets to take-
'Shut up, power.'
"Ah, there they are, just in time," Victoria's father said, wiping his hands on a towel. "You must be… Wait, let me guess. Tay-?"
"Lisa," Victoria corrected. Lisa giggled in response.
"Lisa, right," Mark said, clicking his fingers before extending the hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark, Victoria's father, probably better known as Flashbang."
Facial structure matches previous photo in hallway. Photo was taken four to five years ago judging by aged face. Facial structure doesn't share similarities with Victoria. Victoria took more physical traits from her mother? Or Mark is not her bio-
'Dear god, power. Shut the fuck up.'
Mark was in the middle of showing off his parahuman abilities so Lisa latched onto the distraction with childlike glee.
"Wow, that's so cool," Lisa said in awe. She really was impressed, just because she was a Thinker who was dating a Master and a Brute didn't make other powers any less interesting to witness. Once the demonstration was done, she stepped forward to shake his hand. "I'm Lisa, Lisa Wilbourn. The pleasure is all mine."
Can summon orbs from multiple body parts, prefer to use hands. Absorbed into skin. Made of pure energy, non lethal. Can be made lethal if larger. Controlled detonation, no fear of dropping orbs.
Lisa studied his hand for far longer than she intended to. Letting it go with embarrassment after a few seconds. She stepped back and allowed Taylor to make her own introductions. It was stiff and formal, as Lisa expected it to be. Ending with Mark catching one of Taylor's flies out of the air.
Surprised. Insulted. Feels when insects under her control dies. Doesn't feel the pain. Trying to act normal about it.
Lisa let out a forced chuckle which Taylor mimicked. Taylor had no problem sending waves of bugs to their death while she was controlling them, but always got annoyed when other people killed them. Lisa figured it was some mentality Taylor had developed, considering the insects to belong to her and killing them to be 'breaking her things.'
Taylor could recover. She wasn't one to hold a grudge over a dead fly. She wasn't someone who held a grudge at all, even when she had good reason to. Victoria on the other hand looked like she just witnessed her father spit in Taylor's face.
Lisa held a thumbs up to Victoria to indicate that nothing was wrong. The girl quickly relaxed… for about five seconds before a voice spoke from behind everyone.
"The pot is about to boil over, Dear. You might want to take care of that." The authoritative voice of Brandish spoke up, making her way into the kitchen.
Visible flinch from Victoria. Fear response? Trained to react quickly to mother's voice. Never physically harmed by parents. Strict upbringing. Unaware of reaction. Afraid to disappoint.
"Mom," Victoria said with a smile as she gestured to Lisa and Taylor. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor-"
"Hebert," Brandish finished, looking to Taylor.
Familiarity with name. Knows who Taylor Hebert is. Knows about Skitter? Unlikely. Concern and/or fear in eyes. Worried about Taylor? Worried for Taylor?
"Thank you for coming." She said politely as she shook Taylor's hand, then turned to Lisa and did the same. Lisa resisted the urge to flash a big toothy smile, settling for a reserved, professional smile she often used when dealing with her criminal contacts.
Brandish looked back at Victoria and let out a soft sigh and asked. "Victoria?"
"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said, gently touching the ground.
Often flies in the house. House rule not to fly. Scratch marks and repainted sections of walls indicate damage from Brute flight. Victoria breaks rule often.
Lisa let out a small chuckle which she covered under a cough. Victoria shot her a faux-glare look before turning back to her mother.
"Can you go check on your sister?" Brandish asked. Victoria froze in place for a second.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Victoria asked, the edges of panic trailing in her voice.
"Amy," Brandish said again. "She's in my office, can you make sure she put the books away correctly and bring her down. Thank you." She waved Victoria away with one casual hand as she turned to focus on Taylor and Lisa.
Lisa looked to Victoria, hoping to read more into the worry that was on her face.
Apologising for leaving you alone. Will not speak up against mother.
Vicky moved off and out of the kitchen leaving the two hidden villains alone with Brandish and Flashbang.
"Now," Brandish said. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two young women who make my daughter so happy. Tell me, how did you all meet?"
"I met Vick- uh, Victoria at Arcadia, Mrs Dallon," Taylor said, the same stiff formality she used on Mark.
"Please, call me Carol," Carol said. Waving the pleasantries away with less charm than when her husband did it.
"Of course, Carol," Taylor said, correcting herself. "Victoria invited me to sit with her at lunch a few weeks back." Carol nodded in understanding.
Already knows this. Confirming story. Looking for possible divergence from Victoria's retelling. Determining honestly in Taylor's word.
"I introduced Victoria to Lisa a week later." Taylor continued, gesturing to Lisa. "She's a friend from work."
Carol squinted every so slightly at the phrasing but quickly returned to her neutral stance. "Yes, your work," Carol said, looking to Lisa. "Victoria tells me you both work as interns for a 'Fortune' Constructions? Is that correct?"
Annoyed undertone in voice. Misspeaking company name on purpose. Already looked into company. Attempted to access public employee records? Another attempt to catch us in a lie. On to us? No, Overly protective.
'No way in hell Coil would allow anyone to access employee records of his shell company.'
"Fortress Constructions," Lisa corrected, "And yes. That's how we met." Lisa gestured between her and Taylor. "I met Victoria at the mall sometime after. I was surprised to find out that Taylor was friends with a celebrity like Victoria, given that she was never too interested in celebrity gossip around the office." Lisa added with a chuckle. An attempt to make Taylor seem friendlier while also trying to relieve any suspicion that either girl was here to 'suck up to the celebrities.'
"And what is it you do, at work?" Carol asked. Directly aimed at Lisa.
Spent all night researching Lisa Wilbourn. Couldn't find anything of note. Annoyed at general lack of details in Lisa Wilbourn's life. Treating as hostile. Paranoid of strangers approaching family. Prone to assuming the worst until proven otherwise.
'Well, shit. Not much I can do about personal bias. Why is she giving Taylor the benefit of the doubt then?'
"Carol, Honey," Mark said, turning back from the stove. "Why don't we give them some time to relax before we play twenty questions?" He shot a calming smile at Lisa and Taylor.
'Flashbang to the rescue. Who expected the depressed parent to be the emotionally stable one? Can't imagine what this place is like on the days he forgets his meds.'
Trying to relax guests. Knows that Carol would treat Victoria's partners with suspicion. Also curious about Fortress Construction. Won't stop Carol if she keeps pushing. Want's Lisa Wilbourn to see him as a safety net. Hoping that relaxed attitude will make Victoria's partners open up. Expected and planned approach by both partners.
'That traitorous dick! They're actually trying to good cop, bad cop us!?'
"Oh, it's no trouble," Lisa said, putting on her best fake smile. "I'm a full-time receptionist. Taylor is part-time after school. We work in a small team for admin. Emails, online research, and some marketing stuff. Honestly, it's kind of a boring job. Lots of waiting around, looking at screens all day. But hey, it pays the bills." Lisa said, finishing with a soft chuckle. Carol relaxed her gaze, Lisa could tell that she was holding in several more questions but was interrupted as Vicky came back downstairs.
Victoria was once again flying. Carrying a very grumpy-looking girl in her hands the same way Rachel would hold out Reggie.
"For goodness sake, Victoria. Don't carry your sister like that, you look ridiculous." Carol sighed. Lisa let out a chuckle at the sight before her. Victoria put Amy down gently as the younger girl shot an annoyed glare back at her.
Annoyed. Embarrassed. Tired. Constantly running on a lack of sleep. Instant dislike of seeing adopted mother. Mutual distrust from Carol Dallon? Carol is abusive mother? No visible injuries on Amy Dallon. Does not strike children. Mental abuse? Signs of mild depression.
'No, Stop that. Don't care. Forget it. I ain't listening.'
Not as bad as adopted father. Used to being carried by Victoria. Not actually annoyed at Victoria. Holds Victoria in high regards. Victoria holds Amy in high regards. Both awed by each other's abilities. Enjoys being flown by Victoria. Favourite person? Most likely.
'See power, why can't you just stick to wholesome information like that?'
Victoria nudged her sister as Amy moved towards Taylor with a sigh.
Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Would prefer to avoid Taylor. Only speaking to her for Victoria's sake. Avoid her? Why? Dislike her? Hate her? Jealousy? Amy Dallon is extremely jealous of Taylor Hebert.
'Uh-oh. That isn't good, right?'
Lisa's eyes flicked to Taylor.
Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Knows what this is about? Knows she is jealous? Unknown. Wants to talk to Amy. Wants to get this over with and move on. Likes Amy Dallon. Thinks of Amy Dallon as new friend. Wants Amy Dallon to think her as new friend.
"Hey, Taylor," Amy mumbled, neither girl looking the other in the eye. "I'm sorry about… calling you a… you know…"
Called her an insult yesterday. Found out about Lisa Wilbourn yesterday. Assumed Taylor was cheating on her sister. Conflicted feelings. Anger, betrayal, resentment, jealously. Still coming to terms with sister's throuple.
Lisa relaxed a little. Amy was simply blindsided by the throuple and said some choice words to Taylor. That made sense, mostly. But where did the jealousy come into it?
Amy spoke again. "Friends? Or… whatever?"
Lying? Not entirely. Intends to be Taylor Hebert's friend. Half truth. Concealing intentions. Desire to manipulate Taylor? Doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Really doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Hates the idea of Taylor dating her sister. Feels strong emotion towards Taylor. Hate? Disgust? Jealousy? Jealous. How jealous? Still intends to be friends? Why?
"Friends," Taylor agreed, shaking her hand. Amy looked back at Taylor as a similar smile crept along her face.
Mimicking Taylor's smile. Mimicking Taylor's stance. Chosen outfit appropriated from Taylor's style of dress. Amy Dallon wants to be Taylor Hebert. Has recently developed new obsession with Taylor Hebert. Obsession. Miles beyond a simple fantasy. Entire friendship is Taylor is a ruse to study the girl. Recreating Taylor's scent in her hand. Using parahuman abilities to aid in her obsession. How? Hasn't healed Taylor without consent. Wants to change body to match Taylor Hebert. Can't Manton Effects forbids this. Amy Dallon parahuman capabilities more than healing. Bio-sculpting? Biokinetic.
'Calm down, Lise. So she's a little, fucking crazy. Maybe I've read it wrong. I've been wrong before.'
"Oh, and also…" Victoria said, sliding up to Lisa, "Ames, this is my other girlfriend. Lisa. Lisa, this is my sister Amy." She gestured to each girl as Amy moved forward, extending a hand to shake.
Micro-expression indicates anger, resentment. Hates Lisa Wilbourn. Actively hostile to Lisa Wilbourn. Imagining harming Lisa Wilbourn. Biokinetic. Could cause severe harm to Lisa Wilbourn. Why? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is Tattletale? No.
'What the fuck? She hates me? Hates me? Why!?'
"Hey," Amy said casually, her hand holding in the air, waiting for Lisa to grab it.
Extreme jealousy. Hatred. Amy Dallon despises Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon wants to kill Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon could kill Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about killing Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about giving Lisa Wilbourn cancer.
'I'm going to die, I'm going to die. Fuck me, I'm about to die.'
Guilty. Regretful. Expression changed. Feels remorse for wishing death on Lisa Wilbourn. Against personal code to bio-sculpt without permission. Will not harm Lisa Wilbourn.
'Let's break down the facts. Amy Dallon has an… unusual interest in Taylor. And might be more than your run-of-the-mill miracle healer. Obviously, her first impression of you was… negative. But she has biases, and by what little I picked up, a somewhat shitty home life. She won't try to kill me… today. She's jealous of me. Why?'
Doesn't approve of you dating her sister. Doesn't approve of either girl dating her sister. Wants everyone to leave Victoria Dallon alone. Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Wants to be Taylor Hebert? Wants Victoria Dallon for herself?
'Like… sexually? Eww, no. That can't be right.'
Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Victoria Dallon is her favourite person. Can't hate Victoria Dallon. Lisa Wilbourn is dating Taylor Hebert. Jealousy. Extreme jealous. Wants to be Taylor Hebert. Wants to be with Taylor Hebert?
'That's it! She's fucking in love with Taylor. God damn it! And Vicky said she wasn't gay.'
Lisa realised she had been standing still for a concerning amount of time. Victoria was about to interject before Lisa slapped on her standard smile again.
"Sorry… Hi," Lisa said finally, extending her hand out, hesitantly to touch the probably bio-sculptor who wished death on her.. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn. It's nice to finally meet. Victoria has already told me so much about you, Amy."
Her hand met Amy's and Lisa braced for the possible cancer or liquefaction that could come. Thankfully nothing happened. With a relaxed sigh, Lisa shook Amy's hand a little firmer as she looked back up at her face.
Amy Dallon is a Biokinetic. Can read your biology. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is panicking internally, knows Lisa Wilbourn is a parahuman. Suspicious of your hidden motives and behaviour.
'Oh, for fu-'
------------------------------------------------------------------
Taylor was sitting down at the table between Victoria and Amy. The four girls had chatted amongst themselves as lunch was prepared. Vicky took the lead in the conversation as usual.
Lisa was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting on the other side of Vicky. Giving Taylor and Amy the occasional side glance. Taylor figured that this was a rare display of Lisa giving into her nerves. While she looked up to Lisa as the confident know-it-all that she was, she understood that the girl was severely handicapped because of the fact that she had to 'play nice.' It wouldn't give a good first impression if Lisa was picking the Dallons apart with wordplay.
Not that there was much to pick apart from Taylor's point of view. The Dallons seemed like a perfectly reasonable family, being here brought back even more memories of visiting the Barnes. Mrs Dallon was a little grumpy, but she was a lawyer and if Emma's Dad was anything to go by, then perhaps all lawyers were strict parents. Mr Dallon balanced it out with being the friendlier face of the couple. Approachable, trustworthy. A lot like Aunt Zoe was, or used to be.
Amy on the other hand was certainly no Anne. But there were a lot of qualities in Vicky that-
'Jesus Christ, Taylor. Don't compare your girlfriend to her.'
Taylor mentality slapped herself. She didn't have much to compare a happy family to, it was either a fake family in one of her books or her old memories of the Barnes. Neither was a good base. Hopefully, in the future, Taylor would set herself new standards, starting with the Dallons. And who better to set the gold standard for a happy family than New Wave?
The dining room was an offshoot from the kitchen, separated by a bench. Taylor could see Mr Dallon walking towards them even without her bugs but the man didn't make any announcement until he was properly in the dining room section.
"I hope you girls are hungry," He said, almost with a sing-song tone. "Because I… made way too much. Seriously. We're probably going to be eating pasta all week." With that, he placed down a giant pot of simmering pasta sauce, followed closely behind by Mrs Dallon who had another equally large pot of spaghetti. It was obvious to almost anyone that there was way too much food, and yet Mr Dallon quickly jogged back to bring in a small plate of garlic bread for everyone.
Everyone took a turn dishing up their plate, Victoria blatantly hovering, much to her mother's frown, so that she could dish up for herself, Amy and Lisa. Taylor insisted that she dished her plate herself, not willing to subject herself to the sheer amount of food Victoria was casually slopping onto each plate.
Once everyone had food in front of them, there was an awkward pause as neither Taylor nor Lisa knew if the family had any rituals when it came to eating. Taylor played it safe and waited for someone else to take the first bite.
"Oh, almost forgot." Mr Dallon said, taking his wife's hand with his own and offering a second hand to Amy. "We need to say grace."
Taylor was halfway to grabbing both Victoria's and Amy's hands before the youngest daughter spoke.
"We do what now?" Amy said through a mouthful of food.
For all Taylor's local omniscient abilities, she didn't notice that only Mark attempted to hold hands with anyone. She became acutely aware that she had just been pranked by Mr Dallon, as the man held a tight-lipped smile.
Mrs Dallon sighed and shook her hand free, Lisa fought a smile of her own but knew better than to laugh and Amy let off a little snort at the joke which caused Taylor to shrink into her seat.
"Dad, please don't tease Taylor," Victoria said, the tone was mostly light-hearted but Victoria's eyes told Mr Dallon exactly how serious that statement was.
Mr Dallon's smile dropped to a serious position as he looked towards Taylor. "My apologies." He said with an awkward clearing of his throat. Taylor nodded in acceptance as Vicky relaxed back into her meal.
There was a silent moment where everyone was simply eating. No words were spoken beyond the occasional complimentary murmurs and the like. While the children were distracted with their meals, the two adults appeared to have a silent conversation with their eyes. Taylor had trouble reading their body language through her bugs but it appeared to look like both parents were nudging the other one to speak.
"So… Taylor." Mr Dallon finally spoke. Taylor shot up straighter in awareness. "We… kind of feel the need to address the elephant in the room."
"Elephant?" Taylor asked, tilting her head in confusion. Victoria also seemed unsure as to what her father was saying.
Mrs Dallon cleared her throat and patted her mouth with a napkin. "Due to an unfortunate lapse in my daughter's judgement," She looked towards Amy with a stern frown to make it clear which daughter she was talking about. "We have learned something about you that we had no right, nor intention of knowing. We can, however, sweep this all under the rug, so to speak. If you prefer. But perhaps due to the nature of our family, you might feel comfortable speaking openly about it with us." She turned to look between Taylor and Lisa. "That is of course, if all parties present are aware?"
'Wait, what? Do they know something about me? Because of… Amy? What? I'm confused. Why is she being so vague? Because of Lisa? Wait, do they know who I am? Oh, shit! That's it, they know I'm Skitter!'
Taylor's anxiety spiked through the roof before Lisa interjected herself. "Yes, I'm aware that Taylor is a parahuman." She said, giving Taylor a stare to drive the point home.
Mrs Dallon frowned at how bluntly Lisa said that, but it also nodded in thanks. Taylor couldn't tell if she was annoyed that Lisa cut through her vague words or respected Lisa's directness. Perhaps both?
"Right, very well then." Mrs Dallon said, turning her attention back to Taylor. "As I said, we can simply ignore this fact about you if you don't feel comfortable talking about it. You are very much entitled to your own privacy. However seeing as you are among a family of parahumans, I think you'd find that we can give a unique perspective on things."
"Exactly," Mr Dallon said. "If you ever had any questions or advice, or just need to vent about parahuman life without fear of judgement. Well, you've come to the right place."
"O-oh… okay," Taylor said, calming down.
She didn't exactly like the fact that Amy had told her parents but she supposed it could have been worse. She also could read exactly what Mrs Dallon wanted, she didn't need Lisa to tell her that much. Taylor could say she'd rather they ignore her supposed abilities but it was safer for her to control the information on herself. Being open and honest with Victoria's parents was preferable to having them investigate Taylor in private.
"I'm a parahuman," Taylor said, the words feeling odd. Like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Mr and Mrs Dallon both nodded. They shared another look before turning back to Taylor.
"I suppose we should start with the obvious questions." Mrs Dallon said, a slight smile on her face. "What is it that you can do, Taylor?"
"Obviously, we don't want you to feel pressured." Mr Dallon added, looking between Taylor and his wife. "This isn't an interrogation. But obviously, as parents, we have concerns. For our dau- uh, everyone's well-being."
Taylor knew this question was coming. Not from the Dallons specifically, but from somebody. It was the obvious question, one she was surprised Amy had never asked her. It was also the most dangerous. If Taylor told the truth, said she had fine control over every insect in her radius then she would be admitting to being the infamous Skitter. She could outright lie about her abilities, but that would risk people asking her to prove it later down the line. No, the best option was to skirt the truth.
"I have a kind of… super awareness?" Taylor said, not sure exactly how to describe it. "I can see, smell, feel and sometimes hear things out of my general vicinity."
"You can hear too?" Lisa asked in amazement. Victoria also looked curious at that part. "Since when?"
"Not really. Only a little." Taylor said, shrinking down. "Ever since that time at the boardwalk, I've occasionally heard the odd noise. I'm still working on it."
"How much do you see?" Mrs Dallon asked, "And how exactly do you see it?"
"Oh, just… a radius around me," Taylor said, being truthful but vague. She didn't want to mention that the radius was four to six blocks depending on her mood, so she gestured a circle spinning with her finger. "And it's not like I see with my eyes. But I kinda… see things." Taylor gestured again with her hands but gave up. "Sorry, it's hard to explain. It's like, colour for the blind? No, that's a stupid analogy."
"Like visions in your head or?-" Mrs Dallon said,
"Many parahuman abilities don't make sense to anyone beyond the owner." Victoria added, "They have an innate understanding but struggle to articulate it to others. Like a Tinker explaining how they built their device to non-Tinkerers."
Taylor nodded along to Victoria's explanation, thankful that her girlfriend was a giant cape geek.
"I know that feeling," Amy muttered into her food. "People ask me what I'm doing to them at the hospital, then get annoyed that I don't 'speak English' when I explain exactly how I healed them. Not my fault they don't understand basic biology."
"Either way," Mr Dallon said, looking at Taylor. "Sounds like a very useful ability. Very observant, no chance of people sneaking up on you and the like."
"Unless I'm distracted," Taylor said, thinking of how the trio walked right up to her the other week.
"And might I ask what you have been doing with your abilities?" Mrs Dallon asked, "I take it that you have not signed up for the Wards."
Taylor frowned at that statement. "No." She said before she relaxed again. "I mean, no ma'am. I have no interest in joining the PRT." Victoria looked at her with worry.
'Crap. Did I say that with a little too much disdain? Is my inner Skitter showing?'
Mrs Dallon chuckled softly. "Please don't misunderstand. I have little love for the PRT. However, I do understand parahuman nature. We all have an innate desire to use our abilities. I just hope that you are using them wisely."
"I try my best not to spy on people," Taylor answered, looking at Lisa briefly. "If that's what you mean. But I can't exactly turn it off."
Mrs Dallon nodded to that. An 'always on' power implied that Taylor had no, or at least less desire to use her ability, which would be reason enough to keep out of the cape life.
Amy looked like she wanted to ask Taylor a question but after glancing at her mother, she chose to hold her tongue.
"And Lisa." Mrs Dallon said, turning to the blonde at the end of the table. "I'm sorry we got so distracted with all this parahuman talk. Please don't think we've forgotten about you."
Lisa slurped her pasta, finishing with an audible gulp. The spotlight was shone directly onto her, and contrary to what the Dallons said, this was very much an interrogation.
"That's alright," Lisa said with a smile. "Power talk is always fascinating."
"Yes…" Mrs Dallon said. "You mentioned you worked full-time? Forgive my asking, but what about your studies?"
Lisa quickly wiped her mouth and sat up a little straighter. "I got my GED at the start of the year. It was a legal requirement for getting the job. As you may well know." She chuckled but it died off when Mrs Dallon didn't react.
"And you said you were a receptionist?" Mr Dallon added in before the pause was too awkward. "Answering emails, online research? Do you enjoy it? What's that like?"
"Yeah, I do," Lisa said while nodding her head. "Nice people, lots of downtime with bouts of busy periods. Boss can be a little demanding but he really values my opinion. Says I'm an… indispensable asset." She chuckled again, but Taylor detected a hint of sadness in her voice. Lisa perked up again quickly.
"What do receptionists research anyway?" Mr Dallon asked, "I've never really thought about them beyond welcoming people and answering phone calls." He chuckled at his statement which Lisa joined in with.
"Oh, you know…" Lisa said, thinking aloud. "Planning company parties. Organising employee reports. Scouting for potential new hires. That's how I met Taylor actually." She pointed towards Taylor who nodded, corroborating the story. "Her resume impressed me. I tried to hire her on the spot. Guess I know why." She smiled lovingly at Taylor, then shifted to a concerned look at Amy before quickly looking away. "Uh, and yeah. New hires, reports, threat analysis. The usual."
"Threat analysis?" Mrs Dallon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lisa had a brief half-second where she looked like a deer in headlights before she cracked another smile. "Ha, sorry. That's just a joke I tell myself. My boss sometimes asks me to look into what our competitors are doing. Y'know just… simple online searches, compare rates and such."
"You should be careful with how you phrase that." Mrs Dallon said, relaxing her frown. "People in my profession hear that and might think you're being coerced to do corporate espionage."
Lisa giggled. "What? Espionage? No ma'am, I'm far too young to attempt anything so bold."
"Indeed," Mrs Dallon said, taking another bite of her food. She swallowed quickly before returning her gaze to Lisa. "I do wonder… Your age, and your work. What do your parents think about all this?"
Lisa shot a questioning look at Victoria that probably meant, 'How much have you told them?' to which Victoria shook her head.
"Uh…" Lisa began, hesitant to talk. Taylor knew the general gist of Lisa's youth, but never pushed her for more information. She knew that Lisa wasn't acting when it came to how uncomfortable the topic was. Lisa took a deep breath and turned back to Mrs Dallon. "The truth is, they don't know. Or care. I don't live with my parents. They had a lot of issues and I had to get emancipated from them."
"I see." Mr Dallon said, "We're sorry for bringing it up."
Lisa shook her head. "Don't be. You didn't know. But yeah, my life before isn't…" She gestured and let the sentence remain unfinished. "But it's okay. I'm in a better place now. For the most part." Mrs Dallon looked like she wanted to ask another question but Mr Dallon rested his hand on hers. Lisa answered it anyway. "My uncle took me in. David Wilbourn. It's why I moved to Brockton Bay. He helped me get the job. I told him I didn't want to go to school and he damn near forced me into work." Lisa chuckled at that.
Taylor assumed David Wilbourn was a cover that Mrs Dallon could easily contact if she went looking. Amy looked like she wanted to say something but again, looked to her mother and chose not to. Victoria however made a strange face and did a double take at Lisa, like she just realised something shockingly important.
Mr Dallon gently slapped the table before Victoria could say anything. "I think it's time we get into the meat of why we invited you today." Both Taylor and Lisa turned to him with curiosity. Mr and Mrs Dallon looked at each other uncomfortably before turning back to the girls. Taylor and Lisa were forewarned by Vicky about the real reason why they were there. The Dallons wanted to go over 'precautions' that came with dating a member of New Wave.
"Now, of course, we're all here to get to know you both. And you both seem like wonderful women. However, we feel like it is our duty to inform you, or perhaps simply remind you, that Brockton Bay isn't the safest city in the world. And the nature of your relationship with our daughter might throw some… unwanted attention your way. Now there are a few ways we can go about this, but personally, we feel it best if…"
Mr Dallon paused to find the right words, however, he took too long to think of what to say and Mrs Dallon got impatient.
"We should get ahead of this." Mrs Dallon said, speaking directly. "There's no avoiding the court of public opinion, rumours are already spreading like wildfire. Obviously, the final choice is yours. But we can make an official announcement. Publicly recognise you as Glory Girls… girlfriends' and let the 'people' know that you are under New Wave's protection." The way she spat out the word 'people' let Taylor know exactly who she meant. "Nothing too gaudy. Just making an announcement on our website and social media pages." Taylor felt a little uncomfortable with that thought, having her name out in public. She expected it eventually but it still felt awkward. "You can discuss amongst yourselves and then we can hammer out the details."
Taylor looked to Lisa, who admittedly looked a little more worried than she did about it. Lisa had mentioned that she'd shown her face to some 'work associates,' so that was more of a gamble for her. However Lisa didn't speak up against the idea, so Taylor assumed she was just as prepared.
"I'm thinking perhaps," Mrs Dallon continued, thinking out loud. "A photoshoot? To accompany our announcement."
Taylor almost choked on her food.
Chapter 20: She got through lunch
Gowonzu
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TW: Mild depression talk
Same as the other warnings in previous chapters. Very mild but just a heads up.
The Dallon Household – Afternoon
Mr and Mrs Dallon spent the last forty-five minutes explaining their detailed precautions for dating a member of New Wave. Once lunch was finished and the table cleared, they brought out a laptop and sat Taylor and Lisa down. The girls were given a brief history lesson on New Wave and the Brockton Bay Brigade. Why they chose to unmask, and the tragedy of Fleur.
Most of the information was public knowledge and stuff that Taylor and Lisa already knew, but they understood why it needed repeating. Even the not-so-public information they shared were things that Taylor and Lisa were already purveyed to, unbeknownst to the Dallons. A general breakdown of the major capes in the Bay, known hideouts, associates, power overviews and psych profiles. The girls had to stop themselves from reacting as they glossed over the Undersiders' profiles.
"This group shouldn't be too much of a problem." Mr Dallon explained, flipping through what little information they had on the team. "Usually limit themselves to thefts and property damage. But it pays to be prepared."
"Most of the team is fairly harmless… to civilians." Mrs Dallon explained, the bored tone in her voice telling exactly what she thought of the Undersiders. "Grue looks scarier than he is. Can blind you in his smoke. Regent, somewhat more concerning. Suspected human master, but that's possibly the PRT overexaggerating their threat analysis. Tattletale, thinker, harmless." Lisa gave an offended gasp but quickly covered it with a cough. "Hellhound, now this one is dangerous. Mutant dogs, wanted for murder…"
Taylor froze up in a panic as she noticed 'Hellhound's' profile. The girl was publicly recognised by her name, Rachel Lindt, in bold under assumed aliases, complete with a blurry photo of her face. Granted it was on an older photo taken from a gas station CCTV, but Amy had still met the girl and Taylor had stupidly introduced her as a 'friend from work.'
Thankfully Amy didn't recognise her that day and had currently left the dinner table to hide away in her room once lunch was done. Taylor wasn't sure how she'd respond if Amy questioned her about it. Her only hope was that Amy would forget, and the two would never meet again.
"And finally," Mrs Dallon continued, unaware of Taylor's internal panic. "Skitter, the newest member of the group." Taylor gulped down her nerves as she looked at the attached photo. Skitter stood menacingly among a crowd of terrified hostages in the bank. Taylor had seen the photo many times since that job, Alec had printed it out and attached it to the wall of wanted posters in the Undersiders Lair. "Victoria has encountered her three times now, so I'm sure she can tell you all about her. But she has control of every insect in her general vicinity with remarkable precision."
Taylor fought a smile to the unaware compliment Mrs Dallon just gave her.
"We know little about her, so assume she is just as dangerous as Hellhound, if not more so. Again, we don't wish to scare you. We have little reason to believe they'll ever come after you personally, but on the off chance that Skitter has developed a grudge or rivalry for Glory Girl, then… well it's best you two be prepared for anything."
"Skitter definitely developed something for Glory Girl…" Lisa chuckled silently as she inspected the profile. Luckily, the Dallons didn't hear her.
After that, the Dallons pulled out a map of the city and divided it into districts. The divide was the same as the map in the Undersider's lair, it broke down the major gangs in the city and where they operated. While the common Brocktonite was no stranger to gang presence, most wouldn't know the exact breakdown of the city unless they were already caught up in the never-ending power struggle for the city. As such, Taylor and Lisa pretended that this was all new information to them.
"It's very important that you all stay out of this section as much as possible." Mrs Dallon explained, gesturing to the Empire's portion of the map. "While I'm sure not everyone living here shares the same opinion as the Empire, it would be safest to assume that all businesses operating here will not tolerate your… relationship. We'd prefer to keep any and all future dates you may have in the boardwalk and surrounding areas." She gestured to the territory labelled as PRT Green Zone. "And not to idle jazz clubs in the middle of nowhere." She added, shooting a side glance at Lisa.
"Understood, Ma'am," Lisa said with a two-finger mock salute. Mrs Dallon didn't comment on her response.
"Now Victoria is trained to handle herself in dangerous situations." Mr Dallon said, nodding to his daughter. "But you can't assume that she'll be around all the time. All it takes is one idiot trying something stupid because they see you alone. So, we can organise some self-defence classes."
"Taylor and I have been taking classes together already." Lisa cut in with a cheery smile. The statement prompted Mr Dallon to give a questioning look. "Work offered us free classes, I got her to sign up with me back when she joined the team."
Taylor nodded. In truth, Lisa and Brian had trained Taylor on the basics back during her first weeks in the Undersiders, so it wasn't a total fabrication. "I've been carrying pepper spray on me for a few years now." Taylor chimed in, pulling out the little bottle from her pocket. "Dad won't let me leave the house without it. It is Brockton Bay after all."
Mr Dallon nodded in approval to that before handing a card each to Taylor and Lisa.
"This is New Wave's personal numbers." Mrs Dallon explained as the girls inspected the cards. "Not the one you find on our website; this one is a direct line to myself and Mark. The second number is to my sister and her husband. It's for emergencies only. Do not give this out to anyone else."
Taylor nodded a little slower, understanding the strict implication of not betraying Mrs Dallon's trust.
"We recommend saving those numbers to speed dial," Mark said with the same strict seriousness in his tone. "Night or day, call or just text us an address and New Wave will be right there."
Lisa pulled out her civilian phone and entered the numbers into her contact list. Taylor did the same, feeling a little bad for having superhero speed dial on her Undersiders work phone. She never did get around to buying a spare phone, having one was blasphemous enough.
Mr Dallon looked at his wife. "What else? Are we missing anything?"
"I think that's all." Mrs Dallon nodded back before turning to the girls. "If you have any other questions? Or concerns, don't hesitate to voice them. Again, none of this is to scare you, simply to make you aware of the dangers that surround… that family." She sighed in a very tired way.
"Now, I'm sure that was a lot to take in." Mr Dallon said. "So we'll let you girls go decompress and relax."
Vicky took the opportunity to get away and ran with it.
"Great, we'll be in my room." She said, standing to a hover but quickly returning to the ground before her mother said anything. Vicky looked between Taylor and Lisa, gesturing out of the dining room and towards the stairs. "Come on, this way. Oh, do either of you want some coffee or something?" Vicky asked, acting as the host for her two girlfriends.
"Tea?" Taylor asked. Victoria nodded but it was Mr Dallon who moved to collect some mugs from the cupboard.
"An aspirin," Lisa groaned, rubbing her forehead. Keeping her voice low to not arouse suspicion. "Or two. If you have any?"
Vicky took a moment to understand why Lisa had requested that but she nodded a little more seriously and pointed towards the stairs again. "Think we have aspirin in the bathroom. I'll get you some."
Taylor followed the other two girls upstairs as Mr Dallon waved her off. The man was content to bring the drinks up for them as Taylor fought between her need to be respectful versus her desire not to be left alone. Victoria reached the first door and swung it open, motioning the girls inside.
"This is my room," She said while backing away and letting the girls through. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back with your pills."
Lisa chuckled slightly then winced, Taylor rubbed her shoulder softly. She'd seen Lisa have enough thinker headaches to recognise what she was going through. Leading the blonde girl to the bed, Taylor inspected the bedroom properly. She hadn't seen the room yet with her bugs, Taylor had mastered the art of pulling insects out of any bedrooms and bathrooms she came across, to give people some semblance of privacy in their lives.
Victoria's bedroom was not how Taylor had imagined it. Taylor had expected the entire room to be in 'Glory Girl White-and-Gold,' with silk sheets and fluffy pillows scattered haphazardly all around the bed. Perhaps a wall of newspaper clippings of all Victoria's major cape battles and awards she'd received while on New Wave duty.
Taylor admitted she may imagine a tad too much 'Glory Girlness' in her idea. The actual bedroom was rather plain in comparison. While the bed looked comfortable, it didn't have any particular theme to it or an overabundance of fluffy pillows. While Victoria had a handful of pictures of her in costume, most of them were of her appearing for charity work or posing with fans rather than any 'epic battles' she might've had. There were trophies, but not to the superhero. A shelf was littered with old-school sports trophies, mainly basketball related but a few for other things.
And that shelf. The sheer number of books caught Taylor's eyes immediately. It still paled in comparison to Taylor's room but she owned a small library thanks to her mother. Victoria had half a wall of texts, ranging from classic literature to parahuman science. It was no secret to Taylor that Vicky was kind of a nerd when it came to parahumans, but she still admired Victoria's commitment to her interests.
Victoria walked back into the room and handed Lisa two pills. "Do you need a glass of water? I think Dad's coming-"
Lisa swallowed both tablets dry and shook her head. Patting Vicky's hand in thanks before lying down on her bed. Victoria gave Taylor a concerned look, Taylor responded by making a calming gesture, letting Vicky know that this was somewhat normal for Lisa and to just let her relax.
Mr Dallon appeared by the door shortly after, holding a tray of three cups of tea and a coffee. "Wasn't sure how you girls like your tea," Mr Dallon said while he handed out a cup for everyone. He raised an eyebrow at Lisa but chose not to comment, placing her cup by Victoria's bed. "Victoria likes hers sweet, so it's got sugar and milk in it."
"Thanks, Dad," Victoria said with a smile. Taylor picked up that perhaps Mr Dallon was going the extra mile for them and it made Vicky happy.
"Call out if you need anything else." He said, picking up the tray that still had a coffee on it. "And let us know if either of you are staying for dinner, we have plenty of food left over." He chuckled to himself. "Or the night. We have a spare mattress somewhere in the attic?" He said as if he wasn't entirely sure. "Have fun." He added before shutting the door. Taylor could see him walking further down the hall, delivering the remaining coffee to Amy's bedroom.
There was a long silence as all three girls listened to the footsteps of Mr Dallon as he eventually walked back from Amy's room and down the stairs. Once it became clear to everyone that no one was listening in on the girls, they all let out a collective sigh.
-----------------------------------
"Oh my god…" Vicky sighed. The tension lifted from her shoulders. She looked over to her girlfriends. Taylor was doing her poker-face 'emotion thing' which meant that she was hiding from something and Lisa was currently groaning in pain as she napped on Victoria's bed. "I'm so… so sorry about today. I knew it was going to be awkward but…" She cringed and waved her hand to finish her sentence.
Vicky looked towards Taylor. "Are you okay, Tay?" She asked with soft concern in her voice.
Taylor tilted her head slightly and said, "I'm fine." The monotone manner betrayed the emotion that she was hiding. Victoria held her gaze, urging Taylor to be more open and honest. Taylor let out another little sigh. "I'm a little nervous about that photoshoot your Mom mentioned, I guess."
Victoria nodded in understanding. While she had done many photoshoots, Taylor wasn't as comfortable with being in the spotlight. She remembered the small panic attack that Taylor had in the cafeteria the first day Vicky brought Taylor to her lunch table, realising that Taylor was most likely, underselling how nervous she was about the whole idea.
"It's alright," Vicky said, placing a calming hand on Taylor's shoulder. "It was just a suggestion. We don't have to-"
Taylor shook her head, shifting her posture to project more confidence. "Your Mother was right. People are going to find out about us eventually, might as well let New Wave control the PR instead of the other way around. It'll be more trouble in the long run if we do nothing. Don't worry about me." There was a scary resolution in Taylor's eyes that made Victoria think she was talking to Skitter, but it fluttered away as quickly as it came. "I'll handle it… somehow."
"And what about you, Lisa? Are you okay with this photoshoot?" Vicky asked, turning to the other girl. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she saw her. Unsure if Lisa had fallen asleep or not. Lisa was curled up in a fetal position on her bed. Victoria frowned in concern but she knew about Thinker headaches, both from first-hand accounts and the books she'd read.
Lisa tried to nod but winced as her head moved. "Ar… yeah." She groaned, lying as still as she could be. "Taylor's right. Your Mom is right. I don't know what the long-term consequences will be either way. But we'll figure it out together, right?"
Lisa opened one eye to look up at Vicky, a small smile on her face as Lisa reached out to hold Victoria's hand. She squeezed the hand as she closed her eye again, letting Vicky know that she was still awake and aware of the conversation.
"Is anyone you- uh, work with going to be bothered by this public announcement?" Victoria asked, looking between Lisa and Taylor.
"You mentioned some people knew your face?" Taylor added, looking in concern to Lisa.
Lisa waved the comment away tiredly. "No one stupid enough to out me. If that's your concern." She chuckled briefly and winced at the pain it added to her migraine. "The boss might be a little pissed with me. I should probably inform him before it becomes public knowledge." She shook Vicky's hand to get her attention. "Might be asked to spy on your family. Or something equally stupid and evil. I'll just feed them some bullshit."
Lisa's boss…
While the Undersiders' secret employer was a question that was at the forefront of Vicky's mind, a smaller tidbit of information was handed out today during lunch. Lisa had told an awfully familiar story to her parents, about Lisa's parents, and an 'uncle' that got her the job, practically 'forced her' into it.
Victoria pulled up her phone to be sure, scrolling through weeks of texts way back to one of the first real conversations she had with Lisa. It wasn't a one-to-one comparison to the 'lie' that Lisa had constructed, but Victoria could read between the lines.
"Lisa?" Victoria asked, looking back down at the girl from her phone. "How much of this is true?"
Taylor looked up, interested in the discussion and what was on the phone. Lisa opened her eye again and looked at the text message.
"Shiiiiit." Lisa groaned.
"Lisa? Be honest with me." Victoria asked again. The returning fear and care came back to her as she did the first time she read it. Only this time compounded by the fact that Victoria actually liked Lisa this time.
"All of it," Lisa admitted. Victoria felt several emotions run through her. Sorrow for her loss, annoyed at the truth being twisted right under her nose and angry as the mysterious person who had threatened… was threatening Lisa. She had to do something, this wouldn't stand.
"Don't," Lisa mumbled, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze, much tighter this time. Victoria was about to argue with Lisa, was she really expecting Victoria to sit back and do nothing?
Lisa's eyes flicked towards Taylor and then back to Vicky. Her frightened eyes told Victoria exactly what Lisa was trying to say.
"What's true?" Taylor asked, looking between the two girls. She picked up on the tension between them but had no idea of the context… yet.
Victoria was angry, she wanted to find Lisa's boss and beat them within an inch of his life. Lock them up and throw away the key. She wanted them dead, in the figurative sense of the word. For all of Victoria's anger and occasional lapses in brutality, she had no desire to become a killer. Would Taylor have any such restrictions? When it came to protecting people she cared about? She liked to believe that Taylor wasn't capable of becoming a killer, but Lisa's panicked eyes told a different story.
'Don't tell Taylor. Let me handle this.'
Victoria let out a calming sigh and put her phone away. Turning to Taylor to come up with an explanation. "Lisa told me about her family, back when we first met. But as a lie." Victoria said a half-truth to placate Taylor. "I only just realised today that it was the actual truth." She shot Lisa an annoyed 'we'll talk about this later' look.
"Oh, right," Taylor said, looking down. "Not the happiest story in the world." Lisa relaxed as Taylor bought the explanation, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze as thanks or an apology. Both worked for Vicky.
There was a short period of silence between all three girls before Lisa pulled herself up from the bed and shuffled over to her cup of tea.
"Feeling better?" Taylor asked, placing her now empty cup down on Vicky's study desk and moving to sit next to Lisa.
Lisa nodded into her tea but still rubbed her head. "Aspirin's kicking in now. I just need to remember not to do my thing for the rest of the day." She grinned again to show that everything was okay. "My fault really. I kept telling it to shut up and then I hear something new and have to dig into it. It's karma for being so nosy."
Victoria frowned at that statement, she was already on edge most days when it came to Lisa's mind reading, but exposing her family to it was another layer of worrying. "I'm not sure if I should be concerned that you're admitting to being nosy or just thankful that you didn't 'do your thing' when my parents were questioning you."
Lisa flashed a toothy grin, but it had layers of anxiety all over it.
"But seriously, thank you," Victoria continued. "Both of you. For putting up with this whole thing. I know my family can be a little… crazy." Lisa made a noise that was half cough, half nervous giggle. "And I know Mom can come off as a little strong. Especially considering what it is you two do. And Dad can be…" Victoria wasn't sure how much she wanted to talk about on that front, even if Lisa might've picked it up already.
"Your Dad's cool," Taylor said with a soft smile. Lisa nodded in agreement, perhaps to only keep Victoria happy. "And your Mom is… stern, but I understand that. I'd probably be the same in her position. It was a bit of a stressful lunch, but only because they care."
Vicky's smile grew on her face as even Lisa nodded along. She could tell that Lisa had more to say on that front but changed her mind.
"You're Dad's certainly a step up from my old man. Not that that's saying much." Lisa said, giving an awkward smile at the cheerless joke. "My Dad would never have brought tea up to my room for my friends." She waved her now empty cup to make a point. "Not to mention, leaving us alone in your room. Good to know Flashbang isn't a shotgun father." Lisa chuckled properly at that one.
Victoria turned back to her door for the first time since she walked in there. Only now realising that it was left shut.
"Wait?" Vicky asked herself. "When I dated Dean, my parents were adamant about keeping the door open whenever he was over. Like, Mom would walk by the door every hour to check in on us. Now I bring two girls over and they shut the door? Not only that but they even offered them to stay and sleep over? A spare mattress, for where? My own room? Should I be offended or happy? Did they just not trust Dean or do they not see this as a real relationship?"
Taylor shrugged but shook her head at the idea that Victoria's parents weren't taking them seriously. Lisa giggled a little louder at the question.
"You do know your mother is quite young, right?" Lisa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah?" Victoria asked, not yet getting it. Though Taylor was already beginning to blush.
Lisa rolled her eyes and spelt it out for her. "She was worried about you and Dean… following in her footsteps." She said with air-finger quotes. "It's not like they don't care about us but they don't 'care' in that way. Your dad is actually happier that you're dating us rather than another boy. Although, heads up. You're gonna get 'the talk' again once we leave." She smirked at that last addition, relishing in Victoria's reaction.
Victoria flinched from the memory of her parents sitting her down to give her the 'talk.' Back when she started dating Dean. She didn't know why she had to be subjected to it again now that she was dating women but she sure as hell was not looking forward to that awkward conversation.
Taylor reached a hand to Victoria in support. "I think my Dad tried to do the same thing last night. I don't really who it was more awkward for, him or me." She let out a soft chuckle at the memory. "Either way, it shows that your parents support you. The fact that your dad gives us some privacy is cool. Like I said, your dad's cool."
Victoria relaxed again as both girls agreed with the statement. Her dad was cool, on the good days. Both her parents were in their own way. As painful as this lunch was, she was glad that her girlfriends still felt positive about her family. That was until Lisa spoke again.
"Amy's fucking crazy though."
--------------------------------------------------------------
The headache remained but Lisa could function. It was easier to keep her power off when the alternative was pain, there was less risk of curiosity getting the better of her. Of course, there were downsides to having her power off, the main one being her inability to read people.
Victoria stood tense as she stared back at Lisa. Perhaps if she used her powers before speaking, Lisa might've been more aware of what kind of landmine she just stepped on by raising her concerns. But between the intense frown on her face and the waves of anger radiating from Victoria's emotional aura, Lisa was confident that she had made a mistake in her approach.
It was hard keeping silent on the matter all lunch. The never-ending wave of information that came from Amy didn't stop at learning about her obsession with Taylor. Drip by drip, Lisa learned just how depressed, angry, tortured and insane Vicky's little sister actually was under her tired mask. Combined with an in-depth analysis of what Panacea could actually do and Lisa might as well have been dining alongside Nilbog.
However, before Lisa could even think about defusing that ticking time bomb of a hero, she had to work out how to get out of the one she just lit.
"Lisa…" Victoria said with restrained anger in her voice. "Look. I l-, uh, like you. A lot… and I know you've probably picked up a lot of things about my family. Things that I might even agree with, privately. I… appreciate you not going all Tattletale on them during lunch. But when it comes to my sister." Victoria clenched her fist as she tried to calm down. "Be very careful with what you're about to say."
Angry, pissed. Will accept any excuse/apology. Amy Dallon is her favourite person. Loves her sister. Will side with sister over-
There was a sharp pain in Lisa's head as her power cut out. It had been stretched to its limits for today and now Lisa was paying for it.
"Ah, fuck." Lisa winced, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Sorry. Wait!" She held up her other hand in surrender. "That came out wrong. Just- fuck me this hurts. Let me explain."
Victoria crossed her arms, her frown wavering. A combination of giving Lisa the benefit of the doubt and being concerned about her thinker headache gave Lisa time to formulate a plan.
'She obviously had no idea of the extreme side of Amy. And bringing them up is more likely to start an argument rather than do anything productive. How do I get her to understand my concerns? Get her away from Taylor? No, even Taylor wants to be her friend. Fuck! Okay, think. What do I need? Information, how much is Victoria already aware of? Let's start with that.'
"I meant…" Lisa began, looking back up at Victoria. "Her power is… crazy."
This threw Victoria's anger off. It still confused and annoyed her, Victoria already was awestruck by her sister's abilities, and power talk was always a fun topic for the cape geek.
"Like, biokinesis?" Lisa explained. "That's wild. And dangerous as all hell. Did you know about that? She can modify people's genes, grow extra limbs, create super-viruses, all kinds of life if she wanted to. She could give you cancer, merge you into a giant ball of flesh and then liquefy you with a handshake if she wanted." Lisa tried to hold in the panic in her voice and failed.
Victoria and Taylor turned to each other with a confused eyebrow raised before Vicky replied. "Yeah?… And I can punch holes through people's chests? Taylor could… eat a person alive with her bugs. A lot of powers are scary when you think about them. And Amy's biokinesis is not exactly a secret."
"Well, it was to me," Lisa said back, annoyance in her voice. "I thought she just healed people. Not controlled any biomatter she touched. Maybe put that on New Wave's website next time?"
"We don't really advertise the specifics of our powers," Victoria said. "Just like how we don't tell people the specifics of my forcefield. Panacea heals and I'm invincible. That's all people want to hear. Besides, why is it such a big?-"
"Oh shit," Taylor said, looking at Vicky. "Amy knows she's a parahuman."
Victoria gasped as she looked at Taylor and then to Lisa. "Oh shit!" She echoed. "I completely forgot about that. That's why you froze up. You shook hands. Oh crap."
"And it didn't help her opinion of me, that's for sure," Lisa added with an annoyed and nervous chuckle.
"Alright. Crap." Victoria said to herself. "I'll uh… I'll talk to her."
"Maybe we should all go?" Taylor suggested. "We could all sit down with her and-"
"No, no. That's a terrible idea." Lisa cut in. "That wasn't the only stuff I picked up about her and if she knows that I know then it'll make everything worse."
Victoria's frown returned. "Explain?" The threat in her voice was evident.
'Okay, so she knows about the power. They both did. Shows what happens when you ignore the healer because they're not as active on the cape scene. Alright, new approach. Vicky loves Amy, so let's get Amy some help. Help that is far, far away from Taylor.'
"She's depressed." Lisa blurted out. Victoria's frown fell down as she flicked between offended and concerned.
'Fucking hell Lisa. Try to use a little more tact than that.'
"Not like… him. But still. We should be worried." Lisa added.
"Depressed?" Victoria asked, shaking her head in denial. "I know she's not the most expressive girl but she's not…" She looked into Lisa's eyes, both hoping it was a sick joke and knowing full well it wasn't. "Depressed… Really?"
Lisa nodded, she wasn't sure how she was going to weave the 'obsessed with Taylor' part in without upsetting both girls, so she stuck to Amy's unhappy mental state.
"How?" Taylor asked, also concerned for her friend. "I mean…" She went quiet, if anyone knew that depression wasn't always situational, it was Taylor.
"She's lonely, she feels like an outcast in her adopted family," Lisa said, listing some possible explanations, turning back to Victoria. "She compares her life to yours. She's… very jealous. But she loves you. A lot." Lisa tried to make her words sting less, it would be so easy to twist all this knowledge into blackmail for Panacea or a weapon to be used on Glory Girl. But Tattletale wasn't that cruel, and Lisa would never.
Victoria was silent for another short while. Lisa considered activating her power again to know if she could continue but the headache reminded her not to.
"Dean's said the same to me… before," Vicky said with a slight sniffle. "I always thought he was exaggerating. I never… I should've…" Taylor reached out and wrapped Victoria in a hug. "Amy's always been the best of us. Works the hardest out of all of us. Saves the most lives out of anyone. Why doesn't she say anything?"
"She throws herself into her work. Hoping it'll distract her from life." Taylor said. Taking a guess right out of Taylor's own experiences on Amy's motivation.
"Correct," Lisa said, pointing to Taylor. "Except in this case, I think she hates her work. Like, really fucking hates her work. Panacea is on the fast track to burnout and when that happens… well. Like I said. Amy's fucking crazy." Lisa didn't need powers to tell her how upset it made Victoria. Bringing the entire mood down like that. "Luckily, there's an easy fix," Lisa added, forcing a smile.
Victoria and Taylor back to her with hope in their eyes.
"Well, not easy. But something we, uh, you can do." Lisa corrected herself. "Amy just needs more… friends. That isn't adjacent to you and the hospital. She needs a space that's completely separate from her home-slash-cape life." She made a cutting motion to drive in the point. "Also maybe some actual therapy, but that's none of my business," Lisa added quickly.
"Al-alright," Victoria said, taking a breath. "I guess I have two things to talk about with her."
"Sorry," Lisa said, reaching out to grab Victoria's hand again. Taylor moved backwards on the bed, reaching out to Victoria also, allowing Victoria to climb in and form a little handholding circle among the three. "We came here to relax and I just spoiled the mood. I just needed to say something…"
Victoria shook her head. "No, I'm glad. Thank you. I just wish I realised it sooner. And wished I knew how to fix it. Maybe I'll talk to Mom about-"
"No!" Lisa yelped out before quieting down. "Uh, Amy and your Mother don't have the um, best relationship? It's probably for the best you be the one to approach Amy. She trusts you."
There was still more to say on the matter, but Lisa could tell that Victoria could only handle so much information on her sister. Lisa could only hope that this little push didn't lead Amy to do anything… drastic.
'Amy loves Victoria. She'll listen to her. Vicky is the best chance of calming her down and protecting Taylor and myself.'
There was another period of silence, where all three girls didn't know what to say to each other. Lisa felt bad for ruining the mood so thoroughly. She scanned the room for anything of interest that would help, spotting a rose in a pot by Victoria's' window. The same rose Lisa had left in her locker when she asked her out on a date. Lisa couldn't help smiling at the flower.
"So, any ideas for what we're gonna do on our next date?" She asked between the two girls. "We still want to stay low profile till New Wave makes an announcement, right? That kinda cuts down on potential date locations."
Taylor thought to herself before she said, "Well, my Dad wants to meet you both soon? I know we just had one awkward lunch but…" She trailed off, probably thinking it was an unappealing idea.
"I'd love to meet your father," Vicky said with a gentle smile.
"Count me in." Lisa agreed.
"Alright," Taylor said, confidence returning in her voice. "I'll let him know. We can do something simple, after school one day. Lisa, I'll send you the address. We'll meet you there."
"Already know it," Lisa said back smugly. "No fair though, I'll have to drive while you get to fly air-Vicky."
"Hmm?" Victoria said, thinking to herself. "Ha, I guess I haven't flown with you yet. Remind me next time we're out. I'll give you the tour of the city."
"Looking forward to it," Lisa said. "Other than that. I can't introduce you to my folks, but maybe I'll introduce you to the Undersiders one day. Grue cooks a mean pot roast." She laughed at the mental image, and Taylor joined in too. Lisa wasn't being serious about the offer, Victoria was hesitant to interact with the other members and she doubted that the team would be thrilled to eat dinner with a hero.
"I don't want to intrude on your lair," Victoria said, waving the mock offer away with a smile. "Wouldn't mind meeting your uncle though…" She added, squeezing Lisa's hand. Both as a threat and a promise.
------------------------------------------
Deep Underneath Brockton Bay – The Following Morning
"Good morning, pet. You know my usual questions."
Coil listened as the girl ran off her usual numbers. In another reality he stood in his office, collecting some idle documents from his desk before he got set in with his day. The numbers were good. All within acceptable perimeters. His business would strive, his assets remained undetected, his enemies unmoving and his life-
"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."
Coil froze mid-stride to his desk. He turned back to look at his pet and shut that reality down. In his current one, he dropped the paperwork where he stood and moved. Not quite a walk, but not exactly a sprint, Coil sped down to where he kept his pet.
Another split, one Coil entered the room while another waited outside. Both with a singular purpose. There were only so many questions he could ask, only so many chances he had to narrow down on his target. Even his abilities had limits. He thought hard about the possible suspects, what could've changed between the days and weeks. First, he needed confirmation, it would be silly to put so much effort only to realise he misheard.
Coil knelt down to his pet and asked her calmly. "What is the chance of me dying this week?"
"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."
Same as the other warnings in previous chapters. Very mild but just a heads up.
The Dallon Household – Afternoon
Mr and Mrs Dallon spent the last forty-five minutes explaining their detailed precautions for dating a member of New Wave. Once lunch was finished and the table cleared, they brought out a laptop and sat Taylor and Lisa down. The girls were given a brief history lesson on New Wave and the Brockton Bay Brigade. Why they chose to unmask, and the tragedy of Fleur.
Most of the information was public knowledge and stuff that Taylor and Lisa already knew, but they understood why it needed repeating. Even the not-so-public information they shared were things that Taylor and Lisa were already purveyed to, unbeknownst to the Dallons. A general breakdown of the major capes in the Bay, known hideouts, associates, power overviews and psych profiles. The girls had to stop themselves from reacting as they glossed over the Undersiders' profiles.
"This group shouldn't be too much of a problem." Mr Dallon explained, flipping through what little information they had on the team. "Usually limit themselves to thefts and property damage. But it pays to be prepared."
"Most of the team is fairly harmless… to civilians." Mrs Dallon explained, the bored tone in her voice telling exactly what she thought of the Undersiders. "Grue looks scarier than he is. Can blind you in his smoke. Regent, somewhat more concerning. Suspected human master, but that's possibly the PRT overexaggerating their threat analysis. Tattletale, thinker, harmless." Lisa gave an offended gasp but quickly covered it with a cough. "Hellhound, now this one is dangerous. Mutant dogs, wanted for murder…"
Taylor froze up in a panic as she noticed 'Hellhound's' profile. The girl was publicly recognised by her name, Rachel Lindt, in bold under assumed aliases, complete with a blurry photo of her face. Granted it was on an older photo taken from a gas station CCTV, but Amy had still met the girl and Taylor had stupidly introduced her as a 'friend from work.'
Thankfully Amy didn't recognise her that day and had currently left the dinner table to hide away in her room once lunch was done. Taylor wasn't sure how she'd respond if Amy questioned her about it. Her only hope was that Amy would forget, and the two would never meet again.
"And finally," Mrs Dallon continued, unaware of Taylor's internal panic. "Skitter, the newest member of the group." Taylor gulped down her nerves as she looked at the attached photo. Skitter stood menacingly among a crowd of terrified hostages in the bank. Taylor had seen the photo many times since that job, Alec had printed it out and attached it to the wall of wanted posters in the Undersiders Lair. "Victoria has encountered her three times now, so I'm sure she can tell you all about her. But she has control of every insect in her general vicinity with remarkable precision."
Taylor fought a smile to the unaware compliment Mrs Dallon just gave her.
"We know little about her, so assume she is just as dangerous as Hellhound, if not more so. Again, we don't wish to scare you. We have little reason to believe they'll ever come after you personally, but on the off chance that Skitter has developed a grudge or rivalry for Glory Girl, then… well it's best you two be prepared for anything."
"Skitter definitely developed something for Glory Girl…" Lisa chuckled silently as she inspected the profile. Luckily, the Dallons didn't hear her.
After that, the Dallons pulled out a map of the city and divided it into districts. The divide was the same as the map in the Undersider's lair, it broke down the major gangs in the city and where they operated. While the common Brocktonite was no stranger to gang presence, most wouldn't know the exact breakdown of the city unless they were already caught up in the never-ending power struggle for the city. As such, Taylor and Lisa pretended that this was all new information to them.
"It's very important that you all stay out of this section as much as possible." Mrs Dallon explained, gesturing to the Empire's portion of the map. "While I'm sure not everyone living here shares the same opinion as the Empire, it would be safest to assume that all businesses operating here will not tolerate your… relationship. We'd prefer to keep any and all future dates you may have in the boardwalk and surrounding areas." She gestured to the territory labelled as PRT Green Zone. "And not to idle jazz clubs in the middle of nowhere." She added, shooting a side glance at Lisa.
"Understood, Ma'am," Lisa said with a two-finger mock salute. Mrs Dallon didn't comment on her response.
"Now Victoria is trained to handle herself in dangerous situations." Mr Dallon said, nodding to his daughter. "But you can't assume that she'll be around all the time. All it takes is one idiot trying something stupid because they see you alone. So, we can organise some self-defence classes."
"Taylor and I have been taking classes together already." Lisa cut in with a cheery smile. The statement prompted Mr Dallon to give a questioning look. "Work offered us free classes, I got her to sign up with me back when she joined the team."
Taylor nodded. In truth, Lisa and Brian had trained Taylor on the basics back during her first weeks in the Undersiders, so it wasn't a total fabrication. "I've been carrying pepper spray on me for a few years now." Taylor chimed in, pulling out the little bottle from her pocket. "Dad won't let me leave the house without it. It is Brockton Bay after all."
Mr Dallon nodded in approval to that before handing a card each to Taylor and Lisa.
"This is New Wave's personal numbers." Mrs Dallon explained as the girls inspected the cards. "Not the one you find on our website; this one is a direct line to myself and Mark. The second number is to my sister and her husband. It's for emergencies only. Do not give this out to anyone else."
Taylor nodded a little slower, understanding the strict implication of not betraying Mrs Dallon's trust.
"We recommend saving those numbers to speed dial," Mark said with the same strict seriousness in his tone. "Night or day, call or just text us an address and New Wave will be right there."
Lisa pulled out her civilian phone and entered the numbers into her contact list. Taylor did the same, feeling a little bad for having superhero speed dial on her Undersiders work phone. She never did get around to buying a spare phone, having one was blasphemous enough.
Mr Dallon looked at his wife. "What else? Are we missing anything?"
"I think that's all." Mrs Dallon nodded back before turning to the girls. "If you have any other questions? Or concerns, don't hesitate to voice them. Again, none of this is to scare you, simply to make you aware of the dangers that surround… that family." She sighed in a very tired way.
"Now, I'm sure that was a lot to take in." Mr Dallon said. "So we'll let you girls go decompress and relax."
Vicky took the opportunity to get away and ran with it.
"Great, we'll be in my room." She said, standing to a hover but quickly returning to the ground before her mother said anything. Vicky looked between Taylor and Lisa, gesturing out of the dining room and towards the stairs. "Come on, this way. Oh, do either of you want some coffee or something?" Vicky asked, acting as the host for her two girlfriends.
"Tea?" Taylor asked. Victoria nodded but it was Mr Dallon who moved to collect some mugs from the cupboard.
"An aspirin," Lisa groaned, rubbing her forehead. Keeping her voice low to not arouse suspicion. "Or two. If you have any?"
Vicky took a moment to understand why Lisa had requested that but she nodded a little more seriously and pointed towards the stairs again. "Think we have aspirin in the bathroom. I'll get you some."
Taylor followed the other two girls upstairs as Mr Dallon waved her off. The man was content to bring the drinks up for them as Taylor fought between her need to be respectful versus her desire not to be left alone. Victoria reached the first door and swung it open, motioning the girls inside.
"This is my room," She said while backing away and letting the girls through. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back with your pills."
Lisa chuckled slightly then winced, Taylor rubbed her shoulder softly. She'd seen Lisa have enough thinker headaches to recognise what she was going through. Leading the blonde girl to the bed, Taylor inspected the bedroom properly. She hadn't seen the room yet with her bugs, Taylor had mastered the art of pulling insects out of any bedrooms and bathrooms she came across, to give people some semblance of privacy in their lives.
Victoria's bedroom was not how Taylor had imagined it. Taylor had expected the entire room to be in 'Glory Girl White-and-Gold,' with silk sheets and fluffy pillows scattered haphazardly all around the bed. Perhaps a wall of newspaper clippings of all Victoria's major cape battles and awards she'd received while on New Wave duty.
Taylor admitted she may imagine a tad too much 'Glory Girlness' in her idea. The actual bedroom was rather plain in comparison. While the bed looked comfortable, it didn't have any particular theme to it or an overabundance of fluffy pillows. While Victoria had a handful of pictures of her in costume, most of them were of her appearing for charity work or posing with fans rather than any 'epic battles' she might've had. There were trophies, but not to the superhero. A shelf was littered with old-school sports trophies, mainly basketball related but a few for other things.
And that shelf. The sheer number of books caught Taylor's eyes immediately. It still paled in comparison to Taylor's room but she owned a small library thanks to her mother. Victoria had half a wall of texts, ranging from classic literature to parahuman science. It was no secret to Taylor that Vicky was kind of a nerd when it came to parahumans, but she still admired Victoria's commitment to her interests.
Victoria walked back into the room and handed Lisa two pills. "Do you need a glass of water? I think Dad's coming-"
Lisa swallowed both tablets dry and shook her head. Patting Vicky's hand in thanks before lying down on her bed. Victoria gave Taylor a concerned look, Taylor responded by making a calming gesture, letting Vicky know that this was somewhat normal for Lisa and to just let her relax.
Mr Dallon appeared by the door shortly after, holding a tray of three cups of tea and a coffee. "Wasn't sure how you girls like your tea," Mr Dallon said while he handed out a cup for everyone. He raised an eyebrow at Lisa but chose not to comment, placing her cup by Victoria's bed. "Victoria likes hers sweet, so it's got sugar and milk in it."
"Thanks, Dad," Victoria said with a smile. Taylor picked up that perhaps Mr Dallon was going the extra mile for them and it made Vicky happy.
"Call out if you need anything else." He said, picking up the tray that still had a coffee on it. "And let us know if either of you are staying for dinner, we have plenty of food left over." He chuckled to himself. "Or the night. We have a spare mattress somewhere in the attic?" He said as if he wasn't entirely sure. "Have fun." He added before shutting the door. Taylor could see him walking further down the hall, delivering the remaining coffee to Amy's bedroom.
There was a long silence as all three girls listened to the footsteps of Mr Dallon as he eventually walked back from Amy's room and down the stairs. Once it became clear to everyone that no one was listening in on the girls, they all let out a collective sigh.
-----------------------------------
"Oh my god…" Vicky sighed. The tension lifted from her shoulders. She looked over to her girlfriends. Taylor was doing her poker-face 'emotion thing' which meant that she was hiding from something and Lisa was currently groaning in pain as she napped on Victoria's bed. "I'm so… so sorry about today. I knew it was going to be awkward but…" She cringed and waved her hand to finish her sentence.
Vicky looked towards Taylor. "Are you okay, Tay?" She asked with soft concern in her voice.
Taylor tilted her head slightly and said, "I'm fine." The monotone manner betrayed the emotion that she was hiding. Victoria held her gaze, urging Taylor to be more open and honest. Taylor let out another little sigh. "I'm a little nervous about that photoshoot your Mom mentioned, I guess."
Victoria nodded in understanding. While she had done many photoshoots, Taylor wasn't as comfortable with being in the spotlight. She remembered the small panic attack that Taylor had in the cafeteria the first day Vicky brought Taylor to her lunch table, realising that Taylor was most likely, underselling how nervous she was about the whole idea.
"It's alright," Vicky said, placing a calming hand on Taylor's shoulder. "It was just a suggestion. We don't have to-"
Taylor shook her head, shifting her posture to project more confidence. "Your Mother was right. People are going to find out about us eventually, might as well let New Wave control the PR instead of the other way around. It'll be more trouble in the long run if we do nothing. Don't worry about me." There was a scary resolution in Taylor's eyes that made Victoria think she was talking to Skitter, but it fluttered away as quickly as it came. "I'll handle it… somehow."
"And what about you, Lisa? Are you okay with this photoshoot?" Vicky asked, turning to the other girl. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she saw her. Unsure if Lisa had fallen asleep or not. Lisa was curled up in a fetal position on her bed. Victoria frowned in concern but she knew about Thinker headaches, both from first-hand accounts and the books she'd read.
Lisa tried to nod but winced as her head moved. "Ar… yeah." She groaned, lying as still as she could be. "Taylor's right. Your Mom is right. I don't know what the long-term consequences will be either way. But we'll figure it out together, right?"
Lisa opened one eye to look up at Vicky, a small smile on her face as Lisa reached out to hold Victoria's hand. She squeezed the hand as she closed her eye again, letting Vicky know that she was still awake and aware of the conversation.
"Is anyone you- uh, work with going to be bothered by this public announcement?" Victoria asked, looking between Lisa and Taylor.
"You mentioned some people knew your face?" Taylor added, looking in concern to Lisa.
Lisa waved the comment away tiredly. "No one stupid enough to out me. If that's your concern." She chuckled briefly and winced at the pain it added to her migraine. "The boss might be a little pissed with me. I should probably inform him before it becomes public knowledge." She shook Vicky's hand to get her attention. "Might be asked to spy on your family. Or something equally stupid and evil. I'll just feed them some bullshit."
Lisa's boss…
While the Undersiders' secret employer was a question that was at the forefront of Vicky's mind, a smaller tidbit of information was handed out today during lunch. Lisa had told an awfully familiar story to her parents, about Lisa's parents, and an 'uncle' that got her the job, practically 'forced her' into it.
Victoria pulled up her phone to be sure, scrolling through weeks of texts way back to one of the first real conversations she had with Lisa. It wasn't a one-to-one comparison to the 'lie' that Lisa had constructed, but Victoria could read between the lines.
"Lisa?" Victoria asked, looking back down at the girl from her phone. "How much of this is true?"
Taylor looked up, interested in the discussion and what was on the phone. Lisa opened her eye again and looked at the text message.
"Shiiiiit." Lisa groaned.
"Lisa? Be honest with me." Victoria asked again. The returning fear and care came back to her as she did the first time she read it. Only this time compounded by the fact that Victoria actually liked Lisa this time.
"All of it," Lisa admitted. Victoria felt several emotions run through her. Sorrow for her loss, annoyed at the truth being twisted right under her nose and angry as the mysterious person who had threatened… was threatening Lisa. She had to do something, this wouldn't stand.
"Don't," Lisa mumbled, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze, much tighter this time. Victoria was about to argue with Lisa, was she really expecting Victoria to sit back and do nothing?
Lisa's eyes flicked towards Taylor and then back to Vicky. Her frightened eyes told Victoria exactly what Lisa was trying to say.
"What's true?" Taylor asked, looking between the two girls. She picked up on the tension between them but had no idea of the context… yet.
Victoria was angry, she wanted to find Lisa's boss and beat them within an inch of his life. Lock them up and throw away the key. She wanted them dead, in the figurative sense of the word. For all of Victoria's anger and occasional lapses in brutality, she had no desire to become a killer. Would Taylor have any such restrictions? When it came to protecting people she cared about? She liked to believe that Taylor wasn't capable of becoming a killer, but Lisa's panicked eyes told a different story.
'Don't tell Taylor. Let me handle this.'
Victoria let out a calming sigh and put her phone away. Turning to Taylor to come up with an explanation. "Lisa told me about her family, back when we first met. But as a lie." Victoria said a half-truth to placate Taylor. "I only just realised today that it was the actual truth." She shot Lisa an annoyed 'we'll talk about this later' look.
"Oh, right," Taylor said, looking down. "Not the happiest story in the world." Lisa relaxed as Taylor bought the explanation, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze as thanks or an apology. Both worked for Vicky.
There was a short period of silence between all three girls before Lisa pulled herself up from the bed and shuffled over to her cup of tea.
"Feeling better?" Taylor asked, placing her now empty cup down on Vicky's study desk and moving to sit next to Lisa.
Lisa nodded into her tea but still rubbed her head. "Aspirin's kicking in now. I just need to remember not to do my thing for the rest of the day." She grinned again to show that everything was okay. "My fault really. I kept telling it to shut up and then I hear something new and have to dig into it. It's karma for being so nosy."
Victoria frowned at that statement, she was already on edge most days when it came to Lisa's mind reading, but exposing her family to it was another layer of worrying. "I'm not sure if I should be concerned that you're admitting to being nosy or just thankful that you didn't 'do your thing' when my parents were questioning you."
Lisa flashed a toothy grin, but it had layers of anxiety all over it.
"But seriously, thank you," Victoria continued. "Both of you. For putting up with this whole thing. I know my family can be a little… crazy." Lisa made a noise that was half cough, half nervous giggle. "And I know Mom can come off as a little strong. Especially considering what it is you two do. And Dad can be…" Victoria wasn't sure how much she wanted to talk about on that front, even if Lisa might've picked it up already.
"Your Dad's cool," Taylor said with a soft smile. Lisa nodded in agreement, perhaps to only keep Victoria happy. "And your Mom is… stern, but I understand that. I'd probably be the same in her position. It was a bit of a stressful lunch, but only because they care."
Vicky's smile grew on her face as even Lisa nodded along. She could tell that Lisa had more to say on that front but changed her mind.
"You're Dad's certainly a step up from my old man. Not that that's saying much." Lisa said, giving an awkward smile at the cheerless joke. "My Dad would never have brought tea up to my room for my friends." She waved her now empty cup to make a point. "Not to mention, leaving us alone in your room. Good to know Flashbang isn't a shotgun father." Lisa chuckled properly at that one.
Victoria turned back to her door for the first time since she walked in there. Only now realising that it was left shut.
"Wait?" Vicky asked herself. "When I dated Dean, my parents were adamant about keeping the door open whenever he was over. Like, Mom would walk by the door every hour to check in on us. Now I bring two girls over and they shut the door? Not only that but they even offered them to stay and sleep over? A spare mattress, for where? My own room? Should I be offended or happy? Did they just not trust Dean or do they not see this as a real relationship?"
Taylor shrugged but shook her head at the idea that Victoria's parents weren't taking them seriously. Lisa giggled a little louder at the question.
"You do know your mother is quite young, right?" Lisa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah?" Victoria asked, not yet getting it. Though Taylor was already beginning to blush.
Lisa rolled her eyes and spelt it out for her. "She was worried about you and Dean… following in her footsteps." She said with air-finger quotes. "It's not like they don't care about us but they don't 'care' in that way. Your dad is actually happier that you're dating us rather than another boy. Although, heads up. You're gonna get 'the talk' again once we leave." She smirked at that last addition, relishing in Victoria's reaction.
Victoria flinched from the memory of her parents sitting her down to give her the 'talk.' Back when she started dating Dean. She didn't know why she had to be subjected to it again now that she was dating women but she sure as hell was not looking forward to that awkward conversation.
Taylor reached a hand to Victoria in support. "I think my Dad tried to do the same thing last night. I don't really who it was more awkward for, him or me." She let out a soft chuckle at the memory. "Either way, it shows that your parents support you. The fact that your dad gives us some privacy is cool. Like I said, your dad's cool."
Victoria relaxed again as both girls agreed with the statement. Her dad was cool, on the good days. Both her parents were in their own way. As painful as this lunch was, she was glad that her girlfriends still felt positive about her family. That was until Lisa spoke again.
"Amy's fucking crazy though."
--------------------------------------------------------------
The headache remained but Lisa could function. It was easier to keep her power off when the alternative was pain, there was less risk of curiosity getting the better of her. Of course, there were downsides to having her power off, the main one being her inability to read people.
Victoria stood tense as she stared back at Lisa. Perhaps if she used her powers before speaking, Lisa might've been more aware of what kind of landmine she just stepped on by raising her concerns. But between the intense frown on her face and the waves of anger radiating from Victoria's emotional aura, Lisa was confident that she had made a mistake in her approach.
It was hard keeping silent on the matter all lunch. The never-ending wave of information that came from Amy didn't stop at learning about her obsession with Taylor. Drip by drip, Lisa learned just how depressed, angry, tortured and insane Vicky's little sister actually was under her tired mask. Combined with an in-depth analysis of what Panacea could actually do and Lisa might as well have been dining alongside Nilbog.
However, before Lisa could even think about defusing that ticking time bomb of a hero, she had to work out how to get out of the one she just lit.
"Lisa…" Victoria said with restrained anger in her voice. "Look. I l-, uh, like you. A lot… and I know you've probably picked up a lot of things about my family. Things that I might even agree with, privately. I… appreciate you not going all Tattletale on them during lunch. But when it comes to my sister." Victoria clenched her fist as she tried to calm down. "Be very careful with what you're about to say."
Angry, pissed. Will accept any excuse/apology. Amy Dallon is her favourite person. Loves her sister. Will side with sister over-
There was a sharp pain in Lisa's head as her power cut out. It had been stretched to its limits for today and now Lisa was paying for it.
"Ah, fuck." Lisa winced, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Sorry. Wait!" She held up her other hand in surrender. "That came out wrong. Just- fuck me this hurts. Let me explain."
Victoria crossed her arms, her frown wavering. A combination of giving Lisa the benefit of the doubt and being concerned about her thinker headache gave Lisa time to formulate a plan.
'She obviously had no idea of the extreme side of Amy. And bringing them up is more likely to start an argument rather than do anything productive. How do I get her to understand my concerns? Get her away from Taylor? No, even Taylor wants to be her friend. Fuck! Okay, think. What do I need? Information, how much is Victoria already aware of? Let's start with that.'
"I meant…" Lisa began, looking back up at Victoria. "Her power is… crazy."
This threw Victoria's anger off. It still confused and annoyed her, Victoria already was awestruck by her sister's abilities, and power talk was always a fun topic for the cape geek.
"Like, biokinesis?" Lisa explained. "That's wild. And dangerous as all hell. Did you know about that? She can modify people's genes, grow extra limbs, create super-viruses, all kinds of life if she wanted to. She could give you cancer, merge you into a giant ball of flesh and then liquefy you with a handshake if she wanted." Lisa tried to hold in the panic in her voice and failed.
Victoria and Taylor turned to each other with a confused eyebrow raised before Vicky replied. "Yeah?… And I can punch holes through people's chests? Taylor could… eat a person alive with her bugs. A lot of powers are scary when you think about them. And Amy's biokinesis is not exactly a secret."
"Well, it was to me," Lisa said back, annoyance in her voice. "I thought she just healed people. Not controlled any biomatter she touched. Maybe put that on New Wave's website next time?"
"We don't really advertise the specifics of our powers," Victoria said. "Just like how we don't tell people the specifics of my forcefield. Panacea heals and I'm invincible. That's all people want to hear. Besides, why is it such a big?-"
"Oh shit," Taylor said, looking at Vicky. "Amy knows she's a parahuman."
Victoria gasped as she looked at Taylor and then to Lisa. "Oh shit!" She echoed. "I completely forgot about that. That's why you froze up. You shook hands. Oh crap."
"And it didn't help her opinion of me, that's for sure," Lisa added with an annoyed and nervous chuckle.
"Alright. Crap." Victoria said to herself. "I'll uh… I'll talk to her."
"Maybe we should all go?" Taylor suggested. "We could all sit down with her and-"
"No, no. That's a terrible idea." Lisa cut in. "That wasn't the only stuff I picked up about her and if she knows that I know then it'll make everything worse."
Victoria's frown returned. "Explain?" The threat in her voice was evident.
'Okay, so she knows about the power. They both did. Shows what happens when you ignore the healer because they're not as active on the cape scene. Alright, new approach. Vicky loves Amy, so let's get Amy some help. Help that is far, far away from Taylor.'
"She's depressed." Lisa blurted out. Victoria's frown fell down as she flicked between offended and concerned.
'Fucking hell Lisa. Try to use a little more tact than that.'
"Not like… him. But still. We should be worried." Lisa added.
"Depressed?" Victoria asked, shaking her head in denial. "I know she's not the most expressive girl but she's not…" She looked into Lisa's eyes, both hoping it was a sick joke and knowing full well it wasn't. "Depressed… Really?"
Lisa nodded, she wasn't sure how she was going to weave the 'obsessed with Taylor' part in without upsetting both girls, so she stuck to Amy's unhappy mental state.
"How?" Taylor asked, also concerned for her friend. "I mean…" She went quiet, if anyone knew that depression wasn't always situational, it was Taylor.
"She's lonely, she feels like an outcast in her adopted family," Lisa said, listing some possible explanations, turning back to Victoria. "She compares her life to yours. She's… very jealous. But she loves you. A lot." Lisa tried to make her words sting less, it would be so easy to twist all this knowledge into blackmail for Panacea or a weapon to be used on Glory Girl. But Tattletale wasn't that cruel, and Lisa would never.
Victoria was silent for another short while. Lisa considered activating her power again to know if she could continue but the headache reminded her not to.
"Dean's said the same to me… before," Vicky said with a slight sniffle. "I always thought he was exaggerating. I never… I should've…" Taylor reached out and wrapped Victoria in a hug. "Amy's always been the best of us. Works the hardest out of all of us. Saves the most lives out of anyone. Why doesn't she say anything?"
"She throws herself into her work. Hoping it'll distract her from life." Taylor said. Taking a guess right out of Taylor's own experiences on Amy's motivation.
"Correct," Lisa said, pointing to Taylor. "Except in this case, I think she hates her work. Like, really fucking hates her work. Panacea is on the fast track to burnout and when that happens… well. Like I said. Amy's fucking crazy." Lisa didn't need powers to tell her how upset it made Victoria. Bringing the entire mood down like that. "Luckily, there's an easy fix," Lisa added, forcing a smile.
Victoria and Taylor back to her with hope in their eyes.
"Well, not easy. But something we, uh, you can do." Lisa corrected herself. "Amy just needs more… friends. That isn't adjacent to you and the hospital. She needs a space that's completely separate from her home-slash-cape life." She made a cutting motion to drive in the point. "Also maybe some actual therapy, but that's none of my business," Lisa added quickly.
"Al-alright," Victoria said, taking a breath. "I guess I have two things to talk about with her."
"Sorry," Lisa said, reaching out to grab Victoria's hand again. Taylor moved backwards on the bed, reaching out to Victoria also, allowing Victoria to climb in and form a little handholding circle among the three. "We came here to relax and I just spoiled the mood. I just needed to say something…"
Victoria shook her head. "No, I'm glad. Thank you. I just wish I realised it sooner. And wished I knew how to fix it. Maybe I'll talk to Mom about-"
"No!" Lisa yelped out before quieting down. "Uh, Amy and your Mother don't have the um, best relationship? It's probably for the best you be the one to approach Amy. She trusts you."
There was still more to say on the matter, but Lisa could tell that Victoria could only handle so much information on her sister. Lisa could only hope that this little push didn't lead Amy to do anything… drastic.
'Amy loves Victoria. She'll listen to her. Vicky is the best chance of calming her down and protecting Taylor and myself.'
There was another period of silence, where all three girls didn't know what to say to each other. Lisa felt bad for ruining the mood so thoroughly. She scanned the room for anything of interest that would help, spotting a rose in a pot by Victoria's' window. The same rose Lisa had left in her locker when she asked her out on a date. Lisa couldn't help smiling at the flower.
"So, any ideas for what we're gonna do on our next date?" She asked between the two girls. "We still want to stay low profile till New Wave makes an announcement, right? That kinda cuts down on potential date locations."
Taylor thought to herself before she said, "Well, my Dad wants to meet you both soon? I know we just had one awkward lunch but…" She trailed off, probably thinking it was an unappealing idea.
"I'd love to meet your father," Vicky said with a gentle smile.
"Count me in." Lisa agreed.
"Alright," Taylor said, confidence returning in her voice. "I'll let him know. We can do something simple, after school one day. Lisa, I'll send you the address. We'll meet you there."
"Already know it," Lisa said back smugly. "No fair though, I'll have to drive while you get to fly air-Vicky."
"Hmm?" Victoria said, thinking to herself. "Ha, I guess I haven't flown with you yet. Remind me next time we're out. I'll give you the tour of the city."
"Looking forward to it," Lisa said. "Other than that. I can't introduce you to my folks, but maybe I'll introduce you to the Undersiders one day. Grue cooks a mean pot roast." She laughed at the mental image, and Taylor joined in too. Lisa wasn't being serious about the offer, Victoria was hesitant to interact with the other members and she doubted that the team would be thrilled to eat dinner with a hero.
"I don't want to intrude on your lair," Victoria said, waving the mock offer away with a smile. "Wouldn't mind meeting your uncle though…" She added, squeezing Lisa's hand. Both as a threat and a promise.
------------------------------------------
Deep Underneath Brockton Bay – The Following Morning
"Good morning, pet. You know my usual questions."
Coil listened as the girl ran off her usual numbers. In another reality he stood in his office, collecting some idle documents from his desk before he got set in with his day. The numbers were good. All within acceptable perimeters. His business would strive, his assets remained undetected, his enemies unmoving and his life-
"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."
Coil froze mid-stride to his desk. He turned back to look at his pet and shut that reality down. In his current one, he dropped the paperwork where he stood and moved. Not quite a walk, but not exactly a sprint, Coil sped down to where he kept his pet.
Another split, one Coil entered the room while another waited outside. Both with a singular purpose. There were only so many questions he could ask, only so many chances he had to narrow down on his target. Even his abilities had limits. He thought hard about the possible suspects, what could've changed between the days and weeks. First, he needed confirmation, it would be silly to put so much effort only to realise he misheard.
Coil knelt down to his pet and asked her calmly. "What is the chance of me dying this week?"
"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."
Chapter 21: She gives good advice.
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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C/W: Some depression talk and a very mild self-harm mention.
The Dallon Household – Morning
Amy awoke to a buzz emitting from her phone. She rubbed her eyes and groaned as she reached over for the device on the bedside table. The message was still blinking away at her.
Your parcel has arrived.
Amy shot up from her bed and scrambled to get dressed. She pulled on a shirt, pants and a hoodie before rushing out of the bedroom. Tip-toeing past her sister's bedroom as so not to wake her, she snuck downstairs as quietly as she could be.
It was still early morning, Vicky and Dad were still expected to be in bed and Amy could hear the sound of Carol moving about her office. Confident that no one would be watching her, Amy snuck downstairs and peeked her head out of the front door.
A small box was waiting for her. Amy quickly snatched it, hugging the parcel tightly under her arm as she absconded back to her room. Tip-toeing again as she made it up the stairs and quietly shutting the bedroom door behind her.
Amy let out a short sigh of relief as she closed the door.
'Mission accomplished' She thought to herself.
She placed the box on her bed and inspected her parcel. It wasn't the first time Amy had risked buying something online without anyone knowing. Amy had a collection of all manner of 'contraband' as she called it. Most of it was harmless, she simply had no desire to explain her purchases to Carol, who would no doubt give Amy a lecture on frivolous spending or some such crap, on top of giving Amy her signature look of disapproval at whatever hobby she was interested in this month.
Amy much preferred sneaking around the house to avoid having the rest of the family nosing in on her business. Sure, there were one or two purchases that Amy would have a lot more trouble explaining. A collection of manga with questionable subject matter, several attempts at a handmade Dean/Gallant Voodoo doll, complete with multiple pins through the crotch and a bootleg action figure of Glory Girl that advertised itself to be 'anatomically correct.'
That aside her latest purchase was rather tame, if not odd. Amy reached over to a small multi-tool pocket knife on her desk and began cutting the box open. This month's purchase was from a local cosmetics store, she knew about from Vicky's charity modelling gig she did every now and then. Inside the box was a small collection of makeup and a wig. A long, black-haired wig.
Amy was never one to use makeup, that was more her sister's domain. Vicky had tried in the past to get her into the act and for a short while Amy went along with it. Mainly as an excuse to spend time with Victoria and watch her get even prettier at the same time, however, Amy never particularly cared for putting any on herself.
Between Vicky's old advice and a YouTube tutorial on her phone, Amy attempted to apply her newly bought makeup. The collection was aimed at hiding her freckles and making herself appear paler than usual. Combined with the right outfit and the wig, Amy would end up looking like, Victoria's girlfriend.
One of her girlfriends' at least.
This entire plan was formed in Amy's head before she learned about the existence of the second woman. Lisa.
The blonde threw a wrench into all her plans. Amy wanted to emulate Victoria's girlfriend, to become the type of girl her sister was into. Now Amy didn't know what Vicky liked in a girl.
Taylor was cute enough but was such an odd pick. Lisa on the other hand was attractive, in the traditional sense. Amy wasn't sure if that made her more or less jealous. She made much more sense for Vicky to date, the two were closely similar in looks and personality. Obviously, Victoria was still better in every way, comparing a 10 to a 7 but still, this Lisa seemed like the conventionally attractive and normal girl that someone would date.
Normal, with the exception of her parahuman nature. Amy picked it up upon shaking hands with the girl. Lisa had kept quiet about her abilities all while Carol and Dad were interrogating her and Vicky made no mention of it. While there was a chance that Lisa was hiding her powers from everyone, Lisa was already aware of Taylor's abilities. So the odds that the girls didn't know about hers were slim to none.
What could Amy do about it? She'd already outed Taylor to the PRT without her permission and was suffering the consequences for it. There was no way she could bring it up without Carol jumping down on her. But it was suspicious, right?
Victoria was dating not one but two unknown parahumans. What were the chances that they were unrelated? How did Vicky meet her again? A work friend of Taylor's? They weren't Wards, Amy knew that much. There was always the chance that they were villains?…
Amy laughed at that thought. Her sister, Glory Girl, dating villains. Plural. There was no way in hell that was the case. Amy shunted that thought into the void, but there was a connection there.
Victoria was a nerd. She was the biggest goddamn parahuman nerd that Amy ever knew. That was the connection. First Dean, then Taylor and now Lisa. Vicky was interested in Parahumans. And Amy was a parahuman, therefore… she'd gone in a circle and was back to square one.
'Fuck it, stick with plan A'
Amy pulled the wig over her head and shifted it into position. While the wig and makeup would help her look a bit more like Taylor, there were still things she couldn't change about herself. Too short, too fat, no glasses. Her outfit would hide some of that. A collection of dark clothes that she'd seen Taylor wearing at school. The girl liked her long sleeves and hoodies, the shit was too hot with the approaching summer heat. Amy made a mental note to find out what the hell Taylor wore during summer because she'd die in this get-up.
Regardless, she wore the outfit. She had to see what it looked like when it all came together. Call it the sunk-cost fallacy but Amy had spent too much of her allowance to give up now. Looking at herself in the mirror, it was a work in progress. It wasn't exactly right, it still looked too much like Amy wearing a cheap black wig and not Taylor. It needed something… more.
"Hey…" Amy said to her reflection. Clearing her throat to try again. "H-hey Vicky."
Still too much Amy in that. She slouched herself forward, pretending to be a tall girl who tried to hide from the world.
"Hello, Vicky," Amy said again. "What do you think of the new look?"
'Hmm, needs something more.'
Taylor wasn't like Amy. Both were quiet introverts but Taylor was some super mega awkward nerd who constantly forgot how to be human. It wasn't enough to look and pose like Taylor, Amy needed to become the weird girl. She could somehow mute all her emotions at will, Amy suspected her parahuman abilities were the cause, perhaps some secondary effect to go along with her 'super awareness.'
'Urgh, she can see and hear everything around her. I'm gonna have to be extra careful watching her from now on.'
Placing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, Amy looked down at her feet and tried to imagine what it'd be like to live like Taylor.
"Vicky…" Amy mumbled quietly. She did her best Taylor impression, trying her best to sound as monotone as she could. "How's it going? Wait no… uh, how's things? Yeah, just trying something new. What do you think?"
Amy imagined the responses her sister might give, in a perfect world. Complementing her on the new look, finding her cute. Forgetting all about Taylor and whatsherface second girl. She had her own Taylor at home, and it was better. It was Amy.
"Yeah. I like you too." Amy said, fully immersed in the daydream. "It's not weird. We're just… different." Amy had closed her eyes, picturing the scenario in her head like she'd done so many times before in so many ways. "We're more than sisters. We're special. You're so special, Vicky… so very…" She leaned forward, pressing her lips towards the mirror.
Right at that moment, her bedroom door slammed open. Amy jumped like a startled cat and tore the wig from her head with a speed that would make Legend impressed. Unfortunately, it got caught and only succeeded in blinding her face with hair.
"It's not what it looks like!" Amy immediately called out, she still didn't know which family member she was talking to. "I'm just trying out some… thing? Someone sent me this as a joke! It's bad fan mail! I was going to trash it! Just thought it'd be funny, right? Haha, it's so stupid…"
Amy tried to think of any and every excuse she could think of all the while hoping that it was just Dad, sleepwalking in a depressed daze. Or Carol, she'd just roll her eyes and bitch. Anyone but-
"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"
Anyone but her…
------------------------------------------------
'Amy is depressed.'
The thought kept Vicky up most of the night after her girlfriends left. It was an awful thought to have, the only solace that Lisa had given was that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as her father's depression.
She paced back and forth in her room, thinking of how to approach the conversation with her sister. She was never good at dealing with delicate things like this. The fact that Amy hadn't mentioned it to her was just as concerning as the fact itself. They shared everything with each other, they were sisters. More than sisters, as Amy sometimes put it, they were best friends.
The idea that Amy was struggling all this time and Victoria didn't see. She felt horrible. She was the worst sister, no doubt about it. What kind of idiot couldn't pick on their own sister's deteriorating mental state? How long was Amy like this? Couldn't Vicky see the signs or was she just blissfully blind to everything?
Well no more!
Amy deserved better. She had no idea how she was going to help Amy, but she needed to try. From today onwards, Victoria was going to become the sister Amy needed. She would be attentive and supportive.
The first step was getting Amy some much-deserved space that Lisa mentioned. Convincing Amy to reduce the amount of hours spent at the hospital so that she had the time to relax. Maybe find a way to convince Mom to send Amy to therapy.
Vicky sighed, even after all the years living with Dad, she still had no idea how to approach depression. It was a delicate situation and Victoria wasn't known for being delicate, preferring to barge right in and confront her issues head-on. She knew this was going to be awkward, but it had to be done.
Victoria steadied herself and left to enter Amy's room. During the short walk down the hall, Vicky tried to think up a plan of attack. By the time she got to the door, she had none. So she channelled her inner Glory Girl and projected heroic confidence.
Amy jumped in surprise as Victoria barged it. Face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to hide, but it was too late. Vicky had already seen it. Amy stood in front of her mirror, wearing the darkest clothes Vicky had ever seen her sister wear. Her face was made up to be several shades lighter than usual, giving her a ghostly white appearance and it was topped off with a long black wig. The wig's style mimicked Taylor's hair, in colour and length at least. But it was far too straight to resemble anything like Taylor's actual hair. It caught on Amy's head as she flung herself, the hair blinding the girl.
"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"
The look was not good, to put it mildly. Victoria was stunned silent upon seeing her sister's new look. Amy looked like she was trying to mimic the style of an early 2000s punk band and failing miserably.
All this brought several questions to Victoria's mind, such as what kind of music did her sister like? And when did she even buy that awful wig? Amy launched into her excuses, mumbling like a fool as to why she was wearing such a wig and what she was doing in her room before now. But all Victoria could think was.
'How have I never seen the signs!? Vicky, you idiot! Amy is literally going through an Emo phase!'
-----------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – A few hours later
Taylor felt the buzzing of her phone in her back pocket. She wasn't exactly in a position to answer the call. Dodging backwards, Skitter toyed with the lone ABB member that she had drawn out. The man was swinging wildly as all manner of creepy crawlies ran up his leg. The distraction allowed Skitter to get in some much-needed practice in the art of baton combat. A solid 'thunk' sent the man to the floor.
With the thug incapacitated, Taylor reached into her back pocket to check the caller ID. She smiled behind her mask as she saw Vicky's name light up. She debated briefly how wise it would be to answer the phone call in the middle of a job but everything was under control and she had the spare time. Taylor flipped the phone up and remembered to speak up through the mask.
"Hey, what's up?" Taylor asked, trying her best to sound casual.
"Tay!" Vicky whined back, "Are you busy?"
Taylor was aware of three incoming threats to her current location, all of them tagged and unarmed. Skitter split her swarm and directed a counterattack.
"No," Taylor said with a smile. It wasn't a lie, she could easily manage a phone call right now. "I always have time for you."
"Great!" Victoria sighed with relief. "I just need somebody to vent to. This morning has been so…" She let out another exasperated sigh.
"What's wrong?" Taylor asked, true concern coming through her voice.
"Just… Amy." Vicky said back. "I spoke to her about… you know. What Lisa said."
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah…"
There was a long pause where Taylor waited for Vicky to continue. During that time, the swarms descended upon their targets. Taylor covered her phone's mic as all three gang members screamed out in terror.
"Am I stupid?" Victoria finally asked.
"No," Taylor said firmly, reacting on instinct to defend Vicky from herself. "No, why would you think that?"
"Because I didn't see any of this? B-but now that Lisa pointed it out…" Taylor could hear the words catching in Vicky's throat, she could tell how upset she was about this revelation. "It's so obvious. And I've just been waving it off. Worse, I've been joking with everyone that my sister is a little anti-social when she's actually been… been…"
"You're not stupid for not realising, Vicky," Taylor said back, making sure that no one was in earshot of her conversation. "Amy's good at hiding her feelings, I can relate. No one noticed till Lisa did her thing. That's what her power does, she can find the worst parts of us and plucks them from our heads. And you often see the best in people, which makes sense why you wouldn't realise."
Taylor hoped that her argument came off as the compliment she intended and not as an awkward way of putting down both her girlfriends at once. She internally cringed after speaking but directed that useless energy to the bugs that were chasing three men away.
"Look, my point is," Taylor cut in again before Vicky could think about what she just said. "You're not stupid. You care about Amy, always have."
"Yeah… you're right." Victoria agreed. "Thanks, Tay."
"So, what did you talk about with Amy?"
"Mainly just confirming what Lisa already told me," Victoria explained. "She agreed that she's… unhappy with her life at the moment. That the hospital work is draining her and that she isn't opposed to the idea of having a new friend or two."
Two more cars drove up to the building from where Taylor was standing. A small squad of ABB reinforcements parked up. Skitter could count seven men in total, She forwarded that information through her bugs to the rest of her team who were busy breaking into a panic room on a higher floor.
The Undersiders were currently tasked with a snatch & grab/kidnapping/rescuing. An ABB lawyer or some such could see the writing on the wall and wanted to jump ship, contacted the Undersiders to help stage a kidnapping to make it look involuntary. Taylor didn't really care for the specifics beyond that it'd hurt the ABB's dwindling revenue stream. Saving one dirty lawyer to wound the second biggest gang in Brockton felt like an easy trade.
"There you go," Taylor said. "Admitting she needs help is the first step… so I'm told."
"But she didn't admit that," Vicky whined again. "I had to basically force her to say she was 'unhappy' with her current situation. She's so closed off. Much more than I ever realised. It's like, what else isn't she telling me?"
Skitter formed the bugs around Tattletale's feet, spelling out the words, 'Are you done yet?'
Tattletale shook her head, trying to coax out the door lock code with her power. Skitter suppressed a sigh as she prepared her swarm for the oncoming battle. Not that bullets would do anything to protect them from her.
"It's hard to talk about," Taylor said back. "You've opened the door to the conversation. Just… give her time to open up."
"I just… don't understand how it got this bad. We used to be so close. Whenever I got upset, it was always Amy who was the first to know. And we used to tell each other everything. Like, she knows secrets about me that I wouldn't even share with you. No offence."
"None taken."
A wall of bugs blocked off the entrance to the building. Trapping all seven men inside the first floor of the building. Skitter could hear the gunfire from where she was sitting but thankfully Vicky didn't pick up on it.
"And now I feel like we've slowly drifted apart and it's all my fault for never noticing her problems. Like, I didn't even tell her that I was gay until after I kissed you. And only because she noticed I was happy. That kinda self discovery should've been an instant sharing moment, right?"
"Vicky," Taylor sighed sympathetically. "That kind of self-discovery… I didn't even tell my Dad about it till after we… got together. And for some people, it takes time to even fully realise it."
While Taylor paced back and forth on her phone call, the swarm danced around the room below. The tricky part of taking on seven armed men had nothing to do with getting close to them, it was making sure the dumbasses didn't accidentally shoot each other while Skitter did her thing.
"But she's my sister, Tay. I know she's adopted; that's never mattered, she's 'my' sister." Vicky cried back. "We're meant to be closer than our parents. I just hate this feeling, she's been in all this emotional pain and she couldn't come to me about it. Like, if she can't trust me with the truth then who? The very first day she came home, I pinky promised her that we would be sister's forever. And now?" Vicky stifled a small sob. Taylor desperately wished she could be there in person to give her a hug. "I know I'm being selfish, especially with everything she's dealing with. But I don't want to wake up one day and find out that she doesn't consider me her family anymore, y'know?"
Taylor knew the pain of losing someone you called a sister, very well. She bottled that pain, sadness and anger right into her swarm and slammed some poor thug with a face full of spiders.
"You know that's not true," Taylor said, putting more oomph into her tone. "Amy loves you. Lisa confirmed as much and you don't even need her power to know that much. So don't think that. Not even for a second, okay?"
"Yeah…" Vicky sighed, before perking up again. Realising the full weight of Taylor's words. "Yeah, you're right. She loves me, we're still sisters. She needs me right now and I have to find a way to be there for her."
The last of the seven men collapsed onto the floor right as Tattletale got the panic room door open. Skitter sent an 'all clear' message and waited for Grue to give her new orders.
"Have you got a plan in mind?" Taylor asked.
There was another short pause as Victoria thought to herself. "Well, the first thing is to convince Mom to shorten Amy's hospital hours. And make sure that Amy herself follows through with the new hours. She says she's overworked and yet she keeps volunteering all her free time at the clinics. I also mentioned to Amy the possibility of therapy but the look she gave me tells me that it's a no-go. Now she's locked herself in her room like usual, I think she was embarrassed by our talk." Vicky sighed again. "I don't know what to do, Taylor."
Taylor thought about her own experiences for a moment. She could relate to Amy, in more ways than one. Therapy didn't sound very appealing to her, however, she was doing a lot better than at the start of the year.
Grue's voice cut off her thought briefly. "Package secure, Bitch is waiting for us on the roof. Somebody let Skitter know it's time to go."
The swarm that was with the Undersiders formed into a check mark. Grue stared down at it and froze for a few brief seconds which caused Tattletale to chuckle. Brian only now realised that Taylor could hear through her swarm and that their all-seeing teammate was now even more omnipresent.
"I think…" Taylor said, returning to her conversation as she made her way up the stairs. "You need to give Amy a push. Get her out of the house, into a new environment where she can meet new people."
"You think that'd work?" Vicky asked, unsure.
"Don't know," Taylor admitted. She had no issue talking while jogging up a flight of stairs. "But it worked for me. Changing schools, trying a new… hobby. It's how I met you and Lisa. Not that Amy needs that extreme of a change. But it can't hurt."
Taylor reached the top floor and opened the door to be greeted by the rest of her team. Regent was already sitting on one of the dogs, lazily waiting for everyone else to get ready. Grue was trying to convince the lawyer they just 'kidnapped' that the dog was perfectly safe to ride on, but the suited man was hesitant to get near the beast.
"Alright. I'll try that." Victoria agreed. "Thank you, Taylor. Seriously. I know I only called to vent, but you also your advice is really what I needed. Oh, and Mom was planning on booking that photoshoot next weekend. Which admittedly, is annoying because I have finals coming up but rather get it done soon than later, right?"
It always amazed Taylor how quickly Vicky could fluctuate through emotions. One moment she was worried and sad about her sister's mental well-being, now she instantly perked up after a short phone conversation. That summed up Victoria's attitude, upfront with her emotions but never letting them drag her down. Taylor wondered if her emotional aura gave her that ability or if it was Vicky doing it on her own. Either way, she was jealous of that trait, among many others of Victoria's.
"Right," Taylor said affirmatively, walking to one of the dogs. "I guess everything will change after this week." She shook off how ominous that sounded. "For the better." Taylor made sure to add.
"Yeah, don't worry. It'll be-" Vicky said, Taylor could hear her bright smile in her words.
Brutus barked loudly at the now terrified lawyer, who promptly fainted after the fact. Regent let out a hearty chuckle at the exchange while Grue sighed.
"Was that?…" Vicky began, hearing the noise in the background as Taylor moved closer to them. "Hang on, are those Hellhound's dogs?"
Taylor watched as Bitch jumped down off Brutus and assisted Grue in carrying the unconscious lawyer. Unlike Grue, Bitch showed no care as to how the man was handled, lifting him over her shoulders before sliding him onto the dog.
"Yeah?…" Taylor admitted, not wanting to lie to Vicky. Grue climbed on the dog with Regent as a third dog trotted by to pick up Skitter.
"Are you working right now?" Victoria asked,
"Maybe?…" Taylor admitted again. Climbing onto the dog.
"Oh, is that Vicky?" Tattletale chuckled, lending Skitter a hand. "Tell her I said hi."
There was a pause in the conversation as Vicky sighed. Taylor could feel the stern disappointment in Victoria that Taylor now could recognise as a habit picked up from her mother. It left shortly after.
"Hello Lisa…" Vicky said, in a much more neutral, meditative tone. "You two have fun. Be… safe? Please don't get arrested. For me."
"No promises," Lisa said into Taylor's phone. "But don't worry. I'll keep this one safe."
"Bye, Vicky," Taylor said apologetically. Lisa called out her goodbyes as well, kissing the air around the phone before Taylor hung up.
------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Park – Afternoon
Amy grumbled to herself as she wandered down the footpath, kicking a stone as she trotted along. She had no idea where she was going, Vicky had simply told her to spend some time out of the house and Amy couldn't resist those damn puppy dog eyes she was giving.
This morning had been a shitshow. Vicky barged right in and almost discovered Amy's terrible secret. Thankfully her sister was too preoccupied with some talk about depression to notice what Amy was doing.
The wig and the makeup had been a complete bust. Not only did it not make her look more like Taylor, but it actually made Amy look worse, which is something she didn't know was even possible. Victoria lamented on the idea of Amy hiding her freckles behind makeup, saying that it was one of her cutest features. Admittedly that made Amy feel a little better about the whole experiment.
Although it wasn't a total loss. At several points during the conversation, Vicky had mentioned that Amy smelled 'nice.' Either complimenting the smell of Amy's hair or whatever 'perfume' she was wearing. Amy smiled to herself at that thought, the plan to recreate Taylor's scent via skin bacteria looked to be working.
If only Victoria didn't look at Amy like some wounded animal.
'Seriously? Depression? Where did she come up with that shit?' Amy thought to herself. 'I'm not depressed. I just dislike a couple of things in my life. And wish I was someone else. And occasionally think about hurting myself…' She paused on that last thought for a moment before waving it off. 'But everyone thinks like that. I'm not special.'
In any case, Amy was now out of the house. Promising Vicky that she'd go do… something, while Victoria spoke to Carol about reducing her hospital hours.
In theory, Amy had no issue with working less. But also, in theory, working only the currently assigned hours that Carol gave her was less than usual. Amy would often go overtime for various reasons, a large number of them being from guilt. She had the power to save lives and every minute she wasn't healing someone, she was being a selfish monster.
If it wasn't for the fact that she promised Vicky that she wouldn't walk directly to a hospital or clinic, Amy would probably be right there. Now, Amy was wandering the streets like some homeless bum, trying to find something to do that wasn't hospital, cape or home-related.
'What the hell do people do for fun when they're not in their room?'
Amy had no fucking idea. She was ready to simply wander for a few hours until it was safe to return home, she was rather used to being on her feet for long hours. So she grumbled. She complained, walked and kicked a stone as she moved. Not going anywhere in particular.
A large dog ran over to her. The speed and size of the animal almost threatened to bowl Amy over, she jumped into a defensive posture that her uncle taught her, not really sure if basic judo could be done on dogs.
The animal stopped just short of running into Amy, halting before her and standing at attention.
"What?" Amy asked, looking at the creature. The dog's eyes tracked her cautious movements. "What do you want?"
A second dog ran up behind Amy, she let out a small yelp as she tried to dodge the attack that never came. Amy never had a dog growing up and didn't have all that much experience with the animals. Vicky might be a golden retriever at heart but that didn't mean Amy was particularly fond of the hairy, drooling things.
Both dogs circled and enclosed the girl, sniffing the floor around her. Amy had never used her powers in an offence capability before and was very hesitant to start now. She could already imagine tomorrow's headlines if she did. 'Panacea liquifies dogs in the park. The true terror is revealed!'
Instead, she froze up, shutting her eyes and keeping her hands up. Hoping that someone would notice the girl in distress.
"Angelica! Judas! Down!" A voice called out. Both dogs immediately broke from their encirclement. "What the fuck are you doing!?"
Amy peeked an eye open to see what was happening. Immediately her eyes were drawn to a tall, muscular woman who was angrily scolding her dogs. While that description could also be applied to Vicky, this woman was far too butch to even come close to Amy's angel. Also, there was something suspiciously familiar about her.
An annoying part of her brain was trying to send a warning message, but the information got lost in transit because Amy couldn't for the life of her remember who this woman was.
The butch woman wrestled her dogs into their leashes and tied them to a tree. Amy noticed that there was a third dog who seemed to be the better trained out of the three.
'Something about three dogs. Why does that set off warning bells?…'
The woman turned back to Amy once the animals were secure. The stare she gave was intimidating, but Amy was much more used to people giving her looks at the hospital rather than two dogs, so it didn't phase her in the slightest.
"They shouldn't do that unless I tell them to." The woman said like she was chastising the animals.
'Like those mutts understand what she's saying.' Amy mentally rolled her eyes.
"Did they try to bite you?" The woman asked. Amy wasn't sure if that was an attempt at a little concern in her voice, because it felt more like an accusation.
"No," Amy said back with the same level of hostility she was receiving. "They just ran up to me and sniffed around the place. Control your dogs next time."
Amy stood her ground and growled back at the larger woman. She felt an odd sense of deja vu. Like she had growled at this woman before, and not that long ago-
Suddenly it clicked. Amy had met this woman before. She was that weird girl who told her that Taylor was cheating on Vicky. Or so Amy assumed at the time. The woman must've made the same realisation because, at the exact same time, they both pointed at each other and said.
"You!"
"You're Taylor's friend." The woman growled.
"Yeah?" Amy replied, unsure if that was a question or a statement. "What of it?"
"The dogs like you. Never seen that before." The woman continued. "Usually, they know not to go near strangers." The woman said again, the dogs whining as she spat out the words to them. "What are you doing?"
Amy was caught off-guard by the question. Who the hell was she to just question what Amy was doing. Who the fuck even is this woman?
"Nothing," Amy said, defensively.
"Good, follow me." The woman commanded, walking back to her dogs and picking up their leashes.
"What?" Amy asked, confused as all hell. The woman grunted again and Amy found herself falling into step alongside her.
To say Amy was being kidnapped would be an over-exaggeration. However, the sheer presence of this woman made her feel like she had to follow after lest she be run down by the dogs. Besides, it wasn't like Amy had anything better to do right now.
"Where are we going?" Amy asked before they left the park.
"Need volunteers." The woman said, pulling out her phone and hitting a number. "Yeah, it's me." She said into the phone. "Shut up a sec will ya. I'm bringing in a new girl."
Amy had no clue what the fuck she was being volunteered for but she was eighty… seventy percent sure it wasn't a trap to end up in some ABB sex dungeon. In any case, she had Vicky on speed dial, she was fine, for now.
"Yeah. We'll be there soon." The woman grunted into her phone. "What? I don't fucking know. Fine, I'll ask her." She turned to Amy and asked, "What's your name again?"
"Amy." She replied. The woman didn't give her name, rudely and Amy had forgotten what Taylor said the other day.
'Something with an R? Riley? Or Rebecca?'
"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, not bothering to act respectfully for this audacious bitch. "What the hell am I volunteering for?"
The woman huffed like it was obvious. "Dog shelter. Up north. Near the train-yard."
"And why the fuck am I being volunteered?" Amy followed up.
"The dogs like you." The woman said, pointing her head towards the three dogs she walked. "Never seen that before. Less likely to bite you if they like you."
"Great…" Amy sighed, still knowing that she had nothing better to do. "I'm the fucking dog whisperer."
The woman huffed. Not commenting on her complaint until they walked another city block. "That, or they just like how you smell."
'Like how I smell?' Amy huffed to herself. 'The only thing I smell like right now is-'
"Son of a bitch..."
The Dallon Household – Morning
Amy awoke to a buzz emitting from her phone. She rubbed her eyes and groaned as she reached over for the device on the bedside table. The message was still blinking away at her.
Your parcel has arrived.
Amy shot up from her bed and scrambled to get dressed. She pulled on a shirt, pants and a hoodie before rushing out of the bedroom. Tip-toeing past her sister's bedroom as so not to wake her, she snuck downstairs as quietly as she could be.
It was still early morning, Vicky and Dad were still expected to be in bed and Amy could hear the sound of Carol moving about her office. Confident that no one would be watching her, Amy snuck downstairs and peeked her head out of the front door.
A small box was waiting for her. Amy quickly snatched it, hugging the parcel tightly under her arm as she absconded back to her room. Tip-toeing again as she made it up the stairs and quietly shutting the bedroom door behind her.
Amy let out a short sigh of relief as she closed the door.
'Mission accomplished' She thought to herself.
She placed the box on her bed and inspected her parcel. It wasn't the first time Amy had risked buying something online without anyone knowing. Amy had a collection of all manner of 'contraband' as she called it. Most of it was harmless, she simply had no desire to explain her purchases to Carol, who would no doubt give Amy a lecture on frivolous spending or some such crap, on top of giving Amy her signature look of disapproval at whatever hobby she was interested in this month.
Amy much preferred sneaking around the house to avoid having the rest of the family nosing in on her business. Sure, there were one or two purchases that Amy would have a lot more trouble explaining. A collection of manga with questionable subject matter, several attempts at a handmade Dean/Gallant Voodoo doll, complete with multiple pins through the crotch and a bootleg action figure of Glory Girl that advertised itself to be 'anatomically correct.'
That aside her latest purchase was rather tame, if not odd. Amy reached over to a small multi-tool pocket knife on her desk and began cutting the box open. This month's purchase was from a local cosmetics store, she knew about from Vicky's charity modelling gig she did every now and then. Inside the box was a small collection of makeup and a wig. A long, black-haired wig.
Amy was never one to use makeup, that was more her sister's domain. Vicky had tried in the past to get her into the act and for a short while Amy went along with it. Mainly as an excuse to spend time with Victoria and watch her get even prettier at the same time, however, Amy never particularly cared for putting any on herself.
Between Vicky's old advice and a YouTube tutorial on her phone, Amy attempted to apply her newly bought makeup. The collection was aimed at hiding her freckles and making herself appear paler than usual. Combined with the right outfit and the wig, Amy would end up looking like, Victoria's girlfriend.
One of her girlfriends' at least.
This entire plan was formed in Amy's head before she learned about the existence of the second woman. Lisa.
The blonde threw a wrench into all her plans. Amy wanted to emulate Victoria's girlfriend, to become the type of girl her sister was into. Now Amy didn't know what Vicky liked in a girl.
Taylor was cute enough but was such an odd pick. Lisa on the other hand was attractive, in the traditional sense. Amy wasn't sure if that made her more or less jealous. She made much more sense for Vicky to date, the two were closely similar in looks and personality. Obviously, Victoria was still better in every way, comparing a 10 to a 7 but still, this Lisa seemed like the conventionally attractive and normal girl that someone would date.
Normal, with the exception of her parahuman nature. Amy picked it up upon shaking hands with the girl. Lisa had kept quiet about her abilities all while Carol and Dad were interrogating her and Vicky made no mention of it. While there was a chance that Lisa was hiding her powers from everyone, Lisa was already aware of Taylor's abilities. So the odds that the girls didn't know about hers were slim to none.
What could Amy do about it? She'd already outed Taylor to the PRT without her permission and was suffering the consequences for it. There was no way she could bring it up without Carol jumping down on her. But it was suspicious, right?
Victoria was dating not one but two unknown parahumans. What were the chances that they were unrelated? How did Vicky meet her again? A work friend of Taylor's? They weren't Wards, Amy knew that much. There was always the chance that they were villains?…
Amy laughed at that thought. Her sister, Glory Girl, dating villains. Plural. There was no way in hell that was the case. Amy shunted that thought into the void, but there was a connection there.
Victoria was a nerd. She was the biggest goddamn parahuman nerd that Amy ever knew. That was the connection. First Dean, then Taylor and now Lisa. Vicky was interested in Parahumans. And Amy was a parahuman, therefore… she'd gone in a circle and was back to square one.
'Fuck it, stick with plan A'
Amy pulled the wig over her head and shifted it into position. While the wig and makeup would help her look a bit more like Taylor, there were still things she couldn't change about herself. Too short, too fat, no glasses. Her outfit would hide some of that. A collection of dark clothes that she'd seen Taylor wearing at school. The girl liked her long sleeves and hoodies, the shit was too hot with the approaching summer heat. Amy made a mental note to find out what the hell Taylor wore during summer because she'd die in this get-up.
Regardless, she wore the outfit. She had to see what it looked like when it all came together. Call it the sunk-cost fallacy but Amy had spent too much of her allowance to give up now. Looking at herself in the mirror, it was a work in progress. It wasn't exactly right, it still looked too much like Amy wearing a cheap black wig and not Taylor. It needed something… more.
"Hey…" Amy said to her reflection. Clearing her throat to try again. "H-hey Vicky."
Still too much Amy in that. She slouched herself forward, pretending to be a tall girl who tried to hide from the world.
"Hello, Vicky," Amy said again. "What do you think of the new look?"
'Hmm, needs something more.'
Taylor wasn't like Amy. Both were quiet introverts but Taylor was some super mega awkward nerd who constantly forgot how to be human. It wasn't enough to look and pose like Taylor, Amy needed to become the weird girl. She could somehow mute all her emotions at will, Amy suspected her parahuman abilities were the cause, perhaps some secondary effect to go along with her 'super awareness.'
'Urgh, she can see and hear everything around her. I'm gonna have to be extra careful watching her from now on.'
Placing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, Amy looked down at her feet and tried to imagine what it'd be like to live like Taylor.
"Vicky…" Amy mumbled quietly. She did her best Taylor impression, trying her best to sound as monotone as she could. "How's it going? Wait no… uh, how's things? Yeah, just trying something new. What do you think?"
Amy imagined the responses her sister might give, in a perfect world. Complementing her on the new look, finding her cute. Forgetting all about Taylor and whatsherface second girl. She had her own Taylor at home, and it was better. It was Amy.
"Yeah. I like you too." Amy said, fully immersed in the daydream. "It's not weird. We're just… different." Amy had closed her eyes, picturing the scenario in her head like she'd done so many times before in so many ways. "We're more than sisters. We're special. You're so special, Vicky… so very…" She leaned forward, pressing her lips towards the mirror.
Right at that moment, her bedroom door slammed open. Amy jumped like a startled cat and tore the wig from her head with a speed that would make Legend impressed. Unfortunately, it got caught and only succeeded in blinding her face with hair.
"It's not what it looks like!" Amy immediately called out, she still didn't know which family member she was talking to. "I'm just trying out some… thing? Someone sent me this as a joke! It's bad fan mail! I was going to trash it! Just thought it'd be funny, right? Haha, it's so stupid…"
Amy tried to think of any and every excuse she could think of all the while hoping that it was just Dad, sleepwalking in a depressed daze. Or Carol, she'd just roll her eyes and bitch. Anyone but-
"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"
Anyone but her…
------------------------------------------------
'Amy is depressed.'
The thought kept Vicky up most of the night after her girlfriends left. It was an awful thought to have, the only solace that Lisa had given was that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as her father's depression.
She paced back and forth in her room, thinking of how to approach the conversation with her sister. She was never good at dealing with delicate things like this. The fact that Amy hadn't mentioned it to her was just as concerning as the fact itself. They shared everything with each other, they were sisters. More than sisters, as Amy sometimes put it, they were best friends.
The idea that Amy was struggling all this time and Victoria didn't see. She felt horrible. She was the worst sister, no doubt about it. What kind of idiot couldn't pick on their own sister's deteriorating mental state? How long was Amy like this? Couldn't Vicky see the signs or was she just blissfully blind to everything?
Well no more!
Amy deserved better. She had no idea how she was going to help Amy, but she needed to try. From today onwards, Victoria was going to become the sister Amy needed. She would be attentive and supportive.
The first step was getting Amy some much-deserved space that Lisa mentioned. Convincing Amy to reduce the amount of hours spent at the hospital so that she had the time to relax. Maybe find a way to convince Mom to send Amy to therapy.
Vicky sighed, even after all the years living with Dad, she still had no idea how to approach depression. It was a delicate situation and Victoria wasn't known for being delicate, preferring to barge right in and confront her issues head-on. She knew this was going to be awkward, but it had to be done.
Victoria steadied herself and left to enter Amy's room. During the short walk down the hall, Vicky tried to think up a plan of attack. By the time she got to the door, she had none. So she channelled her inner Glory Girl and projected heroic confidence.
Amy jumped in surprise as Victoria barged it. Face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to hide, but it was too late. Vicky had already seen it. Amy stood in front of her mirror, wearing the darkest clothes Vicky had ever seen her sister wear. Her face was made up to be several shades lighter than usual, giving her a ghostly white appearance and it was topped off with a long black wig. The wig's style mimicked Taylor's hair, in colour and length at least. But it was far too straight to resemble anything like Taylor's actual hair. It caught on Amy's head as she flung herself, the hair blinding the girl.
"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"
The look was not good, to put it mildly. Victoria was stunned silent upon seeing her sister's new look. Amy looked like she was trying to mimic the style of an early 2000s punk band and failing miserably.
All this brought several questions to Victoria's mind, such as what kind of music did her sister like? And when did she even buy that awful wig? Amy launched into her excuses, mumbling like a fool as to why she was wearing such a wig and what she was doing in her room before now. But all Victoria could think was.
'How have I never seen the signs!? Vicky, you idiot! Amy is literally going through an Emo phase!'
-----------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – A few hours later
Taylor felt the buzzing of her phone in her back pocket. She wasn't exactly in a position to answer the call. Dodging backwards, Skitter toyed with the lone ABB member that she had drawn out. The man was swinging wildly as all manner of creepy crawlies ran up his leg. The distraction allowed Skitter to get in some much-needed practice in the art of baton combat. A solid 'thunk' sent the man to the floor.
With the thug incapacitated, Taylor reached into her back pocket to check the caller ID. She smiled behind her mask as she saw Vicky's name light up. She debated briefly how wise it would be to answer the phone call in the middle of a job but everything was under control and she had the spare time. Taylor flipped the phone up and remembered to speak up through the mask.
"Hey, what's up?" Taylor asked, trying her best to sound casual.
"Tay!" Vicky whined back, "Are you busy?"
Taylor was aware of three incoming threats to her current location, all of them tagged and unarmed. Skitter split her swarm and directed a counterattack.
"No," Taylor said with a smile. It wasn't a lie, she could easily manage a phone call right now. "I always have time for you."
"Great!" Victoria sighed with relief. "I just need somebody to vent to. This morning has been so…" She let out another exasperated sigh.
"What's wrong?" Taylor asked, true concern coming through her voice.
"Just… Amy." Vicky said back. "I spoke to her about… you know. What Lisa said."
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah…"
There was a long pause where Taylor waited for Vicky to continue. During that time, the swarms descended upon their targets. Taylor covered her phone's mic as all three gang members screamed out in terror.
"Am I stupid?" Victoria finally asked.
"No," Taylor said firmly, reacting on instinct to defend Vicky from herself. "No, why would you think that?"
"Because I didn't see any of this? B-but now that Lisa pointed it out…" Taylor could hear the words catching in Vicky's throat, she could tell how upset she was about this revelation. "It's so obvious. And I've just been waving it off. Worse, I've been joking with everyone that my sister is a little anti-social when she's actually been… been…"
"You're not stupid for not realising, Vicky," Taylor said back, making sure that no one was in earshot of her conversation. "Amy's good at hiding her feelings, I can relate. No one noticed till Lisa did her thing. That's what her power does, she can find the worst parts of us and plucks them from our heads. And you often see the best in people, which makes sense why you wouldn't realise."
Taylor hoped that her argument came off as the compliment she intended and not as an awkward way of putting down both her girlfriends at once. She internally cringed after speaking but directed that useless energy to the bugs that were chasing three men away.
"Look, my point is," Taylor cut in again before Vicky could think about what she just said. "You're not stupid. You care about Amy, always have."
"Yeah… you're right." Victoria agreed. "Thanks, Tay."
"So, what did you talk about with Amy?"
"Mainly just confirming what Lisa already told me," Victoria explained. "She agreed that she's… unhappy with her life at the moment. That the hospital work is draining her and that she isn't opposed to the idea of having a new friend or two."
Two more cars drove up to the building from where Taylor was standing. A small squad of ABB reinforcements parked up. Skitter could count seven men in total, She forwarded that information through her bugs to the rest of her team who were busy breaking into a panic room on a higher floor.
The Undersiders were currently tasked with a snatch & grab/kidnapping/rescuing. An ABB lawyer or some such could see the writing on the wall and wanted to jump ship, contacted the Undersiders to help stage a kidnapping to make it look involuntary. Taylor didn't really care for the specifics beyond that it'd hurt the ABB's dwindling revenue stream. Saving one dirty lawyer to wound the second biggest gang in Brockton felt like an easy trade.
"There you go," Taylor said. "Admitting she needs help is the first step… so I'm told."
"But she didn't admit that," Vicky whined again. "I had to basically force her to say she was 'unhappy' with her current situation. She's so closed off. Much more than I ever realised. It's like, what else isn't she telling me?"
Skitter formed the bugs around Tattletale's feet, spelling out the words, 'Are you done yet?'
Tattletale shook her head, trying to coax out the door lock code with her power. Skitter suppressed a sigh as she prepared her swarm for the oncoming battle. Not that bullets would do anything to protect them from her.
"It's hard to talk about," Taylor said back. "You've opened the door to the conversation. Just… give her time to open up."
"I just… don't understand how it got this bad. We used to be so close. Whenever I got upset, it was always Amy who was the first to know. And we used to tell each other everything. Like, she knows secrets about me that I wouldn't even share with you. No offence."
"None taken."
A wall of bugs blocked off the entrance to the building. Trapping all seven men inside the first floor of the building. Skitter could hear the gunfire from where she was sitting but thankfully Vicky didn't pick up on it.
"And now I feel like we've slowly drifted apart and it's all my fault for never noticing her problems. Like, I didn't even tell her that I was gay until after I kissed you. And only because she noticed I was happy. That kinda self discovery should've been an instant sharing moment, right?"
"Vicky," Taylor sighed sympathetically. "That kind of self-discovery… I didn't even tell my Dad about it till after we… got together. And for some people, it takes time to even fully realise it."
While Taylor paced back and forth on her phone call, the swarm danced around the room below. The tricky part of taking on seven armed men had nothing to do with getting close to them, it was making sure the dumbasses didn't accidentally shoot each other while Skitter did her thing.
"But she's my sister, Tay. I know she's adopted; that's never mattered, she's 'my' sister." Vicky cried back. "We're meant to be closer than our parents. I just hate this feeling, she's been in all this emotional pain and she couldn't come to me about it. Like, if she can't trust me with the truth then who? The very first day she came home, I pinky promised her that we would be sister's forever. And now?" Vicky stifled a small sob. Taylor desperately wished she could be there in person to give her a hug. "I know I'm being selfish, especially with everything she's dealing with. But I don't want to wake up one day and find out that she doesn't consider me her family anymore, y'know?"
Taylor knew the pain of losing someone you called a sister, very well. She bottled that pain, sadness and anger right into her swarm and slammed some poor thug with a face full of spiders.
"You know that's not true," Taylor said, putting more oomph into her tone. "Amy loves you. Lisa confirmed as much and you don't even need her power to know that much. So don't think that. Not even for a second, okay?"
"Yeah…" Vicky sighed, before perking up again. Realising the full weight of Taylor's words. "Yeah, you're right. She loves me, we're still sisters. She needs me right now and I have to find a way to be there for her."
The last of the seven men collapsed onto the floor right as Tattletale got the panic room door open. Skitter sent an 'all clear' message and waited for Grue to give her new orders.
"Have you got a plan in mind?" Taylor asked.
There was another short pause as Victoria thought to herself. "Well, the first thing is to convince Mom to shorten Amy's hospital hours. And make sure that Amy herself follows through with the new hours. She says she's overworked and yet she keeps volunteering all her free time at the clinics. I also mentioned to Amy the possibility of therapy but the look she gave me tells me that it's a no-go. Now she's locked herself in her room like usual, I think she was embarrassed by our talk." Vicky sighed again. "I don't know what to do, Taylor."
Taylor thought about her own experiences for a moment. She could relate to Amy, in more ways than one. Therapy didn't sound very appealing to her, however, she was doing a lot better than at the start of the year.
Grue's voice cut off her thought briefly. "Package secure, Bitch is waiting for us on the roof. Somebody let Skitter know it's time to go."
The swarm that was with the Undersiders formed into a check mark. Grue stared down at it and froze for a few brief seconds which caused Tattletale to chuckle. Brian only now realised that Taylor could hear through her swarm and that their all-seeing teammate was now even more omnipresent.
"I think…" Taylor said, returning to her conversation as she made her way up the stairs. "You need to give Amy a push. Get her out of the house, into a new environment where she can meet new people."
"You think that'd work?" Vicky asked, unsure.
"Don't know," Taylor admitted. She had no issue talking while jogging up a flight of stairs. "But it worked for me. Changing schools, trying a new… hobby. It's how I met you and Lisa. Not that Amy needs that extreme of a change. But it can't hurt."
Taylor reached the top floor and opened the door to be greeted by the rest of her team. Regent was already sitting on one of the dogs, lazily waiting for everyone else to get ready. Grue was trying to convince the lawyer they just 'kidnapped' that the dog was perfectly safe to ride on, but the suited man was hesitant to get near the beast.
"Alright. I'll try that." Victoria agreed. "Thank you, Taylor. Seriously. I know I only called to vent, but you also your advice is really what I needed. Oh, and Mom was planning on booking that photoshoot next weekend. Which admittedly, is annoying because I have finals coming up but rather get it done soon than later, right?"
It always amazed Taylor how quickly Vicky could fluctuate through emotions. One moment she was worried and sad about her sister's mental well-being, now she instantly perked up after a short phone conversation. That summed up Victoria's attitude, upfront with her emotions but never letting them drag her down. Taylor wondered if her emotional aura gave her that ability or if it was Vicky doing it on her own. Either way, she was jealous of that trait, among many others of Victoria's.
"Right," Taylor said affirmatively, walking to one of the dogs. "I guess everything will change after this week." She shook off how ominous that sounded. "For the better." Taylor made sure to add.
"Yeah, don't worry. It'll be-" Vicky said, Taylor could hear her bright smile in her words.
Brutus barked loudly at the now terrified lawyer, who promptly fainted after the fact. Regent let out a hearty chuckle at the exchange while Grue sighed.
"Was that?…" Vicky began, hearing the noise in the background as Taylor moved closer to them. "Hang on, are those Hellhound's dogs?"
Taylor watched as Bitch jumped down off Brutus and assisted Grue in carrying the unconscious lawyer. Unlike Grue, Bitch showed no care as to how the man was handled, lifting him over her shoulders before sliding him onto the dog.
"Yeah?…" Taylor admitted, not wanting to lie to Vicky. Grue climbed on the dog with Regent as a third dog trotted by to pick up Skitter.
"Are you working right now?" Victoria asked,
"Maybe?…" Taylor admitted again. Climbing onto the dog.
"Oh, is that Vicky?" Tattletale chuckled, lending Skitter a hand. "Tell her I said hi."
There was a pause in the conversation as Vicky sighed. Taylor could feel the stern disappointment in Victoria that Taylor now could recognise as a habit picked up from her mother. It left shortly after.
"Hello Lisa…" Vicky said, in a much more neutral, meditative tone. "You two have fun. Be… safe? Please don't get arrested. For me."
"No promises," Lisa said into Taylor's phone. "But don't worry. I'll keep this one safe."
"Bye, Vicky," Taylor said apologetically. Lisa called out her goodbyes as well, kissing the air around the phone before Taylor hung up.
------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Park – Afternoon
Amy grumbled to herself as she wandered down the footpath, kicking a stone as she trotted along. She had no idea where she was going, Vicky had simply told her to spend some time out of the house and Amy couldn't resist those damn puppy dog eyes she was giving.
This morning had been a shitshow. Vicky barged right in and almost discovered Amy's terrible secret. Thankfully her sister was too preoccupied with some talk about depression to notice what Amy was doing.
The wig and the makeup had been a complete bust. Not only did it not make her look more like Taylor, but it actually made Amy look worse, which is something she didn't know was even possible. Victoria lamented on the idea of Amy hiding her freckles behind makeup, saying that it was one of her cutest features. Admittedly that made Amy feel a little better about the whole experiment.
Although it wasn't a total loss. At several points during the conversation, Vicky had mentioned that Amy smelled 'nice.' Either complimenting the smell of Amy's hair or whatever 'perfume' she was wearing. Amy smiled to herself at that thought, the plan to recreate Taylor's scent via skin bacteria looked to be working.
If only Victoria didn't look at Amy like some wounded animal.
'Seriously? Depression? Where did she come up with that shit?' Amy thought to herself. 'I'm not depressed. I just dislike a couple of things in my life. And wish I was someone else. And occasionally think about hurting myself…' She paused on that last thought for a moment before waving it off. 'But everyone thinks like that. I'm not special.'
In any case, Amy was now out of the house. Promising Vicky that she'd go do… something, while Victoria spoke to Carol about reducing her hospital hours.
In theory, Amy had no issue with working less. But also, in theory, working only the currently assigned hours that Carol gave her was less than usual. Amy would often go overtime for various reasons, a large number of them being from guilt. She had the power to save lives and every minute she wasn't healing someone, she was being a selfish monster.
If it wasn't for the fact that she promised Vicky that she wouldn't walk directly to a hospital or clinic, Amy would probably be right there. Now, Amy was wandering the streets like some homeless bum, trying to find something to do that wasn't hospital, cape or home-related.
'What the hell do people do for fun when they're not in their room?'
Amy had no fucking idea. She was ready to simply wander for a few hours until it was safe to return home, she was rather used to being on her feet for long hours. So she grumbled. She complained, walked and kicked a stone as she moved. Not going anywhere in particular.
A large dog ran over to her. The speed and size of the animal almost threatened to bowl Amy over, she jumped into a defensive posture that her uncle taught her, not really sure if basic judo could be done on dogs.
The animal stopped just short of running into Amy, halting before her and standing at attention.
"What?" Amy asked, looking at the creature. The dog's eyes tracked her cautious movements. "What do you want?"
A second dog ran up behind Amy, she let out a small yelp as she tried to dodge the attack that never came. Amy never had a dog growing up and didn't have all that much experience with the animals. Vicky might be a golden retriever at heart but that didn't mean Amy was particularly fond of the hairy, drooling things.
Both dogs circled and enclosed the girl, sniffing the floor around her. Amy had never used her powers in an offence capability before and was very hesitant to start now. She could already imagine tomorrow's headlines if she did. 'Panacea liquifies dogs in the park. The true terror is revealed!'
Instead, she froze up, shutting her eyes and keeping her hands up. Hoping that someone would notice the girl in distress.
"Angelica! Judas! Down!" A voice called out. Both dogs immediately broke from their encirclement. "What the fuck are you doing!?"
Amy peeked an eye open to see what was happening. Immediately her eyes were drawn to a tall, muscular woman who was angrily scolding her dogs. While that description could also be applied to Vicky, this woman was far too butch to even come close to Amy's angel. Also, there was something suspiciously familiar about her.
An annoying part of her brain was trying to send a warning message, but the information got lost in transit because Amy couldn't for the life of her remember who this woman was.
The butch woman wrestled her dogs into their leashes and tied them to a tree. Amy noticed that there was a third dog who seemed to be the better trained out of the three.
'Something about three dogs. Why does that set off warning bells?…'
The woman turned back to Amy once the animals were secure. The stare she gave was intimidating, but Amy was much more used to people giving her looks at the hospital rather than two dogs, so it didn't phase her in the slightest.
"They shouldn't do that unless I tell them to." The woman said like she was chastising the animals.
'Like those mutts understand what she's saying.' Amy mentally rolled her eyes.
"Did they try to bite you?" The woman asked. Amy wasn't sure if that was an attempt at a little concern in her voice, because it felt more like an accusation.
"No," Amy said back with the same level of hostility she was receiving. "They just ran up to me and sniffed around the place. Control your dogs next time."
Amy stood her ground and growled back at the larger woman. She felt an odd sense of deja vu. Like she had growled at this woman before, and not that long ago-
Suddenly it clicked. Amy had met this woman before. She was that weird girl who told her that Taylor was cheating on Vicky. Or so Amy assumed at the time. The woman must've made the same realisation because, at the exact same time, they both pointed at each other and said.
"You!"
"You're Taylor's friend." The woman growled.
"Yeah?" Amy replied, unsure if that was a question or a statement. "What of it?"
"The dogs like you. Never seen that before." The woman continued. "Usually, they know not to go near strangers." The woman said again, the dogs whining as she spat out the words to them. "What are you doing?"
Amy was caught off-guard by the question. Who the hell was she to just question what Amy was doing. Who the fuck even is this woman?
"Nothing," Amy said, defensively.
"Good, follow me." The woman commanded, walking back to her dogs and picking up their leashes.
"What?" Amy asked, confused as all hell. The woman grunted again and Amy found herself falling into step alongside her.
To say Amy was being kidnapped would be an over-exaggeration. However, the sheer presence of this woman made her feel like she had to follow after lest she be run down by the dogs. Besides, it wasn't like Amy had anything better to do right now.
"Where are we going?" Amy asked before they left the park.
"Need volunteers." The woman said, pulling out her phone and hitting a number. "Yeah, it's me." She said into the phone. "Shut up a sec will ya. I'm bringing in a new girl."
Amy had no clue what the fuck she was being volunteered for but she was eighty… seventy percent sure it wasn't a trap to end up in some ABB sex dungeon. In any case, she had Vicky on speed dial, she was fine, for now.
"Yeah. We'll be there soon." The woman grunted into her phone. "What? I don't fucking know. Fine, I'll ask her." She turned to Amy and asked, "What's your name again?"
"Amy." She replied. The woman didn't give her name, rudely and Amy had forgotten what Taylor said the other day.
'Something with an R? Riley? Or Rebecca?'
"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, not bothering to act respectfully for this audacious bitch. "What the hell am I volunteering for?"
The woman huffed like it was obvious. "Dog shelter. Up north. Near the train-yard."
"And why the fuck am I being volunteered?" Amy followed up.
"The dogs like you." The woman said, pointing her head towards the three dogs she walked. "Never seen that before. Less likely to bite you if they like you."
"Great…" Amy sighed, still knowing that she had nothing better to do. "I'm the fucking dog whisperer."
The woman huffed. Not commenting on her complaint until they walked another city block. "That, or they just like how you smell."
'Like how I smell?' Amy huffed to herself. 'The only thing I smell like right now is-'
"Son of a bitch..."
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Chapter 22: She's not in this one (Amy Interlude)
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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A/N: Sorry for the wait, Starfield kinda ruined my life for a little while. (In the fun way)
This chapter is was meant to be a small B plot that went along side the main plot but it ended up getting long. So enjoy this Amy interlude.
Brockton Bay Train yard – Midday
"Why aren't we just going straight there?" Amy complained as she trotted along. "We turn right then left, then right two more times. We've crossed this street several times, just go down it."
Amy walked for over an hour with the strange woman she met in the park. She took various detours on their way to the supposed dog shelter. Amy's old New Wave training was trying to alert her to the suspicious behaviour, like the woman was actively avoiding being followed or seen in busy locations, however, Amy chalked it up to the woman being lost.
The woman, whom Amy had still not remembered her name, simply huffed and said. "We're walking the dogs."
That made sense to Amy. She was never one for exercise, but the concept made sense. Apparently, Taylor went for jogs every morning, she'd mentioned it once during the lunchtime conversation. While Amy knew she should incorporate the routine into her daily life she wanted to be one step closer to imitating Taylor, the idea of getting up in the morning and actually doing exercise was too daunting to even think about.
As they got further away from the city and closer to the train yard, the detours became less and less frequent. Until finally they were walking down the main strip of road that they had passed several times over. Almost an hour after being picked up by the strange woman, they had both made it to their destination.
On the edge of the city, Amy stood outside a rather clinical-looking building, when she was grabbed from the park by that large, brutish woman and told that she'd be volunteering at a dog shelter at the train yard, Amy pictured some run down shoddy shack. The sign out the front read Brockton Dog Sanctuary along with a secondary sign that read Not accepting adoptions. Upon closer inspection, Amy could see some graffiti under the main sign. Underneath the word Brockton, someone had spelled out itch's with a red marker. Amy thought the idea of tagging 'Itch' on a building was rather pointless, but then again, most graffiti tags looked stupid to her.
The strange and still unnamed woman led Amy into the lobby of the building and told her to wait while she 'sorted some shit out.' Amy used the time to check her phone. There was a message from Victoria waiting for her.
VD: I finished talking to Mom. She said that she'd 'think about reducing your hours' but she wants to discuss it with you first.
Amy rolled her eyes. That wasn't going to be a fun conversation. It was already awkward as fuck when Victoria thought she was depressed and overworked, now Carol was going to be questioning her mental state. Amy sent back a simple reply.
AD: k
VD: Remember what we discussed. Don't tell Mom that 'you're fine.' Let her know how you feel, okay?
AD: k
VD: Amy…
Even through text, Amy could hear her pouting at her. Adorable, like a… Amy was about to compare it to a puppy, but now she was in a lobby surrounded by pictures of the yapping things the compassion didn't do Vicky justice.
AD: I'll let her know. Happy?
VD: I just want you to be. <3
Amy rolled her eyes again. Where the hell did this all come from? It was as if Victoria just woke up today and decided that Amy was unhappy with life. She wanted to text back, 'I am happy, stop worrying about me.' But she already knew that would just make Vicky worry even more. It was stupid. Victoria might have good intentions, but that didn't stop Amy from feeling like her own sister was gaslighting her into being depressed.
So what if she wasn't as cheery as Victoria? So what if she didn't feel 'fulfilled' with what she was doing? Who cares if she has the odd daydream about disappearing from the world every day or so? That didn't mean Amy was unhappy, it was just the result of comparing her life to Vicky's. Victoria was a shining beacon of light, comparing her life to Amy's was like comparing a gourmet steak to a sack of crap. That didn't mean Amy wasn't happy, she was perfectly…
AD: I'm fine.
VD: Where are you right now? Need me to pick you up?
AD: Near the train-yard.
VD: What are you doing there?
Then she thought about how it'd look from her sister's perspective. Victoria had explicitly told her not to go work in a hospital or clinic, would she get mad if she said she was volunteering at a dog shelter?
AD: Looking at dogs.
VD: Cute! Take photos.
Vicky sent a gif of a cartoon dog holding up a love heart. Amy snorted a quick chuckle before putting her phone away. She could hear footsteps approaching her. They were lighter sounding than the bulky thump of the woman who brought her here. Amy was surprised to see a young girl walk out behind the counter. She was younger than Amy was, perhaps fifteen or fourteen by the look of her, She held a cheery smile as she stepped into the lobby.
"Hi!" The girl said with a very upbeat attitude that would even put Vicky to shame. "I'm Cassie. Sorry for the wait. Rachel can be very particular with how we handle her dogs post-walk." She chuckled as she ran her hands over the desk, switching on the computers that sat on the reception desk.
'Rachel?' Amy thought to herself. 'Oh, that must be the strange woman's name. I knew it started with an R.'
After typing into the computer for a bit, the girl ran up to Amy and held out her hand to greet her. Amy shook it hesitantly. "I'm so glad we have someone new to help out around here. We're kinda short-staffed at the moment so we really need the help."
With all the craziness in her life right now, Amy was expecting to discover yet another parahuman but was pleasantly surprised to learn that this girl was just a regular girl.
"Um, no problem." Amy said, "I still don't know what I'm doing here. She- uh, Rachel just dragged me from the park after her dogs ran up to me."
The girl laughed at that and waved her hand. "Yeah, that sounds like Rach." Amy picked up on the admiration in her tone as the girl handed Amy a clipboard. It had a form to be filled out, a simple volunteer employee contract. "I kept asking her to find more people but she's very particular about who we get. She chased off the last two people who came by."
"You're short-staffed, yet she's chasing off potential volunteers?" Amy asked in confusion.
"We take dog care very seriously around here." Cassie said, "If the dogs don't like you, you're out. And if Rachel doesn't like you… Well, don't worry about that. She hired you herself."
"I see…" Amy nodded, thinking of an easy way to get out of this if it proved to be a waste of time.
The woman, Rachel walked back into the lobby, Amy noted that her resting bitch face never appeared to change.
"Cass, tell Kyle to stop fucking around and get on with cleaning the sleeping areas." Rachel barked out.
Cassie jumped into a salute; her smile held on her face but she bore no teeth with it. "Yes, boss."
"And make sure Bensen gets enough food today, I know the other dogs are stealing from his bowl."
"Yes, boss."
"And where the fuck is Jack, the dogs need their baths."
"Jack?" Cassie asked, her head tilted in confusion. "Oh, you mean Jake?"
"Yeah, that fuck."
"You fired him, remember?"
Rachel stood silently for a good few seconds while she thought on that before nodding her head.
"Right. Fuck him." She said, pointing a thumb to Amy. "This one ready yet?"
"Almost," Cassie said, holding her clipboard out to Rachel. "Just gotta give her the orientation, give her a tour and also let her know how amazing you are!"
That last part caught Amy off guard. The girl said it with such honest enthusiasm. It reminded her of all the annoying fans who clamour around Victoria. This Cassie girl was some kind of 'Rachel fan girl' which Amy found rather strange. Who the hell likes their boss that much?
Rachel didn't even bother reading the clipboard over, she stared at the paper for all of two seconds and looked insulted by it. Then she lifted a hand to flick Cassie on the nose.
"Stop being weird." Rachel huffed.
Cassie simply giggled as she took the flick. Amy assumed that this was some form of normal for the two and chose not to say anything.
"Forget orientation, follow me," Rachel added, strolling through another door.
Amy took a moment to process what had just happened, and what had been asked of her. The rude bitch didn't even speak to Amy directly, just barked out an order to follow like she was just another dog.
"Is she always like that?" Amy asked the younger girl.
Cassie giggled and nodded her head. "Yeah, Rachel is like a force of nature or something. But it's all for a good cause, y'know? She's actually such a softie when she's with people she likes or her dogs. But uh, don't tell her I said that." She chuckled again.
"You coming or what?" Rachel called out from down the hall.
"Yes, boss!" Cassie called out in a sing-song way, gesturing for Amy to follow suit.
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Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Afternoon
It was a weird juxtaposition that Amy could feel so dirty while covered in soap and water.
Rachel and Cassie led her to a large bathroom that was made for dogs of all sizes. After a quick lesson on the correct way to wash a dog, Amy and Cassie paired up to work as Rachel brought in all manner of breeds.
"Don't worry." Cassie said as the first dog was led in, "They don't bite, usually. Rach keeps all the violent dogs in another wing. We wouldn't throw the newbie to the wolves."
Amy didn't think she looked that worried, especially when the first dog turned out to be some yappy little thing. Cassie gently lowered the dog into the tub as the two girls got to work. Rachel left them alone, only returning every ten or so minutes to bring in another dog.
After the third dog, Amy felt comfortable to handle the work herself. Cassie split off to a separate bath beside her as Rachel started bringing in pairs of dogs.
"See, now you're earning your pay?" Cassie giggled, giving Amy a friendly push with her elbow.
"Pay?" Amy asked, "I thought this was volunteer work?"
"Oh, it is." Cassie said, "But Rachel still pays us all. She's a good boss like that."
"Huh. So how many people do you have working here?" Amy asked.
"Let's see?" Cassie thought aloud. "We have a handful of helpers… that's what we call volunteers like you. They all switch around a lot, usually because Rach fires them. With you on, we have about five. Then there are the three vets, two professional trainers, maintenance during the week, Dave on security and some more for driving the trucks for supply runs and rescues. Oh and of course we have Rachel who's in charge of it all."
"And how many dogs are there?"
"It varies," Cassie said, thinking to herself. "Rachel is very protective of her dogs. And she keeps bringing in more rescues. So it can get pretty crowded around her. We had close to fifty dogs around here at the start of the year. And considering how small of an operation it was…"
"Fifty?" Amy balked.
Cassie chuckled. "That's when I volunteered. Eventually, we convinced Rachel to start accepting adoptions. But like I said, she's very protective. So the adoption process can be intense. Nowadays we have a little under twenty. But Rach won't allow any adoptions till she sure this latest batch of recuses are safe."
"Where does she find them all?" Amy asked as she finished drying off her current dog. She found her power to read biology to be less annoying when touching the dogs, she wasn't entirely sure why but chalked it up to experiencing something different compared to humans. "I don't think I've ever seen a stray dog on the street."
"Oh, that's easy," Cassie said with another beaming smile, her eyes lit up in awe. "She rescues them from those awful Empire dog fighting rings."
"She what?" Amy asked. Rachel did look to be the intimidating type, but picking a fight with the Empire was a whole other level.
"Yeah," Cassie sighed with admiration in her voice. "Every time those rings get hit. Rach calls over the vans and we pick up the pups. She's amazing like that."
Once again, Amy was reminded how much of a fan girl Cassie was about Rachel. It reminded Amy of all those times she healed kids in the hospital and they would keep talking about their favourite heroes.
"How does she find out about them?" Amy asked. "Does she have a deal with the police, PRT or something?"
Cassie laughed. "That'd be the day." She turned her face to a very confused Amy. "Nah, fuck those guys. They don't do anything, they're happy to let the Empire keep pulling their shit. Rachel just knows these streets. It's all community-driven, with her leading the charge with her badass dogs."
"And you're not worried about the Empire coming to take back their dogs?"
"Not really," Cassie said with a calm smile. "We're too far out of their territory for them to start shit. Plus Rach would set her dogs on any idiot who stirred up trouble around here."
Amy's opinion of Rachel so far was skewed to the 'impulsive bitch' side of the scale, but anyone who fucked with the Empire went up a few notches in her book. She still didn't see why Cassie was such a fan of this woman but she could respect what she did.
------------------------------------------------
Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Late Afternoon
Once all the dogs were bathed, dried and groomed. Amy was given time to simply 'play' with the animals. Rachel told her it was important to get the dogs used to her if she was going to be working with them.
Playtime meant throwing various dog toys around the place. Each individual dog had its assigned toy and would only react when it was thrown for them. Amy didn't really know the first thing about dog training but she could tell that these dogs were exceptionally well trained.
Cassie and Rachel watched on from the side, Rachel would occasionally bark out an order when the dogs got too rowdy and watched Amy with a pensive glare.
Amy for the most part sat in a corner and threw whatever toy the dogs brought to her. She was still hesitant to touch the drool-covered balls and bone-shaped toys but relaxed into a rhythm of things. In the end, Amy found it rather relaxing. She never expected that. After all the crazy stuff that she's seen in her life, being around animals was almost foreign to her.
One particular dog, a golden retriever, seemed quite fascinated by Amy. Often ignoring the thrown toy in favour of getting head pats and scratches. Through her power, Amy could see the old damage that had been done to the animal. Old scars from bite and scratch marks that were hidden under the fur.
Amy could've tried healing the dog, but they weren't anything more than superficial scars and were actually pretty healthy all things considered. Neither Rachel nor Cassie had realised that she was Panacea and Amy had no desire to change that fact. As strange as Cassie was, she rather enjoyed being spoken to as 'Amy the helper' over 'Panacea the cape.'
Eventually, Rachel let out a whistle and all the dogs, including the golden retriever lined up. Only then did Amy realise how late into the day it had gotten. She'd spent more time playing with the dogs than actually working. It was… nice.
Cassie led the dogs off, leaving Amy alone with Rachel.
Rachel seemed pleased as she nodded to Amy. As pleased as Rachel could look with her resting bitch face. The woman never really smiled, at best her lips were somewhat upturned as she looked down on Amy. Nothing like the bright toothy grin Cassie would give whenever Rachel wasn't in the room.
"Good job today," Rachel said. The first real acknowledgement of Amy since she got here. "Dogs like you, you don't try to touch them without permission and you can follow directions well enough."
Rachel nodded again, her expression unchanged. Amy gave Rachel a curt nod back.
"It wasn't horrible," Amy admitted, more to herself. "I guess I'm starting to see why people like dogs."
"Good." Rachel said, "Talk to Cassie about your availability. Make sure to collect your pay."
Rachel turned to leave before stopping by the door. She froze as if she just remembered something, turning back towards Amy. She looked very stiff as she shot out her hand.
"Oh," Rachel said begrudgingly. "Welcome to the team or whatever."
There was a brief moment where Amy thought she was going to crack a smile but Rachel's expression didn't change much. In fact, she looked slightly embarrassed if Amy had to guess.
"Oh, yeah," Amy said, reaching out to shake her hand. "Uh, thanks for having me. Or whatever."
Upon shaking hands with her, Amy could read her biology like every other creature she touched. Rachel was relatively healthy, finely muscular with the odd scars and scrapes along her body. That wasn't too unusual considering her build. Currently recovering from some minor damage on her knuckles, Amy saw that a lot of people either fought a lot or used punching bags to work out.
She also had the telltale signs of finding Amy attractive. That was very surprising. Granted, she wasn't foaming at the mouth for Amy or anything, simply picking up on the chemicals being released in the brain that hinted that she liked her, or perhaps it was just women in general, Amy could never tell for sure.
She wasn't a mind reader. Well, she could read a mind in a biological sense, but she had no idea what anyone was actually thinking. Rachel's mind in particular was interesting because the connections didn't entirely match up like a regular brain did. It wasn't any huge difference, Amy would've assumed Rachel was autistic or the like but after playing with dogs all afternoon, she noticed a fair few similarities in the brains.
Suffice it to say, it was strange. Reading deeper into the anomaly, Amy found the cause. Rachel was a parahuman.
"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, still gripping Rachel's hand. Her brain was working overtime to pull in all the clues she'd picked up today. "You're telling me that you run a dog shelter, that rescues dogs from the Empire AND you're a parahuman?"
Rachel didn't seem bothered in the slightest by Amy's current revelation. Nor did she try to hide it.
"Yeah?" Rachel confirmed.
Three dogs, parahuman, warning bells. Amy realised what her brain was trying to tell her all those hours ago. The vague memories of her family explaining the lesser known capes in the city along with her more recent memories of the bank heist that Amy was a hostage of.
"Are you Hellhound?" Amy asked, fear prickling up her spine.
She usually stayed way the hell away from the front lines of the cape scene. The PRT would bring patients to her, New Wave never brought her on patrol and Vicky never called her into the field unless she royally fucked up. Amy knew enough about the big-name capes in this city, but barring one hostage scenario and one unconscious Lung, Amy had never been faced with an actual villain before.
If this girl was Hellhound, Amy was in deep trouble. She was in the heart of the devil's den, on the edge of the city. Vicky would never be able to get to her in time. And what were the other implications? Rachel was a friend of Taylor? Does that mean?-
"Who the fuck is Hellhound?" Rachel asked. "Either call me Rachel or Bitch. I don't care which. And don't call me 'Rach' like Cassie does. I keep telling her to stop but she doesn't. It's annoying."
Amy could sense a lot of things through her powers, micro-expressions, breathing rate, skin conductivity, and heart rate, In short, she was a human lie detector. Either Rachel was a brilliant liar, or she really had no idea who 'Hellhound' was.
Amy thought back on everything Cassie had said about Rachel. Hours of non-stop compliments and praise over this woman who dedicated her time to rescuing dogs from the Empire. That conflicted with what little Amy knew about the violent villain known as Hellhound. Villains were evil, they certainly didn't rescue puppies and nurse them back to health. That was as stupid, like a Warlord who runs an orphanage, utterly preposterous.
In any case, Amy relaxed. She wasn't up to date on the cape scene. She only learned the other day about some cape who exclusively deals in clothing. Maybe there was a whole community of capes like Amy who used their powers for non-combative things, like healing people, saving dogs and making clothes.
"Sorry." Amy apologised, "I mistook you for someone else."
"Whatever." Rachel huffed. She didn't seem to be offended by Amy's mishap, dropping her handshake with a shrug.
Cassie returned with the three dogs that Rachel was walking earlier today. They bolted over to Rachel and lined up beside her. Amy wasn't sure if her 'Taylor scent' was still working after all that dog bathing, but the three dogs didn't appear to notice or care about her.
Rachel turned to Cassie. "I'll be back tomorrow. Call me if you need anything."
"Yes, boss," Cassie said with a salute.
Rachel turned back to Amy and gave yet another nod. "I'll see you around then?"
An actual question, instead of barking an order. One that had a tinge of hope in her words.
"Yeah, sure." Amy nodded back. "I have other obligations but I'll swing by when I can."
With that, Rachel took off, leaving the two girls alone. Amy glanced over at Cassie who appeared to be smiling with glee.
"What?" Amy asked.
"She likes you~" Cassie sang out.
Amy didn't know how to respond to that, or what exactly the girl was implying.
"Seriously," Cassie said in amazement. "I don't remember the last time she brought in someone. I had to beg on my hands and knees to get this job. And the last volunteer I brought in left in tears. You must've really impressed her. Oh, I'm so jealous. What's your secret?"
"I uh?" Amy also didn't know how to respond to that. Rachel was intense, but she didn't seem THAT bad. "Her dogs liked me?"
"Yeah, that'd do it." Cassie nodded. "Took me weeks to get her dogs to like me. Only then did she actually bother to remember my name. She can be so cruel." She sighed in a melodramatic way but cheered up immediately.
"So, do I leave now?-" Amy asked.
"Whatever," Cassie said, more fired up and ignoring Amy's question. "I'll just keep trying my best. Rachie is sure to appreciate my work."
"Rachie?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Cassie said back. "It has a nice ring to it. Rachie and Cassie. Partners in crime." Amy was once again reminded how much of a fan girl she was. "Or better yet. Rachie and Cassie Lindt, just partners…"
'Oh, so she's like that.' Amy thought quietly to herself.
"Good luck with that," Amy said, with no real hope in her tone.
"Thank you," Cassie said back with a smile. "Anyway, let's get you settled."
----------------------------------------------
Back into the lobby. Amy had several messages waiting on her phone, Vicky was asking where she was and what time she was coming home. Amy felt bad for not taking any photos of the dogs for her sister but knew that there was always next time.
After talking with Cassie, Amy agreed to return on her days off and after school. She still prioritised her hospital work, but she would swing by whenever she had the spare time. Amy was paid in cash, being handed a sizeable envelope for her time here. She made more per hour than her Ward friends which she found both amusing and surprising.
Then she was walked to the door and given another overly enthusiastic handshake by the younger girl.
"Thank you again for helping out," Cassie said, both hands on Amy's one. "I'm looking forward to working with you again. Plus you really seemed to enjoy playing with the dogs. It's always nice to see the dogs making people happy."
Happy wasn't the word Amy would've used. But she wasn't unhappy, so she took the compliment.
"Yeah, it wasn't a bad time," Amy said back, trying to wiggle her hand free. "Though I need to go home and wash the smell of dog out of my clothes."
Cassie laughed at that. Both girls smelled like wet dogs and shampoo, Cassie more so if Amy was being honest.
"Oh yeah." She said, "I barely notice it these days. Except for Rachel's dogs. Those three always smell different. I guess it's cause they live at her house instead of here. But that's why I like handling them the most."
"You like smelling like dog?" Amy asked with a teasing smile.
"Well Rachel's dogs, specifically," Cassie admitted with another chuckle. "I have this theory that she'll like me better if I smell like her dogs. So I try my best to work with them every time I'm here. Sometimes I just cuddle with them in the hope that their scent rubs off on me and then Rachie will compliment me or something."
"I see…" Amy said, finally getting her hand free.
"Well. Good night." Cassie said with a wave as Amy backed away.
Amy didn't feel like walking back home so she sent a quick text to Vicky to pick her up at a nearby cafe or the like.
She thought about her day as she started walking, This morning felt like it happened an entire week ago. Amy had to admit, today was nice. It started off weird and she sure as fuck wasn't looking forward to talking to Carol about her mental health or whatever bullshit Vicky was on about, but working with the dogs was a nice change of pace.
Rachel seemed like a grumpy bitch but then again, so was Amy. There was a mutual respect between them and apparently, she liked her, whatever that meant. Cassie on the other hand was the type of yappy annoying girl that Amy would avoid if given the chance.
The girl had a giant crush on Rachel, it was painfully obvious once she had worked it out. A crush that was, in Amy's honest opinion, never going to go anywhere. Rachel is her boss and shows no interest in her whatsoever.
'Seriously, who the hell wants to smell like dog?' Amy thought to herself as she reapplied her scent bacteria, wanting to good before Victoria could pick her up.
The idea that the girl was sneaking off to rub up to some dogs and try to smell like them, as some kind of hair-brained scheme to make herself more appealing to her crush.
'Just roll around with a bunch of dogs and think that'll make Senpai notice me.'
Amy shook her head before muttering to herself.
"Yeesh. This bitch is crazy."
This chapter is was meant to be a small B plot that went along side the main plot but it ended up getting long. So enjoy this Amy interlude.
Brockton Bay Train yard – Midday
"Why aren't we just going straight there?" Amy complained as she trotted along. "We turn right then left, then right two more times. We've crossed this street several times, just go down it."
Amy walked for over an hour with the strange woman she met in the park. She took various detours on their way to the supposed dog shelter. Amy's old New Wave training was trying to alert her to the suspicious behaviour, like the woman was actively avoiding being followed or seen in busy locations, however, Amy chalked it up to the woman being lost.
The woman, whom Amy had still not remembered her name, simply huffed and said. "We're walking the dogs."
That made sense to Amy. She was never one for exercise, but the concept made sense. Apparently, Taylor went for jogs every morning, she'd mentioned it once during the lunchtime conversation. While Amy knew she should incorporate the routine into her daily life she wanted to be one step closer to imitating Taylor, the idea of getting up in the morning and actually doing exercise was too daunting to even think about.
As they got further away from the city and closer to the train yard, the detours became less and less frequent. Until finally they were walking down the main strip of road that they had passed several times over. Almost an hour after being picked up by the strange woman, they had both made it to their destination.
On the edge of the city, Amy stood outside a rather clinical-looking building, when she was grabbed from the park by that large, brutish woman and told that she'd be volunteering at a dog shelter at the train yard, Amy pictured some run down shoddy shack. The sign out the front read Brockton Dog Sanctuary along with a secondary sign that read Not accepting adoptions. Upon closer inspection, Amy could see some graffiti under the main sign. Underneath the word Brockton, someone had spelled out itch's with a red marker. Amy thought the idea of tagging 'Itch' on a building was rather pointless, but then again, most graffiti tags looked stupid to her.
The strange and still unnamed woman led Amy into the lobby of the building and told her to wait while she 'sorted some shit out.' Amy used the time to check her phone. There was a message from Victoria waiting for her.
VD: I finished talking to Mom. She said that she'd 'think about reducing your hours' but she wants to discuss it with you first.
Amy rolled her eyes. That wasn't going to be a fun conversation. It was already awkward as fuck when Victoria thought she was depressed and overworked, now Carol was going to be questioning her mental state. Amy sent back a simple reply.
AD: k
VD: Remember what we discussed. Don't tell Mom that 'you're fine.' Let her know how you feel, okay?
AD: k
VD: Amy…
Even through text, Amy could hear her pouting at her. Adorable, like a… Amy was about to compare it to a puppy, but now she was in a lobby surrounded by pictures of the yapping things the compassion didn't do Vicky justice.
AD: I'll let her know. Happy?
VD: I just want you to be. <3
Amy rolled her eyes again. Where the hell did this all come from? It was as if Victoria just woke up today and decided that Amy was unhappy with life. She wanted to text back, 'I am happy, stop worrying about me.' But she already knew that would just make Vicky worry even more. It was stupid. Victoria might have good intentions, but that didn't stop Amy from feeling like her own sister was gaslighting her into being depressed.
So what if she wasn't as cheery as Victoria? So what if she didn't feel 'fulfilled' with what she was doing? Who cares if she has the odd daydream about disappearing from the world every day or so? That didn't mean Amy was unhappy, it was just the result of comparing her life to Vicky's. Victoria was a shining beacon of light, comparing her life to Amy's was like comparing a gourmet steak to a sack of crap. That didn't mean Amy wasn't happy, she was perfectly…
AD: I'm fine.
VD: Where are you right now? Need me to pick you up?
AD: Near the train-yard.
VD: What are you doing there?
Then she thought about how it'd look from her sister's perspective. Victoria had explicitly told her not to go work in a hospital or clinic, would she get mad if she said she was volunteering at a dog shelter?
AD: Looking at dogs.
VD: Cute! Take photos.
Vicky sent a gif of a cartoon dog holding up a love heart. Amy snorted a quick chuckle before putting her phone away. She could hear footsteps approaching her. They were lighter sounding than the bulky thump of the woman who brought her here. Amy was surprised to see a young girl walk out behind the counter. She was younger than Amy was, perhaps fifteen or fourteen by the look of her, She held a cheery smile as she stepped into the lobby.
"Hi!" The girl said with a very upbeat attitude that would even put Vicky to shame. "I'm Cassie. Sorry for the wait. Rachel can be very particular with how we handle her dogs post-walk." She chuckled as she ran her hands over the desk, switching on the computers that sat on the reception desk.
'Rachel?' Amy thought to herself. 'Oh, that must be the strange woman's name. I knew it started with an R.'
After typing into the computer for a bit, the girl ran up to Amy and held out her hand to greet her. Amy shook it hesitantly. "I'm so glad we have someone new to help out around here. We're kinda short-staffed at the moment so we really need the help."
With all the craziness in her life right now, Amy was expecting to discover yet another parahuman but was pleasantly surprised to learn that this girl was just a regular girl.
"Um, no problem." Amy said, "I still don't know what I'm doing here. She- uh, Rachel just dragged me from the park after her dogs ran up to me."
The girl laughed at that and waved her hand. "Yeah, that sounds like Rach." Amy picked up on the admiration in her tone as the girl handed Amy a clipboard. It had a form to be filled out, a simple volunteer employee contract. "I kept asking her to find more people but she's very particular about who we get. She chased off the last two people who came by."
"You're short-staffed, yet she's chasing off potential volunteers?" Amy asked in confusion.
"We take dog care very seriously around here." Cassie said, "If the dogs don't like you, you're out. And if Rachel doesn't like you… Well, don't worry about that. She hired you herself."
"I see…" Amy nodded, thinking of an easy way to get out of this if it proved to be a waste of time.
The woman, Rachel walked back into the lobby, Amy noted that her resting bitch face never appeared to change.
"Cass, tell Kyle to stop fucking around and get on with cleaning the sleeping areas." Rachel barked out.
Cassie jumped into a salute; her smile held on her face but she bore no teeth with it. "Yes, boss."
"And make sure Bensen gets enough food today, I know the other dogs are stealing from his bowl."
"Yes, boss."
"And where the fuck is Jack, the dogs need their baths."
"Jack?" Cassie asked, her head tilted in confusion. "Oh, you mean Jake?"
"Yeah, that fuck."
"You fired him, remember?"
Rachel stood silently for a good few seconds while she thought on that before nodding her head.
"Right. Fuck him." She said, pointing a thumb to Amy. "This one ready yet?"
"Almost," Cassie said, holding her clipboard out to Rachel. "Just gotta give her the orientation, give her a tour and also let her know how amazing you are!"
That last part caught Amy off guard. The girl said it with such honest enthusiasm. It reminded her of all the annoying fans who clamour around Victoria. This Cassie girl was some kind of 'Rachel fan girl' which Amy found rather strange. Who the hell likes their boss that much?
Rachel didn't even bother reading the clipboard over, she stared at the paper for all of two seconds and looked insulted by it. Then she lifted a hand to flick Cassie on the nose.
"Stop being weird." Rachel huffed.
Cassie simply giggled as she took the flick. Amy assumed that this was some form of normal for the two and chose not to say anything.
"Forget orientation, follow me," Rachel added, strolling through another door.
Amy took a moment to process what had just happened, and what had been asked of her. The rude bitch didn't even speak to Amy directly, just barked out an order to follow like she was just another dog.
"Is she always like that?" Amy asked the younger girl.
Cassie giggled and nodded her head. "Yeah, Rachel is like a force of nature or something. But it's all for a good cause, y'know? She's actually such a softie when she's with people she likes or her dogs. But uh, don't tell her I said that." She chuckled again.
"You coming or what?" Rachel called out from down the hall.
"Yes, boss!" Cassie called out in a sing-song way, gesturing for Amy to follow suit.
-------------------------------------------------------
Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Afternoon
It was a weird juxtaposition that Amy could feel so dirty while covered in soap and water.
Rachel and Cassie led her to a large bathroom that was made for dogs of all sizes. After a quick lesson on the correct way to wash a dog, Amy and Cassie paired up to work as Rachel brought in all manner of breeds.
"Don't worry." Cassie said as the first dog was led in, "They don't bite, usually. Rach keeps all the violent dogs in another wing. We wouldn't throw the newbie to the wolves."
Amy didn't think she looked that worried, especially when the first dog turned out to be some yappy little thing. Cassie gently lowered the dog into the tub as the two girls got to work. Rachel left them alone, only returning every ten or so minutes to bring in another dog.
After the third dog, Amy felt comfortable to handle the work herself. Cassie split off to a separate bath beside her as Rachel started bringing in pairs of dogs.
"See, now you're earning your pay?" Cassie giggled, giving Amy a friendly push with her elbow.
"Pay?" Amy asked, "I thought this was volunteer work?"
"Oh, it is." Cassie said, "But Rachel still pays us all. She's a good boss like that."
"Huh. So how many people do you have working here?" Amy asked.
"Let's see?" Cassie thought aloud. "We have a handful of helpers… that's what we call volunteers like you. They all switch around a lot, usually because Rach fires them. With you on, we have about five. Then there are the three vets, two professional trainers, maintenance during the week, Dave on security and some more for driving the trucks for supply runs and rescues. Oh and of course we have Rachel who's in charge of it all."
"And how many dogs are there?"
"It varies," Cassie said, thinking to herself. "Rachel is very protective of her dogs. And she keeps bringing in more rescues. So it can get pretty crowded around her. We had close to fifty dogs around here at the start of the year. And considering how small of an operation it was…"
"Fifty?" Amy balked.
Cassie chuckled. "That's when I volunteered. Eventually, we convinced Rachel to start accepting adoptions. But like I said, she's very protective. So the adoption process can be intense. Nowadays we have a little under twenty. But Rach won't allow any adoptions till she sure this latest batch of recuses are safe."
"Where does she find them all?" Amy asked as she finished drying off her current dog. She found her power to read biology to be less annoying when touching the dogs, she wasn't entirely sure why but chalked it up to experiencing something different compared to humans. "I don't think I've ever seen a stray dog on the street."
"Oh, that's easy," Cassie said with another beaming smile, her eyes lit up in awe. "She rescues them from those awful Empire dog fighting rings."
"She what?" Amy asked. Rachel did look to be the intimidating type, but picking a fight with the Empire was a whole other level.
"Yeah," Cassie sighed with admiration in her voice. "Every time those rings get hit. Rach calls over the vans and we pick up the pups. She's amazing like that."
Once again, Amy was reminded how much of a fan girl Cassie was about Rachel. It reminded Amy of all those times she healed kids in the hospital and they would keep talking about their favourite heroes.
"How does she find out about them?" Amy asked. "Does she have a deal with the police, PRT or something?"
Cassie laughed. "That'd be the day." She turned her face to a very confused Amy. "Nah, fuck those guys. They don't do anything, they're happy to let the Empire keep pulling their shit. Rachel just knows these streets. It's all community-driven, with her leading the charge with her badass dogs."
"And you're not worried about the Empire coming to take back their dogs?"
"Not really," Cassie said with a calm smile. "We're too far out of their territory for them to start shit. Plus Rach would set her dogs on any idiot who stirred up trouble around here."
Amy's opinion of Rachel so far was skewed to the 'impulsive bitch' side of the scale, but anyone who fucked with the Empire went up a few notches in her book. She still didn't see why Cassie was such a fan of this woman but she could respect what she did.
------------------------------------------------
Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Late Afternoon
Once all the dogs were bathed, dried and groomed. Amy was given time to simply 'play' with the animals. Rachel told her it was important to get the dogs used to her if she was going to be working with them.
Playtime meant throwing various dog toys around the place. Each individual dog had its assigned toy and would only react when it was thrown for them. Amy didn't really know the first thing about dog training but she could tell that these dogs were exceptionally well trained.
Cassie and Rachel watched on from the side, Rachel would occasionally bark out an order when the dogs got too rowdy and watched Amy with a pensive glare.
Amy for the most part sat in a corner and threw whatever toy the dogs brought to her. She was still hesitant to touch the drool-covered balls and bone-shaped toys but relaxed into a rhythm of things. In the end, Amy found it rather relaxing. She never expected that. After all the crazy stuff that she's seen in her life, being around animals was almost foreign to her.
One particular dog, a golden retriever, seemed quite fascinated by Amy. Often ignoring the thrown toy in favour of getting head pats and scratches. Through her power, Amy could see the old damage that had been done to the animal. Old scars from bite and scratch marks that were hidden under the fur.
Amy could've tried healing the dog, but they weren't anything more than superficial scars and were actually pretty healthy all things considered. Neither Rachel nor Cassie had realised that she was Panacea and Amy had no desire to change that fact. As strange as Cassie was, she rather enjoyed being spoken to as 'Amy the helper' over 'Panacea the cape.'
Eventually, Rachel let out a whistle and all the dogs, including the golden retriever lined up. Only then did Amy realise how late into the day it had gotten. She'd spent more time playing with the dogs than actually working. It was… nice.
Cassie led the dogs off, leaving Amy alone with Rachel.
Rachel seemed pleased as she nodded to Amy. As pleased as Rachel could look with her resting bitch face. The woman never really smiled, at best her lips were somewhat upturned as she looked down on Amy. Nothing like the bright toothy grin Cassie would give whenever Rachel wasn't in the room.
"Good job today," Rachel said. The first real acknowledgement of Amy since she got here. "Dogs like you, you don't try to touch them without permission and you can follow directions well enough."
Rachel nodded again, her expression unchanged. Amy gave Rachel a curt nod back.
"It wasn't horrible," Amy admitted, more to herself. "I guess I'm starting to see why people like dogs."
"Good." Rachel said, "Talk to Cassie about your availability. Make sure to collect your pay."
Rachel turned to leave before stopping by the door. She froze as if she just remembered something, turning back towards Amy. She looked very stiff as she shot out her hand.
"Oh," Rachel said begrudgingly. "Welcome to the team or whatever."
There was a brief moment where Amy thought she was going to crack a smile but Rachel's expression didn't change much. In fact, she looked slightly embarrassed if Amy had to guess.
"Oh, yeah," Amy said, reaching out to shake her hand. "Uh, thanks for having me. Or whatever."
Upon shaking hands with her, Amy could read her biology like every other creature she touched. Rachel was relatively healthy, finely muscular with the odd scars and scrapes along her body. That wasn't too unusual considering her build. Currently recovering from some minor damage on her knuckles, Amy saw that a lot of people either fought a lot or used punching bags to work out.
She also had the telltale signs of finding Amy attractive. That was very surprising. Granted, she wasn't foaming at the mouth for Amy or anything, simply picking up on the chemicals being released in the brain that hinted that she liked her, or perhaps it was just women in general, Amy could never tell for sure.
She wasn't a mind reader. Well, she could read a mind in a biological sense, but she had no idea what anyone was actually thinking. Rachel's mind in particular was interesting because the connections didn't entirely match up like a regular brain did. It wasn't any huge difference, Amy would've assumed Rachel was autistic or the like but after playing with dogs all afternoon, she noticed a fair few similarities in the brains.
Suffice it to say, it was strange. Reading deeper into the anomaly, Amy found the cause. Rachel was a parahuman.
"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, still gripping Rachel's hand. Her brain was working overtime to pull in all the clues she'd picked up today. "You're telling me that you run a dog shelter, that rescues dogs from the Empire AND you're a parahuman?"
Rachel didn't seem bothered in the slightest by Amy's current revelation. Nor did she try to hide it.
"Yeah?" Rachel confirmed.
Three dogs, parahuman, warning bells. Amy realised what her brain was trying to tell her all those hours ago. The vague memories of her family explaining the lesser known capes in the city along with her more recent memories of the bank heist that Amy was a hostage of.
"Are you Hellhound?" Amy asked, fear prickling up her spine.
She usually stayed way the hell away from the front lines of the cape scene. The PRT would bring patients to her, New Wave never brought her on patrol and Vicky never called her into the field unless she royally fucked up. Amy knew enough about the big-name capes in this city, but barring one hostage scenario and one unconscious Lung, Amy had never been faced with an actual villain before.
If this girl was Hellhound, Amy was in deep trouble. She was in the heart of the devil's den, on the edge of the city. Vicky would never be able to get to her in time. And what were the other implications? Rachel was a friend of Taylor? Does that mean?-
"Who the fuck is Hellhound?" Rachel asked. "Either call me Rachel or Bitch. I don't care which. And don't call me 'Rach' like Cassie does. I keep telling her to stop but she doesn't. It's annoying."
Amy could sense a lot of things through her powers, micro-expressions, breathing rate, skin conductivity, and heart rate, In short, she was a human lie detector. Either Rachel was a brilliant liar, or she really had no idea who 'Hellhound' was.
Amy thought back on everything Cassie had said about Rachel. Hours of non-stop compliments and praise over this woman who dedicated her time to rescuing dogs from the Empire. That conflicted with what little Amy knew about the violent villain known as Hellhound. Villains were evil, they certainly didn't rescue puppies and nurse them back to health. That was as stupid, like a Warlord who runs an orphanage, utterly preposterous.
In any case, Amy relaxed. She wasn't up to date on the cape scene. She only learned the other day about some cape who exclusively deals in clothing. Maybe there was a whole community of capes like Amy who used their powers for non-combative things, like healing people, saving dogs and making clothes.
"Sorry." Amy apologised, "I mistook you for someone else."
"Whatever." Rachel huffed. She didn't seem to be offended by Amy's mishap, dropping her handshake with a shrug.
Cassie returned with the three dogs that Rachel was walking earlier today. They bolted over to Rachel and lined up beside her. Amy wasn't sure if her 'Taylor scent' was still working after all that dog bathing, but the three dogs didn't appear to notice or care about her.
Rachel turned to Cassie. "I'll be back tomorrow. Call me if you need anything."
"Yes, boss," Cassie said with a salute.
Rachel turned back to Amy and gave yet another nod. "I'll see you around then?"
An actual question, instead of barking an order. One that had a tinge of hope in her words.
"Yeah, sure." Amy nodded back. "I have other obligations but I'll swing by when I can."
With that, Rachel took off, leaving the two girls alone. Amy glanced over at Cassie who appeared to be smiling with glee.
"What?" Amy asked.
"She likes you~" Cassie sang out.
Amy didn't know how to respond to that, or what exactly the girl was implying.
"Seriously," Cassie said in amazement. "I don't remember the last time she brought in someone. I had to beg on my hands and knees to get this job. And the last volunteer I brought in left in tears. You must've really impressed her. Oh, I'm so jealous. What's your secret?"
"I uh?" Amy also didn't know how to respond to that. Rachel was intense, but she didn't seem THAT bad. "Her dogs liked me?"
"Yeah, that'd do it." Cassie nodded. "Took me weeks to get her dogs to like me. Only then did she actually bother to remember my name. She can be so cruel." She sighed in a melodramatic way but cheered up immediately.
"So, do I leave now?-" Amy asked.
"Whatever," Cassie said, more fired up and ignoring Amy's question. "I'll just keep trying my best. Rachie is sure to appreciate my work."
"Rachie?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Cassie said back. "It has a nice ring to it. Rachie and Cassie. Partners in crime." Amy was once again reminded how much of a fan girl she was. "Or better yet. Rachie and Cassie Lindt, just partners…"
'Oh, so she's like that.' Amy thought quietly to herself.
"Good luck with that," Amy said, with no real hope in her tone.
"Thank you," Cassie said back with a smile. "Anyway, let's get you settled."
----------------------------------------------
Back into the lobby. Amy had several messages waiting on her phone, Vicky was asking where she was and what time she was coming home. Amy felt bad for not taking any photos of the dogs for her sister but knew that there was always next time.
After talking with Cassie, Amy agreed to return on her days off and after school. She still prioritised her hospital work, but she would swing by whenever she had the spare time. Amy was paid in cash, being handed a sizeable envelope for her time here. She made more per hour than her Ward friends which she found both amusing and surprising.
Then she was walked to the door and given another overly enthusiastic handshake by the younger girl.
"Thank you again for helping out," Cassie said, both hands on Amy's one. "I'm looking forward to working with you again. Plus you really seemed to enjoy playing with the dogs. It's always nice to see the dogs making people happy."
Happy wasn't the word Amy would've used. But she wasn't unhappy, so she took the compliment.
"Yeah, it wasn't a bad time," Amy said back, trying to wiggle her hand free. "Though I need to go home and wash the smell of dog out of my clothes."
Cassie laughed at that. Both girls smelled like wet dogs and shampoo, Cassie more so if Amy was being honest.
"Oh yeah." She said, "I barely notice it these days. Except for Rachel's dogs. Those three always smell different. I guess it's cause they live at her house instead of here. But that's why I like handling them the most."
"You like smelling like dog?" Amy asked with a teasing smile.
"Well Rachel's dogs, specifically," Cassie admitted with another chuckle. "I have this theory that she'll like me better if I smell like her dogs. So I try my best to work with them every time I'm here. Sometimes I just cuddle with them in the hope that their scent rubs off on me and then Rachie will compliment me or something."
"I see…" Amy said, finally getting her hand free.
"Well. Good night." Cassie said with a wave as Amy backed away.
Amy didn't feel like walking back home so she sent a quick text to Vicky to pick her up at a nearby cafe or the like.
She thought about her day as she started walking, This morning felt like it happened an entire week ago. Amy had to admit, today was nice. It started off weird and she sure as fuck wasn't looking forward to talking to Carol about her mental health or whatever bullshit Vicky was on about, but working with the dogs was a nice change of pace.
Rachel seemed like a grumpy bitch but then again, so was Amy. There was a mutual respect between them and apparently, she liked her, whatever that meant. Cassie on the other hand was the type of yappy annoying girl that Amy would avoid if given the chance.
The girl had a giant crush on Rachel, it was painfully obvious once she had worked it out. A crush that was, in Amy's honest opinion, never going to go anywhere. Rachel is her boss and shows no interest in her whatsoever.
'Seriously, who the hell wants to smell like dog?' Amy thought to herself as she reapplied her scent bacteria, wanting to good before Victoria could pick her up.
The idea that the girl was sneaking off to rub up to some dogs and try to smell like them, as some kind of hair-brained scheme to make herself more appealing to her crush.
'Just roll around with a bunch of dogs and think that'll make Senpai notice me.'
Amy shook her head before muttering to herself.
"Yeesh. This bitch is crazy."
Chapter 23: She can be a little intense
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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A/N: Sorry for the wait for a non interlude chapter. Have an extra long chapter for your patience.
idk how it got this long.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning
Lisa wandered from shop to shop, browsing the market wares as she strolled by. She often relaxed after a job by shopping, something about spending her ill-gotten gains on random stuff brought a smile to her face.
The ex-ABB lawyer paid the team handsomely for his rescue the other day, so Lisa felt the urge to splurge. She also enjoyed all the free time she was given, Coil had been unusually quiet this weekend, which was somewhat concerning as he normally would've given her some idle busy work to sort through by now.
Either Coil had run out of threats he needed to be analysed or he was planning something big. And the former didn't sound likely. Unfortunately, Lisa could do little about the latter except wait and see. The problem with, or just one of the many problems with working for a wannabe bond villain is that they never tell their subordinates about their plans ahead of time.
Lisa's best guess at the moment was that Coil was planning on seizing ABB territory, probably some secret assets that he didn't want falling into anyone's hands. That or he finally built his death ray and planned to hold all of Brockton Bay for ransom. Lisa laughed at the mental image, Coil was insane, but he wasn't that crazy… she hoped. In any case, Lisa could do nothing but shop.
The question of what she planned to buy was a matter of debate. She wanted a new pair of shoes, something fit for running. Taylor had invited Lisa to join her in the early morning jogs she did, and while getting up at the ass end of dawn wasn't really an appealing concept, spending more time with Taylor would make it worth it. Perhaps they'll eventually include Vicky if they can convince her to keep her feet on the ground for longer than five seconds.
But once she bought the shoes, she was left with a whole heap of money and nothing of note to buy. Her next thought was gifts. What good was money if you couldn't spoil your girlfriends rotten?
Taylor was easy to buy for. Books. It didn't matter what genre the book was or who the author was, she'd read it. Which was helpful because Lisa knew next to nothing about the literature world. She collected the bestseller in the first bookstore she came across, hoping that Taylor would enjoy it. There was always the chance that Taylor had already bought it but knowing Taylor, she would've barely spent a cent of her money unless absolutely necessary.
Victoria on the other hand was a lot harder to get gifts for. Not that she was complicated in what she liked, far from it. If it was pretty and fashionable, she'd love it. The problem was getting her to accept the gift knowing it was bought with 'crime money.'
Vicky might've accepted when Taylor bought her a dress, and she had no qualms when Lisa paid for her food, but Lisa's powers knew that there was a limit to Victoria's acceptance. All forms of expensive jewellery, for example, are completely off the table. It was safe to say that any gift that more than quadrupled her monthly allowance would be quietly returned.
It would almost be worth it to see the conflicted look on Victoria's face as she battled with the morality of accepting such a gaudy gift versus rejecting her girlfriend's attempt at doing something nice for her. Vicky did look cute when she pouted. But unfortunately, she'd be more upset than flattered, and Lisa was already trying to be nicer around the people she liked.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, flipping it open, Lisa sighed with a smile.
"Speak of the devil." Lisa chuckled into her phone.
"Hello to you too," Victoria said back from the other end.
Lisa laughed a little louder, "Naw, I was just thinking about you."
"Were you just?" Vicky hummed. "Nice things I hope."
"Of course, of course." Lisa nodded back while continuing to window-shop. "I was actually thinking of getting you something nice."
"Oh, really?" Victoria's voice went up an octave.
"Yeah. I have a book for Taylor, thought about buying you a parahuman nerd book but then I remembered that you already own all of them." Lisa smiled knowing how excited Vicky sounded, the girl was easy to please. "So now I'm looking at other options, something… pretty."
"I do like pretty things." Victoria teased back. "It's why I'm dating you."
"Stop it, you're making me blush." Lisa chuckled, actually blushing at the exchange. "But yes, something pretty. Tell me, which do you prefer, gold or diamonds?"
Lisa could hear the silent pause as Victoria tried to parse her sentence.
"You're right," Lisa continued, ignoring Victoria's struggle with morality. "I should just do both. How many carats do you want the gold to be?"
Lisa was midway through chuckling when she realised she'd just done the thing she wanted to avoid.
"Lisa, that's very sweet of you, but…" Victoria finally spoke up.
"Kidding," Lisa cut in, trying to laugh it off. "I'm just kidding. Sorry, I'll buy you something practical and pretty. And then donate to a charity or some shit for extra measure."
"Thank you," Victoria said with a sigh of relief.
"So, what's up?" Lisa asked after a brief pause. "Calling for a reason, or did you just miss my voice? Wait, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"
"I have a free time slot for exam prep," Victoria explained.
"And you're using it to call your girlfriend instead," Lisa chuckled. "I am a bad influence on you. Nice."
"Shut up, I can multitask," Victoria said back, no doubt while rolling her eyes. "I'm letting you know that we just had a lunch break and we told our friends about you. The throuple stuff, not the… y'know."
"Oh damn, so the cat's out of the bag," Lisa said. She knew that was the plan today. "I hope you didn't embarrass Taylor too much with the announcement this time."
"She told you about that?" Vicky asked abashedly. Lisa hummed an affirmative. "Well no, I didn't stand up and make a grand announcement like last time. We told everyone together, and Taylor made sure to explain things so that no one had the wrong idea."
"How caring. I would've just yelled it out. Taylor is cute when she's embarrassed." Lisa chuckled.
"Agreed, but I'm not a villain like you." Vicky teased back.
Lisa ignored the obvious bait in favour of more questions. "How'd the squad take it?"
"Confused, but positive," Victoria admitted. "Alice and Jessica were supportive but I don't think they really understood what was going on. Carlos seemed genuinely happy for us, so that was nice. Dennis was also happy, but I could tell he was thinking of something crass. And Amy already knew, so she's already fine with it."
Lisa cringed at the thought of Amy, burning with jealousy while Victoria and Taylor made their announcement, neither girl wise to the intense emotions that girl held. Lisa debated for another moment if now would be a good time to mention Amy's crush on Taylor but it was too soon for Victoria.
"And what about your ex?" Lisa asked, avoiding one awkward conversation by starting another. "How'd he take it?"
There was a hesitant pause at Victoria's end.
"Ah, that well," Lisa said.
"He was… polite about it," Victoria said. "I don't think I'll be introducing you to him anytime soon."
"I see, I see." Lisa nodded. "Shame, I always wanted Gallant's autograph."
"Anyway," Victoria said. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm dropping by your apartment after school."
"Are you now?" Lisa said with a raised eyebrow.
"Does that work for you, or do you have 'work'?"
Lisa could still hear contempt in the word.
"No, I'm free. Come on by. I'll even have a gift waiting for you." Lisa eyed the perfect gift across the street and started walking towards it. "Any reason for the visit? I can find us another date spot that's in your parents' approved locations if you prefer."
"No, no. We need to do this at your place." Victoria said in a more serious tone.
"My, my," Lisa chuckled. "I don't know if my heart is ready for that yet. We've only just started dating, and what would Taylor think if we left her out of it?"
There was another pause where Lisa could feel Victoria's blank stare.
"Shut up," Victoria whined. "We need to talk about your boss and what we're going to do."
Lisa sighed, not even her jokes could lighten the mood when it came to this. She was dreading this conversation. She was dreading a lot of things these days. Her upcoming photoshoot that would thrust her into the spotlight, Amy Dallon's obsession with Taylor and the potential fallout that could bring.
Today's source of dread came from the knowledge Victoria had about Lisa's boss and her heroic disposition to try and 'save' her. While the initial thought was sweet, the idea of Vicky taking on Coil was a recipe for disaster that would only leave Victoria getting hurt, or worse.
"Fine, fine, fine," Lisa grumbled. "We'll talk about why it's a horrible idea to get involved with my boss. Then we can cuddle and watch a movie, okay?"
"Lisa, I'm serious."
"And I'm Lisa." Lisa chuckled back. "Oh, I just spotted the perfect gift for you."
She started walking down the street towards the window she spotted.
"All right, we'll talk more later," Vicky said, dropping the topic. "Anyway, tell me about your day then. Shopping? What book did you get Taylor?"
Lisa fished out the book from her bag as she walked. "Let's see. It looks like some kind of fantasy novel. The first in a five-part epic, if the cover is to be believed. There's mystery and magic as a chosen one overthrows the pinnacle of evil and saves the land of… I don't even know how to pronounce that word. In any case, Taylor will love it. Also, I bought some shoes."
Victoria let out an excited gasp.
"Nothing fancy, just some runners for jogging," Lisa said quickly before Vicky could ask a million questions.
Vicky's gasp quickly died down in disappointment. "Are they at least cute?"
"Sorry," Lisa chuckled. "They did have a pair that was all glittery and pink, but I went for the practical black-and-white approach. But I'm sure anything will look good on my feet."
"Send photos, I still wanna see," Victoria asked.
"Did you just ask for feet pics?" Lisa teased.
"Of your shoes you-" Victoria let out a huff before laughing. "Yes, Lisa. I want you to send me feet pics."
"Sheesh. And I thought Taylor was the kinky one out of us." Lisa joked. "Whatever, I'll send you pics, without my feet you perve-"
Man with Shades has been following Lisa Wilbourn for last fifteen minutes.
Lisa resisted the urge to spin around, acting casual as she kept on walking.
"Uh, hey. I gotta go." Lisa said as calmly as possible.
"Yeah, I gotta get back to studying," Victoria said. "I'll see ya later."
"Sure thing." Lisa nodded, picking up her pace. "Bye-bye." With two short kisses, she hung up the phone and pressed on her power.
Man in shades watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating through hidden microphone in ear. Caucasian, unlikely ABB member. Possible PRT agent, possible Empire enforcer. Threat analysis, high.
Lisa took a turn down a side street, a pop-up market that was selling mostly food products. Losing the 'man in shades' was relatively simple once she was aware of him. However, there was still a matter of who he was talking to and if he had any friends-
Man in business attire talking into hidden microphone. Hidden under shirt collar. Watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating with Man in Shades, highly likely.
Lisa turned again, heading away from the second man. She forewent any acting on her behalf that she was still shopping, pulling her phone out again and quick-dialling Brian.
"Tomato, L," Lisa said coolly into the phone as she walked.
"Cabbage, A. What's wrong?" Brain asked back, straight into business mode, exactly how Lisa needed him. "Where are you?"
"Markets of 6th and West. Got two tails, possibly more I don't see." Lisa explained.
"Alright, can you stall them?" Brian asked. "Bitch is at her shelter, I got Alec with me but it'll take some time to reach you."
"That's what I'm doing," Lisa said. "Don't know who or what they want. Possible Empire, or even PRT."
"Should I get Skitter?"
"No, Arcadia is too far away," Lisa shook her head. "Plus I didn't want to alert Glory Girl unless it was absolutely necessary."
"Right, we're masks up in five," Brian said, "Head west, we'll try meet you".
Lisa turned in the appropriate direction and put a little skip into her step. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far before her power alerted her.
Black sedan is following Lisa Wilbourn. Tinted windows, bulletproof. Reinforced doors. Too expensive for standard PRT budget. Made for engaging capes? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a cape. Planning to engage in public. No regard for unspoken rules. Empire likely to break rules? Fleur exception, uncommon. Not Empire, knows Lisa Wilbourn is cape. Heavily funded. Coil's mercenaries.
'Coil? What the fuck? I haven't done anything to him?'
Lisa picked up her pace, but it was foolish to think she could outrun a car. The second she tried to sprint, the car sped up. Almost running her down to block off her exit.
Lisa spun to run back where she came, but the car's door slammed her as it opened. A second later, a large man grabbed her by the neck and held her to the floor as he patted her down. A second and third man stepped out of the car, one to point a gun at Lisa and the other to intimidate any would-be bystanders.
After a violent and humiliating feel-up, the first man removed all of Lisa's weapons, along with her phone. Snapping the phone for good measure before pulling her up and into the car. The only solace Lisa could take out of everything was that they assumed she only had one phone on her.
"Hello, Tattletale." Coil's voice called out from the car's speaker.
Lisa was trapped between two large mercs, neither of which belonged to the prestigious group of men she'd be secretly paying off in her long-term plan to overthrow Coil.
"H-hey, boss." Lisa tried her best to sound respectful. "You know there are easier ways to contact me? You could send me an email, or a text… or a phone call."
"Yes," Coil said. "The funny thing is that I tried doing that. And you ran away."
'I ran away? When did that?-'
Coil manipulates probabilities. Messaged Lisa Wilbourn in a different probability and received an unfavourable outcome.
'Fuck you, other Lisa.'
"Care to tell me why you ran from me?" Coil asked with anger seething in his voice.
"Well, if I had known it was your men who were following me, I would've-"
"Don't lie to me, Ms. Livsey."
Lisa didn't finish her sentence. "Look, I don't even know what you want. Whatever you think I did in your other probability, it's not this one. I'm a loyal- I'm a competent worker in your organisation. So I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt."
Coil sighed.
Impatient, annoyed, stressed. Something has disrupted his plans. Acting extra secretive. Worried, vulnerable. Weakness exposed? Need more data.
"Obviously something's changed," Lisa said, trying to suss out whatever Coil's fear was. "You pay me for threat analysis, among other things. So let me help you."
"Indeed, that is what I pay you for." Coil agreed. Lisa sighed in relief. "You'll be informed of the situation when you arrive. I'm locking down all my indispensable assets until the matter at hand is sorted."
Lisa's heart dropped at that. Her worst fear was being realised, the threat that Coil had held over her head for the entire year she worked for him. Being shot in the head was a mercy compared to his plans, locking her away in a room, only to be used as his personal thinker. A bag was thrown over Lisa's head as the car drove on towards whatever hole Coil considered his base.
In a panic, Lisa reached for her secondary phone. She had no idea if the two mercenaries were watching her hand movement but she had to take the risk. Feeling the buttons, she pressed the appropriate quick dial and spoke up.
"So that's it then?" Lisa almost yelled. "You're kidnapping me and locking me away?"
"If that's how you view it, then I can't change your mind," Coil said back. "If you do a good enough job, perhaps I'll consider letting you out again."
"Fat chance of that ever happening, is there?" Lisa spat back. "You just grabbed me from the Markets. A public place with lots of witnesses. You're just a kidnapping bastard, Coil. I'm never going to see the sun again."
"Don't worry, you won't be alone," Coil mused. "My pet needs someone to entertain her while I'm away, I'm sure you two will get on well."
"Fuck you," Lisa growled. "Fuck you and your overpriced armoured, black sedan."
"...Yes. Well. I'll see you soon." Coil said with growing suspicion in his voice.
"Go fuck yourself, take this black, armoured sedan that's speeding through the city, and ram it up your ass. Then everyone will look at you, and be able to read out the license plate on your corpse. Here lies Coil, 7GMR925."
Coil sighed again. "You're really not subtle, Tattletale. Pull the car over, she has a phone on her. And gag her"
"Fuck subtlety," Lisa laughed. "I'm being kidnapped by a supervillain dick. In a black sedan, 7GMR-"
The gag covered Lisa's already sack-covered mouth as two sets of hands brutishly grabbed at her, searching for the phone she had. After several unbearable moments of borderline molestation, while the mercs looked for her phone, the car came to a sudden stop.
Lisa was gagged and blinded, but she could hear the sound of metal being ripped as the car door came apart. Along with a few small explosions and the pews of lasers. Before long, the gag was untied and the sack pulled off her head.
Lisa thought that perhaps she'd see Glory Girl hovering over her in concern, however as her eyes adjusted to the light, it was the other side of New Wave that stood by, holding the mercenaries in place.
"You're lucky we were in the neighbourhood." Lady Photon said, inspecting the damage to the car. Manpower had done the bulk of the damage, stopping the car in place and leaving Laserdream to take out the stragglers. "Victoria and the others are already on their way, we'll have Panacea take a look at you. But first," Lady Photon placed her hand on her hips in a very disappointed gesture. "Care to explain why my niece is dating Tattletale?" Lisa hoped she could come up with a convenient lie as to why Coil had taken her. "We heard everything… So explain, and quick. Brandish is on her way and she is pissed."
Lisa had been saved, but in doing so, she had exposed herself to Victoria's family. The consequences of her actions were incalculable, how long until they realised who Taylor was? What would they do to the two girls?
"Well," Lisa said, feeling an all-new brand of terror. Wishing more than anything that she could just disappear from the world at this moment. "Funny story about that you see-"
And then Lisa got her wish.
--------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning – Coil Timeline B
Lisa drove home with a smile on her face. She had picked out the perfect gift for Victoria. Not that Vicky would particularly enjoy the gift she had in mind, but it would serve as the perfect distraction from any talk about rescuing her.
With any luck, Victoria would forget all about Lisa's boss and the two girls could simply enjoy the afternoon together. They could even make a plan to gang up on Taylor tomorrow and force her to wear a cute dress, that'd be fun. Anything other than talking about Lisa's private life.
In any case, Lisa was determined to make her afternoon a fun one, while simultaneously redirecting her girlfriend from any self-appointed suicide missions. Besides, Lisa didn't need saving. Coil was too busy being a wannabe Bond villain to even care about Lisa these days.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa's apartment – Afternoon
Victoria flew directly to Lisa's once school had finished. Today had been stressful, announcing the existence of the throuple to her closest friends and opening herself up to the inevitable barrage of questions that came from it.
It was hard to talk about Lisa while avoiding any mention of her parahuman or villainous life. Thankfully Taylor was there to explain away the more minute details of Lisa's life, complete with cover stories. While the general reception was positive and most of the group was interested in meeting the mysterious second girlfriend, Dean still held an air of suspicion towards the whole thing.
A jealous ex was an unfortunate reality of the situation, a jealous Ward however could spell doom for the throuple if Dean was ever inclined to investigate further. For now, Vicky would give him the much-deserved space, hoping that when he was ready to talk, she would have the answers needed to satisfy any curiosity.
A problem for another day, as Victoria only had one goal in mind this afternoon. Saving her girlfriend from whatever monster dared to hold her life hostage. Even if said girlfriend had no intention of asking for help in the matter. What kind of hero would Vicky be if she couldn't even rescue Lisa from the clutches of villainy? Not a very good one, that's for sure.
Touching down in Lisa's neighbourhood, she walked the rest of the way. In the past, Vicky felt the need to hide herself when visiting Lisa's apartment, but not today. This time next week everyone would know they were dating, on top of which she spent the whole day talking Lisa up to her friends, so Vicky made no attempt to hide her presence in this neighbourhood. She was loud and proud to be seen with Lisa.
Lisa's apartment was up a small flight of stairs, knocking on the appropriate door, Victoria found herself getting nervous, as she knew that Lisa would try to distract her from today's topic of discussion. Victoria resolved herself to not get distracted. No matter what Lisa said, or did, or gave her as a gift, Vicky would find out exactly who was holding Lisa hostage and create a plan to save her.
There were another three knocks at the door as Victoria grew ever impatient.
"Coming!" Lisa sang out from behind the door. She opened it with a big smile on her face.
Victoria went through several emotions as the door opened to reveal Lisa, most of those were various forms of confusion. Lisa welcomed her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then stood back to allow Victoria a full view of her planned distraction.
Lisa, in all her splendour, wore a Glory Girl branded T-shirt that featured a cartoon caricature of said hero on the front.
"What the hell?" Victoria asked under her breath as she stepped inside.
"You like it?" Lisa asked smugly while tugging on her shirt. "I saw the cutest little shirt today and I just had to get it."
"You know those are only made for children, right?" Vicky said with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, most of my merch is advertised for ten- to fourteen-year-olds."
"So that's why it was so hard to find one in my size," Lisa said back sarcastically.
Shaking her head, Victoria walked inside as Lisa shut the door behind her. To her surprise, the shirt was only the beginning of the madness that Lisa had planned.
Lisa's apartment was covered in Glory Girl merch. From pillowcases on her couch to placemats on her table, photos and posters that littered the wall. Everywhere Vicky looked, there was a photo of her face plastered onto a random household object. The effect looked very unnerving.
"Make yourself at home," Lisa said as she continued to smile like nothing was wrong. "Take a seat on the couch, I'll get us some drinks."
Vicky moved three different couch pillows with her picture on them before sitting down, looking around the room, she saw merchandise that she didn't even realise New Wave sold.
"Okay…" Victoria finally said once she took it all in. "Where the hell did you find all this stuff? And why?"
"Oh, well I said before, I found the perfect gift for you right," Lisa called out from the kitchen portion of her apartment. "You know those shops that specialise in cape content. Well, I pretty much bought out all of their Glory Girl merch." Lisa returned with two warm mugs. "Tea?"
As expected, the mug she offered also had a Glory Girl cartoon across it, Lisa herself used a well-worn mug that Vicky correctly assumed to be her favourite.
"Oh," Vicky said, accepting the tea. "Again… why?"
"Well," Lisa said extra smugly. "I was thinking, what does my wonderful girlfriend, Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl… You. What does she love most in the whole wide world?"
Lisa took an obnoxiously loud slurp of her tea and paused just long enough for Victoria to open her mouth.
"-And then it hit me!" Lisa continued, cutting off whatever Vicky was about to say. "The heroism, the fame, the merch. She loves being the center of attention. She loves being Glory Girl."
Victoria wasn't sure if she should be offended by that statement, mainly because it wasn't untrue if she was being honest.
"So, this is my gift to you," Lisa said, extending her arms out. "A shrine to your beauty and majesty. May it fill you with the happiness all this merch brings your fans."
There was a long silence where Victoria didn't bother to voice a response. Just long enough to make Lisa squirm.
"What? Too much?" Lisa finally asked.
"Oh no," Victoria said back, a smile cracking on her face. "By all means, praise me more."
Lisa deflated from her stance. "Seriously?"
Victoria crossed her legs and gestured for Lisa to keep talking.
"This isn't off-putting in the slightest?" Lisa asked, waving around the room.
"You've seen my house?" Vicky chuckled, "My entire entrance hall is covered in photos of me. This is a normal Monday for me."
"Damn it…" Lisa grumbled.
"I am curious…" Vicky continued, stroking her chin melodramatically. "How much did this all cost you?"
Lisa sighed, "It was all part of a clearance sale. I grabbed two boxes of stuff."
Victoria chuckled. "And what were you planning on doing with it after this little joke?"
Lisa shrugged, "Dunno, burn it?"
"Ouch." Vicky whined, "You're not even going to keep the shirt?"
"Hell no, I wouldn't be caught dead in this. Do I look like a Glory Girl fan girl?" Lisa chuckled, already taking the shirt off. She had a much more sensible shirt underneath.
"I think they call themselves Glory Fan Girls?" Victoria said smugly.
"Whatever," Lisa said, shaking her head. "What kind of psycho would unironically wear your merch? Especially if they were dating you."
"Well, you have to keep the mug at least," Vicky said waving the tea in her hand. "This one is mine now, I expect to use it every time I come over."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lisa sighed with a smile as she sat back down next to Vicky. She cuddled up to Victoria as the two sipped on their drinks in relative silence. "So, movie? Or did you just wanna channel surf?"
"You know why I'm here, Lisa," Victoria said back, her tone a lot more serious now.
Lisa winced at the shift in tone but let out a defeated sigh.
"I appreciate you trying to help-" Lisa started, no doubt about to come up with one of several excuses as to why Victoria should drop the subject.
"I'm not 'trying' to do anything," Victoria cut in. "Whatever trouble you're in, I'll get you out. That's a promise."
She placed a hand on Lisa's leg and gave a comforting squeeze, Lisa returned with an uncomfortable smile.
"Now spill," Victoria demanded gently. "Who's got a gun to your head and where do you want me to hit them?"
"It's not that simple," Lisa mumbled. "You can't just punch him away."
"Why not?" Vicky asked, giving Lisa another comforting squeeze. "And who is 'he'?"
"My boss…" Lisa relented. "You'd know him as Coil…"
"Coil?" Victoria repeated. "The Undersiders are part of Coil's mercenaries? You're in a gang?"
"It's not a gang," Lisa corrected. "Coil doesn't recruit anyone off the street without talent."
"He still owns a sizeable chunk of the city," Victoria scoffed. "Like the rest of the gangs."
"But he doesn't make us wear specific colours or insignias," Lisa said. "Besides, we're not affiliated with Coil's organisation. The Undersiders are freelance, as far as the rest of the team is concerned at least. No one but I know who 'the boss' actually is. And the jobs he does give us are usually far away from his usual MO."
"Gang, organisation, it doesn't matter," Victoria said. "He's forcing you to work for him at gunpoint, right?"
"The gun was only used for his recruitment pitch," Lisa chuckled solemnly. "These days he holds numerous sticks over my head. I chose the carrot, and so long as I keep playing nice, I get to enjoy my freedom."
Victoria shook her head. "But it doesn't have to be that way. I can help you, we can-"
"You don't get it!" Lisa snapped in a rare display of outright anger. "Coil's not some run-of-the-mill gang leader who gets taken down on the streets. He's a Thinker, he hides away and he plans, he's two steps ahead of everyone, even me. Just by even having this conversation probably means he's onto us. And when he comes for me, I won't even know until it's too late."
Victoria let Lisa collect herself before speaking again.
"And that's exactly why I'm not going to drop this," Victoria said. "You need help, even if you're too scared to ask for it. And I'm not leaving you alone to face this monster. So yell at me all you want, but when you run out of breath, then we'll make a plan to take down your boss."
"Our boss." Lisa corrected, giving way to Victoria's stubbornness. "The Undersiders' boss. You get that right? You rock this boat, it's not only going to be my life you mess with. Taylor will get sucked into this, all my teammates will."
"Then we make a plan with them, together."
"No, that's a terrible idea." Lisa shook her head. "Half the team won't even consider it, and if Taylor ever decided to take care of my problem herself…" She didn't finish that sentence.
"You keep saying that," Victoria sighed. "But I think you need to give Taylor more credit. Sure, she can be intense… scary when she puts on that mask but-"
"Vicky, you don't know Skitter." Lisa cut her off. "You met her once in the bank when she was green, and then you cornered Taylor at school. Since then, Taylor has put up a cleaner front when you're around." Victoria opened her mouth to counter, but Lisa held her hand up. "I'm not saying that Taylor is some murderer who's one bad day from snapping." Lisa shook her head some more. "I'm just saying there's a lot of anger in that girl, and I don't know what she'd do if she knew how much danger I've been in."
"Robbing banks, smash and grabs, low stake cape fighting. These are all fine for her, it's almost therapy," Lisa continued. "I know you don't agree with it, but she needs the outlet, after all the shit Taylor put up with. Honestly, the willpower alone not to kill those three girls who tormented her is phenomenal. But if you gave her a target who deserved it…" Lisa let the sentence hang in the air. "It's terrifying."
"You don't know that," Victoria rebutted. "Taylor's been through a lot, and she's strong. Probably stronger than either of us. She can handle it, she needs to know. And you can't keep using your fear as an excuse for us not to help you."
Lisa stared back into Victoria's eyes. Vicky could see a desperation that she'd never known was possible, but refused to give in. Once Lisa was certain that she couldn't sway the hero's mind, she let out a defeated sigh and huffed.
"Fiiine," Lisa groaned. "But for the record, this is fucking suicide and we're all going to die. Do you even have a plan?"
"Sure, tell me where he is and I'll punch his face in," Victoria said with a smile while flexing her arm.
"Uhuh, I thought as much," Lisa sighed again. "I don't know where he is, I've only met him in person a handful of times, and each time I had a bag over my head. I know he's underground, near the center of the city. Some kind of bunker. But as to where? I have no idea."
"In the city, underground," Victoria repeated as a mental note. "And his power? You said Thinker, right? Is it like you or?"
"No, not like me." Lisa shook her head. "He… I don't know, manipulates probability, I think? He has a knack for always getting a favourable outcome, so a precog of some kind."
"Precog? So he can see the future?" Victoria swore under her breath.
"Which is exactly why it's a stupid idea to tangle with him," Lisa added. "He'll know we're coming even before we do."
"But other than that, he's powerless?" Victoria asked.
"Sure," Lisa rolled her eyes. "If you count having a small army of trained killers at his command powerless. But no, he only has the one power, that I know of."
"So if we could corner him, he'd go down easy," Victoria said, more to herself.
Lisa sighed even louder. "There's nothing easy when it comes to him. Didn't you hear me, he has an army of-"
"What was your plan of dealing with him before?" Victoria asked, ignoring Lisa's complaints.
"What?"
"You must've had a plan set already if you were so hellbent on not asking for help." Vicky knew Lisa too well to assume otherwise.
"Kinda," Lisa admitted. "I've been skimming his money and reinvesting it in various things. Along with paying off some of the more trustworthy mercs in his employ. Ideally, my plan was to outbid his men when the chips were down and force him out through superior numbers. But that plan is still years out from being viable, and all it takes is one wrong bribe for Coil to catch wind of it."
"How many mercs have you flipped?"
Lisa shrugged. "A decent handful. It's hard to tell where their loyalty would lie if pressured but they know I'm good for the money."
"Any of them willing and able to give you a location?"
"And risk showing my hand?" Lisa balked. "Hell no."
"Better to act now than risk Coil finding out later," Victoria argued. "I'm not leaving you to gamble it all on a hail mary in a few year's time. I say, we grab Tay, your team, any Mercs you can trust and hit that son of a bitch right now. And don't think of a second I won't call in New Wave if you need more backup. Hell, I bet I could convince Armsmaster to send the protectorate in if we just had a location."
"Woah!" Lisa said, hands up in surrender. "No heroes, please. You want to try to save my life, fine. Don't ruin yours in the process by admitting your involvement with me. I wouldn't call in New Wave unless I was desperate, okay?" Victoria hesitantly nodded to that. "Look, I'll talk to the team. See what they have to say, if I can't even convince them, then there's no point. Taylor too, but we're not telling her about the quote-unquote, gun to my head. Alright? If, and only if everyone's in agreement, then we'll make a plan."
"Fine." Victoria agreed, knowing full well that even if the Undersiders decided against it, she would find a way.
"Now. Can we just… I don't know." Lisa sighed, her mood obviously brought down. "Just chill out and cuddle? I can't handle this stress, it gives me a headache."
"Sure." Vicky chirped, leaning on Lisa for a hug as her girlfriend flicked on the TV.
There was a short stint of quiet as Lisa flicked through various channels, Vicky used the time to snuggle up even closer and kiss Lisa on the cheek. Eventually, Lisa settled on a popular Earth Bet Disney movie. Vicky practically purred in contentment, as the movie was a favourite of hers. Around fifteen minutes in, Lisa spoke up again.
"Oh yeah," She said, fishing something out of her pocket. "This is for you."
She handed Vicky a small paper bag between her fingers and looked back to the television. Victoria inspected the bag for a moment before opening it up.
"What is it?" Vicky asked curiously. Pulling out a smaller folded envelope from the bag.
"Your gift. The real one." Lisa said, her wry smile creeping back onto her face. "A two-thousand dollar bracelet. Paid in crime money, of course."
Inside the envelope were two things, a small metal bracelet, pretty but not overly gaudy, and a thank you note to one Victoria Dallon for donating two thousand dollars to the 'National Alliance to End Homelessness.'
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Skies above Brockton Bay – The following Day
Taylor was getting more comfortable with being touched every time Vicky flew her. Victoria in general was a very touchy-feely girl, something that Taylor was still getting used to after all this time. The way Vicky silently demanded a hug or a kiss after every little interaction they had was tiring, not that Taylor didn't like the attention, but she still fought the urge to tense up anytime someone lay a hand on her.
Slowly but surely, Victoria was wearing down those walls that Taylor had erected. Each reassurance of trust was bashed against two years of self-preservation instincts, which were starting to show some wear and tear. It was only a matter of time until Victoria broke through those layers completely. Until Taylor could feel safe enough to fully relax around someone she trusted implicitly.
Ironically, her anxiety-driven mind was less paranoid about the idea of Vicky betraying her when she was being carried by her in the air compared to when they were interacting at school. Logically this was a much more dangerous situation that relied on complete trust in Victoria not to drop her and yet, Taylor could feel herself relaxing in Vicky's arms.
Perhaps it was the solitude from being above almost everyone. The proximity to high school and all the baggage it came with, or perhaps it was just the feeling of being carried by the well-defined arms of Glory Girl.
Seriously, it was unfair at times at how good Victoria looked, especially while flying. She won both the genetic and superpower lottery. Taylor wondered how much of Victoria's muscle was self-made or given to her through her parahuman abilities. She wasn't bulky like Rachel was, instead having the leaner build of a professional athlete. Victoria would probably dismiss Taylor if she said that out loud, claiming that 'professional athletes looked far better than her' but Taylor couldn't help but be jealous.
How ridiculous it must look, for Victoria Dallon to be carrying Taylor's tall and lanky ass through the sky. It was times like these, that Taylor wondered how the hell she even got into this situation in the first place. Victoria was miles above Taylor's league, everyone knew that. What the hell does she even see in-
"Tay?" Victoria asked while slowing down in the air. "You good?"
Taylor took a second to realise she was asked a question. "Yeah? I'm fine. Why?"
Victoria looked back at her in concern. "You just looked a little sad is all. Anything the matter?"
Taylor immediately tried to shunt her emotions away like she usually did, however with her being in the air, the number of bugs available to her was significantly less.
"I'm fine," Taylor tried to lie. Finding that her usual poker face routine didn't work, she forced herself to smile. "Just thinking is all."
It was a weak and pitiful smile, one that anyone with a basic understanding of expressions could tell was fake but Victoria thankfully didn't push the subject. It was always awkward to talk about those intrusive thoughts and the feelings they evoked and Taylor would not want to have a discussion about that while being trapped in the air.
Instead, Vicky leaned in for a kiss, planting one on Taylor's forehead.
"What was that for?" Taylor asked, blushing in Vicky's arms.
"Kissing it better?" Vicky said, her concerned look breaking into a calmer smile. "Did it work?"
If Taylor were a little more confident like Lisa, she'd make a sly comment about asking for more. Instead, she just hummed an affirmative and tightened her grip on Victoria's shoulder.
A short while later, they touched down just outside of Taylor's house. Even after Vicky's feet touched the ground, there were a few seconds where she didn't let Taylor go, simply holding her in a traditional princess carry. Taylor wasn't sure if Victoria was planning to kiss her again or not, she got the feeling she was waiting for Taylor to make the first move this time.
Unfortunately for Taylor's psyche, they were on ground level now and her bugs made her aware of at least three bystanders watching them. One of them she recognised instantly.
"No fair, why do you get to go on romantic flights?" Lisa whined sarcastically as she sat on the end of her car. "Next time, I'm driving you home from school and we get to make out in the back seat."
"We weren't making out." Taylor defended herself. Breaking free from Victoria's arms to touch solid ground.
"What a waste of a perfectly good opportunity then." Lisa chuckled back. She moved to greet both girls, joining in on a group hug. "How was school? Learn anything valuable and interesting?"
Victoria huffed at that. "Barely, all I have is study for finals and the odd exam."
"Yeah, and I finished all my assignments," Taylor added. "So all I'm doing is waiting down the clock."
"Glad to know I'm not missing out on much," Lisa said before looking towards Taylor's house. "Shall we?"
Taylor led the way, taking a key out from under a nearby plant and opening the door. She debated for half a second if she should hold the door open or walk inside first, and chose the latter.
"Hello," Victoria called out softly as she walked through the door, followed by Lisa.
"Oh, Dad's not home yet," Taylor said. "He usually gets home around five, six-ish. So we got a little time to ourselves before you meet him."
"Home alone. Nice." Lisa nodded smugly.
"Nice place," Victoria added, looking around the room.
"Sorry about the mess," Taylor added, trying to block the view of the kitchen with her body. In truth, it was cleaner than the Dallon household ever was, Taylor had spent all afternoon yesterday going over the entire house making sure the place was spotless. Unfortunately, Danny had left a single plate on the kitchen counter before he left for work today, much to Taylor's disappointment. "My bedroom is this way."
Taylor led the girls down a small hallway and into her bedroom. Again, the room was spotless and yet Taylor apologised for the 'untidy state' of it after seeing her pillow wasn't perfectly straight at the end of her bed.
Through her bugs, Taylor saw Lisa silently chuckle before elbowing Vicky. Once she got her attention, Lisa directed it to the fourth, and newest, poster on the wall. A full-body portrait of Glory Girl, hovering in a standard, chest-puffed-out superhero pose. Right next to the other posters of Alexandria, Miss Militia and Narwhal.
"Cool posters," Lisa said, careful not to sound too teasing. Her eyes held on the Glory Girl poster as she smiled back at Victoria. "Say?… Got any other Glory Girl merch by chance?"
"Hmm?" Taylor hummed back, before thinking. "Couldn't find any shirts in my size, and someone called 'freckled_fangirl' outbid me on this action figure I found online. But I got that poster and a new tea mug."
"Wow, really?" Victoria asked, smiling at the thought. "You didn't need to do that. I could've gotten you a shirt if you really wanted one. Same with the poster, or any merch."
"I'm still surprised you bought any merch at all." Lisa chuckled.
"Of course I did," Taylor said back. She tilted her head slightly, unsure of Lisa's statement. "How can I be dating Victoria and not consider myself a Glory Fan Girl?" There was a silent pause when Lisa's lips trembled, threatening to burst into laughter. Taylor thought over what she just said and grew self-conscious. "Unless…" She turned to Victoria. "Sorry, does this make you uncomfortable? I'll remove it right now."
Taylor took a step towards the poster before both girls reached out to stop her.
"No. No, Taylor." Lisa apologised.
"Not at all, Tay," Vicky shook her head. "I love it. Thank you."
"I was just… jealous is all," Lisa added to her apology. "How come there's no cute Tattletale poster hanging on your wall?"
"Because I don't want to explain to my Dad why I have a villain's wanted poster on my wall?" Taylor replied.
"I was thinking more like a cool poster. Not my wanted poster." Lisa grumbled.
"Sorry, Lise." Vicky laughed. "Only heroes get merch. Who would wanna by a poster of the Undersiders?"
"Who indeed?…" Lisa said, no doubt planning something stupid.
-------------------------------
Taylor left both girls alone to bicker about the logistics of villainous merchandise while she made tea for everyone. In truth, there was another reason why she had invited them over so early, knowing that Dad was going to be out till later.
Taylor had been wondering for a while now what part Victoria played in the Shadow Stalker arrest and why she would volunteer for that. Today she would get her answer, she didn't like the idea of her girlfriends hiding information from her. With the drinks collected, she marched back into her room with a singular purpose.
Both girls thanked her with a smile as they took their drinks. Calmly sipping on their tea as Taylor seated herself between them and the door. She didn't expect them to actually try and run away but it was as good a tactic as any.
"So," Taylor said, cutting straight to the point and looking at Lisa. "Talk. A while back you said that Vicky helped with the Shadow Stalker arrest. What was all that about?"
Both Lisa and Vicky choked on their teas.
"You told her?" Victoria coughed out.
"Did I? I don't remember…" Lisa lied, badly. "I didn't say that, did I?"
Taylor didn't bother to give a response. She stared back at Lisa with unblinking focus while the blonde mumbled in defence.
"I.. I.." Lisa began to explain, looking between Taylor and Victoria. No doubt thinking up a story that would wave it all away.
I don't want us to lie to each other." Victoria cut in before Lisa could talk more. "Yes, I helped Lisa take down Shadow Stalker"
Lisa winced at the admission but Victoria held her gaze at Taylor.
"Why?" Taylor asked, neither accusatory nor shocked.
"Because…" Victoria began. Lisa stopped all illusions of subtlety and shook her head violently to get Vicky to stop talking. "Because Shadow Stalker was Sophia Hess, and that cunt deserved it..."
Victoria didn't back down from her statement. Taylor took the information at face value and mulled over the implications. Lisa readied herself for the oncoming swarm of bugs that was no doubt forming around the neighbourhood.
"I'm sorry for not telling you," Victoria continued. "I didn't want to upset you with any discussion about her. And I was ashamed at the fact that a Ward did… that to you."
Victoria broke eye contact. Looking at the floor, not quite bowing, but awaiting judgement all the same. Lisa had predicted a fallout of biblical proportions if Taylor was to discover the truth. While she had no doubt that Taylor wouldn't harm either of them, there was no telling what Taylor was capable of if she set herself on a warpath with the PRT.
As both girls waited for Taylor to digest this news, they sat silent. Sweat dripped down Lisa's forehead as Vicky placed a gentle hand on Taylor's leg. Then Taylor made a sound neither girl had ever heard before, a sound Taylor herself thought was impossible for her to even make.
She laughed.
This was not a quiet chuckle. Not a suppressed giggle, nor a puff of air through her nose. This was a loud, open and genuine laugh. The type of laughter Victoria expressed on her best days, the type of laughter Lisa wished she could fake while on the job. The type of laughter Taylor had never made since before her mother died.
"You're… not mad?" Victoria asked. Lisa followed the same line of questioning.
Taylor continued to giggle. The entire Shadow Stalker arrest had been recontextualised for her. She didn't just watch some angry Ward get thrown in the slammer, she watched Sophia 'fucking' Hess get her just deserts. Actual justice for all the shit Taylor had put up with. And her girlfriends were to thank for making that happen.
"Well, my opinion of the justice system can't get any worse," Taylor said. Her laughing fell back to a more reserved chuckle. "But, you two really did that for me?
"Of course we did," Victoria said, giving Taylor a hug.
Lisa joined in on the cuddle pile. "No one fucks with our Tay and gets away with it."
Taylor's laughter croaked into something more emotional. She tried to suppress it but it was already too late. Tears were running down her face. Taylor buried her head into both girl's shoulders.
"You two really are my best friends." She quietly sobbed into them. Both girls squeezed her back. "I love you both."
A sudden drop was felt in Taylor's chest as she realised what she just said. Was that too soon? Why did she say that? Would they push back against it? They haven't been dating for that long. When do normal couples drop the L-bomb?
"I-I mean… p-platonically." Taylor tried to correct herself, before wondering if that was also too harsh to say. "I mean… I do like you romantically and I love- I mean-"
"Naw, we love you too." Lisa cut in, saving Taylor from endlessly mumbling. Victoria nodded in agreement as the three girls hugged it out.
Taylor laughed again, this time more out of embarrassment than anything. She had no way of hiding her teary eyes as the hug ended. Victoria and Lisa joined in with the collective giggling. No doubt taking great pleasure in hearing Taylor being so emotionally open with them.
Taylor moved to collect the now empty tea mugs, hoping that assigning herself a task would bring her back to a better-controlled emotional state.
It's funny," Victoria giggled while prodding Lisa. "Lisa was so sure you'd be furious. Like, violently so. Plague of Egypt style."
Taylor chuckled at the thought. Maybe if Sophia was still out and about she'd feel different. But everything was fine now, everything was better than fine.
"Hey, I'm just being cautious," Lisa defended herself. "I already have a lot of bombs I'm trying to defuse."
"Still," Vicky said in somewhat of a 'mom tone.' "No more secrets."
"No more secrets." Lisa agreed.
"Agreed." Taylor nodded, picking up the last mug before placing it on her tray.
"Speaking of which," Victoria added to the joyous momentum. "I'm coming up with a plan to rescue Lisa from your boss."
"Oh yeah?" Taylor asked, still chuckling as she readied to walk back to the kitchen.
"Yeah," Vicky said, elbowing Lisa. "That cunt deserves everything coming to him for threatening your life, Lise."
"Hey," Lisa chuckled back. "I said I'd think about it. There's no plan right now. But thanks."
"I'm serious," Victoria giggled with her confident smile. "Between the three of us, he won't know what hit him."
Lisa laughed back, nodding in agreement. They were quite a force to be reckoned with if they put their powers together. Both girls continued to laugh as the stress eased out from them. This was a far more relaxing get-together than at Victoria's house.
Both girls continued to prod each other in merriment. Lisa made snappy jokes at all the Glory Girl merch that fed Vicky's ego and Victoria reminded Lise that her predictions weren't always accurate by the fact that everyone was happy and laughing.
Neither girl gave much notice to how Taylor left the room to clean up, ever the host trying to keep the place clean. Neither girl noticed the empty expression that landed on Taylor's face the second she left the room.
Neither girl noticed that she stopped laughing.
idk how it got this long.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning
Lisa wandered from shop to shop, browsing the market wares as she strolled by. She often relaxed after a job by shopping, something about spending her ill-gotten gains on random stuff brought a smile to her face.
The ex-ABB lawyer paid the team handsomely for his rescue the other day, so Lisa felt the urge to splurge. She also enjoyed all the free time she was given, Coil had been unusually quiet this weekend, which was somewhat concerning as he normally would've given her some idle busy work to sort through by now.
Either Coil had run out of threats he needed to be analysed or he was planning something big. And the former didn't sound likely. Unfortunately, Lisa could do little about the latter except wait and see. The problem with, or just one of the many problems with working for a wannabe bond villain is that they never tell their subordinates about their plans ahead of time.
Lisa's best guess at the moment was that Coil was planning on seizing ABB territory, probably some secret assets that he didn't want falling into anyone's hands. That or he finally built his death ray and planned to hold all of Brockton Bay for ransom. Lisa laughed at the mental image, Coil was insane, but he wasn't that crazy… she hoped. In any case, Lisa could do nothing but shop.
The question of what she planned to buy was a matter of debate. She wanted a new pair of shoes, something fit for running. Taylor had invited Lisa to join her in the early morning jogs she did, and while getting up at the ass end of dawn wasn't really an appealing concept, spending more time with Taylor would make it worth it. Perhaps they'll eventually include Vicky if they can convince her to keep her feet on the ground for longer than five seconds.
But once she bought the shoes, she was left with a whole heap of money and nothing of note to buy. Her next thought was gifts. What good was money if you couldn't spoil your girlfriends rotten?
Taylor was easy to buy for. Books. It didn't matter what genre the book was or who the author was, she'd read it. Which was helpful because Lisa knew next to nothing about the literature world. She collected the bestseller in the first bookstore she came across, hoping that Taylor would enjoy it. There was always the chance that Taylor had already bought it but knowing Taylor, she would've barely spent a cent of her money unless absolutely necessary.
Victoria on the other hand was a lot harder to get gifts for. Not that she was complicated in what she liked, far from it. If it was pretty and fashionable, she'd love it. The problem was getting her to accept the gift knowing it was bought with 'crime money.'
Vicky might've accepted when Taylor bought her a dress, and she had no qualms when Lisa paid for her food, but Lisa's powers knew that there was a limit to Victoria's acceptance. All forms of expensive jewellery, for example, are completely off the table. It was safe to say that any gift that more than quadrupled her monthly allowance would be quietly returned.
It would almost be worth it to see the conflicted look on Victoria's face as she battled with the morality of accepting such a gaudy gift versus rejecting her girlfriend's attempt at doing something nice for her. Vicky did look cute when she pouted. But unfortunately, she'd be more upset than flattered, and Lisa was already trying to be nicer around the people she liked.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, flipping it open, Lisa sighed with a smile.
"Speak of the devil." Lisa chuckled into her phone.
"Hello to you too," Victoria said back from the other end.
Lisa laughed a little louder, "Naw, I was just thinking about you."
"Were you just?" Vicky hummed. "Nice things I hope."
"Of course, of course." Lisa nodded back while continuing to window-shop. "I was actually thinking of getting you something nice."
"Oh, really?" Victoria's voice went up an octave.
"Yeah. I have a book for Taylor, thought about buying you a parahuman nerd book but then I remembered that you already own all of them." Lisa smiled knowing how excited Vicky sounded, the girl was easy to please. "So now I'm looking at other options, something… pretty."
"I do like pretty things." Victoria teased back. "It's why I'm dating you."
"Stop it, you're making me blush." Lisa chuckled, actually blushing at the exchange. "But yes, something pretty. Tell me, which do you prefer, gold or diamonds?"
Lisa could hear the silent pause as Victoria tried to parse her sentence.
"You're right," Lisa continued, ignoring Victoria's struggle with morality. "I should just do both. How many carats do you want the gold to be?"
Lisa was midway through chuckling when she realised she'd just done the thing she wanted to avoid.
"Lisa, that's very sweet of you, but…" Victoria finally spoke up.
"Kidding," Lisa cut in, trying to laugh it off. "I'm just kidding. Sorry, I'll buy you something practical and pretty. And then donate to a charity or some shit for extra measure."
"Thank you," Victoria said with a sigh of relief.
"So, what's up?" Lisa asked after a brief pause. "Calling for a reason, or did you just miss my voice? Wait, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"
"I have a free time slot for exam prep," Victoria explained.
"And you're using it to call your girlfriend instead," Lisa chuckled. "I am a bad influence on you. Nice."
"Shut up, I can multitask," Victoria said back, no doubt while rolling her eyes. "I'm letting you know that we just had a lunch break and we told our friends about you. The throuple stuff, not the… y'know."
"Oh damn, so the cat's out of the bag," Lisa said. She knew that was the plan today. "I hope you didn't embarrass Taylor too much with the announcement this time."
"She told you about that?" Vicky asked abashedly. Lisa hummed an affirmative. "Well no, I didn't stand up and make a grand announcement like last time. We told everyone together, and Taylor made sure to explain things so that no one had the wrong idea."
"How caring. I would've just yelled it out. Taylor is cute when she's embarrassed." Lisa chuckled.
"Agreed, but I'm not a villain like you." Vicky teased back.
Lisa ignored the obvious bait in favour of more questions. "How'd the squad take it?"
"Confused, but positive," Victoria admitted. "Alice and Jessica were supportive but I don't think they really understood what was going on. Carlos seemed genuinely happy for us, so that was nice. Dennis was also happy, but I could tell he was thinking of something crass. And Amy already knew, so she's already fine with it."
Lisa cringed at the thought of Amy, burning with jealousy while Victoria and Taylor made their announcement, neither girl wise to the intense emotions that girl held. Lisa debated for another moment if now would be a good time to mention Amy's crush on Taylor but it was too soon for Victoria.
"And what about your ex?" Lisa asked, avoiding one awkward conversation by starting another. "How'd he take it?"
There was a hesitant pause at Victoria's end.
"Ah, that well," Lisa said.
"He was… polite about it," Victoria said. "I don't think I'll be introducing you to him anytime soon."
"I see, I see." Lisa nodded. "Shame, I always wanted Gallant's autograph."
"Anyway," Victoria said. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm dropping by your apartment after school."
"Are you now?" Lisa said with a raised eyebrow.
"Does that work for you, or do you have 'work'?"
Lisa could still hear contempt in the word.
"No, I'm free. Come on by. I'll even have a gift waiting for you." Lisa eyed the perfect gift across the street and started walking towards it. "Any reason for the visit? I can find us another date spot that's in your parents' approved locations if you prefer."
"No, no. We need to do this at your place." Victoria said in a more serious tone.
"My, my," Lisa chuckled. "I don't know if my heart is ready for that yet. We've only just started dating, and what would Taylor think if we left her out of it?"
There was another pause where Lisa could feel Victoria's blank stare.
"Shut up," Victoria whined. "We need to talk about your boss and what we're going to do."
Lisa sighed, not even her jokes could lighten the mood when it came to this. She was dreading this conversation. She was dreading a lot of things these days. Her upcoming photoshoot that would thrust her into the spotlight, Amy Dallon's obsession with Taylor and the potential fallout that could bring.
Today's source of dread came from the knowledge Victoria had about Lisa's boss and her heroic disposition to try and 'save' her. While the initial thought was sweet, the idea of Vicky taking on Coil was a recipe for disaster that would only leave Victoria getting hurt, or worse.
"Fine, fine, fine," Lisa grumbled. "We'll talk about why it's a horrible idea to get involved with my boss. Then we can cuddle and watch a movie, okay?"
"Lisa, I'm serious."
"And I'm Lisa." Lisa chuckled back. "Oh, I just spotted the perfect gift for you."
She started walking down the street towards the window she spotted.
"All right, we'll talk more later," Vicky said, dropping the topic. "Anyway, tell me about your day then. Shopping? What book did you get Taylor?"
Lisa fished out the book from her bag as she walked. "Let's see. It looks like some kind of fantasy novel. The first in a five-part epic, if the cover is to be believed. There's mystery and magic as a chosen one overthrows the pinnacle of evil and saves the land of… I don't even know how to pronounce that word. In any case, Taylor will love it. Also, I bought some shoes."
Victoria let out an excited gasp.
"Nothing fancy, just some runners for jogging," Lisa said quickly before Vicky could ask a million questions.
Vicky's gasp quickly died down in disappointment. "Are they at least cute?"
"Sorry," Lisa chuckled. "They did have a pair that was all glittery and pink, but I went for the practical black-and-white approach. But I'm sure anything will look good on my feet."
"Send photos, I still wanna see," Victoria asked.
"Did you just ask for feet pics?" Lisa teased.
"Of your shoes you-" Victoria let out a huff before laughing. "Yes, Lisa. I want you to send me feet pics."
"Sheesh. And I thought Taylor was the kinky one out of us." Lisa joked. "Whatever, I'll send you pics, without my feet you perve-"
Man with Shades has been following Lisa Wilbourn for last fifteen minutes.
Lisa resisted the urge to spin around, acting casual as she kept on walking.
"Uh, hey. I gotta go." Lisa said as calmly as possible.
"Yeah, I gotta get back to studying," Victoria said. "I'll see ya later."
"Sure thing." Lisa nodded, picking up her pace. "Bye-bye." With two short kisses, she hung up the phone and pressed on her power.
Man in shades watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating through hidden microphone in ear. Caucasian, unlikely ABB member. Possible PRT agent, possible Empire enforcer. Threat analysis, high.
Lisa took a turn down a side street, a pop-up market that was selling mostly food products. Losing the 'man in shades' was relatively simple once she was aware of him. However, there was still a matter of who he was talking to and if he had any friends-
Man in business attire talking into hidden microphone. Hidden under shirt collar. Watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating with Man in Shades, highly likely.
Lisa turned again, heading away from the second man. She forewent any acting on her behalf that she was still shopping, pulling her phone out again and quick-dialling Brian.
"Tomato, L," Lisa said coolly into the phone as she walked.
"Cabbage, A. What's wrong?" Brain asked back, straight into business mode, exactly how Lisa needed him. "Where are you?"
"Markets of 6th and West. Got two tails, possibly more I don't see." Lisa explained.
"Alright, can you stall them?" Brian asked. "Bitch is at her shelter, I got Alec with me but it'll take some time to reach you."
"That's what I'm doing," Lisa said. "Don't know who or what they want. Possible Empire, or even PRT."
"Should I get Skitter?"
"No, Arcadia is too far away," Lisa shook her head. "Plus I didn't want to alert Glory Girl unless it was absolutely necessary."
"Right, we're masks up in five," Brian said, "Head west, we'll try meet you".
Lisa turned in the appropriate direction and put a little skip into her step. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far before her power alerted her.
Black sedan is following Lisa Wilbourn. Tinted windows, bulletproof. Reinforced doors. Too expensive for standard PRT budget. Made for engaging capes? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a cape. Planning to engage in public. No regard for unspoken rules. Empire likely to break rules? Fleur exception, uncommon. Not Empire, knows Lisa Wilbourn is cape. Heavily funded. Coil's mercenaries.
'Coil? What the fuck? I haven't done anything to him?'
Lisa picked up her pace, but it was foolish to think she could outrun a car. The second she tried to sprint, the car sped up. Almost running her down to block off her exit.
Lisa spun to run back where she came, but the car's door slammed her as it opened. A second later, a large man grabbed her by the neck and held her to the floor as he patted her down. A second and third man stepped out of the car, one to point a gun at Lisa and the other to intimidate any would-be bystanders.
After a violent and humiliating feel-up, the first man removed all of Lisa's weapons, along with her phone. Snapping the phone for good measure before pulling her up and into the car. The only solace Lisa could take out of everything was that they assumed she only had one phone on her.
"Hello, Tattletale." Coil's voice called out from the car's speaker.
Lisa was trapped between two large mercs, neither of which belonged to the prestigious group of men she'd be secretly paying off in her long-term plan to overthrow Coil.
"H-hey, boss." Lisa tried her best to sound respectful. "You know there are easier ways to contact me? You could send me an email, or a text… or a phone call."
"Yes," Coil said. "The funny thing is that I tried doing that. And you ran away."
'I ran away? When did that?-'
Coil manipulates probabilities. Messaged Lisa Wilbourn in a different probability and received an unfavourable outcome.
'Fuck you, other Lisa.'
"Care to tell me why you ran from me?" Coil asked with anger seething in his voice.
"Well, if I had known it was your men who were following me, I would've-"
"Don't lie to me, Ms. Livsey."
Lisa didn't finish her sentence. "Look, I don't even know what you want. Whatever you think I did in your other probability, it's not this one. I'm a loyal- I'm a competent worker in your organisation. So I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt."
Coil sighed.
Impatient, annoyed, stressed. Something has disrupted his plans. Acting extra secretive. Worried, vulnerable. Weakness exposed? Need more data.
"Obviously something's changed," Lisa said, trying to suss out whatever Coil's fear was. "You pay me for threat analysis, among other things. So let me help you."
"Indeed, that is what I pay you for." Coil agreed. Lisa sighed in relief. "You'll be informed of the situation when you arrive. I'm locking down all my indispensable assets until the matter at hand is sorted."
Lisa's heart dropped at that. Her worst fear was being realised, the threat that Coil had held over her head for the entire year she worked for him. Being shot in the head was a mercy compared to his plans, locking her away in a room, only to be used as his personal thinker. A bag was thrown over Lisa's head as the car drove on towards whatever hole Coil considered his base.
In a panic, Lisa reached for her secondary phone. She had no idea if the two mercenaries were watching her hand movement but she had to take the risk. Feeling the buttons, she pressed the appropriate quick dial and spoke up.
"So that's it then?" Lisa almost yelled. "You're kidnapping me and locking me away?"
"If that's how you view it, then I can't change your mind," Coil said back. "If you do a good enough job, perhaps I'll consider letting you out again."
"Fat chance of that ever happening, is there?" Lisa spat back. "You just grabbed me from the Markets. A public place with lots of witnesses. You're just a kidnapping bastard, Coil. I'm never going to see the sun again."
"Don't worry, you won't be alone," Coil mused. "My pet needs someone to entertain her while I'm away, I'm sure you two will get on well."
"Fuck you," Lisa growled. "Fuck you and your overpriced armoured, black sedan."
"...Yes. Well. I'll see you soon." Coil said with growing suspicion in his voice.
"Go fuck yourself, take this black, armoured sedan that's speeding through the city, and ram it up your ass. Then everyone will look at you, and be able to read out the license plate on your corpse. Here lies Coil, 7GMR925."
Coil sighed again. "You're really not subtle, Tattletale. Pull the car over, she has a phone on her. And gag her"
"Fuck subtlety," Lisa laughed. "I'm being kidnapped by a supervillain dick. In a black sedan, 7GMR-"
The gag covered Lisa's already sack-covered mouth as two sets of hands brutishly grabbed at her, searching for the phone she had. After several unbearable moments of borderline molestation, while the mercs looked for her phone, the car came to a sudden stop.
Lisa was gagged and blinded, but she could hear the sound of metal being ripped as the car door came apart. Along with a few small explosions and the pews of lasers. Before long, the gag was untied and the sack pulled off her head.
Lisa thought that perhaps she'd see Glory Girl hovering over her in concern, however as her eyes adjusted to the light, it was the other side of New Wave that stood by, holding the mercenaries in place.
"You're lucky we were in the neighbourhood." Lady Photon said, inspecting the damage to the car. Manpower had done the bulk of the damage, stopping the car in place and leaving Laserdream to take out the stragglers. "Victoria and the others are already on their way, we'll have Panacea take a look at you. But first," Lady Photon placed her hand on her hips in a very disappointed gesture. "Care to explain why my niece is dating Tattletale?" Lisa hoped she could come up with a convenient lie as to why Coil had taken her. "We heard everything… So explain, and quick. Brandish is on her way and she is pissed."
Lisa had been saved, but in doing so, she had exposed herself to Victoria's family. The consequences of her actions were incalculable, how long until they realised who Taylor was? What would they do to the two girls?
"Well," Lisa said, feeling an all-new brand of terror. Wishing more than anything that she could just disappear from the world at this moment. "Funny story about that you see-"
And then Lisa got her wish.
--------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning – Coil Timeline B
Lisa drove home with a smile on her face. She had picked out the perfect gift for Victoria. Not that Vicky would particularly enjoy the gift she had in mind, but it would serve as the perfect distraction from any talk about rescuing her.
With any luck, Victoria would forget all about Lisa's boss and the two girls could simply enjoy the afternoon together. They could even make a plan to gang up on Taylor tomorrow and force her to wear a cute dress, that'd be fun. Anything other than talking about Lisa's private life.
In any case, Lisa was determined to make her afternoon a fun one, while simultaneously redirecting her girlfriend from any self-appointed suicide missions. Besides, Lisa didn't need saving. Coil was too busy being a wannabe Bond villain to even care about Lisa these days.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa's apartment – Afternoon
Victoria flew directly to Lisa's once school had finished. Today had been stressful, announcing the existence of the throuple to her closest friends and opening herself up to the inevitable barrage of questions that came from it.
It was hard to talk about Lisa while avoiding any mention of her parahuman or villainous life. Thankfully Taylor was there to explain away the more minute details of Lisa's life, complete with cover stories. While the general reception was positive and most of the group was interested in meeting the mysterious second girlfriend, Dean still held an air of suspicion towards the whole thing.
A jealous ex was an unfortunate reality of the situation, a jealous Ward however could spell doom for the throuple if Dean was ever inclined to investigate further. For now, Vicky would give him the much-deserved space, hoping that when he was ready to talk, she would have the answers needed to satisfy any curiosity.
A problem for another day, as Victoria only had one goal in mind this afternoon. Saving her girlfriend from whatever monster dared to hold her life hostage. Even if said girlfriend had no intention of asking for help in the matter. What kind of hero would Vicky be if she couldn't even rescue Lisa from the clutches of villainy? Not a very good one, that's for sure.
Touching down in Lisa's neighbourhood, she walked the rest of the way. In the past, Vicky felt the need to hide herself when visiting Lisa's apartment, but not today. This time next week everyone would know they were dating, on top of which she spent the whole day talking Lisa up to her friends, so Vicky made no attempt to hide her presence in this neighbourhood. She was loud and proud to be seen with Lisa.
Lisa's apartment was up a small flight of stairs, knocking on the appropriate door, Victoria found herself getting nervous, as she knew that Lisa would try to distract her from today's topic of discussion. Victoria resolved herself to not get distracted. No matter what Lisa said, or did, or gave her as a gift, Vicky would find out exactly who was holding Lisa hostage and create a plan to save her.
There were another three knocks at the door as Victoria grew ever impatient.
"Coming!" Lisa sang out from behind the door. She opened it with a big smile on her face.
Victoria went through several emotions as the door opened to reveal Lisa, most of those were various forms of confusion. Lisa welcomed her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then stood back to allow Victoria a full view of her planned distraction.
Lisa, in all her splendour, wore a Glory Girl branded T-shirt that featured a cartoon caricature of said hero on the front.
"What the hell?" Victoria asked under her breath as she stepped inside.
"You like it?" Lisa asked smugly while tugging on her shirt. "I saw the cutest little shirt today and I just had to get it."
"You know those are only made for children, right?" Vicky said with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, most of my merch is advertised for ten- to fourteen-year-olds."
"So that's why it was so hard to find one in my size," Lisa said back sarcastically.
Shaking her head, Victoria walked inside as Lisa shut the door behind her. To her surprise, the shirt was only the beginning of the madness that Lisa had planned.
Lisa's apartment was covered in Glory Girl merch. From pillowcases on her couch to placemats on her table, photos and posters that littered the wall. Everywhere Vicky looked, there was a photo of her face plastered onto a random household object. The effect looked very unnerving.
"Make yourself at home," Lisa said as she continued to smile like nothing was wrong. "Take a seat on the couch, I'll get us some drinks."
Vicky moved three different couch pillows with her picture on them before sitting down, looking around the room, she saw merchandise that she didn't even realise New Wave sold.
"Okay…" Victoria finally said once she took it all in. "Where the hell did you find all this stuff? And why?"
"Oh, well I said before, I found the perfect gift for you right," Lisa called out from the kitchen portion of her apartment. "You know those shops that specialise in cape content. Well, I pretty much bought out all of their Glory Girl merch." Lisa returned with two warm mugs. "Tea?"
As expected, the mug she offered also had a Glory Girl cartoon across it, Lisa herself used a well-worn mug that Vicky correctly assumed to be her favourite.
"Oh," Vicky said, accepting the tea. "Again… why?"
"Well," Lisa said extra smugly. "I was thinking, what does my wonderful girlfriend, Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl… You. What does she love most in the whole wide world?"
Lisa took an obnoxiously loud slurp of her tea and paused just long enough for Victoria to open her mouth.
"-And then it hit me!" Lisa continued, cutting off whatever Vicky was about to say. "The heroism, the fame, the merch. She loves being the center of attention. She loves being Glory Girl."
Victoria wasn't sure if she should be offended by that statement, mainly because it wasn't untrue if she was being honest.
"So, this is my gift to you," Lisa said, extending her arms out. "A shrine to your beauty and majesty. May it fill you with the happiness all this merch brings your fans."
There was a long silence where Victoria didn't bother to voice a response. Just long enough to make Lisa squirm.
"What? Too much?" Lisa finally asked.
"Oh no," Victoria said back, a smile cracking on her face. "By all means, praise me more."
Lisa deflated from her stance. "Seriously?"
Victoria crossed her legs and gestured for Lisa to keep talking.
"This isn't off-putting in the slightest?" Lisa asked, waving around the room.
"You've seen my house?" Vicky chuckled, "My entire entrance hall is covered in photos of me. This is a normal Monday for me."
"Damn it…" Lisa grumbled.
"I am curious…" Vicky continued, stroking her chin melodramatically. "How much did this all cost you?"
Lisa sighed, "It was all part of a clearance sale. I grabbed two boxes of stuff."
Victoria chuckled. "And what were you planning on doing with it after this little joke?"
Lisa shrugged, "Dunno, burn it?"
"Ouch." Vicky whined, "You're not even going to keep the shirt?"
"Hell no, I wouldn't be caught dead in this. Do I look like a Glory Girl fan girl?" Lisa chuckled, already taking the shirt off. She had a much more sensible shirt underneath.
"I think they call themselves Glory Fan Girls?" Victoria said smugly.
"Whatever," Lisa said, shaking her head. "What kind of psycho would unironically wear your merch? Especially if they were dating you."
"Well, you have to keep the mug at least," Vicky said waving the tea in her hand. "This one is mine now, I expect to use it every time I come over."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lisa sighed with a smile as she sat back down next to Vicky. She cuddled up to Victoria as the two sipped on their drinks in relative silence. "So, movie? Or did you just wanna channel surf?"
"You know why I'm here, Lisa," Victoria said back, her tone a lot more serious now.
Lisa winced at the shift in tone but let out a defeated sigh.
"I appreciate you trying to help-" Lisa started, no doubt about to come up with one of several excuses as to why Victoria should drop the subject.
"I'm not 'trying' to do anything," Victoria cut in. "Whatever trouble you're in, I'll get you out. That's a promise."
She placed a hand on Lisa's leg and gave a comforting squeeze, Lisa returned with an uncomfortable smile.
"Now spill," Victoria demanded gently. "Who's got a gun to your head and where do you want me to hit them?"
"It's not that simple," Lisa mumbled. "You can't just punch him away."
"Why not?" Vicky asked, giving Lisa another comforting squeeze. "And who is 'he'?"
"My boss…" Lisa relented. "You'd know him as Coil…"
"Coil?" Victoria repeated. "The Undersiders are part of Coil's mercenaries? You're in a gang?"
"It's not a gang," Lisa corrected. "Coil doesn't recruit anyone off the street without talent."
"He still owns a sizeable chunk of the city," Victoria scoffed. "Like the rest of the gangs."
"But he doesn't make us wear specific colours or insignias," Lisa said. "Besides, we're not affiliated with Coil's organisation. The Undersiders are freelance, as far as the rest of the team is concerned at least. No one but I know who 'the boss' actually is. And the jobs he does give us are usually far away from his usual MO."
"Gang, organisation, it doesn't matter," Victoria said. "He's forcing you to work for him at gunpoint, right?"
"The gun was only used for his recruitment pitch," Lisa chuckled solemnly. "These days he holds numerous sticks over my head. I chose the carrot, and so long as I keep playing nice, I get to enjoy my freedom."
Victoria shook her head. "But it doesn't have to be that way. I can help you, we can-"
"You don't get it!" Lisa snapped in a rare display of outright anger. "Coil's not some run-of-the-mill gang leader who gets taken down on the streets. He's a Thinker, he hides away and he plans, he's two steps ahead of everyone, even me. Just by even having this conversation probably means he's onto us. And when he comes for me, I won't even know until it's too late."
Victoria let Lisa collect herself before speaking again.
"And that's exactly why I'm not going to drop this," Victoria said. "You need help, even if you're too scared to ask for it. And I'm not leaving you alone to face this monster. So yell at me all you want, but when you run out of breath, then we'll make a plan to take down your boss."
"Our boss." Lisa corrected, giving way to Victoria's stubbornness. "The Undersiders' boss. You get that right? You rock this boat, it's not only going to be my life you mess with. Taylor will get sucked into this, all my teammates will."
"Then we make a plan with them, together."
"No, that's a terrible idea." Lisa shook her head. "Half the team won't even consider it, and if Taylor ever decided to take care of my problem herself…" She didn't finish that sentence.
"You keep saying that," Victoria sighed. "But I think you need to give Taylor more credit. Sure, she can be intense… scary when she puts on that mask but-"
"Vicky, you don't know Skitter." Lisa cut her off. "You met her once in the bank when she was green, and then you cornered Taylor at school. Since then, Taylor has put up a cleaner front when you're around." Victoria opened her mouth to counter, but Lisa held her hand up. "I'm not saying that Taylor is some murderer who's one bad day from snapping." Lisa shook her head some more. "I'm just saying there's a lot of anger in that girl, and I don't know what she'd do if she knew how much danger I've been in."
"Robbing banks, smash and grabs, low stake cape fighting. These are all fine for her, it's almost therapy," Lisa continued. "I know you don't agree with it, but she needs the outlet, after all the shit Taylor put up with. Honestly, the willpower alone not to kill those three girls who tormented her is phenomenal. But if you gave her a target who deserved it…" Lisa let the sentence hang in the air. "It's terrifying."
"You don't know that," Victoria rebutted. "Taylor's been through a lot, and she's strong. Probably stronger than either of us. She can handle it, she needs to know. And you can't keep using your fear as an excuse for us not to help you."
Lisa stared back into Victoria's eyes. Vicky could see a desperation that she'd never known was possible, but refused to give in. Once Lisa was certain that she couldn't sway the hero's mind, she let out a defeated sigh and huffed.
"Fiiine," Lisa groaned. "But for the record, this is fucking suicide and we're all going to die. Do you even have a plan?"
"Sure, tell me where he is and I'll punch his face in," Victoria said with a smile while flexing her arm.
"Uhuh, I thought as much," Lisa sighed again. "I don't know where he is, I've only met him in person a handful of times, and each time I had a bag over my head. I know he's underground, near the center of the city. Some kind of bunker. But as to where? I have no idea."
"In the city, underground," Victoria repeated as a mental note. "And his power? You said Thinker, right? Is it like you or?"
"No, not like me." Lisa shook her head. "He… I don't know, manipulates probability, I think? He has a knack for always getting a favourable outcome, so a precog of some kind."
"Precog? So he can see the future?" Victoria swore under her breath.
"Which is exactly why it's a stupid idea to tangle with him," Lisa added. "He'll know we're coming even before we do."
"But other than that, he's powerless?" Victoria asked.
"Sure," Lisa rolled her eyes. "If you count having a small army of trained killers at his command powerless. But no, he only has the one power, that I know of."
"So if we could corner him, he'd go down easy," Victoria said, more to herself.
Lisa sighed even louder. "There's nothing easy when it comes to him. Didn't you hear me, he has an army of-"
"What was your plan of dealing with him before?" Victoria asked, ignoring Lisa's complaints.
"What?"
"You must've had a plan set already if you were so hellbent on not asking for help." Vicky knew Lisa too well to assume otherwise.
"Kinda," Lisa admitted. "I've been skimming his money and reinvesting it in various things. Along with paying off some of the more trustworthy mercs in his employ. Ideally, my plan was to outbid his men when the chips were down and force him out through superior numbers. But that plan is still years out from being viable, and all it takes is one wrong bribe for Coil to catch wind of it."
"How many mercs have you flipped?"
Lisa shrugged. "A decent handful. It's hard to tell where their loyalty would lie if pressured but they know I'm good for the money."
"Any of them willing and able to give you a location?"
"And risk showing my hand?" Lisa balked. "Hell no."
"Better to act now than risk Coil finding out later," Victoria argued. "I'm not leaving you to gamble it all on a hail mary in a few year's time. I say, we grab Tay, your team, any Mercs you can trust and hit that son of a bitch right now. And don't think of a second I won't call in New Wave if you need more backup. Hell, I bet I could convince Armsmaster to send the protectorate in if we just had a location."
"Woah!" Lisa said, hands up in surrender. "No heroes, please. You want to try to save my life, fine. Don't ruin yours in the process by admitting your involvement with me. I wouldn't call in New Wave unless I was desperate, okay?" Victoria hesitantly nodded to that. "Look, I'll talk to the team. See what they have to say, if I can't even convince them, then there's no point. Taylor too, but we're not telling her about the quote-unquote, gun to my head. Alright? If, and only if everyone's in agreement, then we'll make a plan."
"Fine." Victoria agreed, knowing full well that even if the Undersiders decided against it, she would find a way.
"Now. Can we just… I don't know." Lisa sighed, her mood obviously brought down. "Just chill out and cuddle? I can't handle this stress, it gives me a headache."
"Sure." Vicky chirped, leaning on Lisa for a hug as her girlfriend flicked on the TV.
There was a short stint of quiet as Lisa flicked through various channels, Vicky used the time to snuggle up even closer and kiss Lisa on the cheek. Eventually, Lisa settled on a popular Earth Bet Disney movie. Vicky practically purred in contentment, as the movie was a favourite of hers. Around fifteen minutes in, Lisa spoke up again.
"Oh yeah," She said, fishing something out of her pocket. "This is for you."
She handed Vicky a small paper bag between her fingers and looked back to the television. Victoria inspected the bag for a moment before opening it up.
"What is it?" Vicky asked curiously. Pulling out a smaller folded envelope from the bag.
"Your gift. The real one." Lisa said, her wry smile creeping back onto her face. "A two-thousand dollar bracelet. Paid in crime money, of course."
Inside the envelope were two things, a small metal bracelet, pretty but not overly gaudy, and a thank you note to one Victoria Dallon for donating two thousand dollars to the 'National Alliance to End Homelessness.'
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Skies above Brockton Bay – The following Day
Taylor was getting more comfortable with being touched every time Vicky flew her. Victoria in general was a very touchy-feely girl, something that Taylor was still getting used to after all this time. The way Vicky silently demanded a hug or a kiss after every little interaction they had was tiring, not that Taylor didn't like the attention, but she still fought the urge to tense up anytime someone lay a hand on her.
Slowly but surely, Victoria was wearing down those walls that Taylor had erected. Each reassurance of trust was bashed against two years of self-preservation instincts, which were starting to show some wear and tear. It was only a matter of time until Victoria broke through those layers completely. Until Taylor could feel safe enough to fully relax around someone she trusted implicitly.
Ironically, her anxiety-driven mind was less paranoid about the idea of Vicky betraying her when she was being carried by her in the air compared to when they were interacting at school. Logically this was a much more dangerous situation that relied on complete trust in Victoria not to drop her and yet, Taylor could feel herself relaxing in Vicky's arms.
Perhaps it was the solitude from being above almost everyone. The proximity to high school and all the baggage it came with, or perhaps it was just the feeling of being carried by the well-defined arms of Glory Girl.
Seriously, it was unfair at times at how good Victoria looked, especially while flying. She won both the genetic and superpower lottery. Taylor wondered how much of Victoria's muscle was self-made or given to her through her parahuman abilities. She wasn't bulky like Rachel was, instead having the leaner build of a professional athlete. Victoria would probably dismiss Taylor if she said that out loud, claiming that 'professional athletes looked far better than her' but Taylor couldn't help but be jealous.
How ridiculous it must look, for Victoria Dallon to be carrying Taylor's tall and lanky ass through the sky. It was times like these, that Taylor wondered how the hell she even got into this situation in the first place. Victoria was miles above Taylor's league, everyone knew that. What the hell does she even see in-
"Tay?" Victoria asked while slowing down in the air. "You good?"
Taylor took a second to realise she was asked a question. "Yeah? I'm fine. Why?"
Victoria looked back at her in concern. "You just looked a little sad is all. Anything the matter?"
Taylor immediately tried to shunt her emotions away like she usually did, however with her being in the air, the number of bugs available to her was significantly less.
"I'm fine," Taylor tried to lie. Finding that her usual poker face routine didn't work, she forced herself to smile. "Just thinking is all."
It was a weak and pitiful smile, one that anyone with a basic understanding of expressions could tell was fake but Victoria thankfully didn't push the subject. It was always awkward to talk about those intrusive thoughts and the feelings they evoked and Taylor would not want to have a discussion about that while being trapped in the air.
Instead, Vicky leaned in for a kiss, planting one on Taylor's forehead.
"What was that for?" Taylor asked, blushing in Vicky's arms.
"Kissing it better?" Vicky said, her concerned look breaking into a calmer smile. "Did it work?"
If Taylor were a little more confident like Lisa, she'd make a sly comment about asking for more. Instead, she just hummed an affirmative and tightened her grip on Victoria's shoulder.
A short while later, they touched down just outside of Taylor's house. Even after Vicky's feet touched the ground, there were a few seconds where she didn't let Taylor go, simply holding her in a traditional princess carry. Taylor wasn't sure if Victoria was planning to kiss her again or not, she got the feeling she was waiting for Taylor to make the first move this time.
Unfortunately for Taylor's psyche, they were on ground level now and her bugs made her aware of at least three bystanders watching them. One of them she recognised instantly.
"No fair, why do you get to go on romantic flights?" Lisa whined sarcastically as she sat on the end of her car. "Next time, I'm driving you home from school and we get to make out in the back seat."
"We weren't making out." Taylor defended herself. Breaking free from Victoria's arms to touch solid ground.
"What a waste of a perfectly good opportunity then." Lisa chuckled back. She moved to greet both girls, joining in on a group hug. "How was school? Learn anything valuable and interesting?"
Victoria huffed at that. "Barely, all I have is study for finals and the odd exam."
"Yeah, and I finished all my assignments," Taylor added. "So all I'm doing is waiting down the clock."
"Glad to know I'm not missing out on much," Lisa said before looking towards Taylor's house. "Shall we?"
Taylor led the way, taking a key out from under a nearby plant and opening the door. She debated for half a second if she should hold the door open or walk inside first, and chose the latter.
"Hello," Victoria called out softly as she walked through the door, followed by Lisa.
"Oh, Dad's not home yet," Taylor said. "He usually gets home around five, six-ish. So we got a little time to ourselves before you meet him."
"Home alone. Nice." Lisa nodded smugly.
"Nice place," Victoria added, looking around the room.
"Sorry about the mess," Taylor added, trying to block the view of the kitchen with her body. In truth, it was cleaner than the Dallon household ever was, Taylor had spent all afternoon yesterday going over the entire house making sure the place was spotless. Unfortunately, Danny had left a single plate on the kitchen counter before he left for work today, much to Taylor's disappointment. "My bedroom is this way."
Taylor led the girls down a small hallway and into her bedroom. Again, the room was spotless and yet Taylor apologised for the 'untidy state' of it after seeing her pillow wasn't perfectly straight at the end of her bed.
Through her bugs, Taylor saw Lisa silently chuckle before elbowing Vicky. Once she got her attention, Lisa directed it to the fourth, and newest, poster on the wall. A full-body portrait of Glory Girl, hovering in a standard, chest-puffed-out superhero pose. Right next to the other posters of Alexandria, Miss Militia and Narwhal.
"Cool posters," Lisa said, careful not to sound too teasing. Her eyes held on the Glory Girl poster as she smiled back at Victoria. "Say?… Got any other Glory Girl merch by chance?"
"Hmm?" Taylor hummed back, before thinking. "Couldn't find any shirts in my size, and someone called 'freckled_fangirl' outbid me on this action figure I found online. But I got that poster and a new tea mug."
"Wow, really?" Victoria asked, smiling at the thought. "You didn't need to do that. I could've gotten you a shirt if you really wanted one. Same with the poster, or any merch."
"I'm still surprised you bought any merch at all." Lisa chuckled.
"Of course I did," Taylor said back. She tilted her head slightly, unsure of Lisa's statement. "How can I be dating Victoria and not consider myself a Glory Fan Girl?" There was a silent pause when Lisa's lips trembled, threatening to burst into laughter. Taylor thought over what she just said and grew self-conscious. "Unless…" She turned to Victoria. "Sorry, does this make you uncomfortable? I'll remove it right now."
Taylor took a step towards the poster before both girls reached out to stop her.
"No. No, Taylor." Lisa apologised.
"Not at all, Tay," Vicky shook her head. "I love it. Thank you."
"I was just… jealous is all," Lisa added to her apology. "How come there's no cute Tattletale poster hanging on your wall?"
"Because I don't want to explain to my Dad why I have a villain's wanted poster on my wall?" Taylor replied.
"I was thinking more like a cool poster. Not my wanted poster." Lisa grumbled.
"Sorry, Lise." Vicky laughed. "Only heroes get merch. Who would wanna by a poster of the Undersiders?"
"Who indeed?…" Lisa said, no doubt planning something stupid.
-------------------------------
Taylor left both girls alone to bicker about the logistics of villainous merchandise while she made tea for everyone. In truth, there was another reason why she had invited them over so early, knowing that Dad was going to be out till later.
Taylor had been wondering for a while now what part Victoria played in the Shadow Stalker arrest and why she would volunteer for that. Today she would get her answer, she didn't like the idea of her girlfriends hiding information from her. With the drinks collected, she marched back into her room with a singular purpose.
Both girls thanked her with a smile as they took their drinks. Calmly sipping on their tea as Taylor seated herself between them and the door. She didn't expect them to actually try and run away but it was as good a tactic as any.
"So," Taylor said, cutting straight to the point and looking at Lisa. "Talk. A while back you said that Vicky helped with the Shadow Stalker arrest. What was all that about?"
Both Lisa and Vicky choked on their teas.
"You told her?" Victoria coughed out.
"Did I? I don't remember…" Lisa lied, badly. "I didn't say that, did I?"
Taylor didn't bother to give a response. She stared back at Lisa with unblinking focus while the blonde mumbled in defence.
"I.. I.." Lisa began to explain, looking between Taylor and Victoria. No doubt thinking up a story that would wave it all away.
I don't want us to lie to each other." Victoria cut in before Lisa could talk more. "Yes, I helped Lisa take down Shadow Stalker"
Lisa winced at the admission but Victoria held her gaze at Taylor.
"Why?" Taylor asked, neither accusatory nor shocked.
"Because…" Victoria began. Lisa stopped all illusions of subtlety and shook her head violently to get Vicky to stop talking. "Because Shadow Stalker was Sophia Hess, and that cunt deserved it..."
Victoria didn't back down from her statement. Taylor took the information at face value and mulled over the implications. Lisa readied herself for the oncoming swarm of bugs that was no doubt forming around the neighbourhood.
"I'm sorry for not telling you," Victoria continued. "I didn't want to upset you with any discussion about her. And I was ashamed at the fact that a Ward did… that to you."
Victoria broke eye contact. Looking at the floor, not quite bowing, but awaiting judgement all the same. Lisa had predicted a fallout of biblical proportions if Taylor was to discover the truth. While she had no doubt that Taylor wouldn't harm either of them, there was no telling what Taylor was capable of if she set herself on a warpath with the PRT.
As both girls waited for Taylor to digest this news, they sat silent. Sweat dripped down Lisa's forehead as Vicky placed a gentle hand on Taylor's leg. Then Taylor made a sound neither girl had ever heard before, a sound Taylor herself thought was impossible for her to even make.
She laughed.
This was not a quiet chuckle. Not a suppressed giggle, nor a puff of air through her nose. This was a loud, open and genuine laugh. The type of laughter Victoria expressed on her best days, the type of laughter Lisa wished she could fake while on the job. The type of laughter Taylor had never made since before her mother died.
"You're… not mad?" Victoria asked. Lisa followed the same line of questioning.
Taylor continued to giggle. The entire Shadow Stalker arrest had been recontextualised for her. She didn't just watch some angry Ward get thrown in the slammer, she watched Sophia 'fucking' Hess get her just deserts. Actual justice for all the shit Taylor had put up with. And her girlfriends were to thank for making that happen.
"Well, my opinion of the justice system can't get any worse," Taylor said. Her laughing fell back to a more reserved chuckle. "But, you two really did that for me?
"Of course we did," Victoria said, giving Taylor a hug.
Lisa joined in on the cuddle pile. "No one fucks with our Tay and gets away with it."
Taylor's laughter croaked into something more emotional. She tried to suppress it but it was already too late. Tears were running down her face. Taylor buried her head into both girl's shoulders.
"You two really are my best friends." She quietly sobbed into them. Both girls squeezed her back. "I love you both."
A sudden drop was felt in Taylor's chest as she realised what she just said. Was that too soon? Why did she say that? Would they push back against it? They haven't been dating for that long. When do normal couples drop the L-bomb?
"I-I mean… p-platonically." Taylor tried to correct herself, before wondering if that was also too harsh to say. "I mean… I do like you romantically and I love- I mean-"
"Naw, we love you too." Lisa cut in, saving Taylor from endlessly mumbling. Victoria nodded in agreement as the three girls hugged it out.
Taylor laughed again, this time more out of embarrassment than anything. She had no way of hiding her teary eyes as the hug ended. Victoria and Lisa joined in with the collective giggling. No doubt taking great pleasure in hearing Taylor being so emotionally open with them.
Taylor moved to collect the now empty tea mugs, hoping that assigning herself a task would bring her back to a better-controlled emotional state.
It's funny," Victoria giggled while prodding Lisa. "Lisa was so sure you'd be furious. Like, violently so. Plague of Egypt style."
Taylor chuckled at the thought. Maybe if Sophia was still out and about she'd feel different. But everything was fine now, everything was better than fine.
"Hey, I'm just being cautious," Lisa defended herself. "I already have a lot of bombs I'm trying to defuse."
"Still," Vicky said in somewhat of a 'mom tone.' "No more secrets."
"No more secrets." Lisa agreed.
"Agreed." Taylor nodded, picking up the last mug before placing it on her tray.
"Speaking of which," Victoria added to the joyous momentum. "I'm coming up with a plan to rescue Lisa from your boss."
"Oh yeah?" Taylor asked, still chuckling as she readied to walk back to the kitchen.
"Yeah," Vicky said, elbowing Lisa. "That cunt deserves everything coming to him for threatening your life, Lise."
"Hey," Lisa chuckled back. "I said I'd think about it. There's no plan right now. But thanks."
"I'm serious," Victoria giggled with her confident smile. "Between the three of us, he won't know what hit him."
Lisa laughed back, nodding in agreement. They were quite a force to be reckoned with if they put their powers together. Both girls continued to laugh as the stress eased out from them. This was a far more relaxing get-together than at Victoria's house.
Both girls continued to prod each other in merriment. Lisa made snappy jokes at all the Glory Girl merch that fed Vicky's ego and Victoria reminded Lise that her predictions weren't always accurate by the fact that everyone was happy and laughing.
Neither girl gave much notice to how Taylor left the room to clean up, ever the host trying to keep the place clean. Neither girl noticed the empty expression that landed on Taylor's face the second she left the room.
Neither girl noticed that she stopped laughing.
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Chapter 24: She bottles it up
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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Hebert Household – Late Afternoon
Danny pulled up into the driveway and parked his car. The workweek was tough on him, and he wasn't even halfway through. Some days he wanted to just sit in his car and scream. He bottled all his anger and frustration that had accrued throughout the day but now he had no outlet to focus it on. Danny knew that now wasn't the time for it to be released, that it wouldn't fix anything.
He noticed the beat-up-looking car that was parked out front by his yard and knew that it belonged to Taylor's girlfriend. Taylor had mentioned that she would be bringing them over for dinner tonight. With a tired sigh, Danny summoned the required energy to play the part of Taylor's father and make a good impression on the two new ladies in his daughter's life.
Stepping out of the car, he walked around to the boot to take out the last-minute groceries he picked up. While Taylor was determined to cook tonight, that didn't mean Danny wasn't going to contribute.
"Hey-hey Danny boy." An overly cheery voice called out to him. "How's it going?"
"Morning Harold," Danny said through another suppressed sigh as he turned towards the voice in question. "' M fine."
Harold had been the Hebert's neighbour for close to seven years now and the man loved to talk. Danny had no idea what the man actually did for a living, but he was there every morning when Danny left for work and would always say hello when he got home. It wasn't that Danny didn't like Harold; he was just too high-energy to deal with on days like today.
"That's good. And how's Taylor doing?" Harold asked with a raised eyebrow. Danny returned his own questioning eyebrow raise to the tone of Harold's voice. "Oh, don't act like that. She's the talk of the neighbourhood." That got Danny feeling anxious. "It's not every day that you see your neighbour's kid drop out of the sky with Glory Girl." Harold broke into a hearty laughter. "But seriously, what's that about?"
Danny rolled his eyes. He hadn't been one to interact with the neighbourhood community ever since Annette died. He forgot how much everyone loved to gossip and Taylor's celebrity girlfriend would no doubt be a juicy topic for anyone who noticed.
"Yeah, they're school friends," Danny muttered back; he was aware that the public announcement of the throuple was happening sometime at the end of the week but he wasn't going to add fuel to the gossiping fire.
"Cool, cool, cool." Harold nodded. There was an awkward silence where Danny felt Harold watching him as he collected his bags of groceries. Danny turned back to Harold yet again which the man used as an excuse to keep talking. "What's she like? Can she really lift a bus? Have you met the rest of the Dallons? Do you think Brandish will come down this neck of the woods? My wife is a massive Lady Photon fan, do you think you could arrange a meet and greet?"
"Harold…" Danny huffed, no longer hiding his annoyance. "I haven't met them. I haven't even met her. That's what I'm doing tonight, and I'm late, so…"
Harold moved back to his side of the lawn. "Right, right. Of course. I'll just get back to what I was doing." The man got down on his knees and started inspecting the dirt on his side.
Danny paused momentarily, while he didn't feel like continuing any conversation with his neighbour, his curiosity got the better of him.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking down as the man searched through the dirt.
"What? Oh, yes." Harold said, looking back up to Danny. "Honestly, I'm going a little crazy." He chuckled. "The other week, I came across this strange beetle, a beautiful green thing. Tiger Beetle they call it? Very rare find, no idea what it was doing in my yard. I've been trying to find it again and in my investigation, I've realised that the local bug population of my garden fluctuates like crazy."
"Is that right?" Danny asked, quickly losing interest.
"Like these last few months, I thought to myself. Huh, I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in forever. The missus thinks I've lost it." Harold shook his head. "Haven't seen a spider in my house for a while either, what about you?"
"Honestly, couldn't tell you." Danny shrugged, wishing he just kept walking inside.
"And today, I noticed this," Harold said, pointing to a particular patch of grass. Danny raised another quizzical eyebrow. "The ants, they're acting unnatural. Spinning in circles, like they're lost or.. angry."
All Danny could see was a bunch of ants acting like ants. Perhaps Harold was the one who was lost. Danny simply nodded his head and proceeded to walk inside.
----------------------------------------
The kitchen was a whir of activity as all three girls were busy cooking up a storm. Danny was hit with the tasty smell of caramelised onions and other vegetables. Taylor was in the center, stirring the vegetables that sizzled on the pan. Two blondes danced around her as they took turns collecting supplies from the fridge and cleaning up what little mess Taylor made.
A cell phone was on the bench, playing some pop song that Danny heard a few times on the radio. One of the blondes, Lisa if Danny was remembering correctly, was singing along as she scrubbed away at a dirty plate. Victoria Dallon quickly joined to sing in the chorus, fishing out food from the pantry, and floating up to reach the spice rack.
It was one thing to be told that your daughter is dating a celebrity superhero, it's another thing entirely to see her flying in person. As populated a city as Brockton Bay was with capes, Danny was not used to seeing parahuman abilities being used so blatantly. He'd spotted the odd flying person on his drive, he'd seen the news whenever there was a big cape fight, but seeing this girl casually float up to grab something that wasn't even that high up was a strange experience.
Both girls continued to sing, hip-bumping Taylor in an attempt to get her to join in. Danny was rather hopeful to see if Taylor would rise to the challenge, sadly, Taylor was not that type of girl and chose to stay silent as she worked. The two blondes didn't seem at all bothered by Taylor's refusal, instead singing even louder in tandem.
"Hey Dad," Taylor called out over the chorus of blondes. Both girls stopped dead in their tracks and flushed in embarrassment.
Taylor always had an uncanny ability to know exactly when he walked in the door. Even with her back turned and two girls singing in each ear, Taylor somehow knew that he was there. Even Danny didn't realise how long he had been standing in his living room, silently watching the three girls.
"Oh hey!" Victoria said in surprise. Her feet landed back on the ground.
"Hello, Mr. Hebert," Lisa said with a wave.
Victoria moved to the phone and muted the music as Lisa found a hand towel to dry off with. Taylor didn't even turn around, choosing to keep cooking away.
"Hello," Danny waved back before moving further in. Victoria met him halfway with a handshake.
Danny's father used to say that you could tell a lot about a person by the way they shook your hand. A lot of his father's advice was utter rubbish, but as head of the dockworker's association, Danny had to admit that a handshake told you something.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Hebert," Victoria said, her handshake grip was far weaker than Danny was expecting. It wasn't lazy, just soft. Considering her reputation as Glory Girl, Danny read it as an attempt to put him at ease, a silent promise that she wouldn't rip anyone's arms off.
"The pleasure is all mine, Ms Dallon," Danny said back. "And please. Call me Danny, everybody does."
"So long as you call me Victoria." Victoria chuckled, letting go and stepping to the side. Lisa followed up with a handshake of her own.
"Nice to finally meet you, Danny," Lisa said with a charming smile. "And you can call me Lisa."
Lisa's handshake was a lot firmer, along with the straight-backed professionalism that her pose entailed. Something told Danny that Lisa shook a lot of hands in her life, surprising for how young she was. The light calluses on her hand also imply that the girl worked with her hands far more than her flowery outfit implied she did.
"So, what are we cooking?" Danny asked, smelling the air. Both girls turned back to Taylor, who was still playing head chef for tonight.
"Stir fry noodles," Taylor said back. Her tone didn't sound as expressive as the other two girls, but Taylor was never the most expressive girl these days. "Should be ready soon."
"Great, I bought some sodas and snacks for after dinner," Danny said, waving his bag of groceries. "I'll just freshen up and then set the table."
"We can set the table, Mr Heb- uh, Danny." Victora offered with a smile.
"Yeah, relax. Kick your feet up." Lisa added. "We got this."
Before Danny could argue against it, the two girls were grabbing bowls and cutlery. He could see that he wasn't going to win any argument with those girls, even if he was meant to be playing host tonight. Giving in, Danny placed the drinks in the fridge and turned to Taylor one last time.
The girl was still cooking away, she'd already organised the ingredients she was planning to use in order of when they needed to be used. If she was anything like her mother, she was probably more relaxed now that her girlfriends had moved on to setting the table. Annette enjoyed cooking but could not stand sharing the kitchen while she did it, a fact Danny learned early on in the relationship. Helping in the kitchen meant staying the hell out of her way till she was done.
Taylor turned to her father and smiled, it was a forced smile that Danny was far too used to giving himself, but a smile nonetheless. Taylor was a lot happier these days, even if, like Danny, she didn't have the energy to always show it. Danny however noticed the odd way she held the handle of the frying pan. A grip that was far too tight as she stirred the pot. A handshake of a kind, that betrayed Taylor's hollow smile, that would probably crush the palm it wrapped around.
"Everything alright?" Danny asked, keeping his voice low.
Taylor's smile widened more as she nodded back. Her hand squeezed even tighter around the handle. Taylor was the spitting image of her mother in so many ways, but in this moment, Danny could recognise himself. A bottled anger that had no outlet, that knew now wasn't the time to be released.
"Of course," Taylor lied. "Everything's great."
---------------------------------------------------
Hebert Household – An hour ago.
Lisa was trying really hard not to mess up this dinner. She didn't want a repeat of last time, where her power pulled out every little thread of pain and discomfort from the Dallon family.
Lisa already knew the gist of Taylor's home life. She didn't need powers to tell this was a broken home that was slowly pulling itself back together again. She definitely didn't want to learn anything untoward about Mr Hebert that would paint the man in a negative light; Taylor had only just started mending the relationship with her father, and she resolved to keep everything positive and happy.
Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to block out her powers, only catching the more obscure facts about Taylor's household.
Fourteen pairs of shoes by the door, only wears three worn by Taylor Hebert. Only two worn by Mr Hebert. Hebert's hoard old shoes.
Taylor Hebert spent three hours deep cleaning house for Lisa Wilbourn and Victoria Dallon. House usually clean on normal days, doesn't like mess. Mr Hebert left plate on counter, makes most of the mess? No, in rush for work, accidently left plate behind.
Several posters of capes along Taylor Hebert's wall. All popular figures, cape fan? All heroes are female, childhood crushes? Last poster is of Glory Girl, confirmed attraction to posters.
Bookshelf covers one third of Taylor Hebert's room. Serious reader. Old books, most books older than Taylor Hebert. Family collection. Mother was an English teacher, instilled love of books from Mother. Sees books as a connection to her mother.
Lisa ignored every attempt from her power to tell her anything of note. She refused to stumble on some hidden nugget of information that would lead her down a rabbit hole of misery and getting a headache… again.
When Taylor returned to her bedroom with her usual empty expression, Lisa might've questioned it. Unfortunately, Victoria was a loud and charming distraction, who stole all the attention as she gasped in childlike wonder.
"I wondered what happened to this little guy!" Victoria beamed as she floated over to the end of Taylor's bookshelf.
She plucked the raccoon plush toy that was sitting on the top shelf and spun it around to show the other two girls. Lisa recognised it instantly as the toy Skitter stole from their Brockton Mall smash 'n' grab job they did a while back. The same toy Taylor used as an apology selfie after the fact.
Victoria flew back to the other girls, cuddling the plush raccoon in her arms. "Cutest raccoon I've ever seen." Vicky giggled, placing the toy down in the center of the girls. "Well, second cutest, if you count Ames."
Victoria Dallon admires her sister. Favourite person. Also reminds Victoria of a raccoon.
Lisa was once again reminded of that happy little tidbit she pulled from her time at the Dallons, which was now soured by the knowledge that Amy Dallon was a ticking time bomb of jealousy.
"How is Amy?" Taylor asked, her voice sounding somewhat strained.
Again, Lisa might've caught on that something was wrong, however, she was more inclined to learn what Amy was up to rather than picking up on her girlfriend's subtle shift in mood.
"Doing better, I think?" Victoria responded, thinking to herself. She smiled back at Taylor. "Your advice really helped. It's still early days, but she made some new friend or something after I got her out of the house."
"Really?" Taylor responded. That time she sounded a little more genuine.
"Yeah." Vicky nodded. "She spoke with Mom about lessening her hospital hours and blocked off a few days each week for 'Amy time' so she can have more free time without any worry about responsibilities, barring emergencies of course."
"Amy time," Lisa responded with finger quotations. "That sounds ominous." She giggled before realising Victoria's growing frown. "Um, what's she doing. You said she made a new friend?"
Ignoring your previous comment. Knows Lisa Wilbourn doesn't intend to be mean.
"I don't know." Victoria said, pulling her phone out from her pocket. "I think so. She ended up playing with some dogs, so I'm assuming they belonged to someone. Amy was going back today to do the same thing. She just sent me this actually."
Victoria pulled up a recent message on her phone. It was a picture with a text message attached to it. The picture showed off a derpy-looking golden retriever that had Amy's hand patting the top of its head. The framing made the dog's face far longer than what it probably was. The attached text message read:
'it u'
An apt comparison to Victoria herself, Vicky and Lisa laughed at the image. When they stopped giggling, Victoria took a photo of her hand patting the raccoon plush and sent it back to Amy, complete with the same text message attached. Her phone buzzed shortly after, a reply of several grumpy-looking emojis that threw Victoria into another small fit of laughter.
"Dogs really make everyone feel better." Taylor mused. Victoria and Lisa both nodded in agreement. "We have a puppy that hangs around the lair." She added to the thought, a small smile coming back to her face.
"Reggie?" Victoria asked to Taylor's surprise. She looked to Lisa for confirmation.
"Yeah," Lisa said back. "I already showed Vicky the pictures. She helped come up with the name." Taylor's smile wavered for a second as she considered this, although it returned shortly after.
It was at that moment, that Lisa caught on to something. Something important. Something that she could not let go of.
"Now hold on," Lisa said, placing a gentle hand on Taylor. Taylor looked from the hand back to Lisa's eyes. "Did you just call our base, 'the lair'?"
Taylor didn't reply to the outrageous accusation, holding her gaze on Lisa in the hopes the blonde would drop the subject.
"I knew it was a lair," Victoria chuckled. "Somewhere dark and damp, right? For your bugs?"
"No," Taylor finally responded. Whether she was denying Victoria's claim or Lisa's was anyone's guess.
"Dark and damp?" Lisa repeated in an offended tone. "Do I look like the kind of girl who would spend her time in the sewers?" Victoria rolled her eyes and didn't give that question a response. "I'm a sophisticated woman, who put a lot of work into our 'base.'" She announced the work base to Taylor to hammer her point home. "And I'll not have anyone sully my good name by claiming I live in a sewer."
"Uhuh," Victoria said with a smile. "So where do the Undersiders hang out? In a penthouse luxury apartment?"
Lisa put her arm over Taylor and pretended to shuffle away. "Come, Tay," She announced dramatically. "This woman is attempting to interrogate us, and we shall not betray our team."
"I should get started on dinner," Taylor said, standing as Lisa pulled her up. "Dad will be home soon."
"That's right," Lisa said, still laced with melodramatic sarcasm. "Flee, flee from the big bad Glory Girl. Back to our base to cook…"
Taylor Hebert practiced cooking chosen meal ahead of time. Wanted night to be perfect. Smelled like Asian cuisine two nights ago. Packet of egg noodles sitting by kitchen stove. Plans to cook stir fry noodles for dinner.
"Stir fry noodles. Come, away!"
Taylor didn't even question how Lisa knew that. By this point, Taylor was aware of how Lisa's powers worked. Admittedly, Lisa missed the moments when Taylor would act wowed by her deductions. This was partly the reason Lisa never explained her powers to Victoria. That and she just enjoyed messing with Victoria.
"H-hey. Wait for me!" Victoria called out, following after the two girls.
--------------------------------------
Taylor took the lead when it came to cooking dinner. She was resistant to having both girls help her. Partially because she was the host tonight. It wouldn't be fair to have her girlfriends work for their food. They should just relax and let Taylor take care of everything. Also, it was infuriating to cook with multiple people.
Immediately, Lisa took up a position at the sink. Washing the already washed vegetables along with anything Taylor put down for more than five seconds. It didn't matter if she had a separate knife to cut the meat with, and that she still had more in the fridge to cut up, the second she put that knife down, Lisa would 'help' by washing it off.
Then there was Victoria, who also wanted to help by collecting the ingredients from the fridge and pantry. A nice gesture, however, Victoria neither knew which cupboard the pantry was nor did she know the specific ingredients Taylor had chosen for tonight's meal. Which led to her pulling out just about everything from the fridge and asking Taylor to shake or nod her head.
Just as the girls finally found something of a rhythm that Taylor could work with, Vicky went and decided that they needed music to cook too. Turning on some obnoxious pop song for her to sing along to.
A little unbeknownst fact about Victoria Dallon, she is not a good singer. Pretty as she is, that girl couldn't hold a tune to save her life. Lisa thankfully took over, at least drowning out Victoria's cries with a passable pitch. Perhaps if the song was something Taylor actually enjoyed, she would find more entertainment out of Victoria's butchered attempt at singing. But alas, she found cooking with people to be infuriating, which soured her mood just a little.
Admittedly, Taylor could've found more joy in the experience of it all. Sharing a kitchen was annoying but spending time with her two best friends would've usually overshadowed any pointless pet peeve Taylor might have. Unfortunately, her mood was soured by one other little unbeknownst fact.
Skitter was going to fucking kill her boss.
Taylor didn't even know who they were. Whoever they are, however powerful they are, no matter how safe they think they'll be hidden away. Taylor was going to make them suffer,
She had suspicions of course. A short list of possible suspects on who was funding the Undersiders. Lisa knew the truth, so she would wait until Lisa confirmed the truth. Once a name and location were secured, a swarm of biblical proportions would descend upon whatever fuck dared threaten her girlfriend.
It took all of Taylor's willpower not to kick up a fuss. Not to summon her swarm and rampage downtown in a wild attempt to somehow reveal the mystery moneyman. For now, Taylor kept her bugs on standby, her face neutral, and her rage bottled up. Waiting for a better time to use it.
She would summon the energy to act the part of a good host and loving girlfriend. She didn't want her sour mood to ruin their day. Perhaps Lisa might pick up on it, but she hadn't said anything yet. Taylor was determined to have one good meal, and then tomorrow plans would be made. The Undersiders would be informed and convinced.
Their boss needed to die.
-------------------------------
"This is amazing!" Victoria exclaimed as she took another bite of her meal. "I wish I could cook half as good as this, Tay."
"Hey, it was a team effort." Lisa chuckled between bites.
Taylor rolled her eyes to Lisa's statement. Everybody at the table knew that Taylor did the bulk of the work. Lisa shot a smug grin back.
Mr Hebert patted his daughter's hand, a proud look on his face as he also enjoyed his meal. Victoria smiled at the small gesture of love the man had for Taylor.
The dinner table conversation was nothing like the one at the Dallons. There were a few introductory questions, Victoria told a censored version of how they met in school, and Lisa told her lie about how she met Taylor and what she does for work.
"And what do you girls do at Fortress Constructions?" Mr Hebert asked.
The dinner conversation continued to flow, albeit with a slightly strained undertone. Mr. Hebert, Taylor's father, had taken an interest in Fortress Constructions, the company Lisa had used as a cover for Taylor's real activities. It must've made Taylor uneasy, knowing that her father's curiosity could lead to potentially dangerous questions. However, Lisa was quick on her feet, effortlessly answering every query he put forward.
"Classic reception work," Lisa said with her most charming smile. "Emails, coffees, light research. Taylor might be the newest hire, but she's everyone's favourite." She capped it off with a flirty wink in Taylor's direction. "She has a knack for multitasking that I've never seen before."
As the conversation progressed, Mr. Hebert's initial concern seemed to ease. Lisa's charisma and ability to spin elaborate tales had a way of putting people at ease. With each well-crafted response, she managed to paint a vivid picture of Taylor's supposed work life, leaving her father not only more relaxed about the situation but also expressing pride in Taylor's newfound independence.
Lisa skillfully wove a tale of an exciting career at Fortress Construction, complete with detailed descriptions of impressive projects and Taylor's instrumental role in their success. She portrayed Taylor as a capable and ambitious young woman, some stories even Victoria could recognise as Skitter's escapades without any actual mentions of her crimes or the like.
Taylor, on the other hand, remained silent. Victoria assumed she was torn between relief that Lisa had managed to deflect her father's suspicions and the guilt that came with lying to him. She knew it was necessary to protect herself and her loved ones, but it weighed heavily on her conscience.
Victoria, sensing Taylor's unease, reached out and squeezed her hand under the table, offering a reassuring smile. It was a small gesture, but it provided a much-needed source of comfort.
In the end, Mr Hebert not only more relaxed about Taylor's 'job' but also commented on how proud he was at how independent Taylor had become.
Both Taylor and Victoria avoided commenting on that.
Victoria's silent glare towards Lisa told the other girl everything she thought about the tale that Lisa had spun. Lisa simply responded with her signature smug smile, as she corrupted yet another Hebert with charming words and false promises.
Victoria didn't approve of blatantly lying to one's parents about what was going on in their life. She understood that Taylor was in a complicated situation, and perhaps it would be a terrible idea to tell your father that you were really a supervillain, but then again, Victoria didn't approve of Taylor being a supervillain in the first place. Either way, it wasn't her secret to tell, so she remained silent.
Once that conversation was finished, Mr Hebert turned to Victoria and cracked a guilty smile. He sighed to himself before saying. "Now, Victoria. I have to ask. What's it like being a hero in Brockton Bay?"
It was her turn now, her chance to subtly get back at Lisa for her skilful manipulation of the truth. She knew that Lisa's charm and quick wit had managed to win over Mr Hebert, but Victoria was determined to showcase the virtues of a hero's life, shedding light on the importance of truth, justice, and the responsibility that came with such a noble calling.
Taking a deep breath, Victoria began to weave her own tales of heroism.
"Being a hero is more than people think." Victoria began. "The news likes to paint us all as flashy fighters who beat up thugs all day and night. But combat is actually a small part of what we do. Well, I can really only speak for New Wave and the Wards, but I'm told it's the same for all heroes. We have various community outreach activities, patrols are more often about making the people feel safe rather than hunting down drug dealers or whatever the internet says."
She looked at Taylor, remembering the terrified girl she first met, who thought that the whole world was against her.
"The truth is," Victoria continued, her voice taking on a softer tone, "Being a hero is about serving the people, protecting them not only from physical harm but also from fear and despair. It's about being there for someone when they need it the most, offering a glimmer of hope in the darkest of times."
Victoria continued to describe her actual work with New Wave, as they patrolled the streets, their presence a beacon of safety in a city tainted by violence. She described their interactions with the community, from hosting self-defence workshops for women to organising neighbourhood clean-up projects.
"And of course, then there are the moments of crisis," Victoria's voice gained an edge of urgency, mirroring the intensity of the scenes she described. "When danger strikes, we are there, racing against time to save lives. We're trained to think on our feet, to make split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death."
Victoria thought about the unspoken part about the whole Hero job. While she was far too young to even consider signing up for it now, anyone who even dipped their toe into the pool of cape life had considered what their stance was on Endbringers. Whether they'd been fleeing or volunteering. While Victoria had no desire to throw her life away, she knew that she'd have to make that choice one day.
"As heroes, we are entrusted with the power to make a difference," Victoria said, finishing her speech. "We carry the responsibility to protect and serve, to inspire others to stand up against injustice and to strive for a better world. It's a calling that demands everything we have, but the rewards... the smiles of gratitude, the lives saved, and the hope we bring... they make it all worthwhile."
Mr Hebert went silent, like a man who realised far too late what kind of landmine he had stepped on. The silence was broken by Lisa, who started slow clapping.
"Bravo," Lisa said. Victoria wasn't sure if Lisa was mocking her, but she chose to believe she wasn't.
"Uh, thank you for your service?" Mr Hebert said. Only then did Victoria worry that she laid it on a little thick.
At some point during her speech, Taylor had reached out and grabbed Victoria's hand. Vicky had a good guess at when that was and what Taylor meant by it.
With both sides done preaching, the topic of conversation slid back into the more casual and lighthearted as everyone finished their meals.
----------------------------------------
After dinner, Mr. Hebert insisted on taking care of the cleaning and shooing the girls away to enjoy the remainder of the night. Victoria and Lisa found themselves settling on the soft cushions of the living room couch
In a playful gesture, Lisa picked a movie at random from the small collection they had. By 'pure chance' the film she selected happened to be one of Taylor's favourites. Victoria was somewhat jealous of how perfectly suited Lisa's powers were for general seduction if Lisa put her mind to it. A shared smile passed between the girls as they settled in to watch.
As the movie began, a silent battle for the coveted Taylor-hugging position commenced. Victoria and Lisa both vied for the spot closest to their friend, their eyes dancing with mischief and affection. Yet, their rivalry quickly turned into a playful struggle, each attempting to outmanoeuvre the other.
Eventually, their efforts to stake their claim on Taylor's affections were cut off by Taylor herself intervening. Finding herself nestled in the center of the cuddle pile, Taylor used her height advantage to wrap her arms around both girls and hold them close.
As the movie progressed, Victoria's arm found its way around Lisa, their bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. Taylor leaned into Victoria's side, her head in return finding a resting place on Lisa's shoulder. It made the movie infinitely harder to watch and yet none of the girls attempted to reposition.
And as the credits rolled, both blondes found themselves entangled in each other's arms. They hugged each other as Taylor held them both. They remained in this embrace for the longest time, Taylor's hug feeling oddly protective as if her arm promised to do more than her forcefield ever could.
Lisa broke the comfortable silence, breaking away from the two girls' embrace and slowly extricating herself from the cuddle pile.
With a yawn, she said, "Welp. I should think about getting home before I crash."
Only then did Victoria notice the time, neither girl had planned to sleepover. Lisa, with work tomorrow and Victoria, who feared the wrath of her mother if she was late.
"Oh shoot. Yeah." Victoria sighed, pulling herself from Taylor's arms. "I should get going too."
Taylor stood up from the couch and walked with her girlfriends as they got ready to leave.
---------------------------------------
The front door opened and Lisa was the first to walk out.
"Thank you for having us, Mr H," Lisa called out, waving goodbye.
Danny had left shortly after the movie started, in an attempt to give Taylor some privacy. He only reappeared once he heard everyone leaving.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality," Vicky added.
"My pleasure girls," Danny said as he waved them both off. "You're welcome round anytime."
With that, Taylor shut the door and walked through the front yard with both girls.
"Need me to fly you home?" Victoria asked.
"I'm good," Lisa shook her head. "I drove, remember. Unless you want to carry my entire car back."
"I probably could," Vicky said, looking at the beat-up car.
"Don't touch my car," Lisa added, shaking her finger.
Victoria chuckled, turning around to look at Taylor.
"This was fun." She said with a smile. "We should do this again."
Lisa nodded as Taylor gave another small smile.
"I'd like that," Taylor nodded. "Perhaps after…"
"After?" Victoria asked, tilting her head.
Taylor shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Tonight was fun." She leaned in and kissed Victoria. "Fly safe."
Victoria giggled and turned to Lisa, who promptly kissed her the same way. Then she took to the skies, waving goodbye and promising to see them all later.
"Damn, I'll still be in traffic by the time she's in bed." Lisa sighed, watching the hero disappear over the houses.
"You're welcome to stay the night," Taylor offered, thumbing back at her house. "If you don't feel like driving."
Taylor Hebert is concerned about Lisa Wilbourn's safety while driving. Doesn't want her to get tired or distracted behind the wheel. Hold's moral grudge against cars, blames them for mothers death.
"I'm just grumbling," Lisa said, trying to allay Taylor's fears. "Don't worry. I'll be safe. I promise." Taylor held her concerned stare for a few moments more before Lisa broke through with a peck on her cheek. "Besides, I gotta get into the office early tomorrow. Lotta paperwork. Gotta dot those I's and slash those T's."
Taylor didn't respond to that, but her stare softened and she let the offer to stay drop. Lisa fished around in her pocket for car keys before stepping into her car. Taylor looked off in the direction Victoria flew away in before walking over to Lisa's car. Lisa winded down the window to see what Taylor wanted to say.
"Did you wanna give me a proper goodbye kiss?" Lisa teased. Her laugh cut short when she noted the deadly seriousness on Taylor's face.
"No, uh. After." Taylor said, leaning into the car window and speaking with a low voice. "I need you to call a team meeting tomorrow. After school."
"Yeah? Why?" Lisa asked, realising now that she probably should've been using her power more today.
"We're taking our boss down, right?" Taylor asked. It was spoken as a question, but Lisa could sense that it was more of a demand.
"T-there's no real plan at the moment. Vicky was just talking out of her ass." Lisa tried to laugh it away but Skitter held her gaze. "I really don't see the rest of the team agreeing to go ahead with this."
Skitter's eye bore a hole right into Lisa's soul. This woman wasn't the same girl who she cuddled up with for the duration of an entire movie and this woman certainly wasn't taking no for an option.
"I'll make them see reason." She said coldly. Then leaned further in and kissed Lisa on the lips. "Drive safe."
She pushed out of the car and walked back into the house. Dressed in casual clothes but moving with murderous intent. Lisa watched in horror as Skitter walked back inside and shut the door.
Taylor Hebert is planning to massacre Coil.
Danny pulled up into the driveway and parked his car. The workweek was tough on him, and he wasn't even halfway through. Some days he wanted to just sit in his car and scream. He bottled all his anger and frustration that had accrued throughout the day but now he had no outlet to focus it on. Danny knew that now wasn't the time for it to be released, that it wouldn't fix anything.
He noticed the beat-up-looking car that was parked out front by his yard and knew that it belonged to Taylor's girlfriend. Taylor had mentioned that she would be bringing them over for dinner tonight. With a tired sigh, Danny summoned the required energy to play the part of Taylor's father and make a good impression on the two new ladies in his daughter's life.
Stepping out of the car, he walked around to the boot to take out the last-minute groceries he picked up. While Taylor was determined to cook tonight, that didn't mean Danny wasn't going to contribute.
"Hey-hey Danny boy." An overly cheery voice called out to him. "How's it going?"
"Morning Harold," Danny said through another suppressed sigh as he turned towards the voice in question. "' M fine."
Harold had been the Hebert's neighbour for close to seven years now and the man loved to talk. Danny had no idea what the man actually did for a living, but he was there every morning when Danny left for work and would always say hello when he got home. It wasn't that Danny didn't like Harold; he was just too high-energy to deal with on days like today.
"That's good. And how's Taylor doing?" Harold asked with a raised eyebrow. Danny returned his own questioning eyebrow raise to the tone of Harold's voice. "Oh, don't act like that. She's the talk of the neighbourhood." That got Danny feeling anxious. "It's not every day that you see your neighbour's kid drop out of the sky with Glory Girl." Harold broke into a hearty laughter. "But seriously, what's that about?"
Danny rolled his eyes. He hadn't been one to interact with the neighbourhood community ever since Annette died. He forgot how much everyone loved to gossip and Taylor's celebrity girlfriend would no doubt be a juicy topic for anyone who noticed.
"Yeah, they're school friends," Danny muttered back; he was aware that the public announcement of the throuple was happening sometime at the end of the week but he wasn't going to add fuel to the gossiping fire.
"Cool, cool, cool." Harold nodded. There was an awkward silence where Danny felt Harold watching him as he collected his bags of groceries. Danny turned back to Harold yet again which the man used as an excuse to keep talking. "What's she like? Can she really lift a bus? Have you met the rest of the Dallons? Do you think Brandish will come down this neck of the woods? My wife is a massive Lady Photon fan, do you think you could arrange a meet and greet?"
"Harold…" Danny huffed, no longer hiding his annoyance. "I haven't met them. I haven't even met her. That's what I'm doing tonight, and I'm late, so…"
Harold moved back to his side of the lawn. "Right, right. Of course. I'll just get back to what I was doing." The man got down on his knees and started inspecting the dirt on his side.
Danny paused momentarily, while he didn't feel like continuing any conversation with his neighbour, his curiosity got the better of him.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking down as the man searched through the dirt.
"What? Oh, yes." Harold said, looking back up to Danny. "Honestly, I'm going a little crazy." He chuckled. "The other week, I came across this strange beetle, a beautiful green thing. Tiger Beetle they call it? Very rare find, no idea what it was doing in my yard. I've been trying to find it again and in my investigation, I've realised that the local bug population of my garden fluctuates like crazy."
"Is that right?" Danny asked, quickly losing interest.
"Like these last few months, I thought to myself. Huh, I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in forever. The missus thinks I've lost it." Harold shook his head. "Haven't seen a spider in my house for a while either, what about you?"
"Honestly, couldn't tell you." Danny shrugged, wishing he just kept walking inside.
"And today, I noticed this," Harold said, pointing to a particular patch of grass. Danny raised another quizzical eyebrow. "The ants, they're acting unnatural. Spinning in circles, like they're lost or.. angry."
All Danny could see was a bunch of ants acting like ants. Perhaps Harold was the one who was lost. Danny simply nodded his head and proceeded to walk inside.
----------------------------------------
The kitchen was a whir of activity as all three girls were busy cooking up a storm. Danny was hit with the tasty smell of caramelised onions and other vegetables. Taylor was in the center, stirring the vegetables that sizzled on the pan. Two blondes danced around her as they took turns collecting supplies from the fridge and cleaning up what little mess Taylor made.
A cell phone was on the bench, playing some pop song that Danny heard a few times on the radio. One of the blondes, Lisa if Danny was remembering correctly, was singing along as she scrubbed away at a dirty plate. Victoria Dallon quickly joined to sing in the chorus, fishing out food from the pantry, and floating up to reach the spice rack.
It was one thing to be told that your daughter is dating a celebrity superhero, it's another thing entirely to see her flying in person. As populated a city as Brockton Bay was with capes, Danny was not used to seeing parahuman abilities being used so blatantly. He'd spotted the odd flying person on his drive, he'd seen the news whenever there was a big cape fight, but seeing this girl casually float up to grab something that wasn't even that high up was a strange experience.
Both girls continued to sing, hip-bumping Taylor in an attempt to get her to join in. Danny was rather hopeful to see if Taylor would rise to the challenge, sadly, Taylor was not that type of girl and chose to stay silent as she worked. The two blondes didn't seem at all bothered by Taylor's refusal, instead singing even louder in tandem.
"Hey Dad," Taylor called out over the chorus of blondes. Both girls stopped dead in their tracks and flushed in embarrassment.
Taylor always had an uncanny ability to know exactly when he walked in the door. Even with her back turned and two girls singing in each ear, Taylor somehow knew that he was there. Even Danny didn't realise how long he had been standing in his living room, silently watching the three girls.
"Oh hey!" Victoria said in surprise. Her feet landed back on the ground.
"Hello, Mr. Hebert," Lisa said with a wave.
Victoria moved to the phone and muted the music as Lisa found a hand towel to dry off with. Taylor didn't even turn around, choosing to keep cooking away.
"Hello," Danny waved back before moving further in. Victoria met him halfway with a handshake.
Danny's father used to say that you could tell a lot about a person by the way they shook your hand. A lot of his father's advice was utter rubbish, but as head of the dockworker's association, Danny had to admit that a handshake told you something.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Hebert," Victoria said, her handshake grip was far weaker than Danny was expecting. It wasn't lazy, just soft. Considering her reputation as Glory Girl, Danny read it as an attempt to put him at ease, a silent promise that she wouldn't rip anyone's arms off.
"The pleasure is all mine, Ms Dallon," Danny said back. "And please. Call me Danny, everybody does."
"So long as you call me Victoria." Victoria chuckled, letting go and stepping to the side. Lisa followed up with a handshake of her own.
"Nice to finally meet you, Danny," Lisa said with a charming smile. "And you can call me Lisa."
Lisa's handshake was a lot firmer, along with the straight-backed professionalism that her pose entailed. Something told Danny that Lisa shook a lot of hands in her life, surprising for how young she was. The light calluses on her hand also imply that the girl worked with her hands far more than her flowery outfit implied she did.
"So, what are we cooking?" Danny asked, smelling the air. Both girls turned back to Taylor, who was still playing head chef for tonight.
"Stir fry noodles," Taylor said back. Her tone didn't sound as expressive as the other two girls, but Taylor was never the most expressive girl these days. "Should be ready soon."
"Great, I bought some sodas and snacks for after dinner," Danny said, waving his bag of groceries. "I'll just freshen up and then set the table."
"We can set the table, Mr Heb- uh, Danny." Victora offered with a smile.
"Yeah, relax. Kick your feet up." Lisa added. "We got this."
Before Danny could argue against it, the two girls were grabbing bowls and cutlery. He could see that he wasn't going to win any argument with those girls, even if he was meant to be playing host tonight. Giving in, Danny placed the drinks in the fridge and turned to Taylor one last time.
The girl was still cooking away, she'd already organised the ingredients she was planning to use in order of when they needed to be used. If she was anything like her mother, she was probably more relaxed now that her girlfriends had moved on to setting the table. Annette enjoyed cooking but could not stand sharing the kitchen while she did it, a fact Danny learned early on in the relationship. Helping in the kitchen meant staying the hell out of her way till she was done.
Taylor turned to her father and smiled, it was a forced smile that Danny was far too used to giving himself, but a smile nonetheless. Taylor was a lot happier these days, even if, like Danny, she didn't have the energy to always show it. Danny however noticed the odd way she held the handle of the frying pan. A grip that was far too tight as she stirred the pot. A handshake of a kind, that betrayed Taylor's hollow smile, that would probably crush the palm it wrapped around.
"Everything alright?" Danny asked, keeping his voice low.
Taylor's smile widened more as she nodded back. Her hand squeezed even tighter around the handle. Taylor was the spitting image of her mother in so many ways, but in this moment, Danny could recognise himself. A bottled anger that had no outlet, that knew now wasn't the time to be released.
"Of course," Taylor lied. "Everything's great."
---------------------------------------------------
Hebert Household – An hour ago.
Lisa was trying really hard not to mess up this dinner. She didn't want a repeat of last time, where her power pulled out every little thread of pain and discomfort from the Dallon family.
Lisa already knew the gist of Taylor's home life. She didn't need powers to tell this was a broken home that was slowly pulling itself back together again. She definitely didn't want to learn anything untoward about Mr Hebert that would paint the man in a negative light; Taylor had only just started mending the relationship with her father, and she resolved to keep everything positive and happy.
Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to block out her powers, only catching the more obscure facts about Taylor's household.
Fourteen pairs of shoes by the door, only wears three worn by Taylor Hebert. Only two worn by Mr Hebert. Hebert's hoard old shoes.
Taylor Hebert spent three hours deep cleaning house for Lisa Wilbourn and Victoria Dallon. House usually clean on normal days, doesn't like mess. Mr Hebert left plate on counter, makes most of the mess? No, in rush for work, accidently left plate behind.
Several posters of capes along Taylor Hebert's wall. All popular figures, cape fan? All heroes are female, childhood crushes? Last poster is of Glory Girl, confirmed attraction to posters.
Bookshelf covers one third of Taylor Hebert's room. Serious reader. Old books, most books older than Taylor Hebert. Family collection. Mother was an English teacher, instilled love of books from Mother. Sees books as a connection to her mother.
Lisa ignored every attempt from her power to tell her anything of note. She refused to stumble on some hidden nugget of information that would lead her down a rabbit hole of misery and getting a headache… again.
When Taylor returned to her bedroom with her usual empty expression, Lisa might've questioned it. Unfortunately, Victoria was a loud and charming distraction, who stole all the attention as she gasped in childlike wonder.
"I wondered what happened to this little guy!" Victoria beamed as she floated over to the end of Taylor's bookshelf.
She plucked the raccoon plush toy that was sitting on the top shelf and spun it around to show the other two girls. Lisa recognised it instantly as the toy Skitter stole from their Brockton Mall smash 'n' grab job they did a while back. The same toy Taylor used as an apology selfie after the fact.
Victoria flew back to the other girls, cuddling the plush raccoon in her arms. "Cutest raccoon I've ever seen." Vicky giggled, placing the toy down in the center of the girls. "Well, second cutest, if you count Ames."
Victoria Dallon admires her sister. Favourite person. Also reminds Victoria of a raccoon.
Lisa was once again reminded of that happy little tidbit she pulled from her time at the Dallons, which was now soured by the knowledge that Amy Dallon was a ticking time bomb of jealousy.
"How is Amy?" Taylor asked, her voice sounding somewhat strained.
Again, Lisa might've caught on that something was wrong, however, she was more inclined to learn what Amy was up to rather than picking up on her girlfriend's subtle shift in mood.
"Doing better, I think?" Victoria responded, thinking to herself. She smiled back at Taylor. "Your advice really helped. It's still early days, but she made some new friend or something after I got her out of the house."
"Really?" Taylor responded. That time she sounded a little more genuine.
"Yeah." Vicky nodded. "She spoke with Mom about lessening her hospital hours and blocked off a few days each week for 'Amy time' so she can have more free time without any worry about responsibilities, barring emergencies of course."
"Amy time," Lisa responded with finger quotations. "That sounds ominous." She giggled before realising Victoria's growing frown. "Um, what's she doing. You said she made a new friend?"
Ignoring your previous comment. Knows Lisa Wilbourn doesn't intend to be mean.
"I don't know." Victoria said, pulling her phone out from her pocket. "I think so. She ended up playing with some dogs, so I'm assuming they belonged to someone. Amy was going back today to do the same thing. She just sent me this actually."
Victoria pulled up a recent message on her phone. It was a picture with a text message attached to it. The picture showed off a derpy-looking golden retriever that had Amy's hand patting the top of its head. The framing made the dog's face far longer than what it probably was. The attached text message read:
'it u'
An apt comparison to Victoria herself, Vicky and Lisa laughed at the image. When they stopped giggling, Victoria took a photo of her hand patting the raccoon plush and sent it back to Amy, complete with the same text message attached. Her phone buzzed shortly after, a reply of several grumpy-looking emojis that threw Victoria into another small fit of laughter.
"Dogs really make everyone feel better." Taylor mused. Victoria and Lisa both nodded in agreement. "We have a puppy that hangs around the lair." She added to the thought, a small smile coming back to her face.
"Reggie?" Victoria asked to Taylor's surprise. She looked to Lisa for confirmation.
"Yeah," Lisa said back. "I already showed Vicky the pictures. She helped come up with the name." Taylor's smile wavered for a second as she considered this, although it returned shortly after.
It was at that moment, that Lisa caught on to something. Something important. Something that she could not let go of.
"Now hold on," Lisa said, placing a gentle hand on Taylor. Taylor looked from the hand back to Lisa's eyes. "Did you just call our base, 'the lair'?"
Taylor didn't reply to the outrageous accusation, holding her gaze on Lisa in the hopes the blonde would drop the subject.
"I knew it was a lair," Victoria chuckled. "Somewhere dark and damp, right? For your bugs?"
"No," Taylor finally responded. Whether she was denying Victoria's claim or Lisa's was anyone's guess.
"Dark and damp?" Lisa repeated in an offended tone. "Do I look like the kind of girl who would spend her time in the sewers?" Victoria rolled her eyes and didn't give that question a response. "I'm a sophisticated woman, who put a lot of work into our 'base.'" She announced the work base to Taylor to hammer her point home. "And I'll not have anyone sully my good name by claiming I live in a sewer."
"Uhuh," Victoria said with a smile. "So where do the Undersiders hang out? In a penthouse luxury apartment?"
Lisa put her arm over Taylor and pretended to shuffle away. "Come, Tay," She announced dramatically. "This woman is attempting to interrogate us, and we shall not betray our team."
"I should get started on dinner," Taylor said, standing as Lisa pulled her up. "Dad will be home soon."
"That's right," Lisa said, still laced with melodramatic sarcasm. "Flee, flee from the big bad Glory Girl. Back to our base to cook…"
Taylor Hebert practiced cooking chosen meal ahead of time. Wanted night to be perfect. Smelled like Asian cuisine two nights ago. Packet of egg noodles sitting by kitchen stove. Plans to cook stir fry noodles for dinner.
"Stir fry noodles. Come, away!"
Taylor didn't even question how Lisa knew that. By this point, Taylor was aware of how Lisa's powers worked. Admittedly, Lisa missed the moments when Taylor would act wowed by her deductions. This was partly the reason Lisa never explained her powers to Victoria. That and she just enjoyed messing with Victoria.
"H-hey. Wait for me!" Victoria called out, following after the two girls.
--------------------------------------
Taylor took the lead when it came to cooking dinner. She was resistant to having both girls help her. Partially because she was the host tonight. It wouldn't be fair to have her girlfriends work for their food. They should just relax and let Taylor take care of everything. Also, it was infuriating to cook with multiple people.
Immediately, Lisa took up a position at the sink. Washing the already washed vegetables along with anything Taylor put down for more than five seconds. It didn't matter if she had a separate knife to cut the meat with, and that she still had more in the fridge to cut up, the second she put that knife down, Lisa would 'help' by washing it off.
Then there was Victoria, who also wanted to help by collecting the ingredients from the fridge and pantry. A nice gesture, however, Victoria neither knew which cupboard the pantry was nor did she know the specific ingredients Taylor had chosen for tonight's meal. Which led to her pulling out just about everything from the fridge and asking Taylor to shake or nod her head.
Just as the girls finally found something of a rhythm that Taylor could work with, Vicky went and decided that they needed music to cook too. Turning on some obnoxious pop song for her to sing along to.
A little unbeknownst fact about Victoria Dallon, she is not a good singer. Pretty as she is, that girl couldn't hold a tune to save her life. Lisa thankfully took over, at least drowning out Victoria's cries with a passable pitch. Perhaps if the song was something Taylor actually enjoyed, she would find more entertainment out of Victoria's butchered attempt at singing. But alas, she found cooking with people to be infuriating, which soured her mood just a little.
Admittedly, Taylor could've found more joy in the experience of it all. Sharing a kitchen was annoying but spending time with her two best friends would've usually overshadowed any pointless pet peeve Taylor might have. Unfortunately, her mood was soured by one other little unbeknownst fact.
Skitter was going to fucking kill her boss.
Taylor didn't even know who they were. Whoever they are, however powerful they are, no matter how safe they think they'll be hidden away. Taylor was going to make them suffer,
She had suspicions of course. A short list of possible suspects on who was funding the Undersiders. Lisa knew the truth, so she would wait until Lisa confirmed the truth. Once a name and location were secured, a swarm of biblical proportions would descend upon whatever fuck dared threaten her girlfriend.
It took all of Taylor's willpower not to kick up a fuss. Not to summon her swarm and rampage downtown in a wild attempt to somehow reveal the mystery moneyman. For now, Taylor kept her bugs on standby, her face neutral, and her rage bottled up. Waiting for a better time to use it.
She would summon the energy to act the part of a good host and loving girlfriend. She didn't want her sour mood to ruin their day. Perhaps Lisa might pick up on it, but she hadn't said anything yet. Taylor was determined to have one good meal, and then tomorrow plans would be made. The Undersiders would be informed and convinced.
Their boss needed to die.
-------------------------------
"This is amazing!" Victoria exclaimed as she took another bite of her meal. "I wish I could cook half as good as this, Tay."
"Hey, it was a team effort." Lisa chuckled between bites.
Taylor rolled her eyes to Lisa's statement. Everybody at the table knew that Taylor did the bulk of the work. Lisa shot a smug grin back.
Mr Hebert patted his daughter's hand, a proud look on his face as he also enjoyed his meal. Victoria smiled at the small gesture of love the man had for Taylor.
The dinner table conversation was nothing like the one at the Dallons. There were a few introductory questions, Victoria told a censored version of how they met in school, and Lisa told her lie about how she met Taylor and what she does for work.
"And what do you girls do at Fortress Constructions?" Mr Hebert asked.
The dinner conversation continued to flow, albeit with a slightly strained undertone. Mr. Hebert, Taylor's father, had taken an interest in Fortress Constructions, the company Lisa had used as a cover for Taylor's real activities. It must've made Taylor uneasy, knowing that her father's curiosity could lead to potentially dangerous questions. However, Lisa was quick on her feet, effortlessly answering every query he put forward.
"Classic reception work," Lisa said with her most charming smile. "Emails, coffees, light research. Taylor might be the newest hire, but she's everyone's favourite." She capped it off with a flirty wink in Taylor's direction. "She has a knack for multitasking that I've never seen before."
As the conversation progressed, Mr. Hebert's initial concern seemed to ease. Lisa's charisma and ability to spin elaborate tales had a way of putting people at ease. With each well-crafted response, she managed to paint a vivid picture of Taylor's supposed work life, leaving her father not only more relaxed about the situation but also expressing pride in Taylor's newfound independence.
Lisa skillfully wove a tale of an exciting career at Fortress Construction, complete with detailed descriptions of impressive projects and Taylor's instrumental role in their success. She portrayed Taylor as a capable and ambitious young woman, some stories even Victoria could recognise as Skitter's escapades without any actual mentions of her crimes or the like.
Taylor, on the other hand, remained silent. Victoria assumed she was torn between relief that Lisa had managed to deflect her father's suspicions and the guilt that came with lying to him. She knew it was necessary to protect herself and her loved ones, but it weighed heavily on her conscience.
Victoria, sensing Taylor's unease, reached out and squeezed her hand under the table, offering a reassuring smile. It was a small gesture, but it provided a much-needed source of comfort.
In the end, Mr Hebert not only more relaxed about Taylor's 'job' but also commented on how proud he was at how independent Taylor had become.
Both Taylor and Victoria avoided commenting on that.
Victoria's silent glare towards Lisa told the other girl everything she thought about the tale that Lisa had spun. Lisa simply responded with her signature smug smile, as she corrupted yet another Hebert with charming words and false promises.
Victoria didn't approve of blatantly lying to one's parents about what was going on in their life. She understood that Taylor was in a complicated situation, and perhaps it would be a terrible idea to tell your father that you were really a supervillain, but then again, Victoria didn't approve of Taylor being a supervillain in the first place. Either way, it wasn't her secret to tell, so she remained silent.
Once that conversation was finished, Mr Hebert turned to Victoria and cracked a guilty smile. He sighed to himself before saying. "Now, Victoria. I have to ask. What's it like being a hero in Brockton Bay?"
It was her turn now, her chance to subtly get back at Lisa for her skilful manipulation of the truth. She knew that Lisa's charm and quick wit had managed to win over Mr Hebert, but Victoria was determined to showcase the virtues of a hero's life, shedding light on the importance of truth, justice, and the responsibility that came with such a noble calling.
Taking a deep breath, Victoria began to weave her own tales of heroism.
"Being a hero is more than people think." Victoria began. "The news likes to paint us all as flashy fighters who beat up thugs all day and night. But combat is actually a small part of what we do. Well, I can really only speak for New Wave and the Wards, but I'm told it's the same for all heroes. We have various community outreach activities, patrols are more often about making the people feel safe rather than hunting down drug dealers or whatever the internet says."
She looked at Taylor, remembering the terrified girl she first met, who thought that the whole world was against her.
"The truth is," Victoria continued, her voice taking on a softer tone, "Being a hero is about serving the people, protecting them not only from physical harm but also from fear and despair. It's about being there for someone when they need it the most, offering a glimmer of hope in the darkest of times."
Victoria continued to describe her actual work with New Wave, as they patrolled the streets, their presence a beacon of safety in a city tainted by violence. She described their interactions with the community, from hosting self-defence workshops for women to organising neighbourhood clean-up projects.
"And of course, then there are the moments of crisis," Victoria's voice gained an edge of urgency, mirroring the intensity of the scenes she described. "When danger strikes, we are there, racing against time to save lives. We're trained to think on our feet, to make split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death."
Victoria thought about the unspoken part about the whole Hero job. While she was far too young to even consider signing up for it now, anyone who even dipped their toe into the pool of cape life had considered what their stance was on Endbringers. Whether they'd been fleeing or volunteering. While Victoria had no desire to throw her life away, she knew that she'd have to make that choice one day.
"As heroes, we are entrusted with the power to make a difference," Victoria said, finishing her speech. "We carry the responsibility to protect and serve, to inspire others to stand up against injustice and to strive for a better world. It's a calling that demands everything we have, but the rewards... the smiles of gratitude, the lives saved, and the hope we bring... they make it all worthwhile."
Mr Hebert went silent, like a man who realised far too late what kind of landmine he had stepped on. The silence was broken by Lisa, who started slow clapping.
"Bravo," Lisa said. Victoria wasn't sure if Lisa was mocking her, but she chose to believe she wasn't.
"Uh, thank you for your service?" Mr Hebert said. Only then did Victoria worry that she laid it on a little thick.
At some point during her speech, Taylor had reached out and grabbed Victoria's hand. Vicky had a good guess at when that was and what Taylor meant by it.
With both sides done preaching, the topic of conversation slid back into the more casual and lighthearted as everyone finished their meals.
----------------------------------------
After dinner, Mr. Hebert insisted on taking care of the cleaning and shooing the girls away to enjoy the remainder of the night. Victoria and Lisa found themselves settling on the soft cushions of the living room couch
In a playful gesture, Lisa picked a movie at random from the small collection they had. By 'pure chance' the film she selected happened to be one of Taylor's favourites. Victoria was somewhat jealous of how perfectly suited Lisa's powers were for general seduction if Lisa put her mind to it. A shared smile passed between the girls as they settled in to watch.
As the movie began, a silent battle for the coveted Taylor-hugging position commenced. Victoria and Lisa both vied for the spot closest to their friend, their eyes dancing with mischief and affection. Yet, their rivalry quickly turned into a playful struggle, each attempting to outmanoeuvre the other.
Eventually, their efforts to stake their claim on Taylor's affections were cut off by Taylor herself intervening. Finding herself nestled in the center of the cuddle pile, Taylor used her height advantage to wrap her arms around both girls and hold them close.
As the movie progressed, Victoria's arm found its way around Lisa, their bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. Taylor leaned into Victoria's side, her head in return finding a resting place on Lisa's shoulder. It made the movie infinitely harder to watch and yet none of the girls attempted to reposition.
And as the credits rolled, both blondes found themselves entangled in each other's arms. They hugged each other as Taylor held them both. They remained in this embrace for the longest time, Taylor's hug feeling oddly protective as if her arm promised to do more than her forcefield ever could.
Lisa broke the comfortable silence, breaking away from the two girls' embrace and slowly extricating herself from the cuddle pile.
With a yawn, she said, "Welp. I should think about getting home before I crash."
Only then did Victoria notice the time, neither girl had planned to sleepover. Lisa, with work tomorrow and Victoria, who feared the wrath of her mother if she was late.
"Oh shoot. Yeah." Victoria sighed, pulling herself from Taylor's arms. "I should get going too."
Taylor stood up from the couch and walked with her girlfriends as they got ready to leave.
---------------------------------------
The front door opened and Lisa was the first to walk out.
"Thank you for having us, Mr H," Lisa called out, waving goodbye.
Danny had left shortly after the movie started, in an attempt to give Taylor some privacy. He only reappeared once he heard everyone leaving.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality," Vicky added.
"My pleasure girls," Danny said as he waved them both off. "You're welcome round anytime."
With that, Taylor shut the door and walked through the front yard with both girls.
"Need me to fly you home?" Victoria asked.
"I'm good," Lisa shook her head. "I drove, remember. Unless you want to carry my entire car back."
"I probably could," Vicky said, looking at the beat-up car.
"Don't touch my car," Lisa added, shaking her finger.
Victoria chuckled, turning around to look at Taylor.
"This was fun." She said with a smile. "We should do this again."
Lisa nodded as Taylor gave another small smile.
"I'd like that," Taylor nodded. "Perhaps after…"
"After?" Victoria asked, tilting her head.
Taylor shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Tonight was fun." She leaned in and kissed Victoria. "Fly safe."
Victoria giggled and turned to Lisa, who promptly kissed her the same way. Then she took to the skies, waving goodbye and promising to see them all later.
"Damn, I'll still be in traffic by the time she's in bed." Lisa sighed, watching the hero disappear over the houses.
"You're welcome to stay the night," Taylor offered, thumbing back at her house. "If you don't feel like driving."
Taylor Hebert is concerned about Lisa Wilbourn's safety while driving. Doesn't want her to get tired or distracted behind the wheel. Hold's moral grudge against cars, blames them for mothers death.
"I'm just grumbling," Lisa said, trying to allay Taylor's fears. "Don't worry. I'll be safe. I promise." Taylor held her concerned stare for a few moments more before Lisa broke through with a peck on her cheek. "Besides, I gotta get into the office early tomorrow. Lotta paperwork. Gotta dot those I's and slash those T's."
Taylor didn't respond to that, but her stare softened and she let the offer to stay drop. Lisa fished around in her pocket for car keys before stepping into her car. Taylor looked off in the direction Victoria flew away in before walking over to Lisa's car. Lisa winded down the window to see what Taylor wanted to say.
"Did you wanna give me a proper goodbye kiss?" Lisa teased. Her laugh cut short when she noted the deadly seriousness on Taylor's face.
"No, uh. After." Taylor said, leaning into the car window and speaking with a low voice. "I need you to call a team meeting tomorrow. After school."
"Yeah? Why?" Lisa asked, realising now that she probably should've been using her power more today.
"We're taking our boss down, right?" Taylor asked. It was spoken as a question, but Lisa could sense that it was more of a demand.
"T-there's no real plan at the moment. Vicky was just talking out of her ass." Lisa tried to laugh it away but Skitter held her gaze. "I really don't see the rest of the team agreeing to go ahead with this."
Skitter's eye bore a hole right into Lisa's soul. This woman wasn't the same girl who she cuddled up with for the duration of an entire movie and this woman certainly wasn't taking no for an option.
"I'll make them see reason." She said coldly. Then leaned further in and kissed Lisa on the lips. "Drive safe."
She pushed out of the car and walked back into the house. Dressed in casual clothes but moving with murderous intent. Lisa watched in horror as Skitter walked back inside and shut the door.
Taylor Hebert is planning to massacre Coil.
Last edited:
Chapter 25: She makes a plan
Gowonzu
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Undersiders Base – After School
"Alright, Lise," Brian grumbled shortly after Taylor walked in the door. "You got us all together. What's the emergency?"
"Just give us a moment," Lisa responded as she welcomed Taylor with a hug.
The girls were obviously whispering something to each other. Lisa was trying to tell Taylor something but the taller girl shook her head before setting down her bag. Brian picked up on the look of concern across Lisa's face, however before he could ask any more, Rachel cut in.
"I thought you called this meeting?" Rachel huffed, looking at Brian. "Fuck, this better be a new job else I'm out. I got stuff to do."
Brian put up a calming hand to Rachel as she leaned back against the wall, She stood in her usual spot during team meetings. Alec was also in his usual spot, laid out across the couch, far away from the rest of the team.
"For once, I agree with Rae-rae," Alec sighed sarcastically. Rachel growled in response to the nickname bestowed upon her to which Alec simply chuckled back. "I had plans today, so if this isn't about making more money then I'm gonna get bored, real quick."
"You had plans?" Brian asked, a little shocked. He was trying to take heat off Alec's comment to Rachel. Brian had learned early on that telling Alec to stop was a pointless endeavour, better to distract before they ended up in a fight. "I barely see you move from this couch. At all."
"Like you're home all the time," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Contrary to what you all think of me, I do have a life outside this team. Usually, I prefer having a three-day heads-up before we plan anything. I'd hate for this job to start feeling like work."
Alec stretched out along the couch like a cat and kicked his feet up, pretending he was ready to doze off.
"Alright, I'll bite," Brian said with a grin. "What plans are we interrupting?"
Alec peeked an eye open at Brian and smiled smugly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alec chuckled before his leg twitched briefly, shutting him up.
Brian could tell that his statement was directed at him but he couldn't quite pin down why. Brian stood there for a few seconds staring at Alec and wondering if he should press the issue before deciding that he wouldn't rise to the bait.
Lisa took up position around the planning table. Usually, when Lisa and Brian planned jobs together, Lisa would set out relevant information packets to be pinned to the city map. The fact that Lisa held neither implied that this wasn't a new job like Brian and the others thought it would be.
"Alright," Lisa said, looking at Taylor in a very unsure manner. "Last chance, are you sure you wanna do this? We can back out now and-"
"We're doing this," Taylor said, projecting a confidence that was usually reserved for when she was in costume.
"Alright," Lisa said again with a heavy sigh. "Here's the sitch." She looked up towards Brian and Rachel, and then over to Alec. "We're all aware that we have a boss. Besides Grue, someone who pays us to cause chaos and do the odd job for them?"
Everyone nodded their heads, even Alec in his horizontal position.
"I know some of you have had issues with working for an unnamed figure in the past." Lisa continued, looking at Brian who had commented on the fact several times. "And the fact that only I know who our mysterious benefactor is." She paused again to look at Taylor, who seemed very impatient. "Well they're… they're…"
"Coil?" Taylor and Brian guessed at the same time.
"Coil," Rachel added bluntly.
"Coil," Alec said with a cocky grin.
The whole team had guessed correctly, much to the surprise of Lisa.
"Wait, you already knew?" Lisa asked Taylor.
Taylor huffed. "I had a suspicion, just needed you to confirm it."
Lisa then turned to Brian. "And how did you know?"
"Lise, we've been doing this for over a year now," Brian said back. "The boss has no problem throwing cash around and has a vested interest in Brockton Bay. It ain't Lung or Kaiser and even I doubt that the PRT would hire villains just to stir up trouble in the city like this. That left only one other major player in the city. Besides, we never do jobs in Coil's territory unless it's hitting people from outside, and we've never done jobs against his mercs. It doesn't take a thinker to put two and two together." Lisa cracked a smile, a rare opportunity where she was outfoxed by Brian. "Like Taylor said, I had my suspicions, and your reaction confirmed it."
Then Lisa honed in on Alec and Rachel in particular. "And how the hell did you two figure that out?"
Rachel looked back and said, "Coil contacted me when I first got to this city. It's how I ended up in this team, remember?" Rachel said it with a tone that made Lisa seem stupid, revelling in the moment.
"Huh, I thought he would've used a proxy or something?" Lisa said, more to herself.
"Never saw the guy in person," Rachel explained. "Was handed a phone. Told to call if I needed anything. Asked for somewhere to shelter my dogs and then he told me to meet you guys."
Lisa then turned her head around to Alec who was still pretending to be asleep.
"I assume it was the same for you?" Lisa asked.
"Nah," Alec said blasély. "I mean, got the same mysterious phone call set up, but I never cared to ask who it was."
"So how'd you know his name?" Lisa asked.
Alec shrugged. "I didn't, till just now. I was just fucking with you." He smiled, copying Lisa's typical smug grin. It seemed everyone enjoyed lauding the fact that Tattletale didn't know everything.
"Can we get on with this?" Taylor asked, pulling the focus back to Lisa.
"Right. So, Coil." Lisa said, looking back to the table. "He's been bankrolling us. Basically uses us as thieves and distractions for other larger plans. What's his goal? I don't know. Probably wants to own the city. He uses me as his personal thinker, I do a lot of background recon and research while the rest of you relax a lot."
"So, what about him?" Brian asked. "I'm assuming you're bringing him up now because something changed? Are we being brought into the fold or something? We gonna be working for the head snake officially?"
Taylor scoffed at that suggestion, causing Brian to raise an eyebrow to her off mood.
"No," Lisa corrected. "No, we are not. The purpose of this meeting is to, explain the situation and come to a decision."
"A decision about what?" Rachel asked, obviously uninterested in this turn in the conversation.
"On how we're going to take him down," Taylor said, stepping up to the table.
-----------------------------------------
There were a few silent moments where everyone thought about what Taylor just said. Taylor herself stood resolute in the face of her team's wavering faces. Even Lisa was trying not to flinch from the statement, and failing.
"I'm sorry," Brian said, turning to Taylor. "We're going to what?"
Lisa tried to interject. "We're going to discuss-"
"We need to remove him," Taylor said louder. "The sooner, the better."
Lisa held her arms up, trying to calm Taylor down. "Tay, I said we were just going to talk-"
"And why would we do that?" Brian asked.
He puffed up his chest in some subconscious display of authority, sensing his position as team leader being usurped. Taylor didn't care for the 'pack-alpha' attitude as she glared at him.
"Because he held a gun to Lisa's head this entire time," Taylor shot back, gesturing to Lisa. "Both metaphorically and literally."
That statement got Brian to back down. He looked over to Lisa to confirm. When Lisa nodded her head, Brian went quiet with thought, mumbling a curse under his breath.
"So," Alec said, sitting up from his couch and taking part in the discussion proper. "To summarise. You're girlfriend got herself into trouble with the head honcho, and now you want all of us to drop everything and plan a coup on someone we've never actually met." He looked Lisa up in down with an eye that made Taylor uncomfortable before adding. "I'll pass, thanks."
Lisa sighed. She expected this to be the response. Reaching a hand out towards Taylor in the hope of getting her to back down.
"Did you not just hear what I said?" Taylor asked the boy, angrily.
"Oh, I heard you," Alec hummed, leaning back into the couch. "I just think you're over-exaggerating. Considering your, uh, relationship. I mean, a 'literal' gun to her head." Alec used air finger quotes It looks pretty gun free. Unless there's a sniper outside our window, in which case, Skitter's got this." He paused for a moment before looking back to Lisa, sighing as he softened his tone. "Yeah… I like you Lise, but not enough to rock the boat. I have a good set-up with the boss, Coil. Whoever the fuck he is. Keeps my problems off my back, just how I like it. But come back to me when someone's actually trying to kill you. Then we'll talk."
Rachel kicked herself up off the wall, looking to get ready to leave.
"And count me out too," Rachel said. "Coil takes care of all my shelters shit. His people pay for it, manage the fucking… admin shit and he's good at finding people who really know their shit. Us fighting him means fucking up my dog's home. So fuck that shit. I'm out."
Brian looked back at the two girls guiltily. He placed a hand on the back of his neck while he struggled to look Lisa in the eyes.
"Look, I get this job we do has its risks," Brian started. "And you know I have your back if you're in trouble. But… taking on the guy who pays us. Coil no less. The guy has a reputation for a reason. Taking him on would be suicide. Plus, I've only just gotten settled with Aisha. I can't risk anything that'll give social services a reason to take her away from me." He realised only too late how shallow that excuse sounded. "Is there any way we can just talk to the guy? Have him back off or something?"
Lisa suppressed a scoff at that suggestion. She knew that Coil was never going to 'back off' and now, Taylor knew that too.
Had Lisa been leading the meeting, she would've called it here. A bad suggestion, majority voted no, and they would not proceed forward with this. Alec settled into his spot, looking like he was seriously going to fall asleep, Rachel was halfway down the hall to leave and Brian was giving his best 'apologetic look' at the girls.
But it wasn't Lisa who called the meeting to order.
Taylor slammed her fist on the table, jolting Alec from his fake nap and setting everyone on alert.
"We're supposed to be a team," Taylor grumbled under her breath. "I know I haven't been here as long as most of you, but the Undersiders means something. You're the first friends I've had in a long time. We trust each other with our identities, our personal lives. We have each other's backs. If this is about the money, we already know most of our income comes from the jobs Brian and Lisa find for us, it wouldn't be too hard to cut out the middleman. Especially someone like Coil, who by Lisa's account, is only using us as a distraction. We're a tool that could be discarded the second we stop being useful to him."
Taylor let that sink in, waiting for the rest to catch on to what she was telling them. No one said a word. They were all thinking about it, mulling over what she'd said, but none of them spoke up to change their answer. Taylor decided to change to individual appeals.
Taylor looked towards Alec first. "You're afraid to rock the boat? Fuck Alec, I knew you were lazy but I didn't take you as a coward." Alec looked marginally offended by that. "Coil has Lisa trapped, you're right, he doesn't have a gun to her head right now, he has her trapped, refusing to let her leave under the threat of death or worse if she disobeys. Treating her like she's nothing but a disposable thing. Controlling her every movement in this city, never letting up. I would've figured you of all people would know what that's like."
Taylor saw the brief look of disgust that built up on Alec's face. Comparing Coil to Heartbreaker was an exaggeration and something of a low blow, but it got the point across. Alec turned away from Taylor, while he didn't retract his statement, he was obviously made uncomfortable by the direction Taylor took.
"And you," Taylor said, looking at Brian. "You're supposed to be our leader. If we can't come to you for help when we need it then what good are you?" Brian looked deeply offended by that statement, and Lisa reached out to try to rein Taylor back. "I know you care for your sister, and we're not asking you to trade her life for Lisa's. But do you really think someone like Coil isn't beneath using that against you?"
Brian swore under his breath again. He was angry but not enough to retort. Once again, Taylor hit below the belt with her words. There was no proof that Coil would ever threaten Brian's guardianship but the very thought burrowed itself into his brain.
"Rachel!" Taylor called out to the girl who was almost leaving. "I know you care about your dogs. But do you really feel comfortable with Coil having so much control over your shelter? A man you've only spoken to over the phone? He's willing to put a gun to Lisa's head, you think he gives a fuck about your dogs?"
"Fuck you," Rachel growled back. "This is about saving your fucking girlfriend, don't act like you care about my shit."
"You're right," Taylor said. "This is about saving my girlfriend. But that doesn't mean I don't care. I know this will fuck with your shit, so believe me when I say, we'll find a way to keep your shelter running." Taylor looked around the room. "That goes for all of you. We're a team, we look out for each other when we need help. Whatever problem we have, we will handle it, ourselves."
The room was silent once more, and then Brian finally spoke up. "Alright. I'm in." He sighed, sitting down at the table.
"Fuck it," Rachel muttered turning back to the room. "If you're so set on doing this, I may as well make sure you don't fucking kill yourself." She returned to her usual spot on the wall.
"For the record, I still don't agree with this," Alec added, getting off the couch and taking a seat next to Brian. "But I guess I'm outvoted."
Taylor relaxed her body and sat in the chair formally. Lisa perked up again, realising that this was actually happening.
"So we're all in agreement," Brian said, looking at the two girls. "But now what? What do we know about Coil, what's the plan?"
"The plan is what we're coming up with today," Taylor said, looking around the table. "And as for what we know…" She turned to Lisa.
"As for what we know." Lisa chuckled awkwardly. "Basically fuck all."
-----------------------------------------------
"Well, that inspires loads of confidence." Alec sighed.
"Yeah, the guy's a mystery," Lisa whined. "I've picked up some things about him."
"So what do we know?" Brian asked.
"Well there's the obvious," Lisa began, pointing to Coil's territory in the city. "The snake owns a significant chunk of downtown, held by a small army of professional mercs. He's got a cash to throw around and the good sense to stay underground unlike the other big gangs in the city."
"Everybody knows that much," Rachel grumbled.
"Let's start where he is," Brian said, holding a hand to calm down Rachel. "Do we know that much?"
"Underground," Lisa repeated. Brian stared at her blankly, then sighed. "No, I mean literally. He's Underground. Has his own Endbringer shelter that he's converted into an evil lair."
"And you know where this is?"
"Kinda," Lisa admitted. "I know it's downtown. It wasn't that hard to find where the lone unused Endbringer bunker was, the real problem was getting in. It's not like we can just walk through the front door."
"I'm assuming you have some kind of plan for this suicide attempt?" Alec asked.
"My original plan was to steal Coil's assets and buy out his mercenaries," Lisa explained. "At my current rate, assuming that absolutely nothing went wrong, I would be free in about… three years."
"Obviously we can't wait that long," Taylor said. "So do you have right now?"
Lisa shrugged. "A handful of mercs that I trust… mostly. And a couple of mil to pay them."
"Hold up, you have a million dollars?" Alec asked.
"A few million," Lisa corrected. "Mostly stolen from Coil when he wasn't looking."
"How much is a few?" Alec asked, interest growing by the second.
"Enough to buy a handful of people off," Lisa said coyly. "And take care of our problems once Coil is out of the way."
"And how are we taking care of Coil?" Brain asked, the worry evident in his voice. Barring accidents, none of the Undersiders were hardened killers.
"We have a few options for that," Lisa said, not daring to look Taylor's way. "He does have a small bounty from the PRT, the Undersiders could do a citizen arrest. We could always just rob him for everything he's worth, thereby removing his power and threat. Or…"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Taylor said coldly.
"His powers?" Rachel asked the next obvious question. "What exactly does Coil do? And what other capes will we be up against?"
"Both of those are good questions with interesting answers," Lisa said, pointing to Rachel. "The answer to both is, I don't know, but-" She raised her hand before anyone started to complain. "What I do know is this. We aren't the only villain team on his payroll. Coil had me looking into the Travelers some while back, but they ended up moving down to Florida before he could seal the deal. He's used Uber and Leet before, but I doubt they'll be hanging around his base, so if we do this fast enough, we won't have to worry. If I'm right, and I usually am, his next go-to will be Faultline and her crew."
"Shit," Brian cursed under his breath.
"Hey, it's not that bad. We're on good terms with them." Lisa defended.
"Good terms?" Brian said back. "Didn't she promise to shoot you next time we met?"
Lisa waved the comment off. "She always says that. I'm still here. I'll give her a call, and pay them off ahead of time. No big deal."
"And his powers, no idea at all?" Brian asked.
Lisa shook her head and went silent for a bit.
"What I do know," Lisa said, more to herself than the team. "He's a precog. It's probability-based. I think? That's my going theory. He can see the future to a certain degree, but not all the time and not long term."
"A precog?" Brian sighed. "Great. So he'll know if we're coming."
"Not necessarily," Lisa said, trying to calm him down. "I've heard him be surprised before. If he could see everything coming, then that never would've happened. However, this entire week, Coil has been radio silent. I haven't heard a single message, dead drop or email from the guy. Inside sources say that he's been extra harsh on protocol. Which means…"
"That he's already expecting a fight." Taylor finished her thought.
"So our plan is to what?" Alec laughed. "Assault an underground bunker, that's on high alert, fight an army of mercs, an unknown number of capes and a man who can see us coming before we even do anything? Did I miss anything?"
"As Lisa said, I doubt we have to worry about any capes in the base," Taylor cut in before anyone mulled over Alec's statement. "Lisa will take care of Faultline, maybe even strike up a deal to help us." Brian scoffed at that possibility. "Either way, everyone inside will just be ordinary soldiers with guns, we've dealt with them before."
"We've dealt with gangbangers, not soldiers," Brian argued.
"They'll fall down all the same," Taylor said back. "Underground bunker would mean limited space of movement. Once I get my swarm inside they'll be nowhere to hide."
"You're still forgetting that this is an Endbringer bunker," Brian shot back. "They might not actually withstand Endbringer attacks, but the door will be pretty fricking solid."
"Brutus can take care of them," Rachel grumbled.
"Appreciate the enthusiasm," Lisa chuckled. "But we were thinking someone with opposable thumbs could yank that door open for us."
"Who among us has that kind of power?" Brian asked, looking around the room. "You'd have to be Alexandria to rip that…" Lisa and Taylor both smiled at him. "Oh no. You are not bringing her into this."
"She's already offered to help." Lisa chuckled back.
"Undersiders teaming up with New Wave, nice," Alec said with a smirk.
Taylor shook her head. "Not New Wave, just Victoria. We don't want to risk her family learning about our day job."
"Cause that's not a clusterfuck waiting to happen," Brian sighed. "Alright, fine. We demolish the door with Alexandria Jr, Skitter sweeps through with the plagues of Egypt and the rest of us play defence for our two heavy hitters."
"Then I make my way to Coil's control room, subdue him and see what else I can steal from his computers," Lisa said with a smirk.
"You make it sound so easy," Brain said, rolling his eyes. "If all it took was a team of capes rolling up to his door, why haven't the PRT done this already?"
Lisa held up three fingers. "One, Coil has men in the PRT, I don't know how far it goes, but I do know he's aware of every move they make against him. Two, they don't know what I know. Far as everyone is concerned, Coil is a ghost, operating from the shadows. And three, they don't want to touch him, the city is already on fire after Lung was taken down, cowards at the PRT don't want to disrupt the city's power balance, so they turn a blind eye to Coil's mercs so long as they keep their heads down."
"Coil likes to think he's untouchable," Taylor added. "But the fact he's locked himself up in his fortress shows that he's scared and that he can be beaten."
"Since when did you become such an expert on Coil?" Alec asked Taylor with a raised eyebrow.
"Since yesterday, when I decided that we're taking him down," Taylor responded coldly. Lisa could hear the vitriol in the way she said 'taking him down.'
"When we doing this?" Brian asked.
"The sooner, the better," Taylor grumbled.
"What Tay said," Lisa agreed. "If he's already on to us, then waiting just gives him more time. Ideally, the best time to strike was a week ago, I'd have to see who I can get in contact with, but assuming no one has any outstanding issues, we can go at any time. We do only get one shot at this."
"So just like that?" Alec asked the group. "We're gonna just make a few phone calls and hit our boss tonight?"
"I like it," Rachel nodded. "It's simple, direct. Plays to my strengths."
"It's decided," Taylor said, standing from her chair. "Lisa and I will make a few phone calls, everyone else prepare to suit up. We're taking this bastard down."
Lisa took out her phone and stared at it. The long list of contacts she had accrued over the years. A deck of cards in a high-stakes poker game, knowing that she was about to show her hand to Coil.
Would it be enough? What if she failed? Would Coil just kill her or would it be worse?
Taylor walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to work, Lise," Taylor said, squeezing with her hand. "I won't let him touch you."
Lisa tried to smile at that, however, another fear rolled through her mind. The fear of Taylor, of what she would become after this. If she succeeded in catching Coil, her power already told her what Taylor's plans were.
Taylor Hebert is planning to massacre Coil.
Lisa didn't want that. She wanted to be free from Coil, she believed that she would do anything to be rid of that snake, but this? Taylor's innocence. Skitter had proven to be an effective and ruthless villain, an indispensable asset to the Undersiders. But taking a life was an entirely different level, it changed people, Lisa had seen it before. No matter how much of a scumbag Coil was, she couldn't let Taylor go through with killing him.
Of course, she also couldn't get Skitter to back down now that she was on a warpath, especially now that all the Undersiders were in agreement. That left Lisa with only one other option.
Lisa Wilbourn is planning to kill Coil.
----------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Skies – A few hours later
Victoria got the message from Taylor and quickly excused herself from the Dallon Household. Her Mother had questioned where she was going at such a late hour and so Victoria had lied.
She wasn't used to lying so blatantly to her mother. Sure, she didn't tell her mother everything that was going on in her life, and it wasn't the first time she'd snuck out of the house without her knowing. But there was a big difference between sneaking out to rendezvous with Dean on some late-night stargazing date, versus sneaking out to meet up with her two villainous girlfriend and their teammates to take down their supervillain boss.
This was exactly the kind of scenario that her Mother probably stressed over all the time. Still, that didn't stop her from making up some excuse about flying some last-minute assignment work over to Jessica and promising to be back in time for bed.
Truthfully, Victoria wished she was just sneaking out on a private date. The idea of meeting Lisa and Taylor's teammates didn't sit well with her. She admitted to herself that she was probably giving the girls too much slack with their criminal ways. Victoria could come up was numerous justifications on why the two girls did what they did, but she knew in the end that what they did was wrong.
She could only hope that after tonight, it would finally open the door to a new way forward. With no mysterious crime boss forcing Lisa to do his bidding and by proxy, not charming thief to pull Taylor down into Brockton Bay's underworld.
Victoria sighed, running through the lie she had prepared to tell her family and the PRT after the shit hit the proverbial fan. She'd come across the Undersiders taking on Coil, and step in like the hero she was, The Undersiders would assist with the arrest, perhaps earn some brownie points in the eye of the law, and Glory Girl would deliver one Coil to PRT headquarters before being yelled at by her mother for getting involved in something so dangerous.
A small price to pay for Lisa's safety.
Coming up on the city skylines, Victoria caught sight of three large dogs waiting on a rooftop. Hesitantly, Victoria hovered closer down to the masked figures riding atop them.
Skitter spotted her first, her head shooting up in the direction of her approach. Tattletale noticed quickly after that and waved enthusiastically.
"Oh, look who it is," Tattletale chuckled. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"
The other members of the Undersiders groaned.
Victoria hovered slightly in the air, just high enough so that if any of Hellhound's dogs tried anything she wouldn't be caught off guard.
"They're not gonna hurt you," Tattletale said softly, patting the dog she was riding on. "Bitch has them well trained and fed."
Hellhound… Bitch, seemed to growl at Victoria, but her dogs made no threatening moves towards her as she landed safely on the ground.
"Tattletale, Skitter…" Victoria nodded, feeling very uncomfortable. Tattletale was all smiles as usual, Vicky could practically see Lisa's smug face under that mask, but Skitter was completely unreadable.
"Glory Girl," Grue said, hopping off his dog and taking a few steps towards her. "It's… good to meet you?" He held out his hand to shake. Victoria stared at it but didn't offer her own.
"We already met," Victoria said bluntly. "You were at the bank, right?"
"Yes, well. In any case," Grue continued, putting his arm down. "I trust Tattletale and Skitter have told you the plan?"
"I got the cliff notes," Victoria huffed, crossing her arms trying to 'outmuscle' the large and intimating villain that stood before her. "You lot cover me while I yank a big door open. Then T- uh, Skitter sends in her swarm and we clear the place out."
"Basically," Grue said. "There's some pretty beefy security at the front door. Tattletale has some inside men working on it but either way, it'll be a gauntlet till we capture Coil."
"I can handle myself," Victoria said dismissively. She didn't know why she was so defensive. Most likely because she didn't know Grue, she didn't trust Bitch's dogs and she sure as hell wasn't getting anywhere near Regent for the duration of this little partnership. "So, are we doing this?"
"Hold your horses," Tattletale said, also climbing down from her dog. "Still waiting on some key people to get in position." She wrapped her arms around Victoria and gave her an unexpected hug. Then turned to Grue. "Faultline wasn't working for Coil, or at least, not on a permanent basis. But Circus was, so I've paid her crew to keep them busy."
"Like in a fight?" Grue asked, his face unreadable behind his mask.
"No, silly." Tattletale giggled, still hugging onto Victoria's arm. "They're getting drunk at the Palanquin right now. So no capes, or major ones anyway."
"Now can we start?" Victoria asked, unsure how she felt being hugged by Lisa in costume.
"Almost, love," Tattletale teased, patting Victoria on the shoulder. "First, Skitter has a present for you."
Skitter, who was uncomfortably quiet, dropped a duffle bag from her dog. Victoria walked over to open it.
"What is it?" Victoria asked as she pulled out its contents. She felt the silky fabric along with the hardened armour plating. It looked almost identical to Skitter's bodysuit.
"A spare costume, complete with mask," Tattletale chuckled in Victoria's ear. "We figured that you wouldn't want to risk people seeing Glory Girl fight alongside crooks like us, so…" She gestured to the bag.
The mask in question had no extra details on it. It was smooth, unlike the mandibles that Skitter herself had.
"It's knife-proof. Probably bulletproof too, never actually tested it." Skitter said as Victoria inspected it.
"I'm already bulletproof." Victoria rebutted.
"Just the one bullet." Tattletale added, "We don't wanna put you up in front of a small army without any real protection."
Victoria gave it a small tug. It was certainly a lot tougher than her standard Glory Girl outfit. She could rip it if given enough force but Lisa had a point, on both fronts.
"Alright, where do I change?" Victoria sighed, looking at the mask. How had it come to this? She wanted to save a girl from villainy, and now she was dressing like one.
Skitter shook her head. "No need. Should fit over your current outfit. Doubt it'll fit you perfectly but it's only temporary."
Victoria could already tell that she was going to be uncomfortable. The rest of the team gave her some semblance of privacy as she slipped the new costume over the top of her old one. Her Glory Girl skirt and cape road up under the body suit, and the chest was tighter than she was used to. It wasn't unmanageable, but it was still noticeable. The mask was the hardest part to put on.
Not because it didn't fit, the straps at the back made it easy to adjust to her face, but it was also the first time Victoria had worn a mask, a proper one at least. She'd worn them for Halloween and the like but never as a cape.
"How does it feel?" Skitter asked, looking Victoria over and zipping up her back.
New Wave was the first and only generation of heroes that worked without masks, while many considered it a failed endeavour after the death of Aunt Jess, the openness of how they operated still meant something to Victoria. Wearing a mask felt like the final betrayal in everything her parents worked for, and yet. She put it on.
"It's fine," Victoria lied. "A little tight in the chest but I'll manage." Victoria wasn't sure if that comment upset Skitter, she could tell that this costume was originally intended for Taylor, perhaps as a backup or just a spare that wasn't finished yet.
"Woah, I'm seeing double," Regent commented while leaning on his dog, the same one Grue climbed down from. "It's like we have two Skitter's now. Except ones blonde, less scary and got a better ra-"
Tattletale punched him in the face before he could finish that sentence. Victoria was worried that the team would break out into fighting, but Regent took the punch and made no attempt to retaliate.
"Alright then," Tattletale said with a smile while shaking her hand loose. "Everyone ready? My guys are in position, just waiting on my word. Let's go over the plan one more time."
She looked to Grue who surveyed the team, plus Victoria.
"It's your op," Grue said, throwing the baton back on Tattletale.
"I'm no leader," Tattletale whined playfully. "Skitter, would you do the honours then?"
Skitter stepped up next to Tattletale, her swarm gathering around her to form a makeshift map on the floor.
"Bitch's dogs will drop us off here," Skitter began, sounding far more commanding than Victoria could ever think Taylor was capable of. "And then Glory Gi-" She stopped for a moment and looked back to Victoria. "We should probably use a different code name?"
"Oh oh!" Regent chirped up again, now sitting on the floor holding his nose. "What about Gloom Girl? Cause of the black costume."
"That's stupid," Tattletale laughed. "What about… Demolition Barbie?" She said the name in a gruff voice before cracking up laughing. "Cause she's blonde and here to break stuff."
"Yeah, no." Victoria quickly shot down both ideas. "I don't really need a name-"
"Deimos and I will approach from the main entrance, along with Grue and Bitch as support." Skitter continued, deciding on a name without asking anyone's opinion. "While Tattletale leads a secondary team to meet with her contacts on the inside."
Victoria raised her hand. "Secondary team? I thought the front was the only entrance?"
"No, just the main one. There are several but we can't open them from the outside. Tattletale will use our distraction to sneak in from an alternative entrance, giving us two angles of attack on Coil. The target is Coil, take him out and the Mercs will have no reason to fight us anymore."
"So we're being bait?" Victoria pouted under her mask.
"No," Skitter shook her head. "We're being direct. She's being sneaky."
"Better to play to our strengths and all." Tattletale chuckled.
"Once inside," Skitter continued. "My swarm will make a sweep of the bunker, neutralising anyone in my way. Demios and Bitch will follow behind, mopping up any stragglers. Grue, on smoke screen, try to hide our approach, keep them guessing. Tattletale will work to pinpoint Coil, Regent will act as support for her and Imp will split to take down internal security systems."
The name caught Victoria completely by surprise. She looked up the Undersiders and counted all five of them. "One, two, three, four, five… six?" A thin woman in a grey and black bodysuit stood between Grue and Regent, a pale grey demon mask across her face. She waved casually to Victoria as she simply said. "Hey-o."
Victoria fell backwards.
"What the hell?" Vicky gasped, looking at the girl and then at Skitter. "How did she get here? When did she get here?"
Skitter tilted her head in confusion, looking to Victoria and then to Imp. Tattletale and Regent were chuckling at her and Grue held a steady hand on Imp's shoulder.
"What? Oh, right," Skitter said as if she only just remembered something. "Demios, this is Imp. She does that sometimes."
"You have a sixth member?" Victoria asked in disbelief. Imp has somehow moved from Grue's side, now standing next to Skitter. "A teleporter?" She asked, thinking to herself. "No, I don't even remember her appearing. A stranger, the Undersiders have a stranger in their group? Since when!?"
"...Since always?" Skitter said back. "Oh, well she didn't join till after the bank job. But it was only a week after me." Victoria took a moment to process this new and disturbing revelation.
"Why didn't either of you tell me?" Vicky finally asked, looking between Skitter and Tattletale.
The two girls shared a look with each other and then shrugged. Turning back to Victoria, they both spoke at the same time.
"We kinda forgot to mention her."
"Alright, Lise," Brian grumbled shortly after Taylor walked in the door. "You got us all together. What's the emergency?"
"Just give us a moment," Lisa responded as she welcomed Taylor with a hug.
The girls were obviously whispering something to each other. Lisa was trying to tell Taylor something but the taller girl shook her head before setting down her bag. Brian picked up on the look of concern across Lisa's face, however before he could ask any more, Rachel cut in.
"I thought you called this meeting?" Rachel huffed, looking at Brian. "Fuck, this better be a new job else I'm out. I got stuff to do."
Brian put up a calming hand to Rachel as she leaned back against the wall, She stood in her usual spot during team meetings. Alec was also in his usual spot, laid out across the couch, far away from the rest of the team.
"For once, I agree with Rae-rae," Alec sighed sarcastically. Rachel growled in response to the nickname bestowed upon her to which Alec simply chuckled back. "I had plans today, so if this isn't about making more money then I'm gonna get bored, real quick."
"You had plans?" Brian asked, a little shocked. He was trying to take heat off Alec's comment to Rachel. Brian had learned early on that telling Alec to stop was a pointless endeavour, better to distract before they ended up in a fight. "I barely see you move from this couch. At all."
"Like you're home all the time," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Contrary to what you all think of me, I do have a life outside this team. Usually, I prefer having a three-day heads-up before we plan anything. I'd hate for this job to start feeling like work."
Alec stretched out along the couch like a cat and kicked his feet up, pretending he was ready to doze off.
"Alright, I'll bite," Brian said with a grin. "What plans are we interrupting?"
Alec peeked an eye open at Brian and smiled smugly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alec chuckled before his leg twitched briefly, shutting him up.
Brian could tell that his statement was directed at him but he couldn't quite pin down why. Brian stood there for a few seconds staring at Alec and wondering if he should press the issue before deciding that he wouldn't rise to the bait.
Lisa took up position around the planning table. Usually, when Lisa and Brian planned jobs together, Lisa would set out relevant information packets to be pinned to the city map. The fact that Lisa held neither implied that this wasn't a new job like Brian and the others thought it would be.
"Alright," Lisa said, looking at Taylor in a very unsure manner. "Last chance, are you sure you wanna do this? We can back out now and-"
"We're doing this," Taylor said, projecting a confidence that was usually reserved for when she was in costume.
"Alright," Lisa said again with a heavy sigh. "Here's the sitch." She looked up towards Brian and Rachel, and then over to Alec. "We're all aware that we have a boss. Besides Grue, someone who pays us to cause chaos and do the odd job for them?"
Everyone nodded their heads, even Alec in his horizontal position.
"I know some of you have had issues with working for an unnamed figure in the past." Lisa continued, looking at Brian who had commented on the fact several times. "And the fact that only I know who our mysterious benefactor is." She paused again to look at Taylor, who seemed very impatient. "Well they're… they're…"
"Coil?" Taylor and Brian guessed at the same time.
"Coil," Rachel added bluntly.
"Coil," Alec said with a cocky grin.
The whole team had guessed correctly, much to the surprise of Lisa.
"Wait, you already knew?" Lisa asked Taylor.
Taylor huffed. "I had a suspicion, just needed you to confirm it."
Lisa then turned to Brian. "And how did you know?"
"Lise, we've been doing this for over a year now," Brian said back. "The boss has no problem throwing cash around and has a vested interest in Brockton Bay. It ain't Lung or Kaiser and even I doubt that the PRT would hire villains just to stir up trouble in the city like this. That left only one other major player in the city. Besides, we never do jobs in Coil's territory unless it's hitting people from outside, and we've never done jobs against his mercs. It doesn't take a thinker to put two and two together." Lisa cracked a smile, a rare opportunity where she was outfoxed by Brian. "Like Taylor said, I had my suspicions, and your reaction confirmed it."
Then Lisa honed in on Alec and Rachel in particular. "And how the hell did you two figure that out?"
Rachel looked back and said, "Coil contacted me when I first got to this city. It's how I ended up in this team, remember?" Rachel said it with a tone that made Lisa seem stupid, revelling in the moment.
"Huh, I thought he would've used a proxy or something?" Lisa said, more to herself.
"Never saw the guy in person," Rachel explained. "Was handed a phone. Told to call if I needed anything. Asked for somewhere to shelter my dogs and then he told me to meet you guys."
Lisa then turned her head around to Alec who was still pretending to be asleep.
"I assume it was the same for you?" Lisa asked.
"Nah," Alec said blasély. "I mean, got the same mysterious phone call set up, but I never cared to ask who it was."
"So how'd you know his name?" Lisa asked.
Alec shrugged. "I didn't, till just now. I was just fucking with you." He smiled, copying Lisa's typical smug grin. It seemed everyone enjoyed lauding the fact that Tattletale didn't know everything.
"Can we get on with this?" Taylor asked, pulling the focus back to Lisa.
"Right. So, Coil." Lisa said, looking back to the table. "He's been bankrolling us. Basically uses us as thieves and distractions for other larger plans. What's his goal? I don't know. Probably wants to own the city. He uses me as his personal thinker, I do a lot of background recon and research while the rest of you relax a lot."
"So, what about him?" Brian asked. "I'm assuming you're bringing him up now because something changed? Are we being brought into the fold or something? We gonna be working for the head snake officially?"
Taylor scoffed at that suggestion, causing Brian to raise an eyebrow to her off mood.
"No," Lisa corrected. "No, we are not. The purpose of this meeting is to, explain the situation and come to a decision."
"A decision about what?" Rachel asked, obviously uninterested in this turn in the conversation.
"On how we're going to take him down," Taylor said, stepping up to the table.
-----------------------------------------
There were a few silent moments where everyone thought about what Taylor just said. Taylor herself stood resolute in the face of her team's wavering faces. Even Lisa was trying not to flinch from the statement, and failing.
"I'm sorry," Brian said, turning to Taylor. "We're going to what?"
Lisa tried to interject. "We're going to discuss-"
"We need to remove him," Taylor said louder. "The sooner, the better."
Lisa held her arms up, trying to calm Taylor down. "Tay, I said we were just going to talk-"
"And why would we do that?" Brian asked.
He puffed up his chest in some subconscious display of authority, sensing his position as team leader being usurped. Taylor didn't care for the 'pack-alpha' attitude as she glared at him.
"Because he held a gun to Lisa's head this entire time," Taylor shot back, gesturing to Lisa. "Both metaphorically and literally."
That statement got Brian to back down. He looked over to Lisa to confirm. When Lisa nodded her head, Brian went quiet with thought, mumbling a curse under his breath.
"So," Alec said, sitting up from his couch and taking part in the discussion proper. "To summarise. You're girlfriend got herself into trouble with the head honcho, and now you want all of us to drop everything and plan a coup on someone we've never actually met." He looked Lisa up in down with an eye that made Taylor uncomfortable before adding. "I'll pass, thanks."
Lisa sighed. She expected this to be the response. Reaching a hand out towards Taylor in the hope of getting her to back down.
"Did you not just hear what I said?" Taylor asked the boy, angrily.
"Oh, I heard you," Alec hummed, leaning back into the couch. "I just think you're over-exaggerating. Considering your, uh, relationship. I mean, a 'literal' gun to her head." Alec used air finger quotes It looks pretty gun free. Unless there's a sniper outside our window, in which case, Skitter's got this." He paused for a moment before looking back to Lisa, sighing as he softened his tone. "Yeah… I like you Lise, but not enough to rock the boat. I have a good set-up with the boss, Coil. Whoever the fuck he is. Keeps my problems off my back, just how I like it. But come back to me when someone's actually trying to kill you. Then we'll talk."
Rachel kicked herself up off the wall, looking to get ready to leave.
"And count me out too," Rachel said. "Coil takes care of all my shelters shit. His people pay for it, manage the fucking… admin shit and he's good at finding people who really know their shit. Us fighting him means fucking up my dog's home. So fuck that shit. I'm out."
Brian looked back at the two girls guiltily. He placed a hand on the back of his neck while he struggled to look Lisa in the eyes.
"Look, I get this job we do has its risks," Brian started. "And you know I have your back if you're in trouble. But… taking on the guy who pays us. Coil no less. The guy has a reputation for a reason. Taking him on would be suicide. Plus, I've only just gotten settled with Aisha. I can't risk anything that'll give social services a reason to take her away from me." He realised only too late how shallow that excuse sounded. "Is there any way we can just talk to the guy? Have him back off or something?"
Lisa suppressed a scoff at that suggestion. She knew that Coil was never going to 'back off' and now, Taylor knew that too.
Had Lisa been leading the meeting, she would've called it here. A bad suggestion, majority voted no, and they would not proceed forward with this. Alec settled into his spot, looking like he was seriously going to fall asleep, Rachel was halfway down the hall to leave and Brian was giving his best 'apologetic look' at the girls.
But it wasn't Lisa who called the meeting to order.
Taylor slammed her fist on the table, jolting Alec from his fake nap and setting everyone on alert.
"We're supposed to be a team," Taylor grumbled under her breath. "I know I haven't been here as long as most of you, but the Undersiders means something. You're the first friends I've had in a long time. We trust each other with our identities, our personal lives. We have each other's backs. If this is about the money, we already know most of our income comes from the jobs Brian and Lisa find for us, it wouldn't be too hard to cut out the middleman. Especially someone like Coil, who by Lisa's account, is only using us as a distraction. We're a tool that could be discarded the second we stop being useful to him."
Taylor let that sink in, waiting for the rest to catch on to what she was telling them. No one said a word. They were all thinking about it, mulling over what she'd said, but none of them spoke up to change their answer. Taylor decided to change to individual appeals.
Taylor looked towards Alec first. "You're afraid to rock the boat? Fuck Alec, I knew you were lazy but I didn't take you as a coward." Alec looked marginally offended by that. "Coil has Lisa trapped, you're right, he doesn't have a gun to her head right now, he has her trapped, refusing to let her leave under the threat of death or worse if she disobeys. Treating her like she's nothing but a disposable thing. Controlling her every movement in this city, never letting up. I would've figured you of all people would know what that's like."
Taylor saw the brief look of disgust that built up on Alec's face. Comparing Coil to Heartbreaker was an exaggeration and something of a low blow, but it got the point across. Alec turned away from Taylor, while he didn't retract his statement, he was obviously made uncomfortable by the direction Taylor took.
"And you," Taylor said, looking at Brian. "You're supposed to be our leader. If we can't come to you for help when we need it then what good are you?" Brian looked deeply offended by that statement, and Lisa reached out to try to rein Taylor back. "I know you care for your sister, and we're not asking you to trade her life for Lisa's. But do you really think someone like Coil isn't beneath using that against you?"
Brian swore under his breath again. He was angry but not enough to retort. Once again, Taylor hit below the belt with her words. There was no proof that Coil would ever threaten Brian's guardianship but the very thought burrowed itself into his brain.
"Rachel!" Taylor called out to the girl who was almost leaving. "I know you care about your dogs. But do you really feel comfortable with Coil having so much control over your shelter? A man you've only spoken to over the phone? He's willing to put a gun to Lisa's head, you think he gives a fuck about your dogs?"
"Fuck you," Rachel growled back. "This is about saving your fucking girlfriend, don't act like you care about my shit."
"You're right," Taylor said. "This is about saving my girlfriend. But that doesn't mean I don't care. I know this will fuck with your shit, so believe me when I say, we'll find a way to keep your shelter running." Taylor looked around the room. "That goes for all of you. We're a team, we look out for each other when we need help. Whatever problem we have, we will handle it, ourselves."
The room was silent once more, and then Brian finally spoke up. "Alright. I'm in." He sighed, sitting down at the table.
"Fuck it," Rachel muttered turning back to the room. "If you're so set on doing this, I may as well make sure you don't fucking kill yourself." She returned to her usual spot on the wall.
"For the record, I still don't agree with this," Alec added, getting off the couch and taking a seat next to Brian. "But I guess I'm outvoted."
Taylor relaxed her body and sat in the chair formally. Lisa perked up again, realising that this was actually happening.
"So we're all in agreement," Brian said, looking at the two girls. "But now what? What do we know about Coil, what's the plan?"
"The plan is what we're coming up with today," Taylor said, looking around the table. "And as for what we know…" She turned to Lisa.
"As for what we know." Lisa chuckled awkwardly. "Basically fuck all."
-----------------------------------------------
"Well, that inspires loads of confidence." Alec sighed.
"Yeah, the guy's a mystery," Lisa whined. "I've picked up some things about him."
"So what do we know?" Brian asked.
"Well there's the obvious," Lisa began, pointing to Coil's territory in the city. "The snake owns a significant chunk of downtown, held by a small army of professional mercs. He's got a cash to throw around and the good sense to stay underground unlike the other big gangs in the city."
"Everybody knows that much," Rachel grumbled.
"Let's start where he is," Brian said, holding a hand to calm down Rachel. "Do we know that much?"
"Underground," Lisa repeated. Brian stared at her blankly, then sighed. "No, I mean literally. He's Underground. Has his own Endbringer shelter that he's converted into an evil lair."
"And you know where this is?"
"Kinda," Lisa admitted. "I know it's downtown. It wasn't that hard to find where the lone unused Endbringer bunker was, the real problem was getting in. It's not like we can just walk through the front door."
"I'm assuming you have some kind of plan for this suicide attempt?" Alec asked.
"My original plan was to steal Coil's assets and buy out his mercenaries," Lisa explained. "At my current rate, assuming that absolutely nothing went wrong, I would be free in about… three years."
"Obviously we can't wait that long," Taylor said. "So do you have right now?"
Lisa shrugged. "A handful of mercs that I trust… mostly. And a couple of mil to pay them."
"Hold up, you have a million dollars?" Alec asked.
"A few million," Lisa corrected. "Mostly stolen from Coil when he wasn't looking."
"How much is a few?" Alec asked, interest growing by the second.
"Enough to buy a handful of people off," Lisa said coyly. "And take care of our problems once Coil is out of the way."
"And how are we taking care of Coil?" Brain asked, the worry evident in his voice. Barring accidents, none of the Undersiders were hardened killers.
"We have a few options for that," Lisa said, not daring to look Taylor's way. "He does have a small bounty from the PRT, the Undersiders could do a citizen arrest. We could always just rob him for everything he's worth, thereby removing his power and threat. Or…"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Taylor said coldly.
"His powers?" Rachel asked the next obvious question. "What exactly does Coil do? And what other capes will we be up against?"
"Both of those are good questions with interesting answers," Lisa said, pointing to Rachel. "The answer to both is, I don't know, but-" She raised her hand before anyone started to complain. "What I do know is this. We aren't the only villain team on his payroll. Coil had me looking into the Travelers some while back, but they ended up moving down to Florida before he could seal the deal. He's used Uber and Leet before, but I doubt they'll be hanging around his base, so if we do this fast enough, we won't have to worry. If I'm right, and I usually am, his next go-to will be Faultline and her crew."
"Shit," Brian cursed under his breath.
"Hey, it's not that bad. We're on good terms with them." Lisa defended.
"Good terms?" Brian said back. "Didn't she promise to shoot you next time we met?"
Lisa waved the comment off. "She always says that. I'm still here. I'll give her a call, and pay them off ahead of time. No big deal."
"And his powers, no idea at all?" Brian asked.
Lisa shook her head and went silent for a bit.
"What I do know," Lisa said, more to herself than the team. "He's a precog. It's probability-based. I think? That's my going theory. He can see the future to a certain degree, but not all the time and not long term."
"A precog?" Brian sighed. "Great. So he'll know if we're coming."
"Not necessarily," Lisa said, trying to calm him down. "I've heard him be surprised before. If he could see everything coming, then that never would've happened. However, this entire week, Coil has been radio silent. I haven't heard a single message, dead drop or email from the guy. Inside sources say that he's been extra harsh on protocol. Which means…"
"That he's already expecting a fight." Taylor finished her thought.
"So our plan is to what?" Alec laughed. "Assault an underground bunker, that's on high alert, fight an army of mercs, an unknown number of capes and a man who can see us coming before we even do anything? Did I miss anything?"
"As Lisa said, I doubt we have to worry about any capes in the base," Taylor cut in before anyone mulled over Alec's statement. "Lisa will take care of Faultline, maybe even strike up a deal to help us." Brian scoffed at that possibility. "Either way, everyone inside will just be ordinary soldiers with guns, we've dealt with them before."
"We've dealt with gangbangers, not soldiers," Brian argued.
"They'll fall down all the same," Taylor said back. "Underground bunker would mean limited space of movement. Once I get my swarm inside they'll be nowhere to hide."
"You're still forgetting that this is an Endbringer bunker," Brian shot back. "They might not actually withstand Endbringer attacks, but the door will be pretty fricking solid."
"Brutus can take care of them," Rachel grumbled.
"Appreciate the enthusiasm," Lisa chuckled. "But we were thinking someone with opposable thumbs could yank that door open for us."
"Who among us has that kind of power?" Brian asked, looking around the room. "You'd have to be Alexandria to rip that…" Lisa and Taylor both smiled at him. "Oh no. You are not bringing her into this."
"She's already offered to help." Lisa chuckled back.
"Undersiders teaming up with New Wave, nice," Alec said with a smirk.
Taylor shook her head. "Not New Wave, just Victoria. We don't want to risk her family learning about our day job."
"Cause that's not a clusterfuck waiting to happen," Brian sighed. "Alright, fine. We demolish the door with Alexandria Jr, Skitter sweeps through with the plagues of Egypt and the rest of us play defence for our two heavy hitters."
"Then I make my way to Coil's control room, subdue him and see what else I can steal from his computers," Lisa said with a smirk.
"You make it sound so easy," Brain said, rolling his eyes. "If all it took was a team of capes rolling up to his door, why haven't the PRT done this already?"
Lisa held up three fingers. "One, Coil has men in the PRT, I don't know how far it goes, but I do know he's aware of every move they make against him. Two, they don't know what I know. Far as everyone is concerned, Coil is a ghost, operating from the shadows. And three, they don't want to touch him, the city is already on fire after Lung was taken down, cowards at the PRT don't want to disrupt the city's power balance, so they turn a blind eye to Coil's mercs so long as they keep their heads down."
"Coil likes to think he's untouchable," Taylor added. "But the fact he's locked himself up in his fortress shows that he's scared and that he can be beaten."
"Since when did you become such an expert on Coil?" Alec asked Taylor with a raised eyebrow.
"Since yesterday, when I decided that we're taking him down," Taylor responded coldly. Lisa could hear the vitriol in the way she said 'taking him down.'
"When we doing this?" Brian asked.
"The sooner, the better," Taylor grumbled.
"What Tay said," Lisa agreed. "If he's already on to us, then waiting just gives him more time. Ideally, the best time to strike was a week ago, I'd have to see who I can get in contact with, but assuming no one has any outstanding issues, we can go at any time. We do only get one shot at this."
"So just like that?" Alec asked the group. "We're gonna just make a few phone calls and hit our boss tonight?"
"I like it," Rachel nodded. "It's simple, direct. Plays to my strengths."
"It's decided," Taylor said, standing from her chair. "Lisa and I will make a few phone calls, everyone else prepare to suit up. We're taking this bastard down."
Lisa took out her phone and stared at it. The long list of contacts she had accrued over the years. A deck of cards in a high-stakes poker game, knowing that she was about to show her hand to Coil.
Would it be enough? What if she failed? Would Coil just kill her or would it be worse?
Taylor walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to work, Lise," Taylor said, squeezing with her hand. "I won't let him touch you."
Lisa tried to smile at that, however, another fear rolled through her mind. The fear of Taylor, of what she would become after this. If she succeeded in catching Coil, her power already told her what Taylor's plans were.
Taylor Hebert is planning to massacre Coil.
Lisa didn't want that. She wanted to be free from Coil, she believed that she would do anything to be rid of that snake, but this? Taylor's innocence. Skitter had proven to be an effective and ruthless villain, an indispensable asset to the Undersiders. But taking a life was an entirely different level, it changed people, Lisa had seen it before. No matter how much of a scumbag Coil was, she couldn't let Taylor go through with killing him.
Of course, she also couldn't get Skitter to back down now that she was on a warpath, especially now that all the Undersiders were in agreement. That left Lisa with only one other option.
Lisa Wilbourn is planning to kill Coil.
----------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Skies – A few hours later
Victoria got the message from Taylor and quickly excused herself from the Dallon Household. Her Mother had questioned where she was going at such a late hour and so Victoria had lied.
She wasn't used to lying so blatantly to her mother. Sure, she didn't tell her mother everything that was going on in her life, and it wasn't the first time she'd snuck out of the house without her knowing. But there was a big difference between sneaking out to rendezvous with Dean on some late-night stargazing date, versus sneaking out to meet up with her two villainous girlfriend and their teammates to take down their supervillain boss.
This was exactly the kind of scenario that her Mother probably stressed over all the time. Still, that didn't stop her from making up some excuse about flying some last-minute assignment work over to Jessica and promising to be back in time for bed.
Truthfully, Victoria wished she was just sneaking out on a private date. The idea of meeting Lisa and Taylor's teammates didn't sit well with her. She admitted to herself that she was probably giving the girls too much slack with their criminal ways. Victoria could come up was numerous justifications on why the two girls did what they did, but she knew in the end that what they did was wrong.
She could only hope that after tonight, it would finally open the door to a new way forward. With no mysterious crime boss forcing Lisa to do his bidding and by proxy, not charming thief to pull Taylor down into Brockton Bay's underworld.
Victoria sighed, running through the lie she had prepared to tell her family and the PRT after the shit hit the proverbial fan. She'd come across the Undersiders taking on Coil, and step in like the hero she was, The Undersiders would assist with the arrest, perhaps earn some brownie points in the eye of the law, and Glory Girl would deliver one Coil to PRT headquarters before being yelled at by her mother for getting involved in something so dangerous.
A small price to pay for Lisa's safety.
Coming up on the city skylines, Victoria caught sight of three large dogs waiting on a rooftop. Hesitantly, Victoria hovered closer down to the masked figures riding atop them.
Skitter spotted her first, her head shooting up in the direction of her approach. Tattletale noticed quickly after that and waved enthusiastically.
"Oh, look who it is," Tattletale chuckled. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"
The other members of the Undersiders groaned.
Victoria hovered slightly in the air, just high enough so that if any of Hellhound's dogs tried anything she wouldn't be caught off guard.
"They're not gonna hurt you," Tattletale said softly, patting the dog she was riding on. "Bitch has them well trained and fed."
Hellhound… Bitch, seemed to growl at Victoria, but her dogs made no threatening moves towards her as she landed safely on the ground.
"Tattletale, Skitter…" Victoria nodded, feeling very uncomfortable. Tattletale was all smiles as usual, Vicky could practically see Lisa's smug face under that mask, but Skitter was completely unreadable.
"Glory Girl," Grue said, hopping off his dog and taking a few steps towards her. "It's… good to meet you?" He held out his hand to shake. Victoria stared at it but didn't offer her own.
"We already met," Victoria said bluntly. "You were at the bank, right?"
"Yes, well. In any case," Grue continued, putting his arm down. "I trust Tattletale and Skitter have told you the plan?"
"I got the cliff notes," Victoria huffed, crossing her arms trying to 'outmuscle' the large and intimating villain that stood before her. "You lot cover me while I yank a big door open. Then T- uh, Skitter sends in her swarm and we clear the place out."
"Basically," Grue said. "There's some pretty beefy security at the front door. Tattletale has some inside men working on it but either way, it'll be a gauntlet till we capture Coil."
"I can handle myself," Victoria said dismissively. She didn't know why she was so defensive. Most likely because she didn't know Grue, she didn't trust Bitch's dogs and she sure as hell wasn't getting anywhere near Regent for the duration of this little partnership. "So, are we doing this?"
"Hold your horses," Tattletale said, also climbing down from her dog. "Still waiting on some key people to get in position." She wrapped her arms around Victoria and gave her an unexpected hug. Then turned to Grue. "Faultline wasn't working for Coil, or at least, not on a permanent basis. But Circus was, so I've paid her crew to keep them busy."
"Like in a fight?" Grue asked, his face unreadable behind his mask.
"No, silly." Tattletale giggled, still hugging onto Victoria's arm. "They're getting drunk at the Palanquin right now. So no capes, or major ones anyway."
"Now can we start?" Victoria asked, unsure how she felt being hugged by Lisa in costume.
"Almost, love," Tattletale teased, patting Victoria on the shoulder. "First, Skitter has a present for you."
Skitter, who was uncomfortably quiet, dropped a duffle bag from her dog. Victoria walked over to open it.
"What is it?" Victoria asked as she pulled out its contents. She felt the silky fabric along with the hardened armour plating. It looked almost identical to Skitter's bodysuit.
"A spare costume, complete with mask," Tattletale chuckled in Victoria's ear. "We figured that you wouldn't want to risk people seeing Glory Girl fight alongside crooks like us, so…" She gestured to the bag.
The mask in question had no extra details on it. It was smooth, unlike the mandibles that Skitter herself had.
"It's knife-proof. Probably bulletproof too, never actually tested it." Skitter said as Victoria inspected it.
"I'm already bulletproof." Victoria rebutted.
"Just the one bullet." Tattletale added, "We don't wanna put you up in front of a small army without any real protection."
Victoria gave it a small tug. It was certainly a lot tougher than her standard Glory Girl outfit. She could rip it if given enough force but Lisa had a point, on both fronts.
"Alright, where do I change?" Victoria sighed, looking at the mask. How had it come to this? She wanted to save a girl from villainy, and now she was dressing like one.
Skitter shook her head. "No need. Should fit over your current outfit. Doubt it'll fit you perfectly but it's only temporary."
Victoria could already tell that she was going to be uncomfortable. The rest of the team gave her some semblance of privacy as she slipped the new costume over the top of her old one. Her Glory Girl skirt and cape road up under the body suit, and the chest was tighter than she was used to. It wasn't unmanageable, but it was still noticeable. The mask was the hardest part to put on.
Not because it didn't fit, the straps at the back made it easy to adjust to her face, but it was also the first time Victoria had worn a mask, a proper one at least. She'd worn them for Halloween and the like but never as a cape.
"How does it feel?" Skitter asked, looking Victoria over and zipping up her back.
New Wave was the first and only generation of heroes that worked without masks, while many considered it a failed endeavour after the death of Aunt Jess, the openness of how they operated still meant something to Victoria. Wearing a mask felt like the final betrayal in everything her parents worked for, and yet. She put it on.
"It's fine," Victoria lied. "A little tight in the chest but I'll manage." Victoria wasn't sure if that comment upset Skitter, she could tell that this costume was originally intended for Taylor, perhaps as a backup or just a spare that wasn't finished yet.
"Woah, I'm seeing double," Regent commented while leaning on his dog, the same one Grue climbed down from. "It's like we have two Skitter's now. Except ones blonde, less scary and got a better ra-"
Tattletale punched him in the face before he could finish that sentence. Victoria was worried that the team would break out into fighting, but Regent took the punch and made no attempt to retaliate.
"Alright then," Tattletale said with a smile while shaking her hand loose. "Everyone ready? My guys are in position, just waiting on my word. Let's go over the plan one more time."
She looked to Grue who surveyed the team, plus Victoria.
"It's your op," Grue said, throwing the baton back on Tattletale.
"I'm no leader," Tattletale whined playfully. "Skitter, would you do the honours then?"
Skitter stepped up next to Tattletale, her swarm gathering around her to form a makeshift map on the floor.
"Bitch's dogs will drop us off here," Skitter began, sounding far more commanding than Victoria could ever think Taylor was capable of. "And then Glory Gi-" She stopped for a moment and looked back to Victoria. "We should probably use a different code name?"
"Oh oh!" Regent chirped up again, now sitting on the floor holding his nose. "What about Gloom Girl? Cause of the black costume."
"That's stupid," Tattletale laughed. "What about… Demolition Barbie?" She said the name in a gruff voice before cracking up laughing. "Cause she's blonde and here to break stuff."
"Yeah, no." Victoria quickly shot down both ideas. "I don't really need a name-"
"Deimos and I will approach from the main entrance, along with Grue and Bitch as support." Skitter continued, deciding on a name without asking anyone's opinion. "While Tattletale leads a secondary team to meet with her contacts on the inside."
Victoria raised her hand. "Secondary team? I thought the front was the only entrance?"
"No, just the main one. There are several but we can't open them from the outside. Tattletale will use our distraction to sneak in from an alternative entrance, giving us two angles of attack on Coil. The target is Coil, take him out and the Mercs will have no reason to fight us anymore."
"So we're being bait?" Victoria pouted under her mask.
"No," Skitter shook her head. "We're being direct. She's being sneaky."
"Better to play to our strengths and all." Tattletale chuckled.
"Once inside," Skitter continued. "My swarm will make a sweep of the bunker, neutralising anyone in my way. Demios and Bitch will follow behind, mopping up any stragglers. Grue, on smoke screen, try to hide our approach, keep them guessing. Tattletale will work to pinpoint Coil, Regent will act as support for her and Imp will split to take down internal security systems."
The name caught Victoria completely by surprise. She looked up the Undersiders and counted all five of them. "One, two, three, four, five… six?" A thin woman in a grey and black bodysuit stood between Grue and Regent, a pale grey demon mask across her face. She waved casually to Victoria as she simply said. "Hey-o."
Victoria fell backwards.
"What the hell?" Vicky gasped, looking at the girl and then at Skitter. "How did she get here? When did she get here?"
Skitter tilted her head in confusion, looking to Victoria and then to Imp. Tattletale and Regent were chuckling at her and Grue held a steady hand on Imp's shoulder.
"What? Oh, right," Skitter said as if she only just remembered something. "Demios, this is Imp. She does that sometimes."
"You have a sixth member?" Victoria asked in disbelief. Imp has somehow moved from Grue's side, now standing next to Skitter. "A teleporter?" She asked, thinking to herself. "No, I don't even remember her appearing. A stranger, the Undersiders have a stranger in their group? Since when!?"
"...Since always?" Skitter said back. "Oh, well she didn't join till after the bank job. But it was only a week after me." Victoria took a moment to process this new and disturbing revelation.
"Why didn't either of you tell me?" Vicky finally asked, looking between Skitter and Tattletale.
The two girls shared a look with each other and then shrugged. Turning back to Victoria, they both spoke at the same time.
"We kinda forgot to mention her."
Girls' Day Out
Chapter 26: She kinda forgot about her (Aisha Interlude)
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
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A/N: Otherwise known as the IMPerlude
Damn this chapter got long. Im sorry in advance.
Two days after the bank job
"Here, this is for you," Lisa said with her usual vulpine grin. Holding a card between two fingers. Taylor looked back in confusion. "It's your pay. For the bank heist. Great job dealing with Glory Hole, and they say 'I'm' the socially manipulative one." She giggled to herself as Taylor took the gift in her hand.
"It's a… credit card?" Taylor asked, still confused.
"What? You didn't think we were just going to hand you a pile of cash again?" Lisa laughed out loud. "Would you like that in a briefcase or a sack? And how were you planning to deposit all your loot later?"
"I don't know…" Taylor mumbled. The girl shrinking down in embarrassment.
Lisa patted Taylor on the shoulder, trying to calm her giggles for the newest member of the Undersiders.
Brian watched from a distance as Lisa got to work, selling Taylor on the ins and outs of how the Undersiders got paid. This was an important part of the recruitment process, for while they got Taylor onboard for the initial bank job, it didn't necessarily mean she would join up. The bank job didn't go exactly to plan, and Taylor almost got dragged into a fight against Glory Girl of all people.
There was still always a chance that Taylor would turn around and think that this life of crime was too much for her, Brian had seen other capes pull out for less. Still, he had faith, in both Lisa and Taylor. Both girls were smart, Lisa knew exactly how to talk to the new girl and Taylor knew a good deal when she saw it.
"Holy fu…" Taylor gasped. Lisa grinned devilishly over the tall girl's shoulder, looking up to Brian who shot back a similar smirk.
Brian remembered that feeling. Waking up one morning being the poorest son of a bitch in Brockton Bay, then seeing all those zeros on his phone after one simply little job.
"Not bad for your first week on the job," Lisa chuckled, watching Taylor's jaw drop. "Don't spend it all at once. Seriously though. Don't try spend it all at once, or on anything stupid. Like buying a car or renting out a fancy apartment. The protections in place won't stop from picking up on extreme spending habits."
"I'm fifteen…" Taylor said in response. "I can't even drive yet."
"You get what I mean." Lisa chuckled again. "Just be smart about it and you'll have no issues. I'll take you shopping tomorrow and we'll pick out a whole new wardrobe. Show you how to live it up, Undersiders style."
There was no denying the look on that girl's face, Taylor was staying, that much was sure. Even as she began mumbling about having to get to school on time, Taylor's hesitancy to leave the base was obvious. Brian would've preferred if his teammates didn't go to school, especially Arcadia of all places, this job needed flexibility but he respected Taylor's commitment.
"I-I'll be back after school," Taylor promised, looking between Brian and Lisa as the two walked her out. "It finishes at two-thirty, assuming the bus is on time, I'll be back here an hour after that. Four at most."
"Remember what I said," Lisa chuckled as she stopped by the door. "No crazy purchases. And no rush getting back. We all have to lay low anyway."
"Actually," Brian added, raising a finger. "The sooner the better. Hearing how you fumbled with Panacea during the bank tells me you're in desperate need of combat training. Lisa and I will get you up to speed."
"I dodged her fire extinguisher," Taylor whined back.
"Barely, if what Lisa said was correct," Brian said back. "You did good out there Taylor. And next time, you'll do great. We'll make sure of it."
Taylor nodded back and then waved goodbye. The girl skittered off towards the bus station as Lisa continued to wave. Brian looked to Taylor, who disappeared over the horizon on buildings, and then he looked to Lisa who continued to smile and wave. She was being overly friendly, to the point where Brian couldn't work out how much was just the sales pitch and how much was a genuine attempt at being nice.
"I like her," Lisa said, turning around.
"I take it that she's passed your tests?" Brian asked.
Lisa hummed in the affirmative. "She's competent, powerful. She likes the money, she enjoyed the job, even if she won't admit it," Lisa turned back to Brian and nodded her head. "And she has the perfect disguise, so no one is gonna suspect her at her school."
Brian huffed a small chuckle. "You got that right. It's so hard to imagine that that was the same girl who held an entire bank's worth of people hostage, including Panacea at knife-point."
"Not to mention the way she stared down freaking Glory Girl," Lisa said with admiration in her voice. "Holding a knife to her sister's neck, the way Bug said 'Are we Good?' and the hero straight up backed down. Oh, it still gives me goosebumps." Lisa giggled and did a little foot dance on the spot. "What did I tell you, Brian! We won the freakin lottery with this girl. She plays the villain to a T, and that was her first real outing."
Brian couldn't help but laugh at Lisa's excitement. "You were right," He admitted, not that he argued against her. "You're always right, Lise." Lisa gave her signature smug smile back. "Still, she needs a better name than 'Bug.' It doesn't sound very menacing. More annoying, kinda like Alec."
"Hey," Alec whined, acting offended as he lay on the couch. "I resent that."
"And I forgot you were even here." Brian chuckled back.
"Why not call her something like Skitter?" Alec suggested half hardheartedly as he rolled over to continue his nap. "You know, 'cause she's so damn skittish."
Lisa suppressed a laugh, Brian held a similar grin. "You know, that's actually not a bad name. Might run it by her."
"Although," Lisa added. "Don't tell her how we came up with it, lest we all end up covered in bugs."
Both boys shivered at the thought of that.
"Skitter. That'd be the girl I just saw leaving, right?" A familiar yet unexpected voice said out from behind them. "Which would make you Tattletale, Regent and-" Brian spun around, fist ready to strike. Lisa reached for her gun hidden in her pants as Alec shot up on alert. "Grue."
Brian stopped his punch mid-swing and stared at the girl who spoke to them. His mind raced from self-defence to immediately moving between Lisa's gun.
"Aisha!?" He said in alarm, grabbing his sister by the arm. Lisa immediately put her gun down and gestured to Alec to stand down. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be at home, or at school?"
Brian pushed his sister further into the corner, away from his teammate's confused and concerned looks.
"What? Chill," Aisha whined as she was shuffled away. "I just wanted to see what my brother got up to in his free time," Brian had prepared several hundred excuses for what he was up to while doing Undersider's business, however none of them prepared for the possibility of Aisha strolling right into the base and saying hello. "Imagine my surprise when I follow him to his secret apartment that he never told me about."
"So you followed me?" Brian complained. "Dammit Aishe. This neighbourhood isn't safe. What if something happened. I thought you were going to school."
"School?" Aisha chuckled. "And miss out on learning that my big bro is a supervillain. Honestly, this blew my theory out of the water."
"I'm not a supervillain," Brian defended himself.
"Riiiight," Aisha said sarcastically. "You just rob banks and casinos. Like a villain. Using your superpowers."
Brian couldn't really refute that point. He was quickly realising that he held no ground in this debate.
"Look," Brian said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my day job. But you can't just follow me around."
"Well, I was curious," Aisha whined playfully. "Besides, now I want to meet your friends."
Brian stared back at his sister with grim seriousness. "Aisha, this isn't a game." His sister continued to grin like the troublesome imp she usually was at home. With an exhausted sigh, Brian turned back to his two curious teammates who were pretending to give them privacy. "Look, I'm really sorry about this."
"About what?" Lisa asked. Alec looked up from his couch, eyes flickering between both teammates.
"About…" Brian said, then stopped. He turned around, looking at the empty wall. Why was he standing in the corner of the room? What were they doing again?
Lisa looked back at him with the same confused expression on her face. Even Alec looked like he was searching for something around the room. Alec was about to open his mouth to ask something when Lisa hushed him.
"Something's wrong," Lisa said, holding a hand up.
"Yeah, I feel it." Brian nodded, taking a careful step back to Lisa. "But I got no clue what."
He joined the other two by the couch. He didn't trust himself right now, his gut told him to rely on the thinker.
"So you're what, psychic?" Aisha asked Lisa, appearing by her side. All three members of the Undersiders shook like startled cats.
"Aisha!?" Brian yelped. Once again moving from a combative position to a defensive older sibling. "How the fuck-"
"Woah," Aisha chuckled, appearing on Brian's shoulder. "Language, Bro. My poor ears can't take it."
Brian's brain was doing some serious mental gymnastics trying to keep up with what was going on. One moment he was talking to his sister, and then he forgot. Then she appeared and he remembered that he had forgotten, but then she disappeared again. The only solace was that each time, he was a little more aware of what was happening.
"So you guys see that too, right?" Alec asked, now standing from the couch.
"Stranger," Lisa said, feeling her gun in her pants. "Don't think they intend any harm, though."
"Yeah," Alec huffed. "And why's that?"
"Because my power is screaming at me to keep the safety on."
"Aisha," Brian called out. His mind was finally aware enough to know who was responsible, even if it couldn't be sure why it knew. "Stop messing with us, or one of them might actually hurt you."
Aisha reappeared by the entrance. Lisa turned to her and once again removed her hand from her gun. Alec looked to Lisa for confirmation that he shouldn't use his powers either.
"Damn, that is so…" Alec said.
"Annoying," Lisa grumbled.
"Dangerous," Brian growled at the same time.
"Cool." Alec finished, eyeing the new girl.
"Fine, fine. I'll stop," Aisha said dismissively. "Just showing off my resume." She posed dramatically then took a stage bow. Lisa couldn't help but grin at the show.
"You're a parahuman?" Brian asked, taking a step closer to her sister.
"Ta-da," Aisha giggled. "You like?"
"How? When?" Brian asked, his voice starting to shake.
Aisha waved her hand dismissively and huffed. "Ehh, a little while ago. Took my a bit to understand it all. Pretty sure Mom forgot who I was for an entire week. So no change there, am I right?" She chuckled like she was telling stand-up, but Brain interrupted her with a hug. "Woah, alright?" Aisha said, confused but accepting of the hug. The hug went on for longer than she was expecting. "Uh, Bro? Brian? This just a hug trap? I promise I won't disappear anymore. Pinkie swear."
Brian squeezed tighter around Aisha, the moment feeling far more serious and private. Lisa turned away grimly, walking off to give the siblings some space. Even Alec stared at his feet as he sunk back down on his couch.
"I'm sorry," Brian whispered through a pained voice. "I'm so sorry. I should've…"
Aisha tensed up in his arms, slowly wrapping her hands around him. Brian was always a stern and sturdy older brother. She knew the reasons, she was there for most of it. That still didn't stop her from teasing the boy for being so boring nowadays. At this moment, she would've preferred stern and sturdy over the emotion he was displaying.
"It's okay…" Aisha said, patting Brian on the back. She felt the way he shook, she felt the tears he tried to hide. She hoped to skip past this bit, that her powers could somehow spare Brian the pain of thinking about the details. That she could show off her new trick without thinking of how she got it in the first place. "It's okay. It's not your fault." Aisha said again, softer as she squeezed him back. "I was just… wrong place, wrong time." She didn't want to elaborate. "Besides, I survived."
Brian had never explained his powers, but he didn't hide them either. Aisha knew from day one that Brain was a parahuman, he told her himself, including the circumstances that triggered him.
After several more moments of serious hugging, Brian composed himself and finally let her go. Aisha didn't feel like showing off anymore, so she simply walked to the couch and sat on the edge.
"You all good now?" Lisa asked, looking between both siblings. Aisha nodded as Brian took a moment more to wipe his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm good," Brian nodded, sighing before turning back to Aisha. "So, where do we go from here?"
"You said something about a resume?" Alec chimed up.
"Oh yeah," Aisha said, her energy bouncing back. "Now that I know what you do. I was thinking-"
"No," Brian said bluntly. "Just no. There's no way in hell-"
"What? Come on." Aisha whined.
"Aishe, no," Brian said, trying to shut down the conversation.
"Aishe, yes" His sister rebutted.
"A Stranger would be useful," Lisa thought aloud. Brian shot her a murderous glare. "Just saying."
"I can be so useful!" Aisha said, nodding in agreement. "I'm like the mysterious espionage chick."
"It's too dangerous!" Brian shot back.
"It's not like anyone will notice her." Alec thought aloud, earning another murderous glare.
"Exactly," Aisha said, smiling at Alec. "I'll be a ghost. No one will know I'm there. Not even you."
"We just hired someone," Brian said to Lisa. Hoping that business logic would help his case.
"And? What's one more?" Lisa said back with a grin.
"I can't believe I'm even having this conversation." Brian sighed, rubbing his temple.
"That's what? Two votes yes, one vote no?" Aisha said, giggling with excitement.
"I'm sure Taylor would vote yes," Lisa added.
"She's new," Brian argued.
"So she doesn't get to vote?" Alec asked. "Wow, that's cruel."
"No, I mean. She does but…" Brian said. "Dammit, that's not how we operate. We all have to be in agreement. And I'm voting no."
"But the majority," Aisha whined.
"Besides," Brian added. "We all know that Rachel sure as shit wouldn't vote yes."
"Who's Rachel?" Aisha asked.
"She didn't vote yes for Taylor," Lisa said smugly. "We still went with the majority."
"Enough with the voting crap," Brain said. "It's not going to happen. It's never going to happen. And even if we were voting, you can't assume how Taylor would vote, she's not here. The majority hasn't voted yes. Therefore, not happening."
There was a short silence as Lisa had no real rebuttal to Brian's argument. Much to Aisha's dismay, she let the point drop. The silence was then interrupted by the front door opening and several dogs running through.
Everyone watched as Rachel walked in, back from her morning dog walk to prepare breakfast for the pups. She strolled in casually and stopped as she noticed all four people looking at her.
"What?" She grumbled, sensing something was off. "Good fucking morning to you too."
Rachel kept walking into the kitchen section of the room and opened the fridge. Alec climbed up closer to Aisha and nudged her. Gesturing to the grumpy girl who just walked in.
"Um, hey-o." Aisha waved back to the girl.
Rachel froze in place and looked at Aisha for the first time.
"Fuck, I thought you were the new girl," Rachel sighed. "Where's the bug girl? Who's this?"
"Taylor's at school," Lisa said, ignoring Rachel's glare. "This is Aisha. She wants to join our team."
"Fuck no," Rachel huffed before taking a swig out of a water bottle. She poured the rest into the three dog bowls at her feet. "Bad enough we're splitting the cash five ways now. I ain't sharing with some random chick."
Brian couldn't help but sigh in relief. At least one person on the team was backing him, even without knowing it. There was no way in hell he'd allow Aisha to join the Undersiders. He'd take her home, the two of them could talk in private about what they would do and then he'd put this whole fiasco behind him.
"Aww, boo," Aisha whined. "I just wanted to join my brother's secret clubhouse. It's so much cooler than I thought it was going to be. Come on, let me do some crime. I'll be real good at it."
"No," Brian said, a little more relaxed now. "That's two no's know," He pointed to Lisa before she said anything. "Taylor doesn't count and you know she'd understand my point of view," He turned back to Aisha. "I just want you to be safe, Aishe. I'm doing this for you. I'm not dragging you down with me, okay?"
"Hold the fuck up." Rachel cut in. She looked between Aisha and Brian. "This your sister?"
"Yes," Both Laborn's said.
"And she has powers?" Rachel asked.
Aisha appeared next to Rachel a short moment later.
"Yes," she chirped.
Brian got a horrible feeling in his gut.
"Why didn't you fucking say so?" Rachel sighed. "Yeah, sure. She can join."
"What!?" Brian balked.
"Yay!" Aisha jumped up.
"Packs gotta stay together," Rachel mumbled before leading her dogs off into her room.
"So that's three yeses to your one no," Lisa giggled. "Just for those who are counting."
"No, no no no," Brian said, shaking his head.
Lisa ignored him and moved to shake Aisha's hand. "Oh, I'm Lisa, I've heard a lot about you."
"Alec," Alec introduced himself from across the room.
Brian continued to speak out against the idea but everyone else ignored him.
"So, what did you think this place was?" Lisa asked while shaking hands. "Before learning Brian's terrible secret."
"Well I saw him enter," Aisha said. "And then I saw you and thought, oh pretty blonde, secret girlfriend. But then the other girl came in and I started thinking… Damn, my bro has some game after all. But then the tall girl left and I managed to get inside and saw him," She pointed to Alec. "Then… well no, I guess it could still work?"
Lisa giggled.
Brian stomped his foot. "Alright, no. Aishe, that's it. I'm putting my foot down. There is absolutely, no way in hell that I'm ever going to-"
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A few weeks later – Late Afternoon
"Skitter, ready to go?" Brian asked behind the door, placing on his mask. The Undersiders were mounting up on dogs, about to commit yet another act of villainy. "Come on, we're on a time limit here."
"In a minute!" Taylor called out from her room. "Just putting on my mask!" She added.
Lisa and Alec both giggled as Brian sighed.
"Seriously, why did you think this a good idea?" Brian groaned at Lisa.
"Oh relax," Aisha said, leaning on Brian's shoulder. "She's worth it, remember."
Brian stared blankly back at the demon mask Aisha was wearing. The exact same question ran through his head as he looked at her.
"Almost done!" Taylor called out again, followed by a surprised yelp and a crash as something inside the room fell over. "All good, I'm all good. Coming out now."
Aisha and Lisa giggled.
Skitter's door finally opened, and the 'villain' stepped out. A dark swarm was climbing up into her hair and backpack, adding to the disgustingly terrifying visage of Skitter. "Let's go," Taylor said, her mask now adding a muffle that made her all the more mysterious.
"See," Aisha practically squealed. "Terror incarnate right there. Also, she has bugs in her hair… so, not it."
"Not it!" Called Alec, quickly as he jumped on one of Rachel's dogs.
"Not it," Lisa added
"Fuck you guys." Rachel barked.
"Not- gah fine…" Brian said too late.
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It took just under a week of persistent badgering for Brian to even consider taking Aisha along with them on jobs. Officially, the Undersiders were still just a five-man (and three-dog) operation. Even their mysterious backer wasn't made aware of the new hire.
That meant that Imp worked on commission only, an idea that Lisa proposed and Brian hesitantly agreed to in the hope that Aisha would give up. Unfortunately, Brian knew the feeling of the first paycheck all too well, and there was no denying that the newest member of the team was an indispensable asset. Also, though Brian would never admit it, it did feel good to be working alongside his sister.
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One Break-in Later
The Undersiders didn't go back to base, instead, they found a quiet spot to lay low as they all dismounted. Rachel took watch as Brian, Aisha and Alec took stock of the stolen loot. Lisa was inspecting the stolen tech, which did indeed look like some odd metal paperweight, before placing it into a separate, small sack.
"Urgh, I feel so conflicted handling this stuff." Aisha groaned, fishing through her bag of loot.
"Why?" Alec asked with a smile. "Because he had to terrorise a family to get it?"
Aisha chuckled, "Nah, fuck that. Because all the jewellery I found in the bedroom looks good, yet it's like tainted and shit from being owned by nazi fucks." She held out a silvery necklace as an example. "My mind says I'd look great with this, but my heart says I should burn it."
"Good thing we're selling it then," Brian cut in, taking the necklace from Aisha's hand and putting it into the bag for metals.
"Hey," Aisha whined. "I hadn't decided yet."
"Imp," Brian sighed. "How many times have I told you, we can't keep expensive souvenirs. That's how we get caught. We sell hot commodities and buy yourself something nice after the fact."
Aisha rolled her eyes and returned to sorting her loot.
"Alright, Regent, Skitter, Imp and Bitch will stash the loot until it can be picked up," Brian spoke up over the group. "T and me will deliver the tech and get our pay. We can all break from there."
"Can I go with you two?" Taylor asked, acting like awkward Taylor instead of badass Skitter.
"Fine, whatever." Brian groaned, "We could use the scare factor to keep them from doing anything stupid. Just don't go overboard. In fact, don't do anything at all. Stay with T and don't talk."
Aisha couldn't figure Taylor out, she flipped-flopped from being the biggest, most awkward nerd on the planet to being the scariest motherfucker she'd ever met. At first, she was worried that the girl had a crush on Brian. He didn't really go for the nerdy type, it would've been sad to see her trying so hard. It didn't take long for Aisha to pick up on which member of the team Skitter was really interested in.
"So, after we stash this, wanna get some lunch?" Aisha asked her remaining teammates.
Rachel hummed in the negative but Alec nodded. She climbed on the dog with him as the three prepared to leave. The dogs shooting off down the street.
"Burn it or wear it?" Alec asked as they rushed back to base.
"What?" Aisha asked back.
"The necklace?" Alec said, reaching into his shirt to pull out the necklace from earlier. "We want it, or do I get to start a fire?"
Aisha looked to the necklace in Alec's hand, then to the boy who was holding it. He acted so carefree around everyone, another person Aisha couldn't figure out. No matter, she took the necklace and placed it around her next.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A Few Days Later
"I'm here," Taylor called out as she entered the Undersider's base.
Lisa welcomed Taylor with her usual grin and Brian gave a friendly nod. The two were already discussing the specifics of whatever job the Undersiders were planning to do next.
"Catch!" Aisha called out the second Taylor looked in her direction.
Alec waved Taylor over as Aisha threw the game controller at her. The girl was quickly ushered onto the couch by the two youngest members. They both sat on either side of Taylor while Aisha quickly ran her through the basics of the controls. Aisha tried not to laugh as Taylor held the controller 'like a mom' with several fingers on the joystick like it was an old arcade machine.
For as much as a nerd Taylor was, she was terrible with tech. Aisha had to spend a solid hour explaining to Taylor how to use a phone and how text lingo worked. Video games were an entirely different beast that brought about no end to the entertainment from watching her struggle. One positive thing Aisha could say about Taylor was that she never gave up, no matter how many times she died in a video game. It was almost inspiring, if it wasn't embarrassing how much Taylor was a 40-year-old woman in a 15-year-old's body.
Lisa quickly stole her away, grilling her about a new friend she'd made at school. Was that jealousy Aisha was sensing? Not a good look for ole Tattletale. Between the way Lisa kept digging and the way Taylor was squirming, Aisha was desperate to know what gossip she was missing out on.
Unfortunately, Brian cut in with another boring job.
"Alright, clear your schedules, we got work this Saturday." Brian began, looking around the room. "Another smash'n'grab. Well, smash mainly, but we're free to take any loot we find."
Alright, the jobs were never boring. But Brian could make even crime sound like a basic corporate job. Aisha could just picture Brian dressed up in a suit and tie, drinking some coffee and saying shit like, 'Alright team, time to file those taxes and submit those Excel documents.'
Lisa moved to talk, "This job comes from the boss themself, so make sure to be 'extra' smashy."
This caught Aisha's attention. She did like being smashy.
"I'll bring my good baseball bat, no worries," Alec said.
"Who's the target?" Taylor asked, hoping that it'd be another Nazi or someone of the like.
"Just some poor elderly man who selling junk," Lisa explained. "Okay, it's not that bad. It's drugs, he's selling drugs from his store. However, he didn't go through the proper channels, old dude thinks he can set up shop as an independent and no one will know. Well, people know. We're trying to scare him out of doing business in the bay. Before someone worse, like the ABB, decide to give a more permanent message."
"Wait, we don't deal in drugs do we?" Taylor asked.
Both Brian and Aisha spoke in angry unison, "No."
"We don't touch the stuff, don't know why the boss cares, but I have no problem torching the place," Brian added.
"Yeah, fire!" Alec chuckled.
"That was hyperbole…" Brian sighed, "We're not burning the place down, just smashing it up."
"Aww man…" Aisha whined, comforting the also disappointed Alec.
---------------------------------------------------
The Following Saturday Morning – Brockton Bay Mall
Aisha giggled with delight as the bat smashed through several expensive-looking vases. There was something infinitely satisfying about getting to break shit with no regard for anything. Her next target was some porcelain cupid baby-looking thing. Slamming the bat directly down on it, it exploded with a satisfying pop.
She looked up over to what the rest of her team was doing. Tattletale and Grue were ransacking the back storage room, bagging the cash and destroying whatever drugs were in there. Skitter and Bitch were on the other side of the store, beating various shelves full of useless junk.
Regent was playing improvised baseball with the dog. Picking up random junk and hitting it off out of the store, at which point, one of Bitch's three large dogs would give chase and return the object in even worse condition.
"What you go there, Skitter?" Tattletale called out, carrying a large bag of money over her shoulder.
Skitter was holding a raccoon plush toy, the juxtaposition between the cute toy and the scary villain was not lost on Aisha's sense of humour.
"Oh, I see," Tattletale smiled. "Don't think she'd like that gift if I'm being honest."
"It's for me," Skitter said back, placing the toy in her bag.
Aisha didn't know who they were talking about but it was funny to imagine a toy so cute that would bring out the inner Taylor from Skitter.
"You good there, Imp?" Grue said from behind her.
"Yeah," Aisha said nonchalantly. She always felt weird talking to 'Grue.' It was so obviously Brian under that mask, that it felt silly to call each other by different names. During jobs, Grue would talk to her so formally, like he was pretending that they weren't related. She understood the reasoning, but it still felt weird at times.
"You smash anything fun?" Aisha asked, lining her bat up on the next porcelain statue.
"Depends on your take on fun," Grue said. "But there's a few less bricks of coke in the bay at least."
Aisha stopped her swing and took a step back, gesturing to Grue to take the shot instead. Grue looked at the statue and then at his watch.
"Come on, Bro," Aisha whined. "Have some fun for once in a while."
Grue sighed. No doubt he resisted the urge to chastise her for calling him 'Bro' while in costume. He took out his bat and lined up the shot, swinging a powerful blow that shattered across the store.
"He shoots, he scores!" Aisha cheered out. She picked up a few smaller statues and chucked them in Grue's direction. "Ey batta batta, swing batta batta!" She teased as Grue successfully smashed them all in a row.
She could hear the suppressed chuckle of Brain under the mask, which in turn caused Aisha to laugh harder.
Working with the Undersiders had its ups and downs. Some days it would be a stressful fight, others could be a boring stakeout with Tattletale. The money was nice, and the entertainment value couldn't be beaten. But it was moments like these that Aisha really cherished. Not a team of villains smashing up a store, but a group of friends, having fun… while smashing up a store.
The team inspected their work while they mounted up onto the dogs. The place was completely demolished. Aisha couldn't imagine the shop could look worse if she tried. And then Regent tried.
"Hold up," He said before climbing onto his dog, stopping anyone from getting on Angelica. He fished out a standard tennis ball from his hand before showing it to Bitch. "May I?"
Bitch shrugged but whistled and pointed at Regent.
"Fetch!" Regent yelled, throwing the ball into the remains of the store. Seconds later, Angelica crashed through and flattened anything that remained standing.
The rest of the team cheered and clapped at the explosive finish. Regent took a bow as Angelica returned, covered in bits of rubble. The dog shook it off and dropped the ball gently by Regent's feet. How the giant beast didn't swallow the ball whole was a mystery.
The laughter and cheer were quickly cut off by Skitter declaring. "Cops are on their way."
Grue swore as the team scrambled on the dogs. Aisha was still cackling as they rode down the late Brockton Bay streets.
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The Docks – Three Days Later
Regent cackled like a madman as the fire burned. Imp danced around him, using an aerosol can to spread the fire even further.
"Dammit Regent!" Grue barked, from across the room. "Warn us before you start torching the place. I wasn't ready yet."
"Burn! Burn!" Regent and Imp laughed as they set fire to more things.
They ignored Grue's complaints as they gleefully ran about to find more flammable material to ignite. Imp spotted a nice little stash of chemicals in the main lab, she had no idea what they were, only being able to identify one as some kind of medical-grade cleaning product.
Imp shrugged as she lit a makeshift firebomb, hoping that at least some of these chemicals proved to be the fun and explody type. With a careless underhand, she lobbed it at the center of the room.
A small explosion went off in the main lab. Fire mixing with chemicals. Imp whooped in awe as she felt the heat grow.
"Damn, I wanted to do that," Regent whined playfully.
"Too bad, I saw it first," Imp giggled, raising her arms to the fiery chaos. Another smaller crackle came from the fire as she watched her work with pride. She turned back to Regent, a wide smile behind her mask, noticing that the boy was staring at her over the colourful fire behind them. "What?" Imp asked, cocking her head.
"Nothing," Regent replied. "Just admiring the view."
Imp laughed a little louder, her voice echoing through the burning room. She struck a pose, revelling in the chaotic beauty that surrounded them. "Damn right. It is pretty hot, isn't it?"
The two members had a habit of flirting back and forth with each other. Aisha wasn't sure if she did it because she actually liked the kid, or because she knew that Brian wouldn't approve. Possibly a little bit of both. It was really a psychological game of chicken. The two were trying to see how close they could get before one pulled away. So far, neither of them did, so the game went on.
How real the game would end up was up to debate.
Either way, she didn't care. Alec made her feel good, he was quickly becoming her favourite member of the team, baring her brother, and she could admit that she enjoyed the attention the boy gave her.
Imp leaned in, looking at Regent's mask. While the two masks they wore were emotionless, there was a certain warmth to the eyes hidden inside. They were both grinning like idiots while the world burnt down around them.
A gunshot rang out, alerting both of them to a man running for his life. Grue's smoke was already covering the area but Imp and Regent could still see the fleeing man.
Regent made a gun out of his fingers and said, "Bang."
The man fell face-first into the pavement, which caused Regent and Imp to break into another fit of giggles. Then Skitter caught up to the man and did her thing, Imp basically considered him dead after that.
"Imp," Grue hissed, pointing to her. "Go dark, now!"
Just as Skitter started to go psycho bitch on the poor man, Grue gave her an order. Some heroes were right outside and everyone was about to go loud, which meant she had to go dark and sneak away.
------------------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – A Couple Weeks Later
Tattletale held her signature smug grin at Grue while the man pouted in the corner.
"What are you smirking at?" Grue asked.
"Nothing," Tattletale said, "Just thinking about how much of a scary villain you are."
"Shut up." Grue huffed in jest. "Are we doing this or what?"
"So impatient." Tattletale huffed back. "We're already doing this. Just stay there and act the part."
"You still haven't told me why I'm 'acting the part?'" Grue replied sarcastically. "I hate Shadow Stalker more than anyone on the team, but baiting her to attack me is just asking for trouble."
"Trust me, this will all make sense tomorrow." Tattletale waved away the question. "You two ready for your part?" She asked the other two people waiting alongside them.
Imp inspected the scene as Tattletale, her two mercs and Grue ran through their plan. Lisa wasn't aware that Aisha was in the room when she originally pitched her idea to Brian, but any plan that involved fucking with Shadow Stalker was a plan that Aisha wanted to get in on.
Tattletale clicked her fingers and pointed in a vague direction. Her method of telling Imp to reappear and give her a report. Aisha found it funny how wrong her guesses could be about Imp's current location.
"I'll be in position, waiting for the swap," Imp said, chuckling as the two mercs jumped with surprise.
"Perfect. Then we spring the trap and exit out the back." Tattletale said with a smile.
"And how does this trap does anything other than piss her off?" Grue asked. "And why is it worth possibly getting shot for."
"That's for me to know and you to find out, Sweetcheeks," Tattletale said, patting Grue's helmet.
Aisha let out a chuckle, to which she could feel Brian's glare under his helmet. This only served to make her laugh louder.
Tattletale checked her phone and smiled. "Alright boys!… and Imp," Tattletale said as she clapped her hands. "It's showtime. I want to see everyone's game faces. And Dimitri? Remember I still need you for that other thing soon."
Imp gave a mock salute and watched as everyone around her forgot she existed. Grue and the merc started acting out some fake drug deal or the like. As much as Aisha would've loved to see Brian's acting skills, she had a job to do.
Entering into the backroom, Imp found the Grue mannequin that she, Lisa and Brian had put together. It was remarkably put together for the short amount of time that they had. At closer inspection, it looked more like a cheap dollar-store Halloween costume of Grue, but in a dark room at night, no one would know until it was too late.
Lifting the motorcycle helmet on the dummy, she inspected the meat that hid underneath. It was a disturbing sight. Smooth, cold skin lay where one would expect a face. Lisa had explained that the entire thing was filled with animal meat and blood which gave it a realistic weight and feel to it all. Aisha pulled out a small marker pen from her pocket and drew a face on the mannequin.
Part of her wished that she had some googly eyes to stick on, picturing Shadow Stalker's utter confusion when she removed the helmet to see some goofy-ass-looking face staring back at her. Instead, Imp pulled out her notebook and wrote a little message.
'Fuck You. Look up and smile.'
Complete with a smiley face and a little doodle of Tattletale giving the finger.
Aisha could hear the commotion outside, she stuffed the note into the helmet and shut the visor. Then she waited in position for the swap.
Tattletale burst through the door and ran to the first exit. The second Grue showed his mask, Imp pushed the mannequin up and pulled her brother down. The two siblings were already out of the room by the time they heard Tattletale scream, "Gruuue!"
They were both panting and laughing as they ran around the next block. Once they were sure they ran far enough, they took a short break to catch their breath. Tattletale was already waiting for them at the rendezvous.
"And that's a wrap," Tattletale chuckled, holding her hand up for a high five. "Great job team."
Imp clapped it and turned back to her brother, who also gave her a high five.
"So what happens next?" Imp asked, looking between both teammates. "Did we get the footage? Please tell me we got the footage."
"Yes, we got the foot-" Tattletale began, she was shortly interrupted by the sound of sirens and a crash. "Damn, they got here fast."
All three looked around the corner to see the PRT busting down every door and window of the room they were just in.
Grue backed up, tugging Imp on the shoulder. He looked to Tattletale with what was probably an annoyed glare.
"What the hell is this?" He asked, ducking around the corner.
"It's fine," Tattletale waved the question away. "All part of the plan."
"The plan?" Grue hissed back. "You didn't mention the PRT. We just were going to get video for an arrest."
"And now we have an arrest," Tattletale sighed back. "It's all a win, man. What's the problem?"
"Dammit," Grue huffed. "You should've told me in advance. Imp was right there. What if they saw her?"
"Bro, seriously?" Imp asked sarcastically. "Who's going to see me?"
"Not the point, Imp." Grue sighed, shaking his head. "You should've told me."
"You would've said no," Tattletale said back, which only served to annoy Grue more.
"Come on, Imp," Grue said, walking away. "We're going home."
"You'll thank me later," Tattletale called out. She pulled her phone up to her ear. "Yeah? Vicky? Everything went great. Meet you on the roof? Okay, see ya soon."
"Vicky?" Imp asked, looking at Tattletale.
Tattletale jumped in surprise and almost dropped her phone.
"Ahh!" She fumbled for a bit then returned to her usual neutral smile. "I didn't realise you were still here." Imp stared back at her wordlessly. "Uh… forget you heard that… Hello? Did you go for real now?"
---------------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – The Following Morning
Brian snatched the beer right out of Aisha's hand.
"Hey," She whined. "It's supposed to be a party."
Brian refused to comment, taking a sip from the drink he stole and pointing to the fridge that contained Lisa's nonalcoholic drinks. Aisha sighed as Lisa handed her a red cup filled with lemonade.
When the Undersiders decided to get together to celebrate Shadow Stalker's arrest, Aisha was hoping to let loose and enjoy herself. Unfortunately, Brian continued to be the overprotective big brother. Even when using her powers, Brian had counted exactly how many drinks there were and who was drinking what. The moment a cider went missing from the esky, Brian would call out.
Aisha sat down on the couch and pouted. Filling her face with chips as Alec opened his third bottle of cider for the morning. He reached out for the chip bowl, which wasn't all that far from where he sat. With an over-exaggerated movement, he 'accidentally' spilled his cider into Aisha's empty cup.
Aisha looked from her now-filling cup and back up to Alec. The boy gave him a sly wink as he grabbed a handful of chips. Aisha sent one back his way as she took a sip. Ignoring, or outright enjoying the way he stared at her lips.
"Aishe!" Brian barked out.
Both Aisha and Alec turned away from each other.
"What?" She called out.
"Just checking you're still there," Brian said, a little calmer.
A knock on the door signalled that their final party guest had arrived. Alec stood up and sauntered over to the front door.
"Heyyy. Skitter's here!" Alec cheered as he opened the door. The rest of the team cheered and whistled as they welcomed the confused girl in. "Come on, Bugs. You need to catch up."
--------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – A Few Days Later
Aisha sat on the couch, doing her homework. While Brian had relented and let her join the Undersiders, that didn't mean he let her skimp out on school. She didn't go to a fancy school like Arcadia, instead attending the nearby Clarendon High. Clarendon had the added bonus of not caring when Aisha disappeared for work, as her teachers wouldn't remember if she didn't make it to class.
Alec lay on the end of the couch, his legs casually resting on Aisha's lap. He seemed content enough to stay there while he read his book.
Brian was too busy arguing on the phone to notice, plus there was a high chance he wasn't even aware that Aisha was even there. Taylor and Lisa walked into the base, the former looking far more nervous than usual.
Taylor stopped as she spotted Alec, a look of confused disbelief on her face as she read the cover in Alec's hand.
"What?" Alec asked. "I know how to read. I'm not Rachel."
"I didn't-" Taylor began to defend herself, but Alec only chuckled.
Then Brian started complaining to the team about his problem with the mould in the bathroom walls. Aisha didn't really care, Brian was overreacting as usual. She shut out this discussion as she worked through her current math problems.
"Woah. Okay." Brian said in surprise. Alerting Aisha that something had changed.
Lisa was in the middle of making out with the nerd. A blatant display of public affection.
"Lisa!" Taylor whined pathetically once she pulled herself free, "You promised that we'd do it my way."
"Yeah, but this was more fun." Lisa giggled through her smug smile. A smile that she then pointed towards Brian. "Yeah, this is a thing now."
"Congratulations," Brian said was a drawl, "I'll let HR know."
Lisa chuckled at the joke and then pouted. "Aww, boo. I was looking forward to a bigger reaction."
"Pfft," Alec said, completely uninterested, turning back to his book. "I thought you two were already a thing."
"Same," Aisha said looking back at her homework. "Caught you two locking lips at the party."
"Come back when you have something new to tell us." Alec waved them off.
"In that case," Lisa added, wiggling her eyebrows, and throwing her arm around Taylor. "We're actually part of a throuple." She held up three fingers to Brian to illustrate her point. "Give ya three guesses who the final girl is."
"Lisa, I swear to God, if you've somehow roped Aisha into-" Brian sighed.
"Bro, seriously?" Aisha squawked out in surprise.
"What? No." Lisa barked out with a laugh. "Could you imagine?" Lisa shot a flirty wink Aisha's way.
"Do you actually think I'm gay?" Aisha asked.
"What? No…" Brian mumbled. "Maybe. It's okay if you are…"
"Oh, my god!" Aisha whined. "I'm not. What? Seriously."
Lisa rolled her eyes, feeling the conversation drifting away from her. "It's Glory Girl."
The conversation broke out into back-and-forth arguments and jokes about the latest development. Complete with an admission about Glory Girl's hand in the Shadow Stalker Sting.
The commotion was broken as Rachel joined the conversation.
"What are we all yelling about?" Rachel grumbled.
"Those two are hooking up now," Alec explained.
Rachel gave a small nod of approval. "Not a bad catch."
"They also bagged Glory Girl into their little 'ménage á trios,' if you catch my drift," Alec added. Rachel did not catch his drift. "They're also hooking up with Glory Girl."
Rachel asked if she could join in the fun and was promptly shot down by Taylor. The tall girl was shrinking down into herself with embarrassment. Rachel took the rejection like a champion and kept on strolling, leaving the team very bewildered.
After a small amount of time, Aisha spoke up again.
"Okay, but can we go back to the part where my own brother thought I was gay?" She asked, staring daggers into Brian.
"I had a feeling. I was wrong." He shrugged apologetically.
"A feeling?" Aisha said back with finger quotes. "What does that even mean?"
"Well, you…" Brian started, gesturing at her. "You know…"
"What?" Aisha asked mockingly.
"The purple hair dye," Brian admitted.
The remaining Undersiders stared at him and sighed with exhausted disappointment.
"Oh my god." Aisha sighed again in exaggeration.
"Seriously?" Lisa said with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that even a stereotype?" Taylor asked.
"You're the worst Brian," Alec added.
---------------------------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – A Little While Later
Aisha and Alec were alone on the couch. The two were very comfortable together these days. It was hard to quantify what exactly they were to each other.
Ever since Brian's comment, Aisha felt extra motivated to play her game with Alec. The two of them were closer than ever without ever bringing up the concept of a relationship or dating. Neither of them had really talked about it, things just happened. They enjoyed each other's company. They always found an excuse to lean and sit on each other. And then their game of chicken had reached an all-time high point.
Aisha stared at her arm as it swayed from side to side. It felt so foreign for her, as the boy controlled her movements.
"Woah," She said, watching as her thumb touched each individual finger. "How much movement can you give it?"
"The normal amount," Alec explained, watching it unfold from across the couch. "I can't contort your arm if that's what you're wondering."
"That's a shame," Aisha joked. "This is prime horror movie shit." She turned over to Alec. "Now do the leg."
Immediately, she felt her leg give up control. It wasn't numb but she could feel where the control cut off, shifting her hip in an attempt to wiggle free.
"Might need to do both," Alec wondered out loud. "Else you'll fall over."
He waited for Aisha to give consent, nodding her head before she lost full control of her lower body. Once done, Aisha wobbled slightly before standing up straight.
"Walk me, I wanna feel it," She said. Far too excited for someone who was losing control of her body.
She started marching back and forth in front of the boy. Every time she tried to turn one way, her body would counterbalance and keep her on the track Alec had set it.
"Alright, now you try," Alec said, gesturing to her as she walked away.
Activating her power, Alec forgot all about Aisha and his control over her. Her legs relaxed as Aisha was able to turn herself around. A very bored and confused Alec was sitting on the couch, contemplating turning on the television.
"It worked, as usual," Aisha said, returning to the couch.
"Well, there you go." Alec smiled back. "Catch and release. Now don't tell Brian else he'll gut me."
"Hang on," Aisha said, shaking the boy. "We're not done yet. I wanted to experience full loss of control."
Alec sighed and looked her over.
"Fine, fine." He said, rubbing his hands together. "But I'm keeping your mouth free. Usually, they can't talk back unless I let em."
Aisha felt the sensation again. As Alec warned her beforehand, the body-snatching attempt was far quicker than their earlier experiments. Alec now knew Aisha's body well enough to take control whenever he wanted.
The total loss of control was a somewhat different feeling. There was no real cut-off point, unlike when it was just an arm or legs. Even her mind felt fogged by the loss of control. Alec ran her through some basic poses and movements, showing off his control and how 'human' he could make his puppets look.
"Well shit," Aisha said. It was hard to speak properly with her face being controlled. "This is trippy. You could make me do anything." She teased.
"You're right." Alec chuckled back. "And you know, now that I've got you. There's one thing that I've always wanted from you."
"Oh yeah?" Aisha said back, trying to lean closer to him but not able to. "What would that be?"
Alec smirked and waved his hand. Marching Aisha off behind the couch. There was a brief moment of panic where Aisha thought she'd be marched right into one of the bedrooms, but instead, her legs took her directly into the kitchen, where she was powerless to stop herself.
A few moments later, Aisha returned with a sandwich on a plate. Alec took the food and smiled. He leaned back into his seat as he ate his lunch.
"Asshole," Aisha laughed as Alec released control of her body.
"This is a good sandwich," Alec said through a mouthful of food.
Aisha stole the second half to take a giant bite out of it. She hummed as she chewed, giving Alec a smug expression. Alec gave her a playful glare back at her, to which Aisha grinned, sticking her tongue out before taking another bite out of it.
"Honestly," Aisha said, also through a mouthful of food. "A sandwich? I was kinda hoping you'd make me kiss you or something."
Alec's playful glare shifted to a look of pure contempt. Aisha worried that she'd finally taken things too far. They reached the end of their little game, and it was all just a game.
"No," Alec said sharply. "I wouldn't use my powers to kiss you. Or anything of the sort."
Aisha picked up the pace of her chewing, trying to swallow down her food as quickly as possible. This just got awkward, she needed to make her escape. How she wished she could just disappear. Oh, wait, she can disappear. She should do that. Right now. Right, now. Riiiight now.
"Oh, I see," Aisha said, trying to hide the pain in her voice. She slowly picked herself up from the couch, readying herself to leave.
Alec placed a hand on Aisha's leg to stop her. She looked at the hand and then back up to the boy it belonged to.
"What?" She asked, confused and anxious.
"I said, I wouldn't use my powers," Alec explained. His other hand reached up and held Aisha by the chin. "I didn't say I wouldn't kiss you."
He leaned in and kissed her softly. Aisha couldn't help but melt. It was soft and tender, the first kiss they shared together. And the first kiss Aisha ever had.
-----------------------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – A Few Hours ago.
"Alright, Lise," Brian grumbled shortly after Taylor walked in the door. "You got us all together. What's the emergency?"
"Just give us a moment," Lisa responded as she welcomed Taylor with a hug.
"I thought you called this meeting?" Rachel huffed, looking at Brian. "Fuck, this better be a new job else I'm out. I got stuff to do."
Brian put up a calming hand to Rachel as she leaned back against the wall, She stood in her usual spot during team meetings. Alec was also in his usual spot, laid out across the couch, his legs resting along Aisha's lap.
"For once, I agree with Rae-rae," Alec sighed sarcastically. "I had plans today, so if this isn't about making more money then I'm gonna get bored, real quick."
"You had plans?" Brian asked. "I barely see you move from this couch. At all."
"Like you're home all the time," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Contrary to what you all think of me, I do have a life outside this team. Usually, I prefer having a three-day heads-up before we plan anything. I'd hate for this job to start feeling like work."
Alec stretched out along the couch like a cat and cuddled up closer to Aisha, pretending he was ready to doze off.
"Alright, I'll bite," Brian said with a grin. "What plans are we interrupting?"
Alec peeked an eye open, looking at Aisha. They were halfway through their date before Brian called them both back in for this meeting. He looked at Brian and smiled smugly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Aisha smacked his leg, and then the team got to work.
Damn this chapter got long. Im sorry in advance.
Two days after the bank job
"Here, this is for you," Lisa said with her usual vulpine grin. Holding a card between two fingers. Taylor looked back in confusion. "It's your pay. For the bank heist. Great job dealing with Glory Hole, and they say 'I'm' the socially manipulative one." She giggled to herself as Taylor took the gift in her hand.
"It's a… credit card?" Taylor asked, still confused.
"What? You didn't think we were just going to hand you a pile of cash again?" Lisa laughed out loud. "Would you like that in a briefcase or a sack? And how were you planning to deposit all your loot later?"
"I don't know…" Taylor mumbled. The girl shrinking down in embarrassment.
Lisa patted Taylor on the shoulder, trying to calm her giggles for the newest member of the Undersiders.
Brian watched from a distance as Lisa got to work, selling Taylor on the ins and outs of how the Undersiders got paid. This was an important part of the recruitment process, for while they got Taylor onboard for the initial bank job, it didn't necessarily mean she would join up. The bank job didn't go exactly to plan, and Taylor almost got dragged into a fight against Glory Girl of all people.
There was still always a chance that Taylor would turn around and think that this life of crime was too much for her, Brian had seen other capes pull out for less. Still, he had faith, in both Lisa and Taylor. Both girls were smart, Lisa knew exactly how to talk to the new girl and Taylor knew a good deal when she saw it.
"Holy fu…" Taylor gasped. Lisa grinned devilishly over the tall girl's shoulder, looking up to Brian who shot back a similar smirk.
Brian remembered that feeling. Waking up one morning being the poorest son of a bitch in Brockton Bay, then seeing all those zeros on his phone after one simply little job.
"Not bad for your first week on the job," Lisa chuckled, watching Taylor's jaw drop. "Don't spend it all at once. Seriously though. Don't try spend it all at once, or on anything stupid. Like buying a car or renting out a fancy apartment. The protections in place won't stop from picking up on extreme spending habits."
"I'm fifteen…" Taylor said in response. "I can't even drive yet."
"You get what I mean." Lisa chuckled again. "Just be smart about it and you'll have no issues. I'll take you shopping tomorrow and we'll pick out a whole new wardrobe. Show you how to live it up, Undersiders style."
There was no denying the look on that girl's face, Taylor was staying, that much was sure. Even as she began mumbling about having to get to school on time, Taylor's hesitancy to leave the base was obvious. Brian would've preferred if his teammates didn't go to school, especially Arcadia of all places, this job needed flexibility but he respected Taylor's commitment.
"I-I'll be back after school," Taylor promised, looking between Brian and Lisa as the two walked her out. "It finishes at two-thirty, assuming the bus is on time, I'll be back here an hour after that. Four at most."
"Remember what I said," Lisa chuckled as she stopped by the door. "No crazy purchases. And no rush getting back. We all have to lay low anyway."
"Actually," Brian added, raising a finger. "The sooner the better. Hearing how you fumbled with Panacea during the bank tells me you're in desperate need of combat training. Lisa and I will get you up to speed."
"I dodged her fire extinguisher," Taylor whined back.
"Barely, if what Lisa said was correct," Brian said back. "You did good out there Taylor. And next time, you'll do great. We'll make sure of it."
Taylor nodded back and then waved goodbye. The girl skittered off towards the bus station as Lisa continued to wave. Brian looked to Taylor, who disappeared over the horizon on buildings, and then he looked to Lisa who continued to smile and wave. She was being overly friendly, to the point where Brian couldn't work out how much was just the sales pitch and how much was a genuine attempt at being nice.
"I like her," Lisa said, turning around.
"I take it that she's passed your tests?" Brian asked.
Lisa hummed in the affirmative. "She's competent, powerful. She likes the money, she enjoyed the job, even if she won't admit it," Lisa turned back to Brian and nodded her head. "And she has the perfect disguise, so no one is gonna suspect her at her school."
Brian huffed a small chuckle. "You got that right. It's so hard to imagine that that was the same girl who held an entire bank's worth of people hostage, including Panacea at knife-point."
"Not to mention the way she stared down freaking Glory Girl," Lisa said with admiration in her voice. "Holding a knife to her sister's neck, the way Bug said 'Are we Good?' and the hero straight up backed down. Oh, it still gives me goosebumps." Lisa giggled and did a little foot dance on the spot. "What did I tell you, Brian! We won the freakin lottery with this girl. She plays the villain to a T, and that was her first real outing."
Brian couldn't help but laugh at Lisa's excitement. "You were right," He admitted, not that he argued against her. "You're always right, Lise." Lisa gave her signature smug smile back. "Still, she needs a better name than 'Bug.' It doesn't sound very menacing. More annoying, kinda like Alec."
"Hey," Alec whined, acting offended as he lay on the couch. "I resent that."
"And I forgot you were even here." Brian chuckled back.
"Why not call her something like Skitter?" Alec suggested half hardheartedly as he rolled over to continue his nap. "You know, 'cause she's so damn skittish."
Lisa suppressed a laugh, Brian held a similar grin. "You know, that's actually not a bad name. Might run it by her."
"Although," Lisa added. "Don't tell her how we came up with it, lest we all end up covered in bugs."
Both boys shivered at the thought of that.
"Skitter. That'd be the girl I just saw leaving, right?" A familiar yet unexpected voice said out from behind them. "Which would make you Tattletale, Regent and-" Brian spun around, fist ready to strike. Lisa reached for her gun hidden in her pants as Alec shot up on alert. "Grue."
Brian stopped his punch mid-swing and stared at the girl who spoke to them. His mind raced from self-defence to immediately moving between Lisa's gun.
"Aisha!?" He said in alarm, grabbing his sister by the arm. Lisa immediately put her gun down and gestured to Alec to stand down. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be at home, or at school?"
Brian pushed his sister further into the corner, away from his teammate's confused and concerned looks.
"What? Chill," Aisha whined as she was shuffled away. "I just wanted to see what my brother got up to in his free time," Brian had prepared several hundred excuses for what he was up to while doing Undersider's business, however none of them prepared for the possibility of Aisha strolling right into the base and saying hello. "Imagine my surprise when I follow him to his secret apartment that he never told me about."
"So you followed me?" Brian complained. "Dammit Aishe. This neighbourhood isn't safe. What if something happened. I thought you were going to school."
"School?" Aisha chuckled. "And miss out on learning that my big bro is a supervillain. Honestly, this blew my theory out of the water."
"I'm not a supervillain," Brian defended himself.
"Riiiight," Aisha said sarcastically. "You just rob banks and casinos. Like a villain. Using your superpowers."
Brian couldn't really refute that point. He was quickly realising that he held no ground in this debate.
"Look," Brian said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my day job. But you can't just follow me around."
"Well, I was curious," Aisha whined playfully. "Besides, now I want to meet your friends."
Brian stared back at his sister with grim seriousness. "Aisha, this isn't a game." His sister continued to grin like the troublesome imp she usually was at home. With an exhausted sigh, Brian turned back to his two curious teammates who were pretending to give them privacy. "Look, I'm really sorry about this."
"About what?" Lisa asked. Alec looked up from his couch, eyes flickering between both teammates.
"About…" Brian said, then stopped. He turned around, looking at the empty wall. Why was he standing in the corner of the room? What were they doing again?
Lisa looked back at him with the same confused expression on her face. Even Alec looked like he was searching for something around the room. Alec was about to open his mouth to ask something when Lisa hushed him.
"Something's wrong," Lisa said, holding a hand up.
"Yeah, I feel it." Brian nodded, taking a careful step back to Lisa. "But I got no clue what."
He joined the other two by the couch. He didn't trust himself right now, his gut told him to rely on the thinker.
"So you're what, psychic?" Aisha asked Lisa, appearing by her side. All three members of the Undersiders shook like startled cats.
"Aisha!?" Brian yelped. Once again moving from a combative position to a defensive older sibling. "How the fuck-"
"Woah," Aisha chuckled, appearing on Brian's shoulder. "Language, Bro. My poor ears can't take it."
Brian's brain was doing some serious mental gymnastics trying to keep up with what was going on. One moment he was talking to his sister, and then he forgot. Then she appeared and he remembered that he had forgotten, but then she disappeared again. The only solace was that each time, he was a little more aware of what was happening.
"So you guys see that too, right?" Alec asked, now standing from the couch.
"Stranger," Lisa said, feeling her gun in her pants. "Don't think they intend any harm, though."
"Yeah," Alec huffed. "And why's that?"
"Because my power is screaming at me to keep the safety on."
"Aisha," Brian called out. His mind was finally aware enough to know who was responsible, even if it couldn't be sure why it knew. "Stop messing with us, or one of them might actually hurt you."
Aisha reappeared by the entrance. Lisa turned to her and once again removed her hand from her gun. Alec looked to Lisa for confirmation that he shouldn't use his powers either.
"Damn, that is so…" Alec said.
"Annoying," Lisa grumbled.
"Dangerous," Brian growled at the same time.
"Cool." Alec finished, eyeing the new girl.
"Fine, fine. I'll stop," Aisha said dismissively. "Just showing off my resume." She posed dramatically then took a stage bow. Lisa couldn't help but grin at the show.
"You're a parahuman?" Brian asked, taking a step closer to her sister.
"Ta-da," Aisha giggled. "You like?"
"How? When?" Brian asked, his voice starting to shake.
Aisha waved her hand dismissively and huffed. "Ehh, a little while ago. Took my a bit to understand it all. Pretty sure Mom forgot who I was for an entire week. So no change there, am I right?" She chuckled like she was telling stand-up, but Brain interrupted her with a hug. "Woah, alright?" Aisha said, confused but accepting of the hug. The hug went on for longer than she was expecting. "Uh, Bro? Brian? This just a hug trap? I promise I won't disappear anymore. Pinkie swear."
Brian squeezed tighter around Aisha, the moment feeling far more serious and private. Lisa turned away grimly, walking off to give the siblings some space. Even Alec stared at his feet as he sunk back down on his couch.
"I'm sorry," Brian whispered through a pained voice. "I'm so sorry. I should've…"
Aisha tensed up in his arms, slowly wrapping her hands around him. Brian was always a stern and sturdy older brother. She knew the reasons, she was there for most of it. That still didn't stop her from teasing the boy for being so boring nowadays. At this moment, she would've preferred stern and sturdy over the emotion he was displaying.
"It's okay…" Aisha said, patting Brian on the back. She felt the way he shook, she felt the tears he tried to hide. She hoped to skip past this bit, that her powers could somehow spare Brian the pain of thinking about the details. That she could show off her new trick without thinking of how she got it in the first place. "It's okay. It's not your fault." Aisha said again, softer as she squeezed him back. "I was just… wrong place, wrong time." She didn't want to elaborate. "Besides, I survived."
Brian had never explained his powers, but he didn't hide them either. Aisha knew from day one that Brain was a parahuman, he told her himself, including the circumstances that triggered him.
After several more moments of serious hugging, Brian composed himself and finally let her go. Aisha didn't feel like showing off anymore, so she simply walked to the couch and sat on the edge.
"You all good now?" Lisa asked, looking between both siblings. Aisha nodded as Brian took a moment more to wipe his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm good," Brian nodded, sighing before turning back to Aisha. "So, where do we go from here?"
"You said something about a resume?" Alec chimed up.
"Oh yeah," Aisha said, her energy bouncing back. "Now that I know what you do. I was thinking-"
"No," Brian said bluntly. "Just no. There's no way in hell-"
"What? Come on." Aisha whined.
"Aishe, no," Brian said, trying to shut down the conversation.
"Aishe, yes" His sister rebutted.
"A Stranger would be useful," Lisa thought aloud. Brian shot her a murderous glare. "Just saying."
"I can be so useful!" Aisha said, nodding in agreement. "I'm like the mysterious espionage chick."
"It's too dangerous!" Brian shot back.
"It's not like anyone will notice her." Alec thought aloud, earning another murderous glare.
"Exactly," Aisha said, smiling at Alec. "I'll be a ghost. No one will know I'm there. Not even you."
"We just hired someone," Brian said to Lisa. Hoping that business logic would help his case.
"And? What's one more?" Lisa said back with a grin.
"I can't believe I'm even having this conversation." Brian sighed, rubbing his temple.
"That's what? Two votes yes, one vote no?" Aisha said, giggling with excitement.
"I'm sure Taylor would vote yes," Lisa added.
"She's new," Brian argued.
"So she doesn't get to vote?" Alec asked. "Wow, that's cruel."
"No, I mean. She does but…" Brian said. "Dammit, that's not how we operate. We all have to be in agreement. And I'm voting no."
"But the majority," Aisha whined.
"Besides," Brian added. "We all know that Rachel sure as shit wouldn't vote yes."
"Who's Rachel?" Aisha asked.
"She didn't vote yes for Taylor," Lisa said smugly. "We still went with the majority."
"Enough with the voting crap," Brain said. "It's not going to happen. It's never going to happen. And even if we were voting, you can't assume how Taylor would vote, she's not here. The majority hasn't voted yes. Therefore, not happening."
There was a short silence as Lisa had no real rebuttal to Brian's argument. Much to Aisha's dismay, she let the point drop. The silence was then interrupted by the front door opening and several dogs running through.
Everyone watched as Rachel walked in, back from her morning dog walk to prepare breakfast for the pups. She strolled in casually and stopped as she noticed all four people looking at her.
"What?" She grumbled, sensing something was off. "Good fucking morning to you too."
Rachel kept walking into the kitchen section of the room and opened the fridge. Alec climbed up closer to Aisha and nudged her. Gesturing to the grumpy girl who just walked in.
"Um, hey-o." Aisha waved back to the girl.
Rachel froze in place and looked at Aisha for the first time.
"Fuck, I thought you were the new girl," Rachel sighed. "Where's the bug girl? Who's this?"
"Taylor's at school," Lisa said, ignoring Rachel's glare. "This is Aisha. She wants to join our team."
"Fuck no," Rachel huffed before taking a swig out of a water bottle. She poured the rest into the three dog bowls at her feet. "Bad enough we're splitting the cash five ways now. I ain't sharing with some random chick."
Brian couldn't help but sigh in relief. At least one person on the team was backing him, even without knowing it. There was no way in hell he'd allow Aisha to join the Undersiders. He'd take her home, the two of them could talk in private about what they would do and then he'd put this whole fiasco behind him.
"Aww, boo," Aisha whined. "I just wanted to join my brother's secret clubhouse. It's so much cooler than I thought it was going to be. Come on, let me do some crime. I'll be real good at it."
"No," Brian said, a little more relaxed now. "That's two no's know," He pointed to Lisa before she said anything. "Taylor doesn't count and you know she'd understand my point of view," He turned back to Aisha. "I just want you to be safe, Aishe. I'm doing this for you. I'm not dragging you down with me, okay?"
"Hold the fuck up." Rachel cut in. She looked between Aisha and Brian. "This your sister?"
"Yes," Both Laborn's said.
"And she has powers?" Rachel asked.
Aisha appeared next to Rachel a short moment later.
"Yes," she chirped.
Brian got a horrible feeling in his gut.
"Why didn't you fucking say so?" Rachel sighed. "Yeah, sure. She can join."
"What!?" Brian balked.
"Yay!" Aisha jumped up.
"Packs gotta stay together," Rachel mumbled before leading her dogs off into her room.
"So that's three yeses to your one no," Lisa giggled. "Just for those who are counting."
"No, no no no," Brian said, shaking his head.
Lisa ignored him and moved to shake Aisha's hand. "Oh, I'm Lisa, I've heard a lot about you."
"Alec," Alec introduced himself from across the room.
Brian continued to speak out against the idea but everyone else ignored him.
"So, what did you think this place was?" Lisa asked while shaking hands. "Before learning Brian's terrible secret."
"Well I saw him enter," Aisha said. "And then I saw you and thought, oh pretty blonde, secret girlfriend. But then the other girl came in and I started thinking… Damn, my bro has some game after all. But then the tall girl left and I managed to get inside and saw him," She pointed to Alec. "Then… well no, I guess it could still work?"
Lisa giggled.
Brian stomped his foot. "Alright, no. Aishe, that's it. I'm putting my foot down. There is absolutely, no way in hell that I'm ever going to-"
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A few weeks later – Late Afternoon
"Skitter, ready to go?" Brian asked behind the door, placing on his mask. The Undersiders were mounting up on dogs, about to commit yet another act of villainy. "Come on, we're on a time limit here."
"In a minute!" Taylor called out from her room. "Just putting on my mask!" She added.
Lisa and Alec both giggled as Brian sighed.
"Seriously, why did you think this a good idea?" Brian groaned at Lisa.
"Oh relax," Aisha said, leaning on Brian's shoulder. "She's worth it, remember."
Brian stared blankly back at the demon mask Aisha was wearing. The exact same question ran through his head as he looked at her.
"Almost done!" Taylor called out again, followed by a surprised yelp and a crash as something inside the room fell over. "All good, I'm all good. Coming out now."
Aisha and Lisa giggled.
Skitter's door finally opened, and the 'villain' stepped out. A dark swarm was climbing up into her hair and backpack, adding to the disgustingly terrifying visage of Skitter. "Let's go," Taylor said, her mask now adding a muffle that made her all the more mysterious.
"See," Aisha practically squealed. "Terror incarnate right there. Also, she has bugs in her hair… so, not it."
"Not it!" Called Alec, quickly as he jumped on one of Rachel's dogs.
"Not it," Lisa added
"Fuck you guys." Rachel barked.
"Not- gah fine…" Brian said too late.
---------------------------------------------------------
It took just under a week of persistent badgering for Brian to even consider taking Aisha along with them on jobs. Officially, the Undersiders were still just a five-man (and three-dog) operation. Even their mysterious backer wasn't made aware of the new hire.
That meant that Imp worked on commission only, an idea that Lisa proposed and Brian hesitantly agreed to in the hope that Aisha would give up. Unfortunately, Brian knew the feeling of the first paycheck all too well, and there was no denying that the newest member of the team was an indispensable asset. Also, though Brian would never admit it, it did feel good to be working alongside his sister.
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One Break-in Later
The Undersiders didn't go back to base, instead, they found a quiet spot to lay low as they all dismounted. Rachel took watch as Brian, Aisha and Alec took stock of the stolen loot. Lisa was inspecting the stolen tech, which did indeed look like some odd metal paperweight, before placing it into a separate, small sack.
"Urgh, I feel so conflicted handling this stuff." Aisha groaned, fishing through her bag of loot.
"Why?" Alec asked with a smile. "Because he had to terrorise a family to get it?"
Aisha chuckled, "Nah, fuck that. Because all the jewellery I found in the bedroom looks good, yet it's like tainted and shit from being owned by nazi fucks." She held out a silvery necklace as an example. "My mind says I'd look great with this, but my heart says I should burn it."
"Good thing we're selling it then," Brian cut in, taking the necklace from Aisha's hand and putting it into the bag for metals.
"Hey," Aisha whined. "I hadn't decided yet."
"Imp," Brian sighed. "How many times have I told you, we can't keep expensive souvenirs. That's how we get caught. We sell hot commodities and buy yourself something nice after the fact."
Aisha rolled her eyes and returned to sorting her loot.
"Alright, Regent, Skitter, Imp and Bitch will stash the loot until it can be picked up," Brian spoke up over the group. "T and me will deliver the tech and get our pay. We can all break from there."
"Can I go with you two?" Taylor asked, acting like awkward Taylor instead of badass Skitter.
"Fine, whatever." Brian groaned, "We could use the scare factor to keep them from doing anything stupid. Just don't go overboard. In fact, don't do anything at all. Stay with T and don't talk."
Aisha couldn't figure Taylor out, she flipped-flopped from being the biggest, most awkward nerd on the planet to being the scariest motherfucker she'd ever met. At first, she was worried that the girl had a crush on Brian. He didn't really go for the nerdy type, it would've been sad to see her trying so hard. It didn't take long for Aisha to pick up on which member of the team Skitter was really interested in.
"So, after we stash this, wanna get some lunch?" Aisha asked her remaining teammates.
Rachel hummed in the negative but Alec nodded. She climbed on the dog with him as the three prepared to leave. The dogs shooting off down the street.
"Burn it or wear it?" Alec asked as they rushed back to base.
"What?" Aisha asked back.
"The necklace?" Alec said, reaching into his shirt to pull out the necklace from earlier. "We want it, or do I get to start a fire?"
Aisha looked to the necklace in Alec's hand, then to the boy who was holding it. He acted so carefree around everyone, another person Aisha couldn't figure out. No matter, she took the necklace and placed it around her next.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A Few Days Later
"I'm here," Taylor called out as she entered the Undersider's base.
Lisa welcomed Taylor with her usual grin and Brian gave a friendly nod. The two were already discussing the specifics of whatever job the Undersiders were planning to do next.
"Catch!" Aisha called out the second Taylor looked in her direction.
Alec waved Taylor over as Aisha threw the game controller at her. The girl was quickly ushered onto the couch by the two youngest members. They both sat on either side of Taylor while Aisha quickly ran her through the basics of the controls. Aisha tried not to laugh as Taylor held the controller 'like a mom' with several fingers on the joystick like it was an old arcade machine.
For as much as a nerd Taylor was, she was terrible with tech. Aisha had to spend a solid hour explaining to Taylor how to use a phone and how text lingo worked. Video games were an entirely different beast that brought about no end to the entertainment from watching her struggle. One positive thing Aisha could say about Taylor was that she never gave up, no matter how many times she died in a video game. It was almost inspiring, if it wasn't embarrassing how much Taylor was a 40-year-old woman in a 15-year-old's body.
Lisa quickly stole her away, grilling her about a new friend she'd made at school. Was that jealousy Aisha was sensing? Not a good look for ole Tattletale. Between the way Lisa kept digging and the way Taylor was squirming, Aisha was desperate to know what gossip she was missing out on.
Unfortunately, Brian cut in with another boring job.
"Alright, clear your schedules, we got work this Saturday." Brian began, looking around the room. "Another smash'n'grab. Well, smash mainly, but we're free to take any loot we find."
Alright, the jobs were never boring. But Brian could make even crime sound like a basic corporate job. Aisha could just picture Brian dressed up in a suit and tie, drinking some coffee and saying shit like, 'Alright team, time to file those taxes and submit those Excel documents.'
Lisa moved to talk, "This job comes from the boss themself, so make sure to be 'extra' smashy."
This caught Aisha's attention. She did like being smashy.
"I'll bring my good baseball bat, no worries," Alec said.
"Who's the target?" Taylor asked, hoping that it'd be another Nazi or someone of the like.
"Just some poor elderly man who selling junk," Lisa explained. "Okay, it's not that bad. It's drugs, he's selling drugs from his store. However, he didn't go through the proper channels, old dude thinks he can set up shop as an independent and no one will know. Well, people know. We're trying to scare him out of doing business in the bay. Before someone worse, like the ABB, decide to give a more permanent message."
"Wait, we don't deal in drugs do we?" Taylor asked.
Both Brian and Aisha spoke in angry unison, "No."
"We don't touch the stuff, don't know why the boss cares, but I have no problem torching the place," Brian added.
"Yeah, fire!" Alec chuckled.
"That was hyperbole…" Brian sighed, "We're not burning the place down, just smashing it up."
"Aww man…" Aisha whined, comforting the also disappointed Alec.
---------------------------------------------------
The Following Saturday Morning – Brockton Bay Mall
Aisha giggled with delight as the bat smashed through several expensive-looking vases. There was something infinitely satisfying about getting to break shit with no regard for anything. Her next target was some porcelain cupid baby-looking thing. Slamming the bat directly down on it, it exploded with a satisfying pop.
She looked up over to what the rest of her team was doing. Tattletale and Grue were ransacking the back storage room, bagging the cash and destroying whatever drugs were in there. Skitter and Bitch were on the other side of the store, beating various shelves full of useless junk.
Regent was playing improvised baseball with the dog. Picking up random junk and hitting it off out of the store, at which point, one of Bitch's three large dogs would give chase and return the object in even worse condition.
"What you go there, Skitter?" Tattletale called out, carrying a large bag of money over her shoulder.
Skitter was holding a raccoon plush toy, the juxtaposition between the cute toy and the scary villain was not lost on Aisha's sense of humour.
"Oh, I see," Tattletale smiled. "Don't think she'd like that gift if I'm being honest."
"It's for me," Skitter said back, placing the toy in her bag.
Aisha didn't know who they were talking about but it was funny to imagine a toy so cute that would bring out the inner Taylor from Skitter.
"You good there, Imp?" Grue said from behind her.
"Yeah," Aisha said nonchalantly. She always felt weird talking to 'Grue.' It was so obviously Brian under that mask, that it felt silly to call each other by different names. During jobs, Grue would talk to her so formally, like he was pretending that they weren't related. She understood the reasoning, but it still felt weird at times.
"You smash anything fun?" Aisha asked, lining her bat up on the next porcelain statue.
"Depends on your take on fun," Grue said. "But there's a few less bricks of coke in the bay at least."
Aisha stopped her swing and took a step back, gesturing to Grue to take the shot instead. Grue looked at the statue and then at his watch.
"Come on, Bro," Aisha whined. "Have some fun for once in a while."
Grue sighed. No doubt he resisted the urge to chastise her for calling him 'Bro' while in costume. He took out his bat and lined up the shot, swinging a powerful blow that shattered across the store.
"He shoots, he scores!" Aisha cheered out. She picked up a few smaller statues and chucked them in Grue's direction. "Ey batta batta, swing batta batta!" She teased as Grue successfully smashed them all in a row.
She could hear the suppressed chuckle of Brain under the mask, which in turn caused Aisha to laugh harder.
Working with the Undersiders had its ups and downs. Some days it would be a stressful fight, others could be a boring stakeout with Tattletale. The money was nice, and the entertainment value couldn't be beaten. But it was moments like these that Aisha really cherished. Not a team of villains smashing up a store, but a group of friends, having fun… while smashing up a store.
The team inspected their work while they mounted up onto the dogs. The place was completely demolished. Aisha couldn't imagine the shop could look worse if she tried. And then Regent tried.
"Hold up," He said before climbing onto his dog, stopping anyone from getting on Angelica. He fished out a standard tennis ball from his hand before showing it to Bitch. "May I?"
Bitch shrugged but whistled and pointed at Regent.
"Fetch!" Regent yelled, throwing the ball into the remains of the store. Seconds later, Angelica crashed through and flattened anything that remained standing.
The rest of the team cheered and clapped at the explosive finish. Regent took a bow as Angelica returned, covered in bits of rubble. The dog shook it off and dropped the ball gently by Regent's feet. How the giant beast didn't swallow the ball whole was a mystery.
The laughter and cheer were quickly cut off by Skitter declaring. "Cops are on their way."
Grue swore as the team scrambled on the dogs. Aisha was still cackling as they rode down the late Brockton Bay streets.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Docks – Three Days Later
Regent cackled like a madman as the fire burned. Imp danced around him, using an aerosol can to spread the fire even further.
"Dammit Regent!" Grue barked, from across the room. "Warn us before you start torching the place. I wasn't ready yet."
"Burn! Burn!" Regent and Imp laughed as they set fire to more things.
They ignored Grue's complaints as they gleefully ran about to find more flammable material to ignite. Imp spotted a nice little stash of chemicals in the main lab, she had no idea what they were, only being able to identify one as some kind of medical-grade cleaning product.
Imp shrugged as she lit a makeshift firebomb, hoping that at least some of these chemicals proved to be the fun and explody type. With a careless underhand, she lobbed it at the center of the room.
A small explosion went off in the main lab. Fire mixing with chemicals. Imp whooped in awe as she felt the heat grow.
"Damn, I wanted to do that," Regent whined playfully.
"Too bad, I saw it first," Imp giggled, raising her arms to the fiery chaos. Another smaller crackle came from the fire as she watched her work with pride. She turned back to Regent, a wide smile behind her mask, noticing that the boy was staring at her over the colourful fire behind them. "What?" Imp asked, cocking her head.
"Nothing," Regent replied. "Just admiring the view."
Imp laughed a little louder, her voice echoing through the burning room. She struck a pose, revelling in the chaotic beauty that surrounded them. "Damn right. It is pretty hot, isn't it?"
The two members had a habit of flirting back and forth with each other. Aisha wasn't sure if she did it because she actually liked the kid, or because she knew that Brian wouldn't approve. Possibly a little bit of both. It was really a psychological game of chicken. The two were trying to see how close they could get before one pulled away. So far, neither of them did, so the game went on.
How real the game would end up was up to debate.
Either way, she didn't care. Alec made her feel good, he was quickly becoming her favourite member of the team, baring her brother, and she could admit that she enjoyed the attention the boy gave her.
Imp leaned in, looking at Regent's mask. While the two masks they wore were emotionless, there was a certain warmth to the eyes hidden inside. They were both grinning like idiots while the world burnt down around them.
A gunshot rang out, alerting both of them to a man running for his life. Grue's smoke was already covering the area but Imp and Regent could still see the fleeing man.
Regent made a gun out of his fingers and said, "Bang."
The man fell face-first into the pavement, which caused Regent and Imp to break into another fit of giggles. Then Skitter caught up to the man and did her thing, Imp basically considered him dead after that.
"Imp," Grue hissed, pointing to her. "Go dark, now!"
Just as Skitter started to go psycho bitch on the poor man, Grue gave her an order. Some heroes were right outside and everyone was about to go loud, which meant she had to go dark and sneak away.
------------------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – A Couple Weeks Later
Tattletale held her signature smug grin at Grue while the man pouted in the corner.
"What are you smirking at?" Grue asked.
"Nothing," Tattletale said, "Just thinking about how much of a scary villain you are."
"Shut up." Grue huffed in jest. "Are we doing this or what?"
"So impatient." Tattletale huffed back. "We're already doing this. Just stay there and act the part."
"You still haven't told me why I'm 'acting the part?'" Grue replied sarcastically. "I hate Shadow Stalker more than anyone on the team, but baiting her to attack me is just asking for trouble."
"Trust me, this will all make sense tomorrow." Tattletale waved away the question. "You two ready for your part?" She asked the other two people waiting alongside them.
Imp inspected the scene as Tattletale, her two mercs and Grue ran through their plan. Lisa wasn't aware that Aisha was in the room when she originally pitched her idea to Brian, but any plan that involved fucking with Shadow Stalker was a plan that Aisha wanted to get in on.
Tattletale clicked her fingers and pointed in a vague direction. Her method of telling Imp to reappear and give her a report. Aisha found it funny how wrong her guesses could be about Imp's current location.
"I'll be in position, waiting for the swap," Imp said, chuckling as the two mercs jumped with surprise.
"Perfect. Then we spring the trap and exit out the back." Tattletale said with a smile.
"And how does this trap does anything other than piss her off?" Grue asked. "And why is it worth possibly getting shot for."
"That's for me to know and you to find out, Sweetcheeks," Tattletale said, patting Grue's helmet.
Aisha let out a chuckle, to which she could feel Brian's glare under his helmet. This only served to make her laugh louder.
Tattletale checked her phone and smiled. "Alright boys!… and Imp," Tattletale said as she clapped her hands. "It's showtime. I want to see everyone's game faces. And Dimitri? Remember I still need you for that other thing soon."
Imp gave a mock salute and watched as everyone around her forgot she existed. Grue and the merc started acting out some fake drug deal or the like. As much as Aisha would've loved to see Brian's acting skills, she had a job to do.
Entering into the backroom, Imp found the Grue mannequin that she, Lisa and Brian had put together. It was remarkably put together for the short amount of time that they had. At closer inspection, it looked more like a cheap dollar-store Halloween costume of Grue, but in a dark room at night, no one would know until it was too late.
Lifting the motorcycle helmet on the dummy, she inspected the meat that hid underneath. It was a disturbing sight. Smooth, cold skin lay where one would expect a face. Lisa had explained that the entire thing was filled with animal meat and blood which gave it a realistic weight and feel to it all. Aisha pulled out a small marker pen from her pocket and drew a face on the mannequin.
Part of her wished that she had some googly eyes to stick on, picturing Shadow Stalker's utter confusion when she removed the helmet to see some goofy-ass-looking face staring back at her. Instead, Imp pulled out her notebook and wrote a little message.
'Fuck You. Look up and smile.'
Complete with a smiley face and a little doodle of Tattletale giving the finger.
Aisha could hear the commotion outside, she stuffed the note into the helmet and shut the visor. Then she waited in position for the swap.
Tattletale burst through the door and ran to the first exit. The second Grue showed his mask, Imp pushed the mannequin up and pulled her brother down. The two siblings were already out of the room by the time they heard Tattletale scream, "Gruuue!"
They were both panting and laughing as they ran around the next block. Once they were sure they ran far enough, they took a short break to catch their breath. Tattletale was already waiting for them at the rendezvous.
"And that's a wrap," Tattletale chuckled, holding her hand up for a high five. "Great job team."
Imp clapped it and turned back to her brother, who also gave her a high five.
"So what happens next?" Imp asked, looking between both teammates. "Did we get the footage? Please tell me we got the footage."
"Yes, we got the foot-" Tattletale began, she was shortly interrupted by the sound of sirens and a crash. "Damn, they got here fast."
All three looked around the corner to see the PRT busting down every door and window of the room they were just in.
Grue backed up, tugging Imp on the shoulder. He looked to Tattletale with what was probably an annoyed glare.
"What the hell is this?" He asked, ducking around the corner.
"It's fine," Tattletale waved the question away. "All part of the plan."
"The plan?" Grue hissed back. "You didn't mention the PRT. We just were going to get video for an arrest."
"And now we have an arrest," Tattletale sighed back. "It's all a win, man. What's the problem?"
"Dammit," Grue huffed. "You should've told me in advance. Imp was right there. What if they saw her?"
"Bro, seriously?" Imp asked sarcastically. "Who's going to see me?"
"Not the point, Imp." Grue sighed, shaking his head. "You should've told me."
"You would've said no," Tattletale said back, which only served to annoy Grue more.
"Come on, Imp," Grue said, walking away. "We're going home."
"You'll thank me later," Tattletale called out. She pulled her phone up to her ear. "Yeah? Vicky? Everything went great. Meet you on the roof? Okay, see ya soon."
"Vicky?" Imp asked, looking at Tattletale.
Tattletale jumped in surprise and almost dropped her phone.
"Ahh!" She fumbled for a bit then returned to her usual neutral smile. "I didn't realise you were still here." Imp stared back at her wordlessly. "Uh… forget you heard that… Hello? Did you go for real now?"
---------------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – The Following Morning
Brian snatched the beer right out of Aisha's hand.
"Hey," She whined. "It's supposed to be a party."
Brian refused to comment, taking a sip from the drink he stole and pointing to the fridge that contained Lisa's nonalcoholic drinks. Aisha sighed as Lisa handed her a red cup filled with lemonade.
When the Undersiders decided to get together to celebrate Shadow Stalker's arrest, Aisha was hoping to let loose and enjoy herself. Unfortunately, Brian continued to be the overprotective big brother. Even when using her powers, Brian had counted exactly how many drinks there were and who was drinking what. The moment a cider went missing from the esky, Brian would call out.
Aisha sat down on the couch and pouted. Filling her face with chips as Alec opened his third bottle of cider for the morning. He reached out for the chip bowl, which wasn't all that far from where he sat. With an over-exaggerated movement, he 'accidentally' spilled his cider into Aisha's empty cup.
Aisha looked from her now-filling cup and back up to Alec. The boy gave him a sly wink as he grabbed a handful of chips. Aisha sent one back his way as she took a sip. Ignoring, or outright enjoying the way he stared at her lips.
"Aishe!" Brian barked out.
Both Aisha and Alec turned away from each other.
"What?" She called out.
"Just checking you're still there," Brian said, a little calmer.
A knock on the door signalled that their final party guest had arrived. Alec stood up and sauntered over to the front door.
"Heyyy. Skitter's here!" Alec cheered as he opened the door. The rest of the team cheered and whistled as they welcomed the confused girl in. "Come on, Bugs. You need to catch up."
--------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – A Few Days Later
Aisha sat on the couch, doing her homework. While Brian had relented and let her join the Undersiders, that didn't mean he let her skimp out on school. She didn't go to a fancy school like Arcadia, instead attending the nearby Clarendon High. Clarendon had the added bonus of not caring when Aisha disappeared for work, as her teachers wouldn't remember if she didn't make it to class.
Alec lay on the end of the couch, his legs casually resting on Aisha's lap. He seemed content enough to stay there while he read his book.
Brian was too busy arguing on the phone to notice, plus there was a high chance he wasn't even aware that Aisha was even there. Taylor and Lisa walked into the base, the former looking far more nervous than usual.
Taylor stopped as she spotted Alec, a look of confused disbelief on her face as she read the cover in Alec's hand.
"What?" Alec asked. "I know how to read. I'm not Rachel."
"I didn't-" Taylor began to defend herself, but Alec only chuckled.
Then Brian started complaining to the team about his problem with the mould in the bathroom walls. Aisha didn't really care, Brian was overreacting as usual. She shut out this discussion as she worked through her current math problems.
"Woah. Okay." Brian said in surprise. Alerting Aisha that something had changed.
Lisa was in the middle of making out with the nerd. A blatant display of public affection.
"Lisa!" Taylor whined pathetically once she pulled herself free, "You promised that we'd do it my way."
"Yeah, but this was more fun." Lisa giggled through her smug smile. A smile that she then pointed towards Brian. "Yeah, this is a thing now."
"Congratulations," Brian said was a drawl, "I'll let HR know."
Lisa chuckled at the joke and then pouted. "Aww, boo. I was looking forward to a bigger reaction."
"Pfft," Alec said, completely uninterested, turning back to his book. "I thought you two were already a thing."
"Same," Aisha said looking back at her homework. "Caught you two locking lips at the party."
"Come back when you have something new to tell us." Alec waved them off.
"In that case," Lisa added, wiggling her eyebrows, and throwing her arm around Taylor. "We're actually part of a throuple." She held up three fingers to Brian to illustrate her point. "Give ya three guesses who the final girl is."
"Lisa, I swear to God, if you've somehow roped Aisha into-" Brian sighed.
"Bro, seriously?" Aisha squawked out in surprise.
"What? No." Lisa barked out with a laugh. "Could you imagine?" Lisa shot a flirty wink Aisha's way.
"Do you actually think I'm gay?" Aisha asked.
"What? No…" Brian mumbled. "Maybe. It's okay if you are…"
"Oh, my god!" Aisha whined. "I'm not. What? Seriously."
Lisa rolled her eyes, feeling the conversation drifting away from her. "It's Glory Girl."
The conversation broke out into back-and-forth arguments and jokes about the latest development. Complete with an admission about Glory Girl's hand in the Shadow Stalker Sting.
The commotion was broken as Rachel joined the conversation.
"What are we all yelling about?" Rachel grumbled.
"Those two are hooking up now," Alec explained.
Rachel gave a small nod of approval. "Not a bad catch."
"They also bagged Glory Girl into their little 'ménage á trios,' if you catch my drift," Alec added. Rachel did not catch his drift. "They're also hooking up with Glory Girl."
Rachel asked if she could join in the fun and was promptly shot down by Taylor. The tall girl was shrinking down into herself with embarrassment. Rachel took the rejection like a champion and kept on strolling, leaving the team very bewildered.
After a small amount of time, Aisha spoke up again.
"Okay, but can we go back to the part where my own brother thought I was gay?" She asked, staring daggers into Brian.
"I had a feeling. I was wrong." He shrugged apologetically.
"A feeling?" Aisha said back with finger quotes. "What does that even mean?"
"Well, you…" Brian started, gesturing at her. "You know…"
"What?" Aisha asked mockingly.
"The purple hair dye," Brian admitted.
The remaining Undersiders stared at him and sighed with exhausted disappointment.
"Oh my god." Aisha sighed again in exaggeration.
"Seriously?" Lisa said with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that even a stereotype?" Taylor asked.
"You're the worst Brian," Alec added.
---------------------------------------------------------
Undersiders Base – A Little While Later
Aisha and Alec were alone on the couch. The two were very comfortable together these days. It was hard to quantify what exactly they were to each other.
Ever since Brian's comment, Aisha felt extra motivated to play her game with Alec. The two of them were closer than ever without ever bringing up the concept of a relationship or dating. Neither of them had really talked about it, things just happened. They enjoyed each other's company. They always found an excuse to lean and sit on each other. And then their game of chicken had reached an all-time high point.
Aisha stared at her arm as it swayed from side to side. It felt so foreign for her, as the boy controlled her movements.
"Woah," She said, watching as her thumb touched each individual finger. "How much movement can you give it?"
"The normal amount," Alec explained, watching it unfold from across the couch. "I can't contort your arm if that's what you're wondering."
"That's a shame," Aisha joked. "This is prime horror movie shit." She turned over to Alec. "Now do the leg."
Immediately, she felt her leg give up control. It wasn't numb but she could feel where the control cut off, shifting her hip in an attempt to wiggle free.
"Might need to do both," Alec wondered out loud. "Else you'll fall over."
He waited for Aisha to give consent, nodding her head before she lost full control of her lower body. Once done, Aisha wobbled slightly before standing up straight.
"Walk me, I wanna feel it," She said. Far too excited for someone who was losing control of her body.
She started marching back and forth in front of the boy. Every time she tried to turn one way, her body would counterbalance and keep her on the track Alec had set it.
"Alright, now you try," Alec said, gesturing to her as she walked away.
Activating her power, Alec forgot all about Aisha and his control over her. Her legs relaxed as Aisha was able to turn herself around. A very bored and confused Alec was sitting on the couch, contemplating turning on the television.
"It worked, as usual," Aisha said, returning to the couch.
"Well, there you go." Alec smiled back. "Catch and release. Now don't tell Brian else he'll gut me."
"Hang on," Aisha said, shaking the boy. "We're not done yet. I wanted to experience full loss of control."
Alec sighed and looked her over.
"Fine, fine." He said, rubbing his hands together. "But I'm keeping your mouth free. Usually, they can't talk back unless I let em."
Aisha felt the sensation again. As Alec warned her beforehand, the body-snatching attempt was far quicker than their earlier experiments. Alec now knew Aisha's body well enough to take control whenever he wanted.
The total loss of control was a somewhat different feeling. There was no real cut-off point, unlike when it was just an arm or legs. Even her mind felt fogged by the loss of control. Alec ran her through some basic poses and movements, showing off his control and how 'human' he could make his puppets look.
"Well shit," Aisha said. It was hard to speak properly with her face being controlled. "This is trippy. You could make me do anything." She teased.
"You're right." Alec chuckled back. "And you know, now that I've got you. There's one thing that I've always wanted from you."
"Oh yeah?" Aisha said back, trying to lean closer to him but not able to. "What would that be?"
Alec smirked and waved his hand. Marching Aisha off behind the couch. There was a brief moment of panic where Aisha thought she'd be marched right into one of the bedrooms, but instead, her legs took her directly into the kitchen, where she was powerless to stop herself.
A few moments later, Aisha returned with a sandwich on a plate. Alec took the food and smiled. He leaned back into his seat as he ate his lunch.
"Asshole," Aisha laughed as Alec released control of her body.
"This is a good sandwich," Alec said through a mouthful of food.
Aisha stole the second half to take a giant bite out of it. She hummed as she chewed, giving Alec a smug expression. Alec gave her a playful glare back at her, to which Aisha grinned, sticking her tongue out before taking another bite out of it.
"Honestly," Aisha said, also through a mouthful of food. "A sandwich? I was kinda hoping you'd make me kiss you or something."
Alec's playful glare shifted to a look of pure contempt. Aisha worried that she'd finally taken things too far. They reached the end of their little game, and it was all just a game.
"No," Alec said sharply. "I wouldn't use my powers to kiss you. Or anything of the sort."
Aisha picked up the pace of her chewing, trying to swallow down her food as quickly as possible. This just got awkward, she needed to make her escape. How she wished she could just disappear. Oh, wait, she can disappear. She should do that. Right now. Right, now. Riiiight now.
"Oh, I see," Aisha said, trying to hide the pain in her voice. She slowly picked herself up from the couch, readying herself to leave.
Alec placed a hand on Aisha's leg to stop her. She looked at the hand and then back up to the boy it belonged to.
"What?" She asked, confused and anxious.
"I said, I wouldn't use my powers," Alec explained. His other hand reached up and held Aisha by the chin. "I didn't say I wouldn't kiss you."
He leaned in and kissed her softly. Aisha couldn't help but melt. It was soft and tender, the first kiss they shared together. And the first kiss Aisha ever had.
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Undersiders Base – A Few Hours ago.
"Alright, Lise," Brian grumbled shortly after Taylor walked in the door. "You got us all together. What's the emergency?"
"Just give us a moment," Lisa responded as she welcomed Taylor with a hug.
"I thought you called this meeting?" Rachel huffed, looking at Brian. "Fuck, this better be a new job else I'm out. I got stuff to do."
Brian put up a calming hand to Rachel as she leaned back against the wall, She stood in her usual spot during team meetings. Alec was also in his usual spot, laid out across the couch, his legs resting along Aisha's lap.
"For once, I agree with Rae-rae," Alec sighed sarcastically. "I had plans today, so if this isn't about making more money then I'm gonna get bored, real quick."
"You had plans?" Brian asked. "I barely see you move from this couch. At all."
"Like you're home all the time," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Contrary to what you all think of me, I do have a life outside this team. Usually, I prefer having a three-day heads-up before we plan anything. I'd hate for this job to start feeling like work."
Alec stretched out along the couch like a cat and cuddled up closer to Aisha, pretending he was ready to doze off.
"Alright, I'll bite," Brian said with a grin. "What plans are we interrupting?"
Alec peeked an eye open, looking at Aisha. They were halfway through their date before Brian called them both back in for this meeting. He looked at Brian and smiled smugly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Aisha smacked his leg, and then the team got to work.
Chapter 27: She'll protect the people she loves
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2023
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Coil's Base – Afternoon
"Delta Team, what's your status?"
"They're breaking through the door!"
"Control, they've made it to Section C."
"Pull back. Fire and movement."
"We're cut off!"
"Hold position, Delta."
"Where's our backup?!"
"Charlie is moving to reinforce."
"They're not slowing down!"
"Charlie, what's your ETA?"
"Main entrance to C section blocked. Finding alternative route through the east wing. ETA, Three minutes."
"Delta, Charlie will be reinforcing you in three minutes from the East Wing."
"…"
"Delta, confirm message received?"
"…"
"Charlie, Delta has gone dark, need status update."
"Wait one. Entering Section C now… Doing a sweep."
"Do you have eyes on the intruders?"
"Control, We have eyes on Delta. No signs of intruders. All down, moving to check vital status."
"Delta's status is secondary. Confirm intruders' location. ASAP."
"Control, intruders are heading west. I repeat, heading west."
"Confirmed, directing Echo Team to intercept. Proceed to flank intruders."
"Roger, Charlie team is… Does anyone else hear that buzzing?… Oh what the fu-"
"Say again, Charlie? Charlie, I said say again."
"…"
"Echo, this is Control. Delta and Charlie are MIA. Intruders are heading west toward you. Hold down Section D. Do not let them through."
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It was a massacre.
Alpha team was wiped out in the first few minutes. The door held them back the most, and even that didn't put up much of a fight. The ten-ton blast-proof door was merely a time waster compared to the true strength of Glory Girl.
Once the door started to budge, Skitter sent her swarm in ahead. By the time the door was properly ripped from its hinges, Bravo Team was already wiped out.
It was some kind of sick joke. Millions of dollars of security, years of construction, non-stop training drills and preparing for a day that the PRT, Empire or Lung might be battering down the gates. And two teenage parahumans with a temper pulled it all apart.
If it was Glory Girl alone, the mercenaries would've had no trouble. A solid shot from any automatic weapon could take her out. But the sheer number of bugs that Skitter had summoned made it nigh impossible to get a clear shot. And those bugs were brutal when she let loose.
They trained to fight capes in the streets, hold back Brutes, dodge Blasters, outwit Thinkers, and avoid Shakers. But what kind of training can prepare for an army of insects barraging through an enclosed space? Grenades did nothing but slow them down and bullets were outright usless. All the cameras saw was a fog of black consumed everything.
Coil sat in his panic room, listening to radio updates on the status of his remaining teams. They lost visual through the cameras shortly after Bravo was wiped and it kept going downhill from there. By now the Undersiders would've found his little pet in the basement.
"Sir, we've lost contact with all our teams," the radio called out.
At this point, Coil couldn't see the point of responding. He could tell Control to fight to the last man, but obviously, they were already dead by the sounds of things.
"What should we-" Coil flicked off the radio and sat up at his desk.
He knew what was coming now. He had a chance to escape and he wasted it; trusting in his men to do the job that he damn well paid them to do.
The panic room was soundproof, but Coil could imagine the screams coming from behind the door. As his last line of defence crumbled away, perhaps he should've brought some men in with him, a last-minute surprise attack in the final hour. Staring at the door to the room, he knew that it wasn't going to do anything.
This timeline was burnt. Coil knew that the second he watched Alpha team get wasted. Everything that had transpired since then was simply, research gathering. He knew that his Tattletale had collected information on his base and operation, that much came to no surprise. He also knew that Ms Livsey was in close relations with members of New Wave, to what end, Coil wasn't yet sure but the fact that Victoria Dallon herself showed up to this assault told him that there was a connection.
But it was Skitter's response that was the most enlightening. Coil never considered just how powerful the Undersiders' newest member was until today. There didn't appear to be a limit to how much Skitter could control and her range appeared to reach all throughout the base. She was the linchpin in this entire attack, if Skitter, or more actually, Taylor Hebert was removed from the equation altogether, the Undersiders would've perished at the front door.
The only question that was mulling about Coil's head as he heard the first thud against the door was,
'Do I want to kill her, or can I still make use of her?'
The door bent in on itself as Glory Girl supposedly punched it from the other side. A few more good hits and then it would fall down. Hopefully, Coil would get to talk a bit before Skitter's swarm descended on him.
Coil could hear screaming from the other side. The dents had made enough of a gap that it wasn't soundproof anymore. The scream was less of his mercenaries calling for help and more of the raw anger of Brute tearing into a half-a-million-dollar panic room with her bare hands.
Finally, the door lifted out from the wall as the blonde girl lifted it above her head and chucked it to the side. The swarm moved in immediately, filling the space with all manner of insects. Then Glory Girl kicked Coil's desk into the man as he was pinned against the back wall.
Thankfully the swarm did not kill him just there, nor did Glory Girl break enough bones to cause him to faint. They wanted to talk, to gloat. This would be where Coil got exactly what he needed, find out exactly what went wrong and how to fix it. To determine if Taylor Hebert got the carrot or the stick.
Glory Girl held her foot on the desk, making sure that Coil couldn't reach any weapon in his pockets as Skitter strolled through. The contrast between the two capes was night and day. Skitter dressed in her villainous black, masked bodysuit and Glory Girl in her classic white and gold attire.
"You…" Skitter growled, climbing up onto the desk and grabbing Coil by the neck. "I'm going to fucking kill you."
Interesting, Skitter's emotional response. All his reports on the girl had her as the cold and collected type. He was piecing together what went wrong.
"I take it you don't approve of my methods?" Coil asked drily.
The swarm under his desk started biting. Slowly but surely devouring Coil from the legs up. Coil suppressed any reaction to the pain as they still avoid vital areas. This was a scare tactic and it wasn't going to work. Better people than Skitter had tried torturing him before.
"Your men got a taste of some of the most venomous insects in America." Skitter hissed. "But you won't get that luxury. I'll watch as my swarm devours you slowly until there's nothing left for even the maggots."
Coil suppressed another cry of pain. This was certainly coming up into his top ten deaths he'd experienced and he wasn't looking forward to experiencing it in total. Skitter was obviously not going to give him any real answers, so he focused on the other cape.
"And you, Miss Dallon?" Coil asked, turning to the hero. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. Aiding and abetting the Undersiders as they attack my people. Wilfully standing here as you let Skitter torture and then kill me."
Skitter punched him in the face, this got an audible reaction out of the man.
"Honestly," Glory Girl said with pained contempt in her voice. "I wasn't sure how I felt about all this when it started. I was angry and hurt, still am. A part of me knows that I should arrest you." The swarm calmed its biting as Skitter looked at Glory Girl.
Coil noted the connection between Skitter and Glory Girl. Another piece to the puzzle, the two were emotionally bonded, perhaps that's how Tattletale got involved? In any case, the hero was the voice of reason. Upon closer inspection, tears were running down Glory Girl's face. Coil thought he understood the full picture now.
Coil had enough, he could use this information to formulate a counterattack. A proper one rather than the initial probing strike he did this morning. A simple car bomb for his favourite Thinker had caused so much chaos.
Just as Skitter let up her attack, Glory Girl pressed her foot in harder, squeezing Coil further into the wall.
"But you killed Lisa." Glory Girl hissed. Coil could feel his ribs crushing under the weight. "So I don't really care what happens to you anymore."
Glory Girl kicked off the table and started to walk away. Skitter stayed. As Coil was enveloped in the swarm, he could see those menacing eyes watching him.
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Coil's Base – Late Afternoon – Timeline B
As expected. Coil couldn't simply kill Tattletale and consider the whole mess done with. But it did make clear who exactly he was up against.
The Undersiders, and New Wave. More specifically, Taylor Hebert and Victoria Dallon. Together with Tattletale, those three had proven to be a far more formidable foe than Coil ever suspected.
He needed to act fast, this latest timeline proved that Tattletale had a working plan of attack on his base that could be executed without her. However, Coil still needed to act smart about this, his opponents were an all-seeing Master with seemingly no end to her control and New Wave's golden girl. Neither would be an easy target to hit and both would bring significant backlash onto him once the trigger was pulled.
Now that he was certain who his adversaries were, Coil could expand his circle of trust. Bring more parahumans back into the fold. He made a note to check in on Circus, rehire Faultline and even considered calling those idiotic Uber and Leet. His current countermeasures for Skitter were obviously lacking.
He had to bring the fight to them. Perhaps Coil could kidnap Taylor's father and use the man as bait. He might even work out some plan to turn all three girls against each other. Outing Victoria's relationship with the villains would certainly be a good place to start. Coil started compiling all his data on the three girls, in a few hours, he'd have a foundation for his counterattack, by tomorrow, all three would be neutralised.
"Sir?," A voice behind his door called out after knocking.
"What is it?" Coil said impatiently as he scrolled through files on his computer.
The door opened up to reveal his head of security. The same useless man who was begging for new orders in the other timeline.
"We may have a situation." He explained, walking into the office.
Coil looked up, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. "What kind of situation?"
"Perimeter team are reporting three large dogs are approaching the entrance site," The man held out a tablet with the camera footage for the front door. "Sir, You haven't approved the Undersiders for entry, am I to assume this is a shoot-on-sight situation?"
Coil stood up from his desk. This didn't make any sense. This was the safe timeline. He hadn't made any moves yet, he left Tattletale alone. It's too soon, the week isn't even up yet.
"It's too soon," Coil said to himself. He looked to his head of security, what could he tell him to do differently that would make any sort of effect? "Send Bravo to reinforce Alpha. Don't let them fight indoors. Send everyone else to gather weaponry. Explosives, fire, gas, whatever we have. Conventional weapons won't work on Skitter."
Coil opened his desk drawer and started pulling out anything of value to him.
"Sir," The man saluted. "We'll move you to the panic room."
"No," Coil said, dismissing the suggestion with a wave. "Send everybody. Lead them away from the basement. I'll collect my pet and then leave. I trust you'll handle this before I return."
"Of course, Sir," the man said again, ending his salute.
Coil had no intention of returning. He'd seen how this song and dance played out already. He'd grab Dinah, escape to Boston and return with some help from Accord. If he had a little more time he could've beaten them. No matter, all he had to do was survive the week, and then he could think about revenge.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside Coil's Base
"That's a lot of people with guns," Grue said as they raced towards the large bunker doors. "Think they saw us coming?"
"It doesn't matter," Skitter said coldly. "We have the superior numbers. Just cover our approach and keep your head down."
The dogs halted a street down from the entrance driveway. On the outside, the bunker looked like a construction site that had never made any real progress. Officially the project was on hold because of various labour shortages and inefficient management. That was the cover for how Coil kept this base hidden in plain sight. Not that it mattered anymore, it was hard to hide a secret base when you had thirty or so mercenaries standing out the front in full tactical gear, along with an armoured Humvee for support.
"Alright, Skitter," Grue said, sliding up to her with the rest of the team. "What's the play?"
Skitter stood motionless for a few seconds as her bugs surveyed the scene. The fact that no one had started shooting meant that they were hopping their show of force was enough to dissuade any would-be attackers.
"Snipers hidden in the construction crane. I count four." Skitter explained. "Grue cover us and the surrounding area, make them think we're here in full. I'll send my swarm in to deal with the bulk on the ground. Deimos, can you take out the snipers once they're distracted?"
Deimos, or Victoria under her mask, nodded at the suggestion. Her new costume would make her nearly invisible in the air.
"Once it's safe, Bitch can send her dogs in to take care of that vehicle." Skitter continued. Bitch nodded in agreement. "Then Deimos can tear down that door and we can really get to work." Her swarm gathered into a huge heaping mass that moved towards the positioned mercenaries. Gunfire erupted from the streets. "Go, now!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Inside Coil's Base
Tattletale carefully walked through one of the side entrances of the base. Dimitri led her through a back passageway that would avoid most of the cameras. Unfortunately, it meant that they didn't have access to much of the base until Imp did her thing.
Her plan was very simple. Find Coil before Skitter does and put a bullet between his eyes. Judging by the frantic orders that were being shouted over Dimitri's radio, she didn't have all that much time to find the snake.
"Coil ordered most teams to set up position by the main entrance," Dimitri explained as he led her through. "Teams A to E are already engaging your friends, F and G are acting as support and Hotel Team-" As he opened the door Tattletale and Regent were faced with thirteen armed mercenaries. Regent shifted into a fighting position but Tattletale stepped forward and shook the first Mercenary's hand. "-Are at your disposal."
Regent relaxed and turned to follow her lead.
"Does that mean you come with room service?" Regent asked. Tattletale and the team ignored his joke.
"Any idea where Coil is?" Tattletale asked, straight to business.
"Panic room, most likely," Dimitri replied. "And before you ask, no. We don't know where it is. That's above our pay grade."
"Boo," Tattletale whined before falling back into a more serious mood. "Alright, how close can you get us? Camera's should be out soon."
"Well once they're down, we'll take you straight to command," Dimitri said. "They'll know exactly where he is and-"
"We can cause chaos and confusion among the remaining teams." Tattaletale finished. "Look at you, already earning your new pay raise."
"Intruder sighted!" Dimitri's radio called out. "Unknown masked female spotted in hallway C-12, move to intercept. Foxtrot, take point. Hotel, move to intercept."
"You know Imp's powers don't work on cameras, right?" Regent asked Tattletale.
Tattletale patted Regent on the shoulder. "Of course I did. That doesn't matter too much."
"You're not worried about your friend?" Dimitri asked.
"Just give it a second," Tattletale said. "We should get moving."
Dimitri's radio buzzed again.
"Command, we're on sight but we have no visual."
"Foxtrot, She's right in front of you."
"Negative command, no one's here."
"She's walking right by you. Engage."
"No target. Possible stranger?"
"Behind you, she's taking out the-"
The lights throughout the building flickered as the building shifted to its backup generators.
"Camera's down," Imp said through Tattletale's radio. "Gonna see what else I can do in here."
"Be safe," Tattletale said back. "They're on to you now." She smiled back to Dimitri, so shall we go?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Command surrendered rather quickly once Tattletale and her team marched in. Minimal bloodshed, only wounded limbs and egos. So far it was rather a clean coup. Lisa knew that a lot of that was thanks to Taylor and Victoria taking all the heat at the front door.
Ironically, they could've opened the main door for the rest of the team now that they were in control of Control, but the damage Deimos had already done to the door made it impossible to operate. Also, they didn't want to tip their hand that they were now in command until they knew where Coil was. For now, they sent out confusing and conflicting orders that cleared out the unfriendly welcome that awaited Skitter and her side of the team.
"Should we interrogate one of them?" Regent asked, looking over the handcuffed and wondered mercenaries.
"No need," Tattletale said. "Already know where he's hiding thanks to this one." She kicked the leg of the man who was in charge. Her power had already told her that he was protective of a specific room that contained the panic room, which contained his boss. "Imp, head to Command and regroup with Regent. The plagues of Egypt will be coming through any minute now, best be out of the splash zone."
"Where are you going?" Regent asked, watching as Tattletale left the room.
"Off to hand in my resignation," Tattletale said back. "Wait for Imp. And keep everyone away from me."
Regent gave a two-finger salute and got comfy in one of the chairs.
Perhaps it was stupid to go alone, but Lisa's powers told her that Coil had no more defences between her and the panic room. The man himself could take a shot at her but Lisa was sure that she was the faster trigger.
Entering a standard-looking office room, Lisa pushed hard on her power to find the door and entrance method.
Furniture avoiding back wall. Wall swings out, recently used. Plant fake, moved slightly. Keypad behind it. Eight digit combination. Doesn't use the digits 3,1 or 8. The 5 key is looking more worn than other keys, multiple 5's in combination.
Lisa pushed on her power until she had a small collection of possible combinations to try. Her power warned her that she only had three chances before the keypad itself would lockdown for an unknown time limit.
She got it on the second attempt.
The panic room door opened up just as her radio went off.
"We've breached the main door. Moving to you." Skitter's voice called out.
"About time. You lot took forever to get here," Regent responded. "Uh, also Dimitri here wants to remind you not to attack his men."
"Anyone who surrenders won't be harmed," Skitter said, no doubt echoing the statement through her swarm that swept through the building.
Lisa ignored her radio and moved cautiously to see inside Coil's panic room. Instantly she spotted the man dressed in a full-body suit, sitting at a desk, holding both hands up.
With a very bored tone, Coil said "I surrender-"
Lisa shot him.
Coil fell back and collapsed to the floor. He was still alive, coughing and groaning as he crawled around on the ground. He leaned onto his back and inspected the gunshot. A thick layer of body armour caught the bullet in his chest, winding the man.
Lisa walked slowly around the table and levelled the gun to his head.
"Congratulations, Ms Wilbourn." Coil said weakly. "You won your freedom. But don't expect me to beg for my life."
Lisa looked down at the beaten man, her hand waving for a moment. Not because she didn't want to shoot him, but because of what he just said.
"Ms Wilbourn…" Lisa echoed. "You never call me by that name."
Coil looked away from her. "Just get it over with." He muttered.
Lisa swore, putting her gun away. A body-double. She should've expected this. She stepped down hard on the man's chest, digging the bullet wound with her boot.
"Where's Coil!" She demanded. "I know you're not him."
The body-double laughed or tried to under the pain.
"I was prepared to die for him." He said, his voice no longer sounding like the snake she knew. "You think anything you do to me will make me say a thing. Shoot me, see if I care."
Lisa swore again and kicked the body double in the face for good measure. "Fuuuuck!"
"Anyone got sight on Coil yet?" Skitter asked out on the radio.
"Tattletale might," Regent responded.
"T?" Skitter asked.
"Not here," Lisa sighed. "I have no idea."
"I found something," Imp added. "Not Coil but… I think you should see this."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Skitter's swarm was still working through the building but the remaining opposition was laughable. Most mercs had broken off or outright surrendered. Lying down and letting the swarm roll over them.
She had never controlled so many bugs at one time, nor placed them all in such a contained space. The size of her swarm was intimidating but also unsustainable in the long term. There was no way she'd be able to keep them all once this was over. She had nowhere to keep them all for starters and even then, feeding this many bugs would be impossible without being noticed.
But she didn't need to keep the swarm for the long term, she just needed to keep them long enough to devour Coil.
So far, her bugs hadn't yet found where he ran off to, but every moment that went by, Skitter was covering more and more ground throughout the base.
Moving to regroup with the rest of the team, Deimos and Grue followed as they headed towards Imp's location.
They moved further down into a subbasement where Imp, Regent and Tattletale were waiting.
"What did you find?" Skitter asked. Tattletale was already studying the area.
Imp shrugged. "It's like a daycare or something. I can't really tell." She turned around to Tattletale. "Do you think Coil has a kid?"
"A kid?" Deimos asked, landing down next to Tattletale. The room did indeed look like some strange daycare. A variety of colourful drawings and toys were strewn about the room but the entrance was locked from the outside. "Shit, this just a lot more complicated. What do we do if Coil has a kid?"
"Why should we care?" Regent shrugged.
"This is serious," Deimos said. "A child is wrapped up in all this shit. I don't know what to do here."
"Adopt it and raise them as our own?" Tattletale joked, looking over the drawings.
"Sure, sure," Imp chuckled. "It's finders-keepers rules, right?"
"Tattletale," Deimos said in a stricter tone. "I don't want some poor kid's life being ruined because their dad happens to be a supervillain."
"Then adopt them," Tattletale said again, not paying attention to her. "Wouldn't be the first time…"
"None of this matters unless we find the kid and Coil." Skitter cut in. "T, any ideas?"
Tattletale hummed and ahhed for a bit before standing back up.
"Well, good news is it isn't Coil's kid," Tattletale said before dropping into a serious mood. "Kid's name is Dinah, and that sounds very familiar to me-"
"Dinah? Alcott?" Deimos asked, horror dawning in her voice.
"Yes, that's the one-" Tattletale said with a smile before understanding. "Shit. That's…"
"The Mayor's niece." Deimos continued. "She's been missing for over a month now. Taken from her home. That was Coil?"
"Apparently so," Skitter said, placing a comforting hand on Deimos's shoulder. "Does anything here tell us where she is, and where Coil went?"
"Working on it," Tattletale said. "He's fucking with my power somehow."
"How?" Grue asked.
"I don't know. I keep getting two different answers. Either Coil grabbed Dinah and went that way," She pointed towards a side door. "Or he sent Dinah that way and instead ran off the other way." She pointed to an alternative staircase out of the basement.
"Split up then?" Skitter asked. "I'll scout ahead and see what I can-" She paused for a moment, then pointed to the first route. "There's a car. Already driving away."
"We have to move," Deimos said, hovering up to move.
"It's too far, I can't get a large enough swarm there in time," Skitter added.
"Where's Bitch and her dogs?" Tattletale asked.
"Still upstairs, causing chaos," Grue said. Imp and Regent chuckled at that.
"I'll go," Deimos said kicking down the first door. "Either way, I have to rescue Dinah. If Coil's there, I'll stop him."
"Go be a hero," Skitter said. Tattletale nodded in agreement.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets
Coil didn't relax, even as the car exited out onto the main streets. He was still running multiple timelines even though he was sure this was going to be his safest one. Another Coil was desperately running through the back end of his base, looking for one of the many alternative exits that weren't already compromised.
Taking off his mask, Thomas Calvert let out a deep sigh. Everything had fallen apart so quickly. Skitter might not have been as violent this time around and Glory Girl was in an alternative costume. But the addition of Tattletale had compromised the base far quicker than the first time around.
It didn't matter, he couldn't change the past, so why dwell on it. All that mattered now was getting out of the city. Once he was safe, he'd close down the other timeline and start again. The plan remained, escape Brockton, seek shelter with Accord and come back for revenge.
Even with Tattletale having free reign of his base, Coil had backup accounts, he wasn't out of the game just yet. Most importantly, he had Dinah. With a power like hers, Coil could do anything.
The girl was asleep in his lap. The poor thing was confused when he picked her up and placed her in the car but she quickly fell asleep once they started driving. He pushed the girl off and moved to change into civilian attire. His car had a spare suit to be worn over his costume.
Thomas looked out the window on the quiet streets of Brockton Bay. His city. This was a setback, nothing more. A lesson to be learned about underestimating pawns, one he wouldn't soon forget. As the car got further and further away from the base, Thomas could feel himself finally able to breathe, at least in this timeline. He only hoped that his alternate self could avoid running into Skitter long enough to get out of the city. He'd hate to experience that meeting again.
Unfortunately, that feeling of being able to breathe didn't last as the car lurched to a stop.
"What's the hold-up?" Thomas demanded. He was in no mood to be stuck in traffic.
His driver simply pointed out the front window. Skitter was floating directly ahead of them. Thomas felt the panic run through his body before cooler heads took charge. That wasn't Skitter, Skitter didn't fly, nor was she blonde. That was-
The car door was ripped open, and the masked figure looked down at Thomas.
"Ms Dallon, What a… colourful new attire you have," Coil said calmly. "Is New Wave trying something new?"
Ms Dallon removed her mask and looked over at Thomas. She recognised him, the two had met on several occasions back on PRT business.
"Calvert?" Ms Dallon said in surprise. "You're Coil?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Thomas lied through his teeth.
In another life, Victoria Dallon was prepared to let Skitter kill him, but that was only because Coil had taken the life of someone she cared about. Right here, in this timeline. There was a chance that Ms Dallon would stick to her more, heroic virtues.
"Don't bullshit me," Ms Dallon spat back. "I followed you the whole way." She looked at the girl who was asleep in the other car seat. "That Dinah? If she's hurt-"
"Ms Alcott is fine," Thomas said, holding up a hand. "Just sleeping."
Thomas could've surrendered right here. Prison was a much better fate than whatever Skitter had planned for him and for a moment, Thomas considered it. However, he also considered his other options. He could try to kill Ms Dallon, but at such close range, he doubted that plan would work. Prison also wasn't the ideal ending for him, but he also knew that he had leverage on Ms Dallon.
"What good timing," Thomas said, acting the fool. "I was just on my way to return her to the PRT."
"Great," Ms Dallon said, folding her arms. "I'll be taking Dinah and you into custody."
"I would strongly advise against that," Thomas said as she moved to grab him.
"And why would that be?" Ms Dallon said.
"Because the second I end up in PRT custody, they'll learn about you and your relations with Skitter and Tattletale."
Ms Dallon froze for a brief second but tried to hide it. It didn't matter, Thomas had struck a nerve and was intent on prodding it further.
"I'm not sure what you expected to happen, openly working with known criminals," Thomas continued. "But I'm sure we can come to an arrangement that suits us both."
"You think I'd deal with a criminal like you?" Ms Dallon spat back, holding Thomas by the throat. An obvious bluff, she wasn't being nearly as rough this time around.
"I think you'd do anything to protect the people you love," Thomas said. He felt her grip slowly weakening. This was exactly what he hoped for. "Forget you saw me, and I'll disappear. Sa-uh, Lisa and Taylor will never hear from me again, you have my word. And you get to continue your little charade."
Ms Dallon looked angry, but Thomas could tell she was weighing the options. If the hero wasn't already shown to be so morally flexible, the gambit wouldn't have worked, but Thomas got to see the real Glory Girl.
"Dinah," Ms Dallon said after enough time. "She comes with me too. I'm not letting her-"
"Fine," Thomas said, hiding his annoyance. He didn't expect Ms Dallon to let her go. "You can take the girl too."
Ms Dallon stared at him for a little while longer. He could see the fire in her eyes, she wanted to hurt him but he knew that the hero wasn't going to do anything. He'd won, it was a pyrrhic victory but a victory nonetheless. Coil would take anything he could get at this point.
Ms Dallon dropped Thomas to the side and leaned in to pick up the girl. She gently lifted the girl out and onto the street, ignoring Thomas entirely as checked her over for any obvious injuries.
"I wish you well, Ms Dallon," Thomas said, collecting himself up from the floor. "Do give Tattletale my regards."
Thomas wasn't going to waste the time he was given, and he certainly wanted to get out of the area before Ms Dallon discovered what he had done to the girl. Unfortunately, the car was too much of a wreck to keep driving. He started walking off down the street, thinking of whom he could call to pick him up.
The plan remained. Boston, Accord, revenge. Once he was nice and safe, he'd leak details on the Undersiders identities as a final 'fuck you' to the team.
"This is Coil," Thomas said into his phone. "Send a car to my location immediately. I'm sending coordinates-"
A noise behind him caught his attention. Thomas could hear the heavy sound of metal screeching and breaking under its weight. He turned to see where the sound was coming from only to see the remains of his car being flung in his direction.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Inside Coil's Base
Coil yelled. He was back in his base, he was always in his base. The timeline where he got away just ended, and not by him.
Ms Dallon had just… thrown a car at him.
Now he was back here. Trapped in a base that was being flooded by bugs. Beset on all sides by enemies. He wouldn't give up, he refused to give up. The plan remained, he just had to escape. He still had a chance, he still had two chances. Splitting the timeline, Coil moved in two directions.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"I found the car," Victoria said over the radio. "Dinah is here, but no Coil. Must still be in the base. I'm taking Dinah back to the PRT. She needs medical, I need to call Amy. Bastard drugged her with something."
"Copy," Skitter said, running after Tattletale. "He's still here, somewhere. We'll find him. Get that girl home."
"But make sure you ditch the costume first," Tattletale added.
"Don't worry. Already changed," Victoria said back. "Skitter, I left it on a rooftop, I'll collect it for you later. And punch that bastard for me, okay?"
Tattletale came to a hallway and then stopped. Skitter jogged up behind her and looked about.
"What's wrong?" Skitter asked, "Which way did he go?"
"Don't know," Tattletale said. "It happened again. Left or right? I can't tell. What do your bugs see?"
"My swarm is spreading pretty thin back here. I can make out people but not who they are. There's people down both ways but the swarm on me is the isn't large enough to chase both."
"Split up?" Both girls asked each other.
They each had a fifty-fifty chance of finding Coil. Lisa wasn't happy about it, but the longer they took, the bigger the chance Coil escaped somehow.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Coil ran down the hallway, both hallways. Ducking and weaving past any stray bug that had made it this far. He had two exits in mind. One would take him out to a Chinese restaurant that his shell company owned, and the other would lead to a laundry. Both had stored vehicles parked for emergency exits, it was simply a matter of getting to one.
In one timeline, he could hear the buzzing of the swarm descending upon him. Skitter had found him and it was only a matter of time before he was caught. Luckily for Coil, he was far more prepared for her this time. Grabbing the weapons he should've been using if he knew he was going to be swarmed by insects today.
A flamethrower. Smaller and more compact than the ones of old.
It didn't have the range or the fuel to take on the bulk of Skitter's horde, but Coil hoped that it could buy him enough time to escape. Turning in time to see the mass of bugs, he let loose and burned the first wave.
The swarm broke apart, the surviving bugs falling back to regroup. Coil didn't know how many times he could do that, but he was almost at the exit.
In timeline B, he had a better chance. No swarm of bugs chased after him, but a gunshot rang out down the hall. Tattletale had caught up and was trying to kill him. He fired back with his own pistol. The flamethrower was useless in this fight so he ditched the extra weight.
He was now caught in two fights over two different timelines. Both were battles of attrition, where Coil needed to reach the exit before he ran out of ammunition.
"Tattletale, I must say I'm impressed," Coil called out from the hallway. "I knew you were planning to betray me but never did I think you'd get this far."
Tattletale answered with another shot.
"Skitter, I don't know what I did to deserve your wraith, but I'm sure we can work something out," Coil called out in another timeline. "If this is about Tattletale, then you can have her. She's all yours."
Another swarm jumped at him, and he burned them down.
"Tattletale, you've always been a reasonable woman," Coil tried again. "You've shown initiative. I can give you access to my entire Brockton operation. Passwords, accounts, hidden cells. You name it. All of it will disappear if you kill me now."
"You think I don't already know that stuff?" Tattletale's smug voice called back.
Then she fired another shot.
"Skitter, I have powerful friends," Coil called out. "You have to know that killing me won't save Tattletale. But I can. You have my word, that if you let me go. No one will ever-"
"Shut up," The swarm growled. "There's nothing you can say that will stop me."
Coil burned the next swarm as he moved backwards.
"You can't have access to everything," Coil called out to Tattletale. He only had a handful of bullets left. "If you did, you would've taken it by now. Come, let's end this nonsense. My life is worth a lot more if you let me keep it."
"Always wanted to hear you beg, Coil," Tattletale called back. "That is worth a hell of a lot more than whatever you could give me."
Tattletale moved closer, firing her gun each time Coil tried to move.
"I can do this all day, Skitter." Coil bluffed. He had no idea how much fuel the flamethrower had left. "Save your bugs and just let me walk." He burned another, smaller swarm that was trying to sneak up on him.
Skitter didn't respond that time, only walking slowly towards him just out of flame range.
"You want me to beg?" Coil yelled out. His gun now out of ammo. "Fine. I'll beg. Let me go, Tattletale. You've won. My death would be meaningless."
Tattletale levelled the gun to his chest and smiled. "Oh, but it would mean so much to me."
With one timeline losing, he doubled down on the one Skitter was in. He watched as the masked figure approached. He still had his gun in his holster, but couldn't risk putting down the flamethrower to reach for it.
He had one more idea. A desperate last attempt. One more thing to say that might stop them from killing him.
"What about Ms Dallon?" He asked in both timelines. "Surely a hero like Glory Girl wouldn't approve of killing me like this." Both girls gave pause to this. It was a gamble, Ms Dallon had already proved capable of using lethal force when provoked, but they weren't aware of this. Coil smirked under his mask. "What would she think of you if you went through with this?"
Just one. All he needed was one of them to budge on this. He could see the conflict in Tattletale's eyes. The way Skitter's body froze up under the question.
"Are you really willing to do this? Consequences and all?"
Both girls thought on those words. They weighed and considered. Tattletale's hands shook as she held the gun, Skitter looked down to inspect something on the floor.
'Take the bait, take the bait, take the fucking bait.' Coil kept saying over and over in his head.
Then both girls sighed. Skitter stood up, Tattletale looked him in the eye. Skitter reached behind her, Tattletale brought her other hand around. Skitter took out a pistol, Tattletale trained hers at Coil's face.
Both girls spoke in unison. In two different hallways, in two different timelines.
"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect the people I love."
Then she fired the gun.
A:/N: Just gonna add this on cause I know the question will come up.
The purpose of the Aisha interlude last chapter wasn't to bring in some last minute deus ex machina against Coil.
But because I wanted/always planned to bring Aisha in at some point and I wanted a lighthearted chapter before this one.
"Delta Team, what's your status?"
"They're breaking through the door!"
"Control, they've made it to Section C."
"Pull back. Fire and movement."
"We're cut off!"
"Hold position, Delta."
"Where's our backup?!"
"Charlie is moving to reinforce."
"They're not slowing down!"
"Charlie, what's your ETA?"
"Main entrance to C section blocked. Finding alternative route through the east wing. ETA, Three minutes."
"Delta, Charlie will be reinforcing you in three minutes from the East Wing."
"…"
"Delta, confirm message received?"
"…"
"Charlie, Delta has gone dark, need status update."
"Wait one. Entering Section C now… Doing a sweep."
"Do you have eyes on the intruders?"
"Control, We have eyes on Delta. No signs of intruders. All down, moving to check vital status."
"Delta's status is secondary. Confirm intruders' location. ASAP."
"Control, intruders are heading west. I repeat, heading west."
"Confirmed, directing Echo Team to intercept. Proceed to flank intruders."
"Roger, Charlie team is… Does anyone else hear that buzzing?… Oh what the fu-"
"Say again, Charlie? Charlie, I said say again."
"…"
"Echo, this is Control. Delta and Charlie are MIA. Intruders are heading west toward you. Hold down Section D. Do not let them through."
-------------------------------------
It was a massacre.
Alpha team was wiped out in the first few minutes. The door held them back the most, and even that didn't put up much of a fight. The ten-ton blast-proof door was merely a time waster compared to the true strength of Glory Girl.
Once the door started to budge, Skitter sent her swarm in ahead. By the time the door was properly ripped from its hinges, Bravo Team was already wiped out.
It was some kind of sick joke. Millions of dollars of security, years of construction, non-stop training drills and preparing for a day that the PRT, Empire or Lung might be battering down the gates. And two teenage parahumans with a temper pulled it all apart.
If it was Glory Girl alone, the mercenaries would've had no trouble. A solid shot from any automatic weapon could take her out. But the sheer number of bugs that Skitter had summoned made it nigh impossible to get a clear shot. And those bugs were brutal when she let loose.
They trained to fight capes in the streets, hold back Brutes, dodge Blasters, outwit Thinkers, and avoid Shakers. But what kind of training can prepare for an army of insects barraging through an enclosed space? Grenades did nothing but slow them down and bullets were outright usless. All the cameras saw was a fog of black consumed everything.
Coil sat in his panic room, listening to radio updates on the status of his remaining teams. They lost visual through the cameras shortly after Bravo was wiped and it kept going downhill from there. By now the Undersiders would've found his little pet in the basement.
"Sir, we've lost contact with all our teams," the radio called out.
At this point, Coil couldn't see the point of responding. He could tell Control to fight to the last man, but obviously, they were already dead by the sounds of things.
"What should we-" Coil flicked off the radio and sat up at his desk.
He knew what was coming now. He had a chance to escape and he wasted it; trusting in his men to do the job that he damn well paid them to do.
The panic room was soundproof, but Coil could imagine the screams coming from behind the door. As his last line of defence crumbled away, perhaps he should've brought some men in with him, a last-minute surprise attack in the final hour. Staring at the door to the room, he knew that it wasn't going to do anything.
This timeline was burnt. Coil knew that the second he watched Alpha team get wasted. Everything that had transpired since then was simply, research gathering. He knew that his Tattletale had collected information on his base and operation, that much came to no surprise. He also knew that Ms Livsey was in close relations with members of New Wave, to what end, Coil wasn't yet sure but the fact that Victoria Dallon herself showed up to this assault told him that there was a connection.
But it was Skitter's response that was the most enlightening. Coil never considered just how powerful the Undersiders' newest member was until today. There didn't appear to be a limit to how much Skitter could control and her range appeared to reach all throughout the base. She was the linchpin in this entire attack, if Skitter, or more actually, Taylor Hebert was removed from the equation altogether, the Undersiders would've perished at the front door.
The only question that was mulling about Coil's head as he heard the first thud against the door was,
'Do I want to kill her, or can I still make use of her?'
The door bent in on itself as Glory Girl supposedly punched it from the other side. A few more good hits and then it would fall down. Hopefully, Coil would get to talk a bit before Skitter's swarm descended on him.
Coil could hear screaming from the other side. The dents had made enough of a gap that it wasn't soundproof anymore. The scream was less of his mercenaries calling for help and more of the raw anger of Brute tearing into a half-a-million-dollar panic room with her bare hands.
Finally, the door lifted out from the wall as the blonde girl lifted it above her head and chucked it to the side. The swarm moved in immediately, filling the space with all manner of insects. Then Glory Girl kicked Coil's desk into the man as he was pinned against the back wall.
Thankfully the swarm did not kill him just there, nor did Glory Girl break enough bones to cause him to faint. They wanted to talk, to gloat. This would be where Coil got exactly what he needed, find out exactly what went wrong and how to fix it. To determine if Taylor Hebert got the carrot or the stick.
Glory Girl held her foot on the desk, making sure that Coil couldn't reach any weapon in his pockets as Skitter strolled through. The contrast between the two capes was night and day. Skitter dressed in her villainous black, masked bodysuit and Glory Girl in her classic white and gold attire.
"You…" Skitter growled, climbing up onto the desk and grabbing Coil by the neck. "I'm going to fucking kill you."
Interesting, Skitter's emotional response. All his reports on the girl had her as the cold and collected type. He was piecing together what went wrong.
"I take it you don't approve of my methods?" Coil asked drily.
The swarm under his desk started biting. Slowly but surely devouring Coil from the legs up. Coil suppressed any reaction to the pain as they still avoid vital areas. This was a scare tactic and it wasn't going to work. Better people than Skitter had tried torturing him before.
"Your men got a taste of some of the most venomous insects in America." Skitter hissed. "But you won't get that luxury. I'll watch as my swarm devours you slowly until there's nothing left for even the maggots."
Coil suppressed another cry of pain. This was certainly coming up into his top ten deaths he'd experienced and he wasn't looking forward to experiencing it in total. Skitter was obviously not going to give him any real answers, so he focused on the other cape.
"And you, Miss Dallon?" Coil asked, turning to the hero. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. Aiding and abetting the Undersiders as they attack my people. Wilfully standing here as you let Skitter torture and then kill me."
Skitter punched him in the face, this got an audible reaction out of the man.
"Honestly," Glory Girl said with pained contempt in her voice. "I wasn't sure how I felt about all this when it started. I was angry and hurt, still am. A part of me knows that I should arrest you." The swarm calmed its biting as Skitter looked at Glory Girl.
Coil noted the connection between Skitter and Glory Girl. Another piece to the puzzle, the two were emotionally bonded, perhaps that's how Tattletale got involved? In any case, the hero was the voice of reason. Upon closer inspection, tears were running down Glory Girl's face. Coil thought he understood the full picture now.
Coil had enough, he could use this information to formulate a counterattack. A proper one rather than the initial probing strike he did this morning. A simple car bomb for his favourite Thinker had caused so much chaos.
Just as Skitter let up her attack, Glory Girl pressed her foot in harder, squeezing Coil further into the wall.
"But you killed Lisa." Glory Girl hissed. Coil could feel his ribs crushing under the weight. "So I don't really care what happens to you anymore."
Glory Girl kicked off the table and started to walk away. Skitter stayed. As Coil was enveloped in the swarm, he could see those menacing eyes watching him.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Coil's Base – Late Afternoon – Timeline B
As expected. Coil couldn't simply kill Tattletale and consider the whole mess done with. But it did make clear who exactly he was up against.
The Undersiders, and New Wave. More specifically, Taylor Hebert and Victoria Dallon. Together with Tattletale, those three had proven to be a far more formidable foe than Coil ever suspected.
He needed to act fast, this latest timeline proved that Tattletale had a working plan of attack on his base that could be executed without her. However, Coil still needed to act smart about this, his opponents were an all-seeing Master with seemingly no end to her control and New Wave's golden girl. Neither would be an easy target to hit and both would bring significant backlash onto him once the trigger was pulled.
Now that he was certain who his adversaries were, Coil could expand his circle of trust. Bring more parahumans back into the fold. He made a note to check in on Circus, rehire Faultline and even considered calling those idiotic Uber and Leet. His current countermeasures for Skitter were obviously lacking.
He had to bring the fight to them. Perhaps Coil could kidnap Taylor's father and use the man as bait. He might even work out some plan to turn all three girls against each other. Outing Victoria's relationship with the villains would certainly be a good place to start. Coil started compiling all his data on the three girls, in a few hours, he'd have a foundation for his counterattack, by tomorrow, all three would be neutralised.
"Sir?," A voice behind his door called out after knocking.
"What is it?" Coil said impatiently as he scrolled through files on his computer.
The door opened up to reveal his head of security. The same useless man who was begging for new orders in the other timeline.
"We may have a situation." He explained, walking into the office.
Coil looked up, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. "What kind of situation?"
"Perimeter team are reporting three large dogs are approaching the entrance site," The man held out a tablet with the camera footage for the front door. "Sir, You haven't approved the Undersiders for entry, am I to assume this is a shoot-on-sight situation?"
Coil stood up from his desk. This didn't make any sense. This was the safe timeline. He hadn't made any moves yet, he left Tattletale alone. It's too soon, the week isn't even up yet.
"It's too soon," Coil said to himself. He looked to his head of security, what could he tell him to do differently that would make any sort of effect? "Send Bravo to reinforce Alpha. Don't let them fight indoors. Send everyone else to gather weaponry. Explosives, fire, gas, whatever we have. Conventional weapons won't work on Skitter."
Coil opened his desk drawer and started pulling out anything of value to him.
"Sir," The man saluted. "We'll move you to the panic room."
"No," Coil said, dismissing the suggestion with a wave. "Send everybody. Lead them away from the basement. I'll collect my pet and then leave. I trust you'll handle this before I return."
"Of course, Sir," the man said again, ending his salute.
Coil had no intention of returning. He'd seen how this song and dance played out already. He'd grab Dinah, escape to Boston and return with some help from Accord. If he had a little more time he could've beaten them. No matter, all he had to do was survive the week, and then he could think about revenge.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside Coil's Base
"That's a lot of people with guns," Grue said as they raced towards the large bunker doors. "Think they saw us coming?"
"It doesn't matter," Skitter said coldly. "We have the superior numbers. Just cover our approach and keep your head down."
The dogs halted a street down from the entrance driveway. On the outside, the bunker looked like a construction site that had never made any real progress. Officially the project was on hold because of various labour shortages and inefficient management. That was the cover for how Coil kept this base hidden in plain sight. Not that it mattered anymore, it was hard to hide a secret base when you had thirty or so mercenaries standing out the front in full tactical gear, along with an armoured Humvee for support.
"Alright, Skitter," Grue said, sliding up to her with the rest of the team. "What's the play?"
Skitter stood motionless for a few seconds as her bugs surveyed the scene. The fact that no one had started shooting meant that they were hopping their show of force was enough to dissuade any would-be attackers.
"Snipers hidden in the construction crane. I count four." Skitter explained. "Grue cover us and the surrounding area, make them think we're here in full. I'll send my swarm in to deal with the bulk on the ground. Deimos, can you take out the snipers once they're distracted?"
Deimos, or Victoria under her mask, nodded at the suggestion. Her new costume would make her nearly invisible in the air.
"Once it's safe, Bitch can send her dogs in to take care of that vehicle." Skitter continued. Bitch nodded in agreement. "Then Deimos can tear down that door and we can really get to work." Her swarm gathered into a huge heaping mass that moved towards the positioned mercenaries. Gunfire erupted from the streets. "Go, now!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Inside Coil's Base
Tattletale carefully walked through one of the side entrances of the base. Dimitri led her through a back passageway that would avoid most of the cameras. Unfortunately, it meant that they didn't have access to much of the base until Imp did her thing.
Her plan was very simple. Find Coil before Skitter does and put a bullet between his eyes. Judging by the frantic orders that were being shouted over Dimitri's radio, she didn't have all that much time to find the snake.
"Coil ordered most teams to set up position by the main entrance," Dimitri explained as he led her through. "Teams A to E are already engaging your friends, F and G are acting as support and Hotel Team-" As he opened the door Tattletale and Regent were faced with thirteen armed mercenaries. Regent shifted into a fighting position but Tattletale stepped forward and shook the first Mercenary's hand. "-Are at your disposal."
Regent relaxed and turned to follow her lead.
"Does that mean you come with room service?" Regent asked. Tattletale and the team ignored his joke.
"Any idea where Coil is?" Tattletale asked, straight to business.
"Panic room, most likely," Dimitri replied. "And before you ask, no. We don't know where it is. That's above our pay grade."
"Boo," Tattletale whined before falling back into a more serious mood. "Alright, how close can you get us? Camera's should be out soon."
"Well once they're down, we'll take you straight to command," Dimitri said. "They'll know exactly where he is and-"
"We can cause chaos and confusion among the remaining teams." Tattaletale finished. "Look at you, already earning your new pay raise."
"Intruder sighted!" Dimitri's radio called out. "Unknown masked female spotted in hallway C-12, move to intercept. Foxtrot, take point. Hotel, move to intercept."
"You know Imp's powers don't work on cameras, right?" Regent asked Tattletale.
Tattletale patted Regent on the shoulder. "Of course I did. That doesn't matter too much."
"You're not worried about your friend?" Dimitri asked.
"Just give it a second," Tattletale said. "We should get moving."
Dimitri's radio buzzed again.
"Command, we're on sight but we have no visual."
"Foxtrot, She's right in front of you."
"Negative command, no one's here."
"She's walking right by you. Engage."
"No target. Possible stranger?"
"Behind you, she's taking out the-"
The lights throughout the building flickered as the building shifted to its backup generators.
"Camera's down," Imp said through Tattletale's radio. "Gonna see what else I can do in here."
"Be safe," Tattletale said back. "They're on to you now." She smiled back to Dimitri, so shall we go?"
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Command surrendered rather quickly once Tattletale and her team marched in. Minimal bloodshed, only wounded limbs and egos. So far it was rather a clean coup. Lisa knew that a lot of that was thanks to Taylor and Victoria taking all the heat at the front door.
Ironically, they could've opened the main door for the rest of the team now that they were in control of Control, but the damage Deimos had already done to the door made it impossible to operate. Also, they didn't want to tip their hand that they were now in command until they knew where Coil was. For now, they sent out confusing and conflicting orders that cleared out the unfriendly welcome that awaited Skitter and her side of the team.
"Should we interrogate one of them?" Regent asked, looking over the handcuffed and wondered mercenaries.
"No need," Tattletale said. "Already know where he's hiding thanks to this one." She kicked the leg of the man who was in charge. Her power had already told her that he was protective of a specific room that contained the panic room, which contained his boss. "Imp, head to Command and regroup with Regent. The plagues of Egypt will be coming through any minute now, best be out of the splash zone."
"Where are you going?" Regent asked, watching as Tattletale left the room.
"Off to hand in my resignation," Tattletale said back. "Wait for Imp. And keep everyone away from me."
Regent gave a two-finger salute and got comfy in one of the chairs.
Perhaps it was stupid to go alone, but Lisa's powers told her that Coil had no more defences between her and the panic room. The man himself could take a shot at her but Lisa was sure that she was the faster trigger.
Entering a standard-looking office room, Lisa pushed hard on her power to find the door and entrance method.
Furniture avoiding back wall. Wall swings out, recently used. Plant fake, moved slightly. Keypad behind it. Eight digit combination. Doesn't use the digits 3,1 or 8. The 5 key is looking more worn than other keys, multiple 5's in combination.
Lisa pushed on her power until she had a small collection of possible combinations to try. Her power warned her that she only had three chances before the keypad itself would lockdown for an unknown time limit.
She got it on the second attempt.
The panic room door opened up just as her radio went off.
"We've breached the main door. Moving to you." Skitter's voice called out.
"About time. You lot took forever to get here," Regent responded. "Uh, also Dimitri here wants to remind you not to attack his men."
"Anyone who surrenders won't be harmed," Skitter said, no doubt echoing the statement through her swarm that swept through the building.
Lisa ignored her radio and moved cautiously to see inside Coil's panic room. Instantly she spotted the man dressed in a full-body suit, sitting at a desk, holding both hands up.
With a very bored tone, Coil said "I surrender-"
Lisa shot him.
Coil fell back and collapsed to the floor. He was still alive, coughing and groaning as he crawled around on the ground. He leaned onto his back and inspected the gunshot. A thick layer of body armour caught the bullet in his chest, winding the man.
Lisa walked slowly around the table and levelled the gun to his head.
"Congratulations, Ms Wilbourn." Coil said weakly. "You won your freedom. But don't expect me to beg for my life."
Lisa looked down at the beaten man, her hand waving for a moment. Not because she didn't want to shoot him, but because of what he just said.
"Ms Wilbourn…" Lisa echoed. "You never call me by that name."
Coil looked away from her. "Just get it over with." He muttered.
Lisa swore, putting her gun away. A body-double. She should've expected this. She stepped down hard on the man's chest, digging the bullet wound with her boot.
"Where's Coil!" She demanded. "I know you're not him."
The body-double laughed or tried to under the pain.
"I was prepared to die for him." He said, his voice no longer sounding like the snake she knew. "You think anything you do to me will make me say a thing. Shoot me, see if I care."
Lisa swore again and kicked the body double in the face for good measure. "Fuuuuck!"
"Anyone got sight on Coil yet?" Skitter asked out on the radio.
"Tattletale might," Regent responded.
"T?" Skitter asked.
"Not here," Lisa sighed. "I have no idea."
"I found something," Imp added. "Not Coil but… I think you should see this."
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Skitter's swarm was still working through the building but the remaining opposition was laughable. Most mercs had broken off or outright surrendered. Lying down and letting the swarm roll over them.
She had never controlled so many bugs at one time, nor placed them all in such a contained space. The size of her swarm was intimidating but also unsustainable in the long term. There was no way she'd be able to keep them all once this was over. She had nowhere to keep them all for starters and even then, feeding this many bugs would be impossible without being noticed.
But she didn't need to keep the swarm for the long term, she just needed to keep them long enough to devour Coil.
So far, her bugs hadn't yet found where he ran off to, but every moment that went by, Skitter was covering more and more ground throughout the base.
Moving to regroup with the rest of the team, Deimos and Grue followed as they headed towards Imp's location.
They moved further down into a subbasement where Imp, Regent and Tattletale were waiting.
"What did you find?" Skitter asked. Tattletale was already studying the area.
Imp shrugged. "It's like a daycare or something. I can't really tell." She turned around to Tattletale. "Do you think Coil has a kid?"
"A kid?" Deimos asked, landing down next to Tattletale. The room did indeed look like some strange daycare. A variety of colourful drawings and toys were strewn about the room but the entrance was locked from the outside. "Shit, this just a lot more complicated. What do we do if Coil has a kid?"
"Why should we care?" Regent shrugged.
"This is serious," Deimos said. "A child is wrapped up in all this shit. I don't know what to do here."
"Adopt it and raise them as our own?" Tattletale joked, looking over the drawings.
"Sure, sure," Imp chuckled. "It's finders-keepers rules, right?"
"Tattletale," Deimos said in a stricter tone. "I don't want some poor kid's life being ruined because their dad happens to be a supervillain."
"Then adopt them," Tattletale said again, not paying attention to her. "Wouldn't be the first time…"
"None of this matters unless we find the kid and Coil." Skitter cut in. "T, any ideas?"
Tattletale hummed and ahhed for a bit before standing back up.
"Well, good news is it isn't Coil's kid," Tattletale said before dropping into a serious mood. "Kid's name is Dinah, and that sounds very familiar to me-"
"Dinah? Alcott?" Deimos asked, horror dawning in her voice.
"Yes, that's the one-" Tattletale said with a smile before understanding. "Shit. That's…"
"The Mayor's niece." Deimos continued. "She's been missing for over a month now. Taken from her home. That was Coil?"
"Apparently so," Skitter said, placing a comforting hand on Deimos's shoulder. "Does anything here tell us where she is, and where Coil went?"
"Working on it," Tattletale said. "He's fucking with my power somehow."
"How?" Grue asked.
"I don't know. I keep getting two different answers. Either Coil grabbed Dinah and went that way," She pointed towards a side door. "Or he sent Dinah that way and instead ran off the other way." She pointed to an alternative staircase out of the basement.
"Split up then?" Skitter asked. "I'll scout ahead and see what I can-" She paused for a moment, then pointed to the first route. "There's a car. Already driving away."
"We have to move," Deimos said, hovering up to move.
"It's too far, I can't get a large enough swarm there in time," Skitter added.
"Where's Bitch and her dogs?" Tattletale asked.
"Still upstairs, causing chaos," Grue said. Imp and Regent chuckled at that.
"I'll go," Deimos said kicking down the first door. "Either way, I have to rescue Dinah. If Coil's there, I'll stop him."
"Go be a hero," Skitter said. Tattletale nodded in agreement.
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Brockton Bay Streets
Coil didn't relax, even as the car exited out onto the main streets. He was still running multiple timelines even though he was sure this was going to be his safest one. Another Coil was desperately running through the back end of his base, looking for one of the many alternative exits that weren't already compromised.
Taking off his mask, Thomas Calvert let out a deep sigh. Everything had fallen apart so quickly. Skitter might not have been as violent this time around and Glory Girl was in an alternative costume. But the addition of Tattletale had compromised the base far quicker than the first time around.
It didn't matter, he couldn't change the past, so why dwell on it. All that mattered now was getting out of the city. Once he was safe, he'd close down the other timeline and start again. The plan remained, escape Brockton, seek shelter with Accord and come back for revenge.
Even with Tattletale having free reign of his base, Coil had backup accounts, he wasn't out of the game just yet. Most importantly, he had Dinah. With a power like hers, Coil could do anything.
The girl was asleep in his lap. The poor thing was confused when he picked her up and placed her in the car but she quickly fell asleep once they started driving. He pushed the girl off and moved to change into civilian attire. His car had a spare suit to be worn over his costume.
Thomas looked out the window on the quiet streets of Brockton Bay. His city. This was a setback, nothing more. A lesson to be learned about underestimating pawns, one he wouldn't soon forget. As the car got further and further away from the base, Thomas could feel himself finally able to breathe, at least in this timeline. He only hoped that his alternate self could avoid running into Skitter long enough to get out of the city. He'd hate to experience that meeting again.
Unfortunately, that feeling of being able to breathe didn't last as the car lurched to a stop.
"What's the hold-up?" Thomas demanded. He was in no mood to be stuck in traffic.
His driver simply pointed out the front window. Skitter was floating directly ahead of them. Thomas felt the panic run through his body before cooler heads took charge. That wasn't Skitter, Skitter didn't fly, nor was she blonde. That was-
The car door was ripped open, and the masked figure looked down at Thomas.
"Ms Dallon, What a… colourful new attire you have," Coil said calmly. "Is New Wave trying something new?"
Ms Dallon removed her mask and looked over at Thomas. She recognised him, the two had met on several occasions back on PRT business.
"Calvert?" Ms Dallon said in surprise. "You're Coil?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Thomas lied through his teeth.
In another life, Victoria Dallon was prepared to let Skitter kill him, but that was only because Coil had taken the life of someone she cared about. Right here, in this timeline. There was a chance that Ms Dallon would stick to her more, heroic virtues.
"Don't bullshit me," Ms Dallon spat back. "I followed you the whole way." She looked at the girl who was asleep in the other car seat. "That Dinah? If she's hurt-"
"Ms Alcott is fine," Thomas said, holding up a hand. "Just sleeping."
Thomas could've surrendered right here. Prison was a much better fate than whatever Skitter had planned for him and for a moment, Thomas considered it. However, he also considered his other options. He could try to kill Ms Dallon, but at such close range, he doubted that plan would work. Prison also wasn't the ideal ending for him, but he also knew that he had leverage on Ms Dallon.
"What good timing," Thomas said, acting the fool. "I was just on my way to return her to the PRT."
"Great," Ms Dallon said, folding her arms. "I'll be taking Dinah and you into custody."
"I would strongly advise against that," Thomas said as she moved to grab him.
"And why would that be?" Ms Dallon said.
"Because the second I end up in PRT custody, they'll learn about you and your relations with Skitter and Tattletale."
Ms Dallon froze for a brief second but tried to hide it. It didn't matter, Thomas had struck a nerve and was intent on prodding it further.
"I'm not sure what you expected to happen, openly working with known criminals," Thomas continued. "But I'm sure we can come to an arrangement that suits us both."
"You think I'd deal with a criminal like you?" Ms Dallon spat back, holding Thomas by the throat. An obvious bluff, she wasn't being nearly as rough this time around.
"I think you'd do anything to protect the people you love," Thomas said. He felt her grip slowly weakening. This was exactly what he hoped for. "Forget you saw me, and I'll disappear. Sa-uh, Lisa and Taylor will never hear from me again, you have my word. And you get to continue your little charade."
Ms Dallon looked angry, but Thomas could tell she was weighing the options. If the hero wasn't already shown to be so morally flexible, the gambit wouldn't have worked, but Thomas got to see the real Glory Girl.
"Dinah," Ms Dallon said after enough time. "She comes with me too. I'm not letting her-"
"Fine," Thomas said, hiding his annoyance. He didn't expect Ms Dallon to let her go. "You can take the girl too."
Ms Dallon stared at him for a little while longer. He could see the fire in her eyes, she wanted to hurt him but he knew that the hero wasn't going to do anything. He'd won, it was a pyrrhic victory but a victory nonetheless. Coil would take anything he could get at this point.
Ms Dallon dropped Thomas to the side and leaned in to pick up the girl. She gently lifted the girl out and onto the street, ignoring Thomas entirely as checked her over for any obvious injuries.
"I wish you well, Ms Dallon," Thomas said, collecting himself up from the floor. "Do give Tattletale my regards."
Thomas wasn't going to waste the time he was given, and he certainly wanted to get out of the area before Ms Dallon discovered what he had done to the girl. Unfortunately, the car was too much of a wreck to keep driving. He started walking off down the street, thinking of whom he could call to pick him up.
The plan remained. Boston, Accord, revenge. Once he was nice and safe, he'd leak details on the Undersiders identities as a final 'fuck you' to the team.
"This is Coil," Thomas said into his phone. "Send a car to my location immediately. I'm sending coordinates-"
A noise behind him caught his attention. Thomas could hear the heavy sound of metal screeching and breaking under its weight. He turned to see where the sound was coming from only to see the remains of his car being flung in his direction.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Inside Coil's Base
Coil yelled. He was back in his base, he was always in his base. The timeline where he got away just ended, and not by him.
Ms Dallon had just… thrown a car at him.
Now he was back here. Trapped in a base that was being flooded by bugs. Beset on all sides by enemies. He wouldn't give up, he refused to give up. The plan remained, he just had to escape. He still had a chance, he still had two chances. Splitting the timeline, Coil moved in two directions.
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"I found the car," Victoria said over the radio. "Dinah is here, but no Coil. Must still be in the base. I'm taking Dinah back to the PRT. She needs medical, I need to call Amy. Bastard drugged her with something."
"Copy," Skitter said, running after Tattletale. "He's still here, somewhere. We'll find him. Get that girl home."
"But make sure you ditch the costume first," Tattletale added.
"Don't worry. Already changed," Victoria said back. "Skitter, I left it on a rooftop, I'll collect it for you later. And punch that bastard for me, okay?"
Tattletale came to a hallway and then stopped. Skitter jogged up behind her and looked about.
"What's wrong?" Skitter asked, "Which way did he go?"
"Don't know," Tattletale said. "It happened again. Left or right? I can't tell. What do your bugs see?"
"My swarm is spreading pretty thin back here. I can make out people but not who they are. There's people down both ways but the swarm on me is the isn't large enough to chase both."
"Split up?" Both girls asked each other.
They each had a fifty-fifty chance of finding Coil. Lisa wasn't happy about it, but the longer they took, the bigger the chance Coil escaped somehow.
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Coil ran down the hallway, both hallways. Ducking and weaving past any stray bug that had made it this far. He had two exits in mind. One would take him out to a Chinese restaurant that his shell company owned, and the other would lead to a laundry. Both had stored vehicles parked for emergency exits, it was simply a matter of getting to one.
In one timeline, he could hear the buzzing of the swarm descending upon him. Skitter had found him and it was only a matter of time before he was caught. Luckily for Coil, he was far more prepared for her this time. Grabbing the weapons he should've been using if he knew he was going to be swarmed by insects today.
A flamethrower. Smaller and more compact than the ones of old.
It didn't have the range or the fuel to take on the bulk of Skitter's horde, but Coil hoped that it could buy him enough time to escape. Turning in time to see the mass of bugs, he let loose and burned the first wave.
The swarm broke apart, the surviving bugs falling back to regroup. Coil didn't know how many times he could do that, but he was almost at the exit.
In timeline B, he had a better chance. No swarm of bugs chased after him, but a gunshot rang out down the hall. Tattletale had caught up and was trying to kill him. He fired back with his own pistol. The flamethrower was useless in this fight so he ditched the extra weight.
He was now caught in two fights over two different timelines. Both were battles of attrition, where Coil needed to reach the exit before he ran out of ammunition.
"Tattletale, I must say I'm impressed," Coil called out from the hallway. "I knew you were planning to betray me but never did I think you'd get this far."
Tattletale answered with another shot.
"Skitter, I don't know what I did to deserve your wraith, but I'm sure we can work something out," Coil called out in another timeline. "If this is about Tattletale, then you can have her. She's all yours."
Another swarm jumped at him, and he burned them down.
"Tattletale, you've always been a reasonable woman," Coil tried again. "You've shown initiative. I can give you access to my entire Brockton operation. Passwords, accounts, hidden cells. You name it. All of it will disappear if you kill me now."
"You think I don't already know that stuff?" Tattletale's smug voice called back.
Then she fired another shot.
"Skitter, I have powerful friends," Coil called out. "You have to know that killing me won't save Tattletale. But I can. You have my word, that if you let me go. No one will ever-"
"Shut up," The swarm growled. "There's nothing you can say that will stop me."
Coil burned the next swarm as he moved backwards.
"You can't have access to everything," Coil called out to Tattletale. He only had a handful of bullets left. "If you did, you would've taken it by now. Come, let's end this nonsense. My life is worth a lot more if you let me keep it."
"Always wanted to hear you beg, Coil," Tattletale called back. "That is worth a hell of a lot more than whatever you could give me."
Tattletale moved closer, firing her gun each time Coil tried to move.
"I can do this all day, Skitter." Coil bluffed. He had no idea how much fuel the flamethrower had left. "Save your bugs and just let me walk." He burned another, smaller swarm that was trying to sneak up on him.
Skitter didn't respond that time, only walking slowly towards him just out of flame range.
"You want me to beg?" Coil yelled out. His gun now out of ammo. "Fine. I'll beg. Let me go, Tattletale. You've won. My death would be meaningless."
Tattletale levelled the gun to his chest and smiled. "Oh, but it would mean so much to me."
With one timeline losing, he doubled down on the one Skitter was in. He watched as the masked figure approached. He still had his gun in his holster, but couldn't risk putting down the flamethrower to reach for it.
He had one more idea. A desperate last attempt. One more thing to say that might stop them from killing him.
"What about Ms Dallon?" He asked in both timelines. "Surely a hero like Glory Girl wouldn't approve of killing me like this." Both girls gave pause to this. It was a gamble, Ms Dallon had already proved capable of using lethal force when provoked, but they weren't aware of this. Coil smirked under his mask. "What would she think of you if you went through with this?"
Just one. All he needed was one of them to budge on this. He could see the conflict in Tattletale's eyes. The way Skitter's body froze up under the question.
"Are you really willing to do this? Consequences and all?"
Both girls thought on those words. They weighed and considered. Tattletale's hands shook as she held the gun, Skitter looked down to inspect something on the floor.
'Take the bait, take the bait, take the fucking bait.' Coil kept saying over and over in his head.
Then both girls sighed. Skitter stood up, Tattletale looked him in the eye. Skitter reached behind her, Tattletale brought her other hand around. Skitter took out a pistol, Tattletale trained hers at Coil's face.
Both girls spoke in unison. In two different hallways, in two different timelines.
"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect the people I love."
Then she fired the gun.
A:/N: Just gonna add this on cause I know the question will come up.
The purpose of the Aisha interlude last chapter wasn't to bring in some last minute deus ex machina against Coil.
But because I wanted/always planned to bring Aisha in at some point and I wanted a lighthearted chapter before this one.
Last edited:
Chapter 28: She gives a gift
Gowonzu
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Outside PRT Headquarters
Victoria flew down to land at the main entrance of the building. At such a late hour, the building was mostly empty except for security and a handful of office employees who ran the skeleton crew night shift. All turned their heads in interest as Glory Girl walked in carrying a child in her arms.
Security parted for her; she was well known enough that even a late visit didn't require the usual twenty questions a civilian might've gotten. The man at the front desk looked at her with a confused smile as Victoria approached.
"Glory Girl," The receptionist said. He sat up straighter in his chair, looking between Victoria and the child who was hugging onto her shoulder. "I wasn't aware of any operations going on tonight. None of the Wards are currently on-site-" He trailed off as the child yawned and repositioned her head. Giving the man a better view of her face.
The receptionist did a double take and looked down behind his desk. Undeniably looking at a missing persons poster that was nearby.
"I need access to your medical bays. She's been given an unknown substance." Victoria asked with as much authority as she could muster without disturbing the girl's sleep. "Also, can you inform Director Piggot that I found Dinah Alcott?"
The receptionist jumped to his feet and signalled for help. Security moved in quickly with a stretcher as they wheeled it up to Victoria. Gently, Vicky leaned to set Dinah down, the girl held on to her and groaned in annoyance.
"Dinah, Sweetie," Victoria said in a calming voice. "These nice men are going to get you comfortable. Then we'll get you to your parent real soon, okay?"
Victoria wasn't sure if the girl even understood where she was. The poor thing was high as a kite, slipping in and out of consciousness. Victoria recognised the signs; it wasn't her first time dealing with high people in her line of work. Amy had once explained the gritty details of what to look for and how to treat them, but she never thought she'd see it on a literal child.
Knowing what had been done to her made her so angry. She considered herself lucky that Coil wasn't in that car with her, else she might've considered lobbing it at him. She almost did so to the driver, but cooler heads remained. Her priority was getting Dinah's help, nothing else mattered at the moment.
Dinah let go as she slipped back into sleep. The two security officers rushed the girl off to the medical wing. As much as Victoria wanted to stay with the girl, she needed to contact her family and have them send Amy over. This also meant that Victoria had to get her story straight.
The original plan, as Vicky envisioned it, was to capture Coil and fly him over to the PRT. Make up some story about how she stumbled across the Undersiders fighting and nabbed the big bad himself. Now there was a whole child involved and Vicky had no idea what had happened to Coil, nor did she know what had happened to her girlfriends.
Anxiety hit her like a truck. What if something had happened? What if one of the girls were hurt or dead? And she left them there.
Vicky shook her head. That wouldn't have happened. They were winning, Coil was on the run, and she trusted her girlfriends to take care of themselves. She had a job to do, help Dinah, then sort this mess out.
She took out her cell phone and quickly dialled the home phone.
"Victoria, where are you? It's midnight, on a school day no less." Her Mother said the second she picked up the phone. "You better be here in the next five minutes or-"
"Mom, I'm at the PRT," Victoria said, cutting off her mother's complaint.
"Are you okay?" Her mother asked, a worried tone evident in her voice.
"I'm fine, Mom," Vicky said back. "Ran into some trouble, long story. But we need Amy to come in. I found Dinah Alcott and she's in bad shape. Are you able to get her here or should I fly back and pick her up?"
There was a hurried pause as her mother considered the information. "No, traffic shouldn't be too bad at this hour." She spoke. Vicky could already hear her move through the house. "I'll drive your sister. What kind of trouble?"
"Like I said, long story," Victoria said, panicking. "Just hurry with Amy and I'll explain when everyone's here."
"-Amy wake up. Get dressed." Her mother said, the telltale sounds of her barging into Amy's room in the middle of the night. "Emergency at the PRT, my car, two minutes."
Victoria felt awful about waking Amy up in the middle of the night. She understood why it was necessary but couldn't help but wince as her mother barked orders from the other side of the phone.
"We're heading there now." Her mother explained to Victoria. "Just promise me that you're okay."
"I'm fine," Victoria promised. "Didn't even scratch my costume."
Her mother grumbled at the implications but didn't say anymore. With the phone call ended, Victoria let out a sigh. She wasn't out of the woods yet, she promised to explain once everyone got her, no doubt Director Piggot would want a full debrief of the events. It would really help if she had Coil in tow like her original plan entailed, as Victoria wasn't sure how much she could say without implicating herself and the Undersiders.
Sitting down in the lobby, Victoria sent two texts off to both Taylor and Lisa. She wanted a general update, to know if anyone was hurt, if Coil was captured and if so, what they planned to do with him. Neither girl responded to her text.
"Are you okay?" She sent it off in the general group chat.
"Fine." Taylor sent back
"we r alve" Lisa sent shortly after.
Victoria released a small breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Both girls were alive, and fine.
"What about Coil?" She then sent through.
There was another long wait until Victoria got a response. Victoria was almost expecting a giant wall of text explaining exactly what had happened however the response she got was three simple words.
"We got him."
It was sent by Lisa but written as if she was talking on behalf of both girls. It was vague, too vague. Victoria needed details to craft her alibi. Skirt the truth as close to reality as possible.
"At PRT now, what do I tell them?" She asked. Her knee bounced up and down as she waited for Lisa to come up with a plan.
"Cops already know of battle at construction site by now." Lisa's message read. "You came across it, found Undersiders fighting Coil's mercs. Tattletale informed you about Dinah Alcott in car that fled the scene, gave chase."
That made sense. There was no point hiding the fact that the Undersiders got into a fight, the battle started on a public street after all. And Glory Girl would prioritise rescuing a child over a fight between two criminal groups, so it was believable.
"And Coil?" Victoria asked for the third time.
"We'll take care of it," Taylor responded. "Glory Girl wasn't here, more believable if you don't know."
That also made sense. Her alibi would mean that she wasn't in contact with the Undersiders after leaving, so she had no way of knowing Coil's fate. She wasn't sure how that would translate into an arrest, but Victoria trusted her girlfriends to take care of it.
-----------------------------------
Director Piggot, several more PRT officers and Armsmaster all arrived a short while later. Brandish and Panacea parked up behind them as the empty lobby where Victoria waited quickly turned into a hub of activity. Victoria even spotted some paparazzi outside the building who had somehow gotten wind that something was going on and were simply waiting to break the story.
Amy gave a tired wave to Vicky as she was escorted through the building, Vicky waved back at her sister and mouthed an apology for the late hour. Carol broke off from the escort to give Victoria a hug, squeezing her like a classic overprotective parent.
"I'm fine, Mom," Victoria said, hugging her back. "Just stumbled across a thing. No biggie."
Carol looked over her daughter one final time, her gaze sweeping over Victoria's face and body, searching for any signs of injury. Victoria stood still, allowing her mother to inspect her, understanding that this was her way of expressing her concern.
Carol sighed, her worry evident in her eyes. "So, what happened?" She asked, Carol's grip tightened around Victoria's hand.
Armsmaster and Piggot both moved in closer upon hearing that question.
"Let's find a room to debrief," Piggot suggested, motioning to a nearby doorway. She had her usual grumpy bitch-face that was no doubt doubled by being woken in the middle of the night. "The Mayor and the Alcotts are on their way here and I'd like to have this all wrapped up before then."
They sat Victoria down in the same room she'd previously chatted with Armsmaster about Shadow Stalker. A part of Vicky was a little annoyed that Piggot wouldn't take the time to hear her about a rouge Ward during the day, but the Mayor's niece got her full attention in the middle of the night.
"Now," Armsmaster said as he took his seat. "From the beginning."
Victoria took a deep breath, steadying herself for the task at hand. Her mind raced, analysing every detail she had been given by Lisa and Taylor. The room was tense, the air thick with anticipation as all eyes in the room turned to her, waiting for her to reveal her alibi.
She looked around the room, her gaze flickering over Director Piggot's stern expression, Armsmaster's calculating eyes, and her mother's worried face. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, the gravity of her words threatening to engulf her.
"I went out to meet a friend, we had plans made already. Once I made it downtown, I...I came across the battle at a construction site," Victoria began, her voice trembling slightly. She could feel the weight of all the eyes in the room on her, their attention focused solely on her words. "I witnessed the Undersiders fighting Coil's mercenaries."
Armsmaster shifted in his seat but didn't interrupt. Victoria was aware that his helmet had some form of tinker lie detection device in it. She had no idea how accurate it was but she was sure that she hadn't told an outright lie yet.
"After reaching the scene and understanding what was going on," Her heart pounded in her chest as she continued, her voice gaining strength with each word. "Tattletale, one of the Undersiders, informed me that there was a young girl named Dinah Alcott who was being held by Coil. And Skitter pointed out the car that fled the scene. I immediately gave chase, prioritising the rescue of the child over the ongoing fight."
"You spoke to the Undersiders?" Piggot asked with a disapproving tone.
"Y-yes ma'am," Victoria responded. Her mother joined in on the disappointed look.
"Did you attempt to apprehend any of them?" Armsmaster asked.
"No, sir," Victoria answered, shrinking down in her chair.
"Good," Armsmaster said calmly. Carol and Piggot nodded in agreement. "At least you weren't foolish enough to take on two groups of criminals by yourself."
"A-anyway, I followed the car through the city, doing my best to keep up with them," Victoria continued, her voice growing more animated. "I was fully focused on saving that little girl, willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe. I disabled the vehicle, safely. And then brought Dinah back here. Then I called Mom and now we're here."
Director Piggot leaned back in her chair, studying Victoria intently. Her expression was inscrutable, her sharp gaze searching for any cracks in Victoria's story. Armsmaster, too, remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her every word. She could see the scepticism in Piggot's eyes, the doubt etched on Armsmaster's face, but she pressed on, determined to convince them of her innocence.
"Why didn't you call in the fight when you first saw it?" Armsmaster asked.
An expected question, one that Victoria had prepared a believable and true answer for.
"I refused to sit around and wait," Victoria said confidently. "People needed help and I was there to act."
Carol sighed frustratedly. Victoria was going to be given an earful about the proper engagement procedure when she got home.
Armsmaster spoke up, his voice laced with scepticism. "And what about your connection to the Undersiders? You said you spoke to Tattletale and Skitter? Did your prior relationship with them complicate things?"
Victoria froze at the question. Prior relationship? Did he know? How would he know? How much did he know? Victoria could feel the sweat forming on her brow.
"My what?" She coughed out.
"Apologies," Armsmaster said. "I just assumed that you would've held a grudge with the Undersiders ever since they held your sister hostage at the bank."
"Oh!" Victoria said a little too loudly. "Right." She chuckled awkwardly before straightening up. "Uh, no Sir. I don't hold grudges. I mean, not on them specifically. It didn't… uh, factor in on anything tonight."
"And do you have any idea what the Undersiders were hoping to accomplish by attacking Coil's men tonight?" Piggot asked.
"No, Ma'am," Victoria said far too quickly. Armsmaster's eye twitched as his helmet no doubt picked up on the obvious lie. "I mean, yes. Kind of," Victoria quickly corrected before the other hero could speak up. "They wanted to stop Coil, rescue Dinah. Well, I wanted to rescue Dinah, but I'm sure they did too. Uh, well some of them did. Regent was against it but Skitter and Tattletale did." Every time she spoke she could see Armsmaster reacting subtly. She had to reign her lips together to keep her story from snowballing out.
There was a brief moment of silence as the words hung in the air. Director Piggot and Armsmaster exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. Finally, Piggot nodded, seemingly satisfied with Victoria's response.
"Very well," Piggot conceded. "I think we have enough here. Thank you, Glory Girl for your work here tonight. I'm sure the Mayor will want to thank you personally but we will arrange that at a later date. For now, we will proceed with the investigation of what went down, but you are free to go."
Victoria nodded, her relief evident on her face. She stood up, her legs feeling weak beneath her, but her spirit lifted. She had managed to navigate the treacherous waters of the interrogation, crafting an alibi that would hopefully shield her from suspicion.
---------------------------------------------
Armsmaster opened the door and gestured for the Dallons to leave. He shook both women's hands as they exited the room. Glory Girl and Brandish both looked exhausted. The last few hours had been taxing for everyone involved. The younger girl was obviously trying desperately to maintain composure while still trying to make sense of everything that happened.
"Victoria, take a seat in the lobby," "Brandish said as the two girls walked out. "I'll get your sister and then we'll all drive home."
"Yes, Mom." Glory Girl sighed tiredly.
Piggot remained seated with informed Armsmaster that their discussion wasn't yet over. He shut the door behind the two girls and took a seat opposite the Director.
"Your thoughts?" Piggot asked before he even sat down.
"Dinah's safe, Glory Girl's safe. No reported casualties from the crime scene according to the police." Armsmaster stated. "A solid job well done, albeit an unexpected one."
"I'm sensing a but," Piggot asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's probably nothing, but," Armsmaster said back to her. "There were several moments in her story where my helmet pinged."
"Elaborate?"
"She went to 'meet a friend,' it didn't come off as a lie but she was nervous when she said that," Armsmaster explained. "In fact, she was very nervous when she told her entire story. Like this was an interrogation rather than a debriefing. Strange to say the least. She spoke to Tattletale and Skitter, that was a truth, but she panicked when I mentioned a prior relation."
"You think she has another relation to the Undersiders?" Piggot asked.
"Possibly. She told the story like she just showed up to the fight, flew in, spoke to the two Undersiders and then gave chase. But there was a decent period of time between when the fight broke out and when Glory Girl brought Dinah here. Also, she mentioned another thing. Regent was against saving Dinah. How would she know that unless?-"
"She spoke to Regent," Piggot finished the thought. "You don't think that Glory Girl of all people was working with the Undersiders, do you?"
Armsmaster almost snorted at the thought. He shook his head.
"Working with them? No," He clarified. "Glory Girl is a hero through and through. However, her statement of 'prioritising the rescue of Dinah' could have a double meaning." Piggot already understood but Armsmaster finished his thought anyway. "I would bet real money that she teamed up with the Undersiders, just for tonight. The moment she caught wind of Dinah being held, she chose the lesser of two evils. My guess, she was nervous because of how Brandish would react if she was made aware."
"Understandable," Piggot agreed. "Mrs Dallon has a reputation for being less forgiving with known criminals."
"Still," Amrsmaster said as they both nodded in agreement. "Best keep a close eye on her. The Undersiders have proven to be rather persuasive with young heroes in the past."
He thought back to Skitter before the girl even had a name. A rookie cape who had apparently planned to infiltrate the Undersiders shortly after taking down one of the most powerful capes on the Bay. Armsmaster tried to convince himself that she'd lied from the beginning, but in retrospect, he was too dismissive of the girl and possibly had a hand in pushing her into villainy. He'd hate to see Glory Girl fall to a similar fate.
"I'll talk to Ms Dallon later on this week," Piggot said, mulling Armsmaster's words over. "See if we can borrow her for more Ward operations. In any case, we should-"
The door slammed open as a PRT officer barged in and gave a quick salute.
"Director Piggot, Armsmaster." The officer said, panting in between words. "We have a situation out front."
-----------------------------------------------
Several PRT officers trained rifles at the figure who stood across the street. Orders were being barked to shoo the civilians back but the media wasn't yet ready to flee just yet.
Skitter stood motionless in the center of all the commotion. Bugs buzzing all around her, not enough of a swarm to lead any kind of assault on the PRT, but enough to give off her usual threatening vibe.
Brandish stood defensively in front of her two daughters as Glory Girl looked worriedly between the dark figure and the other heroes. Armsmaster stepped out and took point, the officers falling back to let the hero handle things.
The hero in blue power armour approached cautiously towards the infamous villain. Reaching for his halberd on his back, he readied himself for a fight.
Skitter moved slowly as he approached, holding her hand up in surrender. She looked taller than he remembered. Somewhat bulkier too. The swarm of bugs covered her head from toes but he did note that Skitter's body was under the mass of bugs. Heat signatures outlined a human body, he was almost certain it was her, using her swarm to bulk up her size and look taller. An intimidation tactic perhaps? He wasn't sure.
"Skitter," Armsmaster said, stopping at his side of the street. "I know the Undersiders have been getting bolder, but marching up to the PRT is a new level of stupidity, surely you know this can't end well for you?"
The PRT officers were already preparing the containment foam, two men flanked either side of the hero, waiting for the order.
"I'm not here to fight," Skitter said. Her voice was distorted by her swarm. Armsmaster could see bugs crawling all over the girl. "I merely wish to parley. Temporary truce."
"If you've come to surrender yourself, I can offer you a reasonable plea deal," Armsmaster said, lowering his weapon. "The offer for the Wards is still on the table, we could set you up in a different city-"
"No, that's not why we're here," Skitter said, her tone unreadable.
"We?" Armsmaster asked.
"I speak on behalf of my team," Skitter explained. "The Undersiders. A short while ago, we attacked a key location in Coil's operation. He was holding a girl hostage, one Dinah Alcott. I believe you should be aware of this by now?"
"Yes," Armsmaster said. "Glory Girl gave us a quick rundown. What's your angle Skitter?"
"No angle," Skitter said, shaking her head. It was a very robotic movement. "We'd like to know the status of Miss Alcott. Is she safe and unharmed?"
"She is," Armsmaster said. He was already trying to do a sweep of the area to locate the other Undersiders. No way Skitter was this confident to approach the PRT headquarters alone.
"Good," Skitter said, her tone still held no emotion. "We may be villains and thieves. But the Undersiders don't kidnap children. Nor do we tolerate those who do."
"So that's what this is about?" Armsmaster asked with a raised eyebrow. "Credit? You want people to know you saved the girl."
"No," Skitter said bluntly. "That credit goes to Glory Girl. We never would've made it to Dinah in time." Skitter looked up in Glory Girls' direction and gave a small nod of thanks. "However, we would like to give you something ourselves." The swarm chuckled, in the insidious way you'd expect a thousand insects to sound when chuckling. "It's rather fitting that I'd be giving this gift to you, Armsmaster."
Armsmaster braced himself for whatever 'gift' Skitter was referring to as her swarm started to move and pulsate.
The bugs pulled away, to reveal not the terrifying visage of Skitter, but a man in a skintight black bodysuit with a stencil of a white snake curling around it. Coil. He collapsed forward and face-planted onto the street as the swarm reformed into Skitter's shape beside the body.
Armsmaster moved to inspect the body, his suit running a quick vitals check.
"He's alive, still breathing," Skitter explained, more so to the media who were watching as Armsmaster's suit confirmed that. "Took a bullet to the chest but his body armour absorbed most of it. But Tattletale did kick him in the face for good measure."
"The Undersiders were paid by Coil to operate in the city and sow chaos," Skitter explained. "This was our boss, until about an hour ago. Delivered as promised. Consider the Undersiders independent operatives. Tattletale asked me if you'd consider paying us the bounty, but in lieu of that, feel free to send it to Glory Girl and New Wave, for her assistance."
Skitter turned towards the camera. As Armsmaster suspected, this was a show for the press.
"Coil is now in the custody of the PRT. Please make sure it stays that way. We don't want to have a repeat like Lung, do we?" Skitter gestured to the unconscious cape on the floor. Then her swarm broke away, and within seconds, she was gone.
Armsmaster pulled up Coil, dragging the man by his feet until one of the officers rushed out to assist. Some more officers gave chase after the bugs but Armsmaster knew that Skitter wouldn't be found. Handcuffs were slapped on the unconscious body and the media was held at bay while they brought him back inside.
While it was an unspoken rule not the reveal a cape's identity to the public, the PRT held no respect for anonymity once someone was in their custody. Once Coil was out from the civilian eye, his mask was immediately removed.
Nobody made a sound as they got a good look at the man behind the mask. He was beaten, he was bruised.
"He's just… some guy?" Victoria said, almost disappointed.
She didn't recognise the man, no one did.
"Most capes are," Armsmaster said. "We'll run fingerprints and facial ID through the system. See if we get any hits."
"Was she telling the truth?" Piggot asked. Armsmaster knew she had a personal vendetta against Coil.
"Don't know," Armsmaster shook his head. "I couldn't read anything from those bugs of her. Skitter is far too emotionless."
Piggot looked to Panacea. "Can we at least check that he's a parahuman? For all we know, it's just one of Coil's mercenaries."
Panacea looked towards Piggot and then Brandish for consent. Both women gestured for her to go ahead. Panacea placed a hand on Coil's forehead and hummed.
"That's… yeah," Panacea said softly. "C-confirmed parahuman."
"Any idea what he does?" Glory Girl asked over her shoulder.
Panacea shook her head. "He's healing faster than normal, but that's probably a secondary ability. He's got something mental, so Thinker or a Tinker is my best guess. But uh, don't quote me on that."
"Suspected Thinker," Armsmaster said. "Matches the profile we had on him. So, early impressions… it's him?"
Piggot eyed the unconscious man for a short while. "Let's take a wait-and-see approach. No doubt the media is going to run the story anyway, but we'll dig up this man's background first before officially calling it."
---------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets
"They bought it," Skitter said to the team. They all sat in a van that was on the edge of Skitter's range.
Tattletale let out a sigh of relief.
"Good," Regent spoke up first. "Cause controlling someone covered in all your bugs, does not feel nice. I'll tell you that." He shuddered at the memory of it. "Hate to walk him all that way for nothing."
"Think it'll stick?" Imp asked, appearing behind Regent. "Won't the guy wake up and start screaming, I'm not Coil, you've got the wrong man."
Tattletale shook her head, "The man was willing to die for his boss. There's no doubt he's prepared to do jail time for the psycho."
"That's fucking weird," Imp giggled. "Who would do that?"
Tattletale shrugged. "Coil was probably paying his family something fierce. Shit, I should probably find out what, if this is gonna stick long term. Ah well, we got plenty of time to find out."
"So, that just happened." Grue sighed. "What do we do now?"
"Go home, get some sleep." Skitter said, "We can work out specifics another day."
There was a brief window of quiet, only slightly broken by Bitch's three dogs, now de-powered, moving about in the back seat.
"So," Grue said again. He looked towards Skitter and Tattletale who sat in the two front seats. "Do either of you want to talk about what went down at the end there?"
Both girls looked at each other, and then they both turned away. Tattletale started the van's engine, and Skitter looked out her window.
"Girls, I'm serious." Grue continued. "I don't know what happened, but if either of you need to talk about it-"
"We're fine," Skitter said coldly.
"Let's just get home," Tattletale added, the cheer drained from her tone.
Grue got the message not to bring up the subject right now and the rest of the team did as well.
He had a lot of mixed feelings about how this night turned out. He was glad Lisa was safe, he was glad that Coil was taken down, and he was especially glad to learn that their last-minute plan had saved the life of a child by sheer coincidence. But the image of Tattletale and Skitter standing over Coil's dead body unsettled the man.
Neither girl told him what happened. He was obviously shot in the face, but by whom was the concerned question. Both girls had a gun on their person, and Grue wasn't impulsive enough to demand answers.
Watching them both now, Grue wished he could somehow work out who did the deed through body language alone, but Skitter was unreadable as ever and Tattletale could bluff like the best of them.
They acted cold and disconnected now, but it was only a front. A charade that Grue understood well enough, even if he himself had never taken a life.
In the end, it didn't matter. Both were shaken by the events that transpired. Both would need support when they were ready to talk. One girl was concerned about the loss of their partner's innocence, and the other was coming to terms with having blood on their hands.
The only true emotion he saw from the girls was right before they came up with this plan to give away a fake Coil. A quick meeting where they made everyone swear.
Both girls had asked Grue to make a promise, and asked the whole team to keep a promise. A lie to keep their sanity together, three simple words that the Undersiders would honour with their life.
Don't tell Vicky.
Victoria flew down to land at the main entrance of the building. At such a late hour, the building was mostly empty except for security and a handful of office employees who ran the skeleton crew night shift. All turned their heads in interest as Glory Girl walked in carrying a child in her arms.
Security parted for her; she was well known enough that even a late visit didn't require the usual twenty questions a civilian might've gotten. The man at the front desk looked at her with a confused smile as Victoria approached.
"Glory Girl," The receptionist said. He sat up straighter in his chair, looking between Victoria and the child who was hugging onto her shoulder. "I wasn't aware of any operations going on tonight. None of the Wards are currently on-site-" He trailed off as the child yawned and repositioned her head. Giving the man a better view of her face.
The receptionist did a double take and looked down behind his desk. Undeniably looking at a missing persons poster that was nearby.
"I need access to your medical bays. She's been given an unknown substance." Victoria asked with as much authority as she could muster without disturbing the girl's sleep. "Also, can you inform Director Piggot that I found Dinah Alcott?"
The receptionist jumped to his feet and signalled for help. Security moved in quickly with a stretcher as they wheeled it up to Victoria. Gently, Vicky leaned to set Dinah down, the girl held on to her and groaned in annoyance.
"Dinah, Sweetie," Victoria said in a calming voice. "These nice men are going to get you comfortable. Then we'll get you to your parent real soon, okay?"
Victoria wasn't sure if the girl even understood where she was. The poor thing was high as a kite, slipping in and out of consciousness. Victoria recognised the signs; it wasn't her first time dealing with high people in her line of work. Amy had once explained the gritty details of what to look for and how to treat them, but she never thought she'd see it on a literal child.
Knowing what had been done to her made her so angry. She considered herself lucky that Coil wasn't in that car with her, else she might've considered lobbing it at him. She almost did so to the driver, but cooler heads remained. Her priority was getting Dinah's help, nothing else mattered at the moment.
Dinah let go as she slipped back into sleep. The two security officers rushed the girl off to the medical wing. As much as Victoria wanted to stay with the girl, she needed to contact her family and have them send Amy over. This also meant that Victoria had to get her story straight.
The original plan, as Vicky envisioned it, was to capture Coil and fly him over to the PRT. Make up some story about how she stumbled across the Undersiders fighting and nabbed the big bad himself. Now there was a whole child involved and Vicky had no idea what had happened to Coil, nor did she know what had happened to her girlfriends.
Anxiety hit her like a truck. What if something had happened? What if one of the girls were hurt or dead? And she left them there.
Vicky shook her head. That wouldn't have happened. They were winning, Coil was on the run, and she trusted her girlfriends to take care of themselves. She had a job to do, help Dinah, then sort this mess out.
She took out her cell phone and quickly dialled the home phone.
"Victoria, where are you? It's midnight, on a school day no less." Her Mother said the second she picked up the phone. "You better be here in the next five minutes or-"
"Mom, I'm at the PRT," Victoria said, cutting off her mother's complaint.
"Are you okay?" Her mother asked, a worried tone evident in her voice.
"I'm fine, Mom," Vicky said back. "Ran into some trouble, long story. But we need Amy to come in. I found Dinah Alcott and she's in bad shape. Are you able to get her here or should I fly back and pick her up?"
There was a hurried pause as her mother considered the information. "No, traffic shouldn't be too bad at this hour." She spoke. Vicky could already hear her move through the house. "I'll drive your sister. What kind of trouble?"
"Like I said, long story," Victoria said, panicking. "Just hurry with Amy and I'll explain when everyone's here."
"-Amy wake up. Get dressed." Her mother said, the telltale sounds of her barging into Amy's room in the middle of the night. "Emergency at the PRT, my car, two minutes."
Victoria felt awful about waking Amy up in the middle of the night. She understood why it was necessary but couldn't help but wince as her mother barked orders from the other side of the phone.
"We're heading there now." Her mother explained to Victoria. "Just promise me that you're okay."
"I'm fine," Victoria promised. "Didn't even scratch my costume."
Her mother grumbled at the implications but didn't say anymore. With the phone call ended, Victoria let out a sigh. She wasn't out of the woods yet, she promised to explain once everyone got her, no doubt Director Piggot would want a full debrief of the events. It would really help if she had Coil in tow like her original plan entailed, as Victoria wasn't sure how much she could say without implicating herself and the Undersiders.
Sitting down in the lobby, Victoria sent two texts off to both Taylor and Lisa. She wanted a general update, to know if anyone was hurt, if Coil was captured and if so, what they planned to do with him. Neither girl responded to her text.
"Are you okay?" She sent it off in the general group chat.
"Fine." Taylor sent back
"we r alve" Lisa sent shortly after.
Victoria released a small breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Both girls were alive, and fine.
"What about Coil?" She then sent through.
There was another long wait until Victoria got a response. Victoria was almost expecting a giant wall of text explaining exactly what had happened however the response she got was three simple words.
"We got him."
It was sent by Lisa but written as if she was talking on behalf of both girls. It was vague, too vague. Victoria needed details to craft her alibi. Skirt the truth as close to reality as possible.
"At PRT now, what do I tell them?" She asked. Her knee bounced up and down as she waited for Lisa to come up with a plan.
"Cops already know of battle at construction site by now." Lisa's message read. "You came across it, found Undersiders fighting Coil's mercs. Tattletale informed you about Dinah Alcott in car that fled the scene, gave chase."
That made sense. There was no point hiding the fact that the Undersiders got into a fight, the battle started on a public street after all. And Glory Girl would prioritise rescuing a child over a fight between two criminal groups, so it was believable.
"And Coil?" Victoria asked for the third time.
"We'll take care of it," Taylor responded. "Glory Girl wasn't here, more believable if you don't know."
That also made sense. Her alibi would mean that she wasn't in contact with the Undersiders after leaving, so she had no way of knowing Coil's fate. She wasn't sure how that would translate into an arrest, but Victoria trusted her girlfriends to take care of it.
-----------------------------------
Director Piggot, several more PRT officers and Armsmaster all arrived a short while later. Brandish and Panacea parked up behind them as the empty lobby where Victoria waited quickly turned into a hub of activity. Victoria even spotted some paparazzi outside the building who had somehow gotten wind that something was going on and were simply waiting to break the story.
Amy gave a tired wave to Vicky as she was escorted through the building, Vicky waved back at her sister and mouthed an apology for the late hour. Carol broke off from the escort to give Victoria a hug, squeezing her like a classic overprotective parent.
"I'm fine, Mom," Victoria said, hugging her back. "Just stumbled across a thing. No biggie."
Carol looked over her daughter one final time, her gaze sweeping over Victoria's face and body, searching for any signs of injury. Victoria stood still, allowing her mother to inspect her, understanding that this was her way of expressing her concern.
Carol sighed, her worry evident in her eyes. "So, what happened?" She asked, Carol's grip tightened around Victoria's hand.
Armsmaster and Piggot both moved in closer upon hearing that question.
"Let's find a room to debrief," Piggot suggested, motioning to a nearby doorway. She had her usual grumpy bitch-face that was no doubt doubled by being woken in the middle of the night. "The Mayor and the Alcotts are on their way here and I'd like to have this all wrapped up before then."
They sat Victoria down in the same room she'd previously chatted with Armsmaster about Shadow Stalker. A part of Vicky was a little annoyed that Piggot wouldn't take the time to hear her about a rouge Ward during the day, but the Mayor's niece got her full attention in the middle of the night.
"Now," Armsmaster said as he took his seat. "From the beginning."
Victoria took a deep breath, steadying herself for the task at hand. Her mind raced, analysing every detail she had been given by Lisa and Taylor. The room was tense, the air thick with anticipation as all eyes in the room turned to her, waiting for her to reveal her alibi.
She looked around the room, her gaze flickering over Director Piggot's stern expression, Armsmaster's calculating eyes, and her mother's worried face. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, the gravity of her words threatening to engulf her.
"I went out to meet a friend, we had plans made already. Once I made it downtown, I...I came across the battle at a construction site," Victoria began, her voice trembling slightly. She could feel the weight of all the eyes in the room on her, their attention focused solely on her words. "I witnessed the Undersiders fighting Coil's mercenaries."
Armsmaster shifted in his seat but didn't interrupt. Victoria was aware that his helmet had some form of tinker lie detection device in it. She had no idea how accurate it was but she was sure that she hadn't told an outright lie yet.
"After reaching the scene and understanding what was going on," Her heart pounded in her chest as she continued, her voice gaining strength with each word. "Tattletale, one of the Undersiders, informed me that there was a young girl named Dinah Alcott who was being held by Coil. And Skitter pointed out the car that fled the scene. I immediately gave chase, prioritising the rescue of the child over the ongoing fight."
"You spoke to the Undersiders?" Piggot asked with a disapproving tone.
"Y-yes ma'am," Victoria responded. Her mother joined in on the disappointed look.
"Did you attempt to apprehend any of them?" Armsmaster asked.
"No, sir," Victoria answered, shrinking down in her chair.
"Good," Armsmaster said calmly. Carol and Piggot nodded in agreement. "At least you weren't foolish enough to take on two groups of criminals by yourself."
"A-anyway, I followed the car through the city, doing my best to keep up with them," Victoria continued, her voice growing more animated. "I was fully focused on saving that little girl, willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe. I disabled the vehicle, safely. And then brought Dinah back here. Then I called Mom and now we're here."
Director Piggot leaned back in her chair, studying Victoria intently. Her expression was inscrutable, her sharp gaze searching for any cracks in Victoria's story. Armsmaster, too, remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her every word. She could see the scepticism in Piggot's eyes, the doubt etched on Armsmaster's face, but she pressed on, determined to convince them of her innocence.
"Why didn't you call in the fight when you first saw it?" Armsmaster asked.
An expected question, one that Victoria had prepared a believable and true answer for.
"I refused to sit around and wait," Victoria said confidently. "People needed help and I was there to act."
Carol sighed frustratedly. Victoria was going to be given an earful about the proper engagement procedure when she got home.
Armsmaster spoke up, his voice laced with scepticism. "And what about your connection to the Undersiders? You said you spoke to Tattletale and Skitter? Did your prior relationship with them complicate things?"
Victoria froze at the question. Prior relationship? Did he know? How would he know? How much did he know? Victoria could feel the sweat forming on her brow.
"My what?" She coughed out.
"Apologies," Armsmaster said. "I just assumed that you would've held a grudge with the Undersiders ever since they held your sister hostage at the bank."
"Oh!" Victoria said a little too loudly. "Right." She chuckled awkwardly before straightening up. "Uh, no Sir. I don't hold grudges. I mean, not on them specifically. It didn't… uh, factor in on anything tonight."
"And do you have any idea what the Undersiders were hoping to accomplish by attacking Coil's men tonight?" Piggot asked.
"No, Ma'am," Victoria said far too quickly. Armsmaster's eye twitched as his helmet no doubt picked up on the obvious lie. "I mean, yes. Kind of," Victoria quickly corrected before the other hero could speak up. "They wanted to stop Coil, rescue Dinah. Well, I wanted to rescue Dinah, but I'm sure they did too. Uh, well some of them did. Regent was against it but Skitter and Tattletale did." Every time she spoke she could see Armsmaster reacting subtly. She had to reign her lips together to keep her story from snowballing out.
There was a brief moment of silence as the words hung in the air. Director Piggot and Armsmaster exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. Finally, Piggot nodded, seemingly satisfied with Victoria's response.
"Very well," Piggot conceded. "I think we have enough here. Thank you, Glory Girl for your work here tonight. I'm sure the Mayor will want to thank you personally but we will arrange that at a later date. For now, we will proceed with the investigation of what went down, but you are free to go."
Victoria nodded, her relief evident on her face. She stood up, her legs feeling weak beneath her, but her spirit lifted. She had managed to navigate the treacherous waters of the interrogation, crafting an alibi that would hopefully shield her from suspicion.
---------------------------------------------
Armsmaster opened the door and gestured for the Dallons to leave. He shook both women's hands as they exited the room. Glory Girl and Brandish both looked exhausted. The last few hours had been taxing for everyone involved. The younger girl was obviously trying desperately to maintain composure while still trying to make sense of everything that happened.
"Victoria, take a seat in the lobby," "Brandish said as the two girls walked out. "I'll get your sister and then we'll all drive home."
"Yes, Mom." Glory Girl sighed tiredly.
Piggot remained seated with informed Armsmaster that their discussion wasn't yet over. He shut the door behind the two girls and took a seat opposite the Director.
"Your thoughts?" Piggot asked before he even sat down.
"Dinah's safe, Glory Girl's safe. No reported casualties from the crime scene according to the police." Armsmaster stated. "A solid job well done, albeit an unexpected one."
"I'm sensing a but," Piggot asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's probably nothing, but," Armsmaster said back to her. "There were several moments in her story where my helmet pinged."
"Elaborate?"
"She went to 'meet a friend,' it didn't come off as a lie but she was nervous when she said that," Armsmaster explained. "In fact, she was very nervous when she told her entire story. Like this was an interrogation rather than a debriefing. Strange to say the least. She spoke to Tattletale and Skitter, that was a truth, but she panicked when I mentioned a prior relation."
"You think she has another relation to the Undersiders?" Piggot asked.
"Possibly. She told the story like she just showed up to the fight, flew in, spoke to the two Undersiders and then gave chase. But there was a decent period of time between when the fight broke out and when Glory Girl brought Dinah here. Also, she mentioned another thing. Regent was against saving Dinah. How would she know that unless?-"
"She spoke to Regent," Piggot finished the thought. "You don't think that Glory Girl of all people was working with the Undersiders, do you?"
Armsmaster almost snorted at the thought. He shook his head.
"Working with them? No," He clarified. "Glory Girl is a hero through and through. However, her statement of 'prioritising the rescue of Dinah' could have a double meaning." Piggot already understood but Armsmaster finished his thought anyway. "I would bet real money that she teamed up with the Undersiders, just for tonight. The moment she caught wind of Dinah being held, she chose the lesser of two evils. My guess, she was nervous because of how Brandish would react if she was made aware."
"Understandable," Piggot agreed. "Mrs Dallon has a reputation for being less forgiving with known criminals."
"Still," Amrsmaster said as they both nodded in agreement. "Best keep a close eye on her. The Undersiders have proven to be rather persuasive with young heroes in the past."
He thought back to Skitter before the girl even had a name. A rookie cape who had apparently planned to infiltrate the Undersiders shortly after taking down one of the most powerful capes on the Bay. Armsmaster tried to convince himself that she'd lied from the beginning, but in retrospect, he was too dismissive of the girl and possibly had a hand in pushing her into villainy. He'd hate to see Glory Girl fall to a similar fate.
"I'll talk to Ms Dallon later on this week," Piggot said, mulling Armsmaster's words over. "See if we can borrow her for more Ward operations. In any case, we should-"
The door slammed open as a PRT officer barged in and gave a quick salute.
"Director Piggot, Armsmaster." The officer said, panting in between words. "We have a situation out front."
-----------------------------------------------
Several PRT officers trained rifles at the figure who stood across the street. Orders were being barked to shoo the civilians back but the media wasn't yet ready to flee just yet.
Skitter stood motionless in the center of all the commotion. Bugs buzzing all around her, not enough of a swarm to lead any kind of assault on the PRT, but enough to give off her usual threatening vibe.
Brandish stood defensively in front of her two daughters as Glory Girl looked worriedly between the dark figure and the other heroes. Armsmaster stepped out and took point, the officers falling back to let the hero handle things.
The hero in blue power armour approached cautiously towards the infamous villain. Reaching for his halberd on his back, he readied himself for a fight.
Skitter moved slowly as he approached, holding her hand up in surrender. She looked taller than he remembered. Somewhat bulkier too. The swarm of bugs covered her head from toes but he did note that Skitter's body was under the mass of bugs. Heat signatures outlined a human body, he was almost certain it was her, using her swarm to bulk up her size and look taller. An intimidation tactic perhaps? He wasn't sure.
"Skitter," Armsmaster said, stopping at his side of the street. "I know the Undersiders have been getting bolder, but marching up to the PRT is a new level of stupidity, surely you know this can't end well for you?"
The PRT officers were already preparing the containment foam, two men flanked either side of the hero, waiting for the order.
"I'm not here to fight," Skitter said. Her voice was distorted by her swarm. Armsmaster could see bugs crawling all over the girl. "I merely wish to parley. Temporary truce."
"If you've come to surrender yourself, I can offer you a reasonable plea deal," Armsmaster said, lowering his weapon. "The offer for the Wards is still on the table, we could set you up in a different city-"
"No, that's not why we're here," Skitter said, her tone unreadable.
"We?" Armsmaster asked.
"I speak on behalf of my team," Skitter explained. "The Undersiders. A short while ago, we attacked a key location in Coil's operation. He was holding a girl hostage, one Dinah Alcott. I believe you should be aware of this by now?"
"Yes," Armsmaster said. "Glory Girl gave us a quick rundown. What's your angle Skitter?"
"No angle," Skitter said, shaking her head. It was a very robotic movement. "We'd like to know the status of Miss Alcott. Is she safe and unharmed?"
"She is," Armsmaster said. He was already trying to do a sweep of the area to locate the other Undersiders. No way Skitter was this confident to approach the PRT headquarters alone.
"Good," Skitter said, her tone still held no emotion. "We may be villains and thieves. But the Undersiders don't kidnap children. Nor do we tolerate those who do."
"So that's what this is about?" Armsmaster asked with a raised eyebrow. "Credit? You want people to know you saved the girl."
"No," Skitter said bluntly. "That credit goes to Glory Girl. We never would've made it to Dinah in time." Skitter looked up in Glory Girls' direction and gave a small nod of thanks. "However, we would like to give you something ourselves." The swarm chuckled, in the insidious way you'd expect a thousand insects to sound when chuckling. "It's rather fitting that I'd be giving this gift to you, Armsmaster."
Armsmaster braced himself for whatever 'gift' Skitter was referring to as her swarm started to move and pulsate.
The bugs pulled away, to reveal not the terrifying visage of Skitter, but a man in a skintight black bodysuit with a stencil of a white snake curling around it. Coil. He collapsed forward and face-planted onto the street as the swarm reformed into Skitter's shape beside the body.
Armsmaster moved to inspect the body, his suit running a quick vitals check.
"He's alive, still breathing," Skitter explained, more so to the media who were watching as Armsmaster's suit confirmed that. "Took a bullet to the chest but his body armour absorbed most of it. But Tattletale did kick him in the face for good measure."
"The Undersiders were paid by Coil to operate in the city and sow chaos," Skitter explained. "This was our boss, until about an hour ago. Delivered as promised. Consider the Undersiders independent operatives. Tattletale asked me if you'd consider paying us the bounty, but in lieu of that, feel free to send it to Glory Girl and New Wave, for her assistance."
Skitter turned towards the camera. As Armsmaster suspected, this was a show for the press.
"Coil is now in the custody of the PRT. Please make sure it stays that way. We don't want to have a repeat like Lung, do we?" Skitter gestured to the unconscious cape on the floor. Then her swarm broke away, and within seconds, she was gone.
Armsmaster pulled up Coil, dragging the man by his feet until one of the officers rushed out to assist. Some more officers gave chase after the bugs but Armsmaster knew that Skitter wouldn't be found. Handcuffs were slapped on the unconscious body and the media was held at bay while they brought him back inside.
While it was an unspoken rule not the reveal a cape's identity to the public, the PRT held no respect for anonymity once someone was in their custody. Once Coil was out from the civilian eye, his mask was immediately removed.
Nobody made a sound as they got a good look at the man behind the mask. He was beaten, he was bruised.
"He's just… some guy?" Victoria said, almost disappointed.
She didn't recognise the man, no one did.
"Most capes are," Armsmaster said. "We'll run fingerprints and facial ID through the system. See if we get any hits."
"Was she telling the truth?" Piggot asked. Armsmaster knew she had a personal vendetta against Coil.
"Don't know," Armsmaster shook his head. "I couldn't read anything from those bugs of her. Skitter is far too emotionless."
Piggot looked to Panacea. "Can we at least check that he's a parahuman? For all we know, it's just one of Coil's mercenaries."
Panacea looked towards Piggot and then Brandish for consent. Both women gestured for her to go ahead. Panacea placed a hand on Coil's forehead and hummed.
"That's… yeah," Panacea said softly. "C-confirmed parahuman."
"Any idea what he does?" Glory Girl asked over her shoulder.
Panacea shook her head. "He's healing faster than normal, but that's probably a secondary ability. He's got something mental, so Thinker or a Tinker is my best guess. But uh, don't quote me on that."
"Suspected Thinker," Armsmaster said. "Matches the profile we had on him. So, early impressions… it's him?"
Piggot eyed the unconscious man for a short while. "Let's take a wait-and-see approach. No doubt the media is going to run the story anyway, but we'll dig up this man's background first before officially calling it."
---------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets
"They bought it," Skitter said to the team. They all sat in a van that was on the edge of Skitter's range.
Tattletale let out a sigh of relief.
"Good," Regent spoke up first. "Cause controlling someone covered in all your bugs, does not feel nice. I'll tell you that." He shuddered at the memory of it. "Hate to walk him all that way for nothing."
"Think it'll stick?" Imp asked, appearing behind Regent. "Won't the guy wake up and start screaming, I'm not Coil, you've got the wrong man."
Tattletale shook her head, "The man was willing to die for his boss. There's no doubt he's prepared to do jail time for the psycho."
"That's fucking weird," Imp giggled. "Who would do that?"
Tattletale shrugged. "Coil was probably paying his family something fierce. Shit, I should probably find out what, if this is gonna stick long term. Ah well, we got plenty of time to find out."
"So, that just happened." Grue sighed. "What do we do now?"
"Go home, get some sleep." Skitter said, "We can work out specifics another day."
There was a brief window of quiet, only slightly broken by Bitch's three dogs, now de-powered, moving about in the back seat.
"So," Grue said again. He looked towards Skitter and Tattletale who sat in the two front seats. "Do either of you want to talk about what went down at the end there?"
Both girls looked at each other, and then they both turned away. Tattletale started the van's engine, and Skitter looked out her window.
"Girls, I'm serious." Grue continued. "I don't know what happened, but if either of you need to talk about it-"
"We're fine," Skitter said coldly.
"Let's just get home," Tattletale added, the cheer drained from her tone.
Grue got the message not to bring up the subject right now and the rest of the team did as well.
He had a lot of mixed feelings about how this night turned out. He was glad Lisa was safe, he was glad that Coil was taken down, and he was especially glad to learn that their last-minute plan had saved the life of a child by sheer coincidence. But the image of Tattletale and Skitter standing over Coil's dead body unsettled the man.
Neither girl told him what happened. He was obviously shot in the face, but by whom was the concerned question. Both girls had a gun on their person, and Grue wasn't impulsive enough to demand answers.
Watching them both now, Grue wished he could somehow work out who did the deed through body language alone, but Skitter was unreadable as ever and Tattletale could bluff like the best of them.
They acted cold and disconnected now, but it was only a front. A charade that Grue understood well enough, even if he himself had never taken a life.
In the end, it didn't matter. Both were shaken by the events that transpired. Both would need support when they were ready to talk. One girl was concerned about the loss of their partner's innocence, and the other was coming to terms with having blood on their hands.
The only true emotion he saw from the girls was right before they came up with this plan to give away a fake Coil. A quick meeting where they made everyone swear.
Both girls had asked Grue to make a promise, and asked the whole team to keep a promise. A lie to keep their sanity together, three simple words that the Undersiders would honour with their life.
Don't tell Vicky.