My Girlfriend Is Terrifying [Worm Au][Taylor x Victoria x Lisa]

[Radek]

Calvert is about to discover how it feels to drown on dry land.

But this could also reflect very, very badly on Piggot and PRT ENE. A trusted consultant, a supervillain? Who else is disloyal? Who else pretends support/friendship, even allegiance, while plotting their downfall?

 

[doomlord9]

Soon this will be where Lisa is frantically trying to order the angel and devil lingerie set, no she doesn't care if the rush shipping is almost as much as the clothes, she needs them here NOW to distract Taylor and Parian just started drooling with glazed eyes when Lisa was barely halfway through describing her order.

 

[Gowonzu]

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.

 

[Premise29]

"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.

Click to shrink...

Perfect place for a title drop, but the mood is not right.

 

[space turtle]

Perfect place for a title drop, but the mood is not right.

Click to shrink...

Would have had big "Superman IV: the quest for peace" energy. Even if it would have been hilarious.

Coil better hope that she just finds him quickly and ends him quickly. Because the other alternative I see spiralling completely out of control is both blondes being kidnapped and threatened. Which leads Skitter to demand the assistance of Amy. Who would be more than enthusiastic in recovering at least one of the blondes.
An Amy by the way who may have been studying Doggy bio weapons at that point.

Piggot's gonna have a heart attack, and Coil is gonna have far worse.

 

[Nightmare723764]

Coil is gonna have far worse.

Click to shrink...

You know what's worse than a heart attack?
A Skitter attack, cause at least with Heart attacks there is a chance for you to survive.
With a Skitter attack? Well it depends on how she feels about you.

 

[Gowonzu]

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."

 

[Dradel]

Ah, Imp's been there the entire time. Of course.

 

[Gowonzu]

Got some art commissioned.
Got this amazing piece commissioned by Mikezzzzz

A cute lil cafe date with the girls.
Lisa may have just said some things, but Taylor is there to mediate

 

[Nightmare723764]

Got some art commissioned. Wont show in QQ for some reason but its in the hyperlink.

Got this amazing piece commissioned by Mikezzzzz

A cute lil cafe date with the girls.
Lisa may have just said some things, but Taylor is there to mediate

Click to shrink...

Goddamn that is nice!

 

[Crazael]

Got some art commissioned. Wont show in QQ for some reason but its in the hyperlink.

Got this amazing piece commissioned by Mikezzzzz

A cute lil cafe date with the girls.
Lisa may have just said some things, but Taylor is there to mediate

Click to shrink...

That is some very nice art.

 

[space turtle]

Got some art commissioned. Wont show in QQ for some reason but its in the hyperlink.

Got this amazing piece commissioned by Mikezzzzz

A cute lil cafe date with the girls.
Lisa may have just said some things, but Taylor is there to mediate

Click to shrink...

"Don't do it Vicky!
She's only trying to get a rise out of you!"

"She's not got quite the right anatomy for that dear, but you're on the right track "

*grrr* *coffee cup crush*



Also on less cute news, operation anti-ouroboros is a go!
Can't wait for Coil to cap Skitter in the face and then spend his last seconds really fucking confused as she puts a fist through his chest.

 

[Gowonzu]

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-"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

------------------------------------------------------------
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.

-----------------------------------------------------
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.

 

[Kinkspoon]

Love to see a chapter about best girl, thank you

 

[Dradel]

Immmmmmmmmp yay.
Well, I'm not really onboard with shipping her with Alec... or shipping anyone with Alec, no offense... but Imp is great.

 

[Crazael]

I am.. undecided on Aisha having been around all along. On one hand, it makes sense if she's had powers for a while, on the other, I'm not really a fan of "oh, this character was actually around the whole time, we just have never mentioned them until now" storytelling. Especially when it involves changing scenes that we have already seen.

 

[Gowonzu]

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."

-------------------------------------

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?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

 

[Enigmatic]

Hehehehehe. I always love it when that fucking snake gets his head cut off.

 

[Crazael]

I like the blending of the timelines in the final bit. It's a nice way to emphasize just how fucked Coil is in that moment.

 

[Nephets]

Loved this chapter. I'm used to reading fics where Coil spams his splits in a life or death scenario dodging, but this one is satisfying that "coil is a planner more than a fighter" itch.

I especially loved the synchronized ending. It came across as almost poetic for me and made me a little emotional so 10/10. Was very enjoyable

 

[Radek]

A satisfying way to end Coil. Still, this is but phase one of handling that mess.

 

[Kinkspoon]

That was an extremely satisfying ending to this arc. And coil dying so early means no echidna and maybe no leviathan! Good times all around.

 

[Dradel]

You would never guess what adjective I would fill on ''My girlfriend is '' right now.

 

[Gowonzu]

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.

 

[Dreadis]

Fucking Cruel to us. I love it.

 

[space turtle]

And I'm sure that's the last we'll ever hear of that.
No way for a dark secret to come up again

It makes sense, but Lisa must be undeserving of that thinker rating if she thinks that will hold forever.

Or maybe she plans for just long enough that it's not so fresh a hurt.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: A new chapter, and so soon. What is this?
Shout out to scapegrace and riftstudier on the Discord: The Gaylor Convention for letting me steal giving me words to use in Lisa's power scene.

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???– Late Night

"What about Ms Dallon?"

The voice called out. It was desperate, pathetic.

"Surely a hero like Glory Girl wouldn't approve of killing me like this."

Even at the end of his rope, Coil still looked to be scheming. The lying snake would've said anything if he thought it'd keep him alive a little longer. But that didn't stop his words from ringing true.

"What would she think of you if you went through with this?"

She wanted to scream. Tell the man to shut up. Surely by now, he realised how pointless his words would be. She had to do this, she had to save her.

"Are you really willing to do this? Consequences and all?"

Vicky would understand. She knew the stakes, she knew how this game worked. A man like Coil can't be trusted in the system. He's too well connected, he could still cause harm.

She felt the gun weigh heavily in her hand, but it didn't matter. The decision was already made.

"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect the people I love."

Then she woke up.

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Undersider's Base – Early Morning

There was an uncertain air to room as the team slowly woke from their slumber. No one really spoke to each other as they made their way into the kitchen area. Besides the occasional head nod and mumble.

It was rare for the entire team to stay the night. Brian and Aisha would sleep at their apartment more often than not, Lisa had her own place too and would often alternate between them depending on various factors of work. Taylor was the rarest sight of them all, perhaps being the first time since joining up with the Undersiders did she actually stayed the night with the team.

The late hour that they all got back from left them with little options for sleeping. Taylor and Lisa didn't waste any time shuffling off to bed. With the addition of Aisha who would on occasion borrow Taylor's unused bed, Taylor shared with Lisa for the night.

While such blatant sharing of a bedroom would've been cause for teasing and jokes, none of the members of the team batted an eye as the two girls exited their room. Everyone knew nothing untoward happened the prior night, that both girls simply didn't want to sleep alone after what had happened. They just wanted a few hours to process the whole experience and recover from the previous day's stress.

"How'd everyone sleep?" Brian asked around the room.

"Fine." Mumbled Rachel.

"Ehh." Added Aisha.

"Terrible." Sighed Lisa.

Taylor simply grunted in agreement.

"I'm going back to bed," Alec complained. He took a small bottle of water out of a fridge and did exactly as he said, marching right back into his room.

"Coffee?" Brian offered, walking to the coffee machine.

Rachel pushed her mug over, it had a picture of a brown and grey bulldog across it. Aisha also propped her mug into the pile, a simple white coffee mug that she'd drawn her mask onto with a marker.

"Lise, Taylor?" Brian asked. "Coffee?"

Lisa shook her head and downed some painkillers with some water. She always kept a handful for her Thinker headaches, although it was rare for her to wake up with them. Taylor also declined, looking at the time on her phone.

"I have to leave," Taylor said, moving to collect her things. "If I hurry, I can convince my Dad that I had a late jog."

"Sure you don't want to have breakfast?" Brian asked with a little more concern in his voice. "Pretty sure we have the ingredients for pancakes still."

"Nah, we're out of eggs," Aisha said, watching her mug filled with coffee.

"Didn't we have half a dozen left?" Brian asked her.

Aisha gave an impish smile. "Yeah… Alec and I kinda used them to egg this car in Empire territory the other day."

"What?"

Aisha shrank down and gave an apologetic grin that was in no way apologetic.

"We needed more eggs, so I grabbed some from here on the way." She shrugged like it was no big thing.

Before Brian could even argue back, he suddenly forgot what he was getting upset about and turned back to the two girls.

"Thanks for the offer," Taylor said, standing by the door. "But I have school, can't be late."

"I'll drive you home," Lisa followed quickly, waving her keys. "Don't worry about breakfast, I'll get something on the way back."

Both girls waved goodbye to the team before making their exit. Brian sighed sadly as they left. He could tell they were both running away from their feelings. He made a mental note to speak to Lisa when she got back.

He turned back to his mugs of coffee, handing one back over to Rachel before staring confusedly at the other two.

"Thanks, Bro," Aisha said as she reappeared behind him, snatching her mug from the table. "We got any milk for this?"

"Yeah," Brian said, shaking off the effect of Aisha's power. "It's right next to the eggs-" He looked up again but the girl was gone. "Dammit Aisha." He muttered into his drink.

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Arcadia High – Midmorning

The cafeteria erupted in a cheer. Hands clapping and people whistling. An impromptu celebration dedicated to Arcadia's most famous student.

"What the hell is going on?" Taylor asked Amy as she watched it all unfold. Both girls were already sitting down at their lunch table when it began.

"You didn't see the news?" Carlos chuckled, taking a seat beside Amy. "Glory Girl saved the Mayor's niece last night."

Taylor looked back at the boy, more than a little confused. She didn't realise that the news story had already run but that wasn't what was confusing her at the moment.

"So?" Taylor said back bluntly. "Glory Girl Stops Crime, more news at six. Why the cause for celebration?"

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Dennis chuckled.

Taylor realised her question came off far more bitter than she intended.

"Sorry," She mumbled. "Victoria's amazing and all. I just don't understand why the students care about that today?"

Carlos chuckled. "It's okay. We understood." He looked to Dennis, kicking the boy under the table. "And yeah, it would be weird. But the Mayor personally said that every citizen of Brockton Bay should celebrate Glory Girl when they saw her and I guess it became something of a running joke among the school. Since y'know. She goes here."

Victoria looked just as surprised and confused as Taylor did. Thankfully, Victoria relished the attention of her peers and found the humour in being celebrated.

"This is going to go to her head, isn't it?" Dennis chuckled, watching as the crowd surrounded Victoria.

"I'm sure it already has," Amy muttered into her food. She gave a small smile Victoria's way.

Victoria hovered over to the table, laughing away at whatever conversation she was excusing herself from and sat down next to Taylor. Someone in the crowd had given her a small bundle of flowers, which she sat down on the table with her food. Once the crowd died down, the cafeteria returned to business as usual.

"So," Carlos said first. "Someone had an interesting night, last night."

"Yeah," Victoria chuckled. "You could say that."

"Congratulations," Taylor added.

"Thanks, Tay." Victoria beamed, resting an arm over her shoulder.

While the rest of the table were aware of their relationship, as well as the extended throuple. Victoria still avoided most public displays of affection in school, mainly for Taylor's sake. That didn't stop her from sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek as she hugged her.

"Adorable," Dennis chuckled. "So. Care to explain how it all went down. The news said you were in a high-speed car chase. And Skitter made an appearance at the end to drop off Coil? What the hell was that about?"

Victoria huffed. "I don't chase cars, I stop them." Both boys chuckled at that. "But honestly, nothing too crazy. Came across a fight, caught a fleeing car, and saved the girl. Now the Mayor is taking us out to lunch after school."

"Us?" Amy asked, leaning up from her food.

"Yes, us." Victoria chuckled. "You were there too. You helped flush all those drugs from her system."

"Not all of them," Amy grumbled. "Just brought her down to a safer level. The girl wanted to go cold turkey. Told me she had a specifically high chance of becoming an addict if I just healed her up completely and sent her home. She was remarkably chill about the whole thing."

"Yeah, that was weird." Victoria agreed. "But still, you helped. Plus Mom expects the whole family to be there, so." She made a gesture which Amy sighed to. "And yeah, Skitter was there. Handed in Coil to the PRT."

"Covered in bugs," Amy added. "It was so creepy. She like, puppeted the man with them somehow. Think they're going to up her Master ranking up to Eight." She paused briefly as everyone looked at her. "...If you care about those things. Online and all."

Taylor could see why everyone at the table avoided talking about cape things. It was so easy to slip into talking like a hero or a Ward. Amy must have forgotten that Taylor was a civilian and would probably have no idea how the PRT ranking system worked. Taylor for her part, acted oblivious to the tidbit of PRT information she'd just gleamed.

"Yes, well," Victoria said. "Regardless of her past actions. I think we can all agree that handing over Coil was the right thing to do. Personally, if she were here, I'd tell her. Thanks."

She squeezed slightly on Taylor, hugging her a little harder to hammer home her point. The other people at the table gave Victoria a strange look but dismissed it as quickly as it came. No one could deny that what Skitter did last night was pretty heroic.

No one except Taylor, who chose to focus on her food and ignore that blatant lie that Victoria had fallen for. It stabbed Taylor right in the gut, but she knew that she couldn't reveal the truth, especially here of all places.

She also refused to double down on the lie. It was one thing making Victoria think that they had arrested Coil, a simple misdirection, hiding the truth. But Taylor would not add to the deception. She didn't speak on the matter, she didn't ask any questions about the man who was arrested and she didn't join in on the discussion when all her school friends started saying a handful of positive things about Skitter.

Perhaps it was a hollow excuse, but all Taylor had promised Victoria was that she and Lisa had taken care of Coil. If Victoria ever asked for specifics…

"I'm going to the bathroom," Taylor stated as she pushed herself up from the table.

She excused herself quietly before anyone picked up on her mood.

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??? – Late Night

"What did you do?"

The voice called out. It was panicked, concerned.

"You… oh god… I'm so sorry."

The hand that gripped the gun felt numb. She did what she had to, she had to believe that. He had to die, she was safe now. So why did she feel so-

"Look at me. Don't look at the body, just focus on me."

Everything was numb. Everything except for her heart, which kept going a mile per minute. There was so much blood, she didn't expect that. The floor, the wall, and even a few spots on the ceiling. There were bits of blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.

"It's okay. We'll get you cleaned up."

She put the gun away, back into her holster. She wanted to save her, but she didn't think it'd feel like this. Coil was dead, he needed to die. She didn't regret her decision, she didn't see any alternative to this. So why did she still feel numb?

"Listen to me. You're okay. It's over now."

Then she woke up.
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Undersider's Base – The Following Morning

Coffee.

Lisa needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled out of her bedroom in a tired daze. Barely awake, Lisa marched like a zombie towards the kitchen, her nose already picking up the delectable scent of lightly caramelised and almost nutty Ambrosia.

Brian was already waiting for her with a mug of his own. A boring white mug that Aisha had drawn a skull onto. Brian had tried to rub it off but the marker was permanent. He handed Lisa her own mug, purple with a cartoon fox on it. The girl pulled the mug close with two hands and held it to her face.

Then Lisa took out two tablets from her medicine cabinet and swallowed them. Using some coffee to wash the pills down.

"Are those safe to mix?" Brian asked.

"They're just painkillers." Lisa shrugged, moving to add more sugar to her coffee. "Actually caffeine should enhance the effect." She took a swig of her mug and sighed. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff."

Brian watched her suspiciously.

"You look tired." He finally said. Taking a sip of his own drink.

"Wow, fuck you too," Lisa grumbled.

"You know what I mean," Brian sighed. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yes," Lisa said back a little too quick. Brian held his suspicious stare. "I've been busy."

Brian huffed. "Are you o-"

"I'm fine," Lisa snapped back. She turned away from Brian and took a relaxing breath. "I just have a lot on my plate right now."

"And you know I can help," Brian said, not backing down.

"Honestly," Lisa sighed. "There's not much you can do. It's just a lot of grunt work. I've gotta scrub through Coil's old accounts, take a stockpile of what I can use and what I can sell. Make sure that the people running his operation are still getting paid, find out what booby-traps he has waiting for us. Decide what to do with the mercenaries who helped us, decide what to do with those that didn't. Weed out anyone who would try to stab us in the back and also make sure Rachel's dog shelter keeps getting its financial aid for years to come. And a million other little things, like whatever the fuck Alec got out of working from Coil."

"And?" Brian asked. "Surely you don't have to do that all by yourself. I may not be a Thinker, but give me some credit Lise."

Lisa rubbed her forehead. "Fine. I got a few locations I had to check out. Buildings that were owned under various shell companies. I'll give you a list, take Rachel and Alec and let me know what you find."

Brian nodded. "Sure. Can do." He reached out a hand to place on Lisa's shoulder. "And you know if you ever need to talk… about anything. I'm here for you."

Lisa finished her mug and sat it down.

"Yeah, thanks." She grabbed her laptop and got herself comfortable on one of the couch chairs. "Maybe another time."

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Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon

Victoria was having a very strange two days. All of Brockton Bay seemed friendlier thanks to the mayor's public gratitude for saving Dinah Alcott's life. Everyone she passed gave her a nod of appreciation, a high-five, called out thanks or outright cheered to her.

How much of it was genuine and how much was a wholesome joke from the Bay's citizens was up for debate, but Victoria would never turn down an extra few smiles pointed her way.

Dinner with the Mayor was fine, a little awkward, but something Victoria was accustomed to doing every now and then. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the thanks, she'd just prefer to spend her free time with Taylor and Lisa instead.

It wasn't a complete waste of her day, she still got on well with the Mayor's son, Rory, the two used to work together back when he was in the Wards. Dinah and the Alcotts didn't come, but they sent their gratitude forward. Victoria was glad to hear that they were sending Dinah off to a specialised rehab to help her recover.

But now she had her afternoon free. She'd gotten to spend her days at school with Taylor, so she only thought it was fair to see if Lisa was free to hang out.

She landed down in the park that Lisa had agreed to meet her in. Nearly bowling the poor Thinker over as she enveloped her in a hug.

"Woah," Lisa said in surprise as Victoria spun her around in the air for a few seconds. "What's this for?"

Victoria gave her a kiss and then chuckled with a shrug. "Do I need a reason? Today's just been a good day."

Lisa smiled back. "I guess you don't. I'm glad." Victoria placed her back down on the ground. "So how's life now that you're the Bay's favourite superhero?"

"What are you talking about?" Victoria responded smugly. "I was always their favourite." She flicked her hair back in an exaggerated manner which caused Lisa to crack up laughing.

"True, true," Lisa said, admitting defeat in being out-smugged. "So was there any reason for meeting in this park? Or am I just here to enjoy the view." She wiggled her eyebrows at Victoria, making it clear that she was 'the view' in question.

Victoria laughed and nodded her head. "Well, you are here for the view. But I was thinking a higher view than this."

Lisa's chuckle died down. "Oh? You mean… flying?"

"Yeah," Victoria said, breaking into a hover. "If you want to."

-----------------------------------------------------

Lisa didn't know how to respond to that. On one hand, she knew the offer was coming. Victoria loved to fly, she took Taylor and Amy flying all the time. It was only natural that she'd extend the offer to the other special lady in her life.

On the other hand.

Victoria Dallon's average flight height varies between 500 and 800 feet. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a new flyer, will stick to middle limit, 660 feet in the air. Without any external force, the average velocity if Victoria would let go of Lisa would be 206ft/s. Estimated time to impact, six seconds. Lisa Wilbourn would die on impact.

"I'd like that… but," Lisa said as calmly as possible.

Her power ruined a great many things for her. Even learning how to drive meant learning how to shut down all the warnings on how easily the speed of a vehicle could kill her. But the idea of being flown through the sky with nothing but a girl's arms to carry her sent her powers threat assessment into overdrive. Brute or not, Lisa's powers did not trust Victoria to support her in the air.

Victoria subconsciously thinks about dropping the people she flies, Always imagines dropping people she flies with. Considers it personal inside joke

"Okay, what the fuck power." Lisa thought to herself. "Seriously not helping me with that. How the fuck can you even prove that?"

"But?" Victoria asked. Lisa didn't need powers to pick up the disappointment in her voice. "Sorry, I should've asked you ahead of time. I don't want to force you if you don't want to."

Lisa mentally slapped herself. She trusted Victoria, right? She just wasn't in the right headspace for this. That was her problem, she needed to readjust her views. She pushed hard on her power, forcing it to pull out the positives of flying. Avoiding the terrifying logic, focusing on why Victoria enjoyed flying.

Victoria Dallon has nightmares about not being fast enough to catch a person she dropped. Victoria Dallon maximum acceleration much faster than acceleration under local gravity. If you fall, Victoria will catch you. If you fall, Victoria will save you. Victoria will not let you fall. Victoria would save you anyway. Victoria cares about you. Victoria loves you. Victoria wants to share her love of flying with you. She will catch you if you fall. You will not fall. You will fly.

Her power had swung around and attacked her from another angle. One she wasn't ready for. The amount of trust Victoria had for her was overwhelming, and undeserved. Lisa was carrying a brand new secret from Vicky, just days after they promised not to keep things from each other.

Couldn't she see who Lisa really was?

A habitual liar. A thief. A villain who hid the truth from the woman she cared about. The worst type of monster.

Why was that damn girl so trusting? Why did she constantly try to see the good in people, even if it wasn't there? Why did she want to take Lisa flying so damn badly?

"Lisa," Victoria asked, looking worriedly at her girlfriend. "Is everything oka-mmph!"

Lisa cut her off with a kiss. An apology without saying the words, one that she desperately wished she could convey. Her hands moved across Victoria's back, pulling her closer as she deepened the kiss. They pulled apart breathlessly, Victoria smiling against her lips.

"Take me flying," Lisa whispered as the two of them began to hover. "Please. I trust you."

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??? – Late Night

"What happened here?"

The voice called out. It was surprised, shocked.

"That's Coil? He's… dead?"

She looked down at the body, and then at the man who spoke to her. She didn't have time to dwell on events.

"Skitter, T. Talk to me? What happened?"

She looked at her partner. Neither girl spoke. They already had a plan on how to deal with this mess.

"We're fine."

The other voice lied for her. Giving her space to breathe. Time for her heart to slow down.

"Go collect the body double from the panic room. We'll clean up here."

It was already starting to smell. The raw putrid meat that decorated the hallway. It was disgusting, if she could feel anything right now, she'd feel sick. Instead, she felt numb, empty.

She looked towards the first voice and tried to speak but found her throat tightened in anxiety. How could she ask that, especially so soon after they had promised? It felt like a betrayal. A stab in the back to the woman she loved.

"Oh and Grue?"

The second voice called out, already knowing what she wanted to say. What she couldn't say through her shame and her guilt. She didn't want her to know, she didn't want to explain to anyone what she had done.

"Don't tell Vicky."

Then she woke up.

-------------------------------------------------

She woke up in a cold sweat.

The same nightmare had haunted her three nights in a row. Sleep was all but a lost memory. Every night she woke up gasping in fear and terror.

She felt numb, she felt sick.

She felt nothing and everything at the same time.

Coil had to die, she knew that. There wasn't a single part of her that regretted his death. But she could still feel the weight of the gun in her hand. Smell the blood that covered those halls.

She tried to imagine what Victoria would think of her? Would she hate her for this? Would she be disgusted or appalled?

She loved her, she loved both of them. The idea of either of them treating her that way was too much. She couldn't go back to the way things were before Victoria was in her life, she wouldn't. So she lied, and she forced everyone else to accept the lie.

"Don't tell Vicky. Don't let her know what I've done. Let her think we arrested the man and delivered him to the authorities with a clean bow wrapped around him. Let Victoria think that I'm actually a good person. Don't let her know the type of villain I actually am."

She felt numb, she felt sick.

Climbing out from her bed, she made a quiet dash to the toilet. Expelling the contents of her stomach as her anxiety reached its peak.

It was still dark out. She hadn't looked at any clocks, but she knew it was still far too early in the morning. Regardless, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She looked back into the mirror at herself. At the eyes of a killer.

There were three quiet knocks at the bathroom door.

"Are you okay in there?"

A voice called out. It was gentle, compassionate.

"I'm fine," She said back behind the door. Willing the lie to be true. "Just had a bad dream. Don't worry about me."

"It's two AM, of course I'm worried about you."

She looked at the door but didn't open it. She didn't want them to see her, she didn't want anyone to look at her this way.

"Sorry for waking you," She croaked out behind the door. "But I'm fine now. Go back to sleep."

"Are you sure? I know you have your photoshoot tomorrow. We can reschedule it if you're not feeling well. I'm sure the Dallons will understand."

She hated this feeling. The love and compassion. The tender care that she didn't deserve right now. Didn't this man know, didn't they see what kind of monster they were talking to.

"No, I'm fine," She lied again. "We don't have to reschedule. I'll go to bed soon."

There was a long pause, she wanted to tell him to leave but that would only spur him to do the opposite. Eventually, the voice let out a sigh.

"Alright. I'll go back to bed. Try to get some sleep."

"Good night." She said through a shaky voice. She was going to wait until the voice walked away. Not daring to open the door until she was certain that no one would see her. It was bad enough that she had lied to Vicky about everything. There were other people in her life she also cared about. People who would look at her differently if they ever knew what she did.

She felt numb, she felt sick.

She held her breath as the voice finally gave in. Two small steps away from the bathroom door, a small shuffle before turning to say one final thing.

"Goodnight, Taylor."

 

[space turtle]

Warlord Taylor was capable of slaying Coil and spitting on the corpse.

Thankfully this Taylor still has some innocence and conscience to spend.
Unfortunately that means this is going to be hitting her hard.
Hopefully her girls can help get her through this.

Although if she shuts down and becomes an automata with all her real emotions offloaded to the swarm, it might be a while before people start catching on that something is more wrong than expected.

 

[Dradel]

Of course it was Taylor.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I kinda got burnt out with IRL work, plus working on smaller writing projects. But I never did promise a regular schedule so...
Anyway, enjoy!

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Outside Taylor's House – Early Morning

Lisa suppressed a groan as she parked her car up on the Hebert's driveway. It was too early to be up, especially for teenage supervillains. The sun wasn't even up yet, leaving the world dark, but slowly growing brighter as the sun rose.

She had to remind herself that she was the one who suggested this. Waking up at the ass end of the morning to go jogging with Taylor. It sounded like a good idea at the time, she got to spend more time with her girlfriend and got in some extra cardio to start her day. The reality of the situation meant she had to wake up when the sky was still pitch black and drive all the way over to Taylor's house just to spend an hour with the girl.

As she turned her engine off, Lisa briefly wondered if it was really worth it. The logistics didn't favour her, it would make a lot more sense if they shared an apartment. A pleasant fantasy, but one that Taylor wouldn't agree to anytime soon. Besides, she didn't want to put up with Alec making all the U-haul jokes he could get away with.

Taylor appeared by the front door by the time Lisa got out of her car. No doubt already aware of her through the use of her bugs. Annoyingly, she was already awake and appeared to be fully caffeinated.

Taylor Hebert sticks to rigid schedule. Does not consume coffee. Enjoys tea with breakfast. Does not eat until after morning run. Conclusion, Taylor Hebert is a morning person.

Her girlfriend was some kind of inhuman monster. Not because she was Skitter, but because of something far worse. She was a natural morning person. Lisa suppressed a frown as she downed her second cup of coffee, exiting the car to meet her girlfriend. She waved Taylor over with as best of a smile as she could manage at this hour. The taller girl met her with a tired smirk of her own.

"Is it too late to go back to bed?" Lisa whined as she embraced Taylor in a hug.

"Don't worry," Taylor mumbled into her shoulder. "We'll wake up once we start moving."

Taylor Hebert is slurring speech. Tired, running on a lack of sleep.

"Yeah, no shit power." Lisa thought to herself. "We're all tired."

Taylor Hebert exhausted. Lack of sleep during the night. Brushed teeth several times in the last few hours. Threw up from anxiety induced nightmare. Desperate for distraction.

Lisa frowned as her power pulled that out. Taylor broke the hug and started shaking herself awake, bouncing side to side on her feet.

"Come on," Taylor said, already moving towards the sidewalk. "We'll wake up once we start moving."

Lisa couldn't argue with that logic. Taylor was the expert at waking up at godawful hours so she would know best how to wake up. Plus if Taylor needed a distraction, then who was Lisa to deny her girlfriend.

She had no idea how to approach Taylor about what happened back with Coil. She felt awful for having Taylor take the kill. Lisa had often feared what Taylor would do if she ever found a worthwhile target of her rage, but she never considered what Taylor would do after the fact.

Now that Coil was dead, Lisa was free from her unseen chains and the Undersiders had control over their own destiny. Lisa would forever be in Taylor's debt for what she did, even if she wished it had gone another way.

Taylor took the lead, jogging down the street. While Lisa was tired as all hell, she did keep up with her. Cardio was an important component of cape life and Lisa took it seriously well before she met Taylor.

They passed two streets before either of them spoke again. Lisa could tell that if she didn't speak up then Taylor would be content to do the whole route in silence. Avoiding the obvious topic that Taylor didn't want to talk about, Lisa jogged up beside her and said the first thing that came to her mind.

"You know," Lisa said while slightly panting. "I caught up with Vicky the other day. She finally took me flying."

"Oh yeah?" Taylor said, her tone was neutral but Lisa knew she was interested. "How'd you find it."

"Terrifying," Lisa chuckled.

Taylor hummed. "Understandable, It was scary at first for me too."

"She really has no idea how scary it is for people who can't fly," Lisa said, Taylor nodded in agreement. "But it was also relaxing, once I got over my fear of falling. I had a good time."

"I'm glad," Taylor said, smiling properly for the first time today. "Vicky loves flying, so expect to be flown everywhere with her now."

"I guess I should get used to it," Lisa chuckled again. "Not sure the altitude agrees with my stomach, however. I felt really weird after flying with her."

"Weird how?" Taylor asked.

"Weird like," Lisa stopped for a moment to think. "I felt... I don't know. Weird." She gestured wildly with her hands. "Like talking to her made me feel... sick? Kinda how they describe the butterflies in your stomach when you have a crush on someone, but it was my for my own girlfriend."

Taylor raised an eyebrow at that, her curiosity piqued. There was a certain unease in Lisa's voice.

"You know," Taylor pondered as she waited for Lisa to catch up to her. That doesn't exactly sound like altitude sickness."

"Yeah, I know," Lisa huffed with a sad smile. "The flying had nothing to do with it. It's just a feeling that has been slowly building in my gut when I'm around Victoria. I tried to convince myself it was some side effect of her aura power. Somehow, whenever I lie to her, it hurts me somehow. It's so weird."

The sarcasm in Lisa's words wasn't lost on Taylor. Both girls understood the feeling, both girls had felt about it between Vicky and each other at one point or another.

"It's stupid, right?" Lisa perked up again, a big grin on her face. "I've lied to her loads of times. I've lied to everybody about everything. Lying is basically my superpower. So then why?-"

"Because she loves you." Taylor cut in. "And you don't don't want to lie to her anymore. But you do it anyway because it comes naturally to you."

"Yeah…" Lisa agreed. "Pretty much."

Taylor Hebert feels intense guilt. Guilt from taking a life. No feelings on Coil specifically. General self-confidence issues compounded upon by guilt. Low feelings of self-worth. Ashamed of herself. Hates herself.

Lisa wished that her stupid power could pull out a solution to Taylor's problems rather than simply list them out. All she could do was a disappointing attempt to relate to her feelings. Show Taylor that she wasn't alone in feeling like rubbish.

"Hey," Lisa said to Taylor, reaching out a hand to her shoulder. "Are you-?" She stopped herself from asking that question. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Taylor looked away from Lisa, it was clear that she was afraid of judgement. In the past few months, the girl had slowly learned to open herself up to others and make friends again. Now she was afraid of what the people closest to her would think about her actions. Specifically, her two girlfriends.

Lisa's hand slid down Taylor's arm until their fingers met each other. Interlocking slowly as Taylor gave her best 'emotionless thousand-yard stare.' Lisa knew that look well, that was the Taylor look she wore whenever something upset her. So Lisa did the one thing she hated doing, she told the truth.

"Taylor," Lisa said with a sad frown. "I know… I think I understand a little of how you feel," Lisa could hear the nearby bugs beginning to shake with suppressed emotion. "You're upset. You're angry and guilty. And you feel like you're a horrible person and then you don't deserve anything good right now."

Taylor looked back at Lisa with a mix of confusion and annoyance on her face. Lisa hadn't intended to come off so blunt, but the fact that Taylor was wearing her emotions on her face again was a sign.

"You think you're now this awful person," Lisa continued, squeezing down on Taylor's hand. "Because of what you did. But you're not. Not even close." She took a step in front of Taylor, looking her directly in the eyes. "You wanna know who's an awful person?"

"Is this the part where you remind me how evil Coil was?" Taylor asked with a deadpan voice. "Because I already knew that. It still doesn't-"

Lisa shook her head and took a deep breath, her grip on Taylor's hand tightening. Confusion flickered across Taylor's face, she had expected another lecture about the depths of Coil's depravity, not this unexpected shift in focus.

"I am," Lisa said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked down at her feet. Taylor's face flashed with confusion again. "Ever since Coil died… I've been so, relieved, for lack of a better word. It's like this weight has been lifted from my shoulders." Taylor didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say to her confession, which caused Lisa to chuckle awkwardly. "That first night, after he died. You asked to stay over because you didn't want to be alone. I could tell you were hurting, my powers were practically screaming at me about all the negative spirals you were going through. And yet the only thing I could think of that night was… I'm free. That fucking snake is dead. I'm finally free."

Lisa gave another smirk, not her usual smug grin, but something far more bittersweet.

"And of course, I feel awful," Lisa continued, taking her other hand into Taylor's. "Seeing what you're going through, what you did. For me. I know I should probably feel more guilty than I do," She broke out into a wider grin. "But goddamn it. I've had a gun to my head for years now. Every day I woke up with the fear that this would be the day Coil finally decided he no longer needed me. Or worse, it would be the last free day on this planet. And now, I don't have that. I'm free. You freed me."

Lisa leaned in and kissed Taylor on the cheek.

"Thank you, Taylor," Lisa said, her smile softening. "Thank you, and Vicky and the rest of the Undersiders. I can't thank you enough. I can't begin to describe how happy I've felt these past few days. I know I shouldn't be, not when you feel the way you do. But I'm an awful person like that. So if you want to blame anyone, blame me. I deserve it."

"What?" Taylor balked. "No. I'm not blaming you. Coil- He threatened you. You're allowed to feel relieved. I don't blame you, I could never blame you."

"And I'll never blame you," Lisa retorted. "Or hate you, or feel any less about you for what you've done."

Taylor stared back at Lisa, trying to think up a new reason as to why she should be hated, but Lisa stared her down.

"You know that's not the only reason I feel like... this," Taylor said.

"I know," Lisa nodded. "I'm no therapist, but you need to talk about what happened. And that was never going to happen if you keep thinking everyone is going to hate you for it. This is just… opening the door."

"Lisa, you know I'm not the most open girl, right?" Taylor asked. "I know your power has already read me like a book, but I'm not good at talking about this stuff."

"Neither am I," Lisa chuckled. "If I'm being honest. My power is great for picking people apart, but like I said, I'm no therapist. In fact, I think I'd be a terrible therapist."

Taylor tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowing in thought as she considered Lisa's words.

"Then who am I meant to talk to about this?" Taylor asked.

Lisa shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know," Lisa said in a sarcastic tone that implied she already had someone or several others in mind. "We do have two people on our team who've gone through exactly what you have. Maybe either of them can give you some perspective?"

Taylor thought about that. Both Rachel and Alec had taken a life in their past, though neither of them ever spoke about it. Now that Taylor was a member of that exclusive club, it made sense to reach out to people who could actually relate.

"Personally, I'd go with Rachel," Lisa continued. "She seems to like you already. Less likely to brush you off with a joke. But I suppose Alec can spout the odd word of wisdom from time to time. Also?…"

"Also?" Taylor mimicked, unsure of what Lisa's other suggestion may be.

"There is one girl I know who's a master of emotions," Lisa said with a grin, before playing a hand to her chin in thought. "Or maybe she's just an emotional Master. Either way, she's a great kisser."

"No," Taylor said coldly. She started to walk away as Lisa reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Taylor stood still again, too afraid to look Lisa in her eyes. She spoke a little softer. "Not now. Not yet."

"We need to tell her, Taylor," Lisa said, her voice dropping from its usual cheerful tone to one of seriousness. The weight of the situation settled heavily in the air.

Taylor's gaze remained averted, her eyes fixed on a distant point in the distance. The thought of confessing her actions to Victoria filled her with a profound sense of dread. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Victoria's love and respect, of tarnishing the bond they shared.

"I don't want her..." Taylor's voice trailed off, barely a whisper. She couldn't bring herself to voice her fears, the fear of being seen as irredeemable, as evil.

Lisa's expression softened with understanding. She moved closer to Taylor, closing the physical and emotional distance between them again. With gentle determination, Lisa reached out and hugged Taylor.

"She's going to find out, eventually," Lisa replied, "The truth had a way of surfacing, and it was better to face it head-on than to let it fester in the shadows."

Taylor shook her head, a mixture of fear and vulnerability etched across her features. The weight of her secrets and guilt threatened to suffocate her.

"I don't want her to...hate me," Taylor admitted, her voice laden with raw emotion. The words hung heavily in the air as if the mere act of saying them aloud made them more real. "What if...what if she can't forgive me? What if she sees me as evil? She already hates what we do."

Lisa's heart ached for her. She understood the fear of rejection, of being labelled as irredeemable. But she also knew that hiding the truth would only create more pain and distance between them.

"Taylor," Lisa said softly, her voice a gentle reassurance. "You don't believe that. You know Victoria better than anyone. She doesn't hate you. She doesn't hate what we do," Taylor raised an eyebrow to that. "Okay, she doesn't approve of what we do, but that doesn't mean she hates us. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she loves you. Just like I do. And she certainly won't hate you. Just like I don't hate you for what you did, just like you don't hate me for how I felt."

"It's not that simple," Taylor shook her head again, her voice filled with uncertainty. "Vicky isn't like us. She's a hero, through and through."

Lisa leaned against the porch railing, her eyes searching Taylor's face. "She dressed up as a villain for us, no hesitation," she countered. "Code-name and all. And she's hardly the girl scout the media paints her to be."

Taylor furrowed her brows, deep in thought. Images of Victoria's unwavering determination and her willingness to bend the rules flickered in her mind.

"She has thrown cars at people," Taylor thought to herself aloud.

"Exactly!" Lisa exclaimed a spark of excitement in her eyes. "...wait what?"

"Would you do it?" Taylor asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She locked eyes with Lisa, searching for answers. "If it were you? Would you tell her what you had done and risk forever changing how she feels about you?"

Lisa went silent, her eyes dropping to her feet as her thoughts churned. Taylor's question pressed heavily upon her, forcing her to confront her own demons.

"No," Lisa finally admitted. "No, if it were me… I'd pretend it never happened. I'd stick to our fake story, drill it into our team until it became reality, and I'd lie to her every time I saw her, in the vain hope of keeping Vicky happy." Lisa looked up at Taylor with a pained smile. "But like I said, I'm an awful person. So that's how I know it's the wrong thing to do."

Taylor took a deep breath, steadying herself, before turning around and wrapping her arms tightly around Lisa. Lisa didn't protest, welcoming the warmth and comfort of their embrace.

"No more secrets…" Taylor's voice was soft yet resolute, muffled against Lisa's shoulder.

"No more secrets," Lisa echoed, her voice filled with determination. They stood there, holding onto one another.

Taylor's trembling voice broke the silence. "When do we tell her?" she asked.

Lisa sighed, as she squeezed Taylor's shoulder gently, her touch offering reassurance. "The moment we see her," Lisa said. "I'll text her to meet up before the photoshoot, somewhere private enough to talk. We'll explain what happened, what really happened, together."

"And how do you think she'd respond?" Taylor asked.

Lisa's lips curled into a small, empathetic smile. "She'll be upset," she admitted. "There's no denying that. But she won't hate us. She won't hate you, Taylor. I promise you."

Taylor didn't say anything for a short while, the two simply stood there, hugging.

"Okay." Taylor finally said, pulling away.

Lisa gave a small smile, then pointed towards the main street.

Lisa gave a small smile, then pointed towards the main street. "We should… probably get back to jogging," she chuckled, trying to lighten the heaviness in the air. "Before one of your neighbours wakes up to find us just hugging on their front lawn."

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Brockton Bay Streets – Midmorning

When Victoria got the message to meet up, she had no idea of the news that awaited her. She was happy to see both Taylor and Lisa waiting for her at the café they had agreed to meet up at. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the soft chatter of other patrons. Victoria approached their table, hoping for a regular catch-up where they could talk about their upcoming photoshoot later that day.

But as she pulled out her chair and took a seat across from them, Victoria's keen eyes noticed the anxious looks on both girls' faces. Lisa's usually vibrant green eyes were wide with guilt. Taylor's gaze, usually steady and focused, seemed almost distant. A knot tightened in Victoria's stomach, a feeling of unease creeping up her spine. She pushed it away, dismissing the feeling as general nervousness for the upcoming event.

"Good morning," Victoria said cheerily. Her usual happy demeanour only added to the guilty look on Lisa's face.

"Morning," Lisa replied, but her voice sounded tired and strained.

Victoria studied her friend's face, the faint lines of worry etched upon her forehead. Something was definitely amiss. Taylor remained silent, her expression unreadable. Victoria searched for any sign of the usual spark in her eyes but found only a flicker of uncertainty.

"So, are you lot ready for today?" Victoria turned her attention to Taylor, knowing that she had reservations about the photoshoot. "Tay, you feeling good? I know it all seems daunting, but it'll only take an hour or two. We'll dress up, look cute, and make a few poses. It'll be fun."

Taylor took a deep breath, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her tea mug. Victoria's smile struggled to hold in the face of the two girls.

"Actually, Victoria, there's something we need to tell you," Lisa said, her voice laced with guilt and determination.

"What is it?" Victoria asked. She shifted nervously in her chair. Taylor still hadn't said a word, her silence becoming more and more concerning.

"We lied to you," Lisa said bluntly. She quickly stammered back her sentence. "I mean, technically we didn't tell you a lie, so much as we deceived you with an incorrect truth and didn't bother correcting your misunderstanding." Victoria frowned at the explanation, Lisa kept talking faster. "Point is, we said no more secrets, and we immediately kept a secret from you because… reasons. But we both agreed that we don't want to keep this from you."

Victoria's mind quickly ran through a handful of scenarios that would constitute her girlfriend's keeping a secret from her. Were they cheating on her? Was the whole relationship nothing more than a ruse on the hero? No, Vicky dismissed that notion as quickly as it came. Crime, her girlfriends were villains, obviously, this had something to do with crime. Did they rob another bank? Victoria was surprised to find how little that idea actually bothered her at this point. She knew what they did, she didn't necessarily like it, but the Undersiders were hardly on the level of the other villains in Brockton Bay.

"Okay, I can see your mind is already coming up with the worst-case scenarios," Lisa said as she raised a calming hand. "We're not cheating on you, or anything to that effect." That got a reaction out of Taylor as she quickly shook her head. "It's about…" Lisa stopped as she looked at Taylor.

"It's about what?" Victoria asked. Lisa didn't finish her sentence, looking to Taylor for permission to speak. Whatever was wrong, Taylor was at the core of it, this was her secret and Lisa still wasn't going to speak on it until Taylor did. Victoria looked to Taylor and asked again. "W-what did you do, Taylor?" Her mind raced again with new scenarios. Somehow, in her heart, she already knew what Taylor was about to say.

Taylor opened her mouth to speak, Victoria could hear the words die in her through as she turned away. She watched as Taylor's shoulders hunched as if the weight of the world had settled upon them. Lisa reached out and placed a hand on Taylor's shoulder, urging the girl to try again.

"C-coil," Taylor mumbled out. She took a deep breath, and switched over to her more stoic, Skitter-like bluntness. "We… I killed Coil."

How had Taylor killed him? Why had she done it? Victoria's mind spun with questions. Lisa's hand remained on Taylor's shoulder. Victoria looked to Lisa, who confirmed Taylor's words with a short nod.

Victoria felt sick. This was just an admission of murder. These last few days, Victoria was being paraded around town as a hero among heroes. The one who rescued the Mayor's daughter from the clutches of Coil and unofficially spearheaded his arrest. The PRT had thanked her for it, mainly out of spite in refusing to acknowledge the Undersider's role in all of it. Victoria now knew the truth, the Coil Skitter handed in was a fake, and she was now an accessory to murder.

She wanted to be angry, channel her mother and yell something stupid like, 'This is what you get for opening yourself up to villains.' But then she looked at Taylor's face. The girl was practically unreadable, all emotion had been drained from her leaving only this impassive shell of a person to deliver the bad news.

If this were the old Victoria, the one who saw the world in black and white, heroes and villains, she would've chalked this up to some psychotic confession from Skitter. But Victoria knew better, she was just freaking out for a brief moment, questioning her current reality and all that. As conflicted as she felt right now about the situation, there was someone here who hurt a whole lot more.

Taylor was a stressed-out girl with trust issues and deeply suppressed anger. Victoria had known that, she'd been warned about that. Lisa all but yelled at her not to get Taylor involved in her Coil business for precisely this reason. But Victoria had refused to listen.

Besides, who was Victoria to judge? She knew damn well just how angry she was at Coil after finding out what he did. The man was scum, on par with the Empire. When she'd found out that Dinah was drugged, her first instinct was to lob a car at the man, the only thing that stopped her was that bringing the girl home took priority over returning for Coil. Victoria couldn't know if she'd actually go through with it, but she sure as hell understood.

The guilt behind Lisa's eyes was damning, she blamed herself for this almost as much as Victoria did for herself. But it was Taylor's lack of emotion that told Victoria all she needed to know. Taylor was hurting, just because she could throw her emotional reactions onto the surrounding bugs didn't mean she felt them any less.

Victoria's heart ached as she watched Taylor struggle to hold back her emotions. Without hesitation, she stood up from the table, her chair scraping against the floor, and made her way towards Taylor. As Victoria reached Taylor, she wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close in a comforting embrace. With her cheek pressed against Taylor's hair, Victoria whispered softly into her ear, her voice filled with genuine remorse.

"I'm so sorry," Victoria whispered into Taylor's ear. She held Taylor tightly, willing her love and support for the girl. Another hand gently caressed Lisa's arm to invite her into the cuddle.

"You don't hate me?" Taylor asked. Her voice sounded broken. She tried to pull away from Victoria's hug but the blonde refused to let go. Taylor relaxed slightly, her body sagging against Victoria's embrace.

"No, Taylor. I could never hate you," Victoria said earnestly. "I don't know how I feel about this. But, I don't hate you. Either of you." She looked at Lisa while she still held Taylor. "Though I do want to know what happened, and who the man we arrested actually is."

"I can fill you in on all of that," Lisa said with a guilty grin. She then proceeded to catch Victoria up on the events that happened after Victoria had left Coil's base. Taylor once again didn't speak much, but Victoria could feel the way she tensed up as Lisa described the scene.

Although Victoria didn't admit it out loud, she was rather impressed with the girl's quick thinking in delivering Coil's body double to the PRT. Especially with the added context of how emotionally distraught Taylor had been while she was confronting Armsmaster. In the end, Victoria was more concerned with Taylor and Lisa's mental state over the fact that they had lied about killing one of Brockton Bay's most wanted.

"Thank you, for telling me the truth," Victoria said. She gave both girls another tight squeeze.

"No problem," Lisa chuckled nervously. "I'm just glad you're not completely angry with us or anything. I can finally stop this weird sick feeling in my stomach."

"Oh, I'm not mad," Victoria said sympathetically. "I know why you did it, and can see that you both feel horrible about it. But I am a little disappointed if I'm being honest."

Lisa placed a hand on her belly. "Wow. That uh, that somehow feels worse." Taylor nodded in agreement.

Victoria hummed and released from the hug. "Consider it your punishment then. If you're lucky, it'll be the only one you get. The PRT are sending Coil to the birdcage so I doubt anyone will ever discover the truth now." She took a step away from the table and motioned for both girls to follow. "Now let's get going. I want some fresh air, if we start walking, can get to the photoshoot with plenty of time."

Both girls followed as she left the cafe. There was a tense atmosphere to the way they walked, both villains felt like children who'd been recently told off. All in all, they got off pretty lightly considering what happened, Victoria hoped that they'd all shrug off their awkward funk by the time they reached the photo studio.

------------------------------
Outside the photo studio.

Victoria's mother was already waiting by the entrance to the studio when the girls arrived. They had come half an hour early and yet Carol had a way of making them feel like they were running late.

"Oh good, you're finally here," Carol said, walking up to Victoria and welcoming her with a hug. "Taylor, Lisa. A pleasure to see you both again."

Lisa waved casually as Taylor shot out her hand for an awkward robotic handshake. Carol shook her hand and returned to focus on Victoria.

"Now, I've reserved the space for an hour but I've also made sure that no one else is using it today, so we have plenty of time spare if we need to go over," Carol said, placing a hand on Victoria's back and leading her into the studio, Lisa and Taylor moved to follow after. "It's the same photographer we used back during those anti-drug PSAs you did with Gallant at the start of the year, so don't worry, she knows all your good angles. I've got a selection of dresses picked out of you, but I think I know just the one to use."

"Mom, wait-" Victoria mumbled as she was shuffled off. A strange contrast of a brute having no strength to push against her own mother's sheer force of will. Carol ignored her protests as they moved further through the studio.

"I wasn't sure what sizes you girls were," Carol said, looking back to Taylor and Lisa. "But I took a guess and left out clothes for both of you too. You'll see them in the dressing room, don't worry, someone will be there to help you out if anything doesn't fit."

Lisa was chuckling at how helpless Victoria looked, the girl was basically hovering in the air as Carol pushed her weightless form through the hallways. "Thank you, Mrs Dallon," She said respectfully. "I'm sure we can manage it from here. We might compare dresses first so that we can match without clashing."

Carol stopped pushing Victoria and thought about Lisa's words.

"Yes, that might make more sense," Carol agreed. Victoria sighed as she landed back on the ground. "Alright then, I'll leave it to you three. Once you're dressed, come through there and we'll run through all the poses we have in mind."

"Will do." Lisa smiled. Victoria mouthed a silent 'thank you' from behind her mother.

Carol looked over all three girls and then stepped towards the main studio room. She paused by the door as she suddenly remembered another thing she needed to say.

"Oh and I also invited your parents to join us," Carol added, as she opened the door. All three girls looked back at that statement with confusion. "Oh, my apologies, parent, guardian," Carol chuckled as she waved her hand. "Taylor, your Father is waiting in the break room," All three girls nodded simultaneously as they understood, or thought they did. "And Lisa, I invited your Uncle. Figured this would be a good way to get to know your families. Anyway, go get dressed, I'll see you soon."

She shut the door before any of the girls could respond.

"Her what?" Victoria and Taylor asked, looking at Lisa.

"My what?" Lisa echoed, looking back.