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

Reader mode
space turtle said:
Cauldrons been putting drugs in the water to turn the friggin capes gay!!

It's all there on my podcast!!!
Buy my brute power supplements!!!
Click to expand...
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Meanwhile this is Contessa's way of de-stressing hosting a laughably bad conspiracy podcast that more often than not is just her mentioning things Cauldron actually did... also selling power vials as 'supplements'.
 
Gowonzu said:
Brian chuckled back, unbinding the hand wraps her hand on and grabbing the bottle of water near his feet.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

You might want to re-read this sentence, it's not making a whole lot of sense as is.

Outside of that, interesting that Grue ran into Gallant at the gym and neither has a clue of who the other is, although Gallant might recognize Brian's Emotional Aura, if he bothers to read it. Gonna be some interesting fireworks if Dean runs into Lisa or Taylor while they're with Brian.

Wonder how long it'll take Dean to associate Undersiders with Brian.

Fun, fun, fun.
 
Akuma-Heika said:
I would say this should be Dean here (since being out as dating Gallant greatly increases the chances of outing him), but the rest of the post starts having issues going that route. It was probably mentioned earlier, but I didn't think about it then...whoops
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's mostly hand-waved away in the fic, but the idea is that most people in Arcadia 'know' that Dean is Gallant because of his relationship with Vicky, but most students pretend not to see. Its just a badly kept secret.

New student: Yo, isn't that Glory Girl making out with Dean Stansfield?
Current Student: They do that some times. Vicky is dating him
New Student: But doesn't Glory Girl date Gallant? Wait, is Dean?-
Current Student: Yeah, you don't wanna finish that thought, just smile and keep moving along.
 
Chapter 36: She wants it all
  • Threadmarks
    • The Boardwalk – After School

    "Forget power couples! Meet Brockton Bay's very own power throuple!" Lisa said, breaking into a fit of giggles before she could even finish the sentence. "New Wave's Glory Girl recently unveiled her bold new relationship to the world, and we couldn't be more excited." The girl struggled to contain her laughter as she read aloud the magazine in her hand.

    Victoria and Taylor watched on with a smile, each holding a magazine of their own as they sat at the juice bar. Lisa had bought each and every magazine that featured the throuple on their front cover, interested in what random tabloids and gossip pieces were saying about them after just one day from the announcement.

    "New Wave proudly announced the relationship on their website, Glory Girl and her two friends," Victoria said as she read her article aloud. "Friends, jeez. Next thing they'll be calling us gal pals."

    "Well at least they called it a relationship," Taylor sighed, dropping the magazine she had in her hand. "I don't even want to read this one out loud. It's nothing rude, just oddly ignoring the two other girls in the photos."

    Victoria shook her head, picking up one magazine after another. "Glory Girl and friends, Glory Girl's partners, Glory Girl's Girlfriends," She let out a frustrated sigh. "Why don't any of them just say Victoria Dallon, Taylor Hebert and Lisa Wilbourn. I hate that they treat you both like you're my… accessories." She scrunched her face up and reached for another book in the pile.

    "Ah. Here's one," Lisa said, clearing her throat. "While New Wave's article was sparse on information, Victoria Dallon went live on social media to introduce her new girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor Hebert," She waved the magazine she had to Victoria and nodded. "See, there's some grade-A journalism. Actually using our names… And then it goes to paraphrase our PHO Q and A thread for the next two pages… never mind." She threw it back onto the pile.

    "It makes sense," Taylor said, looking at Vicky. "You are the celebrity. Most people wouldn't give us a second glance if we weren't connected to you."

    "I know, it's just… frustrating," Victoria whined. "I just want people to see us as equals, not just my girlfriends."

    Taylor shrugged, reaching over to pat Victoria on the hand. "It's okay. We don't see it that way. And that's what matters, right?"

    Victoria smiled back, nodding to Taylor's wise words. She was about to thank her for the positive view on things when Lisa let out a snort of laughter. Both girls turn to her as she reads another random gossip magazine.

    "Oh fuck, listen to this," Lisa laughed, trying her hardest to keep a straight face. "The announcement and additional photoshoot show that Glory Girl has not just the support of her team, but the support of her girlfriends to come out in such a spectacular fashion. Congratulations Victoria Dallon, for the strength and courage you have shown. And thank you to Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor Hebert, for showing us that you don't need to be super, to be a hero," Taylor and Victoria groaned at that final line. "Wait, wait. It gets better!" Lisa laughed. "Guess what they called the article?"

    "Something equally cheesy, I guess?" Victoria said with a pained smile.

    Lisa smiled back, her lips threatening to collapse into another fit of giggle. "Brockton Bay's very own Triumvirate!"

    "Seriously?" Taylor balked, placing two fingers on the bridge of her nose.

    "Urgh," Victoria sighed. "I really hope that doesn't catch on. It's bad enough people call me Alexandria Jr. If we steal their team name too…" She cringed.

    "What? I reckon I could make for a good Eidolon." Lisa chuckled.

    "Hey, why do you get to be Eidolon?" Taylor asked.

    "Please, you're obviously the Legend of the group," Lisa said back. Victoria thought on that remark briefly and nodded in agreement. "And Vicky is obviously Alexandria, so…" She gestured to herself. "Eidolon."

    Taylor frowned to herself, going silent with thought. Victoria looked to Taylor and then back to Lisa.

    "Did she want to be?…" Victoria began, looking at Lisa.

    "Alexandria, yeah," Lisa smirked, looking back to Taylor as she shook off her frown. "Anyway, to the new Triumvirate," She cheered, holding her cup of juice out.

    "We're not calling ourselves that…" Victoria groaned, tapping her cup to Lisa's.

    "And I don't want to be Alexandria," Taylor grumbled, adding her cup to the cheers.

    "Well good, because Vicky's our Alexandria, Legend." Lisa smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

    "No," Victoria said back. "I'm just Glory Girl. You're just Lisa and she's just Taylor. I don't want to step on the actual Alexandria's toes. I'd like to meet the woman one day and I would prefer she didn't hate me when that happens. Contrary to what my fans might think, I can't take match her in a fight."

    "Oh, come on," Lisa giggled. "I'm sure you could hold your own against Alexandria."

    "Yeah," Victoria said sarcastically. "I might be able to take a single punch from her. Then my shield goes pop, followed by my head a second later."

    "That's a lot longer than the rest of us would last against her," Lisa chuckled. "The rest of us mere mortals would die the moment Alexandria chose to fight us."

    "I could take her," Taylor said with a straight face. Both girls waited for the punchline to the joke but the girl didn't elaborate.

    "You mean in a fight, right?" Lisa asked with a raised eyebrow.

    Taylor shrugged and nodded back. "You?" Victoria asked with a chuckle of her own. "Can take Alexandria? Babe, your bugs are creepy but I think it'll take more than spiders to take down someone like her."

    "No, wait," Lisa said, leaning in. "I have to hear this. Tell us, Tay, how would you beat Alexandria in a fight?"

    Taylor leaned back and scratched her chin. "Well," Taylor said, gesturing to Victoria. "Obviously you don't want to fight a brute head-on. If she came at me without any warning I'd obviously lose. If I could use my range to my advantage." It became clear to the girls that she had thought about this, a lot.

    "Still," Victoria said, "She can move faster than I can, even if you get bugs on her, she's just going to speed off into the sky, and that's assuming that they even hurt her, which they won't."

    Taylor shook her head. "Biting Alexandra would be useless, you're right," Taylor explained. "Brutes at her level need to be incapacitated quickly. The optimal strategy would be to fill her throat with as many bugs as I can get and wait for her to pass out from oxygen starvation." Victoria stared back at Taylor in horror, even Lisa blinked in surprise. "That plan however relies on the theory that she still needs to breathe air," Taylor continued, unaware of her girlfriend's reactions. "I noticed that Alexandria has never tried to leave orbit or fly underwater, so it's safe to say that the plan could work. Again, it relies on her either not knowing where I am or expecting me to attack."

    "Taylor…" Victoria said, hesitantly reaching out to place a hand on Taylor's. "Please tell me you haven't tried to choke anyone with your bugs?"

    Taylor looked up to Victoria, growing red in the face after seeing the concern on her girlfriend's face. "Um, it's just a countermeasure I came up with…" Victoria held her stare, her question still unanswered. "I only tried it once, and it wasn't successful…" Taylor mumbled again, looking away in embarrassment.

    "Tried it?" Victoria balked. "On who? Tay? Who did you try to choke with bugs."

    Taylor turned back, tilting her head in confusion. "What do you mean? You were there." It was Victoria's turn to be confused. "You're forcefield protected your mouth, I wasn't expecting that…" Taylor added guiltily.

    Victoria thought back to the second time she came face to face with Skitter, and how she threw an entire swarm of bugs at her. At the time, Victoria assumed it was just some desperate attempt to distract her, but if her forcefield had broken just before that attack…

    "Well, damn. Look at the time," Lisa declared, slapping the table. "We have to get going, else we're gonna be late. And don't you have somewhere else to be, Victoria?"

    "Already?" Taylor asked.

    "I know," Lisa said sadly. "But Glory Girl starts her first day with the Wards soon,"

    Victoria shook out of her horrified thought and looked at Lisa. "It's not like I'm starting a new job. Mom just signed me up for extra Ward duties instead of New Wave stuff," She shrugged. "I've done it plenty of times at this point."

    "We'll regardless, have fun at work," Lisa said with a smile. "Hopefully we won't see you during business hours."

    "Actually, about that," Victoria said, sitting up straighter in her chair. Both Taylor and Lisa looked at each other, then back to Victoria. "I've been meaning to talk to you both. I know things have been a little hectic lately, but I'm about to graduate high school and while I do plan on continuing my education, eventually. This time next week, I'm going to be a full-time hero."

    "Oh, congratulations," Taylor said, unsure where this was going.

    "A hero," Victoria said again, stressing the word. "Someone who upholds the law, stops criminals, does the right thing."

    "And we're very proud of you for it," Lisa added.

    Victoria sighed. "Look, I've been pretty lenient with you two. And I know there were peculiar circumstances that got you each into your life of… questionable moral actives. But I had hoped that since Coil isn't in the picture anymore. That you both wouldn't need to do… that. We could talk to the PRT, explain what Coil did to you, convince them to give you a lighter Ward deal-"

    "I'm gonna stop you right there," Lisa said, raising a hand. "Look, Vic, I get it. You wanna do good, and having a bunch of crooks for girlfriends troubles you. But there's just no easy solution for people like us. Even if the PRT didn't try to throw every single book at us, any Ward deal we got would send us far from home and separated from each other. And before you even suggest it, we both know how your mother would react if you suggested New Wave."

    Victoria frowned, unsure what to do with herself.

    "I can't promise that I'll stop… skirting the law," Lisa shrugged. "Even if I quit today, I've got commitments to uphold, people that need paying, using money that I don't legally own. If I ran away from that, I'd just make enemies and one of them might end up being ten times worse than Coil ever was."

    Victoria nodded, upset but understanding. Lisa was too tangled up in the life of crime to simply slip away. Not in any way that could let her live in Brockton Bay once she did it. Perhaps in a few years, the throuple could move to a new city, and start a new life as heroes. That was Vicky's ideal dream. She turned to Taylor, the girl she originally wanted to 'save' from this awful life of villainy. Did she feel the same way?

    "Taylor?" Victoria asked, almost pleading with her eyes. "You once said, that the reason you did this was because it was fun. Is this still fun for you? Taking from people, hurting them?"

    Taylor struggled to look at Victoria in the eyes. Guilt was practically Taylor's middle name. Over the course of her time with the Undersiders, her guilt had lessened. But now she had blood on her hands and no valid excuse for being an undercover hero.

    "Vicky," Taylor said, upset for her friend. "When I started doing this, I wanted to help people. And I still do. The Undersiders, we're not… we don't…" She went quiet, unable to think of what to say.

    "Just..." Victoria said, standing from her table. "Just think about it, okay? Our deal still stands, it always will. I don't want to arrest you. In truth, you already know that I won't. But… I still don't agree." She leaned over and kissed Taylor, then did the same for Lisa. "Have fun at work." She added, before flying off.

    "Wow," Lisa whistled as they watched her go. "Kill the mood much?"

    "She's just concerned about us," Taylor sighed. "I understand."

    "Actually I was talking about you," Lisa said with a smirk. "Explaining how you almost suffocated our girlfriend before we really met her."

    "I wouldn't have let her die…" Taylor grumbled.

    "Yeah, yeah." Lisa chuckled. "Come on, let's get going."

    ----------------------------------------
    Coil's Base – One Bus Ride Later

    The rest of the Undersiders were waiting for the girls to arrive. Mercenaries opened the door for Lisa as the two entered through one of the more inconspicuous side entrances. The girls had changed into their outfits shortly before entering. The mercenaries might know who Tattletale was, but Skitter didn't want anyone to know her face.

    "About time you got here," Rachel growled, she was waiting in one of the lobbies with her depowered dogs, her mask was off but she didn't need it. "You said you'd be here at five."

    "It is five?" Tattletale said back, looking at her watch to double-check. Rachel just glared at the girl. "What's up?"

    "Need to talk to Skitter," Rachel grumbled. Skitter and Tattletale looked at each other, Tattletale gesturing her to go ahead.

    "No worries, you too have fun," Tattletale said with a smile. "I have to go quiz Alec anyway. Just remember to report to the meeting room. Important decisions to be made today."

    She leaned up and kissed Skitter on the mandible and skipped past Rachel, leaving the two girls alone.

    "You wanted to talk?" Skitter asked, acting all business in costume. Rachel nodded her head in the direction of a hallway and started walking, Skitter followed closely behind.

    The base still wore the scars of their attack a few days ago. Mercenaries were running around the place, cleaning up debris and patching the bullet holes that littered the walls. Through her bugs, Taylor could see the main front door was still bent and broken in on itself. Only hidden behind a false wall of construction from the outside world.

    The police had come to inspect the scene of the assault, but due to a factor of speed, incompetence and some previously established bribes by Coil, the base itself remained undetected to the wider public. The construction site itself was now wrapped up in legal disputes, being considered as a cover for Coil's operation and the site where the Mayor's niece was held for weeks on end, but authorities were looking up, not down. It was a miracle that it hadn't been discovered, and an opportunity that Tattletale lunged on.

    Extending her reach, Taylor could see all throughout the base. Her bugs had gone forth and multiplied. Nowhere near the number that she had brought along with her, however, they found their way into every nook and cranny of the base, giving Taylor a real-time layout of the place.

    Including the section where she murdered Coil.

    The body had been moved, thankfully. But the wall was still stained with blood. The guilt Taylor felt over the dead turned to nausea which threatened to erupt from her stomach like it had a few nights ago. Skitter shoved the feeling down and focused on the here and now. Rachel wanted to speak to her, she'd use her human senses, and find a quiet place to chat.

    Settling with a random empty bunk room, Rachel sat down on an empty bed and waited for Skitter to do the same. With the room being closed off and no mercenaries to bother them, Taylor took off her mask and looked Rachel in the eyes.

    "What did you need, Rachel?" Taylor asked, smiling but making sure she showed no teeth.

    Rachel looked down at Brutus and Angela, then over to Taylor's boot and then back up at her face.

    "Where would you like to go on a date?" Rachel asked, bluntly.

    Taylor was taken aback. She was expecting a serious talk about business or the like, not… this.

    "R-Rachel," Taylor said, stumbling to say words. "I already told you, it's not a ha-harem. I appreciate the invitation, honestly, I do. You're a strong, dependable woman, who's honestly very beautiful in a tough way and in maybe in another life, I'd-"

    Rachel shook her head. Taylor had obviously misinterpretation the question and now she felt terribly embarrassed.

    "No, I mean you," Rachel said again. "Where would you like to go on a date? Where do you take Lisa and the other one?"

    "Victoria," Taylor said, correcting her. "Oh, so you want date ideas?"

    "Yeah, her," Rachel shrugged, "And yeah. I need… ideas."

    Rachel had the faintest build-up of red on her cheeks. Taylor almost had to squint to see it, but Rachel was blushing. Taylor gasped, genuine delight and excitement in her breath.

    "Do you have someone you like?" Taylor asked, fascinated with this side of Rachel.

    Rachel looked away, the blush across her cheeks running even redder. "I don't know yet," Rachel almost mumbled, then she turned back and spoke in the usual grumpy voice Taylor was used to. "They asked me, but I don't know what to do. So, what do you do?"

    "Oh, well, Taylor began. "Lisa likes to take me shopping. Vicky too, they both like clothing. I'm not that well-versed with fashion, but it's always fun to see them get all dressed up. Really anything along the board… wait, you probably can't go there… okay… well the local library… right, never mind," Taylor went silent, thinking to herself. "The park is always a nice place? I like taking walks through them, especially if they're the larger ones with ponds and the like."

    Rachel nodded, mentally taking notes.

    "Maybe a picnic? You could make a small basket of food?" Taylor continued. "Sit at a bench and feed the ducks, that's romantic and cute. Or go stargazing? Really any view you find interesting. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, just something you both can talk about."

    "Yeah, that sounds easy enough," Rachel said, more to herself. "The park, food, a good view. I can do that." Rachel stood up and patted Taylor on the shoulder in thanks before collecting her dog's leashes.

    Taylor nodded back at Rachel, picking up her mask to place on again before the two exited the room. The two kept walking in silence as they headed towards the meeting room, no one was in the room yet, but Taylor picked up something strange a few rooms over. She paused in her step and made a mental note to ask Lisa. Picking up her pace again to meet up with the rest of the team.

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

    "Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Regent cried, raising his hand in surrender. "I know this one, wait, I know it!"

    "When were you born?" Tattletale asked back, Grue stood behind the boy, cracking his knuckles.

    "Nineteen-sixty-nine!" Regent yelped in fear. "June twelfth."

    "And where?" Grue barked.

    "Danbury, Connecticut!" Regent yelled back like he was a private in the army. He looked to Tattletale pleading mercy in his eyes. Tattletale nodded as Grue backed off.

    "You passed," Tattletale said with a dark smile, "This time. Next, we'll be teaching you the fine arts of carpentry."

    Regent let out a relieved sigh, relaxing into his chair as Grue stepped away. With shaky legs, Regent stood up and moved towards the exit. Imp appeared to the side of him, rubbing his back.

    "There, there," Imp said. "You did good, you survived. It wasn't so bad." Regent nodded, accepting the support, even if it was just a lighter form of teasing. "Knew you could do it," Imp added, before pushing her mask into his.

    Grue coughed loudly, no doubt glaring at the two behind his mask. Regent stood up a little straighter but Imp simply locked arms with the boy and made a 'cocking-a-snook' gesture at her brother as they left the room. Grue took a step forward to say something but Tattletale placed a hand on his chest.

    "You know she's only doing it to get a reaction out of you," Tattletale said with a smile.

    Grue looked down at Tattletale's hand, she let go and gestured for the door.

    "You saying if I stop reacting, she'll dump him?" Grue grunted.

    "No, you're not that lucky," Tattletale smirked. "But the more you grumble, the more likely you are to see some unwanted PDA. So take my advice and be happy for your sister."

    "But it's Alec…" Grue grumbled, crossing his arms.

    "I didn't say stop terrorising him," Tattletale laughed. "He deserves it, but she's smart enough to make her own choices, so learn to respect them. Just keep your Alec beatings private, and it'll be fine. Remember, a public flogging equals a public snogging."

    Grue gagged at the mental image, which made Tattletale laugh even harder. The two walked a short distance behind Regent and Imp, the latter would repeatably disappear and reappear looking at various rooms around the base as they walked by. When they finally got to the meeting room, Skitter and Bitch were waiting for them.

    "Tattletale?" Skitter asked the second she walked in. "Why is your Uncle lying in the medical ward downstairs?"

    "Oh, you saw that?" Tattletale chuckled. "Ask Regent, it was all his idea."

    "Hey, Imp had the idea, I just went along with it," Regent said sighing as he fell into a chair. "Yet no one's blaming her."

    "No, we blame her too," Grue said, walking in and nodding to Skitter. "But you caused the mess, so you have to deal with it."

    Skitter looked between Grue, Tattletale and Regent. Then turned in the direction where Lisa's Uncle was being kept.

    "He used a coma patient to fake your Uncle?" Skitter asked as she worked it out. "That's…"

    "Fucked up," Grue growled.

    "Smart," Skitter said with a nod of approval. Tattletale looked mildly annoyed

    "Thank you!" Imp said with a sigh of exasperation. "Finally someone gets our genius."

    "Of course, it would've been smarter if you ran it by us first," Skitter continued, "Plus the logistics of it would be a nightmare, were did you even get the body?"

    "Brockton General," Tattletale said blankly. "Yes, they're that stupid. And yes, it's already taken care of."

    Tattletale took a seat at the meeting table. It was one of those long tables with oversized chairs, and a big fancy chair at the end fit for some Bond villain wannabe. Tattletale gestured to Grue to take the head seat but the boy looked back hesitantly.

    "Oh no, I can't take any credit for all of this," Grue said as he gestured around the room. "This whole thing is your operation after all."

    "Well, I'm not the leader, and that's the leading chair," Tattletale whined playfully. "You're our fearless leader, so, hop to it."

    Grue sighed, and moved to the seat, fitting awkwardly into it before spinning around to the head of the table. The rest of the team took their spots, barely taking up a quarter of the available chairs. The Undersiders had all agreed to meet at Coil's base to discuss one thing. What did they do next?

    "So, we all know why we're here," Grue said, looking around the room. "To discuss the future of the Undersiders… if there will be an Undersiders going forward. And what we'll do."

    "Why wouldn't there be?" Bitch asked, annoyed at the idea.

    "The Undersiders were formed and funded by Coil," Tattletale explained, "Our entire purpose was to be this city's mild nuisance while Coil and his team achieved their goals. Now we have no goal, no overlord, and no grand purpose. If we wanted it, we could retire, all of us. There's enough money to set us up for life. Maybe not a grand life, but a life nonetheless."

    The team looked amongst themselves at that. For a lot of villainous teams, that was the goal. Make a lot of money in a short amount of time and then cash that check and live happily ever after.

    "Obviously, that option isn't open to everyone," Tattletale continued. "Regent, I know you have personal reasons for being here and need a safety net to cover you. Plus, I need you to play the role of my Uncle for the foreseeable future. Personally, I'm tied down here. I promised these mercenaries a steady job and I can't renege on my deal."

    "The point is," Grue said, taking back command. "If anyone wanted to get out, now would be the time. No judgement, we'll pay you a hefty lump sum and set you up with whatever else you need. Bitch, you could stick to running your shelter, we'd get you a safe house just outside the city. Skitter, if you wanted to re-brand with Glory Girl, we'd understand."

    Skitter stared back at Grue for a long while. No one said anything while they waited. Tattletale and Regent were locked in at the moment but the rest of the team all had solid reasons to call it quits, Grue included.

    "Well I don't want to leave," Imp said, placing her feet up on the table. "It's too much fun, I'd go solo if I have to. But I'm sure Tat's would hire me. And if she wants to"

    "And I'm not letting you do that," Grue said. "If Tattletale is staying, then I'll be here too. Whether it's as the Undersiders, or just part of Coil's… uh, Tattletale's mercenary company."

    "Skitter?" Tattletale asked, looking at her. "This is your chance," She reached over and grabbed her hand. "If you wanted to be a hero, we can make a plan. Rebrand you, you'd have to stay in a mask and be a vigilante for a while, but I can swing some things with the media, give it all a positive swing."

    Skitter looked down at Tattletale's hand, following up her arm to her face. Lisa mouthed the words, 'It's okay.' Skitter didn't say anything, looking over to Bitch to see how she would respond to the offer.

    "I don't really care about the money," Bitch grumbled, leaning forward on the table. "Can this place keep supplying my shelter with people?" She asked Grue.

    "Yes," Tattletale responded. "We'll keep paying the specialists you already have. And you can ask us for anything else that you need. Always."

    "Then I'm staying," Bitch said, leaning back in her chair. "Packs gotta stick together,"

    Skitter nodded along to that. "Stick together, yes." She turned back to Tattletale and Grue. "I'm staying. The Undersiders means too much to me to quit now."

    "Are you sure?" Tattletale asked, looking right into Skitter's eyes. "No one here will ju-"

    "I'm sure, now let's move on," Skitter said, firm with her resolve.

    "Alright then," Grue said, nodding to himself as he tapped the table. "The Undersiders stay. Of course, we need to find ourselves a new source of income. And something to do,"

    "We still have Coil's assets. We could just take over." Tattletale suggested. It was the obvious suggestion, but one that Grue was hesitant on. "Think about it. We have the money, the power and manpower to hold this place together."

    "Do we have the manpower?" Skitter asked. "This place looks to be running with a skeleton crew."

    Tattletale waved the comment away. "Alright, so we need to hire a few more people."

    "Hire people?" Grue asked, "Like what? Recruits? Sounds like we're starting a gang."

    "Oh, we could become the next big gang!" Imp giggled. "The Undersiders! You're in Undersider territory, you're wearing Undersider colours."

    "Don't go downtown, that's the Underside now," Regent chuckled.

    "I already don't like the sound of that," Grue grumbled.

    "It's the logical escalation," Skitter suggested. "With the ABB gone, Coil was the only group keeping this city from being overrun by the Empire."

    "Fuck those guys," Bitch growled.

    "Other gangs might appear," Grue suggested. "It doesn't have to fall on us,"

    "Yeah, maybe we'll get lucky and the Teeth will come back," Tattletale said sarcastically. "Oh, I heard Skidmark's little crew is building up around old ABB territory. Maybe they'll flood the streets with drugs. That'll hold back the Empire."

    "Fine, you have a point," Grue said. "We'll reestablish control over Coil's territory with whatever men Tattletale have on hand. Then…"

    "Then we'll take as much of the ABB remnants as we can hold," Skitter added. "I'm sure a lot of people don't want to see the Empire march into there, some might be inclined to help us if persuaded."

    "So we are recruiting for a gang?" Regent asked. "I wonder if we can make uniforms?"

    "We're not calling it a gang," Grue said, "We're an… independent mercenary company. Helping keep the Empire back. We haven't even thought about the PRT response to this? If we do this, they will come for us, much harder than when we were just a small team."

    "We'll be the lesser of two evils," Skitter said coldly. "The PRT will see it as their chance to deal with the Empire, and this city will finally be rid of them."

    "Or more likely," Imp added. "The Empire will pay the PRT to kick on the underdog like they always do."

    "Then we'll break their legs if they do," Skitter said, it was meant to be a joke but only Tattletale knew that.

    For the next hour, the team discussed the logistics of even attempting such a task. Turning a hypothetical idea into a multiple-step plan to hold the city. No one noticed when they stopped talking about if they could do this and started talking about how soon could they start. In the end, there was no official deceleration, no celebration just another day at work. The Undersiders would continue, with plans to expand, for the good of the city.

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

    "Are you sure about this, Tay?" Lisa asked after the meeting. Everyone had left to do their own thing, leaving the girls in the meeting room alone. "I was serious before, I know you wanted to be a hero. Vicky was right, there are ways to do that if you want."

    Taylor shook her head. "Thank you, but yes. I'm sure," Her hand brushed along the table as she walked up to the head seat, eyeing it. "Hero, villain. All I've wanted to do was help people, fight bullies. And I've done that, in my own way. How much crime have we actually done? Who were our victims? No one innocent, not really," Taylor looked away, looking guilty about what she just said. "Vicky though… She won't like this."

    "Victoria will understand... Eventually. She's seen how useless the whole bureaucratic process is." Lisa waved her comment away. "Besides, Rome wasn't built in a day. Not like we'll be handing out flyers on the street tomorrow or anything. We'll start small, build some stability in this city."

    "We could just quit while we're ahead," Taylor suggested. "I don't mean the Undersiders, but… this," She gestured around the base. "It makes sense, being here, but also… how the hell did we end up here. Victoria asked me once, indirectly, why do I do this? At the time, I said it was fun."

    "It was fun," Lisa said softly. "It is fun."

    "It is…" Taylor nodded.

    "I'm sensing a but," Lisa said with a smirk. Taylor tilted her head towards Lisa.

    "Why do you do this? Crime." Taylor asked bluntly, "And don't say Coil, you all but run the Undersiders in name, yet you have no desire to lead. You have more money than any of us yet you claim that you couldn't disappear. I bet you could pay out all these people right now, and they'd thank you and move on to the next city. But you want them here, don't you?" Lisa's smile hesitated, Taylor had seen right through her. Lisa could retire any time she damn well pleased. "You recruited me so hard I ended up dating you, why?"

    "Because I did what I had to do," Lisa replied. "That's what I tell myself. That's how I justify it every morning. Recruiting you, I helped you, and I still feel like the stupid, self-obsessed little child that let her big brother die." She sighed and turned away from Taylor, pressing a button on the wall that turned the opaque windows transparent. Looking out onto the rest of the base. "It wasn't conscious, but maybe I felt like I needed to up the stakes. Pull something dramatic. Show that, with these crazy smart capes like Alexandria and Faultline around, I could still be the smartest person in the room."

    And do you feel like the smartest person in the room?" Taylor asked, standing beside her.

    She sighed and looked over the base, every single unmasked man and woman in this complex would nod at her and call her boss.

    "Can you imagine?" Lisa said, with a smile, as wide as it was genuine. "With me and you as the top dogs? The whole city will pay attention to us."

    Taylor moved behind her, wrapping her arms around Lisa and holding onto her tightly. Lisa's arms moved up, grabbing Taylor's arm and gently returning the hug.

    "Why stop there?" Taylor asked, smiling behind her mask. "We've never shown restraint before. With Vicky, the three of us could have the whole world."

    "Plans for world conquest now?" Lisa chucked, looking back at Taylor "And Victoria thought I was the bad influence…" Her smile wavered, only for a second as she sighed. "She's not going to like this, is she?"

    "No, she won't," Taylor admitted, looking out over the base and admiring the view. A small army moved around the base, waiting for commands, it tickled a particular spot in Taylor's brain. "But we'll make her see reason."
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Gowonzu said:
    Pull something dramatic. Show that, with these crazy smart capes like Alexandria and Faultline around, I could still be the smartest person in the room."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Alexandria I'll allow because Lisa hasn't had any contact with her to know how stupid her decisions are, but Faultline being considered smarter than Lisa on a fundamental level is SoD breaking.

    This is the woman whom was contracted to protect Bakuda and when her employer decided to become a national scale terrorist working really hard to get a kill order, she decided to keep to the contract because "nobody will trust a mercenary who breaks a contract".

    She was heavily risking the coming kill order on Bakuda being spread to her and her group for pride, not to mention she didn't have any complaints about protecting Bakuda while she bombed hospitals, elementary schools, and random apartment buildings.

    Faultline is not even close to being considered super smart, that part of her career brings into question if she could be considered intelligent at all.

    The friction between Tattletale and Fauntline is not that Faultline is smarter than Tattletale, it's that Faultline is heavily biased against Thinkers. She is of the opinion that Thinkers as a while are complete idiots and only their powers allows them to pretend at intelligence.

    She a full fledged bigot, but her 'lesser race' than she is universally better than are Thinkers, and given how Tattletale's power works Faultline can't even hide how much of a stuck up bigot she is.
     
    doomlord9 said:
    She a full fledged bigot, but her 'lesser race' than she is universally better than are Thinkers, and given how Tattletale's power works Faultline can't even hide how much of a stuck up bigot she is.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Which neatly explains their mutual grudge.

    Lisa didn't appreciate being looked down on for triggering over getting gaslit into blaming herself for her brother's death.

    And Faultline didn't appreciate getting a strip torn off her for her attitude.
     
    doomlord9 said:
    Alexandria I'll allow because Lisa hasn't had any contact with her to know how stupid her decisions are, but Faultline being considered smarter than Lisa on a fundamental level is SoD breaking.

    This is the woman whom was contracted to protect Bakuda and when her employer decided to become a national scale terrorist working really hard to get a kill order, she decided to keep to the contract because "nobody will trust a mercenary who breaks a contract".

    She was heavily risking the coming kill order on Bakuda being spread to her and her group for pride, not to mention she didn't have any complaints about protecting Bakuda while she bombed hospitals, elementary schools, and random apartment buildings.

    Faultline is not even close to being considered super smart, that part of her career brings into question if she could be considered intelligent at all.

    The friction between Tattletale and Fauntline is not that Faultline is smarter than Tattletale, it's that Faultline is heavily biased against Thinkers. She is of the opinion that Thinkers as a while are complete idiots and only their powers allows them to pretend at intelligence.

    She a full fledged bigot, but her 'lesser race' than she is universally better than are Thinkers, and given how Tattletale's power works Faultline can't even hide how much of a stuck up bigot she is.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Actually the Faultline comparison is from the main canon. I kept it in because I had already mentioned her and Lisa's rivalry before. But this final scene/discussion is a mirror of what happened in Worm

    It wasn't conscious, but maybe I felt like I needed to up the stakes. Pull something dramatic. Show that, with these crazy smart capes like Alexandria and Faultline around, I could still be the smartest person in the room."

    "And do you feel like the smartest person in the room?" I asked.

    She stared out over the cityscape. "Maybe- maybe when the interuniversal trade takes off. Can you imagine? With me and you as the top dogs? The whole world will pay attention to us."

    I hopped down from the railing, walking around Atlas as I made my way to Lisa. I wrapped my arms around her, and she returned the hug.

    I crumpled the papers in my fists.
     
    Gowonzu said:
    Actually the Faultline comparison is from the main canon. I kept it in because I had already mentioned her and Lisa's rivalry before. But this final scene/discussion is a mirror of what happened in Worm

    It wasn't conscious, but maybe I felt like I needed to up the stakes. Pull something dramatic. Show that, with these crazy smart capes like Alexandria and Faultline around, I could still be the smartest person in the room."

    "And do you feel like the smartest person in the room?" I asked.

    She stared out over the cityscape. "Maybe- maybe when the interuniversal trade takes off. Can you imagine? With me and you as the top dogs? The whole world will pay attention to us."

    I hopped down from the railing, walking around Atlas as I made my way to Lisa. I wrapped my arms around her, and she returned the hug.

    I crumpled the papers in my fists.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...


    .....Jesus crist WB, what the fuck....

    Yeah, I don't see how he could possibly say that the woman who thought to herself "ok, our employer is now mass murdering children, hospital patients, emergency personnel, and random families, but she paid us first so we have to keep working for her" is in any way intelligent. That is the dumbest bit of mental gymnastics I've ever heard to justify not having to admit she made a bad decision.

    I personally wouldn't hold to that idiotic blurb of canon, but I'm not the writer. It just doesn't make the slightest bit of sense to me why Lisa would consider Faultline at all smart when she risked a kill order "because we are on a contract".
     
    doomlord9 said:
    This is the woman whom was contracted to protect Bakuda and when her employer decided to become a national scale terrorist working really hard to get a kill order, she decided to keep to the contract because "nobody will trust a mercenary who breaks a contract".

    She was heavily risking the coming kill order on Bakuda being spread to her and her group for pride, not to mention she didn't have any complaints about protecting Bakuda while she bombed hospitals, elementary schools, and random apartment buildings
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    ... wait, when did Faultline ever work for Bakuda? That was Uber and L33t. Faultline was contracted by Coil directly after Somers Rock. Newters hallucinogenic sweat was actually crucial to Taylor's second victory over Lung in canon.
     
    Chapter 37: She's feeling nervous
  • Threadmarks
    • A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Life got hectic, plus other writing projects. In totally unrelated news, check out my other new fic on Ao3 'Wallflower' It's college-aged Worm AU Smugbug, currently sitting on 5 chapters.
    Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Afternoon

    Amy showed up to work feeling nervous.

    It had been two days since she sent her message to Rachel and the girl hadn't replied at all. Amy had spent most of her time at the hospital yesterday stressing about the message. Re-reading it over and over again until it was burned into her mind, every word felt a hundred times more embarrassing than when she originally sent it.

    Walking into the shelter, she was greeted by the over-enthusiastic Cassie who jumped up from her desk and waved at Amy. The girl's school was closer to the shelter than Amy's was, so she often met Cassie at the front desk.

    "Amy! Hi, how are you?" Cassie cheered with a smile. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in forever! Okay, so it's only been a few days but it feels like forever. What have you been up to? I was just-"

    The girl kept talking and talking as Amy made her way through the lobby. At this point, Amy didn't even wave back at the girl. She trotted through the lobby and made her way into the staff room. Amy was honestly surprised that the girl kept talking the same way every time she came in, never dissuaded by Amy's lack of response.

    Hanging up her schoolbag on an idle hook, Amy changed her shirt. The shelter didn't have any specific uniform however Amy favoured using some of her older shirts while working as she didn't want her good shirts smelling like dog. Also, the dogs got on better with her when they had a familiar scent rather than whatever brand of washing liquid Carol used during laundry days.

    Once dressed, Amy walked back out into the lobby where Cassie was still talking to her. Apparently not even a door would stop that girl from yapping.

    "-and Jake used to always say that 'Dogs are our link to paradise.' Which I think was actually a quote from a movie I heard but I don't remember which one. Or maybe it was a book?" Cassie said as Amy returned around the counter.

    "Mmhm," Amy grunted, pretending to be part of whatever conversation Cassie was having with her while she picked up the schedule for today.

    The work was pretty routine, especially when she was only doing the afternoon shift. Unlike the hospital where there was a new emergency every day, the shelter preferred to work in a structured system. Clear markings for what each dog should be doing at each time. Amy knew her schedule well enough that she didn't need more than a cursory glance to see what she was doing today. But it wasn't her schedule she was interested in.

    "Is Rachel in today?" Amy asked, still scanning the clipboard in her hand.

    "Not yet," Cassie sighed. "She's been so busy with her other job, I haven't seen her in days either." Cassie slouched onto the desk and let out a soft whine. "I wish I could be out there, helping her."

    "Second job?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew that Rachel had other business she did outside of the shelter, but she always assumed it was still in relation to the shelter. Now Amy's head was filling with questions that in retrospect, she probably should've asked back when she started this job.

    "Yeah, y'know," Cassie said with a coy smile. When it became clear that Amy didn't know what she was talking about, Cassie started to blush. "Never mind then. Ask her about it." For the first time in a long time, Cassie shut up and stuck her head down into her computer. Actually looking like a proper receptionist.

    Amy shrugged and moved off to collect her assigned dogs for the day. With any luck, Rachel would come by later and Amy could have a chance to explain her embarrassing text message.

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

    PRT HQ Wards Level – Afternoon

    Victoria showed up to work feeling nervous.

    It had been two days since she started her work with the Wards and today was the session she was dreading. The PRT didn't care about the social drama of any of their teenage heroes and that went double for volunteering New Wave capes. While Victoria was happy to work with her friends, today she had been assigned patrol duty with Gallant. Her ex-boyfriend, just a few days after her current relationship was publicly announced.

    It was like the PRT went out of their way to pick the most awkward pairing to patrol the city with. The two were still friends and Victoria knew that she was going to be working with Dean eventually. She just knew that today was going to be awkward, people would often stop Wards on patrol to ask for photos and questions. It was part of the job. When she was out on patrol the other day, every single question she was asked related to her new relationship with Taylor and Lisa.

    Victoria waited on the roof of the PRT headquarters, leaning on the railing. Being a public flyer, she arrived far sooner than any of her Ward counterparts. She wished she could travel with her friends to work, but Victoria was far too public of a figure to be seen with them. So she waited on the rooftop, standing away from a handful of office workers and security having a smoke, thinking of what her girlfriends were up to right at this moment.

    Crime. They were probably up to crime at this moment.

    Victoria sighed. She really had hoped that after Coil, the girls wouldn't have a reason to continue their criminal escapades. It was a fragile hope, one she never actually believed in. Lisa had never once shown interest in swapping sides and Victoria could accept that. But Taylor. The whole reason Victoria got to know Taylor in the first place was to understand the girl's point of view, to help her see that she didn't have to do this.

    School was coming to an end. Victoria graduated at the end of the week and after that, she'd become a full-time hero. She thought back on her deal with Taylor, having her take part in the school experience in exchange for not turning her over to the PRT or New Wave.

    There was no denying that it worked. Taylor was far happier these days compared to that scared girl she cornered at school. She had friends, she spoke more, she walked taller through the halls and she actually smiled. A lot of that could be chalked up to her relationship with Victoria, but still, her plan was an amazing success. So why has Taylor continued to be a villain?

    Because it's fun.

    Those words never sat right with Victoria. She understood the idea, anyone with powers could. Letting loose and doing whatever you wanted did sound like fun. But there were consequences, and consequences were never fun. Taylor had killed a man, a terrible man who probably deserved it but still. Victoria thought back on all the pain Taylor was carrying, that guilt in her eyes. Even after all that, Taylor had still chosen to stay.

    Victoria shook her head. Her only hope now that Coil was gone, was that Taylor and Lisa would be smart enough to keep their heads down. They weren't tied to any big crime lords in the city. They could disappear into the background of Brockton Bay cape politics and keep being petty thieves. Victoria still wouldn't approve of their life choices, but even she could admit there are enough businesses in the Bay that would be… morally correct, to steal from. The Empire was no doubt about to expand with the ABB collapse and Coil's arrest.

    "Glory Girl!" A male voice called out from behind her. Victoria turned around to see Kid Win standing by the door. "Armsmaster sent me to collect you. It's time for briefing."

    Victoria pushed herself off the railing and slapped on her best 'Glory Girl Smile' as she jogged over to the Ward. As she headed off to work, she gave a silent prayer for whatever her girlfriends were getting up to right now.

    'Don't let it be some big public robbery that I have to show up for. Make it something boring. Whatever Tattletale usually does during the Undersider's downtime. Safe, boring meetings with clients and whatnot.'

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

    Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Afternoon

    An hour into her work, Amy was interrupted by a knock on the door. She was in the middle of grooming and inspecting a batch of dogs. A job that would normally take far longer to finish, Amy could easily determine the health of each animal with a simple touch. Her entire batch of dogs were as healthy as they were last week, but she still had to tidy them up and fill in the assigned time. Turning towards the door, Amy's eyes widened when she saw Rachel waiting for her.

    "Oh, hey," Amy said with a nod.

    "You done here?" Rachel asked, less bossy than her usual tone, more asking if Amy was free rather than an order to speed up. That was unusual.

    "I still need to brush those three," Amy gestured to the three dogs playing in the corner of the room. "And this one."

    "But they're all fine, right?" Rachel asked. Amy wasn't sure if Rachel knew she was Panacea, the girl had never outright asked her to heal anyone or asked her anything cape-related. But Rachel seemed to know that Amy had a knack for judging the animal's health.

    "All perfectly healthy," Amy nodded back with a small smile. "Well, Charlie is a bit underweight, but I already noted it down for the feeding crew."

    "Come on," Rachel said, gesturing for Amy to follow with her head before walking off. "I'll get Cassie or someone to finish up."

    "Alright?" Amy said, somewhat confused as she put down her brush and gave the dog a goodbye head scratch. She quickly caught up to Rachel who surprisingly waited for her instead of walking off to wherever the hell they were going. "What's up?"

    Rachel started walking back towards the lobby, making sure that Amy followed beside her. "I'm about to be busy as shit for the next few days. Probably won't be able to come to the shelter as much as I used to. I figured now was as best time as any."

    "Best time for what?" Amy asked as they made it to the lobby.

    "Rachie!" Cassie cheered. "Do you need something?"

    "Find someone to fill in for Amy, I'm taking her out for the day," Rachel grunted back casually. Both Amy and Cassie blinked back at that, Rachel turned to Amy specifically. "Go grab your stuff, I don't think we'll be coming back here today."

    "Okay?" Amy said, walking off to grab her things. She had no idea what she was being volunteered for but if the boss wanted to take her someplace on company time, she wasn't going to say no.

    "You ready?" Rachel asked as Amy returned with her bag. Amy nodded, no idea what she should be ready for but willing to go along for the ride. "Good, let's go." Rachel gave a lazy wave in Cassie's direction before spinning on her heels and picking up a backpack of her own.

    Amy turned back to look at Cassie, silently asking her for any idea of what was going on. The girl simply shrugged with a smile and waved Amy goodbye. Amy followed after Rachel, meeting her by the front sign where her three dogs were tied up and waiting for them.

    "Let's go," Rachel said with a vague smile before moving. Amy stepped up beside her and settled in for whatever the hell this was going to be.

    "Sorry, what are we doing? Amy asked, watching the shelter disappear behind buildings.

    Rachel looked away from Amy, a faint blush building on her face. Amy for her part didn't notice the girl's reaction. "I wanted to…" Rachel started, her words trailing off. That caught Amy's attention, she turned to look up at Rachel and tilted her head inquisitively. Rachel looked positively embarrassed, completely out of her element. The girl growled in frustration and then looked back at Amy intensely. "Your message. I've never had anyone say those things to me before." She barked back at her.

    "Oh, sorry," Amy winced.

    Rachel shook her head. "No, it was nice," Her tone was still angry, but Amy's ears perked up at the compliment. "I didn't know I made you feel that way. Most people find me… intense. They think I'm just… Whatever, your message was nice, okay? So… thanks."

    "You're definitely intense," Amy chuckled dully. "But most people are stupid, so screw them." A smile formed on Amy's face. "I meant what I wrote. This place has really helped me relax. My life before was so hectic and boring at the same time. I never told anyone that, not even my sister. So again, thank you."


    Rachel went silent as the two of them kept walking. She looked down at her dogs and pulled on one of the leashes in her hand, untying it from the other two dogs and offered it to Amy. "Do you want to walk Angelica?"

    Amy nodded to Rachel's response, accepting the dog's leash. Out of Rachel's three dogs, Angelica liked Amy the most, even after she stopped applying Taylor's scent onto her body. It was obvious now what Rachel wanted. She just needed an employee to help walk her dogs in the park. It was no secret that Rachel favoured her three dogs over the others, even if she would never admit it out loud.

    Amy smiled back wider, she could read between the lines. Her text message had obviously had an effect on Rachel and now the girl was trusting her to handle Rachel's personal dogs. It was a giant sign of trust, and a relief to know that Rachel hadn't thought that she was some weird, emotional girl who sent giant texts to everyone they met.

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

    Brockton Bay Park – Afternoon

    Amy found herself relaxing as she walked alongside Rachel. She still wasn't sure what kind of errands Rachel needed her for but she could admit that the scenery was nice, and Rachel's dogs sure were happy to be out in the park.

    Rachel let them off their leads and barked a few orders before letting them loose. Amy smiled as the three dogs started running around on the open field, constantly circling back to check on Rachel before running off to play again. If Amy had to guess, she would say that she's here as a second pair of eyes for Rachel's dogs. Then again, Rachel could summon them all with a whistle, so she was back to being confused about her purpose.

    Eventually, Rachel stopped walking. Turning towards a small, man-made lake in the center of the park. Amy noted that Rachel kept looking back at her as if checking on the small girl's well-being every other minute. Maybe this was supposed to be some sort of test? To prove something? Whatever it was, Amy wasn't shaken by Rachel's stare. If anything, it was Rachel who was looking nervous.

    "Hey, are you okay?" Amy asked. Rachel paused for a second before looking at Amy again.

    "Yeah, I'm fine," Rachel assured, as she turned back over to the water. "It's a… good view, right? The water. People like looking at water."

    Amy had no clue where that came from. She moved a little closer to Rachel to see the same view.

    "I guess," Amy mused, looking over the lake. A few birds were floating in the water. "I think people just like looking at nature. It's a strange sight after living in a city all your life."

    "Huh," Rachel hummed to herself.

    "I like the ducks though," Amy added. "They're cute, but also kinda vicious when they fight each other. Most people like watching or feeding them bread only to be attacked," Rachel let out a snort of a chuckle which caused Amy to giggle in return. "I've seen the aftermath of a duck attack once or twice at the hospital. Usually older people, y'know, someone's grandpa who didn't have enough bread for every angry bird in the park."

    "Idiots," Rachel grumbled under her breath. "Shouldn't be feeding them bread in the first place. It's bad for them."

    "Really? Where'd you hear that?" Amy asked.

    Rachel went silent for a moment, lost deep in a painful memory before simply saying. "Nowhere important." Then she sat down on the grass and reached into her jacket pocket. "Food?" She offered, holding out half a wrapped-up sandwich.

    "Oh, thanks?" Amy said, accepting the sandwich and sitting down next to her. The two ate in silence. They enjoyed the company of one another as they watched the ducks swimming along the surface of the lake. The sandwich was nice, even though it was tightly packed into Rachel's jacket. "You make this yourself?" Amy asked before the silence got too awkward.

    "Yeah," Rachel said through a mouthful of food. "When I was little, I used to try putting all kinds of food between bread. Meats, fruits, ketchup."

    "Eww," Amy chuckled. "At the same time?"

    "No…" Rachel said in an embarrassed tone. "First I tried it with leftover chicken. That was always pretty tasty. When I ran out of that, I used apples and oranges. But they tasted better on their own. Eventually, I ran out of that and just put ketchup between two slices of bread."

    "Again, eww," Amy chuckled. "Who eats a ketchup sandwich? That must've been a horrible day."

    Rachel looked back to Amy and tilted her head slightly. "More like a month," Rachel muttered under her breath. "Ran out of bread before finishing the ketchup bottle. Ending up drinking it. Not as tasty without bread."

    "You drank a bottle of ketchup?" Amy baulked. Rachel kept chewing on her sandwich like she didn't just say the weirdest thing today. "Surely you could've put it on something else. Like, I don't know, the meat from earlier. Or hell, even rice?"

    "I said I ran out of meat," Rachel growled defensively. Amy didn't flinch at the outburst, and Rachel calmed down again. "And I didn't see the rice till after," She added sombrely. "Fucked that up anyway…"

    Amy noted that rice was a sore subject for Rachel and she wasn't willing to probe into why that was. Instead, she turned back to the sandwich, finishing off the last few bites. "Still… good sandwich. Compliments to the chef and all that biz. Uh, thanks for lunch."

    Amy still had no clue what was going on. Had Rachel really just pulled her out of volunteer work just to eat a sandwich at the park? Was this what people did? Or was it just something that Rachel did. In truth, she barely knew the girl, she was some grumpy parahuman dog girl, who somehow ran a dog shelter even though she looked barely older than Amy. The only personal details she knew were her name and that she ate weird sandwiches as a kid.

    Amy wanted to know more about this mysterious woman. But every question she had died in her throat. Rachel was private, she knew that. Amy wished she could've been more private about her own life. Rachel never asked what Amy did outside of the dog shelter, she never showed any inkling that she was even aware that Amy was Panacea. And Amy loved that. Whether it was out of ignorance or respect, Amy wanted to continue the charade.

    So Amy didn't ask about any deep, personal tidbits of information. And Amy didn't get asked any in return. Instead, they sat on the grass, talking about ducks, sandwiches and whatever else caught their attention. It might have been the first time in a long time she had a conversation with someone who didn't bring up cape life, her job, or her family. It felt nice, maybe a little awkward. But it was a conversation where for once, Amy didn't have to worry about any hidden motives. Rachel wasn't asking Panacea for help, she was simply talking to Amy, as friends.

    Friends.

    Amy had made a real friend. That's what this was. Rachel hadn't taken Amy out to run some random work errands, she'd taken her friend out to lunch in the park. A part of Amy felt stupid for not realising sooner, but another part of Amy was incredibly happy. Amy almost felt warm inside, she had definitive proof that she had made a friend.

    Her smile died down a little when she realised that she hadn't been paying attention to whatever Rachel was saying to her. The gruff girl looked back at Amy, expecting a response to some question.

    "Sorry?" Amy said, shaking her head quickly. "What was that?"

    "I asked you what kind of animal you liked," Rachel repeated.

    "Oh! Right, uh," Amy hesitated for a second trying to remember. She could say dogs to get on Rachel's good side, but that just felt like sucking up to her for no reason. "I like big animals, like lions, tigers, elephants… That kinda thing. I wish I could see them in person, but not like a zoo or anything. I never liked the idea of seeing animals in cages. Though I don't think Brockton Bay even has a zoo? Boston maybe? Probably."

    Rachel nodded to this like Amy had said something deep and meaningful.

    "I'll take a wild guess and say dogs are your favourite animal?" Amy said as a joke. Rachel looked back at her, seeming to take a moment to understand the sarcasm, and then she smiled and looked back to her dogs.

    "I like other animals too," Rachel said. "Dogs are special, but everyone assumes that means I hate other animals. But I don't," It was Amy's turn to nod like wise words had been spoken. "Birds are cool. Wish dogs had wings sometimes," Amy chuckled at that. "Yeah, it'd look fucking stupid. But a flying dog…" Rachel watched as some of the ducks took flight, a wistful smile on her face. "And insects are pretty badass."

    "Insects?" Amy asked. "Nope, sorry. Bugs gross me out. Especially after… never mind." Amy thought back to her brief encounters with Skitter both at the bank and outside the PRT headquarters. They still creeped her out but she wasn't going to open that discussion when it would eventually lead to her life as Panacea.

    "Raccoons," Rachel said after some thought. "They always seemed like smart animals. Before I had these three," Rachel gestured her head towards her dogs. "I had this other dog, Rolo. We travelled around a lot. And this one time, there was this raccoon that kept following us, all day long. I thought Rolo was gonna try kill it but it kept coming back. Woke up one morning next to Rolo, and this raccoon had also cuddled up into us after we'd fallen asleep."

    Amy was beginning to pick up a pattern in Rachel's life. Weird food, limited food, travelling a lot, sleeping with her dog and waking up with a raccoon. Amy wasn't sure what to say about the implications. Either Rachel lived a very eccentric life, or more likely, Rachel grew up homeless. In any case, Amy changed the subject.

    "My sister always calls me a raccoon," Amy mused. "Though she never explains why. I'm just a little raccoon, or looking at her with my raccoon eyes, whatever that means."

    Rachel looked back at Amy and really inspected her body. To the point where Amy was beginning to feel self-conscious. Then Rachel shook her head. "I don't really see it. But families can be weird like that."

    "Understatement of the year," Amy giggled. "Speaking of which, I might need to go soon. My sister is working today so she can't pick me up. If I miss the bus, Carol will get pissed."

    Rachel went quiet for a bit. Watching the sunset over the park lake, or the low-hanging sun at least. It was summer and the sun would still be up for an hour or two more, to which Amy would need to be home before Carol started to complain. Rachel looked like she had more to say but didn't know how to say it, which was a stark contrast to her usual bossy self.

    "Everything good?" Amy asked, as she stood up and brushed off her hands.

    Rachel stood up and looked at Amy, seemingly annoyed with something. Not Amy, but something. She ran through a mental checklist of some kind. Looking around the park, then over to the water. Her dogs were all tired out from running, sitting in the shade of a tree away from the two girls.

    "Dammit," Rachel huffed under her breath.

    "What's wrong?" Amy asked.

    "I'm not…" Rachel began, her cheeks reddening as she spoke. "I'm not usually good with all this mushy crap. Talking to people. Being sociable and shit… I thought I could wing it but I prefer to just be direct with all this crap. And most people who meet me are either scared chickenshit or weird fans of my job. I got a few people I call my friends, but none of them ever said anything like what was in that message and I can't… respond the same way. I've never, done this before."

    Amy chuckled at that, Rachel struggled to make friends. It should've been an obvious revelation in hindsight but the thought never crossed her mind. This was Rachel trying her best to form a connection with her, with Amy. "Relatable," Amy nodded. "I'm the same, usually pretty closed off. Most of my friends are just my sister's friends. In fact, all of them are. It's kinda sad when I say it out loud. My sister is all about being open with her feelings and shit. She's the one who made me send that message-"

    Amy paused at her statement. Victoria hadn't made her do anything. All Victoria did was buy her a crappy motivation calendar in the middle of the year. It was Amy who decided to reach out with a 'thank you' note. A new odd feeling of warmth came up into Amy, next to the one that was already there from making a new friend. It was a peculiar sense of self-pride, one she hadn't felt since back when she started healing terminal diseases.

    "Anyway," Amy shook herself out of the thought. "The point is, I'm not usually good with all this mushy crap either. I don't talk to people, I hate being sociable and shit," Rachel looked at her, still blushing from something Amy wasn't aware of, but it made Amy blush in return. "So, fuck what everyone else usually does."

    Rachel nodded vigorously to that statement.

    "Exactly," Rachel added with a smile. "You get it. That's what I thought," Rachel nodded a few more times. "More people just need to cut through the bullshit and say what they mean."

    "Fuck, life would be a hundred times easier," Amy agreed.

    "Right!?" Rachel said, fired up about something. "No more bullshit. Let's just say and do what we mean."

    "Rachel," Amy said, looking up at her with purpose. "I meant what I wrote. Thank you for dragging me to your shelter. I never realised how I… felt until you came along. I like working with the dogs, I enjoy spending time with you. I… tolerate Cassie. I love having this little space to myself that my family doesn't really know about. And you gave that to me." Rachel placed a hand on Amy's shoulder, smiling at the girl while Amy smiled back. "So, yeah… thanks. I'm glad that we can be frie-"

    Rachel placed and firm hand on Amy's shirt collar and pulled Amy into a kiss, leaving Amy momentarily stunned. The warmth of Rachel's lips against hers was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It was forceful, passionate and quick enough that Amy could barely catch her breath.

    Amy fell back as Rachel let go. The kiss broke as promptly as it came, leaving the girl just as dazed and confused as when it started. Rachel licked her lips and turned away, acting as casually as possible.

    "So like I said, I won't be around much after today but thanks… for the message. Call me next time. We'll do this again soon. Outside work." Rachel said.

    "Uh, yeah…" Amy said back, still in shock.

    "Good, good," Rachel nodded. "Get home safe or whatever…"

    Rachel gave Amy a playful punch on her shoulder before walking off to collect her dogs. As she watched Rachel leave, Amy couldn't help but stare as her mind replayed the events that had just happened. Rachel had kissed her. She just grabbed Amy by the shirt and pulled her in for a kiss. No warning, no asking if it was okay, or if Amy was even gay in the first place. Just… cut through the bullshit. Some people might've found that to be insulting or creepy, but Amy…

    Amy had never kissed anyone before now, the concept being nothing but a fantasy for a woman she could never have. The idea of her kissing anyone else was… ridiculous. And yet, here she was. The taste of Rachel still on her lips. She didn't hate it. It was a surprise to be sure, but a pleasant one.

    Amy came out here looking for friendship and found a little more than she bargained for. Millions of questions were running through Amy's mind. What did the kiss mean? Do this again sometime? Call her next time? Was Rachel into her? Since when? Was she into Rachel?

    Rachel waved, her dog's leads in her hand as she walked off, Amy waved back. A confusing concoction of questions without answers. And Amy had a whole bus ride home to think about them.

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

    Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon

    Skitter showed up to work feeling nervous.

    It had been two days since the Undersiders decided on their newest course of action. After a fair bit of debate, they decided to hold Coil's old territory and expand from there. That in itself excited Skitter in a way she couldn't quite describe. It also came with a buttload of headaches, trying to take over from where Coil left off with only a skeleton crew of a mercenary company on hand, at least, once some of the old staff had been let go. Regent was right, the team needed some recruits.

    They expected the Empire to attack soon. News of Coil's arrest would no doubt spur the Empire to try something; they'd been clashing over Downtown for years. The previous day had mostly been about keeping up appearances for everyone involved and getting the lay of the land. Getting men back onto the street and making it look like the Empire couldn't just steamroll into downtown and plant their flag. Not without a fight at least. Between Tattletale's logistical analysis, Grue's general leadership skills and Skitter's knack for multitasking, the Undersiders were able to place enough mercs in just the right places to bluff like the best of them.

    It was a short-term band-aid fix, but once the Empire realised that there was no second line of defence, the city would no doubt turn into a war zone. That led the Undersiders to return to Regent's wild idea of recruiting fresh blood. Admittedly, nobody expected Regent to have such a good idea for once, but it made sense. Granted, Grue still didn't want to pick up people off the street like some gang, still determined to call themselves an independent mercenary company. Tattletale had a lead on where she might be able to hire new mercenaries and Grue was interested in reaching out to more unaligned parahumans to see if they could be placed onto the payroll if things got too hot.

    Skitter however had her own assignment to do, one she had given herself with a blessing from Grue and Tattletale. It was the first time since joining that Skitter had her own solo mission, which was both a sign of their confidence in her and a sense of worry for her. She had no backup she could call on. Her success or failure depended entirely on herself. This was partially the reason why she was nervous, however, a bigger reason as to why Skitter was nervous, was the target of today's operation.

    Skitter arrived at her destination and sighed, wishing she'd taken a longer route in hindsight, to give herself more time to plan this out. Trying to weigh the positives with the negatives of what she was about to do. The Undersiders were in no position to expand, and yet the hole left behind by the ABB meant there was a big section of unclaimed territory that was just waiting for someone to rise up and take. The Empire had been seen probing the edges, and the Archer's Bridge Merchants were growing bolder by the day.

    There was only one authority in the territory that was purely neutral. One group of people who lived here, and would even consider taking a stand. A group of people, who if offered the choice between Nazis, Drug dealers or a Mercenary Company, would hopefully reach out to the Undersiders for help. Admittedly, it wasn't gonna be too hard a contest, given the competition, but people could be weird sometimes. It was Skitter's job to get the lay of the land, feel the vibe of the city, and meet face-to-face with the leader of this rogue group.

    Skitter walked up to the door of the building she was looking for. Knocking on the metal and glass door three times and waiting for an answer. A large man opened the door and towered over Skitter. He looked the girl up and down, his confused face shifting as he wondered what the hell was even going on.

    "H-hey," Skitter said with an awkward wave. Brushing hair out of her face. "Is-"

    "Oh shit," The man said, cutting Skitter off as his eyes widened. "I barely recognised ya. He's upstairs." The man pointed a thumb towards the staircase behind him and moved back to allow Skitter to enter.

    Skitter faltered only for a second. She had prepared an entire speech as to why the man should let her inside and rehearsed it for the entire bus ride here from school. She wasn't expecting to be recognised immediately, or for them to allow her inside without any questions asked.

    Her heart was ready for this confrontation. It made sense coming here, on paper, and after some discussion with her girlfriend and Grue. The alternative was to let the Empire or the Merchants sweep through, with the resulting bloodshed that would follow. That didn't make Skitter any less nervous as she climbed up the stairs. Reaching the head office door, Skitter breathed in another focusing breath before twisting the door knob.

    Skitter came face to face with the man in charge. The unofficial leader of the toughest, meanest, strongest community left standing now that the ABB had fallen. A group that was entirely without parahuman support and left to the mercy of the city's gangs, and hung out to dry by the 'heroes'. A group that had been around since Brockton Bay's very beginning and arguably the oldest gang in the city, depending on who you asked. This man was someone worthy of respect, who held a title of honour and even made the great Skitter shrink down in embarrassment for even daring to bother while they were at work.

    The man stared up at Skitter, blinking his eyes and doing a double take to be sure his eyes didn't betray him. When the girl remained standing at his door, he stood up from his desk and broke into a smile.

    Skitter stared back at the man, willing every morsel of guilt from her body. She had a job to do, it wasn't her fault that the world turned out the way it did, that this man of all people was the best target for Undersider expansion. She wished she was anywhere else at this moment, doing anything else. Fighting Lung would be preferable compared to what she was about to do. She didn't even have the comfort of her mask to hide the anxiety that bubbled within her.

    Taylor smiled an awkward smile. All her planning and careful words were being forgotten in the presence of this man. All she could do now was wing it and hope her plan worked.

    "H-hey…" Taylor said, with another clumsy wave and a smile that matched her feelings.

    Taylor glanced down from the man, silently cursing the title nameplate that sat proudly on his desk. The most trusted man in the territory, holding perhaps one of the most respected positions in Brockton Bay's history and responsible for the livelihoods of everyone in the immediate area.

    Danny Hebert, Dockworkers Association, Hiring and Spokesperson
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Rachel and Amy are the cutest motherfuckers on the planet in this one.

    Undersiders (and more specifically Skitter) going for the Warlord play when theres less of a state of emergency than canon is something I'm fuckin' HERE for!
     
    Thanks for the chapter! Dont know where this train is going but I'm glad to be along for the ride
     
    Rachel needs to tell Amy she can't read, not only because it would be inconvenient to have someone else read her texts every time since she assumes she can, but also mostly because Amy's reaction when she realises Rachel got someone else to read her the text out loud will be hilarious.
     
    Well, this is a conversation that is going to go in some interesting directions.
    Dradel said:
    Rachel needs to tell Amy she can't read, not only because it would be inconvenient to have someone else read her texts every time since she assumes she can, but also mostly because Amy's reaction when she realises Rachel got someone else to read her the text out loud will be hilarious.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Also, yeah... She really needs to get that cleared up. I'm honestly kinda surprised Cassie didn't tell her already.
     
    Crazael said:
    Well, this is a conversation that is going to go in some interesting directions.

    Also, yeah... She really needs to get that cleared up. I'm honestly kinda surprised Cassie didn't tell her already.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Cassie doesn't know. Rachel is too proud to tell people (Outside the team) her faults, all she tells Cassie is 'stop texting me, call if its urgant.'
    She's been faking it the entire time.
     
    Chapter 38: She saw her coming
  • Threadmarks
    • Brockton Bay Docks – Afternoon

    A finger tapped impatiently on the steering wheel. The van had only been parked for fifteen minutes, but it seemed longer than that, far longer. There was nothing to do but wait and stare across the street.

    "Dammit…" He mumbled to himself, swatting at an annoyance before letting out a sigh of boredom.

    The driver, a boy no older than seventeen, bounced with impatience. He wanted to get on with it. His finger kept up its incessant tapping and he looked at his watch again and again, as though hoping to find it broken.

    "What's she doing?" He asked out, already cursing the words as they left his mouth.

    His job wasn't to ask questions, it was to drive the van and obey orders.

    The boy was a soldier, fighting on the streets of the city for years now. He didn't know the big picture, but neither did he want to. He knew what he was ordered to do, and that was all that mattered. In a town full of parahumans, capes, heroes and villains, his options were limited.

    "How should I fucking know?" Rune growled back. "Just keep watching, moron."

    They had followed their target from the school, a dangerous plan on its own knowing Arcadia. They'd been fortunate in their timing, finding the girl waiting at the bus stop alone instead of travelling with her brute-rated bitch of a girlfriend.

    The plan was simply to tail her, as they had been doing the last few days. So far their limited surveillance had turned up nothing. She met up with Glory Girl on the first day, so they backed off rather quickly. The second and third day had them losing her in the dense crowd of downtown, not willing to tangle with Coil's mercenaries without backup, they called it a day.

    But today, this girl had decided to bus it all the way over to the docks. No New Wave looking over her shoulder, no mercenaries to blend in with the common public.

    She was alone, and Rune was practically giddy with anticipation.

    "Any idea what that fucking building is yet?" Rune barked out to another man sitting in the back of the van.

    "Uh, it's some boring dockworkers shit," The man in the back said, typing away on a laptop. "Dockworkers Association… Think it's like a union thing?"

    "A what?" Rune asked.

    "A union," The man said again. "Y'know. Legal bullshit for dockworker jobs?"

    Rune shook her head. "What jobs? I thought Leviathan tanked the whole shipping, boat industry thing?"

    "What?" The boy in the driver's seat asked. "Course there's jobs at the docks. Where the hell do you think we get our fish?"

    "I don't fucking know," Rune shrugged as the man in the back laughed. "Shut up! Wait, no. Why the fuck is this bitch going to a union?"

    "Maybe she's looking for a job?" The boy shrugged back. "They do more than fishing here. Small freights still pass in and out, plus the warehouses are still used. Not to mention all the other labour jobs that people-"

    "Okay, how the fuck do you know this?" Rune sighed.

    Bored with waiting for her prey, she could easily force her way in and take the girl, but this job wasn't authorised by Kaiser and Rune wasn't stupid enough to pull this out in the open. She at least had the good sense to wait until Taylor Hebert was alone before trying to grab her.

    This was why she was currently paired with two lesser members of the Empire. A new recruit, and some dumb fuck who could drive and apparently tell her how the Brockton Bay docks still made money.

    "I learned it in school," The boy said with a smirk. "Plus, my pops used to work in a warehouse around here. Fuck if I know which one though."

    "Good for you," Rune said sarcastically. "Do either of you have anything useful to tell me? No? Then shut the fuck up and get ready to drive."

    The man in the back closed his laptop and moved to look out the front window.

    "Sorry, Boss," He said with a chuckle.

    Rune rolled her eyes at the title. Usually, she'd enjoy the respect that came from being one of the Empire's capes, but coming from these two idiots it just grated on her nerves.

    "Look, this is the best shot we've had all week," Rune explained. "With the ABB gone, this is basically no man's land. The second we get eyes on her, we'll grab her," Rune jumped up at a brilliant idea to be added to her plan. "Fuck! And make sure you yell something Asian while we do it. We can blame the ABB for this. It'll be perfect!"

    "Uh?" The driver boy asked, considering if he should poke holes in Rune's plan. "Neither of us speaks Japanese. And won't people notice you when you do your… thing?"

    "You think I need to do my thing to grab one little girl?" Rune growled back. "And you don't gotta speak fucking Japanese, just speak in an accent and yell fucking Nee how or something stupid."

    The man in the back cleared his throat. "Actually that's Chinese for-"

    "I don't give a fuck!" Rune screamed. Both boys shut up and flinched from the angry parahuman. She sighed, letting go of her frustration before looking back at the Dockworkers Association building. "Just be ready. The plan is simple. The second we see the girl, we drive up. Grab her and bolt. Not even you two chuckle fucks can screw this up. Hell, I don't even need to be here, but I am."

    "Don't worry, Boss," The man in the back grinned. "This will be easy."

    "Man, don't fucking jinx us like that," The driver said, placing his hands back on the wheel and focusing up.

    Rune ignored the comment, leaning forward and looking out the windshield, wishing that this girl would just show herself already. Her thoughts were focused on the fun she would have after they got her into the van.

    "Got ya!" The boy at the wheel silently cheered an audible smack of skin across his neck.

    "What now?" Rune sighed, looking back at him.

    "Nothing…" He said, looking at his hand. A dead fly rolled in his palm, he brushed it off without a second thought. "Just a bug."

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

    Dockworkers Association – Afternoon

    A smile curved up on Danny's face as he caught sight of his daughter. The girl stood alone outside his office, waiting for him. She wore a loose jacket and her usual jeans, with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

    He hadn't expected her to come, or rather, he'd never really thought she'd come to him. It had been years since Taylor last came to his workplace, and never on her own. It was a wonderful distraction from his usual monotony.

    "Hey kiddo," Danny greeted. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

    "H-hey, Dad," Taylor waved back as she walked in and gave him a hug. "I was just… in the neighbourhood."

    Danny paused at that statement, considering the current time, Taylor would've only recently gotten out of school today. A school that was a fair way away from the docks.

    "Right," He nodded, keeping a neutral face. "Just wanted to come to say hi then?"

    "Y-yeah, something like that," Taylor agreed, shifting her weight nervously.

    Her anxious body language was obvious, but Danny wasn't brave enough to call his daughter out on it. Taylor had come here for a reason, and he'd let her bring it up when she was ready.

    "So… You busy?" She asked, glancing around the office. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

    "Oh, no," Danny waved the comment off. "Just the usual, trying to keep this lot employed. The never-ending battle." He sighed tiredly.

    More and more people were dropping off from the labour pool to sign up with 'less than legal' jobs to make ends meet. It wasn't surprising, the pay was usually better than anything the union could offer, but that didn't help him with his job.

    Taylor nodded, smiling nervously as she tried to figure out how to continue.

    "Anything interesting for them to do?" Taylor asked, looking over Danny's desk. "Whatever happened to that plan about bringing back the ferries?"

    Danny stepped forward instinctively to shield Taylor from the three separate resignation letters that sat on his desk. He never spoke much about the specifics of his job with Taylor, not wanting his daughter to worry about the state of the business.

    "Dead in the water, I'm afraid," Danny said with a lighthearted chuckle. "No pun intended. Uh, there's not enough money in the city's budget for it. 'Course the Mayor still found room to expand the PRT's budget, but there you have it. It is what it is, right?"

    The complaint left his lips before he even realised he made it. Hours of phone calls, emails and meetings with government officials. The promises and smiles shared amongst his fellow dockworkers. All blown up in his face when the bigwigs with the Protectorate decided that they needed to double their anti-gang budget. An honourable idea in theory, however, the reality was that the gangs were still running wild, as they always did.

    "That's a shame," Taylor hummed, thankfully not mentioning his slip of frustration. "I remember how excited you were for it."

    He had been, Danny smiled at the memory.

    It was a plan that could change Brockton Bay. At least, Danny believed so. The ferry was the lifeblood of the city, and it had been gone for years now. Even before Leviathan came, the ferry was suffering from budget cuts. He and several others had fought hard for the ferry, but in the end, they lost.

    "How was school?" Danny asked, hoping to change the subject. "How's Vicky? No date today?"

    Taylor shook her head. "School's fine. Handed in the last assignment a week ago, so… y'know," She shrugged. Taylor's grades had skyrocketed ever since transferring from Winslow. Danny was so proud of how much better Taylor had been doing this year. "Vicky has worked with the Wards today. Most of this week actually. Think she's patrolling the boardwalk today."

    Patrolling the boardwalk. That was a sentence Danny never expected to hear come from Taylor's mouth. But it was to be expected when your daughter was dating an honest-to-god superhero.

    "The Wards?" Danny asked, forcing out another chuckle. "I thought Glory Girl was with New Wave?"

    "She was," Taylor said, before correcting herself. "Is. I think her mother volunteered her because of… cape politics? She saved the Mayor's niece last week."

    Danny nodded and smiled. "Right, I did hear about that. What about Lisa?"

    "Also busy," Taylor said, looking out the window. Her eyes seemed locked onto something on the street. "She's got a promotion at work," Taylor added, turning back to Danny before he could follow her eyes to whatever she was looking at. "Management position. I've been helping out where I can."

    Danny whistled impressively.

    "Management," He said with a smile. "At her age? Must be good at her job. The boss must really like her, though she did seem to be a very charming young woman. Probably schmoozes with the best of them. Gotta admire her ambition."

    "Yeah," Taylor smiled warmly. Danny could see the love and admiration in her eyes, it made him smile much the same. "Ambitious describes her perfectly. She's been wanting this for a long time."

    "You should've said something earlier," Danny chuckled. "I could've given her some pointers on how to talk to company big-wigs. It's half my job these days, it's all about the pitch."

    Taylor let out a forced chuckle in response. "Thanks, Dad. But she had it all handled. Had a plan ready and everything. We all helped her with it."

    "That's my girl," Danny cheered with a nod. "Sounds like the pitch went well anyway."

    "Oh yeah," Taylor said, her tone dropping into an odd deadpan as she looked away. "We… blew him away."

    There was a long silence as neither Hebert knew what to say. Taylor's odd shift in mood put Danny on the defensive. Finally, Taylor shook off whatever thought had a hold on her. She turned back to her father.

    "I lied," Taylor said.

    It took Danny a second to understand. He paused, then raised his eyebrow.

    "I wasn't just in the neighbourhood," Taylor continued. "I've… I was worried. About you."

    "Me?" Danny asked with a confused chuckle.

    "The ABB's always been active in this area, and for years I tried not to think about it," Taylor said in a monotone as if reciting from a script in her head. "But now that their hold is waning and you have the Empire moving in on one side, and drug dealers coming up on the other."

    Danny looked back at his daughter, shocked at the mention of the Empire and drug dealers. The casual mention of the sorry state of Brockton Bay docks. The worries of his job were nothing compared to the worries of the impending gang war on his front door.

    The ABB were never the most pleasant neighbours, but the Empire? Danny couldn't deny the fear that crept in at the mention of the neo-nazi gang.

    "H-how-" Danny began before changing his tactic. "You don't need to worry about that, Taylor."

    "Mrs Dallon gave us an overview of the city gangs and territories," Taylor explained as an answer to the question he didn't finish asking. "Add to that Lung's arrest and Victoria's complaints about how busy she is at work. I'm worried, Dad. Don't tell me everything is fine."

    Danny sighed, looking down and scratching his forehead. Taylor didn't need to know the details, this was a matter for grown-ups, not a teenage girl.

    "I know the police barely come here," Taylor continued. Danny slowly began to feel like he was at the end of an interrogation. "Let alone the PRT. How did you even put up ABB in the past?"

    Danny took a deep breath, he'd been wondering when this conversation would come. He never expected it would be so soon.

    "Look, I understand you're concerned, and I appreciate that," Danny said softly. "But trust me, sweetie. We dockworkers are a tough breed. We survived the ABB stalking around for years, we'll survive whatever comes next. Besides, no one is gonna care about the dockworker's union."

    "You're literally the middle man between all the general labourers and everyone who runs the docks, Dad." Taylor said very matter-of-factly, "You're telling me that the ABB never once bothered you?"

    Danny didn't know how to respond to that. His instinct was to dissuade Taylor's worries and say no. But that was a lie. A lie Danny had held onto for all of Taylor's life. The docks had always been a rough place.

    "They've... been a presence," Danny said finally.

    Taylor sighed. "And what about the Empire?"

    "We haven't had any problems with the Empire," Danny said, and Taylor narrowed her eyes. "...Yet."

    "Then what are you going to do if they start harassing you?"

    "Taylor," Danny began, holding his hand up, hoping to end this conversation. "We've been managing on our own for years."

    "How?"

    Danny hesitated. How had he gotten into this conversation, with his daughter of all people? While Danny had never done anything illegal, and he certainly didn't agree with any of the gangs in the city, he had dealings with them in the past. Mostly to the degree of being told where not to be on any given day.

    The gangs were the real power behind the city, anyone who lived in Brockton Bay knew that, even the docks had fallen under their thumb. The police and the PRT were as useless as they were a decade ago. But Taylor didn't need to know the specifics. She just needed to know her old man was alright.

    "Look," Danny sighed, putting a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "I never wanted you to worry. Things have always been a little rough around the docks, but we always find a way to get by. I promise. We dockworkers, we look after our own, you don't need to worry about us. The ABB knew well enough to leave us alone for the most part."

    "Did you ever…" Taylor started to say, her body language shifted again. As if contemplating what she was about to say, then pushing ahead. "Deal with any of the parahumans from the ABB? Oni Lee or Lung?"

    Danny tried to laugh the question off, but he choked on the delivery. Eyes unable to meet his daughters. It had been eleven years and the gut-wrenching fear of coming face to face with Lung. Only the once, but the thought still made his handshake.

    "Before you were born," Danny started, steeling his resolve. "Back when I first joined the dockworker's association, I asked the same questions you did. Even back then, this city had a crime problem. A man named Marquis ruled the city in everything but name. A violent parahuman, like Lung." Taylor was listening intently, though she had none of the horror on her face that Danny was afraid of seeing, only a cold interest in Danny's tale. Most people with any knowledge of Brockton Bay's history would remember Marquis. "It turns out, Marquis had a deal with the dockworker's association. Every business on the docks had the same deal."

    "What was the deal?" Taylor asked with a hushed voice. Leaning in as if Danny was going to whisper a secret.

    "It was simple," Danny sighed, ashamed of his story, no matter how small his part in it was. "Turn a blind eye, and no one would be bothered. He even offered us protection from other, would-be gangs. A form of control over us but Marquis already owned half the businesses, so he didn't need to organise shady deals in alleyways. All we had to do was pretend that nothing was happening."

    Danny went silent, waiting for Taylor to say something. Cast judgment on him. But she didn't respond. Instead, her eyes seemed to focus on Danny, waiting to hear more.

    "Naturally, I hated it," Danny went on. An excuse he told himself for years. "The reason the police don't come here is because no one reported anything. An endless cycle of doing nothing and building a reputation for letting crime run rampant. My bosses were convinced that it was a victimless crime to stay out of their business and keep letting them get away with everything,"

    Danny looked down at his desk, the title card that sat at his office. While he did have bosses still, Danny was a boss in his own right. He held far more power than he did in his younger days, and what did he do with it?

    "And then it was my turn," Danny sighed guiltily. "Marquis got himself arrested and for a time, I convinced myself that we would turn over a new leaf. But the docks were suffering with Leviathan destroying the major trade networks and mass layoffs had me pulling my hair out. And to put the cherry on top, along came Lung and his bad boyz."

    Taylor reached out and placed a hand on top of Danny's. A cold comfort to his admission of guilt at his failure to make any meaningful change.

    "That's when I realised that my job wasn't about being a hero and cleaning up the city. It wasn't about standing up to criminals who operated on our streets. It was about keeping my people safe, my family safe. I only met the monster once, but we made a deal. Turn a blind eye, and no one would be bothered. Protection from the other gangs."

    "So what will you do now?" Taylor asked, her voice careful and caring. "Do you think the Empire would offer you the same deal?"

    Danny chuckled darkly and shook his head. "The Empire are scum," Taylor let out a small smile at that admission but hid it just as fast. "Admiringly, Marquis had an odd sense of respect for the working man, and Lung… well he at least respected traditions enough to leave dockworkers alone." Danny sighed and looked out the window. "Honestly, I've written three letters to the Protectorate this week. Even considered giving New Wave a call, they gave us their emergency number. But there…"

    Danny didn't finish his sentence, not wanting to insult the heroes and by extension, Taylor's girlfriend. It didn't matter, as Taylor finished his sentence for him.

    "...Useless." Taylor echoed with a sigh of her own. "New Wave don't have the manpower to watch the docks all day. And the Protectorate only care about the big picture, the city, not the people in it. If the capes get involved and start setting things on fire, they'll rush down but the Empire has enough manpower to stroll in here without one. So they won't come."

    "That's harsh. I expected you to have more faith in heroes considering your relationship" Danny said, trying to force out another laugh, but failing.

    "I love heroes," Taylor said, turning away from Danny again. "Or… I love the idea of them. Vicky, Glory Girl is the ideal hero. A bright and shining beacon in the often grey city. But not every hero is Glory Girl. And while I wish we lived in a world where they were, the reality is often murky and complicated. Sometimes we have to make do with what we've got. And make deals with devil you know." Danny grimaced at the truth in her words, he hated the idea of the Empire walking in and setting up shop, but what the hell was he going to do? Danny was at a hopeless disadvantage. "Still," Taylor spoke up, no doubt picking up on Danny's worried expression. "I can always give Vicky a call, see if we can get you some hero support. I'll talk to her tomorrow. Maybe she had some other parahuman friends who could lend a hand. You never know."

    Taylor looked out the window again, Danny could see the worry on her face. This whole conversation was the last thing Danny wanted to have with his daughter. No father should be explaining how often they turned a blind eye to crime, regardless of how unwilling they were to cooperate.

    "I-I should get going," Taylor said, stepping away from the window. "Still got homework to do. Uh, walk me out?"

    "Sure, sweetie," Danny said, giving Taylor a hug goodbye and a kiss on her forehead.

    They walked back down the stairs and towards the front entrance, Taylor's footsteps slowing down as they neared the door. She stopped completely a few steps from the exit and turned to give another hug.

    "I'll see you at home," Taylor said softly into his ear. The hug feeling extra tight. Then she spoke again, barely a whisper. "I'm sorry, Dad."

    Danny wasn't sure what Taylor was apologising for. She came to check on him because she was worried, it wasn't her fault that he was in this predicament, nor did she know what kind of landmine she stepped on when she first asked her questions.

    Taylor pulled away from Danny and walked the rest of the way by herself. Opening the door and turning back to wave goodbye with the same awkward smile she had when she entered. Her eyes seemed somewhat sorrowful, though Danny wasn't sure why he thought that. He took a few steps forward just to get a better look. That was when the unmarked van pulled up behind Taylor.

    The girl was grabbed off the street, before his very eyes. One masked man wrapped two arms around Taylor and pulled her in. Taylor herself, folding in on the grab without so much as an attempted kick.

    Danny screamed out in horror as the whole thing happened in what felt like slow motion. The van sped away as he ran out the door, desperate to catch up to the vehicle with no real chance on foot. A few more dockworkers who had witnessed the scene also gave chase, some scrambling for keys in their pockets, others pulling out phones.

    The van was plain white with no license plate, and the windows tinted. Danny didn't get a good look at the masked man who'd taken Taylor. Their clothes were all black and tactical. He wore a balaclavas, hiding his face and hair. The only other detail he could remember was the sound of an obviously American girl screaming, "Kon'nichiwa bitches!"

    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon

    "Kon'nichiwa bitches?" The driving boy asked, chuckling to himself.

    "Shut up, keep your eyes on the road," Rune barked. Turning back and smiling at her new prey.

    The plan went off without a hitch. That stupid bitch wasn't even watching where she was going when the van rolled up beside her. A snatch'n'grab in the most literal sense.

    Taylor was tossed onto the floor, landing with an audible oomph. She had a neutral look on her face, no doubt pissed about being snatched. Rune had expected more of a fight from the girl, some screaming and biting. Any excuse to hit her really, but the girl simply folded like a sack of potatoes and lay on her back in the van.

    "That was too easy," The man in the back said, letting go of the girl and waiting for her to move. When she didn't, the man let out a soft breath and started to gag her.

    "Quit your fucking complaining," Rune growled, staring daggers into the girl on the floor.

    It didn't matter, regardless of how obediently the girl surrendered herself, it wouldn't stop the impending torture that Rune had planned for her. All they had to do was drive to the meet-up spot where Victor would be waiting, transfer this Hebert dyke to the new vehicle, take her back to Rune's safe house where no one would ever find her and then the real fun could begin.

    "So we drop her off at the corner of Smith and Westons, then what?" The driving boy asked. Rune didn't bother to reply.

    With no powers used, and nothing to link her, or the E88 to the crime, Rune wouldn't even have to worry about the PRT, New Wave or even Kaiser finding out what she did. Of course, she might have to kill the help, Rune had decided that the kid who was driving was far too chatty to keep this a secret.

    Hebert's total lack of reaction was starting to get on Rune's nerves. She wanted to see some tears or something. At this point, it was like they had kidnapped a boring zombie. The reason for the lack of reaction was simple enough, shock mixed with that annoying level of hope. Of course, she'd assume that Glory Girl would sweep in and save her in the next few minutes. But Glory Girl was busy playing with paparazzi on the boardwalk, and soon they would ditch this van.

    Hebert wasn't getting out of this situation anytime soon.

    Rune had the perfect way to break the girl. To make her cry and scream and beg for mercy. The thought of making the girl pay for her disgusting sins brought a twisted smile to her face.

    Taylor sucked in a deep breath, the first actual reaction to her situation. Rune watched on with glee, expecting the girl to begin crying and begging for her life. Instead, Taylor curled up into a ball, bracing herself for… something.

    A disappointing reaction, freezing up while in danger. It was the coward's tool. Muscles too afraid to move while in danger, too weak to put up a real fight. It just pissed Rune off even more.

    "Is that it!?" She groaned. "Seriously!? You're not even going to try fight us? Fucking hell girl, do you let Glory Bitch fight all your battles or were you always this much of a pussy?"

    Taylor looked up to Rune as if noticing her for the first time. The girl didn't even glare at her or anything, no panicked pleading eyes, no fucking tears. If anything, her eyes almost looked like they were smiling. The audacity of this Bi-

    "What the fuck!" The driving boy screamed out shortly before the car came to a sudden and violent stop. Rune and the man in the back were flung forward, slamming into the car seat and dashboard specifically.

    Taylor, in her braced position, suffered the least from the sharp breaking of the vehicle, as the van was simultaneously rear-ended and crashed into a black SUV.

    Rune didn't even have a moment to react as the driver's door was wrenched open and the driver himself was ripped out and thrown onto the road. She could hear him scream and then a bang of a gun being fired.

    "My leg!" A voice cried out. "What the fuck man, you shot me in the fucking-"

    A second gunshot rang out, followed by another scream of pain that died down into a whimper.

    "Shit!" Rune hissed, kicking her door open and rolling into a couch on the street. Her hands already moved, attuning a small selection of blades on her attire as well the car door itself.

    Rune had seen this brand of car many times before, the telltale signs of Coil Mercenaries. More of them were exiting the two vehicles that boxed in the van. Two men moved up from behind the van, guns at the ready and trained on Rune. Already attuned, Rune ripped the van's door off its hinges and held it up as a shield just in time for a burst of gunfire to be blocked.

    She fell back onto the side street, not willing to be flanked by whatever men were still waiting inside the forward SUV. One of her attuned knives flew out and stuck back at the men shooting at her. Impaling into an arm of one. The mercs also fell back, but not before forcing the back door open and pulling Taylor free.

    Another gunshot rang out as whatshisname dumbass in the back of the van also got his legs shot. Or maybe his arm, Rune didn't stop to check. Her focus was on the men now pulling Taylor away, and the three other mercenaries exiting the SUV. There was no way to get to Taylor. Even with her telekinesis, she was outnumbered.

    With her plan completely fucked, she figured she might as well go for the kill and deal with the stupid consequences later. Another two knives flew up, ready to strike at Hebert when she heard the ominous buzzing.

    She turned to see a massive cloud of bugs approaching her from behind. The cloud enveloped her, blocking her vision. In an instant, the bugs were crawling all over her body. She'd heard of Skitter, everyone on the Brockton Bay cape scene had been briefed on the bug bitch who robbed banks and rolled with the Undersiders.

    Rune's opinion of the Undersiders was about as detailed as her opinion on dog shit, she really didn't give a fuck unless she accidentally stepped in it. Right at this moment, she wished she gave a little more of a shit, specifically when they went over possible combat strategies against the bug master.

    Her knives were all but fucking useless. Killing barely a drop of the bugs that swarmed over her, and she couldn't risk accidentally stabbing herself. The van door was a little better was wiping out large mobs, but ran into the same issue when it came to the particular bugs on her. Short of jumping into the sea or setting herself on fire, Rune could do sweet fuck all to the never-ending parade of bug bites that assaulted her.

    With her powers completely fucking useless, and her mind starting to panic and lose focus, Rune tried to run. The swarm seemed to break away and let her go as she started moving. It was only by bullshit luck that Skitter was such a bitch-ass pacifist who couldn't follow through with anything that Rune was spared. But Rune would use this weakness of Skitters to return and get some much-needed revenge.

    At least that was the plan before the swarm spoke.

    "Clear shot, kneecaps!"

    Rune was still processing the idea of a million little bugs speaking the English language that she almost didn't feel the pain when her right knee exploded, almost.

    Rune fell forward, her body hitting the ground hard as she cradled her bleeding leg. She rolled onto her back, not bothering to look at the blood and exposed bone. Her focus was on the swarm that was slowly forming together, into the shape of Brockton Bay's infamous insect master.

    "Get her to the car, take her back with the Hebert. If she moves, shoot her other leg."

    Rune watched as two armed men approached her and lifted her by either arm. The pain of her shattered knee was still fresh and burning hot.

    "What about the other two?" One of the mercs asked. Asked Skitter. Like she was their fucking boss.

    Skitter, or the disgusting mass of bugs in the shape of Skitter, didn't so much as look back when she said, "Don't care, leave them in the van for the police to deal with."

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

    Brockton Bay Docks – Afternoon

    It had only been fifteen minutes since Taylor was taken, and yet Danny was an emotional wreck on the side of the street. Dock workers who had witnessed the whole thing were gathering in solidarity. Calls to the police were being sent out. Favours were being called in for anyone who had seen a white van speeding by.

    Danny was on the verge of a breakdown. His daughter had been taken and there was nothing he could do.

    Taken by some unknown person. Taken by people who wanted to hurt his daughter. Taken, while he stood in the doorway and did nothing. The image of Taylor being grabbed and dragged into the van would forever haunt his dreams.

    Currently, he was desperately fishing out cards from his wallet, looking for the particular card given to him by Carol Dallon, the emergency number that he never imagined he'd be needing so soon.

    Danny's aversion to all things mobile suddenly seemed like the stupidest decision of his life. Every second that passed was a second that he might never see his daughter again. All because he didn't have a phone number memorised and saved into a digital device.

    A car pulled up, and Danny didn't bother to look. There were dozens of cars pulling up and slowing down at the site, and a lot of people were trying to make sense of what just happened or asking him questions, that he wasn't in the mood for answering.

    There was a quieting of the crowd, as Danny took a quick look up to see what caused the sudden shift in the air. A very official black SUV parked up as close as it could to the Dockworkers Association building, the car looking like it recently suffered a collision of some kind.

    But it wasn't the car itself that caused everyone to pause, but the building mess of bugs that slowly formed on top of the vehicle. A figure emerging out of the mass of insects, one that anyone who watched the news of late would know. Skitter. A parahuman.

    Danny's anger flared. This was it, wasn't it? The parahuman supervillain was here to gloat and make demands. A ransom of some kind. Some stupid power play by the gangs. If that was the case, Danny was ready to fight tooth and nail to get his daughter back, if Skitter wanted him to grovel for her life, then he felt no shame in doing so.

    The car doors opened all four of them. At each door stood a man or woman in tactical combat gear. Skitter surveyed the area before turning to face Danny directly. The villain pointed at him and Danny sucked in a breath, taking a step forward before any of the other dockworkers attempted to do something stupid on his behalf.

    One of the mercenaries leaned into the car and pulled out a Taylor. Danny's heart froze at the sight, his lungs stopping mid-breath. She was alive. Unharmed.

    "Dad!" Taylor called out, running out of the mercenary hand without any pushback, allowed free to run back into the arms of Danny.

    "Taylor!" Danny called out, meeting her halfway, almost falling to his knees as his daughter hugged back.

    Tears started to stream down his cheeks, the overwhelming relief and joy that washed over him was almost too much. He felt his muscles start to relax, his breathing slow, his mind finally calm.
    Taylor was safe.

    "I truly am sorry for what you just went through, Mr Hebert," Skitter, said after enough time passed, or the swarm that made up Skitter at least. "Please know that the perpetrators of this heinous act have been dealt with. Swiftly."

    One of the mercenaries tapped the top of the car and the other reached in to pull out a masked girl. Another cape, that judging by the reactions of the crowd, some of the people recognised, although Danny himself wasn't sure who it was.

    "Some of you may recognise her as Rune." Skitter continued, talking more to the crowd rather than Danny directly. "A relatively minor cape from the Empire Eighty-eight." The girl, Rune, made a grunt after being called a minor cape, to which Skitter made a hand movement, followed by the mercenary holding her to punch the cape in the gut. "We've been aware of their surveillance of your daughter for a few days now. Though we never expected her to actually do something so stupid as attacking her, in broad daylight of all places."

    Danny wasn't paying much attention. The overwhelming joy of seeing Taylor was starting to fade, and his fatherly instincts were beginning to kick in. He checked Taylor, her eyes and neck for any signs of harm. There was bruising on her wrists, no doubt from being bound. He checked her clothes, a bit dirtied, but not torn or ripped, no bleeding at all, thank god.

    Taylor for her part, seemed too distracted looking back at the villain who had apparently saved her life from the Empire. Danny couldn't blame her, he wasn't exactly sure what was going on either, he was still reeling from the fact that his daughter had been taken in the first place.

    There was a brief pause before the mass of bugs spoke again.

    "We believe that Kaiser is responsible for the attack on your daughter. He has taken issue with her relationship with New Wave's Glory Girl and attempted to shift the blame onto the dying ABB through the use of his… minions." Skitter gestured to the defeated parahuman kneeling by the car.

    Skitter was looking towards specific people in the crowd, the ones who had their phones out, recording the unfolding situation in real-time.

    "You can expect in the coming days for Kaiser to call this a misunderstanding. That Rune was a stupid girl acting on her own." Skitter moved off the car, the swarm mimicked walking but it had a far more liquid effect. "Do not believe his lies. Kaiser's told them all before."

    Skitter had focused in on one particular camera to get her message across, standing closer to a man who didn't shy away from the villain's presence.

    "Call me what you will. A thief, a monster. A supervillain." Skitter hesitated on the last word. "But this attack was a direct violation of the rules we in the parahuman community take very seriously."

    The mercenaries dragged Rune over to where Skitter was parading. At a non-audible click of her fingers, Rune's mask was ripped off, visible on camera, her young face for the world to see. Some people gasped at how young the girl looked to be, but Skitter didn't waver in the slightest.

    "For too long, Nazis have had free reign in this city. This is the second target of New Waves they have publicly attacked. If there willing to go to these lengths over a harmless lesbian relationship. What do you think they'd do to you?"

    This was all a performance. Danny could see that clearly now. They even admitted that they knew Taylor was being targeted prior to this and did nothing. Using her suffering and by extension his to forward Skitter's goals. Another despot planted their flag in Brockton Bay, under the guise of the lesser evil.

    "We urge, not only the local authorities of the PRT to take the threat of the Empire seriously. But every single parahuman in Brockton Bay and the greater area to take a stand."

    Skitter stepped away from the crowd, allowing the mercenaries to shove Rune into the car and close the door.

    "Rune will be dropped off with the proper authorities," Skitter explained, turning back to the camera. "Armsmaster. I'm assuming you're watching this, you will find her in the same place we first met."

    Even still, despot or not. What alternative did Danny have? The Empire had just tried to kidnap his daughter. Skitter hadn't planned that, simply taken advantage of a horrible opportunity. He looked down to Taylor, who watched the performance with an almost unblinking intensity. Her words from earlier echoed through his head. Make deals with the devil you know.

    Danny nodded back to the mass of bugs, a slow bow of the head to show his thanks and support. Skitter returned the gesture with a nod of her own. Far more fluid and unnatural than what should be possible for a human head.

    And with that, the swarm broke apart, dissipating into nothing as the mercenaries got back into the car, driving off without another word. People were talking among themselves, the initial shock and tension fading away.

    Taylor turned away from the car, burring her face into Danny's shoulder. She whispered some more apologies, but Danny knew that she had nothing to be sorry for. Regardless of what had just happened, how a supervillain had used this tragic moment to publicly unmask a cape and declare war on the largest gang in the city.

    His little girl was back. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

    -------------------------------------------------------
    The Boardwalk – Afternoon

    "Yo, Glory Girl!" Kid Win called out as Vicky was in the middle of posing for yet another photo with Gallant.

    The two had been awkwardly posing together all day, the general public either not caring or unaware that their relationship was heavily strained. The superhero couple were too photogenic for people to pass up.

    At Kid Win's call, Victoria took to the excuse to break free.

    "Sorry, everyone. Hero business," Glory Girl said with her best fake smile before floating off over to where Kid Win was sitting.

    The guy was taking a short break, half a hotdog in one hand and his phone in the other. Victoria floated over and grabbed the half-eaten hotdog from his hand before he even had time to react.

    "What's up?" Victoria asked, taking a bite of his food.

    "I think you should call your girlfriend?" Kid Win said, scrolling through his phone. "She just got kidnapped-"

    Victoria choked on her food. Pounding on her chest with one hand to free up her airway while yanking Kid Win's phone from his hand.

    "-And then saved," Kid Win added, lamenting his now fallen-on-the-floor hotdog.

    "W-what!?" Victoria finally choked out. "Kidnapped, by who? What? Which girlfriend!? Who saved her!?" She frantically flicked through the phone but the boy had over one hundred tabs open.

    "Empire, well Rune. But Empire," Kid Win said quickly. "Kidnapped her just now. Taylor. The tall one. Saved by Skitter. Who then proceeded to shit talk the Empire and maybe declare war on them?"

    Kid Win grabbed his phone back and pulled up the video of a very talkative swarm of bugs crying out for war against the Empire Eighty-eight.

    "What the fuck?" Victoria said, looking at the video.

    "What the fuck?" She said again, noticing Taylor in the background hugging her dad.

    "What the fuck!?" She said a third and final time when she realised where she'd seen that black SUV and tactical combat gear from.

    A second later, Victoria's own phone buzzed. A few messages hit at exactly the same time. A number of them were from New Wave and concerned friends, asking if Taylor was all alright. But Vicky's eyes zeroed in on the one message that mattered. Lisa's message, only five words long. Simply saying,

    So, we did a thing…
     
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