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

[SnappingTurt3ls2]

Thanks for the chapter!

Finally the Undersiders take over the city we all deserve can't believe I had to find it in the b plot of a Smugpunchbuggy fic when everyone keep talking big about ''Warlord Skitter".

Click to shrink...

I know right! I've never actually seen a fic where the underside take over Brockton and rule it's underworld, not truly anyways. As excided as I am to see it happen I'm more than a little disappointed that it's taken this long for me to find one and it's a fucking B plot.

The fact that I'm just as, if not more invested in the b plot just goes to show that there is a massive untapped market in the fandom for Warlord Skitter fics.

And just to be clear, me being more invested in the b plot has nothing to do with the fics quality or anything like that, the a plot is fucking amazing. It's mostly just the novelty of it all talking

 

[Gowonzu]

Undersiders' Base – Morning

Coffee.

Brian needed coffee. The poor boy stumbled out of his bed in a tired daze. Lazily, he threw on a shirt and some pants and shuffled his feet towards the door. He managed to silence his alarm a few minutes before it was due to go off, but that didn't make him feel any more awake than usual. He pushed his door open and was immediately greeted with a far too happy face.

"So, we have a problem."

Lisa poked her head into Brian's bedroom the second the boy opened his door. Brian let out a long yawn, still in the middle of waking up. It took him a few seconds to realise Lisa was even there.

"Wha?…" Brian mumbled back. "What time is it?"

"Seven twenty-six," Lisa answered, far too chipper for that hour.

Brian inspected the girl with his tired eyes. She looked to be dressed in exercise gear, sweatpants and a tank top. He guessed that Lisa had been up for some time now, he was aware that Lisa was joining Taylor on her morning jogs but he didn't expect Lisa to become such a morning person.

Brian considered himself to be rather punctual. Always waking up around seven thirty to start his day, regardless of any work that happened at night. Even he thought the idea of waking up every morning to meet Taylor at sunrise was a step too far. Doubly so when Taylor didn't live on base.

"Can't this wait till after breakfast?" Brian grumbled while shuffling out of his room.

"We can walk and talk," Lisa suggested, following alongside him as they moved down the hallway.

The Undersiders' base, formally Coil's, had an entire section dedicated to just the team. A small collection of makeshift rooms that the team had turned into their new second home. It allowed members of the team to sleep, eat and relax at the base without the need to worry about being masked up and professional around the mercenaries.

Not that every member of the team cared too much about that aspect. Rachel and Lisa were more than willing to walk around the base maskless when the mood suited them. Everyone important already knew who Lisa was and Rachel never cared about her secret identity to begin with.

Aisha's power made it easy for her to wander around out of costume, regardless of how many times Brian told her that she still showed up on the cameras. And while Alec did care about his identity, he was hardly the type to act professionally. Taylor continued to act professional and keep her cape life and personal life separate while on base, but Brian had to wonder how many of the mercs had figured her out by association with Lisa.

"So what's the problem?" Brian asked as they headed towards the kitchen. He thought on the words for half a second and sighed. "Smooth sailing. It hasn't even been twelve hours…"

Lisa chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Murphy's Law. It's actually three problems. And they're not that big of a deal."

Brian reached the kitchen counter and pulled out some instant coffee. He started boiling some water while Lisa sat herself down at the counter. To his surprise, Lisa only handed him the one mug, no doubt already had her morning coffee with Taylor… or knowing her, morning tea.

"Alright, let's hear it." Brian yawned as he waited for the coffee to brew.

"First we have Circus," Lisa said, pulling out her phone to read her messages or notes. "They assumed we would be paying them the same as Coil did. But we haven't. We've already paid them for the upcoming job and cover fee, but they want back-pay for… the work they did? I don't know, it sounds like typical extortion to me."

"How much is it?"

"Barely a drop in the bucket. Especially compared to what we're paying Faultline. But it's the principle of the matter."

"Just pay 'em."

"But…"

Brian sighed as he took in his first sip of coffee. His mind was finally kicking into gear, enough to handle Lisa before nine in the morning. He knew the real issue. Lisa was far too prideful and stubborn to just let the extortion slide.

"A one-time payment," Brian said, cutting Lisa's complaint off. "We'll back pay them for that and then all future payment needs to be confirmed. We don't need to start a fight when we can easily pay them off. What's next?"

Lisa huffed a little. She wasn't happy with the compromise, but she was willing to concede for the time being.

"Second," She continued. "Uber and Leet want to know what theme they should use?"

"Their what?"

"Theme," Lisa said again, clarifying nothing. Brian blinked as he drank more coffee. "You know. What game are they gonna parody when they do their job? Their theme."

Brian groaned at the stupidity of the issue.

"I don't know?" He shrugged. "What game does Alec play all the time? Call of Honor?"

"Wow…" Lisa said with a sarcastic chuckle. "Even most Dads know about Call of Duty."

"Shut up," Brian snorted.

"And no," Lisa said, turning back to her phone to read. "They specifically stated, don't give us Call of Duty or any of this modern day trash. We only play retro games around these parts."

"I really don't care…"

"Why don't we ask Alec? He might have some ideas."

"No," Brian shut that down, fast. "I think we both have had enough of Alec's ideas," He thought to himself for a moment. "We just need them to do the job quickly and then get out," He started clicking his fingers, trying to jog his memory. "What's that game Aisha always played on her Gameboy… The blue guy, who runs fast? Mario?"

Lisa stared back at Brian in disbelief.

"Mario?…" She asked slowly. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"

"You know the one," Brian said, giving up and returning to his coffee. "I don't play video games, Lise. You know that."

"Everyone knows Mario!" She sighed exasperated. "Geeze, I thought you were seventeen going on thirty. But nope. Turns out you're actually seventy years old at heart."

Brian shrugged.

"Whatever…" Lisa muttered under her breath. "Sonic, we'll go with Sonic." She typed out her response into her phone, unaware of the sly smile Brian was giving her.

"And the final thing?" Brian asked.

"Hmm?"

"The final problem?" He clarified. "You said there were three things."

"Oh, right," Lisa nodded. She put her phone away and turned back to Brian. "You remember Bakuda? The bomb tinker we talked about hiring for this."

"I remember you telling me that you handled it," Brian said back, already expecting another stupid request that Lisa was too prideful to complete.

"Well, she got herself arrested."

Brian choked on his coffee.

"What!? When?"

"She got into an argument with a local restaurant last night and bombed it this morning. Protectorate took her down. About an hour ago or so?… Heard the news on the radio."

"What the fuck, why didn't you start with that?"

Lisa shrugged. "There's not much we can do. We're not gonna break her out of prison. She doesn't have any worthwhile info on us. It's just bad timing."

"Why the hell would anyone bomb a restaurant? That's the dumbest thing to go to prison for."

"If it helps, it was in Empire territory. And Bakuda is rumoured to be half-Asian so… do the maths on what happened there."

Brian let out another exasperated sigh.

"Okay… Alright," He rubbed the bridge of his nose before adding. "What are our options?"

"Well," Lisa perked up with a smile. "Bakuda is out of the picture. But we do know where she was staying, part of my deal with her let her use a safe house to tinker in while she got ready. So, I was thinking that you, me and a couple of guys drive over and see if she has any toys left for us to use. Preferably before the PRT work out where she was staying."

"You want us to enter a bomb tinker's safe house, unannounced. And loot around inside it?" Brian asked, with a heavy emphasis on the word 'bomb.'

"Sure," Lisa said with a smile. "What's the worst th-"

Brian put his hand over Lisa's mouth.

"Don't."

------------------------------------
Undersiders' Base – Midday

"We have a problem."

Dimitri knocked on the door, alerting the trio inside. Skitter and Parian were inspecting the latest bundles of silk produced in Skitter's workshop. Deimos was standing at the far wall, not daring to move any closer to the hundreds of spiders that were scuttling along the walls.

Skitter turned back to the door and motioned for Deimos to open it.

"Report," Skitter ordered.

"Sentry teams eight and nine have spotted the Archer Bridge Merchants moving quickly. Heading towards the docks." Dimitri read off a tablet before showing it to Skitter. "Looks like they're preparing for a fight."

Every spider in the room started to vibrate in response. Parian flinched away from the wall in surprise as the hundreds of arachnids started moving erratically.

"What teams do we have in defence? Are the Merchant's capes getting involved?"

"Squealer and Skidmark were confirmed to be leading the charge," Dimitri said back. "It's possible they brought more, but we only have eyes on four trucks," Skitter looked off into nowhere, planning her next move.

"Grue and Tattletale are occupied across town," Skitter said, more to herself. "Bitch is nearby, but busy with personal matters keep her in reserve if needed. I'll bring Regent and Imp with me. Parian-"

"I'm not a fighter," Parian spoke as her hands raised higher in alert. "I'm sorry, but combat isn't my-"

"I know," Skitter said back cooly. "I wasn't going to ask that of you," She glanced back to Dimitri, "Parian can stay here, give her access to my workshop whenever requested," Dimitri nodded back as Skitter turned towards Deimos. "And Deimos, I won't force you. But if you could assist in-"

"I'll do it," Deimos said, nodding back quickly. She knew exactly what had Skitter so rattled. Taylor's father was about to be caught in the crossfire of the Merchant's advance. "Let's go. People need our help."

"We're already prepping your E Squad," Dimitri said, backing away from the room. "A car is ready for you."

Skitter moved quickly out of the room. Deimos was quick to follow behind her, leaving Parian and the spiders behind. Her body language held the usual cool, calm and intimidating aura, but Deimos could sense the underlying emotions of panic in Taylor's pace.

Victoria herself was worried on two fronts. One, for Taylor's sake. The girl would be devastated if something happened to her father. But there was a second more selfish reason. This would be Deimos' first public appearance. No longer fighting in the dead of night or hiding in underground bases. Deimos was about to unveil on the streets in broad daylight, and all the implications that came with it.

A public villain…

Victoria shook that thought away. It wasn't like she was about to rob a bank or anything. She was responding to an attack on civilians. This was her job, this was textbook heroism. No mask or false name would change the fact that she was just doing what she did best. Being a hero.

"Deimos."

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Skitter said, barely slowing down to look over her shoulder.

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

Docks, Midday

Skitter's bugs continued to vibrate and squirm in nervous anticipation. Even the ones hidden in her hair would move, dispelling the illusion they were just harmless strands of hair. None of the other Undersiders said a word beyond "Yes Ma'am" and "No Ma'am." More afraid of Skitter's disposition rather than the upcoming fight.

Regent and Imp in particular were uncharacteristically quiet after noting the mood Skitter was in. Something Skitter herself was very grateful for. She didn't need any additional comments or remarks right now. Not when the Merchants had started their assault on the docks.

"They just parked up on 43rd," Dimitri reported. He was back at base, feeding intel directly into the Undersiders' earpieces. "They made no demands, started kicking doors down and sending men inside. No casualties reported yet."

"Seems overly aggressive," Deimos noted. "Any idea what they want?"

"Which buildings did they enter?" Skitter asked on top. 43rd Street was on the edge of the docks, far enough away from her father's place that she could relax, albeit slightly.

"Looks like a couple of small warehouses, mostly commercial businesses. Offices and such," Dimitri said. "One warehouse in the area was an old ABB stash-house. Tattletale and Grue had the contents removed and destroyed shortly after we annexed the territory."

"So they're raiding old ABB sites," Skitter thought aloud. "They won't find anything of value but they don't know that..." Taylor recalled the map in Lisa's office that marked all the buildings controlled by the ABB prior to their collapse. She remembered one in particular stood alone in a rather rundown section of the docks, a perfect place to avoid civilians. "Have our men gather around the building on the corner of 37th, the big one. Looks like it was a factory once. Give the order on an unsecured radio, and have them repeat the command verbally. We'll have the Merchants think it's the valuable stash."

"That's a gamble," Deimos argued. "Do you really think they'd fall for that?"

"Skidmark," Skitter replied. Her disproving tone said all she needed on the matter.

The rest of the Undersiders nodded in agreement.

--------------------------------------
"It worked," Dimitri reported a short time later. "Three out of four trucks are moving towards the targeted site. Should we defend the factory or prep an ambush along the streets?"

"Negative," Skitter said back. "Let them raid the factory. Set an ambush there instead," She considered to herself for a moment before adding. "Do we have any explosives? We could gather the assault inside and drop the building on them-"

"Skitter!" Deimos gasped.

"Unsure if we have that kind of firepower on hand, but I can ask-"

"Belay that order," Skitter said, looking back to Deimos. "Let them inside. Have them see that there are no drugs, no money and no valuables. Then open fire, chase them out of the territory. Minimal to no casualties if possible."

"Understood Ma'am."

"Give us an update on the fourth truck, send someone to intercept," Skitter ordered.

"Wait one," Dimitri said before a long pause. "Fourth truck is Squealer's personal vehicle. Skidmark confirmed to be in passenger. Both driving off towards center docks." That sent Skitter's bugs on edge again. The heart of the docks was exactly where she wanted to avoid fighting. "Suggest Undersiders intercept that one. Suspected third cape in back."

"Confirmed," Skitter said, tapping the window between the back seats and the driver, signalling them to change direction. "We'll head them off."

"Should we call in Bitch?" Imp asked.

Skitter shook her head. "No need. They're here for a hit-and-run. No a long siege. Deimos can take out the truck. Regent will assist me in subduing Skidmark and Squealer if their still fighting. Imp, focus on the men they brought with them. Disarm and disable. Keep them from attacking civilians."

"Disable?" Imp asked herself before fishing into her pocket. She pulled out a pocket knife from her suit. "Ah, the ole leg stabber. I got this."

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

Squeeler's truck was a monster of a vehicle. A huge tank-like frame with six wheels that were each three times the size of the average car. A pair of large pipes sat at the rear of the vehicle, spewing smoke into the air, while the front was fitted with a plough made from solid steel.

The Undersiders' SUV caught up to the vehicle in no time, parking at the end of the street that Squealer was turning onto. A small mass of bugs had already formed and was attempting to attack the truck, Skitter eventually settling for blocking the front windshield entirely and blinding the driver. All four Undersiders exited their car, standing in defiance of the incoming vehicle, even as its horn blared down the street.

Civilians were running for cover. Many already taking shelter off the street. Regent and Imp stepped aside, giving way to Skitter and Deimos who took up the centre of the road.

"You have this," Skitter said, stepping aside for Deimos as the truck sped up to meet them. It wasn't a question or an order. Skitter had absolute faith in Deimos' ability.

She watched as Deimos stretched out her neck and arms, taking a few steps forward towards the oncoming vehicle. While Victoria could've easily flown up and pulled the truck to a stop from behind, her powers were far too recognisable. Taylor, Lisa and Vicky had already talked about potential Deimos' reveals and agreed that flying and using strength would be a dead giveaway. The Alexandria package was just too distinct to hide.

Thankfully, Deimos had spent her time with the Undersiders practising for such an occasion. It was a common practice among the PRT to hide a cape's true power, usually by pretending they were a different type of cape or handicapping capes with overly destructive abilities. No one was in favour of handicapping Deimos, but she could pretend that she wasn't a flyer.

The truck barrelled towards them, its horn blaring and lights flashing, threatening the Undersiders to get out of the way. Deimos made the effort to crouch slowly, readying herself. She didn't need to do this, but it did help sell the act to the handful of bystanders who were no doubt filming this.

With a mighty leap, Deimos jumped straight into the path of the incoming vehicle, planting a fist on the hood and stopping the truck dead in its track. From the Skitter's perspective, and everyone else, it looked like Deimos launched herself through an act of strength, rather than the gentle glide of Glory Girl.

The glass of the truck shattered, as a man and a woman came crashing out. Skidmark and Squealer, both covered in cuts and shards of glass from the impact. They rolled onto the ground and began groaning in pain.

"Shit. Was that too much?" Deimos muttered, Skitter only hearing it through her bugs.

"Damn," Regent chuckled. "Why the fuck are we even here?" The three remaining Undersiders approached the Merchant couple who were bleeding across the asphalt. Regent poked Skidmark with his sceptre, confirming that the cape was still alive. "Hey Skidmark, wakey wakey," He nudged the man gently, eliciting another groan.

Surprisingly, most of their wounds were cosmetic. There were no arms twisted in the wrong direction, no punctured ribs or horrifyingly mangled faces. It seemed Deimos had managed to control her impact enough to leave the Merchants in one piece. They were still in a lot of pain, however.

Skitter couldn't find the empathy for either cape, they were two streets over from where her Dad worked and looked to be heading directly for the building. While she had no idea what their goal was, hers was the defence and protection of her father.

Her bugs alerted her to movement in the back of the truck. Several armed men were wobbling out, no doubt in shock from the sudden crash, but that wasn't the movement that alerted her. The rubble and debris of random metal shifted in the back of the truck, forming onto one person in particular.

"Deimos, watch out!" Skitter warned.

A metal fist formed and struck Deimos from the side. The blow launched her across the street and onto the nearby sidewalk. Skitter, Regent and Imp readied themselves for battle, the latter disappearing to chase after the straggling gang members.

Mush, a cape covered in, what Skitter assumed to be, a tiny mech suit of trash. He climbed out of the truck and taunted Deimos to hit him back. His entire body was encased in a pile of rusted metal and junk. Seemingly at home with the swarm of bugs that tried and failed to crawl up his armour.

Deimos stood up and launched herself at the cape, however, her fighting style wasn't as refined as Glory Girl's. Narrowly missing the cape in favour of slamming into the building across from him.

"I need a bigger swarm," Skitter growled. "Regent, can you help?"

"Working on it," Regent said, "His legs twitching but it doesn't affect his movements, I think his body is too dense."

Deimos struck again, this time landing a blow on Mush's arm. It exploded, sending junk scattering across the street. But the human arm was unharmed and already in the process of redistributing the remaining mash of junk. Skitter knew that Deimos could easily beat Mush with a solid hit to the chest or head, but the girl was holding back, probing Mush's strength before making a decisive blow.

"Never mind, help Imp then," Skitter ordered, letting her swarm run interference until Deimos was confident enough to finish this. Regent nodded, running off to chase after the handful of fleeing gang members who hadn't been stabbed in the leg yet.

"Fu... hn... ooot."

Skitter looked down to see Skidmark, trying his hardest to lift his head and say something. He was trying to shake Squealer awake, but the woman was probably concussed.

"Skidmark," Skitter said, crouching down and meeting the man's eyes. "You came into my territory and attacked civilians, unprovoked," She stared him down, her tone as serious as ever. "If you don't want me to make an example of you, tell me why."

"D... fckr..." He struggled to say. "Gn... nghh."

"Speak up," She ordered, leaning closer and picking the man up by his shirt collar.

Skidmark spat on her face, a mix of blood and saliva. "Fu...ck you."

Skitter let go, dropping Skidmark to the floor. She wasn't too sure what to do with the pair, or trio, once Deimos was finished with him. Tying them up and leaving them for the authorities ran too many risks of them getting away. As well as handing them over to the PRT directly. It was a problem.

The problem.

Not just for Skidmark and his gang. But the Empire. None of the Undersiders had yet made a clear plan on what they would do to their enemies. Victoria obviously had a strong preference for prison, and it wasn't like they had anything better that they could do with them. Relying on the PRT or the police to do the job they constantly failed to do over decades just didn't fill Skitter with a lot of hope. But then what else was the alternative?

'Shoot them.'

A stray thought. Intrusive. Skitter hadn't meant to consider that. Didn't want to consider it.

'They're down and out. End the threat.'

A major gang leader lay at her feet. The Merchants were only just getting their footing and now Skitter had the chance to cripple them.

'You've done it before. Remove the head of the snake.'

She shook the thought away, trying to focus on the task at hand. She needed solutions, not violent fantasies.

'You already have blood on your hands. What's a little more going to do?'

Skitter's hand reached for the gun hidden behind her. If only to double-check that the safety was still flicked on. Deimos ripped the junk arms off Mush and pushed the man away before his remaining debris reformed. The cape slammed into the crashed truck and decided not to stand up again.

'She knows you're a monster. Prove it to her.'

Hesitantly, Skitter removed her hand from the gun and walked away from Skidmark. She wasn't going to make any rash decisions. Not when Victoria could see.

'You'll live to regret this.'

"Report," Skitter called out into her radio. Deimos was no doubt smiling under her mask as she fist-pumped towards Skitter.

"Ambush was a success, minor injuries and no casualties," Dimitri said back over the comms. "Merchants are fleeing as we speak. Some may be heading your way to check in on Skidmark."

"Copy, we'll stay alert," Skitter said, before looking towards her team. "Deimos, put Mush with the others. We might have some stragglers attempt a rescue. Regent, Imp? You good?"

"All good, Boss!" Imp said sarcastically as she appeared beside her. "All weapons disarmed. No injuries... For me. There's a lot of bleeding legs, but they'll live."

Skitter nodded before doing a quick survey of the area. Deimos was throwing Mush on top of Skidmark and Squealer. Regent was tasering a man with his sceptre, mostly for laughs. No civilians were injured, still content to hide inside the various buildings. Even further out, Skitter could see her Dad, on a cell phone of all things. He'd given in and bought one shortly after Taylor's kidnapping attempt, there had been a long talk about how he needed a faster way to contact her in case of emergencies and had spent half an hour promising Taylor that he'd never use it in the car. She still felt the guilt over what she had done to him back then, she always would.

"Yes, yes. I called the PRT, and the police," Skitter heard her Dad say through her bugs. "But we both know how reliable they can be. How far out are you? Two minutes? Thank you."

There was only one person who Taylor could imagine her father calling in this kind of situation that wasn't the police or the PRT, and hearing that they were two minutes out did not fill her with joy.

"We need to leave," Skitter said to her team. "Now. Dimitri, send the car. Tell the rest to fall back. Do not engage."

"Understood."

Skitter motioned to the team to wrap up whatever they were doing. Namely Imp and Regent who were rifling around inside everyone's pockets for whatever they could find. Deimos was trying to find the optimal spot to leave the three beaten capes as Skitter tugged on her arm to get her to leave.

"Wait," Deimos said, looking back to Skitter. "We can't just leave? We should at least clean up around her. Make sure everyone's alright."

"The civilians are fine. Now move," Skitter ordered, pointing towards the approaching SUV.

"They're terrified," Deimos countered. "And we have this huge ass truck blocking this street."

"We'll pay for the damages and repair later then. Just go." Skitter snapped.

The cars had already parked up next to them. Some members of E Squad got out and secured the area, ushering Imp and Regent into a vehicle while waiting for Skitter and Deimos to finish their little argument.

"No," Deimos said, firmly planting herself in front of Skitter. "We should help. We can do more than beat up some people and pay off the rest. What about the first few locations the Merchants attacked? Surely they need our help too?"

"We did help," Skitter said back, trying to push the brute into a car. "We can talk about it later."

"People need help now, they need to know that we'll protect them."

"Shit..." Skitter groaned. They ran out of time. Even if Deimos didn't complain, there wasn't enough time. Skitter placed a finger over Deimos' mask and shushed her. "Don't say anything. Just get into the car. I'll handle it."

Deimos was about to argue back once more but picked up the seriousness in Skitter's change of tone. Skitter turned back towards the wreck of the truck as Lady Photon and Brandish dropped down from the sky, the latter being carried. Deimos let out a small gasp as her family touched down.

"I knew we'd find you here, Skitter," Brandish sneered as energy blades formed in her hand. "Haven't you and your kind done enough to the people around here?"

All the mercenaries still on the street turned their guns towards New Wave.

"Don't-" Deimos almost cried out.

"Stand down!" Skitter barked to her squad. Her hand extended out to stop Deimos from doing something. "I said do not engage. Everyone get in a car. Now!"

A few mercenaries were hesitant to put their rifles down, but the squad quickly obeyed and shuffled into their vehicles. Skitter stared down Regent and Imp who also complied and sat back inside.

"Surrender, Undersiders," Brandish called out from her end of the street.

"We have no intention of fighting you," Skitter called back. "Squealer, Skidmark and Mush are here. Taken down. You can have them."

The Lady Photon looked to Brandish, discussing something between themselves. Brandish didn't take her eyes off Skitter for a second.

"What game are you playing, Skitter?" Lady Photon asked out.

"No games," Skitter shook her head. "This isn't worth it. Take the villains and go."

Brandish didn't trust the situation, Skitter could tell by the look in her eyes. There was anger there, a rage that was building inside the woman. Brandish hated the Undersiders for whatever reason and the very act of letting them walk off was like spitting in her face.

"You think we'd just let you go, Skitter?" Brandish called back. "We both know the Merchants are small fish compared to you and your ilk."

Skitter could see the fight coming. The Pelhams might've taken the deal but Brandish was stubborn and out of blood. There was no way that Brandish was just going to let them leave. Her mind flipped from de-escalation to damage control. The Pelhams could fire energy beams. How much damage could they do to the cars? Could they get away? Would they need a distraction? How large a swarm did she need to build?

"We can still do this the easy way," Skitter warned, her swarm already gathering in the corners of the street. "Is this really what you want?"

"What we want," Brandish growled back. "Is for you and your team to come with us and face justice."

"Um!" Deimos tried to say. Skitter looked back in concern as Vicky debated on how obvious her voice sounded in the muffled mask. Her fear of fighting New Wave beat out as she stepped forward. "I think what you really want... what we all want, is the safety of everyone here. Right? No one needs to fight. Let us go so you can focus on the people in need."

Of course, New Wave were heroes, they needed to focus on public safety, over the fighting capes. Brandish thought on it for a moment. Her scowl moved from Skitter to Deimos, taking notice of Deimos for the first time. Lady Photon whispered something in Brandish's ear that the woman didn't like.

"How dare you..." Brandish finally growled back to Deimos. "You dare pretend to care about these people when you are the cause of their suffering?"

"N-no," Deimos weakly denied. "We were protecting them."

"You're new," Brandish stated, pointing her blade towards Deimos "I don't know if you've naively bought into Skitter's bullcrap or if you're just as corrupt as the rest of them. But villains like you don't protect anyone. Villains like you don't help anyone. And villains like you all face justice in the end."

Deimos took a step back towards Skitter, the girl was trembling. Brandish was completely unaware of who Deimos was. Unaware that she was berating her daughter, threatening her, and condemning her.

Skitter turned towards the sound of engines running. Her bugs could tell that it was the Merchant's truck. One that fled from the mercenary ambush to check on Skidmark. Lady Photon picked up on the incoming sound too, alerting Brandish to the presence.

"Reinforcements are coming to back up Skidmark," Skitter said. "One truck. Two motorcycles. Maybe more. I suggest you deal with them first. Or you can try and capture us and risk a fight on two fronts. Your choice."

New Wave stared her down, there was no doubt in Skitter's mind that Brandish would've chosen to fight. But it was Lady Photon's team, and she had the good sense to recognise prioritises.

"Get out of here..." Lady Photon spat with a similar, but less intense anger. "We have people to help."

Skitter took a protective step forward, grabbing Deimos and leading her towards the car. They drove off the second she was in, speeding away from the scene as New Wave began their search for any civilians needing aid.

Victoria was a mess in the car, hyperventilating and tearing at her face to get her mask off and breathe. Skitter made sure that they had privacy in the back seat before helping Vicky with her mask.

"I can't..." Victoria whimpered out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm not a... I'm not…"

Taylor didn't know what to say. Didn't know what she could say to make Victoria feel better. So she hugged the girl tightly, hoping that she could offer at least a bit of comfort.

"I'm a hero..." Vicky said, burying her head in Taylor's chest.

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

Squealer's workshop – Night

Today was fucked.

It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out job. Steal a few bits and bobs and then get the hell out. That had all gone to shit thanks to those damn mercs. And then there was the fucking Undersiders. They brought in some new guy who completely fucked up any chance of salvaging the situation.

The truck was totalled, Squealer was knocked the fuck out, Skidmark had more cuts and bruises than the tweakers he sold to. And Mush ended up getting arrested by goddamn New Wave of all people.

In truth, all three of them were arrested by the cape team. But quick thinking of Squealer's part when she finally came to and back up from Skidmark's men meant that the couple lived to see another day.

"Who the fuck thought that this would be a good idea?" Skidmark groaned out as he collapsed onto a couch.

"Y-you did, Sir," The man who carried him off the bike and onto the couch answered back. Trying hard not to sound smug about it.

"Did we at least find fucking anything at that place they were defending?" Skidmark asked, ignoring the smart-ass comment.

"Besides a shit load of guys waiting for us with guns?" The man asked, still being a smartass. Skidmark punched him in the balls for that.

"Fuuuuuck...." He groaned, noting how his hand had a long rash from sliding across the pavement.

"I fucking told you..." Squealer moaned as she walked over and threw a beer into Skidmark's lap. "Coil's crew already moved the shit. We have reports of them fucking burning it. There are no more drug staches in the docks. Alright?"

"And I told you," Skidmark moaned back as he opened the beer. "There ain't no way in hell, an operation as large as that motherfucker don't have drugs in it. Whoever 'eard of organised crime that doesn't do drugs? That burning all the shit is just that, shit."

"Well it ain't fucking there," Squealer growled back, pointing at the map. It had all the known ABB safe houses circled, the plan they used today. "So either they burnt it, or it's magically disappeared some other fucking way."

Skidmark sat up and motioned for Squealer to hand him the map. She dropped down and sat in his lap before passing the map back to him. The man drank his beer as he inspected the map.

"We've already searched a dozen or so locations," Skidmark noted. "Let's assume that it's not in the docks... Where would they move it? Not into the city. Too hot, police would find it. Can't be too close to Empire. No one's that stupid. What about…"

He needed to find the perfect place. One that wasn't obvious. Or so obvious, everyone was stupid for never even considering it. The docks weren't the only way to transport illegal contraband. Trains would work fine. A stash in the train yard made too much sense. There weren't too many buildings one could house a pile of drugs, especially if it was a collection from several smaller stashes. Either you'd need one really big warehouse and risk law enforcement. Or you'd hide it in a large business. Especially one that would be expected to house legal drugs in any way. Like a clinic, a vet or…

"There," Skidmark grinned as he pointed the map towards Squealer. "That's where our drugs are."

What better place to house a bunch of drugs, than some random ass dog shelter at the edge of the city.

 

[Dradel]

I mean, the heroes aren't doing much better than the Undersiders but somehow I feel like they wouldn't have been very open to this debate

 

[Kinkspoon]

Ah, I see that Skidmark is feeling suicidal today.

 

[Bladereader]

So on the one hand, danm it skidmark. But on the other, that means more Amy/Rachel, and I am super down for that.

 

[Johndoe012]

Bruh vicky is kinda dumb with that move of not leavjng when told to. Like they are a villian front and she wants to help people. Like i get her mentally but she cant read the room

 

[SnappingTurt3ls2]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[PostwarGryphon]

Bruh vicky is kinda dumb with that move of not leavjng when told to. Like they are a villian front and she wants to help people. Like i get her mentally but she cant read the room

Click to shrink...

It's not Victoria's fault, she didn't expect her mother and aunt to go full psychotic black/white karen on her and the Undersiders just because of the 'villain' label.

 

[space turtle]

Red Queen Red Queen!

Protect the puppies :3

 

[Tsumegothorns]

Fuck you, Darth Brandish. Loving it! Saved the best for last, as always.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Another long one. I procrastinated so much writing this. Hope ya'll enjoy.

---

Dallon Household – Late Morning

"Victoria! Team meeting in twenty! Chop, chop, Sweetie!"

Amy scooted past her mother on her way to grab a slice of bread from the kitchen pantry. Listening as Carol called out into the stairway and sighed in frustration when she was met with silence.

"Where is that girl?" Carol muttered to herself, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Maybe she's in the bathroom?" Mark suggested with a shrug. "You know how teenagers are?"

Carol looked unamused at that comment, choosing to ignore it in favour of tapping her foot even faster. Amy had learned to keep her head down and stay invisible whenever Carol had that look on her face, something Amy was a master at in this house.

It helped that she was dressed in casual clothes while her parents both donned their New Wave costumes. Amy could've rolled her eyes at the hypocrisy of yet another New Wave team meeting taking place that excluded Panacea, but in all honesty, Amy was glad that she could skip them.

For now, Amy played the role of the background NPC in her own kitchen. Idly gathering breakfast for herself while the idyllic superhero family gathered to leave. In the past, such thoughts would have served to dampen her mood. Reminding Amy how much of an outcast she was in her own family. Today, she was too busy looking forward to her own day to have such petty ideas sour her.

She looked at her phone, calculating the time she would need to leave the house and walk to the bus stop. As much as she loved the shelter, it was right out on the edge of the city and the commute made her trips to the hospital laughable by comparison.

It was worth it though. Not only because the dogs were a delight to work with, but also because Rachel was there. Her girlfriend. The very thought of calling her made Amy's cheeks blush red. A smile formed on her face.

"Amy?" Carol spoke again, causing the girl to jump. Her smile dropped immediately, an unconscious effort to appear 'normal' in the face of her mother. Even if normal for Amy was a tired, monotone scowl. "Have you seen your sister?"

Amy shook her head. She hadn't seen Vicky since dinner last night. Her sister had seemed less energetic then. Not depressed or upset, but something set her off balance. She had something weighing on her last night, Amy could tell that much.

"Team meeting?" Carol continued to mutter to herself. "What part of team meeting doesn't she get?"

Even being out of the cape loop, Amy could guess at what the New Wave meeting was about. Brandish and Lady Photon had another run-in with Skitter and her team the other day. And it did not go in New Wave's favour.

The Undersiders handed them three parahuman crooks on a silver platter, and Brandish's pride and anger led to two of them getting away. The two heroes were too busy arguing over the morality of letting Skitter go to notice that one of the captured parahumans had her own makeshift flashbang that aided in her escape.

The irony of Brandish losing to a flashbang wasn't lost on the many denizens of the internet. The entire encounter had been filmed from multiple angles and only served to humiliate New Wave even further. The more outspoken of the discussions even going so far as calling the Undersiders the real heroes of the day for their swift retaliation on Squealer's rampage through the docks.

Amy never gave online cape discussion any merit, outside of several Glory Girl appreciation threads that she was anonymously a part of and a handful of 'thank you' posts directed towards Panacea herself. The idea that a small, but vocal minority of people were actually praising the bug villain and her team was incredibly distasteful. Amy still remembered the fear she felt when Skitter held a knife to her throat back at the bank, and now people were calling her a hero?

"Amy?" Carol sighed again, her tapping foot kicking down one last time. "Can you run upstairs and get your sister? We're going to be late."

'Why don't you go up there yourself?' Is what Amy thought but didn't dare say as she turned away from her half-prepared breakfast and moved towards the stairs.

"Vicky?" Amy called out, knocking on her bedroom door. "Are you in there?" She was answered with a low whine coming from the other side of the door. "Vicky? Are you alright?"

Opening the door slowly, Amy spotted her sister, dressed in her Glory Girl outfit but face down in her hands for some reason. She sat at her desk; laptop open to the same handful of cape threads that Amy had read on her phone earlier today.

Victoria didn't seem to take notice of Amy as she slowly entered the room. Looking over Vicky's shoulder, Amy could see the PHO thread she was on was a speculation thread about the Undersiders' latest member. In particular, it had a photo of the masked villain stopping an oversized truck with their bare hands.

Strength like that put her on equal footing with Glory Girl, Vicky was no doubt researching the latest villain in preparation for a future battle. Amy was filled with both pride and worry for her sister. Then she was filled with confusion as she spied the PHO thread's name.

Skitter got herself a boyfriend!?! And he can lift!

Vicky groaned into her hands. No doubt also perplexed by the stupidity of villain worship. The whole thread wasn't so much of a discussion on the new, terrifying brute and how much damage they could potentially cause, it was about how this new cape's outfit matched with Skitters and all the implications of what that meant.

"Vicky?" Amy asked once again, her hand reaching out to shake her sister's shoulder.

Victoria gasped in surprise and slammed her laptop down with a force that almost shattered the screen.

"Amy!" She jumped up, turning to face her. "It's not what it, um, I mean. What are you doing?"

"Mom's been calling out for you," Amy said, backing away from Victoria's panicked response and feeling bad for scaring her. "She's getting impatient…"

"Oh, right," Vicky said. She stood up and lightly slapped her face. "Alright, it's go time."

"Are you… okay?" Amy asked, noting the fake smile that Vicky was trying to keep slapped on her face.

"What? Yes. Of course," Vicky said, shaking out her obvious nerves about something. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. You seemed kinda down when you got home last night. And now you're…" She gestured towards the laptop that looked like it was one bad tap away from falling apart.

"I'm fine," Victoria said in a way that Amy hardly believed. "Honestly, I'm fine. I just had a bumpy day yesterday. I'll bounce back. What about you, how's you? Good? You good? Yeah?"

"Yeah… I'm good," Amy said back, considering if she should investigate whatever 'bump' Victoria had yesterday or if she should just drop it for Vicky's sake. She chose the latter option. "Great actually."

"That's great!" Victoria smiled; this time was much more genuine. "I can see it, you're smiling more. It's nice." Amy wasn't aware of the soft grin on her face, but she felt embarrassed having her sister point it out to her. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. Dean's having another one of his house parties next week."

"Oh yeah?" Amy asked curiously. She didn't realise that Vicky and Dean were back to speaking to each other again. She had enjoyed watching the boy mope around in the final days of high school.

"Everyone's invited," Vicky explained. "You should come. We've been meaning to find time to hang out more. This would be perfect."

"Ehh… I don't know," Amy sighed. She didn't enjoy Dean's house parties in the past, namely because of Dean and his relationship with Vicky.

"Come on!" Victoria shook Amy by the shoulders. "You love Dean's house. You're always out by the pool when we come over."

Love was a strong word. The Stansfield house was impressive, and Amy was fond of swimming in heated pools. But that wasn't the reason she always stuck around the pool whenever she was over. It was simply a rare opportunity to admire Vicky in a swimsuit. An even rarer opportunity now that Dean was out of the dating picture, unless Taylor owned a pool; that seemed unlikely.

"Everyone's invited," Vicky said again, stressing the everyone part. "Who knows? Maybe you might meet a cute guy there?"

At that, Amy rolled her eyes. It had been months since Vicky tried to set her up with another guy. She hadn't been forced into a shitty double date since early February, and enjoyed that fact.

"Ehh…" Amy said again, waving the comment away with a polite smile. She always froze up when Victoria tried to introduce her to other guys. It was an awkward song and dance that Amy would much rather avoid. She'd fall back on her lame excuses and Vicky would smash right through them all. "I already have a girlfriend."

"…"

It took Amy a solid twenty seconds to realise when Victoria went dead silent, as well as a further five seconds to remember what just came out of her mouth. Hesitantly, she turned back to face Vicky as her shocked face slowly broke wider and wider into a smile.

"Ah, shit-"

"You have a girlfriend!" Victoria beamed at the top of her voice, jumping into a hover, and shaking Amy even harder. "What? When? How? When? Who? When!?"

Amy tried shushing her sister, but her excited shakes cut through any attempt to quiet the blonde.

"Oh my god, Ames!" Victoria cheered. "Wait? You're gay too!? Oh my god, Ames!"

"I uh," Amy sighed as her sister lifted her into the air with a hug. "I guess. Yeah."

Amy hadn't planned to just admit it out loud, especially not to Vicky of all people. It was just on her mind and the first viable excuse to come to her.

"I want to know everything!" Vicky declared, placing Amy back down in the chair Vicky was originally sitting in.

"I don't know," Amy mumbled. "It's new. It's… I don't know."

"New?" Vicky mused. "So, someone at the dog shelter you go to? No wonder you keep going back there!" Amy could only blush at Victoria's deduction. "Is she cute? Oh, you're blushing. She must be cute. I have to meet her!"

"Wait! Woah, woah, wait a minute." Amy finally spoke up. "Please don't fly up into my workplace or anything stupid like that."

"I wasn't going to do it right now," Victoria chuckled.

"I mean, don't do it at all," Amy said with a slight growl. "And don't tell Mom… Or Dad. But especially Mom."

"What? Why?"

"Because…" Amy said, waving her hands about like that explained everything. Victoria looked down at her with a confused expression. "Look, this thing I have is new, and I don't want… She doesn't even know I'm Panacea, alright?"

"Your girlfriend doesn't know who you are?" Victoria asked, even more confused.

"No," Amy said back with a frustrated sigh. "She knows me. I just haven't gotten around to telling her about that side of my life yet. And I don't want Mom to go all… New Wavey on her. I don't want to be forced to do a photo shoot and have her thrust into the public eye. That's why I didn't say anything sooner. Can we just… please?"

Victoria thought on her words and then nodded. Amy let out a long sigh of relief.

"Alright, I'll keep your secret. That's fair."

"Thank you."

"But I still wanna meet them!" Victoria's bright grin got dangerously close to Amy's face. "Invite them to Dean's party at least."

"I don't think she's the type who'll-" Amy began but cut herself off with a thought. A thought of what Rachel might look like in a swimsuit of her own. Amy raised an eyebrow in consideration. "…I'll ask her."

"Great!" Vicky beamed. "Know tell me everything you know about them. Starting with their name."

"R-Rachel," Amy said, leaning away from Victoria's overexcited Vicky-ness.

"Rachel?" Victoria said, rolling the name over her tongue. "Rachel?…" She pondered on the name for longer than Amy was expecting. "That's… such a cute name! I don't think I've actually met any Rachel's before. Not personally. What's she like? Got a photo?"

"She's-"

"VICTORIA DALLON!" Carol's voice echoed down the halls. "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT, WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!"

"Oh shit." Victoria gasped, jumping back from Amy. "Gotta go," She hovered back and moved out of her room. Amy only just stood up again when Victoria returned to add. "And when you get home tonight, you're telling me-"

"-Everything. I know, I know." Amy chuckled, shaking her head at the mess she landed herself in. She'd have to explain to Rachel about New Wave and how her overly excited older sister now wants to meet her.

"Have fun!" Victoria giggled as she hovered away again. If Amy was worried about her mood when she walked into the room, she could at least take heart in knowing that her slip of the tongue lifted Vicky's spirit. "So proud of you. Love you. Byyye!"

"Love you too," Amy smiled back. Already listening to the sound of Carol's signature 'Don't fly in the house' as Vicky made it to the stairs.

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

Brockton Dog Shelter – Midday

"Down, Girl. Down. Stop. Good, now roll over."

Amy held out the treat in her hand, and the terrier obediently followed the command. Her tail wagged happily, and she took the treat from Amy's hands and then sat down, awaiting her next command.

"Okay now... Heel"

She motioned with her hand as she announced clearly, then watched as the small dog ran over to her side and stood next to her. She offered the dog another treat, which she took.

"Good girl." Amy smiled and then leaned down to rub her hand across the dog's short fur. The small creature panted in joy and licked her hand. "And now..." She looked up over to Rachel who was standing in the doorway watching her. Amy wasn't sure of this last command but Rachel had told her to try it. "Guard!"

At that, the small terrier barked once and then followed Amy in a defensive circle around her, growling playfully. Amy couldn't imagine why Rachel would teach such a small dog the command but it was cute to see.

"Great. Now, stop." Amy once again commanded, the dog froze in place and waited. Rachel's smile was soft as she watched Amy train the dog. "Good girl. Good girl, Angelica."

Amy had some experience with training dogs since she started working at the shelter. Most of it usually boiled down to telling the animals to stop fighting and wait. In comparison, Rachel's personal dogs were well-trained, to an advanced degree. Able to recognise a wide variety of commands, and were incredibly obedient to boot.

Rachel had suggested getting Amy to practise more advanced manoeuvres on Angelica because that dog had taken a liking to Amy out of her three. Plus it gave Amy a better chance to practise her commands on a dog that wouldn't ignore her immediately.

It was a sweet gesture, and one Amy was sure meant more coming from Rachel than the woman would openly admit. Judging by the rest of the shelter staff's reaction, notably Cassie, Rachel never allowed anyone to order her dogs around.

Rachel stepped forward and let out a sharp whistle. Angelica broke from her previous stance and stood next to Rachel, her other two dogs already sitting by her feet. With another, different whistle, the dogs followed behind as Rachel stepped over to Amy.

Without saying a word, she reached out and brushed Amy's hair the same way she petted her dogs.

"Thanks," Amy blushed as Rachel's hand left her.

"For what?" Rachel asked.

"For letting me train her. Or I guess, letting me practise training on her." Amy smiled. "And for trusting me. With her."

"It's not about me trusting you," Rachel shrugged.

"Huh?"

"She trusts you," Rachel explained, her hand rubbing across Angelica's back. "If I didn't, she wouldn't have listened to you."

"Oh," Amy nodded, understanding the sentiment.

Rachel turned away from her and began moving towards the front entrance of the shelter. Amy quickly moved to follow beside her, and the two of them moved down the rows of kennels.

"So..." Amy began, finally feeling like she had the chance to bring up her sister, her family, and who she really was.

"Hmm?" Rachel grunted curiously.

"I have this sister, and I told her about you... today," Amy said, already questioning her choice of words.

"What about me?" Rachel asked, glancing down at her.

"She just knows that I have a girlfriend," Amy explained, feeling a spike of anxiety forming in her chest. "You. She knows that I'm dating you. Or someone at least. I didn't tell her much. She wanted to meet you."

"Oh?" Rachel mused. They both reached the lobby area, Cassie was reading a magazine while glaring daggers into Amy from over the top of it. Rachel didn't seem to notice the girl's expression as she continued.

"And there's this party that her ex is throwing," Amy said quickly, concerned with Rachel's reaction. "It's a whole thing, she's dating someone else now. It's complicated. Anyway, it's a pool party, I think. It's lame, and I wouldn't usually go, but my sister is really pushy about these things, and she wants me to go and- and, I think, bring you. And if you wanted to go, we could go together?"

Rachel frowned even harder at her. Amy couldn't tell if it was confusion or annoyance on her face.

"Sorry... It's a lot," Amy said. "And totally up to you."

"Pools..." Rachel growled under her breath. Amy was confused. "Don't like them. Can't swim."

"Oh!" Amy blinked. She didn't even consider the fact that Rachel didn't know how to swim, her dream of seeing Rachel in a swimsuit was dashed away. "Well, that's okay, we don't have to swim in the pool. It's a house party, with a pool. We could just stay in the house part... and chill?"

She didn't know why she was pushing the idea so hard. Maybe it was the excitement of Vicky meeting her girlfriend that made Amy feel happy. Maybe it was the prospect of spending time outside the shelter with Rachel. Or maybe it was just a little bit of excitement at the idea of showing Rachel off to the rest of her 'friends'. In any case, the idea was appealing.

Rachel looked up at her and nodded. "Okay,"

"O-okay?..." Amy blinked back, surprised by her easy acceptance.

"Can I bring my dogs?"

"I... don't know?" Amy said, looking down at Angelica. "Maybe, I guess. I could ask Dean."

"Okay," Rachel said again. Amy was surprised that she had agreed so easily. She wasn't expecting Rachel to say yes, let alone ask about bringing her dogs.

With one hurdle down, all Amy had to do now was admit to being Panacea and prepping Rachel with the knowledge of who her family is. While she never intended it to be a secret, she did lament on her two worlds now forming back into one. A part of her was worried that when Rachel learned the truth, she would immediately try to use Amy's powers. Another part of her worried that she'd be told to return to the hospital and make sure she's not 'wasting her gift.'

She knew Rachel wasn't the type of person to do either. But the worry caught in her throat. Amy could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute. Even her ears felt like they were buzzing, like a constant truck horn blaring all around her.

"So, you know how I have this sister?" Amy began, once again questioning her choice of words. "Well, she-"

As the buzzing in her ear got even louder, Rachel shoved Amy across the room. Away just in time for her to realise that the horn-like buzzing in her ear wasn't her imagination. It was an actual, loud, blaring, horn.

A monster of a truck slammed through the front entrance. Glass shattered and wooden panels buckled as the massive vehicle smashed its way inside.

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

Rachel reacted before her brain even had time to process what was going on. Her feet kicked off the ground and her hands pushed against Amy, forcing the girl out of harm's way. As the truck smashed through the building, its bumper clipped Rachel's shoulder. Her body spun out from the force, and her head bounced against the reception desk before falling to the ground.

The pain was immediate. Her shoulder was the worst of it, with a sharp, shooting pain radiating out. The headache wasn't new, but it was worse than the usual throb of her concussion. Her vision was blurred. She couldn't hear anything except the ringing in her ears.

But Rachel could still move.

She pushed herself up from the ground and looked around. The dogs had moved faster than Rachel, jumping away from the wreckage and circling around the truck. With them safe, she looked back to Amy and Cassie. The former was lying flat on her back, frozen in a state of shock but otherwise unharmed, the latter, hiding behind her desk.

"Woo!" A woman cheered out from the truck's cabin. "That was a rush! Now everybody, out!"

Rachel zoned in on the woman's voice, her vision clearing enough to recognise the familiar figure. Tattletale had briefly mentioned the Merchants during some of their boring meetings, Skitter and her team had taken them down in a fight only yesterday. Squealer still had the telltale signs of bandages and gauze wrapping around her body, though the white patches were covered in dirt and filth.

"Come on, get a move on. We ain't got all day!" Skidmark's voice yelled out from the other seat. "Coil's goons should be on us any second," He stuck his head out the window and looked around. "Wait, shouldn't this place 'ave more security?"

"Guess I was right then," Squealer chuckled. "We're not gonna find dick-"

"Shut the fuck up," The man growled back, armed men were climbing out the back of the truck. "Spread out and search the building. Find me my drugs!"

Rachel moved to Amy and pulled her up from the ground, pushing her towards Cassie.

"M-my phone..." Amy groaned, reaching in the direction of the staff lockers.

"Forget it," Rachel growled back, looking at Cassie. "You two get in the back. Stay safe, protect the dogs."

She pushed the girls through one of the back doors and followed behind. Urging them to run further into the building while Rachel waited in the backroom.

"Let's go," Cassie cried, pulling Amy along. The older girl was hesitant to leave Rachel behind, but Rachel wasn't going anywhere without her dogs.

Rachel gave a sharp whistle, summoning her three dogs back to her side. The handful of armed men were finally taking notice of the trio and had raised their weapons. They ignored the women as they turned to track the dogs instead, taking potshots at the animals. Luckily, they were moving fast as they all made it through the door before anyone hit their mark.

"Forget the damn dogs!" Skidmark roared from the truck. "Start looting already!"

Once the dogs were back by her side, Rachel rushed down the hall with them. She urged Amy to keep moving as she Cassie led her down the halls and deeper into the shelter. The kennels were filled with barking, scared dogs. Some of the braver workers were in the middle of opening cages and funnelling the dogs away from the approaching violence. Rachel turned off and found a random empty kennel to crouch down in, still motioning for Cassie and Amy to move further in and hopefully escape.

"Wait!" Amy cried out, pulling against Cassie's pull. "What are you doing?" She'd shaken off her stupor and replaced it with concern as she looked back at Rachel.

"Nobody hurts my dogs." Bitch scowled.

Bitch needed time to use her power. Placing a hand on Brutus and Judas, they began growing and transforming, shifting from large canines to hulking monsters. She didn't need to touch them, as Angelica was doing much the same, but found her power was stronger when she did. Rachel kept a tight grip on the dogs as their muscles swelled and fur grew.

She didn't have the time or the space to transform them into their full hulking size. Instead, the monstrous dogs were only the size of a small person. They still had the same thick hides and powerful jaws that looked like they would rip through a man like a paper bag.

"H-hellhound..." Amy gasped. Bitch was too busy to notice the shock in her word, nor recognise the name.

Armed men were pouring through the hallway, trashing each room they entered and yelling for everyone to get down on the floor. As they made it to the back kennels, their eyes were focused on the larger, transformed dogs.

"Brutus, Judas. Attack!" Bitch barked, pointing to the men who were running towards them. The large beasts growled and leapt forward, smashing out of the lightly fenced kennel and pouncing on the closest targets. The men didn't have the time to raise their guns or defend themselves. Bullets fired widely across the wall as the dogs tore into their legs.

Bitch whistled sharply as the dogs pulled away from their 'almost' lethal attack. With their opponents now unable to stand or fight back, the dogs returned to her side and waited for their next order. She stepped over them and moved back towards the lobby. Anger bubbling inside her, there were a handful of men still moving from room to room, but Bitch's rage focused on the two fucks who just drove a truck into her shelter.

She pointed down the hallway, directly at Skidmark who was climbing out of the truck.

"Hurt!"

All three dogs snarled and ran down the hall towards the Merchants. She didn't simply want to kill these people. She wanted them to suffer, and regret ever setting foot here.

Turning to see the monstrous dogs charging at them, Skidmark smiled instead of fearing his approaching pain.

"Hah!" Skidmark laughed, pointing out the approaching dogs to Squealer. "See that. Undersiders! I fucking told you s-"

Brutus reached the man first, teeth clamping down on the Merchant's leg. Judas and Angelica took the man's arms and threw him to the ground. The man barely had time to react, only realising at the last moment that they were going for him and not the few armed men in front of him.

Bitch would've loved to sit back and watch as her dogs tore him apart, but the rest of the lobby was filled with armed men and Squealer. She was more than confident in her dogs' ability to fight, but they couldn't sit on a single opponent for too long. With another whistle, the dogs let Skidmark go and pounced on the nearest thug.

In the past, Bitch would've avoided putting her dogs in this scenario. Close range encounter, not much movement space, a lot of armed men, some with automatic weapons. Her empowered dogs could take a beating and bullets, even at half-sized, but it was still a disadvantage that put her dogs at risk.

At least, it used to be.

She'd been running drills with the mercenaries almost every other day now. The mercs were under the impression that they were training on how to handle brutes and other parahuman monsters, but in reality, Bitch had seen it as the perfect training ground to work on her dog's close-quarters combat.

The Undersiders' mercenaries were a mix of hardened, experienced, soldiers. Suited out with some of the most up-to-date equipment money could buy. The Archer's Bridge Merchants, by comparison, were a bunch of coked-out gangbangers with cheap, illegal, weapons.

In short, her dogs were winning.

Bitch ran through a handful of new whistles and commands, each one specific to dealing with groups of armed people. Herding them into the open, using their own allies as shields, and inciting panic in the merchant's numbers.

Squealer was calling the remaining Merchants back into the lobby to deal with Bitch's dogs. However the reinforcements only added more bodies to the pile, and not a single one was able to put a scratch on the beasts.

With her dogs busy dealing with the mob, Bitch's focus turned to Squealer herself. She didn't care about the others, all she wanted was Squealer.

"Fucking hell," Squealer growled, her attention stuck on Skidmark's mangled and bleeding body. "This is worse than yesterday."

She was too busy dodging dogs and stray gunfire, she didn't even expect Bitch to simply walk up to her and punch her in the face. Squealer stumbled back, a hand pressed against her jaw as she hissed in pain.

"You bitch," She growled. Her free hand grabbed at the gun hanging from her hip, but Bitch wasn't going to give her a chance.

Bitch tackled Squealer to the floor and began wailing on her, fists pounding against the woman's face and head. Squealer's hands reached up and tried blocking, but Bitch was relentless. She wasn't planning on stopping until she was sure that Squealer wasn't going to get back up again. Every punch was a response to Squealer driving a fucking truck through Bitch's shelter.

Eventually, Squealer's arms started to falter. Giving in and accepting the beating. Or so Bitch had assumed. Face bloody and halfway beaten to a pulp, Squealer managed to pull the gun from her hip and press it into Bitch's ribs.

A single shot rang out, hidden in all the chaos.

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

Rachel was Hellhound?

Amy couldn't believe her eyes. One second she was kneeling down with her sweet, playful Angelica. The next, some monster dog was charging down the hall, maiming and biting its way through a bunch of gang members.

"Amy, we have to go!" Cassie cried, pulling on her arm as dogs and shelter workers ran through the backrooms.

There were several small trucks at the back of the shelter, usually for transporting supplies for the shelter. Some workers were busy clearing the room to fit the rush of fleeing dogs.

Amy pulled away and watched as Rachel marched back down towards the lobby. Commanding her beastly dogs to attack anyone in her way.

Rachel was Hellhound. But how?

She'd come to that conclusion back when she first met Rachel but the girl had no idea who Hellhound even was. It didn't make sense. Amy knew Rachel was a parahuman, she knew it had something to do with dogs. She just assumed that Rachel had a better connection to dogs than most humans. But here she was, taking on a band of gangsters like it was her job.

Amy was upset. Rachel was Hellhound, she was a monster, she was at the bank when Amy was held hostage. She's a villain, a murderer, and…

More gunfire erupted, this time from the lobby. The sounds of barking, biting and screams echoed through the halls. Rachel charged into the room without a second's hesitation. And all Amy could feel now was worry.

She was in trouble.

"Where are you going!?" Cassie called out as Amy ran back towards the lobby.

Amy couldn't explain it. She needed to see. Either witness Hellhound with her own eyes or check to see if Rachel made it out alright.

Amy wasn't a hero in the traditional sense. She wasn't used to seeing combat like her family. Each step towards danger made her heart beat even faster. She could feel her knees buckling as her body screamed at her to turn around. But her mind was set.

"Fuck," Amy swore, peeking through the back entrance. The dogs were running circles around the room. They were even bigger now. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

She didn't know what she was even doing. There was no doubt it was Hellhound. A man lay on the floor, arms and legs bleeding heavily as he groaned in pain. Slightly off to the side of him was Rachel, on top of another woman and beating the living shit out of her with her own two hands. It was violent, brutal and bloody.

Then the gun went off.

Rachel collapsed onto her side. The woman under her pushed her off and climbed to her feet. Amy yelled out, a panicked cry of alarm that surprised even her. She had to reach Rachel and now. But bullets continued to fly as the dogs tore into the gangsters.

Crawling on her hands and knees, Amy tried to find a clear path to the fallen girl. Tears were building in her eyes. She could hear her own sobs, muffled by the sounds of gunfire.

"Please be ok, please be ok," Amy mumbled to herself.

Amy felt numb and alert at the same time. She'd done all this before, once. Years ago in a shopping mall. Crawling in fear towards her dying sister. It wasn't a memory she liked to dwell on, much less reenact under an even more stressful situation.

The dogs had gone into a frenzy. Barking, snarling, and charging. They had some level of organisation to their attacks when Amy first looked in, but after Rachel was shot, they seemed to go into a mad scramble. As if unsure of what to do next. They fell back into a simple 'attack the nearest person' plan.

And while it was working, it was working too well. The dogs attacked everyone in sight without any regard for prior tactics. They showed no signs of stopping, even as the Merchant's pitifully attempted to flee. Bullets ricocheted off their hides, as a spray of bullets narrowly missed Amy and she froze up in panic. The girl wasn't even halfway to Rachel.

To make matters worse, one of the dogs took notice of Amy and moved to intercept her.
Amy remained frozen in place. Staring wide-eyed at the monstrous dog as it stood between her and Rachel. She didn't know what worried her more, that the dog might attack her or that Rachel would bleed out and die without her help. She felt tears stream down her cheeks as she waited for the dog to rip her apart.

The dog was large, with a disgusting layer of muscles and bone that looked to be bursting from their skin. Teeth that were as sharp as blades. Its eyes, which even under all its monstrous form, looked oddly recognisable

"A-Angelica?" Amy asked, her hand shakily extended like she would to a normal dog. She considered mimicking Rachel's scent on her hand but didn't want to risk confusing the animal.

"Ruff!"

Angelica's bark was deep, powerful, and angry. But the dog didn't move to attack. Amy took a breath, then another. She slowly moved forward, her hand shaking with every inch. Her fingers reached out and touched the dog's snout. Angelica remained still.

"I need to get to her, I can save her," Amy spoke in a calming tone. Her fingers stroked the dog's head. She couldn't see Rachel's condition from where she was, and her nerves were getting the best of her. More bullets shot passed her, causing her to duck down and flinch. She couldn't reach Rachel on her own. With one last breath for her nerves, she looked back to the dog and tried making eye contact.

"Angelica... Guard!"

Amy had no idea if it would work, but the word had an effect. Angelica's ears perked up and her stance changed. She moved towards Amy, allowing the girl to hide behind her. Amy yelped as Angelica nudged her along, closer to Rachel and towards the hallway. Squealer recovered from her face beating enough to spot Amy moving towards her, she raised her gun. Amy gasped again as the gun fired, but Angelica pounced, breaking from Amy to maul the woman.

Rachel was panting weakly on the floor. Her hand was clutching her side. Blood oozed through her fingers and stained her clothes. She was still breathing, Amy let out a sigh of relief at that small miracle. She moved up to Rachel and rolled her onto her back, looking over Rachel's wound.

A bullet had passed right through Rachel's lower rib, tearing right through her kidney and stomach. She'd lost a lot of blood and her vitals were dropping. She would've died long before any ambulances could arrive if Amy hadn't reached her.

"W-what are... you doing... here?" Rachel groaned, looking up at Amy. Amy was already in the process of gathering biomass from Rachel's body. "Are you... hurt?"

"What?" Amy asked, momentarily stunned by the question. She wasn't the one bleeding out and near death. "N-no, I'm not hurt. Shut up. You're the one who's hurt. What the fuck?" She couldn't believe how stupid the question was. Hellhound was bleeding out in her arms and had the gall to ask if Amy was hurt.

The bullet made its way out of the wound before it healed up itself. With the bleeding stopped Amy could focus on repairing the internal damage. Her power worked at an accelerated rate, the damaged organs were repaired and replaced far faster and more efficiently than when she worked in the hospital. Victoria had mentioned that some parahuman abilities work better when they were exposed to their trigger event, Amy made a note to tell her that they were right.

Rachel looked at her bloody hand, then felt along where the bullet had torn through her clothes. There wasn't even a scar left on her skin. Picking up the discarded bullet and looking at it with interest.

"Huh..." She mused, no doubt confused by the sudden feeling of pain, followed by the lack of it.

"Why'd you have to be so damn reckless," Amy grumbled. She could see the dogs starting to calm down. The gunshots had stopped. Most of the men had fled, were unconscious or possibly even dead. Amy didn't have the stomach to check just yet.

She helped Rachel to her feet as the taller girl looked around the wreckage of the lobby. With a sharp whistle, she called all three of her dogs back to her. Petting each of them before looking back to Amy.

"Did they hurt the dogs?" She asked, motioning towards the backrooms.

"Dogs are fine," Amy confirmed. "I think..." She added, placing a hand on Angelica. She didn't notice it during the chaos of gunfire, but she couldn't read the dog's biology while it was altered by their transformation.

Rachel gave her a nod, still looking at the bullet Amy had pulled out of her. Amy could only imagine how confused Rachel must be. As equal to how confused Amy was about her being Hellhound.

"I'm... Panacea," Amy explained. Feeling like she was introducing herself for the first time. "From New Wave."

"I know," Rachel nodded. She wiped the blood off the bullet and put it into her jacket pocket. "Thanks."

For the second time in less than an hour, Amy was bewildered.

"You know?" Amy asked. Rachel nodded again as she patted Amy on the head. "Wait. What do you mean you know? You've known I've been Panacea this whole time? Since when?"

"Cassie told me," Rachel said back bluntly. She thought to herself for a moment. "Back when we had you playing with the dogs. She was concerned you might try arrest me or something but I told her she was being stupid."

"Wait, you knew I was New Wave and you let me stay?"

Rachel shrugged. "The dogs liked you." She looked back over the rubble, including the truck that was still parked inside the lobby. "Fuck this..." A few groans came out of the recently mauled men on the floor, along with the bloody gurgles of Skidmark and Squealer. "God dammit," Rachel sighed, fishing in her jean pocket for a flip phone.

Adding to the already confusing mystery that was Rachel, Amy noticed that all of Rachel's phone contacts were a list of emojis. She moved down the 'grinning smile' emoji contact and hit call.

"Hey, Uh. Tomato R" Rachel grumbled into the phone. She winced as whoever was speaking on the other end appeared to annoy her. "I'm fine. Shut up already. Merchants shot up my fucking shelter. I need help cleaning this shit up." Amy didn't know who she was calling but could guess based on the Hellhound connection. "No, I don't need backup. The fights already done. They drove a fucking truck into my shelter. Oh really? Who the fuck is calling the cops around here? Just send someone. Yeah, Skidmark and the other cunt. They're right here. Yes, they're alive, fuck you. No, we don't need..." She stopped and looked at Amy. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine?" Amy said. She didn't have any physical damage. Emotionally, she was probably still in shock.

"No. We don't need medical," Rachel barked back into the phone. "Well yeah, they're bleeding but who gives a shit? Fine. Just hurry up." She slapped the phone shut and turned back to Amy. "Well, today is fucked. Can you tell Cassie and the others it's safe to bring the dogs back into their kennels?"

Amy was still trying to process everything that happened, but she nodded and headed to the backrooms.

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

An Hour Later

Several black sedans and a small construction crew showed up shortly after the call. Amy kept her head down and focused on calming down the scared and confused dogs as the Undersiders' mercs cleaned up the mess. If she wasn't already positive that Rachel was Hellhound, this was the final nail in the coffin.

There were whispers amongst the staff that some of the other Undersiders were spotted out the front. Namely Tattletale and Grue. Amy didn't dare peek her head out to check, partly out of fear, but mostly because she was still deciding. She sat on a stool in the kennels. Her dogs already calmed and fed. In her hand was her phone, thumb hovering over the contact from her Mother.

She could call it in. Tell New Wave where she was, what had just happened. The Undersiders were in the lobby, and New Wave were all together for a family strategy meeting. They'd be able to take them down if Amy just called them.

But then what would happen?

More fighting, more chaos. What would happen to the dogs, to Rachel?

That thought kept Amy's thumb away from the call button.

When she woke up today, the world felt so simple. Her family were the heroes, they took care of bad guys and Amy got her day far away from it. Where she got to play with her dogs and her girlfriend. Now her girlfriend was the supposed bad guy, and her family were the heroes. Heroes, that wouldn't hesitate to take care of the bad guys, regardless of the circumstances.

Her thumb hovered over her mother's name, ready to press. But it didn't.

She wasn't a hero. Not like the rest of her family. The world wasn't as black and white as it was yesterday. She was just a girl, who wanted to hang out with her girlfriend and play with her dogs. To have her own life away from the never-ending rush of cape shit.

With a conflicted sigh, she put away her phone. Instead watching as Cassie approached her holding a drink in her hand.

"How you doing?" Cassie asked, handing Amy a bottle of water.

"Fine," Amy lied, chugging the water.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"Did you know?" Amy asked in return. Cassie looked back towards the direction of the lobby and sighed.

"Yeah..." Cassie admitted. "That's why I signed up here in the first place."

"Who else knows?"

She looked around at her fellow shelter workers with fresh eyes. All of them were unfazed by Rachel's sudden change or the fact that they were currently working for an honest-to-good supervillain. It appeared that Amy was the only person who was out of the loop. Most of the team didn't seem the realise that Amy was in the dark, chalking up her shock as the aftermath of the fight. Only Cassie watched Amy with concern.

"Honestly..." Cassie started. "We all assumed you knew too. And when I found out that you didn't... well. It wasn't my place to say."

"So..." Amy continued. "She's Hellhound. Like, full-on cape. Not a rogue."

"Yep," Cassie confirmed. "Or, well. She goes by Bitch. Hellhound is just what the PRT named her. Cool name, but not hers."

Cassie smiled in her typical Rachel admiring ways and Amy noticed that Cassie was being gentle with her. The girl had started being a little catty ever since Amy and Rachel got together, Amy had expected Cassie to continue being jealous of her, regardless. But in a way it made sense. Amy's aggressive view of Taylor had lessened after hearing about her kidnapping attempt. It's hard to hate someone after they go through something traumatic like that.

Taylor…

Taylor was Rachel's friend. Her work friend. But she'd never seen Taylor at the shelter. At the time, Amy didn't give it much thought. Rachel had a second job, whatever that was, was the one she knew Taylor from. But if Rachel's second job was being an Undersider, that meant…

Amy stood up from her dazed stupor and moved back towards the lobby. Rachel was in the middle of talking to a handful of people, mainly barking orders at them. It was there, that Amy finally put all the pieces together.

"I knew it," Amy said as she marched into the lobby.

The destroyed lobby had been transformed into an impromptu construction site. The gang members that had survived the initial attack were cleared out and the place looked like it was in the middle of a control demolition instead of a recent attack. At the forefront of it, all were the large machines with their company logo on it.

"The Undersiders control Fortress Construction."

It all fell into place. Naive, nerdy Taylor was working for Fortress Construction, completely unaware that they did business with the Undersiders. It also explained how Skitter knew that the Empire was following her. She'd probably been tipped off by Tattletale or Hellhound.

The idea that Taylor possibly lied about her powers and might've been a member of the Undersiders didn't even enter Amy's head. For starters, she knew Vicky's opinion on villains and knew that there was no way her sister would ever date a villain. Amy couldn't conceive of a world where Victoria 'Glory Girl' Dallon was dating one, or even two, villains. That made her next realisation all the more painful.

Vicky wanted to meet Amy's girlfriend. Amy's girlfriend was Hellhound- uh, Bitch. The Undersider. Someone who no doubt that Vicky despised. And Amy had just invited her to a house party with Vicky and all her Ward friends.

The revelation hit Amy like a ton of bricks. She could just imagine her sister and her girlfriend arguing. Maybe even coming to blows. She imagined her mother's reaction to Rachel. The disappointment, the anger, the inevitable fight. It would ruin everything.
But what was she to do?

She didn't want her family to fight Rachel. She didn't want Rachel to go away. They were just starting to have fun, to get closer. She wasn't ready for her world to come crashing down yet.

"You good?" Rachel's words cut through Amy's spiralling panic, a hand wrapping around her waist and pulling her in.

"What?"

"You look pale," Rachel continued. "Now that the dogs are taken care of, you can go home if you want. I get that today was a lot." She pulled Amy in for a kiss, which she didn't object to. "Thanks again. That bullet was a close one."

A million questions were still buzzing around Amy's head. She could take the offer and leave. Find a safe place to collect her thoughts. Perhaps rethink her decision to call her family once she was away from this emotional distraction.

But she didn't want to leave. She'd almost lost Rachel today, and she needed to see her now. To be held by her, comforted by her. To have a reminder that they were both still there.

"No," Amy decided. "I want to stay. There's still an hour or so on my shift."

Rachel nodded with a small smile and hugged her a little tighter.

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

Dallon Household – Late Afternoon

Amy was completely drained by the time she got home. Both emotionally and physically. The long bus ride home didn't feel long enough. She spent the last hour or so helping organise how the shelter would operate while under 'reconstruction.'

Apparently, the shelter was now getting a total renovation, with approved paperwork and everything. It was a little scary how quickly they were able to mobilise. When Amy asked how it was all possible, Rachel simply shrugged and said, "Tattletale did it."

The blatant admission aside, Amy had a whole new set of questions about how the Undersiders operated. It was clear that they were no longer petty, small-time thieves. Which made Amy's relationship with Rachel all the more stressful. This wasn't some Aleph comic book where the hero flirted with a cat burglar. Amy was dating a full-on super-criminal from the second-biggest gang in the city.

She needed time to think and get her story straight. At least before-

"Amy, you're home!" Victoria cheered before pulling Amy up into a floating hug. "Today has been soooo boring. I hate PR meetings with Aunt Sarah." She whined softly before putting Amy back down.

"H-hey Vicky," Amy muttered, patting Victoria on the back.

"Don't hey Vicky, me," Victoria said with a smile before leaning in with a hushed conspiratorial tone. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" Panic spiked in Amy's chest, but she played it cool. "You made me wait a whole day to find out about your mystery girlfriend! Ah, I've been dying to find out more. So spill. Tell me about Rachel. Tell me about your girlfriend."

"M-my girlfriend?" Amy echoed, stalling for time. "Right, yes…"

What could she say?

She could lie and say that Rachel was a really sweet girl. She could make up stories about how wonderful and what a good person she was.

But Amy didn't even need to think of any lies. Rachel was a good person. At least from Amy's perspective. She cared for her dogs and the people who worked under her. She was brave, strong and kind. She was pretty, in that butch way that made Amy's heart beat a little faster. She was patient. She was a great listener and an even better kisser.

"Well?" Vicky egged her on.

She was grumpy. An angry brute who could beat someone's face in like it was nothing. She trained her dogs to hurt, maim and even kill people. She could turn them into vicious monsters. A villain.

"My girlfriend…"

"Yeah! What's she like?" Vicky asked, a smile wide on her face.

She had connections to even scarier people. Worked on the same team as god damn Skitter. Could clean up a crime scene and turn it into a construction site within an hour.

"My girlfriend is..." Amy didn't know what to say. How did one summarise the enigma that was Rachel Lindt? What would that word even be?

"Is?" Vicky asked back, trying to coax the words out from Amy's mouth.

Amy looked back to Vicky and said the first word that came to mind.

"Terrifying."

 

[Tsumegothorns]

I like it, but I can't wait till we get the inside view on the Vicky crisis.

 

[SnappingTurt3ls2]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Dradel]

Noooo, you didn't, you didn't actually do the title drop. I can't believe this. The title was about Rachel not Taylor all along. There's a new main character in town, the fic shifts focus from now on.

 

[Bladereader]

Noooo, you didn't, you didn't actually do the title drop. I can't believe this. The title was about Rachel not Taylor all along. There's a new main character in town, the fic shifts focus from now on.

Click to shrink...

I approve if this. Not enough Amy fics that are more than weird power fantasies or smut, give me cute shit.

 

[Josiador]

I approve if this. Not enough Amy fics that are more than weird power fantasies or smut, give me cute shit.

Click to shrink...

And like zero Rachel fics, which is a crime

 

[Orannis]

"My girlfriend is..." Amy didn't know what to say. How did one summarise the enigma that was Rachel Lindt? What would that word even be?

"Is?" Vicky asked back, trying to coax the words out from Amy's mouth.

Amy looked back to Vicky and said the first word that came to mind.

"Terrifying."

Click to shrink...

She said the thing!!!!!

 

[Assembler Maniac]

Vicky is gonna bust out laughing so hard when she figures out who Amy is dating she's gonna be gasping for air.

And Amy will likely be joining her when she finds out who Vicky is actually dating.

That the two of them have been dating super villains, and neither knew about it is gonna be a slow motion trainwreck until their both ROFLTAO.

 

[Gowonzu]

In another life:

"Rachel?" Victoria said, rolling the name over her tongue. "Rachel?…" She pondered on the name for longer than Amy was expecting. "That's… such a cute name! I don't think I've actually met any Rachel's before. Not personally. What's she like? Got a photo?"

"She's usually very camera shy," Amy admitted, pulling out her phone. "But I managed to get one selfie of us together."

With a growing smile, Amy turned the phone over to Vicky and showed off her girlfriend. A picture of Amy and Rachel lying on the floor while her three dogs tried to lick them.

"..."

Victoria was unexpectedly silent, to the point where Amy's anxiety forced her to speak up again.

"I know she looks a little rough," Amy explained. "She almost never smiles and most others call her a grumpy bitch. But she has a good heart, and I like her."

"B-Bitch..."

Amy laughed. "Ha. Yeah. Actually, it's kind of her nickname around there. She takes it with stride. Like, she's a mean bitch, but also, female dogs are..." Amy finally noticed Vicky's shocked face. "...Are you okay?"

"You're dating Bitch?"

Amy blinked back in surprise. "Oh, you know her?" Victoria looked back in stunned silence. "Right, of course you do. She's Taylor's friend from work."

"You know about Taylor's work?"

"Well she doesn't work at the shelter," Amy chuckled. "So I guess that means she works at Rachel's other job."

Victoria was silent for another few seconds. After some quiet pondering, she spoke up again.

"And Rachel... you like her?"

Amy didn't even have to think about that.

"I do," she said with an honest to god smile."

"And you're not bothered? By Rachel's other job?"

Amy shrugged, confused by the question. "I really don't care what Rachel does to earn a living. So long as those dogs at the shelter get fed. She's a hero in my books."

"I can't believe you're dating Bitch. Even I think that chick is scary at times." Victoria said, chucking at something Amy didn't get.

"Everyone keeps saying that," Amy said with a frown. Her smile perked back up shortly. "But honestly, she isn't scary at all. At least to me. I like her. She's cool."

"She's cool?" Victoria asked, then smiled upon seeing how happy her sister was. "Yeah. I can relate. She is cool, isn't she."

The Dallon sisters hugged. Bonding over their shared, terrifying, yet cool girlfriends. Vicky couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"What?" Amy said, still enjoying the hug.

"Oh, nothing," Vicky said, squeezing back. "Just, who'd have thought we'd both wind up dating Undersiders?"

"Wait. What!?"

Vicky froze up in her hug, only now realising her severe misunderstanding.

"Ah. Shit..."

 

[McReaperking]

for a second i thought this was a legit chapter, my heart nearly stopped

 

[Assembler Maniac]

I think the author wrote it in response to my seeing how it could end up with a great deal of laughing at the insanity of the two sisters both dating undersiders and neither knowing it, then suddenly realizing it.

Fun side piece.

Looking forward to the next actual chapter. Reveal is gonna be either epically awesome, or a slow motion train wreck. Can't wait to see which it ends up being.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Sorry. Not a new chapter. But a lil side story I just thought up.

---

"Ugh, not again…"

Lisa looked up from her mochaccino to see Victoria grimacing at her phone. Even with a tired frown, she was stunningly beautiful, Lisa didn't know how the girl managed it.

It was just another lazy weekday morning in the mall café, Lisa was taking a break from work and had invited her girlfriends to get some late breakfast with her. Unfortunately, Taylor was busy with her own stuff. But Lisa could still enjoy the rare alone time with Victoria.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked, already pulling on her power.

"Oh, nothing," Victoria said, shaking her head and putting her phone away.

Annoyed. New message on phone. No audio notification, web message. Frequently uses PHO. Easy interaction with fans. Face exhibits slight look of disgust. Uncomfortable fan interaction.

"Fans being creeps again?" Lisa asked, a little more insightfully.

Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"Psychic, remember?" Lisa joked, tapping her head.

Victoria chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Really, it's nothing. Just some dude who's being a little… stalker-ish."

Vicky tried to wave it off, but Lisa furrowed her brow at that. She knew that Victoria was downplaying just how uncomfortable the message was. And the fact that this wasn't the first time she had received such a message.

"You should report it," Lisa said, between a sip of her coffee. "It might not be much now, but that sort of stuff can escalate pretty fast, and I don't want you to get hurt because of some creep."

Victoria smiled back at her and waved the comment away again.

"Oh, believe me, I have," She said with a dismissive sigh. "It happens from time to time, I'm used to it by this point. Though this guy in particular has created three accounts to message me."

Victoria chuckled at the ridiculousness of it, but all Lisa could feel was a growing sense of concern. Her power was feeding her more information.

Concealing the discomfort. Wants to focus change to happier topic. Frequently encounters such problems. Current 'fan' has created more than three accounts. Constantly battling to block them. Constant source of stress.

"Do you want me to do something about them?" Lisa asked, putting her coffee down and giving Vicky a far more serious look.

Victoria shifted awkwardly for a moment before giving a forced chuckle.

"No, no. Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you so much," She said, though Lisa could spot the moment's hesitation. "There's not much we can really do anyway. Harassment charges are a whole thing, doubly so when it comes to online stuff and they never really stick. And the worst this guy has done is spam my inboxes, I can handle that. I don't want to give him any more attention and besides, it's not like I can even track him down in the first place."

While Lisa was concerned for her girlfriend, she also recognised that Vicky really wanted to move on from the subject. With a heavy sigh, Lisa decided to drop it. At least for the moment.

"Okay then," Lisa smiled, putting a pin in the topic and thinking of something to cheer up the mood. "Hey, did you hear about that new study about parahuman telekinesis compared to magnetism?"

Victoria's eyes lit up at that, a far more genuine smile emerging on her face.

"Yes! I was just telling my Uncle about that the other day," She said excitedly, her hand fluttering animatedly as she spoke. "The results are pretty much what I thought. See, everyone assumes that they're both just moving things with your mind, but in fact it's-"

Lisa leaned back and took a sip of her coffee, listening to Victoria spout off her opinions about parahuman physics. Lisa was more than happy to listen to Victoria's voice, even if she needed her power to understand half of what the other girl was talking about. Taylor was always the better science nerd for these topics.

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

There was a loud banging on the door.

Daniel looked up from his computer and wondered who could be at his door. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone.

He got up from his desk and moved across the room. It was a tiny apartment, made specifically for broke college students like him. He grumbled as he shuffled across the cold hardwood floor. Not enjoying any moment where he was dragged away from his laptop.

"Yes?" He mumbled, opening the door to two police officers. That woke him from his drowsy stupor. "Um? Hello? Can I help you?"

"Are you Daniel Thompson?" One of the officers asked.

"Yes?" Daniel said, still unsure as to why police were at his door.

At his response, the police shifted and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Daniel Thompson, on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cyber Division, you are under arrest for multiple breaches of the National Cyber Security Act. Including but not limited to, cyberstalking, aggravated harassment-"

Daniel's blood ran cold as the two officers moved in to grab him. "What? Hey! Wait!" They pushed him against the wall and pulled his arms behind his back. His mind was running a mile a minute, trying to process what was happening. "Is this just because I called Glory Girl bitch? She stopped answering my messages. That's not illegal!?"

"Buddy," One of the police officers said, slapping the cuffs on his wrist. "Stalking and harassment are just the start," He turned to a third officer who was moving in around them. "Seize the laptop, and all other devices," Before turning back to Daniel.

"As I was saying. You are under arrest for cyberstalking, aggravated harassment, committing identity theft and fraudulent online purchases, unauthorized use of credit card information, distributing ransomware and attempting to hack into confidential government databases."

Daniel was still struggling, trying to get away from the hands that were pushing him forward. His mind was spinning.

He didn't know how could this be happening. He didn't do anything that bad from his perspective. Certainly nothing to this degree of the charges laid before him.

"You have the right to remain silent," The officer continued as he was dragged towards the police car. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

Across the street, Tattletale sat in her car, sipping on a mochaccino. It didn't actually take that much work to pull off. A few phone calls, after her date with Vicky.

Accord got back to her the following night. He had a whole source of illicit cyber crime evidence that he needed to pawn off to an unsuspecting fall guy anyway, Tattletale simply gave a convincing argument of why it could be Daniel Thompson, AKA, RadstormGlory69.

Victoria didn't need to know what happened to her stalker. She could simply relax with the knowledge that one less creep would try and reach out to her again. And that's really all Lisa wanted from this.

Was it a little overkill?

Lisa didn't seem to think so.

Would all the charges stick?

Probably not. No one in the FBI with half a brain would think this chucklefuck could hack into government databases.

Would it completely ruin his life and keep him on a watch list for the rest of time?

Tattletale chuckled as she finished up her morning coffee. Waving goodbye as the police car drove off down the street.

Absolutely.

 

[Crazael]

A fitting response, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[SnappingTurt3ls2]

This is great, thanks for the not-chapter!

 

[McReaperking]

perfectly justified response.

 

[space turtle]

So all of the girlfriends are terrifying?
That actually tracks.

Love it.
How I wish the side story version was real though! The bluescreen as Vicky flails to try and walk back what she said.

 

[Gowonzu]

So all of the girlfriends are terrifying?
That actually tracks.

Love it.
How I wish the side story version was real though! The bluescreen as Vicky flails to try and walk back what she said.

Click to shrink...

I'd say this side story is canon.
I just dunno when in the timeline it fits.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Oh my, it's been over a month since an actual chapter. Sorry about the wait. Won't promise it won't happen again. :'D Hope you enjoy.

---

Brockton Bay Dog Shelter – Late Afternoon

"Woof," Tattletale sighed, looking at the aftermath of the Merchant's attack.

A giant truck was rammed right through the front door and debris was everywhere. Mercenaries were still pulling Merchants out and sorting them by how grievously wounded they were. Between all the dog bites and bullets, more than a few people were in critical condition, thankfully all the damage was on the Merchant's side. Doctors rushed past, triaging the worst of the afflicted, including the two mauled parahumans who led the Merchants.

"Seriously?" Grue asked, no doubt raising an eyebrow under his helmet. "Joking at a time like this?"

"What?" Tattletale chuckled. "Oh, come on. Lighten up a little. Bitch came out of this fine."

"Then why is she covered in blood?" Grue countered, nodding over towards Rachel. The girl was looking over her dogs, depowering them slowly as they healed from whatever minor battle wounds they received.

Tattletale had picked up on the worrying amount of blood that clung to Rachel's shirt. But the girl was moving around at her regular, healthy pace.

Blood loss originated from lower chest. Left side, puncture wound. Knife? No melee weapons found on attackers. Firearms. Blood pattern matches that of a point-blank gunshot. Conclusion, Rachel Lindt was shot in stomach? Impossible, Rachel Lindt still breathing, moving. Unharmed. Healed? Not her parahuman ability.

The smallest spike of a headache hit Tattletale as her power led her to an impossibility.

Blood loss could not have originated from Rachel Lindt. Parahuman Squealer suffering from blunt force trauma via fist impact. Mauled by dogs shortly after. Bloody. Conclusion, Rachel Lindt is covered in Squealer's blood after confrontation.

"Because her dogs mauled just under twenty people and then probably slobbered all over her like dogs do," She shrugged, replying to Grue's concerns. "She's fine, just a little frazzled by the attack."

Tattletale wasn't completely satisfied by her power's conclusion, as it constantly struggled with the fact that the blood should've originated from Rachel herself. Rachel however insisted that she was fine and only cared about carting off all the Merchants who had attacked her business.

She had only just got the call from Rachel an hour ago and had mobilised a clean-up crew to take care of things before the authorities took notice. A handful of calls went out about gunfire in the area. Still, when police arrived in the area, all they would find would be a busy construction crew and two drunk idiots playing with fireworks down the road.

By her estimations, they had another hour before the BBPD bothered to send a squad car this far out. Plenty of time to make Rachel's little shelter all squeaky clean.

"So, what are we doing with these two?" Grue asked, looking over to Skidmark and Squealer.

The two capes were currently receiving the best care money could buy. Not because Tattletale particularly cared for either cape's wellbeing, but because the greater cape community looked down on killing one another. It was far less of a headache in the long term to clean up their bruises rather than bury their bodies. And the Undersiders weren't interested in being labelled as killers.

"Once we've patched their wounds and hosed them down, I say we tie them up in a pretty bow and drop them off on the PRT's front doorstep?" Tattletale proposed. "Maybe write a condescending letter about how we do a better job at protecting the city than New Wave." She added with a chuckle.

"I'm sure your girlfriend would love that," Grue snarked back.

The remark hit Tattletale harder than Grue intended, although she didn't show it. Waving the comment off with a snort of her own.

"Fine then," Tattletale said a little softer. "No condescending letter."

Victoria had been through a lot these past weeks. Constantly manipulated and played like a fiddle until she was strong-armed into joining the Undersiders by her two girlfriends. It wasn't malicious in the slightest, as Lisa and Taylor did genuinely want to spend more time with their superhero girlfriend, but the guilt continued to eat away at Lisa's subconscious.

While Tattletale should've been preoccupied with what to do with the two gang leaders that had fallen into her lap, all Lisa could think about was a plan of her own, to somehow make it up to Victoria for all she'd endured.

"Yeah, that works," Grue nodded. "Can't complain about the positive PR this will bring. Alright, I'll tell the doctors to let us know when they're good enough to drop off. And we'll leave a small security detail on Bitch's shelter until things cool down again."

Tattletale shook out from her thoughts and refocused on the job in front of her. She nodded back in agreement and selected a handful of mercs to stay behind with the construction crew.

"Alright done," Tattletale said once that was handled, turning back to Grue as they made their way back to the car. She pointed a thumb back to the truck that was being pulled out of the building and loaded with incapacitated gang members. "What do we do with the rest of the Merchants?"

Grue didn't even bother looking back at the rest of the Merchants. Tattletale already knew about Brian's disposition toward drugs and the people who sold them.

"Fuck 'em," Grue grumbled.

Tattletale gave orders to have the truck and men removed. Later today, an anonymous call would be made and the Brockton Bay Police Department would stumble upon a truck full of injured men and illegal, unloaded firearms.

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

Lisa's Apartment – The Next Day

Victoria floated down and landed outside of Lisa's apartment building. She had woken up to a text from Lisa to meet her at her place whenever she was free.

Vicky was admittedly a little hesitant to respond to the message. A reaction that worried her. Not because she was reluctant to see Lisa. More so because she was already anticipating getting herself roped into more Undersiders work. And after her last experience being Deimos, Vicky needed some time to relax and catch her breath.

Even though Victoria had a whole day off Yesterday from Undersiders work, it didn't count at all, as she had spent it stuck in a family New Wave meeting. The team went over their public relations and team-building exercises.

Her Aunt and Mother spent half the meeting arguing over priorities on the field and how the public perceives the heroic team. Victoria remembered zoning out midway through as she stared longingly at the clock, waiting for the meeting to end.

The whole thing had been one giant reminder and punishment for Demios' confrontation with Brandish. And Victoria, while being considered a full-time member of New Wave now, had no leg to stand on when it came to the argument.

It was an unpleasant day. But, like all things, there was a silver lining. Namely, that her sister had revealed to be dating a mysterious woman named Rachel. Victoria had grasped onto that little nugget of information and used it as a life raft to get through the day.

Amy had completely blindsided her with the announcement. Vicky had no idea that her little sister had any interest in women, let alone was already dating one. But then again, Amy had always been a very private person. Vicky could respect her sister needing her own space and didn't push her for more details about her mysterious partner.

What little information she did get out of Amy was that this Rachel worked with her at the dog shelter, she's either very cute, beautiful or both. Most likely both, judging from how much Amy was blushing. And that the girl was also 'terrifying' in some way.

An odd choice of word to describe one's girlfriend, but Vicky could relate to the sentiment. Victoria chalked it up to some kind of joke, as Amy quickly went on to explain that Rachel was actually a kind and thoughtful woman. Describing their first date in a park after work and how Amy wasn't aware it was a date until Rachel kissed her.

Overall, Amy was rather tight-lipped about who Rachel was. Not even offering to show Victoria a photo of the girl. But Amy had made her intentions to avoid the New Wave spotlight very clear. And so, Victoria held back a barrage of questions that she wished she could ask her sister, settling for whatever scraps of information Amy gave her and the promise to meet her at Dean's pool party in the coming days.

The thought alone put Victoria in a far more relaxed mindset as she knocked on Lisa's door.

"Hey, Vicky," A voice called out as the door opened. Less emotive than Lisa's but no less happy to see her. "Come on in."

Victoria welcomed a hug from Taylor, giving the taller girl a light peck on the cheek before entering. Lisa hadn't mentioned that Taylor would be joining them, however the addition was a welcome and expected one.

"Taylor," Victoria said happily. Greeting her girlfriend with a hug of her own. "Where's Lisa?"

"Making lunch," Taylor explained, pointing a thumb behind her towards Lisa's kitchen. The smell of something frying wafted its way out of the room. Vicky guessed it was something in the Mexican cuisine due to the spices. Taylor confirmed her suspicions after shutting the door. "Hope you like tacos."

"Love 'em," Vicky replied, following her nose with a float like some kind of cartoon character. A habit that was more a joke than anything else. Often getting a chuckle out of Amy at home. The small smile on Taylor's face told her it had the same effect.

Taylor followed along, splitting off to set some plates on the coffee table in front of Lisa's couch. Her apartment was too small for a dining table. But Victoria would've been the last person to complain about that. She caught eyes on Lisa, humming a tune as she chopped a tomato, playing up the song in her head for her audience of two.

Victoria greeted Lisa with a hug from behind and a kiss of her own. She leaned over Lisa's shoulder to inspect the food being prepared, hungrily inhaling the smell.

"Oh my god, I think I'm actually starving," She joked, reaching out and grabbing a teaspoon to scoop a small taste for herself. "I didn't even have breakfast this morning," Vicky added with a whine.

Lisa smacked Vicky's hand with the same wooden spoon she was using to stir the beef mince. Her forcefield blocked the blow but still pulled her hand back out of shock.

"It's not ready yet," Lisa grumbled playfully, nudging Victoria away.

"Ooof," Vicky responded, rubbing her hand even though she didn't feel a thing. "And I thought Taylor was the grumpy cook."

"Forgive me," Lisa chuckled sarcastically, giving her an apologetic kiss on the cheek. "But no one's going to be eating spoonfuls of half-cooked food while I'm in charge. You might be invulnerable to blunt smacks, but food poisoning is another matter."

The food looked pretty cooked to Vicky, but she wasn't going to complain to her host. She sighed in defeat and pulled away from the self-appointed chef, slinking away to look for any kind of snack to tide her over. Luckily, she was met with Taylor, offering a 'Glory Girl' mug of tea and a small selection of cookies.

"Taylor, my hero," She giggled, accepting the mug as the two girls moved out of Lisa's away and relaxed on the couch. Taylor had her own mug waiting for her, sparking Vicky to ask the obvious. "When did you get here?"

Victoria had only recently woken up to her invitation to visit Lisa, yet even with her ability to fly over all the city's traffic, Taylor had beaten her and settled into what looked like her second cup today.

"A while now," Taylor responded. "Got back here a few hours ago."

"Hours?" Vicky blinked back. "Did you two have a sleepover or something? You should've invited me! I wanna come. Don't tell me stuff like that, I'll get jealous." She shook Taylor's shoulder, pouting over being left out of whatever the two girls got up to.

"No one slept over," Taylor corrected her, trying not to spill her tea. "And we did invite you."

"Huh?"

"You know?" Lisa chimed in from the kitchen. "Morning jogs with Taylor. You're always welcome to join us whenever you want, Babe."

Any residual jealousy Victoria had of missing out on time spent with her girlfriends instantly vanished as she remembered Taylor's outrageous offer to join her for runs at the crack of dawn. As much as she loved Taylor, she loved sleep too much to even consider joining the girls. Her face scrunched up in revulsion at Lisa even suggesting the idea.

Both her girlfriends chuckled at her reaction.

"Offers always open," Taylor added, patting Vicky on the leg and knowing full well she'd never take her up on it.

Vicky shrugged off the joke and relaxed on Lisa's couch. She much preferred spending time with the girls during reasonable hours of the day. However, she couldn't help but feel like Taylor was watching her, with her eyes rather than her bugs.

"What's up?" She asked, looking back to Taylor.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Taylor said in her typical, calm demeanour. "Need a refill? Or tea or cookies?

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay," Taylor nodded before adding. "What about a shoulder massage?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow at the offer but then considered it. When was the last time someone gave her a shoulder massage?

"If you're offering," Vicky chuckled, repositioning herself to lean back into Taylor.

Taylor placed her mug back onto the table and welcomed Vicky leaning into her lap. The taller girl then placed her hand on either side of Vicky's shoulders and began working them as best she could. It was gentle and inexperienced as far as massages went. Taylor had obviously never given one in her life and was just copying whatever she'd seen or read in the past. But it wasn't horrible and the thought behind it was well-intentioned.

Victoria hummed softly at the sensation, closing her eyes and relaxing into the hands kneading her. There was something nice about a massage, especially from someone you cared for. Taylor was being careful not to put too much pressure, forgetting that Victoria could easily handle it and more.

"So, what's the special occasion?" Victoria asked, looking between Lisa and Taylor. Both girls shared a glance.

"No occasion," Lisa answered with a smile. "We just thought you deserved a treat."

"Yeah," Taylor agreed. "We just wanted to do something nice for you. Is all…"

"Out of the goodness of our hearts," Lisa added.

"Oh," Victoria replied. She couldn't help but feel a little touched. "So you chose to give me a day of snacks, massages and the food I've secretly been craving all week?" Added with a heavy lace of suppression.

"Well after… y'know," Lisa admitted guiltily. "Everything that happened the other day."

"And with the whole, dragging you into the Undersiders thing," Taylor added with a guilty expression.

"Ah, so this is all one big bribe?" Victoria chuckled.

"N-no," Taylor tried to rebuttal. "Maybe?"

"It's a bribe with love," Lisa added smugly.

Victoria shook her head but smiled a little wider as she relaxed into the massage.

"Am I doing this right?" Taylor asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Mmm," Victoria hummed. "Press your thumb in more," She directed to guide Taylor's hands. Taylor followed her direction and Vicky sighed softly in approval. "Yeah, like that."

"Better?" Taylor asked.

Victoria let out a small hum of a chuckle. She was hardly going to complain about a free shoulder and neck massage. Even if it was from a complete novice. But Taylor didn't need to know that.

"Mhmm," Vicky purred, letting her girlfriend know she was doing a good job. "Top five at least."

"Oh?" Lisa chimed up from the kitchen. "And pray tell, who would the top three be?" She paused her smug question for dramatic effect, knowing full well the answer. "Dean, right? Bah, hear that Taylor? Beaten out by the Ex. We have to step up our game."

"We?" Taylor said back. "I'm doing all the work here."

Lisa gasped dramatically at the comment, throwing a hand over her chest and pretending to be hurt by the remark.

"So little credit!" Lisa huffed in a poor attempt at sounding offended. "Letting her relax on my couch while I slave away in this kitchen. But no. You're right. I've done nothing."

Taylor rolled her eyes and smiled back. Determined to improve her shoulder massaging skills through sheer willpower.

"No," Vicky snorted in amusement, not even opening her eyes. "Dean was horrible at massages," She waved the comment away. "Carlos on the other hand. Pretty sure I fell asleep on him one time."

"Wow, now I actually am jealous," Lisa teased.

Victoria laughed at the response and tried to explain. "It's not like that." She reassured the two. "He gives them out to everyone after- Uh."

"Ward activities?" Taylor finished, much to Vicky's concern.

"Anyway," Vicky cut back in, not wanting to talk about her friend's not-so-secret identities. "The two best massages I ever had were actually both from family. Uncle Neil gave me this back massage once after sparring practice. Back before I had powers. First and best massage I ever had for the longest time."

"Manpower, eh?" Lisa hummed in thought.

"Yeah," Vicky said as she melted further back into Taylor's lap, humming in pleasure. "He and Aunt Sarah first met during some physical therapy thing. So he learned how to get really good at them to impress her. Now Crystal and Eric get to reap the benefits. I was so jealous of them."

"Sounds nice," Taylor hummed. "So who's number one? Did Crystal inherit her father's talent or something?"

Victoria chuckled again. "No. God no. She's terrible. Never accept a foot massage from Crystal. She'll just tickle you until you cry," She snorted at a fond, yet mildly traumatic memory. "Actually, the best massage I ever had was kinda cheating."

"How so?" Taylor asked.

"I messed up my back in a fight last year and had to get Amy to fix me up," Victoria explained. "Nothing major, but I asked her if she could massage it after the heal and she said, 'Hold on, I have an idea.' And oh my god. I was in heaven for the next five minutes."

She felt the vibrations in Taylor's chest as the taller girl chuckled at her description.

"I don't think I can beat that," Taylor hummed.

"Like I said, it was cheating," Vicky continued. "But she only did it the once and no matter how much I begged her, she never did it again. Telling me it was an improper use of her power or some such thing. I don't know, she gets self-conscious about those things I guess."

She sighed again, Taylor was slowly getting better at this. It wasn't anywhere near professional, but it was getting there.

"Oh, speaking of which!" Vicky shot up out of Taylor's lap and spun around. "Guess what I found out yesterday."

"Amy has a girlfriend?" Lisa guessed correctly, the shock in her voice telling Vicky that her power just told her.

"Dammit," Victoria cursed as Lisa chuckled at the failed reveal. "But yes," She leaned back into Taylor and prompted to girl to continue massaging her. "Took me completely by surprise, but she dropped that bomb in my lap yesterday morning."

"Wow, good for her," Taylor added.

"Yeah, she's been pretty cagey about it all," Victoria explained. "She didn't want to tell anyone about it. Especially Mom. Could you imagine Amy being forced into a photoshoot like we did? I kinda get her worry." Victoria laughed.

"Yeah, Amy doesn't strike me as a photo person," Lisa commented. "Alright, Tacos should be ready in two minutes."

"Awesome," Vicky hummed. "And yeah, she isn't. She didn't even show me a photo of her girlfriend or anything. But she did promise me that she'd be at Dean's party, so we're all meeting her there."

"Cool, looking forward to it," Taylor said. "I wonder who she is, anyone from school?"

"No," Vicky said with a hand wave. "Amy met her at her new job. She's been volunteering at some dog shelter near the edge of town. Her name's Rachel, which I-"

There was a loud crash in the kitchen as Lisa dropped the frying pan onto the floor, spilling food everywhere and cutting Vicky off.

"Shit, Lisa," Vicky exclaimed, looking up from the couch in concern. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Fuck, I- Uh," Lisa stammered, looking to Taylor who had also gone still. "I'm f-fine. Just slipped," She lied. "I-I'll clean it up. Later. Uh, we should order something. Sorry. It's fine. Taylor can you- I gotta- Make a phone call."

"Y-yeah," Taylor nodded somewhat nervously, moving to clean up the mess. Victoria was too concerned with Lisa's well-being to notice to silent screaming look both girls shared between each other.

"You sure you're okay?" Vicky asked. "That sounded like it hurt."

"Yes," Lisa shot back with a painfully forced smile, looking away and moving to her bedroom. "I-I'm fine. Just need to check on something. Won't be a moment."

At that, Lisa speed-walked into her office and shut the door behind her.

"Well, that's not suspicious at all," Victoria remarked, staring after her girlfriend. She turned to Taylor, who had picked up the pan and was scooping up the mess of food onto the floor. She frowned and folded her arms. "Spill it."

"It's already spilled," Taylor said back drily, looking for a bin to dump the pan.

Victoria narrowed her eyes at her. She wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"What's up with her?" She asked. "You both know something. No secrets. So spill."

Taylor sighed and looked up to Vicky. Hesitant but clearly not wanting to hide anything from her.

"It's probably nothing," Taylor started as Victoria rolled her eyes. "I honestly can't see why it would be. But… There's a chance Amy's girlfriend is… Did Amy see her girlfriend yesterday?"

"Yes?"

"At the dog shelter? Yesterday?" Taylor clarified.

"Yes," Victoria huffed, getting annoyed at all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense.

"And she didn't say anything or look… beat up at all?" Taylor asked, confusing Victoria to no end.

"No, she was fine," Victoria said back. "Better than fine, she's been happy. It's wonderful. Seriously, Taylor, you're freaking me out. What's going on?"

"Bitch's shelter got hit by the Merchants yesterday," Taylor explained. "Dog shelter, on the edge of town."

Victoria stared at Taylor for a long moment, trying to comprehend the information. Finally, she responded with a choked laugh.

"Bitch runs a shelter? Like, an actual business? And you think? What?" Victoria chuckled back. "That Amy was there?"

"Like I said, it's probably nothing," Taylor said.

"You think Amy wouldn't immediately come running home screaming bloody murder if she got within a mile of Bitch?" Victoria asked again, laughing at the thought. "Not to mention the Merchants? No, Amy didn't say a thing about that," She laughed even harder. "Oh, man. You two really had me worried for a second. Tell Lisa not to freak out next time, okay? She ruined a perfectly good dish of tacos."

"R-right," Taylor sighed, trying to play off her own concerns. "I'll go order us some takeaway."

"Hurry back," Victoria giggled. "You girl's planned to bribe me all day and I'm taking full advantage of that."

"Yes yes," Taylor smiled back, picking up her phone. "What do you want?"

"Surprise me."

Victoria leaned back into the couch and pushed the ridiculous notion of Amy having anything to do with the Undersiders out of her mind. The second Lisa got back from her weird little panic attack, she was going to have her continue her massage. Maybe with both girls combined, they would work their way up to number two on Vicky's list.

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

Brockton Bay Dog Shelter – The Same Time

Rachel looked over to her phone as it vibrated on the counter. She frowned, recognising the number by the grinning emoji that flashed on the screen.

Leaning over, she almost picked up the phone when someone cleared their throat behind her.

"Stop getting distracted," Amy grumbled, smacking Rachel's hand. "We need to take this seriously."

Rachel rubbed her hand and looked back to Amy.

"It's work," She tried to argue. "I need to-"

"It can wait," Amy cut her off in an odd display of dominance. Rachel raised an eyebrow at the tone but Amy just glared back. "We need to figure out how this is going to work. Now, long or short?"

"Looks like Tattletale," Rachel said back, still looking at the phone. She knew that it was probably important. Tattletale rarely made social calls these days and Grue had hammered home how important it was to always be contactable.

"Fuck her," Amy said, waving the words away. "She a b- uh, stupid know-it-all anyway. She can wait.."

Rachel blinked at the response. It was rare for her to hear Amy speak like that but the girl had come into the shelter today with a completely different energy today and Rachel hadn't yet worked out what had caused the change. Nor did she mind it.

"True," Rachel agreed. Tattletale could be a stupid know-it-all at times. She was glad her girlfriend understood her woes without even having to bring them up.

"Now, long or short?" Amy asked again.

"Long? I guess," Rachel decided, pointing to the selection of wigs Amy brought with her. "I don't get this part? You want to disguise me for this party of yours, but why don't you just, change me. With your power thing? Isn't that something you can do?"

"Because I don't do that kind of thing" Amy sighed in frustration. "No cosmetic changes, no brains, only healing. Please don't ask me again," Rachel put up her hands in mock defeat as she rolled her eyes and tried on the long, blonde wig. Amy shook her head and gave her a darker colour. "And besides, I wouldn't change the way you look even if I did do that. I happen to like your face, idiot."

Rachel blushed and ducked her head to try on a second wig. Amy had a tendency to be blunt just like her but she still wasn't used to being on the receiving end for once. It was nice.

"Thanks," Rachel said softly, earning a blush from Amy in return.

"We just need to cover up some of your more obvious features so that no one will know who you are," Amy explained, settling on a brown wig. "Especially not Victoria," Amy added under her breath.

Rachel hummed, unsure of all this fuss about disguises. She hadn't had problems with locals seeing her face for a while now. When she first arrived in Brockton Bay, the news ran a small alert out for a possible parahuman and her mug shot ended up on the evening news. But the city was so crime-ridden, that the average idiot wouldn't remember who she was.

Still, she found herself looking forward to this. Rachel had often told herself that people were too strange and complicated. That she didn't understand them. But a small part of her had to admit, she enjoyed the occasional party the Undersiders had at their old base.

A normal night out, doing something normal people did. A normal party with her not-so-normal girlfriend. That sounded fun. So if Rachel had to wear some silly wig and outfit to make Amy happy, so be it.

"Alright," Amy said, stepping back to inspect the new and improved Rachel Lindt.

"Does it look good?" Rachel asked, looking past her and into the mirror. Between the brown wig, baggy outfit, sunglasses and incorrectly applied make-up. Rachel looked like the single most conspicuous teenager on the planet.

"Yeah," Amy said, nodding her head far too many times. "I think this will work."

 

[SnappingTurt3ls2]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[GasperVladi0]

Amy and Rachel shouldn't be as cute as they are.