Worm Au: Tale of The Spider-Woman!

[Doesntmatter]

It was a good day today.

Brockton Bay was a pretty shitty place, but when you rob a rich dude and take his room key that happens to have an outdoor pool, it becomes just a little less shitty.

He hadn't stolen the key of course, but he knew a guy who knew a guy, who's cousins friend group jumped some dude, who then told THAT guy to invite some folks over for a party.

So eventually, it came down to his friend being invited and then inviting him.

And then he invited Jin, 'cause why not?

Not like he had anything going on anyway.

So now after partying, eating, and swimming for like 4 hours, he and his closest friend sat on 2 chairs, an open cooler between them with a big bottle of sweet potato shochu in the center, glasses in their hands halfway finished, and the boombox in the back playing "Last Chance" by Something Else.

And the view?

They were sitting behind the glass railing outside, looking over the city, The sun and the moon fighting for dominance in the sky, red, yellow, and blue disappearing to the other side of the world in favor of stars and midnight.

It'd all end when the party ends, I can't exactly be here when the cops show up, but that didn't matter.

What mattered was this moment.

But as Kenta sat there, letting himself get swept up in the calming vibes of this beautiful day, he couldn't help but think of something that happened yesterday.

So he said something.

"Hey, Jin?"

"Mhm?"

"......you know Rin died last night, right?"

Jin, who had been rubbing the tired out of his eyes stopped, he stopped breathing, stopped moving, and then he jerked his over towards me with wide eyes.

Jin wasn't the most expressive guy, but when some really crazy shit happened, he acted as surprised as anyone else.

"Really?"

"....Yeah"

"How-.......

How did she....?"

Kenta took a sip of his drink, and seeing it was empty, grabbed the bottle of shochu and poured himself another.

Before he put it down, he poured Jin some more too.

He'd need it.

Kenta knew about Jin and Rin, how close they were that one night, and a couple other nights after

He knew about the late-night calls, him meeting her parents, them talking about the future.

They never were 'official', or so they said, didn't even have each other's numbers the first couple of months, let alone the same friend groups.

But anyone who knows them and had seen them together knew for a fact that in a couple years?

That was a future wife and husband, with a bunch of kids.

Now.....that'd never happen.

"Same as every day.

Empire bullshit"

"..... you're shitting me?"

"I shit you not my friend"

Kenta may sound a bit.....cruel with the way he approached this, but he had gotten too used to shit like this happening.

It was a damned shame it happened, but Kenta didn't expect most of the people he knew to make it past 20, so it was bound to happen to someone he knew again

Just chance that it ended up being Rin.

".....she didn't deserve that.

She deserved better than that"

".....yeah"

Fuckin empire man.

They were like a plague, with more power than any organization in Brockton Bay, the most capes out of any group in the bay, and a massive following alongside a terrifying amount of territory.

More and more they pushed against the police, pushing the borders between immigrant neighborhoods and Empire grounds, bringing violence to their streets and fear and and tension to their communities.

It was a nightmare.

If only there was someone that could fight back, a gang strong enough to rival the Empire, retake all that territory

If only someone-

......

Maybe he......

"You wanna start a gang?"

"Huh?

I mean- what?"

"Me, you, couple guys.

Let's do it"

"..... you are drunk"

"Yeah.

But my mind is clear"

Jin looked at me like I was an idiot, which was understandable.

Then sighed and looked down at his drink.

"Our community has enough problems without us fucking it up with drugs and-"

"That's not how I mean it!

Me, you, some guys, we'll have patrols, protect the neighborhoods, keep our people safe.

We won't sell drugs, liquor, prostitutes- nothing like that!

We just....protect our own"

"....."

"....."

"This is really stupid"

".....your cousin still got those guns?"

".....yeah.

Your's?"

I didn't speak.

I raised my glass.

Jin looked back at the battling horizon.

The moon rose higher.

Our glasses clinked together.

And the road to hell began.

"Give me a chance
Give me a chance

I want to make a last bet

Once more chance
Once more chance

I don't want to have any regrets

I don't know how far I can go though

PROLOGUE KENTA
THE BIRTH OF THE AZN BAD BOYZ​

 

[Doesntmatter]

(Don't actually know heights and all that, just threw some stuff in

Since it's an AU I think it's ok)

The AZN Bad Boys!

Lung
Kenta
Age: 17
Height: 6'1(+)
Powers: Unconscious Danger-Sense, Gradual Dragon Transformation, Superhuman Strength, Enhanced Perception, Superhuman Regeneration, Superhuman Durability

Oni Lee
Jin
Age: 17
Height: 5'6
Powers: Teleportation/Cloning, Enhanced Reflexes, Weakening Apathy, Weakening Morality

 

[Doesntmatter]

I heard them, our parents Cheering in the background.

The Childhood sweethearts finally
Sealing the ever-so-long "will they won't they" with a kiss in the doorway

As they pulled away, Emma felt a smile curling on her lips, one that mirrored Taylor's own.

"See you in a while, crocodile"

She said with a wink, cringing and blushing right after as her family laughed behind her.

Her sister being the loudest.

In response however, Taylor simply smiled, and pecked her on the corner of her lips, setting her friend's, now girlfriend's, cheeks aflame.

"See you later, Alligator"

She said with a wink, before turning around and practically skipping her way to the car.

Their parents exchanged goodbyes, shit-eating grins never leaving their faces even as the Heberts drove off until they couldn't be seen.

Emma stared longingly down the street minutes after they'd disappeared beyond the horizon, and only then did she begrudgingly close the door where her mom and dad stared with knowing looks, eyebrows raised above their hairlines and grins infuriatingly smug, but before daddy could embarrass her any further mom made good use of her title of favorite parent and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Welp!

We'll leave you to it!

Alan and I will go and do the dishes!

Come on!"

They then dashed around the corner into the kitchen, and Emma pretended not to hear them laughing with a sigh.

As she sat on the couch, arms folded on her legs, she slowly turned at the sound of her sister dropping next to her.

"..."

"..."

She stared at her sister, who was leaning on her hand looming over her with a smile.

Not a smirk, not a grin, just a smile.

Which was so much worse.

"..."

"..."

Emma waited for the other shoe to dro-

"Sooo-"

There it is.

"Let's go down the list, shall we?"

"I hate everything about this"

"She's cute as a button-"

"I'm glad your last relationship failed"

"Is crazy into literature- which I can tell you from experience is just the best-"

"You really, really shouldn't have kids.

Or adopt for that matter, I'm convinced that whatever you have isn't genetic"

"And those glasses?

Need I say more?"

"..."

Emma didn't dignify that with a response, but her darkening cheeks were all the answer her sister needed as she laughed and draped her arm over her shoulder.

"So, one more time.

Cute, Smart, gonna be Tall-"

"You never even-!"

"All rolled into one adorable little package, huh?

Don't get much better than that!

Face it Em's!

You just hit the-"

"EMMA!

Answer the question!"

"Huh?"

She muttered groggily, blinking her eyes open and looking across the room at Sophia in the armchair, glaring over at her.

She was pulled from her reminiscing of old times as she remembered where she was.

Friday Night, her parents were out on a date and Sophia got the key to the liquor cabinet.

It was, of course, to celebrate Sophia's capture of the Villain Victor, she'd gotten the jump on him while he was busy fighting the others, right in the back of the neck with a tranq arrow.

He'd of course be broken out by next week but that didn't matter, she kicked ass!

"Wha'd I miss?"

Emma said drunkenly, slurring her words as the world swirled around her.

"Y-yurr always doin' this!

Neverrr f-fuckn listenin!"

"Soph' your drunk"

"S-so are you you-.....you.....r-red haired bitch!"

"What does my hair have to do with anything!?"

"EVERYTHING!"

Before Emma could start screaming back, Madison jumped up off the floor and face-planted on Emma's bed, pulling her arms up from off the ground and throwing them over her legs to climb up over them and fall face down, turning her face in Emma's direction with drool sliding down her cheek.

Her first attempt at speaking was interrupted with a choke, letting loose a loud, obnoxious burp afterward before trying to cutely mutter a "Scuse me"

It...it didn't work.

Thankfully we all ignored her slip up and she explained why Sophia was being a pissy bitch.

"She was asking that if you were a cape, what cape name you'd have if you were a cape.

.........zzzzz"

She stuttered out, before falling unconscious.

"Oh?

S' that all?

Why didn't she just say-"

"Ginger's have no souls!"

"FUCK YOU SOPHIA!

....but yeah tha's a pretty good question

I'd...."

Emma paused as she thought, briefly slipping away again into her head.

And maybe it was to spite Sophia because of her previous comment, or maybe it was because of her very faint...feelings, toward Taylor from back then.

But at that time she couldn't think of a name that fit better.

"I'd be...."

PROLOGUE EMMA
JACKPOT​

 

[Doesntmatter]

Jackpot
Emma Barnes
Age: 16
Powers: Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Stamina, Durability (Mutant Growth Hormone)

Didn't negatively effect her until [??????] tampered with it, causing it to break down incorrectly in her body, leading to her inevitable "retirement"

 

[Doesntmatter]

It happened again.

She'd been blacking out a lot recently, and more and more frequently she'd find herself standing in the middle of an alleyway, or lying down in a dark room, usually near the hospital.

One thing she could tell you is that every time she woke up after a blackout she felt oddly... relieved.

Like she'd just decompressed every stressful thought and ache out of her body.

It had honestly done wonders for her personal life.

For one she was interacting with her dad more, even helping him remember to take his pills, or picking some up whenever he ran out and was too busy or tired to do it himself.

He's been happier, more active.

Carol was still a massive bitch but she'd become easier to bare, and since she'd started her new....habit, she'd put on the kid gloves with her and ACTUALLY started acting like a mother.

......that's a bit of a stretch but a win is a win.

And Vicky?

She still.....wanted her.

But it was more controlled now, less like a stalker obsession and more like a gay fan at a Lady Gaga concert.

Which was....admittedly still pretty bad but again, a win is a win.

Don't really know how to explain it, but it just feels like everything's been put under a different lens, all the bright colors of the world were dimmer, less blinding.

She was smiling more, laughing more.

And she didn't absolutely despise Dean anymore so I guess that's a win too.

But above all else, there were times when she DIDN'T hate herself too, so that's definitely a win.

For once in a long time things felt like they were looking up.

And they'd be a whole lot better once she was out of this fucking alley and eating ice cream on the couch with Vicky and pops

....And maybe Carol too.

"......Hey Vick.

It happened again, pick me up?

......No I'm not paying you, stop asking!"

?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?

[......QUERY?]

[......]

[QUERY?]

[Hm?]

[What is it?]

[.....PURPOSE?]

[Oh, that?]

[Don't worry]

[Right now we're just having a bit of.....]

[Fun]

PROLOGUE AMY/?
PICK ME UP​

 

[Doesntmatter]

Amy Dallon
Panacea
Age: 17(16½?idk)
Height: 5'6(If different tell me, cuz idk)
Powers: Biology Manipulation, Biological Awareness, Prodigal Understanding of the Human Body

Dr -------
?????
Age: ?
Height: 5'6
Powers: unknown

 

[Doesntmatter]

Last 2 tomorrow!

Ask questions if you have any and I'll answer either tonight or later!

 

[Doesntmatter]

"So then I was like: that's my wife!

She just hasn't had her coffee yet!"

The rest of the group laughed, loud and uncaring as they walked down the sidewalks of Brockton Bay.

It was one of the less pretty neighborhoods in Empire territory but it was still home, and it was their job to patrol it to make sure none of the other trashy gangs or undesirable's of the bay were skulking around, lowering the property value.

But in reality, where they were, there wasn't much activity around these parts.

Maybe the occasional robbery or scam, a stray dealer here or there, the usual bullshit.

But even though dealing with the occasional teenage 'entrepreneur' and his 'crew' was fun, that wasn't the best part.

The best part was dealing with the absolutely lovely sight that was, a darkie nobody thinking they could just live on our turf without paying the consequences.

"-oung youth, yo rockin the gold tooth, 'lo goose, only way I begin the G off was drug loot!"

It was one of the big ones, hoodie, sweats, gloves, and shoes covering him head to toe to badly try and hide their gigantic form.

He was probably an NBA player or something.

He sat on a crate in front of one of Empire-owned convenience stores, moving to the rhythm of a song by 'Wu-Tang Clan', and his foot tapping against the ground lightly at the pace of the song's beat.

He was so carefree, just sitting there as if he owned the place, it was practically their Solemn duty to go over and teach him a lesson.

When one of them pointed it out, the group shared smiles and walked over, casual as can be, smiles bright, arms in their pockets.

"Yo brotha'!

Know what hood you in?"

The ringleader called out to him, making the large man stop and shift his head towards them.

And he kept his sights on them....before turning away and turning up his music louder.

At that point the not-so-patient men were getting angry, so they walked over and surrounded him, but they were still ignored.

So then one of them kicked him in the back.

With a solid thump, his foot landed against the large man's back, but instead of hurting the man, it hurt him.

The man was so solid that the guy that kicked him, kicked HIMSELF away, it was like he'd struck a living cinderblock.

At that point, only the one who kicked him realized something was wrong.

The others weren't as smart.

"Yo, young thuggin!

We don't want you and your filthy ghetto trash music in our neighborhoods.

Take your negro spirituals back to the Bronx, or wherever the fuck you came from.

If you know what's good for ya"

The ringleader said, looming over the black man and trying to intimidate him.

It didn't work.

He continued to bop and tap away carelessly.

At that point, the second follower began to realize something was wrong.

So he looked around at his environment.

There wasn't a single person in sight, it was clear, like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind clear.

And when he looked at the convenience store through the window, he saw the Asian store clerk they'd strong-armed into paying "protection fees" glaring out at them with disdain.

Probably because they'd beaten up his nephew last week.

But besides that, the way he looked at him set something off in him, but he was too late.

Because unfortunately, the ringleader wasn't as smart as he was.

Because he, being the genius that he is, decided to kick the man's boom box out of his hand.

Only it didn't move out of his hand, it didn't move at all.

But the music did stutter.

So the large black man sighed, pressed the pause button, and finally looked up at him.

"Ay' listen I ain't the one to fuck wit', y'heard?

Go on back to whatever trailer park or cabin you came from 'fore you get hurt, y'heard?"

He spoke with a deep voice.

But it wasn't just deep, it was like he was speaking through half a ton of gravel from inside of a tomb, it had an echo, like he was locked up in a ravine, completely unnatural.

And then it clicked

The silence, the pissed-off chink, the skin that felt like stone, the brute strength, the voice

Oh shit he was A-

"CAPE!" "CAPE!" "CAPE!"

They shouted out simultaneously, jumping away the one who'd kicked him and the ringleader seeking out knives and guns respectively.

They all pointed their weapons at the cape, who sighed deeply and looked up, just barely showing his shadowed face, the only part of his skin revealed in the light being his chin, that showed a flash of orange.

"N*gga if you fuck up my jacket I swear-"

BANG!

A shot sounded out, the bullet piercing through his hoodie, making a loud, rocky thump against the man's chest, who shot a look down and muttered curses under his breath.

The bullet slid off, smoking and smashed.

He placed his boombox to the side and stood up-

....holy shit.

They'd known he was large, but this?

This was insane.

They couldn't help but stare in terror as he rose up higher.

Higher.

.....higher.

Until eventually, he capped out, pulling off his hoodie and showing off his orange stone-like skin with crevices and cracks all through them

He had red eyes, thick eyebrows, and a large nose.

He cut a menacing frame as he took a step forward, and pulled on his hoodie, looking down at the hole and growling.

"This was my favorite hoodie...."

"W-we can buy you a new one?"

"....nah, you can pay me back a different way.

Grit your teeth"

"G-grit my-"

His head snapped back, a fist passing over it, his body slamming against the ground right after.

The other 2 tried to run away, but he was way too fast for his size and yanked them both up by their collar.

The ringleader screamed like a little girl and shot him in the face, while the guy who kicked him earlier desperately tried to slash at him with his knife.

The cape didn't budge, he bit the gun out of the man's mouth and spit it to the side.

Then he tossed the guy who kicked him earlier lightly

'Lightly' to him being throwing the dude about 15 feet away onto the concrete floor, absolutely winding him and making him writhe on the ground in pain, wheezing and trying to scream, but not having anywhere near enough air to do so.

The cape then slowly looked over to the other guy in his hand and clenched his collar tighter.

"U-u-um, c-could I perhaps p-persue you to l-let me g-go?"

".....You tryna fuck me, dude?

Cause I ain't-"

"W-what!?

No!

I aint no Fagg- AAAAAAAAAAaaaaa!"

He was cut off as he was thrown up about three or four stories high.

As the cape walked towards the man he tossed earlier, the ringleader landed behind him with a sickening crunch.

Not dead, but he'd really really wish he was.

He ignored him for now though, instead, he crouched over the wheezing man, patted him on the back, and waited the 2 minutes it took him to regain some semblance of balance.

Then he took that from under his feet and yanked him off the ground so fast he got whiplash.

"Ay, look at me, okay?

You lookin'?"

It took the white boy a second to regain his bearings, but when he did, he fearfully looked up at the man and nodded his head with a whimper.

"Aight' then listen up closely, don't wanna have to repeat myself.

Imma be hangin' around here, y'heard?

Mr Hashi ain't paying the Empire shit no more, Y'heard?

Your friends will wake up later, get yo bitch ass up, and spread the word.

Y'heard?"

The white man nodded again, and the cape let him go, dropping him like a bag of bricks and turning away to walk toward the convenience store.

Before he went inside, the E88 thug spoke up.

"W-who are you?"

The cape stopped, looked over at him, and glared.

"Call me whatever, just spread the word"

With that debacle over he ignored his existence and entered the store, looking through the window with the owner to watch him run away with his tail between his legs.

".....Thank you"

"Mhm"

"If there's any way I can repay you...."

"There is actually"

He turned to the owner and stared down at him, a tense air filling the shop.

The owner cowered, as he realized he'd swapped out one devil for anoth-

"I want free magazines every time I walk in here

I'll pay for this one though"

He slapped a 20 on the counter and took a sports magazine with Anthony Joshua on it, a bag of classic chips, and a Coca-Cola.

"Keep the change"

He rumbled to the stunned store owner, whose eyes glittered with tears, filled with nothing gratitude, and relief.

Then he walked for the door.

However, before he leaves, the owner stops him.

"What's your name?"

The cape stops, looks over at him, and smiles.

"Benjamin.

Benjamin Laurents"

"....."

The owner looked on with a blank expression.

Before smiling warmly and bowing deeply

"Come again!"

He says joyously, and Ben laughs, walking out and throwing his hoodie back up, telling the old man that he could bet on it.

And as he walked off into the distance, boom box back on his shoulder, he played his music, went home, read his magazine, and had a good day

And that?

That was the day in the life of the soon-to-be fourth member, of the Fantastic Four!

"But as the world turns I learned life is Hell
Livin' in the world no different from a cell!

Everyday I escape from Jakes givin' chase, sellin' base

Smokin' bones in the staircase!"

PROLOGUE THING
Y'HEARD?​

 

[Doesntmatter]

"So what happened at school today?

......Wanna tell me?"

Friday, it was a beautiful day outside, birds singing, sun shining, grass glistening, it was wonderful, fantastic even!

Im Annette Hebert, an English teacher at a college located in Brockton Bay.

Wasn't the best of places but it was a step above Philly, and a step below New York.

So all in all, not bad!

And life?

Life was good.

I had a good job, good students, a semi-clean, organized home, and great books to read, with new ones coming out every year.

Great friends who have my back.

A great, handsome, strong, and passionate husband who'd do anything for her, just as I would for him.

And a beautiful, intelligent daughter who's.....usually kinder.

I'd been called in earlier to the principal's office because of an incident with a group of students.

It was....brutal, for their age.

Kids could be cruel.

But Taylor didn't participate in the bullying, wasn't even the one being bullied, in fact, she wasn't involved at all.

And that was the problem.

According to the teacher, while a few of the older students were beating the absolute shit out of a kid around Tay's age, who'd left in a stretcher, Taylor just....watched.

She stood aside, watched that little boy get beaten in that corner, and didn't do anything.

Didn't say a word, didn't try and stop them, didn't go tell a teacher.

Nothing.

And that was the problem.

"Taylor I don't wanna have to ask again, please"

I urged, looking at her through the rearview as she stared out the window wordlessly, ignoring me.

"Tay, this really isn't like you.

I wanna get to the bottom of this, but I can't do that if you don't help me.

.....Please?

I'm......I'm worried"

That seemed to get to her, her hands that were resting on her lap curled inward, and her lip wobbled as she tried to keep whatever it was she was hiding from me under wraps.

It was a tense few minutes, until eventually she turned to me, and spoke.

"It wasn't my business"

That.....wasn't what I expected to hear from her.

"....oh jeez, Tay.

Cmon, I need more than that"

I wish I had a cup of win-

I mean.....' mommy juice', to get through this conversation.

Cause I Could tell this wasn't gonna be fun.

"It just wasn't my business.

Not my fault he got what was coming to him"

"Ok, so that's why.

What did he do to you, huh?

Is this that one kid, what was his name.....

Eugene?

It's Eugene, isn't it?

One who pulled Emma's hair a while ago?"

When Taylor scowled and went back to looking out the window again, I knew i got her again.

Now to find out.....

"Ok, so if I remember correctly, Eugene is a bit of a brat, right?

He pulled Emma's hair, tripped you down the hall, made fun of your backpack, stuff like that, right?

Right?"

As I prompted her she nodded, and in return I nodded and put my eyes back on the road.

Gotta remember to keep my eyes on the road.

"Right, ok.

So to me, that stuff is annoying.

But even then, he didn't deserve that-"

"He messed with my friend!"

She said, yelling out and surprising me, forcing me to have to briefly realign the car.

She was just FULL of surprises today.

"And that's true, yes.

I wouldn't blame you if you got upset, fought back, maybe yelled at him a bit.

But just....sitting by?

Watching those boys do THAT to him?

And overrrr......what?

Schoolyard taunts?

Eugene is a bit unruly, but that's only because of the situation he's in.

You've seen where he lives, Tay

And who he's living with.

Now I'm not saying to just let him pass, but you could've at least thrown him enough of a bone to tell a teacher!"

".....that's not my problem"

She said cruelly.

Too cruelly.

Me and Danny, no matter how many times we may have clashed with others, each other, and all things else in between, had NEVER taught Taylor to be cruel.

Not like this.

So whatever that was, she's either watching too much TV, or she learned it from somewhere else close.

Couldn't be from Emma, she was as sweet as they come.

Couldn't be from the dock workers, most of the ones close to Danny weren't like that, and the ones that were like that were either kicked out a long time ago or kept far away from their home life with a 10-foot pole.

Maybe it was school?

"Where'd you learn that from?"

"H-huh?"

"Please don't do that, you heard me the first time.

Who'd you learn that from in school?"

There was a longer silence than ever before as she tried to come up with excuses.

I could see it in the way her face changed it was a mix of mine and her dad's whenever we got our hands in the cookie jar and tried to think of reasons as to why.

Eventually, she stopped trying and looked defeatedly at the ground before speaking just barely above a whisper.

"......Eugene said it to me"

oh.

That explains it.

"Give me the story, I need more then that"

"...."

Slowly, she dragged her backpack towards her from the other seat, opened the front of it, and pulled something out.

......is that-

"It was supposed to be a flute.

I heard you saying that the one you got from a long time ago was getting old and that it was starting to fade away.

S-so I spent 2 weeks learning to make a new one"

"Is that why we couldn't find that one knife?

....or why you kept getting scratches and splinters on your fingers?"

"....mhm.

I-i watched a bunch of video's online that taught me how to do it.

It sucked, and by the end it was covered in bloodstains, but I did it.

An actually working flute!

It worked as good as your flute did before it started getting old!

And I was running to show it off to Emma!

I was calling her, laughing, excited.

And then...."

I put the pieces together and nodded, watching small tears prick at my daughter's eyes, spilling down her cheeks a second later.

"He tripped you"

".....He frickin tripped me"

She looked directly into my eyes and she said these next words with nothing but contempt.

"I landed on the flute I put everything I had into, I had bruises on my knees, my hands were full of broken wood and splinters, and I looked up at him and asked him to help me.

To please help me put it back together.

And all he did was look down, smile, and say....

'Not. My. Problem'

So when Something bad happened to him, and he reached out to me, begged me for help.

......I said the exact. Same. Frickin. Thing"

.....

This was one of the harder parts of parenting.

Because a very, very loud part of me told me to stop the car, pull over to the side, take Taylor out, and just hug her for all she was worth.

But another side, the right side, told me something else.

That in this moment, I needed to be understanding.

Compassionate.

....and tough.

That was the downside of parenting.

You have to be..... honest.

"Taylor, I need you to listen when I say this, ok?

Thank you for making me a new flute, I really appreciate it, and I'm so sorry that all your hard work went down the drain.

Me and you can fix it together at home, no matter how many splinters and scratches we have to go through"

The way her gloomy face brightened up made my heart hurt.

Because I knew that what I had to say next would ruin it.

".....but a flute being broken isn't equal to what you let happen to that boy"

"....What?"

Her voice was icy now, she sounded exactly like me whenever I was pushed just a bit over the edge.

The resemblance was uncanny.

"I love that you did this for me.

But I cant as a reasonable adult tell you that it was right for you to just sit there and watch him suffer like that.

A flute, no matter how expensive or 'priceless', isn't worth a 13 year old boy getting brutalized by an entire group of kids older than him.

He messes with you a lot, he bullies you way too much, trust me I know, me and your father don't like it either.

But that doesn't give you the right to do what you did.

Or rather, didn't do"

The car became thick with tension as she stared a hole into the rearview, eyes so intense that I almost looked away.

But I didn't, I could see that she could understand, but from the conflict in her eyes, I could tell she didn't want to understand.

"T-that's not the same thing!"

"It's exactly-"

"NO ITS NOT!"

Ok so were screaming now, great.

"Taylor-"

"HE PUSHED ME!

HE RUINED YOUR FLUTE!

AND THEN, THEN EVEN THOUGH HE MESSED ME UP, HE SAID IT WASN'T HIS PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HIS, PROBLEM CAUSE HE TRIPPED ME AND- AND-

ITS NOT THE SAME!"

My fingers tapped against the steering wheel as I listened to her yell her little heart out, irritation bubbling up in my stomach.

"Ok, I made a mistake.

It isn't exactly the same, but the point is-"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT HE GOT BEAT UP!"

"You're missing my point-"

"NO"

I kept trying to explain it to her again.

But every time I spoke she stonewalled walled me.

6 minutes we went like this, me trying to help her understand, and her yelling over me repeating practically the same thing over and over, again and again, louder and louder.

And at some point, it became a bit too much.

"It doesn't matter, ok!?

The flute in comparison to what they did to him, what YOU let them do to him. Doesn't. Matter!"

"I DIDN'T TELL THEM TO DO ANYTHING!"

"That's not the-"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT"

"It technically-"

"YOU'RE BEING DUMB!"

"Taylor that's enough-"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST UNDERSTAND ME!?

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO STUPID!

HE DESERVED IT!"

"How!?

What exactly could he have possibly done to you, to have his ribs busted, his eyes swollen shut, his teeth leaking out of his mouth!?

Because he tripped you up a hallway once or twice!?

Because he made fun of your Miss Militia backpack!?

Or because he broke a flute and didn't say sorry!?"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I'M AT FAULT-"

I don't know why that set me off so badly.

Maybe it was because we were already heated up.

Maybe it was because of how stubborn she was being.

Or maybe it's because I remember those exact same words coming from....her mouth.

But it woke something up in me.

Something furious.

And I yelled louder than I ever had.

So loud scared her....and myself.

"BECAUSE YOU ARE!"

I was angry.

And while the words that came out my mouth were something I agreed with, I couldn't help the feeling of disgust in myself run through me as she stared at me with a look of pure pain.

It hurt me to see her that way so much that I became too ashamed to look her in the eye.

My eyes went back to the road.

And they stayed there for a long time.

But the silence became too heavy, it became hard to breathe, and words started to slip from my mouth that I didnt even mean to say.

"T-Taylor, I know that you don't think it's your fault.

But t-the thing is-

Y-you just can't....."

I tried to stutter out the words, but when I looked back at Taylor, I could tell exactly what she was thinking.

She didn't want any excuse.

Didn't want the watered down version.

She wanted the truth.

And she wanted it now.

I thought I'd tell her this when she was at least 16, but sometimes you gotta improvise.

One hell of an improvisation though.

"....."

"....."

".....ugh.

Taylor, I wanna tell you something really important to me, something I learned a very long time ago.

When I was younger, bout 6 or 7 years older than you I..... was in a gang.

....led by a cape named Lustrum"

Her eyes widened, letting loose a loud gasp and pointed her shaking hand at my face.

"Y-you were a criminal!?"

My eyes widened, and I shook my head rapidly.

"N-no!

I was just......yeah, I guess I might as well have been, huh?"

I chuckled bitterly.

This was a story I hated to share, very few people knew about it, and I hated to repeat it.

I was ashamed of the past I had, but I knew in order for Taylor to learn the same lesson I did, to not one day become someone who'd look in the mirror and see someone they hate, I had to get my point across.

No matter what.

"I was young, stupid, arrogant, thought I knew better than every adult in the world 'cause I knew what was hip at the time.

So one day, be it because I thought she was hot or because she was talking about things I agreed with, things that needed to be said, I started hanging out and hooking up with her, right?

At the time her name was Lucille Foreman, and she was about to become a villain called Lustrum.

And I.....

I basically was her event organizer.

When she started talking around with the other girls I was there to see her build up an army.

Women who were treated unfairly felt seen, women who saw how much less appreciated they were than their male counterparts felt worshipped, and women who were sexually assaulted, be it by strangers or in some cases friends and family.....

They found someone who understood them.

And so we grew, we got invited to parties that started like normal parties and ended in either rounds of applause, or....sticky.

Another girl joined in, and 2 became 3, and she eventually after a few weeks of hanging around revealed that she was a cape, lustrum revealed the same, which at the time i hadn't known.

And that's when it got crazier.

One party became 2, 2 became 5 and 5 became 18, all in just 6 months.

By that point, we had at least 6 capes and a thousand other women across the city who would come to us.

I got busier, I set up all the parties, get-togethers, reunions, whatever the hell you wanna call them.

And then we had our first protest.

It went well, we got new followers, we got stronger, and we went from just our city, to the rest of the state, and then another, and another, and so on and so forth.

Things weren't bad, even if Lustrum was a bit enthusiastic at times, sometimes when she was drunk or high she'd say something I, as an edgy teenager, thought was funny, when in reality it was just her saying wicked shit with a laugh in her voice.

And things only got better when I met this one guy at a library.

He was taller than me, had kinda shaggy hair, wore some glasses, and he was kind.

Your father showed me a different side to men that I'd forgotten at the time, given the fact that my dad, your grandfather, wasn't exactly present in my life, it was good for me to experience positive masculinity from.

It also helped that I was bisexual, just hadn't realized it yet.

He showed me compassion, kindness, intelligence.

So I guess in a way if I hadn't met him, then I probably wouldn't have started to grow a bit distant from Lustrum, at least a little bit.

But even when I grew a bit distant from Lucille, and we stopped hooking up and didn't talk as much, I still loved her, and she still cared about me the same.

Then.....the castrating incident happened.

8 men dragged out of their homes in front of their families, kidnapped and placed in front of town hall, hands bound up on poles, feet barely touching the ground, testicles ripped out like pigs.

It was disgusting.

Yeah, they were politicians against Trans rights and the such, and don't get me wrong, they were assholes, so I could've excused a quick ass whooping, or a couple scratches here and there, maybe even more.

But that?

That was barbaric.

It turned half of lustrums gang's stomachs over, mine included.

We lost support, sponsorships, followers, damn near EVERYTHING.

But when I asked Lustrum what she thought?

She just.....didn't seem to care.

And then?

It got worse.

She didn't back off, she doubled down.

Didn't try to call out the women who'd victimized those men, but used them as an example of what to do against those in power that disagreed with the movement.

That tried to keep us down.

She was shepherding chaos, and she didn't even care.

Then, 4 weeks later?

It happened again.

But this time they weren't politicians, weren't even anti-protesters.

No, it was 4 regular men you'd find off the street, dragged to city center, tied up, stripped, and castrated.

But it wasn't in another state across the nation, this was HOME.

My home, good ole' Brockton Bay.

And I tried to bring that up to her, and I got the same fucking response.

We argued for a looong time, some of the girls who joined the inner circle tried to interject, but one glare from me and they shut their traps, cause none of them were there as long as I was.

And even with as long as she'd been there, the first cape who'd joined us had NEVER seen us argue like that.

Hell neither had I!

It was......intense.

By the end of it, I walked out in the rain, they tried to stop me, some tried to grab me, but I was done, so I left.

I stayed with Danny for a while and was back in a week, but the damage was done.

She never saw me the same way, nor did I her, but she still thought she could trust me, and I thought I could change her mind.

....boy was I wrong.

For a few weeks I'd talk to other members of Lustrums movement, those that were like-minded and also thought that the gang was going in a direction we didn't like.

One of those girls happened to be my future best friend, Zoe Barnes, but that's a story for another time.

So after getting myself together, doing a shit ton of research, making my arguments, I went to speak to Lustrum to try and convince her to either swerve the gang down a new way or to disband completely.

Yeah, I know it was farfetched, but I was hopeful.

But when I got there I accidentally listened into a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear.

And it was.....it wasn't good, Tay.

They were talking about the castration incidents, but not in the way I wanted them to.

They were thinking of bringing it even closer home than I thought they would, they were doing it at an event Lustrum had asked me to set up several days prior.

They were gonna have thousands of followers watch them commit an unredeemable crime.

It was terrifying the way they talked about it, these girls who were so lively and determined, these girls who I'd known for so long, who id seen transform from girls into women, were plotting like gangsters and crime lords, like on some Marquis type shit, y'know!?"

I sighed as I took a break, my breath heavy and shaky like I'd just run marathon, bringing my tear filled eyes back to the road as i tried to regain my posture.

This was a lot, but I had to get through this.

No matter how much these memories hurt.

I brought my eyes back to my daughter's, and we locked back in.

"But the worst part is, I could hear Lustrum just allowing herself to be swept up in it all.

She wasn't as excited, or as cruel, or as bloodthirsty as the other ladies.

She was just....bored.

Just passive.

And when they told her this plan, she said 'yes'

Not yes as in 'YES!

LETS DO IT!

FUCK THOSE GUYS!'

But yes as in 'yeah sure whatever you want'

Can you fucking believe that?

She didn't show support, didn't show care, didn't even take time to think about it.

She could've ended it right there, but instead all she said was 'do what you think is necessary', as if she weren't the leader, as if she didnt know how much impact her words had.

As if she didnt know that she wasn't 'Lucy, the college bad girl who liked to sleep around with girls and talk about the political state of the world' anymore, but Lustrum.

THE lustrum, the lady who flipped over a police car because they called her Trans friend a fa**ot, the lady who'd meet up with women across the world and help them recover and share their experiences with rape and sexual harassment, the lady who united women around America to establish the largest feminist movement in human history.

She was an icon, a few would call her a messiah, that was the REACH she had.

She had POWER.

But when it mattered most?

When it could potentially change the worlds entire perception of her?

She dropped the ball.

And you know thinking back after all these years, maybe she didnt realize how people saw her, how important she was to the entire country.

She was just a kid when it all started, how could she have?

But there comes a point where you have to take responsibility.

And Lustrum.....just couldnt do it fast enough.

Anyway, I heard them talk to Lustrum about trying to convince me to attend or to support this, but at that point?

I knew I had to do something.

Because if I didn't, after this they might not just castrate the next guy, they'd kill him.

So, I stopped them, because no one else could.

Every one else in the know how we're either as impassive as lustrum, or more zealous to the cause then even lustrum herself.

But they didn't have the connections I did, they didn't have the POWER, the RESPONSIBILITIES I'd been bestowed.

So I made a few calls, got a few numbers, and 2 days before the meetup, I called the head of the prt and told them everything I knew.

What, where, when, why, how, and who.

But I couldn't just stay out of it, I had to see it through to the end, so I went to the meeting, and stood backstage with lustrum.

She'd talked to me the day previously and tried to convince me, instead I convinced her I fell for her bullshit.

But as they were about to get on stage, Sirens blared, cars pulled up, Heroes landed down from the sky both from and not from Brockton Bay lined up, and told everyone inside to surrender.

Lustrum tried to remain calm, to organize all her capes and followers to either escape or fight.

But when she finally turned to me and saw me crying?

She understood everything in an instant.

She got away that first time, took me with her, and man was she angry.

She'd never hurt or hit me, never even gotten close, but the things we said to eachother?

Hurt more then any punch or slap we could've ever given eachother even to this day.

She asked me the exact same thing you did, 'why do you think IM at fault?'

And I screamed at her exactly why, and I didnt stop screaming until she shut up, and I lost my breath, my voice ragged and scratchy.

We didnt say anything else after that.

I went home, and she went...somewhere else.

......she and a few other capes were sent to the birdcage later.

And it was because of me"

My eyes never left Taylor's, I had been driving on autopilot the entire time as I finished the rest of my story.

The silence that filled the car was strangling, I could feel a pressure being lifted and applied as I spoke.

It was relieving to get that off my chest, but it also added a much greater weight, because I'd hit the point of no return, what I'd say to her now would change her life forever.

But I couldn't let it stop me now, I had to get her to understand, or else one day there'll be a time where she has to learn the hard way, just like I did.

So one last time, I looked my daughter dead in the eye, I took a breath, and hardened my heart.

Time for the big finale.

"Taylor"

".....yes Mom?"

"I want you to remember something for as long as you live, for all your years to come and beyond, ok?"

".....ok"

"Taylor, if you can do something, anything to stop a bad thing from happening to someone, and you dont?

Your just as much at fault for what happened then whoever actually did the crime.

If you have the power to stop it, then you have an obligation to stop it

To atleast TRY.

It's not about reward, not about friendship.

Not about whether you like them or you don't.

It's just about what you can do.

What's right.

Because with great power, comes great responsibility"

I could see her eyes shine and her mouth widen in understanding.

The culmination of all I'd said taking place and solidifying in her brain with that simple, but meaningful phrase.

Ideas of what could've happened if I'd just let lustrum go along with her plan, what if's popping into her brain as she thought about how her close friends and family could've been effected.

I could see her brain working from here like clockwork, everything clicking together like a puzzle.

I smiled, she was definitely my daughter.

"I-im gonna apologize to Eugene when he gets out"

I took a moment to laugh at that, the previous tension from before being lifted.

God I loved my kid.

"Yeah that'd be really nice of you, Tay.

You wanna get some ice cream-"

I asked her as my eyes returned to the road-

A loud horn sounded out from the left.

I looked-

"TAYLO-"

A loud bang sounded out, my head hitting something har-

.......

Taylor never forgot that conversation as long as she lived.

She couldn't if she tried.

PROLOGUE ANNETTE
WITH GREAT POWER​

 

[Doesntmatter]

The Thing
Benjamin "brusier" Laurents
Age: 16
Height: 7'5
Powers: Organic Rock physiology, Super Strength, Superhuman Durability, Regeneration, Immortality, Expert Boxing Proficiency

Used to be runner up for best boxer overan his neighborhood

 

[Doesntmatter]

Spider-Woman
Taylor
Age: 15
Height: 5'11
Powers: Superhuman trength, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Reflexes, Superhuman Endurance, Sixth Sense, Organic Webs