A Better Master: Chapter 4 (part 1) (Patreon)

Author's Note: Life has officially been kicking my butt end of last year and beginning of this year... But at long last, here is the first part of Chapter 4 for 'A Better Master'! This part focuses on Taylor from when she wakes up. She talks a little with the Siberian, who enlightens her that she is now a parahuman, and dodges around the question of what exactly Taylor's power is, save for that it saved her from being Mastered, with the promise of telling her more later.

End of the chapter, Taylor is finally told that the woman who's being so nice to her is the Siberian, and she manages to not faint!

There will be at least one other part to this which I have partially written, but won't be posted till next week, from Danny's perspective. He's not having the best of times as the PRT are questioning him about Taylor, his wife, the Siberian, whether he cheated on his wife with the Siberian, or if the Siberian might have been part of Lustrum's gang... There are a lot of questions, and he's tempted to punch some faces.

I still need to run it by my beta-readers, and then fix it up, but I wanted to post it for those who have been waiting patiently. For that, I thank you.

Taylor’s PoV

The first thing Taylor registered as she began waking up was that she felt safe. 

It was the only way her slowly waking mind could describe it.

It was a tangible presence. Like a weighted blanket weighing her down. Or maybe being in a house during a thunderstorm. 

It felt nice. And Taylor let herself bask in the feeling as she drifted. 

It was only after several minutes of this that memories caught up to why she shouldn’t be feeling this way. 

Taylor gasped, eyes flying open. She would have screamed had her lungs cooperated. 

The locker… Her head hurt, she felt skittering on her skin, in her shoes, under her clothes, get it off get it off GET IT OFF -! 

Somebody touched her. Somebody shouldn’t be touching her, she was in the locker - cramped, dark, suffocating - so how could somebody - ???

“Everything is alright. You’re safe, and everything will be fine.” The feeling of security seemed to press down around her, and Taylor dimly heard somebody assuring her. “You’re safe. Can you breathe with me? In through the nose, and out through the mouth.”

It wasn’t somebody that Taylor recognized. Or… Was it? She dimly remembered somebody giving orders. A snarl. The image of a white tiger floated through her mind. 

The mystery woman continued to speak in that same reassuring tone, and eventually Taylor was able to copy her breathing. 

It helped. After several moments, Taylor was finally able to get a hold of herself. Looking up, an apology on her lips, Taylor went silent when she saw the person helping her. 

White skin with black stripes. Amber eyes. 

Memories flooded back. A locker door ripping off of its hinges, a concerned woman looking down at her. The hospital. 

The woman looked at her with enough concern that Taylor was half convinced she was looking at somebody else. 

“It’s you,’ Taylor murmured, feeling incredibly off-balance in the face of the woman that saved her. That actually helped her. Though she was now wearing clothes…

Taylor must have imagined the woman being naked. She wasn’t exactly in the best of conditions at the time. 

The concerned look on the woman gave way to relief, and the woman gave a small smirk. “Yes, I am me, as I have been the last day.” She agreed. 

Taylor blushed in embarrassment. First words, and that was what she said? Way to sound stupid, Taylor. But… The woman was happy. Taylor had no idea how she knew, but… She did. The woman was incredibly content just by being here. 

Before Taylor could question it, the woman asked, “Are you sure you’re feeling alright? Do you have any lingering aches or pains?”

“I’m -“ Taylor took a deep breath and looked around, quickly becoming more confused.

She felt.. Good. 

Great even. 

Which Taylor was pretty sure wasn’t how she was supposed to be feeling right now. 

Taylor vaguely remembered being so nauseous she thought she was going to throw up. Several bruises, a couple of them days old, and a scrape on her knee. A pounding headache from banging her head against… And her legs and feet itching like crazy as…

But she felt none of that right now. Not even a scratchy throat. 

“I feel fine.” Taylor answered with some surprise, for once not lying with the word ‘fine’. “How… How long have I been unconscious?”

“Hmmm, a little more than a day. A day and a half.” The woman said as she leaned back and looked at a clock before frowning as a thought struck her. “That’s… You should probably have something to eat, you’re probably hungry.”

She was, but Taylor was too busy staring wide eyed at the woman. 

“Only a day?” Taylor asked in disbelief. “But how… “ she gestured to her body. 

“Panacea was in, and I ‘asked’ her to take a look at you.” The woman answered absently. “… There’s usually cafeterias in hospitals? That’s a thing, isn’t it?”

“You asked…” Taylor nearly choked. 

Panacea. One of the most powerful capes in the city. Maybe the country. 

And Panacea healed her? Because this woman asked?

“Why?” Taylor stared at the woman. “Why would you - I mean, I’m thankful, but,

Something in her mind seemed to flicker. The woman didn’t look any different… But Taylor suddenly knew she was nervous. But nervous about what?

“Maybe you should eat something first?” The woman suggested. “I’m sure I can find something.”

“Maybe - wait! No, questions! I have questions.” Taylor fumbled, feeling completely out of her depth at… Everything. 

The woman hesitated for a moment, looking at the door before shifting in her seat. “Very well. Go ahead and ask. After that, we’re getting you something to eat.”

“Ok, uhm, who exactly are you?” Taylor asked nervously. 

The woman opened her mouth, and then closed it sheepishly. “That is a rather difficult question to answer right.”

Taylor tilted her head. “Why’s that? Because you’re a cape?”

“Partly,” the woman said vaguely, with a somewhat uncomfortable look. “More that, I’m unsure how to tell you without you hating me.” 

The words were said with utmost seriousness, and in the back of her mind that weird sense was telling Taylor that the woman was worried. 

She wasn’t quite sure how to tell her she had nothing to worry about, but she could try. “You rescued me.” Taylor shrugged lightly, trying to hide her shudder. “I… can't promise I won’t be upset, but I can promise I’ll hear you out.”

The woman gave Taylor’s shoulder a quick squeeze. She seemed like a very tactile person… And, well, if it helped her, Taylor would put up with it. 

It wasn’t because Taylor was a little bit touch starved and welcomed the touch just as much. Nope. 

“Well, the first bit of context I should share is that you are a parahuman.” The woman said simply, and Taylor stared. 

“What?” 

“While you were in the locker.” The woman continued, as if sending Taylor’s doubt. “Did you black out? See vision, or a dream of some kind.” 

Taylor’s breath hitched for a moment, and she focused on the woman’s touch. “I mean, kinda.” She answered reluctantly. “I thought it was just…” she waved her hand vaguely. “Why is that important?”

The woman sighed dramatically. “The PRT prefers to keep this information under wraps, to keep people from trying to exploit it.” The woman explained. “Not that they do a good job at it, but it’s a cute attempt."

The amount of condescension in that statement was considerable. Taylor supposed she could cross out that the woman was part of the PRT. 

“What you experienced was called a Trigger Event. It’s something all parahumans experience, and it marks the moment they first give powers”

“If I were to believe that - and I’m not saying I do.” Taylor hastily tacked on, even if she kinda did, causing the woman to give her a smug smirk. “Then what even would my power be?” 

The smirk deepened. “That’s where I come in.” The woman purred as she leaned forward and took Taylor’s hands, and Taylor was shaken by how much affection was in that gaze. 

“Taylor, just 24 hours ago, I was being controlled by a Master. Somebody that controlled every aspect of my life. I was treated like a puppet. They had me eat human flesh, fought whoever they felt like killing that day, and dressed in nothing, and generally did whatever they felt like doing. There was no ‘me’, there was simply ‘him’. 

Taylor felt herself pale. 

What she was describing, that was… It was horrifying. To be locked inside your mind, unable to do anything?

Never mind that that kind of ability existed, who would even think about doing that sort of thing? People who could Master humans were rare, but terrifying. She couldn’t think of many, and the ones that did make the news were generally nightmare fuel, but that was…

The woman leaned forward with a gentle gaze. “Little Taylor. The moment you triggered, I gained my life. And I’m not exactly keen to go back to what I was.” 

Taylor’s mouth opened and closed uselessly. What exactly was she supposed to say in the face of that sincerity? That was a look that should be directed at somebody that actually deserved it, who did something to help. Not… Her. “H-how do you know that that was me?” She asked reluctantly. “It could have been anybody, right?”

The woman (she still didn’t have a name for her. If she’d been Mastered for years, did she even remember her name?) scoffed lightly. “There is no doubt in my mind that it was you. But if you need further proof, close your eyes.”

Taylor looked at the woman skeptically before deciding that she had earned the benefit of the doubt. 

“Now,” the woman's gentle voice came as Taylor’s eyes closed. “most powers contain a mental aspect. Look inside yourself and try to feel it out.”

Taylor nodded and concentrated. Almost immediately, she noticed it. It didn’t feel like it had just appeared, but it was there and she just didn’t notice. Like how you didn’t think about how your ears or toes are feeling till you think about them. 

There were multiple ‘connections’, each extending from her to the distance. But the most noticeable was right next to her. 

It was like a pillar. Solid and immovable. It felt like there was some sort of connection between her and it, and as she poked it, she got the feeling of ‘contentness’.

Taylor mentally poked at it, and she got the impression of a wave. 

‘Hello, little kitten.’

With a yelp, Taylor mentally retracted her senses. Opening her eyes, she saw the woman raise an eyebrow with some amusement. 

“Satisfied?”

Flushing, Taylor nodded, but then gave a frown. “That’s not the whole story, is it?” She looked at the woman closely. “If.. If I ‘release’ you, why do I still feel a connection? And why are there multiple connections?” 

Most of those other connections felt like they extended too far away to get an impression. But one of them felt… Unhappy? Like a room full of people who were arguing. But why was she feeling that one? 

The woman was sincere… But she was also hiding something. And as much as Taylor didn’t want to accuse somebody who had been nice to her, she distrusted things being hidden more.

The woman looked slightly surprised, and Taylor felt a faint sense of -

Approval?

The thought derailed her suspicion. 

Here she was questioning her, and the woman was happy about that?

“There is.” The woman admitted easily. “But for the moment, I would ask for your patience. The PRT will probably have questions for the two of us, and there are things I would rather keep secret from them.” 

Taylor recalled that when she had been talking about the PRT previously she hadn’t sounded very impressed. 

Maybe she had a good reason, maybe she didn’t. Whichever it was, she had earned some goodwill. 

“You will tell me later, right?” Taylor checked. 

“Absolutely.” The woman nodded.

Then whether she was right or not to trust the PRT, she had deserved the benefit of the doubt. And Taylor could be patient. 

Taylor was about to ask another question when her stomach made its hunger known, and Taylor felt her face flush. 

“I believe that that’s enough questions.” The woman said firmly as she stood up and reached down to assist Taylor as well. “Now, we’re going to find some food for you.” 

Then there was that. The support of someone, proof that there was somebody in her life that gave a damn.

Even if it was temporary, it felt good. 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for a nurse or something?” Taylor asked uncertainly. She’d never been to the hospital before, but that seemed important. And as they walked out of the room, she frowned at the empty desks and hallways. “And where is everybody?” 

“Oh, they evacuated the hospital as soon as I arrived.” The woman answered nonchalantly. “Still, the cafeteria should still have food.”

Taylor nearly tripped on air. “They evacuated?” She asked shrilly. “Why?!”

The woman met her gaze head on, spreading her arms out dramatically. 

“Because I am the Siberian.”

Taylor froze, a number of things suddenly connecting. Why the PRT would be interested. Being forced to be a cannibal. 

“Oh.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Author's Note:

Siberian with the PRT: I do what I want, and you can't stop meSiberian with Taylor: I don't really want to tell you, because I'm worried you'll hate me...