Inheritance Interlude - Chrissie (Patreon)

Tuesday May 10th, 2011

Watching Amelia twist Bastard Son into her willing stooge was more than a little uncomfortable, and just a little hot, Chrissie had to admit.  Sure, she wouldn’t be asking for that sort of subversion anytime soon, she might have liked Amelia more than a little, but the level of trust wasn’t there yet.  Even as a shiver ran down her spine, Chrissie was forced to acknowledge that there was some appeal there.  Then again, it had been a long fucking day and she wanted nothing more than to crash for at least the next twelve hours. 

That would have to wait until after the show, because there was no way in hell she was going to miss Pandemic showing everyone just what she could do to a person when she wasn’t following her prissy little rules.  Lisa was already a good example of how she could turn a desk jockey Thinker into a bad ass mother fucker in the ring.  Now she could show off how she could turn the human body into a funhouse mirror.

This event was proving to be every bit as much of Pandemic’s reveal as her little Eldritch Girl transformation from the night before.  Cthulhu could suck it for how horrifying it was watching Taylor’s swarm melt into that sleek costume.  Chrissie still got shivers from thinking about it.  She hadn’t admitted it to anyone outside of the privacy of the bedroom, but there were more than a few fun things that could be done with bugs. 

A sharp elbow pulled her out of those fantasies and she was now glaring at Lisa, whose eyes hadn’t once left Amelia or their prey. 

“Stop perving over power play,” Lisa said, her voice barely a whisper.  “This is important, and it’s bad enough trying to read things without picking up your bedroom habits on top of it.” 

Smirking, Chrissie gave her best sultry tone to the attractive blonde.  “What, a girl can’t appreciate an artist at work?”

Lisa rolled her eyes, then frowned as Amelia finally took a deep breath, her hand never once leaving Bastard Son’s forehead.  “Alright, time to see if that worked.  Bastard Son, what’s your real name?” 

Rather than the struggle she expected, Bastard Son’s face remained completely blank.  “Marvin Milstrud.” 

Chrissie snorted, and had to cover her mouth to hide the infectious giggles now spilling out of her mouth.  Horrifying implications aside, it was no wonder the man had picked something as edgy as Bastard Son if that was his actual fucking name. 

Amelia glared at Chrissie and she fought back her mirth, schooling her expression rather poorly if the slip of Taylor’s stoic mask was any indication.

“Explain to me,” Taylor began, her voice set in that deathly calm that always sent chills down Chrissie’s spine.  It was that same tone she’d leveled upon her when Chrissie had attempted death by Butcher during her debut with the Teeth.  “In what world did it seem like a good idea to kidnap Amelia.  Who had the bright idea to grab a member of the Teeth like that?” 

This time there was some resistance, but Amelia just squinted, and it fell away a moment later.  

“The council determined that Brockton Bay would be a profitable venture, but none were willing to risk the inheritance.  I volunteered, thinking the Teeth’s reputation to be inflated.” 

Taylor snorted, her lips twitching in that characteristic way that indicated the Butcher was conversing with their headmates.  It was a habit Taylor fell into in short order after owning her identity as the Butcher, one that both Quarrel and Damascian shared.  While it made them appear manic, Chrissie couldn’t help but think that Taylor somehow made it look cute.

“After the first exchange, I knew better,” Marvin continued.  “I worked with others to evaluate my options, and it became clear that certain objectives were moving out of reach.” 

Chrissie bristled at how his eyes turned to look vacantly at Amelia when he said that, and apparently Amelia was having none of it either.  His flesh bristled and bubbled, bones cracked, and his form began to almost melt into a puddle.  It was cool as fuck and Chrissie couldn’t help but watch with rapt attention as Amelia unmade the man.

It was with a snarl that Amelia grabbed hold of the mass of flesh Bastard Son had been reduced to.  “Was I one of these objectives?” 

“You were.”  The voice was pained, as well as strained from whatever flesh magic Amelia was playing with the man’s body.  “Agnes wanted you brought on, and the rest of the board signed off on any methods just this morning.  I arranged for Canary to be brought to Nashville so that she could adjust your loyalties to favor the Elite without muting your own mind as my own ability would.” 

“Is it bad I want to send Imp to shank them?” Taylor asked, her voice flat. 

Right, the little Stranger could evade Master effects while her own was active.  Aisha was the perfect assassin, but the twerp was barely fourteen and only just joined the Teeth.  Maybe after a few more months with Big Robbie in the pits learning to scrap, and a few more kills under her belt that nobody ever manages to link to her. 

Pity the Empire was dead and done, they would have made good practice. 

Well, there were two former Empire members in the city, but one was twelve and the other was fucking Purity with a new coat of paint.  Neither were worth the risk, be it publicity or the ability to level a city block in minutes.  Besides, Tay had dibs on Kaiser’s old glow in the dark fleshlight and it was about to be open season. 

Lisa continued to watch Amelia closely as she twisted Bastard Son’s flesh for her own amusement, all while noting down each and every detail they could squeeze from the pliable man.  Amelia made interrogations rather rote, but it was still interesting as fuck to watch how she could shape flesh like a sculptor.

The crews were wrapping up, and most had claimed their trophies.  Hell, Tay had seen fit to grab all of their kills and directed some of the troops to bring them to them.  Taking the bodies would be too much of a risk, but Chrissie was already eyeing her own cape kills and wondering how best to add them to her costume. 

“Think there’s any decent Nazi tats in this mess?” 

“Probably,” Taylor said.  “A lot of their grunts seemed to be sourced from some of the Empire supporters scattered across the midwest and south.  Reaver called in a Herren clan patch on one of the paramilitary groups he steamrolled.” 

“Fingers crossed then,” Chrissie said.  

She’d been wanting to try her hand at some proper leather working, and a Nazi pelt would make for some fun pieces.  It wasn’t like she didn’t already have a few of those framed.  Hell, she’d been careful to carve off one of Stormtiger’s even as she reduced the bulk of his fleshy form into paste. 

“Wrap it up, the Protectorate is starting to get curious,” Taylor suddenly called out. 

Following her eyes, she could just barely pick up the glowing form set against the clouding sky.  It was always fun when the targets served themselves up, but the idea of the glowstick of doom floating that close to their entire group didn’t sit well. 

“Victoria,” Taylor said, eyes still locked on the distant figure.  “Think you can run interference?” 

“Against a rebranded Nazi?” Victoria asked, her sour expression slowly softening.  “Yeah, I think I can manage that, but I’m not going to fight her, even if she’s just faking being a hero to avoid becoming bug food.” 

Taylor nodded.  “I know.  You’re here for Amelia, and nothing more, but I still appreciate the assistance you provided.” 

The blonde bruiser waved the Butcher off casually.  “Yeah, yeah.  Lets see if Purity learned to fake being a hero enough to avoid getting punched like she so richly deserves.” 

Not wanting to leave that comment alone, Chrissie had to have the last word.  “With an attitude like that, you’d fit right in with us.” 

Victoria turned, and her aura washed over everyone present.  More than a few of their grunts made some space, a scarce few even brought their weapons up, but Chrissie was made of sterner stuff, and just grinned, gritting her teeth to hide how she was starting to tremble from the pressure of fear coming from Alexandria junior. 

“Not bad, Dawson,” Victoria said, “but if you ever offer me a place in the Teeth again, I’ll earn it by taking you into the pits.” 

Not waiting for a retort, Victoria shot off towards the looming Blaster and Chrissie’s legs would have given out on her if not for Taylor’s extended arm. 

“Please don’t antagonize my sister,” Amelia said, biting her lip.  “I really wouldn’t want to put the both of you back together if it did come to blows.” 

Chrissie grimaced at the idea of what the two might look like if they did manage to land blows with one another and agreed with Amelia’s assessment.  There was a reason she was ready to suggest miss collateral damage be named Splat if she ever actually joined the Teeth.  Those stories about thrown dumpsters were legendary among those who made the streets their home. 

“Alright, I think I have enough,” Lisa said with a grimace.  “Can you put him back how he was?”  Amelia stood stock still for a moment, then Lisa laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “He doesn’t need to be physically normal, but I would like his mind intact for the next part.  I want him to feel the dread of knowing what you did to him and what is to come.” 

Amelia grunted, her brow furrowing in concentration as she worked and soon enough focus returned to Bastard Son’s eyes.  He blinked, then squirmed and his pupils dilated almost comically when he realized his new shape was anything but human.

 “The hell did you do?” he asked with a tremor to his voice. 

A broken man, that was all that remained, and he knew there was nothing that would save him.  There was resignation and acceptance in his tone, as well as a question that Chrissie knew all too well from the people she had put in similar positions.  

How much would he suffer before meeting his end?

It was always intoxicating to inflict that upon a monster, and watching Bastard Son break was going down as one of her better memories already.  She couldn’t wait to get Amelia back to the Arena for the coming party, or the inevitable after party.  Just thinking about what the tentacles of her costume could do… 

A shiver raced through her spine as the man screamed, his form trembling as Amelia inflicted her power upon him.  The last surviving minion seemed to finally stir at the sound of his Master’s suffering, but without whatever weapon he happened to specialize in, he would be useless. 

Chrissie had killed two such minions during the fighting, she had the yoyo and boat paddle to prove it.

“How can you do this to such a great man?” the minion demanded, thrashing against his bonds.  “Can’t you all see how wrong this is?” 

“Of course” Lisa said, then pulled a gun and fired once, splattering his brains across the ground.  “This way nobody else will ever suffer at his hands again.” 

Amelia jerked slightly at that, but continued with her own work on the man that threatened to rob her of her free will.  Ever so slowly, Amelia pulled Bastard Son’s skull from his flesh, leaving the brain behind as she did.  How the hell she managed that was something that Chrissie didn’t want to look too deeply into.

“Vicious,” Chrissie muttered in approval.  

Taylor nodded beside her.  “The collective is singing their praises right now.” 

No shit they were, because Lisa and Amelia had stepped up in a big way and Chrissie couldn’t wait to give them a proper Teeth welcome now that they were both blooded.

There would be one hell of a party tonight, and Chrissie was fully aware that none of them would make it to school tomorrow.  Taylor might be able to make it, but without all her friends, she would probably blow it off with them and just chill.  Amelia would need cuddles, not to mention distractions, given everything that happened.

A day of hedonism and debauchery would be exactly what the grumpy medic ordered.

Well, that and a bunch of shit posting online, because that was oddly cathartic.  Seriously, PHO was such a weird site for allowing villains to post openly, and it had strict guidelines for getting verified.  Other sites had tried to do what they did, but struggled with maintaining verification of cape status, or in one case, was implicated in a Gesellschaft kidnapping through IP tracking. 

Naturally Chrissie had taken note of all that shit, because like hell she would post to a site that helped the Nazis.  Dragon herself backed PHO with a promise of Truce-like terms for those who adhered to the rules of the site and it exploded from there.  Hence Hookwolf having the handle of Murderblender, a name that she was still trying to get them to release to her. 

Maybe she should take up Alice on developing Vex brand salsa after all.  Get your salsa from New York City?  Try getting it from Brockton Bay!  

*Some Nazi chunks may not be fully processed.  

Chrissie laughed at her own joke, and when Taylor raised an eyebrow she just tapped the side of her head with another giggle. 

Lisa snorted and Chrissie could only beam at the fact the Thinker got her joke!  Lisa didn’t laugh at any of the other Teeth’s jokes!  Granted, most were about murder or eating people, and that was an acquired taste. 

Taylor’s head turned skyward and Chrissie couldn’t help but follow her gaze.  Up in the sky, Purity and Victoria had been joined by Photon Mom, Laserdream, and…  Oh shit, that was fucking Legend.  As much as Chrissie would love a Butcher that could fly and shoot lasers, she wasn’t too keen on losing her girlfriend so soon, even if Taylor would still be with them in spirit.

“Should we do something about that?” Taylor asked, gesturing skyward.

Amelia and Lisa looked up, and Amelia let out a low groan as she pinched her nose.  “Great, just what I wanted to deal with on top of these assholes.” 

She then plunged her hand into the mass of flesh that was the remains of Bastard Son, the flesh twisting in unnatural ways that Chrissie just couldn’t look away from.  It was mesmerizing how a human body could be turned into something from an old horror movie, and holy shit, she was turning him into a jacket!

The human leather shifted in color until it finally settled into a purple shade.  The new jacket was passed to Lisa absently as Amelia stepped forward to deal with her longtime kidnappers, so she missed the swirl of emotion that crossed Lisa’s face at the sudden gift.  Chrissie knew Lisa took issue with the whole ‘wearing the bones of our enemies’ thing, which made such a gift an interesting compromise. 

Plus, it was sweet and thoughtful of Amelia to do that for Lisa.  Hell, she’d even gotten her purple eye to stand out on the leather, as well as ‘Wilbourn’ written in clear print.  Was the jacket still alive like Amelia’s own costume, or had she rendered the leather down to something more akin to Chrissie’s own trophies? 

Regardless of that, Victoria floated down, flanked by the two Pelham women.  It was probably a good thing that Legend had stayed in the skies with Purity, because Chrissie had no doubts that Taylor would cash in on her promise otherwise.  At least the Pelhams weren’t rushing to try and steal Amelia back, that would have been a rather short lived rescue attempt given how everyone present adored Amelia and would defend her violently. 

“New Wave,” Amelia said.  Her costume was on full display, complete with writhing tentacles, but she hadn’t extended it over her face, leaving that open and clear for all to see.  “Why are you here?” 

Photon Cunt was the one to step forward, though Chrissie could tell that she was skittish as shit, especially around the two fresh bodies that hadn’t been reduced to a really swank jacket that Chrissie was doing her level best to not be jealous over.  “I’m glad to see you’re safe, Am—Amelia.” 

Huh, kudos to her for getting Amelia’s name right, but that was still the bare minimum.  

Amelia seemed to agree if her answering huff was anything to go off of.  “Just get to the point, I’ve had a fucking day already and just want to crawl into bed.” 

“Our Alaskan King,” Lisa cut in with forced cheer.  “You know, us villains need our cuddle piles after our dastardly activities.” 

The flat glare from Demolition Dallon was something to behold, though it lost a good deal of heat when Ashley sidled up beside her and she practically melted at the casual reassurance.  Yeah, corrupting heroes was certainly a fun hobby, and while she might not have been fully on board, she’d still ridden hard with the Teeth today. 

Give it another month and she might be the next Ripley.  The Changer hadn’t shifted back to a human form, but stood beside Rachel all the same.  Stalker was keeping close as well, which wasn’t a surprise given their whole little clique at Winslow.  It was unfortunate that Emma had lost her marbles, she would have been a fun addition to the Teeth as well. 

Pity Chrissie swore to kill her if she ever came near Tay ever again.  The decision hadn’t been immediate, but the more Tay opened up about what they used to have, and how Emma threw it away?  Well, Chrissie wasn’t taking it well. 

Speaking of not taking things well, Laserdream was biting her lip as if she wanted to say something, but was also preoccupied with how obvious Ashley was being about her relationship with her cousin.  Worldviews were cracking all across the board lately, it seemed. 

Now to throw a bit of fuel onto that fire. 

“Dallon, keep that up and we’ll need to get you a matching bed,” Chrissie said with a smirk.

Victoria yelped as her family turned to regard her, and Ashley practically preened under the attention.  She then snuck a glance at Amelia and Lisa before winking.  Yeah, she knew how to play the ‘keep the focus off Amelia and her terrifyingly awesome powers’ game.  Sorry Demogirl, but Amelia was Teeth, which meant she was family.  Until Victoria blooded herself and joined properly, she would be happily thrown under the Teeth bus in favor of their adorable little Pandemic. 

“As interesting as that is,” Laserdream started.

Shit, Chrissie really needed to learn their actual names.  She’d never had to care before Amelia dropped on their couch and lit up a blunt and Victoria was enough of a fixture by now that she actually defaulted to that more often than the fun nicknames.

Laserdream fixed Amelia with a heavy look.  “We were worried about you.” 

While she wasn’t sure how to handle genuine familial concern, the barking laughter that Amelia answered her with wasn’t what Chrissie expected. 

“Oh, you were concerned?” Amelia snapped.  “Where was that concern when you were shooting lasers at my sister and I as we fled from an Elite plot that you happily played along with?”

And critical damage!  Both of the Laser bitches recoiled at that one, which was funny, because they shouldn’t know about that part but they didn’t seem nearly as surprised.  Honestly, if Chrissie could pick up on it, then Lisa must have been having a field day with all the little clues coming together. 

“Oh, you fucking assholes,” Lisa snarled, stalking forward.  “You knew!?” 

Laserdream started to raise her hands, but quickly turned them away when the entire Teeth lineup gripped their weapons just a bit tighter.  “We only just found out!  You see, Carol said—” 

“She made a deal with the PRT,” Lisa said, her eyes suddenly wide.  “She’s the reason Bastard Son came after Amelia today…” 

Silence fell over the ruined courtyard of the penitentiary, the implications clear to even the dumbest of their muscle.  Fuck, had Carol really gone so far off the deep end that she worked with the Elite to stage a kidnapping?  Oh god, Danny was used as a distraction for that ill advised plan… 

Sure enough, Taylor vanished in a puff of smoke. 

“Is Carol still in the city?” Amelia asked.  Laserdream’s eyes widened in horror and Amelia could only sigh in resignation as she walked over to her sister.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you becoming XVI today.” 

Victoria moved her mouth as if she were going to speak, but Amelia took hold of her hand before she could and the strongest Brute in the city fell completely still aside from their steady breathing.

“Yeah, Carol’s dead,” Lisa said with a sigh.  “The Elite killed Weaver’s father earlier today as a distraction for the kidnapping.  Given how she handled Hookwolf—”  Taylor reappeared in a flash of fire, only now she was holding a severed head by their short blonde hair.  It didn’t take a genius to know it was Brandish and despite how metal the sight was, Chrissie couldn’t take enjoyment in it.  “That.” 

“CAROL!” Photon Mom yelled.  Chrissie didn’t hesitate to throw an entire field of force fields between the New Wave capes and her girlfriends.  Flashes of light refracted off her fields as they spun and churned between them.  The blasts paused as Photon Mom glared with hatred at the despondent form of Taylor, who hadn’t even reacted to the mass of lasers.  “You monster!” 

“You’re not wrong,” Taylor said, her voice flat.  She then tossed the head towards Amelia, who caught it with an indignant squawk, somehow maintaining her hold over Victoria as she did.  Above them the sky darkened as her swarm gathered, casting the entire penitentiary in shadow as the swarm of billions resonated with Taylor’s speech.  “All I wanted was to live my life in peace, and every action I have taken was in response to a threat.  I have allowed those who caused my trigger to live, and even count one of them among my friends now.” 

The form of Ripley actually shivered at the admission. 

“Yet, people cannot seem to understand that, and continue to push the limits.  This latest attack was beyond the pale, and my father lies locked in time itself, a paradox of life and death, for he is neither.  Carol admitted her involvement, and so I did what was necessary.  Do not add yourselves to the necessity of my actions today, for I have no more fucks left to give.” 

“This isn’t over,” Photon Mom snarled. 

Amelia growled, releasing Victoria’s hand only for the woman to drop to the ground like her strings had been cut.  Chrissie’s newest girlfriend stomped right up to her former aunt’s face, seemingly uncaring that she held the severed head of her dead adoptive mother.  “The fuck it isn’t.  Carol fucked up left, right, and center, all the way back to when she decided to attack my father and I in our own home.  She stole me, then treated me like a villain waiting to happen.  Great self fulfilling prophecy right there!  Now, she’s partially responsible for another attack on a villain’s family.  A villain that also tried to be a hero before being soundly rejected.  Maybe consider reevaluating yourselves before creating more villains out of the heroes around you.” 

“Mom,” Victoria whimpered, coming to her senses. 

Amelia paused, nearly jerking in place.  She gave Lady Photon one last glare then returned to her sister’s side, sharing hushed whispers even as Ashley attempted to console the sobbing mess that Victoria was turning into.

Yeah, that was going to be a problem in the very near future.  Hopefully they wouldn’t need to fight Victoria over killing her mother, but it would be hard for anyone to deny that she’d invited Weaver’s wrath by working with such monsters.  Given Taylor had just taken Victoria’s mother away from her in retribution for her father wouldn’t make a difference, people rarely reacted rationally to loss.

Taylor took a deep breath, looking away from the distraught Alexandria package.  “We’re leaving.  Teeth, get your shit on the trucks and get the fuck home.” 

Chrissie reached out—slow enough that Taylor had the option to pull back—and was thankful that her girlfriend let her take her hand with a reassuring squeeze.  The entire shitshow of a day had been hell on her, and she really needed a chance to decompress and process what had happened and what they had done. 

A cuddle pile in their room was an absolute must.  That, and a big fat blunt to take the edge off.

***

Wednesday May 11th, 2011

The Teeth didn’t need an excuse to party, not that the celebrations had slowed following their crushing victory over the Elite the afternoon before.  Even now that it was technically her birthday, Chrissie knew the party raging on wasn’t really for her.  Taylor no doubt remembered, and there was no way that Lisa didn’t know, but the mood among her…

Shit, did she call it a polycule, or was it too soon for that?

Anyway, Amelia wasn’t taking things well and had retreated to one of her rooms with Lisa.  While Taylor was putting on a good show for the rest of the Teeth, Chrissie could recognize how her girlfriend was projecting herself into the swarm.  It reminded her of that first day when Taylor came to the Teeth after the heroes tried to send her to the Cage.

Somehow, despite Taylor ending up as the most terrifying Butcher since Marauder, had also led to her befriending half the heroes in the city.  Hell, one of those heroes now shared a bed with them.  Granted, Amelia was a bit of a special case, but Taylor had lured her over to the side of Nazi skull splitting with promises of friendship, and it fucking worked. 

Even Miss Collateral Damage had been cordial with them, well, that was probably going to change after Taylor all but threw Brandish’s severed head at her aunt’s feet.  Hell, Amelia had stripped Vicky of her bodily control just to keep her from doing anything rash.  Chrissie did not envy the talks those two would need to have over that mess. 

Sophia had even pulled her down into the pits, but Chrissie just wasn’t feeling it.  Sophia won that fight rather handily, not that Chrissie felt much of it after three bottles of whatever.  Sure, her line about being black in Brockton and fighting Empire hopefuls since grade school was admittedly badass, but again, too much shit had happened to fully appreciate things.

“Yo, Vex!” 

Chrissie turned, grinning at Michael as he joined her, beer in hand.  “Sup dude?  Get any good trophies?” 

“You fucking know it!” he said, grinning.  “Got this sick back tattoo off of one of their melee capes, but that’s not ready for display yet.”  Chrissie nodded along, knowing just how arduous the process of preserving a tattoo could be.  “I also scored this kick ass blade off another slippery bastard.” 

He then whipped out this absolutely bitchin’ serrated blade that looked so edgy it hurt.  Like, actually hurt. 

“The fuck is that?” Chrissie asked with a wince.  “It’s like just looking at the damn thing is making it try to cut me.” 

Michael shrugged, returning the blade to his belt.  “Fuck if I know, but there was no way I wasn’t keeping that.” 

Yeah, Chrissie could absolutely agree with the sentiment.  “Too true, man.  I got a new Nazi tat, as well as a pair of scissors and a mop bucket.” 

Michael froze at her random items, then his eyes widened in comprehension.  “Right, Bastard Son’s minions…  Really, a mop bucket?” 

Chrissie chuckled.  “Yeah, Not as good as the fire extinguisher that Amelia nabbed, but still kinda cool in the ‘weird’ department if you ask me.” 

“That girl,” Michael said, shaking his head with a grin.  “I wish to fucking hell I had been sober enough to see her little pronouncement.  The video was badass as all hell.” 

That it was.  “Eh, you got to see her turn Bastard Son into silly putty, so that counts for something.” 

“Too bad nobody recorded that one.” 

A snort was her answer.  There was a damn good reason Taylor made sure nobody recorded even a hint at what Amelia could do to a person with a touch.  If it got out, it would put all their fears about the girl firmly onto the reality side of things. 

And they couldn’t be having that.  

Thankfully Lisa was on top of the Teeth social media accounts, and everyone knew that if a single word was spoken of that day outside of their gang, that person would get some one on one time with the Butcher and her assortment of powers in the pit. 

People still had vivid memories of Quarrel randomly rotting people’s faces off for the lulz.  Shit like that stuck around.

“Bitchin’ knife,” Damien said, having wandered over.  “Wanna test it on a clone?” 

Chrissie cackled as Michael didn’t even hesitate to draw the knife again, Damien splitting off a clone right on the spot which was promptly gutted right in front of everyone.  Half the room cheered, even as a swarm immediately descended upon the eviscerated corpse and began to strip it clean.  Sure, Taylor knew it would be reduced to mush within fifteen minutes and practically evaporated within an hour, but that was beside the point.  It was always metal as fuck when Taylor made a body disappear. 

Speaking of Taylor, she’d stepped out for a minute, leaving a bug clone behind to watch over things.  Chrissie wasn’t sure what that was about, but she didn’t worry too much, Tay would fill her in if it was anything of importance.  Instead, she joined in with the cheering crowd as a few others stepped forward to try out their newly pilfered weapons on a few of Damien’s clones. 

He only did this party trick when drunk, and people knew to take advantage while they could.  That Damien got a kick out of watching people die in interesting ways kinda made sense, what with his power letting him test that infinitely. 

Naturally she joined in, even getting a shot at him with Michaels new blade of mindfuckery.  It was fun and helped her ignore how Lisa and Amelia had disappeared moments after getting back to the Arena.  When she tried to go after, Taylor had simply put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. 

The blade bit viciously into Damien’s latest clone, even as the man laughed at his doppleganger’s death.  The fun part about the blade was how it almost seemed to eat at the injury, or absorb it?  Eh, Chrissie wasn’t too hung up on all that, language was more Tay’s thing. 

Speaking of, she still wasn’t around and that was more than a little concerning.

Hell, even Madison was front and center in the celebrations, even if they weren’t as enthusiastic as Sophia.  Both had kills and trophies, which was all the excuse needed to cheer for them and offer up a toast.  Chrissie was right there with them, grabbing the nearest sealed bottle and popping it with one of her razor fields.  They were handy for shit like that. 

Alice was laughing with Robbie over something, now fully healed from the hit she took.  With the Teeth of old, she would have died, but Taylor took care of her people, and Amelia made sure everyone was patched up before vanishing with Lisa into the depths of the Arena.  Probably to their own room.  Amelia had some stuff to work through given she’d been kidnapped, and Chrissie could only hope that she would join them later for a proper cuddle. 

After the bucket of water that was Carol’s actions and death, Chrissie just wasn’t in the mood for anything more.  Downing the rest of her bottle of whatever, she tossed it over the edge of the lounge and began the long trek back toward her shared room with Taylor, who was still sticking to bug clones for her appearances.  Usually the Butcher would be in the thick of things after such a major battle and victory, yet she was hidden away. 

Chrissie stumbled into Taylor’s room, more than a little inebriated as she hit the light.  There were many things she expected, from the sight of trophies half prepared, to a cuddle pile already in progress.  What she hadn’t expected to see was Taylor still in her costume, mask discarded to the side and sitting against the headboard of their new Alaskan King with a dozen empty bottles of Reserve scattered around her being quickly pulled away by a swarm of insects.  

Worse were the tears streaking down her face.

Chrissie moved in a blink, nearly stumbling as she did, but Taylor didn’t shift.  She just stared listlessly into the distance as Chrissie half fell over her legs.  Okay, being drunk really isn’t the best thing for attempting to console one’s girlfriend, but Chrissie could only work with what she had.

So, she held Tay tightly, and that seemed to break the dam and set her girlfriend to sobbing uncontrollably as she almost crushed Chrissie in the returned embrace.  Yeah, those were bones cracking, which was going to be a problem in the morning.  She would need to talk to Amelia about some enhancements sooner than later if she was going to be subjected to Brute hugs. 

Actually, given Lisa’s enhancements, that was two of four of their new little arrangement that could crush the life out of someone.  Well, that was a project for the future, once everyone had the time they needed to bounce back from the past twelve hours and the hell they brought with them. 

“He’s gone,” Taylor whispered. 

Chrissie wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do in this situation, because if someone told her that she’d just lost her parents, she would probably celebrate by buying their killer a big bottle of the good stuff before slapping them for depriving her of the kill. 

Unlike her, Taylor actually had a decent relationship with her father, even if it was strained by the whole distance thing they had before she inherited and started working to mend that bridge.  Chrissie wouldn’t pretend to understand what she must be feeling right now, but she would be there, which she was pretty sure counted for something if those youtube vids on relationships were worth a damn.

Lisa probably knew she watched them, but she’d done her best to keep it from Tay.  Her bugs were good, but they struggled with screens and headphones made it harder to listen in on things.  The same things she complained about with the Elite’s opsec were how she managed to get something over her girlfriend. 

It still meant that gift shopping was going to be a bitch when it came time for her birthday next month, but she would work with Lisa and probably order online.  

Her bugs were good, but sealed packages were something she struggled with. 

And Chrissie just made herself sad.  If she’d been better about it, Danny might not be trapped inside a bubble of stopped time.  Chrissie knew that Lisa was already reaching out to Missy and Lily about making an attempt to get him out, something about their power synergy, but Chrissie didn’t need to be a Thinker to know how much of a longshot that would be.

A gentle knock at the door caused Chrissie to jump slightly, but based on the slight smirk on Taylor’s face, she’d let her girlfriend’s bit of levity slide.  She could only assume that Tay had done something to signal those on the other side, because they let themselves in a moment later. 

“Hey Amelia,” Chrissie said, turning as she addressed them both, “Lisa.” 

“Sorry about that,” Amelia said quickly, looking more exhausted than Chrissie could ever remember her being.  That included the stints she did in the hospitals following some of the Teeth raids over the last month.  “I needed to make sure Carol’s head didn’t rot away before I could tend to it further.” 

Oh right, Amelia had kept her adoptive mother’s severed head.  That was something that Chrissie wasn’t even going to begin to unpack, especially considering how Amelia somehow had a worse homelife than Chrissie’s own.  Sure, her parents had been invested during her early years, and she was a model daughter. 

Then her dad walked in when she was kissing her best friend.  It was her first kiss, and at the time she still wasn’t sure she was gay.  It was enough for the man to pack her off to a Haven run conversion camp.  It didn’t take a Thinker to figure out that it also got donations from Medhall right up until Chrissie forced it closed with her rather explosive Trigger. 

That was almost three years ago, and she was now one of the most feared villains on the coast.  She took a great deal of pride in herself for that title, even if it was only down to a PHO poll where she placed third behind two of her girlfriends. 

And Amelia had gotten that rating before she joined the Teeth.  Let it be said that her bedside manner was truly to be feared.  

“I’m sure she’ll feel right at home on your bookshelf,” Lisa said, barely able to repress her snickers.

“You put her in a jar?” Taylor asked. 

Amelia shrugged.  “Seemed the best thing to do with her head.  It’s not like I can just magic up the rest of her body considering what you did to it.” 

Taylor winced.  “Not my best moment, but I refuse to apologize.” 

“Nah, she deserved it,” Lisa said.  “Maybe this time the lesson will stick.” 

“Doubtful,” Amelia muttered darkly. 

Not like she’d get a chance to demonstrate, what with being a severed head and all.  Which brought to mind a terrible joke that Chrissie just couldn’t keep herself from giving voice.  She was sure the Collective would approve, which should give Taylor a laugh if nothing else, and she might just share some of the better ones with the rest of them. 

“Well, at least she can quit while she’s a head.” 

Amelia groaned almost immediately even as Lisa barked out a laugh.  Taylor had cracked a smile even as her focus drifted in that telltale way that told her the collective was all jumping in on something and she was actually invested in the conversations.  Tay had once compared their conversations to organized chaos.  Fourteen voices all going at once would overwhelm most people, but Taylor was the exception.  She could handle all of it and more, because what was fourteen voices in the face of a billion insects? 

“Pay up!” Amelia demanded. 

Lisa promptly pulled a twenty out of her pocket and handed it to the Biostriker.

“You bet on who would make the joke first, didn’t you?” Taylor asked with a smirk. 

Lisa didn’t even seem the slightest bit upset at having lost.  “Sure did.  I had my money on the Collective throwing it out there first.” 

“Technically they did,” Taylor said.  “Marauder got it in before her body even hit the floor.” 

“I’m not paying you back,” Amelia retorted immediately. 

Lisa slumped.  “Damn, that’s what I get for making the bet without tapping my power.  I’m sort of running on fumes and Amelia grade painkillers right now.” 

“All I did was dull the pain centers around your Corona,” Amelia said with a shrug.  “Technically it’s messing with brains, but I didn’t actually change anything and the effects will wear off in a few hours.” 

Amelia looked more than a little smug about that, which was proof that Lisa was a horrible influence on the girl.  The fact that she wasn’t currently a complete mess after being kidnapped by a group of monsters intending to Master her on the other hand…  

Maybe Lisa was actually an amazing influence on the poor girl. 

Or Amelia was just as broken as the rest of them. 

Eh, tomato tomahto.

That Lisa only curled closer to the Teeth’s newest terror was further proof that she deserved to be there.  That wasn’t even mentioning the cold-blooded execution of that Elite minion.  Sure, she was doing the guy a favor given how deeply Bastard Son had Mastered him, but it still took someone with a measure of resolve to just put a cap in a skull. 

There wouldn’t be any further whispers about if either of the two belong with the Teeth after this, that much was certain.  Lisa and Amelia were both blooded now, which would silence even their staunchest detractors. 

“Any luck?” Taylor whispered. 

It took Chrissie a moment to realize she had asked Lisa. 

“I sent messages to Lily and Missy to see if they could do anything, and have a few feelers out there.  Armsmaster and Legend haven’t gotten back with me, but I did hear from Accord that he would look into some things that we couldn’t.” 

“Accord?  No shit?” Chrissie asked. 

Lisa shrugged from her place in the cuddle pile.  “Turns out he doesn’t want a return to the old way of things with the Teeth and recognizes that helping keep the Butcher’s father from being a permanent fixture on the waterfront helps him as well.” 

“I’m surprised he didn’t get swept up in the Boston mess,” Taylor said, stepping around the obvious.  “Then again, he was always a slippery bastard.” 

“He actually helped the heroes in the end,” Lisa said.  “His plans managed to contain Bakuda and the Travelers and it looks like they’re all in PRT custody.” 

Taylor certainly didn’t seem happy about that.  “Let me guess, they’re going to let Accord go back to being the criminal they know.” 

“Of course they will,” Chrissie said.  “It’s not like Accord kills more heroes than we do or anything.” 

“No, we just recruit them,” Amelia said with a smirk while fishing out a blunt.  She lit it up and took a deep hit, letting the smoke trail out with a contented sigh.  “Fuck that’s the good stuff.” 

Lisa snatched it from her fingers and took her own hit before passing it over to Taylor.  Let it be known that the Butcher has some fucking impressive lung capacity.  By the time Chrissie got it, there was maybe a single puff left on the damn thing.

Not that she was going to complain, that was still more than enough to get her stoned as hell.  Amelia’s stuff was just that damn good.  The four lounged on the oversized bed long enough that Chrissie began to doze off.  It was what they all needed

So when near silent sobbing broke out, it was rather hard to miss.  The entire pile shifted to cuddle the source, Taylor stopped trying to hold it in and finally let it all out with gut wrenching sobs that had Chrissie ready to find a zombie cape to revive the Elite just so Taylor could slaughter them all again.

“He’s really gone.” 

Chrissie could only hold her tighter, which wasn’t saying much given she still lacked any of Amelia’s upgrades.  Still, she needed to say something, it was the healthy thing to do and more than that, she wanted to be there for her girlfriend. 

“Don’t worry, Tay.  You’ll see your dad again soon enough.” 

“That’s the thing Chrissie, I can still see him,” Taylor said, her voice choking.  “Right now I have an entire swarm dedicated to surveillance.  If the effect breaks, I want to be there the instant it happens.” 

It was said with a quiet desperation, and Chrissie knew it was a vain hope, but it was the only thing currently holding her girlfriend together.  Chrissie wouldn’t take that away from her, not for anything.  So, she held her tighter, letting the moment drag itself out as Taylor vented everything she had been holding back since the first shots of the day were fired.

“Hey, if it helps, I lost my father today too,” Lisa said softly. 

Taylor snorted, sending snot shooting all over her lap.  “Lise, I shot your father, at your direction.  That is hardly the same.” 

“True, but it got a laugh out of you, which is more than his life was worth,” Lisa said, grinning almost genuinely.

“She also decapitated my adopted mom,” Amelia added.  “Still not sure how I feel about that, but I’m sure I’ll process it all over the next few days.” 

Well, let it not be said that the Teeth were healthy, but damn was it nice to be among others that got it.  “Well, as the only one with shitty parents that are both alive and reachable, I’m feeling left out here.” 

This time, Taylor choked out a laughing sob, pulling Chrissie into a hug.  “I’ll think of something.” 

***

Wednesday May 11th, 2011

Chrissie stirred, was cocooned in a pleasant warmth in the dark room.  From what she could feel, a leg was draped over her own, and strong arms held tight, yet it was clear they weren’t from the same person.  Blinking, Chrissie’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and the minimal light coming from a small plug light near the door. 

It wasn’t hard to recognize the arms as Taylor’s, but the legs were a fair bit softer than her own, and draped in a way that suggested the person wasn’t just curled up with the rest of them.  Attempting to shift, a soft groan followed and those strong arms pulled her back down. 

“Shh, let her sleep,” Taylor whispered.

Right, Amelia and Lisa were in bed with them, in a much larger bed than the one that she had shared with Taylor the night before.  Well, until they relocated to the couch in the lounge following Amelia’s debut with the Teeth.  The tangle of limbs was nice enough, but it was becoming increasingly clear that Amelia had opted to drape herself over the trio like a fluffy teddy bear blanket or some shit. 

Not that she was complaining, but Chrissie did wish she had her—and there it was—dangling from a mass of spider silk and being carried by a small swarm of the flying horrors that Amelia had made for Taylor that day at her home, before Taylor’s identity was blown wide open to the Protectorate at large. 

Accepting her phone, Chrissie kissed the closest bit of skin she could reach and unlocked her device.  She considered playing a game for a bit, but curiosity won out.  The PHO app was opened and she quickly made her way to the Brockton boards looking for any news relevant to the Teeth. 

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♦ Topic: Pandemic makes her terrifying debut!

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay

► Wooden_Dentures

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

So, last night I was just chillaxin at the Arena when out of nowhere someone kicked Weaver’s swarm.  Those of us on watch all scrambled into ready positions and let me tell you, the show was not disappointing!  Everyone in the Teeth knew about Pandemic, but to see her take the gloves off and twist Weaver’s swarm into an abomination of nature?  

It was fucking preem, that’s what it was!

Sent New Wave and some out of town Protectorate stooges packing is what we did!

Video

► Thunder of Tropics

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Oh god, not another Teeth vidoe..

► Henchero

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Did Pandemic just eat the swarm?

Brandish (Original Poster) (New Wave)

Posted On May 9th, 2011:

It is with a heavy heart that I must share this, but Panacea has been captured by the Teeth and subverted by a Master under the Butcher’s protection.  She was stolen from her home by this Master in the early evening hours and they used their control over her to rebrand her under the Teeth.  Please pray that the heroes are able to intervene, for the world will be dimmer without her shining example to us all.

► Gemara

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Damn, did Brandish actually get punted into the Bay by her own daughter? 

(Edit: Maybe not?  Given she just posted above me?)

► XxVoid_CowboyxX 

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Oh man, I can’t wait to see what >SpecificProtagonist comes up with after this!

► Pandemic (Villain)

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Oh bullshit mom, you’re just pissed I didn’t let you sell me to the Chicago Protectorate.  Since you’ve outed my identity and the hypocrites running this forum aren’t doing jack **** about it, I may as well go for broke!  I know you stole me from my father when you broke the Rules and attacked our home before you had him tossed in the Birdcage without a trial.  For all we cried about Fleur, you brought it upon us by breaking the Rules first.  THAT was why nobody lifted a finger to help us, because we did it first. 

Now I’m with people that actually give a **** about me and you can’t fucking stand it!

My name is Amelia Clair Lavere, daughter of the Marquis, and you never let me forget where I came from you heartless ****.

(User was infracted for this post.)  Tinmother: Edited for language, but given the information I’ve seen, everything here is technically correct, if heavy handed in delivery.

► All_Seeing_Eye

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Oh, so you infract her for saying shit, but not Brandish?  Favoritism much?

>Glory Girl, can I get an I told you so?

► Tinmother (Moderator)

Replied On May 9th, 2011:

Thread locked while we sort through the numerous reports.

(Showing Page 3 of 3)

***

Chuckling at how Amelia had put Carol in her place, she looked through the trending threads and found one all about their activities and nearly squealed in anticipation of the pants wetting terror the masses must be experiencing at the news that the Teeth were up to their old tricks. 

***

♦ Topic: Slaughter at the old Penitentiary 

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay

Bagrat (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

I’m sure nobody missed the Teeth convoy rolling out of town a few hours ago, so it probably won’t come as a surprise to learn that they slaughtered the Elite like animals less than an hour later.  Word is that the Elite kidnapped Pandemic in her civilian identity. (Not listing it here, even if its completely in the open, I do have some survival instincts, especially after everything I’ve just seen)

Given prior statements by Weaver, it will come as no surprise to learn that the Elite were killed to the last man in a slaughter that turned the stomachs of the PRT forces that responded to the scene after the Teeth vacated the premises.  Pictures are scarce out there due to content filters not allowing most of it to be shown. 

Many of the bodies were gutted for trophies, as the Teeth have always been fond of, and the process of collecting those was never pretty.  I’m also told that Pandemic left Bastard Son as an effigy and warning to all who may come after them again.  Any doubts that the Teeth were defanged should be dispelled by now.  Just because Weaver isn’t as quick to violence as some of her predecessors doesn’t mean she isn’t just as proficient at dealing it out as the best of them.

► Ellie of Wrath

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

I didn’t even know the Elite were in town!  Why weren’t we told about this before the Teeth went to war!?

► ShoppingMom

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Some of the smaller stations mentioned it earlier this week.  I think there was a shooting at the docks over it?

► Capef@n472

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Oh, I remember that!  The Hookwolf guy shot some Elite asshole who tried to threaten him.

► Docked_&_Loaded

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Still say he should run for Mayor over the Nazi funded hack we have now.

► WP_Solidarity

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

They were shooting up a bunch of cars on the way out too!  I had to stop and help a guy who was nearly killed!

► Taste_the_Rainbow

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Wasn’t that one of those Gesellschaft dumpster trucks?  Hardly a loss.

► Vista (Wards ENE)

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Any truth to the rumors that Brandish was also killed during the battle?  Our command isn’t exactly present at the moment to get answers.

► Gallant (Wards ENE)

Replied On May 10th, 2011:

Hard to tell, given how New Wave has really closed ranks since Panacea was kidnapped.

► Bagrat (Original Poster) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

It wasn’t included in the reports, but a separate incident just crossed my desk confirming that Brandish’s body was discovered in her office at the law firm she works at in her civilian identity. 

(Showing Page 1 of 12)

***

Yeah, that was already satisfying and she couldn’t wait to give the thread the proper attention it was due later that evening.  Heroes doing the whole suicide by Butcher thing always made for entertaining reads.  She left that tab open and returned to the main Brockton feed only to blink in surprise at a thread that just went live minutes prior.  Why was there a topic about Boston in the Brockton boards? 

***

♦ Topic: Boston Games 2.0 Concluded.  Bakuda in Custody.

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay

Dragon (Original Poster) (Guild)

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

It is with a heavy heart that I write this press release, but the event now being billed as the second Boston Games has been concluded due to a joint task force led by myself and Armsmaster of the Protectorate.  Their actions as well as the sacrifices of many brave heroes are what won the day today.  A list of casualties will be released shortly once all families have been notified. 

The taskforce arrived in Boston during the early hours of the morning and took decisive action, bringing into custody the villains behind the destructive actions that have rocked the city for the past several weeks.  Bakuda, Accord and his Ambassadors, as well as three members of a group known as the Travelers have been captured and are being evaluated for threats they may pose to those keeping them in custody.  

This represented the majority of the active combatants fighting over the city proper, though many villains are thought to have fled before they became headlines themselves.  Villains such as Blasto and Damsel of Distress are still at large and any tips that lead to their capture will be rewarded as per Protectorate and Guild guidelines. 

We are hopeful that the city will return to a state of relative calm in the days to come.  A celebratory event has been arranged by Boston’s mayor on Thursday, May 12th, and a donation page has been set up HERE for anyone that wishes to contribute to helping those displaced by the fighting.

► unsafe_harbor

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

Oh come on, we all know this is propaganda!  No way the heroes actually solved a problem, and if they did, it will only make things worse for everyone!

► 420blaze69XDxer

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

First!

► Damsel of Distress (Villain)

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

I’m still at large?  I wasn’t aware I was needing to hide away!  I left Boston the moment Bakuda decided my home needed to be renovated, you know how breakups can be.  Brockton Bay has been quite welcoming and I for one intend to stay for as long as I’m allowed!

Pic

Tinmother: Picture removed for graphic content. 

► Klondyke

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

Is that Glory Girl?  Holy shit, it is!

► N00man

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

THAT’s what you took away from that?  Fuck Glory Girl, that’s the goddamn butcher in the background holding a severed head!  (Yeah, she blurred it, but holy shit its not hard to figure out!!!!!

► Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member) 

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

Things I didn’t need to see, but did anyway because fuck this city…

► Tattletale (Verified Cape) (Villain)

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

Dammit Damsel!  Ten seconds until the thread is closed by Dragon’s alt.

► Tin_Mother

Posted On May 10th, 2011:

Thread closed.

Edit: Really?  Don’t act so All Seeing, because I have my Eye on you.

(Showing Page 3 of 3)

***

Huh, so that was why all their closest supporters among the heroes were out of the city and the PRT managed to sneak a bunch of Nazis into the city.  Lisa had said something about that, but the memory was hella fuzzy after all the booze and weed.  The people that might have spoken up against it were kicking ass over in Boston and showing their locals how it was fucking done.  On the plus side, it gave them that much more volume when they warned of the danger of trying to remove the Teeth from Brockton. 

If the people that ended the second Boston Games in a day said that removing the Teeth was too much of a risk, then only an absolute dumbass would argue with them.  On the other hand, that fancy little party the rich fucks were planning to throw sounded like just the thing that could benefit from the Teeth’s brand of a fun time.  Chrissie knew better than to not run it past Taylor, so she sent a text with a link to the thread to her girlfriend even though she was laying right next to her.  There was no point in risking waking Amelia after all.

There was another thing that Chrissie could bring up, but after everything they went through yesterday, it felt a bit selfish to remind people that it was her birthday.  Sure, her parents stopped caring after she came out as gay, and the Teeth never gave any shits one way or another either.  It was just an excuse to get drunk, and someone ripping a half decent fart often qualified for such a dubious honor. 

No, Chrissie could let it slide this year.  It wasn’t like turning seventeen was anything special.  She was still technically bound to her sperm and egg donors for another year legally, so she would just keep to their usual arrangement and continue attending Winslow.  At least Taylor had managed to make that a less miserable prospect, and Amelia would be joining them for the next year as well; even if she was ahead of them in her studies. 

Finally, Amelia began to stir.  Taylor reached over, pulling her close and Chrissie joined in the hug, making sure Taylor was as much a part of it as Amelia.  It was a bit surreal that she was the only one in the new polycule that hadn’t lost a parent in the last twenty-four hours, a fact that Lisa hadn’t really elaborated on. 

Maybe Medhall meetings weren’t so boring after all. 

They had to be better than missing out on the revelry from ending the Elite.  It was no surprise that Taylor hadn’t been in the mood to join the celebrations; though Lisa did talk her into making a half-hearted show of bringing them all out for fresh drinks then dragging all of them back to bed.  That got a round of cheers and kept the rank and file happy enough.  Of course, nothing happened, all they ended up doing was smoking some more weed and vegging out all night in a warm pile of snuggles.

“Mornin,” Amelia muttered, rubbing at her eyes.

It was so damn adorable.

Unfortunately Taylor beat Chrissie to the kiss to the forehead, not that she let it stop her from feathering a second.  Lisa muttered something incoherently as she extracted herself from Amelia’s grip, only to let herself flop onto the terror’s lap. 

“Too early,” Lisa whined. 

“It’s after ten,” Taylor said as her swarm airlifted Amelia and Lisa their phones.  “Take your time getting up, I’ll go grab something for brunch.” 

“Lots of bacon,” Chrissie said.  “Maintain the illusion of breakfast.” 

“Easy enough,” Taylor said with a dry chuckle.  “I’ll get right on that, then we can figure out how badly yesterday fucked the dog.” 

Chrissie winced.  “If PHO is any indication, it’s pretty spectacular.” 

“I figured as much.  I’ve been up all night keeping watch on the city.  The heroes haven’t tried anything and New Wave left my range shortly after nightfall.  Victoria is at Ashley’s and is currently still asleep.  I’m fairly certain Ashley slipped her something to help with that.  She was pretty shaken from what little I spied.” 

“Well, she did watch her mother commit suicide via Butcher,” Lisa said, but she still squeezed Amelia tightly.  “That’s going to take some time to process.” 

“Hopefully she doesn’t hold it against me too badly,” Taylor said, hanging her head.  “I like Victoria, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, especially after she helped us save our sweet little Amelia.” 

“I am right here,” Amelia grumbled, tucking her face against Lisa’s shoulder. 

Chrissie laughed, then feeling a bit spontaneous, leaned forward and kissed her on her frizzy mess of bedhead.  “That you are, and we intend to keep it that way.” 

As Chrissie and Lisa hugged Amelia, Taylor smiled brightly.  “I’ll be back with food in about twenty.  Try not to burn down the Arena while I’m out.” 

“No promises,” Chrissie said cheerfully as Taylor vanished in a puff.  Sitting there, she silently wondered how long it would take Tay to notice that she was still wearing her night clothes wherever she ended up going for food.  It would all come down to if they realized she was the Butcher and how much of a spine they had as to if they would point out that Tay wasn’t wearing pants.

Chrissie herself took her time getting out of bed, but she did make sure that she slipped into some jeans and threw on a sleeveless shirt, because guns like hers shouldn’t be hidden.  A part of her wanted to get tattoos representing the capes she killed yesterday, but she also had several new scars from the fighting that Amelia had healed up for her just the way she preferred. 

Seriously, who would want healing that didn’t preserve the reminder of the awesome moment that earned those markings?  Her scars all had a story, they were badges of fucking honor, and all the Teeth knew she earned them! 

Just as she was fastening her belt flames burst from behind the steel screen Taylor kept setup for her teleportation.  The most awesome Butcher ever stepped out with two overstuffed take-out bags.  Funny enough, she still wasn’t wearing pants. 

“Nobody gave you any problems?” Amelia asked with a smirk. 

Taylor shrugged, her tank top flexing against her muscles.  “Not really.  Some might have tried, but I felt like showing off my new tattoo and that seemed to get the message across.” 

Chrissie grinned as Taylor turned, showing off the rather blatant design that Amelia had worked into her flesh, all bright crimson and light gray.  It was beautiful, and made sure everyone knew exactly who stood before them.  The only problem was that it was only truly visible with a backless design, of which Tay had worn to bed last night so Amelia could do her work.  That it helped distract her from everything that happened was just a convenient bonus and certainly not a nefarious plot organized by one of the strongest Thinkers on the coast. 

Lisa however giggled and glanced down.  “Nobody gave you any grief over the lack of pants?” 

Taylor’s head tilted for a moment, then her eyes widened and she looked down sharply.  “Oh you fucking assholes!  That was what you were snickering about the entire time I was waiting!?” 

“Pity you can’t pain blast the collective,” Chrissie said.  “I’d say they deserve it.” 

Chrissie certainly didn’t miss getting blasted, though it happened more under Quarrel than Damascian, and only once under Tay when they were experimenting with varying the levels in place of other fun implements.  That hadn’t worked out, sadly.  It was no secret that she enjoyed the pain, but even the weakest pain blast felt like all of her nerves were dipped in acid which was more than Taylor was comfortable with when it came to fun play. 

The bags were tossed on the bed and Taylor hurried over to the dresser where she retrieved one of her gray pairs of sweatpants.  That her cheeks were bright red was a special treat, because it took a lot to fluster her these days.  Unfortunately she changed out of the rather revealing night shirt and into her ‘I’m so Fly’ novelty shirt they’d picked up on their first date.

It covered up the tattoo completely, which was part of the point of putting it somewhere easily concealed.  As much as Taylor was open about her identity, she still wanted plausible deniability with her tattoos.  Chrissie didn’t really get it, but that was her girlfriend’s choice and she would respect it.

Once dressed, Tay joined them back on the bed where the food had been spread out.  She’d stopped by some grease trap and had a mess of styrofoam containers loaded with stacks of bacon, piles of scrambled eggs, a whole mess of boneless wings with a variety of sauces, fries, and a whole cheesecake. 

“Really going for the gold there,” Chrissie said with a grin. 

Amelia picked up one of the bacon slices and eyed it warily.  “I am going to have to flush all of our arteries after this…” 

“Can you flush your own?” Taylor asked, having grabbed some toast to make a bacon sandwich.  “I know you’ve been experimenting with stuff, but I’ve tried not to pry.” 

Amelia hung her head for a moment, then shoved the bacon in her mouth and pulled the fries closer.  “I still can’t affect my own biology, but I’ve found that I can create things that work around my own immunity.  I could probably modify myself with enough trial and error, but any mistakes would be difficult to fix.” 

Yikes, that sounded terrifying.  No wonder she was reluctant to really dive into that subject.  Chrissie wanted some enhancements too, but she wasn’t about to ask or pressure Amelia into doing something she might not want given everything that happened.  Still, Lisa had offered herself as a canvas for experiments, and she was now one of the most feared fighters the Teeth had.  That was saying something when she never made it into the field. 

Huh, that gave Chrissie an idea that would help both of them out.  “Why not try those ideas out on me?  If you mess up you can just fix it with a touch, right?” 

Amelia blinked, her eyes going unfocused.  “That could work…” 

Smirking, Chrissie reached out her hand.  “Anything for my cutie of a girlfriend.” 

“Careful now, flattery might get you something unexpected,” Amelia muttered. 

“I hope it’s hidden venom sacks,” Chrissie said with a manic grin.

Taylor smiled as she leaned back, checking something on her phone before she watched them intently with a fond exasperation as Amelia looked Chrissie over and got to work.  Despite the silence, she could almost imagine the voices in Taylor’s head saying something about sins against nature had never been more adorable.

*** 

Flexing her hands, Chrissie had never felt stronger.  Amelia had worked on her for several hours, using viral loads instead of her usual touch to roid her out.  At least she seemed satisfied with the early results, though further testing with others would be needed.  After another day or two she should know if any of the changes were actually dangerous and would then give Chrissie the full loadout that Lisa had. 

Unfortunately, Amelia’s need to run further experiments with other test subjects meant that Chrissie was on her own, because Taylor was out with Madison and Charlotte helping Sabah get settled after the fire.  Some members were probably grumbling about how the Butcher wasn’t around after such a glorious battle, but she trusted Tay to do what was right by the gang.

That left Chrissie to deal with her current predicament.  For whatever fucking reason, her parents had messaged, requesting she stop by their home just outside Brockton’s city limits.  Technically they were still in New Hampshire, but only just.  All because the tax code was slightly better for their wealth. 

She really didn’t want to deal with them on her birthday, but when she brought it up to Taylor she all but insisted she go with a less than subtle wink.  Chrissie didn’t want to, not with how they still held a leash on her freedom.  A voice in the back of her mind whispered that with Amelia now in her life, Taylor was cutting her loose.  

That voice got mulched like Skidmark. 

No, Chrissie was Teeth and if Taylor wasn’t willing to cast Animos out, or just kill him, then there was no way that she would be abandoned like that.  Old insecurities died hard, and if Lisa wasn’t currently dealing with the Medhall fallout, she might have been able to offer some insight on that.

Besides, it wasn’t like her gene donors could actually press her into something she didn’t want to do.  They learned that lesson back when she triggered.  No, something else was going on and Chrissie couldn’t help but think that Taylor had some inkling of what it was.

That didn’t stop her from wondering why they were calling her now of all times.  Chrissie wanted nothing to do with her DNA donors now or ever, but some interaction was needed to avoid drawing the attention of the authorities to her gang ties or the fact she was living at a gang’s headquarters.  

Given the recent actions by the PRT, the timing was more than a little suspicious.  Worse, her parents lived outside the city, so Taylor couldn’t get a good read on them with her bugs, even with Amelia’s absolutely awesome sins against god at her disposal. 

Worser—Chrissie really needed to keep skimming that thesaurus—Taylor wouldn’t be there with her for this thanks to the whole cleanup thing.

They were the goddamn Teeth, led by the most ferocious Butcher to ever hold the mantle.  All Chrissie could think was ‘let them fucking try’.  The Elite had chosen the Empire option, and went down in spectacular fashion.  It wasn’t much of a surprise that Bastard Son had brokered a deal with the Gesellshaft for support, but that just meant that they had plenty of new trophies to show for it. 

And Alice was hard at work on her signature Chili thanks to the thoughtful donation.

That Chrissie’s parents had been on the list of Empire donors came as no surprise, they were both useless, cowardly cunts.  It was the sole reason they had survived the purges, they were like the Stanfields and knew to keep their heads down. 

Just one more year and she would be rid of them for good, then she could live free for the first time in her life.    No more false freedom, no more wasting her life at school… 

Not that it felt like a waste anymore, not since Taylor came crashing into her life in a flood of chitin.    Goddess she was horrifying, a true terror that no past Butcher could hope to match, and she was Chrissie’s.    That thought still floored her, and despite the hiccups, Taylor was the best girlfriend she could ever hope for. 

Not that she was her only girlfriend anymore.  Any reservations she had about bringing in Amelia had been thoroughly dismantled by the kidnapping.  Chrissie hadn’t realized the lengths she was willing to go for the prickly Biostriker, not until she watched her vanish right in front of her.  All the murder that followed was cathartic and justified as far as she was concerned. 

The cuddles were certainly worth it so far, and if Lisa’s teasing was anything to go by, more was soon to follow.  Just not with her, because of that whole Ace thing, not that Chrissie really got it.  Lisa was damn fun to look at, especially after Amelia’s handiwork, but she’d respect the whole not wanting to get physical thing that Lisa had going on.

Now if only she could just blend her parents, then everything would be copacetic! 

Shaking that amusing mental departure aside, she squared her shoulders and marched up to the door to their cottage, smirking at the for sale sign in the front lawn.  She was all too happy to know that the fallout of the Empire being exposed was hurting them enough that they had to sell their little retreat.  

She didn’t want to deal with them, but not knowing exactly what the bastards wanted irked her.  If it wasn’t for the vague assurances from her girlfriends, she would have assumed it was a trap.    Even as obscure as they were being, Chrissie trusted her girlfriends. 

If it was a trap, her girlfriends would come storming in, fury and flames following in her wake, never mind the pestilence.  Shame that name had been taken by a member of the Nine back in the nineties.  That he died to the Teeth was almost poetic in a way.  Taylor certainly appreciated the irony when it had come up the other night. 

“It’s open,” came over the intercom before she could even knock. 

Letting out an irritated huff, Chrissie opened the door and stomped in, letting her confidence as Vex carry her through the familiar mountain cabin.  There were a lot of memories here, few of them pleasant.  She could still remember getting starved for two days after kicking some board member in the dick when he hit on her, or the time she returned after breaking out of camp and delivered her ultimatum. 

Stepping into the living room brought those memories rushing back, though last time her parents had been surprised by her sudden return.  This time they were sitting there waiting for her, though she caught the moment that they truly took in her appearance.  It had changed since the start of the school year when she’d last stopped by.  

The side cut was new, though the color wasn’t.  Red suited her far more than blonde and thanks to Amelia, it was her natural color.  Last time, she only had one tattoo, and hid it under long sleeves.  This time, she was wearing a shirt with the sleeves torn off, leaving all her scars and tattoos on full display, including the one in honor of her kickass girlfriend. 

A girlfriend that she got the distinct impression they were aware of if their blanket terror was any indication.  Internally shrugging, Chrissie decided to roll with it and stepped over to the open chair and flopped down, throwing a leg over the armrest and turning her steely gaze upon them. 

“Why the fuck am I here?” 

No point trying for sophistication or elegance, much as they tried to instill all of that into her, she just didn’t give two shits about proper society and ladylike behavior.  The only highlight to those parties was getting to sneak off and make out with Katherine, and that ended when they were both caught.  She’d been sent off to that Haven camp after that, then came the torture, then— 

“You’re seventeen now,” her mother said, a slight hitch to her voice as she spoke.

“Your point?” Chrissie snarled.  “You didn’t give a shit about my last birthday, why do you suddenly give a shit about this one?” 

No car, no nothing, just a party for rich assholes and a quick trip to a fucked up Haven camp for kissing a cute girl.  Goddamn did she want to just blend them and get it all over with.  That part of her life was behind her, but just seeing them again was enough to poke her right in the Trigger Trauma.

“I’ll cut straight to it then,” her father said, getting her to open a single eye and glare at him.  He then picked up a folder and tossed it onto the table.  “Read it.” 

Chrissie scoffed, but reached over and collected the document.  Her face morphing from anger to confusion as she read on.  After a moment, she looked up, fighting back every emotion fighting to spill forth. 

“What is this?” 

“That, is a legal emancipation,” he said sternly.  “Sign that document, and you are effectively disowned.  We would have zero legal rights to you, and you would have no legal rights to any inheritance we might leave behind.” 

Chrissie stared blankly at them before returning her attention to the documentation.  It all looked to be exactly as he had described.  A clean break with no strings attached, the exact thing she had demanded almost a year ago just after joining the Teeth but was summarily denied due to how it would look among their circle.

A circle that the Teeth had effectively gutted.   

“Why now?” Chrissie found herself whispering, her attention almost fully engrossed by the legalese on the papers.

“To be blunt, the only reason we agreed to your little farce was to save face.  Your girlfriend’s stunt with Anders ended any point in continuing the act.” 

Chrissie looked up, a creeping suspicion clawing at the back of her mind.  “Weaver contacted you.” 

“More like burst into existence in our living room,” her mother said sheepishly.  “She gave us a choice and this is the one that we elected to take.” 

“What was the other option?” Chrissie asked, though she had a feeling she already knew. 

“Nothing,” her father said sharply.  “This is the deal.  I suggest you take it, otherwise you’ll be moving with us to Chicago.” 

Funny, that’s where all the Protectorate peeps kept moving the Nazis to.  Lisa was going to have a field day with that nugget and it might just mean a road trip was in order for the Teeth. 

“I know my girlfriend,” Chrissie said, dropping the folder with a huff.  She let some of her force fields catch the light and looked her mother dead in the eyes.  “Try again.”

Her mother had always only offered a token resistance to her father.  She was completely beaten down, with no initiative of her own.  A perfectly demure wife, just as she had been raised to be.  Pity Chrissie learned at an early age not to put up with the pathetic excuse that boys were just being boys and broke Kevin’s jaw when they were seven. 

After several moments of uncomfortable eye contact, her mother’s resolve either hardened, or broke, Chrissie couldn’t say which. 

“She said one way or another, you wouldn’t have parents by the time you turned seventeen.” Her mother whispered.

“Bianca!” Father shouted, as he rose to his feet.  He tired to take a step closer but she had razor blades at his throat before he could move on her.  He brought his hands up slowly, but Chrissie was done playing.  “Now Christina…” 

A single nick, drawing the faintest trickle of blood, was all it took to break the man.  His entire facade crumbled as an aborted and choked sob broke through his mask.  Chrissie couldn’t help it, she laughed.  Holy hell did she want to kiss Taylor for setting this all up, and she only wished she could have seen it all unfold.  

An evil little thought came to mind and she had to fight down further snickers. 

“So, what I’m understanding is that if I refuse to sign, my girlfriend will come in here and murder you both?”  Her mother simply closed her eyes in resignation, but her father was now begging incoherently for mercy.  She grabbed him by the collar of his designer shirt and pulled him close with a snarl on her lips and vengeance in her heart.  “Or maybe I should just do it myself and finally pay you back for shipping me off to that hell hole.” 

Chrissie took no small measure of delight at the fear she could practically feel radiating off of him as the color drained as though she had already slit his throat.  It would be all too easy to run them through the blender like she had with Stormtiger.  She wanted to do it, to finally be rid of the fuckers that caused her trigger. 

The only thing that stilled her hand was the thought of Taylor.  She had set this all up, given them the option to walk away cleanly, and they accepted.  It was all she ever wanted, but more than that, Taylor had given Chrissie the choice as well.  They were far enough from the city that no help would be coming if she did attack them and she could scrub the scene long before any forensics team arrived.  Taylor had delivered them into her hands to do as she wished, and positioned herself to be far enough away that she wouldn’t be watching over Chrissie’s shoulder. 

Taylor trusted her.  

Trusted that whatever choice she made would be the correct one, and she knew that Taylor wouldn’t question her no matter the outcome.  Chrissie could feel the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she looked at the signatures of her parents, a singular blank space left for her own. 

The choice was literally in her own hands, along with the pen she had picked at some point as she stared at the document, wondering which choice she would end up making.  Her father hadn’t stopped groveling, and just that alone was such catharsis that she could only let out a shuddering breath. 

In the end, did it even matter which choice she made?  

She was free.

***

Chrissie would never admit it, but she always felt a bit warmer when she returned to the arena, it was home after all.  The guards gave her a curt nod as she stepped through the doors and those meandering near the entrance all took notice of her arrival. 

Respect was such a simple word, but one didn’t understand what it truly meant until it was earned from others.  She had earned it, and it felt amazing to see so many people smile at her arrival, the nods of approval.  Hell, even some of the kids ran up and shouted her name with wide grins. 

Because the refuge had become a community.

Taylor had changed what the Teeth were at their core, and the people loved them.  It was a new feeling, one she relished and never wanted to give up.  She didn’t have to change how she fought either, nobody cared that she blended Stormtiger, some even cheered her on for it.

The heroes could suck it, because all of that?  It made everything worth it. 

She made her way back up towards the lounge and was surprised to find the door locked.  Damien had to be high as shit if he actually locked the door behind him for once.  That or Aisha was playing a joke on her, which would require retribution if that was the case.  

It wasn’t like anyone locked the door when they were fucking.  The number of times she walked in on Damien or Michael fucking a groupie…  Just blech.  She should not be aware of what most of her coworkers’ dicks looked like.

The temptation to shred the lock was there, but Taylor might get upset with her for it, so she took the time to fish her key off her belt and unlocked the door.  A singular roach scurried over the door frame and paused.

Chrissie couldn’t help but smile.  “Someone’s getting smacked for this Tay, just warning you now.” 

The roach fluttered its wings before scurrying off.  

Chrissie chuckled as she swung the door open and blinked at the darkened space.  Even the arena floor was blanketed in shadow, which was unusual.  Had they lost power or something?  Maybe Michael and Alec’s ever growing entertainment center managed to short out the fuses or something. 

She’d barely made it two steps inside when every light kicked on at once.  Her force fields sprung up around her out of reflex as she readied herself for any attack. 

“SURPRISE!” 

Chrissie’s panic quickly faded as she saw all of her family assembled, with Taylor at the front as her swarm held a banner over their heads that read ‘Happy Birthday!’  Taylor surged forward and wrapped her in a hug, spinning her around and pressed Chrissie into her collar as she did. 

Chrissie wasn’t crying, and anyone who suggested otherwise was lying their asses off.

“Happy birthday,” Taylor said softly.  “Did you like my present?” 

She smiled, laughing as she gripped her girlfriend tighter.  “I loved it, Tay.  Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Taylor said, pulling back and grinning her wide smile.  “Remind me to show you the video later, it’s fucking hilarious!” 

“You recorded it?” Chrissie asked. 

“My conversation with them at least,” Taylor said, rubbing the back of her neck.  “I made sure your visit was private however.” 

“You’re the best,” Chrissie said, hugging her again. 

“Alright, that’s enough mushy shit,” Aisha said, suddenly hanging from their shoulders.  “Is this a party, or is this a fucking party?” 

“You heard the brat!” Damien shouted.  “Let’s show this city how the Teeth throw a goddamn party!” 

“Fuck yeah!” Elliot cheered, hauling out a keg from behind the kitchen counter. 

Chrissie smiled as her family claimed their refreshments or vices of choice.  The rest of the arena came to life as people swarmed out and joined in on the continued revelry.  It wasn’t as though the party had truly stopped since they got back from the battle with the Elite, more that it ebbed and flowed. 

Down below, two of the Teeth were laughing as they faced off with one another in a friendly match, well, friendly by Teeth standards.  That Amelia was whooping and cheering over the side that she would patch up the winner was decidedly cruel of her and Chrissie found herself approving of the girl’s steady descent into villainy.  

Michael was giving Alec a Warhammer primer along with Madison and Charlotte, which was amusing as hell.  Alec apparently didn’t see the point if the game didn’t play itself like his consoles did.  Michael’s groan of frustration had her chuckling as Madison took over explaining something else while Charlotte just shook her head.  

That Rachel was watching both girls fondly did not escape her notice. 

Off to the side Dinah and Aisha were playing some card game together, laughing and smiling while Big Robbie watched over their little Omen’s shoulder.  She’d never seen the man so animated as he was dealing with the little runt.  He’d never had a family and it was rare that people so young joined the Teeth.  He’d looked over her when she first joined as well, but never quite like he was with Dinah.  Then again, she was a fair bit older than Dinah when she turned Skidmark into salsa. 

“Everything alright?” Taylor whispered into her ear as she handed her a beer. 

“Yeah,” Chrissie said with a smile.  “Everything’s great.” 

“Almost everything,” Taylor said. 

Following her eyes, Chrissie observed a morose Alice working on her famed Chili.  The last time she’d been working on a batch, Danny had been there with her.  She’d overheard the comment Alice made about Danny being good for some fun, but hadn’t considered that it might actually be a legitimate thing going on between them.

“Did she actually…  You know?” 

Taylor shrugged.  “No idea.  I never got a chance to ask and didn’t want to know at the time.  Given how sullen she’s acting?” 

Ouch.  Knowing that someone several of her past lives had fucked senseless had also jumped her dad’s bones had to be a real kick in the teeth.  Ha!  Too bad she had enough self preservation to keep that zinger to herself, but there was still another that she could drop instead.

“Could be worse,” Chrissie teased.  “Alice could end up as number sixteen.” 

“Do. Not. Jinx. Me,” Taylor said pointedly.  “I already have memories of what my mom was like in bed and so help me if I end up in the head of someone who has slept with my father…” 

“Not gonna happen, Tay.” Chrissie whispered.  “I won’t let it happen.” 

“Please don’t make promises like that,” Taylor said softly.  “I don’t want to end up in your head either.” 

Now that was an opening she couldn’t resist.  Chrissie leaned forward, her lips ghosting a feather touch against Taylor’s ear as she whispered, “oh Taylor.  If I wanted you inside me, I’d ask Amelia for a favor.” 

Taylor immediately coughed, pulling away as she choked on nothing.  A wide grin broke out across Chrissie’s face as the whole thing with Danny and Alice no longer seemed as important as the idea Chrissie had suggested. 

“Maybe someday,” Taylor said after a long moment, then she looked away all bashful like.  “I got you something else, though you won’t be able to wear it until tomorrow.” 

Curiosity won out as Chrissie watched a small swarm shepherd a cardboard box over to her.  When Chrissie opened it, she couldn’t help but gasp at the elaborate dress made of spider silk expertly patterned after her Vex costume.  It was with trembling fingers that she held it up and admired the complexity of the design.  Clearly she owed Parian a compliment because it was just perfect. 

“What’s the occasion?” Chrissie asked. 

Taylor’s smile turned vicious.  “Remember that little fundraiser that the PRT is hosting in Boston?  I figured it might make for a fun date night if we got all dressed up and crashed it.” 

Chrissie couldn’t help but bark out a laugh.  “Oh Tay, you take me to the best places.” 

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” Taylor said, snuggling up close.  “Right by your side.” 

Oh. 

Oh hell. 

She remembered.

Taylor was definitely getting something special tonight.