Butchered Tech Interlude 1 (Unedited) (Patreon)

Butchered Tech

By: Bubbajack

Co-authors/Editors: IcySnowSage, First Hassan

Special Consultant: Heliosion

Note: Special Thanks go out to my Super Donors: Apostle_of_Darkness, Ben wanless, CrazymanDK, Jac, Jareth Norris, Kenni Nielson, Meraj Alimi, Scott Marchant, and Selmephren.

Interlude 1

Parking his car several blocks away from Archer Street Bridge, aka Merchant territory, in a derelict alleyway, John reached into his glove box and pulled out several flashbangs before stuffing them into his jacket pocket. Just in case he ran into Skidmark. The damn druggie probably wasn’t coherent enough to block what he couldn’t see coming after all. So thinking John made sure all his guns were loaded and the safeties were off before he stalked towards the druggie infested area with predatorial grace. Like some kind of pissed off jungle cat.

“Yo motherfuckers. What the fuck is going on? I got enough white supremacist stealing my product. Now instead of trying to sell it back to me or making more clients these bitches have the audacity to destroy our products? What the fuck! Squealer, I need you to build us some vehicles, stat. We gotta protect our place from these ass-fuckin’, cock suckin’, rednecks!

John could hear Skidmark a while away before he even saw the man. Worse, he could smell the man. The stench of piss, feces, and the sickly sweet scent of decay wafted downwind off the man. John had smelt it before and worse besides, but even he was having a hard time recalling all of it coming off so strongly from one person in what was supposed to be ‘civilized society’. He was just about ready to shut Skidmark’s mouth permanently along with making sure Brockton Bay no longer had a Merchant problem when a new voice cut into the conversation.

“Skidmark, you piece of skag droppings, I’ve come for my lil’ sister!”

“Mox,” Squealer said, her tone filled with both sadness and hope in equal measure. “What’re, Why’re you here?”

“Yeah, why you here ya highclass ho?” Skidmark interjected, “I thought I told ya, Squealer don’t need’cha no mo’! An’ that if you come round again we’d be putin ya to work turnin’ tricks for the Merchants?”

“Oh why don’t you go suck off a dog to get your fix smoothbrain!” Mox spat at him, “I’m here to get my sister some actual help and you're not gonna stop me this time!”

“Oh really?” Skidmark said confidently. “Tar, get rid of this bitch. But try ta knock her out if ya can,”

“Can do boss,” a husky sounding voice replied before the sound of something spilling forth was heard, it smelled acrid and nasty.

“What the fuck?” Mox cried as an automatic weapon went off.

Hearing enough, John blitzed into action, his body a blur of motion as he moved onto the scene.

The woman he assumed was Mox was firing a tinkertech uzi at a young black boy, probably in his late teens early twenties, and his arms and turned into some kind of molten tar or sludge that was burning or decaying its way slowly towards her as it seems to spray forward from his limbs like water from a fire hydrant. Wasting no time, John started shooting his bullets pinging off stone and the steel boxcars the merchants had requisitioned to form their makeshift base. Seeing what looked to be a makeshift meth lab set off to the left, he took aim and fired. It went up in a massive explosion that swept everyone except him off their feet. Using that as his chance, he darted forwards, picked up the woman, and retreated behind cover.

“Who the hell’re you?” She asked, her voice drifting into a southern drawl.

“Someone the Merchants have had the misfortune of pissing off,” John told her calmly. “Stay down, it’ll be over soon,” He made to move only for her to grab his arm.

“Wait, can you find it in your heart  to save my sister… Squealer… Please! She’s unwell, it's all that bastard Skidmarks fault! I know I’m asking a lot from a total stranger but…”

John peeked out from behind cover, the druggies were about to get up. “If I do this, you’ll owe me a marker,” He told her.

“I understand,” She said, nodding.

Taking a breath, John coated the tip of his barrel and his shoes in speed bubbles before he moved in. The one called Tar was up first and he had flung his tar at John causing him to baseball slide across the ground as globs of flaming hot goop flew over his head, hitting the metal behind him and burning sizzling holes in the metal. Unable to get a beat on his torso or head, John settled for shooting Tar in the kneecaps.

Watching him fall, he rose to his feet, sending a trio of rounds at skidmark only for them to bounce off his barriers.

“Nice try Cracker! But I’m outta here! A free kilo a coke to whoever off’s this Empire assassin!” Skidmark yelled at the top of his lungs before running away, Mush hot on his heels.

That caused the roaches to come out of the woodwork. Like a hoard of Zombies the meth heads in droves shambling towards him with whatever they could carry, From half-broken 2x4’s to tire irons, broken glass bottles, some even had crude machete’s they’d fashioned from sharpened pieces of metal with narrow ends wrapped in cloth or plastic.

Seeing the strung out mob approaching, John holstered his gun. This pitiful bunch weren’t even worth a bullet. He could and would take them with fists alone. The first of the bunch swiped at him with a glass bottle only for him to dodge, grab him by the wrist, twist sharply, pull, and kick at his kneecap all in one smooth motion. The result was his wrist breaking, arm popping out of its socket, and kneecap shattering all in moments of each other. The druggie fell, howling in pain as the rest spread out, encircling him. Glancing around he said, “We don’t have to do this… just walk away,” In response they swarmed him. “Okay then,” John replied. He tried for the memory of his wife, to be merciful. Now though? That was gone. A 2x4 aimed for his head from behind, he reached out blindly and caught it, kicking the owner with enough force thanks to his ability to snap bones like dried twigs. Swinging the impromptu club, it broke into toothpicks on the jaws of two more druggies. Turning he grabbed the arm of one who tried to shank him in the back only to rabbit punch him repeatedly in his deltoid nerve with his free arm before giving him a right hook to the jaw. Another received a boot to the face while a third he kicked in the crotch before rolling over his back only to punch the one behind him in the nose so hard the sound of breaking cartilage could be heard along with a spray of blood gushing from his nose. He then whipped his arm around and lariat another across the throat as he tried to take him by surprise from the side and mudstop him in the chest with both feet like a pissed off army sergeant before kicking another in the back of the knee sending him down to one leg, only to kick him in the chin with his other leg. One shrimpy looking one he picked up by the throat and slammed into the ground before he kicked so hard with his power enhanced boots he dented the boxcar he slammed into.

It continued like that for a while they would break themselves upon him like a human tide, but he was an unassailable rock. And once the tide receded there was nothing left but a choppy sea of broken bodies rolling around on the ground all around him. John was huffing by the time it was all over and for the first time in a long while, he felt winded, tired, his muscles burning with exertion and dare he say it, he felt good. It felt good to fall back into old habits. ‘But it shouldn’t feel good,’ he told himself. ‘You got out, you were happy, content. You shouldn’t… shouldn’t want this,’ He thought as he looked down at his bruised and bloodied knuckles. He felt more than heard the threat behind him due to years worth of experience. He turned, but just a little bit too slowly, as a broadhead arrow sliced through his left bicep. He drew his pistol and started unloading, yet this person moved and blended in with the darkness. ‘Annoying, a Breaker,’ He thought. He was trying to come up with some way to stop this one from moving around so much when something smashed into his foe. It looked like a bolt of lightning, but whatever it was sent his foe crashing to the ground… in two pieces.

One was a person in black clothing, the other was the missing forearm of that person and the crossbow she was holding just seconds ago. “This is no place for a child,” John said calmly, looking her over. She had to be a Ward. The newest one, Shadowstalker if he missed his guess.

“F-Fuck you!” She spat. “What did you do to me?! You shot off my fucking arm! I’m the fucking predator here not you!”

“That,” He said calmly looking around, “Wasn’t me,” He didn’t see any hide nor hair of the actual shooter. Yet he didn’t see anything. ‘Someone’s giving me overwatch and I don’t know who,’ John thought, but considering they hadn’t attacked again, he figured it was as good a time as any to focus on the matter at hand. Couching down, he asked, “What made you think it was a good idea to attack me, little girl?”

“Fuck you, and fuck the fucker who shot me! I’m the predator in this city! Not a couple of upstarts! The gangs should fear me, not you!” She tried to swing her crossbow around to shoot him with it but John casually shot her in her elbow, disabling her. He then shot her in both kneecaps. “The first knee was for trying to shoot me, the second was for thinking you're actually some kind of predator. You are no more threatening than a baby bird that has yet to leave the nest. Try growing some wings first before flying little chickadee.”

He got up and started to walk away only to be confronted by a pair of Heroes. One he recognized, the other wasn’t too familiar, “Madcap… No, it's Assault now isn’t it?”

“Yeah… Baba Yaga I presume?” Assault said warily, “I thought you retired?”

John nodded, “I did,” His eyes slid past the younger-ish woman whose costume looked like a circuit board. “Whose this?”

“My wife, Battery,” Assault said, taking a step in front of her protectively.

“You're married, good for you… I was married for a while too.” John said conversationally as he reached into his pocket causing the Heroes to tense only to relax when the Baba Yaga pulled out a cigarette case. Sticking one in his mouth, he tried to light it, but the lighter didn’t want to work. “Got a light?” He asked.

Stepping gingerly over the bodies of the druggies, Assault reached slowly into his utility belt and pulled out a lighter and held it out, lit to the Boogeyman who lit his smoke with it, “Thanks,” he said as he took a puff.

“Did… did you shoot off Shadowstalkers arm?” Battery asked as she went over to render what aid she could.

“No, that was someone else, I dunno who the shooter is,” John casually looked around as he smoked while Battery called in a Ward down. “All I know is the shot came from behind me,”

‘So we could be in their sights right now, shit,’ Assault thought.

“She’s also been kneecapped twice and shot in her left elbow,” Battery remarked.

“That, you can blame on me,” John said as he smoked. “She did try to kill me, and I didn’t take too kindly to that,”

“You stupid girl,” Battery chastised, “What made you think you could take him?”

“F you,” Shadowstalker bit out between clenched teeth, as Battery tightened a belt around her stump, to cut off the blood flow to her stump of an arm.

Taking another drag off his smoke, John said calmly, “I suppose this is the part where you try to take me in?”

Assault put his hands up, dropping the lighter and backing up as he did so, “Nope, nope, no, hell no! I prefer living, thank you very much! We didn’t see you or anything resembling you. We just came to collect Shadowstalker for disobeying orders and leaving the Rig without permission. And she was all banged up like this when we got here. Right Battery?”

Battery looked at her husband and she saw something in his eyes she rarely saw reflected there.

Fear. Absolute fear and terror of the man in front of them. A man so confident, he didn’t even bother to hide his identity behind a mask. ‘Because he doesn’t usually leave people alive to remember what he looks like,’ She realized as an iceberg of terror fell into her gut and the chill spread through her veins. “N-No we didn’t see anything. Just came to pick up Shadowstalker, that’s all.”

“Pussies,” Shadowstalker spat out through the pain.

Walking over to her, John casually crouched down and looked directly into her eyes as he finished off his cigarette. “If you were smart, you’d lie and say you got overwhelmed by the Merchant's new cape. But most kids your age aren’t too bright so I’ll spell it out for you. If the PRT comes looking for me. I’ll kill your mother, father, brother, anyone and anything you could possibly care about. Then I will hunt you down no matter where you could possibly think to try to run… and then, and only then, I will kill you, do you understand me?”

It wasn’t the words he used that frightened Shadowstalker, no she’d heard that from dozens of thugs she’d stuck to walls with her bolts. It was casual calmness by which he said it. Like how most people talked about the weather or the rising price of gas, He spoke of killing everything she ever could and would care about before hunting her down to the ends of the earth if he had to, to end her. Despite the pain, Sophia found herself slowly nodding.

“Good,” Reaching into his pants pocket he pulled out a handful of gold coins, He dropped two on Shadowstalkers chest, flipped one to Assault, and walked over to a stunned Squealer, who stood there like a statue in shock he placed the last two in her hand and said, “For your silence,”

Picking up one and examining it, Battery noted it wasn’t like the coins in circulation as currency. The side she was holding had a lion on it, in front of a sunburst shield. Atop were the words “Ens Causa Sui,” and on the bottom were the Roman numerals MMI. On the reverse was a woman, possibly a knight, bearing a sword and shield in her left arm, a sheaf of wheat in the other, and bordered by the laurel leaf below. The words above said “Ex Nutae Vires”

“What is this?” She asked.

Taking Squealer by the arm, he led her away as he replied, “If you ever need anything, go to Somer’s Rock, a bar just outside of town, and offer them this coin, they’ll take care of it.” John replied as he proceeded to walk away towards the location the mysterious shot originated from. He stopped when he rounded the corner and saw Mox staring at him, “Take her to Somer’s Rock, get her some help,”

“T-Thank you,” she said, “And it's Moxxie,” she said.

“Right… remember, you owe me… twice now,” he said, “For the coins as well as sparing her life.”

“I know, I’ll repay you… somehow,” She replied.

“Did you see which way the shot came from?” John asked, “I think know it came from this general direction but there are a lot of buildings this way,”

Moxxie pointed, “Long brick building near the waterfront, I saw a flash come from there… no offense sugga, but I didn’t wanna watch you beat up a bunch of druggies so I looked away.”

“Thanks, you only owe me one now,” John replied as he walked off into the night.

(...)

Taylor felt like she had a stone in her throat as they pulled up to the Barnes family home. It was an old Victorian house with turrets sticking out of the sides of the building that made it seem more like a medieval castle than a common home. So many good memories flashed in Taylor’s mind’s eye as she beheld the home, only for her to be abruptly jarred out of them when the source of those memories and many new bad one’s kicked the back of her seat.

“Knock it off Emma,” Anne chastised. “You can face the inquisition with at least a little bit of dignity you know,” She told her little sister who had been glaring at her former best friend with the intensity of a Tinker laser since the ride started, “Also don’t bother trying to rush upstairs to delete any evidence on your computer. I cracked your code and backed it all up on my cloud.”

Emma, who was rushing to get out to do just that, shouted, ““How the hell did you crack my password?”

“Easy, I just thought like a juvenile conceited bitch would… also WishEyewasan0nlyChi1d, really? Hurtful,” Anne said, sounding genuinely wounded.

“EMMA, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE YOUNG LADY!” Her father bellowed from the front porch.

Giving a sad smile, Anne said, “It seems your reputation precedes you,”

“I hate you! I hate you both so much!” Emma seethed pure vitriol as she slammed the door closed and stomped towards the house.

Silence reigned in the car for a moment before Anne put her hand on Taylor’s shoulder, “You okay Taylor? You were hit by a nostalgia bomb when we pulled up weren’t you?”

“Yeah, Like I remember the tire swing Emma and I would play on it all the time when we were younger, your mom is still growing rose bushes. One time Emma and I got in trouble for playing hide and seek with you and we hid in them… she wasn’t too mad since she thought all the pokes and scratches we got from the thorns was punishment enough. Then there was that summer where your dad totally bought out that icecream truck and treated the entire block. Or when Emma, me, and you had a sleepover in the treehouse? Remember that?”

“Heck yes I do!” Anne said, “The treehouse sleepover was fun. Emma was scared shitless cause you told ghost stories and I loved it!”

“We had s’mores…. It was a month after mom… I guess it was just my way of grieving,” Taylor said, sniffling a little before she said, “I’m sorry Anne.”

Placing her hand on Taylor’s shoulder, Anne said, “For what sweetie?”

“For not realizing that you’ve been in my life just as much as Emma until now. When Emma… When I came back from summer camp, Emma was there with Sophia and she said neither she nor anyone in her family ever wanted to see me again. I should’ve known better, but I was just so hurt. That I never thought to ask, then the bullying started, I didn’t know what I did wrong! Did she suddenly hate me for leaving her behind and going off to summer camp or?”

Anne drew the younger girl into a hug, it was a bit awkward due to the fact she drove a stick shift, but she managed, “Taylor, hun, this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Emma okay? Now I’m not sure about what exactly, but I know something happened to Emma that summer and it really messed with her. Dad won’t go into specifics.”

“So it wasn’t something I did?” Taylor sniffed, “You're sure?”

“Absolutely, which means everything Emma’s done to you is completely unacceptable and stops today,” Anne told her, “And Taylor if you ever need anything, at all, don’t hesitate to call me kay? You still have my cell number?”

“I… we haven’t had cell phones since mom…” Taylor said.

Letting out an annoyed growl from the back of her throat, Anne said, “I’ll let Dad know, he’ll talk to Uncle Danny, it's not safe to go walking around Brockton Bay without a phone! This place is a gangster paradise for goodness sakes!”

“Please don’t,  things are… awkward right now between me and dad.”

“Do you two even talk about her? Annette I mean?” Anne asked.

“We talk… by silently choosing not to talk about her,” Taylor replied.

“That pigheaded… Grr… C’mon clearly you need a good meal and someone to talk to, tonight is just what the doctor ordered,” Anne declared getting out of the car.

Taylor warily did the same. The house felt like an invulnerable fortress. ‘Is Anne sure I’m welcome? Maybe I should just go, I don’t, I can’t,’ She was about to run when She felt Anne grab her arm. “C’mon Taylor, mom’s waiting for you,”

‘No turning back now,’ she thought, steeling her nerves for what was to come.

(...)

The moment Taylor entered the house she was glomped by a red polkadot apron. “Taylor sweetheart, it's been far too long!”

“Herro Mrs. Barnes,” Taylor got out from being squeezed half to death.

“Mom let Taylor go, you're gonna smother her to death. She needs to breathe,” Anne said between laughs.

Holding her at arm's length, Taylor beheld Zoe Barnes for the first time in years. She looked like she’d put on a bit of weight, she had a couple laugh lines on her face but other than that, she hadn’t changed at all. She still had that copper red hair, and that same zest for life she always recalled. She was wearing a red and white polka dot apron over jeans and a red tee-shirt and she had a smudge of flour on her cheek as she smiled at her like a daughter she hadn’t seen in awhile.

“You look too thin, have you been eating properly dear?”

“I umm.. Well enough Mrs Barnes.”

“Honey, call me Auntie Zoe, like you used to, please.” She said, guiding her to a pair of sofa’s set between a coffee table where she sat her down. “I can’t begin to apologize for Emma dear, I knew I just knew letting her be around that Hess girl was a bad idea but Alan was so insistent. Suffice to say he’ll be sleeping on the couch for a while, the fool.”

“It’s fine Auntie Zoe really, I just got used to it after awhile,” Taylor said, only to be pulled into a hug by the older woman.

“And that’s the worst part love. It’s not normal at all, and you shouldn’t have had to have gotten used to such treatment. It’s okay to feel angry, betrayed, sad, just let it out dear.”

Two years worth of built up emotion came flooding out of Taylor all at once. The pain, the taunts, the suffering, the constant abuse. It all came out in a burst of emotion in the form of a rush of tears that soaked into Zoe’s apron.

“Umm mom…” Anne said suddenly, “You might wanna get the bug spray… all the bug spray.”

That got Taylor’s attention and she snapped her head up. In that moment of losing herself to emotion, she’d also lost her grip on her powers. Now from every nook and cranny, all manner of insects had come crawling into the Barnes living room. Spiders, flies, worms, butterflies, ants, rolly pollies, and other arthropods were slowly dominating the Barnes living room.

“Nononono!” Taylor said to herself, willing the insects away. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Woah, Taylor are you… can you control insects?” Anne asked as she watched the giant swarm slowly disappear.

“I…I should go, I’m so sorry!” She said, trying to get up, only for Zoe to grab her wrist. “Now, now, calm down.”

Taylor found herself using Greg’s breathing technique, before she sat back down on the couch, “I would appreciate it, if you kept what just happened to yourself,”

“Mum’s the word,” Anne said, mimicking zipping her mouth shut, locking it and throwing away the key.

Patting her hand, Zoe asked, “Does your father know, dear?”

Taylor shook her head, “I don’t want to worry him more than he already does.”

Anne scoffed, “He doesn’t even talk to her about Auntie Annie,”

“That Blockhead,” Zoe said almost under her breath before she looked Taylor in the eye. “Taylor dear, I have to ask, did the locker event..?”

“Yes,” Taylor replied, looking away, refusing to meet her eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone, I…I’m not ready. My costume isn’t done or anything.”

“Our lips are sealed,” Zoe promised her, “Damn Protectorate shouldn’t be making soldiers out of children in the first place if you ask me,” Zoe huffed, “Wards, indeed.”

“Do you not like the PRT Auntie Zoe?” Taylor found herself asking.

Zoe sighed, “It's not about like or dislike dear, it’s the fact that, at the end of the day they are stretched so thin they resort to using children as soldiers. Oh sure they get a nice fat check and an allowance and all that rot, but the army tells you the same thing. Sign your body over to the government, you’ll go to glorious locations, see new places, get in shape. But they fail to mention the entire time you’ll more than likely be bombing the local places and killing the indigenous people all in the name of Uncle Sam’s agenda,”

“Were you in the military Aunt Zoe?” Taylor found herself asking.

In response Zoe rolled up the sleeve of her arm, showing a partially faded tattoo. It was of a winged caduceus with an N in front of it along with the letters 8A. “I was a part of the Army Nurse Corps dear, I’m retired now but I saw action patching boys up in Desert Storm, as a Critical Care Nurse, hence the 8A on the tat.” She explained. “I come home met Alan when he was studying for the board, and now we have child soldiers,”

“Do you think joining the Wards would be a bad idea?” Taylor asked.

Zoe shook her head, “I can’t answer that for you Taylor. All I can say is, ask yourself love, is the money they offer worth the trauma they’ll expect you to go through for the paycheck?”

At the moment, Taylor didn’t have an answer, seeing her hesitation, Anne pipped up, “You don’t need to answer that right now, but when the time is right, you’ll know,” she patted her pseudo-little sister on the shoulder and said, “And hey, if the hero thing doesn’t work out, you can totally become a Rogue. Do you know how much people will pay for silk woven gowns? Or hospitals for maggots? They use them to get rid of necrotic tissue,” She explained on Taylor’s perplexed look, “You could make a mint,”

“I… hadn’t considered that,” Taylor muttered, “But I’ll keep it in mind,”

“So,” Zoe said changing the topic, “I hear you’ve got a boyfriend?”

Taylor flushed and studied her shoes. Anne spoke up for her, “His name's Greg, he’s got blonde hair, blue eyes, total hottie. He confessed and Tay here was unsure?”

“I mean, it's a lot okay,” the insectomancer defended, “To go from being the school punching bag to suddenly being confessed to in one day.”

Zoe giggled, ‘Ah to be young and in love,’ She thought, “Anne dear, is this the same blonde hottie you gave your number to the other night?”

“That was before he confessed to Taylor mom, it doesn't count!” Anne said, holding her hands up defensively. “It doesn’t count as cheating or homewrecking,”

Zoe Barnes pursed her lips for a moment before she nodded, “I suppose that’s true,” Before she asked, “And if he calls?”

“Depends on what he wants,” Anne replied with a bit of heat as she crossed her arms, “If it's just to chat or advice that’s one thing, if he tries to make a move, then we know he’s a no good dirty two-timer and no good for Taylor,” She then added with more fire in her voice, “If he’s not already doing that with that older lady friend of his,”

Taylor squirmed uncomfortably, like a worm on a hook. She was hoping this wouldn’t be brought up, because it would just complicate her already confused and complicated feelings on the matter.

Zoe covered her mouth in surprise, “Oh my, she’s not married I hope,”

“From what I’m looking at, no. She's divorced with two kids, and the marriage hardly lasted a year. It’s kinda sad really,” Anne replied while looking at her phone.

“Can I?” Taylor asked, motioning for the phone.

Anne handed her phone over with a smirk, “Sure, gotta know about the love rival right?”

‘She’s not my love rival,’ Taylor thought, ‘I haven’t even accepted Greg’s feelings,’ She thought as she read whatever documentation Anne had brought up on her phone.

It was a bunch of court records. Her birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce papers, legal guardianship of one Theodore Anders, her daughter Aster’s birth certificate, current place of residence, place of business, a building she’d recently bought down by the docks, all of it was right there in front of her. Looking back at Anne she asked, “How did you get all of this?”

“You can get info on just about anyone and anything at city hall. It's not that hard. I just searched her name and anything attached to her. That’s all. I learned it from dad.” Anne replied with a shrug. “I can show you how to do it sometime if you’d like? It's super easy if you know how,”

“Yeah, maybe later,” Taylor agreed in a bit of a daze now that she suddenly knew all of this information about Kayden Russel.

“Got it,” Anne replied, before she sniffed the air like a wolf, “I smell your lasagna mom, it's gotta be about ready.”

Getting up, Zoe said, “I’ll go check,” she made her way into the kitchen in called, “Dinner’ll be ready in five! Go tell your father, would you Anne?!”

“Can do mom,” She called back before getting up she gave Taylor’s arm a squeeze, “Don’t worry Taylor, we’ll sort this all out, just give us some time. Also the reason you haven’t heard dad yelling his lungs out at Emma is because he soundproofed his study, cause sometimes he has calls from clients. Be right back go wash up for dinner kay?”

Taylor decided to do just that. She recalled where the bathroom was, down the hall and the second door on the left. It was unoccupied and when she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked like a mess. Well, more of a mess than usual. Her hair was all over the place, tear streaks were all down her face, she looked paler than usual, and her cheeks were bright pink. Taking off her glasses, she ran the water till it was warm and splashed it on her face before rubbing it with a hand towel. She felt better afterwards. Not just from the water, but finally being able to vent… everything. She wasn’t one-hundred percent, she knew that would take time, but this? Having Anne and Auntie Zoe in her corner, and possibly Greg if she can figure out what’s going on there? It was a start.

(...)

Dinner with the Barnes’ was a tense affair. Taylor knew why of course, her. Or rather what Emma had been doing to her for over a year now. She enjoyed the food, she really did, but the atmosphere was borderline oppressive. There was no conversation, just the quiet clink of plates and glasses and this unspoken tension. It reminded her too much of home if she were being honest with herself and the few and far between times she ate meals with her dad these days.

“How’s the food Taylor dear?” Zoe asked, causing Taylor to jump a bit.

“It’s great!” She replied, “Just like how I remember it Aunt Zoe,”

“Good to know I haven’t lost my touch,” the Barnes matron replied happily.

Anne who’d already finished off her second plate of food suddenly spoke up, “I think Taylor would be a lot more comfortable if you just went and handed down Emm’s sentence already dad. The tension is killin’ her can’t you see that? Poor thing can’t hardly eat.”

Alan glanced up from his plate at their guest. She was thin, pale, too pale for his liking, shifting her gaze around like a cornered animal. He recalled, vividly, that she didn’t used to be like this. She was quiet sure, but not to the point of skittishness. His knuckles popped as they tightened on his silverware. ‘To think, my own flesh and blood would be capable of such treachery, but I played a hand in this too didn’t I? Albeit, an unknowing one,’ he thought as he looked at Taylor for another moment before he began to speak. “I would like to personally apologize on behalf of my daughter Taylor. She… I hardly recognize her right now. She is not the daughter we raised.”

Emma sunk lower and lower in her chair as her father continued speaking, “Firstly, as I oh so kindly pointed out to her, she, Miss Hess and, Miss Clements have inadvertently or not committed a biological terrorist attack on not just you, but the entire school on what has now been dubbed “The Locker incident,”

“Biological terrorism, Uncle Alan?” Taylor asked.

“Taylor, they locked you in an enclosed space with fermenting human waste and feminine products for a day. The amount of bacteria you, and the rest of the school had been exposed to due to that, counts as a biological attack. The DHS got involved alongside the PRT, and the DHS opened up a tip line offering a ten-thousand dollar reward on any information leading to a successful arrest to the people that did this, not to mention lawsuits that would come afterwards,” Alan explained.

“Why didn’t I ever hear about this?” Taylor wondered aloud. “There were never any fliers posted around school or anything.”

“Strange, the DHS is very keen on catching the people who did this, what do you say Emma? Shall I let Taylor give them a call?” Alan asked.

“You’d really sell out your own daughter to the feds? Wow, thanks dad,”

“You stupid child!” Alan said, his voice raising, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! You’ve put this entire family in jeopardy with your little stunt! My career, your sisters chosen vocation at college, your mothers VA benefits all of it!” He said only calming down when Zoe put her hand on his shoulder.

“What your father is trying to say is that by committing a terrorist act I could lose my veterans benefits, and by having his own daughter be implicated in this your father could be disbarred. Do you really think anyone will believe that he had no idea his own child was doing such things? And by using human waste in such a way you’ve knowingly or not implicated your sister who's been studying to be a nurse for years in this. We could lose everything Emma, our house, your father, his job, Anne, all the time she’s spent at college up to this point, all of it,” Zoe kept her tone as even as she could, but even her voice was shaking near the end.

“Fuck… fuck fuck fuck!” Anne swore her voice getting louder with each curse. “I’ve been in college almost four years now and you're telling me it can all be flushed down the tubes because Emma went turncoat?!” She hated her sister before for betraying Taylor. She always thought she was a sweet kid, and seeing her act the way she did now. Pissed her off to be honest. But her sister's actions against Taylor were so horrendous, the blowback so huge that four years worth of study for her masters in nursing was about to mean squat. She took a breath, ‘It isn’t about me,’ she thought. ‘It’s about Taylor and what she deserves,’ She looked at the brunette, she looked back at her worriedly. “It’s fine, I was thinking of doing some online classes at home anyway. Clearly I’m needed around here more than I thought,”

“Anne, you don’t have to do that for my sake,” Taylor denied.

“Not just about you kiddo,” Anne replied ruffling her hair, “It’s about keeping this family of ours together,” She replied, “Mom and dad can’t watch Ems like a hawk all the time, but me? I’ve got nothing but time,”

“Great, I’ve got a jailor for my prison cell,” Emma drolled.

“Yep, do I need to do a full cavity search on you to make it official?” Anne asked, a dark grin on her face. “Cause if so, I think we have some rubber gloves around here somewhere,”

Emma blanched and shut up after that.

“Prison cell is just about right,” Alan continued, “Emma is grounded until further notice, is forbidden to have any further contact with Sophia Hess or Madison Clements, has had her computer and phone revoked, is done modeling effective immediately, and will be paying Taylor for the destruction of Annette’s flute out of her modeling savings.”

You could’ve heard a pin drop at that last proclamation.

“Annette’s flute…” Zoe said, her tone deathly calm as she slowly turned her head to look at her youngest like a monster out of a horror movie. “Emma, what. Did. You. Do?” Zoe demanded, “What did you do to Annette’s flute?”

“We destroyed it,” Emma sunk as low in her chair as she could, refusing to meet her mother’s eye, “Sophia, Madison and I broke it when Taylor brought it to school one day,”

Now it was Alan’s turn to put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. He’d seen the look on his wife’s face a couple times albeit rarely usually wherever she was remembering Desert Storm. “Zoe?”

“I saw terrible things in Iraq, people bleeding all over the tents even though we got to them as quickly as we could, triage being applied as fast as possible, more than once having to cut burned army fatigues off of some young man because he got hit by an enemy Blaster. It was worse because both sides had capes. They were like humanoid nukes you know? Devastation wrought wherever they went. I…I had hoped I left it all behind when I came back to the States. Anne was so nice I met her as part of a musical therapy group. She had volunteered to help veterans like myself. Having just gotten out of a bad situation with some gang or another. Her flute playing was beautiful and it helped me on the road to recovery. It was the reason we became friends… she saved me with that flute of hers, and now you're telling me you destroyed it?!” the matronly woman had risen to her feet and was glaring borderline hatefully at her daughter.

“Zoe?!” Alan said, rising above his wife and placing both hands on her shoulders, “Sit down Zoe, let me handle this,” He spoke softly and quietly. He knew how to treat his wife when she got like this.

“Was this before, or after your terrorist act?” Zoe asked. When Emma declined to answer Zoe said, “Answer me girl or so help me I’ll tan your ass the same color as your hair,”

“Before!” Emma yelled, “It was before,”

Zoe all but collapsed into her chair, “What happened to you Emma? I don’t even recognize you anymore… I see this, this twisted wicked thing, wearing my daughter's face.”

“Umm, Auntie Zoe,” Taylor hesitantly said, “You um, don’t need to worry about the flute. My-” She paused, catching herself, ‘I almost called Greg my boyfriend! What’s wrong with me?!’ She thought, “Greg, bought me a new one, gave it to me just today actually,”

“Someone almost called Greg their boyfriend,” Anne teased. “Oww.” she said when Taylor kicked her under the table. “Worth it,”

“A boy your age replaced Anne’s flute? He must’ve been working for over a year,” Alan mused, “Those things cost almost four grand, ow,” He said looking at his wife,

“Don’t go telling her that! She’ll go getting all self-conscious,” Zoe hissed.

‘Greg worked somewhere… for over a year… just to get me a replacement flute?’ Taylor took a moment to process that. It was one thing to be told by someone they liked you, it was another to be given a replica of your mother’s most personal effects which said a lot in and of itself, but being told how long it must've taken to get that money together in the first place? That put things into perspective for her. ‘Greg he, he must’ve had a crush on me for a while then huh?’

And she’d been completely blind to it. She thought back trying to think of anything in particular that stood out. ‘Let’s see he was always nervous, tongue-tied, he seemed flushed around me a lot, and he was always wiping his palms on his shirt like they were sweaty or something,’ She compared that to a recent teen magazine she read about how to tell if a boy has a crush on you and blinked. ‘Wow, I’m dense aren’t I?’ What she had mistook for Greg’s usual ‘Gregness’ was blowing up the entire checklist for a boy having a crush. Him. Having a crush. On her.

Taylor smacked her head on the table.

“Taylor, you okay?” Anne asked as she rubbed her back.

Taylor shook her head not looking up, “No, I’m an idiot. I just realized Greg’s liked me for like, over a year,”

“Aww, nerds in love,” Emma snarked.

“Shut up Emma!” Taylor replied, still not taking her head off the table. “I’m dealing with a lot right now and don’t need to take this crap from you anymore.”

“You go Tay,” Anne cheered.

“What is this Greg’s last name?” Alan asked conversationally.

“Veder,” Taylor replied.

Alan’s eyebrow’s rose, “Small world,” he said. “Does his mother work at the hospital?”

“Dunno, why?” Taylor asked.

“Because the Nurse Practitioner our family sees, the one that Anne is getting her on the job training under is Jessica Veder,”

“Dude!” Anne said, “Why didn’t I make the connection sooner… shit I gave my number to Jess’ kid. She might have me on bedpan cleaning duty if she finds out.”

“I know his dad probably works for the DWU, my dad has mentioned a Veder before,” Taylor muttered into the wood.

“Ah, old Mad Jack Veder,” Alan said knowingly, “Yeah I know him.”

“Mad?” Taylor asked.

“The man was once arrested drunk, buck naked, covered in popcorn butter and attempted to fight off the police who came to arrest him with a… well anyway that’s not important,” Alan said chuckling.

“Oh no, please, finish the story,” Anne said, knowing dumb college shenanigans when she heard them.

“He attempted to fight off the police with a foot long glass dildo, there, happy?” Alan finished.

“Why? How? When did all this happen?” Anne couldn’t help but ask as a grin split her face.

“College,” Alan said in a way that ended this particular line of inquiry.

Anne nodded. She knew the code. What happened at college stayed at college.

“I suppose I shouldn’t tell Greg this particular story?” Taylor asked.

Alan chuckled humorlessly, “As long as it doesn’t somehow come back to have a giant angry blonde german man come knocking down my door one day to twist my spine into a pretzel, sure,”

Despite herself Taylor found herself smiling for the first time in a long time. ‘Maybe, just maybe everything will be okay after all?’ She thought. Pulling her head up off the table she said, “Anne can I go out to your car really quick?”

“Flute?” Anne guessed.

“Yeah, I don’t like the idea of leaving it out of my sight,” Taylor confirmed.

Anne tossed the girl her keys which she caught. “Knock yourself out kiddo, while you're gone, we’ll call your dad and let him know you're spending the night, kay?”

“Are you sure I won’t be imposing? She asked the Barnes'.

Alan spoke up for the entire family, “Taylor, if anything, we’re imposing on you by asking you to stay after all Emma has done,” He continued, “You will always be welcome in this house, for whatever reason, it's the least we can do,”

“Thanks, Uncle Alan, I’ll… I’ll be right back,” She said heading out to the car, not wanting them to see the tears gathering in her eyes from how Alan's words had affected her. Her relationship with Emma might be permanently broken, but she just might be able to mend bridges with the rest of the Barnes Clan. She knew she had one person to thank for all this really.

‘And his name is Greg Veder,’ she thought, looking at her reflection in the window of Anne’s car, a cherry red Dodge Challenger. ‘It all comes back to you,’ she sighed, holding the case with the flute in it in both arms as she headed back inside. “What am I going to do about you Greg?” she pondered aloud. She was finding less and less reasons to say ‘no’ to his confession other than her own doubts, fears and the odd suspicion that he might be sleeping with Kayden Russell. ‘But what’re the chances of that?’ she thought. ‘I mean, why confess to someone like me, if he can have someone so much better looking, confident, and already successful, like her?’

She knew, at least in part, that was her depression and self-doubt talking but it was the only rationale she had. She didn’t view herself as pretty. Her mouth was too wide, her body felt gangly and awkward, she lacked the ‘assets’ the boys were so fond of, the only part of her that felt feminine in her eyes was her hair. Yet Greg saw something in her that she herself couldn’t see… and it must’ve appealed to him because he busted his ass for a year, an entire three-hundred-sixty-five days just to get her a gift. Not something corny like a dress or jewelry but with actual meaning to her too. What to do, what to do. Taylor honestly felt like Alice in Wonderland since school today. “One pill makes you larger, another makes you small, And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall,”

“Tea for your pot Dormouse?” Anne asked.

Taylor shrugged, “I just… today has been so amazing I’m afraid I’m going to wake up, and it’ll all be a dream,”

Anne nodded, “Just like Alice’s trip to Wonderland?”

Taylor nodded, “Something like that yeah,” She smiled sadly, “Pathetic isn’t it?”

Anne smiled, “It is, but not for the way you think. What’s pathetic is that it took this long, and so little, to make today feel dreamlike. The confession I could understand, but just going to a friend’s house for dinner? That should be a common occurrence for a girl your age Taylor, and it's a damn shame it isn’t.”

“Emma and you were my only real friends growing up,” Taylor admitted, “You went off to college and Emma… Well, she made it clear she didn’t need me anymore.”

Anne hugged the younger girl, “Well you’ve got me now… I’m sorry for leaving you Taylor. If I’d have known things were going to get this bad,”

“Don’t blame yourself Anne, you were older and were following your dreams and… none of us, me least of all, expected Emma to turn out the way she did… can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure Taylor,”

“Despite everything she’s done, I still don’t hate Emma,” Taylor admitted. “I… you saw what I could do. How easily I could hurt her, but I don’t want to do that. Heroes don’t do that. I just… feel sorry for the person she’s become, and I wish I could have the old Emma back. As unlikely as that is to happen,”

“Well, dad has decided Emma is going to get counseling, so your wish just may be granted, and no lamp rubbing nor blue men with semi-phenomenal nearly cosmic power were necessary to grant your wish.”

Taylor smiled, just a little. Today was a good day. She just had to figure out how to thank her genie for all his hard work. She looked down at the flute case she was carrying. Half wishing that playing the instrument would summon him.

You got it bad huh girl?” Anne asked with a smirk on her face.

“Do not!” Taylor denied.

“So do, everytime you look at that case, you get this goofy little smile, it's so cute!” Anne took her by the hand and led her inside. “C’mon,”

“Anne, where are we going?” Taylor asked.

“I’m gonna give you a makeover, you gotta look good for loverboy tomorrow,”

“Anne no!”

“Anne, yes!” the college girl replied as she all but dragged Taylor upstairs to her room.

“Noo!” Taylor cried only for it to be cut off when the door slammed shut.

(...)

Director Emily Piggot had a headache at the moment. One that throbbed in time with the vein in her temple as she glared at the probationary Ward Shadowstalker as she was getting her arm reattached by Panacea in a hospital room. She didn’t usually make hospital visits. She fucking hated hospitals. They were too clean, smelled like chemicals and antiseptic and the constant buzz of the fluorescent lights and despite how hard they tried, the ever present sickly sweet scent of death lingered in the air. But Shadowstalker was just lucky she supposed because she was brought in at the same time she was here for her dialysis treatment. She had the equipment dragged to the Wards location so she could receive a report in real time.

“Explain,” She began, “Why the hell you disobeyed orders, Shadowstalker. I thought I made myself quite clear that the Wards were not to leave the Rig until this unknown individual was caught.”

“...” Shadowstalker grimaced, but said nothing.

“What? Nothing to say? Has the mighty huntress finally met her match?” Piggott sneered.

“Fuck you, you fat cow,” Shadowstalker spat.

“I may be ugly on the outside but you're rotten to the core girl. Now, you’d better start explaining just what the fuck happened out there tonight,” She growled back. “Unless you want your sentence in jail to start immediately,”

Looking away Shadowstalker began, “Ran into some merchant shits. They had a new Cape. He had a power I didn’t expect. Took my arm off with some kinda super hot sludge. Melted right through my costume.”

“Uhuh,” Emily said disbelievingly. “And then they kneecapped you and left when Assault and Battery showed up I suppose?”

“What, it's true! Believe what you want you stupid heifer, I told you the truth,” Sophia spat only to grunt when she felt her bones snap back together painfully causing her to glare at Panacea.

“Do not speak that way to the Director,” Panacea said in a firm tone. She was harsh towards Parahumans yes, and wouldn’t let her fix her kidneys no matter how much she begged, but at least she appreciated her efforts to keep her people on their feet.

“That's enough Amy,” Piggott said, though she couldn’t help smiling a bit. She did appreciate loyalty after all. She focused her gaze on Sophia again, “That’s what you were told to tell me clearly,” She flicked her gaze to Assault and Battery, “How about you two? Care to tell a different story?”

“It's… complicated Director…” Assault began.

Piggott nodded, “Was it him? The infamous Baba Yaga?” Seeing the surprised look on Assault's face, she raised a graying eyebrow, “What once you brought him up I did my research. Worked for the Ruska Roma crime syndicate for years before going dark for half a decade. Is now suddenly active again here in our little slice of hell. Famously eliminated all of the Ruska Roma’s rivals in a single night before going dark. In other words, he’s one scary motherfucker. He was there wasn’t he?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that for my, my wife’s, and Shadowstalker’s safety Director.” Assault replied stoically, looking ahead at the wall.

The Director cursed under her breath, “Understood, Assault. You and Battery are to take Shadowstalker back to the Rig and sit on her until further notice. If Baba Yaga had shown up and knows you’ve seen what he looks like, costume or no, he might come to finish the job.”

“Are we to take those orders to sit on Shadowstalker literally ma’am?” Assault asked for clarification with a slight smile on his face.

Battery slapped her husband's arm. “Now is not the time for jokes, Assault.”

“By all means take it literally,” Piggott replied.

“Sweet! We’ve got a new couch!” Assault cheered.

“Dumbass, you better not sit on me,” Shadowstalker warned, “I’ll smoke then laugh when your ass hits the floor,”

“Dear, our new couch is mouthy, make her stop,” He pouted.

“Ethan,” Battery said using his name, “Enough,”

Assault hung his head like a puppy who knew he’d done something wrong, “Sorry,” His head then popped back up moments later, “I got a better idea! We can treat this like practice!”

“Practice?” Battery echoed.

Assault nodded, “Yeah for when we have our own kids,” He said nodding sagely, “From what I’ve heard kids in their teenage years are the worst and well… if we can handle Shadowstalker, I think we can handle anything, right?”

“Ethan!” Battery said, raising her voice ever so slightly her cheeks turning pink.

“I am not gonna be some weird social experiment for you,” The rouge ward replied hotly.

“Why not? The CIA did something similar until the 70’s and no one complained till they found out about it.”

“The Tuskegee Experiment willfully injected black men with syphilis just to see what would happen, you asshole!” Sophia yelled back, her hackles rising.

“See, that’s a lot worse than what I’m proposing,” Assault countered. “Doesn’t sound too bad by comparison to that, now does it?”

Turning to Battery, Sophia said, “I hate him, and I don’t understand how or why you married him in the first place,”

Battery sighed, “Don’t worry, you're not alone. I sometimes find myself asking that very same question,”

Assault pouted, “I’m not that bad am I?” The silence that followed spoke volumes. “Aww,”

Then all of the sudden, a wild Glory Girl appeared! And everyone felt their mood lightening, whether they wanted it too or not. “Hey Director, if you're done with Aims, we’re gonna make a pit stop before heading home alright?”

Shaking off her aura and scowling a little, the Director replied sharply, “That’s fine, just stop doing that, Victoria.”

The boisterous blonde blinked for a moment in confusion before her aura went away, “Wha… oh, sorry! Didn’t realize, hehehe. C’mon Aims,” She grabbed her sister and floated away to another part of the hospital, leaving the Director to worry about how to deal with this Baba Yaga problem in blessed silence.

(...)

Amy played with the hem of the sleeve of her robe nervously. She knew she shouldn’t be nervous obviously she was just talking to the nursing staff, but she was nervous regardless. As if sensing her unease, Vicky patted her on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine sis, just say what you need to say and if anyone gets uppity, I’ll smash em.”

Amy cast a sideways glance at her sister, “Thanks for the encouragement… but no smashing please, mom would throw a fit, yammer on about New Wave’s reputation, and then somehow find a way to blame me.”

“I don’t…she wouldn’t… wow, you’ve got mom pegged huh?” Victoria said after a moment.

“I don’t think mom is into that,” Amy replied casually as she approached the nurses station, causing her sister to blush and sputter incoherently.

Thankfully, Gloria Martinez was on shift. She was a young twenty-one year old, and one could call her spunky but responsible in terms of character. Her red hair was done up in a ponytail, and she smiled as she caught sight of her, “Amy, you look half dead. Coffee? I just made a fresh pot,” She offered motioning to the coffee machine kept in the nurses’ station, the scent of the life giving black nectar had Panacea giving a thankful nod, “Please and thank you,”

“Cream no sugar right?” Gloria asked, receiving a nod, she gave the zombie looking healer a steaming paper cup. “You don’t look well sweetie, you should head on home for some R&R.”

“I am, I just came by to apologize to the nurses on call before I do,”

“Apologize? For what? Near running yourself ragged everyday?” Gloria asked in a joking fashion.

Much to her surprise, Panacea nodded, “I accidentally overheard someone saying the other day that my working here for so long everyday was cutting into everyone’s paychecks so I decided to cut back a bit.”

Gloria snorted, “Well that person, whoever they are, is a bit of an asshole and could’ve phrased it a little better. Amy this place even with you working yourself near to death is practically full up all the time. People just get injured that often around here. You taking more time off to have a damn life before you drop dead from fatigue though sounds like a good idea. So I guess I owe this person, whoever they are, a thank you.”

“He was a blonde boy around my age, named Greg?” Amy supplied, seeing if maybe that would help her get more information on this mystery man.

Gloria beamed. “Jessica’s son! Greg Veder. Has to be. His mom’s an RN and tries to work twelve hour shifts but all anyone ever asks for is you because, well,” Gloria shrugged, “Why see a normal doctor when we have a cape who can diagnose, treat, and fix you in seconds compared to a normal doctor right?”

Amy blew hot air out of her mouth. Only now was she just starting to see she might be being taken advantage of, just a little. ‘Well, I owe Mr. Veder for his rude awakening,’ She decided. “By any chance can I get Mrs. Veder’s contact information?”

“Wow, someone’s quite determined to speak to a certain blonde boy huh?” Gloria teased.

Amy found her cheeks reddening, “It's not like that, I just… I feel like I owe him at least a thank you, maybe a coffee sometime… I didn’t mean it like that!” She denied when she saw how Gloria was smirking at her.

“You say that, but asking a guy out for coffee? C’mon Amy, how is that not a first date?” Gloria asked.

‘Because I’m infatuated with my adoptive sister and I know she’d never return my feelings?’ Amy thought bitterly to herself. Shaking her head, she replied, “It really isn’t like that Gloria, but if you can’t give me Jessica’s info because of security reasons, can you at least tell me if she’s working today?”

“She’s not,” Gloria replied, “Well not anymore. In fact you just missed her. She just got off a night shift.”

“I see, thank you,” Amy replied before she started to walk away.

“You could check with the Dock Workers Union,” Gloria called, “Her hubby, Jack? Been working there since he was a teen. If he isn’t around, Ask for Danny Hebert and tell ‘em Gloria sent you, he’s an alright enough guy, as long as you don’t get him mad. Don’t get him mad,” She advised.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Amy replied as she started to walk away. “C’mon Vicky I need a ride down to the Boat Graveyard.”

“In a sec sis I need to ask, Gloria was it, something,” Vicky replied before she floated over to her.

“What’s up Lady Liberty? Need something?” Gloria asked.

Smirking a bit at the joke towards her costume, Victoria asked, “Was my sister really working here that much?”

“Honey, you have no idea do you?” She replied, eyeing her over a patient's records. “Amy would come in by four right after school and not leave until 1am, catching the last bus home everyday. On the weekends we had to force her to go home, to take breaks to eat food, all that. So yes, she was working herself to death, and likely would’ve died if she hadn’t overheard Greg talking shit.”

Victoria’s parlor paled a shade or two, “Wow… Greg really earned that kiss on the cheek next time I see him,”

Gloria smirked, “Why stop on the cheek?”

“I have a boyfriend?” Glory Girl reminded the nurse. Though even she embarrassedly recalled how she confidently said in the restaurant how she told Amy how she’d ‘repay’ Greg and how she was sure Dean would be fine with it eventually.

“You mean the one that everyone and their mother knows you're in a constant on again off again relationship with,” Gloria said as she leaned forwards, one arm braced on the bar-like protrusion set above the nurses station for people to set their medical insurance and the like. “Honey, let me tell you something. What you have with that Gallant boy?” Gloria shook her head, “That's not love, that’s lust. Hell maybe not even that. Love, real love involves being willing to sacrifice for each other. Let me ask you, what have either one of you sacrificed in order to be together? And no, him spending money on you doesn’t count,”

Victoria thought about it, but she couldn’t come up with a single decent example. “I can’t really think of anything,”

Gloria nodded, “Exactly, now ask yourself, do you really see yourself constantly fighting, breaking up with, and getting back together with Gallant ten, twenty, even forty years down the road?” The very thought made Victoria grimace and Gloria chuckle. “Yeah, I thought not. Point I’m trying to make here hon, is that you two keep trying to make something work, that just doesn’t work.”

“But… Can I even date anyone else?” Victoria asked, her voice full of doubt. “My aura forces people to like me. He’s the only one I know who’s immune,”

Gloriia shook her head, “Hon, that has got to be the worst reason to date someone. You don’t wanna leave him because you just don’t know if some better catch out there might be immune to your power? Sounds like you're too scared to even try your luck to me and you’d rather stick with the safe, if uncomfortable option you know, simply because you know it exists, rather than face the unknown.”

“I… don’t even know anymore.” the cape admitted. “How did you get so good at giving dating advice?”

“I dated casually a lot in highschool and college, a lot of them were scummy losers. You know the type who only wanted one thing?” Seeing the disgusted face the Cape gave Gloria gave a sour chuckle. “Yeah, but not all guys are like that, if you happen to find a gentleman don’t let him get away yeah?”

“Yeah, thanks Gloria I’ll keep that in mind,” Victoria said in a slight daze as she made her way back to her little sister.

“Everything okay Vicky? You seem a little out of it,” Amy noted, feeling concerned.

The blonde bombshell nodded, “Yeah, everythings fine. Gloria just gave me a lot to think about. Ready to go?”

“Yeah, what’re you thinking about all of the sudden sis?” Amy asked as they made their way out of the hospital heading towards the front entrance.

“Breaking up with Gallant. Permanently this time,” Victoria replied with some resolve entering her tone.

Amy did a double take, “What?! How… What did Gloria say that made you start thinking about this?” Not that Amy wasn't happy, she was thrilled, ecstatic in fact. She always hated how depressed Vicky was when she and Dean were ‘broken up’. So maybe finding someone else would be good for her. ‘Maybe it’ can be me’ a treacherous thought slid across her mind, only for her to shake it away.

Interlacing her fingers as she stretched her arms over her head, Glory Girl replied, “She just pointed out how dumb it was for me and Gallant to be fighting all the time, and if I wanted to be doing that when I was in my fifties or with kids. The answer was a hard no, so I’ve decided to see if I can find a better man. One who isn’t affected by my aura, to date.”

“I always kinda assumed that your powers canceling each other is why you kept getting back together. Nice to hear you confirm it,” Amy said after a moment.

This caused Vicky to stick her tongue out, “Yeah well, powers work in mysterious ways, I guess? Do me a favor and pray I can find a nice guy with master effect immunity, sis?” she asked before she picked her sister up in a bridal carry and took off.

“Where are we going? This isn’t the direction of the house?” Amy noted.

“We’re not going home silly,” Vicky replied, “We’re paying the DWU a visit. We’re getting Greg Veder’s number come hell or high water,” her Brute of a sister informed her.

“Vicky no,” Amy said.

Vicky, yes.” She rebutted before she took off like a shot, laughing at her sister’s yelp of surprise.

(...)

Lisa glanced up from her simple breakfast of cold pizza to see Alec coming out of his room with dark circles under his eyes, glowering at her. “Morning,” She greeted.

“Don’t fucking talk to me, just… just don’t,” He growled back in response.

“Oh c’mon Alec, it's not my fault Rachel needed your help to look up cosplay… cospla… Cosplay porn.” She got out between gaffs. Only to smack herself with her Pizza when Alec used his power on her arm. “Ow, stop that!”

“It’s not funny Lisa! That was some traumatizing shit!” Alec rebutted.

“Alec, it's just people in costumes… how bad could it have been?” She asked with her grin stuck statically on her face.

“It started out at cosplay… it got worse.” Alec told her in a haunted tone.

“Beastiality,” Her power informed her, prompting her to go, “Oh God no…”

Alec nodded, “Yes, and it's all. Your. Fault!” He was near shouting at the end.

“What… well it's not like she made you stay and wa… Oh God… she didn’t let you leave the room?!” Lisa asked, turning a little green.

“She thought she might need extra help picking new videos and stuff… so she didn’t let me leave…” Alec replied.

“Wait, how is this any different from what you do to people almost every day with your powers?” Lisa rebutted, “I mean you make them do things and you got to watch Rachel do things willingly.”

“That’s different,” Alec replied, “I don’t know any of these people personally, for them it's a kink, or a fetish. If it's someone I know, if it's… it's just creepy and disturbing alright!”

“Sees the rest of the Undersiders as family,” Lisa’s power informs her, “We love you too Alec,” she cooed at him. “You just come to your big sis if you need anything alright?”

“I hate your power almost as much as I hate you right now,” He glowered at her before he stormed past her to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

“Ah, that reminds me. Brian, we’re gonna have to push the latest job from the boss back a couple of days,” She told the Undersiders unofficial leader as he groggily entered the room, scratching the couple of days worth of scraggly beard that was dominating his face.

“Why did the boss call and delay the plan or something?” He asked through a yawn.

Lisa shook her head, “No, nothing like that. It's just that I’ve got a date and I don’t want anything getting in the way.”

The sound of glass breaking as Alec dropped his beer in shock heardled that announcement. Brian blinked owlishly. “I’m sorry did you just say you have a date?”

“Yes I did!” Lisa all but cheered. “And not even the boss’ maniacal plans are going to get in the way of my date.”

“Lisa, is that smart?” Brian asked worriedly.  Out of all of them, Lisa was the most paranoid about crossing their mysterious boss.

“And not even the boss’ maniacal plans are going to get in the way of my date!” She reiterated again with some force as something dangerous glinted in her eyes.

Brian raised his hands in surrender. He’d never seen Tattletale like this before. She had a borderline crazy look in her eyes and he knew better than to mess with crazy.

“I didn’t even know you could date? Alec said as he cleaned up the mess from his dropped beer. “I thought you were like… I dunno asexual or something,” He paused before asking, “So, who’s the lucky dyke?”

“Fuck you Alec… no wait you’d like that… Do I need you to boot up more porn for Rachel?” She said in a saccharine tone.

Brian looked between the two before asking confusedly, "What happened between Alec and Rachel?”

“Don’t ask!” They both said at the same time.

The front door suddenly flew open and a pale-skinned seafoam green haired midget, with red eyes with green sclera and red tribal tattoos trailing along her body wearing nothing but a black jacket, bra, and panties stumbled into the apartment. “Yo, whaddup choombas!”

“Rebbecca, how many times do I have to tell you not to come in like that?” Brian told her willing his darkness to dissipate.

“Man, relax choom, I’m drunk, not stupid. No gonk followed me, lighten up.” She punched him on the shoulder making him wince a little bit. Rebbecca was deceptively strong for her size, and was the Brute on their misfit crew. However unlike most Capes she was turned into a cape by tinker-human experimentation. By Blasto from what they could figure out using Lisa’s power. She had superhuman strength, regeneration, could survive on just four hours of sunlight a day, and a cup of water. She didn’t need to eat but still enjoyed food for taste as far as Brian could tell.

“So, why you guys standin around like a bunch of gonks?” Rebbecca asked conversationally as she took a slice of cold pizza.

“The boy’s are surprised I have an upcoming date,” Lisa told her fellow blonde. She liked Rebbecca. She didn’t need her power to know what the girl wanted. She was an open book. She wanted revenge if she could get it, but barring that, she wanted to have fun drinking, dancing, and doing crazy shit with her friends. Aka them.

The tiny terror gave her a thumbs up with her free hand, “Good for you choomba! Who's the lucky girl?”

“I’m not gay!” Lisa replied heatedly, “And his name is Greg,”

Becca blinked, “Seriously?” She snapped her fingers, “Damn, I lost a bet to Rachel,”

Lisa stuck out her tongue, “Serves you right for betting on my sexuality,”

“Nah fam, I broke even, Rach bet you’d never be able to get a date, I bet you would, but it’d be a girl, same as Alec, and Brian though you might be dating the boss which is why you were always the only one he calls… booty calls that is,” She finished ignoring Brian's throat cutting motions.

“You… you can just go straight to hell you sick bastard,” Lisa said looking at Brian in utter disgust. Like she’s just stepped on one of the dog's droppings. “I know I can be occasionally insufferable because Thinker, but that’s just an uncalled for mental image. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go brush my teeth to get the taste of this baby barf out of my mouth,”

After she had left, Brian deadpanned to Rebecca, “Thank you so much for that, Becca. The last thing I need is Tattletale pissed at me.”

Becca shrugged, “You shouldn’t have made the dumb bet choomba,” She headed to the bathroom and called in, “Hurry up in there Lis’ we gotta nova!”

“Why?”

“Well we gotta jet over to the mall to get ready for your date gurl! You need a new outfit for this! Brian’s paying!”

“I am not!” Brian yelled back, but he was ignored.

Rebecca continued, “It's soon right?”

“He has my number and he hasn’t called yet, but if he doesn’t call me soon, I’ll call him,” Lisa confirmed.

“Atta girl,” Rebecca said, “So get ready we leave in ten,” She added, “Maybe consider giving loverboy a call, and set things in motion. Sometimes men need a little nudge, you know?”

“Okay, fine, you convinced me.” Lisa said, chuckling a little. “About the mall at least,”

Coming back out to a frowning Brian he said, “I’m not paying,”

“Yeah you are choomba, unless of course you want her to stay angry, stew, and then start actively planning on how to destroy your life one step at a time?” The tiny terror shot back knowingly.

Brian's eyes widened. “Right we’re going to the mall. Alec that includes you too.”

“What? Why do I have to go?!” He protested. “You're the one on Lisa’s shit list not me,”

“Would you rather be stuck here, alone, with Rachel?” Brian asked. He may not know exactly what was going on between those two, but he knew leverage when he saw it.

“Right, mall!” He said his demeanor doing a sudden three-sixty, “I’m all for it,” He agreed readily.

And that was how a majority of the Undersiders spent the day out shopping, and consequently, how all of Coils' well laid plans began slowly falling apart.

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Words: 12,427   Number of Pages: 27   Date Completed: 4/13/2023

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AN: