January 9th, 2011 - Sunday
Evening
Brockton Bay was an angry city.
Taylor had known it for some time - the gang violence, the failing economy, the politics, all of it came from somewhere, and the hate fed itself in a cycle of violence. But knowing it intellectually, in a corner of her mind that has so often been ignored in favor of dealing with the hell that was Winslow, was one thing. Feeling it while walking down the street, quite another. The sudden flash of anger of the driver that got cut off. The simmering hate flowing from a window through which a shouting couple could be heard. The aimless anger of thugs who have yet to find their next victim.
And her own anger, crystal clear where she had once tried to hide it even from herself.
It all made her feel more alive than ever before.
Six days since she last attended Winslow. Six days since she last slept or ate. Six days since her name and face hit the news, only for her to be rechristened "Eris." Not the name she'd have picked for herself, then again, not the power she'd have hoped for. Walking around the city had been nerve-wracking at first, but when every picture they had available had her wearing glasses and with her long black curls loose, ditching the glasses and putting the hair in a ponytail was apparently enough to get by. She'd never look at Dad's old comic books quite the same way again.
If she'd ever get the chance to.
Taylor's musings were rudely interrupted as she passed an alley when someone grabbed her by the arm and dragged her in. She stared at the gleaming knife in front of her face, reddened by rust and the sun's last light.
"Wallet and phone, now!" yelled a vaguely Asian-looking man, backed by another pair of goons. A lot of people for a mugging, Taylor thought through a faint buzzing sensation at the back of her mind.
"Bitch, did you hear me? Wallet and phone, NOW!" he repeated, his and his companions' anger flaring at her seemingly slow reactions. The knife jerked up and down, the motion slowing as Taylor's blood roared.
She grabbed his wrist before he could even blink, and squeezed. She heard the crunching sounds when the look of shock was just starting to form on his face. Taking his feet out from under him with a sweep of a foot, she stepped forward and punched another of the goons in the stomach while he was halfway through shouting "OH SHI-", and he slammed into a wall just as his buddy reached the ground, choking for breath. Both the simmering anger and the recent indignation of the thugs disappeared, presumably giving way to fear. The last thug turned and ran, and with only her own anger fueling her by now - and not even directed at him - Taylor decided that chasing him was not worth the effort. Her head clearing, she took a deep breath before turning to the incapacitated thugs.
"Either of you have a cell phone? Because you look like you'll need an ambulance."
"Unghh..."/"Ggghhhkkk..."
Realizing that neither of them was going to answer, she went through the former knife-wielder's pockets. Luckily enough, she found the cellphone in the second pocket she checked. She dialed 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"There's a couple of injured would-be muggers in the alleyway near the 14th. Both seem to be breathing, one has a broken arm, the other took a hit to the spine."
"We're sending an ambulance your way, Miss. Please remain-"
Taylor hung up, and turned to leave, before the growling of her stomach made her stop. What passed for her "disguise" had gotten her through the streets just fine, but she didn't exactly have a way to buy food... and even if she didn't feel as hungry as she should have after six days, she knew the clock was ticking. Running straight out of school left her with no money for that as well...
By the time the ambulance's sirens started ringing in the alley, both Taylor and the two muggers' wallets were long gone.
