AN: Disclaimer I'm to lazy/forgetful to do this every time so saying it now and it is in the description. I do not own Worm, or the Black Company. I am making no money by writing this.

Company Girl 1.1

scene start just as Taylor attempts to bolt from the hospital post Leviathan.

I made to bolt down the hall and out of the building only to be stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I tried to lash out only for my arm to be caught by a woman in her late thirties wearing a black military uniform with pieces in grey and dark red. Oh her left collar she wore a silver wrench insignia on her right a single silver bar. The same silver bar was also prominently displayed on her helmet. She wore no mask. Over her left breast was an emblem recognized the world over; a silver skull breathing curling blood red flames on an ebony background surrounded by a circle of silver, the emblem of the black company.

I don't remember too much about military rank but I do remember that bars indicate an officer. The wrench is most likely an indication of her specialty or her job. A wrench would suggest either a mechanic or an engineer I assumed. So I was currently face to face with a female officer and engineer of the infamous black company. Only one name matched that description.

"Lady." The name slipped between my lips in a whisper. Unless I'm mistaken the woman before me is one of the only Tinkers to stand on the same level as Hero and Dragon. The woman quirks a single delicate eyebrow before nodding in confirmation, her face betrays nothing of what she might be thinking.

"Why are you stopping me?"

"Do you know that often when history books are written it is the little details which are over looked?" The change of subject catches me off guard. "It's understandable really, there are so many of us and so many important events to be remembered, but often those little details that so few of us remember are critical to actual understanding. They say those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, but they are fools. They say that as if learning what started wars in the past will allow us to avoid them in the future. The company has a different saying; 'those who learn from history are victorious'."

That's… dark. Yet it makes a certain sort of sense to me. I want to argue that peace is possible, that it is worth fighting for, but for some reason the words won't come. I think back to Emma who turned on me. Armsmaster a supposed hero ready to use me and toss me aside when I started to make him look bad, trying to kill me with an Endbringer. Sophia being called a hero in spite of what she had done to me.

"You cannot prevent war but you can learn from history how to fight so that when it comes you come out on top. Often the little details that history books leave out are the most important to study. For example everyone knows that in world war two a joint strike against the Germans at Normandy was a major victory for the Allies, but how did they win the battle? What tricks did they employ? How many losses did they take versus casualties inflicted? These details are important and can be learned, but they are not taught. The importance of history and those little details is something I learned from Croaker."

The saying made sense. They had been bringing fights to my door all along. If heroes acted like this then it only made sense that the world on a larger scale would be the same. So if conflict is inevitable then it only makes sense to learn from the conflict of the past and apply those lessons.

"The reason I stopped you, is because I can tell there is more to your story than just those broad strokes laid out by Armsmater and your teammate. You running off now will help nothing. Stand your ground, explain yourself in full. I will keep them from going overboard. Once the air has been cleared I have a proposition for you and your team. Several of my colleges are making similar pitches to others but right now, this needs to be sorted so that your history does not come back to bite you."

I take a deep breath before nodding and turning back to face those I just ran from.

"Legend, Grue… Please, let me tell you the full story."

Legend glanced up from where he was restraining Armsmaster and seemed to stiffen when he noticed Lady standing at my side.

"Lady, I assume the company is here for your usual post Endbringer routine?" Legend asked rather stiffly.

"Among other reasons." Lady replied rather airily. "One Eye finally got his revenge, once things calm down we will turn over the body and evidence to you. We would have been here sooner but we could not afford to miss our window of opportunity, I'm sure you understand." The two heroes and Armsmaster stiffened.

"You got her?" Whispered Legend. "You actually got the Siberian? How?"

"The Captain got drunk one night and took a fresh look at the problem, she was a projection. It took us the better part of two months to figure out who the projector was but once we did we moved to eliminate him. Time stamps on the videos will show that Siberians disappearance coincides perfectly with the sniper round that killed the man."

"She's dead, she's really dead." Legend slumps against the counter of the nurses' station.

"You knew she was a projection for two months and didn't tell the Protectorate!" Battery hissed.

Lady gave the hero a dismissive glance. "Of course not, the last time we shared intelligence with your organization you barged into a sting operation and got twenty of our men killed by Butcher, who then escaped and was killed by a telaporter forcing us to redesign our plans for her capture and elimination. Your organization and the PRT cost us lives and time, time in which the Butcher racked up an additional fifty kills. That's seventy lives wasted because your people couldn't stomach the thought of having to pay the Company for doing your jobs for you, yet again."

Battery looked liked she had been slapped when Lady finished her rebuke. Legend finally seemed to pull himself together as he looked up once more.

"You want to recruit her don't you." The way he said it made it more statement than question.

Lady wanted to recruit me for the Black Company? That was huge, but I couldn't afford to let that distract me right now.

"Legend, please, I need to explain myself, both to you and to my team. They deserve to know the truth and you need to understand why I can't join the Wards, or give Shadow Stalker my identity." My voice was pleading but I couldn't be bothered to care, I was pleading and I knew it.

"I'll listen, but only if Tattletale confirms your statements with her power." Grue said the distortion of his voice caused by the use of his power giving away the fact that he was barely restraining his anger."

Legend nodded thoughtfully. "Come with me, all of you. Battery please detain Armsmaster at the PRT HQ until further notice."

With a nod Battery lead away Armsmaster. Legend meanwhile directed our group down a hall into an unoccupied room closing the blinds he turned to Lady.

"Do you have anything to prevent eavesdropping?"

With a nod she pulled a device from her belt and affixed it to the door before stepping back.

"Alright Skitter you wanted to talk, so talk."

I took a deep breath before I reached up and unzipped my mask revealing my face. "My name is Taylor Hebert. To fully explain what happened to me would compromise my secret identity anyway so I might as well open with that." If legend is surprised that I would unmask to him immediately after refusing to have share my identity with a Ward he doesn't show it.

"I'm telling you this because… I'm tired. I don't trust you, not in the slightest but since the beginning I've been trying to hide things from people and it's only lead me into more trouble, recently someone told me that those who learn from history are victorious. Since hiding the truth hasn't worked yet I'm going to lay everything on the table. Then you can either prove to me that the heroes can't be trusted or that some of you actually live up to your title. If you betray the trust I'm giving you I will use what I learned today to burn your reputation to the ground. And you guys" I say as I turn to face my team. "I don't know what you all will think, but I'll just have to go from there."

So I tell them, about the bullying, about the locker, about my hopes to be a hero and to prove to myself that I'm better than the bullies by going out to be a hero and how I was mistaken for a villain, Armsmaster's proposal to take credit for the take down of Lung, him blaming me for the interaction between the various bug venoms and his anti brute drug. The bank, the fundraiser, how Armsmaster and I had spoken again there and he had shot down my offer. How I was starting to view the Undersiders as friends, family even, and how I decided I couldn't just turn them over to the heroes.

Everyone stayed quite while I talked.

I glanced at what used to be my team before sighing. "Then things all went wrong, technically I left the team, early today, maybe an hour before the attack. We had a difference of opinion on how to deal with something that came up… I found out who the Undersiders backer is and what kind of person he is. The rest of the teams reactions were too in line with what I would expect from real villains as opposed to what we've been doing."

I shook my head. "Out of respect for them I'll hold my tongue, for now. I may or may not share that information depending on how this plays out." I gave my ex-teammates a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry I won't give them anything on any of you, but this is just too wrong for me to let be." I turn back to Legend. "You wanted me to either join the Wards or reveal my cape identity to Shadow Stalker, I can't do either of those."

I walk up to Legend and lean forward and whisper in his ear "Shadow Stalker is Sophia Hess, she shoved me in that locker, and I won't have anything to do with an organization which employs vicious psychopaths.

Legend stiffens. "You realize I can't just take your word on this matter. There would need to be an investigation…" he trails off probably because of the look on my face.

"So nothing happens, again." My voice is like ice, my eyes tear into Legend like daggers. "Winslow was destroyed in the attack; I saw it from the air. No evidence to be found there, how hard would it be for my hospital records to get lost in the chaos of an Endbringer attack, then it's my word against hers, I know how that plays out."

"Please," Legend pleads, "that isn't what I meant, that's not what I want to see happen."

"And yet you aren't denying that it would play out that way."

"… I'd like to believe that the organization is better than that."

"But you don't." Lisa cuts in. "Otherwise you would just come out and say so."

Legend says nothing.

"I believe this is my cue to intervene." Lady speaks up. "Legend, once more your organization has failed to live up to your carefully crafted image. Taylor, The Company wants you. I can't promise we'll solve all your problems but I can promise that the company is family, and we look out for our own. We deal with the threats the Protectorate and the PRT don't have the balls or the brains to go after, and we get paid good money to do so. I want you to take your time to consider the offer and keep in mind there is only one way out of the Company, feet first." Lady stared me down utterly serious.

Hesitantly I nodded. Lady handed me a card before turning to address the rest of the Undersiders. "The offer extends to all of you, naturally. Bitch you would be unable to maintain shelters given how much we move around, but if you can train dogs to work with our men in the field we can fund you that and set up an organization to find homes for the dogs who don't meet your standards for combat. Grue, we know you're in the game for the money though we don't know why. Depending on your reasons we might be able to help. Tattletale our offer for you is much simpler. You will get paid and you won't be on the front line like you are now. Safety, that's my sales pitch to you. Regent, or should I say Hijack? Congratulations on getting away from your father. You know he's been on our list for quite some time now? With a bit of help from you we could put him down once and for all, then you could stop looking over your shoulder, not to mention the Company can easily find uses for your real power in some of our dirtier operations."

Lady handed out a card to each of the Undersiders. "You all have my contact information. The Company will be in town for a few weeks, knocking over gang warehouses for a bit of pocket money while we wait for the bounty on the Siberian to come in. You should all think carefully on our offer. Legend, it's been a pleasure as always." The last sentence all but dripped sarcasm.

Her piece said Lady collected her device and slipped out of the room into the hallway leaving all of us in silent contemplation.