"So I got a call from the school today."

"Really?" I raised a brow and glanced across the table to dad as he cut his steak. "What time?" I tossed back a forkful of rice and meat.

"Around tenish maybe… why?"

I didn't answer right away. In part, because I was still chewing; but also because I didn't really want to. Apparently though that was telling enough.

"Taylor," he said slowly, cautiously, "what did you do."

Swallowing, I stabbed my knife into my steak, "Besides ditching… well, I accidentally ACTIVATED ZERO FUCKS today and ended up backhanding Emma when she tried her usual shit and around halfway through first period I got called up. was there with Emma."

I snorted, "Blackwell said, she was unable to get a hold of you. But I'd sooner throw her than trust her, I guess I was right."

There was a clink of silverware being set on ceramic as dad sighed. "Taylor-"

"I know!" I snapped, before taking a deep breath and forcing myself to settle back down, "I know, you don't have to tell me… well, on the upside at least I told that his daughter isn't the rosy little peach he thinks she is and called out Blackwell on being incompetent."

One corner of my mouth turned up in a smirk, "I don't think he was expecting that when he showed up."

At that dad let out a low, almost pained groan.

"Taylor, you can't do things like that. People have brain-mouth filters for a reason, your powers…"

"They remove the filters, yeah." Looking up, I met dad's eye, the worry visible on his face and in the bags under his eyes. It had just been so easy to tell him I had powers when I'd first ACTIVATED ZERO FUCKS, too easy. It had been too easy to keep going and tell him about everything that had happened since mom had died. What I thought of him, what I had considered doing, what I had gone through at school… really the only thing that had made me stop was when I'd noticed BREAK THEM BY TALKING appear in my mental rolodex.

"I kinda just walked out after telling them about my journal," shrugging, I went back to cutting my steak. "I guess I'll see what happens when I go back in tomorrow."

He didn't look happy, not one bit considering he had know Emma's father Alen since they'd been in school themselves. But he nodded anyway, and picking up his fork he poked at his own steak. "Well anyway, Blackwell wanted a meeting. I suppose now I know what the topic of discussion is going to be."

"If she wants me apologize for what I said then she can hold her breath. I'd rather drop out if it came to that."

"Ah'm ure i' wone ome' oo at'," he said through a mouthful of food before audibly swallowing. "By the way, I saw the video, the one Uber and Leet put up." He smiled and just a bit of it reached his eyes, most of it though was… pride? "My little girl, slaying monsters and fighting alongside heroes like Armsmaster…" His smile turned down in a grimace, "Indominus though…"

"It wasn't exactly my first choice."

"Yeah, I suppose. It does have a rather Villainy ring to it. Although, I do have to agree with some of the others on there, it really does fit." He smiled a wistful smile, "Untamable, your mother would have approved."

"Really?" I asked. I mean, I knew she had done some activism and had even gotten in trouble with the police over it and that she'd had something of a temper. But she would have approved? That was news.

"Yeah…," Dad sighed wistfully, " and come to think of it, neither of us really told you about her college years did we?"

+X+X+X+X+

At the edge of the one of the nicer and lesser known abandoned buildings in the city I sat; looking out at the lights that illuminated it and tried to keep the darkness from closing in. It was really a nice view, being more than a dozen stories above street level made it look good. Although the same could probably be said about most cityscapes; and unfortunately, with a keen eye, the view also showed just how much of the city was in bad shape.

At one point, im sure the building had been nice and in many places it still was; the simple art deco design had withstood not being tended to for years. But it was old, and just like the city below it was dying. Slowly but surely, the curse of apathy and complacency gradually took its tole. The protesting shriek of the roof access door opening up behind me was just another testament to that fact.

The roof's gravel crunched and ground together as booted feet walked over it and there owners came to stand over me.

"You're twenty minutes late."

"And you chose the top of a tall ass building to meet on top of, give me break."

Raising an eyebrow, I looked over to the white armored Hero who'd been my off-and-on secret mentor the past few months as he sat down next to me on the roofs edge; somewhat surprised. I knew I wouldn't be hurt if I fell, but I wasnt too sure about him; probably not, but then of course I didn't doubt that was just that carefree.

He jerked his chin while gesturing to my lap, "So what're you reading this time?"

Looking down to the tattered paperback held loosely in my hands, I slipped in a piece of scrap paper to keep my place and held it up so he could see the cover.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray," he muttered and plucked the book out of my hand. I looked out onto the city again as he muttered to himself; reading the back covers synopsys if a few of the words I heard him mutter were any indication. "Well damn. Thats... bleak."

He handed the book back to me and I stuffed it in one of the side pockets in the military style cargo pants I'd chosen to wear tonight.

"Since I was meeting you up here I thought the symbolism was rather appropriate."

I continued to look out on the city below.

"Ok now that is bleak, so what's up?"

"I registered my PHO account for Indominus today and- oh yeah," I turned to look at Assault and narrowed my eyes, "I thought I said I liked that name only compared to mostof the others we were brainstorming. I didn't actually mean that as in I wanted to actually use it."

He shrugged and reached beneath his armored vest to pull out a stick of gum; dropping the wrapper and letting it flutter away as he popped the stick into his mouth. "Well it was a spur of the moment thing, there were a lot of names being thrown around the office so I went with the one that sounded the coolest."

For a moment, I considered punching him just out of principle but quickly dismissed the idea.

"Right, well anyway, I had a bunch of PMs in my inbox but one of them stood out to me." Reaching into one of my pants pockets I pulled out a thin sheaf of folded papers- printouts of the conversation -and handed them over to him. "It was from a small time villain, runs with a new group going by the Undersiders. There wasn't much available on them as a group, small time smash and grab stuff mostly, but from what she said it was pretty much there fault I ended up getting into it with Lung last night."

He shuffled through the papers in silence and I was startled when he let out a sudden laugh. "Oh man, I don't think I can tell you how much of trouble these guys have been giving Halbeard. And here they're asking for a meet up, I swear, half the time he's been out on patrol for the last few months its this bunch he's looking for."

Handing me the papers I stuffed them back in their pocket. "So, you're going to meet up with them because… why?"

My lips lips turning up in my Mad Girl Grin[™], I looked at Assault from the corner of my eyes. "After stewing on it for most of the day I decided I was feeling a just little vindictive about me dealing with their mess."

"...Ah," he sounded out in understanding, "so why did you call me then? You can handle bunch of C and B listers just fine on your own."

"Well, I wanted to know how I was being received by the Protectorate and P.R.T. and…" I trailed off, waffling on whether to tell him or not.

"And?" He prodded questioningly.

I looked down at the street below, "And because I ACTIVATED ZERO FUCKS today in school- its effects have receded though," I reassured him. "I wouldn't have even left home otherwise… but I also wanted a bit of back up just in case. And especially considering that meeting up with a team of Super Villains whose full powers are still pretty much unknown by lonesome would have just been stupid."

Stopping to catch my breath, I watched from the corner of my eye I watched as Assault let out a heavy sigh and slumped a little. He'd told me why he wanted to help me, but I probably never would have really understood why why if I realized how some of my selections affected me. Selections like ZERO FUCKS, which had let me drive my own father to tears without even noticing.

"Kid, you ACTIVATED that in school? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking." I admitted, "But like I said, it's effects are completely faded as far as I can tell and I've been cycling through my selection to help the process along. I just wanted someone there that can check me if need be."

"Hmm. And you're sure you're not being affected by it anymore?"

"Yeah, but like I said- better safe than sorry. Also, I figured we could do a patrol since i've made my debut and what better way for a first patrol than to apprehend some criminals."

He was quiet for a while more and I waited until I prodded him with my elbow. "Well?" I asked,

"...Yeah, I'll go with you," he said somewhat hesitantly but then he smirked. "Hell, I'd do it for no other reason than to stick it to Halbeard by bringing one of those punks in- oh and thanks by the way for making him your SIDEKICK last night. Now he wants everyone who encounters you to go through physical and power testing whenever they encounter you."

He tsked and shook his head. "He's all hung up over some stupid five percent stat increase…" Shaking his head he stood and took a few steps away from the roofs edge, "Enough of that business though, Puppy's waiting downstairs and she wants to meet you... By the way, when are you supposed to meet them again?"

"Eight." I answered, and getting off the roofs edge I walked over to the gutted shell of the industrial AC unit I'd learned my almost unwieldy staff against. It was a bit frustrating, but I hadn't been able to get it to take on a more normal shape despite spending a good portion of the afternoon experimenting with it down at the ship graveyard.

Having MULTI-MELEE MASTERACTIVATED hadhelped me quickly learn how to properly wield it and change it into different forms. Except what that practice hadn't done, was give me any indication as to how to make take on a more normal form.

Cracking his neck, he looked out over the city again; though this time he was looking toward the north with an analytical eye. "We'll probably have to hustle then...and she said to meet down by the Northern Ferry Station right?"

"Yeah."

"Hm, right between the Docks and the Boardwalk, plenty of escape routes if necessary, civilians close by to keep a certain newly debuted cape from getting too rough… its definitely a good spot for meeting someone that helped wreck a good portion of the city." He grinned proudly and jabbed a thumb at his chest, "They just didn't take into account my awesomeness." He looked me up and down. "You ready then? I know girls take a while so I just want to make sure."

My lip turning up in disgust I brushed some dust off the back of my pants. "Yeah, Im ready. And I'll be sure to tell Battery what you just said."

"Huh!-"

And with that I jumped backwards; the relatively small amount of force I used being enough to carry me past the roofs edge and out into the open air. I was barely able to laugh at Assaults open mouthed look of dismay before I was in freefall and accelerating toward the street below.