Chapter Fourteen: Snakes and Villains and Heroes, Oh My!
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
Hannah walked into the hospital room, silently noting the room's other two occupants. The first was lying, apparently unconscious, on the hospital bed, his vitals monitored by a host of machines, including some that were registering his brainwaves, which showed as jagged lines on the readout.
The other loomed over him, his attention divided between the young man in the bed and the esoteric device he was using to scan him. After a while, he grunted and set the device down on the table next to the bed. That was when Hannah decided to speak.
″Has there been any improvement?″
Colin turned towards the sound of her voice and shook his head. ″No, Gallant's still showing such intense signs of emotional distress that we have to keep him deeply sedated. Even then, his brainwave pattern is oddly skewed as if he is experiencing a dreamlike state, which should be impossible under this level of sedation."
Hannah hesitated, then reached out a gentle hand toward her erstwhile boss to squeeze his tense shoulder. "Colin, you can't blame yourself. I don't care what a review finds. You were not at fault here."
His whisper was bitter, "Can't I? Who else could be to blame? I never should have left him there, even in a room adjacent to Carnelian's orb. We know so little about them; about her that I shouldn't have taken the chance."
She quietly asked, "After review the footage, did Gallant show any signs of being mastered?"
Colin shook his head in frustration. "No, not really. Rather, call it an unhealthy fascination with the orb. After all, he could see its colors. Said it was a disgusting shade of yellow. No, he apparently leaned in to study it as closely as possible, and when the alarm went off, it startled him. He bumped the orb, knocking it out of the containment field. Then it must have gone off based upon his subsequent reaction."
"Do we know why it affected him so much worse than anyone else? After all, Lung, Kid Win, and Clockblocker were all hit with the same thing and recovered after a couple of hours with no apparent long term adverse effects."
Colin looked relieved to have something to distract his mind from the young man lying drugged and unconscious in the bed in front of them. "It could be Gallant's own empathic powers that make him more vulnerable to the effects. Or it could be that the orb Carnelian used on Lung was more powerful than the ones she used on the two Wards. That might explain how it was able to force this intense of an effect from him. Unfortunately, we just don't know. As always, I can't find any energy readings of any kind coming off of the orb. I have no idea how it works or what it really does."
"What about locating Carnelian? Any luck there?" Hannah already knew the answer, but if it took Colin's mind off of what possibly happen as a result of the incident, she didn't mind hearing his analysis.
Colin emphatically shook his head. "No. She's in the wind. We think she's alive, but after finding what we managed to identify as her leg in Bakuda's hideout, the severity and extent of her injuries is unknown. As is any recovery time she might require. For all we know, she was mostly turned to glass, but only her leg was left behind because it was fused with the floor. We might not see her for months, if ever again. Not that we'll stop looking."
Abruptly, he turned and started towards the door. "I'm accomplishing nothing here. I need to get back into costume and head back out there and see if I can locate her."
Hannah put up a hand to stop the other cape. Her voice gentle, she said, "Colin, you know with your suspension, you cannot go look for Carnelian. Don't throw away everything that you've accomplished over this. Why don't you go back to your lab and talk to Dragon to find out if there's anything she can do so far as locating Carnelian?"
For a moment, Colin looked absolutely furious, but that rapidly faded into what could only be described as a look of defeat. Finally, he gave a simple curt nod and left.
Hannah continued to watch Gallant sleep. So far, nothing had worked to free him from the influence of Carnelian's orb. They'd even brought in Panacea, who had indicated that his condition had something to do with his brain, a condition which she could not help with.
The decision had been made to keep him in the Protectorate HQ, if for no other reason that they did not know if the boy's condition was communicable. Most likely it was not, but they had to take every precaution. It was evident that Carnelian did possess some form of ability not dissimilar to a Master, which allowed her to affect the emotions of others. It was also possible that no one other than she could figure out a way to counter the effects of her own device.
If things didn't improve within the next day or so, Hannah was going to volunteer to undergo the effects of the orb herself, with Panacea on hand to monitor the exact physiological effect it had upon her body. If nothing else, it should eliminate the possibility that this orb was more powerful or otherwise different from the one she'd used on Clockblocker and Kid Win.
Hannah spent some additional time looking over Gallant's vital signs, but unfortunately, she learned nothing new despite her own level of medical knowledge. Not needing to sleep gave her a great deal of spare time and she spent it in different pursuits that for the most part aided in her career as a hero with the Protectorate. Studying medicine was just one of the things she spent her spare time on.
With a sigh, Hannah decided it was time to go out and look for Carnelian again. At least there she could provide some help. Plus, if she ever did find the woman, she really needed to talk to her. Hannah turned and walked towards the door, hesitating only once to take one final look at the boy lying in the bed. Then, filled with resolution to get something accomplished, she walked off.
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
Taylor tentatively stood on her leg, slowly allowing her full weight to come down upon it. Fortunately, it held firm, although there was a weakness there that she would have to address at some point. Then again, she could feel her Regeneration rings still working on her leg at a deeper level than just the outside, which already appeared completely normal. Maybe it would take care of the lost muscle tone as well.
Lisa, her bright, green eyes politely inquisitive, asked, ″So how is it?″ Of course her aura belied the exterior she was showing the world, still faintly washed with a pale, bluish-gray that revealed just how worried she was that Taylor wouldn't be able to accomplish what she promised.
″It's good. Let me walk around a bit on it and see how it feels.″
Taylor did exactly that, carefully walking around the loft, more than a little amazed at just how good her leg felt now when half of it had been missing just the day before. The random impulses that had fired off while it grew, causing her to question the timeline she'd told Lisa, now appeared to be a thing of the past. Which was a good thing as- buzzz!
Muscles in her leg suddenly spasming, Taylor took a tumble, twisting her body to avoid the edge of the coffee table that her danger sense had already warned her of. Of course the earlier, unspecified warning was the thing that worried her. That was when she heard Lisa exclaim, ″Goddammit, Alec! Quit fucking around!″
Getting back to her feet, Taylor turned toward where the dark-haired youth stood by the bathroom door where he had obviously just come from a shower. Giving her a look of amused contempt, he walked back into his room, his towel-clad rump seeming to convey his contempt for her. His aura was filled with confusion and anger, something which Taylor could relate to as she was pretty damn angry herself at what couldn't quite be described as an attack, but nevertheless shook her up.
A moment later, Lisa grabbed her arm as if to help her back to her seat, but Taylor shook her off. She needed to walk on her leg, after all. She listened as Lisa babbled, ″Look, I'm sorry about Alec. He can be a bit of a dick sometimes and clearly he's still upset about last night.″
″Don't worry about it. I'm going to make a guess about Alec's power and I want you to say yes or no. Can you do that for me?″
Reluctantly, Lisa nodded. Taylor stated, ″Alec can cause random firing of nerves in limbs, as well as those of other autonomous muscles, causing people to miss, trip, and generally embarrass themselves. Is that about it?″
Lisa nodded again, but Taylor could tell the girl was lying from the way her aura flickered. Not a full lie, maybe, but there was something off. So likely Alec had another ability which the other girl wasn't telling about. Fine. She'd deal with it when she needed to and not before.
Taylor wasn't going to dwell on what had occurred. Instead, she needed to figure out exactly how she was going to get home and what she was going to do with the partial costume she was wearing. While she had her Flight Stick on the first level of the factory, flying it to her house in the daytime wasn't really an option. No, what she really needed was a change of clothes and a ride. She gave Lisa a speculative look.
Before Taylor could even open her mouth to ask, the blonde nodded. ″I'll give you a ride."
A voice spoke from the doorway of another bedroom. "I can take her home."
Brian stood there, looking buff and vaguely threatening in his costume, the skull on the front of his helmet only adding to the effect. Lisa huffed and rolled her eyes. "Can you take that off, please? And I'm taking her home, she doesn't want anyone else knowing where she lives."
Brian removed his helmet and mask, then said, "She knows where we live."
"Yes, but she's a hero."
Brian looked as if he was about to say something else, but Taylor, tired of being talked about in the third person, spoke up, "I don't care who takes me home. The problem is that I don't have any clothes."
Lisa grinned as she said, "I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that at all."
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
In the end, it was decided that Lisa would be the one who gave her a ride home after the other girl gave her address to Brian as a form of quid pro quo. She couldn't help grinning at the look on Taylor's face when she discovered that all of the clothes she'd bought at Yvonne's were at the loft.
Frowning, Taylor said, "I thought you were busy trying to find Bakuda's lair and help me."
Blithely, Lisa stated, "I was doing exactly that. Brian, on the other hand, needed something to keep him busy so he didn't bug me. So I sent him after our things, which he took care of right before I found where Bakuda was."
"Huh."
"Here, try this on." Lisa thrust a cute crop top in mauve and a pair of blue jeans at the taller girl, both items she had bul- err... persuaded her into buying the day before.
Taylor looked them over, her weight shifting from foot to foot as if her leg still pained her. When she still didn't move, Lisa asked, "What's wrong? Don't like the color?"
Seemingly aware of Brian's presence in the room, Taylor quietly whispered, "I don't have any clean underwear."
Rolling her eyes, Lisa went and grabbed a pair of panties from her own bedroom. "There you go. I'm afraid you're going to have to wear your bra again or go without as mine won't even come close to fitting you."
Taylor went into the bathroom with an affronted look upon her face, one which Lisa would have needed her power to figure out whether it was the comment about going braless or being too flat chested to be able to fill her own bra's cups, that had triggered it. A moment later the shower started up.
Brian, who had finished making coffee, handed Lisa a cup while drinking his own. He quietly commented, "You know that you and I still need to talk about last night. You practically begged Carnelian to go after that villain. Who were you wanting to see targeted?"
Lisa debated lying to the erstwhile leader of her team, but in the end, decided to tell the truth as Brian didn't know that Coil was their secret benefactor. Tersely, she said, "It's Coil. He's a bigger threat than his public persona indicates, especially to me."
"A threat, how?"
"To the world? Coil wants power and will do whatever it takes to get it. To me? I think he wants to drug me, stick me in a room somewhere, and force me to use my power for him."
Brian looked angry and horrified at the her words. "Dammit, Lisa! Why didn't you tell me? I could have-"
"You could have what? I'm sorry, but none of us have the kind of offensive powers that would be needed to deal with someone like Coil. I mean, he's got dozens of mercenaries working for him with Tinkertech weapons, not something we want to mess around with."
The expression on Brian's face was a combination of anger and stubbornness. "You should have told me if for no other reason than because we're teammate's. What might be a danger to you could also be a danger to all of us. Understand me?"
Lisa nodded guiltily. "I understand. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Brian nodded back grudgingly. "Okay. I'll let it go this time. But you can't keeping doing shit like this. I mean it."
In the bathroom, the sounds of the shower faded. A few minutes later, a very different Taylor Hebert emerged from within its depths. Gone was the damaged monotone costume. In its place, she wore tight blue jeans that hugged her long slender legs and a crop top that showed off what little bosom the other girl had, as well as exposing about six inches of her flat, toned midriff.
With her long, curly hair hanging down her back, still damp from the shower, Taylor looked both younger and cuter than she did when wearing her costume. There was also a vulnerability about her now that had hadn't been present before. Lisa didn't need her power to see Brian's attention momentarily sharpen, only for him to deliberately turn away in order to ignore her.
Standing there looking awkward, Taylor asked, "Lisa, do you have a pair of shoes I can borrow?"
Suppressing a pang of envy at the other girl's slim form, one that would likely stay that way for her entire life, Lisa sniped, "No, but you do. Remember, you got those flats for free when you bought those things from Yvonne's?"
Taylor took the pair of flats Lisa handed her with a muttered, "Thanks."
The next few minutes were filled with Taylor organizing her gear and putting it aboard her flying thing while Lisa scanned the internet and PHO forums to see if anyone had posted videos of yesterday's events. Especially any videos of Taylor unmasked.
Almost immediately, she saw something of interest. Reading the entries, Lisa couldn't help the grin that creased her lips, something that Brain apparently noticed as he asked, "What's going on?"
Trying to look innocent, Lisa said, "Nothing. Well, nothing about us. Taylor, on the other hand..."
The girl in question looked apprehensive as she paused in packing up her stuff. "What about me?"
"Someone filmed part of the preschool rescue. Don't worry, though, it was started after you changed into your costume. The video shows Carnelian saving kids. Then healing them afterward. Guess what, Taylor? You're a hero!"
There was a brittle sharpness to Taylor's tone as she asked, "And it doesn't show my face? My identity?"
Lisa shook her head. "Nope. The video's poster even states in the post that he didn't think to start filming until he saw you dressed and knew that there was a Parahuman present helping with the rescue. Before that, he was too busy shifting rubble and searching for survivors with the others. Plus, they're suppressing speculation on your identity on PHO. No physical descriptions allowed, along with no guesses as to your age, etc."
Both Taylor and Brian looked relieved at that. In an amused tone, Lisa continued, "It's funny how the posts on your thread have done a complete one eighty as regards your status as a benefit to the city. They're even blaming the Protectorate and PRT for losing Lung after you 'heroically' managed to capture him in the first place."
For a moment, Taylor looked like she was about to weigh in with what she thought about that same subject, but in the end, just shook her head sharply. Instead, she said, "Let's go. I'm sure my dad is freaking out about now."
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
As it turned out, Taylor's words were prophetic. When she and Lisa finally got to her house about nine am, it was surrounded by pick up trucks, all of the nearby parking up and down the street completely taken up. The trucks, most of which weren't exactly new, looked like the kind that the men who worked with her dad down at the Dockworker's Union typically drove, large and festooned with tool boxes and other oddments.
Parking almost a block away, Taylor led Lisa towards her house. When she was still a couple of houses away, they began seeing a large cluster of men in her front yard. Conscious of all of the stares that she was receiving walking along in her new top and jeans, she wished for the umpteenth time that day that her stomach at least was completely covered.
Resisting the urge to futilely tug at the bottom of her crop top, Taylor still jumped when a nearby voice bellowed, "Yo, Danny! She's back!"
Taylor was momentarily the center of attention, all eyes upon her, then her dad came racing out of the house and split the attention somewhat. The man who ran towards her at a dead sprint looked nothing like the calm, collected figure of her dad. Danny Hebert had an almost manic gleam in his eyes as he literally engulfed her in a huge hug, almost squeezing the life out of her. Momentarily, Taylor wished for her bracer so that she could better weather the storm of her dad's relief. Then she just hugged him back as hard as she could, her awareness of all of the stares fading somewhat in the background.
Around them, shouts and questions were tossed back and forth, many of them aimed at the her and her dad, while what seemed like a veritable forest of hands slapped the two of them on the back. Taylor just stood, huddled in her dad's arms, while she tried to ignore the frantic activity surrounding her. That was when Lisa chose to act.
The blonde girl put two fingers into her mouth and blew a whistle so loud and piercing that it drew admiring stares from many of the men present. In the resulting silence, Lisa said, "As you can see, Taylor's okay. She spent the night with me when she was knocked out by one of the bombs that went off. And that's all I'm going to say until I talk with her dad, so you're all just going to have to wait to find out the rest of the story later from him."
There was well over a score of relieved chuckles from the men around them as Taylor mouthed her thanks to Lisa. Of course, then it was the blonde's turn to be on the receiving end of one of her dad's hugs, which from the shock on her face, she had not been expecting. Nor whatever he whispered in her ear as he held her.
When Danny finally released Lisa, her aura belied the calm visage with which she faced the crowd. Taylor decided she would wait until another time to ask her just why she felt so incredibly sad. For now, she would focus on her dad. And the size of the search party that he had apparently organized from his friends and co-workers.
When Danny started thanking people for showing up, Taylor joined him, beginning with those she recognized, like Kurt and Lacey, as well as another one of her dad's friends, Kevin Nelson. As she shook everyone's hands, Taylor got a lot more back pats and sympathetic comments from her dad's older friends and co-workers. The looks she was on the receiving end from some of the younger guys, made her self-conscious again, as male eyes lingered upon her exposed stomach, derrière, and even her scant bosom, making her even more aware of the out of character outfit she wore.
Taylor was also incredibly self-conscious of the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra as she'd decided that putting back on the one that smelled of smoke and burning chemicals wasn't an option. With her lack of assets, she figured it wouldn't be a big deal, as the top's material was thick enough to be opaque and not to show anything beyond her shape. But when she was surrounded by several young men, many of whose auras had tinged towards a deep pink that spoke of physical attraction, that one small fact made her nervous enough to start to trigger her anger.
Fortunately, Taylor wasn't wearing any of her Wrath rings, so she was able to tamp down her emotions and get through the next few minutes. Then it was just she, her dad, and Lisa standing there as trucks began to roar away.
From the expression on his face, Danny had a lot of questions, but he waited, waving, until the last truck headed off into the distance. Then he turned to Lisa and said, "Won't you come in? I'd like to hear exactly what happened as well as thank you again."
Taylor couldn't help the feeling of nervousness that filled her at the thought of her dad and the teenage super-villain interacting. But since she had no obvious reason to object, she followed the other two into the house.
A few minutes later they were all seated in the living room with cups of hot tea in front of them. Danny and Taylor sat on the couch and she couldn't help but notice that her dad seemed reluctant to let her get too far away from him, sticking with her throughout the ritual of making the tea and now sitting alongside her. Hopefully, that wouldn't continue throughout the day and evening, or she find it more than a little bit difficult to deal with Coil. Her attention was brought back to the present as she registered a question her dad asked Lisa.
"So, Lisa, how did the two of you meet?"
"Oh, Mr Hebert, we were both at Yvonne's shopping and I noticed Taylor looking at the full price stuff with a look of disbelief on her face. I walked over and told her about the clearance stuff, a lot of which is ninety percent off, and dragged her over. Then I helped her pick some stuff out."
Danny have Taylor a sidelong glance. "Yes. I noticed that what Taylor's wearing isn't her usual choice in outfits."
Lisa held up a hand. "Guilty as charged. I pushed her into buying stuff that would look good on her. I hope I didn't violate any rules about what she's allowed to wear?"
Her dad waved it off. "No, no. I'm glad to see Taylor blossoming a bit. She's been in a shell for quite a while, now."
Rolling her eyes, Taylor said, "You know, I'm sitting right here."
Lisa grinned. "Yes, but it's so much fun to talk about you as if you aren't."
Her dad, on the other hand, ruffled her hair, drawing a quick "Hey!" from Taylor. He apologized, "Sorry, kiddo. Just relieved that you're okay. Also, a bit curious to tell the truth. You haven't exactly had a lot of friends the last several months."
Avoiding Lisa's curious gaze, Taylor said, "I know, Dad. That's going to change, though. Even if I'm not in school anymore it doesn't mean I can't hang out with kids my own age."
Danny nodded. "I agree. By the way, Lisa, thanks again for taking care of Taylor. What exactly happened? I mean, I heard what you said outside, but that couldn't have been all of the story."
In a reflective tone, Lisa said, "No, Mr Hebert, but I figured you'd want to decide what parts get told to your friends. I met Taylor in Yvonne's and we kind of hit it off after I showed her the clearance stuff. Then I spent some time helping her find outfits that would actually look good on her. Because she's tall and slim she needs clothes that aren't too loose, but she was going for all of the wrong things. Afterwards, I was going to give her a ride home. We were carrying our bags to the car when we heard this series of booming sounds. Neither one of us knew what it was. Now I know they were explosions, of course. But at the time..."
She shrugged, then continued, "Anyway, the last explosion was close. We were walking by the preschool when it blew up. Nothing hit me, although I got knocked on my butt. Taylor, on the other hand, got hit by something which knocked her out. I managed to call a friend to help me with her and we got her into my car. I was going to take her to the hospital, but we heard over the radio that the hospitals were full to overflowing because of all of the casualties so the waits there were going to be crazy long if you got to see anyone at all."
Taylor marveled at the way the blonde girl could lie. The only clue that she had that the other girl was wasn't telling the truth were the shifts in her aura. Otherwise, she never would have known that a lot of the story she'd just told was almost completely made up.
Lisa finished explaining by saying, "Anyway, my friend is training to be an EMT so he checked her out. He said it looked minor so we put to bed at my apartment. I would have called you but Taylor didn't have a cell phone on her and I didn't have know who to call."
Danny looked regretful. "That's my fault. I should have gotten her a cell phone before this. Texting was involved in my wife's death, so I've been very down on cell phones for a long time. That's going to change, though. Thank you so much, Lisa, for looking after my daughter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know."
Lisa nodded. "I will, Mr Hebert."
"Please call me, Danny, Lisa. By the way, are you still in school right now? I mean, you don't look old enough to have graduated."
Lisa shrugged. "I've got my GED. School was too boring for me to stand it."
Tentatively, Danny suggested, "If you need a job, I could probably help you with that. I've heard that it can be a challenge sometimes finding work with only a GED."
"I'm good. I actually work from home. I invest online. You'd be surprised how well you can do if you're careful and do your research."
Her dad looked impressed at that. Oddly, it impressed Taylor as well as she could tell Lisa wasn't lying about doing exactly that. Of course, she was probably investing her own ill gotten gains, but still.
Just then the phone rang. Taylor watched her dad answer it and get into a spirited discussion with whoever was on the other end of the line. After a bit he set the receiver down and walked back over to stand next to her.
Danny glanced at his watch and sighed, an expression of mixed exasperation and regret on his face. "Kiddo, I'm going to have to leave. I really need to get back to work. I took off early yesterday and haven't gone in yet today. With yesterday's events, the city is going to need the help of the Dockworker's Union to rebuild. So I'm going to be spending the next few days doing contract negotiations. Basically working my butt off. Can I ask you for a big favor, Lisa?"
The blonde seemed to already know what her dad was going to ask, then again, with her power, that actually made sense. "Danny, would you like me to spend some time with Taylor today and the rest of the week?"
Looking relieved, Danny nodded. "Yes, if you wouldn't mind. Taylor, that's okay with you, isn't it?"
Was it okay with her? Taylor wasn't a hundred percent sure one way or the other. After all, she did have to repair her armor. Did she want Lisa around when she did so? They weren't enemies, but rather tentative allies. However, giving the blonde Thinker that kind of insight into what she did might not be the best thing. On the other hand, she might be helpful.
Aware that she was getting looks from two different people the longer the silence went on, Taylor finally said, "Sure, Dad, that's fine. If you want to stay here, Lisa..."
Apparently Lisa was unable to read her thoughts since she nodded. "I'll stay."
"Great. I'll see you for dinner, Taylor. If you want, you can eat with us, Lisa. Bye now."
With that, her dad left in a hurry, clearly feeling the urgency of all of those contracts. When he was gone, Lisa turned to Taylor a curious expression on her face. "Am I crazy or is your dad wearing one of your rings?"
Taylor gave a grudging nod. "Yes. I gave him a Regeneration ring once I knew how to make them."
There was a look of almost disbelief on Lisa's face. "Let me get this straight. You gave your dad an item that what, gives him perfect health and heals any injury?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Besides the fact that you gave your dad a powerful and desirable Parahuman-created healing item? There's at least one other person in Brockton Bay who can see the aura that your items give off."
Who? Then like a light turning on, Taylor breathed, "Gallant? I knew he gave off blasts that altered emotions, but I didn't realize he could see the emotions of people. Are you sure?"
Lisa looked contemplative. "I was there when you fought Empire 88 and Lung. So was Gallant. He was freaking out. He could see what you were doing and the stuff you were using and it made him crazy."
"How could you tell?"
Taylor almost smiled at the droll look that Lisa sent her way. "It only took seeing him for a moment to do a read on his using my ability. Trust me, he was so freaking out."
"That means he can probably see the color of my dad's ring, though."
Lisa shrugged and nodded. "Yep. I get that you were trying to help your dad, but I don't get why you just didn't fix something on his bed to do the same thing, like his pillow or something. That way, he wouldn't need to wear... oh, that's funny. You didn't think of that, did you?"
Feeling a bit disgruntled, Taylor muttered, "No, I didn't."
Truthfully, she wasn't even sure she could do something like that, but there was no real reason she couldn't put health and regeneration into any item, worn or not. She gnawed on her lower lip a moment, then became aware that Lisa was giving her a speculative look.
"What?"
"How hard is it to make one of those rings, anyway?"
"Why?"
The blonde girl shrugged, looking supremely unconcerned. Her aura, however, believed both her appearance and words as she said, "Oh, it just seems like it would be useful is all. I could pay you to make me one of those. Although, actually, I'm surprised that you didn't consider selling them to the Protectorate. They pay really big money for items that heal."
"The only problem is that without being in somewhat close contact with me at least once a day, the ring takes a week to charge if it's depleted."
Lisa looked momentarily chagrined, then thoughtful. "That wouldn't matter if you and I were teammates."
Taylor shook her head. "I don't know about that, Lisa. I do get that you and the others aren't that bad, but like I told Brian, eventually I see a confrontation happening between the Undersiders and me. I can't see myself joining you."
"I wasn't talking about you joining the Undersiders. I was talking about my joining you."
Taylor's jaw dropped in astonishment. "What?"
Lisa's grin was predatory as she said, "It would be perfect. I don't really need money at the moment, but if I did, we could just seize drug money from one of the gangs. I could be a huge help to you in analyzing your power. I mean, do you even know how you made something like that torc? Yeah, I didn't think so."
As she considered just how bullshit Lisa's power really was, Taylor realized that the blonde had her there. Because she really didn't understand how she made her more complex items. Could Lisa really help her with that? More importantly, why would she?
Aware that the girl in question was watching her carefully, and could probably read her like an open book, Taylor decided to shelve the idea for now. "Look, Lisa, I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask. As for now, let's see it."
"See what?"
"You making a new pair of armored pants and boots to replace the ones that got ruined by Bakuda. I want to watch. Come on!"
She followed, bemused, as Lisa easily headed up to her room, correctly finding the right one without asking. The blonde girl sat down on Taylor's bed and gave her an expectant look, making her groan.
"Fine. Let me get some of my old, worn out jeans. And a pair of old boots."
Fortunately, Taylor had both sets of items ready as she had expected to have to replace her armor pieces at some point. While she was digging them out of the back of her closet, Lisa kept up a running monologue of questions and statements.
"So it doesn't matter what quality an item is before you make it, does it? It changes to suit you. Do you have to know exactly how to make the item to actually make it or does your power fill in what you want? So you can make things that you don't even know how you made them. Do-"
Taylor held up a peremptory hand. "Stop. Just... stop. You're distracting me. And it's hard enough to make things even when I don't have a chatterbox going on in my ear."
Lisa looked like she was about to ask something else, but visibly held herself back. After a moment, she asked, "I take it that it isn't as easy as it would seem to imbue emotions into an item?"
Thankful that the blonde wasn't going to supply the answer as soon as she asked the question, Taylor nodded. "Of course it is. Just so long as what I want to make is a Wrath item. Then I just get mad and zip! It's created."
Lips pursed in a silent whistle, Lisa asked, "How do you make something, then?"
Taylor hedged, "Well..."
"Might as well tell me. If I'm going to help you, you need to trust me at least that much. I won't tell the others."
"I focus on positive emotions, love, protectiveness, safety, respect. I push those emotions into an item. Which I fail at quite a lot. That's pretty much it."
Taylor picked up a pair of boots in her hands and was slowly trying to get her head into the mindset she needed to make protective armor when Lisa touched her arm. "I have a suggestion. Can your armor be more than just protection?"
"I don't actually know. It's all I've made up to this point."
Lisa nodded. Lips pursed, she suggested, "What about if you made your boots so that they also made you faster."
Feeling a bit confused, not something which she wanted to feel when attempting to make replacement armor, Taylor asked, "Run faster? I mean, now that I've got my Flight Stick I don't see how that would be all that big of a help."
"No. Although I can think of several scenarios where being able to run fast would be helpful. What I mean is to move faster. Like a speedster, moving through the world faster than normal. Experiencing it in slow motion."
Taylor just stared at the other girl, feeling a bit lost at what Lisa was talking about. The blonde girl took in her expression and said, "Okay, let me explain it in a different way. Do you remember getting hit by Lung when you fought him?"
"Of course. He almost wrecked my armor with one hit."
"Your danger sensing necklace was working, though, right? You saw the hit coming, didn't you?"
Taylor nodded. "Of course I did. I just couldn't get out of the way fast enough... oh."
"Exactly. Can you add that to a pair of boots that you make for yourself? Pure speed."
"I don't know. It might be easier to just make another ring with that ability."
Lisa gave Taylor a significant look. "I don't think your power has as many limitations as you think. I don't think you have to use rings for the effects, for example. I suspect you can put more than one effect on something, especially when they complimentary."
"Complimentary?"
"Yes. Being armored and fast are both protective effects. They keep you safe. Try to use the same emotions for both and see if it works. Okay, I'm going to be quiet now."
True to her word, Lisa shut up and sat there watching as Taylor got herself ready. But ready to do what? Could she actually make something like what Lisa was describing?
It sounded complex. Then again, was it any more complicated than her necklace? The idea that you could use emotions to make a necklace that sensed danger and gave warnings was absurd on the surface. But she had done it. Could she do something similar with a pair of boots that gave her not just heightened reflexes, but the ability to move through the world at a speed several times that of a ordinary human?
Maybe. But if she didn't at least try, that was the route to certain failure. Taylor took a deep breath, then another. Each time she breathed in, she breathed out just a little bit slower. Muscle by muscle, she allowed herself to relax, all the time visualizing what she wanted. It felt like the most difficult thing she had ever done, yet at the same time, something that shouldn't be.
Refusing to fall into the pattern of self-reflection, instead Taylor remembered safety, the feeling of her Dad's arms around her. She remembered how he had always done his best to keep his daughter safe from the dangers of a decaying city.
At the same time, she allowed a sliver of fear to slowly worm its way into her mind. Fear that had its basis in not being able to move fast enough to escape a blow. Although, when Lung had hit her, knocking her through the air where she lost her sword, Taylor hadn't been exactly afraid. Was fear even right for this?
There had been just the briefest moment of panic when she had been knocked on her ass, but it hadn't involved fear for her physical self, for her own safety. No, it was as if all that she needed to accomplish would be rendered moot by her death. It was a sensation of futility, that the differences she'd made in her city up to that point would cease, slowly decaying back into the indifference and fatalism that filled so many of its residents. That her city had an inertia associated with it, keeping it in a pattern where nothing good and decent could ever triumph.
Some part of Taylor was conscious that her breathing had quickened, now coming in frantic gasps. This was her city. Her world. It didn't belong to those who dwelt in the shadows, with their messages of hate and contempt. Those shadow dwellers believed that might and cruelty ruled. That decency was a weakness to be taken advantage of as you ruthlessly used those weaker than you however you chose.
Her desire to incorporate fear fell away as it was replaced by stronger, deeper, more heartfelt emotions. Taylor felt something like desperation fill her, mixed with hope and anger and love, as well as so many other emotions that she lost track. There was a world out there that needed saving and it was her that would save it.
The emotions Taylor felt were starting to hurt like a dull, gnawing toothache that felt like it would never go away. They were twisting inside of her like a highly charged live wire, whipping around her mind and soul, filling her to overflowing with feeling. She had to get them out of her! Somehow, she pushed those emotions away from her, although for the first time, she felt resistance.
Sweat beading her brow at a struggle that had nothing to do with the physical, Taylor somehow managed to overcome the resistance she felt and thrust all of her feelings and emotions into the objects she held in her hands making them change.
Opening her eyes, Taylor stared at what had been old leather boots just a moment before. She felt a dull astonishment. Meeting Lisa's gaze, she expected to see an equal amount of astonishment there. Instead, what she saw was fear, quickly hidden, but no person could hide what they were truly feeling from her. Why was Lisa so afraid?
Conscious of the overlay of pale blue over the blonde's aura, Taylor asked, "So what do you think? Like them?"
The boots she held up were no longer made of leather, old and cracked. Nor were they composed of the strange gray substance that had marked all of Taylor's items up to this point. No, instead, these boots were gleaming and bright, composed of something that glowed an almost iridescent silver.
Of course, that was just how they appeared to her physical senses. The boot's aura was composed of so many colors they seemed almost like a rainbow. Every change in position of the boots changed the aura that met Taylor's eyes. One moment blue dominated. Another purple and red were equally present. Then they gleamed as silver to her senses as they did to her physical eyes. There was a strange orderliness to the changes as if she'd tapped into some higher level of consciousness when making them that now somehow eluded her.
Closing her eyes for a moment to escape the overwhelming cascade of colors, Taylor quietly asked, "Why are you afraid, Lisa?"
"Shit. Of course you saw that. I honestly don't know why I bother to try to hide it unless I'm worried I'll get out of practice with everyone else."
"Are you going to answer me?"
"Fuck! Yes. Give me a second."
There was a brief silence and Taylor opened her eyes. Lisa's fear had mostly faded, but it was still present, like a ghostly overlay of the brilliant primary colors she usually sported. Shaking her head, Lisa muttered, "I don't know how I get into these situations."
Sitting up straight, Lisa seemed to gird her loins. "Look, I'm not afraid of you. Not really. But what I just saw? It doesn't make sense to me."
"Huh?"
The blonde got up and began to pace the length of Taylor's room. "I mean, my power, it can't figure out what you're doing. I get the strangest sensation, almost as if what you're doing is the antithesis to regular Parahuman powers. Which is stupid because you are a Parahuman. I guess it just go to show that there is no figuring out powers. Not really."
Taylor hesitated a second, then asked, "Are you saying that your Thinker power can't analyze my powers? Not at all?"
Lisa shook her head. "Not beyond the most obvious. I mean, when I see you do something with an item, I can figure out what that item does based upon the effect. That's how I figured out that your torc held a danger sense. But I couldn't tell jack shit from watching you make those boots. Instead, I got confusion and the weirdest sensation of danger. It's like there's no answer that will ever make sense. Freaky, huh?"
Taylor nodded, silently agreeing. It was a little freaky that someone who appeared to be a pretty highly ranked Thinker was stymied by her powers. Then she saw the obvious flaw in Lisa's reasoning. "But you're the one who pointed out to me that I could do more with my power than I have been. If you can't figure out my power, then how were you able to figure that out?"
"Because I wasn't reading your power when I said that. I was reading you. At least subconsciously, you know that there's more you can do with your ability."
"Oh."
"Yeah, I know. Like I said, freaky. Oh well, fuck it. Do the boots do what you meant for them to do? Also, why are they silver? Was that intentional?"
Before Taylor could even decide which, if any, of the questions she wanted to answer, Lisa shrugged and said, "Fine, I'll shut up for now, but I'm eventually going to want to know that and more."
Feeling self-conscious, Taylor kicked off her flats and slid the boots onto her slim feet. Like all of her items, they fit perfectly. She stood up, relieved that she felt perfectly balanced. That's when Lisa grabbed a snow globe from her bureau and threw it as hard as she could at Taylor's head.
Her danger sense fired off instantly, and then, almost as quickly, the glass orb seemed to slow down, allowing Taylor more than enough time to move. Then realizing that if she moved out of the way completely, it would smash against her bedroom wall, scattering glass all over the place, Taylor moved just enough that it wouldn't hit her. Then she held up a hand and easily caught the glass ornament as it went by.
Then the world was moving at a normal speed and Taylor was shaking her stinging palm as she gave Lisa an angry look. Wonder of wonders, the other girl didn't looked worried at all, the fear having faded from her aura completely. Instead there was a curiosity so intense that she thought the girl might explode if it wasn't assuaged.
Lisa burbled, "Okay, that was utterly cool. I knew it wasn't going to hit you, but you caught it like it was nothing. Huge increase in speed."
Her annoyance momentarily took a back seat to her curiosity, prompting Taylor to ask, "How much of one? Could you tell?"
"Oh yeah. About fifteen times normal. That's fantastic. I mean, you're not going to be catching bullets or outrunning Velocity, but you can forget almost any other Parahuman out there being able to put a hand on you. That's for sure."
Impulsively, Taylor said, "Thanks, Lisa, I really appreciate it."
There was something almost tentative about the smile that the blonde girl gave her. Then it dissolved into another of her trademark grins as she said, "I was just making sure that you're in shape to take care of Coil tonight."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's all it was."
Of course, now all Taylor had to do was make a pair of pants and she would be ready for Coil. She wondered if the other Parahuman knew she was coming for him. If he had some kind of weird Thinker power like precognition, he just might. Of course, knowing she was coming and being able to do something about it were two different things.
Grabbing an old pair of holey jeans, Taylor set out to make a replacement for her armor pants. After all, she was going to need them. Tonight, Coil would be going down and she would be one step closer to a villain-free Brockton Bay.
Facing her bedroom mirror, Taylor allowed just a hint of Wrath to fill herself as she considered that idea. She almost didn't recognize the figure standing in front of her with the hard-edged smile that would not have looked out of place on the face of a villain. She glanced over at Lisa as she considered that.
From her expression, Lisa apparently agreed. It took a moment, but slowly the hard smile on the face of Taylor's reflection faded to be replaced with one of pure joy. It was odd, but if anything, Lisa looked even more nervous at the change. With a sigh, Taylor refocused with her attention on the task at hand, namely using her emotions in order to make the last piece of gear she would need for tonight. After that, it would be time to deal with Coil.
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
Coil carefully made his way into his base in one timeline, whereas in the other, Thomas Calvert headed over to the PRT HQ to do some consultant work. In both timelines, he breathed a sigh of relief that his life was no longer in the hands of fate; rather, he was safe from all but the most catastrophic events in widely disparate locations.
Which was exactly why his first stop was to visit his pet. Opening the door to her room, he waited as the slim figure untangled herself from the blankets of her bed and stood. Rubbing an eye with her fist, she plaintively asked, "Candy?"
"Soon, pet. But first, I need to ask you some questions."
"Already? I thought I just had dinner."
"No, pet. You had dinner hours ago. It's time for breakfast, now. But first, six questions."
The girl shook her head. "Three."
Coil shook his head. "How about five? Or no candy at all. Understand?"
Looking apprehensive, the girl nodded, while Coil began to speak, "You know the questions that I want answered."
"Point zero one five six that there are any problems in the next hour. Three point two one four three that there are any problems before lunchtime. Four point six one seven nine that there are any problems before six pm."
The girl stopped talking at that point, looking frightened. Coil had almost collapsed the other timeline at the soothing information that the day appeared to be uneventful, but now he hesitated. "Pet, what about this evening?"
Shivering in fear, the girl stammered, "One hundred percent chance that there is going to be an attack tonight."
Attack? Who would dare to attack him? Who would know to attack him here? Coil started to open his mouth to ask his pet about who it could be but then stopped as he realized she was close to her limit. Instead, he dropped the timeline and sat safe in his office within the PRT.
So he would need to split multiple times in order to be able to work out the who and what was happening tonight. So he split the timeline again. In one, he left his office and made his excuses of an emergency. There he traveled quickly back to his base to find out what was going to happen. In the other, he sat in his office and worked on the problem before him.
Arriving at his base, he made his way without greeting anyone to where his pet lay. Waking her up, he dragged her to her feet and preemptively asked, "What are the chances that the group attacking us tonight are from the Protectorate?"
Shivering, the girl said, "Zero point zero one two one that the Protectorate is attacking."
"What chance that the group is Empire 88?"
"Zero point zero zero one one."
"Chance that Lung is behind the attack?"
"Zero point zero zero zero six."
Getting frustrated as he wasn't any closer to learning the identity of the attacker, Coil spoke sharply, "Chances that..."
He stopped as he suddenly realized exactly who it could be, although how could she know about his base? "Chances that Carnelian is the one who is going to attack me tonight?"
"Ninety-nine point nine nine six seven percent that Carnelian will attack here tonight."
Suppressing a visceral shiver, Coil discarded the timeline, then began again. "What are the odds that the attack from Carnelian tonight will fail?"
Plaintively, the girl asked, "Can I get some candy after I answer?"
Almost, Coil knocked his pet to the ground and stomped her. Somehow he managed to suppress such an emotional reaction to his frustration and instead spoke in a soothing voice, "After three more answers. Now my question."
"Forty-one point one six seven four percent that the attack from Carnelian will fail."
"What if I put my men and the Travelers on alert?"
"Twelve point seven nine four four percent that the attack from Carnelian will fail."
Coil frowned. Why would it go down so drastically if he alerted his people? Carefully, he asked, "What if I bring the Undersiders in to help defend the base?"
"Four point seven one nine three percent that the attack will fail."
Seven splits of the timeline later, Coil had a grasp on what was happening. His Tattletale had turned on him, as had the rest of the Undersiders. He still didn't know why the odds of the attack failing went down to much if he alerted the Travelers and his men, but it did. So he wouldn't. Instead, he would make sure he wasn't around.
Instead, he would be monitoring the situation remotely. If everything else failed, he would bring the building down on Carnelian. Of course, his pet had already indicated that would not succeed in killing her. But it would be eminently satisfying.
Oh so very satisfying.
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
Taylor rode astride her Flight Stick, already halfway to her target, her passenger on board behind her. Around her, the night seemed vibrantly alive. The lights of the city seemed extra bright tonight, lighting the night with special intensity. She could hear the sound of the wind rushing around her figure, even if she couldn't feel it on her skin. It made her want to yank off her costume and ride with just her regular clothes as fast as he Flight Stick could go.
Did she feel this way because of the success she'd had on her boots? Maybe. Taylor still wasn't one hundred percent sure exactly what she'd done differently on them to make them a new color.
Everything she had made up until today had shared one color, a simple dark gray with a texture like slick stone. Even for those items that had felt another way, it was most likely only in her mind that the sick, greasy feeling truly existed.
But today, Taylor had made boots that weren't gray, instead an iridescent silver color. Bright and beautiful, she wasn't really sure they went with the rest of her costume, but there was no way she was not going to wear them. Partially because of the effect they granted, but mostly because they were beautiful in a way none of the rest of her items were. Certainly, they fitted into her costume as seamlessly as the originals.
Of course, they were physically beautiful, shining and brilliant, but it was their aura that so entranced Taylor. How had she managed the orderliness from which they were composed? What twist of fate had allowed her to not only imbue yet another effect into an item, but somehow make that item's aura so perfect?
If she could just crack the code of how she'd made the boots, Taylor knew that there was no limit to what she could make. What she could accomplish. Filled with visions of making Brockton Bay into a shining city as if from some miraculous future, Taylor felt her heart stir as a rare sensation of joy filled her.
With a sigh, she discarded that vision to focus upon the much uglier present. She needed to be ready for tonight. She needed to be filled with true Wrath as she had no idea of the amount or quality of the resistance she'd face. Lisa had mentioned mercenaries armed with Tinkertech weapons, but there might be other Parahumans as well.
Taylor gnawed her lower lip wondering if she should have waited and planned more before her attack. She and Lisa had discussed exactly that earlier. But in the end, they'd decided that with Coil's way of somehow knowing what was happening, waiting would be a mistake. The faster she attacked, the better the odds of her winning a fight against an unprepared foe. After all, who knew when Lisa would be captured, filled with drugs, and forced to use her ability just for Coil?
With a delicate precision, Taylor reached out to the first of twenty toe rings and twenty-eight finger and thumb rings that she wore that were imbued with Wrath. For a moment when planning this, she had almost left the majority behind. But Lisa had warned her not to underestimate Coil, that he was far more dangerous than his accomplishments so far suggested. So instead, she had filled her fingers and toes with as many rings as she could safely fit, two per toe and three per all but two of her fingers.
Feeling almost like a drug addict who had been on the wagon, Taylor prepared herself to receive the enormous influx of Wrath. More than anything, she needed it, not just for the power, but for the confidence it would bring. After all, filled with Wrath, it seemed like she could do anything.
If she were to accomplish her mission, she just might need all of the Wrath that she could bring to the table. With a sense that she was throwing herself into the abyss, Taylor carefully allowed the Wrath of each and every item she carried beneath her armor to fill her until she felt like she was about to burst with it.
Taylor's grin was suddenly razor sharp, pitiless and cruel. The world's colors dropped away, to be replaced with a strange crimson overlay. She felt like there was nothing that she could not accomplish as a surge of exquisite heat heat and confidence filled her.
Roaring to a stop outside the door that marked her enemy's abode, Carnelian hesitated only the barest moment to allow her passenger to disembark before hurling herself forward. Tonight, Coil would pay in fear and pain for his misuse of her city. Tonight, Coil would pay in spades.
~~~~~~Wrath~~~~~~
AN: Sorry, guys, but I ran out of space for the actual fight. I really wanted Taylor to at least get into Coil's base and go face to face with the Travelers. But them's the breaks. Next time, I promise. Really.