You do you
Hannah's words were more true than she knew. Missy Byron, the Ward Vista, the most powerful shaker in the Protectorate, contemplated how she had missed out on three great fights. Well, two, the merchants weren't much, but Lung, Storm Tiger, and Cricket were no bullshit supervillains. With body counts! And 420 had taken them out. Not prettily. Pretty fucking messy, truth be told, the Lung fight looked like she was in a blind panic, and then Storm Tiger had lost control of his bodily functions. Male so low pain tolerance maybe? Apparently being fully envenomed hurt like a bitch. Even for regenerators. Lung was not a well lizard when 420 beat the shit out of him. Not literally, thank goodness. Had to qualify that now because the Nazi proved it could happen.
Apparently 420 had been doing her thing, wandering around town, and run into Collateral Damage Barbie. Who of course, being herself, turned it into a thing. Then got Panacea involved and it turned into even more of thing. There were hours of video on PHO of the three of them flying around, clothes shopping, in Sephora, yuk, but girls of a certain age so meh, Though none of them needed makeup, and 420 looked like she was tolerating Barbie's bullshit, hitting a lobster shack, one of the better ones, and then joining up with Hellhound, and somehow, Tattletale getting involved.
She sighed, she really couldn't even be mad. Wish she had been along, yes, like crazy. So the cure for it was to find 420 and introduce herself like Barbie had. Obviously 420 was cool, Panacea was laughing and smiling on the videos, when she wasn't being snarky and momming. Pan pan needed more 420 time obviously. So, the Nazi's were tracking 420. Not well she had found out. Warping space all over town. But they were tracking her and she had eliminated several false leads. Like twenty. Just because it was a tall, white, brunette in a hoody. Sheese, guys were clueless. Some of these were like G cups. 420 had that swimmers body. That actually helped eliminate some of the reports, as did the wide girls. 420 had nice, slim, hips.
Missy stepped off the building and shrieked when someone said "That is so cool, you go girl!"
She stepped off the building again after peeking over the edge and looking down at 420s face "Don't do that, I almost peed." She watched the slow smile spread across the other girls face. "I'm Vista.' She held out her hand.
420 did one of those palm slap hand grip things and said "Taylor. You caping?" she waved at the domino mask.
Missy shrugged "Using my power, always some clown watching and everyone has cameras. What are you up to?"
Taylor sighed "Work. Dad got this contract lined up so I am doing pest control on that building you stepped off of, some others in my range too. Collecting up the girls, feeding the swarm the not useful bugs, killing rats and mice. That kind of stuff. Work, you know?"
Missy nodded and shook her head "Yes about work, it's a drag, no about pest control. Good money in it?"
Taylor nodded "Surprisingly. Test contract for three hundred a month, three hour sets of those a day. Twenty seven grand a month. No overhead so, pure profit? Dad ran the numbers, got the contracts lined up. When it proves out and the inspectors, city, state, and fed for food service, approve the price goes up to five hundred apiece. Little over half a million a year." Missy goggled. Taylor nodded "I know right? Plus when I turn eighteen it will like triple, if we can find enough contracts, 'cause I can work forty hours a week then."
Missy narrowed her eyes "Need any help? I can get your girls into really small spaces."
Taylor grinned "You do you girl!"
You do you
Amy found Vicky after class "Taylor and Missy are out. Let's go." She held out her phone, screen out. It was on the Daily Stormer page.
Vicky blinked "How did they meet. Taylor knows everyone!"
Amy nodded "I want to check the rest of Rachel's dogs too. Plus Lisa wanted to talk about that 'thing' she wouldn't talk about last night."
"Mom is already bitching about Rachel's case." Vicky sighed "I hope she doesn't hold that against Dean too."
You do you
Thomas Calvert shuddered as the chill ran down his spine as he sat at his desk in the penthouse corner office of Fortress Construction.
You do you
Coil shuddered as the chill ran down his spine in his office in the excellently appointed lair under Fortress Constructions new project.
You do you
"Where you two going?" Regent asked as Lisa and Rachel headed out. He paused his game and got up.
Lisa looked at him and sighed "If you are a dick she will envenom you Alec."
"You do remember I have sisters right? And who they are?" Regent asked. Rachel chuckled, darkly.
You do you
"Oh, hey you two. This is Missy, she's helping." Missy had ditched her mask for a tie died bandana around her neck. Taylor assured her she would warn her when someone was in a position to see them. The bandana was easier to just pull up over her face. Amy and Vicky had their bandanas around their necks already.
Vicky grinned at the Ward "Missy huh, Tay already converted you. Piggot will freak."
Missy huffed "Converted, I already had a vagina thank you. The only one on the team."
Amy arched a brow "Shadow Stalker."
"Is a dick." Missy countered "Not has one, is one, with ears."
Taylor frowned, it stopped the other girls cold. Then she shook it off "Don't sweat her, you do you."
Missy nodded "I am from now on. Especially if you give me a job."
Taylor shrugged, of course, "I'll talk to dad."
"A job?" Amy and Vicky asked in stereo.
They were still having that conversation when they moved to the next address. Vicky and Amy started figuring out how their powers could help. Amy was working with a widow Taylor had brought her while they worked on the cold storage facility, fur warehouse and flour mill, along with a steady supply of insect pest. Lisa walked up with Rachel and Alec trailing along "Oh my god, you are actually doing it. Oh hey, we need a lobster, there are some in that cool room." She pointed. "Contaminated by those rats… that won't contaminate anymore. Damn Tay, taking out your murderous urges on the rodents?"
Taylor shrugged and looked at Alec "Practising." Alec spluttered and the girls broke up laughing. Lisa introduced him. He got some hairy eyeballs and kept quiet. He did have sisters and these were in the norming phase? How had they passed storming? Duh, beating the shit out of Nazi's. Girls were different anyway, and liked to run in packs.
Amy recovered "A live one would be better."
Missy shrugged like Taylor, the others grinned at her, "The shacks have those barrels of them live. I'm getting hungry. I could do with a roll."
Rachel nodded "Marco's, on the way to the dogs."
Vicky nodded vigorously "That's the Cajun guy right? The food truck sites rave about him. No idea why, its a shack not a truck? Something about the lobster being done like crawfish etouffee? Marco is the Emeril of Bet or something. Lots of 'Bams!' whatever that means. Garlic and tabasco mostly, I think. Oh, that's in Merchant territory."
Taylor grinned "Good hunting."
Amy rolled her eyes and sighed "You do you, don't bite them all though. I want to look at the dogs, not tweakers." She looked at Lisa "OK, spit it out."
Lisa shifted her eyes around, then sighed. "Coil paid or made, both sort of, me to get the Undersiders together and pays us a salary sort of."
Vicky scowled "Made?"
Lisa held a finger gun to her temple "Made."
Alec whistled "That's fucked. So, how fucked are we?"
Lisa sighed "He won't worry about getting us killed. Robbing Lung proved that."
Taylor looked up from her phone "Jermaine's phone says there is money on him."
Lisa frowned "Give me that, did you steal a phone off a Nazi after he stole it off somebody? You did! Taylor!"
"What? He didn't need it. No one understands 'ARRRRGGGHHH!' he wasn't going to be using it, besides he stole it. And he was over in the docks stoned blind, not blind enough to leave me alone, he was being all gross. Not stoned enough the pain didn't come through either, though it was fifteen bites. I just haven't found Jermaine to give it back."
Lisa rolled her eyes and started working on the phone. "So you lucked into being untraceable but still on the network. I swear Taylor!"
"Huh, well you do you and fix it up, see if you can find Jermaine and I can send him a phone." Taylor gave her one of those smiles. Vicky grinned and nudged Amy when Lisa got a little lost in it. Rachel whistled the dogs back up, they had been ratting. She had had Taylor alone a bunch. She was an alpha, if she wanted some she would take it. Beta's got to share. She was chill right up until she wanted something.
You do you
"Colin." Dragon sort of asked from the monitor.
Colin, hearing something in his friend's voice disengaged from what he was doing. "Yes Tess?"
Theresa Richter, Dragon, put an image from a traffic camera up on another monitor "That's Missy Byron." The image was five girls in tie died bandanas, one in a dog mask and a person, probably male, in a half Venetian mask with a coronet.
"With 420, Panacea, Glory Girl, Tattletale, Hellhound, and Regent." He looked at the data in the image header "Second and Harbor, deep in the docks."
Tess nodded "I thought you should know."
Colin nodded "Thank you, Missy is off today. I will tell Miss Militia, she is patrolling right now."
Dragon frowned "And what exactly do you want her to do?"
Colin paused, then frowned, "That is a powerful group of parahumans, as they have already proven. Individually and together. I don't think we can let our people blunder into them unaware. Perhaps lean the patrols in the direction of where they are, certainly make them aware the group is out and about. Increase observation. Meanwhile, Vista seems to be in no danger and gives us a communication channel to the group. Possibly have Miss Militia stop by and talk to them briefly."
Tess nodded and smiled "I'll help. I'm vectoring a drone to Brockton."
You do you
"So you are looking at any cape who has money on them?" Lisa asked.
Taylor shrugged and swallowed "This is a great roll. Anyone, not just capes. There are tons of rewards out there and this Number Man dude has a whole management program."
Lisa snorted "And isn't going to mind you taking out some of his best customers?"
Taylor shrugged "He keeps the money in management, it just changes owners?"
Vicky nodded "I like it, he do him, we do them, you do you Tats and start planning, finding them first."
Amy stood up after patting the widow that was the size of a small dog. Taylor beamed at her, reached down and scooped up the spider, gently hugging it to her chest "Who's a cutie?" The girls all smiled and leaned in closer. Alec shuddered and stepped back.
Marco's booming laugh filled the area. "You girl best be careful with dem ting."
Missy frowned "And what is she going to do for a boy?"
Marco's laughter paused at all the wrinkled noses then redoubled after "She can no be have dem babies!" He was gasping after the glares and fist on hips he got. "Spoider ranchin be's hard!" The girls stomped off. Alec following along like a dingy on a storm tether, kiting back and forth in the wake of the mother ship and her escort.
A block down the street Amy said "She is already fertilized. That ass is right though. I need to do a few more to have genetic diversity in the population."
Vicky frowned "Some of the hornets when they get here too. I mean, no amount of wasp can carry Shelob."
Taylor looked at the spider "You like that name? She was kind of mean, trying to kill the hobbits."
Missy chirped "Sauron made her do it."
Taylor huffed "Well that won't be happening here." Shelob turned into a squirming pile of legs for a minute then ended up sitting on Taylors shoulder. Well, sort of perched there. "So, Coil?"
Lisa started an explanation, Alec cautiously shortened the painter, until Shelob spun around and looked at him, with eight sort of red eyes, red reflecting like a dogs in some light, he kept that distance.
You do you
Missy heard the motorcycle and sighed. She pulled her bandana up. The others did the same.
Alec put his mask on and quit working on mastering the latest giant bug Amy had made. He couldn't do anything with them when Taylor turned her power on. He could barely do anything with them anyway, nothing with Shelob, though it did piss her off. Who knew spiders could jump from a standing start? Lisa kept prodding him to do different things. He, of course, had to evaluate each suggestion to see if it was for the comedic value of having him run around squealing with Shelob perched on his head again. He sighed, it was just like having his sisters here, except some of these were blonds.
Miss Militia rolled up and after idling her flat back Fat Boy Lo for a few seconds, air cooled and standing idling don't mix well, she shut it off and leaned it onto the kick stand while staying in the saddle to be less threatening. "Vista, want to introduce me?"
Vista huffed "Miss Militia, 420, Tattletale, Bitch, Regent I think you already know Panacea and Glory Girl?"
Hannah smiled. Taylor fan girled a bit "That so cool, the eye crinkle thing! I have to learn that!"
Hannah chuckled "Veils were common in my culture. At least the culture of my youth."
Taylor nodded like a bobble head "Learned it growing up then. I will have to catch up."
Hannah smiled again "So what are we doing? I mean three heroes, three villains and a rogue?"
Taylor sighed "Wage slavery. Dad has me doing pest control twenty three hours a week. Vista ran into me, Vicky and Amy were hanging out, Tattletale and her crew showed up, We were going to check some of Bitch's dogs next. These are the last warehouses on my list for today." She waved around the area. They were in the middle of a block. "We sort of got to playing with powers. Vista gets the girls into tight spaces, Bitch's dogs catch the rats and mice, Lisa plans it and evaluates the buildings, Panacea checks for biological contaminations and Glory Girl-"
"Picks things up and puts them down." Vicky said in a horrible Germanic accent.
Vista nodded "Regent irritates Shelob and screams like a girl." She waved toward Taylors back and Shelob crawled up onto Taylors shoulder.
Hannah's eyes widened "Allah be merciful." The girls all giggled while Regent nodded along with Hannah's sentiment.
Taylor smiled and nodded "'S cool isn't she?"
Hannah gulped and smiled tremulously. She relaxed, somewhat, as all the girls petted and cooed at the spider Endbringer, and it just soaked up the attention like a particularly queenly cat.
Vista looked at her "So, what's up, I am off so can work a part time job right?"
"With known Villains? The director is probably going to be a bit upset." Hannah folded her arms across her chest as her power went from a slung anti material rifle to a gladius sheathed at her hip.
Glory Girl jumped in the conversation, Hannah was amazed she had been quiet to now. Glancing at 420 fairly often, cueing from her really. "Yeah well they are villains under duress."
Hannah perked up "I think I want an explanation of that."
You do you
Jamie, Battery finished at her locker and turned. Hannah was still washing her hands "Are you alright?"
"I petted the spider Endbringer!"
Jamie blinked "Uh, OK?"
"You don't understand!"
Jamie scowled a bit and walked up to her work mate, her friend "OK, why don't you tell me about it." She was sorry later, once the story poured out of Hannah, with video from her body cam. That spider was horrifying, even worse from extreme close range when it was snuggling like a cat.
You do you
"Well, he is in there." Taylor pointed at the construction site "Not there." She pointed at the high rise headquarters of Fortress Construction.
Amy nodded "Fine, have the girls drop the packets off and we will watch him for a few days."
Vicky sighed "Days? How much explosive can the dick have down there?"
Lisa shrugged "Several tons."
"Dude W T F? That is the opposite of chill!" Everyone turned to look at Taylor, even Shelob, who was sitting in her lap, tilted herself up to see moms face.
Taylor looked around "Time is it, I got to go get dinner on. You dudes can come. We'll have to stop at a store though."
Lisa sat up "I can get us a ride."
Taylor shrugged "Nah, s'cool, the girls can keep up with the busses. Or ride on the roof. I can give some instructions while we are still in range too."
They gathered themselves up and Taylor left a tip on the diner booth table they had occupied. She waved to the man in the whites leaning on the kitchen door. He nodded. Missy couldn't stand it "OK, so known capes, a giant spider, no matter how cute, and not a word from anyone, plus no autograph hunters?"
Taylor grinned slyly "Jimmy, the chef, is union. Madeline, the head waitress, too."
Vicky nodded "Told you, Taylor knows everyone."
Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose "So the DWU is the biggest gang in town and until now they didn't have capes. Still kept their territory clear of the other gangs. Now they have the heaviest hitter in the city, maybe the country."
"Hey, I'm chill, people just need to do right." Shelob bounced up and down on Taylors shoulder. The group broke up laughing.
Amy smiled "They need to do right really badly now."
You do you
Emily Piggot watched the video again, the video Dragon had spliced together of traffic and security cameras, Hannah's body cam, and a drone. At the end she leaned back in her chair. "So Panacea has been sandbagging. Tinker ten bio tinker. 420 is a master ten, thinker five combat, brute five at least. At least we have good ratings on Regent and Hellhound. Glory Girl is showing more brute than before and her master thing is potentially stronger."
Armsmaster nodded tightly "Its the group synergy. Tattletale pointing things out and they all then working on them."
Emily sighed. "And the other gangs in town are just going to let this go? No. They will respond sooner or later. Then we will see how 'chill' 420 is I think.
"Meanwhile, even a preliminary investigation is confirming Tattletales tales of woe." She fell silent, the clock on the wall ticked "So I can get healed, by a bio tinker, or retire. There is no way I can keep up with what is going to happen soon. Call Panacea, I don't want to retire. And if I screw this up I don't want my health being used as an excuse."
"Now what else did you have."
Armsmaster grimaced. "During the investigation of Tattletales claims, those involving Shadow Stalker using hunting points on Grue while she is a Ward, evidence has surfaced that Shadow Stalker, in her civilian persona, and a group of sycophants caused 420's trigger." He was more than slightly disturbed by the cruel grin that appeared on the directors face.
