As they walked through the dark alleyway, Taylor listened to the sounds of the city at night. She knew it was probably pointless, Emma had better hearing than she did and would almost certainly hear anything first, but a second pair of ears might come in useful, and she wasn't going to mess up on their first night out on patrol. Well ok, it was technically their second night out, but the first one hadn't been a real patrol, they'd simply wandered around in Merchant territory until they'd found a drug den where they could liberate some money and weapons. With those, they'd been able to prepare for this, their first real night out.
They'd used the cash to get her a pair of gray jeans and a gray hoody, and they'd gotten a beautiful red and white striped dress for Emma. They'd both gotten masks as well of course, solid white and featureless, covering the whole face. While she'd simply painted hers gray, she'd spent more time on Emma's, painting a red lily on it, blood dripping from its petals and around the eye slits.
As they walked, she couldn't help nervously checking her weapons one more time. Pepper spray in jeans pocket, check. Liberated switch blade in left hoody pocket, check. Liberated hand gun in the right pocket, check. Honestly, she wasn't sure she could hit anything with the gun. Maybe once they'd made a few arrests they could get enough ammo for her to practice some, but for now she'd just have to hope that the site of it could serve as a deterrent and buy time if anything went wrong. As if knowing what she'd just done, Emma looked over her shoulder at her. Even though she couldn't see under the mask, she knew there was a reassuring smile on Emma's beautiful face.
That knowledge alone was enough to let her relax a bit. For the last couple of months, she'd seen that smile on a daily basis, and it always meant that everything was going to be ok. Maybe not everything in her life had improved, but at least she had her Emma back, and that made everything bearable. Being able to tell her about every nasty comment and new bruise, or just lie down, with her head in Emma's lap, and listen to her read from the books that Annette had used to read to both of them. Her pleasant memories were interrupted as she heard a voice, growing louder as it approached.
"…the children, just shoot. Doesn't matter your aim, just shoot. You see one lying on the ground?
Shoot the little bitch twice more to be sure. We give them no chances to be clever or lucky,
understand?"
They'd both stopped moving the moment they'd heard the voice, watching as the unmistakable figure of Lung moved past the alley mouth, along with at least a dozen ABB thugs. She felt a knot of dread form in her stomach, this was Lung, the Dragon of Kyushu, the man who's stood up to an Endbringer. Still.
"We have to save them."
It was barely a whisper as she slipped up beside Emma, and a part of her, a small traitorous part, hoped that the other girl would disagree, tell her it was too dangerous and that they should go home. Instead, Emma simply nodded. Pausing a moment longer, Emma pushed her mask to one side with one hand, while dislodging Taylors with the other, then pulled the taller girl against her for a quick kiss before drawing back, a ferocious grin forming on her face as she recentered her mask and strode towards the alley mouth.
Taylor felt the knot in her stomach grow. She'd just gotten her Emma back, after over a year and a half of hell, she finally had her back, and now this. With a quick shake of her head, she focused on the children lung had mentioned, how scared and helpless they must feel if they had any idea who was coming after them. She remembered feeling the same way inside the locker, scared, helpless, and desperately wishing somebody, anybody would help. Then Emma had ripped the locker door off and carried her away. Emma had looked exactly how she had that summer before she went away to camp. Well, not exactly the same, her once solidly red hair was shot through with streaks of white and she had rings of red looping around her arms, legs, and torso. And she'd obviously stopped cutting her fingernails at some point, but those slight differences didn't matter, her Emma was back and nothing the imposter or her friends had done hurt nearly as much anymore.
Refocusing, she leaned against the wall of the alley as she let a part of her mind slip behind Emma's eye's, seeing what she saw and feeling what she felt. She always felt slightly awkward doing this, worrying that Emma might think she didn't trust her, and that the suggestions she sent her might be taken as her being pushy. But Emma had always reassured her that she didn't mind, and she certainly wasn't going to leave her to face Lung alone.
As soon as they exited the Alley, they turned and leapt, sailing over Lung's head to come down a dozen yards in front of him, turning to face him almost before they were on the ground.
"Now, I simply can not allow that. Lung, you and your men will surrender and-"
"Shoot her."
They stood, raising one hand to examine the rings of red that wrapped around each finger, one between the first and second knuckle and one between the second and third, and waited for the gunfire to cease.
"Why do they seem to think shooting more bullets at us will do anything, when those first ones didn't?"
"I don't know Tay, maybe they hope the bullets kinetic energy is weakening some from some forcefield. Or more likely their just not all that smart."
When the shooting finally ended, they let out an audible sigh.
"As I was saying, you will surrender and wait for the PRT to show up, otherwise, you truly will not like what comes next."
"Is it just me, or has he already started growing? I thought that didn't happen until he started to fight."
"I'd guess that the failure of the bullets signaled the start of the fight for him. And here he comes."
Lung roared as he charged, gaining at least a couple of inches, before his charge came to an abrupt halt as they stepped forward one pace, set their feet and grabbed his face with their left hand. They could hear the sound of breaking bone as Lung's nose and cheeks took the full force of his charge. Not wasting a moment, their right-hand rose, claws tearing through one arm, then the other as it descended in a slash. As he continued to grew, they couldn't help sharing a slight feeling of smug satisfaction. His head, still held firmly in their grasp, stayed perfectly still as his feet and legs sunk farther and farther into the ground, even as flames crackled uselessly around them. Pulling his head forward, two more quick claw slashes delt with his newly sprouted wings.
"Can you think of any way to actually subdue him without killing him Tay? With how quickly his arms are growing back, I don't think simple dismemberment is going to work for long enough for us to turn him over to the PRT."
Taylor thought for a moment, hand pressing against the alley wall, then smiled.
"We stab our fingers into his throat, into his trachea. When he loses consciousness, we pull them out and let him regenerate."
Moments later they could feel his body trying to expel her intruding fingers, see his flames trying to burn them away. It didn't take long for his body to slump, and even as she removed her fingers, she turned to look at the other ABB members.
"Now, will the rest of you be surrendering peacefully?"
They had never seen anyone as eager to obey either of them before.
They had just finished getting them seated in a circle around Lung, and had taken a phone from the nearest when the roar of a motorcycle drew their attention, and Armsmaster pulled up. They watched as he looked from her, to Lung, to the surrendered ABB thugs, to Lungs scattered limbs, then finally back to them and the blood dripping from their hands and dress. In the alley, Taylor felt her face pull up into a smile, one of the cities greatest heroes, one of her all-time favorites, was here to witness their success.
"Hero or villain?"
"Why, I'm a hero of course silly. I heard him talking about shooting children, and I just wasn't going to let that happen."
"thanks."
Taylor took a deep breath as she pushed the thought to Emma. Yes, Armsmaster, one of her childhood heroes was right in front of them, but she still needed to focus. Even if Emma continued to take the lead in talking to the hero, something that was probably for the best as she'd always been the better one at dealing with people, she should still be focused and ready to help if an opportunity arose.
"And do you have a Tattoo anywhere on your body?"
Taylor felt her smile widen. Yes, just like that one.
"He thinks you might be a case 53."
"No, and I also have all my memories, if you were about to ask."
They watched as he moved forward and jabbed Lung with something, then walked back until he was standing in front of them.
"How did you subdue him? The loss of limbs alone shouldn't have been enough."
They raised one hand, showing off their long nails.
"No, he still refused to surrender at that point. I ended up sticking my fingers into his windpipe and waiting for him to lose consciousness before removing them. I figured either the lack of oxygen would knock him out, or if his regeneration was too strong for that, then having something stuck in his neck wouldn't actually hurt him, and I could try something else."
"I see. And which of us should take credit for Lung's capture."
"What?"
This time Taylor had no more idea than Emma what the hero could be talking about.
"The rest of the ABB are still out there, including Oni Lee, and they'll want revenge on the person who took down their boss. Even if you think you're in no danger, the same likely can't be said for the people around you, the people you care about."
Taylor Felt Emma's face contort into a sudden mask of murderess rage.
"If anyone so much as lays a finger on her, I'll rip out their heart and eat it in front of them as the life fades from their eyes. And I think letting it be known I took down Lung without taking so much as a scratch would be a good way to show people, I'm quite capable of doing just that"
Taylor nearly missed Armsmaster flinching back as she felt a sudden swelling of happiness. She probably shouldn't like hearing Emma threatening to gruesomely murder anyone who hurt her, but after so long alone, it was nice to know there was someone who cared that much about keeping her safe.
"Was there anything else, or can I leave these men with you."
Armsmaster paused before shaking his head. "No, the only other thing I need is your name, then you can go"
Taylor could feel Emma barely hold back a giggle and she couldn't help chuckling slightly. God, Emma had demanded that he give them credit, then they'd almost walked away without even giving him a name to credit. They'd considered several names, including one that she'd liked, but had seemed too risky at the time. Looking down at Lung's unconscious body, the risk didn't seem so great and she didn't seem so scary. She sent the thought to Emma, who, based on her next words, agreed.
"Sidhe. I am Sidhe."
Turning, they walked into the night, away from the Alley where Taylor still stood. They continued for a few blocks before looping back around to the Alley. The moment she saw them arrive, Taylor pulled her thoughts back, leaving her as just her, and Emma as just Emma. Moments later, a pair of strong arms picked her up and cradled her as a quick jump brought them to a rooftop.
"Well, I'd call our first night out a success."
Taylor simply nodded her head as she watched the rooftops pass underneath them, as Emma jumped from one roof to another, sailing over a dozen intervening ones each time.
"You know, I'm still not sure I like some of the implications of my new name. It seems to suggest that the Bitch was the real biological Emma, while I was a fairy imposter who just went home for a couple of years."
Taylor just shook her head then pressed it back against the other girl as they made their way home. Getting back inside and upstairs was easy, cradled in Emma's arms. The creaky steps and floorboards becoming absolutely immovable the moment Emma put her feet on them. Slipping out of her costume and into her pajamas, Taylor took a moment to look at Emma. She couldn't help thinking about earlier in the night, about standing in the alley and watching her walk away to face Lung all on her own. Shivering, she looked away, at the bed, and the spot on it that Emma usually took. On the edge, facing in so she could wrap a protective arm around her as they snuggled in close. Reaching a snap decision, she shook her head, not tonight. She might not be strong enough to protect the other girl, but tonight at least she wanted the feeling of holding Emma in her arms, head tucked safely beneath her chin.
She saw Emma smile as she stole her side of the bed. Moments later, she watched her flop onto the bed, and immediately reached out and wrapped an arm around the smaller girl, pulling her in close.
"Good night Emma. I Love you."
Emma squirmed around for a moment, before bringing her lips up to meet Taylor's in a quick kiss, then shifting back to her previous position.
"Love you too. Good night."
With Emma pressed securely up against her, and with the ghostly feeling of the other girl's lips on hers, she let her eyes close, knowing that, for the moment at least, everything was right with the world.
AN
This snippet wasn't actually meant to be my first, I have three others that I'm working on and hoped to have done before I made this thread, then yesterday, a few things from one story made me wonder what a Taylor with the Siberian story would be like. I figured it would take the form of her mother, because what other form could it take, then I actually started thinking about that question. When the idea of a younger Emma occurred to me, and I realized how much that could mess with Taylor's head, the Idea just wouldn't leave me alone, so now we have this. I hope to be adding more snippets soon, and I'm interested to hear what everyone thinks of this one. Oh, and if you're wondering about the lack of Undersiders or Ward requirement pitches, the reasons are that Tattletale got freaked out when she couldn't really read the person tearing Lung apart, and Armsmaster intended to make the pitch after giving the warning about the rest of the ABB, but the fact that Emma's threat didn't ping as a lie made him decide to wait on that until he'd talked to Piggot about what had just happened.