Madison had fallen into her new schedule pretty quickly. Wake up, eat breakfast, head off toward the Trainyard to work on getting her base set up and attend to any other business. At least, it was her schedule until Winslow decided to open back up, not that she really felt like going back. Her position in the social hierarchy had slipped and while she wasn't particularly trying to get it back she was growing increasingly annoyed with how the other girls fought over each other to fill her vacant spot. None of them could hold it for very long and power vacuums were dangerous things, even in high school social structures.

Part of the reason the spot even remained open was because Emma and Sophia had been getting more ruthless since Taylor left. She guessed it was more the way Taylor had taken control of her life and stood up for herself than the fact she actually left. It poked a hole in their world view that there were the strong and the weak and the weak couldn't become strong. Or something along those lines, she'd never really bought into it.

With Emma and Sophia venting their anger on pretty much anyone who fell into the category of an acceptable target they seemed to be burning some bridges. None of the girls were willing to go quite as far on other students as they had on Taylor. She was a social outcast from the start but picking a new target was different all together in that it was far more effort. Picking on Taylor was easy. She just wanted to endure the pressure for as long as she could. A lot of other students wouldn't have the durability to last as long as she did. They'd lash out sooner rather than later once they figured out no one was going to help them. Girls like Julia weren't willing to risk that, so they would step back when they felt like they were pushing someone too far.

So she was just generally glad to be away from all of that for a while.

"Morning, Maddie," Her mother said as she came down, still dressed in her pajamas.

"Morning mom," She yawned as she made herself a bowl of cereal. Her punishment had been long over, but that didn't mean she was completely off the hook. Her mother still liked to keep tabs on her. She gladly answered what she could and covered the rest by explaining it away as spending time with her new friends.

"You've been looking happier the last few days. Did something happen?" She asked.

Madison's face lit up. She'd completely forgotten to tell her mother about what had happened since she'd gotten so swept up in her work.

"Yes! Taylor and I are friends now!" She smiled.

Her mother dropped her fork and blinked. She turned from her phone to look at the smile on her daughters face.

"Really?" She asked slowly, not quite understanding what she heard.

"Uh-huh!" Madison nodded enthusiastically. "We talked a couple days ago and she said she's forgiven me and she even trusts me enough to really open up about herself. It's a nice feeling, having someone trust you and to put your trust in like that." Her smile faltered as she looked down at the sugary kids cereal she liked. "I never had that with Emma and Sophia. I always had to be guarded with certain things. Had to hide my stuffed animals when they came over, things like that. But I don't need to do that with Taylor. She's…" She laughed to herself and shook her head, "Well, she's not exactly nice but she's a lot more caring than I think she cares to admit."

As Madison talked, her mother payed close attention to her, before eventually cracking a wide smile.

"Aw, does my baby have a crush?!" She asked.

"Mom!" Madison squawked.

"It's okay if you do. As much as you seem to trust her, she could be good for you."

"Even if I was interested in her that way, she's not into girls," Madison said, knowing protesting would just make the teasing worse. Her mother would tease her about dating just about anyone she got close to, regardless of gender. Apparently it was her attempt at showing she would support her "Just in case". All it really did was let her mother tease her about just about any new friends she made.

"Shame," She sighed. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"I'm supposed to meet with everybody later, but not much beyond that," Madison shook her head.

"Well, don't get into too much trouble. And don't stay out too late. Try to be home by dinner."

"Kay."

—

After her mother left for the day Madison usually spent about half an hour doing the general things she needed to do to get ready for her day. Part of that included making lunch for her subordinates. Sherrel spent so much time fixing up the shack into a proper base and Paige had basically become her secretary at this point. Bringing them lunch was the least she could do until they started getting paid.

Once that was done and she was showered up and ready to go she opened a Garganta.

She'd really, really been enjoying the ability to make portals. Sonido was great but it could be tiring. This was just a simple walk and it generally took less than a minute. There was some weird distance related stuff that could make the walk slightly longer but none of them ever really wanted to learn the math behind any of that.

Arriving at her base in the Trainyard she was greeted by Paige taking the food she'd made and putting it in the fridge for later.

"Morning," She said, closing the portal behind her.

"Good morning, Nihilus," Paige smiled, coming back from the small kitchen they had. "Sherrel is sleep right now. She worked through most of the night. She said there's this big wall of scrap she can't get through and asked if you could help her out."

"Of course," She nodded as they walked towards the little office they'd gotten set up. If she was going to run an area she'd do it like a professional. "Is that really all I have to do today?"

"No. Wraith is still arguing with the mayor about the Boat Graveyard but she did get a contract for the busted trains here. From what she said the mayor's being a pain because he doesn't want to pay for any of the work that needs to be done, but if we can scrap everything we can take a pretty big chunk out of it since he still wants some for the city, as it is technically city property. For the trains and stuff here, we're getting around 70%. The problem with the Graveyard is the mayor wants the same rate despite the fact we'll be handling possible ecological—,"

"Hold on," Madison cut her off there. "I-uh-don't need the whole behind the scenes. I'm not the numbers lady. That's all up to Wraith and Sacrosanct. So I'm scrapping the trains and we give the city a cut of whatever we sell it for. That's fine. What else?"

"You're to accompany Sacrosanct to her meeting around four."

"Ah…" She'd forgotten about that. Today was finally the day they'd be giving Alexandria a definitive answer. They'd talked it over extensively. What each of them wanted out of partnering with Cauldron. Personally, she hadn't wanted much. She was mostly in this for Taylor and she didn't want all that much responsibility in the first place. It was why she'd chosen the Trainyard to manage. She wouldn't have very much on her plate on the day to day.

Taylor, on the other hand, was driving herself mad trying to get her priorities straight and figure out exactly where her line was. She'd figured it out and now they had to meet with Alexandria and talk terms. Hopefully things wouldn't go to shit. They might be able to win but she definitely didn't want to make enemies with the best heroes the Protectorate had to offer.

"Let's start with the blockage Sherrel was complaining about," She said, standing up.

—

Madison was thankful for the menial, mindless work she'd had to do earlier in the day. Walking down the corridors of wherever the hell they were with two thirds of the Triumvirate was tense. Mostly because everyone else was kind of tense. Taylor was worried, she could tell, and Lisa was frustrated about something while Theo was just tense over all. She was the only one of the group who was almost completely relaxed. Sure, she was worried about things going south, but she preferred to not to get worked up about things until they were already happening. If shit hit the fan she would be worried then, not a moment sooner.

That said, the sterile concrete halls definitely did not help. The bright white lights in the ceiling didn't hum but they gave the halls an eerie washed out lighting that she wasn't really okay with. It felt a little too much like the kind of place a villainous doctor would work out of. Considering they didn't necessarily deny being the "Super Illuminati" the set up sort of fit.

The reached the end of another corridor and a door swished open, leading into a conference room. The room was large with a single table in the center and no windows. It reminded her of an interrogation room only without the big one way mirror. Even in sci-fi rooms like this had a big window to see outer space or whatever was outside but this place was just as bare as everywhere else she'd seen in the strange building.

"Espada," A woman said from the table. She was black, or at least of African descent from her skin tone, and spoke with a French accent. She dressed like a doctor in all white and had a rather stern look on her face. "Welcome. I am Doctor Mother, or just Doctor if you prefer."

Madison nodded. She seemed like the exact type of person to run her operations out of this building.

The other woman in the room stood off to the side in a black tailored suit and wide brimmed fedora. She didn't say anything but she was obviously watching the group, her eyes narrowing especially when affixed to Taylor.

"Thank you for having us," Taylor nodded, sitting after Alexandria and Eidolon did.

The Doctor, because "Doctor Mother" felt awkward for her to say, sat in the middle, her stern but unconcerned expression with Alexandria on her right and Eidolon on her left. It was impossible to tell what expression Taylor was wearing but the moments of silence felt like two wild animals preparing to fight. Madison knew it was a fight they could win simply from their range of powers and the fact Taylor's were seemingly specifically designed as anti-personnel, but she also knew at least one of them would get fucked up if a fight broke out, more than likely her or Lisa, and she didn't want that.

"I take it you've thought seriously about our offer," Alexandria said.

"I did," Taylor nodded. "Our last conversation let me in on a few things I'm not sure you meant to express, namely reason behind why the PRT works to maintain a status quo rather than actually fix things: You need bodies for when Scion goes nuts."

That was something Madison hadn't picked up on last time. She hadn't exactly payed attention to what Alexandria was saying then, too distracted by the never ending field of blooming flesh they'd been standing on, but the realization that Capes were just supposed to be bodies for the pile was more than a little horrifying.

"And you didn't like that particular revelation," The Doctor said.

"I didn't. It confirmed more than a few of my beliefs and enforced my decision to not join the Wards, for one, and made me seriously consider a lot of things about the world I hadn't considered before."

"So you refuse, then?" Eidolon asked.

"I didn't say that," Taylor said, folding her hands in front of her. "My goal, especially when starting the Espada, was to make Brockton Bay a better place. And I think we've accomplished that. We've gotten rid of all the major gangs and I believe we can keep any others from getting a major foothold in the city. We've all got our own goals and ideals and ways to maintain peace. Personally, I'd like to continue mostly humanitarian work. I've been working on repurposing an apartment building into a homeless shelter and had Wraith working on getting permits for getting the Boat Graveyard cleaned up just so we don't have to deal with the law coming down on us for the pettiest of reasons. I'd like to continue that work, so if we're going to be with you we have a few stipulations and requests."

"Why do you think you're in a position to—,"

"And what would those be?" The Doctor asked.

"There are a few that aren't necessarily negotiable at the moment, but we'll get to those after personal requests. Personally, the only fighting I'd like to be involved in is that which either involves S-Class threats or my city. I'd like help getting my shelter set up legally, and I'd like access to at least a portion of the reward for helping Gray Boy victims."

"You believe you can help them?" Alexandria asked.

"During the Leviathan fight I was thrown into one of Bakuda's stasis bubbles based on Clockblocker's power. It didn't affect me and I was able to pull Dauntless out of it. I believe I can do the same for all the others."

"Interesting," She said. "And the rest of you?"

Samael shook his head. "My only goal at the moment is erasing the Empire's legacy. I don't see how you could help me with that."

"I think it's important I be apart of information gathering," Lisa said. "I was originally a Thinker and that hasn't necessarily changed. Access to information is all I really need."

Then all eyes were on here.

"I-uh… I don't have anything I want. I'd simply like to run the Trainyard in peace for the most part."

"Well, you certainly are an easy bunch," The Doctor said. "And the non-negotiable parts?"

"First and foremost we've got a little girl we're not quite sure what to do with," Taylor started. She was talking about poor Dinah. "Dinah Alcott was kidnapped and drugged profusely by Coil. We've managed to cure her and get her back to her parents but the fact of the matter is she's a powerful precog and she needs protection."

"How powerful?" Eidolon asked. She didn't like how interested they were in the little girl. She'd been through enough without some secret shadow cabal taking her.

"Sees the future in percentages," Lisa said. "Ask her a question and she'll tell you the chances of that thing happening. The problem is she gets killer thinker headaches. A decent portion of the drugs Coil was giving her had painkiller effects. While we're the only ones that know about it, it's not unlikely for someone to try and take her if they figure it out. Coil at least didn't kill her parents so she had a place to go back to, but we want to make sure it doesn't get out in any way. Coil was rather deep into the PRT system so we think either Sacrosanct or myself should be her minders. If you have any way to make that happen without it looking suspicious, we'd appreciate it."

"The second, and most pressing, matter is the Travelers," Taylor sighed.

"Why would they be an issue?" Alexandria asked.

"They've got an unstable mini-Endbringer with them who eats people."

Alexandria remained stoic to that information, as did the woman to the side, but Doctor and Eidolon were surprised.

"A mini-Endbringer?" Eidolon asked.

"She's… rather grotesque," Lisa said, sliding a few pictures across the table.

"From what we've gathered her powers are enhancing her negative emotions and she loses control of herself every so often, going into a fugue state in which her power is in the driver seat. Noelle herself can't tell the difference between that and reality," Taylor explained.

"And what do you expect us to do about this?" The Doctor asked.

"She mentioned a vial of some sort that gave them their powers. You seem like the likely culprits for selling powers. Do you possibly have something that could counter act this?" Lisa asked.

"Unfortunately, no," She sighed. "Though I'm not sure how they even got their hands on any of those formulas."

"So you're responsible for the Case 53's as well?" Taylor asked. It was more of a statement than a question or accusation. There was an edge to her voice, she was definitely annoyed about it if not outright angry, but no one on the other side of the table seemed concerned.

"As you've said we need bodies to fight during the approaching doomsday," The Doctor said. "Natural triggers are a lot more emotionally unstable compared to those who buy powers. They often have obsessions or desires to fight. That isn't necessarily true for those who go through us. While the results can be disastrous, as you've seen, they can also result in miracles, as you can see in those sitting beside me."

And wasn't that a hell of a revelation.

"I'd say the ratio of miracle powers to disasters is low, but more often than not the people who come to us are either extremely rich and looking for more power, or on their death beds and out of hope."

It was a weak explanation but unfortunately a sound one. They couldn't exactly fault them for giving people exactly what they asked for, especially the dying, but it didn't sit right with her.

"What did you want us to do about this woman again?" Eidolon asked.

"We're working on fixing her. If all goes well we won't need your help. However, if we can't, and we for some reason can't kill her, we'll need you to use that portal thing you do to send her and Trickster away," Taylor explained.

"Why Trickster?" Alexandria asked.

"He's dating Noelle. The idea that we may kill her if things go wrong seems to be getting to him. If we need to send him with her to prevent him causing another Endbringer level disaster in my city and/or going on a rampage himself, so be it.

The others were quiet after Taylor's explanation, thinking things over.

"So in order to get you to attend every Endbringer attack, fight against Scion, and potentially helping in our other plans all you need from us is money, legal aid in humanitarian efforts, information, the protection of a little girl, and a contingency plan for a possible Endbringer level threat?" Alexandria asked.

She said it like they were getting one over on them. Like they were naive for asking for so little. It was a cynical point of view that that she considered this a win when they were only asking really asking for things that could help better their city and possibly the world. It was sad that some of the best heroes were seemingly so far gone that genuine care for the people struck them as naive and cheap. She could tell Taylor picked up on that as well and she didn't like it either.

"Yes," Taylor said tersely. "Though our other members may also need help and they haven't had the chance to think things over yet. I doubt they'll ask for anything outside your ability to give, but do keep that in mind."

Yes, Taylor was very clearly annoyed with them. It probably hurt to see her heroes like this, but she probably understood them on a level, the thinking of "necessary evils". It was what Taylor's plan for the bay was, after all. The difference was Taylor wasn't seen as one of the greatest heroes the world had ever seen. Being known as a villain was perfectly fine to her as long as she was helping people at the end of the day. Seeing similar lines of thought from people she had looked up to as a child probably hurt. It did for her.

"Then we have deal," The Doctor said.

"Good. Do we just shake or do we need to sign contracts?" Taylor asked.

"A simple shake will do for now."

As the two sealed the deal, Madison opened a portal back home, which was quickly entered by the others. Once they were back in her base in Brockton Bay, Taylor finally spoke.

"I feel like I need a shower," She sighed.

"An odd feeling dealing with the worlds greatest heroes and feeling like you made a deal with the devil," Lisa agreed.

"At least it won't all be bad. We won't have to be involved in whatever shady shit they're up to," Theo said.

"I'm not sure if knowing and ignoring is much better," Taylor sighed again, pulling a box of cigarettes from her jacket. "I've got some stuff to work on, so I need to take off. We meeting up for dinner?"

"You can come to my house," Madison offered. "Mom would definitely like to see you again, Taylor, and meet the rest of you."

"Your mothers cooking is good," Taylor said. "Sure, sounds good. I'll make sure Missy knows."

"I'll ask Kayden to make something so your mom isn't cooking for all of us by herself," Theo offered.

"I'm fine with that," Lisa nodded.

They took off, leaving Madison to call her mom and tell her about the surprise dinner party. Of the team, she was the only one who wasn't conflicted about their newly minted Cauldron affiliation. Helping people was ultimately a good thing. The only thing she disliked was how cynical they were about it, like peoples lives were just a numbers game. She could tell they wanted to save as many people as they could, otherwise why go through all the trouble, but their attitudes just sat wrong with her.

Ultimately, she put her thoughts to the side as her mother answered her phone. After all, there was no point in worrying when nothing had happened yet.

AN: Finals are over, so here's a new chapter. I started it last week but didn't get to finish it cause school. Anyway, I realized halfway through writing this I could keep this particular arc of the story going for a while, but I'm probably only going to do 2-3 more chapters before it goes back to primarily Taylor's POV. That said the Nocturne Remaster is probably going to take up most of my time for the next two weeks or so along with finishing off NieR Replicant. I'll try not to skip out on writing too much during the week.