Director Piggot has me embedded in Winslow High to keep tabs on Sophia Hess, aka Shadow Stalker, aka the thorn in my side. Since I signed up with The Wards I've met Panacea and got a whole replacement face. Amy knows that I know I based my new face on partially my grandfather's face back when he was in the service and my own. It's not quite right to yearbook photos from last year but it's close enough it doesn't really matter. Abuelo was a handsome guy, and I figured if I was going to be a hero I might as well look like my hero.
What's that? What's a Ward? Alright, rock-dweller, let me get you up to speed: I'm a cape. A Parahuman. A supe. A costumed do-gooder. A g-man. A federale. I work for the government agency called the Parahuman Response Team for the teenage version of The Protectorate superteam which is called The Wards, mostly cuz my Grandma said I could.
Bad shit went down back in December when this gang of Asian bad guys called, you guessed it, Azn Bad Boys made a play for new recruits at my old school. Because I laid out a couple of their homeboys I got a visit after school from Oni Lee, this teleporting assassin guy, and was given a knife to the face and a bomb at my feet just before Christmas break.
Woke up in the ER - in Boston, which is pretty far from Brockton Bay, and the PRT and Youth Guard talked to my Abuela and now I'm a Breaker type Mover. I sound like a Pokemon. Anyway, I'm Ray Alcaraz, I'm sixteen years old and I'm a hero called Dust Devil.
Not the hand vacuum but when I want to move very fast or let something pass through me I go into what's called a breaker state. That state is like a semi-solid dusty debris field in the shape of a man with like two horns sticking out of his head. So now you get the Dust part then the Devil part. I move really fast like this and then if I concentrate in this form I can focus and enlarge myself to create this barrier rock storm that can be like a wall or bubble to contain solid things like people but not liquids or gasses.
It's all very technical, but let's just say I can strip a dragonship of its paint job in like a minute if I was feeling unkind. I'm a pretty chipper guy, until someone decided as a fresh face I could be another set of eyes on the team's troublemaker. Anyway the school is turning a blind eye to Sophia weaponizing some of the 'popular' girls and basically turned herself into what the PRT would classify a Master 1. Siccing teen girls on anyone isolated with low self esteem and a fire in their belly makes potential school shooters or future tech billionaires. Instead they targeted a quiet girl from two of my classes, and word is she just got back from the hospital hence, I'm using that right? Hence I'm here to observe, report and redirect.
Alright, the bell rang and it's group presentation day so now I gotta keep Sophia from mucking things up and also do my best not to get lower than a B on this. Try not to dwell under rocks so much, okay? Brockton Bay is a really nice place if you squint at it just right and have an obscene amount of money.
~~x
Mr. G was still telling folks to group up in sets of three when I walked through the door, he was extolling what choice of a treat they would get on Friday for the group who won the most points. We already don't want to be here cuz we have to publicly speak, and now it's a competition for a mystery prize by which people are going to get butt hurt for losing despite not really trying to do the homework in the first place.
"TaylormimdifIjoinyouthanks" I rattle off as I settle into a desk after dashing inside like a madman.
The frazzled brunette was still standing with a textbook in hand and stared at me from behind hazy layers of scratches on her glasses, "Uhh, okay Ray. We just take turns reading from the lists we have. Greg can go first, if you or Sparky are out of it."
Sparky? Oh the garage band kid sitting in the corner without a group. I shrug.
This is her. This is Sophia's favorite terror target. I've already gotten on Hess about the unnecessary cruelty she showed to others and Shadow Stalker tried to flip it that I was the one projecting. That I was seeing my old self in Taylor and the others, myself before my trigger. That weakness was normalized in me my entire life, and that I wanted to preserve it. Protect them from the potential they could unlock if they'd just let go of their weakness like we did. I called her a sick witch, but with a 'B' and she laughed. So here I was doing my best to be there between her and her target for the past week.
Greg prattled on about some sci fi game where you can sleep with aliens or something. As Taylor handed the list over to Greg, one of Sophia's henchwomen was already whispering back and forth with her friends while staring at Taylor. I wasn't a big fan of dealing with people, joking or violently sure but like as people - no, people tended to suck. People are selfish, biased, quick to assume about others, they're basically ripe for disappointing you in ways you never expected.
"Hey, Gre-", Hamilton or Adams or whatever her presidential name tried to grab for the list in the awkward bowl cut kid's hand.
I snatched the list from Greg and stared at the girl, "Hay is for horses, Garfield. This is a group thing not a class project, mind your business."
I smoothed out the handwritten list and pulled out a copy of my own list. Typed out and printed from the Wards dorm printer. I still lived with mi abuelita but she let me hang with Dennis, Chris, and Missy when I worked on homework after patrol instead of rushing home to wait for her to make dinner. Sometimes she would have me rush back over with leftovers to whoever was on the monitor for patrol comms that evening, it's how I got to know my own Trio.
"Here we can cherry pick between the lists we've made, anything we covered on one that was on the others just scratch it out, eh?" I point out before sliding the stack to Taylor.
"Ahh, sure, let me just go over them all and I can scratch some out alre-", she looked up from the printed out list and squinted behind her scratched glasses. Her nose made this crinkle on her face when she squinted that was a bit endearing. "This has Ward's letterhead on it."
My eyes snapped wide open and Greg's face lit up, "Ooh, lemme see". The blond haired, blue eyed kid picked up the list and stared at the fonts too closely, "Whoa, where'd you get this, Rob?"
Oh he better not have gotten my name wrong on purpose, that or I'm wearing someone else's underwear.
"Easy, bowl cut, my grandmother works for the PRT. She takes supplies home from work so we can afford food for actual dinner. Do you want to ask why I'm wearing hand-me down pants, too, Greg? I got a real knee slapper about my Grandpa being - ya know, dead", I went too far. I raised my voice trying to cover up my mistake and the majority of the classroom is staring. Greg looks mortified and Taylor is staring at her desk top.
I figured I'd sell the whole thing, tap into that thing Ms. Yamada calls 'a healthy outlet' and I leave my backpack behind when I storm out. Once I'm sure I'm out of earshot of all the classrooms along the hall and the teacher didn't follow, I swap into my breaker state and zip out of there.
Home straddles the edges of Empire and ABB territories, I use the network of storm drains to slip down to my block without showing people my exact route home. I crawl out of the drain into the street in my human form and no one is around to bat an eye. The smell, as I closed on the little bungalow, is heaven. The scent of baked goods and sugar glaze hung in the air.
"Abuelita, I'm on break!", I called out.
The salt and pepper haired woman is already wielding a wooden spoon and waggled it menacingly in front of her flour speckled chalkboard green apron, "This is for the bake sale tonight. No touching"
"Oof, not fair. I haven't had lunch yet and school is so far away", I pout and rub my stomach.
She clucks her tongue, "This is the Lord's pan dulce, besides you're a big hero now, go beg your cafeteria ladies if their machacado so good."
I flop on the floral patterned couch and switch on her telenovelas, "C'mon that was a sausage and egg scramble I had during the PRT tour. That was months ago, and you always said to be on my best behavior when I make a first impression. Lunch ladies need impressing too."
After a few minutes of watching the widow Imelda open her bedroom door and catching her stepbrother Ernesto in bed with the maid- the smell of coffee hits me. I look up from my slouched position and find my grandmother holding a mug with a large piece of sweet bread, dry white cake frosted with hard pink icing, balanced on top of the mug.
"Eat up then run back to school, mijito", she shoved the hot mug at him. "Your class period is almost over."
I nodded and alternated big bites of cake and slurps of steaming hot coffee milk.
"Thanks, I'm off to see if we did well on the group project!" I sprinted out the door and was down the yard near the street before her raised voice caught up to my ears. I dove for the storm drain and hit my breaker state before my head connected with the asphalt and concrete.
Back at school I slipped into the HVAC system and rattled through the ducts and dropped down into the men's room. A quick wash up at the sink and I slunk towards class with a hangdog look plastered on my face.
Hall clocks said three minutes til the bell so I kept up the ruse and ambled into class, slipped back into my desk as Greg stuttered through one of my examples of how capes bettered the world.
When I looked up again Taylor was looking at me with an odd sad look on her face that the trio ruined by snickering. The bell rang and I grabbed up my bag as the teacher rambled on about something or another. Before I could duck out into the hall to watch Sophia's next move, Mr. G broke away from Taylor and she approached me while Sophia's minion Wilson ducked out.
Shit.
"Hey, ahh, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't realize - I just thought it was interesting that you had this print out from The Wards. I - liked Alexandria as a kid so - I don't know why I'm saying all this but everyone has their wanting powers thing growing up."
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, "Hey, no sweat I - completely get it. Just been through a lot, it started with, well, my grandpa and just snowballed from there. Anyway, I got lunch I think, and it's not like anyone is going to care if I dip out..."
Taylor stared down at her new looking backpack, her long hair falling into her face as she did so, "I was just going to skip and head home or the library but if you don't mind?" She said through a morass of dark hair.
My mind raced, I had no idea what she was getting at. I didn't flirt. Is she flirting? Not every girl who is nice to you is into you, Ray! No, does she want to eat lunch with me? No, she said she was gonna skip. I already skipped but she doesn't know that. After lunch I was going on patrol so it's not like I don't have time to kill, "I'd love to walk you home or the library, dealer's choice".
WHY THE HELL DID I SAY THAT?! WHO LOVES WALKING STRANGERS HOME, YOU ABSOLUTE PSYCHOPATH?!
"Uhh..."
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
"..."
It's gotta be all the sugar and caffeine!
"... okay. Only if it's not putting you out."
Smooth.
Anyway if I keep Taylor away from Sophia she's 97 percent less likely to fuck up and cause issues. If I do that enough then maybe I can get enrolled in Arcadia and be closer to home.
I nodded and slung my bag over my shoulder, "Cool, how'd we do on the report anyway?"
Taylor shrugged her bag on, "Oh, we lost a letter grade for you running off, so as always my group didn't get enough points. Greg was upset a bit over that, but between our lists we got a solid B."
"Swank, now where are we headed Captain ahhh Herbert?"
"Hebert".
"Hey, watch the name calling. I'm no Pre-vert".
"He-bert is my last name", I got a nervous chuckle out of her and she seemed to loosen up a bit with my jokes.
"Alright, Captain Hebert, what be ye heading, arrr?"
"Stop being a weirdo, and we're heading towards downtown".
"Arrr my feelings, aye aye Cap'n".
I followed her lead and we snuck out through the broken fire exit, older kids and the 'hip' teachers used to smoke just outside the school. Once we got past the gym and the track field, we were home free. Again, Brockton Bay is a nice place but usually if you are wealthy and willing to spend, otherwise it's boarded up buildings, gang tags, and urban blight.
After several minutes of quiet walking she broke the silence, "I got pepper spray, my Dad bought it for me". Taylor said it out of nowhere.
"I knew it. The moment I laid eyes on you, I said 'Self, this woman, she is going to mug me, one day.' "
Taylor's line of sight snapped onto me, "What? No! I'm just- in case something happens on the way I can defend us."
I nod, "That's why I made you, the Cap'n, Cap'n".
She waved off my attempts to get her to Arr with me. As we walked on we closed in on the fancy looking Central Library. It was one of those public works projects from the depression turned into a modern rich people museum.
Taylor stopped a half block from it and turned to me.
"You got a muggerous look in your eye, Hebert. Guess you just needed an audience.", I shut my eyes and held my arms apart. "Spray away, I can take it. Just leave me my expired bus pass. It's got memories."
"Shhhh, quit it, I'm here. I don't- why is everything a joke with you? You said you were already skipping out on school, so you probably have plans, and this is my stop. So..."
"Ohhh, so this is where the Captain scuttles the ship and leaves her crew behind for the mermaids to pick off and strangle."
Taylor leaned back almost trying to disappear into her dark hair, "Okay, I'm going to go now, Ray. You - take care?"
"Not if you take care first. Oh that sounded weird, I'm hopped up on caffeine and sugar, so just go. I'll see you at school, Taylor."
I pivoted on my feet and hustled off towards an alley I spotted earlier to swap to my breaker state.
~~x
Today was my other class with Taylor, I mean I had two classes with Sophia today and one included Taylor. First period was Art, and despite having half the class load of the average high school student so I could do hero stuff, Art was something deemed important enough not to cut. I mean they could have cut my art class but Sophia picked Art to keep on her schedule so I was stuck taking it. I also couldn't be jammed in all the same classes as Shadow Stalker to throw her off but every couple days she'd try to convince me to ally with her. That the PRT was going too rough on her and then I saw Taylor this morning.
She looked tired and a bit ruffled, and I know Sophia gets dropped off by PRT handlers, so she wouldn't have had time to mess with the girl.
But...
I broke my line of sight from my teammate and I made a beeline for Taylor. Behind me I can hear Sophia and the girls Ooo-ing like a television studio audience and Taylor's eyes flick from me to behind me.
Fuck.
"Taylor", is all I get out before she's blushing and back pedaling.
Shit.
I follow her out and a large body steps in my way. Blue dress, red dyed hair, ivory colored flats, and a brooch that screams 'junk jewelry'.
"Mr. Alcatraz".
That better not be on purpose, "Alcaraz, I gotta go".
"Yes, back to your art class", the school's head secretary shifted her bulk and squared her shoulders like a linebacker.
"My friend -"
"We both know you don't have friends here.
You have one point of contact and that is what was explained to us when you were brought in mid year. We are aware of your violent background prior to what brought you here so it is only by the grace of Youth Guard you aren't sitting in an alternative facility getting your GED, Mr. Alcatraz."
Oh, it so is.
Taylor's running off to parts of the city she needs pepper spray to cross and Sophia could be making pipe bombs with polymer clay shrapnel for all I know.
"I don't think Sophia is going to get up too much with her favorite punching bag running away. And that same punching bag could get hurt or lost out there. It's not like The ABB picks up lost girls and shows them a decent time afterwards."
The secretary narrowed her eyes, "I will be contacting your guardian."
"Oh no, not grandma! Not her sweet grandson running off trying to protect a classmate from human traffickers, skinheads, and drug fiends."
I sprinted past the woman and pushed through the double doors. Taylor was jogging with her hands in her pockets to the nearest bus stop where the bus was idling for her. I trotted after but was too far off for the bus to notice and it sped off.
I sighed and looked around and hit my breaker state and followed in the bus' wake trying to look like the road was extra dusty and rocks were being kicked up by the tires. At each subsequent stop I laid myself flat as possible to the road and peeked over the curb to check for Taylor.
Several dozen stops later it was the end of Taylor's line and she ended up by the ferry. My breaker form was a few pounds heavier with detritus and dirt which I shed by reverting back to my old self long enough to drop the piles of rocks at my feet. I swapped back to my breaker state and slipped through the grass and sandy soil of the bay as I acted like gusts of wind.
OH MY GOD WHERE IS SHE GOING!? THIS IS FOREVER!
Occasionally Taylor would pause and look in my direction, I figured I was too loud as I picked up too many rocks, bits of concrete, trash, insects, and sea shells as I rattled along.
It was a nice cool day, the blue skies were almost perfect and the touristy sort were few and far between but we're increasing as the morning got closer to lunch. It made following Taylor through the less open areas of the boardwalk a lot easier since the wind channeled between buildings fairly strongly.
I was impressed. She seemed to know how to navigate the crowd, blocking the pickpockets, and avoiding the muggers. Definitely a Bay goer for life, her dad probably took her all over the beach and ferry growing up. For me it was my Grandpa, he was a foreman and laborer for decades after getting out of the service. Despite our half English, half Spanish mix of speaking he made sure I was raised to see myself as an American first. The culture was second and always close to our hearts with food, song, and family ties.
We were on the Docks by the time Taylor stopped. Redmond Welding read a sign. The area was full of metal and steel from fences and building exteriors that amplified the rising heat of the day and any chill from the boardwalk was gone entirely.
Taylor let herself into the creaky building and I dropped my breaker state and stood dumbly. I had no clue, no plan further than to make sure Taylor was safe and now I was in the heart of ABB territory.
Hebert was a white people's name right? Wait it could be French, I know the French had colonized parts of Asia. Abuelo had talked about the Vietnam war his older brothers had fought in, it's the only reason I knew that detail.
She wasn't like half Vietnamese and working for the ABB?
He-Bert... He-Bear?
I swapped back to my breaker state as I heard the metal door creak back open. I made like an eddy of wind kicking up trash and dirt as a good sized black guy peeked out and scanned the area. When the door shut again I launched myself up onto the roof of the building hoping to catch an open skylight or one of those spinny ventilation turbines.
I finally found a good spot to hunker down and peek through. My thoughts drifted to the guy from a few minutes earlier. Maybe she had a boyfriend?
Ooo, Taylor took Sophia's dude and that could be where all the shit from the former vigilante comes from? Jealousy, oh ho, nice Taylor.
Oh.
Part of me doesn't like that. You try to make a friend and your first instinct is to not be happy they're dating someone. That's not the sign of a very good friend, Ray.
From a skylight to a loft built into the warehouse I was able to see down onto the big black guy sparring with a scrawny white kid. Taylor seemed to be standing off to the side. The scrawny kid had nothing behind his movement other than the bare minimum of effort. Seems he knocked off early and suddenly Taylor was squaring off with the maybe boyfriend guy.
It was more a lesson, mostly plutonic? Friendly, yeah, friendly fighting lessons. And it was becoming increasingly boring as time passed.
What was I even doing up here? I looked around and the skylight had a massive hinge to rotate the window open a crack. It has a good seal so they might hear the window slide in but - it could be chalked up to being an old ass warehouse.
Surprisingly it didn't squeak as I pushed it open a hair.
"So who's this boss of ours?"
My ears pricked up. Boss? Learning how to fight. Looking roughed up. Sneaking out of school.
Holy shit, Taylor Hebert was part of a gang. I smiled cuz that meant the big dude was just another gang member. Kinda weird gang to have a scrawny white guy on it, but maybe he was the boss's boy toy? Or they were pick pockets on the boardwalk or they were a smash and grab crew?
I snapped back to reality when I heard a new female voice add to Taylor's and the other two, "- we're robbing a bank."
Fuck.