No no no no no no. C'mon. No. Really? Really? Why am I upset? I've known her all of a week, and somehow I'm excited, and also disappointed, yet somehow just as intrigued as before.
Taylor Hebert, Bank Robber.
I mean, what the hell?! You are quiet, thoughtful, a bit standoffish but - shit - who wouldn't be after 30 percent of the school doesn't bother to help you, 70 percent is basically oblivious and a handful are using you for their jollies.
Maybe I can talk her out of it? Maybe that means I gotta tell her the truth?
Dammit, I'm under orders. Not that I was ordered to not tell people the truth. Orders were to avoid the truth from coming out. Avoid. Like dodge but you can't expect to dodge everything. If there was one thing my Grandmother taught me is that language and how you say things matters so be direct.
'Avoid'.
'Be direct'.
Jeez, Piggot can send me to prison but Abuela can execute me con la chancla so fine I won't lie to Taylor. I'm just telling one person, to save that person from a world of shit Sophia probably put her on a path to. No one just goes 'I'ma rob a bank' without some serious string of issues to back that train of thought, right? Anyway, from what I'm seeing here she's pretty good at hiding stuff.
Then again, she brought up Alexandria. Maybe I can talk to Piggot and get the Tower of Power to visit Taylor? Or is that dumb? Would Taylor see it as a betrayal of her confidence or that I'm just interfering or mocking her with a childhood thing?
Shit.
I get stabbed and blown up just to babysit a teenage cape and now I'm agonizing over finding out someone I started to talk to is a criminal.
"Arrr, my feelings", I mutter to myself.
They're still debating and talking down in the loft.
WHO HAS A LOFT IN A CREEPY ASS WAREHOUSE IN THE DOCKS?!
I lie down on the roof next to the cracked open skylight, the occasional bug lands on me and I don't bother to swat it away. Too much noise outside of my breaker state would cause suspicion. I do my best to listen but I don't know what to do or how to approach her.
I mean I'm a teenager not a cop. I don't know shit. I got this power and it doesn't just hand you a world of knowledge on how to be like a hero. I remember Piggot explaining that we're outnumbered two to one on villains to heroes. That probably explains that imbalance. You go through a rough time and end up with powers and why not use it selfishly? It's not like the world is exactly fair.
The girl Lisa, who sounded like the leader, suddenly got loud, "The bank robbery was my idea, and he liked it. According to him, the Protectorate is busy with an event on Thursday, just outside of town. That's part of the reason the timing is so important. If we act then, there's almost no chance we'll have to deal with them. If we hit the Bay Central, downtown-"
Thursday, Bay Central, Bank Robbery. Aaaand today is Tuesday, cuz we were going to have art. I have art with Taylor and Soph-
Oh God.
Okay, Taylor is probably not heading back to school. Sophia is going to know I didn't come back.
Dammit.
"- he's sponsoring us and it stands to reason he doesn't want to fund a team of nobodies. We manage this, we won't be nobodies. That, and he really wants us to do a job at that particular time."
Things got quiet down there and my stomach rumbled stupidly loud.
I swapped to my breaker state as a little dog started barking. The rooftop window showed the room filled with darkness til it was pouring out of the crack in the skylight.
I let myself dissipate a bit to look like a swirl of dust being blown around and I let myself catch the wind, cascading down the corrugated roof to the pavement. In the alley below the blonde, Lisa, pursed her lips as her eyes took in the scene. I let the breeze carry me further out towards a corner of the building.
The coast looked clear but my breaker state was picking up heavier rocks and rather crunchy bugs again. I shifted back to my normal self and took a moment to get my thoughts back on track.
Should I head back to school? Nah, back to headquarters and make a report. Maybe I can-
Taylor, outta nowhere, pushed me up against the wall of the warehouse and her hand pressed over my mouth.
"Everything good, Taylor?" Lisa called out from the alley.
She shot me a death glare from behind her scratched lenses, "Yes, found - looks like it was garbage getting blown around. My bugs don't sense much but a couple of bodies that seem asleep in the next building."
"Hmm, junkies. Alright, I'll tell the rest we're taking five, and feel free to come back in to wrap up the vote."
"Okay, Lisa", she said and then hung her head.
I remained pinned to the warm metal more out of courtesy as the strength in her arms relaxed. Her hand stayed over my mouth, which was a good call. If folks couldn't tell, I'm a talker.
"How?", Taylor asked as she locked eyes with me. "You weren't on the bus, Ray. Any of them."
I reached gently for her hand over my lower face and removed it, "I promised myself I wouldn't lie to you." And I replaced her hand back over my face.
"No!", she hissed. "This is serious, Ray. What are you even- you followed me?! I - I left to get away from you and the trio. They were making fun of you because of me and-"
I shook my head and pulled her hand down, "Look, stop it, none of that matters. I don't care who laughs at me. Life's not fair, and that sucks, but please don't rob the bank. I don't want the first lady to actively want to hangout with me to also be my first prison pen pal."
Taylor's eyes widened.
"Yeah, sorry, I overheard that you're part of a gang now. I was kinda hoping it was like a dine and dash thing not, ya know, multiple felonies all at once thing."
She deflated with a long sigh. We were both quiet for a moment, that's when she noticed I was still holding her hand.
"I'm not mad, Taylor, and I fully understand if you're pissed that I followed you and funked this all up."
She took her hand back and rubbed the back of her neck, her wild curls bounced, "It's not what you think, Ray. I'm not a villain. I'm not."
It dawned on me right there, "You have powers?"
She scrunched up her face like I shoved a plate of bad shrimp in front of her, "Of- of course, I'm a teenager. What am I doing robbing a bank without some kind of edge?"
I resisted grinning the biggest goofiest grin. She's not insane at least, "Okay, fine. If you're not a bad guy and you're a cape. I'm trusting you with this - I'm a Ward. That's why my homework was on Wards letterhead. Printer ran out and I just borrowed some from one of the private office printers without asking. Also why I was on the roof listening in and how I could follow you bus after bus without having to get aboard."
Taylor was so very close to me as she squinted up at my face. The sweat from her sparring session had some of her hair stuck to her forehead. This must be what a book sees when someone finally hits the part with the author's fetish.
She backed away, "Go back to - school or home or wherever you are going to go. But don't tell anyone anything about this, okay? If you really trust me then give me this. We'll - we'll talk tomorrow at school."
"Why not tonight? I got evening patrol. I can meet you anywhere you want."
Whoa whoa, don't come off too eager, Ray. She could set you up for an ambush.
"Okay, I don't know how long I'll be here but meet me at - do you know the coffee shop outside the library from yesterday?"
I nodded.
"There around seven? My dad will probably drop me off if I don't catch the bus."
"Alright, be careful, Taylor."
She turned and started to trudge back but stopped in her tracks, "Why'd you bother chasing after me? Did Armsmaster send you?"
"No, he didn't. Never met him officially, he's pretty busy. I just - I thought, I think you are pretty interesting even before I found out you had powers. And you carry mace so I know you go to dangerous places. Figured the girls did something to you to make you run and I wanted to make sure you were okay."
She nodded to herself and continued on back to the loft.
Seven. Seven in the PM. Seven O'Clock. Coffeeshop. Across from the central library. Taylor Hebert. Cape. Bank robber?
I swapped to my breaker state and zipped off towards the heart of the city. Back to headquarters, I needed a way better costume than the spare suit and domino mask they cheaped out on me with.
~~x
I'm leaning against one of the milky green walls just outside the double doors of the PRT HQ's cafeteria. I spot a middle aged man, dark skin, neat short cropped hair and a well practiced smile beaming just for me.
"Shouldn't you be in school, Dust Devil?" Mr. Green asked with a knowing grin. The cafeteria exit was always the best place to catch the adults in charge before they got to be busy.
"Ahh - half day?", I weakly offer the Image consultant, Bandile Green.
He's the guy you want to win over if you want costume upgrades or changes. He taught me the word 'Toyetic' and my breaker state is plenty toyetic but myself is fairly boring. If Dust Devil was on shelves he'd be a deluxe toy set and I'd be included in but I'd be the accessory figure kids leave in package or dump in their toy bin.
"Wards already get half days, Dust Devil. And there is no such thing as a quarter day."
"Wait- what time- oh it's lunch I ducked out early, Mr. Green", I waved a half sandwich I pulled from my backpack before jamming it back inside.
Initially I didn't care about my costume, I just chose to spend my time in my breaker state as much as possible. The only downside is the build up of stuff I pick up and add to the mass of my form. My test on Dragon's ship had me beating on it after several minutes with the usual dirt, rocks, and then chunks of concrete, cinder blocks, bricks, all things left on the testing site to see what my breaker state could lift.
"So you have your comm device on you?" He held his palm out and I pulled out the little bud from my ear.
"Who's on duty, Dust Devil?"
"Mi -ss Vista."
"Nice save", he held the bud to his ear and tapped the other side, "Vista this is Ban on Dust Devil's comm, I want to know if he has been behaving himself before I help him with a new uniform request."
A brief pause as Mr. Green nodded, "Thank you, so much, dear. I look forward to any notes from your latest costume update."
He nodded, "Marvelous, you wear it well and you do us all proud here in Image. Good day, Vista."
Mr. Green passed the ear bud back to me.
"Ray, I am disappointed in you."
I remained stone faced, no this is a trick. Missy has my back, she has had my Grandmother's meals many times. This is a play by Mr. Green, so I make a big show of looking all 'aww shucks', "I'm sorry, Mr. Green, I promise I won't skip lunch in the future."
"You are heroes but you're growing heroes. We don't want you all flagging on patrol or letting a stomach growl give you away on stakeout. It happens", he chuckled and pulled out a tablet from his valise.
Holy shit.
"Understood, sir."
"Follow me, I have a meeting in ten, so you get - five, go".
"Okay, the basic hero suit and belt and domino mask is functional and all but I need a suit suit, like something signature. Right now I was cool with basic but..."
"It'll be ready when your debut interview is scheduled or if we want to have you out there early for the Big Show. For now basic is good."
"Ehhh, you see there is uhhh, well-"
Mr. Green stopped in front of the elevator bank and scanned his card, "This is your stop. So there is a girl-guy-person you want to impress. You want to show off you got powers but you want to hide your identity and you think your Breaker State isn't cool enough. Right?"
Other people started gathering around that Mr. Green nodded at.
"I can't drink coffee in my breaker state, and she's - yes, impressing is one thing, but she's an informant. She's got information she'll only tell me and so I don't want to tip off anyone she's talking to generic PRT hero number 13, ya know?"
"Bring her here, do it safely, confidential like... Unless you're trying to pull my leg to get a costume faster?"
"It's important, it's a big deal for her but it's nothing Armsmaster or Miss Militia should have to step in. Kinda school related, and it's easier to convince her if a hero hears her out and gets her to come forward to the - actual authorities."
The elevator dinged and the tinker doors unlocked. Everyone but me stepped in, "Listen Dust Devil, let's call it community outreach. I say that's enough to warrant some kind of modification or accessories for the basic suit. You'll get something before you-"
YES!
"Patrol this evening."
"Perfect, be good and keep making us proud!" The doors shut and I decided I'd strut back to the dorms to pretend to do homework while Miss Vista, I'm so calling her that, works the monitor desk.
~~x
It was seven fifteen and I chickened out. I was in my street clothes. My costume was tucked in a black go bag all The Wards get if they have to be out overnight and carry hygiene stuff and changes of clothing.
So here I am, five foot ten, average height Hispanic male. Olive skin with short brown hair carrying an unmarked black bag and looking around suspiciously outside of a coffee shop on a quiet evening. Ya know, nothing fishy except being stupid ol' target for any itchy addict, ABB, Empire, or corrupt cop wanting to shine their shoes with my face.
The bus for the library route pulls up and a couple panhandlers types and, thank Mary, Joseph and all the saints, Taylor steps off.
I wave at her like an idiot and she jaywalks towards me. I let that one go, we're well beyond the casual crimes at this point.
"Cap'n?"
"Don't be weird", she walks past me to the coffee shop. I kinda like that she's a bit dismissive with my jokes.
"Aye aye", I answer and follow along.
She picked a table by the exit across the shop and the waitress approached, "What will you be having?"
I gesture for Taylor to order, "Two of whatever he's ordering and make them to-go".
The waitress raised her eyebrows and turned to me, "Uhh, two large Earl Grey teas, with two sugars each - like she said to-go."
"It'll be quick, hun", the waitress stepped away quickly.
"To go?" I ask.
Taylor just held up a hand, and we sat quietly waiting. Taylor looked everywhere but at me. The shop was cooler than outside so her lenses started fogging the longer we sat. I gave her a napkin from the table dispenser and she seemed unsure and I pointed at her glasses. By the time she finished wiping them down the waitress reappeared with the teas in a cup holder, lids on, the strings of the tea bags sticking out of each and a little brown bag in-between with sugars and stirrers.
I paid with a twenty, "Thanks, keep the change, ma'am." Okay, so I didn't entirely chicken out on trying to impress, but tips are important I'm told.
And Taylor got up and left with me carrying our order, following after her. On the sidewalk she waited for me.
"Oh, where was I? Oh yeah... to-go?"
"I am involved with connected people, people with abilities I'm not hundred percent sure what they can do. It was best if we - can I have my tea?" she asked, her eyes slightly pleading.
I handed it over, "Wanna sit on the library steps?"
Taylor nodded and we crossed right there to the steps. Did this make me an accomplice? Have I gone rogue? Only time would tell.
"Why do you keep smirking to yourself?"
"I'm not going to lie to you... I make me laugh."
With a sigh she started mixing in three bags of sugar into her tea. It's okay. I'm fine using just the one, sugar and caffeine makes me weird anyway.
"So what's a gal like you doing in a place like this?" I asked.
She stopped midsip to narrow her eyes at me, "What?"
"You said we'd talk, so I'm talking. You doing alright? They weren't suspicious or anything? I mean I'd be suspicious of everyone if I was plotting crimes in a creepy warehouse."
"I'm okay. Are - you, okay?"
I smile at her.
Less teeth, Ray, she's not a chimpanzee. There, much better.
"I'm concerned about this - big event you and your coworkers were planning."
She took a long sip from her drink.
"Yes, you see - I don't actually work there. I'm an intern. I'm not being paid and since I know they are up to no good. Someone from a rival company has contacted me to get information on them."
"Ahh, I see. And that someone from the rival company?"
"I can't say exactly who it is out here but it's someone I mentioned before we parted ways. Someone you haven't officially met."
Armsmaster. That's why she brought him up. Interesting.
"Interesting", I say and dump my lone sugar into my tea only my grandma drinks. It tastes not like iced tea but it's not bad either and Taylor keeps sipping away so it must be decent.
Nice.
"So as I know internships are temporary but they want you at the big event acting like you're part of the team, right?"
"What they're planning, I'm trying to make less bad? Less - less of a negative impact. I can't do this it's silly and weird, and no offense, this is serious."
I sighed as she started to stand up, "So you want to go where I work?"
Taylor looked down at me. She looked like she was weighing her options, "No."
"Okay, how about we go sit at that little park thing area there with the sculpture and the benches? And we actually talk, yeah?" I get up and start walking straight for it.
Stride confidently. Impress. Impress. Don't stumble. She's your classmate. She has nice hair and she's good at school. She's not going to turn you into her bank robbing gang with its killer dogs and shadowy, not boyfriend Boogeyman.
I take a seat on the cold stone bench, and Taylor is beside me a second later. She's a fast walker.
"I'm sorry I tried doing a code thing but, you're undercover for Armsmaster but you're about to do a big bank robbery - and I'm assuming Armsmaster knows, yes?"
She shakes her head, "No, he doesn't know about the bank job. You found out when I did."
"That's big. It's dangerous and hostages? Whoa. Just, whoa."
I watched her guzzle the last of her tea and offer her the bulk of mine.
She made a small face, "Just one sugar?"
Yes. One. Sugar. Miss Three-Sugar.
She lifted the little brown bag up that held the stirrers and there was a neat stack of a couple more sugars and a few pink packets beneath.
"I had no idea those were there", I answered.
"You want it back?"
"No, I'm just relieved you're okay. So - wait, when did you meet Armsmaster that he set all this up?"
"Back when Lung got arrested. I fought Lung and took him down, but just barely."
Holy smokes, Lung. She fought, lived, and won. For Lung you gotta pick two.
"You did that? You took him down down? Like-?"
"Insects. I control bugs, spiders, I made a crab dance around once. I have a wide range, fine control and can set them on automatic commands. So Lung is human and can be bitten by bees, wasps, stinging and biting insects, black widows."
"Oof, no bueno. Wow. Yeah, okay I believe that. People go to the hospital for just one venomous spider bite."
"So Armsmaster turned out to be chasing the Undersiders down, but Lung was on them first. That's when I ran into Lung. We fought, my hair got singed, it was bad but pepper spray worked and then the bugs."
"Pepper spray. Wow. You offered to protect me with your - Lung Repellent."
She looked at me and she started laughing quietly, "That's - that's not funny. This is - this is serious. Ray, please."
"It's a little funny, see you're laughing. Laughter is tension leaving the body. You're very tense yet very cool. It's okay to feel stuff and get it out."
We sat quietly as she sipped the tea, the Sun was entirely gone and the library had finally emptied out.
"I'm probably going to skip classes tomorrow."
"Gonna hangout in your warehouse slash Bug Cave? Doing bug stuff?"
"I don't do bug stuff. I command insects and spiders to- okay, I tell bugs to do bug stuff."
"You give yourself a name yet, or are you going to let the world call you Bug or Bug-girl?" I asked doing anything to try to lighten the mood.
"No, I haven't gotten to that point. I wasn't exactly prepared to face Lung or go undercover or join a bank robbery. A name was the last thing on my mind. The first was getting out there and doing hero stuff", she replied and the street lights started flickering on bathing the park in a white-blue glow from the security lamps.
"Well, it's getting late-", I said.
"Wait, you're leaving already?' she asked with a bit of unease.
"Nah, I just was going to suggest we get more overpriced hot water with store bought tea bags. We can sit down at a far away table and you can run the details down for me and see about getting the public a situation where no one gets hurt and get you the information Armsmaster wants", I stood and offered Taylor my hand.
She looked at my hand and then back up to my eyes.
"I don't know why he left you all on your own to do this but if he trusts you, I am going to continue too. I'd be happy to work with you."
Way to oversell it, Ray.
"Okay", she answered, and then put the empty cup in my hand.
Smooth.