Chapter 3.8
Saturday April 23rd, 2011
I never considered the Butcher's inheritance a curse nearly as fervently as the times I found myself cuddled up next to my girlfriend, but unable to sleep. Her bed was certainly comfortable enough and her warmth reassuring, but I found myself unable to join her in peacefully snoring under the blankets. Then again, with everything that had happened over the last few days (and hours), I wasn't totally sure I would be sleeping regardless.
Part of that was excitement. The Empire, long a scourge on my home, was effectively defunct… by my hand. The Teeth and I had paid back their crimes with interest, and while I wasn't exactly proud of my methods, no one would argue with me about their effectiveness. Well, the heroes might make an issue of things, but I was long past worrying about what they thought of me.
Except Amy, I supposed — but she was a special case.
The rest of the heroes could find themselves a nice pit trap to stumble into for all I cared, useless PR glory hounds that they were. My predecessors agreed with me that the Protectorate was likely desperate for a win after it fell to the Teeth to kick out the literal Nazis. I hoped that they didn't do anything stupid if more villains showed up, because the last thing I wanted was their ineffectual interference again.
At least Othala wouldn't be around to balance the healing scales. Some prompting to Madison (and a reminder that Sophia was still a Ward here) was enough to have Rune and Othala bundled off to Boston via a transport completely off of Piggot's records. We were content to let everyone else think that they slipped through the net along with Purity.
Lisa was going to keep an eye out just in case Kayden didn't take my warning seriously and reappeared elsewhere still spouting her racist beliefs. I wasn't going to let her little girl grow up being subjected to that shit. There was also the worry that she would come after us for revenge, and she was one of the few capes that could actually take me in a straight fight.
I really didn't want to share headspace with a fucking Nazi.
"Will you just shut up and go the fuck to sleep already?" Sabertooth snarled.
"I hate to agree, but this is the third time you've looped back around to this in the last hour," Pyro said.
Alkaline grunted in agreement. "I'd tell you to do something distracting, but Chrissie is asleep and you already have your bugs working themselves to death between the silk production and listening in to everyone within a six block radius. If anything, you're too distracted."
I don't want to be caught unprepared again.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Fester spat. "Just curl up with your girlfriend and relax!"
"What the FUCK Elliot!?"
My focus snapped to Elliot's room, where he was hunched back and away from the phone being held at arm's length. A phone currently on speaker.
"Cassandra, please…" Elliot pleaded.
"Don't you dare! It's bad enough I'm having to deal with breaking up with Lily, then you go and drop this shit on me? Why the fuck would you challenge the Butcher? You fucking promised me Elliot, you fucking promised…"
I could hear the quiet sobs as her voice trailed off, and I felt for the girl.
"I didn't win," Elliot muttered.
There was a hitched breath as the sobbing abruptly ceased.
"You don't have fifteen voices screaming in your head?"
"I don't think so."
"And you aren't a zombie?"
Elliot snorted. "Not that I know of. My everything does feel like it got dipped in acid though. That pain blast hurts like hell."
"Good. You deserve it for being so stupid," Cassandra shot back, then she sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you Elliot, you can't keep doing dumb shit like this."
"I know… I learned that the hard way," he grumbled.
"Well, I'm glad you finally accepted that I'm always right," the girl said haughtily.
"Oh fuck off Cass," Elliot replied, though it lacked any heat. "I'm gonna take something and try to sleep this off like a bad hangover. Talk again at the usual time?"
"Don't think I'm letting this go so easily, asshole, and stay away from anything that might kill you!" she ordered, then her voice softened. "I don't want to lose my big brother."
"I know… Love ya, sis."
"Love ya too, bro."
"Aww, wasn't that sweet," Marauder mocked.
I smacked him down for it. Have some goddamn empathy for our teammates. Fuck.
"Not like he just tried to kill you or anything," Knockout said.
"At least things worked out for him," Reflex added.
"True enough," Ironsides agreed.
Outside the arena, my bugs began to detect the first hints of sunrise breaking through the overcast skies over the bay.
"Ugh, the sun. We've been up all damn night again," Sanguine complained.
Fester snorted. "Coming from the guy that ran with the vampire motif."
"If you aren't going to sleep, at least get out there and enjoy the damn party!" Butcher demanded.
"You conquered an entire city. You deserve to celebrate!" Pyro cheered.
Enough!
I forced everyone down into the dark. I didn't need sleep and I didn't really want to celebrate — I needed to prepare for what might be coming. There was so much I could be doing, but so little time before we might be under siege again. I couldn't rest, but at the same time, I didn't want to let go of Chrissie.
Long after the sun rose above the horizon, I was still curled up next to her.
Even after our talk, all I wanted was to be as close as possible. I had nearly lost her, and even now, each time I closed my eyes all I could see was her lying there, in a pool of her own blood. Her voice, so distant and weak…
"Her voice wasn't all that weak last night," Fester said saucily, having clawed her way from the depths. "Reminded me a bit of Ann—"
Don't you fucking dare!
"Chrissie's fine," Chisel cut in. "She told you herself: she's a warrior, don't coddle her."
Damascian hummed in agreement. "Should you allow this overprotective streak to build, you will do nothing but stoke the flames of another disagreement."
I wanted to argue, but they were right. Chrissie wasn't a weak little damsel, and she sure as hell didn't need me to play bodyguard. But we weren't under attack now, and so I took the opportunity to hold her like I didn't intend on letting go.
My phone vibrated, and internally I bitched about the lack of bugs that could read digital screens. By the time my bugs managed to disconnect the device from the charger and ferry it to me, another two messages had come through. All three were from Lisa.
L: Christ.
L: Are you okay?
L: Seriously, the swarm is acting out Alfred Hitchcock out here.
Everything's fine. :T
Just keeping an eye on things. :T
Reminding people I'm watching out for them. :T
L: Fuck.
L: I'm almost there.
L: Don't pull a Kaiser on someone.
Was that a joke? :T
L: Oh good
L: You caught that
You're horrible. :T
L: Says you
The noise stirred my girlfriend awake. "Tay, who's blowing up your phone like it's a Nazi stash house?" Chrissie grumbled, burrowing deeper into my arms… somehow.
"Lisa, apparently. She's worried I'm too on edge."
"Oh god, please tell me she isn't going to drag us out shopping again."
"I hope not." I kissed Chrissie's hair and began to untangle myself from her as she whined in protest. "Get dressed, you know she won't be afraid to break in."
"Yes Mistress," Chrissie said, giving me a teasing kiss.
I'd just finished pulling my shirt over my head when the sound of the door handle drew my attention. It took Lisa just five seconds to pick the lock.
"Oh good, you're dressed," Lisa said, rolling her eyes as she strolled in, Dinah following on her heels. "I was worried I might have to explain some things I'd rather not."
Dinah rolled her eyes. "I've watched Damien snort coke off a hooker's tits and then fu—"
She was cut off by Lisa's hand swiftly covering her mouth. "Alright, point proven, brat. You guys finished with that 'talk'? You are? Good, also, gross." Lisa had several things in her hands and quickly divested herself of the load. Two bags were selected from the pile and she handed one to me and the other to Chrissie. "Parian dropped these off about an hour ago. I thought you might like them and Dinah insisted on coming with me."
"The numbers," she muttered.
"Yeah, I get it kid," Lisa said, ruffling Dinah's hair. "Just remember, you don't have to fake things with us like you do the rest of the Teeth, okay?"
"I have no idea what you mean," Dinah huffed, but seemed to relax all the same.
I chuckled and started unwrapping the package, only to freeze when I pulled out a red and gray zip-up hoodie. At the same time, I heard Chrissie suck in a sharp breath. She was staring at the back of it, so I spun it around and had a similar reaction.
"Holy hell! The mouthy bitch actually got them!" Sabertooth roared.
A large XV graced the back of the hoodie, along with something that had to be the most brazen thing I'd ever seen outside of New Wave wearing their own merch. My last name was above the XV in bold letters, leaving no doubt who the hell I was.
I was going to wear this thing everywhere!
Chrissie's hands were trembling as she clutched at her own hoodie, and ever so carefully she held it up for me to see. Sure enough, her own last name was on display, but below it, the numerals were reversed, reading as VX instead.
"Oh, that shit's clever," Alkaline said.
"Tay, can we go on a tour of the Rig wearing these?" Chrissie asked, slipping hers on. "I want to do the most audacious thing we can now that we control the city, and I think that would be up there!"
"Outside of a road trip to get pictures with each of the Triumvirate?" I said, watching her eyes light up at the idea of that. "Yeah, I'll see what we can do."
"Fuck yeah!" Chrissie cheered. "Can we give out hoodies that say Future Butcher XVI?"
"Oh, now we have to plan this road trip!" Butcher demanded.
"Do we trust our people to handle the city while we are gone?" Stratego asked.
There was a beat of silence in my head before Ironsides spoke up. "Good point, especially after the most recent ordeal."
"Perhaps in a few months, once any interlopers are shown the door," Damascian said.
"Sure. We'll see if Parian's willing to make them or not," I said offhandedly.
Lisa snorted. "Yeah, that might give the poor girl a heart attack. But get your stuff together, we're not staying cooped up here all day."
All three of us laughed at that, though Lisa a bit less enthusiastically. Death humor, especially of the Butcher, was a bit of a staple with the Teeth, one I was slowly coming to accept and even embrace in a macabre sort of sense.
It didn't take us long after that to get loaded up into one of the transport vans and be on our way. Lisa's usual driver seemed to always be on call, and I could only hope she was paying the man well for that… then I almost slapped myself. He was literally on call for super villains, of course she's paying him well, otherwise he might just decide to collect a bounty on us by taking a pit stop at a conveniently waiting trap. Not that those worked all that well on capturing me, but I'd walked my Teeth into an Empire trap just two days prior, I couldn't talk either.
"It's good to be cognizant of our mistakes and weaknesses," Stratego said sagely. "Just don't let your fears rule you."
Even as he spoke those words, I felt the arena slipping out of my range, and with it I felt my heart speeding up. Elliot was passed out on oxy, Michael was shooting up alongside Alec so they could keep on gaming, Damien was still hyped up on coke along with his groupies, and Alice was sleeping while she could. Rachel wasn't there, having left for her new kennel shortly after giving Lisa her gift; a gift she was wearing.
At least Robbie was awake and fully alert. He was inspecting the more battle-ready Teeth, checking their alertness and making sure everything was up to his standards. I could trust him to handle anything that arose while we were gone, but I still felt the clawing need to be there for my people in the event something did go wrong. As my mind raced, I felt Chrissie give my hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Death grip much?" Chrissie asked with a wince. Immediately I relaxed my hand. "I'm starting to get the impression that this is exactly what you needed."
My snappish reply died in my mouth as I realized she was being literal. I hadn't taken a single moment to actually rest since the arena was attacked. The closest I got to that was eating the damn Challenger with Charlotte after bringing our little Winslow circle to cheer me on. Even with school going better, it had still been a heady feeling to hear their enthusiasm.
Such a short break from plotting literal murder.
"Hey, no point crying over spilt Nazis!" Fester ordered.
"Yeah, you cleaned up after yourself, so all's good!" Marauder added cheerfully.
"We're stopping by a pizza place then heading to your house," Lisa announced. "I grabbed a couple of movies from the lounge too, all simple, fun movies that we can just sit back and enjoy without stress. You're under Thinker's orders to relax."
"Joy," I drawled. "I really don't need to —"
"You kinda do, Tay," Chrissie said softly. "I know you don't need to sleep, but it helps you chill out."
"Which is why we're going to have a relaxing evening at your house and just be teenagers for once!" Lisa finished.
"Do you have any idea how many lifetimes of experience I have in my head?"
Lisa's expression softened, as did her voice. "How many of those got to just be teenagers?"
"Have you gotten to be one?" I shot back and immediately winced.
"Not really." Lisa answered softly. "Though, have any of us?"
"87.42385% chance you'll be in a better mood next week if you do this," Dinah stated.
"Well, as if we needed an omen," Lisa said sagely. "Seriously Taylor, we all need this. I've even invited Amy and she's gonna provide the weed."
Alkaline whistled. "Shit, we finally get to try some?"
"Fuck Yeah!" Pyro cheered.
"I grabbed a bottle of Reserve and a case of beer on the way out too," Chrissie declared. "So, we'll have pizza, booze, weed and some mindless movies. After all the shit we've been through that should be fucking amazing."
I sent Dad a text that I was stopping by the house and would be staying the night, but I still hadn't gotten an answer back on if he would be stopping by as well. He and Alan were out doing something and he still hated cell phones. Or maybe he just didn't want to see me hanging out with all of my obviously-Teeth friends. Either way, I didn't expect a reply until dusk at the earliest.
"You would think that recent events might disavow him of such practices," Damascian said.
"We all know that trauma impacts everyone in its own unique way," Reflex said softly.
He was right, of course. Mom's death may as well have been his trigger event, only he didn't get powers out of it. No, all he got was the crippling depression and even greater responsibilities. He might have stepped up and taken the reins of the union leadership, but he had never taken the raise that came with it.
Maybe I could help a few things along.
"Lisa, you still have all of Coil's assets, correct?"
"Most of them," she answered, giving me a searching look. "I don't have the kind of assets you would need, especially now that Medhall stocks are worth less than toilet paper, but given some time I think I could put together a financial empire worth a damn."
"Unfucking Medhall, clearing the boat graveyard, community initiatives…" I trailed off, thinking back to the several lifetimes of memories in my head of growing up in the Bay. "We can help the Bay thrive again."
"Fuck yeah!" Chrissie cheered. "Being gay and doing crime really does pay!"
"That it does," Lisa said with a grin. "Now let's get some popcorn going and watch some movies!"
"Can we get some of that novelty popcorn?" Dinah pondered aloud. "Like caramel or white cheddar?"
"The oracle has spoken!" Lisa enunciated gravely, prompting another round of chuckles.
Much to my relief, the remainder of the trip to the pizza shop and back home was completely uneventful. The Butchers were still arguing about whether deep dish pizza deserved the name when we pulled into the driveway, though I was mostly ignoring them due to Chrissie's insistent attempts to sit on my lap despite the seat belts.
"It's practically a soup, pizza shouldn't be spoonable!" Knockout tried again.
Alkaline scoffed. "Give up, you annoying fuck! Taylor already bought the damn stuff!"
"And I'm going to enjoy it," I murmured as I balanced the pile of pizzas while attempting to open the door.
"Oh?" Chrissie said, snatching the key out of my hand. "I'm going to enjoy you too!"
The Butchers devolved into snickers and laughter at that, and I had to fight down a blush. Lisa's knowing wink and Dinah's eye-roll as they passed didn't help.
Pizza slices were distributed in short order. "I'll admit," Lisa said around a mouthful of sauce as we sat around the table, "when I ran away from home, I didn't expect to be sitting in the Butcher's kitchen and watching her be sickeningly cute with her girlfriend."
Chrissie nudged me in the ribs with her elbow, nearly causing both of us to spill our pizza. "Hell, I didn't expect this, and I joined the Teeth!"
"Hey, us too!" Fester cheered. "Not that I'm complaining…"
"And you never thought you would have friends like us," Lisa said, and I wasn't able to really hide my wince. "Damn it, Taylor. You deserve friends too, you know. Oh, it's just us… being here?"
I plucked at my hoodie with my free hand, feeling suddenly bereft of my earlier confidence upon putting it on. "I'm glad you are here. It's just weird, I guess, hanging around like a bunch of teenagers who haven't had to…"
"Kill people?" Chrissie asked, only for Lisa to swat at her. "Ok, fine. No work talk, just regular teenage girl stuff like sneaking sips out of our parents' liquor cabinet and gossiping about boys."
"How exciting," Dinah said in a voice drier than desert. "At least you didn't bring any romcoms."
What she did bring was Blazing Saddles, and we were soon relaxing in the front room, drinks within easy reach. Chrissie was almost entirely on my lap, leaning against a pillow propped up by her forcefields; she had painstakingly rearranged all of them to avoid shredding her headrest. Lisa was curled up at the end of the couch, while Dinah had commandeered a pile of blankets and taken over the chair.
Amazingly, the relaxation was getting to the Butchers too, if the calm in my head was any indication. Some were watching the movie, others were conversing quietly, and the rest were just… existing. No demands. No complaints. No lewd comments, even when Chrissie intentionally wiggled in my lap to get my attention.
I scratched her head or rubbed her belly each time, and then she would go back to throwing popcorn at the screen. My bugs played clean-up crew, much to the other girls' amusement, but otherwise I was only giving half an ear to the movie. I had grown accustomed to a level of background noise to the point that I found it easy to just tune out.
This was nice.
Ever since getting my powers, I had hoped that I could turn my life into something I could actually enjoy for once. Sure, I was the Butcher, one of the most feared supervillains on the east coast, but right now I could forget about all of that and just hang out with the friends I didn't know how badly I needed.
"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons."
I snorted as Dinah broke into cackling. Lisa was once again, infuriatingly correct — the movie had been the perfect call. Where I would probably have enjoyed just sitting around like Chrissie and I usually did, Dinah needed this little party even more than the rest of us. Seeing her laugh was worth every single one of the Butchers' complaints.
Naturally, that was when a whole series of splattered bugs reported a flier headed right for my house. "Fuck, we've got company," I said, trying to stand up. Unfortunately, I just bumped into the (thankfully) flat edges of a new batch of force fields, which along with Chrissie's squirming kept me pinned in my seat.
"If they're stupid enough to come after you, just feed 'em to your bugs," Chrissie said. "We're relaxing here, Taylor."
"Besides, it's just Amelia," Lisa added.
"And Victoria." I countered. "I seem to recall someone unmasking to Alexandria Lite recently and now Demolition Dallon is coming to my house where she with the biggest mouth is directly within her sights."
"So sassy today." Lisa said with a roll of her eyes. "My unmasking did save your dad's life, so I'm not going to apologize or put this off either. Just, give me a chance to make this work, alright?"
I sighed. "Dinah, are you okay with another hero potentially learning your identity?"
The Thinker rubbed her forehead. "Still planning to pull a Kaiser against those that break the rules?"
"Yup, I still love this girl!" Marauder said with a grin, breaking the relative silence.
I glanced at Chrissie, who just shrugged. It wasn't like either of our identities were all that secret anyway. "She breaks anything, you're paying for it."
"Pretty sure you have more money under your mattress than I have collectively after the Medhall stock dive," Lisa quipped as she made her way to the front door.
Victoria touched down at the base of the steps and went to set Amy down, only for the healer to jump out of her sister's arms and leap up the porch steps. She must have remembered about the step; Victoria wasn't so lucky, and she responded as only a Brute could when her foot wobbled — punching right through the rotted wood as she kicked off into the air.
"Well, you'll get a new step at least," Reflex consoled.
Amy glared back at her sister, who at least had the decency to appear sheepish over her misstep. Oh well, it wasn't like she broke anything important.
"Yet," Knockout oh-so-helpfully supplied.
It wasn't like we didn't all have the money for it at this point. I just needed to find a way to pay for things that didn't paint our lives in red flags for the government.
"Would that even matter?" Alkaline asked.
"You want people to know specifically to keep your loved ones safe," Ironsides reminded me. "So broadcast it."
"I do suggest that you not antagonize the IRS," Damascian said.
"Are you sure you're going to be safe here?" Victoria asked Amy.
Lisa chose that moment to open the door. "If you're that concerned, feel free to join us. We're watching Blazing Saddles right now and have plenty of pizza to go around."
I flipped on my bloodsight, letting me watch as Victoria went ramrod-straight the instant her eyes swept over Lisa. She wasn't quite to the point of violence, but Stratego's power suggested that she was sizing up an opponent before a fight. If it came to that, I wasn't sure any of the equipment I brought would be enough to even slow her down.
"Nothing like the ol' razzle dazzle to stop a Brute in their tracks," Butcher joked, sending a few memories my way, not all of them his own.
"Hurry up! You're gonna miss the best part!" Chrissie yelled towards the door, unaware of the building tension she had just disturbed.
Thankfully, it disarmed Victoria enough that she switched to crossing her arms and floating disapprovingly in the hallway. "I suppose I could stay a bit, see what my sister's been up to, make sure she's safe. You also owe me answers, Tattletale."
Lisa grinned, gesturing towards the door like a gameshow showgirl. "And answers ye shall receive! All in the comfort of this lovely home, with pizza and movies!"
"Don't forget the beer!" Chrissie added from my lap, dismissing her force fields and falling on top of me.
Victoria's eyebrow raised but Amy cut her off before she could speak. "Vicky, I've purged the alcohol from you more than once on a school night, so don't even try to judge."
"Fine," she huffed, landing with a thump before stepping past both Lisa and Amy as she came inside my home. Amy looked concerned, but Lisa just shrugged and followed the Brute inside.
Victoria's dauntless approach halted as soon as she entered the living room, sighting Chrissie curled up practically in my lap while Dinah cackled at the TV as Bart asked the famous question.
"Hey, where are the white women at?"
"Right here!" Lisa said cheerfully. "Victoria, meet Taylor, Chrissie and Dinah."
"Alcott," Victoria whispered, then stared at me. "And you're the girl that brought her to Amy."
I nodded. "I am."
"What is this exactly?" she asked, eyeing each of us in turn. Her eyes lingered on Chrissie, recognition sparking in her eyes as they lingered on her tattoos. "Is this how you lure my sister into villainy?"
"Hell yeah it is!" Pyro cheered. "Seriously, who would want to be a stuffy, boring hero?"
"Amy, at least until recently," Chisel murmured.
"With movies and pizza?" Dinah snorted. "Curses, you discovered our diabolical plan."
"It's not like we can really bribe her," I said with a shrug. "Being Panacea means that if she really wanted riches, she could just sell her healing to the highest bidders."
"Drugs don't work either," Chrissie helpfully supplied. "Todd's still trying to talk her into selling us her special weed."
"Maybe I just like the company?" Amy said, taking Lisa's spot on the couch and pulling Lisa into her lap with an undignified squeak. "Seriously Vicky, just sit back and chill out, we can talk shop after the movie."
For a long moment, one of the best Brutes in the Bay stood in my living room, and I didn't need the Butchers' sudden clamoring for violence to know that things had the potential to go very badly. I wasn't as worried about myself as I was Lisa and Chrissie, but the last thing I wanted was for Amy to get seriously injured in my own home.
Then Victoria huffed, gently floating herself down on one of the spare beanbags Lisa had set out, which told me this was part of her plan from the beginning. I wasn't sure how I felt about her using my home as a stage for confronting some of Amy's issues, especially when Demolition Dallon was in the thick of it. The way Victoria was acting almost reminded me of Emma in some vague way, but we were a group of villains consorting with her sister. It made the situation at least somewhat tolerable.
The best part was that with Victoria and Amy accounted for, the odds of New Wave trying anything against the Teeth at least were reduced considerably. She was their heaviest hitter by far and I couldn't see them trying anything this soon after I'd embarrassed them so thoroughly. The Protectorate would need their help too, especially if the PHO rumors of Armsmaster being benched for his supposed endorsement of my actions against Kaiser had any merit.
"They're just angry you do their job better than they do," Ironsides grumbled. "But I thought we were relaxing?"
"Kinda hard when the enemies are inside the gates," Sabertooth complained.
We want to let Amy relax too. Her sister won't stay forever.
Even as I thought that — and the Butchers complained — my mind wandered back to potential sources of trouble. Out of town villains were more likely to cause issues, especially with the chaos in Boston. Reflex had been worried enough that he had me deliver a letter to his family, which led to several other past Butchers dictating messages to loved ones across the east coast. I'd passed them along to Lisa to distribute with the help of Big Robbie's cell network.
I just had to hope Brockton Bay wasn't too tempting of a target for anyone fleeing the devastation.
Pyro snorted. "Yeah, sure."
"You executed Kaiser on live TV," Chisel stated. "Then you systematically removed each and every player they had from the board with precision."
Damascian hummed. "Thus ended a twenty year history, the last holdover from the formative days of parahuman crime in the Bay… leaving us to reclaim what is ours."
"Anyone trying to push into our turf would be crazier than we are," Marauder boasted.
"Such groups are rare, and you would see Protectorate support if they tried," Stratego added in a less than stellar attempt at reassurance.
"Do I even want to know how you all ended up hanging out together?" Victoria asked, dragging me back out of my own head as the end credits started to roll.
"Has she not figured out who you are?" Damascian asked.
Marauder jumped on that. "Bets on how long that takes?"
Half the collective began to wager anywhere from the end of the movie to several weeks out.
"Taylor and I shared a smoke on the hospital roof after I healed Dinah," Amy said casually. "We talked, she gave me an open invite if I needed the escape, and after everything Weaver said at the bank and on PHO, I took her up on the offer."
"She's good at this whole 'speaking the truth but in an untruthful way' thing," Knockout said.
"She can certainly be furtive and beguiling when needed," Damascian agreed. "She has paltering down to an artform."
"You can tell she was raised by a lawyer," Ironsides chuckled. "She should consider a career in politics."
"And after Taylor saved me, I went to go meet her. Amy wasn't far behind, and as soon as we left her alone with Lisa here, they were making googly eyes at each other," Dinah continued. "Can't say I approve, but…"
Lisa stuck her tongue out theatrically at the other Thinker, and Victoria did a double-take at the familiar gesture. "I… Ames, they're supervillains. You know, criminals? Bad guys? We should —"
"Bad idea," Lisa said immediately, shaking her head rapidly. "Really, stupidly bad idea. I think our boss made her feelings about the Unwritten Rules exceptionally clear. Hell, she did New Wave a favor by finally taking the Empire to task over Fleur, but I wouldn't count on her mercy in this case."
"Ames —"
"Amelia," the girl in question said firmly. "Call me by my actual name, not the one that New Wave gave me after stealing six-year-old me from my dad's house." Victoria's jaw dropped open in shock, and Amelia shot her an unpleasant smirk. "And that's not even the worst of it. I've learned some really interesting things since hanging out with the Teeth, including just how full of shit Carol can be."
"But they're villains!" Victoria protested, floating up from the beanbag and gesturing wildly.
Chrissie snorted. "So? When the boys heard I was hanging out with Panacea, some of them told me this funny story about a certain hero and flying dumpsters…"
The Butchers burst into laughter in my head when the hero dropped back down onto the floor with a thump, staring in shock at her sister's placid face. When Amelia just quirked a single eyebrow, the fight seemed to leave Victoria. "Ames, what happened to you? Those guys were criminals, they boasted about how they were going to get out on bail and —"
"And what?" Amelia asked cooly, although a quick flicker of bloodsight showed that her heart was racing. "Did you ever stop and wonder how much trouble we would get in for misusing our powers if that ever came out? Sure, we're heroes now, but all it takes is one mistake for the PRT or New Wave to decide that you're better off rotting in a hole. Can you honestly say that Carol would have covered for you?"
"Can we please punch Brandish in the face some time?" Sanguine asked
"You barely even had to deal with the Brigade," Fester pointed out. "But as much as I hate to condone violence against women, one look at what she did to Amelia…"
Lisa patted Amelia on the head a few times before turning a vicious smile towards Victoria. "Well, it's a good thing that heroes are infallible pillars of justice and righteousness, right?" Chrissie actually burst into laughter at that, and I had to hold in my own snickers even as Lisa gave me an annoyed side-glance. "Oh, the conquering heroes, saving the poor girls from a lifetime of villainy… only to treat them as villains for their entire existence!"
"Can I trade some food votes to reserve some bees for her?" Chisel wondered.
Far too loudly, as Marauder cheered. "Yes! I love that, let's do that!"
Food votes are non-fungible. If she earns bees later, or Amelia asks for it, then Carol gets the bees.
"That's not true!" Victoria tried.
"That's impossible!" "Search your heart, you know-!" "I am your fa-" "Shut up!"
"It is," Amelia retorted. "You know I've never really been welcome at Carol's house."
My retort leapt from my lips, almost unbidden. "Well, you're always welcome here."
"Thanks, Taylor." Amelia seemed genuinely appreciative, if the fleeting smile on her lips was any indication.
"And let's not even get into your personal life, Miss Dated-a-Stansfield." Lisa's smirk was truly a thing to behold, and Victoria took an angry step towards the Thinker.
"I dumped the dumb asshole over that," she retorted bitterly. "As much as I hate to admit it, you did me a favor releasing all of that information. I knew his family was skeevy, but even I didn't think they would be actual Empire donors."
"It's not that surprising," Stratego rumbled quietly.
"Yeah, but it's not likely that little miss privilege ever had to care about this shit," Fester retorted. "Let's go punch some Nazis later!"
Sure, after we avoid this trainwreck.
"Isn't he dead?" Alkaline immediately asked, triggering another round of laughs from the chorus.
"My uncle, too," Dinah said around a mouthful of popcorn. "I don't see him managing to get reelected even with all the money he's throwing around to put out the fires." She let out an undignified snort. "Good thing we have the PRT. Oh, wait…"
"Tay, your dad should totally run," Chrissie said, poking me in the side. "After the way he punched Hookwolf, he'd be a shoo-in."
I shook my head. "He wouldn't want the job. They had to fight just to get him to take over the Union after Frank died. Getting him to run for Mayor?" I couldn't help but snort as I imagined that conversation.
"Yeah, and the Teeth connection wouldn't do him any favors, he's almost as tainted as Christner, publicly," Chrissie chimed in. She blinked as most of us gaped at her. "What? I pay attention to this shit too!"
"That's my girl," I said, kissing her cheek.
Amelia glanced at Victoria, back at me as I settled in again, then smirked. "We could always try to convince Weaver to run."
I spit beer across the room.
While Quarrel's power prevented the worst of it, one fly in particular notwithstanding, I did still end up making a mess of things. That everyone in the room — including Victoria's half-hidden smirk and the guffawing assholes in my head — was laughing didn't help matters.
"Hell yeah! That would be hilarious!" Pyro cheered.
Chisel nodded slowly. "That's one way to take over the city."
"Yeah, yuk it up assholes," I grumbled, grabbing a napkin to wipe myself down. "Besides, don't you have to be eighteen to run?"
"Next election then?" Chrissie wondered with a finger to her chin. "I'd rather not roll the dice on XVI."
"Me either," I muttered.
"I thought the Teeth celebrated new Butchers?" Victoria asked.
"Weaver was challenged yesterday. She won, but barely," Lisa stated. "Nobody really wanted a new Butcher, but Animos was determined."
"They lost their nullifier? Shit, that's huge," Victoria said, reaching for her phone.
"Bastard's still alive," Amy retorted. "Weaver spared him."
"Why would she—" Victoria was cut off by the ringing of a phone: mine.
I glanced at it, not recognizing the number, but answered all the same. "Hello."
"Taylor," my dad said with a sigh of relief. "How are you?"
"I'm…" I hesitated, then settled on the honest truth. "I'm stretched thin after everything, but my friends are helping me try and relax. We ordered pizzas and are watching a few classics… It hasn't been easy, but I'm coping." My voice trailed off, falling to a whisper. "I almost lost you."
"I… I'm sorry Taylor," Dad muttered, his voice choked. "I just couldn't—"
"Let everyone die," I finished for him. "I get it, but punching Hookwolf? As badass as that was—
"Hella badass." Chrissie interjected.
"—Hella badass, apparently. Please, for the love of everything, never do something like that again. Please. I'll give you Tattletale's number, she runs mission control, she can—"
"Are you a cape?"
My jaw snapped shut and I was forced to push down more than a few of the more vocal Butchers just to give myself room to think. I wanted to tell him, I needed to tell him, but…
"Not over the phone, please," I muttered. "Next time I see you, I'll explain everything, I promise."
"Taylor, you need—"
"In. Person," I said firmly. "You deserve that much."
The line was silent for a moment before Dad spoke again. "Okay, I'll hold you to that. You gonna be okay staying at the house?"
I chuckled. "The Empire capes are all dead or captured, not that there isn't more work to be done. My friends insisted I needed a break even though I'm not sure I agree."
"That shouldn't be your burden, Taylor…"
"Dad, it's—" I took a slow, deep breath. "There's too many things I have to step around right now, I'll see you tomorrow, love you."
"No, we'll continue this—" His voice cut off as I ended the call.
"Probably not the best of ideas," Lisa said, pinching her nose. "He's on the edge, borderline desperate. He's probably looking into the Wards right now."
I snorted. "Oh, that could be fun. Can I put killing Hookwolf on my resume or would that be a bit braggadocio, even for me?"
"Damn it!" Fester cursed, and I mentally replayed the last few seconds.
Oh, shit… Oops?
Victoria frowned. "But Wea…ver…oh…oh fuck."
"Hell yeah! I finally won one!" Marauder cheered.
"Bullshit, Taylor gave the game away," Pyro complained.
"Bingo," I said dryly as a few bugs began to fly circles around my head. "Would you like a prize for figuring out the worst kept secret in the Bay?"
"Second worst," Chrissie said cheerfully. "One glance would tell you I'm Vex. Especially with this bitchin' scar your sister gave me!"
Amelia leaned closer to Lisa, her hand up to cover her mouth and faux whispered. "It's the beard."
Chrissie smiled sweetly. It was a chilling thing. "You know I can give you scars to match mine."
Victoria's face turned red at the clear threat, but Amelia just snorted. "I can give you the beard with a touch and you wouldn't even know it for years. Try me."
"Look at you PanPan, the claws are really coming out," Dinah said teasingly.
"Damn right," Amelia said with a grin. "Nobody here to judge me for not being little Miss Perfect Healer, after all."
Victoria opened her mouth to contest that, only for her eyes to flit back to Chrissie's exposed arms. "Wait. My sister gave you a scar? What the hell, Ames? Since when are you doing cosmetic work? I thought that was against your rules?"
"Did they seriously distract her from the revelation that Weaver's sitting right in front of her?" Sanguine asked.
"Either that was most impressive…" Ironsides began.
"Or she's like a cat who just saw a red dot." Butcher finished.
Amelia scowled at her sister. "Who are you, Carol? You've never cared about me doing unethical things with my powers before now, so don't give me shit about doing a favor for one of my friends. It's just a scar, not like anyone cares apart from Chrissie."
"It's badass," Chrissie declared.
"But… When did you possibly have time to heal the Teeth? You were out with —" Victoria froze, staring at the two cuddling girls; her eyes narrowed a second later. "You weren't on a date at all, the other day. You were out with them, with the Teeth. Amy, you can't just… go out and be a villain like that!"
"I wasn't being a villain! I was just healing them as they were fighting the Empire! You know, the people who killed Aunt Jess? It's not like the Protectorate or New Wave has been doing anything about it, so excuse me for wanting to get some very well-deserved revenge!"
Victoria nearly seemed to explode at that. "You're a hero!"
"A hero who spends all of her time fucking around at the hospital and not even getting paid!" Amelia yelled back, pushing Lisa off of her lap so she could confront her sister. "The only reason I do it is because I hate myself just a little bit less than staying at home, because it's not like I'm even fucking welcome there! Did you ever notice, or were you too busy fucking your Empire-sympathizing boyfriend?!"
"Taylor, I recommend against letting this situation get out of hand," Damascian said quickly. "Teenagers and powers —"
"What, exactly, is she going to do? Try to steal her sister?" Ironsides asked.
"Wouldn't be the first time one of the Batshit Brigade did that…" Chisel murmured.
A look of horror came over Victoria's face. "What the fuck happened to you, Ames?"
"I found people that actually cared about me, apart from you," she retorted. "I'm not going to join the damn Teeth, but Taylor knows what it's like to have a horrifying power and Lisa has helped me more in a week than Carol has in a year. New Wave just wanted to exploit me for PR and donations. Do you know what the Teeth want from me? Better pot! Hell, they treat me better than your friends at school!"
Victoria stared at her sister for a long moment before flying out of the room, and I considered myself lucky that she opened the door instead of just exploding onto the front lawn. I was still trying to guess her destination when Lisa chuckled darkly. "Well, that actually went better than expected."
"What the fuck?" I hissed, my mind filled with thoughts of Demolition Dallon wrecking the Teeth arena in her anger.
Lisa shrugged. "She'll be fine… probably. Having your worldview upended will do that."
"Didn't Demolition Girl trigger when she got fouled at a Basketball game?" Alkaline asked.
Ironsides scoffed. "The foul was likely the final incident in a long string of expectations both internal and external that shattered in that precise moment."
"No matter how light the straw, it still breaks the camel." Quarrel paraphrased terribly.
"Just look at how corrosive that bitch was to Amy." Damascian added, her voice growing heated. "You can't expect me to believe she wasn't just as neglectful of Victoria."
"So we just let her fly off?" Amelia yelled. "What if she picks a fight in her anger?"
"Unlikely," Dinah murmured unhelpfully. "But it's possible."
Immediately dread settled deep in my chest. Dinah's definition of 'unlikely' wasn't particularly reliable, and Victoria could fly to the arena in minutes, pulp half the Teeth before Big Robbie could even begin to rally the defenders, and fly away before I could do anything. In fact, I was one of the few that could readily counter her, with her having zero resistance to my pain blast.
Lisa sighed. "Vicky isn't that kind of — shit, Taylor, you need to breathe. I had Dinah check things before I even suggested this. Vicky isn't that stupid and you made it abundantly clear how you answer attacks on your own."
"Dinah's power isn't infallible," I said, my voice flat as I tried to push my bugs further and further. "At best it's a guide, at worst, a monkey's paw. Do we really want to rely on that?"
"Dammit, you're supposed to be relaxing." Lisa yelled and I could tell she was growing exasperated as I landed bugs on each person in the room with me.
I didn't really care. "Fuck that noise, she could be going after the arena! I'm not leaving them undefended again!" The Teeth might be under attack without me. Dad could be in danger wherever he was. I needed to be ready to act, to defend my own, to —
Something completely alien burst into existence within my swarm.
It was a bug, yet it wasn't. My eyes turned to focus on this foreign presence resting upon Amelia's open palm even as it took shape. It was sleek in a way few dragonflies were, but it had a ten inch wingspan, far larger than any naturally occurring species, and no real instincts of its own beyond flight. I was enraptured by this wondrous thing before me, then I felt my full control fall upon it as it slipped into my swarm as though it always belonged.
"Fucking hell," Damascian muttered.
"Did she just craft what I think she did?" Stratego demanded with a fervor I rarely heard from the Thinker.
The dragonfly took flight and immediately it was out my window and speeding towards the edges of my range. Amy's expression was smug as my eyes widened in wonderment, a secondary circle of control began to spread outward from the bug as it settled on the edge of my control radius.
There was the barest hint of a delay in how responsive the bugs within this expanded radius moved, but they were mine. Some degradation was to be expected, but she had just created a bug that was a functional Trump. Hell, they granted me almost a thousand feet of extra range.
"This is amazing," I said in wonderment. The Butchers murmured their agreement.
"I knew that would work," Amelia said with satisfaction radiating off each word. "How many would it take for you to reach the arena?"
She was already crafting another before my eyes, insect chitin melting as some vine from under her sleeve entwined with the creation. She grinned as I brought in more roaches and flies to fuel her process, an offering for the crafter of life itself before me. They dissolved in droves, vanishing from my perceptions as they did and returning as something more.
Soon enough, the arena fell back under my aegis, although my usual crystal-clear vision felt cloaked in a thick fog. The bugs were so far removed from my perception that it was a challenge to parse any of it, as each relay point had led to a further reduction of my fine control. It was a pain in the ass, but it meant I could observe the arena from home. The last few of the relay bugs finally surrounded the building, ensuring I could sense the entirety of it.
Focusing on the bugs within was like sifting my senses through molasses, sluggish beyond belief as my control filtered through the relays, but I was there. I could feel my spiders, eagerly awaiting their return to work from within their honeycomb hive system deep within the basement. I didn't have the fine control to direct anything so delicate as crafting from here, so I let them be, focusing instead on the conversation I could hear within Alice's room.
"—olf, she protects her own."
I couldn't tell who was speaking, the words garbled like an improperly tuned radio, but I could tell there were three people in the room with them, and I quickly tagged each one so I could label the speakers for easy reference. That habit was something I usually did long before I required the insect's senses in the field.
"She didn't hesitate when it was called for," a rumbling voice said. "I'm a big enough man to admit I was wrong about Weaver."
"That's a first," a higher pitched voice this time. Bug vision was almost useless with this much interference, at best I could see were three indistinct blobs of not color. "Damien was wrong, I'll mark the fucking calendars."
"Fuck off Alice, I'm being serious here."
Two of my tagged bodies were quickly named in the back of my mind and to my swarm.
"Bitch told us she was loyal," the third voice said. "I should have listened to Rachel, she's been a good judge of character so far."
Elliot, most likely.
"Scary shit how she just randomly ignored your scream," Alice said with a laugh. "Who knows, maybe next she'll be controlling her swarm from across the city."
"Why would you even joke about something so terrifying?" Damien hissed.
Alice leaned in. "Maybe she's listening in right now?"
She and Elliot began to laugh, as did all the bugs I had within their walls. I found myself laughing in turn as the trio froze in place at the chittering laughter echoing back at them. I didn't even hesitate to pull Amelia into a crushing hug, Lisa squawking indignantly as she was displaced from her cushy seat on Amelia's lap. The arena was safe under my watchful eye once more, but then I couldn't help but wonder.
"Be careful, with that much interference…" Pyro warned, though I was already focusing on that not-step that accompanied her power.
It was like reaching into cement and grasping at a blob of grease within, then my stomach twisted into a knot as my grip found purchase. Fire rolled off of me as I landed outside the Arena with a wide grin across my face. The PRT would be needing to up my Mover rating significantly thanks to this! Back home, I could still sense it as Amy huffed as Lisa fell over cackling.
I could be there if they needed me.
"Fantastic!" Alkaline mockingly cheered. "Now can you get back home and finally fucking relax?"
Sure, just waiting on the teleport.
"Did we ever figure out how it randomly works better?" Pyro asked.
"Her mentality was similar to your own when you triggered," Stratego offered.
Ironsides scoffed. "Sechen range variance. That's your theory?"
"Do you have a better one?" Stratego asked politely. "It would also explain how Weaver escaped from the PRT's traps all those weeks ago."
"Good as any other theory," Quarrel said with a shrug.
"Imagine if Crackpot was in here with us, he'd be saying it was aliens," Chisel said with a laugh that the entire collective including myself shared with her.
Yeah, because that would be crazy.
I rolled my eyes as the subtle tension of Pyro's power returned to my awareness, signifying it was back. I stepped through the tar and nausea again to arrive in my backyard with a thunderous pronouncement.
"I can see my house from there," I announced as I reentered my home.
"Good, now sit your cute ass back down next to mine so we can educate Amy on the joys of Monty Python," Chrissie said, holding up a copy of the Holy Grail.
Amelia rolled her eyes, ignoring the barb and cracking open a beer. "Those bugs can't reproduce, but they should live for about a month. No offense, but making them breedable would get me a kill order, nevermind if the next Butcher is just as insane as the previous dozen. I can't leave such a powerful tool with them forever."
"That's entirely fair." I said, silencing the collective as they bitched about her proclamation. "It's a force multiplier for sure, but not one that comes without limits."
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.
"Signal degradation," Lisa said, her eyes unfocused as she looked directly at me. "Additional lag per relay point and a subtle signal loss requiring more bugs the further out they get."
"I don't want to hear any bitching about your Thinker headache later," Amelia said, poking her in the side. "I'm sure Taylor was going to explain all that, so we should maybe brainstorm ways to reduce that instead."
Lisa winced, holding back a groan. "Sorry, bad habit. I'm used to people keeping secrets from me. This whole 'being open' thing is a completely new experience."
"Sometimes secrets are necessary," Amelia said as if quoting a tired argument.
"And sometimes they need to be spoken." I said softly, steeling my resolve. "I can't keep putting it off, I need to tell my dad."
That was my last real elephant in the room. Now that I had survived a challenge for leadership, it was time for me to stop hiding and finally tell Dad. After Hookwolf and Cricket almost killed him, he deserved to know exactly why they'd targeted him. He needed to know that I was Weaver. Butcher XV.
"This is a big step, Taylor." Reflex said softly. "We'll be here for you."
"Damn right!" Fester added.
Stratego nodded. "Enjoy the movies and then get some sleep, you can tell him in the morning."
They were right. Come what may, tomorrow, Dad would know the truth. But for now, I had a movie to watch and friends to enjoy it with. Chrissie certainly seemed intent on ensuring I relax, given how she was scratching my back with gusto. Lisa was doing similarly for Amelia, who seemed oddly pleased for someone who just ran off her sister. Dinah, as always, had one of her annoyingly smug smiles.
I could definitely understand why Amelia was here.