BROCKTON KNIGHT
"Dare to Look…?"

"So much for my first night out…" Taylor groaned.

The early days of April were always the coldest, especially at night. A gust flew past and brought a cold shudder down her spine. She wished she brought more than a simple fleece jacket and sweats over her costume. On the other hand, it also gave her ideas. It took her weeks to get the suit right, and so far, it fit nicely. It probably helped she was her own best mannequin and her control over insects and bugs of all kinds was second-to-none.

Getting insect-related powers wasn't the worst Taylor Hebert could think of. It wasn't something that screamed 'hero', but it was better than nothing. The same could be said about her costume. It was a rush-job, not helped by her impulsive decision to go out tonight. She would have gone out earlier, but a news report regarding Lung told her otherwise. The leader of the ABB was on a rampage, going after a bunch of villains who supposedly invaded his territory.

Getting involved in that crazy show was not what Taylor wanted her debut to be like. That, and she assumed criminals would be more active during the night.

At least, that was what Taylor thought…

It's really quiet, Taylor thought as she walked through the empty streets. She ventured deep into the southern side of the city. There were plenty of skinheads walking around, but they weren't really doing anything she thought was illegal. Attacking them when they were doing nothing wrong, blatant affiliation with the Empire aside, would just label her a villain. If she was going to make an enemy of the Empire, she would do it right and make allies with the heroes.

Her heart was pounding the further the night went on. There were plenty of things that could go wrong. Anything could happen. What if one of the skinheads tried to…

"Breathe, just breathe…"

Taylor closed her eyes and took slow breathes. Panicking wouldn't help her. She couldn't afford to lose her nerve. Not when she finally made up her mind.

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. All I'm doing is just wandering the streets. I can't hear from my bugs all that well, but I should be able to at least make out things like gunshots or loud noises…

Taylor moved someplace where no one could see her, slipping into an alley and climbing up a nearby fire-escape so as to reach the rooftop. She did a quick lookabout, making sure there was no one nearby before letting the bugs swirling around under her clothes spread out. To the outside observer, the scene would look something straight out of a horror movie. Anyone else would be panicking or freaking out from having so many bugs on them.

For some reason, Taylor didn't think much of it. Before the locker, bugs in general disturbed and freaked her out. Now, she wondered why she was so scared of them in the first place. Some were actually quite adorable, like the Daddy Long Legs that made itself at home in the upper corner of her closet. Bruce wasn't talkative (read: at all. Not being able to hear what bugs were thinking were saying was a total letdown), but he was an excellent listener.

Flies, dragonflies, gnats, mosquitos, skeeters, and any other kind of flying bug began to spread out. She sent them out in small clusters so they wouldn't attract attention. Last thing she wanted was for someone to notice the bugs going around in swarms and realizing someone was controlling them.

Twenty to thirty in groups should do the trick, Taylor smiled. Forty to fifty meters ought to be a big enough net.

The maximum range of her control was around three hundred feet, or three city blocks. From her experiments, she was able to control any and all bugs within that radius, though the maximum number of bugs under her control was still unknown. So far she'd gathered up to a million or so bugs and could still control more.

I still haven't figured out all the limits behind my power… Hm? What's—oh, damn. Thought it was something big. My vision and hearing through the bugs is total crap. I wonder if there's a way to improve my control, or at least fine-tune it.

Taylor assumed joining the Wards could help her on that front, but the idea didn't exactly appeal to her. Truthfully, she did want to join. She just did not want to deal with teenage drama, not when she's had to deal with for a lifetime. Worse, it was superpowered teen drama, which was likely a whole lot worse. Now that she thought about it, the last time she browsed PHO, she saw something about one of their newer members, Shadow Stalker. A vigilante with a mean streak and a "rough" personality. Lone wolf, takes no shit.

Definitely wouldn't want to be on the same team as her, Taylor frowned. Sounds way too much like Sophia.

Ten minutes later, Taylor heard garbled sounds through the 'ears' of her bugs. Ten miles to the west. Someone was fighting.

"Bingo."

Taylor started moving. She broke into a run and jumped to the nearest building. Between her impromptu "exercise" spurred by Sophia sending some goons her way and some light parkour lessons, she was more physically fit than most kids her age. She didn't have an amateur's athletic physique, but she was slowly building up muscle. It helped her endurance as well.

Still, landing on her shoulder hurt no matter how many times she did it.

Taylor kept listening to her bugs to make sure whatever was happening was still going on. This could be her first real encounter with crime and she did not want to be late.

The 'party' as it were was happening inside an autoshop. Now that she was getting closer, she could hear someone screaming and shouting in…Japanese?

"ABB? In Empire territory?"

Taylor frowned. Had Lung managed to set up shop under Kaiser's nose, or was this an attempt at taking territory? Granted, Taylor didn't know how much of the city was under the gang's control, but she at least knew the parts where the gangs liked to show themselves off. They were deep in Empire territory, and Lung's crew usually kept to themselves in Downtown.

Cautiously, she prepared her pepper spray and poked her head through the entryway. A couple of guards were found clocked out and sprawled across the floor in compromising positions, one flat on his back with a bloody nose and the other clinging to a table with blood dribbling from his mouth.

She stepped inside, carefully going further inside the autoshop until she reached the source of the loud noises. She appeared to arrive at the tail-end of the conflict, finding only a single man looking around wildly amid the dimly-lit garage. A car sat atop a hydraulic pillar, raised and suspended with chains to keep it from falling and crushing someone underneath. A toolbox laid discarded on the floor with its innerds spilled and scattered all over the place. More men were found unconscious. One in particular was dangling in the air, ankle wrapped in thick chains with a busted head.

The man was looking around wildly, swinging his crowbar around in a mad panic. She saw the green-and-red bandanna wrapped around his bicep and his Asian features, immediately marking him as an ABB member. He was also terrified out of his mind; wide eyes, cold sweat, and shaking fingers.

"Doko ni iru no yo, kuso yarō?! Ittai doko ni iru no?!" the man screamed fearfully in his native tongue. "Anata wa watashi ga anata o kowagatte iru to omoimasu ne! Watashi wa chigaimasu, kikoemasu ka?! Anata wa nanimonai! Nanimonai!"

For a brief moment, for only a second, there was just silence. Taylor heard only the panicked, fearful panting of the thug and the soft rattles of dangling chains.

Another second passed before a voice broke the silence. "Shut up, asshole."

Taylor did not see him. She had her bugs on the walls, covering every possible vantage point, but up until the assailant spoke, the only person standing in the garage was the thug. Out of nowhere, the assailant emerged from the darkness and struck, driving the edge of a thick steel wrench into the ABB thug's knee. He cried and crumpled to the ground, unable to defend himself when the assailant grabbed his arm and shattered his elbow by bringing it down on his knee.

With his kneecap possibly shattered and his arm broken, the ABB thug was taken down and no longer a threat. The assailant grabbed him by the throat and held him up, showing off impressive physical strength and pinning him against the car.

Taylor narrowed her eyes. The assailant was a cape by the look of him; dark cargo pants with holsters and pouches wrapped around the thighs, leather combat boots with steel-tips. Over the tactical steel breastplate with the red bat-like insignia was a black leather jacket and gloves, forearms protected by dark-gray bracers with two small blades along the 'spine'.

The most distinctive feature was the crimson red helmet that encompassed his whole head, bearing no discernable features other than the narrow, angry-looking white streaks mimicking eyes.

Click.

Taylor's eyes widened when she saw the cape draw a gun from one of the holsters, pulling back the hammer and pressing the muzzle against the thug's neck. "You got ten seconds to tell me what I want to know. You bullshit me or try something, I decorate this place with your brains."

"B-bullshit…" the thug spoke, slurred in pain and in broken English. "Y-you don't got the guts—"

The girl flinched, reeling when she saw a tooth go flying out of the thug's mouth. An angry red bruise began forming over his face. "Do I look Protectorate to you, jackass?" the cape growled. "Now, start talking. Bakuda. Where is she?"

Bakuda? Taylor did not know the name. It sounded Japanese, so she assumed it was someone in the ABB.

Whoever she was, it was enough to make the thug's face go pale. "Sh-she'll kill me…"

"What makes you think I won't?"

"Y-you don't understand. She ain't like the Oni. She-she the Akuma, man. The other day, she-she told us to go nab some folks, didn't care who! What she did…"

The man whimpered, almost sobbing really. Taylor was not liking where this was going. Whoever this Bakuda was, she was bad news if someone in her own gang acted like this.

"What happened to them?" the cape demanded.

"I-I don't know. I-I wasn't there when she implanted the bombs! I swear!"

Implanted? Oh, fuck me…

"And where is she?"

"I-I don't know!" The cape pressed the gun a little harder against the thug's neck. He panicked and screamed. "I-I'm telling the truth! Lung keeps moving her around, s-so the Protectorate doesn't find her! The Oni! The Oni's the only one who knows! I swear!"

At this point, the thug was sobbing. The cape glared a while longer before he stowed his gun away. Taylor breathed a sigh of relief, only to freeze in fear again when she heard the thug cry out in pain. He fell to the floor, clutching his leg. A red stain was forming in his pants leg.

"The knife's in your femoral artery," the cape told him. "You pull it out, you die. I don't ever wanna you see around here again, do you understand me? If I find out you hurt anyone, laid a finger on an innocent woman and dragged her to one of your whore houses…" He didn't finish his threat because he didn't need to. The violence he inflicted upon him was enough to get the point across.

The cape brought his boot down and smashed it down on the thug's face, knocking him out. With that, the cape stood alone. Only Taylor witnessed his actions.

Her heart pounded against her chest so hard she could hear every heartbeat in her ears. She could feel the blood pumping through her blood. What was she supposed to do? Should she call the police and let them know what was happening? Should she talk to the cape? He was a good guy, right? He didn't kill them despite his threat, and he knocked the guy out, so that meant he was a hero…right?

She also considered the possibility the cape was also someone from another gang, like the Empire or the Merchants. If that was the case, then he was a villain. She could swarm him with her insects, distract him long enough to take off his helmet and spray him. Disorient him long enough to knock him out. A few bug bites and stings and he'd be—

"You can come out, or I can drag you out. Your choice, kid."

Fuck. Me.

He knew. He knew she was here.

Taylor swallowed, clutching the pepper spray for dear life. What was she supposed to do? Run? Confront him? What was the best option here? He didn't seem like the patient type.

She took a deep breathe, and dumped her emotions off to her bugs. The buzzing noise around her grew thick for a moment before subsiding. Compared to her usual bursts of emotions, these feelings of rushing fear lasted for only a few seconds. With a (somewhat) clearer mind, Taylor removed herself from her hiding spot and made herself known to the cape.

He stared at her appraisingly, but said nothing. His gaze was intimidating, almost like a wolf.

"…who are you?" Taylor asked carefully and slowly, lowering her voice. Part of her wondered if she sounded like a dork.

The cape grunted. "Call me Red Hood," he replied. Now Taylor had a name to put to that angry red visage. "And going by that outfit… I'm going to guess your new. First night?"

"How did you know I was here?"

"The bugs."

Taylor blinked. How had he noticed them? She kept the noise down to the barest minimum and hid them in the darkest places she could find. Did he have some kind of mental power? What did everyone on PHO call it again? Thinker or something? Or was his helmet tinkertech? Maybe it was both. Either way, she felt even more on guard. This person was dangerous.

"You didn't have to be so violent," she said, looking at the whimpering, groaning ABB thug on the ground. The bleeding was minimal, and it did not look like he would bleed to death. Even so, it was difficult to look at. "He was already beaten. He told you what he knew."

Red Hood scoffed. "Great, another goody two-shoes type. Just what the doctor ordered." Taylor frowned, not liking his attitude. He dismissed her as he turned on his heel. "Go home, kid. Before you go and get yourself killed."

"I'm not a kid!" Taylor rebuked. Her chest felt hot.

"Your attitude says otherwise," Red Hood called back. He bent down and effortlessly pulled up the garage door. At that moment, a two wheel vehicle slowed to a stop in front of him. Its design and armored plating had 'tinker' written all over it. "But, hey, what do I know? If you wanna be a hero so bad, why not take up your case to the PRT? I'm sure they'll take you on. They could use more kids anyway."

She quickly dumped her feelings onto her bugs. She refused to rise to the bait, to give him the satisfaction. He knew nothing. Taylor was not weak. She could do this. She just had to prove it. Taylor would prove him wrong.

She watched Red Hood hop on top of his motorcycle and drive away, quickly leaving the scene. She looked at the fallen ABB thugs and grimaced. The bugs she had swirling around the area saw no sign of police cars or PRT, meaning no one heard the noises or the authorities were running late. In the former case…

"This is so not what I had in mind…" Taylor sighed. Reluctantly, she walked over to a nearby gang member and patted his pockets, looking for a phone. A minute later, she called the police department.

Contrary to what Taylor was expecting, the Brockton Bay Police Department arrived. There were no black-and-yellow vans with shields or men and women decked out in riot gear. There was not a cape in sight. It was only the boys in blue. Part of her felt disappointed, but it made sense. The only way the PRT would get involved was if she told them there was a cape on the scene. Red Hood was gone, and the person on the phone never asked if she was a cape, so of course it was the police who answered.

The officer speaking with her was a detective, or so she assumed. The other cops listened to him and he had that whole "badass cop" vibe going for him. Chiseled chin, rugged sideburns, sharp eyes… Honestly speaking, Taylor first thought he was Wolverine dressed as a police officer.

"You do all this?" he asked gruffly, glancing at the nearby ambulance hauling away the thug with the knife sticking out of his leg.

Taylor quickly shook her head. "I got here by the end of it," she told him. "The guy who fought them, he… He really wasn't nice at all."

"Let me guess, first night out?" She nodded. The detective sighed. "Let me guess, haven't figured out a name yet?"

"No." And not for a lack of trying. All the good ones she came up with were either taken or sounded like a villain name. It didn't help her powers made it very difficult to come up with something that made bugs come off as being heroic.

The detective gave her a hard stare, looking at her up and down for a while before sighing. "And you haven't considered joining the Wards?"

"I have, but…" She rung her hands together. It was not like she could just tell him her main hang-up with them was the teen drama aspect.

Thankfully, the detective didn't press the issue. Instead, he focused on the matter at hand. "Okay, newbie… Explain to me what went down as best you can."

Taylor nodded and recounted how her evening went, specifically how she found out about the crime in progress and her arrival on the scene. She made sure to mention her powers to the detective, who fortunately made only a mild look of discomfort when she gave him a small demonstration of her bug control. She told him how she found the ABB gang members unconscious in the auto shop, and how she came across another cape in the midst of interrogating one of their members.

"He was looking for someone. An ABB cape, I think. Said her name was Bakuda and that she made bombs or something. Something about implanting them in people?"

"Christ on a pontiff," the detective groaned. "Just what this city needs. Can't wait to hear Lung talking about a bomb-toting maniac with suicide bombers. Would've love to know about this beforehand." He turned his head to the side and angrily muttered under his breathe so she wouldn't hear. She heard him all the same thanks to her bugs, dismal though their listening capabilities were. "Fucking PRT…"

Taylor narrowed her eyes under her mask. Was there some kind of tension between the BBPD and the PRT?

The detective straightened himself out quickly like nothing happened. "Okay, this guy in the helmet. He mention a name at all?"

"He said his name was Red Hood. Does that name mean anything to you?"

The detective swore as his face scrunched into something ugly. "You sure that's what he called himself?"

"Yeah. He had a red helmet on and everything. Threatened to blow a guy's brains out with a gun." She tilted her head curiously. "Do you know him?"

"…you keep up with cape news at all, kid?"

I'm not a kid, Taylor wanted to say. She wisely didn't and instead replied in a more professional. "I…really haven't been keeping up as much as I should have. I know the big league cape names like Hookwolf, Krieg, and Stormtiger. Other than that…"

"In that case, I advise you catch up. Got a lot of heavy reading. Just know that Red Hood ain't no fucking hero, no matter what anyone says, you understand?" Taylor nodded. The detective huffed. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He walked away, angrily swearing and muttering while giving out orders.

Seeing no more reason to stick around, Taylor left the scene. It was getting late as it was, and seeing as how her first night out as a cape turned out to be a bust, she saw little choice but to head home.

Her first day as a hero turned out to be bogus despite her hopes, but she was not going to give up. There was always tomorrow to look forward to.

Taylor woke up early in the morning, much to her chagrin. Between getting only three or four hours of sleep and making up a half-baked excuse to her father about not going to school today, she practically dragged her feet along the house. The problem was quickly remedied with a cup of coffee and a decent breakfast. After that, she immediately followed up on the detective's advice on getting to better know the cape scene.

The first thing she did was look up the Red Hood. Just typing the name into the search engine produced some interesting results, including news reports, articles, YouTube videos, and a link to a PHO page discussing the cape himself. She started with the online reports and worked her way from there. The information she found was…enlightening, to say the least.

RED HOOD! HERO OR VILLAIN?

The city of New York is no stranger to violence. Like most cities in the U.S., villain attacks are an almost daily, sometimes weekly occurrence, though the presence of famed Triumvirate member Legend often serves as a deterrent to would-be criminals and major players. Sadly, this does not stop some of the more outrageous villains, such as the Teeth and its infamous leader, from challenging him. In late October of 2010, the Butcher launched an attack on the New York Protectorate leader during what was supposed to be a charity event for Saint Jude.

Legend and the PRT soldiers with him during the event worked to repel the Butcher and their gang, but it seemed at first the battle was at a stalemate according to eye witness reports. Much of this stems from the fact that the Butcher is one of the few capes to possess multiple powers, and said powers are passed down to whoever kills the Butcher or is nearby upon their death. The potential threat of the Butcher's death creating a new successor is enough reason for the PRT to aim for subjugation instead of killing the villain.

However, the battle took a surprising turn when a new cape emerged on the scene, arriving on a highly-advanced motorcycle suspected to be of tinkertech design and wielding firearms. The new arrival showed no leniency and openly used lethal force, killing several Teeth gang members and critically wounding the Butcher in the process. The New York PRT attempted to subdue the cape, only for them to somehow disappear after the Butcher was apprehended.

Eye-witnesses at the scene claim the cape introduced themselves as Red Hood and demonstrated open hostility towards both the Teeth and the PRT. Reasons for their aggressions are unknown, but they made a lasting impact in their role in the Butcher's capture.

The whereabouts of Red Hood are unknown, though PRT spokesperson Charlie Roberts as well as Legend went on record to say that although they were grateful for Red Hood's assistance, they disapproved his willingness to use lethal force and urged him to join the Protectorate.

RED HOOD CONTINUES VIOLEN TAKEDOWNS! NUMEROUS CRIMINALS FOUND DEAD!

In the weeks following the disastrous charity event where PRT and Protectorate forces clashed with the Butcher and the Teeth, reports of criminal activity throughout the City That Never Sleeps went on the rise as though the Butcher's attempts to defeat Legend sparked some sort of pissing contest among the city's most nefarious criminals. Gang violence, robberies, murders, the whole shebang.

However, those same criminals are also facing unexpected troubles of their own. The infamous Red Hood has been reportedly sighted across New York combating these selfsame criminals. There are numerous reports of people hearing gunshots and screams, many of which caused by Red Hood himself dealing out justice. Some criminals had to be hospitalized, whereas others were found dead and sometimes even executed.

The excessive use of violence and use of firearms in public settings has not endeared the newest so-called "hero" to the general populance, with many decrying Red Hood to be just as bad as the criminals he takes down. Though this isn't to say there are some supporters. Victims of criminal assaults who lost families voiced their approval of Red Hood's actions, including the families of those lost in the charity event.

The PRT continues to urge Red Hood to join the Protectorate, if only so he might be under their supervision and perhaps rehabilitate him. Of course, this could also be in response to the rapidly growing reports of similar vigilante cases that have been springing up all across the U.S. Red Hood's actions and surprising efficiency in tackling criminals of all kinds seems to have inspired others to follow suit, most notably Chicago's resident vigilante Hot Shot.

We at Online Cape Reports will continue to keep you updated as the situation progresses…

[THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY…]

WHO IS RED HOOD?
Posted by: CapeHusband07

Okay, this has been on my mind since what happened all the way back in October. I was there at the event when things went to hell, and let me tell you, shit was fucking crazy. Let me tell you, getting caught up in a cape fight isn't fun, especially when the Teeth are involved. Sure, I made it out with a broken bone or two (and everbody says scars don't look cool. My boyfriend begs to differ), but it was a goddamn nightmare. Especially when that red-helmet wearing guy got involved.

I didn't really think about it at first, but when I saw the video, I couldn't help but notice how, well… How easy this guy was fighting. Never heard of Red Hood before. Anybody know if he's new or a vet?

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Ricardo
Replied October 27, 2010

I combed the internet for about half an hour looking up info about this guy. Turns out there was another cape who went by that name all the way back in the 90's, so in Vikare's day. Guy was a villain who did robberies. Articles I found don't say whether he used guns or not, though.

YouCantStopTheWall
Replied October 27, 2010

Nope. Never heard of him until now, either. He's probably new. Anybody got a link to the vid?

BitBit
Replied October 27, 2010

Link.

TheRealSlenderman
Replied October 27, 2010

Fuck me. I knew the charity event was a shitshow and a half even with Legend there, but Jesus fucking Christ. The hell were the Teeth doing there anyhow?

MarioSuperStarFan
Replied October 27, 2010

You really expect villains to have reasons for what they do? Especially the Butcher of all people?!

TheRealSlenderman
Replied October 27, 2010

Okay, fair point. Still, looking at the vid, I get why people are wondering if Red Hood's a veteran cape or something. I've taken gun kata lessons before, and I'm nowhere near that good.

I Game For Your Safety
Replied October 27, 2010

You do gun kata?

TheRealSlenderman
Replied October 27, 2010

A friend of mine does fan productions. I usually play the kickass bad guy. Tough work, let me tell ya.

Ricardo
Replied October 27, 2010

Dug a little deeper. Gold Age Red Hood did not use guns, but he did weaoponize playing cards like those weird-as-shit dealers in action movies. So the guy at the charity event is probably one of those "legacy capes" where they take up an old name and re-invent it.

Gotta say, dude's doing a bang-up job. Saw a news report the other day about how he took on March. No word on whether she's dead or not, but cops found her pinned to the wall a la Jesus.

CapeHusband07
Replied October 27, 2010

I just saw the news myself. One thing's for sure, this asshole is hardcore. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if he picks a fight with the Elite or the Adepts.
EDIT (December 15, 2010) I WAS JOKING!

[Go to PAGE 2] [Jump to NEWEST]

It was 1:08 in the afternoon by the time Taylor looked away from the computer screen, digesting the information she just read. They were all second-hand accounts, some more detailed than others, and the PHO pages were mostly the same as the other forums and news articles albeit more animated, but they were all informative.

"So, he's like Shadow Stalker, only worse…" Taylor sighed. "Well, that's just great."

Prior to coming to Brockton Bay, Red Hood waged a one-man war on the gangs of New York. The Teeth were all but wiped out, leaving only their sister cell in Boston. The Butcher remained in Protectorate captivity, with many speculating she was either going to the Birdcage or a private facility to prevent a potential Butcher XV from emerging. The Adepts were crippled severely, though no one knew if the gang was down and out for good. No one knew what happened to Lost Garden or if Red Hood even found them. There wasn't so much as a peep about them.

The same went for the Elite. Apparently, they were the only gang Red Hood either failed to cripple or chose not to attack for some reason.

Either way, regardless of who and who he did not go after, there was no denying the trail of bodies he left behind.

There were other reports and incidents outside of New York as well. Rochester, Syracuse, Newsburgh… Even cities like Boston and Chicago. Red Hood did not stay in one place for too long.

Taylor looked up how long Red Hood had been in Brockton Bay. She found nothing beyond speculation about where Red Hood would go next. Odds are it wouldn't be long before she saw news reports about his activities here in the city.

I wonder if he's just sticking to the ABB for now, Taylor thought. I didn't find any mention of a Bakuda anywhere on the net, so many she's a new cape who joined Lung recently.

On the subject of the other gangs, Taylor was glad she took the detective's advice about reading up on the gangs more thoroughly. Not only did she have a better grasp on what territories they held, but the wikis were constantly updating information about their respective rosters. She knew the Empire had a lot of capes, but she did not realize how many. Theirs was double the size of the Protectorate ENE's roster!

Unfortunately, reading about the gangs created another unsettling feeling in her stomach. She wagered she could take down a couple unpowered thugs with ease thanks to her bugs, but what about other capes? What if she had to fight Rune or Othala? Could she take them down on her own? Could she even survive fighting someone like Hookwolf or Victor?

For a moment, doubt crept into her being. Then she remembered Red Hood's words to quit and heard the Trio's sickening jeers echo in the back of her mind. The doubt died and withered to nothing. Any lingering feelings were dumped onto her bugs.

It was still early. She could not give up just yet. Taylor knew she could do this. She had to.

Around the time she started going on runs, Taylor also decided to take up self-defense lessons. It didn't take a lot to convince her father, not with the city they were in, though he had some concerns about her choice of learning. The Laborn Gym was outside the Boardwalk and away from the 'comfort zone' as they called it. It was thankfully outside any gang territories, but that didn't stop hooligans and two-bit thugs from walking around in search of easy marks.

It wasn't Taylor's first choice, but it was the closest and safest of the bunch. That, and she would never think to admit this to her father, but the Laborn Gym had excellent eye-candy.

At the far back of the gym, helping a blonde-haired kid her age with a sizable belly, was who she assumed was a regular given how often she saw him when she came. Mocha-colored skin, rockin' biceps, a handsome face, dark cornrows…

"Close your mouth, kid. You're gonna drool."

Taylor clamped her mouth shut as she felt her face burn. This was embarrassing. Usually she'd keep her ogling to the minimum. She glanced to her side, finding a man taking up the running machine next to her. He was well-built, more so than the dark-skinned regular. His physique was far and away better than hers to the point he looked like an Olympic sportsman. He had a v-line jaw and hard features, steely-green eyes that reminded her of her father whenever he got angry, and dark-hair with a skunk-stripe on the right side of his bangs.

For some reason, Taylor got a sense of déjà vu as though she met this person before.

"Something on my face?"

God damn, I'm off today… Taylor grimaced and quickly apologized. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I swore I've seen you before…"

"Doubt it. Moved here about a week ago," the man said without breaking stride. "Came looking for work." He frowned slightly. "Bit of trouble trying to find one, though. No offense, kid, but this city is the goddamn pits."

Taylor smiled ruefully. "You're not the first one to say that," she said. "I'm Taylor, by the way. For what it's worth, welcome to Brockton Bay."

"Jason," the man said. "Pleasure."