It was ready.
Her first proper hero costume.
Taylor stepped back to admire her work.
The outfit was still darkly coloured, but with actual colours rather than just being a black outline in space (she'd had enough being mistaken for some kind of bogeyman {even if the peanut gallery kept reminding her she technically was one} damnit!). The subtle patterns of greys and blues had been picked to suggest a heroic alignment without drawing too much attention her way.
Using Forges Tinker abilities had allowed her to create a bullet resistant but breathable fabric to place over her mouth, ears and nose.
Testing had demonstrated she was able to breathe and speak through this material without issue, with Forge even hopeful that it could filter out harmful gases.
It was only after this material was developed that someone realised she could have used Shapers powers to open a mouth hole whenever she needed to speak but keep it closed the rest of the time (it was really hard to keep her predecessors straight when she wasn't paying attention).
The costume itself remained essentially form-fitting, adjusted (somehow) to remove all traces of her breasts while worn, leaving her a mysterious androgynous figure.
A new addition had been a cape, or closer to a cloak really.
She had added it after producing a lot more of the new fabric than she needed and it being suggested that she could use the cover of the cape to hide when she used her 'Phase' powers, making it seem that she simply dodged.
In fact, the Butchers agreed that, by playing up the 'mysterious hero' angle she could pretend to be a group of Capes posing as a single hero.
She had shot down the idea, as sooner or later someone would surely recognise the powers of the known Butchers, and potentially discover her own power.
Which would be a rather embarrassing way to be unmasked.
This didn't mean she wasn't going to use any of her powers though.
The Thinker powers (mainly Dodgers) could (if she was lucky) be mistaken for good instincts or training, and teleporting while hidden by the cloak could fit the identities mystique.
Provided she could hide the explosion somehow.
Note: try teleporting while phasing.
"Good idea! If it wasn't for the explosions I wouldn't have inherited. I was just trying to get clear!"
We don't know if it will work yet, Taylor reminded Detonator (who had started trying to get her to call her 'mum', which was a mix of scary, creepy and weird).
Still, the outfit was complete.
Time to get her hour of sleep and-
There was a hard knocking at her door, and Taylor almost called them in.
Which would not have ended well.
"A minute," she called, reaching out for the costume and exerting Shapers power.
Over the myriad iterations of her costume (each with its own Creepasta name, if she had heard the term right) she had become skilled in using the power, even without the Thinker elements apparently lost as IX inherited.
As such it was no problem to, using certain aspects of the design to help, collapse her costume, it folding into itself until the cloak unfurled and disguised the outfit as a cushion.
Which wasn't the least suspicious item to carry in a backpack, but was at least less suspicious than a hero costume.
She was barely finished before the door opened, Bastion just outside with a clearly apologetic Roulette next to him, who fixed her eyes yo the ground after one look at her.
"You are later than normal getting up," Bastion began before Taylor could complain about the invasion of her privacy. "If you do not hurry you won't have time to eat before you have to leave for school."
"Wait, we pulled an all-nighter? Huh, usually those involve more gir-"
The former Butcher was cut off.
"Are you okay?"
Roulettes honest question interrupted Taylors response.
"It doesn't look like you're getting enough sleep. Do you need a day off or something?"
"If she can get to school there is no reason-"
Roulette glared at the hero. "Everyone has days when things get too much, and they just need time for themself. If you saw some of my visions for if I went in when I was like that…" the girl shivered.
"Uh, didn't you say that your visions aren't actually all that accurate?"
Bastion suddenly fixed Roulette with a certain look.
She winced.
"Doesn't change my point."
"Wards regulations insist on proper schooling. To skip out for no reason-"
"I'd say Phase has medical grounds to decline. Especially as she doesn't seem to have noticed that she kinda unmasked to us now."
Taylor blinked, and lifted a hand to her face.
She was indeed not wearing a mask.
"I can't remember the last time a Butcher was exhausted enough to make that mistake."
"IX, at that convention."
"Doesn't count. Everyone thought we were doing a poor taste costume."
"I guess it's only fair to show my face," Roulette decided, interrupting the discussion. She shifted her mask from her face in an awkward manner. "And this is the point I'd introduce myself again, but as yours wasn't so much a deliberate unmasking as Bastion proving once again that he needs more sensitivity training, I think I'll skip that."
"If you're both unmasking-"
"Why are you in costume if it's nearly time for school?"
Taylor really didn't want another 'unmasking will help build the bonds of teamwork and friendship' speech from Bastion, especially not after he was responsible for a Ward seeing her face. Besides, the question had been waiting to be asked since Bastion brought up the time.
"You've heard how we do publicity things at schools? The whole 'you too can be a hero' or 'join a gang and we will catch you'," she answered, putting on a cartoon sidekick making fun of the hero voice. "I have one due today, so they're giving me a sick day. Nobody ever tells you that joining the heroes does so much damage to your perfect attendance record."
"What perfect attendance? I've seen your school records?"
Roulette just grinned at Bastions lack of comprehension.
Taylor stifled a laugh by turning it into a cough.
If she could trust the Wards Roulette would definitely end up as her friend.
"Why can't you trust them? It was only the local branch, and you're free of them now." Fester sounded genuinely confused.
"You can trust the Teeth. You don't need the PR Taskforce," Butcher I disagreed.
They shipped me off here rather than deal with the problem, Taylor reminded them, ignoring the firsts latest argument for joining his gang. For all I know they picked Boston because of them agreeing with what they let Hess get away with.
"-zoning out again," she heard Roulette state, causing her to blink as she refocused on the conversation.
"I see what you mean," Bastion agreed. "Losing the ability to follow a conversation is a sign of a valid health risk. I will organise a sick day with the school, Tay-"
"No names!"
They jumped at Roulettes sudden shout.
"You think that accidentally, or should that be 'accidentally', revealing Phases name will do anything for her issues around the PRT?" Roulette sighed. "Every day I half expect to hear that Bastion unmasked someone. I can't promise anything, but I'll try to forget what little I heard of your name. But in the interests of fairness, call me 'Dez' out of mask, kay?"
Her piece said the Ward dis her best to drag the Protectorate member away, shushing him whenever he tried to speak.
Taylor closed the door, slumping against it to prevent further intrusions.
"There was something off there, wasn't there?"
"The PRT has always been clear about looking out for the health of the Wards, so it would make sense for them to keep an eye out for missed meals."
Taylor nodded slowly.
"I guess that makes sense. Still, how did we not notice so much time passing?"
There was the sensation of a shrug.
"We don't have the same sense of time as when we were alive."
"Well, I seem to have the day off. How should we use the time?"
"Check the catch-up service. We've been missing my soaps!"
{}
Roulette prepared for her appearance at the assembly.
It was so much easier to keep her identity safe by making sure to only think of herself as 'Roulette' while in costume and by her other name when not, just as her Protectorate mentor had taught her.
Before she went to an Endbringer battle and never came back.
She gave herself a mental shake.
This was no time for thoughts like that!
She was here to inspire the students, so that any Triggers among them would find safety in the Wards rather than get picked up by a gang.
"Is everyone ready," she asked the teacher acting as liaison.
"Everyone's there," he answered. "Well, except one. A new student off sick already. A Taylor Hebert."
Roulette nodded along to his words, even as she was screaming inside.
She had only realised that Bastion was about yo use Phases civilian identity when he was already saying the 'Tay' at the start of her name, and now she gets the name of a student with the same sound at the start of their name who just happened to have transferred in at about the same time as Phase and who was off the same day as her, causing her to miss the very recently scheduled Wards talk.
Or in other words, she'd just been given Phases secret identity.
So much for her attempts to get the gitl to trust her, to become her friend.
When she got back to base she was going to get Bastion stuck on sensitivity training courses until her power no longer gave any 'Bastion about to say something he really shouldn't' results.
Which, given her power, would take a while.
Her grin as she walked on stage was a better fit for Reynard.
{}
"I can't help but feel there's something we're not getting about our new power."
The sudden voice distracted Taylor from the soap she was getting surprisingly involved with.
Hopefully nobody would notice the missing popcorn until she had a chance to replace it.
"Hey, we're just getting to the good part!"
"What do you mean, something about XVs power we're not getting?"
"Well, the only other Cape we've heard of with a power to pass through objects is Psycho Stalker, and her Breaker state is rather obvious."
"Yeah, but it's useless against electricity."
"Phase doesn't have anything like that. She just goes slightly blurry and passes through solids."
"So? Other people who teleport have greater differences than that between their power and mine."
"There's also the Manton limit problem."
"Did they ever prove that?"
"Should have fused her arm into me and had her hand broken by my heart."
"Plus didn't her power only drop because it was overworked? After only a few minutes use at most?"
"You have heard of Thinker headaches right?"
"But physical powers don't tend to have such tight usage restrictions when used correctly."
"Wasn't there that guy-"
"I mean time based restrictions."
"So you're saying what? The power is actually doing something weird and the Phasing is a side effect?"
"I mean, why would a simple Phasing power interfere with us like it has?"
"Why the hell are you even bringing this up now? Do you realise how hard it is to concentrate when you keep yattering like this?"
"Hey, I'm bored. Thinking can help with that."
"What sort of power could even be used to spoof Phasing? Now shut up so we can enjoy the next episode."
"Actually, I'm out of popcorn, so I need to do a snack run before we keep watching. What time is it?"
"We can't tell unless you're looking at a clock. What does the time matter?"
"I can't exactly do a snack run during school hours. People would get suspicious."
She dug her phone out from her pocket and woke it up.
"Wait, it's nearly evening?"
"At last we can go out for some good old violence! Grab your costume, we have people to beat up!"
Taylor sighed. "That isn't why I go out. In any case, I already missed lunch so I'd better grab dinner first. And replace the Wards popcorn."
"What about-"
"And grab a few bags for when I put the soaps on again. But the PRT would probably get a bit suspicious if I only ate snacks today."
"I dunno, you are a teenager…"
{}
The Teeth were facing dark days.
First the Butcher had been killed (in an admittedly brutal enough manner for instant respect from the Teeth) by a complete unknown, then the new Butcher failed to rejoin them. And now there was talk of urban legends come to life.
For Bob (definitely not Robbie, you only made that mistake once), low ranking unpowered member of the Teeth that he was, the worst was the thought that the stories were connected.
That it wasn't a Cape who killed the Butcher.
But a monster from nightmare instead.
Of course, any mention of fear would see a complete loss of respect at best, so he was still expected to act like a real member of the gang and find himself a fight.
Which, altogether, was why he was stalking the alleys in the evening.
After all, 'the Shadow', 'Gunmouth' and 'Stitch-Face' had not been sighted before evening gave way to night.
(He tried not to wonder if it wasn't that they weren't about but rather nobody told the tale. Or why that would be.)
He spotted a likely mark, a teenager with a shopping bag.
Perfect.
If she had anything good there it would mean more respect when he brought it to the hideout with the tale of the fight (and who would they be to call it exaggerated).
He stepped out of the alley, expecting his obvious Teeth affiliation (the bones were good for that) to cause her to panic, maybe start begging for her life.
She stopped, staring at him like he was one of Blastos creations that had just managed to cut both of its own arms off (that had been a hilarious clash).
Bob hefted his pole (nearly a metal staff, but less expensive).
"Are you serious?"
His promises of pain (not threats, that was one way to get Detonator annoyed enough to take control as he'd witnessed enough times to leave its mark), were interrupted by her flat question.
"Deadly. So if you'll-"
"I mean, really? The first time someone tries to mug me it's one of the Teeth? Are you serious?"
She sighed, and casually caught his swing on her arm.
Bob froze, which turned out to be a mistake.
Before he could see what she was doing she blurred, and he was suddenly looking up at the sky.
There was a clatter as a metal hoop landed on the ground next to him.
"I mean, seriously," the girl continued saying to herself as she walked away, "how did someone like that find a place in the Teeth? There's no way I'd ever let myself be associated with a gang that accepts someone like that as a member."
Perhaps his father was right, Bob decided. Maybe he should have joined the PRT.
AN: Looking back at the previous chapter I saw how much of it focused on Emma. I hadn't realised she was taking up so much of the wordcount. I should have spaced it out over more chapters, but I didn't want to either diminish the failed costume montage or publish a chapter that was too short, so instead you got the Emma focused chapter.
These chapters will be quite important later, when Brockton Bay becomes important again, and just having these major changes off-screen (or an info-dump when we return to the bay) didn't sit right with me, hence the (usually) brief snippets of events back home.
There will be a break before revisiting the ENE situation.