My dreams were plagued by images of monsters and chaos, which was at least a change from the wailing of broken people under the control of Heartbreaker. Waking up was a challenge even with the knowledge I would soon get to be part of one of the best schools in the city, but regardless I managed to pull myself through my daily routine and descend down the stairs, only to find my dad having already prepared breakfast for me and dressed nicely.

"Nerves get to you?" he asked, looking over my haggard face and pushing my plate over to me, which I fell upon like a starving wolf.

"Something like that." I tried to ignore the information about Third Cause for now, pushing it to the back of my mind so I would be able to focus. It would take some time before I felt comfortable learning about the other three names on that list if they were on the same level as that thing.

Today would be the placement test for entering into Arcadia, apparently the filing system at Winslow was about as crappy as every other part of the school and couldn't reliably tell the school where I fit in academically. Thankfully I had managed to learn despite the Trio's best efforts and was fairly confident in the cram sessions I had gotten in over the week.

Just as I finished the last of my breakfast I noticed my dad getting up and putting on a jacket along with grabbing his keys. "C'mon, I took a late day so I could drive you." my dad waved for me to follow him out, and I couldn't get rid of the stupid smile on my face as I followed him.

The car ride itself was rather quiet all things considered, my dad wasn't much of a talker on the road but it was nice just to have him escorting me to this first day with the music over the radio playing.

Of course the nice moment was ruined when the music gave way to the DJ, who gave the usual speech about playing the top twenty before taking on a more somber tone. "And as a reminder to everyone, keep your eyes out for Amy Dallon, a reward is currently being offered by the city for her safe return and the thoughts and prayers of everyone are going out to her, wherever she is."

My dad quickly flicked the radio off and sighed. "Sorry kiddo."

I waved it off and looked out the window, lost in thought for the moment. Even with the Undersiders working for me there wasn't likely going to be anything that could be done to find Amy, even a cursory glance through the Dollhouse hadn't revealed a perfect solution to find her.

While I often claimed to myself that the Dollhouse had a 'solution to any problem' the answer was slightly more complicated than that. There were Doll's that in theory could find Amy, or lead me to clues about where she had been taken, but there were asterisks a page long next to each of them. Tracking through scent, scanning the minds of a large area to try and detect a specific person, enchanting a personal object to track its user, any number of abilities existed but could be subverted through various means or carried dangers that made them difficult to use properly.

That and they carried a less esoteric risk, actively using the powers of a Doll would drain me, leaving me an easy target for the remaining enemies inside of the Bay. I had learned my lesson against Lung about just how dumb an idea it was to fight against an enemy when I was already tired, and Hookwolf had only enforced the lesson that it only took a single slip up to result in game over.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by the jerk of the car stopping and the sight of Arcadia before me. My dad offered me a pat on the shoulder. "You're going to do great kiddo."

I gave a nod and put my backpack over my shoulder, waving him off as I approached the front doors of the school, seeing unfamiliar faces talking with each other or going about their business. To them I wasn't 'Taylor who was targeted by the Trio', I was just some girl whom they hadn't met before. It was liberating in a way.

But before my good mood could get firmly planted I saw Vicky waiting by the doors along with Dean, Edgar, and a few other people whom I didn't know. She silently walked over to me, and I made no attempt to flee, simply standing there and trying my best to meet her eyes.

Vicky's path ended right in front of me, and quick as lightning she pulled her arm back and punched me in the shoulder. It stung quite a bit, but it wasn't anywhere near her full strength and I was more surprised then hurt. "I'm still mad at you about yesterday, but I get it," she looked away for a moment. "I don't want to lose anyone else just because I'm being angry."

Something in my heart snapped for a moment and I did something that was utterly unnatural to me. I wrapped my arms around Vicky and hugged her. "It's going to be okay," I tried to inject some level of confidence in my voice, but I'm not sure if it really carried across. I wanted to say something more substantial, but nothing came to mind, so I simply hugged her harder.

Vicky seemed thrown off for a moment, but then simply returned the hug as her body began to shake. After a few moments we broke apart and she cleared some moisture from her eyes. "Thanks Taylor, friends?"

"Yeah." I took a few breaths to steady myself and the two of us walked to the rest of the group, who seemed to be all smiles. With the time before class I got to know the rest of the group, at least in a manner of speaking. Most of them were just names and faces at the moment, but there would hopefully be time to get to know them more.

Eventually I had to split from the group as the time for first classes drew closer, heading to the office so I could sit in a closed off room and take a variety of tests. Most of the questions weren't exactly difficult, but others showed me that I was a bit out of my depth given the fact I had almost given up on education with the Trio's torment. Subject by subject I filled out the very questions until the door opened and the secretary informed me that I was allowed a small break for lunch.

To my surprise a few hours had passed in what felt like mere minutes, through the cramp in my hand and back told me that I had likely been sitting and writing for much longer then that.

A meal was brought to me to eat after the test materials were cleared, one of the first edible bits of school food I had eaten in years. It wasn't restaurant quality but I scarfed it down all the same, sitting back in the chair and thinking about the questions I had already answered. That was until a message appeared in my thoughts that Riley was attempting to get in touch with me.

I had heard from Vicky that the school had a Faraday cage around it to prevent people from misusing their cell phones or other devices, but seeing as the Dollhouse was able to teleport me to basically any open area in the world it was a bit silly to imagine that would have any real effect on my ability to communicate.

"Connect," I waited a moment , seeing Riley appear in front of me, or rather most of her due to the image being projected clashing with the table that was right in front of me. It would have been funny if not for the serious expression on her face. "I can't talk much, I'm at school."

She gave a small nod, a blush coming to her face. "Right, it's just I've been working on that project we discussed yesterday, and I have a prototype working. It's essentially a biological sonar that sends out special frequencies from around it and pings off people with a Corona Pollentia. The issue is that it will pick up people who could be potential parahumans, and might make people think we are trying to unmask them."

I drummed my fingers on the table in thought, trying to weigh the pros and cons of using a device like that. If we were subtle then it could act as a potential way to find Amy. But it didn't sound like the best idea to try and get on the bad sides of literally every parahuman in the Bay, or even the world if they knew such a thing existed.

That and without any way to key in on a specific person the most information we could get was where parahumans were at the moment, something that wouldn't help much unless we could actively track down where other known factors were when we ran the tests.

"Keep working on it," I didn't know the specifics behind how tinker's did their thing, but I assumed this was a project of days instead of a dead sprint. Just because Riley was one of the most successful biotinker's didn't mean that results would happen instantly.

"Right, and maybe while we are testing it we could go to a park?" she looked more nervous asking that then she had about possibly making us the target of every hero and villain in the Bay, her eyes turned away for a moment. "I haven't been since…you know."

I didn't have it in my heart to try and turn her down, so instead I gave a nod and saw her give a bright smile before the communication cut out.

Soon enough I was back to the grindstone, ticking off boxes on the various tests and crossing my t's on the essay portions. Until finally I was done, the last bit of the test finished and finally allowed to relax. I knocked on the door and informed the secretary my work had been finished and she took it, telling me that when I came in tomorrow I would be able to pick classes based on my scores and even start classes if I was prepared for it.

Given that there was still an hour or two left of school and there wouldn't be any buses running, the secretary offered to order a cab for me to take home, an act that seemed a bit out of her way but was appreciated all the same. That being said I waved off the offer and said I could make my own way home.

Which was true in both the fact my house wasn't exactly that far from the school and also that I could easily teleport with the Dollhouse at my command. She didn't press the issue any further and just told me to stay safe as I walked out the front doors.

I let out a small breath of relief and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. Relaxing in the Dollhouse sounded nice, given how I had to sit for most of the day I wasn't exactly feeling ready to jump into a day of training at my normal level. But a small sense of guilt bit its way into my mind when I remembered that Amy was likely suffering somewhere under the hands of her kidnapper.

I hadn't really worked during the day by myself yet, the few times I had Stetson had been right next to me and it had been to assault some drug operation to 'get me experienced for actual fights.'

Most of those 'fights' had been rather quick applications of force that had sent drug dealers and minor enforcers running without much of a fight, which wasn't surprising given that most of them weren't exactly willing to fight an unknown parahuman surrounded by flammable chemicals.

Lisa was probably asleep at the moment given that she was going to be working at night in order to help dig up the information I needed in order to take down the various criminals of the Bay, and I didn't really know any of the Undersiders well enough to drop by and ask to hang out.

With little other idea of what to do I decided to head home with a quick jump and find something to pass the time that wouldn't summon up the mass amount of guilt in my stomach. Within an hour I had managed to clean most of the house to a state it hadn't seen in years. With that done I collapsed down with a good book and hung my legs over the couch, losing myself in an old classic until night could come.

Eventually the sky began to turn dark, with only a call from my dad telling me he would be running late getting home, breaking up the otherwise quiet evening. Apparently the initial cleanup of the beach had turned up a number of dead bodies that had been uncovered while trying to remove the large quantities of needles and broken glass left behind by god knows how many people over the years.

Dad had sounded fairly shaken up about the incident, apparently the bodies were mostly on the younger end. I had to promise him to be safe and keep my phone on my phone at least three times before he finally let me off the phone. Maybe I could have Lisa look into the incident in her spare time, but my initial assumption was that while tragic the gangs had probably used the place as a dumping ground for years and it wasn't surprising that things were getting turned up like this.

Maybe that was jaded of me to think, but if I focused on the people that I had no chance of saving then I would only end up losing out on protecting the ones in front of me.

With that in mind it was time for my first walkaround with a member of the Undersiders. It also occurred to me that rebranding the group might not be the worst idea, a new name could help when we eventually went public with our partnership. But that was maybe putting the cart before the horse a bit.

I quickly made a drop off at the Dollhouse to change before dropping in the back of our base, using a hidden keypad to get the reinforced doors to open. Lisa had gone all out on securing this place with the time she had, and if things turned out well I could probably get a Doll to help improve things further.

The building itself was overall quiet except for the barking calls of some of Bitch's dogs. I decided to follow the noises toward the area Lisa had set aside for the animals and found Bitch there, running a set of drills with the dogs, giving a whistle and waiting for them to follow a command before offering a small touch or a bit of food. I stood quietly for a moment, simply watching her work. Eventually my presence was noticed by the dogs, Bitch herself turning around and looking at me.

This was my first time seeing her without a mask, and I was struck by how ordinary she looked. Maybe a bit more masculine then some of the girls I had seen and certainly more well built, but much less terrifying then what the cheap dog masks she wore would have led me to imagine. "Lost track of time training, that's on me."

I waved it off and approached her, noticing the dogs seemed more curious than aggressive given that I was a stranger to them. But they seemed to take their cues from Bitch herself, and she seemed relaxed around me, which I had to admit to finding odd.

When I had asked about the group Bitch had been the one Lisa had warned me about her before any of the others, mainly in the context of her not being the type to accept new people too quickly. And yet she had been the first to vouch for me, even going so far as saying that she would leave the others to join me if they didn't.

"So I want to run some questions by you, and then I was thinking we could go walk the city and I can see how you operate." I wasn't exactly an expert when it came to running a business or even working as a group, but I had watched my dad over the years run the Dockworkers and had at least picked up some things here and there. Mainly that the best way to get the feel of someone was to follow them as they worked rather than just try and give instruction and leave them to it.

"Sure," she whistled to her dogs and they ran off to join the rest of their pack. "What do you want to ask?"

I considered what the first question should be, as it might set the tone for how things went moving forward. But my curiosity was burning so I couldn't help but ask. "What made you decide to work for me when the others were on the fence about it?"

"You're strong," she said simply, as if that explained the entire situation in short order. Apparently the look on my face gave a hint that I hadn't gotten it and she let out a grunt of frustration. "I'm not good with people, I have to fight to be the strongest in the group. I can't beat you, if you're leading us then I'm just another part of the pack."

That helped put it together for me, at least a bit anyway. Lisa had mentioned that on top of not getting off with new members she had issues with following orders given by people she didn't recognize as on her level. But my Doll's were on another level when compared to the average parahuman. If I wasn't interested in using the least amount of force to ensure the people I fought were brought in alive I wasn't sure there was a single person that could stop me outside of the biggest names in the business. Even if Stetson was confident that there wasn't a match for the Dollhouse I wasn't exactly confident in my chances against any of the Triumvirate, much less the feat he had pulled off when reducing the Slaughterhouse Nine to dust.

Without any information I had assumed that simply smacking around Hookwolf would have knocked him out, but even with his form bent and smashed in he had kept up the attack without hesitation. If I had known about his 'core' I would have approached the fight differently. As for Desperate it was an equally bad match up against a foe who couldn't be taken down as easily as a normal grunt against a Doll specialized in stealth operations and non-lethal attacks.

"I can't say I understand, but I'll respect your reasons," I wouldn't be dishonest with her and say that I fully understood the mindset she was taking. But my honesty seemed to get a nod of respect from her. "Anyway I was hoping the two of us could take a walk around the city, if something comes up I'll stand by and see how you do."

Bitch gave a nod and let out a piercing whistle, two dogs racing out of the area and coming to a stop before her, quickly attaching leads to them. With her dogs in tow the two of us made our way out of the building and into the city proper. I couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer level of training that the dogs had, seemingly able to pick up on what Bitch needed from them with nothing more than a noise or a gesture.

"How do you manage to get them so well trained?" I asked, turning the modulator on my mask to its lowest setting so as to not draw eyes. Without my Doll's around my uniform could blend in well enough to a late night in the city.

"Don't know," her eyes were constantly scanning the area, seemingly always ready for some sort of challenge but also giving her an almost paranoid air about her. "Practice, maybe."

So it might have been linked to her power, at least that was my best guess. "I see, and are they doing okay?" I looked at her for a moment, my question seeming to draw quite a bit of attention from her. "They're members of the team too, so if you need something for them just let me know."

Bitch gave a nod, however when she turned back to the street I noticed a smile on her face as we moved. For quite some time it was peaceful, and the most exciting moment was making sure an older lady got across the street. I had expected Bitch to deny her any help, but she seemed rather comfortable with the situation, glaring down at the cars as if daring them to move until we had arrived on the other side. Just as I was about to call it a night the dogs' ears perked and a low growl came from them.

Without a word Bitch was moving with me close behind her, guiding our way to an alley with a man pressing a knife against a woman while a young kid sat in the alleyway, too frightened to move. With a thought I could call upon a Doll and deal with the situation, but I wanted to see how Bitch would handle things.

She seemed to pick up on what I was doing, and soon enough I got to see her power at work. The two dogs began to grow in size, nowhere near the monstrous forms that had smashed Lung during our first meeting but still more intimidating than any average dog. The hellish noise they let loose drew the attention of the mugger, who seemed to be wearing Empire colors and symbols on him, making the man freeze.

"Drop the knife, or my dogs get a free meal tonight." Bitch's tone was utterly cold, sending even a chill through me despite not being the target of it.

The robber seemed to think it over for a moment before stepping back from the woman and raising a hand. "Just cleaning up the neighborhood of these filth n-" before he could finish whatever racist thought was no doubt coming out of his mind one of the dogs leapt forward and used its newly gained weight to pin him to the ground beneath its paw, its jaws coming close to its face.

Bitch turned to the two victims of the gang member and seemed a bit lost on what she was supposed to say, so I quickly jumped in. "Are either of you hurt?"

The woman shook her head and quickly moved toward her kid, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, thank god for both of you." There was some amount of fear in her voice, but the gratitude was much more of a factor.

"Just be more careful," Bitch didn't look at either of them. "Stupid to be walkinig through Empire territory this late.'' She walked over to the gang member and reached into his pants, fishing around until she pulled out a wallet, opening it and pulling out a wad of money and tossing it to the woman and her kid. "Go home, and find a different place to work."

It took a moment for me to recognize what she meant, but it clicked quickly enough.

"I'm sorry I followed you Mom but…" the kid tried to speak but the woman just quieted him.

"It's okay baby, let's go home," she thanked the two of us again before leaving with her son into the night, leaving the two of us alone with the Empire stooge.

"What should we do with him?" Bitch spat out the word to him as if it was dirty to her mouth, but I simply shrugged.

"This is your show, I'm just watching." if she made a move to kill him I would act, otherwise I was interested to see what she would do. "If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have you on the team."

Bitch considered for a moment before whistling for her dog, having it pull back from atop the man. "Get up," the man scrambled up, a not insignificant amount of fear in his eyes. "Strip."

"What?" the man asked incredulously, but a growl from the dog seemed to put away any confidence he had.

"People wear clothes, things like you can do without." Bitch seemingly had no mercy. "Pick quickly, my dogs are hungry."

The man seemed to lose all confidence when one of the dogs stepped forward, and I was forced to look away when he went down to his underwear. "You'll regret this, my people will find you…"

Before he could continue whatever speech he had in mind Bitch whistled, one of her dogs leaping forward and tearing at his clothing with tooth and claw. "Now run," she whistled and the dog chased the man out of the alley with not even his pride left.

The moment he was gone I couldn't help myself, a laugh escaped my throat and I was forced to use a wall to hold myself up. "That was great." I said, shaking my head. "I somehow doubt he'll be coming back here again."

Bitch let out a snort and withdrew her power from the dogs. With that done the two of us walked back to the base, but before we made it in she spoke. "A piano."

"What?" I turned to look at her for a moment, some confusion clear in my voice.

"You asked if there was something I needed. A piano." Bitch seemed to be nervous about the request, but I simply smiled.

"Sure, I think I can pull that off." The two of us went inside of the building and I excused myself while she went about getting the dogs back in order.

A quick trip to the Dollhouse and a request for a piano were finished fast enough to be back in time that Bitch had just finished putting the dogs away. Why there was an entire room full of musical instruments within the Dollhouse wasn't clear to me, but I wasn't going to complain. I had thought that the mass production units could build one in a day or two, but luck was on our side.

"It's a bit too large for your room, but we could keep it out here if that's okay?" I asked.

However Bitch seemed focused on the piano more than my words, running her fingers along the wooden finish before sitting down on the bench. A few taps of the keys produced soothing tones, and soon she began to play in earnest.

I didn't have much of an ear for music, but the notes were beautiful in tone, and they seemed to attract attention from around the base, with the rest of the Undersiders looking down from the second floor of the building as she played. I couldn't name the song, but it was beautiful in a way I couldn't quite describe.

Eventually the song ended, and Bitch let out a sigh as she closed the cover to the keys. "Needs more practice," she turned toward me and looked me in the eyes. "You're a good pack leader."

I realized that the song had been a sort of gift to show her appreciation and I gave a nod. "I'll do my best."

She seemed unsure for a moment, before holding out a hand to me, which I took and gave a shake. The rest of the group had already gone, leaving the two of us again.

"Next time it will be better." Bitch stated, seemingly still bothered by not reaching whatever level of perfection with the song she had been aimed for.

"It was already great, uh, Bitch." The name still stuck on my tongue, feeling too much like the insults the Trio had thrown at me.

She seemed to pick up on my discomfort, and chewed a thought in her mind a minute before speaking. "Rachel."

I took a moment to digest what she said, before giving a slight nod. "Taylor."

The two of us separated, and I felt more confident in my decision to build this team than before. Maybe it wouldn't go perfectly every night, but there was a foundation here that something better could be built on.

All I had to do was not screw it up.