Dawn 02

The school day passed in blur for once. I was actually experiencing a modicum of peace today. Sophia was nowhere to be found - which was a good sign for the Protectorate. Maybe they could actually follow through on one thing at least. What was a bit more surprising was that Madison and Emma were also absent. I wasn't going to complain. Any excuse to get away from the Trio was a good one. I only needed to deal with this for another week or two and then I would be permanently free.

I forced down a shiver and tried not to think about what would happen if home-schooling fell through.

With the Trio gone and their hangers-on aimless, it seemed safe enough to eat in the cafeteria for once. If anyone was looking for me, they would never think to check there anyway. Hide in plain sight. I shouldn't have to hide anymore…How had my attempts to take back some agency for myself made things even worse?

I pulled out the pita that Kayden had made for me, my lip quivering while my stomach flipped as I stared at it. I glared at the stupid, beautiful sandwich even as my eyes narrowed to slits.

"Jeez, what did the bread do to you?"

My head jerked up and I nearly dropped my pita as a blonde dropped into the seat across from me. No…not blonde. Her hair was dyed - the roots were starting to show. I remembered the tell-tale signs from when Emma was still giving me beauty tips. Even with the bleach, she still nearly made me blush as I took in her red spaghetti top and tight jeans. "What are you doing here?" Smooth, Taylor, real smooth.

The girl lifted her eyebrows and held up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Eating. That alright with you?"

I frowned. "I meant what are you doing sitting here."

She shrugged. "I'm a bit annoyed with my usual group and this is Shitslow. It's a bit dangerous to sit with anyone else."

Glancing around the cafeteria I couldn't really dispute that. There were the ABB tables, the Empire tables, the track table, and the popular table. Whichever group she normally sat with, it wasn't exactly the smartest idea to move to another section. I had forgotten how bad the cafeteria was. Maybe it would have been smarter for me to eat in the bathroom like normal.

"I'm Tammi."

"Taylor."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know." Instantly I sat up straighter, my eyes locking back onto her. Tammi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Wow, you're jumpy. Word gets around fast, Taylor, especially in this school. You got guts, you may not be the smartest knife, but you've got enough guts to make up for it. Pro-tip, if you go talking to the recruiters again, don't mention your religion. Eric doesn't care, but others here do."

"Are you threatening me?" I asked, my voice low and my pita forgotten. Just because she was pretty didn't mean I could drop my guard. This was Winslow.

"What the hell did I say that would make you think that?" Tammi glanced up, frowning. She shook her head and swallowed part of her sandwich before waving a hand behind her. "I'm just saying, this school is a nightmare. Just be careful who you talk to; that's all I meant. Shit, I'm 0 for 2 for talking to people."

My fist unclenched and I sighed, reaching for my drink. "Sorry. It's…been a bad few days."

"I hear ya. I didn't exactly have the best night last night either. I'm surprised to see you here actually. Didn't think I'd see you back around. Figured your folks would've pulled you out already before things heated up."

I grunted. Nearly half my pita was finished before I finally mustered up the effort to reply. "We can't afford Immaculata and I don't have the grades to get into Arcadia anymore without people pulling strings. Home-schooling takes a while to get set up apparently."

Tammi nodded. "Sounds like Brockton Bay alright. I hate this place. Never should've left home." She speared into her yogurt with a heavy scowl.

"You…moved? Why would your parents move here? The Bay used to be great, but I barely even remember those days…"

Tammi shook her head. "Not my folks, just me. They were going in a direction I didn't like. So I moved in with some relatives here. Hasn't worked out, but now I'm pretty much stuck."

My eyes narrowed again and I glanced from her hair to the Empire table. "Stuck how?"

"Same story as most everyone else, I'm sure. You get convinced to start a new job, find out it's not really what you expected, but by then you're in too deep and you can't really walk away without things falling back down on you too. Case in point, last night I tried to talk to a peer; not many other girls in my line of work. Except my boss is an idiot and doesn't know how to de-escalate. So the company I keep brought things to a fight. It was stupid and oh so typical. Life sucks. Welcome to life."

I leaned back, my eyes wide. "If you hate the gang so much; if they're forcing you into fights, leave."

She looked up from her food and her mouth set in a thin line as she held my gaze. "Sometimes I wish I could. Nothing's ever that simple though. My bosses would never let me just up and walk away. Don't be like me, Taylor. You've barely touched the edge of this whirlpool. Stay out of this fucking shithole before you get dragged in. Stay out of this school, get out of the Bay if you can. This place…it destroys you. A little bit at a time."

"You work with Nazis," I hissed.

"Yeah," she said, her smile as far from touching her eyes as possible. "Once they have you, they don't let go. Not without consequences. Don't talk to Eric again, Taylor. Don't let the fuckers get their hooks into you too."

She picked up her tray and walked away before I could muster a reply. I stared after her for nearly a minute before my head dropped against the table.

First Kayden, then Rune, and now this girl. Why was I sympathizing with Nazis? When had things stopped being simple?

At least when it was me vs. the Trio, that was simple. That was horrible, but…it had been simple.

The PRT building had far more people in it than I had expected when I walked in. I had to stop and force myself not to rethink things as I saw all the masses swarming around. Why were there so many? Had there been this many when Kayden had brought me in two days ago? Had we even come in this entrance? I definitely didn't remember the TVs in this area or the gift shop in the corner. I had just gotten my nerve back to go talk to the greeter when one of the TVs flipped over to a news segment and I saw a picture of Purity plastered to the side of the reporter. I swallowed my first response and shuffled close enough to hear the report.

"While we have not yet received an official statement, the reports of Purity, alongside several Wards and one unknown cape, fighting the Empire Eighty Eight have been confirmed by several eyewitnesses. There is no known video footage of the confrontation at this time. Is this the first sign that Purity has indeed separated from her former bedfellows or is this merely the rise of a new splinter faction amongst the Empire? Tune in tonight for our special covering the known history of Purity and her relationship with the Empire Eighty Eight."

"Splinter faction?" I muttered, glaring at the screen. "Assholes."

Shaking my head and taking a moment to let my scowl drop, I finally moved over to the desk. "Hello. I'm - uh - I'm not really sure how to do this, is Armsmaster available?"

The PRT agent behind the counter looked at me, frowning. "I'm sorry, Miss, but if you wanted to see the Protectorate heroes the tour times are listed on the board to the right. There is, of course, no guarantee that Armsmaster would be working in the public section of his on-site workshop, however I can say he is on the grounds today so you have a good chance."

"No, that's not what I meant," I said. This had been stupid. I should've called ahead. Could I do nothing right this week? "I mean, can I talk to him?"

The agent's frown vanished into a blank expression and he laid one on the table while the other lifted to point at the board again. "As you can see, there are specific tour times, Miss. I recommend you sign up for one."

"No I…I was told that I could ask at the desk for assistance. I was told I could stop by."

His gaze raked over me again, this time focused intently enough that I had to force myself not to step back. "I think I may understand what you are asking for, Miss." I let out the breath I had been holding and nodded, smiling at him. "There is a separate entrance for…that sort of inquiry. It would allow you to…change."

I couldn't stop the grimace from crossing my face before I leaned down to talk softer. "I didn't bring any of my stuff. I…wasn't planning on stopping by. I just…don't really want to go home."

"Were you not told of the other entrance, Miss?"

"No, we left in a bit of hurry last time."

The agent nodded once and stood, his fake smile back and bright enough to light up the room like one of my minions. "Agent Daniels, can you please watch the desk? I need to show this young woman where the restrooms are."

As another PRT man took his place at the desk, the agent gestured for me to follow him as he threaded through the crowds. We made it to near the back of the second hall before he stopped by a door for a family bathroom and pulled out a key. "Through here, Miss. Before you head out the other end, there are mask dispensers on the wall. There will be another agent on the other side who can show you to a waiting room. Don't tell me your name, I shouldn't know. You can tell the other personnel once you pass through the room." He unlocked the door and waved me inside.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Will the other man be able to tell me where to come next time too so this doesn't get awkward again?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Go on, Miss. They'll go over all the proper procedures."

I smiled and gave him a quick wave as I stepped into the room. As soon as the door closed, I realized why they kept this one locked. It didn't look anything like a bathroom. It was a glorified locker room if anything. The mask dispenser in the corner was almost amusing considering the general ambiance. Well, the mask was nice, but I didn't have to change. I had a short off-white cape with me in place of my trenchcoat and I didn't have my gloves let alone my own mask. Even the cape was just something I had seen while walking over here that I thought might be nicer than the coat.

"This is such a bad idea." I shouldn't be here without Kayden. Especially after Clockblocker had mouthed off last night.

But when I thought of going back for her, or calling her, my stomach roiled. Gripping the bench in front of me, I took several deep breaths. When my pulse had finally slowed, I pulled the cape out of my backpack, grabbed one of the disposable masks and waltzed out of the other door.

True to the greeter's words, there was a PRT agent standing against the wall on the other side. He had one of the foam guns in a holster on his back and his helmet blocked any view of his face, but his posture was relaxed enough that I didn't bristle. Instead, I stepped over and held out my hand. "Hello. I'm Hardlight. I was told I could stop by? Is Armsmaster available?"

He nodded to me, though he didn't lift his hand to shake mine. "Good afternoon, Hardlight. Armsmaster is in a meeting with the Wards at the moment. I don't know how long until he will be free, however I can show you to a room and ensure that someone else comes to speak with you in the meantime."

"Okay that, uh…that works I guess." I let my hand drop back to my side. He turned and started to head up the corridor and I fell in beside him.

"Don't take it personally, Hardlight." I glanced at him though he continued before I could ask what he meant. "Standard protocols usually prohibit physical contact. There are too many capes with Master or Striker powers."

"Oh. That makes sense." I felt my face heat up as I considered that. I was a Master too, of course they wouldn't want to touch me until they knew exactly what I could do.

"Right in here, Ma'am. It might be a few minutes, so please feel free to partake of the refreshments."

"God, you guys really do have random rooms set up with cookies and drinks," I muttered. Apparently that hadn't been a one-off last time. At least I was still full from lunch. The pita had been…very good.

This time I only had to wait about ten minutes before the door opened again. I jumped to my feet, though some of my enthusiasm dropped as Battery walked in, a smile on her face below her visor. Damn. Well, at least it wasn't Miss Militia.

"Hello, Hardlight. Please, don't get up on my account."

I shrugged and sat back down as she took the seat next to me. "Hi. I um, sorry for just…showing up."

"It's perfectly fine. I apologize for making you wait. We had a regularly scheduled meeting. The importance of it was even further exemplified by the events of last night. Before we go any further, I would like to apologize for the rudeness that Clockblocker showed there. That's partially my fault. I didn't explain things fully before his patrol. None of us really expected you to be out near the Wards quite that quickly."

I dropped my eyes to the table, shaking my head. "It's fine. He was an asshole, but…He's not the one who started the fight."

"All the same, he disobeyed a few orders and antagonized Purity as well as yourself. That entire situation could have been avoided if he had had a cooler head."

"You're…not angry at me? For overreacting?"

"You were attempting to apprehend criminals," Battery said, shrugging. "What do I have to be angry over? You could have pulled back, yes, however this wasn't a bad second night out; it's not like you ran into Lung or Kaiser. This was a stumble, nothing more. You should have seen when I started."

I frowned. "Rune and Krieg nearly died. I thought you prefer to arrest people?"

Battery leaned back, shaking her head. "I'm not going to get upset with you over something that Purity did, Hardlight. The two of you are not one and the same and it would be unfair. It's also, unfortunately, expected of her. That's why we prefer to have Protectorate members confronting her, not Wards."

"She's…she's trying…I don't know why she did that." I stared into my hands. Relaxing my control a smidge, I let a minion pop up on the table in front of me and started to stroke its ears.

Battery was silent for a moment before she reached over to touch the projected creature. "I didn't know you could do dogs."

"Can't get the fur right. It's basically just a dog shape. Can you see the full outline? I'm trying to work on the light levels, but I just made this template last night. No one's really looked at it except me, and apparently their brightness doesn't affect me. I'm not sure if I got the dimness right."

"I can see it fine." We petted the light dog in silence for a few more moments. Finally she asked, "Hardlight, do you really not know why Purity shot at Krieg?"

"He was pointing a gun at me," I murmured. I took hold of the nub of a tail on the puppy and pulled, lengthening it. "His finger wasn't on the trigger though. And my minions are bulletproof. She knows that."

"You're also the closest thing she has to a daughter," Battery prompted.

"She's supposed to be doing better." The tail still wasn't right. I pushed down at the base, moving the whole structure slightly. Angels were easier. They were simpler to get correct.

"She's human, Hardlight. Have you talked to her yet?"

"Don't want to go home. Went to school to avoid having to talk. Came here after."

Battery laid a hand on mine, forcing me to stop my adjustments and shut my eyes as I took several deep breaths. "Hardlight, you can't avoid her forever. You have to talk to her. You're just going to make it harder on yourself and work yourself up even more. She's your mom. You have to talk to her, otherwise she's going to worry, and you're going to worry, and both of you are going to be miserable."

"I would have thought you would be trying to get me away from Purity."

"My bosses will probably be annoyed that I'm playing counselor, but cape lives suck as it is. There's no need to make things worse by driving a wedge between you and your mom."

"Thanks," I whispered. I lifted my hands from the dog and let the minion fade away. Biting my lip, I nodded once. "I'll talk to her tonight."

"That's a good idea, Hardlight." I lifted my eyes and met her visored gaze as she smiled at me. "Now, did you just come here to get away from home or do you want me to show you around?"

I felt the ghost of a smile tugging at my lips. "I was actually hoping to use the gym this time? Armsmaster had said that I could if I wanted to practice a bit before the official testing thing…"

"And that offer still stands. Come on, I'll take you there myself. Aegis should be about done with things on his end too, so if you want he can meet up with us down there. Or Kid Win, I think he wanted to talk to you too."

I nodded. "I'd like that." Battery was almost at the door yet I had to ask one more thing. "Uh, just to make sure, we're not going to run into So-Shadow Stalker again, right?"

Battery's posture slumped and I could hear the grunt that escaped her before she turned to look at me. "Light, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that you will not be seeing Shadow Stalker in this building today. I can't say anything more about it unless you sign an NDA, but I'm not going to ask you to do that until your mom is here as well."

"Mother," I murmured as I walked up beside her. "Not 'mom'. I had a mom. Kayden is…she's…she's my mother."