Sunset 03

"Hardlight, it would help the report if you were able to tell me about when Rune got away," Dauntless said, the pen in his hand hovering over his notepad.

"I don't know," I mumbled, hand still clutching my arm. A few of my minions were puttering around randomly hugging some of the bystanders who had gotten pulled into the fight. I had left the gang members alone beyond the most basic care to make sure they weren't dying. The civilians I was trying to heal as much as I could though.

"Anything would help, Hardlight."

I focused on one of the little guys helping a woman and her son. The kid was playing pattycake with the warden. "I was pretty tired after I stopped Oni Lee from murdering her. I've never layered a minion over a person before and it was…weird."

"Okay."

"When he was gone, I just…I figured it was better to start healing people instead of keeping up the fight. I only really have one flying schematic that can support me anyway and the others aren't easily able to free-fly. My range isn't huge, I wouldn't have been able to catch her." It wasn't even really a lie. Once Tammi was airborn I would've fallen behind. I needed to make a mount. A combat capable mount. But that would just be inviting more problems. What if someone hit my mount? I couldn't fly by myself and I was falling then would I be able to think clearly enough to summon a minion directly underneath me? Would it be able to take my weight? Would I just go crashing through minion after minion until I smashed like a bug on the ground?

Did I want to fly badly enough to risk it?

"…Hardlight? Hardlight?"

"What? Sorry. I…sorry, it's been a long day."

"I understand." Dauntless put away his pad and smiled at me from beneath the edges of his helm. "We're done here and I think everyone nearby has been healed. Miss Militia and Velocity are handling the roundup of the gang members. Do you want help getting home?"

"Purity got away from Lung?"

"A few minutes ago, yes. She contacted us to make sure that you were alright. She's doing a few circles nearby to make sure that no one else is trying anything in the meantime."

I nodded. "I'd…like a ride. I don't really feel up to building a horse right now and I'm too tired to work with the platform."

"This way. We have some discrete vans I can borrow."

I just nodded, and followed along behind him. On the street, the minion with the toddler gave the boy a quick High Five, bowed and burst in confetti a moment later.

I had used the back of the van to change into my casual clothes before slipping back into the house. It looked like I hadn't needed to worry though: Dad was sleeping by the time I got home. It was barely 9pm. I collapsed on my bed.

I needed more friends. I really needed more friends. Someone I could talk to about this shitshow that was my life now. I pulled out my phone and held it in the air above me, flipping through my contacts. The list was depressingly small.

Listening for Kayden to come back and still not hearing the door or a window slide open, I sighed and pressed the number for Aegis. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hardlight? Is something wrong? Do you need help?"

"No, I…sorry. I just wanted to talk to someone."

"Oh, well in that case I guess I'll stop pulling my costume on." His chuckle brought a small smile to face. "So what's up? I heard there was a fight down by the Docks earlier. Things go bad?"

"Whole day has gone bad. The fight actually went somewhat well until the end. I can fly now by the way."

He snickered. "Well it looks like you just won me 50 bucks. Kid Win didn't think you'd be able to pull that trick off."

"Well, it's probably closer to hovering with style, but it counts. I'm considering making a pegasus mount, but I don't know how good of an idea it is. I mean, it would be awesome, and if I give it a horn then I could summon more too and still be able to go on the offensive even while I'm in the air. But I'm worried someone will blow it up from under me and then I'm out of luck and falling. I could also make a pterosaur for extra awesome, but it has the same problem really."

"Yeah, falling from high up is not fun. I made the mistake of entering a null field while flying once. Let's just say that my body survived far better than my pride did. I was yelling the whole way down."

"How did you manage that? There's no power nullifiers in Brockton Bay."

He snorted. "We had an exchange trip of sorts to New York a few months back. Their branch of the Wards are certainly arranged differently that's for sure."

"That's cool." I paused for a moment, casting out for something else to say. I had to remember how to talk to people right? Right? "Meet anyone interesting?"

"Hmm, well a lot of the Wards thought I was more or less insane. Brockton Bay is apparently known as just a step up from Madison in most circles."

I pulled my phone off my ear and stared at it. "Madison. As in, Simurgh's Madison."

"Yeah. Crazy huh?"

"You can say that again," I muttered.

Aegis was quiet for a moment before he asked, far less animated than a minute prior, "Do you want to talk about it?"

My breath hitched. "I'm…not sure what you mean."

"There's a video on PHO," he sighed. "The PRT is trying to get it taken down, but by the time they do, it's going to have made the rounds. You know her out of costume, huh?"

I had to wipe a hand over my eyes as I nodded. Realizing belatedly that he couldn't see that, I whispered, "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"If you want to talk - formal or casual - I'm here."

I couldn't respond. I squeezed my eyes shut and just clung to the phone.

"Hardlight? Are you still there."

"I don't really have friends, Aegis. I don't…"

"Let's meet up. Tomorrow, lunch by the Boardwalk? I'll pay. It's not a date, just friends meeting up."

"…Thank you."

Tammi shook her head yet again. "Sir, I don't know how many times I can tell you, I don't know. She looked exhausted and she just told me to leave."

"No idea, at all, Rune?" Kaiser asked, leaning against the side of his metal throne. Tammi resisted the urge to fidget as he flipped a small metal blade between the fingers of his left hand. There were too many people in the room still. Maybe if it had just been her and him, she could've given him more to placate the bastard. But with this many people…She wasn't going to say shit.

"The best I can do is that she realized I'd saved her life when the demon squint started doing his psycho bomber thing. Maybe she felt grateful and gave me a pass."

"That's the best you can do?" Kaiser asked, sighing.

Tammi bit her tongue, but didn't move beyond her head bob. He knew. The bastard must have seen her running from Taylor's house and now he knew and -

"Did you, perchance, come right here to give your report?"

She frowned. What the hell did that have to do with anything? "Yeah…"

"Then I assume you have not checked your messages on PHO?" he continued. Melissa refused to meet Tammi's gaze and Vic just shook his head.

"No. Should I have?"

"Well it would certainly make your lies easier." Tammi's blood ran cold. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck, fuck. "Someone show her the video."

She didn't move as James walked out to the center of the 'throne room' to stand next to her with his phone extended. Tammi glanced down, breathing a small sigh of relief. The footage was from a cellphone - a bad cellphone since the zoom sucked. There was no audio except the background explosions of Militia and Dauntless as they continued to harry Jess and Nessa. What the video did capture however was Tammi reaching up to pull down her hood while Taylor stared at her, and the subsequent implosion of the minions before she flew off.

"Care to change your story now, Rune?" Kaiser asked, his smirk as mocking as the entire theater he had just put on. The fucker knew before she walked into the room that he was going to be playing her like a fiddle. He was never going to do anything to the Empire's most mobile member, but he would take every opportunity to make certain that Tammi knew her place.

God-fucking-dammit.

"No," she stated, her eyes narrowed to slits. "There is nothing that you don't know, Sir. You've been to her house. You know who she is. You know who her mother is. You've asked me to meet her at school. I have met her, yes. But we don't meet outside of school and she's not even going to school anymore. She knew I was Empire before either of us recognized each other in costume. I have no leverage over her at all and the only thing that removing my hood did was to show her a face instead of another E88 grunt. I hoped it would get her to emphasis with me. Apparently it worked."

"Emphasize, Rune. The word is emphasize."

"What-fucking-ever." She had never blatantly lied to Kaiser's face before. She'd dodged the truth before sure and omitted some dangerous items in reports, but she'd never lied.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she continuing to protect this messed up girl who kept butting into things that she had no right sticking her neck into?!

Kaiser sighed and let the metal blade flip into his hand, ceasing its movements. "She was being considerate of your position. You didn't think to use that for leverage in the moment? We have not had altogether pleasant reactions from Purity since Hardlight entered the scene. Turning the girl would be extremely advantageous for us."

Tammi didn't have to fake a gawk as she stared at the man. "You're saying I should've risked getting Purity mad at me? Purity?! Her Fuck Off beams would vaporize me if I so much as made Hardlight cry." Except she had already done that hadn't she? Twice now…How could she make this right without getting Taylor right back into Kaiser's crosshairs?

He scowled and leaned forward. "All the same, you are the best chance we have. She knows your face. She knows your name. Bring her into the fold or push her away hard enough that she leaves the city. If Hardlight transfers, then Purity will do the same."

"What?"

"I was content to let Purity play her little game of Wannabe Hero; it was adorable and it was always doomed to failure. But now she is attacking our members. She is making a nuisance of herself and that I will not allow. Get to Hardlight, Rune. Bring the girl in or get her far away. I will accept nothing else."

Tammi frowned. Her gaze ran over Kaiser, taking in his pinched brows and the thin line of his mouth. She swallowed, hard. "You need me."

"You are convenient. You are not irreplaceable. Recruit Hardlight or drive her away. This will be resolved before our next clash with the chinks. Go."

Tammi turned on her heel and stalked towards the door as fast as she could without shifting into a run. Her hand was on the knob when Kaiser called out, "And, Rune? One last thing." Turning her head, towards him, she saw Kaiser flip his blade into the air, snatching it with his other hand and pointing it directly at her chest. "Do not lie to me again."

Tammi fled as Kaiser just smirked.

Tammi paced along the length of the deserted Boardwalk, completing her third lap even as she pivoted on her heels and started the trek back to the opposite end again. The fact that it was mid-day on a Thursday didn't particularly help her attempt to stay incognito. Not that anyone would care even if they did recognize she should be in school. Cops didn't come to the Boardwalk. Supposedly the Enforcers should've approached her to tell her off for being truant, yet there were too many who were paid off by the Empire to do that. And too many of the others were only being paid to watch for shoplifters to care. No, she was fine to try and think here.

It wasn't like she was missing anything at Winslow anyway. The school was completely useless, skipping two days in a row wasn't going to mean jack shit.

There had to be a way out. A way to give Kaiser what he wanted without getting Taylor hurt in the process. And why did that even matter anymore? Taylor was a stupid little girl, an emotional wreck, a complete liability who was tearing down Tammi's entire world simply by existing and trying to talk to her. And the brunette had kissed her! Tammi wasn't gay. She wasn't gay and she didn't want Taylor to kiss her with her adorable lips or her cute pout and she certainly didn't want to know whether Taylor's hair was as silky as it looked despite the curls and -

Tammi scowled and kicked at the bench she was passing, ignoring the pain radiating up from her toe. Fuck. She wasn't gay. She wasn't. She looked at guys. She liked looking at guys. She enjoyed watching the buff guys at the gym in their…no, their bulging muscles were gross. Uh, she liked their…no, the gruff, deep voices were a total turnoff. Well she definitely liked the way they…no, whenever the fuckers were possessive and manly and marked their territory it was completely disgusting and made her gag.

But…Tammi snarled at a pretty college girl who made the mistake of not moving out of her way fast enough. The girl's brunette hair was beautiful as it waved in the breeze and her fingers were perfectly shaped as she held up her hands, stepping to the side to let Tammi walk past. Her smile sparkled just like Taylor's had while they were sitting on her couch and -

"Fuck!" Tammi spat. She dropped onto the next bench and let her head fall into her hands. "I can't be gay," she muttered.

A chuckle behind her had her head whipping around to glare at the blonde passing by. "Something to say, bitch?"

"Nah, just thinking that it's rather hilarious watching the delusional people in this city."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Tammi rose, balling her fists.

"Oh, sweetie, if you're not a lesbian then I'm the Queen of England."

Tammi growled. "Come over here and say that."

The blonde laughed again and shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with it. Unless you're in the Empire." Her eyes practically sparkled as her grin turned decidedly fox-like. "If so, maybe you should start looking for a different career. Or just live a lie and despise yourself for forever. Word to wise, sweetie, I've tried the latter, it sucks balls. Tata!" She waved and stepped back. Tammi surged forward, trying to catch the bitch, but the blonde had managed to vanish into the non-existent crowd.

"Neat trick," Tammi muttered, glaring around her. "Next time I'm going to deck you, bitch."

Dumb blondes aside, Tammi still had a problem. She needed to figure out how to help Taylor without getting herself beaten half to death by Kaiser. And she still needed to figure out how to talk to Taylor now that they had both burned any bridges that might have stood between them. Would Taylor even take her call if she tried to reach out? Should she call Kayden instead? Did she even want to talk to Kayden? That wouldn't help things at all. She needed to apologize first and then she needed to find a neutral area away from any cameras so that she could calmly discuss things.

Yes. That was perfect. And if that failed, she could just go to Taylor's house instead. That would work too. That might be better. That would be better. That would be easier. And smarter. And safer. And faster too. She should bring something too, apologies were always better with gifts. Chocolate would work. Everyone loved chocolate. Yeah, she would go to Taylor's house, and bring chocolate, and apologize and -

"Fuck. I'm gay," Tammi groaned, slapping a hand to her head and slumping to the wooden walkway, her back to the ice cream shop. She slammed her head back against the paneling behind her a few times grunting each time. "This. Is. Not. Fair!"

Scowling, she slammed her fist into the wood, and bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood as she pushed herself back to her feet. Fuck self-pity. If she was going to do this shit, she was going to do it right. Maybe Kayden would know what to do. Hell, maybe Kayden would just take Taylor and leave the city and then all of Tammi's problems would be solved in a one easy package.

All except for the one about her not wanting Taylor to leave. Fuck.

She turned, deciding to walk down the Boards a bit further to see if there were any better ideas she could come up with. Not that her current plan was fantastic. It basically sucked six ways to Sunday, but it was a start. She could probably -

Tammi froze, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open as she stared through the window of the ice cream shop.

Taylor was in there. Eating ice cream. With a boy. And they were both smiling and laughing.

Tammi twisted, her fists balled and her eyes wet. "Fuck this city. Fuck my life. Fuck everything!"

If she was gay she was not going to give up without a fight. Not now that she knew what she wanted.

She was still going to get that god-damned-fucking chocolate.