There's a few minutes of stunned silence, but eventually the cries of the wounded Undersiders snaps everyone out of their daze. The Wards start to move in a flurry of action as Aegis starts to bark out orders. The couple PRT troopers that came with them start to go around and foam the still time locked dogs. The dog that Owl, beheaded? Yeah that's what she did. That dog's body slowly starts to melt leaving some fleshy cocoon behind.

People start to funnel out of the bank, and start to make their way towards the police line. Glory Girl comes out, walking close to someone. Huh, she must have gone through the back when this all kicked off. The person that comes out with Glory Girl starts to quicken her pace when she sees Tattletale laying at the bottom of the steps with only one arm. She touches Tattletale and the wound closes, oh that must be Panacea. The healer doesn't reattach Tattletale's arm or grow it back though.

That seems cold, yes she robbed a bank and took hostages, but she doesn't seem much older then me, and that's kind of a scary thought. If I wasn't a hero I'd get mercy, but I guess there's a limit.

Panacea goes to the rest of the Undersiders and wounded Wards, when she finishes with the former, PRT troopers and cops handcuff them and escort them to a van. Quick clean up I guess. The Wards try to calm the hostages and maintain order, while keeping a wide berth of Owl's hunched form.

I still haven't moved, just frozen in place watching the post battle action.

I turn and look at Owl, she's not sobbing anymore, just shaking slightly. Still leaned against a post. Well if no one else is going to, I may as well.

I start walking over to her. The Wards notice, but don't stop me, they just shoot me glances and slowly position themselves between me and everyone else while still doing their jobs.

To make sure I don't startle her, I approach from the sidewalk so she might see me first, and stop about 6 feet from her.

"Hey, Owl are you okay." I say softly, probably not the best thing to start with considering she looks like hell right now.

She doesn't respond for a minute, and just as I'm about to try asking again, she slowly lifts her head. It gives me a clear view of her face. Her entire head is covered in blood, from all around her mouth, nose, and chin when she attacked Hellhound, to all across her forehead and eyes from Tattletale shooting her. Her beanie is also ripped and stained with all the holes and blood.

"Oh, heya Ta- Skitter, did not see you there."Although she almost blew my secret identity, she just sounds so hollow and dead that I can't bring myself to care. She takes a deep breath and shudders. "Yeah, I am not doing to good right now. It is getting better, it just might take a hot minute for that to happen."

"Wha, what happened back there Owl, you went berserk. You tore those guys apart."

"We got shot, and Owl just got so angry. It brought up some bad memories and she just wanted to hurt people."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

She fully turns to look at me. "Oh, man I said that?. Hey, you think we could talk, maybe at your place or something? I guess I should probably tell you a few things, but I need a little time to recover. That and I would rather not tell you some of these things with a crowd in the background."

I think it over for a second. "My place would be okay, but what if we get followed? I don't want my identity to be found out."

"Smart thinking, you would just have to go before me. Use your powers to make sure no one follows you." She pushes off the post to stand up fully, but stumbles. I step forward and steady her. "Thanks, anyway you go first, I will take off and take a breather, then make my way over, no worries, I know to make sure to not be followed." She stretches, then goes to card her fingers through her hair, but stops when she feels her hat.

She pulls off her beanie and takes a look at it. "No!, nononono." She sounds panicked. She's gripping the beanie in her hands hard, taking sharp, quick breaths. She starts talking her through something. "Alright, it will be alright. Just a hat, not her, just a hat. Deep breaths." She slowly calms down and gently dusts the beanie off, then puts it back on.

"You're still going to wear that?"

"Yes! I mean, yeah, yeah I just bought it, I just gotta, uh, clean it? Look it is mine, I just want to get a little more time out of it." She leans over and gives my shoulder a squeeze. "Okay, I will be there in about a half hour." She waves and starts to walk off.

I shake my head and look around. A lot of the hostages have disappeared, either told they can go, or just taken somewhere else, I'm not sure. The police have secured the bank and one of the PRT vans have taken the Undersiders away, and another just left with half the Wards.

Aegis comes up to me. "Considering you're still alive, I take it Owl has recovered."

"Yeah, it looked like whatever happened to her took a lot out of her, but she seems better. She said she had to go though."

"Well that's good." I don't know if that comment is about her feeling better or her leaving. "Would you say you're a friend of Owl's?"

"She's my friend. Saved me a couple times to. Why do you asked?"

"Oh, no reason, just curious. Would you be willing to stay for some questions and to give a statement?"

"Sorry, I can't. I need to be somewhere, the bank robbery thing kinda came out of nowhere and interrupted my day. Maybe next time?"

He looks conflicted for a second, like he really wants me to stay, but he must throw the idea away and says. "Well in a perfect world, there won't be a next time, but this is the Bay so we'll probably see each other again." We both give a mirthless laugh at that. "Alright, well if you need to leave, then have a good day Skitter."

I give him a handshake and wish him good luck, and head out on my way.

I go back to the alleyway where me and Owl stashed our bags in and grab mine, hers is there still to so I take it as well. After dodging in and out of alleyways and using my powers I find a good one and change back into my normal clothes. The side of my costume is covered in blood, probably from when Owl hugged me. I shove it in my backpack with some bugs and set them to cleaning it up. Then I make the slow trek back home.

When I got back I made a few sandwiches, for me and Owl, cleaned up my stuff and got a book to read.

An hour and a half later there was a knock on my door.

I answered the door and let Owl in and we go to the living room and sit down. "What took so long?"

"I went to my apartment to change and clean up, then I got distracted."

I shake my head. "Of course you got distracted, and if you changed, why do you still have that bloody beanie on?"

She looks away and fingers the stitched on logo, which is just the number 43 in fancy script. "I just really like the hat."

I raise my hands in a surrendering motion, then I offer her some of the kinda stale sandwiches.

She takes a look at the food, then shakes her head. "Sorry Taylor, I ate earlier, I'm good for now."

I hear what she says and put the food back down on the table, then pause as I think about it. "Owl, people aren't food, you sure you don't want a sandwich."

She looks a little embarrassed. "Thanks for the offer, but I can't eat normal food. In fact that's part of the explanation I was going to give."

"What, you can only eat people or something?"

"Yeah, it's power induced, if I had a choice I'd eat normal food."

I go to laugh it off, but I notice Owl looks completely serious. "Owl I was joking! I was just being sarcastic."

"Well I am being serious, and right now it is not Owl you are talking to . In fact I have talked with you before, but I doubt you noticed." The girl that says she's not Owl turns fully towards me and sticks out her hand. "Hello Taylor, it is nice to finally meet you officially. My name is Olivia." She gives me a small smile while she waits for me to shake her hand.

I don't. I'm to stunned by what she said to return the gesture. I just sit there looking at her wide eyed. Her smile slowly fades and she lowers her hand.

"I guess that's to be expected, it is quite a claim to make."

"What are you her twin or something?

"No, no I wish it were that simple. You could think of me as Owl's demon. The one that is willing to do the dirty work to make sure we keep going. If you would allow me to tell you our story, I think it would clear some things up."

"Why should I, you're going to drop this on me after what happened today, why should I even listen to what you're going to say." For some reason I'm rather upset. From the stress of today, to see my new friend maim people. Now she says she is also someone else.

She looks away and seems distracted, then looks ashamed and turns back to me. "Owl still thinks of you as her friend, I would like to think so as well. She did not wish to tell you, but I told her a good friendship can not be built on hidden truths, so I bit the bullet and decided to tell you in her place. She does not enjoy telling the story. I have told others the story before, but they have all abandoned us when we have only started explaining. Please Taylor, let me tell the whole story to you, then judge us both after."

She looks so hopeful and vulnerable. Would I be the kind of person to throw away a friend just because of their past, it sobers me a little. I truly hope I'm not that kind of person.

"Fine, I'll listen to what you're going to say."

Olivia seems very relieved. "Okay, well to start, did you ever hear of a gang in Brockton Bay called 'The Scavers'?"

I think for a second. "No I don't think so, why?"

She shakes her head. "It is understandable, they would have been around about 16 years ago. They were a nomadic gang that was a subset of a larger cartel. They went from city to city, kidnapped young girls, and shipped them West. They shipped them to a storage facility near the US/Mexico border, sold them to the true cartel members, and held all the victims there."

"What, were you part of the gang or something, is that it?"

"No, no then I would have been 8 years old." She pauses and looks lost in thought. "Did you know, I have slowly been making my way East for the past 15 years. Making my way home. In truth, I was born in the Bay. I called this beautiful city my home once. Although it use to look much better."

The details sink in and I start to put the facts together and I'm horrified. "You were one of their victims?"

Olivia gives me a sad smile, and nods her head. "Yes, They grabbed me on the way home from school, and held me captive for around a year. The Scavers stole little girls for human trafficking and child prostitution. I earned my freedom 15 years ago, but the time I spent with them still haunts me to this day."

I don't want to ask, but. "How did you 'earn' your freedom?"

She gives a dark laugh, and a steely resolve fills her eyes. "How? I earned it the hard way. They took me, starved and beat me, took advantage of me. All in the hopes of breaking me and molding me into an obedient little slave. The only solace I had was a friend I made there, her name was 43. Mine was 75. She was rebellious, she was there for a long time, but They never broke her. When we were sent back to our holding cell, she would hold me and comfort me. 43 was the only shining beacon in such a horrible place."

She smiles warmly and a tear leaves her eye as she looks at something only she can see. "The people there found out about our bond, and 43 was getting a little older, so They separated us and increased the abuse. About two weeks later They brought me to a room and tied me down. They said they were going to show me what happens when we did not listen. They brought 43's broken and abused body into the room. She was still alive, though I do not know how thinking back. Then They started to torture her in front of me, and made me watch. If I looked away They'd beat me and force me to watch again. By the end 43 was nothing but a mangled corpse, I was not able to recognize the beautiful friend that held me and told me everything was going to be okay." More tears streamed down her face, but Olivia just sat on the couch, looking straight ahead. She hooks her thumb under the beanie logo and rubs it between her thumb and forefinger. She does that for a moment and calms a little.

"Then and only then did I trigger. Wanting nothing but to be free, to not be starving, to teach the people that hurt me and killed the only friend I had left in the world a lesson, I triggered. I got my wish. I had the power to escape. My power made it so I could only eat people from then on, because how could I be hungry in an entire complex full of people. And I lost control and killed everyone, every single living person there, kidnapper and victim alike, they all died in my rage."

Olivia shakes her head almost in an attempt to rid herself of the memories, and a few more tears streak down her face. "When I regained control I was eating someone, surrounded by dozens of corpses. Then all I wanted was to escape. Escape there and escape what I had done."

"That is when Owl was born, though she did not have a name at the time. I, might have broke a little mentally. She was my split personality, the good me. One that was never hurting. One that was still innocent, still loved life and where everything was still an adventure. She was the me that did not want to die and join 43, to be together forever. She never got kidnapped, she was just innocent and beautiful still."

Olivia fidgets for a second. "We share a body, and experience everything at the same time. One of us is in charge, and the other gets to rest, they still see and feel everything that happens, but it is thankfully muted. I just usually let her be in charge all the time, because why not let the girl that actually wants to live be in charge?" She gives a mirthless, hollow laugh. "And if I am not in control I can ignore the past easier. Besides it is pretty funny, I get such a powerful set of abilities and free myself with them, and they absolutely disgust me." She says with a sneer and a frown, looking down at her own hands."

"Hey Ow-Olivia." I take one of her hands with both of mine, and rub circles in her palm. "I'm not going to leave, it seems like a story you don't like to tell either. What kind of person would I be if I left you now. Hell, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I did that to you." Then I pull her into a hug. She tenses, but slowly puts her arms around me. She doesn't relax though. After a minute I let go, and give her a smile.

"I got your back Olivia, you and Owl. I can't say I could truly understand where you're coming from, but I understand enough. I'm not leaving you guys."

She looks lost for a minute, then starts to look so happy. "Thank you Taylor, it has been a while since anyone has cared. It, it feels nice."

"No problem." I feel pretty good as well, but a random thought comes to mind. "Hey, you said you talked to me before, when was that?"

She thinks for a bit. "That was earlier this week, when that idiot Sophia and her friend were saying mean things. I may have threatened her a little, I do not appreciate when people make my friends feel bad. Also just so you know, Owl always gives people nicknames. Like how she calls you 'Tay'. I on the other hand only use people's full names. We found it makes it easier to differentiate who is talking at the time if we do that."

"You don't really like being the one in charge do you?"

"Oh, I absolutely hate it. I am only in charge right now because Owl feels guilty and uneasy. Master effects disrupt us greatly for some reason, no matter the effect."

"But Gallant isn't a master."

"If that idiot isn't a master, I will eat your couch. Shooting your teammate, what a jackass. No matter what the PRT says, he is a master, they just can not stand the fact that their little league hero team might have a master on it. It happens to be bad for public relations, the idiots." She massages her temples and sighs. "Also Owl says she is sorry for her behavior earlier and apologies if she scared you."

I didn't expect an apology. "Could you tell her it's okay, I think I understand."

"Well that is nice of you Taylor, but you may as well tell her yourself. Besides I am sick of being in charge already, it is already starting to hurt to much." Olivia then slumps forward a little, but immediately perks back up. "Tay!" The pitch of their voice goes higher, and gets a really happy tone to it. "Today was crazy right, we should fight more crime together."

I'm taken aback from the 180 the tone takes. "Hey Owl, how are you doing, feeling better?"

The smile falters a little. "I feel, eh, better-ish. I like fighting, but I don't like killing, and it came very close to that today. I also hate those master effects, I really hate losing control like that." she gives a shudder. "But it's gone now, and Liv can go back to sleep and start feeling better again."

"That's good. She can still hear us though, right?" Still trying to wrap my head around the whole split personality thing.

"She can, though it depends on if she's paying attention or not. Oh, wait yeah, she's still paying attention."

"Alright, so you guys finally made it home huh. What's the plan from here?"

"Well it's not really my home, my home is anywhere with friends. Liv though, she's still taking in the sights. Actually she's really enjoying being back. As for a plan, I don't know. Maybe hang out with you, fight bad guys. I like birdwatching, so maybe more of that. Liv is fine with whatever, as long as she doesn't have to do to much."

"She really doesn't like being in control?" I say a little sadly.

"Yeah, she hates her body, like a lot. It reminds her of the past, and she doesn't like that either. I have the memories to, but I didn't experience them first hand. It's easy for me to ignore, not so much for her. She only takes charge when we need to do something distasteful. She really loves me, and knows I don't like killing. She decided that if her hands are already bloodstained, she'll shoulder the burden."

"I don't think I really want to know, but I think I have to understand. How, where do you guys get your food?"

Owl looks ashamed for a second. "That's Liv's job, the killing part. We only need to eat about once every two weeks, a big meal. Um, it's, okay so it isn't going to sound good at all, but every two weeks we transform a little so we're faster. Then we go out at night, and go hunting." Yep, definitely does not sound good. "We go around the area we're in and try to find someone committing a bad crime, Liv really likes going after would be rapists. Then we, uh, you know what, you can use your imagination. We try to go after criminals to try and make it somewhat better, or at least as good as a person eating someone else could possible get."

She said use my imagination and now I think I'm going to be sick. "What happens if you can't find a horrible person?"

"We make do, we don't like it, but we make do."

"What does that mean?" Not really liking where this is going.

"It means we need to eat before it's to late, a whole two weeks is pushing it as is. We push it off for as long as possible, but if we don't eat, we lose control. Either we make someone have a bad night voluntarily, or we go mad and make an entire town have a bad time. That's part of the whole Liv hates herself thing."

"Owl, that's horrible!"

"Of course it is Tay, but we don't have a choice, okay. We tried starving ourselves a couple times. That's how we know it's a bad idea. One time we secluded ourselves in the middle of a forest. We made it about a month and a half without eating, but we lost control of our body two weeks in. Imagine, having to sit there, trapped in your own head, just watching your body prowl around a forest looking for food with no control for 4 weeks. Sadly we stumbled upon some hunter's retreat. There was about 30 people there. We were the only person that left alive. We were 11. We learned our lesson, and Liv grew even more suicidal."

She takes a deep breath to calm down a little. " Do you know what the worst part about having such an amazing regeneration rate is? It's that no matter how much we wanna die, no matter how many lives would be saved from us kicking the bucket. We can't die. And believe me, we've tried. It's been 15 years, oh how we tried."

"Owl I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in. I didn't mean to drag up bad memories, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, we've had time to cope, and come up with ways of making it easier. Why do you think I'm always such a scatterbrain. I gotta enjoy every moment, or the past will bury me. Besides I've been helping Liv through her problems for years. Sort of a built in therapist." She says that with a laugh. "Besides because of our problems, it's kind of the reason you and me became friends."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you caught my interest because you were out by yourself so early in the morning, and to be honest you don't live in the nicest area, so I went with you to keep an eye on you. Liv has a big 'saving kids' thing, especially girls. She blames herself for 43's death." Owl takes off her beanie and looks a little solemn and plays with the 43 logo. "And 43 was such an angel to. I wish I got to meet her. Anyway, as we were jogging and talking, I saw the look in your eyes. I recognized the look, me and Liv use to have that same look, and I couldn't just leave you alone. And I'm glad I didn't, I pulled you out of your shell a little and got the honor of seeing such a beautiful person, and an amazing friend."

"I wasn't that bad was I."

"Tay, those first couple days, I was really worried about you. I thought it was a bad home life, and you needed an out, but when I went to school with you and saw those two girls. Well, me and Liv almost lost it."

"Thanks for that by the way, it's the first time anyone has really cared at all."

"Any time. We got your back."

She said that, and I can tell she means it. And that fills me with such a light feeling, to have someone there for me, to have my back.

They may be scary, and they may be forced to be cannibals, but I don't think I could ask for better friends. Owl and Olivia, the people who want to be my best friends.

AN/ Rather dialogue heavy I know, but they had to get it off their chests. Owl and Olivia's backstory is one of the first things I came up with when the brain parasite that is this fanfiction wormed it's way in. I don't know what that says about me that this is one of the first things I came up with, but whatever. Also Owl ain't just a scatterbrained crazy person anymore, now she's a crazy person who acts scatterbrained. Anyway, if you liked it, please review. Hated it? still please review, I like seeing what you guys think.

And remember, RIP in pieces 43, best girl.

-Killa