Lightened by new depths of friendship, me and Owl continue to chitchat.

"So is there any thing or any topics that I should avoid when talking with you guys?" I ask, which honestly seems like a good question considering the baggage they might have. If I'm truthful with myself for once, Owl and Olivia are now sort of pillars that I may be leaning fairly heavily on right now. I really don't want to lose them because of a stupid comment.

Owl bobs her head back and forth and thinks. "Well for me it's pretty simple, just don't be needlessly cruel. Like if someone pissed you off, do what you need to do, but if they stop fighting, also stop fighting. Of course there are exceptions, some people just need to be hurt. I don't like killing, but a good fight is always nice, just something to get the blood pumping. Past those I don't like mean jokes just for the sake of being mean, and people not knowing what 'no' means." She leans back. "Otherwise I'm pretty easy going."

"Okay, that's straight forward. What about Olivia?"

"Eh, she's more or less the same as me, just a touch more lethal. She thinks that if you remove the problem, it'll never bother you again. I'm more forgive and forget, well, I don't forget the slights against us, I'm just more forgiving. She also really doesn't like physical contact. Like at all."

"I'm kinda the same with the touching thing, but mine is more from bullying. I take it her's is from you guys past."

Owl nods. "Yeah, I've been comforting her for years and have been trying to bring her out of her shell, but some things just can't be forgotten. She does like feeling contact through me though, something about me being in control lets her enjoy it." She then gets a mischievous smirk. " I don't think she'd ever be intimate with someone, but I know she likes feeling when I am." She then throws her head back and laughs. "No matter what she's yelling in my head right now, I know the truth."

I blush a little at that, but I can't help but giggle a little.

Owl eventually stops tittering about busting Olivia's chops. "So anything we should know about you Tay?"

"Oh, most of what you guys said. My big thing would be people using others, or treating someone badly just because they can. I'm absolutely against it." I look around for a second, being distracted by memories of the past two years at Winslow. I center myself and come back though. "I really want to be a hero. I, I want to help people. Finding out who Sophia really is kinda shook my faith in the PRT pretty badly, in the system as a whole in fact. But I will help people. Even if revenge would be easy with a power like mine, I'm gonna try to be the bigger person." I finish with a smile, a real smile that I truly feel.

Owl puts her arm around my shoulder and gives me a side hug, with a big cheery grin.

After a while of talking that purposely avoids anymore deep topics, we get back on the topic of our hypothetical cape team.

"So the PRT knows what you look like right, and also tries to avoid you?"

Owl leans back and stretches on the couch. "Yeah, I've been bugging them for the past decade and a half. I haven't really been stealthy about it either. They shouldn't know about Liv, but they probably have pictures of me and a lot of recorded conversations."

"You talked to them that much?"

She gives a little wave of her hand. "Of course, I got a buddy on the inside, though I haven't talk to her in years. So why did you want to know that, what ingenious plot have you come up with?" She gives me a smile.

"Well since we're getting you a costume, I was thinking that we could also get you a cape name so the PRT wouldn't know it was you. At least that way they wouldn't bug us to much."

"I like it, one problem though. The moment I use my powers they would know it was me."

"Oh damn, hadn't thought about that."

Owl looks away and seems to be thinking for a second. "Actually that might work. Have you heard about the 'Unwritten Rules' for capes?"

I think for a bit, then shake my head.

"Oh poor innocent, little Tay."

"I'm taller than you."

"Oh poor innocent, big, little Tay. I'm gonna have to learn you some new things."

I cross my arms and give her a look. "You're gonna learn me some things. I don't think you're using that word right."

"Shush. Anyway, the rules basically boil down to, don't find out a cape's identity, don't attack them when they're not in costume, and don't attack their family. The heroes and villains both follow the rules. On the outside it's a nice gentleman's agreement, but the PRT, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to also follow the rules. It means that their heroes stay safe, but it also means that for the most part the villains get to go free."

She gives a slow shake of her head. "My dislike of the PRT aside, we may be able to use the rules to our advantage. Although I'm a known individual, my possible cape identity wouldn't be. Even if they connect me to the cape persona, due to the rules I would essentially be two different people. And if they confront me, I just say that I'm not Owl. Really it's just an open secret, but one they really can't do anything about."

"Well that seems silly, but if it works, it works. Now we just need a cape name for you to use."

Owl perks up and seems to really be invested in the idea. "How about, The Obliterator?"

"That might be to violent."

"Come on, that's what I do when I punch things, I obliterate them. Sometimes I punch hard enough to obliterate my own hands, now that's skill." She smirks, nods her head and gives me a look like I should be impressed.

I'm not. "Next."

She grumbles something, then comes up with the next one. "Ooh how about Mistress?"

"That's it, just Mistress?" She nods. "No. Why did you even throw that one out?"

"Well I figured if I can't instill a sense of fear, then maybe I could just turn them on instead. They hear that I'm coming and they get ready for the beating of their lives. I'll bring a whip, and teach them the error of their ways. They'll say 'Please Mistress, mercy' and I'll just say 'No, maybe later, mmmh'. Just a little bit of kinky, you know."

My face feels like it's on fire, it must look as red as a tomato. "No Owl, to much kink."

"Is there such a thing as to much kink?"

"Yes! Definitely yes."

"Pffft, teens. Fine I'll come up with something else, give me a few minutes." I get up and go get something to drink from the kitchen to give her time to think. When I get back it looks like she's ready to share her new idea. "Okay, so you didn't like my ideas, Liv decided to join in though and we brainstormed. How about Gorha?"

"Does it mean anything, or did you guys just make a word? Did you just choose it because it has the word 'gore' in it?"

"No, although that is a good reason to use it. And as far as we know it doesn't mean anything. We just like the way it sounds really. Skitter and Gorha, doesn't sound to bad, does it?"

"No I kinda like. Alright, if you guys like it to, then Gorha it is." Owl gives a cheer and a little dance.

"Now that that's settled, I just gotta put together my new costume."

We get up and rifle through her bag and pull out all the clothes and apparel we got today and start to put together some form of a costume.

"You said you wanted simple right?" I question her.

"Yeah, I fight pretty recklessly so I might end up going through a few of them. I really don't want to spend days putting together a new one just for one night of fun. Besides, once we put together something good here I'll have a blueprint, then I can just go out and buy more clothes to keep stocked up."

With that we start to go off the plans we made earlier, and I shoot down her domino mask and bikini idea again.

After about a half an hour we have her new costume. Honestly I'm pretty jealous about how quick her's come together compared to mine.

Owl's new look is styled in a black and red color scheme. She's wearing a red tank top with a black leather half jacket over top. Across her face was tied a red bandanna with black etchings. She had an adhesive dollar store domino mask to cover the upper half of her face. Her hair was drawn back in a ponytail and secured with a flat brim black snapback hat. On her lower half she wore black ripped skinny jeans and black sneakers.

Owl then grabbed a marker and wrote Gorha vertically down the left side of her tank top.

She kinda looked like a gang member, but an actually cool looking one and not the assholes we have in the Bay.

"So what do you think Tay?"

"I like it, but why didn't you go with black and red?"

She looks down at herself. "Oh, well the black covers any dirt or stain. Image is important. The red is because the way I fight, there's usually a bit of blood. Mainly mine honestly. The color just helps hide it."

"Why do you take so may risks fighting?"

"Well I'm not a blaster, to stop people I literally have to stop them with my hands. I could just throw things, but that's incredibly dangerous. I have super strength, I can't predict where they'll be though. One good shot to the head and that might be another dead body. Also I don't really take risks. Risk implies that I might actually get hurt, which I can't really be. Well, I can be, but I heal to quick for it to matter much." She just shrugs.

We continue to talk about her costume and what teaming up might be like for a while. Just as I'm about to ask another question though, I hear a noise. I turn and see that the living room windows are rattling a little. Then I hear what sounds like muted thunderclaps. Multiple of them.

The moment the first one happens, Owl tenses and her head snaps towards the noise.

After a second I ask. "What, what was that?"

Owl doesn't turn to me when she responds. "Explosions, big ones." Her voice is hard, it's still a little higher pitched so Owl is still in control, but she sounds as hollow as Olivia.

I look at her in shock, then run to the window and peer through. In different places all over the city, pillars of smoke start to rise. I can make out the sounds of sirens nearby going deeper into the city.

"What channel is the news on?" Owl asks. I turn and see she's sitting down with the remote in her hand.

"5, it's channel 5." I turn back to the window and watch all the smoke rise higher.

There's a click as the tv is turned on. "Emergency News, multiple explosions have occurred all across the city. The police are stressing that all citizens stay indoors and away from public places. Emergency services and the local Protectorate forces are responding to what is assumed to be a terror attack by unknown perpetrators. The current motives behind this attack are unknown so once again we stress, stay home. Do not go out and stay away from public places."

I come and sit on the couch and watch the broadcast with Owl. I'm absolutely shell shocked. Bad things happen in the Bay, but this is something else. We follow along for a half an hour, then they start getting footage of the blasts from reporters.

The footage their showing is brutal. Some of the explosions aren't even just blasts. One of the bombs must have mutated everyone caught in the blast. People with grotesque growths and deformities being ushered into sealed vehicles. One of the blasts turned a park into glass. Parents and their children forever captured in moments of shock on a chilly playground.

I hear a creaking noise and look to Owl. There's tears flowing down her face. Her hands are intertwined in each other, and she's squeezing so hard that she has broken both her hands, with blood dripping down onto the carpet. She doesn't seem to have noticed, her eyes still being glued to the tv.

After twenty or so minutes, the broadcaster is handed a paper. "It seems we have a new development. The terror attack is being claimed by an individual named Bakuda, who says they're associated with the local gang, the Azn Bad Boys. They are demanding that the PRT release the villain named Lung, the leader of the Azn Bad Boys, or the bombings will continue."

Owl stands up cutting off whatever the broadcaster was saying next. She fixes her jacket and wipes her eyes, then walks towards the door.

"Owl, where are you going."

She looks at me and her eyes have turned red again. Her gaze is cold and dangerous, there isn't a hint of kindness in them, just a look that promises pain. "Hunting a bastard down."

She starts to reach for the doorknob. Just as I'm about to call out to her, the phone rings. Owl lowers her hand.

I look from her, then the phone, and then her again. Almost as if I'm afraid she'll leave while I'm on the phone. It rings a couple more times before a get the nerve to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Taylor?" I could hear yelling in the background.

"Y-yes. Who is this?"

"It's Simon, I work in the office with your father. You were listed as an emergency contact, so I felt that I should let you know what happened."

I take a sharp breath. "What's wrong, is my dad okay!?" Dozens of horrible things go through my head.

"A bomb went off down here at the docks. Danny didn't get caught in the blast, but he was helping us pull some people out of the rubble. Some of it shifted and he got hit by a beam. When the paramedics came they took Danny and the others we fished out to the hospital."

"Ah, i-is he okay, is dad alright?"

"He got knockout by the beam, past that I don't know how good he is." Simon must turn away from the phone, and starts to yell things at people. "Okay Taylor, he should be at Brockton General in a few minutes, baring any bad traffic. I have to go. People still need help here, good luck." Then I hear a click.

"Wait, wait! That's it, good luck?" I give a frustrated yell and slam the phone down. It's all I get. My dad got hurt and all I get is good luck.

Owl walks over and goes to put her hand on my shoulder, then tenses before she touches me and just puts her hand down. She pulls her bandanna down. "Taylor what was that call about, is Danny hurt?" Even Olivia is interested now. That also explains the lack of contact.

"Someone that works with my dad called and said he got hurt. I guess a beam fell on him, he was helping people after one of the bombs went off in the docks." I start heading towards the basement. That bomber will attack anyone it seems. The Dock Workers haven't been useful in years. Hurting them means nothing, it just cause pain. After a minute I come back up with my bag. "They said he's on the way to the hospital right now. Because of that asshole Bakuda, he got hurt." There's barely restrained anger in my voice.

Olivia must have calmed a little because her eyes have gone back to blue. "So are you going to the hospital then, if that is what is happening, then I will go with you." She says to reassure me, and it does. Makes me feel good knowing she'll follow through with having my back.

But no, no that's not the plan now. "No, you said it yourself."

I put the bag down and unzip it and reach in. "We're going hunting." Then I pull out my mask. If this Bakuda person wants pain, I'll give them pain.

Olivia looks shocked for a second, then the shock morphs into a vicious smile that goes from ear to ear and shows to many pointy teeth. Her eyes are almost glowing a gleeful red. She pulls her bandanna up, but I can still see the smile through the fabric.

I put on my costume, and we make for the door. We head out to start our hunting trip.

AN: Little shorter than the last couple chapters, but it's a start into the Bakuda arc. I wonder how fast our new huntresses can find Bakuda and get there pound of flesh. Of course others will be out for blood to, so that might be fun. Another talky chapter but this one is set up for some possible fun next chapter.

And yeah, another Worm fic where Danny gets hurt when Bakuda shows up. Well I needed a reason to not write Danny, nothing against him, I just find him a hard one to write. I tried a few times and thought up multiple scenarios for interaction with him, but none pan out well. Maybe it's because I'm not a parent, who is depressed and despondent and slowly drifting away from his daughter. I just can't get in the head space. Fuck it, whatever. It'll probably work out, maybe.

Writing more things for Owl/Olivia makes me happy and sad. She is the character I came up with, but I've given her such a hard past. I have come up with a lot for her past, but she is still constantly evolving while I write. I'm happy to see her grow, but some of the things my brains spits out fit for her character just makes her sadder in the long run.

Otherwise everything is going as planned and I'm still having fun writing, so good times I guess.

Anyway like all the other times, review are always welcome. Shower me in those thoughts.

-Killa