A Awaken 11.I
In retrospect, Brian really sucked at the whole cape thing.
"What do you mean Coil is under arrest? I know that. He's been under arrest for- Other Coil? Since when is there another Coil?"
Sitting on the couch watching him go back and forth with Tattletale on the phone, Aisha couldn't help but feel a little…less than smart.
"No," he said. "No. Go back. Arrested how? Who the hell is 'Cape in a Suit'?"
It's not like she never figured it out. Brian let things slip here and there and Aisha wasn't dumb. A bag he didn't want anyone to see. Phone calls he made awkward excuses to take anywhere else. Mountains of disposable cash despite a complete lack of an actual job.
"Define- What do you mean pedo-dungeon? What does that have to do with anything?"
She always knew her brother was into something less than legal.
"No. Lisa. I've been trusting you on Newtype for months and I think she loathes you more every time we see her! And we helped her last time!"
Somehow the reality was a lot more mundane than she expected. The secret hideout was a loft in an abandoned building. The secret messages were just plain old phone calls. Honestly, real life villains are so much less exciting than TV makes them out to be.
Even the evil plans were all about avoiding fights and not complicating things.
Tattletale should have named herself 'Funkiller'. Or something.
"What secret orders?" Brian asked. "Since when do we have secret orders?! Why does noone tell me these things?!"
"I didn't know his face got that red," Aisha mumbled.
"Black cherry," Black chirped. Aisha leaned against him, keeping the little guy hidden within her power.
We have to do something about the Undersiders.
Taylor said that, and immediately looked at Aisha. There was pity in her eyes. Aisha supposed she appreciated it? She saw the logic. If Teacher controlled the Calvert guy, and the Calvert guy was Coil, and Coil controlled the Undersiders, Taylor couldn't just leave them running around. That plan flew out the window.
Teacher knew the team's every secret. He could easily manipulate them. Nevermind the fucked up bullshit that was Brian indirectly working for the asshole who outed him and ruined Aisha's life.
Still kind of bullshit though.
The world just loved shitting on the Laborn family, one generation to the next.
Like a bad joke.
Kind of like her power.
Years of basically being invisible and second hand in everything, and her power was invisibility? Memory manipulation. Whatever. Same difference. Brian finally started to try caring too. She gave him a rough time cause he deserved it, but she saw him trying. Finally stepping up when mom and dad couldn't. Fucking timing.
Talk about a dark joke.
Would be a lot nicer if Teacher would just show up, make an evil speech or something. Then he could start wondering when his throat got cut. Honestly, assholes can be so rude.
She didn't expect that getting back at the asshole would be quick.
But it was getting awkward. Dodging Brian to go do secret hero stuff lost its appeal fast. Knowing he spent half his time trying to find her and the other half not knowing she was there? That's just cruel. Pranks and powers lose all their fun when it get cruel.
It made her feel like kind of a bitch.
And it felt worse knowing Brian was even lower on the totem pole than she was. Somehow. The guy didn't even run his own super villain team. What was with that? Brian was 'in charge' but Tattletale did all the planning. In the brief time Aisha spent spying, only Tattletale or Sovereign ever talked to 'the boss'. Brian never did.
"Backup plan?" Brain stopped pacing and groaned. "What backup plan? Why didn't you start with that, Lisa!?"
"Probably cause you're yelling at her bro," Aisha pointed out.
Not that he could hear her.
She'd been incognito in the apartment save for bathing, eating, and womanly affairs for most of the past week. Someone needed to keep an eye on her brother for his own good. Not that she could do it twenty-four seven.
"What do you mean you don't know what it is?!" he asked.
Aisha sighed. "Calvert did get arrested right?"
"Good riddance," Black quipped.
"You'd think they'd have a better response for that. This is like watching chickens without heads."
"Need Maker Unit."
"Huh. That's a scary thought." Taylor in charge of the Undersiders. "Heaven save the world or some shit."
"I'm on my way," Brian growled. "What?" He paused, getting that weird look people had when they remembered for a brief moment. Right before they forgot her again because she was right there in the room. "No."
Tattletale asked about her? How thoughtful.
Weighing her options, Aisha decided to hop off the couch. She tucked Black into his harness and followed Brian out the door. Not like Tattletale would remember her when Brian got to wherever they were meeting anyway.
She looked back at the apartment on the way out.
It was a nice apartment. Wasted almost. Personally, she blamed Brian for trying too damn hard. Way, way, too damn hard.
The man bought a freaking soccer mom van for crying out loud. Kind of amusing he dressed in motorcycle leathers as a cape but drove a total soccer mom van. Trying real hard to impress the social worker with that one.
She slid into the passenger seat. As soon as the door closed Brian forgot it opened in the first place. Her eyes did glare at the date and time on the radio for a moment, but spilled milk and all that.
She only lost three months of her life. Got superpowers from alien bug things that saw and heard everything she did. Found out her brother sucked at super-villainy. Learned there was some cliche Bond villain plot to take over the government and then the world. Nothing all that important.
She wasn't bitter.
If Teacher got stabbed a whole bunch of times, it was only because he had it coming. Taylor probably wouldn't even care enough to give a lecture afterwards. And if she did, poof. Invisible.
Aisha didn't see a downside. Veda did exist. Problems for later.
Grim comedy aside, her power rocked.
Brian drove around town.
Aisha entertained herself by turning the entertainment system on.
Brian turned it off.
Then she turned it back on.
Brian turned it off again.
"Nothing wrong with it my ass," Brian grumbled.
"Now this is entertainment," Aisha chuckled, leaning in to push the power button again.
"Very funny!" Black agreed.
"You really have to cherish the little things in life."
"Carp and denim!"
"You get me. I so appreciate that these days."
"Why so serious?"
"Exactly, right?" She turned the system on again. "I mean, I get it. World in danger and all that. Serious business, but that's no reason to scowl and frown all the time and make badass one liners. You've gotta relax."
"Pet the kitties."
"Whatever works for you, little guy."
Honestly. Taylor made a point about how the world would be doomed and all that. Okay. Either they'd win and the world would be fine, or they'd fail and everyone died. In either case, Aisha would feel silly not living it up a little.
And mocking her idiot brother a bit, with love, while the opportunity was there.
Brian didn't go to the loft. He drove past it and kept going. Eventually he parked on the street and got out. Aisha slipped through the door behind him. The street wasn't familiar to her, but it looked abandoned enough for shady shit.
She didn't see anyone and other than the mom-mobile, no cars.
"See, this is why I'm a super hero!" Aisha declared. "We get cool toys and go cool places. The super villains just go to shady warehouses on shady streets."
"Less exciting," Black agreed. "Needs more martinis."
"Some booze would liven it up," Aisha agreed.
"Shaken, not stirred."
Brian kept looking over his shoulder.
"Come on Bri. There's no one here!"
He went up to a door, stopped, and looked up.
Aisha shook her head. "The one time someone looks up," she mumbled.
Brian slipped into the building. Aisha glanced around, noting long and tall rows of wooden crates. Like in that one movie with Han Solo.
"All the cliches today."
She followed Brian all the way to an office on the far end.
The ladies were all there. Tattletale in some trendy slacks and a nice jacket, Sovereign in some frilly fashionable dress that made her look stupidly froofy. And then Btich—with an actual sense of style—stood a bit apart from them with torn jeans and a denim jacket and a two of her dogs.
Brian closed the door behind him. Aisha stared at it for a moment before opening it herself and walking noticed for all of a second before forgetting.
"This really is too easy," she said.
It got downright silly when Tattletale held up her phone and swept the room.
"What are you doing?" Sovereign asked.
"I wrote myself a note," she replied.
"To what?" Brian asked.
"Not sure. Says super important."
Aisha laughed.
Poor Tats. Aisha was tempted to ask Black to replace her with a cat on the footage but that would definitely tip her off. Shame. She'd be so confused in an hour.
Aisha settled for pilfering her wallet and taking out three dollars and fifty cents.
She handed the change off to Black.
"Donation appreciated."
"Get yourself something pretty."
"Seriously, what are you doing?" Sovereign asked.
Tattletale frowned, glaring at her screen. "Nothing. We're good."
"Good." Brian set back straight and arms crossed in his best 'I'm super serious' pose. "Someone tell me what is going on."
"Just explained it," Bitch said gruffly.
Brian shot her a glance.
"Coil was Thomas Calvert," Tattletale explained. "Or one of the Coil's was Thomas Calvert."
Brian gawked. "There's more than one?"
"Yeah, big reveal."
Aisha walked around the room and checked everyone's phones. Black leaned over on her shoulder, taking pictures of all the screens as Aisha tapped through them. Taylor didn't want to risk outright stealing the things with Tattletale's ability to 'know every fucking thing under the sun'.
And once she finished 'work', she slipped some of Sovereign's money into Tattletale's pocket.
That should keep the evening interesting.
"Where have I heard that name before?" Brian asked. "Thomas Calvert?"
"He's the PRT's deputy director," Tattletale said.
Brian stared. "Coil is a PRT Deputy Director?"
"That's what I just said."
"Feels like we're retreading this reveal a lot," Sovereign mumbled.
"Don't care," Bitch said.
"I'm just saying."
"Yes yes, big reveal. We have bigger problems." Tattletale lifted her phone. "Check your bank account."
Brian twitched then pulled his own phone out and started tapping. Aisha climbed up onto a chair behind him and peered over his shoulder.
Her brow went up.
"That's a lot of zeros bro," she said. "You've been holding out."
Why was he frowning?
"Why are my accounts frozen?"
Tattletale rubbed her head with one hand. Using her power was she? Weird. Aisha glanced around the room, not really sure what she could be using it on.
"You think," she started, "a super villain masquerading as a PRT Deputy Director is going to have an entire team of thieves under thumb, and not have insurance in case of his own capture?"
Brain—to Aisha's shame—needed at least a full second to comprehend that.
"Bit slow on the uptake," Sovereign mumbled.
"He froze our accounts," he realized.
"Yes," Tattletale and Sovereign said at once.
At least he caught on faster than Bitch.
"He took our money?" she asked.
"He froze our accounts," Tattletale said. "It's different."
"Fuck him," Bitch snarled.
"I doubt that'll work sweetie," Sovereign said with a grin. "Though it is as good a back-up plan as any."
"Make it work," Bitch growled.
Aisha would laugh, but that was low hanging fruit.
"What does he expect us to do?" Brian asked.
"Show up right here." Tattletale pointed at the table between them. "That's all the instruction I got." She sat down. "Though personally, I'm voting we bail. We're not going to free him from the PRT at this point. Newtype has nothing better to do than make sure he stays exactly where he is, and then there's the Protectorate and the Wards."
"He did out her," Sovereign mumbled. "Bold move. Wonder how it'll play."
"He didn't out her."
Heads turned to Tattletale.
"Oh please. He's not that fucking stupid. Someone set him up, which is all the more reason for us to just ditch! Hightail it out of here before whoever is pulling strings behind the scenes decides we need to be dealt with."
Aisha raised her brow.
Something, something. She didn't have 'psychic' powers, but she did smell bullshit. Walking around Tattletale didn't help. But it seemed appropriately 'thinkery' so she did it anyway.
"What are you up to?" Aisha wondered aloud.
"We have no money," Bitch stated.
"We'll figure it out," Tattletale said. "For all we know Newtype is eyeballing us hard right now and I don't want my jaw broken. Her damn robots are driving me crazy enough as is."
"Awfully quick to bail." Sovereign smiled. "I wonder who could have outed poor Newtype and would want to frame the boss for it."
"Oh shit," Aisha said. "Shots fired!" She leaned towards Tattletale. "Response?"
Tattletale glared at her.
"Yes. I'd totally screw myself over that way because I'm that dumb."
"You don't care about the money," Sovereign stated. "Well, you care, but not as much as you care about getting out from under Coil's thumb."
Heads turned Tattletale's way. Again.
"That's not good," Aisha mumbled. She looked up at Brian. "Really bro?"
On the one hand, Tats definitely didn't screw Coil over. Did super villains handle rats—or suspected rats—like the mafia? On the other, it's not like she really gave a damn what happened to Tattletale. On the other other hand, Brian was in enough trouble without murder charges.
Even the Haros didn't want Tattletale dead.
Covered in cream filling when she turns on the shower, sure. But not dead.
Aisha glared at Tattletale.
"Better talk your way out of this," she said. "I have better things to do with my day than save your skinny ass."
"Fuck," Tattletale groaned. "Seriously? Do I have to run down the list of ways framing the guy with a gun pointed at my head by outing the tinker who hates my guts is a stupid idea? How do you think I'm that stupid?"
"Fifty-fifty," Sovereign said.
"Enough," Brian snapped, apparently noticing the shift in the air. Finally. He glanced at the three girls wearily. "We don't have time for this."
"No, we don't," Tattletale agreed. "The instructions I got only said to be here within an hour of arrest. My bet is there's out-of-town cavalry on retainer and it would be best if we bailed before they got here. The window is closing."
"Funny!" Sovereign cheered. "My instructions are different from yours."
Tattletale went stiff as a board. Her muscles tensed, twitched and she collapse. Sovereign leaned onto one elbow, smiling down at Tats as she curled up on the floor and silently gasped.
"Mine said to shut you up if you started planning a mutiny."
"Cherie!" Brian snapped.
The pretty little monster smiled sadistically. "Do you really need me to point out that could be you?"
Aisha glanced down at Tattletale, and then immediately looked away. That face defied description. The twisted expression of sheer emotional horror. Like she wanted to cry for days and not stop.
What was Sovereign making her feel?
Aisha felt kind of bad taking money from her. And pouring jelly into her hair. And replacing her plasma TV with a cardboard box. All that was mostly harmless—if mean-spirited at times—fun.
It's not like Tats couldn't fight back.
She gave as good as she got.
What Sovereign was doing was fucked up. An eleven on the one-to-ten scale of 'that's just not right'. Even Bitch was on her feet snarling at little miss Heartbreaker junior. Her dogs followed suit, the big Rottweiler standing up and baring its teeth.
"I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only intelligent person here," Sovereign said. "It's almost nostalgic, like that time daddy thought he could do anything despite all evidence to the contrary."
Brian hesitated, hand going from open to closed over and over.
Tattletale gasped suddenly and she scrambled across the floor.
"There," Sovereign offered. "Happy?"
Tattletale pulled herself up, tears streaking down her face as she turned.
And she hit the ground again.
"Definitely on my shit list," Aisha mumbled.
"Too far!" Black agreed. "Not funny!"
Aisha turned to her brother. "Come on. Seriously?"
Brian glanced to Bitch. The dog girl did look back at him, clearly looking for some kind of lead. Tats lay on the floor and started shaking, while Sovereign started musing some crazy sounding bullshit.
"Oh come now. We all know she's always been the sneaky one. Boss said to make sure she didn't run. I'm just doing what I'm paid to do."
"This is too far," Brian warned. "Stop. Now."
"Really, Brian?" Aisha asked.
"Make me," Sovereign replied.
Brian hesitated.
Aisha cursed.
"Fucking commitment issues."
Reaching into her pocket, Aisha pulled out her knife. A simple kitchen knife, but a knife was a knife. She intended to save it for whenever Teacher showed up but oh well. Probably going to take awhile for that to happen. She'd find a bigger knife.
Maybe she was being too hard on Brian.
Sovereign could take him down as easily as she took down Tats. It's not like he could just punch her and make her stop. Fine.
Aisha would do it. Someone had to.
She started toward Sovereign, noting the sadistic smile on the girl's face.
Taylor wouldn't be happy, but fuck no. Fucking with someone's head. Tearing them down until they hit the ground and could do nothing but lay there. Fucking smiling while she did it.
Who does that? Assholes do it. Assholes who didn't care, maybe not even about themselves. Assholes who took what wasn't theirs.
Aisha started to think she might be projecting a bit. Oh well to that too.
Taylor didn't hate Lisa that much. She'd already be punching Sovereign in the nose a fourth time. With a Gundam. On that, Aisha could agree with little miss shining knight. It's one thing to play pranks and mess with people. Stripping them down, beating them when they couldn't get back up?
That deserved a good punching.
What is stabbing, but punching with sharp objects?
"Just sit tight," Sovereign said through her smile. "It'll all work out."
"Throat or crotch?" Aisha asked, ignoring whatever Brian said to try and talk the one real bitch in the room down.
Black didn't give her an immediate answer.
Instead, Veda spoke, saying, "Wait."
Aisha stopped.
"For what?"
"I am deploying Queen Gundam. Two minutes. And no stabbing."
Aisha glanced at Tattletale.
She felt like throwing up.
"Tell her to wait two minutes."
She raised the blade and figured she'd just see where it landed.
"Doot doot doodle-oodle oot doot do do!"
She stopped. "The fuck is that?" she asked. She turned her head, looking for the source of the sound.
"Entrance of the Gladiators," Black identified. "Julius Fucik, 1897."
"The fuck is that?"
Bitch was looking around. Brian too. Tattletale was scrambling to her feet again, hand wiping tears from her eyes as she glared at Sovereign.
"See?" The master said. "Cavalry is here."
"Doot di do, doot di do, doot doot doodle-oodle oot doot do do!"
The door swung open and some circus freak walked into the room. But not Circus circus. Aisha had seen pictures of her. Him. Whatever.
This cape looked more like a marching band reject than a clown.
She stepped away from Sovereign and stowed her knife. Tattletale was on her feet again. Taylor would lecture her if she didn't figure out who the new freak was.
She could always stab Sovereign later.
Brian stared at the cape as she spun on her heel and fell back into a chair.
She looked at Brian. Then Bitch. Then Sovereign. Then Tattletale. Back to Sovereign. Back to Tattletale.
"Family feud?" she asked.
"Who are you?" Bitch snarled. Her dogs both moved, placing themselves between her and the new cape.
"I," the cape answered with an exaggerated drawn out tone, "am the one who is here to pull all your asses out of the fire!"
"The boss sent you?" Brian asked.
Aisha looked to him, noting the edge in his voice. His shoulders were tensed, and his hands closed. Couldn't decide if he wanted to intervene in Tats getting tortured, but ready to go and fight whoever the freak in the rabbit mask was?
"Damn it, Brian."
"He arranged for me," new cape said. "Had a teleporter on standby and everything! Excellent timing actually, I'm impressed."
Aisha's phone began vibrating. She pulled it from her pocket and raised it to her ear.
"Sup," she answered, watching the scene.
"No stabbing," Taylor growled.
"I think you'd be on my side with this one."
Tattletale quietly positioned herself behind Brian, hiding from the new cape's sight and eying the door.
"Leaving so soon?" New cape asked. "But I just got here!"
"She is rude," Sovereign laughed. "Don't hold it against her. She's still growing up."
Some people just needed stabbing.
"Who is this new cape?" Taylor asked. "Describe her."
Like Taylor couldn't just look through Black's eyes. Probably wanted to keep Aisha focused on not giving Sovereign what she deserved. Whatever. Delay the inevitable a bit. No skin off Aisha's face.
Sovereign wasn't going anywhere.
It might be a cliche coming from a black kid in America, but fuck it. 'Justice' was a crock of shit. Taylor was better than most, but Aisha knew she didn't have it in her to really hurt the people who deserved hurting.
That was fine.
Maybe someone like Taylor needed to be the hero.
Another lovely little twist to her power. She could deal with the things that needed dealing. No one else needed to know.
Aisha looked the new cape over again.
"Well, she's dressed like a marching band reject in a bunny mask. How many capes fit that description?"
Much like Rune's interlude this is maybe one of my least favorite chapters in the story. I've liked it less and less as time has gone on. Someday I'm gonna fix it.
