Keep Calm and Respawn
A Worm Fanfiction
By: Konsaki
25 Feb – Evening
Gunshots rang out into the evening air.
If I had the breath, I'd have cursed like a dock worker. Instead, I stabbed my chest and forced a respawn; my sprint never leaving its staccato cadence down the alley. Hurdling a stack of wooden pallets with my left arm, I slid the knife back in its sheath with my right.
More gunshots rang out, a pistol firing to my left. It took me a second to orient due to the echoes but I turned at the next intersection. My shoes ate ground, the alley opening into a side street and into the alley on the other side.
Got to wonder what people think, seeing a girl sprinting full blast across the street, her crimson coat flapping behind her like a badass. At least, I hope it looked badass.
Now back in the shadows of another alley, I slowed down to a trot before stabbing myself again. Holding my breath a moment, I listened to the now silent area of Brockton Bay.
There, to the north! Breaking out into another sprint, I follow the alley until I turned a corner and screeched to a halt.
Before me was Glory Girl and three ABB goons. Well, Glory Girl was talking into her cell phone, stressing out and pleading. The goons were on the ground and… Yeah, that guy doesn't look healthy.
Force another respawn, to catch my breath, before moving over to the goon in question. Blood at the mouth and nose, breathing ragged and cradling right arm… yeah, he looked in bad shape. Worse, his eyes held terror as they looked at me.
"…know, but please, Ames!" Glory Girl's begging into her phone finally drifted into my ears. She let out a relieved breath. "Thank you! You're the best sis ever!" There was quick pause before the blonde spouted out our location and hung up.
"What the hell?!"
Glory Girl startled at my question. If I was honest with myself, I was a little loud and angry. Maybe it had something to do with the ganger nearby who could be dying as we speak.
"Oh, it's you." She replied with a breath, running a hand through her long golden hair. "Don't worry, Ames is headed over to fix him."
It took a moment to compute in my head. Ames… Amy Dallon… Panacea. The super heal anything hero of New Wave. Panacea could touch someone, diagnose the condition of their bodies and heal them all in a few minutes.
Panacea had also just gotten back from Egypt earlier this morning, based off what Glory Girl had said earlier.
The goon let out a wet ragged cough before groaning.
"What if he dies before she gets here?"
"He won't." Her reply was way too fast. It wasn't even an option in her mind.
I let out a breath, trying to keep my calm. It was kind of hard to do, what with the way Glory Girl basically abandoned me early on in the 'patrol' while I spent the majority of it just trying to keep up. Then I find her standing over bodies and acting like nothing's wrong now that her sister's on the way.
Needless to say, I wasn't having a good time.
"Fine. What happened?" I asked her, trying to keep my voice from clipping with irritation.
"They were mugging some guy and I stopped them."
Silence hung over the alley for a moment as I processed her almost blasé response. I pointed towards the hurt man. "What about that guy?"
"Hey! They had guns!" Glory Girl defended with, pointing towards the pistols on the ground. "I may have an Alexandria package but getting shot still hurts!"
"Okay, fine. Did you call the PRT?"
"I will once Ames gets here and does her thing." Glory Girl at least had the decency to look away and worry her bottom lip.
I took a deep breath and let the matter lie, instead pulling out zip ties from my coat to cuff the unconscious goons' hands and feet. The injured man wasn't going anywhere, so after I finished I moved to lean against the wall where I could see all three ABB gang members.
Then we waited in awkward silence.
Not sure how long it actually took, but eventually Panacea entered the alley…. Though, I guess I should call her Amy since she's out of costume. Either way, she looked the complete opposite of her sister.
Where Vikki had long golden waves, Amy had barely shoulder length chestnut brown curls. Where Vikki was full of energy and mostly upbeat, Amy had a weary, tired look as she sighed at the scene before her. Even her clothes were dark colors of winter wear… stuff that I would wear, really.
"Ames! You're here!" Glory Girl exclaimed in happiness, flying over to hug her sister. Amy just sighed again, though the edges of her lips were twitching upwards.
What played out before me must have been a sibling thing, because it was more like watching a stage play. Glory Girl knew she'd screwed up but wouldn't acknowledge it. Amy knew her sister knew but was too tired to say anything, like this wasn't the first time she was called on to heal someone at her sister's behest.
Once Glory Girl released the brown haired young woman, Amy moved towards the injured man. Kneeling down, she murmured almost as if on autopilot, "Do I have your permission to heal you?"
Of course, the goon was now unconscious so he didn't respond. After a moment, she reached out and touched his hand before jerking slightly. What came out of Amy's mouth next was a litany of broken bones in the guy's arm and ribs, culminating in a punctured lung and bloody pneumonia. It was almost mechanical how she said it but she jerked her head around to look directly at her sister in disbelief. "Vikki, he could have died! Would have died, if he hadn't received immediate medical attention!"
"But he did. You fixed him!" Glory Girl responded, still floating near her sister.
Amy just stared at her sister through brown eyes for a moment before frowning. "But what if I hadn't. He could have died and then what?"
"But he didn't!" Glory Girl cried back in exasperation, planting her hands on her hips. She deflated a moment later, lowering to stand on the ground. "Look, Ames, I know I screwed up but everything's fine now thanks to you. And I really appreciate it!"
Okay, so this was definitely not the first time this had happened, based off how Amy just looked at her taller sister. It was interesting how you could just 'see' when the brunette girl snapped.
"Do you? Do you really appreciate it?!" Amy asked, clenching her hands into fists. "How many times have you hurt someone 'accidently'? How many times have you needed my 'help' to fix your mistakes? How many times have you said it wasn't going to happen again?!"
So… it's getting real awkward just standing here in ABB territory, surrounded by unconscious ABB gang members while listening to two super-powered sisters have a, admittedly deserved, altercation. Reaching in my coat, I extracted my phone and hit the PRT auto-dial while silence hung in the air.
"PRT Hotline. What is the nature of your call?" A male voice responded.
"Hey, I've got three unconscious ABB goons that need picked up." I saw both sisters startle at my voice. Guess Amy never saw me and Glory Girl forgot about me.
"And who is calling?"
"Sorry. This is Respawn. Glory Girl and I stopped a mugging while on a patrol." I rattled off the location, using the same address Glory Girl used earlier. Once I got confirmation that police were on the way, I hung up to find both sisters looking away from each other and looking abashed.
Ah, silence, my old friend.
Glory Girl, with her outward personality, was the first to send silence away but decided to keep awkward around for a bit longer. "Um, so… Amy? This is Respawn. Respawn, Amy."
Now, if you're expecting me to be socially eloquent right now… Well, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you! What actually happened was Amy and I looked at each other for a few seconds before I let out a lame, "Hi."
"Hello." Amy responded in return before pausing. "Sorry you had to see… that." Glory Girl grimaced and rubbed her left arm but stayed silent.
Okay, I might be socially awkward but even I know that's a landmine to avoid. "No problem", to me at least but I'd rather change the topic. Too bad I couldn't think of anything.
It actually turned into another awkward moment before Amy decided to head back home with Glory Girl joining her. Not too long after they left, the police arrived and hauled off the goons while taking a quick statement.
o0O0o
26 Feb
"Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." I finished the quote with a smile, trying to imitate the Spaniard's accent, then shared a laugh with my dad.
On the television screen, the Man in Black continued to climb the Cliffs of Insanity.
Dad and I were having a movie day for a change. It was something we used to do a lot more before Mom died. Today, instead of going to the movie theater, we were just watching some older movies for nostalgia's sake.
Yes, that included quoting all the best lines and having a blast.
Snagging another handful of popcorn from the large bowl between us, I settled in to watch the Spaniard toss down a rope to the pursuer trying to climb the cliffs, swearing on his father's grave that it was not a ruse. After a bit of backstory for the Spaniard, the two men got into a grand fencing duel, climbing and jumping all over the landscape.
Sure, I've watched this movie before, but it's an enthralling scene, so I think I can be excused when I missed Dad's words.
"Huh?"
"What do you plan on doing when you grow up?" Dad asked, ignoring the end of the fight playing on screen.
My mind blanked for a moment, the question out of left field throwing me. "What?"
Dad just sighed. "Taylor, you're almost halfway through high school. Now's the time to think about planning ahead."
"Oh." So that's what he was talking about. I cocked my head in thought for a moment. "Well, going to college, I guess. You know, like you and Mom did."
"Okay, that's a start. Any idea on the major?"
"Um…" I had to think about that for a moment. "I guess English Lit or something?"
Dad just sighed as he reached over to ruffle my hair. Yeah, I treated it like a cat rubbed the wrong way, which just made him smirk. "Come on, kiddo. You don't have to have an answer right now but it's something to think about." He booped me on the nose with his index finger, chucking as I swatted at his hand. "Besides, I thought you were all 'Gung-ho' about being a hero."
"I…" I looked down at my hands, clenching and relaxing them. "I don't know."
"Taylor." He used his fingers under my chin to have me look at him. "You're still a kid. You have time to think about all this, so don't worry too much. Just… don't wait till the last minute to make a decision."
"Okay, Dad." I acknowledged with a small smile. "I'll think about it."
"You do that." He smiled back, tucking some of my hair behind an ear. He took a more… Dad posture a moment later. "I do think that if you're serious about this hero thing, you should talk to the PRT about joining the Wards."
I was just opening my mouth to respond but stopped due to Dad already having a finger to my lips.
"I'm not saying you have to join the Wards but you need to at least talk to the PRT and see what they can offer. You can always say no to them but not even listening is just throwing away an opportunity." He explained to me. Knowing how much work he did in the Dock Workers' Union, I actually listened to his words.
"I… I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask, kiddo." He patted my shoulder before taking another sip of his soda.
I just let out a breath as I turned back towards the television. Just like the Man in Black, I now had a giant in front of me blocking my way.
Not sure I can take mine on bare handed, though.
o0O0o
28 Feb – Monday
Uhg… School sucked.
Yeah, I know that's stereotypical teenage tripe but being at Winslow High just sucked the life out of you. Graffiti on the lockers, a few of the hallway lights burnt out and everyone just shuffling from class to class. Hell, even the teachers looked worn out and it was only the first school day of the week.
Math class had just finished, intermediate algebra today, and I had just enough time to visit the girl's room before History class started up.
No, I'm not going into details. Anyways, I had just started trying my hands with some paper towels when the door opened, letting in a rush of chatter from the hallway.
"Taylor Hebert."
I froze at that voice. Slowly, I turned towards it to see Sophia Hess standing in the doorway, a smug smirk on her face. There was something else, though, a hint of frustration.
Great… She's looking to vent and I'm her target punching bag.
"What do you want?"
Her smirk wiped away into a scowl at my tone.
What? I'm tired of being the Trio's bitch and I'm not going to take it anymore! I mean, I took on fucking Alabaster and… well, I didn't win but I held in there and got some good shots in.
What was Sophia Hess, track star of Winslow High, going to do to me that actual villains and criminals hadn't already done? Punch and kick me a few times? Make fun of my hair? Maybe bring up my dead mother… Again?
Yeah, I've had enough and my voice told that fact. Throwing away the used paper towel, I started walking towards the door… and Sophia.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The smug question and the knowledge I was trapped just made my anger flare higher. Even though I stared into her chocolate brown eyes, I could see people standing in the hallway to watch the growing altercation.
"I'm going to class."
Sophia just raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She obviously wasn't moving and her smirk was taunting me.
Fine.
I started to push past her and she tripped me. I managed to catch myself into just kneeling in the hallway but laughter filled my ears.
Yeah, everyone laugh at poor Taylor Hebert. No, don't help. She's fine and it's all part of the show.
"You're such a klutz. Can't you even walk without falling on your face?"
God damned Sophia Hess!
The hallway was dead silent, save for the gasping of the black girl before me, her hands grabbing her crotch.
Slowly standing up, I let out a breath as I relaxed my hand from the fist I'd shoved up between Sophia's legs. She was lucky, her thick thighs slowed me down slightly or I'd have punched her even harder down there.
"Leave me the fuck alone. I'm done being your punching bag, Hess."
My piece said, I turned around and started walking towards my next class.
Yeah, I'm an idiot… I turned my back on my enemy. Yeah, I paid for it as Sophia sucker punched me from behind.
I think my first hit must be still affecting her, cause her hit only made me stumble but not fall. Still hurt but nothing like the hell of being shot in the gut.
Someone in the crowd cheered and, like a line of dominos, the rest fell in line.
"You're gonna wish you were dead once I'm done with you, bitch." Hess yelled out, slamming her fist into my shoulder. She was aiming for my face but I managed to dodge partially.
"You and what army, Hess!?" I yelled back with my own punch. Of course she dodged that one completely.
I blocked her next punch with my jaw but got her back with a kick to her knee. Her hiss of pain was worth the cut lip.
That was the turning point of the fight. With her knee injured, I managed to completely dodge her next punch.
I slid in and smashed my forehead into her face.
Sophia Hess hit the floor, blood gushing from her nose.
"What the hell is going on here!?"
If the crowd hadn't gone silent from me brutalizing the school track star, it did when Mr Jackson's voice boomed through the hall. A swath was quickly cut thru the mass of bodies as the large and slightly overweight gym teacher broke into the scene. The large black teacher breathed through his nose, like a bull, as he surveyed the scene before him.
On the floor was his track team star, bloody and dazed. Standing above her was an also bleeding but aware school nobody.
"You and you, take her to the nurse." He commanded, pointing to two male track members. Even as they moved to assist the downed girl, he frowned in my direction before clamping a hand down on my shoulder. "You are coming with me."
His head swiveled around on his muscular neck to sweep the now silently observing students. "The rest of you, get to class… NOW!"
While the hallway cleared quickly, he just as quickly dragged me forward via the hand clamped to my shoulder. "Come along."
"Hess started it." Yes, I know. It's a infantile excuse but it's what I said.
"I don't care." Mr Jackson bluntly replied. Of course, why should he? I wasn't anyone important, unlike Sophia. "You can explain yourself to the Principal and she'll sort it out."
Great… Principal Blackwell. Why not skip the investigation and trial and go straight to the execution?
Basically, I'm saying that I'm screwed and just being led to the punishment.
We entered the admin office, finally escaping the gawking students we passed in the hallway. Word travels fast in Winslow… especially when it's about a fight.
Anyways, the admin office was basically a small cramped room with a few uncomfortable plastic chairs on left side, the secretary's desk and filing cabinets on the right and the door to the Principal's office on the back wall.
"Janice." Mr Jackson acknowledged the secretary, who halted her typing at our entrance. "I need to see Ms Blackwell."
"Oh, dear…" The secretary, Janice, fretted slightly, probably at my bloody face. She quickly pulled up something on her computer. "She's free right now."
Mr Jackson nodded before shoving me into one of the seats. "Wait here." He bluntly directed before moving over a knocking solidly twice on the wood door. Hearing permission to enter, he slipped into the private office, closing the door behind him.
I let out a breath, looking towards the floor, as the sound of typing started up once more, Janice getting back to work. It paused a moment later and I blinked as a hand entered my field of vision, holding a few tissues. I glanced up to see the secretary holding them out to me with a small worried look on her face. Gently accepting them, I mumbled my thanks, which she nodded at.
Okay, having a split lip stung. At least, trying to wipe the blood away stung. I quickly learned I needed to dab at it instead.
It was so much easier when I could just kill myself to clean up…
Anyways, it wasn't too much longer before the Principal's door opened up once more, showing a stern looking thin woman in a black pantsuit. She took one glance at me before looking towards her secretary. "Janice, pull Taylor Hebert's file for me, please."
"Yes, Ma'am." Janice replied, quickly unlocking at filing cabinet and pulling out a manila file… my file, apparently.
File now in her hand, Principal Blackwell didn't spare me another look. "Come with me."
I followed her into her office, Mr Jackson looming like a big black bear in one of the corners, his muscular arms crossed over his barrel chest. The Principal moved around her desk and sat in an overly large office chair… the kind you see CEO's in the movies use when they're overcompensating for something. "Sit."
I sat in the relatively tiny wooden seat across from her. Damn was it uncomfortable. Probably the entire point, though, considering the slightly padded chair that rested next to Mr Jackson.
At that point, things went completely off the rails from my expectations.
I expected her to question me. You know, to at least play lip service to 'due process'. Probably have Mr Jackson give a damning statement or something before I got detention for a week. You know, like any other time I got 'in trouble' for something the Trio did but blamed on me.
Instead, Principal Blackwell opened my folder and a drawer to her desk. She pulled out two sheets of paper, what they were I couldn't see from my angle. The chair I sat in had the laptop screen between me and whatever she was writing or filling out.
Those minutes were like nails on a chalkboard, with just the sounds of her pen scratching onto paper filling the office.
"Princi-"
"Silence!"
She didn't raise her voice or even stop her pen moving but Principal Blackwell's voice cut me off cold.
Okay, that's my nerves ratcheting up a few notches.
Finally, she set her pen down onto her solid wood desk with a light click that might as well been the bang of a judge's gavel. She used a hole-punch on one of the pieces of paper and added it to my file before closing the manila folder and setting it aside.
The other piece of paper, a form, she handed to me.
"Suspended?!" I jerked my eyes from the paper to the stone faced woman across the desk from me. "You're suspending me?!"
"Effective immediately." Principal Blackwell confirmed.
"Why?!"
"Assault against another student with intent to cause physical harm." She clinically replied. It was verbatim what she'd filled out on the suspension form. Before I could say anything else, she continued. "Your parent or guardian can appeal my decision. Mr Jackson will now escort you off the premises."
The next few minutes were a blur but I was escorted to my locker to get my backpack and then to the street where Mr Jackson waited until I finally started walking home.
By the time I made it home, I was pissed; like, 'punching things' pissed. My pillow took the abuse.
Calming down some, I now worried about what Dad was going to think. Really, how Dad was going to handle it.
Turns out, he handled it amazingly well… like, I wondered 'who is this man and what did he do to my dad' levels of out of character.
After reading the suspension form, Dad just took off his glasses to rub his eyes as he let out a deep breath. I was sitting on the couch, worrying my hands while waiting for the explosion to happen.
Pulling over a chair from the dinner table, he sat down with a sigh. "Okay. Tell me what happened."
I told him. I told him everything. The Trio, the bullying, the fight and how I got suspended. It… it took a while.
Through it all, he was silent, barring a few questions for clarification. No judgment. No blame. No pity. No shame.
Finally, I ran out of things to say and silence reigned over the living room.
Eventually, he broke it by asking a simple question. "Who attacked first?"
"She tripped me."
"But she didn't hit you." Dad calmly countered, hands clasped between his knees as he rest his elbows on his thighs.
That brought me up short, my mouth moving but nothing coming out for a moment. "But she started it!"
"But you threw the first punch," Dad again calmly countered with a sigh, "and that's the crux of the problem."
"What?" I weakly replied, not expecting this entire scenario and dreading the conclusion.
"Taylor… I can't fight this." He finally declared, indicating the form lying on the coffee table.
"No…"
"No matter what happened before this, you threw the first punch and everything she did after could be argued as self-defense." He calmly continued over my whispered objection.
"But… but she hit me after I turned to leave!" I cried out, gaining some steam.
"Which puts her in the wrong, too." Dad acquiesced with a nod but let out another breath. "But that's still after you assaulted her first. If I tried to appeal this suspension, the appeal will fail."
I was stunned before I clenched my fists and growled. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Taylor…"
"She and those other two… assholes, make my life a living hell for almost two years…"
"Taylor."
"…and get away with it but the moment I stand up for myself…"
"Taylor!"
"…I get suspended?! What the fuck?! How is that-"
"TAYLOR!"
I shock to silence as Dad takes a quick breath. I sit back down on the couch, while Dad never even left his chair.
"Taylor," he starts again, voice that forced calm that I'd heard him use while working at the Union office. He halts for a moment, taking another breath and running a hand through his hair. "Damn it all… I wish I'd known about all this before… well, before this."
Silence.
"I told you." I whispered, looking at the hands in my lap.
"What?" Dad was surprised.
"I told you." I responded more confidently, looking up into his confused eyes. "After it started but you were still just running on auto because of… Mom."
"Oh."
More silence.
Dad finally stood up, only to sit down with me on the couch. Wrapping me up in a one arm hug, he let out a tired breath. "So much I've missed because… I'm a horrible father."
"No, you're not."
"I feel like I am." Dad muttered, hugging me closer before relaxing. We sat there for a long while before he spoke once again. "You know you're grounded, right?"
I blinked at that as it percolated into my mind. "Wait… what?"
"Yup, you're grounded from sun up until four o'clock."
Wait. That didn't make any sense… that's the same hours as… "That's school hours."
"Huh. I guess they are." Dad's amused voice rolled over me as I felt him shake with contained chuckles. "Consider yourself punished and I expect you to reflect on your actions and what you might have missed in class."
"Are you serious?!" I pulled back to look into his eyes, not believing what I was hearing.
Dad calmed down but still smiled and I knew the smile was real because it was in his eyes. "Yes, I'm being serious. If the school asks if I'm disciplining my child, you were grounded the entire week."
"The fact that I'd just normally be trapped in class is just a happy coincidence." I skeptically added.
"Well, if you don't think it's enough…"
"No! No, I'm good!" I'm not ashamed to admit I panicked a little.
"Alright, then. Now, that that's taken care of, let's go get some dinner."
I quirked an eyebrow at my father as he stood up and held a hand down to me. Accepting the assist, I stood with him but kept the look. "Wait… after all that, we're going out to eat too?"
"I'm thinking 'Taco don Nacho'." He replied, moving over to put on a thin jacket. The weather was turning mild recently, an early spring right around the corner.
So, against all expectations, I got a slap on the wrist from Dad and some pretty good Hispanic food for dinner. I mean, I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth, it's definitely not the best outcome but it's definitely not the worst case either!
All in all, I think I'll roll with it.
o0O0o
1 Mar – Evening
Okay, this week was weird.
Winning a fight against Hess, getting suspended from school, Dad just giving me a slap on the wrist… yeah, all crazy events I never imagined happening ever, let alone in that order.
Add on Dad winning two tickets to a play that Parian was part of? Okay… who the hell got God drunk and what is he drinking?
I guess some context for the uninformed would be nice.
Parian is pretty much the most famous Rogue in Brockton Bay. You know, not Hero but not Villain either. She just does her own thing and lets the world to its thing. Just so happens, her thing is cloth manipulation and she uses it to make and control puppets for the plays.
Oh, and these aren't like small puppets on a string type puppets but puppets the size of cars. Like, there are pictures of her riding on top of a giant pink teddy bear's head kind of big. There are also pictures of the same bear flipping a bus back on its side, so they're strong too.
No, Parian wasn't sitting on its head during that stunt.
Anyways, we were at the theater watching the play on stage. It was a comedy of errors involving a Blacksmith who was pretending to be a knight and got caught in his own web of lies by being tasked by the King to save the Princess from the evil dragon. So the knight, who is really a Blacksmith, somehow gathers a small party of a Hunter, Monk and a Farmer who help him in completely accidental ways. Eventually, the party of erstwhile heroes arrives at the dragon's lair to find the Princess berating the dragon like a henpecked husband.
We were just witnessing the dragon, animated by Parian but voiced by an unhidden stagehand, beg the party to save him from the Princess when everything went off the rails…
Well, the screams of fear from the back of the room was definitely a signal of that, at least.
"Stay in your seats or else."
As the play came to a screeching halt, I jerked around in my seat to look back at whoever said that. It was a bare chested man with a steel wolf mask on his face.
Shit, Hookwolf and… Alabaster.
"Not calling the police will prolong your lifespan as well." the albino man added, wearing his coal grey SS-like uniform.
Shit. Shit. Shit… I didn't have my coat! I mean, I had my half mask and…
"Dad!" I hissed in a whisper.
"What?" he whispered back, worry in his eyes.
"Give me your hat!" I told him as I kneeled in the foot space between my seat and the row in front of me. I was already pulling my half mask on.
"What?!" he hissed back in shock. "There's no way that-"
"Dad! Just give me the hat!" I looked him in the eyes. "Just… I'll see you at home."
"Tay…" Dad glanced around nervously, seeing something that I couldn't due to my hiding. He took a breath but passed down his black knit cap. "Fine but… I love you."
"Love you, too. Just stay safe." I whispered back while stuffing my hair into the cap as I put it on. As a final thing, I pulled on my jacket and patted the knife hidden in its inner pocket.
Considering that both E88 capes were on each side of me, walking on the main aisles, I crawled along the floor under the seats. For once, being a thin girl was working in my favor. Also working in my favor was the fact that the theater wasn't packed, leaving gaps for me to crawl through.
I'm just glad no one freaked out at the girl crawling along the floor and gave the game away.
While I wormed my way along the floor, I heard the E88 goons, Hookwolf mainly, demand Parian join the E88 or risk her audience's health.
Crawling under the final row, I breathed a sigh of relief at not being caught before slipping through the open entrance. Not sure why the two capes didn't close them but I'll take the freebie.
Flipping open my cellphone, I hit the PRT hotline and dialed.
"PRT Hotline. What is the nature of your emergency?" A twenty something's man's voice came over the phone.
"This is Respawn. I'm at the Lancaster Theater and Hookwolf and Alabaster just took everyone hostage."
"Just so I understand, you are an independent hero, Respawn, reporting that Hookwolf and Alabaster are holding people hostage at the Lancaster Theater."
"Yeah, that's right. They're after Parian... You know, a join us or their blood is on your hands thing."
"Understood. A PRT task force is enroute."
"Cool. I'm headed back in to keep them busy."
"Wai-"
I had already hit the End button before even realising he had more to say… oh well.
Okay, so next big decision: Hookwolf or Alabaster?
Well, I know where I stand with Alabaster… You know, him outclassing me in a fight but have no idea how to fight Hookwolf. So, is this a 'devil you know' or a 'take a roll of the dice' decision…
A scream from inside caused me to peek through the door. Shit. Alabaster was flicking blood from his knife while wielding a pistol in his other hand. Hookwolf is on stage with Parian.
Time for a knife fight: part two.
Pulling out my Bowie knife, I started sneaking back into the theater. I hid at the end of the aisle, waiting for the nazi cape to turn his attention back to the front where his compatriot 'conversed' with the cloth cape.
Now or never!
I quickly but quietly stalked down the aisle, knowing I'd only get one chance to disarm him from his gun. It just so happened that I have quite a bit of experience with how cutting your arm can mess with your hand strength. Self mutilation for the win!
Luck was with me, I managed to stab into his arm and pry the pistol from his weakened grip. Well, he did get one shot off but it went into the floor, so... no harm, no foul I guess.
I chunked the pistol out the open doors I'd just snuck back through… or I tried to. It landed somewhere in the middle of the rows of seating so… good enough?
"Ah… If it isn't Little Red Riding Hood." Alabaster's cultured voice monotoned out.
"Sorry, coat's in the cleaners." I quipped back. Interesting at how easy it is when I'm in Hero Mode. Wonder if it's a mental thing… Concentrate, girl!
"A shame," the albino replied, pulling out a second switchblade for his now empty off-hand.
"Okay, now that's not fair." I complained, hearing some of the audience escape behind me.
"Now, now, my dear. If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying to win." The man answered, the manic grin slowly enveloping his face one again.
"I'll keep that in HOLY SHIT!" I yelled diving into the chairs as Hookwolf crashed into his partner.
If people were slowly escaping before, it was a mad screaming rush to the exits now. By the time Hookwolf and Alabaster had untangled themselves, the place was mostly cleared out.
Oh, and Hookwolf was now a literal wolf made of hooks and other sharp, pointy bits.
"Sorry but I thought you could use the help." A young woman's voice called out.
"No problem!" I called back to Parian. "Ah… which one do you want?"
"Neither but such is life." Okay, I snorted a laugh at that.
Then Alabaster shot me in gut… twice. Okay, so he had two pistols. Thankfully the second shot hit my heart.
"Stop that!" I yelled at him. "We already established bullets don't work!"
He immediately shot me in the face in response.
"Asshole!"
Hookwolf yelled out a battle howl and charged back towards Parian. Considering it took him right past me, I think he expected Alabaster's bullets to do something other than piss me off.
"Yah!" I screamed out, burning the two charges I gained to punch Hookwolf right in the face.
You ever see those old cartoons where Wile E Coyote smashes into a wall and pancakes or whatever you call that? Hookwolf pretty much did the same thing before crashing back through six or seven rows of seats.
Parian had also taken the initiative to attack Alabaster with her dragon doll while a chubby teddy bear played shield for her on stage. I mean, I didn't know this at the time but that's what she told me she did.
"Come on, Mr Big Bad Wolf! Little Red's got another knuckle sandwich for you!" Well, I didn't really but I needed to keep him busy so he didn't double team Parian.
You know, being torn to bits by a metal wolf the size of a sedan isn't a very fun way to die. I mean, yeah, the sharp metal teeth bite and tear but every other part of him slices and dices at the same time. I'm just thankful that my power finally figured out that 'under a murder-wolf' isn't a 'safe place' to be and respawned me elsewhere. You know, it only took it three or four times to figure out that conundrum.
Anyways, that's why there's now a wolf shaped hole in the wall.
Wait… no. Me kicking Hookwolf through the wall is the reason… Nevermind.
I turned at the sound of Alabaster's sprint, though I didn't expect him to sprint towards the new hole in the wall. It was only after he lept through that I heard the siren quickly growing on the air.
Soon after, a woman burst into the theatre and yelled out, "Freeze! PRT!"
"Miss Militia?!" I cried out in wonder. I mean, it was easy to guess, considering the olive drab uniform and American flag scarf… you know, and the glowing green assualt rifle butted against her shoulder.
"Identify yourself!" The PRT hero called out, causing me to flinch back.
"Ah… I'm Respawn?" I was still kind of thrown off. I mean, going from beating the E88 capes to staring down Ms Militia's rifle. It's a little jarring, you know?
"She helped me fend off Hookwolf and Alabaster." Parian pitched in as she strolled up the aisle.
"Roger that." The PRT hero responded, her rifle morphing into a pistol strapped to her hip. She seemed to relax some at that. "Sorry about that, Respawn, but well…"
"I'm not in costume, yeah." I guessed, which the woman nodded to as she walked towards Parian and me. "I was watching the show before the E88 guys crashed it."
"So we gathered from your call." Miss Militia mused, glancing from both younger female Capes to the giant hole in the wall. "You know, the agent you spoke with tried to tell you to wait for us."
I let out a small nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. "Oops?"
"Actually, she had good timing." Parian stepped in. "They were about to start killing the audience to… demand my compliance." She waved towards where Alabaster had slashed his knife clean of blood.
"I see…" the brunette PRT hero hedged before looking around once more. Finally, she reached up and tapped the earpiece on the right side of her head. "Command, this is Miss Militia. Situation resolved but Hookwolf and Alabaster escaped." She waited a moment before nodding, even though the other side couldn't see it. "Roger. I'll get their statement before RTB. Miss Militia, out."
"Huh… I thought you guys were super police, not like the military." My mouth said before my mind caught up to it. The quirked brow from Miss Militia had me blushing in embarrassment. "Uh… sorry."
"No need to apologise, though… it's a little complicated." The woman responded, placing a hand on her hip… well, her holstered pistol. "The PRT task forces act more like SWAT teams, though we do have a few military veterans on the roster too."
Reaching up to her earpiece, she pulled out a small nub that looked attached to a wire, which she pulled out before her… Turns out it was a microphone. "Now, do you agree to give a statement on what happened here?"
I glanced from Miss Militia to Parian but the doll girl's full face mask didn't really give anything away. "Ah… I guess?"
"I agree as well." Parian replied.
Okay, so to make a long story short, we both said our cape names and then gave a rundown of what happened. That's when I found out Parian had that bear shield. There were only a couple stumbling blocks in the story.
"And that's when Alabaster shot her… three times." Parian hesitantly stated. It sounded like… you know, someone thinking about something gross or queasy.
"But her brute power protected her." Miss Militia surmised, looking over my unblemished body.
"Ah… no. I… Well, I saw the back of her head explode before…" Oh, that's why Parian sounds so queasy.
"That's my power." I took over, deciding that Miss Militia knowing didn't hurt too much. I mean, the cat was going to get out of the bag sooner or later anyways. "Anytime I die, I respawn… hence the name."
"That's… interesting." The PRT hero hedged. "Can you elaborate?"
"Hmm… well…" I thought for a second before my eyes noticed the gleam of silvered metal in the pile of destroyed seats. "How about a demonstration."
"A what?" The woman asked with a blink of her eyes as I moved towards the dropped gun.
"It's like I said, I respawn on death." I said over my shoulder, leaning down to pick up the pistol. I saw the woman tense and then cry out when I put the barrel of the pistol to my temple.
I stopped after the third respawn… you know, when I noticed the shellshocked look in Miss Militia's eyes and that Parian had hidden between some chairs to vomit. Hmm… maybe I shouldn't do that anymore.
"Uh… Are you guys okay?"
The question seemed to snap Miss Militia out of her shocked state. "Respawn? Can you please put the firearm down?"
"Uh, sure." I replied, setting the gun on a nearby chair. The woman let out a breath as soon as I stepped away from the gun. Come on! I was only killing myself. There was the sound of coughing and spitting before Parian emerged from hiding, mask in place. "You okay?"
"Please don't do that again… ever." She pleaded, voice still weak.
"Okay…"
"Now, Parian, when did you knock Hookwolf through the wall?" Miss Militia asked, once more gathering the statement.
"That was me, actually." I answered for the doll controlling cape, seeing her still not steady.
"You?" Miss Militia asked in surprise before her brow furrowed. "Is that another aspect of your power?"
"Well… yeah, but I can't do it all the time." I hedged. I mean, I don't want to give everything about my powers away… besides, I don't really know how it works yet.
"Hmm. Maybe you should come in for power testing to help figure out the full extent of your powers." Miss Militia offered.
"I'll think about it. Anyways, you pretty much arrived just after I knocked Hookwolf through the wall and Alabaster ran after him."
"Do you agree with this, Parian?"
"Yes."
"Then this official statement is closed." With those official sounding words, she guided the microphone back into the earpiece, headset thingy.
"Um, is there anything else you need, Miss Militia?" I asked hesitantly, looking at the time and thinking about Dad.
"Not officially but I think you both did a good job occupying both Hookwolf and Alabaster so the civilians could escape."
"Of course. I needed to protect my audience." Parian primly replied.
I just rubbed the back of my neck while blushing up a storm. "Well, I was just caught up in it, you know…"
"Well, your quick thinking led to a lot of saved lives today." Miss Militia responded with a smile… at least I think she was smiling, you know, with that scarf covering her lower face. "I think you would be a good addition to the Wards if you joined them."
"Ah… thanks?"
"Sorry to interrupt but, Respawn, do you have some way I could contact you?"
I turn to Parian, blinking in surprise. "Uh… I have a cell phone for hero work, I guess." I pulled it out and we traded numbers.
"Thank you. I'll call you soon." Parian said, sliding her phone back into a hidden pocket of her victorian dress.
"Why?"
She just looked at me though her china doll mask. "Nothing comes free and I plan on repaying you for your help tonight."
I blinked at that. "You don't have to-"
"I don't." Parian agreed but shook her head. "But I will." She turned back to the PRT hero and cocked her head. "If there's nothing else?"
"No, the statement is all I needed but sorry I didn't arrive in time." Miss Militia replied with a nod of her head.
"Your arrival is what scared them off." Parian countered before turning to walk back towards the stage. "Now if you'll excuse me…" She exited through the curtains towards the backstage.
"I guess I should head home myself…" I mused out loud.
"Would you like a ride?" The woman before me offered.
I cocked my head for a moment before nodding, "Sure!"
Holy shit are motorcycles awesome! I've got to get one once I get my driver's license!
Anyways, Miss Militia dropped me off near my house but a couple blocks away. Didn't want her dropping me off right on my doorstep, you know.
The front door had barely closed before Dad had me in a warm hug. "Hey, Dad."
"Damn it, Taylor… I don't think I'll ever get used to that." He whispered, the relief clear in his voice.
I hugged him back with a relieved sigh of my own. "I'm just glad you're safe, Dad. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
Considering how my world fell apart after Mom died, I couldn't fathom my world without Dad in it.
If I was being honest to myself, I could and it utterly terrified me…
o0O0o
End of Chapter
o0O0o
A/N
Sorry for the delay but classes have been a real pain… as in I've had a headache almost every day since they started. Something about having to work advanced electrical engineering maths for 8 hours plus 2 more hours of study group… It really made it hard to concentrate on words.
Anyways, this week is less maths and more theory, so I'm in a better mindset, I guess.
For those of you thinking I'm GG bashing, I'm not. It's just how things are turning out right now and how Taylor is experiencing it. Don't expect it to continue.
IvanDead
Yeah, I know that Alabaster can be killed but, in story, Taylor doesn't know. At least, not yet.
AVO385
This is AU but the Endbringer change just shows it more than Taylor's power change. I'm not going off the wall different but not everything's the same as original, though a lot is. Expect things to keep changing from original as the changes to Taylor's powers continue to make waves in Brockton Bay.
Edale
Nice catch. I meant to put 158 severe casualties and/or deaths to leave it ambiguous but screwed up. I've already edited chapter 2 to fix it.
VideoCrazy
Vikki is how Taylor hears it until told otherwise. It's phonetically the same so…
Tymofey
Dying is the correct spelling for the use. Dieing is actually the misspelling. I had to look it up once I saw your review just to make sure.
