Day 2.5

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THE TECHNO QUEEN!

Taylor would admit that she had gotten swept away in the emotion of it all. The idea of going out into the world and helping the alternate versions of at least two of her friends was more than appealing to her. Strangely enough, it was Shy Girl who brought the mood back down, saying they had to wait before they tried anything.

Her reasoning had been sound enough, saying that she wanted to wait until her 'Guys' arrived before she got into another Cape fight. Taylor could completely understand that, she felt uncomfortable enough going into battle without her Thunder-nator much less her teleporter. Still, there were other's they could help without getting into a fight.

Everyone else seemed to have a list of people that want to help, Marceau's being the strangest to her as it included an apparently former Nazi, but Taylor was more than a bit fearful of giving out her own list. The very simple reason for this was because Skitter's Undersiders didn't work for her. As Grue said they still worked for their original boss.

They still worked for Coil.

Everything she knew about the man said that was listening to them, that had every room and appliance bugged. At the same time, everything she knew about the man screamed at her to act against him, to storm his base again and get his friend out from his grasp.

Could she do? Probably… if she could get the Undersiders to agree or if Shy Girl's 'Guys' were as good as she said they were. She would definitely have a chance of saving the little girl if she the resources to actual build something useful. Which brought up the idea of helping her other friend first…

Her musing was interrupted by the reprieve calling of her name, a name that they still couldn't get right. "Hm?" She asked absently as she looked up from the series of kitchen appliances and game systems she had dismantled in front of her.

Not too far away stood a rather sour-faced Skitter, her eyes, and nose scrunched as they looked over her work in progress. The irritation was plain on the other girl's face but Taylor couldn't be sure if it was because of all the dismantled property or if it was just because of her presence. It was probably a combination of the two and Taylor really couldn't blame her.

On the other hand, it was more than a little bit annoying. She knew the distrust was warranted but seriously if you couldn't trust yourself who could you trust?

Quizzingly the other Taylor looked at her, "What are you making?"

"Uh," Taylor said with her mind still rebooting from being taken out of her Tinkering, "Oh, it's hopefully going to an electrical current interruption field generator, think an EMP that doesn't wreck the machines. I'm thinking about calling it the Blend of Disruption."

Eyes a little way Skitter stared down at the mess of wires and components sticking out of the case that was once a blender, "Okay, I guess that could be useful… Look, can I ask you something?"

"Er, I guess?"

Nerves apparent Skitter tugged at her hair, something Taylor marveled at as the trait seemed multiversal, and worked her jaw until the words she wanted finally came out, "How are you so… peppy?"

Keeping her cool in the face of a rather blunt, and unexpected, question was harder than she would have thought. She was actually impressed with herself when she managed to place her tools to the side without setting anything off. "Peppy?"

"Right, maybe that not the right word but you just seem so… excited all the time. Like none of this is bugging you and I just don't get it! I mean, you're supposed to me and… How are you not freaking out?"

"Ah," Taylor said after a moment when the realization finally hit her. "Well, I am freaking out. I'm all kind of freaking out right now but, hey, things are pretty interesting so I'm trying to focus on the positives. And I'm not as 'peppy' as you think I am."

"C'mon," Skitter said with a snort, "You've been in this like constantly cheerful and loud mood since you've got here. I just, I can't wrap my head around the idea that version of me is taking this so calmly. The others are freaking out. Starfield is still recovering from that thing with dad, Marceau gets gloomy at the drop of a hat, and Shy Girl is obviously insane. But you, you just keep rolling as if nothing has happened."

Kneeling and talking was starting to get uncomfortable especially with Skitter's rather judgmental gaze boring down on her, so she stood up to meet the girl in the eye, "Like I said, I'm not as peppy as you think. If I seem to it's just because I'm used to faking it until I make. Besides we get to help people, that's something to be happy and excited about."

"And leaves me with a mess to clean up when you leave." Skitter countered with a flat tone that still held a decent amount of scorn in it.

Taylor couldn't really blame the other girl for feeling that way, especially when there was a bound Tinker cussing up a storm in her bathroom and there only been promises of more intruders in her life since. There was the promise to help a member of a hero team who hated her, a promise to make nice with a Nazi, and last a promise to break a convict out before she was sent to the Birdcage. The idea that a mess was going to be left behind when all the Taylors left wasn't all that farfetched but still…

"Helping them is the right thing to do; I'm not going to apologize for that." Taylor said firmly, "I can say that at least Canary doesn't deserve what she's got and Amy, well, Amy just needs to relax but if we can help them it will be more than worth it. They could be your friends too!"

"Oh, really?" Skitter said not sounding anywhere near convinced, "I can be friends with a Nazi?"

"On her I have no idea," Taylor admitted a bit sheepishly. She had never interacted with the Purity of her world so to hear that she was trying to go hero was a bit of a surprise. Maybe it was just Marceau's world? They would know for sure as soon as Tattletale woke up from her power nap. "From what it sounds like she's pretty nice on Marceau's world."

"Maybe," she said obviously not believing it but wanting to move on, "One thing I've noticed about this whole… idea of Shy Girl started is that you didn't mention anyone, you just went along with whoever Shy Girl or Marceau said. Why is that?"

And that was a question Taylor wasn't sure how to answer, at least not in a room she was pretty damn sure was bugged. It took her a moment, a long silent one filled with Taylor tugging on her hair and an impatient Skitter, but eventually she answered. "There are two people here I want to help but right now I can't. One's going to need to wait until I can make what I need to help her and the other… the other we're just not ready to help and I'm not sure if all of you would go for it. I'm pretty sure Tattletale would and if you're anything like me you will too, but the others I don't know."

Not being satisfied by the answer, as Taylor guessed, Skitter pressed her for a proper answer. "And who are these people? What makes them so important?"

"Didn't Shy Girl already tell you? It's because they're our friends." Taylor answered with all the honesty she could with a smile the probably did nothing for Skitter's frustration.

Skitter's own response was to simply pinch the bridge of her nose and strangle the obvious growl that was trying to work its way out her throat. She succeeded but Taylor could swear that was a brief blast of noise from every bug in the building. "That did not answer my question."

Knowing no answer was going to be good, or safe, enough Taylor simply shrugged her shoulders, "I want to make sure things are ready before we help them, I'll tell you then."

"I, you know what, fine. Whatever." With that Skitter walked away, her agitation not showing in her body language but in the rapid buzzing of the flies that drifted towards her.

Taylor knew she earned no brownie points just then but it wasn't something she could help. She didn't want to put them in a worse situation than they were already in, and having a bunch of Tinker tech wielding mercs after them would definitely make the situation worse.

Taking a breath Taylor sat down again and began to rummage through the various appliance parts in front of her. Most of the parts were incompatible with each other but with a little work she could get the Blender of Disruption to work like she wanted.

Everyone was working so hard to get things done, to keep them safe, and she just felt so under-prepared. The only real offensive option she had was her Ray-Gun and as good as that was it just wasn't enough to handle everything she knew was to come. So she needed to get building, to create something that would help her keep up with the others.

Rolling a screw between her fingers in thought Taylor wondered if she hurried up and remembered more about the patch she made in her world if Dragon would lend her some tools. Or at least give her some decent supplies to work with.

Taylor let her mind wander a bit as she secured the writing in place, letting herself drift toward thoughts of Dennis and her Techies. She missed them so much that ached, and seeing people so much like them and yet so different just felt like a knife twisting in her gut.

All of them were that maybe, just maybe, Shy Girl wasn't as crazy as she seemed. That her 'Guys' were really on their way and that could really bring all the Taylors home. But if the girl was as crazy as she seemed then… well, then it would be up to Taylor. She was sure that she could figure how to send them home if she had enough time and access to the Tinker tech that brought them there. But how long would that take?

Long enough to be too long that's for sure.

Keeping her hopes bright and up Taylor continued to Tinker away. Her mind a whirl with new designs and ideas as she distracted herself from more depressing thoughts.