Guild Invites 4.3

Announcing that I could have died cast a pall over the conversation that was broken by Clockblocker. "I'd just like to say for all of us that we're really glad you didn't die. Now, inquiring minds want to know, how did you take down Lung?"

I got to tell the story again for the fifth time that evening: followed the ABB goons, heard Lung was going to kill kids, took him down with spider venom and hand-to-hand, met the Undersiders, then Lung round two, and wrapped up with Armsmaster accidentally sedating James. While my story felt rehearsed to me, both Vista and Clockblocker hung on my every word. During the story I got popups informing me that Clockblocker and Vista now considered me to be a 'Peer' and that I was now 'Friendly' with the Wards ENE. I also picked up a new skill although I wasn't too thrilled about what it said about me.

«A skill has been created by repeated action.»
«Through continuous use of lies and half-truths [Bluff] has been created.»
«Bluff (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 54.1%»
«You know how to lie and shade the truth.»
«+3% bonus on all bluff rolls.»
«Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!»

"His halberd malfunctioned?" Clockblocker shook his head. "He's got to be pissed about that."

"So, are you joining the Wards?" Vista sounded way too eager. "It would be great to have another girl on the team."

"I don't know." I'd been worried about teen drama and adult oversight, but Clockblocker and Vista were both friendly, and Miss Militia had made some good points. However, I was still concerned that James would be exploited for his power. "I'll have to talk it over with my partner." Hopefully that would be soon. Two men had joined James in his room. One was obviously Armsmaster because I seriously doubted there was another man wandering around the PRT building in power armor. The other was likely a doctor.

"Partner?" asked Clockblocker loading up the word with extra meaning. "So are you two an item then?"

"What? No!" Ouch, perhaps too strong a denial. Fortunately James wasn't around to hear that. "We're partners in fighting crime, not anything else. However, I am worried about him."

Miss Militia cleared her throat. "Perhaps we should move this discussion down to the waiting area. Beetle Knight is being seen now."

How had she known that? I had just found out via my bugs, and no one had told her. Did she have some kind of Thinker power? I hadn't seen her consult any kind of phone or radio. Then I noticed a barely visible earpiece in her left ear. That would explain it. "Yes, I'd like that."

Miss Militia led us back the way we came. I followed along behind her, toting my bat. I wasn't in too big a hurry. The doctor had examined James, but hadn't treated him yet. In fact the doctor seemed to be having some kind of discussion with Armsmaster.

"Who did your costume?" asked Vista. "It looks professionally done. Most new capes just throw something together."

"I did some of the work myself. It's spidersilk, very tough and flame resistant." Which had turned out to be a really good feature to have. "However, the design work was done by Parian." It was actually part of my agreement with Parian that I'd credit her with the design of my costume whenever I was asked. I wondered if she would be upset that I'd lost the cape and skirt-nets. They really made the costume work.

"Oh, you've met Parian?" asked Clockblocker. "She's a doll."

Vista punched him in the arm again, which was made more interesting because she wasn't standing next to him. Her arm seemed to stretch and deform like taffy to punch him. I knew it was really her power warping space. So cool.

"Ow. Did you have to punch me again? There was nothing offensive about that one."

"Yes, I did. That one was just lame, and you make it every time Parian's name comes up in conversation."

"Well, you know clocks repeat themselves – "

"Twice a day," Vista finished in an unimpressed tone. "I heard that one twelve hours ago."

It was amazing listening to them. I could tell there was no real anger in Vista's punching Clockblocker's arm. They obviously had a great rapport going. It reminded me of old Emma, when we'd used to laugh and clown around. James had become a friend, and I'd trust him with my life. In fact, I had trusted him with my life, but we didn't have this kind of relationship, at least not yet… And apparently the doctor was doing something to James now. I wasn't entirely sure what. I wasn't allowing my bugs to crawl all over every surface in that room, because it was a medical treatment room, and bugs aren't exactly sterile. At best guess they'd injected him with something, and he'd be waking up soon.

The waiting room was surprisingly comfortable if lacking in the usual months old magazines to read. Not that I'd want to read while I had Miss Militia, Clockblocker and Vista to talk with. "So, do the Wards usually stay up all night watching the monitors?"

"On a school night?" Clockblocker asked incredulously. "Are you kidding? That would interfere with our beauty sleep. They didn't even wake us when the calls started coming in about a fight with Lung. It was only after you and Beetle Knight were en route to the PRT building that MM rousted us from bed. Not that I'm complaining. I'm glad to meet you."

"Me, too!" agreed Vista.

"I really think you should meet all the Wards, Lady Bug," added Miss Militia. "Even if you decide not to join the Wards, it's a good thing for you to meet them. It will go a long way to preventing any misunderstandings if your paths cross theirs in the middle of a fight. That's why I woke these two up."

That made sense. "I'll need to discuss it with Beetle Knight, but I'm sure he'll be glad to meet Vista and Clockblocker tonight and agree to meet with the others whenever we can set up a time.

"Good. Could I offer you both PRT phones? I promise there are no tracking devices on them. You can even power them down when you're not using them. They're to help protect your civilian identities. They'll give you a secure and protected way to contact us directly. So we can set up a meeting with the rest of the Wards, and if you ever run into another situation like you did with Lung, you could call us and let us know."

I hesitated over accepting this offer. I absolutely trusted Miss Militia, but didn't entirely trust the PRT. Especially since cell phones innately had to be trackable. Phone calls had to get routed to the appropriate cell phone tower and passed seamlessly among multiple towers for people driving or otherwise moving about. However, I didn't have to take the phone home with me. I could stash it somewhere. Bug control excelled at finding good hiding places. "Yes. I'll take the phone. Thank you."

"Good. I'll make the arrangements." Miss Militia stepped a bit away from the rest of us, pulled out a phone and made a call.

My bugs noticed that James was on the move. He was still unconscious, but they rolled his bed down a hall to another room. What exactly was going on? He was closer to the waiting room than he was before, just two rooms away. Armsmaster and the man I've tentatively identified as a doctor lifted him out of his bed and onto another bed that then moved on its own. I'm sure I could figure it out if I spread out my bugs further, but that would compromise the sterility of a medical room. That wasn't a cost I was willing to pay. Meanwhile, my bugs had spread throughout the PRT building. I now had a pretty good mental map of the entire building. There were seventy-eight people up and awake. For the most part they seemed to be doing various kinds of office work. However, I could also identify the cook in the canteen, twelve people engaged in janitorial duties, three people on a firing range, one working out, and a couple engaged in some kind of intimate act in one of the storerooms – I didn't observe them closely. I'd also found Lung down in the basement. I would not be telling the PRT that I'd infiltrated their secure holding cells with spy bugs.

"So, are you going to 'bug out' as soon as Beetle Knight is up and about?"

I ignored the bad pun. I had to agree with Vista some of Clockblocker's jokes were a little lame. "That's the plan. I'd like to stay and chat, but we're both overdue in our civilian identities."

Vista frowned. "Would you like to call home, um whoever, is waiting on you? We could arrange a secure line."

I shook my head. "No, Beetle Knight shouldn't be much longer." Since I could tell he was moving about. "That's what Miss Militia said, right? Do you think someone could give us a ride to somewhere near our neighborhood?"

Clockblocker nodded, but it was Miss Militia who responded. "I will have it arranged as well."

What was going on with James? Armsmaster grabbed him by his foot and pulled him out. James thrashed and flailed about before clinging to Armsmaster. James was not moving anything like normal as they headed our way. I really wanted to turn around to face the door where they would enter, but I didn't want to reveal my «Combat Mapping» ability.

The door suddenly slammed open, and James staggered through like he was drunk off his ass. His beetle knight helmet matched with civilian clothes looked even more foolish in good lighting. "Bugg! I mished yoo!" Then he faceplanted right into my breastplate.

Awkward, and everyone was looking at us. I froze there for a moment unable to believe what just happened. His face was resting on my chest. Urp, not just resting, he was nuzzling my fake breasts. Granted, there were layers of cloth and padding between his face and me, but beyond embarrassing. He was obviously high as a kite. I patted him on the back before gently but firmly pushing him back upright. "Easy there, Knight. You're still a little woozy from the drugs. Take a seat." I carefully guided him to the nearest seat and plopped down beside him.

Even sitting down James wasn't completely balanced. He had also apparently caught on that we had company. "Mish Miller- Milita… Miss Mi-li-ti-a. I uszed ta dream aboud herrr. Shtill do."

Clockblocker burst out laughing which at least distracted James from staring at Miss Militia's chest. "Cockblock! Er, Clockblock! Er. Allwaize wandameat yoo. Gread shensha humah, unlike Armsmater 'ere." James made a wild gesture in Armsmaster's general direction. "Ee uszd ta be mah fav'rit. Wannid the unnies wit his lowgo, bud cout ownlee fine on panties. Wise dat?"

No, no, no! They were not talking about Armsmaster panties. To make it worse I used to own a pair of panties with Armsmaster's emblem on the front of them.

Clockblocker burst out with a loud guffaw before replying, "Marketing knows how often he gets his panties in a twist, so they made more for him."

Miss Militia and Vista both snickered while James giggled like a girl. I knew they were laughing with James instead of at him, but I didn't find it at all funny. I laid a hand on James's shoulder and spoke slowly and clearly trying to get through to him. "Knight, for your own sake, just stop talking. You'll thank me tomorrow." I turned a bit in my seat to look at Armsmaster. His mouth was set in a harsh line. He didn't think it was funny either. "It's the drugs. He's not normally like this."

"Normal." Armsmaster frowned. "That's a good word, because that's what 'Beetle Knight' is. I hate to be the one to break this to you Lady Bug, but we get a dozen kids just like him every month. Kids convinced they have superspeed because they got off their lazy ass and ran a mile, or that they're a brute because they got in a fight and won. This power he claims to have? Slowly improving? I've heard that before, many times. You have the potential to be a great hero, but you need to cut him loose. He's just a delusional fanboy."

James kept babbling on, but my attention was on Armsmaster. "No, he's not! His powers make mine look weak."

"He'll get you killed!" Armsmaster barked back at me. "It's admirable that you want to keep your… friend around, but he doesn't. Have. Powers."

"Whut?" asked James cluelessly as he turned to face Armsmaster as well.

"I understand wanting to have powers." Armsmaster's tone would be patronizing to a three-year old. "Every teen wants to be special. Your talent for martial arts is… impressive, but it isn't a power." He shifted into lecture mode. "Every human who has the potential to develop powers has an extra brain lobe, the corona pollentia. While the exact location and shape varies, widely, it is an additional structure in the brain not present in normal humans. It's not too hard to recognize when there's a significant variance from the norm. And your brain is textbook. You don't have powers, you can't develop powers."

That was just so wrong that I didn't know where to begin. James had less self-control. He pumped his fist in the air. "I haz da powah! Tha-lady Bug, forg me!"

I turned my glare to James as he'd almost said my real name, but I couldn't be angry at him. It wasn't his fault that he was drugged or that Armsmaster was a dick. "I know you have powers, my Beetle Knight. Please, just sit, rest. No talking. You suck at the talking thing right now." I focused my ire back on the person who deserved it. "I can't believe your nerve, trying to have this discussion while Knight is in this state. The state of paranormal science is a joke. There is a tiny island of things we know, surrounded by the shallow waters of what we think we know, floating in a vast ocean of ignorance." Those words weren't mine. I'd paraphrased something I'd read. "How many parahumans have brains that you can't scan for one reason or another? I hear Weld is made of solid metal. How does that look to your machines? Whether you see it or not, Beetle Knight has enormous potential. There are plenty of parahumans whose powers take time to grow. Dauntless, Victor, you and every other tinker that ever was. While your machines may not have found a corona pollentia, Beetle Knight is a true hero and my partner."

«Your relationship with James Barron has increased!»
«Your relationship with Armsmaster has decreased!»

James nodded his head up and down like a crazed bobblehead doll. "Whash see shed. «Inbentordy»" Nothing happened. "«Imbide Cogblogger»."

What? No, that was supposed to be secret, but thankfully Clockblocker didn't appear to be staring at a party invite window.

"Laytee Bhugg, forg me!"

Was he cursing and saying 'fuck me' or was that supposed to be 'fork me'? It didn't really matter. We'd agreed that James's inventory and especially party invites were supposed to be secrets. Not to mention my name. James had almost said my real name. It really wasn't his fault, but I needed to do something quickly. This was spinning out of control. We needed time to retreat, regroup, and reassess. How? And there standing in front of me was the solution. "Beetle Knight, I'm sorry." I scooted a bit over so I wasn't touching James. "Clockblocker, would you please give Beetle Knight a hand?"

Clockblocker reached out and froze James in time. "There. Done." He reached into a belt, pulled out a little sticker and stuck it to James. "He's clockblocked."

Vista gave a little snort. "Did you have to use the sticker?"

I ignored their little byplay. "Thank you." From what I knew of James's sense of humor he'd probably find the sticker funny. James looked so wrong sitting beside me frozen in time. Hopefully he wouldn't hate me for that. I directed my ire toward Armsmaster. "First you shoot him full of drugs, then you accuse him of having no powers. Even if that were true – and it's not – that wasn't the way to tell him."

Armsmaster didn't look at all regretful. "I understand that you are angry at me now, but you'll thank me later. If you keep involving him in cape matters people will be hurt and the blood will be on your hands."

"Whatever." I felt my bugs growing agitated and rushing towards me as they reacted to my anger. I deliberately pushed them back out. I turned to the only reasonable adult present. "Miss Militia, would you please arrange that ride you offered us. I'd like to take my partner and go home now."

"Of course, Lady Bug. The offer to come in and meet the other Wards is still open." Her tone was crisp and professional. "Vista, Clockblocker, you both have school in the morning. You should head back to the Ward's room."

Vista offered me a weak smile. "It was good meeting you Lady Bug. You know, even if Beetle Knight doesn't have powers, I'm sure he'd make a great PRT agent. The PRT is always looking for regular people brave enough to go up against capes. Even if he's underage they sometimes offer internships to talented individuals."

I smiled at Vista, which she couldn't see so I added a polite nod. "I'll keep that in mind." She really seemed to be trying to make a positive out of things.

Clockblocker shrugged. "Shit happens. When you're a cape, weird shit happens. Welcome to the club. Do you have a PHO account?"

"Yeah, I managed to grab Lady_Bug with an underscore between them. I check it sometimes."

"I got my own name, too. Clockblocker, all one word. Give me PM or a chat."

I smiled behind my mask, but he didn't get the nod. "I'll do that."

Vista and Clockblocker left. Miss Militia had stepped back and was talking on her phone. Armsmaster stood looking at me with crossed arms. "We still need to discuss how Lung's capture will be credited. You should claim sole credit. Beetle Knight is just a normal kid. He doesn't need the attention. It will put his life at unnecessary risk."

I stared at him in disbelief. He just didn't give up did he? "Credit both of us." I wasn't going to deny Beetle Knight his share.

"You do remember what I told you about Bakuda and Oni Lee?"

Ah yes, retribution. Somehow I didn't think that the ABB would care that Beetle Knight didn't get official credit. Too many goons saw him fighting Lung and ran away. Not to mention we'd had an audience. "Yes. I remember. Credit both of us." We took down Lung. We deserved the credit.

"Very well. I'll sit on your names for forty-eight hours, just to give you a chance to reconsider. After that they'll be released to the press." He was ramrod straight. He probably had a back-up halberd shoved up his ass.

Why did he ask me if he wasn't going to release our names? "Fine. Can we go now?"

Armsmaster gestured to James. "You'll have to wait for him to unfreeze, and you're in a restricted part of the building, so I cannot leave you unescorted."

Miss Militia stepped forward. "Armsmaster, I'll be glad to take it from here."

Armsmaster shrugged. "Very well, I have reports to write up. See if you can talk some sense into her."

If there had ever been a chance of me joining the Wards, Armsmaster had pretty much flushed it down the toilet tonight. There was no way that I'd ever place myself in a position where that man could give me orders. I stared at him in silence until he walked away leaving me alone with Miss Militia. "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Militia. I know he's a great hero, but…"

She nodded her head. "I understand. He's a warrior and war makes you hard. I've seen him put his life on the line time and time again. He also has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Many see him as Hero's successor as the next greatest tinker. I know he came down hard on you and Beetle Knight, but he was doing it to protect you both."

Personally I thought Dragon overshadowed him as a tinker by a huge amount, but I could respect him as a hero without forgiving his actions this night. I knew about bullies. Armsmaster was being a bully, but perhaps his reasons weren't all bad. "I'm sure he is."

Before I could think of anything else to say, a balding man in a suit and blue tie entered the room. He was in his middle years, but looked quite fit. Miss Militia introduced him as Agent Gregg. At least he wasn't Agent Orange. He had a phone for me. Miss Militia apologized, but under the circumstances she'd thought it better to only give me a phone. She encouraged me to call and set up a meeting with the Wards, no strings attached, or to call for PRT support in emergencies. She took her leave and a little bit later James unfroze.

In his drugged state James didn't seem to mind being clockblocked. He staggered around like a drunk, but he willingly followed me and Agent Gregg to an unmarked car. On the first sharp turn he tumbled over and fell into my lap. It was a little bit embarrassing, but James was so drunk that I was more concerned with him ripping up the car upholstery with those ridiculous horns on his helmet. I firmly pushed him back down by the shoulder. "Just stay there." James protested but stayed put. I kept one hand on his helmet and hoped that the drugs didn't make him throw up in his helmet and my lap. "If you feel queasy, let me know."

I watched through the window as the city rolled past. It was after four in the morning now. I was going to be so dead when I got home. My father must be worried sick. I had the PRT phone now, but no way was I going to call him on it. I didn't want Agent Gregg listening in on that conversation. I also didn't know what to say. It wasn't like I could tell him I was a cape over the phone. What would I tell him when I got home? The truth? He couldn't handle the truth. Movie quote didn't help.

I still hadn't come up with an explanation that would work when we arrived at a small park not too distant from my home and Winslow. It should be in walking distance to James's house as well. The park had seen better days. The wooden fence was rotting, and the paint was peeling. Weeds grew beneath the rusted swings where once children's feet had gouged ruts in the dirt. I used to play here. I wonder if this place was where I'd first met James. It seemed like a good possibility. I only had fuzzy memories of those happy years, and even the happy memories were tarnished because most of them featured Emma.

After waving good-bye to Agent Gregg we headed back. I was about to suggest changing when I realized that I had a problem. My clothes were in my backpack, and my backpack was in James's inventory. That meant they were inaccessible until James sobered up. If worse came to worse we could hide out in an illusion barrier while James slept off the drugs, but we might as well walk home first. Actually, we snuck home, assisted by «Stealth» and using my bugs to keep an eye out for any people. We took the back alleys to avoid notice, which mostly worked. We did get barked at more than once by some dogs, so obviously our stealth skills needed more practice.

"Aye'm zarree." James suddenly announced.

I was taken aback by his sudden proclamation. What did he have to be sorry about? "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had Clockblocker freeze you without asking."

"Wuz gud kall. Ahm knawt upta talgging."

It took me a moment to parse through what he'd said. I didn't think it was a good call. "Still, it was a betrayal. Can you forgive me?"

"Fergive? Fug no." His words were garbled, but his intent was clear.

I felt my stomach drop out. I didn't really deserve forgiveness, but –

"Eym thangin ewe. Plz douit agn. Ef ya halvta. Nawt fer no re zin."

"Thank you." I felt my eyes getting wet behind my mask, which was a pain because I couldn't even wipe them. "What Armsmaster said, it was complete bullshit, you know. You stood up to Lung, plus your power grows over time. You're going to be an awesome hero some day and he'll eat his words."

«Relationship with James Barron has increased.»

Even with the warning from James's power I was not expecting the sudden drunken hug. I awkwardly returned it. He certainly seemed to be a happy drunk. I managed to keep us both upright even when he knocked us into a fence.

"Hay! Iz ma playse!"

Really? This was where James lived? It seemed like a nice house for our area, slightly larger than most and well-maintained. We actually didn't live that far apart. I couldn't see any lights on, and the bugs inside his home felt like they were alone. So probably everyone was asleep. Why weren't his parents staying up for him? I'm sure my father was waiting up for me. "Doesn't look like anyone is awake. Give me a bit and I'll get bugs inside to check… Do you need help getting inside? In your state, they'll think you're drunk if you get caught." And my costume. What was I going to do about my costume?

"Ishz nod neeshifsherry. Dwrugs faydin. Boud fibe minuds left. Godda kowndown timah."

"You've got a countdown timer? Bullshit powers. Well that's a relief." No trying to sneak inside my house as Lady Bug. I just had to wait a few more minutes. "No one is up."

James plopped down on a little bench under the lone window on this side of the house. This was actually a good place to wait. A large bush blocked out what little light came from a distant streetlight leaving us in shadow. I moved over next to James. "Will you be okay from here?" I really wasn't sure what to make of the fact that no one stayed up for him.

James gave me another bobblehead nod and then broke into his normal voice. "I'm okay now. «Inventory». Here's your bag."

I took my bag from him and slipped my bat into it. Meanwhile James made a few swipes at the air, and his helmet was gone. Since his helmet was his entire costume, he was back in his civvies. I should really get going. It wouldn't do for Lady Bug to get caught near here. "Debrief after school tomorrow? I got a quest for us to make or join a team. We'll need to discuss that." Joining the Wards was obviously not an option.

"So I see." James punched his fingers at an invisible screen.

I guess he received the same quest? I gave him a wave, a nod and a quiet, "See you later," before sneaking out the back gate. I found myself a dark nook in the alleyway and quickly changed back into my own civvies. I was tired, grungy, and I'm pretty sure my hair was singed. I also had to face the music. I snuck back out of the alley and jogged home. The closer my impending confrontation with my father became, the more I wanted to postpone it. Two blocks away I knew from my bugs that there was a grown man in my father's bedroom watching television. So my father was definitely awake and waiting up for me. I stalled for a tiny bit by stashing the PRT phone in an abandoned house, but that only delayed the inevitable. When I reached my street, I noticed that all the lights in the house were on. I shifted to a walk. I still hadn't worked out what to tell him other than the truth.

Ever since mom died, things had been awkward between me and my father. He'd mostly ignored me until the locker. After that he'd treated me like delicate china. If I'd only been a little late, if I'd gotten home by midnight, then I probably could have lied my ass off: lost track of time, had to dodge the ABB, bus wasn't running and had to walk, or something like that. None of those would hold up after dragging my ass home just before dawn. My father would assume the worst: alcohol, drugs, or sex. All of which would get me grounded even worse than telling the truth.

Not that I would do drugs. I didn't need the stay-off-drugs chapters in health class. I'd seen enough kids at Winslow hooked on the Merchant's shit to ever want anything to do with drugs. The ones dealing the drugs looked even worse. Sex – was a nonissue for me. I only knew one boy that I was on speaking terms with, and James was my partner. We were friends. Although... he had gotten rather intimate with my fake chest. While that was still embarrassing, he'd also said that he'd missed me. Was it possible James liked me? No, I'd seen how he'd acted around Tattletale. She hadn't even really needed to do anything, just pose in spandex and she'd led him around by his dick. The boobs on my armor were fake and he'd been high. I knew exactly what I looked like without the padded bust and hips. Vista probably had more of a chest than I did.

Alcohol, well my father couldn't complain too much since he usually drank a couple of beers a night. Could I pretend to have been at a party and gotten drunk? It would be a whopper of a lie. The most I'd ever had to drink had been an accidental sip of a beer my father had left out. I'd hated the taste, but I wasn't opposed to alcohol like I was drugs. I still wasn't that in favor of getting falling down drunk. Why anyone would want to make a fool of themselves the way James had was beyond me. I'd have to invent details. I never got invited to the cool parties. Plus, I doubted that I could convincingly fake a hangover. Not to mention that it was pointless. I'd still be grounded forever, and he wouldn't trust my new friends which included James. Since I was going to be in trouble no matter what, I might as well be punished for what I actually did. I'd put off telling my father long enough… and my own door was in front of me. Truth and consequences time. I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

My father rushed down the stairs. He was dressed for work in what was practically his uniform: jeans, blue denim shirt, and steel-toed boots. He hadn't been a regular dockworker for years, but he still dressed as one of the boys even though he'd moved up to being a union spokesperson. He looked older than usual, and that was saying something. He was a long and lanky man with a weak chin, large eyes exaggerated by his thick glasses, and thinning hair. On a good day he looked stressed, confused and defeated. As he charged down the stairs his hair was tangled mess and his eyes were bloodshot eyes had a desperate look to them. "Taylor! You're safe."

He startled me by sweeping me into a hug. I had to fight off suggestions from my new «Aikido» skill that I use the same throw I'd used against Lung to avoid the 'grapple attempt' and throw my father into the wall. Instead I stood there and braced myself as he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight. "Dad. Need to breathe."

He released the hug but still left one hand on my shoulder. "Taylor Anne Hebert! I've been worried sick. Where the hell have you been? I called the police and the hospitals."

I winced. Now wouldn't that be a big fat clue to my secret identity? New cape and missing girl the same night. How long would it take the PRT or anyone else who could wrangle access to the records to find my secret identity? According to the 'unwritten rules' secret identities should be honored, but it felt like a thin shield to hide behind. At least he hadn't called the PRT – and that wasn't important now. He was looking at me expecting an answer. "I…" Even though I'd decided that I had to tell him the truth, outlandish lies flashed through my brain. "Can we sit? Maybe have some tea first?"

"Taylor… I'm disappointed in you. You're in trouble, but this covering up and hiding has to stop. I thought we were past this now." He ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Go. Sit down at the kitchen table. I'll make you some tea, but we're having this out now."

I merely nodded and sulked to the table. This was ridiculous. I'd faced down hordes of zombies, their boss, Lung twice, and even dealt with Armsmaster with his panties in a twist. I grabbed a bunch of lady bugs from the basement and brought them up close so I could make a demonstration. Meanwhile, I called in my black windows from their hiding places and set them to weaving. I needed new skirt-nets, a new cape, silken cords, and a silk rope. The skirt-nets and cords could be done relatively quickly. The rope would take longer, but I wanted it done before the next time I was out in costume. I had never stopped my constant bug practice, but taking those extra steps with my bugs helped somehow. By the time my father brought a cup of hot tea to the table I felt ready to have this conversation.

My father sat down, no cup of tea for him, just a stead gaze that demanded answers. "No more stalling. What happened?"

"Dad, the thing is… I'm a cape. I have powers." There. I finally said it. I felt like I'd just dropped a heavy weight I'd been carrying around.

"A cape? Really?"

"Yes." I made a completely unnecessary wave of my hand, and my hidden lady bugs flew out and spelled, 'I Control Bugs' over my head.

Dad startled and jumped up and back. In doing so he knocked over his chair and fell to the kitchen floor in a clatter. "Taylor! What? When? I can't…" His eyes darted to my bugs still in formation over my head. "No, I believe it. I just –" He suddenly halted midstream. He bent over and picked up his chair and sat back down. "Explain. Now."

I dispersed my ladybugs and sent them to the underside of the kitchen table. I knew where the story started. It just wasn't something I liked to talk about. "Do you know about trigger events?"

"Not really. Something extremely bad happens and then poof there are powers…" My father gasped. "The locker?"

"Yes." Please let it go at that.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"When?" Damn, damn, damn. I'd have to talk about it. "When the doctors said I had a psychotic break, they were only part right. I really was having trouble determining what was real, but that was because I was in sensory overload." I brought a handful of ladybugs back up. "I feel everything they feel: sights, sounds, smells, tastes – everything. It was like being locked in a room with a thousand TVs all blaring at me at the same time. I eventually learned to shut them out and only listen to what I want to hear, but that took time. I don't know if all the drugs they tried made things better or worse. Once I finally did understand what was happening, I was never alone with you. I wasn't going to tell the hospital staff. Then the pills they finally decided on left me sleepy all the time."

My father sighed. "I can understand that, but why not when we got home?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I was angry at everyone then. Angry at the school. Angry at Emma and her goons. Angry that it got out. Angry at you because they got off with a slap on the wrist." And because my father was ultimately a disappointment. He was a good man and he tried, but the Dockworkers union was in a downward spiral, and the less said about the ferry the better. I hadn't been surprised that the trio got off almost unpunished and the school hadn't even covered all my hospital bills. "I was still on the drugs and spent most of my time playing with my bugs, learning to use them. They became my lifeline and I started dreaming of being a hero. I knew you wouldn't like that. So… I just…" Couldn't trust him.

My father looked gut-punched. "I'm sorry, Taylor. I got what I could, but Alan pulled his lawyer shit, and the school denied, and… I'm sorry. You're worth more than those three little bitches put together."

Dad was still steamed over Emma's betrayal and that of the trio. Only Madison really got punished, and all she got was one whole week of suspension. Emma and Sophia had only received three day suspensions. It had always seemed odd to me that Madison received the worst punishment when she was the least of my tormentors, but at least now I knew why. She'd broken James's collarbone. She had been punished for hurting James, not me. By the time I was coherent enough to communicate Winslow had already settled with my father. My father had been outraged to find out the truth, and it was still a hot button for him. That was part of the reason I hadn't told him they were back to their old games again. If putting me in the hospital was only worth three days, none of the petty hard to prove stuff they were doing lately would get punished.

"I don't really care about them anymore, Dad. I'm going to be a hero and they're not worth my time." I took a deep sip of my tea which I'd barely touched. Ball was in Dad's court now.

"Right, a hero, so I assume this has something to do with you being out all night without telling me. Were you training? Oh god, please tell me you weren't anywhere near that mess with Lung tonight."

"You know about that?!"

"Jesus Christ, Taylor, you were. Yes, I know about that. It was a cape fight. I was watching TV. They interrupted the regular broadcast to tell people to stay the hell away from it. I can't believe you were there fighting Lung! With bugs! What were you thinking? Don't answer that – you obviously weren't thinking." My father brought down his fist on the table, which wasn't very sturdy and shook under the impact. He brought both his fists up and clenched them, and I could see his face actually flushing with anger. He cut loose with a string of profanity that started at awful and got worse. He stopped mid-rant, took a deep breath, and held up one finger. "I can't talk to you right now. Go to your room. Now."

I retreated to my room, slammed the door behind me, and threw myself on my bed. I hadn't expected my father to take it well, but I'd hoped for better. Through my closed door I could hear him swearing. Lung's name came up a lot, but not mine. I knew my father had a temper. I'd only rarely seen him let it loose. Now I was being treated to a full scale eruption of Mt. Danny Hebert. No, that wasn't fair. I'd seen him explode before. This wasn't the same. This was more venting, and from what I could tell more about Lung and almost 'losing me' than directed at me. That didn't make me feel any better about it.

I needed a distraction, so I turned on my radio, turned it up and sang along – got to work my «Singing» skill. I opened up my skills window to find most of the skills had leveled up over the past few hours of multitasking practicing: «Cryptography 8» and three-fourths the way to leveling again, «Combat Mapping 14», «Lingering Command 23», and «Sense Processing 20». While «Mental Control Area» hadn't leveled up yet, it was at 99.7% so shouldn't take much more. I was pleasantly surprised to find that «Clairsentience Blocking» had also leveled to 90. It had been close to leveling the last time I'd checked, but I hadn't been practicing it, or had I? I actually was maintaining walls in my head to keep back sight and hearing, and also limit tasting and smelling to a few bugs at a time. That must be enough to count as practice. Good to know. I got out my notebook and updated it on my skill and stat changes using my usual cipher.

Distracting myself with my skill practice wasn't completely effective. I still had bugs on my father. He continued to rant for a while, then took down a sheet of paper and wrote on it a bit. After a few minutes of that he put it away and headed my way. I had plenty of warning to hide my notebook, turn off my radio, and sit innocently on my bed before he knocked on my door.

"Taylor, may I come in?" He sounded much calmer now.

I took it as a good sign that he was asking instead of just barging in. "Of course."

My father opened the door and shuffled in. "Taylor, I owe you an apology. I lost my temper. I was worried sick about you, but that's no excuse."

"Okay." He was apologizing to me? "I mean, you didn't really yell at me, and I did kind of blow my curfew completely."

"You did, and you will have consequences for that, but that's not even the top of my list of questions. I can understand wanting to be a hero. I not saying that I approve. You're too young, but I can at least understand. What I don't understand is Lung. Why did you – No… Why Lung?"

I looked down. "I hadn't planned it that way. We just went out for power practice in the Ship's Graveyard. I hadn't planned to fight crime at all last night. When we did start, my plan was to start small, like some of the Merchant drug dealers, not even starting off with capes. It was just that as we were heading back the ABB was out. We had to detour to avoid some gang members, which pushed us into ABB territory, and then we almost stumbled on one of their meetings." I needed to focus. I wouldn't believe that sequence of events. Didn't matter that it was true. "Never mind that, we were just spying and overheard Lung saying he was going to kill kids. I couldn't stand back and just let the ABB kill kids. That's when we engaged Lung."

"Taylor." My father ran his hands through his hair. "Why did you think you could stop him? Getting yourself killed wouldn't help anyone."

"Dad, we did stop him. He's been captured." Couldn't he give me credit for that?

"By Armsmaster, and who is this 'we' you keep talking about?"

It annoyed me that my father seemed to believe that Armsmaster captured Lung. Was that what the media was saying? "I have a partner. His name is Beetle Knight, and we're a team. Also Armsmaster didn't help at all. He didn't show up until Lung was already down. Beetle Knight and I took him out. Together."

"I see." My father grabbed a chair and sat down in it heavily. "I'm going to need the full story."

"Alright." I didn't know what to make of my father's attitude, but he was at least listening. "I suppose it really starts a few days ago." This was going to take a while.