Chapter 3
I narrowed my eyes at Sekhet while he busied himself moving the dishes around on the dinner table.
"Daaad?..."
"Hm?" He grunted as he was reading the paper.
"Do you think Sekhet has changed?" I asked as for the life of me, I'd forgotten how he'd looked like in the beginning. Having been more or less cooped up in the basement designing, supervising and observing for the past week hadn't been much fun. Though it had been a bit of a spiral if a productive one. (Dad dragging me out of it when he got home almost a daily occurrence.)
Dad's reaction to my suit and the revelation of his new pen's communication function stymieing any attempts I'd started to try and build something else during the week. The oath he'd dragged out of me for the week having seen to him being informed any time I even attempted it. Well outside the projects and orders I'd already queued up before hand that is.
"Well yes." He said looking up from the paper he'd been reading through while Sekhet set the table for the dinner I'd prepared. "For one thing, he's more decorated than the others." He said and noting my slight grumbling expression sighed and continued.
"Taylor honey, look at him. While the rest of the scarabs look passably like scarabs he's more a-a… scarab mantis-imp thing." He said pointing at Sekhet and I started to see it.
His spine had been shaped into an S shape and I swore I could see small claws at the ends of the upper most limbs with four scythe like limps moving into four others that were used to stabilize and walk around on. He'd also grown bigger, not head size now closer to your knee in size.
I narrowed my eyes at him again.
Did I somehow make a minor demon when I made him?
Was the bugger sentient somehow or was I imagining it?
Dad seemed to notice where my thoughts were going, probably from how my eyes were eyeing Sekhet through more narrowed eyes than was healthy.
"Kiddo…" He paused and waited until I looked at him fully. "Should I be worried?"
I thought for a moment before I looked at Sekhet and then sighed standing up and walking over behind dad. He seemed very confused as I raised my hands up and placed them on either side of his head to cover his ears. I softly felt my mind reach out to dad's and I spoke to him, mind to mind.
"I'm about to speak in the tongue of the denizens of the sea of souls. Don't listen I'm afraid it might harm you unintentionally. I remember it can be… rather distressing or harmful for "mortals" to hear as it where." I sent into his mind and after a few moments of clear shock I could even do that he softly nodded to me and moved his own hands up to press against my own. Giving me the go ahead when he was certain he couldn't hear a thing.
I turned to look at Sekhet who'd paused and was staring at me now. I felt the light of my eyes grow as I poured a bit of power, that small little stream I drew into me burned though. I'd yet to adjust and using the warp was painful here, so unlike the warp of my birth, while I attuned to it.
"Sekhet… I am your beginning and your end. Your loyalty is to me and me alone, your life such as it is, is mine. You rise through service to me You'll fall through failure." I spoke in the tongue of the Neverborn, feeling the soft trembling of the air as it was uttered aloud in the materium for perhaps the first time as far as I knew in this dimension. Dad looked around at the effect of me simply speaking the language around us. Hoarfrost covered some of the floor and windows of the kitchen, the faucet looked aged by half a century and the food had turned to mouldy ash with a few plates having even cracked.
"This… is all from simply speaking that language?" Dad said in a strange tone, something between horror and awe but I wasn't sure. Then the chair broke from under him, the metal and wood of it's simple construction having rotten and aged through. I winced then nodded as I helped him up again. Sekhet already moving to repair and clean up, neither of us having much apatite after this display.
"Taylor, you can't use that language on others." Dad said after he'd sat in another chair almost dazed for a few minutes in the heavy silence that had descended. "Please if just saying what? How many words for this to happen?… I felt it Taylor. Like claws reaching for my spirit, promise me Taylor." He said his worry and fear coming to the fore as he reached out and grasped my hand.
It felt desperate almost, seeking assurance, demanding my oath as well. "Promise me Taylor, you won't use that on anyone." He pleaded.
I was about to do so and then paused, hesitated before I spoke. "I promise I'll never speak that tongue to anyone who isn't of the sea of souls." I replied and dad slowly nodded. The look in his eyes made me reach out for his retreating hand and grip it tightly. "Dad… I don't think I'll ever have to use that language here but… if a Neverborn manifests on earth? It might be the only language it can understand. Though I'll do my best not to speak it aloud."
That changed the look in dad's eyes and he softly if weakly smiled at me. He could see it though, I wouldn't use that voice on a human being.
I didn't need to.
I didn't tell him that.
I ended up snuggled up in the living room after dad left. Staring at the TV for a change of pace. The look in dad's eyes making realize just how much the joining of Samael with Taylor had changed me. The fact I was even partially taking aspects of her life for my own already was telling to that fact. Her guilt, fear and loneliness felt suffocating at times, her starvation for simple human contact and affection sickening those… less understanding of those emotions from those that made up my being.
The two Skaven turned Verminlords especially but then again their society as a whole was… I think utterly and insanely fucking toxic would be putting it very, very mildly.
She had also been so damn young, when the youngest of the others that made up the whole of me held a few centuries of life at the very least. What she did bring to the table however was that strange desire and youthful exuberance that sometimes made me remember the happier times with her mother and father and Emma before her betrayal.
A betrayal that now seemed so… trivial. I already knew who Sophia was, it was the main reason I wasn't going to be joining the PRT alongside quite a few other reasons given the variety of juicy little secrets I had stumbled upon or found out during my week of ethereal exploration before binding to and with Taylor.
Exploration that now seemed more like a nearly half remembered dream and much of it seemed lost or discarded after I'd completed(?) my being by bonding with Taylor's body and soul.
The triviality of it all had me chewing on my thumb as I stared at a news anchor talk about some thought of mass event happening in both Boston and New york by the Teeth running wild.
I frowned at that, I hadn't seen anything even hinting of such a thing happening when I'd been there, though I had laughed when I'd gotten a look at Eidolon. The poor misguided sap.
Though if I utilized the reasoning taught me by the Emperor, a threat and unstable variable that needed dealing with.
I found my head loll back to half hang down over the back of the couch as I breathed out my amusement towards Eidolon and the threat to me he posed, minor as it was in my mind. My right hand moving over so I could stare up at it.
I frowned then as I clenched the hand into a fist. "Yeah I'm going to have to rely on Biomancy." I groaned right as I brought both hands to rub my face with.
If I was to get this shell into any sort of usable state and circumvent the oath dad had me swear to him about the construction projects I'd started so that I could do something I felt was productive. Since I'd be able to finish quite a few of the modifications in about four days if he'd let me build a bio-furnace that I could use to start the initial changes to forge my body to the state I wanted it to be in. Relying on Biomancy only lengthened the time it would take but would allow me to perhaps make the changes less noticeable at the start.
Thankfully not having to worry about a food bill unless we decided to eat out had helped a bit with the money situation. Being able to produce some of the supplements I needed this way also lessened quite a bit of the burden to come.
I realized belatedly as I explored my body through my awareness to plan out the changes I needed to make that suddenly I did have a few options the Emperor hadn't. Though Achut the Verminlords, who'd been a warlord of clan moulder, skill honestly wasn't applicable. I still had use for Laerhshi the scourges and Ahbi the Necron cryptec's (amazingly enough) did have overlap and application to my needs for fleshcrafting.
I also found out that unless I actually started to work on my body I would end up as some strange amalgam of Daemonhost, Skaven, Aeldari and Custodian without any real distinction. Most likely just bellow an Endbringer in power and likely would be thought to be the fourth of their number to appear given the… rather inhuman appearance and size I was getting a feel I'd become. The idea of becoming a warpspawn sent a cold shiver down my spine.
This was an unguided change brought about through my own amalgam soul and flesh reaching a sort of middle ground though the infusion of Warp energies and what I'd drained from the shard. I leaned forwards and tapped a finger against my chin as I started to delve the memories of Samael the Custodian.
The twenty-one primarchs… I had the memories of how to make their bodies of flesh but I'd not been privy to the added pieces that made their souls so powerful that would in turn empower the already powerful body even further.
I started to grin slowly, a soft low chuckle in my inhuman voice growing as plans and ideas came to my head. If I already had the spiritual component to make a Primarch…
My chuckling turned to full dark laughter as I stood and through the mental network placed my orders to Sekhet, who was my link to it, to disseminate them out. While I headed up to the bathroom. I'd need piece of wood to bite into and doing this in the shower just seemed sensible.
I had work to do.
-/-/-
Sophia Hess slammed into the mat with a cut off groan of pain. Her eyes closed as her body ached and she shuddered over the heavy sparring she'd been made to undergo for a full week now. She coughed when she finally caught her breath as the sting in her back flared up as she finally got her back off of the matt.
"Get up, if you can move you can fight." Miss Militia said, her voice cold and an underlying growl to her tone.
"While I'm all for watching Stalker get her ass kicked every now and again this… doesn't seem like our usual sparring... or healthy for that matter." Clockblocker said in a faux whisper to the other Wards and their guest at the side of the mat. He blinked when he realized he was being the voice of reason which only seemed to make him more uneasy.
"Perhaps she did something that makes her deserve this?" Amy or Panacea grumbled, her eyes more focused away from the fighting. Her unease with combat clear. Her staying on the rig for the past three days since this impromptu spartan sparring program to get the Wards into better shape to heal any accidents had been done with her showing everyone around her how put upon she was with it. the fact she only had to be here two hours out of the day during these sessions didn't seem to matter either.
Though her uneasy expression and the absent near-perpetual rubbing of her throat had been noted by Sophia and the others.
She got up and snarled at Militia as they started up again.
Two minutes later she heard her forearm snap as Militia got a bit more brutal than usual before kicking her in the stomach before she hit the ground and sending Sophia skipping a little on the mat as she rolled over. She tasted blood in her mouth and her arm erupted in pain.
"All right Stalkers done for now." Militia grunted as she moved to the other side of the mat, the other Protectorate members eyeing her warily. The Woman almost snarling her words.
Assault only speaking up once the woman had left the gym. "Ok… So what exactly did you do to piss off Miss Militia to that extent?" He asked into the stunned silence of the gym by the uncharacteristic brutality Militia had displayed just then.
Stalker sucked in her teeth as Panacea seemed to take her time a bit on getting to her to heal her. Her eyes moving to glare at the man who thought he was funny among these so called heroes.
He looked at her and perhaps just as uncharacteristically he was serious as he looked at her with an intense frown. "I mean it Stalker. Militia doesn't go this far unless you've fucked up royally in her book. So what did you do?"
"Fuck if I know." She hissed when Panacea finally got to her and started to heal her.
"Considering the last Parahuman she interviewed almost tore out my throat when she woke up it might have been her story that sent her into a seething rage? The girl didn't seem all there in the head after all." Panacea said with a matter of fact tone, her hand rubbing at her neck protectively.
Sophia stiffened and turned to stare into Panacea's uncaring eyes as she continued her task. "What?" She asked dumbly, her mind reeling from both the statement and the pain she was in.
"I believe her exact words were and I quote. "Do not touch us. We've tolerated the doctors but no-not you. The thought makes our skin-flesh crawl." I don't know what the fuck happened to her Stalker but if she goes on to slaughter people?
I honestly wouldn't be surprised, I mean her voice didn't even sound human." She said as she stood up then huffed, seeming to shiver at the memory and walked out of the gym as well.
"Ooooh kay… Stalker get back to dorm for now until you're on console duty. The rest of us will just go through some light sparring…" Assault drawled a little though worry coloured his voice which Sophia barely knew how to recognize any more. She stumbled a little as she got up and then made her way out, noting that a few of the bruises had been left over by Panacea. Nothing debilitating or effecting her in anyway, just an irritant and ache to deal with for a little while.
Her mind and thoughts were whirling in her head. Her? Last victim? Had it been Hebert? She hadn't been in school for a while so had she triggered or was she just in the hospital or psyche ward?
She almost felt like her mind was in a fog, before she stopped at the door to Militia's office surprised that the door had opened and Militia and Armsmaster stood there in the door frame. She felt cornered, like they'd been waiting for her to walk this way as she needed to if she was to get to the console or even the dorms.
"Step inside." Armsmaster tersely said and stepped to the side gesturing, in a clear order for her to enter the office. Grumbling under her breath she entered the room and was surprised that Militia placed a hand on her shoulder and lead her over to sit down in a chair in front of a screen in her office.
"We don't usually do this but I want you to realize what your actions have created." Militia said, her voice tight.
Sophia noted the tightness to her throat as she felt under threat by the clear hostility from Militia while Armsmaster was his usual abrasive self. Then they turned the screen on and simply gestured for her to shut up and watch.
On the screen in front of her, she saw from Militia's chest cam as she entered the room right as the voice echoed into the room. Sophia had to breathe in, the voice didn't sound human, the claws, the look in Taylors eyes as she stared the healer down and then the sudden change to a normal voice that followed.
Her eyes though started to narrow slightly, something was off about the Taylor she was looking at, she was nothing like the weak girl she'd seen before. She looked Militia directly into the eyes, how she carried herself so fundamentally differently than before.
She wasn't hunched inwards nor was she trying to disappear, before her was a predator eyeing up a meal in front of her. It resonated with Sophia in such a way that she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that this was actually Taylor. That weak, lanky and pathetic girl she'd put into the locker.
Then she stared wide eyed at the screen as she heard Miss Militia's question and Armsmaster pressed a button that showed a version of his lie detector on the screen.
"Do you want to press charges?" Militia asked.
Taylor had looked at her for a few moments, her lips twitching almost like she was suppressing a nasty grin. "No, I would like to get out of school for about a month instead. This hospital visit paid for and no further problems going forwards. This whole thing is… trivial really. Children fighting amongst themselves because of fear of the broken world they are to live in is all. The world you've all made for us is nothing short of a shit hole so it is simply a matter of time before we all get fed up with it or you muzzle us beneath your boot. I mean with High Priest D's little gets running around, that little trio of puppeteers playing you all like a fiddle and don't get me started on the things making Parahu…mans..."
All her statement had been was a partial truth and clearly aimed to misdirect but now there was something else in Taylors eyes as she stared at Militia for a while then the most predatory and venomous smile crept upon her lips. "I see… you've seen them haven't you?"
"I-I beg your pardon."
Talyor snickered a little before she waved her hand before her, more denial than wafting away a bad smell. "Oh no matter, when the time comes I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Then her father re-entered the room after getting a coffee and she changed to follow the same stronger Taylor that she'd been seeing until then. The interaction sending shivers down her spine at the predator she'd just gotten a glimpse of.
Sophia prided herself on being able to see another predator at a glance, Hebert wasn't just prey any more, she seemed more an apex predator to her now. She almost felt like squirming when she looked at those green eyes now. It evoked strange and mixed feelings in her.
Had she just created her own predator? Something so dangerous it viewed another Predator like her as no threat at all? As trivial.
If Hebert was even half as dangerous as her instincts were telling her she was then…
She felt suddenly sick to her stomach, if she'd been Hebert and suddenly gained power she'd certainly be out for revenge. Taylors apparent dismissal of her as a non-threat didn't just rankle her world-view and pride but it also brought everything into question for her. Even after everything she'd done to her beyond the rather short summary of events Taylor had described, Taylor hadn't even felt it worth it to get back at her? If that was so, just how strong had she become? It wasn't Taylor being arrogant either, it was the surety in ones own capabilities the shone through and had Sophia so conflicted.
Shadow Stalker swallowed. She needed to warn Emma.
-/-/-
Coil was doing things outside his usual norm. As his sources, access and taps to PRT's internal workings and systems alerted him to a visitation that Miss Militia had been called in to do left the woman in a noticeably foul mood. A mood that yet persisted which had caught his attention.
The possibility of a new Parahuman he could get under his sway or even get intel on before anyone else was something he'd have looked into anyway but this piqued his curiosity. Getting his little pet Tattletale to hack the computers he didn't have access to had been easy.
The fact the recording Militia had taken of the encounter to evaluate a potential Parahuman was not where it was supposed to be only further roused his interests.
So it was with a slight growing unease that he watched the file while he stood over Tattletale and looked over her shoulder. Mostly given the fact his pet was uncharacteristically quiet, her lack of snark or usual abrasiveness only served to make what he was seeing make him more uneasy.
Nothing he showed of course.
"Certainly an interesting individual." He mused when the video ran its course. He'd have to make a file on this Taylor Hebert even if just to not miss the variable she presented. Be she minor or otherwise.
"Not human?" He heard Lisa mutter in a soft horrified yet confused whisper which had him turn his head to give her his full attention.
"What?" He asked though he had to place his hand to grip tightly onto Lisa's shoulder and spin her around in her office chair to look at him to get her attention. "What was that?" He repeated more insistently.
"My power only told me a few things, it was like it… hiccupped at seeing her." Lisa started, clearly frazzled which didn't help with Coil's unease. "She knows a lot more than she let on and there were two strange reads I got that I can't understand." She continued looking about as put upon as he'd seen her since he hired her.
"Which were?" He prodded.
"I think she knows more about the world and how it works than anyone her age and with her background should and… Something about her eyes had my power questioning if she even was human which is just… Insane. Right?" Lisa said as she looked up at him which brought him up short.
The fact Tattletale, with her rather obvious barely veiled disdain and mistrust, had asked him for an answer had him frown lightly behind his mask. "Aren't you supposed to be the one with the answers?" He instead lightly chided her in a slight drawl before he stepped back and started to leave the room.
"Transfer the file to the localized folder and then spend the next hour analysing it for anything you can find. I'll take your report and then you can leave for today." He said before he left, heading straight for his office. His mind going through scenarios and contingencies he might require to implement once he got all he could on this Taylor Hebert.
When his back sank into his cushy chair he noted a notification on his computer which he opened and raised his eyebrow. It was a ping for the bug he had in director Piggots office going off to indicate a meeting already in progress.
With a slight 'hm' of interest he opened it and brought the single ear bud to his ear to listen in with some privacy.
"-so your recommendation?" Director Piggots flinty tone finished saying.
"Honest opinion?" Deputy Dircetor Renick asked with clear unease in his tone though also an undercurrent of anger or annoyance tinged with disappointment.
"Yes."
"Leave her alone as she asked to be left. I watched the video six times alongside going over everything we have access to for this one and quite frankly. I was surprised she didn't show Militia the same hostility she showed Panacea. She clearly doesn't trust authority, almost to the point of loathing but views us as especially loathsome or incompetent. Given her remarks on how we treat the Wards I am… honestly included to agree." Renick said with a soft sigh, the man sounded mentally drained.
"What do you mean?" Piggots tone had hardened slightly but the unsociable woman always sounded like she had a knife stuck in her in one way or another so Coil didn't bother with that observation overly much.
"I checked the home situations of the Wards, every one of them I might add. I went over their files, observed the logs, the camera system, everything I could find over the last week because of it." He let out a bitter scoff which surprised Coil, though the man was a family man which proved all too true given how he chose to continue.
"Frankly Director I'm surprised our only problem child so far is Stalker at the moment. Vista, Stalker and Browbeat all require more psychological help than we are currently providing them. With Vistas and Stalkers home situations being what they are and how I've noticed how the wards as a whole are being treated…" Renick trailed off.
"What do you mean?" Piggot asked, sounding a lot more attentive now that the time-bombs she was allowing to fester had been brought to light.
"They aren't powers on legs Director. They're teenagers and chidlren and whatever the Youth guard spouts, they are human beings and quite frankly? Just our power testing personnel seem to act like they are things with powers that they can poke and prod to find the limits and ranges of. If even one of them was unhinged… I'd have started slaughtering my way through this building starting with the power testing personnel if I had a horrible enough day."
"That bad?" Piggot asked sounding rather breathless at the implications.
"Mam one of them had Vista break down and cry during her power testing. Its frankly a miracle that, that man has a functioning trachea considering he pulled the same shit with Stalker for her testing. She ignored him thankfully." Renick responded.
Coil furrowed his brows. While he could use an unstable PRT to his aims if it was teetering this much it might turn the Wards into a wildcard he couldn't utilize or predict. All tools had their proper function after all.
-/-/-
Daniel Hebert sighed as he trundled up the steps. His dream of revitalizing the Dock Workers Association or DWA as most called it these days seemed in reach. However if he did so then he might lose his daughter because of the things she could do now. He couldn't lose her, not when he'd come so close already.
He let out a soft sound, the beginnings of an amused chuckle that came out more as a breathy chuff of self-derisive amusement. His mind going to just yesterday, where he'd had to convince his daughter to scale down a virus she'd developed. A virus designed to infect and lay dormant in every computer system around the world that would feed her vital information and would essentially turn the entirety of the internet into a streamlined near A.I. controlled codex of ever expanding index of easily accessible information.
His compromise had been to limit it to Brockton Bay, the arguments Taylor had brought forth of having access to any information on gang activity, possible threats and how the authorities were going to react or their documents on her and them by extension had been rather convincing.
As he closed the door he laughed softly under his breath. "I'm raising a demi-god criminal mastermind." He said ruefully, still having a bit of trouble getting to grips with his daughter after her changes.
He still saw her there, small glimpses of the girl he knew, her smile, the crinkle of her eyes as she did. Fuck it had been so long since he'd seen her smile… not since…
He swallowed the thought and dropped his keys on the counter as he made his way into the kitchen and put away the few groceries he bought that they'd figured out they couldn't simply 'magic' up with Sekhet. The more processed foods and drinks, the occasional frozen pizza and the like.
Still just the fact he woke up during the morning and could find the curious little construct skittering around in the house to meet him in the kitchen to make him a few strips of bacon he could sneak as breakfast would wreak havoc on his waistline. Then again he did note how different the little construct acted around just him to when Taylor was around it.
Sekhet certainly displayed a bit more personality around him than it did her which made her question this morning ring in his head. He'd been slowly changing since day one but the fact Taylor hadn't noticed until a week in made him a little uneasy. Was it like some minor yet prolonged Tinker fugue she'd been under like he'd read about? He'd taken any free time at work to read up on Parahumans even if Taylor had said she wasn't one it didn't hurt to be safe.
A light tapping of metal on flooring had him turn as he closed the fridge. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." He muttered almost absently as Sekhet made his way on the floor from the basement heading into the hallway. The little construct moving with far more sinuous grace than the usual efficient machines he'd seen some Tinker's deploy. Like a graceful thing alive, its head slightly swivelling to take in the world around in with curiosity and interest.
Then he heard the soft pained muffled groan from upstairs.
His heart sank and his dread of this all being some fabricated dream before he awoke to some living nightmare of having lost them both resurfaced. "Taylor?" He called as he made his way, forced calm keeping him from running instead of moving with hurried steps.
The creaking of the stairs that he was used to somehow absent as he made his way up them. The more detached part of his mind seeking any distraction idly wondering if those little scarabs had been performing maintenance to their house. It had certainly been a lot cleaner than it used to be.
"In here…" Taylors weak voice came from the half a jar door into the bathroom. The weakness almost having him rushing right inside right away. Right as he reached it he remembered Annette having a similar tone during morning sickness, though a bit different but it made his brows turn to accompany his slowly forming frown.
"T-Taylor… are you descent?" He asked softly as he was about to slowly open the door but heard the soft clinking of the shower curtains. Then he saw the slowly crawling pool of pitch black liquid making its way on the tiles leading from the shower.
"TAYLOR!" He cried in worry as he flung the door open and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide in horror and growing soul crushing dread.
There was his daughter, huddled in the bottom of the shower covered in the thick tar like liquid that had overflown from the small banks of the showers basin. Idly if not numbly realizing his daughter was positioned above the drain so it wouldn't drain away the awful liquid who's stench hit his nose as he approached her hurriedly. It almost staggered him.
It smelled like a combination of something having died, ozone, static and the unwashed groin of a very active athlete having gone without showering for a month. He held back from gagging before he finally got to his daughter.
"Oh God Taylor! Are you ok? Answer me little owl, please?!" He cried, his eyes already stinging with the bubbling tears starting for form before he stiffened when Taylor brought a hand up to his cheek. Leaving a black trackt in its wake as it fell limp once more.
"Ss-sssh." She croaked as she weakly smiled at him. "I'm f-fine j-just… in a bit of pain after purging…" She whispered in a hoarse voice, a voice that sounded torn and hollow from screaming in agony.
"W-What?" He asked his terror at loosing its tight grip on him at hearing his daughter again and the relief her words and his cursory glance over her body for anything wrong showing she was simply covered in the nasty stuff.
"Purging? Purging what?" He asked disbelief colouring his voice before he almost jumped at hearing the zapping sound behind him. Turning his head to see Sekhet cleaning the floor by literately zapping the stuff from existence or whatever it was he did with that tool of his.
"Th-" Taylor began before a groan and a hiss of pain had her visibly fighting the urge to arch her back from the obvious pain she was in for a moment.
"The shard of that fucking thing and its energy." She huffed once it had passed. "It isn't cooperating and isn't going without a fight." She said looking up at him, tear tracks of black liquid as it looked to have been expelled through nearly every orifice she had even her sweat glands it seemed.
"C-can I do anything? Can I help?" He asked, feeling so useless as his daughter was going through something he didn't understand but somehow knew no medicine might help her with.
"Hold me?" She whimpered in a quivering weak voice and he did.
For the rest of the night he held her in his arms, having Sekhet make a sponge for him to help wash the filth away in gentle strokes as he shushed and hummed soothing tunes to his daughter. Rocking and hugging her to him even as his clothes were ruined by the stuff leaking from her.
He felt helpless but the weak smile of gratitude she gave him didn't make him feel as useless anymore.
Even if he wasn't some ephemeral entity like she'd apparently been bonded with her still saw her there, his little girl. She needed her father and for perhaps the first time in nearly two years he provided her with the comfort of a fathers arms around her as she went through her hardships. Yet even if he felt like he was doing as a father should he still couldn't help the self loathing that bubbled up in him. She'd needed him before and he hadn't been there that was something he wouldn't forgive himself for.
How had he let things get this bad? How could he even make things right again when they had moved so utterly beyond his scope of comprehension that he felt so lost and useless?
How had he failed his little girl so badly, the last piece of Annette that he had and he'd almost lost her. Twice it seemed to him now.
"Dad?" The hoarse whisper she let out that had become of her voice when it had all finished at last and he'd noted the small patch of black feathers that had begun to sprout at four places on her back as he washed her. Two at her upper back and two at her lower, a patch of four feathers growing from each.
"Yes kiddo?" He asked softly, his voice stronger sounding than he felt. He felt his stomach flipping this way and that in worry at how weak she sounded, as if she'd fade at any moment.
"Thank you." She said and kissed his cheek before she weakly snuggled into him even more. Almost like she'd done before early middle school came around. Then he'd been able to keep her full body in his arms in a protective warm embrace but that small pang of loss at those moments was overshadowed by the relief.
"You're ok now?" He asked hesitantly as he gently turned on the shower and helped her wash off the last of the gunk that'd sometimes literally pooled or bubbled up from her skin spin away as it drained away.
She smiled weakly but thankfully clear of pain, her eyes closed comfortably. "Y-yeah… Just… this is nice... thanks dad I didn't really think this through huh?" She weakly chuffed unable to even laugh or chuckle from how drained she was. Her voice wheezing in some parody of a chuckle.
He was about to speak when he suddenly heard the start of soft music coming from just at the entrance to the bathroom. Both he and Taylor looking over to see Sekhet softly bobbing his head and swaying just a little next to a small speaker he'd apparently decided to make next to himself that he was listening to now.
"I see the crystal raindrops fall, And the beauty of it all. Is when the Sun comes shining through~ "
Danny blinked, was that?
"To make those rainbows in my mind. When I think of you sometime And I want to spend some time with you~ "
Yeah that was definitely it.
"Just the two of us, We can make it if we try, Just the two of us.~ "
Taylor was the first to start snickering. "Is that Bill Withers?" She asked almost incredulously though the spike of joy in her weak voice warmed his heart at hearing.
It didn't take long for the two to start laughing softly in one another's arms while the strange little construct simply seemed to sway and enjoy the music it put on. It felt liberating, freeing somehow as the lump of worry and fear melted away in the moment.
It was a moment of companionable intimacy he hadn't shared with his daughter since he'd lost his wife, despite the utterly insane situation to begin with. Something about it all made him realize that this would be a treasured memory for him, a rebirth to their relationship as they softly laughed together there in the shower. The last of that black foul tar like substance draining away into the drain as if to drain away a bit of the heavy cloud he'd been under for so long since Annette had been taken from the two of them.
-/-I-/-
When he managed to get his daughter into bed she was bright red in the face. Embarrassed to have to be not only washed but dressed by her dad despite her age. He could only laugh softly in mirth at it all.
"Good night dad and… thanks for everything." She said even if she seemed to be drifting off to sleep already.
"Sleep well little owl, just don't scare me like that again ok?" He said as he brushed his hand through her hair softly.
"No promises but I'll definitely…" She yawned. "try… to be... better..." And then she had drifted off.
Danny could only shake his head as he stood up after making sure she was safe and tucked in as he made his way out of the room and sighed. He felt lighter, a little brighter even if the grief and sorrow was there within easy reach it still felt like he'd just had a moment of soft sunshine for that brief moment once more. His little girl still needed him despite everything, he could still be her father. The one she needed.
"Who cares if she's something like a Demi-god, she's still my Taylor." He said with a soft smile as he made his way over to his own bedroom. Looking over at the pile of clothing he'd had Sekhet disintegrate given there was no way in hell he'd be able to get that stuff out of the clothes he'd worn. Not without being constantly reminded of the sickening smell.
"Beats burning them I guess." He chuckled to himself as his head hit the pillow.
For the first time in a long time, his dreams of times gone by weren't painted over and tainted by bitter melancholy, sorrow and grief.
-/-/- = POV Change
-/-I-/- = Time skip
Authors note:
So this is all I've written up on this story so far, What do you guys think? Anything you like or something I've woefully fucked up? (I haven't read Worm itself but I've read a lot of the fan fics so my understanding of Worms universe is skewed a bit though I hope my "judicious" use of wiki dives helped bridge the gabs a bit)
I'd love some feedback and just your general thoughts on this idea I had and thanks for reading so far :D