She awoke to the smell of fire and ash.
Taylor sat up, eyes stinging from the heat, and looked around. She was in a small alley between two buildings, not more than three feet wide. It was dirty with trash and hidden away bags, and a heavy layer of gray ash.
She held back a cough, her mask protecting her from the worst of the smoke, and squinted her eyes, trying to keep the heat out. As she crouched, one hand on the caneblade at her hip, she considered her options.
Her thoughts barely began before she recognized a blaring sound, several in fact.
Sirens.
Crap, that wasn't going to make things easy. Lung had burned down nearly a city block and them some. He hadn't pulled any punches either, tearing into the pavement like wet sand, rending cars as if they were nothing more than paper. The fire would be the immediate concern, followed by the sheer damage he had inflicted to the road.
Her thoughts froze as she realized something, a topic of grave importance.
The PRT would be here. The fight had included Lung, as clear as day. The organization had no choice but to respond.
Which meant Protectorate. Which meant heroes.
Double crap. Fighting heroes wasn't on the agenda tonight. She had already died once. Best not risk it a second time.
She shook her head, trying not to think about that last thought.
Reaching into a pocket she pulled out her watch, flipping it open.
A small groan emanated from the girl as she put the timepiece away.
Not an hour had passed and they were still fighting the fire. That meant the area was still unsafe, probably cordoned off for investigation and to minimize the spread of flames, which meant it likely had PRT roaming around with hero backup.
Triple crap.
She moved, pressing herself against a wall that still had some measure of shadow left, and headed to the entrance of the alley, back to where the fight had been.
It took her a minute to traverse the distance, her feet moving slowly to lesson the effect of her clicking boots. When she finally reached the end her mouth fell open at the sight, eyes wide with no small amount of shock.
The destruction caused by the flaming dragon was immense. She knew it had been bad, but the fight had distracted her, her focus entirely on the beast that could smear her over the road in one move. Seeing aftermath she could tell that it had been far worse that she had realized. Most of the buildings on this block and couple over were either burning or gone, collapsed into a pile of blackened brick and broken cement. Holes bigger than a city bus pocketed the road, some cutting all the way across from side to side. Great cuts, as if from some monstrous claws, were present, deep tracks that you could stuff several people inside of. Flipped over cards, either burned or shredded, lay here and there, like toys a petulant child had thrown about.
Taylor stopped, gasping at the level of destruction that lay before her. It was immense, unlike anything she had ever seen.
She clenched her fists, a rage building behind the shock. People had died, no doubt about that. The collateral was to large, to widespread for any other eventuality to be the case. He had torn through the warehouse like it wasn't even there, shooting fire that had gotten so hot it melted stone.
There were probably people in those buildings, maybe even at the warehouse where this all began. Guards on duty, a late night worker, or maybe someone getting a few extra hours in.
She tried not to picture their bodies in the rubble, burnt and twisted beyond recognition. Families that would receive a call or visit, a message of loss mixed in this twisted affair.
Taylor growled as she lashed out, her fist striking the building corner, venting her rage. The blackened brick stood no chance against her enhanced strength, a chuck of wall the size of her head blasting out into pieces across the ground.
Lung had to be stopped. He was a monster despite his human form. She would not let this happen again.
With a firm nod she turned, heading the opposite way down the alley, away from the destroyed road and the site of her own death along with so many others. She had to remember the situation she was in.
PRT. Protectorate. Heroes.
They would be looking for someone at the scene, someone who had enticed Lung to go all out. He didn't go flaming dragon man form for nothing. No, the last time he had really taken off the gloves was when he'd arrived in Brockton Bay, cementing his dominance by taking on every hero they could throw at him.
Clearly, he won.
Honestly, who could expect to win when fighting a long, drawn out fight against him? His power set was nearly unbeatable, his regeneration factor pushing him until his raw strength overwhelmed his opponents.
Her thoughts mused over the fight as she sprinted across a street into another alleyway, ducking under a still burning collapsed wall.
His natural tendency toward escalation was what ultimately did her in. The fires, god how they had hurt, had whittled her down, burning her just enough for her rage to spurn her forward to counter attack, to sooth her wounds with his blood. It was a response that only fed his power set, forcing him to adapt and grow stronger, more powerful against her crippling blows.
She frowned behind the mask, ignoring the heat of a dumpster fire. She'd lost before the fight even began. Given her abilities, there was no way she could have beaten him. Maybe, just maybe, if she had found him before he had time to amp up, then she could have removed an arm or leg, incapacitating him.
Still, his regeneration was something out of this world. He had healed all the wounds she'd inflicted, including regrowing parts of his internal anatomy, and had only gotten faster by the end of it, sealing deep lacerations in seconds. Its possible that even in a relatively human state he could regenerate his limbs, pushing him to amp up even faster than if she hadn't crippled him at all.
Taylor shook her head and squinted, passing through what used to be a hardware store, its contents adding fuel for the endless flames.
Still, for a hopeless fight, at least Tattletale's crew escaped.
A brief smile crossed Taylor's face as she kicked out the back door, escaping into yet another burning alley.
She hadn't caught much of the teammates beyond the giant monster dog that had set her nerves on end. They had locked eyes once, just after she had torn out Lung's guts. Taylor had seen the fear in the blonde's eyes, the panic sitting just behind the raw desperation that was driving her forward. Her team, a crew half injured, hadn't been looking much better, their costumes burned and their bodies bruised.
Still, they persevered and had made it to the truck while Taylor had baited the beast away, driving him further down the road. The wings had surprised her but really at the end she'd been reactive at best, moving to avoid the claws and flames since attacking had no point.
She tried not thinking about the final bite and the vague memory that followed as she broke into a run, crossing a smoke filled street. She was out of the worst of it now, the fires a few blocks away casting a glow into the dark night. She coughed and reached a hand up to resettle her mask, her eyes burning against the smoke and heat.
Her plan had been to use the direction of the smoke to cover her escape. A wind had picked up, increasing the damage of the run away fires and driving the accumulated smoke to the bay. Between the smoke flooding across the night sky and the numerous hidden alleyways of the city, Taylor figured she would have no issue getting out without notice.
She should have known better than to trust her luck. What had it gotten her, really? Her civilian life was a mess, filled with school bullies and a shattered home. Her powers, something that usually brought a thrill and new life, had only caused her so much grief. Her abilites revolved around death and blood, something that would always remind her of the one of the worst experiences of her life.
She'd run out of luck a long time ago, if she had ever had any to begin with. Maybe she was cursed, some kind of freak that could never catch a break, a nexus of tragedy in a world falling apart.
Maybe the Doll was right. Maybe this was all just a dream, that her life was an illusion, a pointless fabrication.
Why, then, did it have to be a nightmare?
She mused over dark thoughts as she got ready to hop a roof, looking to land on another just a few feet away. Her movement was stopped short as a small sound, a mechanical click, echoed out. Instantly a thin dark rod, about a foot in length, buried itself a couple inches into the concrete roof, just a few inches from her left boot.
Taylor froze, fighting the compulsion to spin and lash out with her caneblade. It would be easy, just a flick of the wrist, and would only take seconds.
It would also be the worst mistake of her life.
She took a moment to examine the object to confirm her suspicion, a frown marring her hidden face.
Only one cape in this city used crossbow bolts.
A girl's voice range out, muffled with a hard edge.
"Turn around. Slowly. Don't think about going for that fancy sword of yours either."
Taylor repressed a sigh and did as instructed, slowly turning in place to face the cape.
Said cape was covered in a black bodysuit and armored plates, metal pads covering her joints and a pair of metal gauntlets for her forearms. She wore a heavy black coat that looked more like a cloak, a hood rising to cover most of her head save the front, and reached down to her ankles. She wore a pair of heavy boots and a black face plate, the mask etched into a feminine face twisted into a stern expression. The girl was dressed like the night, not so dissimilar than Taylor's own colors, and had a slender build, able to maneuver around her foes with ease. She couldn't have been much older than Taylor, their heights comparable, but it was hard to tell under the bodysuit.
On her hips rested two quivers, each filled with dozens of crossbow bolts.
Taylor focused on the cape's outstretched arms, each hand holding a hand crossbow pointed in her direction, bolts with shining tips against the glow of the fire.
She had to be careful. The last thing she wanted was a fight.
"Saw you running from the fire. Explain yourself."
The command was sharp, hands never wavering in their aim.
Taylor breathed out, slowly, willing her limbs to relax. The cape had her on edge, the weapons bringing up some instinct to attack. She didn't respond well to aggression, not since she got her powers. The mark seemed to have magnified that feeling, along with many others.
She tried not to think about it.
Instead, she spoke, her voice calm, "I'm not looking for a fight. I'm just trying to get back to my base."
She mentally kicked herself when she finished.
Get back to base? Really? Way to not sound like a villain, Taylor.
Apparently the cape thought along similar lines, her body shifting slightly, tensing imperceptibly, before speaking, "That's not really an answer and its suspicious at best. Try again."
Taylor watched the crossbows, their bolts resting just a trigger pull away from running her through. She blinked hard, clenching her right hand into a fist, and spoke, her voice somewhat strained, "Look, I'm not here to fight you or the other Wards. I'm just trying to get out of this mess."
She eyed the crossbows once more before continuing, "I'm not here to start shit with you or the other heroes. If its all the same I'd appreciate it if you pointed your crossbows somewhere else. My powers don't respond well to threats."
The Ward didn't move for a few moments, seeming content to stare down increasingly frustrated cape. Finally, after about half a minute, she lowered her crossbows slightly, just enough to not be threatening, but only just.
Taylor sighed a bit in relief, the tension releasing sightly. She pumped her hand, twisting her thoughts away from the blade at her belt and to the dark clad cape.
The Ward spoke, her voice tense, "You might not want to start something but you've already set a name for yourself. We've been getting reports of someone like you running around the city tonight, specifically around the area where the ABB set up."
She paused then continued, her voice quiet, "First night we've seen you out. You new?"
Taylor responded evenly, "You could say that."
"Uh huh. You have a habit of killing gang members?"
Taylor cringed, her expression mostly hidden by her mask. Beasts were beasts, but that mostly pertained to Lung or just capes in general. Normal people, for the most part, didn't deserve the kind of violence she could deal out.
She hadn't meant to kill anyone, hadn't done anything more lethal than take a limb off.
She swallowed hard as she recalled the alleyway she'd found Tattletale in, soaked with blood and bodies. Broken bodies, torn flesh, missing limbs; she had held back only minimally during the fight, prioritizing the men with weapons, focusing on incapacitating the beasts to save the cape.
How many had she killed? How many more had she scarred?
She responded her voice quiet, "They're beasts. I don't expect you to understand what that means. They're hurting people, hurting this city, and thriving off of the pain. Some of them I meant to kill, most of them I didn't." She stopped at a loss of words, unable to continue.
The Ward was quiet, standing in a stiff pose, arms bent forward as she held her weapons at the ready. After a minute she spoke, "You fought Lung, didn't you?"
Taylor blinked, her mind catching up with the Ward's words. She sputtered, eyes wide, "How-"
"There were witnesses that saw a cape matching your description moving in the direction of where Lung blew up."
Taylor paused, her mouth feeling somewhat dry from the heat. Really, what could she say? She knew that the fire was partially her fault, the destruction caused in large part by her pushing Lung further past his standard limits. She felt guilty for the chaos, but she hadn't had a choice at the time. He was already monstrously transformed, capable of tearing through a building like it was cardboard. If she hadn't challenged him then Tattletale's team would've died.
How many civilians had died in the fires, trapped under rumbled? Were they really worth the lives of four capes?
Taylor didn't want to think about that. Best keep it simple
She spoke, her voice firm with conviction, "Yes, we fought. Lung is a monster, a beast. I found him with his gang talking about going after children. I couldn't find out who the targets were so I moved to intercept, to drag his attention elsewhere."
The Ward stiffened, gloved hands clenching around her weapons. She spoke, a low growl, "He was going after kids? That's way outside his MO."
Taylor narrowed her eyes, her own fists clenching. She drew herself up, straightening her back, and replied, "I don't pretend to know his mind, and I don't really care. When I found him he was spewing fire hot enough to shatter glass. He had to be contained."
The cape scoffed, biting words drifting out, "Fat good that did. Three blocks have been totally condemned and another four are currently ablaze. How are you even alive? The damage we're finding is about the worst he's dished out here."
Taylor responded evenly, not much caring for the cape's tone, "I'm a lot harder to kill then you would think, just leave it at that. As for the damage there wasn't anything I could do beyond stall and wait for the PRT or Protectorate. I don't carry a phone and there wasn't any time to get help."
A silence descended over the duo, the Ward ever vigilant and Taylor growing more morose by the situation. She had done everything she could, going so far as to incapacitate dozens of his gang before running into Lisa, hoping to cripple their mission while she engaged Lung. She knew he was strong, that he hadn't ever really been beaten in Brockton Bay. Hell, that he could go toe to toe with an Endbringer and not lose spoke volumes of his capability in a brawl.
None of that mattered in the aftermath. Ultimately, while Lisa's group had escaped, she'd lost, leaving the beast to continue his rampage unabated. Who knows the damage that he'd wrought before retreating, the casualties suffered, the lives lost.
The guilt weighed heavily upon Taylor, her shoulders sagging slightly. She sighed, her soul weary of the night's events, and spoke, "I'm leaving. Its been a long night and we're nearing daybreak. This hunt is over."
The Ward responded quickly, taking a step forward and waving her weapons threateningly, "I don't think so. You have a lot of questions to answer. You've killed people, they won't ignore that. This mess with Lung-"
"And how many people did you kill before you were caught? How many bodies were left unaccounted?"
Taylor's words were sharp and swift, cutting off the Ward in an instant. She paused, working through the mental backstep at the sudden rebuttal, and replied with a low tone, "How-"
Taylor responded swiftly, taking charge of the conversation flow, "Because I'm well informed. Because people talk. Because the Protectorate and the PRT don't cover up things just as well as they should. Yeah, your a Ward, but you weren't always. You may roll with the Wards, but your still the same Shadow Stalker, just better equipped."
She paused, idly noting the bolt at her feet, before continuing, "Still using live ammunition. That probably could have crippled me if you had really been going for it."
The Ward's lack of a response spurned Taylor forward, "Don't get me wrong, I agree with your methods. This city is sick, infested with a disease that's rotting it away. I'm here to excise the cancer. I'd prefer not killing, but sometimes you have to put a mad dog down, like a beast."
She continued, "I don't expect you to understand and its better that you didn't. I've got a lot of fucked up shit going on with my life. Suffice it to say that you had a cause, a purpose for your campaign against the gangs, and its not so different than mine. You went after the gangs but they're not the real issue here. Its the villains, the capes, that are the cause of all the strife. Lung, Kaiser, Skidmark: they perpetuate the violence, the crime, and the sickness that's destroying this city."
There was a pause, a silence that stretched on for almost a minute, before the Ward responded, her voice soft, "What are you going to do about it?"
Taylor's reply was instant and firm.
"I'm going to hunt them."
It was a statement spoken with a finality, a ultimatum against the darkness plaguing the city.
Another silence and the Ward spoke, her arms lowering to rest by her sides, clipping the crossbows to her belt, "Get out of here before I change my mind."
Taylor nodded and turned back to the ledge, readying herself to continue on.
She was stopped by the cape, words echoing out, "Hey, what's your name?"
Taylor stopped, frozen by a moment of indecision, and replied, partially turning her head too address the Ward behind her.
"I'm just a hunter...a hunter of the beasts."