"Well, at least it's not NERV," Haru remarked to himself as he entered the lobby of the PRT HQ and sat down to wait for Taylor. He pulled out a book to read to pass the time.
"Haru?" Taylor asked. She had entered the building with her father about five minutes to four. "What are you reading?"
Haru snapped the book shut and shunted it into his coat. Taylor caught a glimpse of two people running on the cover, like one was chasing the other. "Romance novel. Who's this?"
"It's my father."
"Danny Hebert. Nice to meet you. And you are?"
"Hello, my name is Haru." The boy took Danny's outstretched hand in a firm handshake. "I have a couple classes with Taylor. What brings you guys here?"
Danny was at a loss for words. Taylor spoke, "Apparently I'm a witness to some new cape and they wanted to ask me some questions." She flashed him a small grin.
"Did you see me and Armsmaster then? Dude, I kicked his ass!" Haru exclaimed. "So yeah, I told them I wanted to be called Zetsu and I guess I'm gonna have to wear my hood up from now on." He put up his hand for a high five.
Taylor patted her hand to his. Her grin grew a little bit.
"Come on, they're expecting us," he said as he led them to the reception desk.
"So what have you heard about the new cape?" Clockblocker asked Kid Win as they sat around in their costumes before patrols. Piggot had wanted everyone to meet the two new members. "I heard he took down Armsmaster."
"I heard he singlehandedly took down a legion of PRT inside of HQ and boned Piggy in her office," Kid Win joked. Vista frowned, and Shadow Stalker ignored them. Aegis and Gallant had yet to arrive.
A much sleeker looking Emily Piggot walked into the Ward's resting room. Alongside her was a skinny, black haired girl in casual clothes and a boy in a black coat with the hood pulled over his face.
"These two will be joining the wards. The girl hasn't chosen a cape name yet. The one in black will be called Zetsu."
"What kind of name is Zetsu?" Clockblocker asked.
"I did not have much time to deliberate. I believed it would be sufficient," Zetsu answered.
Kid Win asked the obvious question, "So what do you guys do?"
"Oh, hi, I can control bugs. I'm still working on a name," Taylor said sheepishly. "I just triggered yesterday so..."
Kid Win winced and then tried his best to smile. "Ooh, sorry."
"I can edit the perception of reality of the people near me," Zetsu answered automatically.
Vista asked, "What does that mean?"
Zetsu spoke in the minds of everyone in the room, "It means I can control what you see and hear and feel."
Vista scrambled away in surprise. Clockblocker quipped, "Stranger danger much?"
"I suppose I deserve a high stranger rating," Zetsu admitted.
Kid Win managed to move his mouth enough to ask, "Woah, are you telepathic?"
"To my knowledge, there is no such thing as telepathy. I cannot read your mind or control your thoughts. I can only influence your senses."
Director Piggot coughed and said, "Aegis and Gallant will be by soon."
"Before you go, I want to make sure that I am to attend Arcadia tomorrow," Zetsu said.
"Yes, everything has been set up," Emily said.
"And she will be joining me, correct?" Zetsu asked, pointing at Taylor with his thumb.
"Yes, yes. We're arranging it. You and her start tomorrow."
Zetsu looked satisfied and wandered away.
"Woah, what a jerk," Clockblocker decided.
Taylor didn't say anything to that.
Clockblocker and Vista were introducing themselves when Aegis and Gallant arrived.
"Aegis! Gallant! Come meet the new Wards!" Clockblocker shouted.
Gallant walked up to Taylor and asked, "Hello, what's your name?"
"You're Gallant! And you're Aegis. Wow, hi, we're trying to figure out what to call myself. This is blowing my mind that I'm going to be working with you guys."
Aegis asked, "So what can you do?"
Taylor nervously answered, "I can control bugs." She was getting used to saying that.
"So a bug cape. What about Bug Girl?" Gallant suggested.
Taylor instantly replied, "Ew, no."
"What about Butterfly or Monarch?" suggested Vista.
"How about Swarm or Skitter?" chirped Kid Win.
"Khepri is an Egyptian god depicted as having the head of a Scarab." Zetsu had taken an interest in mythology, studying it between angel attacks.
Taylor contemplated for a moment before speaking, "Just give me some time to decide. I'll figure something out."
Gallant walked up to Zetsu, who was petite in comparison to the emotion controlling cape. His voice turned cold, "And you are?"
A crazed grin spread over Zetsu's face. "Don't worry, Gallant. I won't kill anyone here. They're not worth my time. I know you can feel it...my urge to kill...I won't kill anyone here..."
"Jesus Christ, you freak, get away from me!" he screamed.
Aegis put his hand on Gallant's shoulder and spoke, "Is something wrong? You seem upset."
"Didn't you hear it? Hear him saying...?"
In the same cold voice he had used with everyone else, Zetsu spoke, "I haven't said anything to you, Gallant."
"You stay away from me!" Gallant warned as he backed away from the boy.
Zetsu smiled, wider than any human being would normally be capable of, and Gallant ran away screaming.
"Why are you staring at me?" was the first thing Shadow Stalker said all day.
"You seem familiar," Zetsu said with a cheshire grin on his face. "You remind me of someone I know. Someone who betrayed everyone who ever cared for him in the search of power, someone who killed countless people in a fruitless quest for revenge."
"I'm not whoever you're talking about."
"Yeah, he was my teammate." Zetsu's grin disappeared, leaving the visible portion of his face blank and cold. "Or rather, what he could have become."
"Whatever," she said.
"Right. Whatever. Sorry. I don't know what I'm talking about. It all tends to blend together sometimes." Zetsu's smile returned to his face. He extended his hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you."
Shadow Stalker walked away and out of the room, bile rising in her throat.
"No, she reminds me of someone else. She reminds me of Kabuto."
Zetsu decided he would get to know Shadow Stalker better.
"When do you think we'll get to go out and fight crime?" Taylor asked after they had left the Wards for the day.
"When they're sure we know what will happen to us if we step out of line," Haru answered.
"So, Zetsu..."
"Don't call me that unless it is absolutely necessary. Please...don't."
"You were really creepy back there, Haru."
"I'm not a good person, Taylor. Sometimes, I forget what it means to be human, to be a person. Zetsu is a mask, sure, but he is based off a part of me that is very real. You would do well to remember that."
"But you were so nice...to me...that day..."
"Then remember that too. Just don't expect too much of me. Maybe if I were a normal person, if I hadn't gone through everything I've experienced, then Zetsu wouldn't exist. But then again, I probably wouldn't be here eating ice cream with you right now either."
Taylor had a giant scoop of chocolate on a sugar cone and Haru had a giant scoop of French vanilla in a cake cone.
"I just don't think you're a bad person, Haru."
"But I'm not a good person either. I'm weird, aren't I?"
"You realize you're talking to someone who can control insects, right?"
"Yeah, but at least they don't live inside you when you're not using them."
"What."
