Refrain 1

"So. Kid..."

"I'm not in the mood, Clockblocker."

"Aw c'mon, it's nothing serious! I just wanna know one thing..."

"Clockblocker, I swear to god-!"

"How did you and Rune get together? Because I did Nazi that coming!"

SLAP!

"OW! What the hell, Vista!?"

"Oh please, you deserved it!"

The trio of Wards were walking down the street, flanked by several other ex-partygoers. The rave had ground down to a halt a few hours back, and now everyone, Reapers, civilians, heroes and villains alike were returning whence they came.

"Honestly now..." Vista muttered under her breath. "What the hell were you thinking, pledging your support to them like that!? Director Piggot's going to have your head!"

"Psh!" Clockblocker scoffed carelessly. "Piggy shmiggy! The Reapers offered me a fun way out of that snorefest and I took it, sue me!"

"You realize that she's going to have you on monitor duty for as long as you're a Ward, right?" Kid Win sniped.

"...worth it!" He shot a look at the Tinker. "And don't change the subject! You and Rune, eh? So, you switching sides or is she?"

"Neither!" Kid Win defended hastily. "Look, there's one part of that little 'dance' you didn't see, and that was Krieg standing off to the side with a piece of rebar ready to brain me if I made any false moves! I was dancing for my life out there!"

"Yeah, with one of the hottest villains in the city!"

"With one of the scariest holding a gun to my head!"

"Eh, win-lose situation."

"Ergh, I'm surrounded by morons!" Vista ran her hand down her face in exasperation.

"Oh yeah? I don't remember seeing you anywhere nearby! What happen, get held up in an eating contest or something?" Clockblocker needled.

Vista hastily accelerated her pace as her cheeks suddenly lit up. "Er... yes! That's it! Eating contest! Exactly! Wouldn't let me stop stuffing my face, hehehe..."

"Riiiight, sure they wouldn't," Clockblocker's shit-eating grin wa obvious behind his mask. "You know what I think? I think that someone's ly-!"

"Ah leave her alone, Clockblocker," Kid Win groused. "Come on, the night's already over, let's just let bygones be bygones and forget anything ever happened. Heck, I bet that by tomorrow there'll be no trace of anything even happening."

"Make way! Champion, coming through!"

The trio looked behind them and gaped in shock.

Browbeat was marching up the street, a large custom-made champion's belt slung over one shoulder and the beaten, bruised and unconscious forms of Aegis and Triumph on the other. The rookie hero was laughing uproariously as he tromped ahead, joyfully touting his prize.

"Move aside people, make way for the Noisy Boy Rumble Champion!" He cackled. "I am the champion, I am the champion! These are the losers!" He shrugged his shoulder and touted the defeated heroes he was carrying. "Theeeese are the losers, no time for losers 'cause I am the champion, woohoo! Hahaha!"

Clockblocker, Vista and Kid Win stared in disbelief as their fellow Ward tromped by, headed straight for the PRT HQ.

"Then again..." Kid Win muttered in disbelief. "Maybe not."

"Hehehe," Clockblocker slapped his comrade on the back. "Kid Win, my friend, they're going to be talking about this night for a long time to come! And if there's one way to describe it, it's as perfect!"

-o-

"If there's one way to describe this night, then 'disaster' would be it." Director Piggot snarled to herself as she massaged her throbbing temples.

To say that the PRT Director was furious would be a vast understatement. She had only skimmed the preliminary report that Armsmaster had sent ahead to her, but she understood the gist of it: Instead of doing their jobs, the heroes of Brockton Bay's Wards and Protectorate, the one she'd thought most faithful included, had all chosen to slack off instead of following her orders.

While normally she would have been planning a appropriate restitution for their sheer insubordination, she was currently focused on other matters. Namely, the public's intense reaction.

The long and short of it was easy enough to grasp: Reapers nice and fun, villains and heroes so-so, Shadow Stalker could go hang.

Piggot was at the end of her rope. Everywhere she turned, the same problem kept popping up over and over: Reapers, Reapers, Reapers, always the Reapers. Just how many times could those vandals be allowed to get away with their reckless disregard for the law?! How long could they escape paying for-!

KNOCK KNOCK!

The Director's internal rant was cut off by the sound of someone asking for permission to enter her office.

After a quick and violent battle, seeing the face of whoever had the gall to irritate her now of all times won out over simply shouting at them through the door. "Come in." She ordered darkly.

The door opened, and Piggot was suddenly very glad about her decision.

"Director Piggot." The unmistakable Glenn Chambers greeted cordially.

"PR Director Chambers." Piggot returned tersely. "Let's not mince words, Glenn. This is a clusterfuck, plain and simple. What the hell are we going to do about it?"

Glenn raised an eyebrow at her brash attitude before shrugging and sitting himself down across from her. "Actually, Emily, I think that its safe to say that in this case, the true question is what will you do?"

"I swear Glenn, I am not in the mood! Either get to the point or-!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." He raised his hands defensively. "Yeesh, you're acting like my career isn't on the line as well. Anyways... what I said still stands: you're the Director of the local PRT and Protectorate, so in essence, the outcome of all of this rests on your shoulders and your public reaction."

"And how should I publicly react?"

"You're asking me?"

"As much as it pains me to do so, I think I need to get a professional opinion in this instance."

"Well then, in that case..." Glenn stroked his chin contemplatively. "I can think of three options, but only one really works. The first is that you go on the offensive, lambasting the Reapers. Of course, in this case the public turns against us and we lose all of our respect, so that's a no go. The second is that we capitulate and support the Reapers. However, in this case, we lose all of our respect again, just under different circumstances. As such, we are left with only option three."

"Which would be?"

"Simple: do nothing."

Silence. Then...

"WHAT!?"

Glenn winced as he dug a pinky into his ear. "Alright, loud! Honestly, as if the Reaper's music wasn't enough..."

Piggot ignored his woes, moments from foaming at the mouth as she glared at the PR Director. "Are you out of your mind!? We have an immense situation in front of us and you want me to do absolutely nothing!?"

"Well... not absolutely nothing. You're going to have to publicly reprimand Shadow Stalker."

"...the one Ward who, against all odds, did exactly what she was ordered."

"That's the one."

"... You have one minute to explain yourself before I have you removed from this building."

Glenn sat up straighter in his chair, his eyes taking on an analytical gleam. "To put things simply, this battle is already lost. The Reapers have the public's support, so if we try and tear them down we'll be brought down right alongside them, if they even come down at all. As such, your decision to attempt to destroy the party was ill thought-out, and could potentially have lead to us all being buried under a mountain of bad PR. But, we got lucky: You never gave a formal order, you just told the Protectorate what to do, and in the end those orders never truly came to light. As such, no one knows of the faux pas that you made tonight. It. Never. Happened. The only true stain that remains is Shadow Stalker's actions, and those can be explained as her being over-enthusiastic, for which she'll be properly punished. So for now, the best option we have is to sit back, relax, and let this whole thing blow over. So... you still going to throw me out or what?"

Director Piggot was silent for a moment as she processed Glenn's words. "And that's my only option?"

"The only one I can think of that doesn't get you replaced, yes. Director Tagg's been vying for your position here for a good while now, as you might recall."

Piggot hissed in a furious breath. Oh she knew all about Director James 'Total Warfare' Tagg. He was infamous enough already for his actions in keeping the quarantine over Cape Canaveral after the Simurgh struck, and his reputation had only grown after he'd joined the PRT. Piggot also knew that if she allowed Tagg to take command of Brockton Bay's PRT, then everything would go straight to hell. As much as she outright hated parahumans, at least she gave a damn about the normals. Distinctly unlike Tagg. She'd rather lose against the city's villains and leave Brockton Bay standing than win after burning and salting the land.

"I... suppose that you have a point." She grit out darkly. "So, stay quiet on the Reapers, reprimand Shadow Stalker for insubordination, let Clockblocker and Assault off the hook-"

"Actually, here's where I throw you a bone," Glenn stuck a finger up. "So long as you keep their punishments covert, they're fair game."

Piggot blinked in surprise for a moment... before slowly allowing a sadistic grin to grow on her face.

The PR Director hummed quietly as he leaned back in his seat. 'Hmm... let's see... Chinese or Japanese? Meh, I'll compromise with Korean.'

-o-

Brandish felt her eye twitch at the current state of events.

Getting dragged away from a nice, clean gala was one thing.

Getting dragged to a rave thrown by a bunch of outlaws was another.

But this?

"More tea, Purity?" Lady Photon, AKA Sarah Pelham, AKA Photon Mom, AKA her sister offered kindly.

"Yes please, thank you." Purity, AKA a villain and renowned member of Empire Eighty-Eight responded gently.

This was something else entirely.

"And you, Carol?"

Brandish shot her sister a scathing look, which she apparently took as a sign to refill her cup with a smile.

"So, tell me," Photon Mom smiled eagerly at the supervillain who was sitting in their home. "What were you doing at the party?"

Purity sighed heavily as she took a sip from her cup. "I... didn't want to go at first, to be honest. However, I didn't get much of a choice due to being dragged there by Rune and Othala. Well, me and Fog and Night to be honest. But once I got there... I found I was grateful I could finally have a chance to relax."

"What, you needed a break from being Kaiser's call-bitch?" Brandish muttered vehemently.

"CAROL!" "God yes!"

Lady Photon and Brandish blinked in shock before giving Purity a surprised look.

She looked at them both with numb surprise before shrugging. "What? It's true. A person can only take so much of that pompous jackass's bullshit before needing some alcohol. Ergh..." She kneaded her forehead tiredly. "I should have started drinking a long time ago. First I can't stomach working for the Empire, then I try and fail to be a hero, and now this damn deal..."

"Wait, deal?" Brandish interjected.

Purity nodded morosely. "Kaiser made a deal with me: I come back to the Empire for a year, and he hands it over to me wholesale. Of course there's no way in hell he'll do something so good and honest as that. But I don't have much of a choice now, do I!?" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Either I stick with him and he reneges on our deal after a year of using me, or I refuse, quit, and Aster and I starve. Not like I have any other skills I can use besides blowing things up anyways..."

"...Aster?" Lady Photon asked quietly.

The supervillain contemplated her tea for a moment before answering. "My daughter. Mine and... mine and..." She swallowed heavily. "Kaiser's."

Silence fell over the trio for an extended period of time as they stared into their cups.

Finally, it was Purity who broke the silence. "You... both have daughters. Amy, Victoria, Crystal... I realize that it doesn't excuse what I've done. Plus, I'm prejudiced, I will admit to that. It's why I stopped trying to be a hero. But... but Aster... she is one of the few good things I have left in this world. I might be a villain... but I'm also a mother, and I have to think of her first. If I need to hurt people to do that, then... so be it."

Brandish gave Purity a searching look before swirling her cup a bit. "I... suppose I understand. Victoria is everything to me..." She was silent for a moment before biting back a curse and scrambling to cover her slip. "A-and Panacea as well, o-of course!"

Both of the other women gave her different looks. Sarah's was sad and disapproving, whereas Purity's was... understanding?

"I... also have another child who lives with me..." She stated solemnly. "Theo. He's... not my child. He's Kaiser and another woman's but... he stays with me. He helps take care of Aster and... he might not be mine... but I... I kind of feel like he is. He's... he's part of my family."

The uncomfortable silence returned for less than a minute before Sarah hastily made to change the subject. "Sooo, Purity. Tell me! Where do you get your groceries? Us, we used the CostCo on 30th for a while until someone managed to cave in half of it before we managed to stop her."

Purity choked on her tea incredulously. "Wh-what!? Are you going senile!? You did not stop me, I sent you all crying!"

"With help!" Carol cut in indignantly. "I think that the fact that Fenja and Menja were trying to swat us out of the air might count for something!"

"Oh puhlease, like superior numbers have ever mattered to you! Remember that time at Winslow Stadium?"

Both Sarah and Carol groaned simultaneously.

"Dear Lord, don't even mention that debacle in my presence!"

"I haven't looked at a hotdog the same way since..."

And so the conversation wore on deep into the night. The tension was still present, but... it fragmented. Just a bit.

-o-

Should she or shouldn't she? That was the question of the moment.

If she did, who knew what would happen. If her family ever found out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But if she didn't...

She did it.

For a brief moment of time, the phone rang and doubt clouded her mind. What if she didn't answer? What if she was busy or it was a trap or-?

Someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Um... Tattletale?"

"Amy! Following up on our session I see!"

"Er... yeah. So... look, how is this supposed to work? I mean, you can't tell anyone or-"

"Let me stop you before you lose your nerve. First, how about I show some trust and give you my name? I'm Lisa! Hello!"

Almost instinctively, she brought her shields up. There was some trick here. Some trap, some pitfall, some downside... whatever it was, she refused to let it get to her.

"Now then, let's get to the root of the matter by quoting every psychiatrist ever: Tell me about your childhood."

And just like that, the walls collapsed.

-o-

Aisha held her breath as she slowly slid her room's window shut.

Logically, she knew that Brian wouldn't be back from helping direct the party for another ten minutes thanks to the lead she'd gotten on him by using her wings.

However, Aisha didn't really use logic that often, so what did she care? The criminal part of her mind reminded her that she was out past Brian's curfew, and she knew that if he caught her he would kill her. Ergo, the key here was to be silent.

Finally the window slid into its sill with ease and Aisha allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief.

"Home free. And Brian doesn't even suspect a thing."

The room's lights turned on with a click.

"I don't suspect what, exactly?"

Aisha's forehead hit the windowpane lightly. "Oh damn."

She then realized that her wings had drooped down alongside her shoulders. "Oh fuck."

"I think that summarizes things nicely, yeah. I'm suddenly really grateful that I had Bitch give me a ride home."

Aisha slowly turned around to stare morosely at Brian, his expression unreadable and his arms crossed. The stare down continued for a minute until he gestured at her bed silently.

The teenage Reaper slowly turned around, walked over to the bed and sat down.

Brian sat down next to her, hands clasped before him. He was silent for a bit more before speaking. "How long?"

Aisha bit her lip hesitantly. "I... a few weeks. I'm relatively new. I've... stayed out of trouble?"

Her brother gave her a flat look. "That's what you call taunting villains at Somer's Rock?"

She winced accordingly. "I've... mostly stayed out of trouble." She hastily reasserted herself, giving him a venomous glare. "You realize that you being a villain period is worse, right?"

"Don't change the subject." Brian responded neutrally. "Aisha... have you told anyone about...?"

Aisha was silent for a moment before slowly scrunching her eyes shut. "I... yes. The Composer. It was the only way I could convince her to show her just how badly I needed her help. Without her... Bakuda would have killed you. I... I couldn't just let that happen, you know that, right? Right!?" She ended with a hint of desperation.

Brian didn't answer. He merely tapped his fingers together silently. Finally... "A few weeks ago... Taylor's a Reaper, isn't she?"

Aisha's fingers dug into the bedsheets. "I... I can't tell you that. I screwed up once, I won't do it again. If you really care for me... then you won't make me. A-and you won't make me leave the Reapers either!" She looked at Brian fiercely. "They're the best thing that's ever happened to me! Well, next to when you... saved me..." She fell silent for a moment before continuing. "E-either way, I'm not leaving them. It doesn't matter what you say, I won't. I...I won't..." The steam seemed to flow out of her as she looked at him pleadingly.

Brian looked at her morosely before bowing his head again. "So... you've been making a lot of art, huh?"

Aisha blinked in surprise before fiddling her fingers a bit. "Well... y-yeah, I guess. I've been doing it in my spare time. It's... it's fun. Good way of speaking up and getting noticed without getting into too much trouble, you know?"

"And they've been helping you study?"

"Err... yeah, I suppose, the Composer's been on my ass about it... Look, what does this have to do with anything!?"

"Aisha..." Bria started tiredly. "Let me ask you: do you know what's been stopping Child Services from letting me have custody?"

"Umm..." She started ticking her fingers off. "You needed a good place for us to stay, which we've got, a good cash flow, which the Undersiders are getting you... er..." She trailed off hesitantly.

"They needed to know I could raise you right. That I could keep you out of trouble and help you get good grades."

Aisha stared at him in confusion for a moment before her jaw dropped open in realization. Slowly, she looked at him in dawning awe. "Wait... are you saying that..."

Brian looked at her. He had a feeble smile, and tears in his eyes. "They called me just before the party started. I... I've got custody."

Aisha didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. The only thing she could do was slam into her brother and hug him as tight as was physically possible.

Brian returned the hug eagerly, burying his face in her shoulder.

For several minutes, the siblings remained in the position, hugging each other and reveling in their newfound freedom.

Finally, Aisha spoke up. "So... what happens now?"

Brian sighed heavily. "Well... I won't make you leave the Reapers, for a start. They seem to have been a good influence on you. As for me, well... I still need income, so..." He shrugged helplessly. "I suppose that I'll be staying with the Undersiders for a while longer. Until I can find some honest work... or it stops paying so much."

Aisha chuckled happily. "Good, I happen to like Lisa! Personally, I think she's a good influence on you!"

"She's the one who suggests most of our heists."

"As I said."

"Ergh..."

"By the way, how did you figure out that I was a Reaper?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I could have sworn that I kept my tattoos hidden whenever I was home!"

Brian processed the sentence for a second before slowly looking down at her, "I... actually figured it out when you spoke at Somer's Rock and Lisa confirmed it for me, wait, those are real!?" The last part had a good bit of anger in it.

Aisha paled as she realized her slip-up. "I am so grounded, aren't I?"

"That's a start. Let's work out the rest."

"Aw man!"

-o-

Taylor yawned as she walked out of her bathroom, rubbing tiredly at her eyes.

It had been one hell of a night. Managing the party, dealing with Armsmaster... and the finale! Man, that had effectively wiped her out. Still, she had to give credit to Pari- that is, Waltz: infusing cloth with Sound as it was woven was a brilliant idea. While the plan to put Noise into them wound up being a flop, the possible effects had been well displayed tonight: a cloth whose color could be freely manipulated by any Reaper who was worth their salt. The results of the first test had been fantastic, and she couldn't wait to see what else Waltz had in store.

As she was sitting down on her mattress, Taylor heard her room's door open. She smiled as she saw her father in the doorway. "Hey Dad, you have a nice night?"

Danny chuckled happily. "I'm pretty certain that everyone did, actually. I'm going to guess that you were at the party too?"

"Sorry for not calling, but Aisha was with me and-"

"Heh, say no more. You know I actually knew the party was going to happen?"

"Oh really?" Taylor feigned surprise as accurately as she could.

"Yes, really! The Composer and her Reapers came down to the Union and hired a lot of people to help set things up; paid good money, too!" He grimaced as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry for not telling you, but she asked that we keep things quiet until the party."

"It's alright dad, I understand," Taylor waved him off easily. "It was still a lot of fun!"

"Yeah, it was. You know, those Reapers are really what the city needs right now. You wouldn't believe how much happier the Union's been recently... Still!" Danny stuck a finger up in a stern and fatherly manner. "Do me a favor and don't join them, alright? I'd rather you not get a record before you're an adult."

"Don't worry, Dad, I won't join the Reapers, I promise." Taylor grinned innocently. 'Technically, founding and joining are two separate activities.'

"Glad to hear it. Well, good night, Taylor. I love you."

Taylor yawned heavily as she lay down in her bed and pulled her covers up. "Good night, Dad. Love you too."

The lights clicked off, the door slid shut...

And Taylor Hebert smiled as she fell into a peaceful slumber.