Hope Through Overwhelming Firepower 3.5
Taylor returned home later with a haunted look on her face.
"Taylor, what's wrong?" Her dad questioned.
"Ah, nothing. Just... a long day at school. I think I need a nap." She responded.
"If you're sure..."
"I'm sure." Taylor said as she climbed the stairs to her room.
As she closed the door behind her, she slid down the back of it and placed her head in her hands.
Things had not... gone well. Shortly after Dauntless, Battery and Velocity had shown up, questions had been asked. Questions Taylor hadn't had answers for. All she had were vague memories of cold calculation, and power. So much power. Terrifying in it's extent, as if millions of sparks had gathered as a single cohesive mass.
After they had gotten Miss Militia and Earthshock out of the containment foam, things had gotten, if anything, more confusing. She had apparently grabbed a black hole. And, in the process, done something to Bakuda, enough to make her scream out seemingly unrelated and random words, and set off bombs with no regard for herself.
Dauntless had told her that they would call her in to get a full report later, but for now she should go home and get some rest. Taylor had heartily agreed.
For a moment, Taylor considered skipping school tomorrow. But Taylor needed school. She needed it to still feel human.
Taylor fell restlessly asleep.
Taylor poured herself into her computer work, hoping to take her mind off of recent events.
She was supposed to program a calculator in visual basic today, it was actually going fairly well to.
Although, she didn't know why, but something was bothering her about the terribl*& in*^**&^s the calculator.
She could almost see them. The problems with the code. Taylor scowled, how could she ever let such inefficiencies slip in.
Goal: Program compu*ional de*(&e.
Taylor's fingers flew over the keyboard, beginning the construction of a-
The computer crashed.
Taylor blinked, before placing her head into her hands, and beginning to shake, ever so slightly.
It had happened again. She had lost control over herself, unable to do anything but recognize that something had happened in the intervening timespan.
"Taylor? Is something the matter?" Her teacher questioned.
"Ah, no. The computer just crashed for some reason." Taylor replied, making sure to clear the edge out of her voice before doing so.
Her teacher nodded and went back to tutoring the less technologically inclined students.
Taylor wanted so badly to unload on someone. Tell someone what shitty days today and yesterday were. But her computer teacher was not that person, her father was not that person, Taylor didn't know if there was a suitable person. She should probably get a psychologist of some sort, now that she thought about it.
Of course, this led Taylor back once more to joining the Wards. Which was rapidly beginning to look more, and more appealing. It was the easiest way to get the help she needed. Psychological, and otherwise.
The Wards themselves had even turned out to be... Nice, friendly even. Taylor had more fun in her brief moments hanging around with them then she had in the past year and a half since Emma had started. She would still have to tell her dad, and he would worry. But it was becoming increasingly obvious that it wasn't her he should be worrying about.
Turning back towards her crashed computer, Taylor scowled as it wouldn't even turn back on.
It appeared that she was going to have to both switch computers, and start from the beginning. A brief glance at the clock confirmed Taylor's suspicions.
She was going to have to actually work this period.
Taylor wasn't even surprised when Mr. Gladly just shook his had and walked away from the horde of girls throwing insults at her.
Honestly, it had become obvious by now that the faculty had just washed their hands of the whole situation.
Turning her attention back towards the gaggle of girls throwing increasingly juvenile insults towards her, Taylor only now noticed Emma standing in the back, not saying anything. She just stood there, a slight smile upon her face.
Noticing in turn that Taylor had finally begun paying attention to her, Emma walked forward. The other girls retreating out of deference to the "queen" of the school.
"What's the matter Taylor, you look upset?" Her former best friend spoke out.
This kind of baffeled Taylor, completely out of place amongst the bevy of insults sent her way and Emma's actions over the past years.
Honestly, she couldn't even bring herself to care all that much about whatever Emma was scheming now. It wasn't like anything Emma said could really matter in the face of-
"So upset you'll cry yourself to sleep for a straight week?" A smirk upon her face.
Oh. That.
Taylor paused as the words really sunk in.
It was stupid, but for some reason Taylor had assumed that those things she had told Emma on the eve of her mothers death would remain sacred.
She-she was-
She was going to make her pay.
Taylor walked towards her target, ignoring the irrelevant things in her way.
"Oh my god Taylor. Did you really get special eye contacts? Did you think they would that making your eyes look all silly would make you popular or something?" The target and nearby irrelevant things began making laughing noises.
Importance: Irrelevant.
Notation: Target's laughter has begun to slow in proportion to the decrease in proximity between herself and Target.
Conclusion: Target is aware of size difference between herself and Target.
"Woah there Hebert, what do you think you're doin-...Your eyes... Oh. Shit." Irrelev- Incorrect assumption. Interloper identified as $^(#*(^^*.
Importance: Potential Relevance.
Conclusion: Immediate Removellllllllllllerror
Taylor suddenly regained control over herself, hand raised towards Sophia, who had gone utterly pale at some point.
Taylor mentally stumbled for a bit as she tried to take in all that had happened but, unable to form a fully coherent thought, Taylor began dry heaving.
Emma, having apparently regained her confidence in the face of Taylor's sudden bout of mentally falling apart, laughed once more. "Look at poor Taylor, she's finally gone and snap-"
"Emma." Sophia began. "I... Suggest we leave. Now."
"What? Why? Hebert was just getting fun-"
Taylor didn't hear any further conversation, as she had run off. Her powers had almost gotten her to kill Emma. Just like the ABB.
She needed help, and badly.