Coil closed the timeline where he had his mercenaries attack a data backup site of the PRT.

He leaned forward at his desk as he eyed the various reports that he had access to via his civilian identity. Still no information on how Armsmaster had tracked him back to his base after his kidnapping attempt on the bug girl. The thought that the girl somehow lay behind the failure had to be considered, rather than something the hero did. Coil had no desire for the entire local Protectorate, Wards and New Wave to show up and crush his base again.

But how? His kept choice ended up with problems so it ended up being a non-binary situation. At least his men got Stanley Wentworth. He would never betray anyone again.

Coil shook his head and then made a call. And then split on a choice.

Half an hour later Tattletale walked into his office.

"We need to solve a problem. How could the Bug Girl attempt to get help if I were to bring her to this location?" he demanded.

She hid her surprise as her power whispered about his attempt. "Hmm. Her power has a longer range and she has more control than you would expect." The girl used her bugs to have the cops call the Protectorate directly which happened to bypass his mole in the PRT dispatch. "She could spell out words that she used to call in the cops."

That simple? "What is her range?"

"Six or seven hundred feet," Tattletale fibbed, underselling the girl's range by about thirty percent. Enough to be taken as a mistake when verified."

"You mentioned she has better control than I expected. Explain," Coil ordered in his flat, unfriendly way as the other Tattletale spilled the truth as thumb screws applied wounds to all of her fingers and thumbs.

Tattletale hid her start in surprise. He knew that she lied already? "Just that. She can control any bugs within her range. Might even be able to use them to sense things around. She can't hear or see through them, thank goodness." Her power suggested that the bug girl's power had a steep learning curve to get the most out of it.

Coil nodded as the flip-choice Tattletale confirmed that. "That would make her hard to kidnap. How would you entice her to join the Undersiders?"

"Before her friendship with New Wave, it would have been easy. Just be a good friend and escalate the crimes we would involve her in. Start off with petty assault and vandalism against the Merchants, Empire or ABB. Now we would have to drive a wedge between her and the younger members of New Wave." A twinge of pain stabbed her temples. "That could backfire if we aren't careful."

"Keep poking at the idea. I'll look at other means to neutralize her if need be," he replied. "You can leave."

Sniping the girl sounded like the simplest option, but carried the risk of severe escalation. Coil thought over different options.

He would solve the issue.

But for now, he needed to work on moving his pawns into place. The new Case 53 out beyond the railroad yard might work out just perfectly for that.

Taylor stepped off the bus and waved to Vicky and Amy at the front door as a light snow fell from the sky. Eric stood next to them, shaking his head.

"-mom is starting to figure it out," the boy explained to his cousins.

"Not here, Eric. Hi, Taylor! I am still just so jealous of your hair," Vicky said to their new friend.

"Hi guys! Are you feeling better, Amy?" Taylor asked her friend.

Amy smiled. "A bit. I still need more time, but I can almost believe what you said."

Taylor stepped up and just hugged her for a long second. "Take as long as you want."

The other girl blushed and looked away. "Come on, guys. It's time for school.

"So you should have seen the two of us huffing and puffing and gasping for air," Taylor explained at the lunch table as Vicky and her boyfriend Dean sat down.

"You don't have to retell it again," Amy complained as she tried to stop her her blush of embarassment by ducking her face to let her hair hide her face a bit as she took a scoop of her 'meatloaf'.

"Vicky should join us on our morning run," Taylor said. She took a bite of her so-so hamburger.

"What?" Vicky now stared at her suspiciously.

Taylor looked over at Amy, then to Vicky. "Why wouldn't you want exercise? Don't want to become flabby. Or what happens if you run into someone that can suppress your powers like that monster in the Slaughterhouse 9? Hatchet Head?"

"Hatchet Face," Amy corrected absently as she thought about it. "She has a point Vicky. I mean, the master of insects that can attack from blocks away is exercising so she can run the hell away in case someone can ignore her bugs." She emphasized the issue by pointing at her sister with her piece of pizza.

"It's a good idea. I would hate for my girlfriend to lose because she couldn't run as fast as her sister or friend," Dean said with a smirk on his face.

"But- Ugh, sweaty!" Vicky sighed dramatically. "I guess." She had been slacking on her sports and exercise.

"So you can just fly over the neighbor's houses and meet me out front of my place, right?" Taylor said.

"Because you have to jog in the secured street area?" Amy asked.

"Well, by myself. I think if I'm with both of you, we can go outside and then run back. The Protectorate thinks that the gangs would want to press gang me if given a chance. And I don't have at least two adult heroes in the house." Taylor gave them a shrug.

The rest of lunch passed by quickly, while the rest of school always seemed to crawl by.

Taylor took her school bus to her new home even as she kept track of her PRT shadow. A woman and man in a minivan. The scent of containment foam came across distinctly to her bugs. A few grenades and even one of those backpack sprayers. Both agents came armed with pistols, with heavier guns lock in a secure trunk with the foam sprayer.

She hopped off the bus and jogged past Charlie, who gave her a nod. Taylor felt she got a little exercise, but not really enough. Getting into her house still annoyed her with the advanced alarm system and everything. She snacked on some carrot sticks and an apple as she headed down to her workshop.

"Well, guys," she said to her bug minions, "it's time to get back to work on my costume." She opened up the cover to the individual containers for her black widows.

She wrapped her legs in plastic wrap and then pulled on the boots of her outfit over her feet and lower legs. The spiders swarmed over her legs even as she pulled out her homework and started to read.

On Friday at lunch, the teens talked over what plans they had for the weekend.

Dean shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Sorry, I really can't do anything tonight. Dad's being strict."

Victoria just pouted. "And these two slave drivers are making me jog every morning so I can't be out too late. Totally unfair."

Amy gave her a deadpan look. "Just remember, 'Hatchet Face is behind you' and I'm sure you'll have all the motivation you need."

Dean and Taylor laughed.

The 'new' blonde looked over to her friend. "Say, Amy? I have something pretty neat to show you when I get home."

"I can stop on the way there. Is it all right if Vicky comes along?" she asked.

"Sure, if she can handle creepy crawlies," Taylor said. She shrugged in indifference.

Vicky shuddered, but nodded. "Sure, I guess."

After school, Taylor realized that everything now felt normal again. Riding a school bus, studying and friends to hang out with again really helped her state of mind, she decided.

"So have you started to go back to healing at times?" Taylor asked.

Amy gave a grunt of displeasure. "Yeah, but I have to document everything a lot more. But New Wave is earning a lot more as a direct payment so that nothing 'off the books' happens again."

Vicky grinned as she turned away from Dean. "And since it has a cost, they only let her heal the most critical now. So no more overworking herself to death. And she gets a better stipend from New Wave."

"Which is nice, I guess," Amy grudgingly admitted. At least Vicky took her patrolling more often.

All three girls wore their white, logoed T-shirts. Amazingly enough, most people even now ignored it.

"So you are planning on being a hero?" Dean asked casually, then took a bite of one of his fries.

"I need my outfit first. I'm making better progress, now. I can't imagine how I thought I'd have enough time without letting my dad learn about me being a parahuman." She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small square piece of cloth. "This is a sample." She handed it to Amy first.

The brunette started to pull it to test the toughness. It stretched only a little bit. "Thicker than I expected. How many layers?"

"Ten to fifteen? Seems to be mostly knife proof." Taylor grimaced at a thought. "I don't know how to color it right. I don't want to ruin a whole outfit."

"Silk, right? That could be tricky," Vicky said as she accepted the sample to tug on it herself. She actually blinked in surprise as it only stretched a bit more. "Wow, that is tough."

Dean snickered at that. "Have you checked online or at some of the fabric or craft stores? They might know a way or someone that can bleach or color that."

"I know you can't use chlorine bleach," Vicky mused as she stole a glance at Dean and blushed.

"Or, you know, just remember how to use a smartphone," Amy said in a very snarky tone as she ignored the pang in her heart. "Hydrogen peroxide might work." She held up her smartphone to show a how-to article.

"Um, right. We keep putting off getting a better computer. I'll have to talk to my dad about that," Taylor noted and then finished off her pizza.

"So, did you actually study for your Geometry test, Vicky?" her sister asked.

"Yes," she said quickly.

"Yeah, right," Amy said in a drawl.

"Well, I'll study some tonight while you guys play with bugs." Vicky shivered at that.

Later that afternoon at the new Hebert house, Vicky looked around the expanded workshop. "You made even more places to keep spiders?"

"Honeycomb chambers in the cans," Taylor explained. She lifted the 'lid' that had a porous foam to seal in the black widows. "Hmm. Two of them got out."

Vicky floated off the ground.

"Jeez, Vicky. You know she controls all the bugs around her and you are invulnerable. If you are going to get bitten, it's because you did something to deserve it," Amy said with a small smirk.

"I'm missing ten of them. Dang it. Stupid territorial spiders. Yeah, there are their bodies." Taylor sighed in a theatrical way.

"How does your dad live here without freaking out?" the floating girl asked.

"Um, I don't think he is not freaking out. So, Amy? I have a present for you? It's more of a prototype, but I want you to try it on?" Taylor held up a slightly lopsided grayish-pale-yellow T-shirt.

"A spider-silk T-shirt? Why?" Amy asked while her brows furrowed downward.

"I heard you mention going on patrol with Glory Girl and didn't want you to get seriously hurt. You can't heal yourself, right?"

Amy nodded as she saw the direction of the conversation. "Right."

"So some armor for you is good in case you run into one of the many psychos in the city. Like Oni Lee? He might not kill you, but I bet he'd have no compunction about cutting you up badly. I want to make some armor for all of New Wave. You guys have been pretty good to me," Taylor explained even as she blushed at the end.

Vicky walked over and picked it up. "Oh, that part laces up? That would work." She turned and tossed it to Amy. "Come on, try it on!"

"But I'm not a combatant. I can't even do anything if they wear a full costume or armor," she protested.

Taylor reached for something on the table. "Well, if someone takes my bugs away, I'm going to have a knife and this extendable baton. Plus some pepper spray, some tough plastic ties-"

"-Ooh! You can use some of your spider silk for rope to tie up brutes!" Vicky exclaimed as the thought occurred to her.

"-silk rope, a small first aid kit for when you aren't around, a place for my phone. Etc, etc." She gave Amy a shrug.

"Wow, I'm kind of an idiot," Amy muttered to herself. "We'll have to go to that cop store some time and buy us some equipment with my new money."

"Probably should get you a slightly more form fitting robe, too," Vicky muttered. "I can't see you running away in that huge thing you have right now that you hide in."

"I do not hide in it," she countered.

"Amy, your outfit is the only one of the New Wave outfits that covers the face."

Taylor fidgeted for a long moment, then gave her a brief side hug with one arm. "I know about hiding. She's not wrong."

Amy flushed, though with anger or attraction she would be hard pressed to answer. "Oh, okay. I'll talk to Auntie about it."

"Aunt Sarah is going to be thrilled if you do make outfits for everyone, you know. Don't noise it around, but a big enough attack and my shield can drop and I can take a big hit. Sort of like Uncle Neil's electromagnetic forefield can be overwhelmed." She turned back to her sister. "Come on, try it on already."

"But-"

"No buts!"

"Fine." She tried to pull it on, only to find it catching and pulling on her white T-shirt. She then turned around and pulled off her T-shirt even as she blushed deeply. Why did she decide to not wear a bra today? With a lot of wiggling, she finally managed to pull on the off-color T-shirt and then tied up the front part like an ancient style tunic. She turned back around. "See?"

Taylor stood up as her own blush started to fade finally. "I'm going to have to use a really sturdy zipper on the back of my body suit. I can remake this one so it has one too, if you like?" She started to tug on it. "Should I try to build in support so you don't need a bra?"

"Um, maybe?"

"So how long is this going to take?" the natural blonde asked.

"Weeks! I can only make the spiders weave for a few hours before they need to eat and then process everything to make more drag webbing." Taylor almost wilted at that. She wanted to show she could be a hero now! Or at least soon.

"If that wasn't a problem?" Amy asked curiously.

"Umm, maybe three or four hours of intense work? And I could do outfits for all of New Wave in just a week or two!" Hope spawned within Taylor's growing bosom.

"No way? You are going to use your healing for that? But what about-?" Vicky asked as she cut herself off as she looked between the two girls.

"She knows that my power is more than healing. Her power does a little bit of biomanipulation itself."

"Huh. Powers are weird." Vicky looked intrigued though.

Taylor summoned more insects in the background to feed her black widow and started to get them read even as she started to get ready. "Um..."

Amy looked up from where she had pulled out her homework. "Something up?"

"No, I just have to strip down if I want to get it to fit right." She then shucked her shoes, socks and jeans to start wrapping her legs in a layer of plastic. Lastly she pulled on the two leggings that stopped just before her knees.

"Wish I had the length of your legs," Vicky said in a wistful tone.

Taylor tried to smile, but it did not look quite real. Yeah, right. "I tried to make an armor plate out of chitin and webbing, too. Not sure how tough it is though." Dad mentioned that he might have a way to test it out.

"Okay, hand over your spiders," Amy said as she held out her hand on the table. Spiders swarmed up the table and onto her hand almost immediately. She started to push their biology a bit, tweaking things so they could work longer and better. Even as she did that, she tried to study the strange signals that Taylor's power used even as she toned down the black widows' aggressiveness.

"And that's my cue to start homework," Vicky said as she quickly turned so she did not have to watch.

Danny nodded to the security guard at the gate. Well, undercover PRT trooper if he understood things rightly. Not that he got much information from the neighbors. Half the houses here seemed unoccupied or their owners rarely visited. He suspected that one or two might be important people within the PRT or even potentially some of the Protectorate heroes.

But not his worry. The PRT stood behind their promise in helping keep him and his daughter secure at home. His newer car pulled into the garage and he hopped out to quickly close the door and reset the alarm there. Groceries got loaded into the fridge and pantry and then he went and knocked on the basement door.

"Taylor?"

"Down here, Dad! With Amy and Vicky," she called out loudly.

Danny opened the door and walked downstairs to see the odd sight of his daughter wearing a yellowish off-white bodysuit that looked too form fitting for his liking. "Well, I see you have been productive," he said with a pang.

"Yeah, with Amy's help, I can get finished with my outfit. Then I can make some more outfits for Amy and Vicky. And you, too, of course." She meant to make him one, really. It just kind of slipped her mind.

"I've got the bullet proof vest that Armsmaster sent over. And I finished my course on my concealed weapon permit. That's why I'm a little bit late. I was at the shooting range and Todd let me take a few shots at your armor." Danny reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out a baggy. "It stood up to light rifle fire, but it cracked under an armor piercing rifle round."

"That's still impressive. Those usually go right through bullet proof armor," Vicky said with wide eyes, mirrored by the other two girl.

Taylor kept the spiders at the wide collar of her outfit working. "I'm glad to hear that. I wonder if Amy and I could earn some extra money making bullet proof cloth for the PRT?"

"I don't see why not. We can put it towards your college fund."

"Only if you mean 'buy herself a college' fund," Amy said with a smirk. "Oh, were you serious about cleaning out the bugs at the hospitals?"

"Sure, I guess. Will I have to do a contract like you did? How much is that worth?" Taylor asked.

"Um, well you can only charge minimum wages for all the work you do. I'd try to get a general quote on how many man hours it would take a regular company to spray for bugs," Amy explained with her new knowledge of Parahuman financial law.

"And what their minimum hiring wage for an exterminator," Danny said as he remembered something from the newspaper last week. "Not the state or federal minimum wage."

"Pretty good progress, right Dad?" Taylor said.

"Yes. Yes it is." Danny's throat tightened in anguish.

Taylor ran her hand across the cream colored bodysuit. Her mask lay next to it with it's faceted gold goggles. After she stripped down, she pulled on the snug outfit and zipped up the small and expensive zipper that fitted her into the suit. She added the small bits of armor that she already planned to expand. The back armor carried her crime fighting equipment and areas for bugs to keep them warm.

She carefully pulled her hair through the special, overlapping hole in the back of the mask. You could technically grab her hair, a no-no for combat, but she planned to be out of hand to hand range if at all possible. Another tug under the hair pulled the mask snug around her neck and her shoulders. Taylor then pulled the back seam zipper on her outfit's body and then the little flap at the top covered and held the zipper up to the topmost position.

Weaver then stretched and reached to get the feel for wearing the whole costume. She frowned at herself in the body length mirror against the wall of her shop. Vicky was not wrong, she still looked a bit edgy. She would have looked positively villainous in dark gray or black. She reached up to touch the painted, green beetle on his small chestplate. Her symbol.

"Taylor, the girls are here," Danny called down the stairs into the basement.

"Coming!" she shouted as she put on her utility belt. Vicky gifted the white belt to her and it seemed to fit her costume's theme. She thumped her way up the stairs like the young teen she was. "Vicky! Hey, Amy!"

"Uhn ah! Codenames when we are in costume," the other blonde said as she wagged a finger at their new friend.

Panacea snorted softly in amusement. Vicky would be the first one to forget that rule, she wagered with herself.

"So how are you going to carry us to the hospital?" Weaver asked as she put herself in the right mindset.

"I need you two to hold your forearms here and put that over onto the back of my shoulders there. Then I hug both of you under your arms and with your free hands, hold onto my wrists," Vicky explained.

"This seems awkward," the newer hero said.

"Lady Photon figured it out and taught the flyers in our family," Panacea explained. "The Wards and Protectorate have a similar move."

"See you later, Mr. Hebert! We'll be back before midnight!" Glory Girl called out.

"Keep yourself safe and for god's sake, don't try to take on a villain cape on your fist night out," Danny called out even as his fists clenched at his side.

With that, she gently lifted off the ground and slowly accelerated up to about half speed. "You guys doing okay?"

"Yeah," Panacea said with little enthusiasm. "Weaver, pull your legs together like you are diving into the water. It helps keep you stable."

"Thanks," she replied.