5.5

When I come to… I'm laying down on something. Its soft, I can hear the crinkle of sheets, the cold kiss of an air conditioner damn near freezing. There's a mask on my face, an oxygen mask.

I move my arms to remove it… or try to.

The straps snap taut in a second. I try to open my eyes but it's too bright.

Too bright…

It makes me miss the Dark.

Wait...

My eyes snap open, a primal horrid fear tearing through my mind. In a near panic my wrists and limbs snap the straps tight around my wrists as I pull, yanking on them.

Fire… Fire!

My hands burst into flame, ready to burn the straps before I hear something snap open directly above me. I bring my gaze upwards as I feel all the air sucked out of the room the flames snuffed out with no fuel to consume. The only thing that kept me breathing is the mask on my face.

"Taylor." The voice came from all around me a screen to the side lighting up with a woman's face. "Taylor… you're suffering a panic attack. You have to calm down or you're going to hurt yourself."

I'm barely listening. Tears come to my eyes as I clench them shut.

Something… Something is in my head!

Something is taking control of me!

"Taylor! Taylor!" The woman shouted.

The next thing I feel is a sharp pain in my arm, my eyes trailing down to find a needle retracting to an arm in the side of the bed.

Tinker tech?

Instantly, the pounding in my chest slows, my breaths steady, every taut muscle beginning to relax with the fugue of drugs.

The ash surged along the edge of my senses.

I open my eyes, trying to focus.

I can feel it… every grain, every fibre. It roils and rolls like the tide… the… touch of it allowing me to feel out the sheets of metal, wiring and concrete that separates me from it.

I don't remember ever being able to do this before...

Circular… isolated. I don't have a lot of ash to work with. Not enough to do any damage to this place… wherever it is.

My eyes scrunched themselves shut. I was trying to think… trying to remember what exactly happened…

I was caught. That much was obvious.

But how?

Was Coil still alive?

Or is he dead?

I focused, my thoughts coming together, coming to focus as I shoved my fear and uncertainty away to some other part of myself where I didn't let it distract me.

I was fighting Lung? Yes… yes I was. And then… then… I was… losing?

Yes… I'd been losing and...

Dark…

No… not Dark

Nothing so simple. Nothing so benign.

Something was inside my head.

I really was mastered?

Was it that simple? Or far worse?

The door to this place hisses open. I open my eyes and turn to look.

"Legend…" I breathe.

He seemed to straighten, taking a deep breath through his nostrils before he smiled softly, almost gently..."Taylor." He nodded, staying where he entered. "We had to restrain you as a precaution… that having been said, how are you feeling?"

I look at him, all but glaring. "Don't pretend to be my friend. Just say what you came to say."

He frowned, but he didn't look angry. He almost looked genuinely sad.

"I understand that there have been a lot of missteps and… frankly… screw-ups with everything, Taylor, and that you have your reasons for being so jaded but… I am not going to lie to you, and I am not trying to pretend to be your friend, or trick you in any way. You deserve some honesty at the very least."

Silence.

The man stepped forward, pulling up one of the nearby chairs. "Alright." He ventured. "I'm not going to ask you questions yet… I'm here right now, for you to ask me questions… anything you'd like to ask I will answer to the best of my ability."

"Where exactly am I?"

"A medical room/holding facility designed by Dragon for high risk patients."

"You mean prisoner."

He took a breath. "It doesn't have to be that way Taylor."

I opened my mouth when I shut it again. What exactly would be the point of arguing? Better if I just asked my questions and not remain wholly ignorant of what was going on around me.

"What did Dragon inject me with?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She injected you?"

"A drug to slow your heart rate and relax your muscles." The same woman that appeared before was once again on the monitor. "You were having a panic attack. This drug was designed to relax you without inhibiting any mental faculties which would allow you to speak and hear coherently."

"How long before it wears off?"

"Two hours. Would… you like to specify what it was you were thinking about that brought on your symptoms Taylor?"

I don't answer. How exactly do you explain that there's something in your head? Something inhuman that can take you over without a moment's notice? Its the Simurgh all over again, only much more specific and personal. Being locked in a quarantine zone for the rest of my days would be their response on a good day.

Or… wait… "The Master that you people were supposedly looking for. Did you ever catch him?"

Legend tilted his head. "...No." He said after a moment.

The door hissed open. "But you already suspected that." Said a new voice.

I trailed my eyes over and I wasn't sure if my heart did a back-flip or dropped into a pit.

Alexandria.

I knew Legend was in the Bay. But when the hell did she get here?

She crossed her arms. "How much do you remember?" Alexandria asked. I couldn't see her eyes behind her mask outside of her stern lower face, but her tone was hard.

"About what?" I asked.

"Your time as Surtr. Tell us everything you remember."

"Alexandria, she just woke up." Legend said. "She might-."

"She has enough of a head on her shoulders to ask you where she is. What she was drugged with. If she has enough brains to start taking in the factors for a possible escape then she has enough to remember her time as Surtr." She interrupted. "Now what do you remember Ms. Hebert?"

...If the only means of Dragon turning off my fire is to suck the oxygen out of the room-

"She can also cut off the air supply in that mask if it comes down to it." Alexandria suddenly said. "I wouldn't try that."

My eyes narrow. 'Thinker? She's a Thinker too?'

"No one is cutting off anyone's oxygen supply." Legend suddenly said, sighing with a tired despondency before looking back at me.

"Taylor… look at me please."

I did so.

"Like I said before. There have been a lot of wrongs. A lot of things that have gone wrong and issues that have yet to be resolved. But you have to know that if nothing else I was never aware of any of it. If you don't trust the local PRT or the Protectorate at the very least I'm asking, if not for trust than for the benefit of the doubt." He said. "I do want to help you. Its the whole reason I came here in the first place."

"Might be too late for that." I answered flatly under the oxygen mask. "Last time I checked I have a triple digit body count. Do you expect me to believe I won't be going to prison?"

"Nothing's set in stone." Alexandria drawled. "But only if you cooperate."

I turned and glared at her. "Is that the same deal you cut with Sophia?"

"And now I extend the same courtesy to you. The alternative is not nearly as pleasant." She answered flatly. "Now lets try this one more time. What is it that you remember? Or do you remember anything at all?"

I clenched my teeth shut, all but snarling beneath the sealed oxygen mask.

"Yes. A little." I bit out. "It happened when I fought Lung. I was being beaten and…"

"And?" Alexandria pressed.

"Darkness. I felt myself…" I tried to find the words. "Being pulled into the Dark."

I remembered… a clawed long ash-covered claw.

I started breathing a little faster. A simple, primordial fear overcoming me at the mere memory. Something the drugs couldn't repress.

"What did you see?" Asked Alexandria, her tone softening by a touch.

"A hand…" I replied. "A… A… It wasn't human. The voice… her voice sounded like my mom."

"Are you sure?"

"I am!" I burst out in anger, tired of her interrogation and writhing under my bonds. The ash roiled on the outside moving in like the tide, crashing into the walls of this place hard enough to be heard in here.

Twenty, twenty-five feet away. How thick were these walls?

I'm like a chained dog. Ready to lash out.

And for a second I can almost see it. Almost see the ash gather to a point and punch straight through the wall like an overgrown drill, or a swarm of bugs, finding tiny holes and openings to surge through, tearing at wiring that I could now feel with something akin to a tactile sense and moving through air canals before coming in here to wrap me in a shell of armor.

And then…

And then what?

What would be the point.

Maybe I could escape. Maybe I could run…

And then do what?

Where would I go? And why would I go there. I would still have something in my head… I would still be a fugitive. A dangerous cape the heroes wanted captured and the villains wanted dead.

What exactly would I do?

I calmed… pushing back the rage that had come over me like it wasn't even there anymore.

My head hurts.

"Sorry." I finally say only half meaning it. "All I remember is the hand and her voice… It called me… Little Owl. It's what...my mom used to call me. My nickname..."

I swallowed down the tears that threatened to spring out of my eyes. My mother was the only one that called me that…The only one that ever could.

Alexandria hummed in thought. "We'll have to see if Protectorate or independent capes can bring out those memories further. This is too important to not investigate. Right now lets discuss what exactly is going to happen with you given your recent actio-"

Legend raised his hand, stopping her mid sentence, then he looked at me. "Taylor… Do you… do you want to be a hero? Still?" He asked, the last word almost sounded like pleading.

Do I still want to be a hero… It was my dream as a child…

"A Protectorate hero?" I shook my head. "Why would I ever join any of you again when you people bend over backwards to protect people like Sophia Hess?" A bolt of irony struck me and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Hell. You're bending over backwards for someone like me and I killed half the PRT."

Legend took a breath. "Was that you? Or was that whatever took you over?"

I didn't answer.

He took a breath. "The fact is Taylor, the Wards program is more a school than a law enforcement force. We take in young parahumans in order to help them not only learn to control their powers but to help them learn how to adjust to those powers into society. Tinkers get an outlet so they don't cannibalize half the tech in their homes. Brutes learn to check their strength in their day to day lives. Sophia Hess was a young girl that was taken in for a multitude of reasons and one of them was reformation. I know it's no consolation to hear that she was the issue that slipped through the cracks in the system but that's what it was. If anyone, anyone, would have known about what she was doing to you in Winslow we would have intervened. We never would have let it get that far." Legend sighed.

"I reported it." I hissed. "I asked for help, over and over and over again, and you people-"

"Never heard a word of it." He said. "I know that's not what you want to hear. And that we could have done more than what we did but it is the truth."

"And what about after? Huh? What about after my trigger when I told Miss Militia right to her face who did it? You people did nothing to help? You just swept it all under the rug and shoved the bullshit down my throat! Emma, Madison. What happened to them? How is it that Sophia gets a transfer to work with you-" I toss a nasty look at Alexandria "-and you still want to say you didn't know!?"

"The Winslow faculty was brought up on criminal charges, the Principal is currently on unpaid leave until further notice. Sophia's parole officer was given disciplinary action. Madison Clements, as far as I know is still in a juvenile facility for the next year or two. Emma Barnes was also remanded but eventually released because of the prison overpopulation issue caused by the damage to the primary holding facility."

I jerked.

Emma Barnes… released because of…

The laugh that bubbled up in my throat was quiet at first. It grew slowly into chuckles before it threatened to devolve into hysterics. The only reason it didn't was probably because of the drugs still in my system.

A joke… it was all just a fucking joke.

Emma got out of juvie… because of me. I let that bitch out… I gave her freedom.

As I laughed, Legend had turned to Alexandria and the woman spoke next. "I approved of Sophia's transfer to not waste resources. It would not have been pleasant for her though, despite what you believe. I run a far tighter ship than Emily Piggot."

"And that's supposed to make it better?"

She shrugged. "It is what it is. If it's any consolation, I would have dealt punishment myself towards her if she did anything remotely similar as she did here. If you truly wish to blame someone, blame Emily Piggot and Armsmaster. They were the ones in charge of the PRT ENE. Hess' actions, despite what they may claim, falls on their heads." She turned and left the room with a swish of her cape. Good. She made a bad impression on me. Then again, I probably made an even worse one on her.

A minute later I can feel Alexandria outside of this place. The ash on the wind catching on her armor, her cape and helmet.

I tried to find what door she used exactly but there was nothing behind her, just a smooth surface.

And then it was just me and Legend. The blue-costumed man turned towards me.

I shook my head. "How convenient for you two…"

He sighed. "No one ever wanted this to happen Taylor."

"Where are they now?" I asked.

"They being-"

"Piggot. Armsmaster."

"Armsmaster is currently in a coma. Been that way since the prison break." I tensed up, looking at him. "And Piggot… she's on her way out. She is more or less becoming the scapegoat in all of this. Behind doors that is."

He paused.

"I can understand why you're angry. Why you don't trust us. Yes, Piggot and Armsmaster did try to keep Hess out of the courts, but Emma Barnes and Madison Clements were brought up on charges like I said and duly convicted. No one ever lied about that."

"Would that story be different if both Madison and Emma were capes like Sophia?"

He winced. Thought so.

"You'd have just covered the whole thing up." I snarled.

"No we wouldn't." He said instantly.

"You're doing it for me."

"Would you like us not to?" He asked, as sincerely as one could imagine. "I'm not trying to be sarcastic or bait you but many of our concessions, not only to Sophia but other capes that have looked to reform over the years are done because we want to help them. That goes double for Wards. As I said, in this case, we were too lenient. Too trusting. We could have… should have done more."

"All you and Alexandria have done is basically say that you're better than Piggot and Armsmaster in how you run things. Let me be the first to inform you it's not that hard to improve on garbage." A thought came to me. "If I hadn't met her at the prison would I even know? Would I have ever known?"

"Yes, you would." He answered. "Piggot was planning on telling you at some point. Before she could though, Coil set up you and Hess to meet, using some kind of Pre-cog we believe. He knew that the results would be… disastrous."

How convenient. The poor director wanted to be honest but the villain just so happened to beat her to the punch.

Right.

I can't believe I'm thinking this, but one tiny sliver in my mind is grateful to that snake for unveiling the truth to me… Just a sliver.

I leaned back. "So what happens now?"

He reclined in his chair. "Frankly Taylor… you're not out of the woods… not by a long shot. I doubt you want to go to prison. But the fact remains that, Mastered or not, you've proven yourself capable of doing an incalculable level of damage no matter where you are." I looked at the ceiling, ready to resign myself before he spoke again.

"Now… before we go any further and I offer you any kind of deal or plea there is something we need to clear up, right now."

"And that is?"

"Emma Barnes." He said. "After she was released from prison due to the overpopulation issue, she suffered something akin to a psychotic break."

"Good for her." I said dismissively.

"She triggered, Taylor."

It was like a bucket of ice-water over my head as I snapped my head towards Legend and narrowed my eyes. The anger was rising back and I could feel the ash outside the walls resuming their siege.

Emma fucking Barnes triggered.

He continued before I could fully get over my shock. "She's being held in the PRT HQ under surveillance."

"You're going to make her a fucking Ward too? You miserable lying-"

"We're not." He said quickly and sternly. "Not for a while. Not until she's cleared by the medical personnel at the very least."

"I can't believe I'm even sitting here and listening to your bullshit!"

"I am not lying. The fact is, her powers, like yours, enable her to cause incalculable levels of harm. She has to be kept under watch. There is no choice here. I am telling you so that you're not caught off guard again. So that you know exactly what it is that's happened."

I was gripping my hands tightly now.

"If you want her out of the bay… That might, and I stress might be possible." He said

"And why exactly is it only a might. You're the leader of the Protectorate?" I hiss.

"Legal issues primarily." He answered.

Ahh yes… daddy the lawyer.

"If she comes anywhere near me I'm going to kill her." I state flatly. Promising. "Parole or under watch or temporary arrest or arrest or whatever you wanna put me under. If I catch sight of Emma fucking Barnes even breathing in my general direction what I did to Sophia will seem pleasant by comparison" I could feel the ash outside the walls, up, over and around, all but ready to find an opening. Any opening.

He nodded, face sad. He inhaled and exhaled.

"I understand. With that having been said, while you were Mastered and thus, not legally responsible for your actions, you will be kept under watch for an indefinite period of time. You will be obligated to take mandatory bi-weekly psychological evaluations. You won't be allowed to patrol until cleared, you will not be allowed to leave the premises, and if you do it will be with a Protectorate hero or two Wards. You will have bi-weekly visitations from anyone who wishes to see you should you and we ourselves, clear them. Patrol and Endbringer battles will remain voluntary. You won't be paid while you're in custody. But you'll have unlimited phone privileges."

Basically an attack dog with a very tight leash.

I guess it could be worse.

"So… when does this end? When I'm 'cured'?" I snarled. I would have used my fingers to add in the quotes. "Cleared by whatever shrinks you have on deck? By the way can I be let out of these straps?"

He looked at my wrists and ankles. Then he reached over and helped me untie myself.

"In a way." He said as he pulled my left arm free. "Also Taylor, for what it is worth, while Armsmaster and Piggot may have betrayed you… the others did not." His voice was soft. "Dauntless. Velocity. Glory Girl. Your Ward teammates. They missed you. Cared for you even when you were being Mastered. In fact, Glory Girl was an element in stopping you while you rampaging across the city."

I looked into his eyes, finding nothing but sincerity. I wanted to hate him...

"Will they visit me too?" I asked.

"They will be able to soon. I'm sure Vista and Kid Win would be happy to see you." He offered me a sad smile.

I looked back at him. "Did I hurt them at all?"

The older man breathed. "You did… but we got them to Panacea. No permanent damage."

"Hmm…" Did they still want to talk to me after that? Should they?

I thought they'd betray me… but I guess the betrayal was mine.

That same bubble of hysteria that I buried after the news that I'd caused Emma's release threatened to slither on up again.

"Where's my dad?" I ask softly.

"He's been staying in the PRT building. I could bring him in if you like."

"Staying… How long have I been out?"

"We kept you sedated for two days while Dragon customized this holding area."

Two days.

"Is Coil dead?" I ask. Its the only other thing I can think of.

"He is." The Triumvirate member nodded, then stood. "I'll go get your father-"

"No…" I said suddenly. "Tomorrow. Right now I need to think."

He hesitated. "If you're sure…"

"I am." I answer. Don't want to talk. Not right now. Not to him or anyone.

It wasn't right. But I needed to think. Needed to rest and collect myself. Try to wrap my head around this.

And what exactly I was gonna do.

All Legend and Alexandria were interested in was if I remembered what had happened. They didn't have any real idea how to fix it… this… thing in my head.

Not anymore than I did at any rate.

Legend didn't seem to like my choice, but he nodded and soon enough, he left.

(X)

Not sure when exactly it was, but I knew that it had to be at least an hour or two later since I fell asleep, that I heard the sound of someone outside, cursing. Their touches sending hollow little echoes through the metal.

I tensed up, wondering what exactly was going on before whoever it was released a triumphant Ha! and, judging by the sound of footsteps, found their way inside.

"Dragon?" I asked at the general area around me, but received no answer. Was the Tinker asleep? Would have sworn she'd have some kind of program active to monitor me.

The footsteps came closer, and for a moment I wondered if Dragon was willingly turning away. Was this someone with a grudge?

Then I dismissed the thought. If this was someone looking to get even it was the worst attempt at stealth I'd ever been subjected to.

Piss poor stealth or not though, I wasn't exactly feeling safe and secure at the moment. With my ash effectively out of reach all I had was my fire and if this was some kind of brute or someone that could resist all they'd need was one good hit.

Burn the bed. Perhaps the nightgown. Should be enough. Maybe use the metal railing on the side as a weapon if I get des-

My inner musings on violence however, was flatly cut off as the door opened and the person stepped through… or tried to.

See, to keep this room air-tight, Dragon had evidently installed the same type of metal doors on a military battleship, or something you'd find in a vault.

The person flat out tripped, all but falling on their face, at least she would have if she couldn't fly.

"Victoria?" I blink.

"Tay!" She shouted, following the sound of my voice in the gloom of the dark her eyes hadn't adjusted to yet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Heard you woke up. Legend wouldn't let us in. And hey, is it true Alexandria was here?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. Wonder when she got back."

"Got back?" I ask was she here often enough to consider her 'back'?

"Yeah. Last I heard she left with Eidolon after they were done with the mop-up of Coil's base like a day ago."

She picked herself up, feet settling on the ground. "Where the hell's the light switch? Can't see a thing."

"Don't know." I answered truthfully "Dragon turned it off when I was gonna get some sleep. Wonder where she went."

"Oh. Kid's keeping her busy with Tinker techno-babble. She can't be in two places at once so between that and Vista using her power to help me slip past the outside motion sensors she doesn't even know I'm here."

I… don't even know what to say to that…

That's… a little convenient? Didn't Dragon monitor like… everything? Birdcage, Endbringer monitoring systems? PRT high risk comms?

And Vicky slipped past her?

I decide not to make an issue of it.

Instead I decide to talk about the very obvious.

"That was a risk." I finally said.

She stayed quiet, standing in the dark. It was nice that the gloom hid our features. Seemed to make this talk a little easier.

"...You're our friend, We wanted to make sure you're okay."

I swallowed, and when I went to say a simple -'Thank you'- I almost choked on the words, emotion welling up at my throat before I was finally able to say it.

"Can I…" Victoria ventured, hands reaching out to feel around her. How could she not see yet? It wasn't even that dark. "Like sit on the bed or something?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

She found the sheets by my feet and settled herself on the surface.

"Okay…" She said. "This… Tay… I just wanna start out by saying I'm sorry… You know about everything. The stuff that happened before… and hell even the shit with Hess and fucking Piggot. It was all-"

"Victoria." I interrupt. "If it's all the same to you… I'd rather not talk about it… any of it."

The silence between us falls into a thick tension.

Finally, unsurprisingly, it's Victoria that breaks it.

"Hey… look. Can we like… start over? No more bullshit? No more lies and secrets none of it just… please?"

I don't answer for a long time.

"I… I would like that." I finally say.

I can see her smile, through the dark.

She holds her hand out almost a foot too far to my right. "Hi. My name's Victoria Dallon, cape name Glory Girl. I'm a hothead with a brute rating, got the best boyfriend in the world, and I like to shop, go out to eat, and all things girls do in their free time." She said softly.

I reach and pull her hand closer to target so I can grasp it properly.

"I'm Taylor Hebert… and… I'm… tired of being angry." I lift up one hand and make a small spark of flame from my thumb, like a match lighter.

I'm not smiling. But she is. I try to smile back. Make at least a token effort. I could see her eyes water up a little.

She was trying. I suppose I could try one more time as well. For her sake, Dad's, Chris, Missy, and all the others I hurt.

Arc 5: Outcry

End.

(-)

Story is now fully crossposted. :) Hope you all enjoyed it. The story is on Hiatus until the summer is over, updates will resume then.

Also, Outcry now has a TV:tropes page :D If you can and have time please add to it whatever new tropes you can think of. (FF for some reason doesn't let me post links here, sorry for that)

Till that time enjoy yourselves. We'll be back with more fun stuff soon. :)