2.3
This was pretty damn awesome. Sun shining, people going about their business, and me walking down the street in costume.
It was liberating. Terrifying too, outing myself to the world, but cool nonetheless.
Children stared, adults looked somewhere between curious and fearful, teenagers snapped photos on their phones, presumably posted straight to ParahumansOnline.
And despite all the attention, I was feeling ok. This wasn't Taylor being stared at with anger or pity. That was a new cape on the scene being respected.
Maybe they didn't need to look quite so much?
I sighed. Of course I couldn't just enjoy the moment. My costume was incomplete, with the grey-brown colouring of silk and bug shells, and it certainly didn't help my figure. If anything I looked even more gangly and ungainly than previously, the body-hugging undersuit revealing my narrow frame and the thicker armour plating around the joints exaggerating the effect. My claws looked comically large at the end of my stick like forearms.
But even with the dozens of voices of self-doubt in the back of my mind, today was cool. I was a cape, going on patrol with a hero-in-training no less.
It was certainly a nice change of pace after the last week.
I did return to school the morning after my first night as a cape, feeling pretty good about my decisions or lack there-of. I was still invisible in the media and online, although the general gestalt on the forums was trending towards the mysterious "bug-girl" being involved. Someone had twigged about who 'Tt' might be, and there was a current debate about whether the new cape was a rogue or a villain.
Most had settled on rogue, which was both fine by me and currently accurate.
But despite that side of my life settling into a comfortable holding pattern, my day-to-day existence seemed to spiral out of control.
Dad had been hinting that he knew I hadn't slept at home that night, and the singed ends of my ponytail hadn't helped. I was seriously considering altering my mask to cover it up at the back, although that was a trade off with the fact I could carry a reasonable quantity of nasty bugs and spiders in my hair.
To make matters worse, he was asking more about school. He seemed to have realised I hadn't been having the best of years, which made for more awkward questions and even more painful lies. But I did not want to talk about school.
The week had started fine enough, as Sophia seemed strangely subdued. She just sat there drumming her fingers on her desk most of class, and even at lunch time her taunts seemed half hearted. The others followed her lead as usual.
I knew it was just the calm before the storm though, like after summer break. Sure enough Sophia appeared to wake up mid-week, and things escalated to the point where I almost lost control of my power on Friday.
It was all I could do to hold the bugs back, to not reveal my greater-than-human strength, pinned up against that locker as she scratched her fingernails down my neck. It was the look in her eyes more than anything, like she wanted to tear out my jugular with her bare hands.
As always she was smart enough not to leave a mark, which I was intensely grateful for. I didn't think I could explain rapidly healing wounds.
I shook my head. Time to forget about that. Today was a good day. The sun was shining, people going about their business, and I was on the road to becoming a hero.
The rendezvous point was top of a building in the upmarket business district, presumably to minimise the risk of us running into trouble.
Not that there was any risk of us getting blindsided, I had already scattered a decent supply of bugs into the area, and scouted out the surrounding few blocks at street level. The most dangerous thing around was an investment banker.
I have to admit I was really excited as I bounded up the fire escape ten steps at a time.
I crested the roof, and sure enough there was Vista waving an enthusiastic hello with her entire arm. I smiled under my mask.
Then Shadow Stalker stepped out from the shade of the stairwell.
I slowed to a stop. Vista cheerfully ran over and said something in greeting. Shadow Stalker sauntered over behind her, staring off into the distance to one side.
I turned my attention back to Vista. "Sorry, what was that?" I asked.
"I just said it is great to see you again. Stalker wanted to come along, hope you don't mind? I thought we could make it a girl's day out?"
Shadow Stalker asked to come along? A girl's day out really didn't seem to fit her character. The cape in question glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes.
"Whatever," she muttered, kicking a stray stone off the roof. "I was just getting bored sitting around base."
I nodded uncertainly. Vista pulled my head down to her level.
"Stalker never asked to come on patrol with anyone before. I think she likes you," she stage whispered, wide eyed.
Shadow Stalker narrowed her eyes behind her mask. Time to change the subject.
"It's cool, more the merrier right?" I said. "So what is the plan for today?"
"See?" Vista said, enjoying her ice cream. "This is why you two need half-masks!"
She made a compelling point, or at least I thought so. Shadow Stalker seemed to be pointedly ignoring the conversation.
"So," Vista continued, "what are we supposed to call you anyway? Bug-girl isn't your real cape name is it?"
I snorted. "No, and it is actually taken as well. That's the problem, most insect-related names are already in use or sound really villainous. I haven't decided yet."
"Ooooh! Maybe we should come up with one together?" Vista asked. "What about … Mayfly? That sounds cool, and pretty!"
I shook my head. "Taken. Twice. And I don't really want to tempt fate by naming myself after one of the shortest lived creatures on Earth."
"How about Cricket?"
Shadow Stalker snorted, proving she was listening. I again indicated the negative.
"Can't do, there is an Empire 88 villain here in Brockton with that name. In fact, I am pretty sure you have fought her before?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Vista shrugged. She scrunched up her face in an intense thinking expression.
"OK. So most insect names are used, right?" I nodded. "So maybe it should be more abstract, like my name? Like, a word that just relates to bugs? Like … Creepy, or Flutter, or…"
"Skitter," Shadow Stalker said suddenly. She seemed just as shocked as we were.
That … that was actually pretty good.
"You know what?" I said. "I like it. It suits how I operate, and isn't too evil."
Vista nodded solemnly. "And it is pretty cool sounding too. So awesome! Thanks Stalker."
Said cape grunted and became suddenly interested in the other side of the street.
Vista giggled and ran in front of me, holding her ice cream cone high above her head. She lightly touched it down on each of my shoulders.
"I dub thee Lady Skitter," she said with a wide smile. I returned an exaggerated bow. Shadow Stalker just crossed her arms.
"If you two are done, shouldn't we be looking for trouble?" she asked archly.
Vista pouted. "Yeah, I guess we are on patrol. Maybe we should get back on the rooftops for a better view?"
I sent my senses outwards, feeling the bugs I had in the area.
"Don't worry, there is nothing going on around here," I said. "Just a few business people coming back from lunch on the next street over and some mounted police near the bank…"
Wait. Those horses were a bit big…
Vista and Shadow Stalker both reached for phones that had started beeping simultaneously.
"Forty one thousand, eight hundred. It looks like that's as much as we're going to get from this vault. The white hats are here, and it's not looking good." Tattletale said from the doorway.
Grue cursed, covering the distance to the window in a few long strides.
"Shit Tattletale. There's five of them out there. There was only meant to be four at most."
"Six," Tattletale replied distractedly. "Someone is on the roof, I don't think it is Shadow Stalker. Maybe one of the Protectorate got home early?"
Brutus loped over, floor groaning beneath his weight. Bitch had done her thing, the Rottweiler had to be pushing two thousand pounds of exposed muscle and bone. The moneybags hanging over each flank made him look like a monstrous zombie packmule, which Regent cheerfully pointed out.
"Fuck it," Bitch said, glaring at Regent. "I can take them, just let me go all out."
Grue shook his head. "No way, we are not risking killing anyone, you want a kill order on us? We need to clean escape, so we need a plan." He turned to Tattletale.
She reviewed the forces arrayed against them. A lot of muscle, especially with Browbeat being inexplicably present. But they were short on battlefield control without Vista, only Kid Win and Aegis could really move at any decent speed. A breakout was doable.
"Yeah, we can do this. Gonna need a distraction though..."
She blinked as a mosquito crossed her visual field, breaking her train of thought. Her head cocked to the side.
She spun around, eyes darting about wildly, passing over the gang, the hostages, even apparently empty corners of the room.
"Fuck!" she screamed. "Why the fuck is she here?"
Regent chuckled. "Jeez," he said, "you'd think Alexandria just dropped by..."
He trailed off as Tattletale started frantically pawing through one of the saddlebags. She retrieved one of the burner mobiles they had with them and began dialling.
"Hey Tattletale, want to explain the problem?" Grue asked gruffly. "And what you think you are doing?"
She spun around, eyes wide behind her domino mask.
"Calling the Wards," she said in a rush. "We all have to get the fuck out of here, right now."
Behind them a woman among the hostages started screaming.