3. Bloodstains

NO DATA: I've got a job for you. There's a construction site near Lakeview Street. I want you there at 11: 20 PM, to install a camera. I will tell you how to do it.

EMMA: Why?

NO DATA: For a reason you don't need to know, and as a test of your loyalty. As I said before, it's your choice.

EMMA: I understand.

The arrow flew through the air.

It should have hit the target in the neck, but it moved at the last second, a little to the left, avoiding what would have been a fatal blow if it wasn't a Brute. The arrow hit one of its shoulders, instead. It toppled to the ground, with a pained, delayed scream. From the sound, it was a woman... wait.

Her heartbeat speed up.

That had been Emma's voice, no doubt. Her mind raced to parse what had just happened, but something stopped her, like she had a circuit breaker in her head activated by high stress. She had killed people before. One of them had been an accident, an intimidation tactic gone wrong, but the others had been done by her own will. She hadn't wanted to hurt her, and she didn't really deserve it.

She drew in a breath, trying to compose herself. The as of yet unseen enemy had impersonated Emma to drawn her here, and had probably done the same to Emma to get her into position, setting up a murder without even dirtying her hands. Only a lucky move at the last second had made the plan fail.

For what reason? To frame her. It made sense. They were targeting her, and this would make her life crumble down. A murder would have shattered what goodwill she had managed to built up with the Protectorate, and their reactions would been even worse when her other transgressions came to light because of it.

She ran towards the building. She put strength into her legs and jumped, turning into shadow mid leap. That allowed her to cover more ground. It was the method she used to get around while she was patrolling, both as a Ward and as the real Shadow Stalker.

First, she would get to Emma, make sure the girl didn't die. She might have some information about who was being this. Even if it wasn't around the area, she would eventually hunt it down, kill it and dispose of the body.

It was a threat she couldn't ignore, and bringing the situation to the attention of the Protectorate would bring her more problems that it solved, problems that would be the critical, crippling blow that killing Emma by accident could have been.

Taylor was as far as she could, while still being able to observe the construction site through the various cameras installed there, inside of a car. Her power also gave her the ability to ride all sorts of vehicles with proficiency. She had rented this one, making use of the money she had stolen from gang members and other criminals.

She didn't like to steal, even if it was from those kinds of people, but it grew a little bit easier every day. It helped that she had investigated each person before stealing from them, to be sure that they didn't have special circumstances, that they lived that life because of their own choices. Besides, at least, she was using the money for good.

Except… this has little to do with good. She pushed away that dark thought. It was about time for the main star to arrive.

She stepped inside that alley as Sophia Hess, not Shadow Stalker. But that didn't meant she didn't suspect anything. She shouldn't drop her guard.

To make sure she was a Parahuman, she made a valve near her burst. The high pressure steam enveloped her, making her unable to see her. She stepped out the steam, a living shadow, then returned to her normal state. There was no room for doubt anymore. She wouldn't hesitate again.

Sophia took out a crossbow, already loaded, and aimed for Emma, who was in the process of getting her camera set up, crouching, following the instructions she had given her.

"Move to the left!" Taylor yelled.

The arrow flew through the air.

"W-what?"

"Now, move!"

Fortunately, she obeyed. That saved her life. The arrow hit her in the shoulder, instead of the throat. Taylor covered her mouth with one hand, her whole body trembling. She wasn't holding in a scream of her own, but a laugh that was climbing up her throat.

This was the final piece, the absolute worst thing she could do to Emma, now that she had all the pieces. It wasn't about the wound. She didn't expect Sophia to leave her to die, nor did she want that to happen. With this, Emma would see the vulnerability of her protector, and the beliefs she had built up with Sophia as a base would come crashing down. Her world would crumble and the damage probably wouldn't ever been repaired.

Why I'm laughing at something like this?

Taylor tried to calm down.

Sophia, with a mask on, approached the construction site, jumping and turning into shadow in order to cover more ground. She switched to another camera, to get the best view of the third floor, where Emma was.

She reached the third floor. With eyes half closed, dazed, Emma looked at Sophia. Her shoulder had stopped bleeding, but… there was a lot of blood drenching her arm and pooling on the ground. The bloodstained arrow stuck in her flesh seemed like some kind of grotesque flag.

Taylor swallowed.

"Sophia?" Emma said, her voice coarse due to the screaming.

"Yeah, it's me. Hold on." Sophia knelt next to her, and gripped the arrow's shaft. "Grit your teeth. This is going to hurt."

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. Sophia pulled, twisted… it broke in half. Emma let out a gasp and started twitching. Sophia cut a piece of her coat and used it to bandage Emma's wound. It was quickly drenched in blood. She looked to the side, noticing the camera that she hadn't been able to finish installing.

"What were you doing?" she looked to the side, noticing the camera that she hadn't been able to finish installing. "Do you know who's behind this, Emma? Talk to me."

Taylor needed to hear her answer, to know how to proceed. Then, and only then, she would go away.

"Taylor." Emma breathed out. "Its Taylor."

"No way."

"I mean it. She… she ordered me to install that camera here. That bitch set this up. I'm sure of it."

"Is she a Parahuman?"

"Yes… I mean, I don't know, but… it seems so."

Sophia grabbed the phone from the ground and raised it to her ear.

"I'm going to kill you." she said.

"I would like to see you try." Taylor answered, her voice distorted. She knew who she was, but it would been unwise to leave evidence of it being true.

She cut off the call, started up the car and drove away. Although her body was still shaken, her mind was going through the plans she had made, revising them, considering new angles.

Sophia approached the edge of the building, looking around, just in case she was still in the area. She couldn't believe that Taylor, of all people, would be the one being this… but Emma hadn't lied. She would have to accept it.

"Call an ambulance." she said. "You know what story to tell, right? I faced the attacker, and I had no choice but to use lethal ammunition, since she escalated first. Okay?"

"Of course."

She saw a nearby car star up and drive away. It could be nothing, but…

"I'm going to check something up."

Taylor noticed a shadow out of the corner of her eye, on the rooftops. It couldn't be…? But it was. Sophia was following her, crossbow in hand. How? No, that didn't matter. The reality was that it was happening, and she needed to take care of that problem.

In a straight out fight, she had no chance. But she didn't have any intention to turn this into a straight out fight. Her strengths laid elsewhere. Like in escaping. Taylor would make her lose track of her, ditch the car, go back home then contact her to make sure this didn't become a bigger problem, using her blackmail material as leverage. Tonight, she had added one to the pile: the fact that Emma had been wounded by one of her arrows. She was supposed to use tranquilizer darts, not lethal force.

Taylor kept track of Sophia, while driving. She landed on a nearby rooftop, went back to her normal state and fired.

She changed direction, in order to avoid the arrow.

Sophia jumped from the rooftop, turning into shadow as she fell. She landed on her car's hood, one hand on the glass to steady herself. She fired an arrow at the engine, using her power on it then turning it off when it went through the metal.

It did damage. Taylor lost control of the car, and didn't manage to get it back. She crashed against a nearby building, sending the civilians nearby running.

Taylor unhooked the seat belt, then opened the door, gun in hand. Sophia was right outside, aiming her crossbow at her. Of course. Crashing wasn't a problem for her, since she could just turn into shadow.

"Freeze!" Sophia said.

Taylor reached inside her pocket to take her phone out, giving her an excuse to fire. She hacked into the crossbow. When she tried to kill her, the mechanism didn't function properly. The arrow didn't fly. She paused, looking at her weapon in disbelief for just an instant, which was more that enough for her.

The gun spoke its word twice.

The second bullet missed her because she turned into shadow, but the other landed near her heart. Had she killed her? That was a question if she could stay in that state long enough to receive medical attention, but that wasn't a concern right now.

She ran.

Taylor had managed to get away, and had throw her coat in the trash at the first opportunity in order to be able to blend in with the crowd, since it was stained with Sophia's blood. She started walking back home. She hadn't thought about what she was doing before, but then she realized she couldn't go back. Not anymore.

What she'd done, killing or at least seriously wounding Shadow Stalker, had made her the enemy of the Protectorate and the Wards. People at the scene would have recorded it, and the video would been already circulating on the internet. Not to mention what she did to Emma. Sophia might not been able to say anything to anyone anymore, might, but Emma was still alive and surely willing to speak.

Her equipment was still in the basement of her house, important information about her capabilities.

Taylor couldn't go back anymore, but wouldn't hand her head to the Protectorate on a silver platter. She needed to get there, delete the data in her computer and get away without getting captured in the process.

Easier said that done.