February 20th, 2011 - Sunday
Afternoon
Martin fell back and held his hands in a "time out" gesture. Taylor unclenched her fists and let her own hands drop to her sides.
"I think that's enough for now. The shoulder's starting to ache," he commented, taking off his gauntlets.
"I'm still not sure why you're sparring already. It hasn't even been two weeks since you had it dislocated... that can't be healed yet."
"It isn't - I really shouldn't get into close-quarters combat for another month or so minimum, even with the gauntlets, but at least knowing how much of a fight I can put up... we won't always get to pick our battles. Don't worry, I know how much I can take." Martin's tone was matter-of-fact, as if the possibility of having to fight one-handed was about as daunting as the possibility of a foggy morning.
"If you say so. Guess I'll spar with Jennifer now?"
"Let her run those two through a couple more routines. Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," Taylor answered. Though she wasn't sure if the reduced need for sleep was a blessing for letting her keep going on a few hours a night - even if she had fewer nightmares every time - or a curse for leaving her with more time trying to come up with something, anything she could've done that would've let her keep Dad safe without arranging for Sophia's death. She couldn't think of anything.
Martin seemed unimpressed by her answer.
"If you say so. It's probably a good sign that it bothers you. And you know your father's safe, which is more than some get."
That sounded personal. Taylor figured it probably wouldn't hurt to ask, if only carefully.
"Is it okay if I ask? It sounded like personal experience."
"I didn't kill anyone, no. Just to make sure I'm not giving you the wrong idea. I meant family. Did you ever hear of Madison?"
Taylor kept the disgusted look off her face with some effort.
"I know a Madison, but I don't think we're talking about the same one. Wait, wasn't there a city..?"
"Wisconsin, yeah. Hit by the Simurgh a year ago. I grew up there - was out of town for a few days, driving a delivery truck. Then I hear about the attack, about the walls being built. I was halfway done rebuilding the truck into a battering ram by the time the Elite found me. They talked me out of the stupid plan, helped me figure out my powers, get back on my feet. Still don't know if my folks are alive in there... or if they wish they weren't."
Taylor didn't even want to imagine how that must've felt. I shouldn't have asked...
"I'm... sorry, for bringing that up."
"It's alright," Martin shook his head dismissively. "I can't say I'll ever be fine with it, but I've had time to cope. And I'm glad to hear your father's safe, even if I couldn't help. Go, before Jen thinks you're slacking," he said with a sardonic smile. As she walked over to Jennifer, Taylor couldn't help but notice that that was the most words she'd gotten out of him in one day.
~o~o~o~
February 22nd, 2011 - Tuesday
Late Morning
Taylor was woken up by her phone beeping. Picking it up, she found a text from Jennifer.
Parian is interested in a meeting. Be ready for pickup by 3.
Huh. Taylor had heard of the rogue's staunch neutrality. She wondered about what could've brought this on, and booted up her laptop. PHO may not be the most reliable source of news, but if something big happened she'd half expect somebody to have posted about it even before running for safety.
A quick search proved her right. Apparently, Parian's workshop had been burned down yesterday. By whom was another question, though the speculation was split between the Empire and the Elite. Since she was fairly certain Parian wouldn't be coming to the meeting willingly if she suspected the Elite - and Jennifer wouldn't be bringing Taylor along if she was doing something like that - that made the Empire the more likely suspects. Taylor could sympathize with Parian - having to run from a place you'd thought safe was not a fun experience. With that question answered, she checked the discussion about the events of... that night. There were fewer posts about that, people wandering off to new subjects - the fact neither she nor Sophia had been unambiguously identified, at least by the public, meant the conversation never got real traction. Taylor wished she could apologize to her Dad for pulling that kind of a surprise on him and leaving him to explain things to the police, but Jennifer had warned against that - the PRT was likely to keep a closer eye on him for a while. Besides, she didn't feel ready to talk to him about what had happened.
She turned the laptop off and started making breakfast.
~o~o~o~
February 22nd, 2011 - Tuesday
Afternoon
"Just to be clear, you didn't do it?" Taylor asked Jennifer, getting into the passenger seat. The villainess grinned.
"Hi to you too. And no, burning buildings down is far too gauche for me. If I had decided to put her out of business, I'd set the bureaucracy on her. As dumb an idea as NEPEA-5 was, it does wonders for our recruiting. It's basically impossible to run a business without there being some technicality to get hooked on, but most of what's on the books doesn't get enforced unless someone has an agenda. It would not surprise me in the slightest if that's exactly why they even exist." She sounded disdainful as she got the car moving again.
"Any idea who did it, then?"
"Empire, if I had to guess. They've been trying to recruit her for a while, seems they didn't want to hear another 'no.' I have to say, I love this city - it's like it was just waiting for one sane villain. Speaking of which, Parian wanted to meet you."
Taylor eyed Jennifer dubiously. There was only one train of thought she could see connecting the two statements.
"You're the most infamous of us, at least locally. She said she wanted to see what kind of a person you really are, not what the tabloids write, so I'm bringing you along. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure she's not planning to ask you out."
By the time Taylor stopped sputtering, they had reached one of the major streets. Not wanting to distract Jennifer from driving, Taylor kept quiet unti the warehouse, where they'd changed into costumes and swapped the car's license plates.
~o~o~o~
February 22nd, 2011 - Tuesday
Afternoon
The meeting spot was not far from the Boardwalk, in one of the stores that have been abandoned with the Bay's economic decline. A cloth monkey poked its head out a window and waved at them, and the pair entered to meet Parian. She was flanked by two large cloth constructs, both taller than herself - a gorilla and a tiger.
"Hello, Parian. Have you reconsidered my offer?" Webweaver greeted the doll-like woman. She didn't use the swarm to back her voice this time, Taylor noticed. Parian seemed to be nervous enough already.
"I'm on the fence about it, but... I can't run the business on my own after that. Too much of my stock burned, I'm neck deep in debt. Nobody else in this city would be willing to invest when the Empire can come after me again. And I can't exactly make myself too hard to find without making it impossible to actually sell things," she finished with a dejected note.
"The PRT aren't looking for a new costume designer? I am quite certain you'd have asked them before you came to us."
"...They're not offering enough. The paycheck, I could live off, pay back my debt eventually, but it would take too long to start over. Unless I go on patrols for them and earn hazard pay, that is."
"Which was, of course, a ploy to get you as another body in the streets. We can pay you what you're worth, Parian. As for the Empire... We can protect you, of course, but that will mean our association won't remain secret for long. Are you willing to take the risk?"
"They... might actually know already, I think. I was working on the silk threads you gave me when I got the call, Alabaster may have ended up tied to a lamppost with them..."
Taylor couldn't help but chuckle. I'd feel sorry for him by now, if he wasn't a Nazi.
"Oh, right. Eris. I did say I wanted to talk to you. Can you come closer, please?"
Taylor looked at Webweaver. The latter nodded. Taylor walked forward, until she was a couple of feet away from Parian. The doll-like mask was turned to face her. The other woman was looking her straight in the eyes, though there was tension in her stance.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but this is something I have to be sure about. I'm... I'm not blaming you for what happened at Winslow. I know the official story isn't the whole truth, and that getting powers isn't easy. But please, answer honestly. The people who got hurt... Do you care?"
"...Yes," Taylor answered, after a moment to get over the surprise of the directness of the question. She hadn't lost sleep over them in a long time, but she didn't forget. Sophia had been... easier, in a way. She had made her choice, while most of the people at Winslow simply didn't choose.
Parian studied her eyes for what seemed like forever.
"Okay," she finally breathed out, relaxing slightly. "I'm in."
"One moment," Webweaver responded. "What was that about a call?"
"...Oh. This is embarrassing. I got a call, a few minutes before the Empire arrived. Warning that they were coming. The guy on the other end called himself Coil, said that the only thing he asks in exchange for the rescue is that I tell you he wants a meeting. Somer's Rock, tomorrow at six."
"Call him back and tell him we'll be there. Now, let's work out the specifics..."
Taylor zoned out as Parian and Webweaver went on to discuss their deal. Once that was done, they parted ways. Back at the car, Webweaver pulled out her phone.
"We'll have to talk to everyone about that meeting. Sorry, Eris, it seems it'll be a few more hours before I can take you back to your place," she said, while typing out a message to the rest of the team.
"It's no problem. I had nothing planned after all," Taylor answered, glad that she'd decided to have a solid meal before leaving.
~o~o~o~
February 22nd, 2011 - Tuesday
Evening
"Not that I'm not happy to see everyone, but what's the occasion this time, boss? Another job?" Cameron asked from where she'd been laying across a row of chairs when Taylor and Jennifer walked in. Lim and Martin were discussing something, but quieted down at their entrance.
"Perhaps, but unlikely. In fact, I think we're going to be discussing the last one again, though with someone else for a change. Coil called for a meeting tomorrow, at Somer's Rock. It's apparently the local villain bar - not the kind of place where most villains would be willing to start trouble, but there's no reason to be dumb about it. The meeting's at six, so plan your day around that."
"You think he's going to ask for his stuff back?" Cameron snorted.
"He loses far too much face if he tries that. No, this is something else. Are we certain this isn't a trap?" Lim asked suspiciously.
"Starting trouble in truce zones is typically frowned upon," Jennifer explained. "Of course, we're not locals, so the others might overlook things if he does get rid of us. Or take that as pretext to move against him while getting good PR. Which is why Lim and Martin will be keeping watch outside, just in case."
The two nodded.
"We're pretty sure he's a Thinker, right? Could he be trying to gather information on us?" Taylor asked.
Jennifer shrugged.
"Even if he wasn't, he'd be trying to. Anything more than that... keep an eye out to see if there's any clues to his power, but you can only plan so much against an unknown. Now," she opened a drawer and pulled out the files that had been left there since the planning session for dealing with Sophia, "we still haven't gone through the independents of the town. The Brute, Circus, Uber and L33t, Whirlygig, the Undersiders. Let's see who could be working for whom, shall we?"
After thirty minutes of going through the files with a fine-toothed comb, they'd decided the Brute probably wasn't on Coil's payroll.