Choices 2-6

Lisa was starting to get annoyed with me. She didn't say it exactly, but I could tell. "I know this is a hard time for you. Really I understand, but I can't hide you for much longer without my boss noticing." Lisa had paid cash to rent a cheap motel room for a few nights. The last being tonight.

"Would it be so bad if I joined the Undersiders?" I asked. It had been a point of contention between the two of us for the last day or so.

"Yes! Taylor. Being a villain? I don't know how to describe it. It's a brand, a mark that stains you. Once you have it, it colors the rest of your life. Sure some villains rebrand and make it out clean. The majority? Dead or locked away." Lisa flopped down onto the bed. "To top it all off the Undersiders are controlled by my boss. He would insist on making sure there was something you were getting out of the deal so you were invested. 'Protection' he would say. 'You would never have to do anything you didn't want to.' Then after a few jobs he would make sure you got involved in something serious. Then you would be labeled a real villain, a priority. Before you realize it you are either hooked on the life or he would have his hooks in you. You wouldn't be able to leave. He would have damning evidence against you that would ensure that you didn't have the option to walk away, and if you tried anyway? He would probably just have you killed. Then you would be stuck. Just like me." The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable.

I sat on the edge of the bed, the room she had rented only had one. "So your saying I can't join the Undersiders."

"No," Lisa sighed. "I'm saying I don't want you to. As much fun as you and I would have, I don't want you near the Boss. I'm almost certain that he would kill us both within the next year or so if you joined."

That was new. I turned to look her in the eye. "What?"

She smiled at me. "Your a good person Taylor. You have a good heart." Her smile turned to a frown. "It would be inevitable that you would push back against the Boss and he would kill you for it, and me for trying to protect you."

I mulled that over a bit. I didn't want to put Lisa in any more danger than she was already in. If anything I wanted to protect her like she was doing for me.

"Well the other gangs are out." I didn't really want to be some thug for any of the crime gangs in the city. The Undersiders were pretty low key as far as things went so I think I could have stomached working with them.

"Not really all of them." Lisa wrinkled her nose at the thought. "There is Faultlines Crew. They aren't really villains so much as they are mercenaries. Both sides hire them from time to time but never here in the Bay. Plus, from what I've heard Faultline draws the line at killing but any thing else is fair game." She smirked at her own word choice.

"That doesn't sound too bad." It really didn't.

Tattletale gave me a sideways look. "I'd rather you didn't. Faultline and I don't really see eye to eye on things."

I couldn't help but allow a small smile. "Shocker, Tattletale getting under someone's skin."

Lisa hit me with a pillow.

"Call them plan B then." I offered as compromise.

"More like plan D or E." Lisa grumbled. "I'd rather you join up with New Wave or the Wards before going to Faultline."

It was my turn to wrinkle my nose. "I don't want to go to the Wards." I gestured to the spare hotel room we were in. "That why I'm here."

"What's your problem with the Wards anyway?" Lisa propped her head on one arm to look at me.

I flopped back onto the bed next to her, my gaze on the ceiling. "Can't your power tell you."

Lisa blew out a breath and it ruffled my hair. "Yes, but it's better to talk about these things."

"You're my psychiatrist now?"

"No, Taylor, I'm your friend."

I thought about it. "I don't know. I kinda figured that the Wards would be like going to Winslow you know?"

"And school hasn't been the best place for you." Lisa led.

"Understatement." Was my dry retort. It was the worst place for me. Nearly killed me in fact.

"Taylor the Wards is a publicity stunt as much as a place for young capes to go be a hero. They couldn't afford for something like what happened to you at Winslow."

"I know."

"Do you?" Lisa countered. "Cause it sounds to me like you are blowing me off."

"Mmm" I hummed noncommittally.

"Uh huh. You know the Wards get paid right? It's pretty generous and I'm sure there are a load of other perks to it."

I ignored her. "Did you ever consider being a Ward?"

"I hate it when you ignore me." Lisa grumbled. "To answer you question yes, but my situation wasn't- isn't ideal for that."

"What do you mean? Wasn't?" I turned my head to look into her eyes. "Something other than your boss?"

"Taylor, you're my best friend but even then there are some things I'm not ready to talk about, not without a whole lotta drinks and a good fuck to drag it out of me."

My face burned red and I had to look away from her.

Lisa laughed.

"Oh, please Taylor, I didn't mean now. Are you still hung up on the kiss?." Her teasing grin evident in her voice. "Oh! It was your first kiss? And you shared it with me? I'm honored." She poked me in the ribs causing me to yelp with laughter.

"Don't worry your virtue remains safe. Evil Tattletale is above such things" She said in a lofty tone.

"What about Lisa?" I asked without thinking.

Lisa frowned. "I think I can't have those kinds of relationships. I can't ignore my power for long periods of time. And distracting it is, well, distracting. Either way pretty well kills the libido you know?"

I shook my head. I didn't know. "I can't imagine." My face burning in embarrassment at the thought.

Tattletale burst out laughing. "What about you and you powers? I can just imagine you getting surprised mid-"

"Please don't." I tried to stop her but she plowed on through.

"- and you teleport hot and bothered and butt ass naked somewhere public." She dissolved into a breathless fit of laughter.

"Sure, laugh it up." I couldn't help the smile on my face despite my total embarrassment.

"Well you haven't teleported out of here yet so maybe there is hope for you." She said as she calmed down.

We lay there not saying anything for a while. Me, thinking about my diminishing pool of options and Lisa? God only knew what she was thinking.

"Why did you help me hide? If you thought I should go to the Wards, why?" I asked.

She took a breath before answering. "You needed time to decide, and Danny wasn't giving it to you." Lisa slid her hand into mine and squeezed. "It has to be your decision."

"Then it was always the Wards for me?" I asked sadly.

"If you want to be a Hero? I think it's the safest place." She said quietly.

"Where's the choice in that?"

"There is always a choice. When there is only one solid sure answer to a problem, the choices you are looking for lay in what you do after." Lisa stroked the back of my hand with her thumb. "Say that you did join the Wards, what could you do with your new status? What if you didn't just play the part but used it? What if you used the system, instead of letting it use you?"

My fears came back to me. "What if I can't do it? What if I fail."

Lisa let go of my hand to place it on my cheek and making me look her in the eyes. "Taylor, you stood up to Lung when most people would have run. I think you don't have to worry about meeting their standards. They have to worry about meeting yours."

As I looked into Lisa's eyes I realized I didn't deserve a friend like Lisa. "If I join, and I'm not saying I'm going to, what happens if I am told to arrest you? What then?"

"I'm sure you and I could come up with something believable." Lisa shrugged. Besides there's always Grue's darkness."

"What do you mean?"

"Grue? The guy in the biker leathers? Besides the obvious benefit his power gives in terms of escaping? His power messes with yours." Lisa's face was puzzled.

This was news to me.

"You didn't know?" She asked. "When you were trying to teleport us and it wasn't working?"

I thought it was my fault. "It was because of his power?"

Lisa shrugged, "You didn't have any trouble afterwards, so it seems like a likely explanation. I don't think it stops it completely just makes it much harder for you."

I not sure I liked that.

In fact, I'm positive I don't like that.

"Makes sense actually. His power messes with Shadow Stalker too. She has a hard time using her shadow form." Lisa's face grew pensive. "I wonder if that means your powers are similar."

"Beats me." I wasn't really sure how my powers worked and I sure as hell didn't know anything about Shadow Stalker.

"Ugh, this is going to bother me all night." She pressed her hands to her temples. A sure sign she had a headache. "Power topics are always a rabbit hole."

I guess we both have something to think about then. I turned my attention to the ceiling and thought about the Wards.

"Use the system." I muttered. Maybe I could use the Wards to save Lisa.

.

"Hello you have reached the PRT non-emergency line if this is an emergency press one now. For all other calls please wait on the line for our next avia- Hello and thank you for calling the PRT my name is Jessica. How may I help you?"

She sounded awfully happy. "M-my name is Willow Wisp and I'm calling about maybe joining the Wards?"

Smooth talker that's me.

"Fantastic!"

Oh god, she is one of those.

"If you would just come down to the PRT building we would be happy to-"

I interrupted her. "Um, I'm not really comfortable with that. Could I maybe talk with Assault about joining?"

There was silence on the other line.

Did I break her?

"I'm afraid the PRT doesn't grant requests to speak with Heroes. If you could wait on the line I can pass your request to the Protectorate if you-"

"Maybe this was a mistake." Just follow the plan Taylor. Use the system.

"Please wait miss if you would just-"

"Tell Assault I'll be waiting where we met before." I hung up the phone and handed it to a grinning Lisa.

"See I told you it wasn't difficult." She disassembled the phone and broke the SIM card. "In any case we should get going." She gave me a hug. "You can do this. You have my number memorized?"

I nodded into her shoulder.

"Good. Use it if you have to. Otherwise we'll meet up for coffee in two weeks. Kay?" We parted and I suddenly felt cold.

I frowned.

Lisa laughed. "You can manage without me that long." She pulled my hood up and flicked the tip of my nose. "Good luck." She laughed.

"Thanks. You going to be okay?" We were in the Docks and it was not a safe place to be alone anymore.

"The team is waiting nearby to pick me up. Be safe."

"You too."

I was tempted to stay but if I did then I might not have the courage to leave once she was gone. I focused on where I wanted to go and I was off.

For better or worse.

.

From the time of my call to sitting in a large conference room surrounded by Heroes and PRT personnel was shockingly short.

Standing against the wall to my right and nearest the door were the two biggest names in Brockton Bay, Armsmaster and Miss Militia. They were trading quiet words with each other while still keeping a clear eye on the proceedings.

On the wall opposite them stood two capes I recognized as Triumph and Aegis, though why they were there was a Mystery to me.

Behind me was Assault. Assault had made a good impression on me from that night on the rooftops and so I had requested his presence through the process. Accompanying him was Battery, the other half of the Bay's formidable duo.

With all these Heroes in the room it was strange that the only people actually interacting with me was the three unpowered people seated at the table across from me.

On the left was a graying woman with a severe face and middling stature. She had introduced herself as Kathy Sutton, the local representative of the Youth Guard. She wasn't actually a part of the PRT and was here to ensure my rights as a minor to a safe(ish) environment and all the accompanying amenities that included. Which presumably meant I was going to be going to school again. Whether I liked it or not judging from her stern expression.

On the right was an overweight younger man with something approaching a mohawk in the way of hair. His square rimmed glasses kept sliding down his nose and he had to keep adjusting them. This gave him the appearance of having too much nervous energy. Something enforced by his goofy smile and tapping fingers. He had introduced himself as Glenn Chambers and he was responsible for public image and would be helping me integrate my cape identity with the Wards image.

Whatever that meant.

The last person was a scowling woman, obviously obese if her straining suit jacket was anything to go by. Her bleach blonde bob cut was horribly out of place in the room and looked like something that belonged to an eighties high end stuck up fashion model. She had been introduce rather than introduce herself as Emily Piggot, PRT director and ultimately the final word as to whether or not I could be a Ward.

There was a knock on the door and a trooper stuck their head in the door. "He's here, coming up the elevator now."

"Finally we can begin." Piggot breathed.

"Certainly not. Emily you know too well that her guardian must be present for the proceedings." Sutton eyed me. "No matter Willow Wisp's opinion on the matter."

Piggot's scowl deepened at the unveiled rebuke.

"And I remind you Kathy that your presence here is a curtesy rather than requirement." Piggot's voice was as neat and precise as cold steel. "Concessions were made to allow your presence at these meetings and should be treated as a privilege."

Kathy Sutton pursed her lips but remained silent.

Another knock on the door before it opened to reveal a thin man wearing a plain wind breaker with the word 'Visitor' stenciled over the breast and probably across the back. He wore a hat with the same stencil and a simple mask that hid his features while leaving his mouth and weak chin exposed.

Dad.

Glen rose quickly from his chair and circled the table to trade grips with Dad. "Thank you Sir for coming. Let me remind you of a few rules of the meeting before we get started. First and foremost this meeting is entirely voluntary and at anytime you and Willow Wisp are free to leave. Second until Willow Wisp's status as a Ward is confirmed by both Willow Wisp and your own signature I must stress that both your identities remain a secret. Third everything in this room is being recorded from the time you entered the room in both video and audio. And lastly should Willow Wisp be accepted into the Wards both you and Willow Wisp will be required to reveal your identities to Director Piggot, myself and the heroes Armsmaster and Aegis. The leaders of their respective teams. All others in the room can be asked to leave without repercussions and all recording devices turned off."

I'm impress he rattled all that off without even breaking eye contact.

"If these terms are acceptable, we can begin." He gesture to the chair beside me.

Dad sat down without looking at me.

He hadn't so much as looked at me since he entered the room.

Not for the first time since this all began I missed Lisa.

"Great!" Glenn scurried around back to his chair.

Piggot leaned forward in her chair. "Let's begin."

.

Author's Note: Wow there has been such positive reactions for the last chapter! I can't thank you guys enough for the Reviews! Please keep it up! :)

To you whom have Fav/Followed a big thank you as well!

This chapter brings the Choices Arc to a close and after an Interlude I will be working on the Complications Arc. I have some fun little ideas here so hopefully it will turn out well.

K. Raiden