Detonation 5-5

.

"Taylor?" Lisa's voice called.

I pulled my head out from under the warm spray of water. "Yeah?"

She laughed. "It figures that the first place you go after we get the power back is the showers."

"I notice it didn't take you very long to get here either." I shot back.

The door to the stall next to mine clacked open. "This will be my first real, hot, shower in almost two weeks. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad we had those portable showers after going out in costume, but the water was room temperature at best."

"Not to mention they only lasted about a minute." I agreed.

Lisa let out a rather breathy moan from the next stall that made my cheeks heat in a way that had nothing to do with the warm water.

"God that feels good." She commented.

We spent the next few minutes just basking in the warm sprays of water.

"So," Lisa broke the silence first. "There talk of families moving out of the Bay. Something like witness protection for families of Heroes exposed on the List."

I grimaced. "Yeah, Chris's family wants to leave."

"I heard that too." Lisa affirmed. "Rory and his whole family as well."

That was news to me. "Really?"

"Yeah, after the List went out and this whole thing went down, one of Rory's cousins almost got abducted and there were written demands to have Rory sent to the Birdcage found in the van that tried."

"That's stupid. Why would they want him gone?" I scoffed.

"Hmm it it pretty stupid but people can be stupid sometimes." She hummed out a pleased sound presumably from the shower. "Though really it could just as well be because his family's status in the Bay. Who knows? It even could be a ruse in case they got caught. Agh, I refuse to ruin a good shower by diving down another rabbit hole."

I frowned.

Lisa knocked on the panel that separated our showers. "Quit that. You didn't know and don't know so there is nothing you could have or can do. Let it be."

I sulked a little.

"Don't make me come over there."

That made me grin. "Not much of a threat."

I heard her door open and saw her feet appear under the door to my shower. The door rattled a bit before the twist lock abruptly clacked the other way.

With a shriek I grabbed for it and turned it back. "Nnooo I'll be good."

"Where's the fun in that?" Lisa's smirk was evident in her voice. "I could wash your back for you. She teased.

"I'm good thanks." I kept a loose grip on the door latch, if she really wanted to come in she could have. Just like she knew if I wanted to stop her or leave I could have.

She jiggled the lock playfully. "What about your front?" Her voice was husky and I almost opened the door in a moment of fleeting rebellion against my self consciousness.

Instead, I leaned against the door. "…Um…"

She laughed and I heard her renter her stall. "You are fun to tease." She taunted me.

My face flushed, "What if I wanted more than teasing?" I grumbled to myself.

"What?"

My face heated even more. "Nothing!" I squeaked and ducked my head back under the wonderfully warm water.

.

"Dad you can't go down there." I stood in his path.

"Taylor, listen," he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know you are worried but with things in the Bay the way they are the DWA need help and I can't run out on our people like that."

"I know but with The List-"

"Oh to hell with the list." He forced a laugh. "If you are so insistent on going out in costume even with The List, then you can't really gainsay your old man when he tries to do some good."

"But I can teleport-"

"And I can drive my truck." He interrupted. "There's going to be a lot of people there sweetheart. People who need help. People who rely on me to do my job. Who would I be if I just ignored them while hiding in the basement of my daughter's work?"

"Be careful?" I asked him.

"So long as you are." He pulled me into a hug. "I'll be staying with Kurt for a couple of nights until things get settled. Your girlfriend gave me a number to call when I have some free time."

I tried to smile. The city seemed like more of a wreck now that the power was back on. Or maybe because it emphasized just how much damage there was in the hardest hit areas.

"Don't worry," Carlos thumped dad on the shoulder. "I'll look after him."

"Your going with him?" I was shocked.

Carlos flashed me a winning grin. "Yeah most of the families got an escort for a bit until things really settle down. Me an' Danny here will be alright."

Dad grimaced. "I told you I didn't need an escort."

"Ah come on man," Carlos held up a set of car keys. "I'll let you drive."

"It's my truck." Dad countered.

They walked off towards the parking lot and I suddenly felt very anxious.

.

"Ugh I wish we could get out of here and do something fun." Lisa groaned from beside me on the couch.

"I know what you mean." Lily tucked her feet under her in her chair.

"It does seem like we could be better use out helping people than cooped up here." Weld set his book aside.

"No, I mean fun, not work." Lisa corrected. "It's been weeks since we could get out and do things without being hassled."

"Since the List really." Lily affirmed. "Is there anything on TV?"

I, being the closet to the remote, grabbed it and turned it on to reveal a to no one's surprise, a commercial. I passed the remote to Lisa.

"Oh come on, she's just going to watch the news." Lily groaned.

True to her prediction Lisa flipped it over to the Brockton News Network.

"Still talking about bagging Lung." Lisa ran a hand through her hair. A habit she picked up now that it had grown out where it had been shaved off one one side. The result was a very off kilter style that irked her to no end. "No mention of how Armsmaster and Wisp knocked him for a loop."

"Seriously?" Lily cocked an eyebrow in my direction.

I felt my cheeks heat up. "A little."

"Psshh, saved my ass and kept Armsmaster from getting barbecued." Lisa shot her grin at me. "That's more than a little."

I stuck my tongue out at her.

She licked her lips back at me before laughing at my reaction.

"Ugh, you two stop flaunting your relationship." Lily's tone was only lightly exasperated. "Sucks being single.

"Amen." Weld seconded.

The silence of the broken flow of conversation settled as we all waited for someone else to bring up something else to talk about.

"Sooooo," Lily gave in first. "When will we be able to go out again without an escort?"

"Soon I hope." Lisa didn't look away from the TV. "The powers back, water quality has mostly returned to normal for most of the city. The damaged areas have been secured and searched. Bakuda has up and vanished into thin air." Lisa leaned into me a bit. "Nearly all the out of towners have gone home baring some of the wandering Heroes, probably a villain or two if I had to bet."

"Sooo?" Lily said again.

"So, things are pretty much going to be back to buisness in most of the Bay by the end of the week. I'm willing to bet the rest of the Bay will be by months end. As for us, we will be back on patrol soon and after a week of nothing the restrictions will start to fall off one by one. So, soon is my guess."

.

"Hey Tori how are you?" I greeted, but god she looked awful.

"Hey Tay," Tori waved and forced a smile. "Haven't seen you on the roof the last few nights."

"With the power back the city doesn't need me as a night light anymore." I took in her face and the redness of her eyes. "Still not sleeping?"

She shook her head. "Getting by on naps."

"That can't be good for you." I pointed out, more as a way to stall the conversation while I tried to figure out how to be on this side of a depressed teenage girl.

She shrugged.

Well at least I was intimately familiar with the signs. "Do you have any plans for today?"

Tori looked suddenly wary. "No. Why?"

"It's girls day in the gym." I explained. "You, are coming with."

She shook her head. "With my powers I might break something."

"Nice try," I circled her and grabbed her shoulders from behind, careful to avoid skin contact, and started guiding her towards the Ward's base. "The gym was made to accommodate a wide range of parahumans so the equipment is pretty sturdy."

Tori could have stopped me cold with her strength but she let continue. "I don't have anything to wear." She tried to protest.

"We'll find you something." I assured and I could feel some of the tension leaving Tori's shoulders.

.

In the end we had to pull together a mixed selection of clothing from the different Wards to get something approaching appropriate clothing for Tori to join us in the gym.

"Thank god Hannah has moved in or you may have been out of luck." Lily laughed.

Tori looked away a look of pained embarrassment on her face.

"They aren't always the the blessing you claim them to be." Hannah rubbed at her shoulders. "Running for instance can be a literal pain in the neck and back."

Tori twisted her shoulders in a sympathetic memory of the ache. "Laying face down is out too."

"Hmm agreed." Hannah nodded.

Missy snorted derisively and patted her chest. "Wouldn't know."

Lily and I shared a commiserating look.

"Join the club" Lily drawled.

Jaime rolled her eyes. "Well since we are all warmed up who wants to go first?"

"Awe come on it's always the same match ups." Missy complained. "Can't we draw names out of a hat or some thing?"

"Did you bring a hat?" Lisa snarked.

Missy shot her a glare.

"I think I should sit out." Tori mumbled. "Until I have a better grip on the new stuff."

Right, the skin contact thing.

"Well that leaves us with six. Good enough for some one on one practice." Lily remarked.

"Four." Hannah corrected. "Jaime and I will be supervising your matches.

"No fun." Missy grumped.

"Let me take Taylor and Lisa." Jaime suggested.

"Good idea." Missy piped up. "They have been getting their butts kicked."

While true the comment still hurt.

Lisa wrapped her hand around mine and pulled me towards one of the mats while Hannah scolded Missy.

"I don't want to fight you." I mumbled to Lisa.

She grinned at me. "It's not a fight it's practice. You think some gang bitch is going to go easy on you or me?"

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "You hate sparring."

"Havnt sparred with you yet." She pointed out.

She let go of my hand so we could put on our gloves when we got to the center of the mat. "So who is who?" She asked to Jaime.

"Let's start with Taylor as the arresting hero first." Jaime said.

"Seems fair." Lisa beamed at me.

"Ready?" Jaime raised a hand. "Go!"

.

"You cheated." I gritted through pain clenched teeth.

Lisa eased up just a bit on her hold on my arms up behind my back. "Did not."

"Did too." I tried to wiggle some relief from her leverage but Lisa shifted her grip and slid one knee up between my legs to better support herself.

An electric sensation tingled its way up through me from her knee's contact with my….body.

I shivered. "Okay I give."

"Lisa wins." Jamie called it. "Let her up."

Lisa released he hold on my arms and held out a hand to help me up. When I took it, she stepped one leg in between mine and heaved me disregard as much as up. When I made contact with her as she obviously planned the shock of it made me gasp and I had to reach out to grab at Lisa's shoulder to keep my balance.

"Are you okay Taylor?" Jaime asked joining us on the mat.

I gave Lisa my best quelling look. "I think so. My arms are a bit sore from when Lisa cheated."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"You did too."

"Maybe a little." She admitted.

I scoffed back at her to try and hide my breathlessness. "Psssh you mean a lot."

"Nuh uh." She stuck her tongue out at me.

Jamie palmed her face. "I think we are done."

"Good I think I'm ready for a shower." Lisa winked at me when Jaime wasn't looking.

My face burned but it was time for revenge. "Race you." I told her.

"Don't even thin-"

I teleported directly to the locker room.

By the time the rest of the group reached the showers I had already washed up and gotten dressed, surely depriving Lisa of further opportunities to tease me in front of other people.

At least I thought so.

"You know the simple solution is for me to share a shower with Taylor." Lisa's voice drifted through the locker room. "I mean it's not that big a deal and no one else would have to wait for a stall."

"No." From Jaime's exasperated response it was clear she had given it multiple times already.

"Geez Jamie you act like I would do something more than just was her back," Lisa's voice was dripping with false innocence. "And maybe her front too."

"Christ I need a girlfriend." Lily groaned as she was first through the door. "Would you blow of some of her steam so the rest of us can get a little peace?" She said when she spotted me finishing up at my locker.

I nearly choked. "W-what?"

"You heard her." Missy was next through the door. "Bang your girlfriend so she shuts up."

Lisa was next and her smile was ear to ear.

"I think that's just about enough." Jamie scolded the group.

"Give it up Jamie," Hannah sighed. "They are just going to continue soon as you leave."

"Don't you think that is the issue?" Jaime was starting to get upset.

Hannah shrugged. "They are teenagers. They have like three priorities in life, food , sex and sleep." She counted off each one on a finger.

Jaime huffed a frustrated breath.

Hannah cocked an eyebrow at her. "Can you say you were any different?"

Sensing the loss Jamie grabbed her things and headed for the farthest shower.

Hannah looked at the rest of us. "Behave?"

"Never," Lisa said cheerfully but she nodded anyway. "So no shower with Taylor I guess?"

Mortified I thought about my room and teleported out of there.

.

End Chapter

Author's Note: I've got some things going on and havnt been in the best headspace which has not been conducive to writing. That said I got this chapter done in short bursts so I hope it didn't turn out too bad. Other than being pretty short that is.

On the other hand, I've been doing more reading than writing in my free time and I've got to say I'm not enjoying my experience on FF net here lately. I was looking at moving sites and I'm entertaining the idea of moving over to AO3. I mean I would dual post up to the end of A Light in the Dark, but any other projects, short or long, I think would be on AO3. What do you all think? Any of you post over there? If so what's your user experience like compared to here?

Much love to all of you,

K. Raiden