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Topic: Undersiders Rob Brockton Central Bank
In: Boards Places America Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Guy In The Know)
Posted On April 14th, 2011:
Perhaps one of the oddest capers around, someone decided to hit an actual bank for once. Been a while. Frankly, I wouldn't be so glib about it, but the rumors floating around currently point to startlingly few casualties. Especially considering who was involved.
Weaver and the Undersiders
(My new prog rock band name)
To those not in the know around here, that'd be Butcher XV and a group of cat burglar types who've been hovering under the radar until now.
We're currently assuming this is a Teeth heist, because no one tells Butcher Weaver what to do and keeps all their fingers. It'd also explain the shift in MO from the former Undersiders.
They stormed the lobby, took hostages, released hostages, and then Weaver fought the Wards while the Undersiders looted the place. Details to come shortly.
EDIT: Casualty counts confirmed. No one killed or seriously injured, three minor injuries while fleeing the building. Wards appear unharmed, though actual reports are going to take a while and there was a lot of red out there. LINK, LINK, LINK to fight cams.
EDIT: Wards unharmed. PRT claims tomato sauce.
EDIT: Oof. Weaver is brutal. LINK to the scoreboard.
(Showing Page 1 of 77)
CerulianStan
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
omg is eevryone okay?
BBaygazer
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Oh geez. When are we getting details?
DancesWMopheads
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
I have video!
LINK
Sunrise33
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
WTF? Is that blood!?
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Guy In The Know)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
That's a lot of red.
Sterngoat
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
They'll be fine. Panaceas right there.
B3stB01
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Wait, that's Panacea?
Oh wait, yeah. I think it is.
StinkyPete
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
GGs right there.
EvelynEverywhere
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
I've got video, too.
LINK
CHOMPchomp
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Oof. Beat got beat.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, … 76, 77
(Showing Page 13 of 77)
P30P13
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
There's no way that's tomato paste.
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-P30P13 pizza sauce
P30P13
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
That's even worse!
CHOMPchomp
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
For the wards. XD
ZitsForDayz
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
It does actually have the right consistency for pizza sauce. New York style, anyway.
I'd know, slinging the things all day.
Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Butcher's always done the blood thing, though. XV is no different.
Junk_Food_Reviewer
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-ZitsForDayz Ah, so the Butcher is a woman of class, then.
XxGARYxX
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
oh god not the pizza fight again
Neon_Rainbow (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
3… 2… 1…
ChicaGoGoGo (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Junk_Food_Reviewer
NOW LISTEN HERE YOU BLOODY HERETIC
There is nothing in this world worse than biting into a cracker and getting nothing but air!
You want something that will fill your stomach! That will hold you for more than five minutes! You want something drenched in sauce and cheese!
You want deep dish pizza. Not this garbage!
End of Page. 1, 2, … 12, 13, 14, … 76, 77
(Showing Page 48 of 77)
WagTheDog
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
It's still dumb and I hate it.
I hope she's okay.
unsafe_harbor
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-WagTheDog stop worrying about villains. The Teeth have four more capes.
4! They're almost as big as the empire, now!
CarmillaCantEven
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Hey everyone. I've got a new angle on the fight, if you want to see it.
LINK
Also, pay close attention around 3:32.
CarlCALAMATOUS
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Actually yeah, the numbers are evening out. THat's a scary thought.
Flighty_Broadsides
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-CarmillaCantEven IS THAT A SCOREBOARD?
P30P13
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
That IS a scoreboard!
liquidsnake
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
That's brutal and I love it.
Just wish it wasn't Butcher.
GameOfPWNS
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Savage
Blaine
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Can Panacea handle burns that bad?
Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
[screaming externally]
End of Page. 1, 2, … 47, 48, 49, … 76, 77
Topic: Hanging out with the Wards!
In: Boards Places America Brockton Bay
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Posted On April 14th, 2011:
Just sharing a selfie of me hanging out with some of Brockton's finest after reclaiming some property that they were keeping safe for me. Keep up the good work!
(Showing Page 1 of 104)
Razorpunk (Verified Cape) (Villain)
Replied On April 14th 2011:
You actually posted it! HA! Animos owes me fifty bucks!
FestivityBeast (Cape Geek)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
OMG they're still red!
Eightball (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Are they still saying it's just pizza sauce?
Calypso42
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Wait, there are villains on here? Is that a thing? Is that allowed!?
Bagrat (The Guy In The Know)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
They would've cleaned it off by now if it was blood. And it would've gotten darker than that. It's pizza sauce.
SerialPuncher (Unverified Cape)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Calypso42 It's not not allowed.
N00man
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
HEY! Look at Panacea! She's flipping us off!
thethirdmonkey
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Oh shit, she is!
Well, flipping off Butcher.
Who does that? How is she still alive?
Flighty_Broadsides
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-thethirdmonkey Are you kidding? Weaver didn't kill the Wards for shooting at her, she wouldn't hurt Panacea for bombing a selfie.
FestivityBeast (Cape Geek)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Cast iron balls on that girl.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, … 103, 104
(Showing Page 29 of 104)
Ultimate1337 (Verified Cape) (Villain)
Replied On April 14th 2011:
Look, I'm telling you. The best way to get marinara out of your skin and hair is a little bit of baking soda, just rub some in and take a shower. Bam!
Meteor (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE) (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
They should be taking the photo down. I already reported it, they shouldn't be showing that.
DustyBlueBallcap
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
I don't see the problem? Everyone has masks.
SpecificProtagonist (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Panacea seemed pretty miffed about the selfie.
I wonder if they know each other.
If you know what I mean.
MaximumUber (Verified Cape) (Villain)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Ultimate1337 Vinegar! VI NE GAR!
The burning means it's working!
Meteor (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE) (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-DustyBlueBallcap
Shut up. There's no photography allowed in the Wards rooms. Masks are not full uniforms. It shows our strategy meeting board, which gives villains an advantage. It should be taken down.
@-SpecificProtagonist
Disgusting. I keep telling you, hating someone is never a sign of secretly liking them.
GameOfPWNS
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Ultimate1337 @-MaximumUber
You know everyone knows you're trying to troll the Wards and failing, right?
They probably have you blocked, anyway.
Also, is it me, or does that whiteboard call Tattletale 'kind of dumb'?
The Winged One
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Nobody likes them, anyway.
They'll go away if you ignore them.
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Meteor Ha! This means I know what you know! I have the high ground now!
MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
Seriously, though. It's speculations on a whiteboard. Hardly classified intel.
Shrewdinger (Unverified Rodent)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Is this okay? I mean, heroes and villains arguing like this?
@-GameOfPWNS oh, huh! It does.
End of Page. 1, 2, … 28, 29, 30 … 103, 104
(Showing Page 30 of 104)
Browbeat (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On April 14th 2011:
It does, yeah.
Razorpunk (Verified Cape) (Villain)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-SpecificProtagonist
Weaver says she and Panacea have had 'Vigorous Lingual Intercourse'.
Flighty_Broadsides
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Kind of dumb. Ha!
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
VEX NO
SpecificProtagonist (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Razorpunk Ooooh.
@-Weaver Vex yes.
@-Panacea Care to weigh in?
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Oh hell no. None of your horny word traps.
I yelled at her. That is what that means.
Nothing else.
EDIT: Why do I have a new tag?
Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
If it's alright with everyone, I"m just going to sit here and watch the fireworks.
EDIT: Because you deserve it, Panpan!
4322Akbar
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Huh. So many Wards. So, was it really pizza sauce?
Meteor (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE) (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Weaver
Shut up. Go away.
@-4322Akbar
Yes. Stop asking.
MODS. Why is this still up?
SpecificProtagonist (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
You know, I kind of thought Panacea was into blondes, rather than brunettes.
But maybe she's broadening her horizons? I've heard some rumors, I'm sure nobody would mind. ;3
End of Page. 1, 2, … 29, 30, 31 … 103, 104
(Showing Page 31 of 104)
Glory Girl (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Panacea They're right. You deserve it. Congrats on the new tag!
@-SpecificProtagonist Because of the disgusting smut you wrote shipping us together? People like you should have their internet privileges revoked. And yes, everyone would mind.
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
I guess I'm stuck with it.
@-SpecificProtagonist That's sick.
SpecificProtagonist (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Glory Girl You read it? I'm so flattered!
@-Panacea You liked it!? Eeeeee!
Always nice to talk to such adoring fans. I wonder what I should write next?
A lot of options, even in that one little selfie there.
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Sick. Disgusting. Wrong.
Shut up.
Judge (Moderator)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
@-Meteor
As previously stated, the picture and thread were approved before posting through the appropriate channels. It stays up.
@-SpecificProtagonist
Stop shipping minors.
Meteor (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE) (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
I am in that picture and I want it taken down.
Mod_note: User Temp-banned. Do not argue with staff decisions.
All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Such a mature thread. Wards throwing hissy fits, Villains playing games, stupid jokes on whiteboards.
@-SpecificProtagonist Are you sure you're alright, dear? You seem a bit beat, lately. Maybe you should lay down for a while. Get off the internet for… ever? Might be for the best.
Alathea (Moderator)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
That's enough of that.
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Sorry for the trouble, mods.
@-Panacea
Sorry again, I just seem to keep piling on problems, even by accident.
@-SpecificProtagonist
Gotta say, I really don't appreciate any of that. Not funny.
@-Ultimate1337 @-MaximumUber
Hey. You two are Uber and Leet, right?
Get out of my city.
SpecificProtagonist (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 14th, 2011:
Yeah. Yeah, alright. I'm sorry. I'll go. Take a nap. Something. Sorry.
End of Page. 1, 2, … 30, 31, 32 … 103, 104
Topic: Butcher AMA
In: Boards Places America Brockton Bay
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Posted On April 15th, 2011:
Alright fellow Brocktonites — at the urging of the Teeth (and against my better judgment), tonight I will be answering questions about me, my predecessors, and anything else I find amusing until I get bored or run out of daily posts. Feel free to address questions directly to the other Butchers, and I will relay the answers if they are not too vulgar.
Edit: Oh cool, the mods lifted my restrictions for the duration of this thread! Keep the questions coming!
Alathea (Moderator)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
[PINNED]
No endorsing criminal activity. No asking Weaver or the Teeth to do anything illegal.
We're done giving warnings, and moving straight to threadbans.
(Showing Page 22 of 412)
Sandwish
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
I still think this is fake. She hasn't even replied. What, too busy sitting around plotting villainy?
OptimizedPreparations (Power Guru)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
What's your favorite way to get blood out of clothing?
Asking for… reasons.
srww (Banned)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
Fuck, Marry, Kill: Triumvirate
Mod_note: Nope. Also, I see that sock.
Archon
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
There's no way that was Butcher. Has to be someone in the Teeth with her phone. It's all a prank.
Scarrow
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
Is Winslow paying you to deal with their gang problem?
Are you going to take care of the vehicle theft problem, too?
Mod_note: Don't tempt villains, even with good intentions.
SpaceWizzard
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
What's it like having voices in your head and still being sane?
barkour
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
@-SpaceWizzard she isnt.
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
Oh wow this blew up, didn't it?
Gimme a sec to go back through.
@-XxVoid_CowboyxX — Favorites are weird. I used to like blue and green, but now I like purple and red, too.
@-Griffindongle — I didn't go after Lung. I stumbled on him while he was doing something my first night trying to Hero. I tried to harass him and stay hidden, ruin whatever was going on, then Quarrel showed up and it was a mad scramble to not die at that point.
@-MoistOwlette — I can't believe they're making me say this, but… Butcher is always bi.
@-DragonBooba — Seems to be all arthropods. Did you know pillbugs are tiny land crabs and not insects? They have gills instead of lungs and everything. Need to buy a boat and see if my power works on anything in the bay. No plans for a pet shop, but I'm open to requests.
@-KittiesAreTinyTigers — Food's a big thing to them. I hate a lot fewer things now, but I still like Thai, Italian, Chinese… spice tolerance is a lot higher now, which is nice. If you include all of them, our favorites are 'Yes'. Haven't noticed anything else different about how I actually taste things, just that it's more 'detailed' than it was before.
@-XxGARYxX — Oranges are nice. Citrus fruits in general. Strawberry, Raspberry. None I really dislike.
There's a long string I don't want to answer… Mods, help? Reported a few things.
Gonna skip until they stop being gross or asking me about crimes.
If I miss your question, ask again.
@-Griffindongle — Ugh, fine. You want video proof? LINK
@-ToxicMind — Uhh, I grew up in a classical home. Classical music, classic rock, etc. That's been most of what I listened to. Wasn't into pop or anything new. The others have all liked basically everything. A lot of metal, rock, R . A few that really liked Jazz and Blues before they inherited. Quarrel was a pophead, and she's screaming at me for admitting it.
I basically just don't hate anything anymore. I can appreciate the qualities of most genres now. Even Country.
@-Scarrow — Winslow isn't paying me to do anything. I'm just trying to help people. Mostly my people at Winslow, but I'm happy it's helping everyone there. Besides the obvious.
@-Sandwish — Actually, yes. Restructuring a gang is a lot of tedious work, on top of all the mandatory scheming.
@-OptimizedPreparations — Honestly? Bugs. They can just eat the blood right off most kinds of cloth, with minimal damage to things like silk. Minor extra benefit to making all my cape things with spider silk.
@-SpaceWizzard — Uhh… hard to say? On the one hand, it's like being on the phone with too many people at once, but there's also the memory and feeling things added on. I don't think I can find an answer I like, because I don't want to say 'try describing red to someone colorblind. They understand shades, but hues don't make sense' but… it kinda' fits.
StaticSeven (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
Why not just steal a boat?
Mod_note: No endorsing criminal activity.
MoistOwlette (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
@-Weaver Omg is that you and Vex?
You two are adorable together!
(Please don't hurt me)
End of Page. 1, 2, … 21, 22, 23, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 42 of 412)
Scriptor (Moderator)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
For the last time, the moderation team has confirmed that this is indeed Weaver. As far as we can tell, she is being genuine.
I do want to ask a question of my own, though: do the voices of the past Butchers in your head match what they sounded like in person or is it more their own view of how their voices sounded?
Yahnah (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
My boyfriend is cheating on me, can you give him and that slut lice?
Mod Note: Threadbanned: Don't ask villains to commit crimes.
Rowes
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Do you have a favorite weapon from the Butcher's armory?
LesDrake
Replied On April 15th 2011:
What power did you get from Lung?
Sky_Knight
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Ever thought of using your bugs to rob the Empire blind? I mean think about it, how could Hookwolf stop you from taking all the money? The ants go marching one by one who rah who rah. The ants go marching to avoid the guns who rah who rah. The ants go in to take the bank who rah who rah.
Sword-Material
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Do you have a favorite new power?
panickedWitch
Replied On April 15th 2011:
I have a pest problem, can you get rid of wasps?
Memsys
Replied On April 15th 2011:
What power have the Butchers always wanted but never been able to get?
Ironic Fox (I survived Madison and all I got was this forum tag)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
I'll assume that past Butchers — a past Butcher? Change of question. What is the Butcher-approved grammar for their individual and collective existence (or relative non-existence) as the case may be?
Have any of the past Butchers had secret hobbies or guilty pleasures they didn't let people know about because it undermined the image of a murderhobo cosplaying as Mad Max?
Crazeal
Replied On April 15th 2011:
What is the weirdest thing you've learned about the previous Butchers since you inherited?
End of Page. 1, 2, … 41, 42, 43, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 43 of 412)
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Sorry for all the work, mods. That's a lot of threadbans…
@-KittiesAreTinyTigers — Favorite to use is spiders, for their silk. Favorite in general? Hmm. Bees are kinda cute.
No, I don't rate anything in 'out of X Butchers'. Most problems just aren't big enough to warrant one, and it seems too silly even as a joke.
@-WagTheDog — Rachel is fine. So are her dogs. She seems to be settling in well so far.
@-Gingervitis — No, I don't do birthday parties. I might make an exception for a mitzvah or similar, but my schedule just doesn't allow many openings and I don't see that changing.
@-TubaTemplar — I used to play the flute. Currently working on polishing inherited guitar skills. Chisel was very good, and there were a few left around because of that.
@-Scriptor — I have no idea. The only one I can find a good video of them talking is Reflex, and he's… really quiet.
@-Rowes — there is a Sword. The capital letter is intentional.
@-LesDrake — I am Butcher XV, not XVI.
@-Sword-Material — The teleport is amazing, as is the matter reshaping power. It's also fun being a Tinker.
@-panickedWitch — I'd be happy to take any and all wasps off your hands. If anyone has an infestation they want dealt with, drop me a DM with a rough address and I'll swing by when my schedule allows / I'm in the area anyway.
@-Memsys — They all immediately suggested flight, but Chisel suggested a good Stranger power, Stratego wants more Thinker powers, and Ironsides complained about 'goddamn lasers.'
@-Ironic Fox — I personally call them a headache, 'you idiots,' or 'shut the fuck up.' Butcher and Sanguine played that expensive game with the painted minis, Chisel was a hell of a guitarist, Alkaline was a chemistry nerd, and Ironsides loved to play poker. Quarrel liked to blare pop music and collect these little Asian dolls, but that stopped pretty quick after inheriting, unlike the others.
@-Crazeal — One of the past Butchers dated one of my parents over fifteen years ago. Yes, it's as weird as it sounds, yes I now remember things about them I never wanted to.
@-Pentel321 — Selective breeding would be tricky. I prefer to just use bugs as they are, rather than worry about making them better.
@-SlidingHome — Alexandria is my personal favorite, and I modeled my costume after hers. Legend seems cool, but I have too many memories of him shooting at me now.
Meisbobisme
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Having had both what hurts more? A punch in the boobs or a kick in the junk?
AlexandriaPlsStepOnMe
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Is it true you drink beer with a cup made from Quarrel's skull?
EDIT: Also- 'take all the wasps off your hands' -uhh… eep?
Yugimuffin
Replied On April 15th 2011:
what from of tribute is needed for protection from swarming and where do I drop it off
QueenofSalvation
Replied On April 15th 2011:
You know how many pieces of loose change or bills go missing into the sewers over the years? I think there has been a study or two about it. If Weaver controls bugs, why not use all the cockroaches to go scavenging? Could donate it or something. Or use it for cape funds.
Thread (Verified Cape) (Verified Dimensional Traveler)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
@-QueenofSalvation
I can testify that farming the sewers for loose coins and cash can be very profitable. Particularly if you find an older coin or two that has historical value or rare metal content.
Now a question for the collective: According to rumor and hearsay, the various Butchers have been pretty good cooks. Have any of them suggested that Weaver use her power to make special dishes? I've heard that you can make a lollipop out of a scorpion that really packs a bite!
Bioerratic
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Right, so, I attend Winslow and saw how Weaver - that's you - was protecting people. Is there a way to join the Teeth without being, ya know, a crazy cannibal? Like, the Molars or something?
OneDerpThat
Replied On April 15th 2011:
How do you plan to ensure that civilians won't be hurt in the crossfire of your war with the E88?
What about drugs? The ABB were big sellers after the Merchants were wiped out. (By your Teeth) Will you be taking that over, too? Selling to addicts and ruining more lives?
You've said you're intervening at Winslow and fighting the Nazis in order to help people. Do you have other plans to help the community or will they be restricted to Teeth members?
Attorneyofhell
Replied On April 15th 2011:
In an insane world a sane man must act insane to appear, sane. Between the Endbringers the S9 and everything else the worlds definitely insane… so what exactly does that make a Butcher claiming sanity?
tuff37
Replied On April 15th 2011:
You claimed you were a hero, but now you are leading the Teeth. What did lying about it get you? And if you weren't lying, why would you join the Teeth?
End of Page. 1, 2, … 42, 43, 44, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 44 of 412)
MagicalJellyDonut
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
So, what's stopping you from literally just packing jars and cans full of bees and using them as bug grenades? Or filling dumpsters with them to super throw at people, or something? Could you have them just like, install hidden hives in key locations so you have them on hand when in a given area?
Ironic Fox (I survived Madison and all I got was this forum tag)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
Are you planning on attending any Endbringer battles? S-Class threats? Big Stompy Kaiju fights?
Neon_Rainbow (Cape Groupie)
Replied On April 15th, 2011:
@-Ironic Fox — NO.
GOD NO. FUCK NO.
NONONONONO.
NO.
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
@-Meisbobisme — Junk shots hurt more, but the pain goes away faster. Boob shots can linger like/as a bruise.
@-AlexandriaPlsStepOnMe — No. Bone is very porous and discolors too easily, and beer is a dark liquid that stains if you're not careful. She's not worth the effort to process and liquid-proof the thing just for a mug.
@-Yugimuffin — I will gladly accept tribute in the form of not being an asshole. Golden Rule, be nice to others, don't be a Nazi, etc.
@-QueenofSalvation — I'm not telling you what my max range is, but I do have one. Frankly I'd make more money and do more good hitting a couple Empire places than spending the day walking a grid pattern over the city for lost coins. I'll get back to you if I run out of rival gangs.
@-Thread — Thanks to the many varied histories of my predecessors, I can cook dishes ranging from classical English to Japanese to some amazing southern fried chicken. I've impressed @-Razorpunk more than a few times with said skills.
We've given some thought to things like cricket farming, but there's a brand conflict we need to work out, first.
@-Bioerratic — Just wear the colors and ask around for a necklace.
@-OneDerpThat — It's against site policy to advocate/discuss crime but, I don't target civilians, and they're free to leave. (and should be running away, not toward) There's always going to be someone selling drugs, though. I don't like it, but that's how supply and demand work.
Things I do to help the Teeth will help the Teeth. Things I do to help the community will help everyone. These two things are not mutually exclusive, as seen at Winslow.
@-AttourneyofHell — Sanity is relative. I believe I am much less insane than the voices in my head, and I'm sure many here will agree with that statement.
@-tuff37 — Rude. I tried very hard, but the other heroes decided I wasn't allowed to be one of them when I asked for help. You'll notice I'm not stupid enough to fight the Empire solo, not wanting to wind up in Hookwolf or Kaiser's heads. I went to the only place I could get that help.
The Empire does not approve, which makes me think I made the right choice.
@-MagicalJellyDonut — I dunno. Prep time? Keeping them alive for a while in there? Usually enough bugs wherever I need them.
@-Ironic Fox — Oh wow. I… don't know. I'll have to talk to my family, girlfriend, the rest of the Teeth… I don't know. I don't think I can sit back and do nothing if something happens in my city, though.
Sandwish
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Wasn't what you did to Menja (Can't remember, one of them) too much? It was her leg!
hooloovoo
Replied On April 15th 2011:
What are their favorite sports teams? TV shows?
…soap operas?
Dockwalker
Replied On April 15th 2011:
I can't believe we're encouraging this bullshit.
Timmy-Jim
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Favorite beer!
Vista (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
@-Ironic Fox — NO!
@-Weaver — No. You can't. Please don't.
FestivityBeast (Cape Geek)
@-Dockwalker What encouraging? It's just questions. Have fun with it!
Also, yeah. @-Weaver — no. Don't do it. No endbringers.
End of Page. 1, 2, … 43, 44, 45, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 258 of 412)
Thelastbatallion
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Any other interesting facts about the previous Butchers?
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
WHY do I KEEP getting PINGED?
Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a Tinker)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
So, you're a Tinker right? What's your specialty? I've heard it's 'sharp weapons' or something, but isn't that kind of weird? Doesn't strike the 'supertech' vibe, I mean.
Griffindongle
Replied On April 15th 2011:
So how do you feel about the PRT/Protectorate? You keep dodging the question.
Sword-Material
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Did you really fold an empire goon into a pretzel?
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 15th 2011:
@-Molar366 — No. You may not tattoo my face on your body. That is weird and I do not consent to it. We have at least three tattoo artists who would be happy to source a cool skull-spider or something. But no. Eww no. Hell no.
@-OptimizedPreparations — I could probably copy their handwriting, but I don't think anyone's going to be looking for a previous Butcher's autograph. There wouldn't be any point trying to sign things for them, either. We know twelve of them are confirmed dead in their civilian identities, and so it'd be invalid and caught anyway. (No promoting illegal activity!) Quarrel is one we don't know, but that's because it was recent and I haven't bothered looking into it yet.
@-BananaStand — Ironsides was a pretty great poker player before he became Butcher XII. I haven't really had the chance to play much, myself.
@-GStringGirl — No, contrary to rumors, Sabertooth was not a monster cape. I don't have anything against them, but I've never met one and the Butchers don't have much experience with them, outside a few fights. Apparently they're pretty rare.
I mean, I think I get it. My own unwanted experience with memory is on the 'suddenly too many' end, but having to figure out who you are, wondering if you're still who you were, those still hit me now and then. Waking up with nothing has to be hard, and I'm having trouble imagining it. The closest I can think of are the times I notice little habits that weren't mine popping up, and immediately wondering if I'm still me. It's terrifying.
I'm sorry. This probably sounds insulting to anyone actually dealing with amnesia. I'm just rambling while trying to understand, at this point.
@-Thelastbatallion — Butcher and Sanguine played tabletop games together out of costume, and never noticed until Sanguine inherited.
@-Panacea — Because everyone loves you, Panpan. Now mute your phone and go to sleep, it's late and you should be in bed.
@-Procto the Unfortunate Tinker — It sounds weird because it is weird. Damascian wasn't just a Tinker, she was a cluster grab-bag Tinker. Not enough of those to tell if she's actually weird for her type of cape.
Also — If that rings a bell, she wanted me to say something. "It's okay, and I'm sorry." Please ignore this if you have any doubts I'm talking about you, readers.
@-Griffindongle — Conflicted, hence the dodging. But primarily? Disappointment.
@-Sword-Material — The rules of this forum and the judgemental gaze of the powers that be demand that I answer 'no'.
hooloovoo
Replied On April 15th 2011:
Wait, what's a 'cluster grab bag'?
GleamMachine (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Why is this still going? Why is this even a thing?
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On April 16th 2011:
NEW DAY!
First!
EDIT: DAMMIT
StarvingEnglishMajor4832
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-XxVoid_CowboyxX Go to bed, dork.
On that topic, @-Weaver what's it like not needing sleep? There's a word for those capes, but all I remember is 'nocturnal' root. You're one of those, right?
End of Page. 1, 2, … 257, 258, 259, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 380 of 412)
magicalmaniamaina (Veteran Member)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Other than Alexandria, did Knockout brawl with any other notable capes? And milk or cereal first?
All Seeing Eye
Replied On April 16th 2011:
For Stratego. You're a thinker with a tactical specialty. How did you fuck up that bad?
WheatYourEaties
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Which Butcher changed things the most when they took over?
Suddenly Sun
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Was Fester a TERF?
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Did the Teeth wind up with a eunuch squad after Fester inherited?
TalkingCabbage
Replied On April 16th 2011:
For Quarrel: did you really think your regeneration would save you from bee stings?
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
This is fun, keep the individual Butcher questions coming!
@-Thread — Yes, Alkaline's power can copy Tinkertech liquids. Marauder, the dumbfuck, never gave her the chance to get her hands on any before she took over. Not a moment too soon either, he was an incompetent ass.
@-Sandwish — No, she actually liked setting things on fire. A lot. Turns out, Pyro actually killed Breed by shooting an incendiary missile into the building he was hiding in… then teleported in and dropkicked him down a flaming elevator shaft.
@-QueenOfSalvation — I can actually heal with Sanguine's power, yes. Several of them are pissed that they had friends bleed out and didn't think to save them.
@-magicalmania — He's brawled with damn near everyone. Beyond Alexandria… a fight with Virago, another teleporter, went through eighteen distinct bars in NYC. A less glamorous time was when he tried (and largely failed) to fight Grumman when he was in Boston.
@-All Seeing Eye — Ever seen a Rube Goldberg machine made by a Thinker? Now imagine the Teeth are in charge of maintenance. He didn't really want the job, anyways.
@-WheatYourEaties — Actually, related to the last question, it was Chisel. She's largely behind the 'modern' Teeth, having forged it out of mess left by Stratego. Hell, she was badass enough to pass as a normal person in short bursts.
@-Suddenly Sun — No, thank Scion.
@-Panacea — Hi again Panpan, hope you slept well! Yes they did, and Fester wants me to say that she approves of your initiative. There's a reason the Teeth to this day still take a hard line on sexual assault.
@-TalkingCabbage — Well, Quarrel is pissed now, something not helped by Alkaline and Knockout making buzzing noises at her. Sabertooth is complaining that his regeneration was better, back in the day.
Jouster (Verified Cape) (NYC Wards)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-Weaver — Can you please stop messaging heroes, especially Panacea?
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-Jouster — Ironsides says to remind everyone about that time you dropped your lance, tripped, and somehow got tangled in a bicycle rack. You spent the entire time whining at your teammates, and when they finally got sick of it and tried to free you, we made off with the… ah, souvenirs. Which we definitely paid for. The Wards just wanted our autographs.
All Seeing Eye
Replied On April 16th 2011:
With competence like that, who needs villains?
End of Page. 1, 2, … 379, 380, 381, … 411, 412
(Showing Page 412 of 412)
hooloovoo
Replied On April 16th, 2011:
@-Jouster I'm not disagreeing that you have a lot of experience fighting the Butcher. But you have about the same amount of experience arguing with her over PHO as the rest of us, and all of that points to Weaver being sane.
Besides, isn't it usually @-Meteor's job to be rabidly anti-Teeth in these threads?
Jouster (Verified Cape) (NYC Wards) (Temp-banned)
Replied On April 16th, 2011:
[Removed by moderators]
Mod_note: Seriously, Jouster? You should know better than that.
Battery (Verified Cape) (Protectorate ENE)
Replied On April 16th, 2011:
All Brockton Bay Wards have permanent account restrictions in place for interacting with Weaver going forward. Given Jouster's disappointing comment, I've forwarded the recommendation that this be applied to all Wards from cities where the Butcher has been active.
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-Ironic Fox — No, the Butchers don't have any secrets on life and death. As far as they remember, it's just a hiccup while things go out/come into focus from the old senses to the new ones.
And yes, as far as I know, life insurance is still valid. I'm not going to comment on their families claiming any. Any of them still out there deserve their peace.
@-10KGUTS — I have no idea what a 'JoJo' is, nor what I might have done that could have been a reference to it.
@-Char — I'm not up to date on the Canary case. I don't really know any details. Drop a link?
@-OneDerpThat — Oh, wow. Uh, no. I don't like thinking about dying, and I don't have plans for if I do. Just plans to keep it from happening.
@-DanielX — I always wanted to be Alexandria.
Currently, my favorite hero is probably @-Panacea, given that she does more good than any other five heroes combined. I am obligated to say that my favorite villain is Vex unless I want to sleep on the couch, but my favorite non-Teeth villain is probably Hookwolf because his skull would look awesome over my throne Madcap. Guy had a sense of humor back when Marauder knew him and I like his policy on the Birdcage.
@-Griffindongle — Yeah, I met the Wards a few times. They were shooting first back then, too.
@-Battery — You wound me so! I would never instigate anything with the Wards aside from playful banter! I believe I made that clear Thursday afternoon. Did you not see my scoreboard?
Panacea (Verified Cape) (New Wave) (Verified Badass)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Why the hell am I STILL getting pinged in this damn thread? I'm half tempted to go down to your fucking HQ and slap the shit out of you for bothering me AGAIN!
Weaver (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Butcher XV)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-Panacea — Our door is always open for you if you want to swing by ;)
Glory Girl (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Weaver, you're making Mom right about something, please stop.
AverageAlexandros (Cape Husband)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
@-Weaver
Wait, don't you mean wanted to be like Alexandria?
GleamMachine (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
Wanted to… be?
Oh… Oh no…
Razorpunk (Verified Cape) (Villain)
Replied On April 16th 2011:
One of Us! One of Us! One of Us!
Edit: Okay, that's funny as shit on the timing, but I meant that @-Panacea
End of Page. 1, 2, … 410, 411, 412
Author's Notes:
Pen: Massive shoutout to Dalxein for putting in so much work to this chapter!
Dalxein: Meh. All I did was fit the pieces together. …and write out like 60-80 forum posts. …and dig up a bunch of usernames. …and write out that one thread intro. Barely anything.
First: No one asked where to buy Butcher Bathwater :(
Dalxein: We show 2-3% of the thread. No one can tell you it's not in there, even if none of the readers asked for it to be put there. Believe in your dreams.
First, shitposting directly into our drafting docs: Don't let your dreams be memes!
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Apr 12, 2022
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Pendragoon
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She/Her
Apr 15, 2022
#7,420
Saturday, April 16th 2011
Coil ducked under Big Robbie's punch and lashed out with two quick jabs at the man's gut, only for the Teeth veteran to laugh and backhand the stringy man away. All of my capes were assembled in the former VIP lounge overlooking the fighting pits and watching the unfolding spectacle, though only I had opted to put on my costume.
Sans mask, of course — it wasn't like I had much to hide from anyone here.
"Huh, I never would have imagined the scrawny prick could fight," Alec drawled while munching on some popcorn, which he chased with a swig of Reaver's beer.
"Big Robbie's just fucking with him. He could kill him at any moment," Marauder growled.
"I do believe that is the point," Damascian said, rolling her eyes.
"Is it really necessary to have this meeting while watching a bloodsport?" Grue asked. He had also shown up in costume, which really only needed some tasteful bones and red paint to match our aesthetic. Unfortunately, it was looking less and less likely that he would join.
"You should kill him before he defects and sells all our secrets!" Sabertooth demanded.
That won't be necessary. My predecessors disagreed, but I was absolutely not following through on their suggestions, and so they mostly grumbled to themselves.
As we watched, someone threw a baseball bat into the arena, which Coil scrambled on hands and knees to grab before his opponent could. Of course, Big Robbie didn't need the crutch, and he let Coil pick up the weapon in gloved hands. We had allowed him to keep his costume, but we removed the mask portion so there wasn't a risk of him slipping away thanks to a body double. Yes, Regent could spot the real Coil in an instant thanks to his power, but I didn't quite trust him either. Not yet at least.
Fester scoffed at the pitiable display. "Is it any surprise that the man was PRT? He can't fight for shit."
Knockout, however, was less certain. "He has the right reflexes and good form… he's just rusty. He might have had a field position at one point."
I waited until Coil took a swing at Big Robbie, who caught the damn bat in one hand and snapped it over his knee. "Watching this gives you an idea of what happens to those who cross the line. Coil seemed to think himself above the Rules, and if no one else is going to enforce them, then we will. He kidnapped a preteen girl for fuck's sake!"
Chrissie rejoined us at my side, handing me a bottle of mead. "Besides, Grue, I watched you go two rounds with those E88 bastards from Winslow. Thanks for that by the way — and I'm pretty sure you enjoyed beating those racist fucks up just as much as I enjoyed watching it."
"There was no purpose to that fight," Grue said, letting his darkness distort the words.
Michael huffed. "There's always purpose in beating down Nazis, it's an American tradition."
Grue moved to pinch his nose, then seemed to remember his helmet was in the way. "That isn't the point. Fighting for the sake of violence doesn't accomplish anything."
Still, for all of the likely soon-to-be-former leader of the Undersiders' stated distaste, he had still taken the opportunity to show off his skills on Thursday. Though, given his unease, I was starting to suspect that he had not believed me when I said the offer to fight was completely optional.
Alice opened her mouth to object to the point — as did the Butchers, though I didn't relay their comments — but Lisa jumped in to head off the ensuing argument. "You know he's planning to escape, right?"
"I'd be disappointed if he wasn't," I said casually, drinking down the burning sweetness that was my mead and turning my attention back to the fight. "There's a reason everyone has standing orders to kill him on the spot if he so much as looks at them funny. Should he speak to my people, or be somewhere he isn't supposed to be, he dies. Hell, Alec offered to make him choke on his own tongue if he detected him outside the base."
Lisa wasn't having it. "That won't work forever."
I shrugged. "He'll fuck up eventually. These fights are scheduled, if he's late, we kill him, if he stalls, we kill him. We know he has two timelines in the ring right now, and Elliot is here for when he leaves."
"More failsafes never hurt," Stratego noted.
I could tell Lisa was getting frustrated. "You hope he has two in there, you mean."
"Damn this bitch is paranoid… I'm almost impressed." Butcher grumbled.
"Lisa, I'm keeping my swarm on him, I'm fully prepared to stop him if I need to."
The Thinker arched a single eyebrow at me. "You've yet to willingly take a life, are you sure you would be able to pull the trigger?"
"Come on, Taylor, he kidnapped a little girl!" Fester practically yelled. "He hired pedophiles! If there's literally anyone in this city you could kill without remorse, it's him!"
The others agreed with Fester, loudly talking over one another to suggest horrible ways to extract some vengeance on the slimy fuck. I muted the more objectionable half and rounded on the rest mentally, only for Alice to jump in with a comment of her own. "Boss, aren't you a big fan of the Unwritten Rules? Last I checked, kidnapping little girls in civvies is about as bad as it gets."
"That's why he's here instead of in a PRT holding cell," I said with a huff, ignoring the outright cheers in my head. "I'm still thinking about how we're going to punish him appropriately."
"Yeah?" Alice said, shooting me a disbelieving look. "Why not just chop off his head and stick it on a spike outside? Pretty traditional way of dealing with our enemies."
This time, it was nearby Teeth that cheered, calling for me to cut off the head of the snake. Several of them passed half hearted comments about Dinah, too — transparent attempts to goad me into violence. A tiny part of me was glad that they knew why I was so upset.
But… upset enough to kill?
"You could just maim him," Marauder said. "The PRT keeps fingerprints, so you could chop off his hands and mail them to the heroes."
"Such a course of action would certainly impede his escape attempts," Damascian said.
I opened my mouth tell everyone to fuck right off with their horrible ideas, but the words caught in my throat. Dinah's state when we rescued her flashed through my mind, as did the thought of some cape going after Dad. I really needed people to follow the Rules, and know the consequences of breaking them.
"What are we arguing about?" Elliot asked, butting into the conversation and handing Alice a beer.
"The boss is waffling on killing that creepy fuck," she said, gesturing with the bottle over the drop into the arena proper. I had a bee dart out of my hair just as her hand reached full extension, and it stung her right on the wrist. Alice flinched, dropping the bottle into the stands with a surprised yelp and spinning to face me. "What the —"
"I'm deliberating because we can only kill him once," I said, letting the swarm creep into my voice.
Elliot snorted. "You haven't killed anyo—"
I lashed out with my hand faster than he could react, smacking his bottle and sending it careening over the edge. "What, do Lung and Quarrel not count? Do you require another demonstration?"
Quarrel herself spat and hissed in my head, but the others — especially Fester — cheered at the reminder. Outside of my head, reactions were more muted, with the two other capes staring at me with sullen annoyance. Few things reminded me of the Butchers' sheer presence than the way the other Teeth capes just accepted their bosses' mercurial moods.
Normally I enjoyed the lack of surprises due to my numerous powers, but it also meant that I was perfectly aware of Chrissie sneaking up behind me to give me a hug. I still leaned into her slightly when she wrapped her arms around my waist and said, "I'm with the new girl, Tay — just feed him to your bugs and be done with it."
Lisa waved at the embattled ex-gang leader. "Or, I don't know, cripple him and leave him in a cell. I'll admit that watching him fight —" as if on cue, Big Robbie ripped a bottle out of Coil's hand and smashed it across his face "— is satisfying as all hell, but he's probably more useful to you as ornamentation."
"Huh, maybe we can make a proper member of you yet," Chrissie said, looking at the viciousness in Lisa's eyes like she was seeing her for the first time.
"New member of the harem when?" Fester asked with a chuckle.
I don't think she's interested. She hasn't checked out me or Chrissie even once in a way that suggests she might go for that.
"Shit, I think you're right," Alkaline said.
"She's straight? That would be a damn shame," Sabertooth added.
She hasn't checked out beefcake over there either, I've got a feeling she might not be interested at all.
"She's gonna catch hell for that with the way she looks…" Marauder said.
"They can deal then," Fester snapped back. "Nothing wrong with her being straight, gay, bi or none of the above."
"Can we get back on topic?" Grue nearly yelled, turning back towards me and ignoring my other capes. "You want the Undersiders to either join, or work on contract, but can you honestly say you can offer the things we needed? How can the Teeth help me with my sister?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "I have access to most of Coil's resources. Anything he could do for you, I can do without the strings attached."
"What happens to my sister when my ties to the Teeth are revealed?"
Holy shit, what is up with these people and digging their heels in to find every potential problem that might come of something?
"Remind you of someone?" Pyro chuckled.
"Then just join the heroic bastards instead of us," I ground out. "Lisa can still help you with the custody bullshit, you go to them with a sob story about escaping the Teeth, they give you a way lamer name with their inevitable rebrand, and you move along."
Grue paused, and I wished I could see his face at that moment. "You'd just let me walk away?"
"Don't you fucking dare!" Butcher yelled. "Let him walk without making an example would be a disaster!"
I'm not you, nor any of the others. I lead the Teeth my way.
"This is a mistake," Ironsides said, shaking his metaphorical head.
When I spoke, it was meant for the chorus, as well as Grue. "I keep no slaves, save those already condemned to death in our pits."
"Why should I believe you?" Grue asked, but I could hear his voice waver.
I couldn't help the hard edge that crept into my voice. "Because I actually keep to the terms I agree to meet under, unlike the Protectorate. I didn't lure you into a trap using clever wordplay, I told you right away that this meeting was under Truce terms, and I fucking meant it. Each and every Undersider is free to walk away if they so choose."
"You demonstrate you are superior to the Protectorate at every turn, but still he plans to walk away. Such ignorance," Stratego bemoaned.
You can't convince everyone, which is sad because his power works really well with my own.
"You can go join the pussy ass heroes," Chrissie said, clearly growing irritated with the back and forth. "Just don't get in our way and everything will be… damn, Tay, thesaurus me some shit that means peachy but more refined."
"Copacetic?" I offered.
"Nerd!" half the chorus yelled.
"I have no idea what that means, but that."
I pinched my nose, knowing full well that if I could experience a migraine I'd have one right now.
Grue turned to look at Rachel, who had remained silent through the whole discussion. She and Elliot were playing with her dogs without a care in the world. He then turned towards Alec, who was throwing popcorn into the pits as Coil got sent to the dirt again. Lisa, however, met his eyes, giving him a complicated expression that I didn't bother to try to parse.
There was a moment of silence. "So this is it then? The end of the Undersiders?" Despite the question, I could tell that Grue already knew the answer.
"It doesn't mean we can't stay friends though!" Lisa tried.
"We both know that's a lie, especially if I end up with the Protectorate," Grue said as he turned away. "I hope for your sake that you aren't trading one master for another."
Lisa winced. "Bri— Dammit Grue, not like—"
Hearing with my bugs was far from perfect, the subtle tink of a grenade being primed was unmistakable. Those same bugs burst into action as soon as I realized what I was hearing, swarming the crowd to locate the explosive… only to find it in the hands of a young girl in the stands. Damascian's precog sight showed me the trajectory of the grenade: directly into the arena below.
"Well, it isn't a suicide attack," Chisel added unhelpfully.
"It still makes little —"
"Human Master —"
Just as my brain processed the inexplicable attack the girl screamed, "100% chance you get fucked!"
Then the grenade leapt out of her fingers, and I teleported down into the arena after it. I landed between Big Robbie and Coil, sending both of them sprawling onto their asses. I could feel the grenade tumbling through my increasingly dense swarm, and I hardly needed my powers to realize that it was headed directly for Coil.
I didn't have time for anything fancy, so I threw myself between Big Robbie and the grenade. I barely had time to deploy one of Knockout's shields around my exposed head as extra insurance, while overhead my bugs died as Chrissie summoned her razor fields to help shield the crowd.
It probably said something about what I was becoming that a grenade going off five feet away didn't even make me blink, even as the shrapnel hammered against my shield and tore the silk of my costume.
Then, it was all over aside from the dust settling.
Immediately I set my bugs into motion to assess the damages. Big Robbie had a few cuts and I couldn't imagine the blast doing any favors for his hearing, but the man was alive. Then my bugs made it to Coil… or what was left of him.
His body was shredded. Bits of bloodied pulp were the most identifiable parts of him left, aside from his head, which was somehow intact and unblemished.
His eyes were still moving.
"Well, I guess that answers that question," Sanguine said.
Pyro was chuckling. "Think he's still got his little savescums running and both just ended in death?"
"Well, if he dies and we don't, I think it's safe to assume he's actually dead," Sabertooth pointed out.
Back up in the stands, two of my Teeth had taken the girl into custody, so to speak. The pair each had a gun to her head as they were leading the girl up towards the VIP box. I was almost proud of them for showing the capacity to learn: just a week ago they would have splattered her brains across the pits. Content that things were going about as well as they could be after such an interruption, I picked myself up and reached out.
"Gonna just sit on your ass all day?"
"This isn't how things are done," Big Robbie said as he eyed my offered hand.
"I'm not your typical Butcher. I look out for my own."
The second most senior member of my gang stared at me for a long moment, looking for whatever it was he sought within my unflinching gaze. He must have found it, because he nodded and accepted my hand. Hoisting him up was trivial thanks to my enhanced strength.
Sabertooth whistled. "Damn, I've never seen someone earn his respect that fast before."
"Taylor did take a grenade for him." Fester sounded proud.
"An accomplishment nonetheless; he hated Quarrel," Damascian stated.
"Fuck you too!" Quarrel snarled.
"It was your own damn fault!" Ironsides bellowed.
I gave them a gentle shove to the back of my mind and walked over to what was left of Coil, picking his head up by his slackened jaw. I then targeted one of my bugs and teleported back into the VIP section; only Grue was startled by my arrival. Chrissie, however, had pulled her phone out and was happily taking pictures.
"You better ask her to send you copies, I bet you look badass as fuck right now!" Knockout yelled.
Alkaline nodded in my head. "Then you can forward them to the traitorous bitch along with a You're Next message."
And give her proof she can show the PRT? No thanks.
I walked over to a stunned Lisa and tossed Coil's head at her feet. "Satisfied?"
The Thinker stared at the Bond villain wannabe's remains for a long moment before kicking the head, sending it rolling across the room to the feet of the little grenadier. To my surprise and horror — not that I could show it, the Teeth were already cheering — the girl reached down and picked up the lump of meat and bone, staring into the lifeless eyes.
"You deserved so much worse, but this was the safest choice," Dinah murmured, barely audible to my enhanced senses above Chrissie's laughing. When the girl turned her gaze to me, there was a weight to her eyes that nobody her age should have. "84.627% chance he would have hurt me again if I had done nothing."
"Damn, this girl is hardcore as fuck!" Pyro cheered.
"You just like her because she blew him the fuck up," Fester replied, though I could tell that she was just as pleased with this turn of events.
Even Ironsides was… less annoyed than usual. "To be fair, I think she impressed most of us with her display."
I shrugged, forcing my horror at the situation out into my bugs and sending them skittering in circles. "If anyone had a right to his life, it was you or Tattletale. So what next? You walked into Teeth HQ plotting murder. Did you have a plan beyond explosive vengeance?"
In the silence following my pronouncement, Dinah grinned and dropped another bombshell. "94.713% chance I stay safe if I join the Teeth."
That caught me so off guard that my mouth moved before my brain. "Not with the heroes?"
"Dumbass!" Butcher hissed.
"After your recent discovery —" "You of all people should know better now!" "The PRT is full of shit and you know it."
They were right, of course, but now was really not the time to delve back into that disaster. Yes, yes, mouth worked faster than brain, now shut it.
Dinah scoffed. "21.842% chance I would have been safe with them. And even when they could keep me safe, it was by locking me in a gilded cage."
"Ouch," Sanguine said.
Damascian just nodded slowly. "An unfortunately believable future."
"That's putting it mildly," I agreed softly, then gave Dinah a smile. "Well, the Teeth welcome you with open arms. Did you have a cape name in mind?"
"Come on Toothsayer!" Sabertooth tossed out as a bet.
Butcher dissented immediately. "Nah, a girl like her deserves a badass name, not some Baby Tooth shit."
"Omen," Dinah said firmly. "And I'm keeping Coil's skull as a trophy."
My eye twitched as both the Teeth and their former leaders roared in approval.
"Yeah, she's Teeth material all right," Chrissie cheered. "Come on Omen, let's go claim you a room!"
As Chrissie led Dinah off, it seemed to shock Grue back into motion, and his body language screamed 'fucking terrified.' Still, his voice was admirably level as he declared, "You can keep this crazy, staying a villain isn't worth it."
Marauder chuckled. "He's gonna be pissed when he sees all the crazy in there."
Sanguine nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe he and —"
Enough, we aren't dealing with that right now.
"Hey, some of us have bets riding on it!" Alkaline complained.
My swarm moved, cutting off Grue's exit, and he spun around in surprise. "Just remember the Rules. You keep to them and we'll do the same."
His shoulders dropped. "I won't reveal any identities nor confirm whatever suspicions they might have. I'm not suicidal, and I refuse to put my sister in danger."
"Good luck…" Lisa called out, "please take care of yourself."
"You too," Grue said, then he left.
Alec turned over his fourth shot glass and gave Damien a mirthless smile as my nominal second in command wobbled under the effects of the Tinkertech alcohol I'd discovered hidden within Damascian's workshop. The crowd cheered as Alec was declared the winner. It was a true Teeth party after all, new members were to be celebrated. Tonight, that meant that we were throwing a rager the likes of which I had never personally seen.
When I had gone down to change into more normal clothes, I had also swapped out the marinara sauce within my hammerspace for the whisky that was only (barely) legal within Scotland; even the export of it carried a steep penalty.
Talisker Super Reserve was no joke. Normally Sabertooth's regen was enough to keep a Butcher from getting more than tipsy, but this glowing liquid from the bowels of an alcoholic's idea of heaven? It would even get me wasted if I overindulged. Thankfully, whatever Tinker bullshit was in play prevented the onset of alcohol poisoning, because otherwise carrying the bottle into a party would constitute attempted murder.
"Imagine if you could die from it. How surprised would that fucker be to wake up with us in his head?" Sabertooth mused.
Which was why I was sticking to my wine coolers for casual drinking tonight. We had all taken a celebratory shot with the entire cape roster as a welcome to the new members, though Lisa and Rachel were refraining from anything further, despite Chrissie's insistence. Dinah, however… I had to ask Lisa to be the designated 'keep the precog far away from the alcohol' responsible adu— person.
Nobody wanted a drunk precog on the loose, let alone a drunk Dinah — I felt a shiver run through me at the thought. It wasn't helping that Dinah was making full use of her power to determine that we were only giving her non-alcoholic beverages, the cheeky little brat. I could already tell she was going to be an absolute terror, especially if the current game of blackjack was anything to go by.
"This girl is amazing!" Pyro cheered.
Stratego had spent most of the night lamenting about how amazing the girl's power must be. "It is unfortunate she will never be a frontline fighter."
"She could always off XV!" Butcher said happily.
Don't go killing me off just yet you assholes!
Said assholes laughed at me.
"Technically you wouldn't be dead, you'd just join the chorus," Sanguine reminded me.
Sabertooth began chanting. "One of us. One of us!"
Damascian, however, offered a concerning thought. "How sure of that are we? Given the unique nature of Taylor's abilities and how they interact with our own, it is entirely possible that she might stay in control following her inevitable demise."
The entire collective seemed to shiver at that thought, and I looked around for literally anything to distract myself from the reminder of what being the Butcher really meant. I found Damien leaning over the railing, watching whatever fight was happening below, and decided that now was as good of a time to talk to the guy as any.
After all, he was totally shitfaced.
"Hey," I said, walking over to the edge. A dark part of me found it amusing that he reflexively flinched, which was a perfectly natural reaction to any other Butcher finding the impetus to focus their attention on someone. The Butchers snickered, which was less than helpful, and I forced a smile onto my face. "I just want to talk."
"Sure, right," he said, steadying himself on the railing with one hand while sipping his glowing cocktail. "More bullshit rules or whatever? Going to send your fuckin' Thinkers after us for —"
"No," I said, cutting him off. "I realized that I don't really know you or the others, and Yuki's memories aren't a real substitute."
"Oh fuck off," the Butcher in question snarled.
Damien blinked at the use of my predecessor's name, but his face settled back into a scowl almost immediately. "Why do you care? None of the others did, not after inheriting."
I gestured back towards the common room where a number of younger capes were lounging around as the party raged on; Chrissie caught my gaze and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, then laughed when I blushed. "I'm doing a lot of stuff differently," I said quickly, turning away from my girlfriend. "I don't expect you to like everything, but I figured that you would appreciate how our fortunes are improving."
Damien chucked his empty glass into the arena, though the explosion of glass barely phased the two guys fighting below us. "I don't like sitting still!" he spat. "The Teeth roam around so that we don't get caught. Sitting here like ducks is just asking for fucking problems, and if we had to run, it's pretty obvious who you would go back to save. This… this is not how the Teeth work!"
"Has he always been such a whiner?" Chisel mused.
"Go fuck yourself," Quarrel retorted. "He's right. We should have gone back to Boston. Why the hell did you all tell the Tinker to come back anyways?"
As much as I wanted to know the answer to that myself, I was more interested in the fact that Damien was opening up to me, ever so slightly. "I wouldn't leave any of you behind," I said firmly, meeting the cloner's eyes. "The Teeth stick together, as we always have. Yeah, I tried to be a hero for a little while. Do you know why I came back?"
His response couldn't have been more bitter if he had spat out a mouthful of coffee grounds. "Why?"
"Because the Teeth were the only group that would accept me as the Butcher. I've been betrayed too many times in my life to turn around and do that to someone else." To my surprise, Damien flinched back at my tone, but I didn't bother to reign myself in. "We're staying here because we have a real chance to make the Teeth into something much bigger, and all I want is for you guys to stop fucking killing civilians! Is that so goddamn hard?"
A complicated series of expressions flashed over Damien's face during my little rant, settling on something marginally less unpleasant at the end. A clone exploded off of him and darted over to the bar, returning with a glass of something; all the while, he just stared at me like he had never seen me before.
"I'm not going to abandon you guys," I said firmly.
"Again," Marauder grumbled.
Oh fuck you. I never abandoned them! I just didn't immediately go to them. It's not the same thing at all, asshole.
Damien nodded once, turning his attention back to the fight, and I took the dismissal for what it was. Chrissie glomped me as soon as I sat back down on the couch, squirming onto my lap and making herself comfortable. "Lemme guess, he wants to pick up and go back on the road?"
"Something like that," I murmured.
"Don't take it personally," she said, giving me a peck on the cheek. "He complained about that nonstop until Quarrel smacked him hard enough to crack a rib. Dunno why he has such a stick up his ass."
My response was interrupted by Elliot yelling "Fuck!" and slamming his cards down.
Dinah however, was cackling as she pulled the pile of chips towards herself while shouting, "Mine, all mine!"
"Fucking Thinkers," complained one of the lieutenants I didn't know too well. The crowd however was loving it.
"Nah, little Dinah's not using her power for this," Lisa said with the full smugness of someone who was in on a secret. Her grin only grew wider. "She is however —"
"72.473% chance you spend the night in agony if you finish that statement."
"And my lips are sealed," Lisa said, stepping hastily away from the table. She joined Chrissie and I on the couches, though she didn't opt to join in on our little snuggle pile. Chrissie did an admirable job of hiding her disappointment, though I suspected that we would need to have a long discussion on the topic, based on her teasing comments. If Lisa noticed (or cared), it didn't show on her face. "Is it too late for me to back out? Babysitting that girl is going to be the death of me."
"You could always ask her the odds of that happening." Chrissie supplied.
"And contribute to another Thinker's headache? No thank you," Lisa replied with a groan. "Mine get bad enough, so I can only imagine what it's like for a precog as powerful as her."
I winced. "I used to get those, so I can feel some sympathy for you both. Bug senses aren't pleasant to parse."
Lisa stared at me for a moment, her eyes widening as she did. "Pain nullification works on those? Oh, that just isn't fair!"
"Still debating on if it was worth the fourteen voices in my head," I retorted.
"Don't bullshit, you know you love us," Pyro said casually.
"It is amusing how things have progressed for Taylor," Stratego noted. "Her life continues to improve despite inheriting; quite the deviation from the norm."
"Huh."
I thought over how things had changed in my life over the past week. Sure, the PRT ambush had been horrible, but since then? I'd met Chrissie. I was dating Chrissie. The Trio would never bother me again; hell, I practically ran Winslow at this point. The Empire was bloodied, both Coil and the ABB were gone…
The Teeth were improving, ever so slowly. They were less prone to violent outbursts against the undeserving, and my policies on drug sales I had arranged with Todd should reduce overdose risk and keep the worst of it away from schools. (That the Merchants had once tried to deal to literal Kindergartners was sickening.) Hell, what I'd pulled with the Undersiders seemed to have improved most of their own situations as well.
Alec was living it up with our capes, seemingly content to just enjoy himself. Rachel was going to get backing to open a legitimate dog shelter and I was already considering plans to wipe out Hookwolf's detestable dog fighting pits. Lisa no longer had a gun held to her head like a Sword of Damocles.
I wasn't the Hero I always imagined myself as, but I was still doing good things. I would continue to do what I could to make the city a better place, even as the Heroes targeted me for being a villain. Well, they wanted a villain, so I'd be the best villain the Bay had ever seen!
"Someone's deep in thought," Chrissie said softly, nudging me in the side.
"Stratego pointed out how my life is improving since I inherited, and he wasn't wrong."
Chrissie sat up at that. "I would hope so, you met me!"
Lisa's eyes widened. "Damn, Chrissie — you were literally her first reason."
The Butchers laughed when I had to fight down a blush, but Chrissie just gave me a wide grin and batted at my shoulder. "Aww, such a romantic." She thought for a moment, and her smile widened. "You deserve something special for that."
"I do?"
"Hell yes you do!" "Don't fuck this up, Taylor!" "Seriously, how dense are you?"
"Yup." Her grin only grew wider as she got to her feet, pulling me up with her. She guided me across the room, a wide yet nervous grin plastered on her face as she stopped in the middle of the floor. She gestured something at the mook on the sound system, then she leaned in close just as the metal that had been playing cut out. "Dance with me, Tay."
"This is just so adorable and sweet that I could just —" Alkaline gushed.
"Puke?" Marauder spat, but Fester snarled at him.
"Shut up you unromantic fuckstick!"
As I stared at Chrissie like a deer in headlights, the music resumed. A waltz, one that tickled a few of the Butcher's memories.
"Waltz to the Moon!" Pyro exclaimed. "Okay, I'll admit, Chrissie has good tastes."
Chrissie's position shifted, allowing me to take the lead, whispering, "Where you lead, I follow."
I couldn't help but grin as I heeded the memories of the collective to sweep Chrissie across the dance floor, which had been cleared just for us. The moment felt like pure magic as I gazed into her eyes and she into mine. The moment couldn't last long enough, and when the song finally faded she snuggled up close to me in the silence that followed. I couldn't help the warmth and contentment I felt all through me.
Then the heavy metal kicked back on and the floor erupted back into a rave. Chrissie winked at me then broke out into her own take on dancing that left me feeling warm in a very different way.
Pyro nudged at her own memories of her club days and I couldn't help but take the 'fuck it' approach and joined my girlfriend in making a fool of myself for all to see. They didn't matter, all that mattered was her right now.
After a long evening of dancing and more drinking, I was ready to retire to my room and get some sleep. Chrissie was practically dragging me out of the room when my bugs picked up someone frantically climbing the stairs to the VIP box. I briefly considered leaving it to Damien, but he was three lines of coke in and the rest of my capes weren't much better.
"Noooo!" "The universe hates us." "Well, most of us are chaotic evil at best…" "Fucking karma."
Sighing, I freed myself of Chrissie, though she was somewhat less disappointed when I pulled her back to me so I could give her a quick peck on the cheek. "This will be quick," I murmured, and she nodded.
The runner arrived in short order, bending over to catch their breath. Behind him, my bugs could sense three others coming up the stairs: only two were in Teeth colors, but the third was vaguely familiar to me. I needed more bugs, but it would be faster to just let them finish the climb.
"Boss… problem," the runner gasped. "Hero…"
Sabertooth facepalmed. "Oh fucking hell, and they just let them in?"
Quarrel tisked. "Okay, I get it now. We need to drill these fuckers into the ground."
Chrissie didn't miss a beat as her forcefields began to swarm around her, which was impressive when you considered how drunk she was. I moved my bugs away to avoid too many of them from being sliced and diced, positioning them in the dark parts of the hallway to better ambush whomever was dumb enough to attack us here.
However, when I finally got a good look at our intruder, I couldn't help but snort. "Relax, she has an open invite," I declared as Amy Dallon stepped into our VIP loft ahead of her escort.
"Huh, well, I lost that bet," Ironsides grumbled.
"Mwahahahaha!" Fester cackled, having won a fair number of votes out of that.
I had to force down a chuckle of my own at the dumbfounded expression on the hero in question's face. Everyone else had practically frozen in the middle of whatever they had been doing — petting dogs (Elliot and Rachel), doing drugs (Alice and Damien), drawing on Alec's sleeping face (Lisa) — and the abrupt silence brought a sardonic smile to the healer's face.
"Not the reception I was expecting," Amy said acidly.
"Well excuse us, we'll roll out the bloody carpet next time ya bitch," Knockout said.
Something tells me it will be literally bloody.
"How else would we dye it red?" he asked and I mentally facepalmed.
"My apologies," I said, flashing Amy a lazy grin I didn't totally feel. "You can thank our newest member for everyone being on edge. She made an… explosive entrance."
Amy scoffed. "Something tells me that you're being literal."
"Correct," I said with a savage chuckle. "Omen certainly earned her place, that's for sure."
"Hell yeah she did!" Chisel said in a rare display of excitement. "First rate Teeth material if I ever saw one."
"You people are insane," Amy said with the glare I was coming to associate with her.
"She acts like that's a problem," Marauder snickered.
Chrissie dismissed her force fields and laughed. "If we are insane, what does that make you for walking in here willingly?"
Amy muttered something even my bugs failed to pick up then spoke louder. "Why is it that the crazy murder hobos are the fastest growing cape group in the Bay?"
"We're the only gay and minority friendly gang in this shithole of a city?" Chrissie offered.
"Pretty much, though I think four in a single day might be a record," I added.
Amy's entire body twitched at that. "You actually recruited the Undersiders?"
"Not the complete set," Lisa said as she handed Amy an empty shot glass. "But three out of four isn't terrible."
With a touch, I filled the glass with Super Reserve, and Amy gave me an unamused look. "What, was the pizza sauce not cutting it anymore?"
The Butchers burst into laughter in my head, and I did my best to keep my lazy grin steady. "Marinara, technically. I needed more for my mozzarella sticks." The chorus chuckled again when we noticed Lisa's eye twitch at that. She'd bitched about how her power likes to go off on tangents, and used the marinara sauce as an example of how it could do so.
"And who's fault is that again?" Chrissie asked, prompting me to poke her in the side right where I knew she was — "She squeaked!" "Yes!" "Dammit Tay! Tickles, my only weakness."
I hummed even as the chorus fed me ideas. "Only weakness, you say?" I delighted in the flash of panic that crossed her face as I activated my limited precog ability and pressed my attack. Chrissie was swiftly reduced to a hysterical mess on the floor as I sat atop her and attempted to drive her catatonic from laughter.
"Get a room," Lisa said with a roll of her eyes. "Think of the children."
"Like I haven't seen worse," Dinah added, watching as Chrissie cried for mercy. The spectacle didn't hold her attention for long, and soon the Thinker was back at her poker game. "Straight flush! Fuck yeah!"
"There is nothing straight about that flush," Lisa said with a shake of her head. "So what brings the heroic Panacea to our wretched hive of scum and villainy?"
"I'll admit, I'm curious about that too," Stratego mused.
Amy crossed her arms and glared at the assembled Teeth. "Well, it's your lucky day, because I'm not here to arrest all of you."
"So what, did you bring pizza?" one of the unpowered members yelled.
"Pretty sure that's the Wards' job," Lisa replied, and even Amy chuckled with the rest of the Teeth before schooling her expression back to her default glare.
"The only kind of pizza I would bring you assholes is hemlock." Amy glanced around the room once more, her eyes lingering for a moment on Dinah before focusing on me. "Taylor, right? You're in charge of these murderhobos? I want to talk to you… privately."
If Amy realized that she had walked into Teeth HQ, casually name-dropped the Butcher, and then expected me to just follow an outrageously dangerous Striker away from my backup, she certainly wasn't showing it. Oh, she was definitely nervous and wringing her hands, but none of my inherited instincts were triggering on her stance or demeanor.
"Boss, did she just —" Chrissie started, summoning another small storm of force fields.
I quickly waved her down. "No, it's fine. We've met in civvies, remember?" Looking back at Amy, I had to ask, "You didn't tell anyone, right?"
"Like it really matters," Alkaline said.
Amy shook her head, sending her frizzy hair flying. "I'm not sure why I listened to you, but… no, not even Vicky. But you said to drop by if I had questions, and —" Her stubborn façade broke for a moment, revealing an exhausted, lost and confused girl. However, before she could continue, Lisa wormed in next to me with a bottle in one hand and Chrissie in the other.
"Why don't we take this little mixer somewhere less… crazy," the Thinker said.
"You only quit because you were losing!" Dinah yelled, her threat somewhat lessened by the fact that she still sounded like a little girl. Amy did a double take towards the poker table, only to have Lisa dump the bottle in her hands and grab the healer's sweater in the other; I followed the rest of them out into the hallway and down to Chrissie's room.
"If you're taking me somewhere nefarious," Amy started in a threatening tone, but Lisa ruined the moment with a snort.
"Amy, you're the one who waltzed into our lair," Chrissie pointed out. The healer made a displeased noise, but didn't have any more commentary until we reached the door.
Chrissie wasted no time maneuvering me over to her beanbag chair and plopping down onto my lap, except this time she didn't bother with pretense and immediately snuggled up to me. Amy watched with a faint blush that deepened when she saw how Lisa was lounging on the bed, causing the Butchers to cackle with amusement when the healer chose to just stand awkwardly in the middle of the room and glare at us.
"What, not expecting something so normal?" Lisa asked, gesturing around Chrissie's room. "Or that the only gay friendly gang in the city is run by a lesbian teenager?"
"I'm pretty sure we're bisexual," Chisel said.
"I thought you said you were bi?" Amy blurted, then shook her head. "No, wait. That's not what I want to talk about. I want to know just what the hell you're doing here!"
"Here?" I asked.
Amy waved her arms around. "Yeah, here with the Teeth! You're a fucking hero, not some sort of axe-crazy monster, and you could be doing so much good with your power because you're clearly sane, I mean, you saved that girl and you didn't fight the Wards and… and…"
When Amy's little rant died abruptly, the other three of us waited in silence for a long minute to see if she would keep going. Instead, the healer just stared at me with faintly glistening eyes, and so I said, "And they tried to send me to the Birdcage."
The Butchers might have contributed something useful here, but they always became upset when anyone else talked about my heroic career. I muted their enraged ranting almost by reflex.
"I know," Amy spat. "I'm not totally sure they were wrong. I just —"
"It doesn't make sense to you," Lisa said suddenly. "Because the Butcher can't be a good person, right? She can't just be a teenage girl in way over her head, desperately trying to find a way to use her powers responsibly while doing her best to reign in the Teeth, because that would mean that nothing is as simple as you were taught."
"Yes! No! I don't know!" Amy yelled, spinning on the Thinker. When Lisa's response was to stretch provocatively the bed, whatever Amy was going to say next came out in a garbled, blushing mess. "It's — I don't, I mean… Vicky, heroes — stop that!"
Lisa and Chrissie both burst into laughter, with the latter ruffling my hair fondly. "What is it with these sexy Teeth capes seducing perfectly good heroes?"
"This is what I mean! You seriously threw your heroic career away over a pretty face!" Amy continued, gesturing at us. "Now, you're… just sitting there; being cute and cuddling and shit… she's the goddamn Butcher! And you're just —"
Chrissie kissed me, loudly. Amy nearly choked.
"Why don't you sit down," Lisa offered, tugging on Amy's sweater. The healer just let herself get dragged along before limply flopping down onto the bed, only for Lisa to start scratching her back. "The thing that no one ever tells you about villains is that we're just people, too. Some of us have scary powers, some of us were abused by the system, some of us have really god awful parents…"
"Isn't that the truth," Fester spat. "Stupid heroes."
"The indoctrination is strong," Damascian agreed, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Those aren't excuses," Amy said, but there was no heat in her words. On my lap, Chrissie gave me another supportive squeeze. "Why did you go back?"
It was clear that Amy was talking to me. "Because no one else would have trusted me again. Everyone knows that I'm destined to eventually go crazy, and no matter how much good I would have done as a hero, it would never have completely convinced people. My power scared people, and when people get scared, they do dumb things."
"Yeah," Amy said weakly, trailing off.
"For example, I know exactly how your power works," Lisa said, only for Amy to nearly fall over in her attempts to get away from the Thinker. Chrissie made a confused noise but a quick hand on her arm and a murmured "No" kept her quiet while Amy panicked.
"Oh fuck, I don't —" Amy yelled, almost falling off the bed until Lisa grabbed her arm. She froze at the skin contact, allowing Lisa to pull her back up. "You… huh?"
Lisa set Amy back upright and resumed scratching her back. "Look, Panpan, it's pretty obvious that you came over here to confront Taylor, except that you had no actual plan. You're confused about what it means to be a hero, you're happy that the Teeth are fighting the Empire, and you're scared about what the heroes tried to do to Taylor because they were scared of her power."
"How can you touch me, knowing what I could be doing to you?" Amy had tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.
"Because you're like Taylor in a lot of ways — so much power that everyone is rightfully terrified of, but the desire to only use it for good things."
Amy choked out a laugh. "She ate people with her power, are you suggesting I do the same?"
"If the right people get in your way?" Lisa shrugged. "Why not?"
"You can't tell me if the Nine came calling, that you wouldn't turn Jack Slash to goo if given the chance."
Lisa glared at Chrissie for butting in, and I glared right back. "She has a point. Acceptable targets do exist. I didn't cry for Coil, and I won't cry for Kaiser either when I finally have the excuse to put a blade through his heart."
"No one… no one seemed to care that they killed my Aunt Jess," Amy said quietly. "They broke the Rules and nobody lifted a finger in retribution. Is that not enough of an excuse?"
"I told you we should have killed Allfather!" Pyro shouted.
Butcher scoffed. "At least we actually fuck up the Nazis we fight!"
"One could say we're even heroic!" Alkaline cheered.
"Carrying out our sworn duty as Americans," Sabertooth agreed.
Knockout nodded. "Kicking Nazi ass, and chewing bubble gum."
"Tis a slippery slope, punching Nazis," Ironsides said sagely.
Then Marauder cheered. "Good thing we love water slides!"
"Right," Lisa said. "Do you drink? Because I have a story to tell you about your family, and I think that you'll want a drink."
Amy gave me an appraising look, regaining some of her inner fire. "Yeah, I think I'll need it." Lisa handed Amy the bottle, and the healer took a sizable swig before meeting my eyes. "So, which of the Butchers was my mysterious parent that Carol refuses to talk about?"
There was a beat of silence in the room as everything stopped, including all the voices in my head, only for the silence to be broken by Lisa cackling like a lunatic.
Author's Notes:
FS: thanks to MorDraka for help on Spree's trigger event
Pen: I have been wanting to get to the Dinah reveal since before we posted chapter 1. Goddess it feels great for her to finally be a part of the main cast! Look forward to 3.2 next week, as everyone deals with their hangovers and just wtf happened the night before!
(And before people ask, no, Amy hasn't joined the Teeth here)
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Pendragoon
Apr 15, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
Apr 22, 2022
#7,869
Sunday, April 17th 2011
The morning after my most interesting night with the Teeth so far found Chrissie nursing an Irish coffee on the couch in an attempt to banish her hangover while I strummed away on an acoustic guitar. Chisel's memories guided my fingers as I plucked away at the opening chords of Thunderstruck, filling the lounge with music that seemed to calm even the Butchers. It was relaxing in its own way to simply enjoy a peaceful morning with my girlfriend, even if it was nearly noon.
Between Chrissie and the guitar, I was doing my best to avoid thinking about everything from last night. Amy's sudden appearance and ensuing mental breakdown had been uncomfortable, to say the least, and I was still blushing about the responses from the Butchers about her awkward question. Thank fuck Lisa had been available to help, because while I could see how Amy had convinced herself that one of the Butchers had been her parent, I really had not wanted to see the flood of memories the others had metaphorically unleashed to see if it was true.
So, while I had retreated into my workshop, Lisa had set about correcting the numerous errors in Amy's so-called 'upbringing,' starting with the fact that Amy was the Marquis's daughter, which came with a lot of Amy yelling almost incoherently, and ended with Lisa giving Amy an awkward hug. Luckily, my predecessors had been too amazed with the thought of Marquis having a kid to complain about me giving Lisa and Amy some privacy to talk.
As much as we all hated to admit it, Carol Dallon hadn't been wrong — if that little nugget of information got out, all kinds of people would be coming for Amy's head, despite her being Panacea. Several of the Butchers were demanding I claim her for the Teeth now, even if she wasn't willing to join.
"It's just a matter of time," Knockout mused. "Her old man was a hell of a criminal."
Fester rolled her eyes. "Implying what? That villainy is genetic?"
"Didn't you mutilate people for having a Y chromosome?" Sabertooth asked, trying and failing to sound innocent. That triggered an immediate shouting match that I pushed to the back of my mind. I switched songs, still somewhat awed by my inherited dexterity as my fingers smoothly rolled over into some Queen.
After Chrissie dozed off the night before — which took longer than it should have thanks to the lengthy history lesson among… other things — I settled into my workshop and took stock of all my ongoing projects while also keeping an eye on our newest member. To my surprise, Dinah had actually followed my directions concerning (no) alcohol and had held her own against the Teeth that tried pushing and prodding her. I wasn't totally sure if she was aware of the swarm protecting her just out of her sight, but the Teeth that looked stupid enough to try something with the girl certainly noticed.
My most successful project currently was actually my own; silk production was running at full speed, with Chrissie's new undershirt and pants approaching completion aside from some minor touches. I had been collecting every widow I encountered for the last week just for this production line, and the room housing my spiders was apparently terrifying enough that almost none of the Teeth dared to venture into that section of the basement anymore.
"You should order them to clean it as a punishment detail," Chisel suggested.
Marauder laughed his undeniably evil laugh, which was all the more strange as he agreed with Chisel. "You could have so much fun fucking with them if you did that!"
On the actual Tinker side, I had crafted up a couple dozen new arrows and performed maintenance on all of my guns, including the minigun… though I was still reluctant to actually use the enormous thing due to the lethality it brought to the field.
Butcher scoffed. "Pussy, you've killed before and you've ordered plenty of deaths by now, get over yourself."
"Coil's men practically don't count," Alkaline spat. "None of them were innocent by any stretch of the imagination, so if you're going to get all bent out of shape over murder, at least make it someone worthwhile."
My fingers slowed for a moment on the guitar. While I hadn't actually killed any of Coil's men myself, my bugs and tactical Thinker powers had functionally consigned them to death. A part of me knew that I was supposed to be much more concerned with what had happened, and my role in the raid… but in the moment, that had been swept aside by a flood of anger upon seeing Coil's operation.
Even before becoming Butcher XV, I had a temper. Channeling that anger and frustration into something useful had been a major component of why I wanted to be a hero; now that I was a villain, the only thing that had changed was that no one cared if I worked my anger out on other villains.
Except me.
"Well, and the people you feed to your bugs," Sanguine added unhelpfully.
"They don't care for very long," Ironsides retorted.
I shook my head and focused back on my playing, ignoring the other jibes from the chorus. We all knew that they enjoyed it when I lost my temper, and while I appreciated their help with the Teeth, I wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. I had even managed to avoid killing Emma and Sophia, and it was hard to imagine something being more infuriating than them.
Sometimes it was just all too easy to be the Butcher, rather than Taylor. That thought alone would have kept me up at night if I wasn't already a Noctis cape.
The rest of my evening and early morning had been occupied with a computer and a folder of Lisa's correlated intel on the Empire targets. She took my scouting information, along with Coil's vast network of informants, and refined it even further. From there, I used Stratego's power and my own mock trials on the miniature Brockton Bay to devise a list of targets, roughly sorted by how difficult it would be for a squad of unpowered Teeth to defeat. Chisel had nearly died laughing when she pointed out the similarities to my improvised system and the PRT's threat rating.
Once compiled, I wrote them out neatly on cardstock and pinned them onto a cork board made to resemble a fantasy tavern's quest board — Alkaline's idea, from a tabletop game she had played while alive. I hoped that this would cut down on the general bitching from my capes about my school life, and give the Teeth something to do before they fucked us all over.
"It's a fun idea at least, and should keep them amused for some time," Sabertooth said.
Even Ironsides was begrudgingly happy with the idea. "It was smart of you to list the expected hauls as well as the general dates and times that pickups and deliveries were made."
"Good tactical information is vital to such plans," Stratego agreed.
I glanced at my cell phone, perched on the edge of the couch so it didn't get in the way while I played. Dad had been… less than pleased to discover that I owned it, but it had been necessary when I expected the PRT to show up at my house following my altercation with Emma and Sophia. Two days later, they still hadn't tried anything; and while I hoped that the PRT had been scared into silence, it was technically possible that Dad had simply not called.
"Taylor, if your Dad trusted the authorities that much, would he have armed the union so heavily?" Chisel murmured.
"Not that the authorities exactly give a shit about union members either," Fester spat. "Your mom would have been right there with them, throwing Molotov cocktails."
"It's far more likely that the PRT simply does not wish to provoke you," Damasican pointed out.
"Just look at the carnage you cause as a part-time Butcher!" my namesake cheered, and I smacked him away.
It still worried me that one day I would come home and walk into an ambush — which was silly given my myriad abilities that made that almost impossible — but I had to remind myself that my omniscience was only as good as I was vigilant… and I had messed up before. It was possible to catch me unawares with proper setup, and what better place to ambush me than in my own home?
I almost wished that the PRT had gone to Chrissie's house, as I'd told Dad that I would be spending the weekend with Chrissie's family, doing the whole meet and greet with them and would be back home after school on Monday. I felt bad about misleading him, but it wasn't technically a lie.
The Teeth were her family in every way that mattered.
They were horrific, dysfunctional shits, but they were all Chrissie had before I came along. Her parents could only hope that I never met them in person, because I didn't think I could show mercy to the vermin that had driven my girlfriend to trigger then cast her out to die. That was a reckoning that would have them praying for a salvation that would never come, because the Butcher had come to collect.
I took a deep breath and ignored the awkward twang of the guitar as my fingers reflexively tried to form claws. Part of managing my temper and the siren call of the Butcher's power was to not think about how nice it would be to set Chrissie's parents on fire.
"It's so sweet when you plot murder for the one you love," Alkaline said affectionately.
"Truly, nothing is sweeter," Marauder added.
There are fates worse than death.
"Oooo, look at our little baby Butcher, she's growing up so fast!" Fester said, wiping away a tear.
Jackass.
My bugs picked up movement in the hall, by the rooms our newest members had claimed, which couldn't be Rachel as she was several blocks away, walking dogs. I had only known Alec for a few days, but I was completely unsurprised that he was still snoring up a storm, passed out on Michael's couch with another (probably stolen) TV displaying the menu for some game.
I was surprised by Lisa, who was still in her bed with a certain grumpy healer curled up next to her. The pair had stayed up late discussing things I had intentionally not overheard, and while Lisa had occasionally ventured out for food or drinks, Amy had sequestered herself in the Thinker's admittedly much-cleaner-than-Teeth-standard room.
That meant the movement belonged to —
"Our newest little terror!" Butcher exclaimed.
"They corrupt so fast," Sabertooth added, wiping a metaphorical tear.
"Good morning, Dinah," I said as the pre-cog wandered into the lounge. She grumbled something resembling a greeting as she made a beeline straight for the coffee, pouring herself a cup and drinking it down before topping it back off and joining us on the couch.
She met my eyes for a long moment, and I was not prepared for the weight in her gaze. No twelve year old girl should look like she peeked into hell, cape or no, and I had to fight down the urge to toss the guitar into a corner and pull her into a hug.
I couldn't help but wonder if I also looked a decade too old.
Dinah ruined the moment with a grumbled, "Your idiots can't play cards for shit."
Chrissie snorted, only to clutch her still-throbbing head. "People have rarely joined the Teeth because they were smart. Well, not before Weaver, at least."
"Just because we picked up two Thinkers —"
"It's inconceivable that they would have joined under Quarrel," Damascian said snippily.
"Fuck you!" Quarrel snapped.
"That isn't —"
"In fact, the last time the Teeth recruited a Thinker was when I was in charge," Stratego said.
"I wonder why," I murmured.
"Tay, you're talking to them out loud again."
"That loser? Is he even worth mentioning?" Sanguine mocked.
I groaned. "Just discussing the last time the Teeth had Thinkers."
"Oh, ancient history is one of my favorite subjects!" Dinah said with a level of cheer that had to be faked. Cheeky brat.
"It most certainly is forced," Chisel chimed in, only for Fester to follow up with, "The girl's projecting, hard. She'll need support, and soon."
I sighed, because that was going to be fun to deal with, and pawning off that responsibility on Lisa wasn't fair to her. "Stratego picked one up in New York shortly after the exodus."
"Crackpot?" Chrissie asked, I nodded. "Yeah, Big Robbie had some funny stories about that one. He died two weeks after being recruited."
"What of?" Dinah asked.
"Lead poisoning."
She frowned. "That shouldn — oh."
"Yup, mouthed off to the wrong fucker and got capped for it."
Interestingly, Dinah didn't look all that worried. "Note to self, ask the question before I mouth off."
Chrissie nodded. "Good idea. We might need you to do the same for Tattletale too. Bitch doesn't know when to shut up."
"Rachel seemed quite taciturn to me," Dinah noted.
"Wrong bitch," I said with a smirk — the chorus was loving the byplay and kept adding in their own bits. "Speaking of, I need to get with her and figure out exactly what we're going to do with all of Coil's shit, nevermind actually plotting to overthrow the Empire."
"Can it wait until after I've had my coffee?" Lisa muttered from the doorway. "Amy kept me up most of the night."
That prompted me to take a closer look at the freckled blonde who, while flushed, lacked that particular look about her that the Butchers were all too familiar with. That didn't mean I wasn't going to tease her mercilessly.
"Lisa!" Amy yelled from down the hall, running to the door. "Stop implying something that didn't happen!"
The Thinker frowned. "But you did keep me up all —"
"Talking! We just talked. Stop putting things in my —" She cut off at Lisa's insufferable grin, then let out an adorably angry growl. "You're doing it again!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lisa ruffled Amy's hair before sauntering off towards the coffee pot. It didn't escape anyone's notice that Amy was very attentive to Lisa's flaunting retreat.
"At this rate we may as well rename the Teeth to Lustrum 2.0," Fester teased.
"I'm game to firebomb some Nazis," Marauder said.
"She did know how to throw one hell of a party." Butcher admitted, which was about the nicest thing I had heard him say about another person.
"I wonder, if we neutered Hookwolf, would it actually stick?" Alkaline asked.
I burst into giggles at the mental image the collective summoned at that remark; Hookwolf in a cone. When everyone gave me an odd look, I just pointed at my head and waved them off. Chrissie rolled her eyes and returned to her coffee, and once I got my giggles under control, I switched over to playing some Metallica while wishing I had an electric guitar to do it justice.
"You have the money, just buy one," Chisel said, rolling her eyes.
What, not going to ask me to steal it?
"Support your local music shop!" she yelled, surprising me with the vehemence in her voice. "They struggle enough as it is, don't add theft to their troubles."
"It's the same reason the Teeth never steal Warhammer miniatures or literature," Sanguine added.
Do our minions actually respect that?
"As much as they respect anything else," Ironsides said.
Stratego rumbled in amusement. "It's a delicate balance, but if you smash up your local pub or game store, where are you going to unwind?"
Huh, I'll be sure to mention that next time they get bitchy about not being allowed to hurt civilians.
Amy flopped onto the sofa next to Lisa, nursing her cup as if it were the nectar of the gods. Not that the description was too far off with how expensive the blend was, as the cape lounge got all the perks. She then swiped a pastry off the table that absolutely wasn't stolen from a Dunkin' Donuts.
I continued to strum as we enjoyed the relative calm of the HQ while most of the minions were still passed out. The peace wouldn't last, of course — people were already beginning to stir here and there, but we would enjoy the reprieve all the same.
A subtle vibration drew everyone's attention to Amy, where she had taken her phone in a white knuckled grip.
"It's Carol," she said softly; the terror in her voice sent a spike of rage through me.
Before I could act on that urge, Lisa swiped the phone and answered it. "Hello?" She affected a shaky voice, sounding like she had just woken up.
"Oh, this girl's good," Fester said approvingly.
"Who the hell is this?" the woman, whose voice was quite familiar, demanded.
"Fucking Brandish!" "That arrogant cunt!" "The raging bitch!"
Amy looked aghast at what was unfolding as Lisa kept her at arm's length.
"M' Lisa," she grumbled, "You don't have to scre—"
Brandish barreled ahead. "Why do you have Amy's phone? If you're looking for a ransom…"
"Wha? All I did was — shit, you're her mom."
"I am, and you cannot comprehend the amount of trouble you're in."
"You have no idea," Lisa muttered where Carol wouldn't hear her. "Okay, first thing. Amy's cute ass is in the shower, so you'll have to wait until she's out. Second, I thought she told someone where she was going last night."
"She didn't tell me anything!" We all winced at Brandish's booming voice.
"Alright, just calm down. Nothing nefarious is happening, but it isn't my place to tell you anything more."
Amy was practically pleading for the phone when Lisa winked at her. "She just finished, here she is!"
As Amy took the phone hesitantly, Lisa leaned in and kissed her on the nose, eliciting an adorable squeak out of the healer that was absolutely heard on the other end of the call. Amy glared at the blonde Thinker while she just basked in her own superiority, even if I could see the forming blush thanks to my bloodsight.
"C— Carol?"
"Starlight blue," Brandish snapped out.
Amy groaned and pinched her nose. "Vicky's eighth birthday party. Happy now?"
"No Amy, I am not. You disappeared from the hospital, worrying us half to death. Then, when the call finally goes through, an unfamiliar girl answers. How do you think that looked?"
"Bad?"
"An understatement if I ever heard one. For all I knew, the Butcher had you in her clutches!"
I gently elbowed a snickering Chrissie as Amy glowered at us. "Yes Carol, I'm currently having coffee and donuts with Weaver and the Teeth, would you like to speak to her?" Her deadpan snark was something to behold. "Seriously, I'm fine, I just went to a party last night."
I slapped a hand over Chrissie's mouth as she sucked in a breath to yell something. She began to lick my hand.
"She didn't tell a single lie, but damn, nobody would buy that," Pyro cackled.
"We'll need to corrupt her a bit, but she certainly has potential," Ironsides noted.
She came to us on her own, so I doubt we'll need to do anything special.
"Especially with Lisa around," Fester said with a mental smirk.
"A party," Carol said with zero inflection. "What sort of party is it that you had to sneak off to attend?"
Amy sighed, giving Lisa a searching look. She smiled back and took hold of Amy's hand, offering her a reassuring squeeze. Given what Lisa had told me Amy's true power was, that was a hell of a sign of trust she was offering the biokinetic.
"Wait, she could grow bones! Actual Skull Throne!" Butcher declared.
Sanguine became positively giddy with excitement. "With ethically produced blood fountains that won't offend Weaver's pussy morals!"
Amy took a breath. "The kind where I might have met someone. Or did the person answering my phone not clue you into that?"
I could practically taste the exasperation in Carol's reply. "You met someone." Well, it wasn't hard to see where Amy learned her legendary deadpan delivery from. "What is hi— her. Her name is Lisa. You met a girl."
"Y—yeah. We stayed up fairly late talking —"
"And only talking!" Lisa cut in.
"Not that you'll actually believe that, but it's the truth," Amy finished.
There was a long pause while Carol seemed to consider the admission. "Alright, we'll discuss this when you get home. I'm glad you're safe Amy, and try to keep it that way, alright?"
"Sorry I snuck off like that, I didn't give it as much thought as I should have."
Carol actually laughed at that, creeping out most of the older Butchers with the sound of it. "Sometimes I forget what it was like to be a teenager. No need to rush home, just try to be back before dark since it is a school night. Text me or Vicky if you need a pickup, I'll see you soon."
The line went dead, leaving the entire room in silence in the wake of the call. Lisa caught both my and Chrissie's eyes, shaking her head slightly where Amy couldn't see it. I didn't have any interest in getting involved in that shitshow, Butchers' opinions on Brandish or no, though I was surprised when Chrissie followed my lead and focused on her pastry.
"So, you and Lisa?" Chrissie asked Amy once she finished her donut.
The pair looked up in unison, then at each other, but it was Dinah who answered the question instead. "68.437% chance they'll be dating in two weeks. 84.721% chance in three weeks."
"What!?" Lisa squeaked. "But I… I'm not— I'm ACE!"
"The numbers never lie," Dinah stated, snatching another donut.
Chrissie chuckled and ran with it. "Besides, being ace doesn't mean you can't fall in love, or cuddle or even kiss."
"They're already holding hands," I pointed out, earning a sharp glare from my minion. "So lewd, and in front of a child too!"
"Oh my innocent eyes," Dinah deadpanned. "I have been forever scarred."
Lisa rolled her own eyes. "Yes, such horror you've witnessed. Taylor, I trust you'll take responsibility for your actions?"
"Of course!" I replied cheerfully. "Lisa, give Amy and Dinah rides home."
Lisa blinked. "How is that being responsible!?"
"I'm delegating."
"More like being lazy."
I shrugged. "Besides, I don't have a license."
"How many of your predecessors knew how to drive?"
"It doesn't matter, I'm the one being responsible here."
Lisa threw up her arms in exasperation. "You're a villain!"
"A responsible villain," I said smugly.
I grinned wide behind my mug as her left eye twitched, but the rest of the girls were doubled over in laughter, including Amy, which was nice to see after how broken she had seemed the night before. Even the chorus was howling along with them. Lisa threw her arms up in a huff then retrieved her phone and fired off a text.
"This is why you hire drivers," Lisa muttered. "I know Amy needs a lift, but what about you, Dinah?"
"Not going to cheat with your powers?" the littlest Tooth asked. I smacked Pyro for the nickname while she cackled. Lisa just waited patiently for Dinah's answer. "Fine. Much as I would love to move in here, I do have friends at school I would miss, which means I need to keep up my home life. My Uncle thinks I'm staying with one of them tonight anyway."
Lisa considered that, then shook her head slowly. "You aren't making this easy on yourself, you know that, right? You won't be able to keep this hidden for very long."
Dinah shrugged, though her body language was still tense. "The alternative is worse. I've run the numbers; if I join the Wards something really bad happens in the next two years. If I join the Teeth, the numbers shift dramatically and that bad thing just doesn't show up as often."
"What sort of bad thing?" I asked, trying to fight the growing sense of foreboding.
"No idea, just lots of people die. Now that I'm here, the numbers look better."
"How many of the Teeth die with you here?" Chrissie demanded. "We aren't just pawns here to keep you safe and cozy while everyone else dies for you! That shit won't fly with us!"
"People die. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Death is inevitable. I knew that there was a sixty percent chance my parents would die the day they did. Do you know what that's like?" The girl's confident voice finally broke, accompanied by tears in her eyes. "Knowing that the odds are in favor of that being the last day you get to see your mom and dad? Coil captured me because they… th-they wouldn't listen, and my parents died. Please don't repeat their mistake… I don't w-want to go through that again."
The four of us pulled the now sobbing girl into a crushing group hug as she just let it all out. Even as we held her, Lisa and I shared a discreet glance, Thinker to Thinker. While the Butchers were rightfully wary of blindly trusting capes, they had dealt with Accord for years and knew that Thinkers could do crazy shit, to put it lightly. Dinah's predictions were unnerving, to say the least, and while my gut reaction was to squeeze as much information out of her as possible, we didn't even know her limits much less the quirks of her power.
I shuddered to think what would happen if we groped around in the future, chasing better numbers that we didn't understand.
After a very cathartic group hug where many tears were shed, we eventually broke the circle and sorta stood around awkwardly for several moments, none of us seeming to know exactly what to do after such a vulnerable shared moment.
Lisa cracked first. She sighed — though it seemed less exasperated and more tired — before retrieving two smartphones and handing one each to Amy and Dinah. "These have my and Weaver's numbers preprogrammed into them, as well as a mook I pilfered from Coil ages ago who can be trusted if you need a discreet pickup. Also, Amy, I disabled the tracker on your personal phone and wiped the records server side. You're welcome."
Amy's eyes grew wide in panic as her breathing turned shallow. "Carol was tracking my phone?"
"All of New Wave, not just you," Lisa confirmed. "Their entire account went down and all data was lost due to an error. It shouldn't be too suspicious since every account on that cluster suffered a similar fate."
"Leave the personal phone at the hospital next time, got it," Amy deduced.
"That's my girl." Lisa said with a wink.
Off to my side, Dinah was muttering to herself and it seemed her earlier predictions had just been revised. I silently wondered if there would be a betting pool and how easy it would be to abuse such knowledge of the future.
"Aww, but we wanted them for the harem!" Alkaline complained.
I'm perfectly happy with Chrissie.
"What about Alec? He was cute," Pyro noted.
"He could hold his liquor too," Ironsides said.
Is sex, drugs, booze and food all you fuckers ever think about?
"Does Warhammer count?" Sanguine asked.
No. No it does not.
"That sounds an awful lot like Heresy," Butcher retorted, lacking his usual nastiness.
A cocaine habit would be cheaper and less addictive.
Funny enough, they didn't have a counter to that.
No sooner had Lisa left to take Dinah and Amy back home than Damien interrupted Chrissie and I, bemoaning that the coffee pot was empty. When he saw that Chrissie was seated on my lap, her arms around my shoulders, he realized the depths of his folly and turned to leave, only to come face to face with the new quest board.
"The fuck is this?" he asked, scratching his head to clear out the cobwebs.
I spent the next half hour explaining the system to him, followed by reexplaining it once Alice woke up and wanted her own rundown on things. For simplicity, I just woke up every fucking cape in the building and had them assemble for the lecture, because I had zero intention of repeating myself a fourth time.
Despite being woken up, everyone seemed excited by the concept of pre-planned raids, and they were clearly trying not to seem too excited while examining the cards. Hopefully, my idea would keep them busy for a few days and wouldn't lead to too many injuries amongst our own; I found I didn't give two shits about any injured or dead Nazis. It wasn't like they'd be adding to Amy's workload in either case, but I wasn't sure how she would feel about Teeth members showing up at the hospital.
Taking the opportunity offered by the other distracted Teeth, I abducted Chrissie back to her room. The disappointment was clear on her face when I told her to change into something a bit more presentable than her current oversized t-shirt and running shorts. She changed her mind rather quickly once she realized it was so I could take her on a date.
We were out the door minutes later, with Chrissie in gray jeans and a white and red t-shirt, while I wore normal blue jeans and one of the novelty shirts we'd bought in red and gray. As the Butcher, there was no point in trying to hide my affiliation — the Teeth were mine and I was going to own that as best I could without outright declaring it… at least for now. I hadn't forgotten about the hoodie idea but it was still too soon.
Our usual driver was still asleep, so we opted to take the bus instead, which brought its own fun as we headed deeper into downtown and into the heart of Empire territory. It started with a few double takes, then to outright staring as the other bus riders began to cycle through during our trip. Chrissie was snuggled right up against me as we both thumbed through our phones, occasionally stealing a kiss here or there.
We were making a scene, especially given the time of day. I'd timed it for just this reason, because tweaking homophobes' minds was always a treat and we were loving every second of it. Even the chorus was having their own fun, taking bets on how long it would take the other passengers to lose their shit over two teen gals being pals.
With Chrissie and my phone, the ride seemed to take no time at all, and from our stop it was only a short walk to our first destination on what promised to be an eventful tour of the Empire's finest establishments.
The Eagle's Nest was a very classy establishment, provided you ignored the less than subtle Nazi imagery. The greeter had no idea what to do with two girls who were making zero effort to hide their Teeth affiliation and he froze completely when Chrissie leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"Why didn't we think to try this years ago?" Chisel wondered.
"We were too busy attempting to claw out the throat of whoever was the Butcher at the time," Stratego reminded her, dryly.
See what you miss out on when you don't work together?
"Yeah, rub it in on how much better things are with you in charge," Quarrel grumbled.
Alkaline hummed in thought. "That doesn't mean we can't use this as a learning experience. Even if XVI doesn't share Taylor's ability to mute us, we can still work together instead of devolving into a raving mess."
"Us, learn?" Fester sneered. "There are too many dickheads in here for that to happen."
"Can we not get into the sexism shit again?" Ironsides pleaded.
I gave Fester a gentle shove because it really was an old argument at this point. Chrissie and I settled into a nice table with a clear view of the bar and began to peruse the menu. Considering the affiliation, I was disappointed at how bug free the kitchen and other food areas actually were. I was always unfortunately aware of how many bugs lived out-of-sight in restaurants thanks to my powers, and this was one of the cleaner places I'd been in since January.
"Not for long though!" Pyro cheered.
I began moving roaches into the walls and dark corners of the place, removing poison and establishing nests. Then I gave them all orders to multiply, which they would follow even after I left. Later I would have Lisa send a tip to a state or federal health inspector, because no doubt the local ones were all in the Empire's pockets.
I sent some bugs to provide overwatch while I eyed the skinheads at the bar. Bug vision was still shit but I was continuously improving my ability to parse the visual feedback of each variety of insect. Knowing the homophobic fucks that tended to end up employed by the Empire, I was fully expecting them to pull something with either our food or drinks.
Sure enough, the waiter wasted no time grabbing dirty glasses for us before filling them with tea and cola respectively. Then he added something to each glass and I couldn't help but sigh since the show part of the date was going to come well before dinner. Pity, the steak they had grilling in the back smelled amazing to my bugs.
"Your bug senses are weird as shit. How can you actually find anything they pick up appealing like that?" Sabertooth wondered.
"This coming from the guy that got off on eating ass," Pyro complained.
"Don't knock it till you —"
I slammed that entire conversation into the void before it could ruin my appetite further. The waiter had a pleasant smile plastered on his face, but my enhanced senses could pick up the sweat beginning to form, the elevated heart rate, the rush of endorphins. He was nervous as hell beneath his calm exterior.
"Your drinks," he said, placing them in front of us. I landed a single fly on Chrissie's straw before she could remove the paper wrapper. "Are you ladies ready to order?"
"Sure," I answered, casually flipping a page over. Damn, I really wanted that filet… "A sampler to start, specifically of whatever you used to spike our drinks."
It took a moment for the words to reach comprehension, but I didn't miss the sudden jackhammering in his chest as he turned to leave. We couldn't be having that, now could we? In one smooth motion I was on my feet and had an iron grip around his arm. Given my many Brute packages, he wasn't going anywhere.
The people seated at the bar were quick on the uptake, moving to intervene. I kicked Damascian's precog on before the first victim reached me, and had to force down my grin as the unlucky winner went to push me away, only for Chrissie's fist to shatter his nose first.
"Let's fucking go!" Marauder cheered.
"Rip and tear!" Butcher yelled.
"Blood for the blood gods!" Sanguine echoed.
A flick of my wrist shattered the waiter's arm, taking him out of the brawl. My danger sense pinged, pushing me to duck down and sweep one asshole's legs from under him before he could stab me, but then I had to block when his unbalanced flailing almost stabbed Chrissie. A wet snap of broken bone told me I might have gone a little overboard, but at the same time…
"Who gives a shit? They're Nazis!" Fester reminded me, voice giddy.
Chrissie and I fell upon the bar like the fury of their appropriated gods, snapping bones and breaking faces with our own toothy grins. During that week when I tried to be a hero, I didn't want to admit it, but taking out my anger and aggression on the gang fucks that were ruining my city?
That shit felt damn good.
So good, in fact, that I didn't even try to block or dodge when one of the idiots broke a chair over my head. Instead, I caught one of the shattered legs out of the air and smacked the bastard across his slacked jawed face. At that point, I was making it obvious I had powers to the few still standing and things would go to shit in short order if we kept this up.
Knowing that, I grabbed Chrissie and pulled her in tight before I hit the entire bar around me with a rage blast. I lacked the finer control that Marauder possessed, but I could direct it in a radius around me, which was enough to keep my girlfriend from being enraptured by the Shaker aura.
What was, seconds earlier, a fairly standard bar room brawl was now set to turn into a bloodbath, which meant it was time to bail. I slung Chrissie over my shoulder, causing her to squeak then break out into cackles as I shouldered my way through the Nazis, knocking two over on our way out.
"At least keep one of their skulls for the throne!" Butcher yelled as I hit the street.
In the distance I could hear the sirens and knew right then that they were more likely to side with the racists than us. Between our Teeth colors and this being firmly Empire territory, there was little hope that the police wouldn't be sympathizers at worst, if not full blown members.
It was a sad state of the city, but there wasn't much we could do about it until the Empire had been excised, root and stem. Even with my quest board, that would take time and planning, as my rival gang was firmly entrenched. Defensive drills would be needed, because the Empire wouldn't take the Teeth's aggression lying down. I needed to find out how willing Amy would be to make house calls, or if I needed to work with Alice on first aid applications of our blood manipulation abilities. I should probably bump that up in priority regardless — healing was just something that was useful all around.
A poke to my cheek jarred me from plotting city domination, and led to me staring down my now pouting girlfriend. "You were doing it again."
"Sorry," I said, giving her what I hoped was an apologetic smile. "Just taking stock of some of the stuff I need to do in the next few days, which could totally wait until after our date, I just —"
Chrissie cut off my rambling by kissing me full on, and in that moment I didn't give a single shit about who saw us. When she pulled away I knew my grin matched her own.
"Ready to continue?" she asked, I nodded. "Then lead the way, boss."
We were only two blocks out from my backup restaurant when I picked up a commotion down a side alley. Chrissie and I picked up our pace as I began to gather my swarm just to be safe. The Empire had too many active capes for my liking, and they occasionally could be found out and about.
We came to a stop at the mouth of the alley before a small group of skinheads as they hovered over a pair of teens they had been beating on. We stared at each other for a few moments, then Chrissie flatly stated, "Oh look, it's the Nazis performing a hate crime. Be still my lesbian heart, for I am shocked they could possibly dare to perpetuate such a thing in broad daylight."
I paused, glanced at my girlfriend a second, then tilted my head to the side as I asked, "Was... was that a thesaurus you were reading in bed last night?"
She sputtered adorably for a moment while muttering, "Shut up... I'm trying to impress you."
That was —
"Adorable," Alkaline stated.
"As well as kind of sexy, Annette would approve," Fester added.
Knockout rolled his eyes while flatly stating, "Can we please leave the cooing over our minion until after we kill the Nazis?"
We aren't going to kill them. The collective began to voice their disapproval only to be cut off. We're gonna fuck them up enough that Amy gets the pleasure of refusing them services.
That got the cheers I was expecting as Chrissie and I cracked our knuckles in anticipation of round two of our brawl date across the town. It was at that point that the teens the skinheads had been attacking looked up, and recognition blossomed on their faces. I recognized them as well, and the temptation to just walk away from two of the Trio's little followers was certainly there.
Luckily for them, I ranked Nazis a notch below bullies.
The racists were at least quick enough on the uptake, drawing a set of brass knuckles as well as a single, unsatisfactory knife. It was almost cute that they thought their puny weapons might work. Plus, I got to put on a further show that would no doubt spread across the rumor mill at Winslow.
Not that it really mattered at this point — Sophia wouldn't be coming back to Winslow thanks to how public her injuries were, and justifying why Panacea went out of her way for her would have been tricky knowing that I was in the school. Emma…
I could only hope that Alan would pull her from school after that. Since the PRT hadn't come for me just yet I could only assume she was keeping to her word, or the Heroes were too chickenshit to risk pissing me off.
"Go off on this tangent after you skin the Nazis!" Butcher roared, startling me from my thoughts.
With a sigh I walked right up to the larger of the two skinheads, never breaking eye contact as I did so and just daring him to make the first move. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't feeling particularly bold, so I kicked his knee, shattering it and dropping him to the ground. In the shock of the moment, Chrissie closed the gap and handily downed the second without much effort.
"I detest how easy this can be," Marauder complained.
"Eh, I don't really care. We're fucking up Nazis, that's all that matters," Sanguine added.
Chrissie brushed her hands off, then looped her arm through my own and we continued on our merry way, giving the pair of hanger-ons all the attention they deserved: none.
We had barely resumed our walk towards our next destination when Lisa sent me a text claiming it was urgent and could only be said in person. Chrissie was annoyed, but given everything going on and Lisa's power, if she was insisting it was urgent, it was. She knew better than to piss either of us off for sport, something even the senior Teeth were learning was unwise.
"When a Thinker insists something is urgent, you listen," Stratego sagely said.
Fester tsked. "She's interrupting Taylor's date. She's dead unless this is damn good and she knows it."
"Harsh, but not an unfair assessment," Pyro added.
I'm not going to kill her over some information that could have waited.
"We know," half the chorus answered in unison. "Chrissie will."
I wanted to offer a retort, but I could imagine a world in which Chrissie did exactly that. My girlfriend wasn't innocent no matter how you twisted the definition around. She was a hardened killer, but would she kill a fellow Teeth cape just for pissing her off? A dozen memories flashed through my mind of past Teeth capes doing just that and I had to bite back a groan.
At least Lisa had chosen a nice restaurant as a rendezvous point and offered to pay for whatever we ate this afternoon. I was totally ordering the most expensive option out of spite, then a second one just because I could. Desert too for that matter, because I was still annoyed about not eating at the first bar.
"See, you're just as pissed, you just don't want to admit it," Alkaline playfully said.
Okay, I could admit that much to myself at least, even if I didn't like doing so. Stepping inside, a man in a tux flagged us down immediately and led us towards a back room where Lisa was waiting, a pensive expression on her face. I ordered iced tea while Chrissie picked a bottle of the most expensive wine on the menu. Lisa winced at her choice even as my girlfriend smirked.
As soon as the waiter left, Lisa spoke up. "Alright, I'm absolutely one hundred percent sorry to interrupt your date like this and I know this doesn't make up for it, but this was important."
"You're right, it doesn't," I said, laying my annoyance on a bit thick, "but the meal is a good start, hopefully the rest of this is worth it."
Lisa nodded slowly. "Well, it isn't good news, but I felt it was important to tell you rather than you finding out later, even if it is breaking the rules."
The waiter returned and our conversation halted as a glass of wine was poured for Chrissie and myself; he didn't even ask for ID. From there we placed our orders and settled in with an appetizer platter of hard bread and various toppings. Chrissie and I were content to enjoy the food as Lisa floundered for her words, seeming to start, then stop on several occasions before she finally slammed her fork down.
"Okay, okay, okay. Just gonna rip this bandaid off and hope you don't kill me." She swallowed and then met Taylor's eyes. "Amy healed Sophia on Friday, at the request of the PRT."
"Fucking score!" Chisel cheered as several of the male Butchers cursed.
"That's reasonable," I said, biting into one of the weird croutons. "I guess Amy didn't want to bring it up on the off chance I decided to get my perfectly justified revenge on the PRT?"
A smirk grew on my face in time with Lisa's expression falling. "Wait. You knew!?"
"There was some betting from my predecessors, but I didn't know for sure until Emma punched me." The chorus took great delight in Lisa's gobsmacked expression as Chrissie did her best to not cackle. I, however, was just tired. "Honestly, when I figured it out, I wasn't even surprised, just… disappointed."
"Wait, does that mean the short shit is Vista?" Chrissie asked as she tried to catch her breath. "Holy shit, that's the best disguise ever!"
That got a snort out of Lisa as she suddenly had the full attention of the Chorus. "Wrong on that one."
"Not Vista?" "Who the hell is she then?" "She couldn't be…"
Silent laughter bubbled up from the dark as Reflex stepped into the light in full for the first time. "Browbeat is a Changer, and we know they can change size."
We all froze, partly in surprise from hearing the last hero cursed with this inheritance and partly from the absurd mental image.
"No fucking way." "It makes a sick sort of sense." "There aren't many other possibilities."
I did have to give Madison credit — she had put up a pretty good fight for a relatively new cape, and had gone into it knowing exactly who I was. It didn't make up for several months worth of government-approved bullying, but at least she had tried to apologize. Compared to Emma, she was practically a saint.
The waiter eyed us with some level of amusement as he placed our entrees down and retreated once more. A quick check with my flies and Lisa's power told us it was safe to eat, so rather than dwell on the most recent subject matter, we instead elected to eat our early dinner.
As we wound down, Lisa set her silverware aside and sighed. "Amy was planning to go public about a lot of things involving you, that's why I spoke to her in private last night. Well, one reason, anyway."
"That's how you ended up sleeping with her," Chrissie corrected.
Lisa gave her a sharp glare. "Amy's got a lot of problems, and I'm helping her deal with them as best I can, alright? The girl is one bad day away from becoming Butcher XVI, and not because she goes after Taylor specifically."
Chrissie held up her hands. "No need to bite, though I am into that."
"I'm trying to be serious here!"
"And so am I," Chrissie answered with a grin. "And I'm failing, and I'm sorry."
It was my turn to snort. "No you aren't."
She leaned in and stuck her tongue out at me, I took advantage of that and caught her in a kiss. Chrissie practically melted, even as Lisa made gagging noises at our display; we both flipped her off for it.
"Are you done?" Lisa asked when we finally broke apart, a bit breathless from our efforts. "I managed to dig up all the records Blackwell has on you and the three Wards. Turns out she was a paranoid bitch and kept a lot of records on a USB drive that wasn't on the network. A drive she forgot to unplug Friday afternoon. All of those files, plus a few of my own, were delivered anonymously to the former Madcap. Amy is fully prepared to back you up as either Taylor, or as Weaver in the event this blows up, which would be a huge PR win for us if she does."
I couldn't help but mirror the Chorus and whistle. "So we've got them completely by the balls at this point."
"I wouldn't go that far, but they would be hard pressed to fight back against a full on PR blitz with Thinker support backing it up. Keep playing softball with the Wards when you encounter them and even attacking the bitches out of costume can be spun to your advantage if they try to play that angle."
"That's good to know," I said, "I think it's best if they don't figure out that I know, otherwise they'll stop trying to keep me in the dark and focus on countermeasures."
"Quite right," Lisa agreed. "You are absolutely terrifying when you want to be, and when you aren't, it's confusing as hell. Play up the harmless angle by acting like a joke villain with the Wards. That pizza —" "marinara" "— sauce stunt was perfect."
Lisa was right, and a gigantic scandal involving the local PRT was yet another tool in my 'take over the city' toolbox. People knew what I could do — that was the entire purpose of releasing the Menja video, after all — but if I had a carefree and fun side and saved the dark vengeful side only for the deserving, for those like Coil…
Finishing off my entree, I began to contemplate dessert. Hey Quarrel, a thrown pie would count as a projectile, right?
The laughter that followed helped form the beginnings of a plan.
Chrissie and I decided to head home after lunch, but we ended up stopping off at a hole in the wall bookstore we'd walked past earlier. The owner eyed us warily until I dropped two twenties on the counter to calm his worries. While browsing the fantasy section the bugs near the edge of my range picked up a disturbance, and I immediately began to move my swarm in to get a better look at the situation.
"Speak of the red devil," Ironsides said.
Assault was fighting off something that my bugs were struggling to pick up fully; to most of their eyes and smells, there was nothing there. Landing bugs on them, they were person shaped, and seemed to be carrying spears. Crusader, then — Assault was fighting with an Empire cape.
I continued to gather my swarm while conducting reconnaissance, as I wasn't in costume and there wasn't much reason for me to jump into their business right now regardless. Chrissie and I had suffered enough distractions at the hands of villains today.
"But this is a Nazi to fight, which was half the point of going on a date in Empire territory," Knockout whined.
"This is also a cape fight between Nazis and heroes," Stratego pointed out. "Jumping in now would be ill advised."
No shit, the Empire would see it as an alliance, and the heroes would try to take me in… or something. I can do plenty from right here, thank you.
Even as I pointed that out, my bugs found Crusader's actual body, hidden on a rooftop nearby as he sent more ghosts to fight Assault. I found myself in a bit of a conundrum: I didn't want to do nothing, but I couldn't do anything too overt to tip the battlefield in Assault's favor.
Chrissie was pulling me over to the scifi section when I got an idea. A cluster of gnats was sent inside Assault's visor, forming up into a crude arrow towards Crusader even as a bee buzzed beside his ear. He spun, and my gnats moved with him, keeping the arrow on point. The book seemed interesting enough, so I added it to my growing haul. With my lack of need to sleep most nights, I was chewing through my 'to read' pile absurdly fast.
Assault began to bound up and around the ghostly forms of Crusader's power, working his way towards the hidden bigot. I was almost distracted by an absurd find that I simply had to stop and admire: an autographed first edition set of the Song of the Lioness Quartet.
No matter what Chrissie might have said, I did not squeal at finding a portion of my childhood, signed by the author no less! My own copies were gifts from Mom, and were certainly not first editions. It was unfortunate that they were practically falling apart due to how many times I had read them.
Then I saw the price tag and my heart sank. Fourteen hundred dollars was too much for books that I almost certainly would put on a shelf and admire instead of read. Still, it was cool as hell that such pristine copies still existed and that I got to see them.
"I've spent more than that on a single hit of coke," Sabertooth said, and I slammed him into the void for interrupting the moment. Thankfully the others got the message and kept to their usual background conversations that I could ignore easily enough.
"These books that good?" Chrissie asked.
"Oh you have no idea!" I said, surprised by my own excitement. As I explained how Alana traded places with her brother so she could train to be a knight while he pursued his own ambitions, Assault managed to reach the roof and sent Crusader flying by body checking him.
Chrissie was shaking her head but wearing a smile as I recounted how she met Faithful. Even the store owner had softened up upon seeing my enthusiasm for the series, and offered a bit of a story about his own daughter's experiences with the same. When I decided to move along and check the fantasy section again, Chrissie didn't follow; instead, she began to count out hundred dollar bills, fifteen of them, enough to cover the asking price of the books and a bit more to —
"Heh, now that's a nice number, wouldn't you say so?" Alkaline teased.
I sat speechless, even as my bugs watched Assault cuff the unconscious Crusader, hoisting him over a shoulder and leaping safely back down to the road. The hero kept looking around, and my bugs knew he was speaking to someone but I didn't have enough on hand to actually understand him.
"These can't be real," the storekeeper muttered, checking each bill against the light as well as using a marker to verify them.
"Oh they're real. Stole them fair and square from the Empire a few days ago!" Chrissie said with pride. "If my girlfriend gushed that much over those books, then she's gonna fucking get them."
The man behind the counter barked out a laugh at that and ceased his protests and counted the money out. Then he carefully packed the books for us and sealed the box before wrapping it in plastic and handing it to Chrissie, who then passed it to me.
I wasn't too much of a stoic badass to admit that I was tearing up as I pulled my girlfriend into a hug and kissed her.
Author's Notes:
Pen - Not much to say on this one, as there isn't too much in the way of the action here, and the plot will be a bit slower to hit the fan this arc, but it's coming and oh boy is it going to get chaotic fast once it does!
(SB had a single paragraph removed shortly after the first scene break for those looking for such things, some teasing that likely crossed the line.)
Last edited: Apr 22, 2022
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Pendragoon
Apr 22, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
Apr 29, 2022
#8,241
Wednesday, April 20th 2011
When I had become the Butcher on that night almost three weeks ago, I had never expected that it would directly lead to me almost enjoying school for the first time in two years. Sure, I had needed to visit violence and psychological trauma on my bullies while flaunting my power in front of the Protectorate, but the end result was that Winslow was now the closest I had ever seen it to a 'normal' high school.
As such, my opinion on lunch had been revised — an hour was definitely not long enough.
"You could probably get away with teleporting to that pizza shop near your house and bringing food back for the Teeth," Pyro mused as I watched Chrissie give our latest presentation in Gladly's class.
"The Butcher playing errand girl for a bunch of bratty kids," my namesake complained, and I gave him a shove for his trouble.
"There's a lot of mouths to feed around here, now," Sanguine reminded him, and I thought back to the early morning meet-ups that had become my new normal. More and more kids had been crowding around while the more senior Teeth smoked pot and filled me in on anything they thought was relevant. When I pointed out yesterday that there was probably a more reasonable way to meet everyone, it had been Charlotte of all people that offered to get things organized.
I didn't know what was more surprising — that the girl had stepped up, or that there were apparently enough people coming that we were meeting in a nearby park after school.
Polite clapping drew me back to the present, followed by an affectionate shoulder-squeeze as Chrissie passed by my desk. The Butchers wolf-whistled in my head, which I ignored, though Chrissie snorted in amusement at the blush that her touch prompted. "So, what did you think, Tay?" she asked after sitting down next to me.
"I, uh…"
Fester rolled her eyes. "Smooth."
"You weren't paying attention," she said with mock seriousness… that was undercut by a whisper of actual displeasure. "Something more important on your mind, I hope."
"Thinking about all of our new members," I murmured.
Chrissie's eyes lit up at that, and she nodded with obvious excitement. "Oh, okay. That's fine. Are you going to do the thing?"
My girlfriend had made a very good observation — while the new Teeth we were recruiting here at the school appreciated the protection, they really didn't have any direct connection with Weaver as an entity. Sure, some of them knew me (all of them knew of me), but I didn't want to just be some larger-than-life figure that dispensed bees and judgment. The cube necklaces helped with that, in addition to keeping them safe, but I wanted to do something a bit more personal.
"Yeah," I said, patting the smooth, cell phone-sized lump of brass from my workshop that was weighing down my pants. "I won't have time to do all of them."
"That's fine," Chrissie said, bringing her voice down to a whisper when Gladly shot us an annoyed glance. I simply raised my middle finger and dared him to do literally anything for the first time that year, and unsurprisingly he looked away first. The rest of the class passed in the same vein, and before I knew it, we were walking into the lunch room.
"Well, shit," Alkaline said, looking at the rather large collection of kids hanging out around the Teeth table. "Your little minion has been busy."
"None of them are good in a fight," Marauder grumbled.
Charlotte gave me a little wave as Chrissie and I approached the table, and I was surprised to see that she had taken the spot of honor next to my usual seat. With her recruiting efforts, the quiet girl had enjoyed a much more pleasant reception among the other Teeth; it made things much less awkward.
As I sat down, I spoke carefully to avoid being tongue-tied. "So, it has come to my attention that I don't know half of you half as well as I should like."
"And you like less than half of you half as well as you deserve?" a skinny boy at the end of the table said, almost reflexively. When I shot a glance his way, he held up a hand over his mouth in obvious fear.
The Butchers laughed, and I doubt it was due to the quote. "Just so. Well, as we have seen a rush of recruitment lately…" Chrissie reached over my shoulder and patted Charlotte on hers. "I have something I would like to give you all." With a flourish, I pulled out the block of brass, setting it next to my lunch on the table in front of me.
A quick glance around the lunch room revealed no visible onlookers, so I proceeded to use Chisel's power on the metal. I was reminded how unusual it was for most people to see parahuman powers at work when even the older Teeth kids' eyes locked onto the pair of tiny bees that were rising out of the surface.
"Why not wasps?" Sanguine asked.
Dunno, this is just what came to mind first.
"You should give them knives instead!" Pyro cheered, but Damascian huffed in displeasure.
"They will lose such a gift immediately, and with Taylor's luck, they'll end up in the hands of our enemies."
Once the last details were etched, I lifted them off with careful fingers and offered the pair to Charlotte. "Here, you get the first set. A reward for all of your hard work recruiting people."
"I… uh, wow, thank you," Charlotte said, taking the jewelry from me with an awed expression. She held one of the earrings up and examined it carefully. "This is amazing."
"You're welcome. Fred, you're next."
The boy in question cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, sure, boss…"
It took me a second — and the Butcher's snickers — to realize that his ears weren't pierced. I rolled my eyes at the byplay and held up my hand. "I can do rings, too."
The rest of the school day passed mostly without incident, and before I knew it, I was following a small crowd of teenagers out of the main doors of Winslow. The group swelled to more than a hundred kids by the time it reached the sidewalk and started trailing down towards a nearby park, drawing baleful gazes from more than a few people on our way out.
"Aw, the poor little skinheads, all they can do is pout," Alkaline sneered.
"Be aware that they may call their superiors," Stratego pointed out.
Noted.
My own attention was on Madison, on the far side of the courtyard from us. She had a pained expression on her face, and looked somewhere between wanting to start a fight and wanting to throw up. Even lacking the other two members of her usual entourage, memories of Sophia's pained squealing on the floor of the bathroom resurfaced all the same. I met Madison's eyes for a moment, then turned and followed my Teeth before she could do something stupid.
I found Chrissie waiting for me by the entrance to the park. "So, boss, what's the plan here? Going to hand out more trinkets?"
"Eventually," I said, grabbing her hand and accompanying the last stragglers towards the pavilion Charlotte had indicated. Miraculously, it was still standing, although there was plenty of graffiti on the wooden beams supporting the roof. "I'm sorry I didn't get you something, too."
Chrissie laughed, then hugged me tight. "You're remaking my costume, and that's way more awesome. Besides, it's nice to see kids showing the flag, you know?"
I did know — it was a rather surprisingly nice feeling to see the little glints of brass among the small army of Teeth-hopefuls we had assembled, and not just because it was fun to use Chisel's power. The strange new peace that had settled on Winslow didn't just benefit me, it helped everyone who just wanted to go to school without fear of the Empire or ABB harassing them in the halls.
I just had to hope that I could bring this sort of stability to everyone in the Bay.
The crowd went eerily silent as Chrissie and I approached the edge, only to part like the red (and gray) sea to let me into the pavilion. I was a bit surprised to see that there wasn't much in the way of organization in the crowd, though I did find Charlotte sitting on a table near the middle. I hopped up next to her, and from my perch several feet above even the tallest of the boys, my voice carried without having to shout.
"Hello everyone, and thank you for coming." My predecessors laughed in the back of my mind, several of them doing insulting impressions, so I shoved the whole lot away before they could ruin this. "It has come to my attention that we're kind of popular now —"
"Hell yeah we are!" Chrissie cheered, and the crowd mimicked her enthusiasm.
"I told you so," Chisel murmured, and the others grumbled.
"— so I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know some of you better. I'm sure you're aware that we have a reputation…" It was eerie how similar the Butchers' laughs were to those of Chrissie and a few others. "But going forward, the Teeth are going to protect the people that live in our territory."
"Where is that?" a voice called. "Because there's Empire assholes moving onto my block, and no one seems to care!"
I tried to visualize the big map table back in the lair, but Stratego's power had weakened enough on transfer that my hazy memory wasn't enough to make it work. In the meantime, several more voices called out with similar issues, which turned into a wave of muttering and displeasure in the crowd.
"Show of hands," I said, silencing everyone instantly. "Who here has trouble with the Empire, especially recently?" An alarming number of hands went up, and I glanced down to Charlotte. Her own face was stony and determined, almost daring me to walk away from the problem that I had ultimately created.
I wish I had brought something to write with.
"Maybe have your bugs —" Fester tried, only to get cut off.
"Fuck that," Quarrel said, surprising all of us. "You brought on that Thinker bitch, and she's probably loafing around at the lair. Tell her to bring the map."
"Since when are you useful, Quarrel?" Ironsides grumbled. The two of them descended into insults that I pushed out of my mind. However, I did follow her advice, calling Lisa and relaying the request.
In the meantime, I had a crowd of angry kids to organize. "Chrissie, Charlotte — get out there and figure out if anyone has anything really pressing. Lisa is bringing the map, but I want to get a sense of what things are like out in our territory."
The answer was 'not good.'
Talking to the kids was difficult at first, probably because of the whole Butcher thing, and that most of them would never have worn gang colors to school under more normal circumstances. But once they started talking, I was suddenly subjected to a torrent of complaints and issues from all around the poorer areas of the city. They were all too happy to tell me about Empire gang tags, drug pushers, and thugs that had started showing up around their communities, including several close to my own house.
The Butchers were oddly useful in this time, keeping track of locations and offering comments about the Empire's motivations. I suspected that they found the challenge of actually holding the Bay to be something worth thinking about, even if they wouldn't admit it, and most of them had spent enough time as regular criminals to have useful insights.
Luckily, Lisa arrived in record time. As soon as the SUV entered my range, I moved back to the middle of the pavilion and cleared an area around the table. "What's going on, boss?" Chrissie asked, darting through the crowd towards me as soon as I started directing people. The tense wariness in her face made it clear she was expecting trouble.
However, she relaxed immediately when the SUV pulled into the parking lot and Lisa hopped out, carrying the rolled-up paper map she took notes on, before using those to update our model city version. She wasn't obviously in our colors, but I noticed her blouse said 'Bee Mine', with a little graphic of a bee flying around red flowers. In short order, we had everything organized — me with the pencil, the other three girls collecting information and telling me what went where.
"How old was the Empire graffiti?" I asked, not looking up.
Behind me, the boy made a confused noise. "Uh, a few weeks, maybe? Before you, um…"
"Killed Lung, so he must not have — right, the Teeth had that crazy weekend when Lung was gone for two days." Lisa reached over and penciled in a note, flashing me a cheeky smile when I batted away her hand.
"That was probably the only smart thing Quarrel did," Chisel pointed out.
Stratego snorted. "He was obviously seeking something outside of the city."
We have slightly more pressing concerns! Not all of my predecessors cared, but they at least kept the discussion (including Quarrel's bitching) mostly to themselves. In the relative silence, I cast my gaze back over the map, pushing on Stratego's power to glean what information I could from the mess of pencil lines and small rocks that we had colored with markers.
It was exceedingly clear that the Empire's movements were not random. However, they weren't quite moving like an army, so the rather depressing picture being painted by the kids at Winslow of the territorial lines was only partially helpful. Between Lisa and I, we had silently marked several more obvious safehouses and distribution points based on the information, but the grander strategy still eluded me.
"I don't get it," I muttered, ignoring the way that my comment made nearby kids jump. "Did we fill in for Coil's stuff yet?"
"Not… yet," Lisa said slowly, pointing her pencil near downtown Brockton. "I left it off due to your thoughts on, shall we say, sensitive information."
Now that I was looking at it, the gap in my knowledge was taunting me. It was an unpleasant fact that the Empire conglomerated in the more affluent parts of the city, but Coil had largely pushed them out of downtown proper and the effects were felt all over the rest of the city. The Empire's rapid expansion into ABB territory that we hadn't claimed was not as uniform as it could have been, and focused around…
"Show me," I told Lisa, gesturing to the map. "This is bad, but not nearly as bad as it could be, and the Empire clearly has objectives in mind. I see now that their grip is pretty tenuous on a lot of their recent expansion, but not all of it, and I want to know why."
When she didn't immediately comply, I looked up to find her giving me a concerned look. "Are you sure?" At my sharp nod, she reached over and drew a whole series of lines.
"Ah, enlightenment," Stratego breathed as the map suddenly made much more sense. "They're securing obvious routes in and out of downtown, moving supplies and… oh."
Like an optical illusion that suddenly snaps into focus, I saw it.
I wish that I had not.
"For fuck's sake!"
"You have to be shitting me," I breathed, landing a single fly on a particular building and looking up to Lisa for confirmation.
"Yeeeeep," she replied, wincing slightly.
Why were the Empire's logistics centered on Medhall?
"Why do you all care so much?" Marauder complained, again.
"Apart from the fact that one of the biggest employers in town is apparently a front for the Empire?" I murmured, not caring that I was talking out loud. Chrissie was cuddled onto my side as much as the seatbelts in the back of the SUV allowed, and her free hand went from rubbing my leg to poking me in the lips. I nipped at her finger distractedly, and she laughed while cuddling me tighter.
"It's not quite as bad as you are making it out to be," Alkaline mused. "I mean, sure, you could probably use this to figure out the Empire's identities —"
"Which I'm not going to do."
Lisa, apparently, could follow the conversation. "Taylor, is your only objection that you don't trust yourself? That's admirable and all, but I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You managed to not kill the girls that caused your trigger event, so I have a hard time believing that you'll suddenly lose your cool on some Nazis."
"Please lose your cool on some Nazis!" Pyro yelled, to the cheers of the others.
I shook my head and gave everyone a light shove. "No, it's more that I don't want to make it look like I'm going after their civilian identities. The Rules are important to me… because they protect my dad."
Lisa blinked a few times. "Oh, then you're fine."
"Really?"
Chisel let out a mental snort. "As Lisa said, your adherence to the Rules is…"
"Annoying?" Knockout grumbled.
"Let's go with 'principled,' which is not a word I would ever have associated with the Butcher," Chisel finished.
"Look who's talking, Miss 'I murdered several Teeth for —'" Marauder tried, only to get cut off by Fester exploding at him.
"For SEX CRIMES, you piece of shit! Don't fucking start with that again!" The resulting argument got most of them pushed into the back of my brain, which they hardly seemed to notice.
Damascian, on the other hand, rolled her metaphorical eyes. "If you were to ask my opinion, I would remind you that just because Medhall is situated at the hub of the Empire's logistics network, you need not target it — or its employees — directly to cause a great deal of disruption."
I mulled over the Tinker's words for a long moment, idly scratching at Chrissie's scalp while ignoring the shouting match in my head. Given that my predecessors had been killing Empire assholes since Allfather's time, I had no doubts that Kaiser would use my dad as leverage as soon as he knew my identity. He might have tried something even had I been a more traditional Butcher, if only out of spite and revenge.
"Okay," I said aloud, mostly for Lisa's benefit. "We don't have to hit Medhall directly, but knowing that it's…"
"Important?" Lisa suggested.
"Yeah, that. We can use that information to plan operations and strikes that don't actually touch the company itself."
Lisa flashed me a smile. "Right you are, boss."
"Why do you care so much?" Chrissie complained from next to me.
I frowned down at her. "What do you think would happen if the Empire came after your parents?"
"They'd join," Chrissie spat with surprising venom. She met my angry glare for a long moment before grimacing and looking away. "But… your dad, yeah. I get you."
We rode the rest of the way in silence. Out loud, at least — Chisel and Stratego had disengaged from the argument still raging between the others and were pushing thoughts about how to use this information to our advantage. I expected the Thinker to help, but it had been Chisel that had killed Stratego and used his own power to unravel the tangle of plans and plots that had characterized his time as Butcher. She had practical experience dismantling supply lines, even if they were our own.
I chose not to comment when our chauffeur took the SUV past HQ and towards the Boardwalk. Lisa was obviously responsible for the surprise change in plans, so I tried to hide my irritation at our trip being hijacked.
"Just need to make a quick stop first," Lisa said with an exasperated expression. "If you're so sick of us and being outside, you can just have the driver take you back home after."
Chrissie made a displeased noise at that, which instantly tempered some of my annoyance. "Oh come on, Tay — you've spent too much time down in your workshop recently. You should hang out with us instead!"
"What, is she still upset about the comment about her parents?" Pyro groused, noting the undercurrent of… something vaguely anger-flavored in Chrissie's tone.
Knockout snorted. "Don't be a fuckwad, Chrissie is a badass!"
At least you got her name right, I thought. And didn't her parents cause her trigger event?
That shut up the other complaining in my head, and in the silence I realized that Chrissie was almost certainly being genuine. Moreover, based on the confused expression on Lisa's face, this wasn't one of Chrissie's normal complaints. It didn't take long after that to make up my mind, and I pulled the redhead in question in for a hug. "Yeah, you're right. I could use some fresh air." Chrissie brightened at my declaration, but there was noticeably less exuberance than usual.
I was still processing my girlfriend's reaction when the SUV pulled up to the sidewalk two blocks from the watery edge of the Boardwalk. We had barely freed ourselves from the vehicle before Chrissie darted over and grabbed my hand, almost hard enough that I could feel it. Lisa joined us on Chrissie's other side, giving both of us an exasperated smile. "Ok lovebugs, I honestly thought that Taylor would teleport away if we got her this far, so I only have one thing that we need to do."
"See, Taylor, even your minions know that you need to go out and have fun," Sabertooth said.
"Eh, she's not that bad anymore," Alkaline retorted. "Way better than when we started, at least. Bugger that hero bullshit."
"Imagine if we had joined the Wards," Ironsides said, but I stopped paying attention to his complaints. Instead, I was thinking about the fact that Alkaline was right.
What did it say about my life that hanging out with supervillains was the most fun I had experienced in years? That wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination, and it certainly wasn't a state I thought I would have found myself in even just last month. I had always wanted to be a hero, after all, but I hadn't expected the saying 'don't meet your heroes' to be quite so literal…
I giggled to myself at an absurd thought (not that Chrissie or Lisa cared): someone trying to tell fourteen year old Taylor that she would end up as one of the most feared supervillains in the country right as she set out to go see her best friend after returning from camp. I felt like I had aged five extra years in the interim, but more than that I wasn't sure how I could possibly explain the accidental blood-soaked path that I had been forced down to arrive here.
Then Chrissie squeezed my hand, and I was reminded that for all of the horror, I had people that cared about me for the first time in years… Butcher or no.
"So," I said, putting the rest out of my mind, "where's the quick stop?"
We rounded the last bend, and Lisa pointed down the Boardwalk to a collection of huge, moving stuffed animals. My bugs had reported the presence of one of the Bay's few rogues, and I was horrified for a moment that we were about to go make the otherwise harmless Parian a deal she couldn't refuse.
"Don't be an idiot," Quarrel snapped. "Your minions know how ornery you are about your precious Rules."
"It's far more likely that Lisa has a benign proposition," Damascian said.
"Relax, boss," Lisa said, directing me and Chrissie into a nearby coffee shop. "We're not going to hurt the girl. I just want to talk about some business with her. Grab a drink, and then we'll go hit up the show."
I was mildly surprised when Chrissie ordered the same tea as me, and once our orders came out I had to specifically remind her that my pain deadening meant that I didn't need to wait for my drink to cool. Chrissie just laughed at that, leading me back out to the Boardwalk (without Lisa) and finding an open spot on a bench. Lisa rejoined us not long after with her own coffee, and we settled in to watch the puppet show.
Parian's puppet shows were one of the least harmful displays of power that the Butchers had seen, and even I could admit that the big, lumbering stuffed animals were cute. The kids in the audience squealed in excitement as the constructs danced and played on the 'stage;' I was much more impressed that Parian had managed to dress everything up well enough that I could tell she was acting out part of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The Butchers, of course, held no such interest (apart from Fester), but it took a few perfunctory smacks to get them to leave me alone while I watched. Not that the lack of internal annoyances really helped — powers were much less enthralling to me now, and so my mind drifted back to the kids whose safety from the Empire was now my responsibility.
How far was I willing to go for them? Their parents, their communities?
The average Empire goon was probably not quite as bad as Coil's mercenaries, so did that mean I should feel remorse for fighting them? Killing them?
Where was my line in the sand?
"What would you do for a Klondike bar!?"
I flinched at the sudden interjection by several of the other Butchers yelling together, and they burst into laughter as I reflexively double-checked all of my bugs for anything alarming. My twitch had not gone unnoticed by Chrissie, who grabbed my arm and used it to pull herself closer, nor by Lisa, who gave me an amused raised eyebrow.
"You're supposed to be relaxing," Chisel reminded me dryly.
And you're supposed to be thinking about ways to get our territory back.
Probably the most successful of my predecessors shrugged, and I was treated to a memory that demonstrated why you didn't barge in on the Butcher and their fuckbuddies. "You have to take advantage of every time you can relax, because you never know when your enemies will come for you."
"Or your subordinates!" Sanguine added cheerfully.
"Or the PRT," Ironsides grumbled, offering his own memory of the PRT ruining one of his poker games.
"More importantly, if you're not careful, Chrissie is going to stab our shiny new Thinker," Alkaline said. "You might want to fix that."
While I processed that rather unpleasant thought, Parian wrapped up her show, all of the puppets bowing and clustering around the cape herself. Several people came up to ask for autographs, which meant that we were forced to wait just a bit longer to meet the puppeteering cape. Mindful of Alkaline's comment, I tilted my head over and murmured, "Hey, do me a favor and be nice to Lisa. I know she's not exactly Teeth material yet, but don't hurt her, okay?"
Chrissie blinked in confusion, then barked out a laugh that was at odds with the annoyance in her eyes. "Damn it, Taylor… it's hard to stay mad at you when you do this kind of shit."
"What kind of shit?" I murmured back, keeping an eye (and several thousand bugs) on our surroundings. "I know the Teeth usually —"
"It's not the Teeth," Chrissie snapped, and I reflexively tried to pull away despite the snickering coming from the chorus. The motion was stopped by my girlfriend yanking on my hand, pulling it closer to her side and gripping it like her life depended on having me next to her. "I mean, it is the Teeth, and your… friends," she said, gesturing vaguely at my head. "I just…"
"She's jealous, you dumbfuck!" Quarrel bellowed.
It took me a moment to realize that she was right.
"Wait… you're jealous over… me?" I asked, ignoring the cackling and jeers in my head.
Chrissie released my hand in a huff, shooting me a profoundly annoyed look and stalking over towards the water. When I went to follow, Lisa stuck out her arm and caught me before I had gone two steps. "Hold up there, boss. You might want to let her cool off for a minute or two, because believe it or not 'why would anyone want me' is not a valid response to your girlfriend expressing her concern that other girls want you. Or guys, I suppose."
"Huh?"
"That goes doubly so when you have to be told about your girlfriends' concerns from you-know-who," Lisa continued, having obviously figured out the source of my revelation.
"Fucking Thinkers," Knockout grumbled, to the general agreement of the chorus.
The crowd started to thin as I mulled over Lisa's words, and before I could really muster a response, she was leading me towards our unwary target. With her giant puppets next to her, Parian seemed even more diminutive than usual, and I had to force down the instinct to loom over her as an intimidation tactic.
The Butchers, on the other hand, were busy eying up the puppet cape. Stratego's power even kicked in, letting me know that Parian was positioning her puppets in such a way as to cover her escape if she had to run.
"She's a flighty one," Stratego said.
Fester snorted. "A female rogue in the Bay? How else do you think she survived!"
"Hey there," Lisa opened, giving the rogue a wave. "Don't worry, we're not here for autographs. Instead, we have a business proposition that I think you will want to hear." When Parian visibly stiffened, Lisa shook her head. "Totally voluntary, I assure you. We'll give you cash and materials, you give us stuff. Quite a lot of cash, to be honest."
To my surprise — and Parian's — Lisa pulled a rubber-banded roll of bills out of her pocket and tossed it to Parian. I noted that the wad was made of fifties, and probably constituted more money than Dad made in a week. Parian caught the cash, obviously trying not to start thumbing through the money right in front of us. "Um, what?"
"For an hour of your time," Lisa replied. "How about we sit down over there?"
In what I was sure was a complete coincidence, Lisa led us towards a waterfront table where Chrissie was already sitting. I sat down next to her, expecting a hug, only for Chrissie to lean forward and put her chin into her hands. "So, this is her?" she asked, not glancing at me.
"Yep," Lisa said, sitting down across from me. Parian uneasily took the last seat, eying Chrissie with some trepidation while arranging her puppets behind her. "This is the Bay's infamous rogue tailor. We were hoping that you would be willing to take on a series of lucrative commissions."
Parian folded her arms and inclined her head, the 'Victorian doll' aesthetic making her seem like a lady surveying a particularly distasteful suitor. "You'll forgive me for being a bit suspicious."
"Of course," Lisa said amicably. "But consider the following." The blonde Thinker reached into her pocket and produced a square of very familiar dark gray material. Damascian complained about the theft, but I pushed her away to focus on whatever Lisa thought she was doing.
Parian took the square of spider silk — leftovers from a costume — and ran her fingers along it. Then she levitated the sample with her power, twisting and contorting it before finally letting it fall back into her hand. Though I couldn't make out her expression through her mask, I could tell that we suddenly had the cape's attention. "Just what is this woven from? I've never felt anything quite like this before."
Lisa smiled like the fox that had caught the chicken. "It's spider silk."
"This can't possibly go wrong," Chisel murmured, holding her metaphorical head in her hands.
"What the fuck do we care?" Butcher shot back. "I'm sick of all of this boring shit!"
I shook my head reflexively as I pushed the voices back. "Lisa, did you seriously —"
"I did, and shush." She nodded her head over to where Parian was ineffectually tearing and prodding the little fabric square.
"What I could do with this," Parian mumbled to herself. "Where did you get this?"
"Well, our boss works with the stuff, but at the moment she's too busy to make us all of the clothes and outfits that she has promised." Lisa's response was impressively nonchalant. "So now we're here, offering you triple whatever you would normally charge, plus a steep discount on silk thread or fabric for your own use."
Parian glanced at the three of us, then back down to the sample. "I am… tentatively interested. We would have to hash out the details, but even at those prices, I'm not totally sure I have enough time for a large number of commissions."
"It would help you jump-start that shop," Lisa said smoothly.
"What?" several of the chorus asked.
Fucking Thinkers.
"I suppose…" Parian nodded slowly.
Lisa, of course, pressed the attack. "Plus, we just need the base design. We can do all of the dyeing and embellishments ourselves."
Parian's head whipped around in confusion, the spider silk momentarily forgotten. "Wait, what? I mean, in that case, why come to me at all? Are you sure you don't want help?"
Chrissie snorted, finally joining the conversation. "Sure, wanna help us kill Nazis and take their bones?"
The Butchers roared with laughter and approval at the quip, but Parian was much less enthused. Her posture went stock still for an instant before she jumped up, and my bugs immediately let me know that the puppets were closing ranks so she could escape. Chrissie was giggling at the reaction, which made me all the more annoyed. "Wait, hold up a second Parian, we're not going to hurt you."
"You're with the Teeth!" she squeaked out
"Well, yes," I said, intentionally remaining in my seat and peering up at the admittedly short cape. "But look, we're not going to abduct you, or pressure you, or anything unpleasant. We're honestly here because my friend here is trying to save me some work, and while I appreciate that…" I looked seriously at Lisa, who just smirked, "we're really just here to pay you to make stuff for us."
Parian seemed to consider that, which was a damn sight better than having her run away. "I — I don't work for…" She trailed off, only for her masked gaze to snap to me fast enough that I worried for her neck. "No. Impossible, you can't… you're supposed to be crazy!"
Lisa saved us from the impending violence and destruction in the most unlikely way: laughing. Parian edged away from her, leaning back like she thought Lisa was unhinged. Her puppets shuffled, but otherwise didn't move. At least she wasn't panicking about me anymore?
"Funny how everyone keeps saying things like that," Lisa said once her laugh had petered to chuckles. "But as you can see, she's hardly a gibbering lunatic."
The moon is very nice, yes.
Half of the chorus screamed some variation of 'nerd' at me.
"Listen, we just want some clothes made. We're willing to pay, apparently quite a lot," I shot Lisa a look, "for you to take some work off my hands. Like she said, I have no issue with selling you my silk at an affordable rate, too. Is it really such a problem for us to have a polite business relationship?"
"If it were this easy, we never would have had problems with the Elite in New York," Knockout complained. "I wish we could have taken them out while we were there."
"That was never going to work," Alkaline pointed out. "I mean, come on, Uppercrust is a shield Tinker. They would have buckled down."
Stratego cleared his throat. "Well…" he began, and I immediately knew to tune out the rest of the upcoming argument.
"She hasn't screamed or passed out on us, so I think we're off to a good start," Lisa cut in, and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. "What? It was going to be obvious it was a contract from the Teeth eventually, and this could have turned violent if our new friend here couldn't handle the truth." At that, she turned to Parian. "But please, don't worry. None of us are crazy, or want to hurt you."
Chrissy scoffed. "Blondie Mcchuckles couldn't if she tried. I don't have any reason to, and the boss is a long, bony teddy bear… as long as you're not a Nazi."
I gave her a glance. She still wasn't looking at me, and while I'd expect her to poke at us, it felt like she was off her game. It was honestly a bit worrying, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. I'd never had a… not a fight, we've definitely had one of those… but more of a spat? I'd never had a spat in a relationship before, and wasn't finding any helpful examples coming to mind from the others.
Still, this was a problem for later. "You're not a Nazi, are you?"
That seemed to snap Parian out of her shock. "Fuck no," she said indignantly.
"Sounds like a story." Lisa made a show of eyeing Parian's Victorian Doll costume, with its pastel frills and pleats, the dainty white gloves, down to the white stockings showing from under the hem of her dress, and back up to her immaculate blonde curls. "Trouble in paradise?"
The woman slumped fractionally and sighed. "They keep hounding me, trying to get me to join up, scaring away my customers — the little commissions and the stores that hire me to advertise — and I'm not sure they'll take 'no' for much longer." Parian straightened, took a deep breath, and turned sharply to stare my way. "Fuck it. Gangs costing me business, gangs paying for my business… it all evens out."
"Would it help if we paid in stolen Nazi cash?" Chrissie mused innocently, an image ruined by her punk haircut and the tattoos along the arms she was using for her 'pondering' pose.
"Actually, yes." Parian seemed to be grinning wickedly behind her mask, now. "I think I'd like that a lot."
We shared a malicious laugh at that, before Lisa started hashing out the details of our deal. I had to say, between all our ideas? I was looking forward to it.
Hanging out with the Teeth, I had discovered, was like going to the world's worst birthday party. The frantic energy, enthusiastic celebrations, and cheering reminded me distinctly of Emma's XIIIth; except the frantic energy was due to dangerous people on drugs, the celebrations were carnal and poorly muffled, and the cheering was from the crowd watching the fight in the arena below.
And it was (metaphorically) my birthday.
"Every day is like a birthday when you're the Butcher," Knockout said, to general snickers in my head.
Quiet.
Miraculously, they did in fact quiet down. Weeks of dealing with the collective's bullshit meant that as long as the voices were quiet, I was more than capable of reading a book despite the cacophony around me. Sitting uninterrupted on the common room couch was unnervingly like being in the eye of a storm — a murderous, bloodthirsty storm that was only separated from my little island of solitude by an eyewall of even more superfluous violence.
The eyewall was also me. I really needed metaphors that didn't cast me in the worst possible light.
"Hey, Tay, don't be all tense with me. It's uncomfortable." By the time we returned to the lair, Chrissie had worked out whatever her problem was with me and we were back to normal, or she just didn't want the others to see us fighting. Case in point, she had claimed the spot on my lap, alternating napping and playing on her phone while I read my book. Lisa was perched on the end of the couch, having forced Chrissie to sit with her knees bent to avoid having her feet on Lisa's lap.
I did my best to relax and focus on my book, but as soon as my attention drifted to Chrissie, the Butchers took that as permission to be annoying.
"Come on, Taylor, everyone else —" Fester tried, but I shut her up instantly.
"That book was boring, anyways," Marauder complained.
Alkaline flicked her metaphorical chin towards the arena. "If you want to break up the monotony, you could go a few rounds."
I'm not bored, as you well know.
The Butchers continued to prattle on, and while I pushed them all away enough to think, I didn't need to expend the mental effort to keep them all completely clamped down. "So, what's our plan for the afternoon?"
"I'm good like this," Chrissie said immediately, snuggling up against me.
"Ditto," Lisa said, flashing me a smile.
"Me too," Alec added unhelpfully from the other couch. He had been willing to move into the lair with surprisingly little prompting, only to discover that he had a fellow video game aficionado in Michael. The two of them had happily set up Alec's television in the corner and turned the area into their little gaming den.
It was Michael, then, that broke the streak. "I'm having fun, not going to lie, but I kinda want to go fight the Empire some more."
"Let's do it!" "Hell yeah!" "Kick their white supremacist asses!"
I glanced over at the quest board, and to my surprise, the Teeth had mostly chewed their way through the stack. If I went along with them, of course, we could hit anywhere in the city, but I had kind of been looking forward to recharging after all of my own activities recently. Alternatively, I could spend an hour or two and come up with a new stack of quests, but we were mostly done with the easy-to-hit locations. I would have to do some scouting to get some ex-ABB targets or something to pad it out.
"Well…" There was another large storehouse deeper in Empire territory that had been taunting me ever since I had identified the place, but I hadn't put it on the board because it was almost certainly a suicide mission without me in attendance. Given that everyone was currently in party mode, I wasn't confident of our ability to pull off the sorts of tactics needed to sneak into Empire territory, raze the building, and then get out in one piece. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves already."
"We'd enjoy ourselves more with more Nazi ass-kicking," Fester suggested hopefully.
Stratego shook his metaphorical head. "Our forces are in a compromised mental —"
"Oh shut the hell up!" Quarrel barked. "They want to have fun, then let them!"
"More than one way to have fun," Ironsides mused. "It doesn't have to be big, but it probably should be, with everyone riled as they are."
"And lead them to the slaughter?" Stratego huffed, his power pointing out exactly who among my people were too strung out to follow orders besides 'go,' 'kill,' and 'die'. A whopping sixty-three percent.
"Rip and tear until it's done?" Marauder quoted hopefully. I gave him a shove.
Our people aren't expendable.
"You're the fucking But—" I shoved the original into the dark before he could finish and piss me off more.
Anyone else like killing their own people? I half-snarled. When there was no immediate answer, I turned back to my book, read the same line three times, and gave up. The book was set to the side and my eyes wandered to find something to take my mind off things. Naturally they fell on the map, and my brain switched to 'work' mode and stuck there. I heaved a sigh, which just made Chrissie wiggle and settle deeper into my lap. I slipped a hand under her and gave her a pinch that had her squeaking in alarm, then my free hand went behind her back and I lifted her into my arms, giving her a slightly-too-hard squeeze with my still fortuitously positioned first hand. I shifted until I could hold her cradled in one arm, and leaned against the map's table.
Chrissie's phone slammed uselessly against my temple. It likely would've cracked if it didn't have one of those super-durable shock cases. "No work. Only play."
"Too much work," I muttered. Chrissie tensed against my arm and fingers, and a glance told me that her blank face was a mask over her fury. "Sorry, I'm just worried." Her lips drifted into a frown, which was better than the glare. "They're out of projects, and I want to keep them busy before I have to make more examples." I gave her another squeeze. "I want to be better than that." Do better, I'd meant to say. It still worked.
"Damned workaholic…" she grumbled, but snuggled into my chest rather than try to argue anymore. I managed to pry my eyes off the map table… only to glance up at the new map hanging on the wall, with all of my classmate's worries and fears etched into every line between my territory and the other gangs in the city.
"I wonder if the Cage wagon is rolling through anytime soon?" Quarrel thought out loud.
I supposed that was a good point. If we could keep the Empire off of the vehicle until it got out of town, that'd be a huge win for the city. And even if they did stop it, we could always deal with whoever was in the transport. The Birdcage was basically a death sentence, but that didn't mean everyone being sent there deserved it.
I wonder if Lee would be any good in the pits without his eyes? He had a lot of fighting experience, but wasn't likely to kill any of the experienced fighters with his handicap.
"She's not nearly as subtle as she thinks," Stratego smirked. At first I thought he was talking about me.
Then I got a flash of memory, from before the memory's owner had inherited. Screaming fans, loud speakers, and a blonde girl singing up on a stage. Her hair, strung with canary-yellow feathers. Quarrel's voice, being drowned out with the rest of the fans singing along to the chorus.
"As much as I hate what they're doing to her, it's not our problem," Chisel stated firmly.
Fester hissed like an angry cat. "It's a violation of basic rights,"
"When's that stopped anyone?" Butcher snarled. "The Man decides you have no rights, you have no rights." I blinked — I had not expected salient points from him. "So just kill everyone and do what you want!" Aaand there it was. I stomped him into the dark.
"It does set a nasty precedent, though," Sanguine added.
As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn't help but agree. Anything that lowered the bar for entry to the Cage was a terrible thing, as far as I was concerned. I thought back over the details Charlotte had sent me, in links and DM rants over PHO. Canary was being tried in Florida, which was half her problem already given their stupid 'tell the press everything but names' laws that gave notable celebreties like her zero anonymity; 'Florida Man' claimed his latest victim. The restraints, lack of court appearances, the silence of her nonexistent defense, the biased judge, the lack of secrecy, the pliable court of public opinion…
I set Chrissie down with a growl, glaring at the map and warping the table under my grip.
"Hey, boss. What's got your panties in a twist?" Lisa asked from the nearest couch. It and its coffee table had become something of her office, where she could easily stand and tweak the map if she thought it worth getting up at all. She was there today, working away at her laptop while waiting for Amy to drop by. I was unconvinced her mother was going to let her go to any party held today on principle, but maybe I was wrong. To be fair, nothing said they had to tell her it was a party.
Chrissie was glaring at me again, arms crossed under her chest. I might as well get this over with. "I was trying to figure out what to do about Canary."
"Oh, that? Already handled."
I turned back from where I was inspecting my girlfriend, watching her brow unfurl and lips purse, signs that she was losing steam to stay angry with me. "What?"
"I'm siccing Carol on it."
I eyed the Thinker's knowing smirk warily. "...why?"
"Well, it'll get her out of Amy's hair for a while, let me spend more time with my… uh… friend —"
"With benefits." Chrissie cut in.
"They're totally fucking." "Are you an idiot?" "Is that not immediately obvious to even the most casual observer?"
"— shut up. Given they're not moving Canary here for her benefit, it means there will be one fewer Brigade Bitch in the city for a while while this thing with the Empire shakes out. Not to mention she's one of the heroes with a hate-on for you in particular, so they're less likely to side against the Teeth instead of the Empire without her to press for it. Should also put her in a decent mood for Amy's benefit once she's back after winning, and keeps you from doing something stupid about it. If we can get New Wave to back off once we've cleared the other gangs out of the city, the cash injection will be good for long-term stability, even. That'd be a… win times seven combo?" She seemed to ponder it, never losing that smug grin. "I'll take it. I know, I'm amazing."
"Well alright, then," I stated, going back to the map and ignoring her preening as I relaxed my deathgrip on the table. "One less thing for me to worry about. Now I just need to find more things to keep everyone else occupied, so they keep out of the habit of hurting just anyone."
"Uuuuuu'bout that…"
The Butcher burst into riotous laughter in my head.
Chrissie and I shared a worried glance, then both turned piercing eyes to the grimacing Lisa. "What is it?" I sharply asked.
She took a moment to choose her words, never a good sign, and bit the bullet. "They really haven't. Stopped, I mean. They just keep it to places they don't think you'll be, like across town from Winslow or the lair, or wherever they think you live." Some of them knew that information, but not everyone in the Teeth knew my full name, let alone my address. I shot a pleading glance at Chrissie, who caught it and looked hurt by the silent accusation. "They're avoiding letting either of you know, because you're so close. I only know because I'm a Thinker, and because I dive way deeper into PHO and other cape gossip places than either of you do."
I gave Chrissie an apologetic look, but she was ignoring me. "Why didn't you say anything?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm only a miracle worker. I haven't been working for you that long, and… I didn't want to interrupt cuddle time."
"I'm sorry." I told them both, then focused on Lisa. "We need to go over exactly what's more important than cuddle time later. For now, things which affect the stability of the gang, the safety of the city, or my men making a liar of me all count. Now how bad is it?"
"Not as bad as it could be. They're doing less than before you took over, if only because they have to roam a bit farther to feel safe about it. They're just not all stopping entirely. A few muggings, some rough shoplifting, picking fights with some civvies they thought were from the other gangs; things like that."
I flopped back into my seat. "Are any of the old capes in on it?"
"You're lucky the worst in this lot is Animos," Chisel murmured. "Remember Bubblebath?"
"I was going to suggest Starburst, but fuck, I forgot about him," Marauder replied.
Alkaline wasn't having that. "You were one of them, dumbass!"
"But at least he wasn't Elmo," Quarrel added, and the others all shuddered in revulsion. Butcher tried to send me a memory of fire, so much fire, only to get dogpiled by the others… and I suddenly knew why they had canceled one of my favorite kids' shows.
Lisa politely waited for me to deal with the chorus, and gave me a rueful smile. "Asking me to tattle?" I stared her down. "… no. A couple bloody pub brawls, and some shoplifting. Nothing to write home about, and no major violence they kicked off intentionally."
"Not like they need to leave to get their jollies," Chrissie added.
Fair point. There were always the pits, the drugs, booze, and willing partners around the arena. Frankly I was just happy she was still here with me. "What can we do about it?"
Lisa shrugged. "Not much, aside from setting up a narc squad and cracking down on it. Patrolling on your own and taking out your own guys might help, or telling the heroes you won't actually defend people pulling that shit no matter their colors, but neither is going to do as much to actually solve it as having your people start turning on each other. Either wait out the slow change or upset gang stability."
The Butchers, happy for a change of topic, made clear their displeasure with that course of action. I was too preoccupied with the combination of Chrissie sitting back down in my lap and the realization that things were not going quite as well as I had been hoping. The map on the wall only served to reinforce that point, and so I tried to turn my mind towards more Tinkery thoughts — much to Damascian's excitement — with the intention of reconfiguring everything downstairs to produce more useful cloth and thread for Parian.
Unfortunately, even that brief respite only lasted a few minutes. My bugs spotted a familiar disgruntled teenager stalking her way through the alleys surrounding the lair, and she flipped off the bigger cluster I brought down to make sure she didn't run into any issues. I kept up the vigil as she slipped through the side door, and soon enough Amy was frowning at us from the doorway.
"Well, as least you all still have your clothes on," she snarked, but further commentary was prevented by Lisa darting over and pulling the healer into a tight hug. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Your implicit challenge to Carol worked like a charm, and I think she's more worried about Vicky going off and doing something stupid than me."
Chrissie snorted in amusement, and I raised a single eyebrow. "I can't imagine why."
"I still can't believe she's Marquis's kid," Sabertooth growled.
Amy shot me a withering glare before digging around in her pockets for… a lighter and a blunt? Several of the Butchers hooted with laughter at that, and Amy made a point of tapping the ash directly on the floor after flopping down into one of the less damaged easy chairs. "Before you get any ideas, I just brought the one, and I'm not sharing."
"One that you modified?" Lisa asked knowingly.
"… slightly," Amy admitted. "Look, I don't want to think about the fact that Carol is being a better mother to me when she's exhausting herself on this Canary case than when she has the time to care. And the last thing I want is all of that random shit ending up in my lungs, so yes — I fixed up a tiny pot plant. Now let me fucking enjoy it, because I sure as shit can't smoke at home."
"I wonder if she made it look like a normal houseplant?" Damascian thought aloud. Damn Tinkers and their ideas. I had to tamp down the snicker at the thought of Carol watering Amy's weed for her, thinking it was something entirely different.
"Make it look and taste like basil!" "Add it to her food." "Make the world a better place!" The Chorus nearly howled, plots and schemes for doing just that to whatever Carol ate that day cropping to mind.
Shut up, all of you. This was serious time, I couldn't be laughing now. I'd suggest it later.
"Hey, more power to you," Chrissie said with a laugh, wiggling on my lap. "Ever thought about becoming a drug dealer? You could probably make bank and never have to heal ever again."
"Absolutely not," Amy said, though most of her usual righteous anger had given way to bitterness in her voice. "Where's the rest of your little gang of murderhobos?"
I bristled at the epithet, but I had spent enough time around Amy already to know that she was just trying to get a rise out of me. "Off not murdering or hoboing, hopefully. They're around here somewhere."
"We're right over here, boss," Michael called, but there was a teasing edge to his tone. The other capes had been surprisingly enthusiastic about 'corrupting' Panacea, and I knew from my predecessor's memories that camaraderie was something most capes sought out. Hell, Alkaline had started off as a heroic-ish vigilante, too, only to become the Butcher after making friends in the gang.
Amy might have been underselling how much work she did on that pot plant, because it smelled a whole hell of a lot less awful than normal pot. The clover-y smell was a sharp contrast to the rest of the party raging around us, and while Chrissie was continuing to tease Lisa about Amy, I was struggling to not join in on her antics. The Butchers mostly had fun watching the party through my bugs and offered commentary; which I pushed into the back of my mind.
Chisel's words from earlier came back, and while I had numerous big issues in front of me — my gang's behavior and territory, the Empire, the PRT, Panacea in my lair — I allowed myself to take a short break and do my best to at least relax, even if it was only for today. All of that could be tomorrow Weaver's problems. Tonight, I had stuff to smoke, a book to finish and a girl to cuddle.
Author's Notes:
FS: St. Elmo's fire, a cluster cape with a minor Stranger power and a chargeable 'makes people explode on touch…' The Teeth really collect the best of the best, huh?
Pen: I did almost none of the writing in this chapter! Shoutout to First for the bulk and Dalxein for saving us when writer's block struck true. I haven't been resting idly though! Next two chapters are drafted, and things certainly pick up from here. The calm is over, next week, the storm arrives.
Dal: I am shocked I managed to get so much down in a pinch, and slightly appalled I haven't managed nearly as much with my own stories lately. Only about 2K total was me, in part of the Parian scene, and the stuff with Lisa at the party. Still, happy to help.
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Pendragoon
Apr 29, 2022
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Threadmarks Interlude 3.t
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
May 6, 2022
#8,382
Thursday, April 21st 2011
—Robbie—
Even more than two decades after leaving the service, Robert kept to a strict morning routine. He had not survived the intervening years since joining the Teeth under Butcher — the first Butcher — by being lazy or letting his weapons go dull. Waking at five in the morning had caused many, many knife fights among the Teeth, but a habit of rising early meant that he had won most of them.
It also meant that Robert often had to be the responsible one, which he considered a necessary sacrifice to keep the Teeth running. Given how the Teeth were drunk, high, or both more often than not, he had created a new rule in the Teeth style: be sober enough when on watch duty, or face the consequences.
Given that even the dumbest members realized that losing a few hands of poker and having to spend a night sober was better than losing literal hands for being drunk on the job, Robert's might tended to make right.
He only wished that the same level of discipline, however minor it may have been, could also extend to their capes. Before it didn't matter what state they were in — anyone stupid enough to attack the Teeth would face the Butcher's wrath, with all the lethality that entailed. With Weaver's rule, though, things had changed. The Butcher was no longer a guaranteed presence at their current base. Weaver, Taylor, somehow managed the impossible. She held onto some part of herself that wasn't swept away in the madness.
Butcher was inexplicably able to maintain those ties to her former self, and could hide her identity in plain sight. The girl was unlike anything he had seen before outside of Chisel on a few occasions, but those were fleeting moments. Weaver's control was a constant. She wasn't the little girl she was before inheriting — Robert recognized all of the tics and quirks of her predecessors — but at her core? She was something new.
Outsiders had inherited in the past, Damascian, Stratego, Fester… Reflex. Even though the madness began with him, the Butcher always returned to the Teeth. Even Weaver came back, but not like the others. Chisel had hammered order into the Teeth under her reign, Stratego had expanded their operations vastly, but Weaver?
The girl was ambition and focus personified, with the ruthlessness necessary to do what was needed without being reduced to petty cruelty for her own amusement. She showed her heritage only when necessary and leveraged her reputation when it would prove advantageous.
Weaver was transforming the Teeth into something new, into a force that could actually take and hold territory. She cared about the people she led, which Robert would usually ignore but she had saved him whereas all past Butchers would have shrugged off his death and taken another hit of their poison of choice.
For the first time he could see a future that didn't end in a violent death for everyone he knew. Robert wasn't so delusional as to tempt fate, and he knew he would die in battle, likely to something embarrassing that the gang would all laugh over. He just hoped that their younger members wouldn't be subjected to the same horrors he endured. Twenty years with the Teeth wasn't something he wished for anyone.
On this gray and slightly chilly Brockton morning, Weaver and Vex would be off to school, and so the safety of the Teeth rested in his hands until their return. From the outside, that might seem easier with four new capes, but the Undersiders represented an unknown element in their combat capabilities. Weaver didn't even employ them in the fight against Coil, though part of that was due to them being a potential liability if one of them flipped. Tattletale was the sole exception, because her life was the one in danger… but while vengeance was her right as a member of the gang, the Thinker had not taken the shot.
Robert didn't like that.
The girl held too much power and authority for someone unblooded; he could see the innocence in her eyes, ill-fitting one of the Teeth's capes. Regent and Bitch lacked that weakness, their eyes were hard and focused. Both had spilled blood in their lives and wouldn't balk if it came to spilling more.
Weaver would have no issues integrating the pair into their own tactics, and while Robert personally objected to the cloak-and-dagger bullshit of Thinkers, he could begrudgingly admit that Tattletale might be useful to his boss. Of course, he held no such qualms about Omen. She had earned her place in true Teeth fashion. He wasn't even angry that she had almost killed him, he was in her way and she still took the shot. That was worthy of respect.
Speaking of the unblooded, the young Todd was actually demonstrating some measure of worth. Finding a team that fit his specifications took longer than expected, as most of the Teeth used or imbibed and the exceptions were few and far between. The boy was motivated to a fault, and Weaver's offer having spurred him into action not unlike the literal fires Pyromancer had liked to light under people's asses.
Weaver was leveraging the Butcher identity in ways no other had before, especially in her civilian life. From what he was hearing at their parties, half the school followed her now. The other half were future trophies for the Teeth to claim. He initially feared she might be soft on the kiddie racists until she brought four of them back to the arena to face justice. His final doubts about the girl vanished at that moment. The arena wouldn't be lacking for training dummies anytime soon.
Taylor, of course, was Teeth. Weaver was a worthy Butcher, even if she saved killing as a last resort for herself. All that remained was to convince the older capes of that fact. They feared her to be soft, but she was anything but. Given the slightest justification, she would commit atrocities worthy of any of her predecessors, and Robert had no doubt in his mind that she was capable of far worse. What she did to Menja was proof of that, as the Butcher's victims usually didn't survive their attention. Leaving survivors to intentionally suffer was a new trick to the Butcher arsenal, one that actually gave him chills to consider.
Robert observed as a yawning man passed his shotgun to a new arrival, both following his strict safety checks while under his watchful eye. No doubt those getting off duty would hit up the lounge for their vice of choice shortly after, but until then, they still had a job to do. The nominal supervisors traded information, keeping each other up to date on the rotations and happenings, it was a routine he had drilled into his men.
Even as Robert watched what had been routine since they settled within the once abandoned arena, something felt off to him. Years of experience were telling him something was coming, that things were too quiet and that there was blood to be shed. Someone was hunting them, which was why nobody was going to skimp on their duties. He was at his final stop for the morning, and rather than follow his routine and head back inside for a meal, he instead joined the men on perimeter watch.
The green recruits always loved his stories of the old days, and despite the unease in the air, Robert was happy to oblige. Conquests long past, battles hard fought… A particular favorite was the tales of the Nine's visit to Brockton Bay, and his run in with Jack Slash at Somer's Rock. Robert wore that scar with pride, because it was an exchange. He'd earned it by inflicting the only injury on Jack throughout that entire bloody affair.
That Jack still carried the scar he'd inflicted told him the man carried a grudge from their encounter. The unhinged murderer had been around several healing-capable capes since then after all. Hopefully it reminded the smarmy fuck of why Truce meetings were sacred amongst villains. Robert's finger absently stroked one of the skulls on his belt, another memento from that visit of the Nine. Winter had been a hardened cunt, but she died a warrior's death and so he wore her skull with pride.
What Sabertooth had been smoking when he got the bright spark to call upon those psychotic assholes to assist in Brockton… That remained one of only two times Robert had been glad to see the mantle pass to another. Pyro gave him exactly what he deserved for that mess.
In some ways, the Nine weren't all that different from the Teeth prior to Chisel's reign. Nomadic, following a set leader with a rotating ensemble while causing death and mayhem wherever they went. The Teeth never did shake that reputation, even after establishing semi-permanent cells in New York, Boston, and Philly. While none of those cells were truly active at the moment, they left a few of their own behind to keep safe houses and weapon stashes ready in the event they needed to return. He refused to endure another sudden relocation, even if it did have Thinker support.
He was just getting to the part where the Nine were down to Three when movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye along the skyline. A cursory scan showed nothing truly amiss, the usual rundown buildings, a handful of old billboards dotting the rooftops…
"Huh, I don't remember there being a life size Battery to ogle," one of the sentries mentioned.
His eyes snapped to a billboard featuring the Wards roster from about three years prior — Battery had been team lead then, transferred in from New York. Rumor among the Teeth was that they delayed her moving to the Protectorate to hide her actual age, a common tactic amongst the government lapdogs as he understood it from the occasional on the run cape that joined the Teeth over the years.
This neighborhood hadn't received an updated billboard in almost a decade.
"Eyes up, you fucks!" Robbie roared, starting the Teeth into action. "Weapons ready, sound the alarm, we're under attack!"
No sooner than he yelled did the billboard fall over and take to the air. Five figures stood atop it as multiple black SUVs pulled onto the main road leading up to their HQ. Robbie snatched a rifle from one of the fumbling dipshits and quickly took aim. He snapped off three pulses from the laser rifle in quick succession, peppering the driver's side windshield of the lead car. Three more shots followed into the rear car.
Their assailants had invested in bullet resistant glass, which would have been good thinking, if their sentries hadn't been armed with the pilfered rifles from Coil's mercs. Two more racist shits confirmed dead, perhaps more as he watched both cars crash, sealing in the rest of the vehicles in their killing field. He handed the rifle back to the now slack-jawed idiot and shouted a war cry.
His morning was already off to a good start.
—Alice—
Hangovers were a bitch and a half on a good day, which is why Alice was infinitely grateful that her power let her pull the alcohol straight from her blood. It was definitely one of the better perks of self-hemokinesis and she abused the hell out of it. She could sober up in an instant if the need ever presented itself, which was fortunate because the fucking Nazis had come calling!
Nine in the morning was too damn early for this shit. Reaver was working on getting Spree and Animos up, which would be another bitch and a half after their bender last night. Big Robbie would be somewhere near the worst of the fighting. What she hadn't expected was for Tattletale to commandeer the sound system and start coordinating their response. Locations were being called out, and various groups directed to them in an effort to counter the Empire chickenshit's attack.
Vex, and more importantly, Weaver, were currently in school. Weaver would be able to teleport, but Alice guessed that still put her at least five to ten minutes away, and Vex wouldn't be making it to the fight at all. This meant the Teeth were on their own, which seemed far too convenient. Civilian life just didn't suit the Teeth, and that the pair weren't all in was an embarrassment.
An explosion rocked the arena as their minions scrambled to arm themselves and join the fight. Maybe Weaver actually had a point with those drills she kept forcing them to run. Regardless, that didn't matter at the moment, they had Nazis to kill.
Her nails pierced into her palms, drawing forth her blood. Blood that she could shape to her will. It flowed freely, far faster than was natural, yet she never once became light headed. It was a nigh bottomless well for her to draw upon.
Someone rounded the corner with a shotgun in hand and bearing the Empire's colors. His eyes widened in panic as Alice brought her now formed sword down, shearing through his gun and the arm holding it. He barely had a chance to scream before she plunged it into his heart. In that same instant, the blade blossomed within him, shredding his organs like tissue paper. She couldn't manipulate his blood, but any of hers was always under her full control. She left him where he fell and continued on.
Shit like this was why the Teeth never settled in one place for long, it just invited stupid fucks to do stupid things. Most of the people that had joined up since their return to the Bay weren't even fighters, just people looking for a place that wouldn't judge them for their skin color or choice in fuck buddies.
Even Vex had joined up for those reasons, but she was a rare exception since she'd claimed a worthy kill for her initiation. Hell, if Alice was willing to put money on it, she would have thrown down on Vex inheriting one day. All of that changed when Weaver joined, of course —thank god Vex had the newest Butcher wrapped around her finger and didn't seem willing to let go.
It was infuriating, even with all their members and the Capes they could call upon, it was always the fear of one specific individual that kept people from attacking. They had to know Weaver wasn't around. That arrogant bitch was going to be the death of them.
When Alice made it to the arena's entry hall, she found it in ruins and infested with the Empire's goons. Just outside the blasted entryway she could see Rune atop a floating platform alongside Alabaster and Krieg, both of whom were armed with RPGs. That explained the explosions. Fighting below her down in the concessions area was Bitch with her dogs, facing off against Night and Fog.
Shit, if they were back that meant that Purity was probably back too. Sweeping her eyes across what she could see of the sky revealed no glowing cunts, but that didn't mean much. The Nazis had the skies, which meant they needed to make them pay in blood on the ground. She would be all too happy to bleed them dry.
At least Big Robbie was having minimal issues keeping the Nazis held back. She could trust the man to keep their normies out of the fun parts. It was probably a surprise to the racist fucks that the Teeth weren't helpless without their goddess of the battlefield to direct their men. They refused to be.
Alice broke into a sprint and leapt off the upper balcony, blood swords in hand and plunged them into some hapless piece of shit. Crimson spires blossomed from within him, spearing through those around her like a wireframe tree of death.
"Okay, bad analogy, moving on."
It was a pity there wasn't time to claim trophies, but these were the trash of the Empire, the disposable pawns. They weren't worth claiming. At least Big Robbie was now able to refocus on the battle now that one of the Empire groups was down. Just because the Empire had caught them with their pants down didn't mean that they were gonna roll over. It was only a matter of time until the Teeth had them running scared, or ground them into pulp.
The question was, how many of their own would it cost them? If any of the Empire capes escaped with their lives, they would be as good as new within a matter of days thanks to that Othala cunt. Kill shots were the only way to be sure.
In the distance, Bitch whistled sharply and pulled away from her fight along with a second of her monster dogs. The third was lying motionless on the ground near Fog. The coward was fleeing because she'd been bloodied. Pathetic.
—Michael—
Rude awakenings were nothing new to Michael, as they came with the territory when the Butcher was your boss. Sure, things had calmed significantly since Weaver claimed the mantle, so it was only fitting that when shit finally did hit the fan, it was a storm of truly epic proportions. He didn't even try to get Alec up, the guy was beyond fucked up after trying one of Spree's coctails just hours before while they were gaming. Asking him to fight would be asking him to die.
He'd barely had time to grab his cloak and mask after the alarms blared before he was out the door, Tinkertech scythe in hand. Reaver was the name given to him by Ironsides before the man inherited, and he took great pride in the name as it suited his powers perfectly.
Michael had been with the Teeth for years before he finally earned his place among the capes. He'd encouraged Ironsides when he decided to overthrow that maniac Knockout and finally get the Teeth back on track. The Teeth were his life and he wasn't going to let anyone fuck with them!
Someone had a set of iron balls on them to think that attacking the Teeth at their home was a good idea. No doubt they were being gifted a new shithole even as he ran towards the action. Only the Empire could be this stupid, because the Heroes were too pussywhipped by Weaver to try something like this.
That the Empire were whacking the beehive intentionally spoke to a special kind of stupid that could be cured in only one way. Liberal application of lead to the cranial cavity, as Robbie had once put it.
Their parking lot was a wreck of debris, which wasn't all that different from normal, the floating cars however were a bit unusual. Either that acid he took the night before was still working, or Rune was nearby. When one of said cars launched right for him, he could only assume it was real.
A grin stretched out under his mask as he swung the scythe, cleaving the car in two, sending the pieces crashing into the building behind him. Not one to boast about his accomplishments, he flipped the Nazi bitch off.
His scythe was already transforming, the Tinkertech unfolding flawlessly within itself. It had been a collaboration between Damascian and some other Tinker before she inherited, inspired by some cultural thing from Aleph. He didn't care about that part too much, just that they had fucking nailed it!
He took aim at the floating platform teeming with targets with the now sniper rifle and opened fire. He whooped out a cheer when one of them fell thirty feet to the asphalt below only to curse when the fucker stood back up seconds later.
Great, he'd pissed off the immortal albino prick, just his luck that he'd wind up with the unkillable masochist. He spun his scythe with a flourish and took his stance. Well, at least he could work out some of his aggression that had been building over the past several weeks.
—Elliot—
Who did that bitch think she was, ordering him around like that? Sure, the HQ was under attack, but why did Tattletale insist he needed to be heading away from the action? The Empire was on their door and she had him running down fucking side hallways chasing after two capes that left the city the same day the Teeth fucking arrived!
Night and Fog were scared shitless of the Teeth, they fucked off to Boston and hadn't been seen since. Now, they were supposedly trying to kill Rachel, and if it wasn't for how frantic Tattletale was about the whole thing, he would have told her to shove it and joined the fight wholesale.
It also didn't hurt that it was Rachel, whose social skills were about as useful as Damien's. She was a human-shaped dog that could speak, and once you grasped that, she was easy enough to understand. It was clear she hadn't had any meaningful human contact since whatever had fucked her up in the first place. Well, he was determined to change that, and he wasn't gonna let any Empire shits hurt her.
She reminded him so much of little Cassandra, how she had triggered from abusive guardians and lashed out by accident. Cassandra might have shared a similar fate if he hadn't taken the fall for her. She'd killed the bastard before she even realized that she had triggered, leaving him a bloody smear on the wall, if he hadn't come home when he did… Well, he took the blame so she could live a better life, and since he already had a criminal record both as Elliot and as Animos, it wasn't a major sacrifice either way.
At least she understood it all, why he had joined the Teeth… He didn't get to see the brat often, not since she had joined the New York Wards, but he tried to get away at least a few times a year to check up on her, slip her some cash… Seeing her last week had been the highlight of his month, even with Weaver coming in and kicking ass and taking no shit, even from him.
Rachel was like a dark mirror of his sister, and it tugged at what little remained of his humanity. He was determined to watch over her, to make sure that she could handle herself. She was as squishy as any of their normals, her dogs were all she had for protection otherwise.
The wall ahead of him burst, he raised his arms to cover his face and reached for the beast within, feeling his skin swell and split. His muscles burned as they twisted and stretched, his jaw popped and elongated, teeth sprouting in razor sharp rows of fangs. A bestial roar erupted from his throat, but not his scream, he couldn't waste it, not when he hadn't sighted his prey.
Several Teeth were shredded, blood pooling around them as he caught a glimpse of Night before she was engulfed in Fog. He felt his rage swell as he watched his fellow Teeth die at their feet, because Fog didn't spare anyone that wasn't Empire. A cough drew his attention off to the side, Rachel… She was alive!
She was standing over one of her dogs, while another was a bloody mess on the ground, likely having been the one to tackle Night through the wall in the first place. He wasn't about to give them the chance to hurt anyone else.
He SCREAMED!
The fog dispersed in an instant, leaving a man on the ground trembling in agony as the woman he had been sheltering backed away. He wasn't going to let them off easy, they'd killed Teeth, and they would pay in blood.
"Brutus, kill!" Bitch yelled.
A bloody mess of a dog, flesh falling off it with each bounding leap slammed into Night, and one of its massive paws popped Fog's head like a water balloon. Much as he wanted to laugh at that, he didn't waste the opening, even as Brutus collapsed he moved as fast as his monstrous form would allow after the tumbling Nazi cunt.
She tried to scramble to her feet and into an empty storefront, but he was faster and caught her in his maw. Her eyes were pleading as he held her, a chuckling guffaw billowed from his throat, then he bit down and thrashed, rending the Empire cape into tasty giblets.
Rachel's coughing drew his attention and he hurried back to her. She was cut up, and Angelica didn't look too good behind her either, she'd long since lost her bulk and was wheezing worse than usual. He knew he was needed back at the main battle, but he wasn't about to leave her alone when she couldn't even defend herself. Brutus came limping in behind him, flopping against Rachel's side, the poor thing didn't look much better than Angelica.
He pulled up beside her and rested against her uninjured side, staying close, but ready in the event some dipshit was stupid enough to try and hurt her further.
—Damien—
Fucking Empire. Fucking Vex. Fucking Weaver.
Sure, Weaver was proving she was a true member of the Teeth, but she was also insistent on getting to play-act at being a teenage girl in school. So of course the Empire showed up while Weaver was at said school. She runs around, flaunting her identity to piss off the PRT, but doesn't stop to think that she was broadcasting when it was safe to attack the rest of the Teeth! Thank fuck Big Robbie was on the ball, otherwise it would have become a slaughter, and not the kind he enjoyed.
Thankfully the Empire held back most of their heavy hitters. Night and Fog were dangerous, but manageable thanks to Animos being sent after them. Tattletale was an insufferable bitch, but she knew how to use the resources at hand. Alabaster was playing with Reaver, which was a good matchup and Damien's own clones were keeping Krieg busy while he kept sending some of them to be meat shields for Big Robbie's men. Rune was a pansy ass little girl that didn't hold a candle to their own precocious little murderer, so long as she didn't squish anyone with a car, she wasn't much of an issue.
Speaking of Omen, why hadn't anyone thought to ask her if the Teeth would be attacked today! She was a fucking precog for Butcher's sake! He was so going to throw that one in Tattletale's face next time he saw the smug cunt. Leave it to the women to cock it all up.
He also wanted to scream at the fact that only Big Robbie's group seemed to be using the Tinker rifles they looted from Coil. Those things were used to make mincemeat out of their own boys, and only a handful were being used to defend their home from a Nazi invasion. What was the point of looting amazing weapons from the corpses of your enemies if you weren't even going to use the damn things?
Still, for as dire as the brazen attack was, the Teeth were handling it rather effectively. Certainly better than they would have if the Empire elected to attack back when Weaver was playing hero for that week.
Much as he hated to admit it, those drills she insisted on were proving effective. The Teeth weren't caught completely with their pants down, and had responded fast enough to prevent the Arena from being overrun. Sure, Night and Fog got inside, but Bitch could handle herself until Animos managed to back her up. If anything, the Empire would just keep bleeding the longer they stuck around and he was all for that.
An explosion caught his attention as Reaver went sailing through the air, crashing to the ground with a meaty thump. From the dust, Alabaster stood up and dusted his outfit off in a brazen display before unholstering a gun and calmly walking over towards the downed Reaver. Dozens of clones exploded off him, surging to assist his fallen teammate. Reaver was Teeth to his very bone, and Damien wasn't about to let some albino asshole kill him.
His clones poured over the debris and several formed meat shields around Reaver while the rest attempted to kick and scream and claw at the Empire bastard. It was like a hoard of zombies coming after you and even with his little reset, there wasn't much he could do against the tide of flesh. Damien had to resist the urge to cackle in the face of the flailing immortal, because that shit was amusing.
He finally made it to Reaver's side, only to spit curses when he saw the ruined stump of Reaver's arm and charred face. Fuck. That bastard was going to fucking pay. His clones burst forth in a renewed wave, pushing the albino further back, towards the Arena and up against the outer wall.
He was determined to force hell upon the man until he begged for a death that would never come. His clones continued to rip out flesh, dismember limbs and repeat the process with each refresh as Damien crept closer, and closer. His clones gnawing on Alabaster became more and more sophisticated as he approached, ripping at his flesh in ever more creative ways.
That was when a piercing scream echoed through the air, one everyone recognized as Animos' power nullification. He heard it, but the clones continued to appear, so clearly he had been far enough away. He continued to send his clones after Alabaster— that was when he noticed, and this time he did allow himself to laugh. Alabaster wasn't resetting anymore.
Alabaster couldn't even scream in horror at the realization that he had been caught up in the nullification because one of his clones had ripped his throat out. His torso was pulled apart, several clones dragging his legs away even as others ripped into his bowels.
He was a dying man, the Teeth had killed an immortal! That was going to be a story to tell for years to come, right up there with Big Robbie's Slaughterhouse tales!
The Empire didn't waste time sounding the retreat after that, and he was pleased at how few of their members were still on their feet and able to follow orders. Rune and Krieg took to the skies, but that wasn't much of a loss. The Empire had lost this battle, and the Teeth wouldn't let them forget it.
A telltale pop sounded from the direction of the retreating fodder, followed by a crowd roaring in unthinking rage. The Butcher had finally arrived, and she was fucking pissed if she actually used Marauder's rage aura.
Good. She should be pissed over all this. None of it would have happened if she had been there, the Empire wouldn't have been brazen enough to attempt something like this. He was going to have words with her, but he remembered her little chat. Words in private, because he didn't feel like being another example.
FS: A bit shorter, but I've been traveling and working to the detriment of my writing. Thanks to Dalxein for contributing bits.
Pen: Thought I would try my hand at a multi perspective chapter with this one, something I've always struggled with writing.
As a favor to First, no new chapter next week as he is getting married! Next several chapters are drafted, but need a lot of editing work and I'm not going to dare ask him to work on that during his wedding and the honeymoon. I'm not that cruel.
Last edited: Jun 23, 2023
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Pendragoon
May 6, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
May 20, 2022
#8,664
Thursday April 21st, 2011
Despite being literally the Butcher, I found that I could still feel a gnawing worry at Winslow. For all intents and purposes, the Teeth controlled the school — although Madison was starting to use her cutesy act to stop fights — and I sincerely doubted that white supremacist cannon fodder were going to start anything stupid. Still, I was distracted and barely listening to Mrs. Knott when my phone rang. The entire class paused and turned to me, but I was far more concerned that my capes-only Teeth phone had made the offending noise.
An anime fox girl was smiling back at me on the screen; Lisa was calling.
"Ms. Hebert, I'm afraid you can't have your phone on in class, I'll have to —"
"What's up L?" I asked briskly.
"Trouble!" Lisa yelled, loud enough half the class heard it, and that she didn't elaborate meant she knew I had an audience. I was on my feet and out the door in seconds, ignoring my favorite teacher's protests. "Echo dash five and add ons. Hurry." She hung up, but the message was understood.
Five Empire capes and a bunch of rabble were attacking the arena. I couldn't afford to waste time or track down Chrissie. I needed to move, and fast.
I was already targeting a bug I had placed as an emergency teleport option when I noticed the half dozen people hanging out right outside the abandoned classroom I usually used for discreet teleport departures.
Someone had been watching me and arranged this ambush. I very nearly had my insects eat them alive in my sudden rage, and it was only through a supreme effort of will that I walked past the smirking Empire kids instead of collapsing their skulls.
Stratego tsked. "The Empire knows Weaver attends Winslow, and is making sure you are aware of that."
Marauder nodded. "This is a message."
"No shit, captain obvious," Alkaline snarled.
"Worry about that later, get back to base and slaughter them for the audacity!" Butcher demanded.
"We will," I whispered, ducking into a nearby bathroom… where one of my Teeth was getting high. I glared at him, then vanished, reappearing with a blast in a safe house four blocks away. As soon as I arrived, I grabbed a spare mask and pulled on the generic black leather jacket and weapon harness with two OTs-62s holstered.
"Preparedness —" Stratego started, but Chisel snapped at him loudly.
"Do something fucking useful with your power and lecture later!"
As I leapt across the city in waves of fire, I couldn't help but snarl about how the teleport was limited by how often I could use it. Pyro counted to herself and then tried to raise some issue about timing that I ignored, because my people were dying right now and every minute that I spent away from HQ was one where the Teeth didn't have my support.
Luckily, the others were too busy howling for blood to make any other complaints.
The second-to-last teleport brought me in range of the battlefield, and I immediately shut up any of the choir that wasn't being useful. Stratego's power went to use immediately, but even Quarrel ended up offering useful commentary.
Things weren't quite as bad as I feared.
Rune was already leaving my range in full retreat and the fodder were running away on foot. Any other capes were already dead or gone, so I set what few bugs I could on the remaining Empire until I felt myself able to make the last not-step then landed in their midst with a clap of fire and thunder.
I didn't wait even a moment before hitting them all with a rage blast, turning their terrified retreat into a homicidal frenzy as they all proceeded to attack one another. I didn't stand idle, of course, leaping into battle myself and starting to beat the goons senseless. I tried to restrain myself, but they had attacked our home and thus excluded themselves from whatever mercy Butcher XV may have possessed. It was about the time I'd swept one's legs out from under an enraged neo nazi, only to catch him by the ankle and slam him into another mook that I heard Tattletale yelling something over the loudspeakers and finally calmed down enough to really take in the situation.
The front of the arena was a wreck: entire sections had been blown apart by explosives of some type and the parking lot was riddled with the husks of destroyed cars and–
"Oh fuck." "How many…" "Those bastards!"
I located Spree kneeling beside an injured Reaver and teleported as close as I safely could. His head jerked up at my arrival, as did those of his nearby clones that were currently applying what first aid they could to Reaver. Given the volume of blood around the fallen cape, he probably wasn't doing so well on that front. I hurried to their side, sticking my finger into the deepest pool of blood so I could swap it into my hammerspace. Once that was done, I poured the blood out onto his missing stump, forcing some back into his veins, while working to stop the bleeding in a way that wouldn't mess up his circulation. When I was mostly sure he wouldn't die, I scabbed over his injuries as best I could.
"You're doing good kid, let's get to the others that need you," Chisel murmured, voice hard.
I met Damien's eyes and I could see the fury bubbling just under the surface. Much as I knew he was justifiably angry with me — as were Ironsides and a few others — now was decidedly not the time to deal with the issue. There was still work that needed done and bastards to make suffer, so we shared a curt nod and I targeted the next group that likely needed my attention before teleporting.
The next blast dropped me a short distance from a girl gasping and crying out as another girl desperately held her nearly bisected stomach. I sprinted over and let Sanguine's power map out her rapidly spilling blood, and I hated everything that I found. She'd been shredded by something, and my eyes found the headless remains of a cape spread down the hallway.
"Son of a bitch," Ironsides swore. "That's Fog!"
"I thought they ran away to Boston?" Quarrel asked.
"Clearly they came back. Big mistake," Sabertooth said with a grin.
"The mistake was Taylor —" Knockout started, though I pushed him away, his complaint sparked another argument. I ignored them to focus on the girl as I did everything I could to put her back together with Sanguine's limited hemokinesis. The girl beside her was crying fiercely as I worked, grabbing at her arm desperately as if that would keep her there.
If only healing were that easy.
"Where's Lisa's girlfriend?" Fester asked.
"I doubt she would show up," I retorted, waving off the confused looks from the other girl. I swapped the blood within the hammerspace again and began to force it into her severed arteries and veins in a desperate hope to keep her from bleeding out. Just as I thought I'd made it in time, she stopped breathing. My mind went blank as I had to force down my first instinct from my limited first aid course.
"Does anyone know CPR?" I yelled. "I'll crush her fucking chest if I try!"
The girl beside us snapped to attention at that and started chest compressions. It would have to do. I kept funneling blood into her veins, forcing it to flow as I used scabbed blood to hold things together and continue my repairs.
"Focus on rescue breaths more than the actual compressions." I instructed her. "My power's helping on that front at least."
She didn't answer me, but she started doing breaths every five compressions from then on, which I took as an acknowledgement. Two dozen rounds of rescue breaths later, she coughed. It was weak, and hoarse, but she was breathing on her own again, and her heart was pumping once more.
I kept working, even as the girl held my patient in a vice grip, sobbing into her bloodied shirt. I knew there were others that needed me, I could pick up dozens of injured with my bugs, people screaming for help, but I couldn't abandon the person right in front of me until I knew they were going to be stable enough to survive on their own.
The bugs I had on everyone's pulse felt three others slip away as I finished working on my current patient. The anger was building underneath my skin, I had to force it out and into my swarm that was hanging in the skies around the arena, blotting out the sun with their density. It was a warning and a promise for what was to come — no doubt the Empire had someone watching the arena, and I wanted them to be afraid.
Lisa was coordinating a triage in the pit where Alice and I ended up working tirelessly for hours to do what we could with our limited abilities. Each of our takes on blood control had their uses, yet it wasn't enough. We ended up with thirty dead before noon. Thirty people who had entrusted me with their lives, and died, all because I was too busy playing schoolgirl to be there for them.
"Taylor, what you're doing at Winslow is of no less worth than what you could have done by staying here," Alkaline tried. "There's more than one way to wield power."
"This never would have happened under any of us!" Quarrel yelled.
"Twice under Knockout," Ironsides simply stated.
"The Nine," Pyro added.
"Marauder got Legend to run us out of New York," Chisel groused.
"By calling a truce with the Adepts and Elite to do so," he retorted, but it sounded like a broken record.
"Wow, way to compare my fuckup to some of the worst in Teeth history, that makes me feel so much better."
"Taylor, yes, this was a mistake, but not one you can fully blame yourself for," Stratego said. "Your strategy always had risks, and this was one of them. What matters is how you plan to answer this aggression."
"With blood, obviously."
"Wait, did little miss XV actually say that!?" Butcher asked.
"Was gonna say, that was more of a me kind of line," Sanguine answered.
"Oh fuck off. The Teeth are mine, and I look out for what's mine. The Empire will bleed rivers for this."
The Butchers went silent at that declaration, and more than a few of my minions working around me were now staring, but I meant it. The Empire crossed a line by shamelessly abusing my secret identity and attacking our home. I looked down at the labored breathing of Rachel as Elliot carefully reapplied a cool rag to her forehead while Damien did the same for a pale Michael.
Lisa was eyeing me with concern, but wisely kept her mouth shut. She was still new to the Teeth, and while she'd won some good will with her quick Thinking, she never actually took to the field. She hadn't killed for the Teeth yet, on accident or on purpose, and assists only counted so much. Technically I hadn't killed on purpose either… perhaps it was time to change that.
"About fucking time!" Marauder cheered.
I pushed him into the void along with every other Butcher that had joined in his celebration. Now wasn't the time to celebrate, now was the time for retribution.
"Weaver," Tattletale said, giving me a look of deep concern.
"Save it. You know I can't let this go."
She hesitated, seeming to search for the right words even as I glared at her with all the determination I felt. "I'm not saying to let them get away with this, far from it, but to make sure you do this right."
"They attacked our home, I feel it's only fitting that I return the favor."
"They attacked our well known public base, which might be the home for most of the Teeth, but it isn't the same as you storming Medhall."
"Fucking Thinkers," Pyro grumbled.
"Are you trying to tell me this wasn't a violation of the Rules?" I demanded, the bugs I had in the room rising up and making themselves known. "Most of our dead had never held a weapon before, hell, many were just kids fresh out of school!"
"Yes, and they chose the shelter of a gang. They knew the risks," Lisa said firmly, and several of the Butchers grumbled in begrudging agreement. "Make the Empire pay, but don't give them an excuse to throw all the rules out. They are obviously baiting you with this, please don't fall for it."
"So hit everything but the Medhall stuff, got it. We'll just have to tear down everything else around them." I growled, moving onto the next patient. Lisa began to follow, but stopped as her phone rang. I checked with the underground doctor that Lisa called in and moved to the patient he directed me to. The man was suffering from blood loss, and we lacked the supplies to provide for everyone, so Alkaline's hammer space was getting quite the workout for it.
Just as I was wrapping up with him I felt a vehicle pull up, and I recognized the two bugs within the paper necklaces. Chrissie was here with Charlotte, and a third person that I didn't have enough bugs to identify. I pulled a chunk of the swarm down and had to bite back a snarl. I teleported straight to them in a burst of flame, knocking the interloper to the ground.
"The fuck are you doing here Madison!?" I yelled, grabbing her by the shirt and hauling her to her feet.
"Taylor, calm down!" Charlotte tried, but she might as well have tried to shove over a building.
"She helped us kick some Empire ass and asked to come," Chrissie added. "School got closed when the Empire dicks started shit during lunch, cops and PRT are swarming the place."
I threw Madison to the ground. She felt heavier than she should have for her size, but she didn't show a hint of pain as she picked herself back up.
"I deserved that," she grumbled.
"Damn right you did," I hissed. "Talk fast, I've got people dying inside that need my help."
The diminutive Ward glanced around, clearly looking for extra eyes. "I take it you figured out…?"
"Enlighten me," I snarled, only to realize that Madison probably didn't want to out herself in front of the Teeth. My bugs swarmed in from nearby alleys and rooftops, forming a mostly opaque wall to conceal me, Chrissie, Charlotte, and Madison.
Madison gave the bug screen a strange look before her form shifted, gaining considerable bulk and height and soon four foot nothing Madison was seven feet tall with shoulders as broad as a damn barn. I stared Browbeat in the eye as Charlotte gasped in surprise.
"Nothing quite like Government sponsored bullying, is there?" Chrissie said.
Browbeat sighed, their form seeming to literally deflate. "I wronged you, and nothing I do can fix that. What I can do is tell you that there are people sympathetic to you within the PRT. Assault, as well as Armsmaster and Battery. They all know your identity and obviously haven't made any moves to arrest you."
"So they aren't suicidal, your point?"
Browbeat's form began to shift again, this time becoming decidedly less humanoid and more reptilian. Even the Butchers went momentarily silent at the massive and supple form that she had taken, with a jet black carapace and an extending mandible of some type that looked like it could punch right through someone's chest. They resembled something out of an Aleph sci fi film or —
"Holy shit, she turned into a goddamn Xenomorph!" Sabertooth said, sounding rather jealous of his fellow Changer.
"They," Fester chided, but even she sounded distracted by the monster standing before us. I couldn't help but wonder just what Madison's limits were for their ability to alter themselves.
"My powers never were very PR friendly, so I had to hide them away," Madimorph said, speaking in a way that didn't sound human. "Before I joined the Wards, forms like this were how I went after the gangs. PR didn't like them, so Browbeat was born."
"Taylor, no offense, but please let her kill you?" Pyro nearly begged.
"No shit, just think what we could do with that!" Marauder added.
"We don't know how her bug control would be affected. That ability is incredibly valuable beyond some rudimentary shapeshifting." Damascian countered.
I resisted an almost overwhelming urge to groan. "Congratulations, you have half the collective plotting my death at your hands because they want your power," I said as neutrally as I could. "Why show me all this?"
They seemed to choose their words carefully, and it was rather disconcerting to see a monster rub its chin. "I may have implied to Assault that I was going to disguise myself and carefully try to see what happened here. It's not like the Empire would do any better to me if they could get away with it. I was an independent once, too."
I couldn't help it, I laughed. The Protectorate heroes weren't individually stupid, and the idea that Madcap let a Ward go play recon with the Teeth was almost too absurd to be true. Still, I had tried to cultivate a reputation, so maybe it was working?
While I pondered that (my predecessors, of course, made lewd comments), Madison shifted back to her petite form. The bugs had mostly dispersed as another vehicle entered my range, one I didn't recognize. Lisa started running towards the parking garage immediately, bursting out of the arena as soon as the car door opened. Both the Butcher and I were rather surprised to see Amy nearly trip over herself getting out of the car before running and pulling Lisa into a frantic embrace.
Chrissie gave a half-hearted wolf whistle at the display, but her eyes didn't leave the car that had just produced a hero. Then Dinah stepped out behind Amy, shaking her head and muttering something that startled the unknowing couple into motion. They hurried back into the arena, leaving the rest of us with a gaping, dumbstruck Ward.
I caught Madison's incredulous gaze as she turned back. "I'm sure you didn't see anything, because it would be a damn shame if Amy wasn't allowed to see one of the few people who actually cares about her as a person. Same goes for Omen."
At that mention, Dinah waved to her, and Madison awkwardly waved back before muttering, "Taylor… what the hell is going on around here? Are you seriously reforming the Teeth?"
Chrissie snorted. "Fuck no. She's just making sure we're pointing all the fun stuff at the fuckers that deserve it."
"Like the Empire," Charlotte added with a nod.
"Especially the Empire," I said with a Sabertooth-assisted grin. "So, you up for helping put the Nazis back into the history books?"
"Why are you asking the cowardly Ward?" Quarrel sneered. "She's barely worth a damn in a fight and fainted when you revealed yourself!"
"But she did confront Taylor," Sanguine pointed out.
Damascian shrugged, metaphorically. "Despite the cowardice, she did choose to accompany Chrissie. Even a supposed reconnaissance mission and Weaver's reputation would be insufficient for most heroes to willingly be within arm's reach of the Butcher."
If I was being honest with myself, I didn't really care if Madison came with us or not. Neither I nor the Butchers found a sudden betrayal very likely — sending a Ward as bait for the Butcher was beyond even the Protectorate. And while more friendly capes were always better, it was Madison.
The girl in question seemed to be having a similar deliberation, only to sigh heavily. "I shouldn't. I really shouldn't, but I didn't ask Chrissie to come because I wanted to hear about the Empire's latest bullshit after the fact. Even if I haven't been very good at it lately, I am a hero. You, on the other hand…" She waved at us, a conflicted expression rolling over her face.
"Aren't the Empire," Chrissie said with a grin.
"Yeah, that. You also had every right to kill me, yet didn't." Madison shook herself before standing up straight and flashing an inhumanly sharp grin. "Fuck it. Let's kick ass before the Protectorate remembers to ask where I am."
"How the hell did the Wards get this girl and not us?" Butcher demanded.
Sabertooth chuckled. "At least we know she'll fit right in."
"Can we keep her?" Marauder almost begged.
Inside, I had lightning bugs form up over Michael and Rachel's makeshift cot within the triage area. Amy broke off from Lisa and followed my signal, hopefully she would be able to save everyone. Back outside, I sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon and I had to see that my people were ready for an even longer night.
The atmosphere within the lounge was tense as I lorded over my sculpted map of the city. Any other time, I might have stopped to admire the level of detail and proper scale, but right now all of my attention was on the red-painted bugs being used to mark Empire holdings across the city. There were significantly fewer of those following the Teeth's campaign quests, but enough remained that I wanted nothing more than to sweep across their territory in a tide of blood and death. Unfortunately, that way laid only more casualties.
The Empire had claimed too many of my people as it was.
Around me, the capes were split into various factions. Lisa was with Alec and Rachel, who was fully recovered thanks to Alkaline's hammer space producing blood that Amy could use in place of biomass. Honestly, that power almost felt tailor made to compliment her own.
"Butcher XVI when?" Alkaline joked.
Preferably never? The others groaned.
Beside them, Amy was having a heated argument with Madison — neither junior hero was completely okay with the other being here. I wasn't happy that one of my bullies was now going to fight alongside me either, but given that the enemies in question were Nazis, I was willing to put aside my issues for a worthy cause. Madison's issue, however, was that Amy was considered the gold standard of what a hero represented, and here she was, consorting with the Teeth.
The more telling group however, were the old guard capes. Damien, Alice, Elliot, Michael and sadly, Chrissie were on their own side, apart from me. It hurt, but I understood their recalcitrance. I hadn't been there when the Teeth needed me, both at the arena and later at school.
I couldn't sit back on my ass any longer. No more games, the Empire had to die. "Alright, let's get this shit done so we can get out there and pulp some Nazis."
"About fucking time!" Elliot growled.
A round of cheers resounded around me, and I didn't do anything to stifle them. "Save that enthusiasm for the Empire. It goes without saying, the Empire fucked us raw with a cactus drenched in habanero sauce today, so tonight, we pay them back tenfold. We aren't those pussies in the Protectorate that will let someone bend them over raw and then thank them for it. If they're in Empire colors, gut them. They shoot at us, flay them alive. We have six targets picked out to start with that were too dangerous to put on the board, as cape resistance is expected at any of them, so we'll be splitting up with Rachel hanging back with Angelica and Brutus to act as fast movers along with Elliot. Once we know where they're defending, we'll redeploy accordingly."
"And what will our glorious leader be doing during all of this?" Damien asked, it was close to insubordination, but I'd earned a touch of that tonight.
I turned to Big Robbie, who was seated beside me, with Dinah on his lap as she looked over the cityscape, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I'll be hitting my own target alongside Robbie's team, one that is rather important to the Empire's image."
"You're saying we can't count on the Butcher to support us?" Alice asked. That got me more than a few glares from the veteran side.
"It is support, I'm going in first and making a huge ass mess to hopefully draw in cape attention so you guys have an easier time. We'll have Lisa and Dinah working mission control and Amy will be with the Movers in the event someone needs healing."
"I didn't agree to that." Amy cut in.
I turned to her and shrugged. "Either you help us take down the Empire or it's never going to happen. The heroes just stood around with their thumbs up their asses last time something like this happened. Don't you want revenge?"
"You're hanging with the big kids, so be ready to get your feet wet, Pandemic," Chrissie said. At Amy's withering glare, she smirked. "What, don't like the name? Claim a worthy trophy and you can name yourself whatever you want. I don't think you want your precious Panacea image to be linked to the big bad Teeth, do you?"
Amy was red faced, but a gentle hand on her shoulder courtesy of Lisa stilled any further outbursts. I turned my attention back to the city map. "Dinah, how many questions can you answer tonight?"
"Five, comfortably. Six to seven if I endure a Thinker migraine tomorrow," she said professionally.
"Oh, now she's asking questions, after the attack she wasn't there for." Alice grumbled.
I had her by the throat in a blink. When would they fucking learn to not backtalk me in fucking public!? "We ask Omen the same question each day, will any Teeth affiliated capes die while I'm at school? Nobody died, so we assumed we would be alright. We're amending future questions to account for that."
"Prophecies are poisoned by their nature, it's a learning experience," Lisa added, completely unphased by my display. "We make mistakes, we learn from them and correct the questions, all there is to it."
"That good enough for you?" I demanded. Alice nodded, so I dropped her where she was and turned back to the table. "Alright. Question one. Chances one of the people in this room dies tonight?"
"43.683465%"
"Shit," Michael muttered.
"Chance that Hookwolf kills someone in this room tonight?"
"43.2854587%"
"That narrows it down," Alec quipped. The veterans all glared at him, save Michael.
I nodded. "It does, actually. Hookwolf is the most likely to kill someone, which might include me. I'm also the most likely to survive a direct fight with the bastard. If Hookwolf is spotted, I'll disengage my current target and move to assist. I'm the best deterrent we have for the rabid blender."
"Taylor. Where exactly are you hitting?" Chrissie asked, eyeing me carefully.
I couldn't help but smile. "Hookwolf's little dog fighting arena."
Rachel perked up at that and leaned forward, over the table. "I want in."
Lisa took the opportunity to step forward. "Originally, we were planning to have you involved when we hit it in the next day or two, but this attack forced a change of plans. I have vehicles ready to load up the dogs once the place is secure, which will be delivered to a shelter for you."
Rachel seemed conflicted, but nodded. "Fuck the bastards. Make them suffer."
"Consider it done." I then turned to Madison. "You'll be with me. To be blunt, I don't trust you one bit to not stab any of us in the back."
"That's fair," she said, "Do you have a fancy new name for me as well?"
"That's a good question, the hell do you name a Xenomorph?" Chisel asked.
"Would Ripley be too on the nose?" Sabertooth wondered.
Alkaline chuckled at that. "Coming from the animal changer that stole his name from an old Marvel comic."
"Fuck off!" he yelled at her. I pushed their little spat down into the dark.
"Didn't that one Japanese game have a similar creature named Redley?" Reflex asked.
"Ridley," Pyro answered. "Not quite the same though, since it was more of a draconic form."
"Dunno, I think it would be hilarious to make it known that we had a hero helping us tonight," Alec said while twirling his scepter. "If trust is an issue, I could always pull my little party trick on her."
"That won't be necessary," I said with a glare, then turned back to my once tormentor. "Are you fine with Ripley as a cape name for tonight?"
Madison nodded. "That'll do."
"Alright, unless anyone has questions, Lisa will be handing out sheets with your assignment and objective tonight as well as the recommended loadouts. You have two hours before the operation begins, so make good use of it, and happy hunting!"
Muttered complaints echoed through the room, but everyone stopped by Lisa to pick up their marching orders. At least the drills were finally instilling some discipline into our people. Still, I had something I needed to do. Stepping with purpose, I walked straight over to Chrissie who straightened up at my approach. "My room, now."
It was blunt, but I needed to project strength in the face of the current undertones of hostility among the veteran members. Once the dust settled I fully expected one of them, possibly Elliot, to make a proper bid for the mantle, but that could wait until the Empire was dead and rotting in the streets. For now, I had a war to win and I didn't want this to be put off until after the battle.
I'd read that novel one too many times.
"There is nothing worse than regret." Fester said in a motherly tone, memories of my own mother's final conversation with my mental roommate playing back for me. She still regretted how they split, and I couldn't blame her. It was a mistake I didn't want to make.
Once inside the room I pulled Chrissie into a hug, but rather than return it, she stiffened. I felt my heart crack at her reaction, but held her nonetheless.
"I hate this," I muttered.
A choked sound came from her and she finally returned my embrace. "Me too."
"I know we don't have time to work this out tonight, but I didn't want either of us going off and —" My breath hitched, almost the beginning of a sob.
She gripped me tighter. "Either of us might die tonight…"
"Yeah." We held each other for several moments, just enjoying each other's presence.
After a few moments, Chrissie let out a sigh, her voice soft yet firm. "Taylor, I'm not a damsel for you to protect, I'm a Cape, a Warrior. If I die out there fighting, then I've died the way I wanted to. It's my choice, and nobody, not even you, is going to take that from me, so when shit goes down, don't leave me out of it."
"I never intended to." I paused, wishing we had more time. "I promise. I promise that we'll talk after this shitshow is over and Kaiser's head is on my mantle."
Chrissie snorted, a choked chuckle following as she buried her face in my shoulder. "Hooky's would look cooler."
"Nah, his head goes on the skull throne."
We both laughed at the mental image and I felt a bit lighter. Hopefully tonight didn't go to shit.
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Pendragoon
May 20, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
May 27, 2022
#8,876
Thursday April 21st, 2011
I didn't bother to suppress my grin as I knocked on the steel door standing between a bunch of animal abusers and violent retribution. Several of the Butchers called out "Who's there?" followed by various lewd remarks, which thankfully distracted me from my bugs reported a guy hastily hiding the fact that he had been — nope. I was tempted to sting him in the nether regions, but the party hadn't started yet.
In fact, there weren't even any fights actively happening, though fleas on dozens of dogs indicated that several were being 'trained' by the monsters who ran the place. A Doberman slipped off its leash and snapped up one of the bait dogs, thrashing it before sending the poor animal tumbling. A fly landed on a shivering chihuahua, tasting blood on her fur. She wasn't going to live for long as the laughing handler pulled the victoriously smug pit dog away.
They were laughing that a dog was bleeding out, whimpering and crying for someone, anyone to help her. I could feel one of the Empire assholes coming to collect her, muttering about how she was a waste of a bullet while also suppressing her own mirth.
"Should have brought Bitch," Ironsides grumbled. "They wouldn't be laughing then."
I guess I'll have to do, I thought, abandoning the knock-knock joke opening and electing instead to send a swarm to protect the defenseless dog. The goons barely had time to dodge backwards in shock before I teleported inside, punching the Doberman's handler as hard as I dared. He flew back and left a dent in the metal wall before falling to the floor, while the dog got a mild pain blast to send it running away with a whimper. It wasn't the dog's fault, just the bastards that trained it.
Of course, my entrance had hardly gone unnoticed — the collector tried to run, but I rounded the corner and threw a knife at the fly perched on her shoulder. She screamed out, but the nerves to control her arm were severed and her gun fell from limp fingers. I kicked her away from the dog as I let Sanguine's power check the pup over.
"Huh, didn't know it worked on animal blood," he said, genuinely intrigued.
"Good thing it does, she would have bled out otherwise." Once again, Alkaline's blood recreation capacity was a godsend. The dog should live long enough for Amy or Rachel to help her.
"Move in," I instructed Big Robbie's team. Operation Get Fucked was a go.
It might have been true that no plan survives contact with the enemy, but it was equally true that few enemies survive contact with the Teeth. For all that the Empire had almost three dozen guys waiting for us, armed with expensive military-grade weaponry, they were not prepared for the Teeth's level of brutality. Big Robbie's attempts to get the Teeth to have something like discipline just made us more terrifying, as evidenced by the screams as he tore them apart.
However, loath as I was to admit it, Ripley was stealing the show tonight. They were ducking through the shadows of the poorly lit warehouse, snatching people like a literal alien before disarming and tying them up out of sight of their fellows. One goon even wondered aloud if some Aleph comic book hero had come for him.
When they grabbed him, they pulled him close and stepped into the light. "Guess again," their second mouth hissed, causing him to piss himself. It was an exercise in spreading terror, and it was working.
I dropped down beside them, shaking my head while cradling the pup in my arm. "You sure you don't want to be a villain full time? You're damn good at this."
"They deserve worse," Ripley growled, eyeing the now scabbed-over dog. "Will that dog be alright?"
"I think so, but I can have Pandemic take a look," I replied, passing the dog to one of my convenient (if confused) mooks. It seemed that even people who wore their enemies' bones could be unnerved, based on how quickly he ran off with the dog. Several of the Butchers snickered at his retreating back.
The fighting wound down pretty quickly after that, and I found myself on edge from the adrenaline rush of 'imminent cape fight.' Lisa had happily informed us that Hookwolf took attacks on his dog fighting operations personally, and we were already on his shit list for signing on Rachel. However, while his nominal underlings were being rounded up and his dogs being freed, the violent murderer did not bother to show up.
"Like you," Butcher reminded me unhelpfully. He cackled as I pushed away both him and the memories of earlier today — now was not the time to be worried about that. I had to ensure that the Teeth got our proportionate revenge.
"Fuck proportionate, just slaughter them all!" Knockout whined. "They're Nazis, you can punch them for free in America."
Damascian shook her head. "Taylor's reputation hinges on not engaging in mindless slaughter, deserving targets or no."
"I'm actually with Knockout, here," Fester admitted, followed by Stratego and Sabertooth both rumbling in agreement.
"Well too bad," I murmured. "This morning was a disaster and I have no intention of making it worse." I had to push down a few of the louder complainers, but I really didn't have time to be thinking about this. Maybe later, when I could talk to Chrissie… if she wanted to talk, that was.
I shook my head. Not the time.
Instead, I focused on a miniature swarm of bugs clustered around some electronics in a nearby van. Tattletale had come up with a rather clever trick to let me work several radios with my bugs, letting me stay in contact with the Teeth despite most of them being far outside my range. Having several of these vans around our troops gave me unprecedented control over the city-wide battlefield; at the moment, things were quiet. Too quiet, actually — several groups had hit resistance, but none of them had seen any of the Empire's capes yet.
"To be fair, three of them did die this morning," Pyro pointed out with glee.
Stratego made a displeased noise. "It's obviously a trap, you idiot!" They descended into bickering, but the point was made.
This whole thing did reek of a trap.
"You will simply have to wait until they play their hand," Chisel said. "Stay the course and react accordingly."
"Would be nice if you could just see everything," Ironsides pondered.
"Yeah, like anyone would let a power-boosting Trump near Butcher XV," Alkaline replied.
"We can dream!" Sabertooth said.
"Can the power fantasies be put on hold for five fucking minutes!?" Chisel bellowed as I picked up someone flying into my range.
I decided to not waste time on a potential fight and instead teleported right beside the flier. Rune barely had a moment to react as I punched her in the gut and slung her over my shoulder. It would have been easy to kill the girl, and given she was the first cape we encountered, I suspected that Kaiser might even be planning for me to do just that. However, the girl was barely a teenager according to Lisa's sanitized intel, and I wasn't about to execute someone because of a poor life decision when they didn't know any better.
In my mind, several of the Butchers chuckled darkly.
I landed on a rooftop with a heavy thump, followed by Ripley crawling over the edge of the building. Rune collapsed to her knees as soon as I set her down, coughing up the contents of her stomach before falling limply to her side. Ripley kicked the other villain onto her back, peering down through inhuman eyes and snapping at her with those freaky teeth. Madison might even give me a run for my money in the terrifying department.
"Let me taste your skin," Ripley hissed as their miniature mouth extended out, caressing Rune's exposed cheek… only for her eyes to roll back as she went limp.
"Ha, the bitch fainted!" Knockout exclaimed.
"Now eat her heart!" Marauder demanded. I slammed him in the dark.
"Imagine if she had a swarm of face huggers," Sabertooth said giddily.
Damascian hummed in thought. "I can't help but wonder if Amelia could produce such a thing, with… some encouragement."
The entire collective paused at that. I was embarrassed to admit that even I was salivating at the prospect of swarms of bioengineered creatures under my control, only for my thoughts to drift to actual Xenomorphs. That was in turn followed by a slew of other sci-fi and horror creatures, things that would see kill orders rushed through and the city walled off if we actually acquired them.
"So, what are we going to do with Sabrina here?" Reflex asked, jerking us all back to the present.
"Ripley, call your handler and let him know you have one for pickup, I'll leave the details to you."
"Any word on Othala?" they asked as they fired off a message on a burner phone.
I shook my head at the mention of the other high priority 'capture alive' target. "Rune's the first cape so far, which is concerning."
"Child brides," Fester spat. "How is that shit legal when weed isn't?"
"Because old fossils make the laws and the young suffer for them." Alkaline answered.
I had read over all the identity sanitized documents Lisa had given me in the hour before we took to the streets, cuddled with Chrissie in my room as I did. We were both disgusted when we reached Othala's profile: married to Victor at twelve, when he was in his twenties, now he was nearly thirty and she was barely eighteen. Even as the Empire's main force multiplier, the collective agreed with me that she deserved a chance to recover from that life.
Part of me was tempted to follow through on Fester's more imaginative retributions.
Of course, I would need to find the bastard first. Rune was still the only cape the Teeth had encountered so far, with most of our teams wrapping up their objectives and beginning to load or destroy the loot they found.
I was about to ask everyone for a round of status updates when Vex's oddly quiet voice came over the comms. "Boss, we have… bodies. Lots of bodies here, and blood, and… fuck, pretty sure these are civilians."
"Damn, this is some Marauder-level of fucked up." Reaver added in on the same channel, then both of them let out startled expletives. For a moment, it was just the sound of frantic footsteps, and when Reaver talked again, it with horrified fascination. "The fucking sprinklers just started spewing blood! What the fuck is going on here?"
Lisa must have switched to a camera feed or something, because I heard her take in a sharp breath. "I've seen the Nine be gentler to their victims. But it's probably not human blood, so —"
"They set a trap," I snapped, cutting her off. "Get out of there! All forces, withdraw!"
"On it!" Reaver called out, followed by the sound of something wooden being violently disassembled — probably a door. "What's our regroup point?"
"Charlie," Tattletale said. "Secondary route."
"Got i—" The reply was cut off by a deafening crash.
"Shit!" someone screamed just as Vex cried out in pain. I felt my heart drop into my stomach.
Reaver's voice came over the coms. "Protectorate! MM's sniping at us, Vex is down."
I cursed, keying up my Teeth wide broadcast option as I made the first necessary teleport, then took off at a full sprint across the rooftops. "All forces, we've got Protectorate inbound, the Empire's played their hand. Fight to disengage and fall back if attacked, stick to non-lethals if possible but prioritize survival above all else. Torch anything we can't take with. Bitch, Animos, take Pandemic and go reinforce Vex's team, I'm on my way!"
"Can I kill the cunt now!?" Chrissie demanded, her voice strained.
"Not if I beat you to it," I snarled, relieved she was able to speak. In the background, I heard the report of Reaver's own rifle fire off. I switched channels. "Robbie, wrap it up and assume overwatch for rapid response."
"Got it, boss," he said as he began barking orders.
"Ripley, she's all yours. I'm not about to ask you to fight your co-workers, but I would advise you to not end up being tricked into doing the Empire's dirty work for them."
"Wait, Tay — nevermind. Thanks. Go save your girlfriend." With them being a Xenomorph and all, I really wasn't able to parse the emotions in Madison's voice.
I made another jump, swapping channels again. "Tats, status!"
"They didn't drop com silence until MM took the shot. Grue began to blanket the area in darkness almost immediately after. It's looking like they sent everyone not sympathetic to you." I could hear her mechanical keyboard clicking away over the mic. "Still nothing on the Empire cape front, there's still another play to be made. I have an idea of the shape of it, but I'll need more info first. I don't want to give you bad info by saying anything in case I'm on the wrong track."
"Keep me updated," I ordered. Of course Grue would decide to fight us, fucking bastard.
"We told you," Butcher chided. "Shoulda killed the prick."
Noted for the future, now save the gloating for after we get a bit of revenge for the Birdcage attempt!
I was now focused on each and every communication coming from Vex's team. Reaver and Regent were with her, and Regent was the sole reason Grue hadn't managed to lock down the entire area in darkness yet.
"Regent, how good is your control over Grue?" I asked.
"I never bothered beyond fucking with him," he yelled back.
"Just do what you can!"
I was in range now, and immediately set my bugs upon the bandana'd figure on the rooftop holding a rifle. Every flier I had went for her eyes, biting and stinging where they could. Another shot rang out before she was forced to pull away and try to dislodge them. As soon as she was preoccupied, I arrived with fury and flame, sending her tumbling and smoldering across the rooftop.
Then, with Chrissie's cries of pain echoing in my head, I inflicted the worst pain blast I could manage upon her.
Her rifle burst into a cloud of green that swirled chaotically through the air as she writhed in the gravel. The Butchers howled their approval of my actions, but I pushed them aside. This was torture with a purpose, even if I was enjoying seeing the bitch that hurt MY girlfriend in such agony.
"Hey, that rhymed!" Pyro noted.
"No, it didn't," Damascian grumbled.
Sensing other heroes entering my range, I sprayed Militia down in blood, working Sanguine's power on the stuff to trap the heroine in a solidified cocoon.
"Stay down, bitch," I snarled, my swarm echoing me. "You better fucking pray she makes it."
"Aww, no classic 'or else' from our fledgling Butcher?" Alkaline complained.
"Should just kill her now," Sabertooth growled, a sentiment echoed by much of the chorus.
The heroine tried to mutter something, but I was already gone, reappearing in the air above a rapidly approaching Dauntless. My sword came unslung and I brought it down on the unsuspecting hero. He saw me at the last moment, deflecting it with his energy shield and batting me away. As I flew through the air, I managed to reattach the sword and pull out my bow.
Unfortunately for me, Dauntless had a modicum of experience. Lightning crackled down his Arclance and leapt through the air towards me while I was still midair, and I nearly fumbled the arrow I was attempting to nock. I still spasmed violently as the electricity coursed through my body — both Damascian and Quarrel had fought the Roman legion reject, but I wasn't totally prepared for the sensation.
By some luck, I managed to make a half-hearted shot clear into the afternoon sky, but even as I slammed into the asphalt with the sound of cracking bones, Quarrel's power ensured that the arrow struck true. The twist of space delivered the projectile directly into Dauntless's achilles tendon, causing him to scream out in pain and flail wildly in the air.
I tried not to smile at his crash landing.
Just as my regeneration was going to work repairing the abuse to my skeleton, Velocity appeared and rushed to Dauntless's crater. I used my one mostly good arm to pull a boomerang from my belt and let Quarrel's power go wild. Velocity saw it coming, of course, leaping over it at the last moment. Then the boomerang curved, attempting to compensate, and struck him square in the dick. Served the bastard right.
Around us, the battle was still raging. Bitch and Animos were chasing the PRT troopers around, as containment foam grenades were not effective against minivan-sized dog monsters. They weren't killing anyone, at least as my bugs reported, but that was largely because the PRT was disciplined and clearly aware that their cape support was downed. I directed the two of them to take out the foam sprayer trucks and transports, which freed the PRT to check on the heroes.
Chrissie, thankfully, had been cognizant enough to fill the mouth of the alley she was using to hide with a maze of her force fields. My bugs enthusiastically discouraged the PRT troopers trying to get onto the roof above her, Amy, and Brutus. With the heroes indisposed for the moment, I teleported as close as I dared to Chrissie.
"How bad is it?" I yelled as I limped to her side.
Amy barely spared me a glance as she worked, giving me an annoyed glance through the stylized half-skull mask taken from a Day of the Dead celebration one of the past Butchers had attended. Her hair was gelled, slicked back and had a greasy quality; the effect was good, you wouldn't have mistaken her for the famed healer even if you were specifically looking for her. Even her freckles were smoothed over by makeup at the moment, which was a shame. They were distinctively her, and she shouldn't have to hide them away like that.
Chrissie, on the other hand, didn't have any energy for snark. "Really bad, Tay." She sounded so weak.
It felt wrong to hear her like that. As soon as I was close enough, I took Chrissie's uninjured hand and held it, squeezing tightly, while she barely squeezed at all. My heart was a jackhammer in my chest, and my adrenaline was not being helped by the Butchers' howling for me to return and put a slug through Militia's skull.
If Chrissie died, I would do it.
The surety of that statement should have disturbed me, but she was my anchor, without her, what did I have to lose?
The girl in question smiled up at me, a tear trailing down her cheek. "It hurts, Tay." So weak, so frail… "All of this… and it won't even leave a scar," she finished in a perfect monotone.
My mind blanked completely as a grin slowly spread across her face. If I'd been holding her, I'd have dropped her onto the ground.
Then the Butchers burst into laughter in my head, echoed by Chrissie a moment later. "Dick move, but that shit was funny!" Sabertooth howled. "You should have seen your face!"
If not for the fact that even Amy was chuckling quietly, I might have done something stupid. But Chrissie was fine enough to joke around, and I didn't have to worry about becoming a raving lunatic after killing heroes.
I gave her head an affectionate pat. "I think you'll live." She chuckled at my comment, but I tore my mask off and kissed her all the same.
"I killed her pain receptors first thing," Pandemic stated clinically, not caring in the slightest at our display. "She nearly begged me to play along once it was clear she would be fine. Also, if you want a scar that bad, just ask."
"Ha! Who said the frigid bitch couldn't be funny?" Knockout laughed.
"I think we're a bad influence on you," I muttered even as Chrissie's eyes never left my own, my hand gently cupping her cheek. "You scared me there, you know that."
"I know." She leaned forward and kissed me again. "Sorry I've been an ass lately."
"Like I've been much better." I sighed and fell beside her, cuddling her as Amy worked. In the distance, my bugs were harrying Grue and Velocity as they tried to get Dauntless to the last waiting van, which was also being plagued by my swarm. Bitch and Animos were there, but Grue's darkness was throwing them off just enough to keep them held back. I had to wonder if the dogs still recognized Grue as a friend, or if his darkness was preventing Bitch from giving them clear orders. I'd need to work out some system with Rachel for guiding her dogs with my swarm to help counter him in the future.
No sooner than I started to think that the fight was winding down than a whole section of the swarm assisting Animos died — in a straight line. "We've got company," I said, standing up abruptly and pulling Chrissie up after me. Several more blasts carved holes out of my swarm and tore into Animos, and I had to teleport to a rooftop to see the offending source with my own eyes.
Luckily, it wasn't Purity. "Looks like the Brigade wants to play," I sent to the group.
"Fucking clam jammers," Chrissie complained.
"You need to get out of there," Tattletale said in a strangled voice. "They're shooting first and asking questions never." One of Bitch's dogs flew backwards with a yelp as Glory Girl rocketed onto the battlefield, while further out, my bugs reported the presence of Manpower and Shielder riding on a disc-shaped shield.
I was forced to dodge when Lady Photon sent a barrage of purple lasers my way, so I countered with my swarm, using it to obstruct her view before teleporting down to the street where the PRT was trying to organize their own fighting retreat. Luckily, Reaver had Brandish occupied, because I was still sore and didn't want to chance her hardlight weapons. She dodged around his scythe with considerable skill, but I held back my bugs to not deprive him of a fight.
"He'll appreciate that," Knockout said with approval.
Unfortunately, the Butcher was a lightning rod for heroes, and I only had time to take stock before Glory Girl tried to pancake me into the pavement. "Butcher!" she yelled, flying out of the range of my hasty sword swing. "I really thought you were better!"
"You'll have to elaborate!" I yelled back, taking a few more ineffectual swings at the heroine. She dodged my attacks as easily as I avoided her punches and dives, but if she was flailing at me then she wasn't going after my much less nimble team.
The fight was more annoying than anything else — I hated having fliers just out of my reach — but at least I wasn't as distracted as the heroes. Manpower's attempt to slam into me from behind might have worked, otherwise. Instead, I twisted at the last moment and smacked his chest with the flat of the blade.
He flinched just long enough for me to leap backwards, but I lost Glory Girl's attention as she tried to rocket into the alley that hid Vex and Pandemic… only to crash into a wall of nearly invisible force fields. The Butchers roared with laughter in my head, and I couldn't help but laugh myself as I fought Manpower.
"Damn good evil laugh," Chisel said. "Works like a charm every time."
Indeed, Manpower and Glory Girl both refocused their efforts on me, as did Lady Photon when she was able to see. I decided to humor both of them, actually fighting them in earnest instead of just taunting. Knockout's shields proved invaluable for blocking Manpower's absurd punches, and twice I forced Glory Girl back by breaking her shield with my sword.
"You're a monster," Manpower spat after I kicked him into another of his teammate's purple blasts. It didn't seem to do much but anger him. "First Amy, and now this massacre —"
"That wasn't us!" I retorted, ducking under a thrown axe. Brandish had apparently been unwilling to follow Reaver, Animos, and Bitch into a maze of Vex's power, and the heroes were more than happy to focus on me as my team escaped. "Also, who the hell would be dumb enough to mess with Panacea?"
"Hm, I wonder…" Quarrel said sarcastically, to the laughs of the others.
The Brigade heroes froze — apart from Shielder, who was assisting the PRT — and I used the distraction to let my swarm engulf me to hide my teleport into a nearby basement, leaving a swarm clone in my place. I gestured at them with my clone, using it to ask, "What happened to Panacea that you thought I was responsible for?"
"You kidnapped her!" Glory Girl yelled, ineffectually punching my bugs. "We got a tip that —"
"Enough," Brandish said, and even though my bugs I could tell that she was struggling to keep her temper. "We do not negotiate with villains. You will give her back, or so help me. I will pull the Teeth out, root and stem."
"You're welcome to try," Sabertooth spat, dredging up some of his favorite memories of sending the Brigade packing.
"Did Amy forget to leave a note that she was visiting Lisa?" Alkaline wondered.
Butcher cackled. "Holy shit, she snuck out to Teeth! This is amazing!"
Have your fun after the heroes aren't trying to bring the Teeth down while being unwilling pawns of the Empire.
"Are we actually sure they're unwilling?" Sanguine asked.
"I'm fairly certain Coil would have exploited that, or left a plan to exploit it were it true." Stratego answered.
"The timing of their accusation is suspicious, to say the least. Another Empire plot?" Damascian mused.
"Probably," I muttered, then used my bugs to say, "By chance, did you get an anonymous tip or other communication that suggested you come attack the Teeth instead of, say, interfering with whatever the Empire is doing? Or are you making your rumored Empire affiliation official by playing into their plans so effectively when all you had to do to confirm things was give Panacea a fucking phone call?"
I could see Brandish suck in a breath to yell, the words on the tip of her tongue only to die like the last three Nazis she punched should have. She made a vaguely demanding gesture at Glory Girl, who fished a phone out of her pocket and called her sister.
Amy picked up on the second ring. "Vicky? You weren't supposed to call for another —"
"Ames! Where are you?"
"Busy!" Lisa breathlessly yelled in the background, then Amy squeaked as the call abruptly ended.
My bugs could practically taste the stupefied embarrassment oozing off of the heroes, and I laughed along with the Butchers at New Wave's reactions. "Well, um, this is awkward," Manpower said, rubbing the back of his head.
"At least someone is having a good time," I buzzed.
"Don't you get off on murder?" Brandish snarled, waving her hands around. "Don't think we'll just let you go after this."
"You already have," I said. "But to answer your question, no — I was just as horrified by this trap as you were. Never mind the thirty three innocents they slaughtered back at my Arena. Who knew the Empire was capable of such atrocities? Oh wait, all of us — the Brigade has been fighting these assholes almost as long as the Teeth have. Tell me, why does a teenage hero have to become the Butcher to actually do something about the literal Nazis in our city?"
The adult heroes looked appropriately chagrined at that, and while I was tempted to twist the knife about how they'd treated Amy like an overworked meal ticket or the way they took down her father, the rest of my forces had finally escaped from the heroes. I teleported away before New Wave could mount a proper response, not that I figured they had one.
I found Amy and Chrissie hiding in a different — slightly less smelly — alley several blocks from the fight. My girlfriend had the sleeping pup curled in her good arm while she watched Amy work to restore the other. I leaned forward, having shed my mask again and kissed her forehead. "How are you holding up?"
"Could be worse, but not by much. Having to drain my gains to flex again. The trials of being so ripped." Chrissie moaned in faux despair. Amy scowled and swatted her across her crimson crown for it. "Fine, fine. She managed to find some fat… somewhere." Then she grinned. "Amy's gonna give me a nasty looking scar where the cunt shot me, just so I have something to remember it by."
"Shit, she can do that?" "She could give us tattoos after all!" "XV on your shoulder!" "Nah, tramp stamp it!"
"A memento for each gang you've eliminated would be nice," Reflex added after a moment, causing the other Butchers to go silent.
"Oh, I like that one," Ironsides said.
Alkaline hummed in thought. "A Dragon, a Snake, and soon… Shit, what creature should represent the Empire?"
"What about that eagle thing they love to use?" Sanguine offered.
"Fuck that, a pile of shit is the only thing fitting for them." Fester snarled.
"A wolf," Marauder shrugged. "Given Hookwolf, it seems fitting enough."
I found myself oddly drawn to the idea (despite having never seriously considered tattoos like that before), but I shook my head slightly. Let's not scare Amy away when she's already obviously outside her comfort zone. The Butchers grumbled, but the prospect of eventually corrupting Brandish's kid was worth more than tattoos.
"Treat her and Lisa to a weekend spa, she deserves it after all this." Chisel said.
"We can even kidnap her! Imagine the headlines!" Pyro cackled.
"Thank you, Amy," I said aloud. "You didn't have to do all this."
"Your girlfriend here kinda drafted me," she said distantly, pulling her hand away from Chrissie, who was flexing her now healed arm and admiring the blatantly obvious scar where her arm was reattached.
"You had the option to say no. You always have that option, remember that."
Fester nodded along enthusiastically.
My declaration gave Amy pause, but I couldn't see her reaction under the mask. Lisa, however, must have picked up something, as she pulled the freckled girl into a side hug; Amy curled into the embrace.
"Just, you know, don't refuse to heal Weaver when she's dying," Chrissie said with a fair bit of mirth. "That just seems to be a good way to potentially end up as XVI." She then eyed the healer up and down, saying, "not that I would mind all that much."
I smacked her shoulder. "Hey, you aren't getting out of our talk that easily."
She glared at me for a split second before she started laughing, then I was laughing with her. Ah, how I missed all of this, just being able to be myself with the girl who cared about me. I really did owe her, and I hadn't been giving her nearly as much attention as she deserved.
Can I ask for a favor? When Chrissie's involved, no more distractions or advice, please. She deserves that much.
"Why should we?" "You're hopeless without us!" "You're gonna fuck it up!"
Is she dating Taylor, or the Butchers?
"Is there a distinction?" Sabertooth asked.
For me there is! This isn't a negotiation or a partnership involving any of you.
I reached out, giving Chrissie enough warning that she could pull away if the contact was unwanted. I was relieved when she let me run my fingers over the faint scar.
"It suits you," I said softly.
"Thanks Tay… listen, I—"
"Shit!" Lisa exclaimed, interrupting the moment. "The Empire finally made their move, the PRT building is under siege."
"Sucks to be them," Chrissie said, though we both moved to watch the security feeds Lisa had pulled up on her laptop. Amy was already beside her, gripping Lisa's shoulder rather tightly.
"They're there for their people?" I asked, watching Fenja smash through the front wall with a thrown dumpster.
"Won't do them much good," Amy said with a smirk. "Othala's regen has never worked on things I've healed before."
"Wait a sec, I thought you didn't heal Nazis," Chrissie asked with a measure of accusation to her tone.
"She doesn't," Lisa cut in, likely detecting the hostility. "The PRT was surprised by her offer, and even more surprised when all she did was seal their stumps and make them healthy enough to stand trial. They won't be fighting at their best anytime soon."
"They both lost limbs in that fight, and I didn't heal Crusader at all," Amy said uncomfortably.
"He just had a few broken bones, Othala can fix that in an afternoon," Lisa stated. "Didn't stop them from getting overly excited about striking the PRT when they got the news."
"How would they have even gotten the news?" Alkaline asked.
"If Amy's visit was discreet, there shouldn't have been a leak this quickly," Damascian added.
"Please tell me Lisa didn't set the Teeth up as bait to make this stick and not tell anyone," Chisel muttered.
"Did you know we were walking into a trap tonight?" I asked with as much forced calm as I could muster.
Lisa's eyes immediately became saucers. "No!" she shouted. Good, she knew I wasn't in the mood for games. "Someone else leaked this, hell, it might have been a cape watcher on PHO or a sympathetic agent, there's too many possibilities for me to narrow it down and it isn't worth it. It wasn't any of us, hell, I didn't even know until Amy told me a few hours ago."
I snarled and turned my focus back to the screen. Clockblocker had tagged Fenja when she tried to clear out the debris from the entry, slowing them down. Outside, Assault, Armsmaster and Battery were fighting Kaiser, Krieg, and Purity head on. The Wards were providing long distance support where they were able.
Except for Shadow Stalker.
She was on the ground fighting the unpowered assholes like she did back when she was a vigilante. Back when the Teeth wanted to recruit her for how violently she put down the Nazis. Then she started coming after the Teeth, and cost us Whirlygig before joining the Wards just days later, making it suicide to attempt anything against her.
Still, that she was clearly defying orders to take the fight to the Nazis did little to change my opinion of her. Unlike Madison, she never made an attempt to try and be better. Fuck her, she could sink or swim on her own merits.
One of the windows swapped to the inside of the building, near the cell block, showing Victor and Othala as they worked their way down. She was empowering him and making short work of their troopers. They would have their men freed, and soon.
"Are we going to help them?" Amy asked.
"Too risky," I said, but I was slipping my mask back on just to be safe. "If we side with the Protectorate against them, it sends a message to villains everywhere. It's too obvious of a play for us to make without the Empire burning the whole city down. Best I could do is drop in, poke one of them for a bit, then leave, letting everyone think it's just the Butcher being the Butcher."
Lisa shook her head, mashing more keys. "That might work for those outside Brockton, but the Empire knows you're not crazy like your predecessors. It won't fool them and you would just invite harsher penalties."
"Why isn't Hookwolf tearing his way through the building?" Chrissie asked and all of Lisa's typing ceased.
"The murder blender didn't hit the HQ either, so what has he been doing all day?" Damascian wondered.
"It isn't like him to skip fights," Marauder added.
"Neither Hookwolf or Cricket have been active today, that just doesn't—" Lisa's voice cut off and her fingers flew into a flurry of motion, skipping through log-in screens like they were nothing. She was on some Empire affiliated site and soon, a new camera feed was on the screen, one that was set among an achingly familiar set of buildings, which instantly filled me with dread.
A dread that crystallized in a single, razor sharp, moment.
"Dad…"
Naturally, that was when Hemorrhagia brought us more bad news. "New Wave fuckers are hitting us!"
"Then fuck them right back! I'll put them back together after!" Amy shouted across the coms, but I didn't give her much mind. Dad was in danger, I had to save him.
"Just go!" Chrissie yelled, flexing her now reattached arm. "We got this."
"Thanks, Chrissie."
I teleported away, hoping against everything that I wasn't already too late.
Author's Notes:
FS: add some notes here later
Pen: These fights were so frantic to write and so much fun to bring together, hopefully people aren't too upset that the Teeth didn't get to fight many Nazis, but as the ending implies, the day is far from over.
(Yes, Amy's mask and hood look was heavily inspired by Lara's from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, first time I saw it, I couldn't help but gush over how adorable it was and well, Amy needed a villain look and a bone mask felt like a fitting first step in that design.)
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Threadmarks Interlude 3.d
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
Jun 3, 2022
#9,059
Thursday April 21st, 2011
Danny Hebert was a busy man.
Administering the largest collective labor force in Brockton Bay would do that, even without a gang war in the streets. When the Teeth made their unfortunate return to the Bay, the Empire had tried to wrangle the few remaining unions under their thumb as a power consolidation tactic as they geared to a war footing, which in turn made outside support all but dissolve. So, those unions had done what they did best — band together for protection and leverage.
The DWU had been the largest of them and owned enough functional buildings in the Docks besides; those older but sturdy buildings made for a fitting HQ. Danny found himself with a sort of promotion by being made head of hiring of the entire conglomerate… at least until Skidmark killed Frank in one of his benders. The loss of their president had left a void, one which the Union voted Danny should fill.
Thankfully, he had men and women he could trust to handle the more mundane affairs, including Kurt who had stepped into his former position as head of hiring quite admirably. That left the perpetually overworked former head of hiring able to focus on the larger scale issues, like ensuring all his people remained employed and free of gang influences.
Oh, and alive — it wasn't like a bunch of tradesmen and laborers coming together had suddenly prompted the city administration or PRT to actually care. At least their indifference extended to not searching the basement that had become the DWU's armory.
Still, ineffectual that they may be, the PRT had a wealth of information on the local threats. That intel leaked out of the PRT like a sieve, of course, courtesy of disgruntled custodial staff and contractors who now nominally reported to Danny and were happy to support a non-cape group in the Bay. The DWU might not currently hold territory, but the ineffectual feds had forced their hand.
Now, Danny was poring over the DWU's collected files on the Teeth. Most of it had been enthusiastically borrowed from the PRT, but there were plenty of guys who had been hauling boxes when the Teeth had been in town the first time. He remembered them marauding about under the first few Butchers, but while he'd been in college at the time and had the good fortune to be beneath their interest, even he had run afoul of their actions a time or two. The capes had changed, of course, except for the cursed madwoman who called herself their 'leader.'
Danny really didn't want to think about the Butcher, and especially that pain blast they tended to be so fond of. Instead, he was worried for Taylor, who was almost certainly hiding something big from him. Oh, she had been honest enough when Danny had asked if she had joined the Teeth, but his instincts — parental and political both — were bugging him something fierce.
Part of that was Taylor's girlfriend, who was very obviously a supervillain herself. Danny thumbed through a few pictures of Vex in the battered manilla folders that served as the DWU's database, and it was obvious to anyone who had met the redhead that Chrissie was a rather well known up-and-coming cape.
That hurt.
Danny wanted to ask them. He wanted to know for certain, but he couldn't shake the image of the two girls cuddled on the couch, Chrissie passed out on Taylor's shoulder. Intellectually he knew that capes had secret identities, but he just couldn't connect his daughter's girlfriend to the hardened killer that had finally ended Skidmark for good.
He would never admit it, but Danny secretly approved of Chrissie getting revenge for Frank and everyone else the Merchants had ruined. Frank had been a friend and fought the good fight for years, making it all the worse when the PRT just shrugged and walked away. It took the goddamn Teeth to get justice for Frank, and the DWU hadn't really forgotten that fact.
Worse, Danny hadn't seen Taylor so at peace since before… everything. Danny shook his head, refusing to go back down that rabbit hole. He wouldn't repay Alan's kindness by falling apart on Taylor now, because secret respect for Vex or no, Danny was worried for his daughter.
Did Taylor know that Chrissie was Vex? That was stupid question — of course Taylor knew, which only served to raise more questions. Was Taylor also a cape? Danny flicked through the less-than-professional dossiers, past Animos, Reaver… He paused on Weaver and shuddered. Jeff's close call two weeks ago was still fresh in everyone's mind, and try as he might, Danny just couldn't imagine Taylor following that madwoman.
At least Jeff had survived whatever murderous intentions Butcher XV had for the area. Shooting her had not been among Jeff's better ideas, but Danny couldn't fault the guy for panicking.
Unfortunately, the Teeth did have new capes. Three of the former Undersiders had been spotted in Teeth costumes, but Regent, Hellhound, and Tattletale had been effectively non-entities up until this point. Grue was known in the area for working as hired muscle, but overheard conversations in the PRT indicated that he may have flipped rather than work for the living plague.
Danny paused at the last, mostly empty page. The PHO wiki was equally barren, as he discovered after a few minutes of navigating the site, with only a few links to Weaver's own PHO posts. Omen may have only been discussed in rumor and hearsay, but their existence gave Danny nightmares featuring his quiet, thoughtful daughter joining the Teeth in a storm of mayhem and murder.
He had not been sleeping very well, recently.
Teenagers would be teenagers, and while Danny had been understandably distressed about Taylor sneaking out at night, he had decided to trust Taylor and reserve judgment. He had been initially relieved when Taylor said she was going to visit Chrissie's family… until it became clear that the supervillain didn't hold a high opinion of parental figures. It was more likely that Chrissie considered the Teeth her family, which Danny knew well from Annette's feelings about Lustrum's crew; in fact, right up until Kimmie —
Oh, fuck. How had he forgotten that particular shitstorm?
Castrating men aside, one of Annette's own girlfriends had also been a member of the Teeth — and become the Butcher, to boot. If there was enough left of the woman who became Fester in that swirling pit of madness to recognize Taylor as Annette's daughter… was that how she had come to the Teeth's attention?
Was it possible that Taylor really was Omen, and had been recruited by the Butcher personally? Could Butcher XV be cognizant enough to talk to Taylor about her mother? The idea was certainly too absurd to be true, but for some reason Danny couldn't dislodge it from his brain. He would need to talk to Alan, because the last thing he wanted to do was drive Taylor away, but the idea of her being drawn into the Butcher's clutches…
The sudden klaxon of an alarm startled him from his thoughts, a moment later his desk phone rang from an internally routed number. "Danny here, sitrep or call back later."
"It's the Empire, sir," the chief of security stated. "Hookwolf is here along with Cricket and a small army. They are asking to speak with you by name."
Danny took a second to process that. Sure, the Empire had been putting pressure on the DWU ever since they banded together, but they had never sent capes to what was admittedly a small section of mostly unwanted territory. It wasn't even that the union had sided with the Teeth, what with the attack two weeks ago.
Why here, and why now? "Have you contacted the Protectorate?"
The response was a mirthless chuckle. "First thing I did when they made contact, and why I hit the alarm. All their capes are wrapped up fighting the Empire and Teeth at the moment, we're on our own here."
"Shit." Danny pinched his eyes shut, doing his best to avoid thinking about how quickly Hookwolf could murder all of them. "Unfortunate, but nothing new. Tell everyone to be ready if negotiations break down, and inform Hookwolf I'll be there in a few minutes."
With a heavy breath, Danny stood and surveyed his office. He wasn't suffering under any illusions about what was to come — the Empire sent an executioner, not a negotiator. People were about to die, but perhaps he could head off the worst of the carnage. It was with tears in his eyes that he pulled a cell phone from his desk and typed a simple message to Taylor's own phone.
Know that I love you, and I'm sorry I won't be there when you need me most.
With what would be his final message sent, Danny made his way to the door, grabbing his chest holster more out of habit than anything else. Ever since the mantle of the DWU passed to him, he knew this day might come. He wasn't prepared to meet his end, but how many truly were? His will was in order, his life insurance was up to date. Taylor would be taken care of after his passing.
She and Emma might have entered a rough patch, but he knew Alan and Zoe would see to it that she made it through high school and beyond. It was the best he could do without being there himself.
The few union members he passed on his march gave him looks that varied from grieved to respectful, the reminder that there were innocent people he could save strengthening his resolve for each person he passed. He did his best to hold his head high as he went to face death.
The edge of the DWU compound was alive with activity. The union members working security had established defensive lines, not that those would do anything against an enraged Hookwolf even if they did outnumber them almost three to one. They only had a handful of black market containment foam grenades on hand, and Hookwolf laughed the substance off in most cases.
No, all he could hope for was that the Empire would be satisfied with his life alone.
Reaching the front of their lines, he was greeted by the sight of a bare chested man wearing a metal wolf mask and a woman with a cage covering her face. Behind them stood the affront to everything that America stood for: their own knock off SS soldiers complete with uniforms to match. It was a show of force if he ever saw one.
"Hookwolf!" Danny yelled, projecting his voice so it carried. "Why have you come here?"
"You already know the answer." A deep, yet calm voice answered him. "Your dyke of a daughter, of course."
His blood turned to ice in his veins as it hit him.
Taylor.
"She has nothing to do with the Docks," he said, but his voice cracked.
"Perhaps… but you do." Hookwolf said with a reverberating chuckle. "Tell me, why have you allowed her to join the Teeth? Why make yourself guilty by extension? You've done good work helping the working man, which is why we never pressed you over hiring the right sorts. Why side against us now in favor of those subhuman vermin?"
White hot fury filled Danny's veins.
"Don't bullshit me, Hookwolf," Danny spat. "You're here because the union has been a thorn in your so-called Empire's side since Allfather tried and failed to pay us to look the other way when he brought contraband through the Docks." The dockworkers in the crowd made vaguely supportive noises. "For every group of hardworking men and women who decide to come together in solidarity, there's a monster like you who wants to crush us back down. It was true before capes, and it's still true now!"
Danny kept a straight face as the union members around him cheered. Accidental inspiring speech or no, Hookwolf had revealed the real reason he was here: Taylor. Connection to the Butcher, dating a cape, or even a cape herself, Danny would do his damnedest to protect her.
Hookwolf's posture turned calculating, and he blatantly assessed Danny for a long moment. "Nice speech. It's a shame a real American like you got involved with the Teeth, because it means I'm going to kill you now. Kaiser wants you for some scheme or whatever, but he didn't specify alive."
Cricket unsheathed her blades and every gun on the union side came up at that same moment, along with Danny's hand.
"Stand down," he ordered his men, then turned back to Hookwolf. "So much for claiming to be a man of honor. I guess all that talk in your pits was just that — you're no better than those that stuffed my daughter into her own locker."
"You would dare compare us to an animal like that?" Hookwolf growled.
Danny gave a spiteful laugh. "You're goddamn right I dare! You call yourselves the champions of the white race, yet couldn't even protect my daughter in your own territory. Do you know how much it galls me that I failed her so completely that it took the fucking Teeth to see to her safety?"
He knew many of the union boys and girls wouldn't take that revelation well, some might even blame themselves anew, much as they had the day the investigation was dropped. In the end however, it was his fault for allowing a divide to form between himself and Taylor in the wake of Annette's death, and burying himself in his work to cope. He didn't even know Taylor was being bullied until she was shut in her locker.
Deep and reverberating laughter silenced all the murmuring, drawing everyone's undivided attention back to the Empire cape. "You have balls Danny, I'll give you that. Unfortunately, I have my orders. I'm a good little Nazi like that, you see."
"You claim to be a man of honor, Hookwolf? Prove it. You came for me, and here I am. No other blood needs to be spilled today."
"You wish to challenge me?" Hookwolf asked incredulously. "To spare your men?"
Danny shrugged, forcing the casual act even as his legs wanted to buckle. "You intend to kill me regardless, and I'd put money on my men dropping most of yours before you even finished blending me. This way none of our men's lives are wasted on pointless conflict."
"Very well," Hookwolf said, cracking his knuckles. "I accept those terms."
"Danny, don't! It's suicide!" Kurt yelled out.
"Better just me than all of us," he answered with a pained smile. "Keep an eye on Taylor for me."
The chest holster came off easily, as it was dead weight against Hookwolf. Danny knew he was a tall man, and not much more, but his opponent had an easy six inches on him. That didn't even factor in the additional person's worth of muscle. Nevermind his ability to spontaneously transform into a bus sized creature of razor filled death… Danny knew he had no chance of winning, much less surviving.
"Bradley Meadows," Hookwolf spoke softly, where only Danny could hear it. There was a wide grin plastered on his face. "Every man should know the name of his killer."
"Daniel Hebert," he responded in kind, bringing his fists up. "I don't intend to make this easy for you."
"I should hope not," Hookwolf chuckled, bringing his own bare knuckles up in classic boxing form. "The opening move is yours."
Danny didn't hesitate, striking Hookwolf's diaphragm with everything he had. It was as if he'd punched a steel door. His fist throbbed as he pulled it back, but he wasn't done, throwing another punch for the cape's throat — only for his wrist to be caught in motion.
Next thing Danny knew, the world was spinning as he looked up to the sky. He felt like someone had taken a crowbar to every part of his body simultaneously, and he could only groan as a blurred figure came to stand between him and the sky. Then the world twisted in vertigo as he was lifted sideways, causing him to retch up his lunch as he fell, his stomach now pure agony.
"You were a brave man. Foolish, but brave," a booming voice said. "I won't prolong your suffering."
Danny felt himself hauled up, and forced to his knees as Hookwolf stood over him. From behind, someone had a vice grip on his thinning hair, then something cold pricked the back of his neck.
"Close your eyes and don't breathe, it will spare you some of the pain," an electronic voice said.
"Thank… you," He wheezed.
Danny closed his eyes and took what he knew to be his final breath, letting it out slowly. People in the distance were screaming, some were crying, but he had done all he could. His only regret was leaving Taylor behind, she'd done nothing to deserve what life had thrown at her, but she was a tough one, she would be alright, even if she never forgave him for dying like this.
Something ripped at Danny's hair, jerking him aside and sending him rolling. He forced his eyes open and saw Cricket standing, but something was wrong. It took him an agonizing moment to understand what his eyes were showing him: Cricket wasn't standing, she was impaled through the shoulder and hip with a spear thick enough to hold her upright.
Danny blinked, trying to clear his eyes of the tears, but there was no mistaking it. Cricket was dead, impaled by a ridiculously oversized projectile. Hookwolf howled in rage, metal cascading as he transformed into the hulking form of his Norse-inspired wolf.
He lunged forward — directly at Danny — only to be sent reeling in a shower of fractured metal as an explosion of flame erupted on the battlefield. A tall, heavily armoured figure decked out in black, gray, and crimson appeared between them, and for all that she adorned with enough weapons to fight a small war, Danny found himself staring at the achingly familiar braided hairstyle. Then his brain registered the seven foot long sword resting on her shoulder; that was not a weapon for mere mortals, and Danny was reminded that he was in the middle of a cape fight.
The Butcher spared a single glance backwards, the crimson 'XV' on her shoulder plate somehow less menacing than the horror that was her insectile mask. She vanished behind a cloud of bugs immediately after, her form hidden by a churning horad of chitin.
"BUTCHER!" Hookwolf yelled, and two of the titans of Brockton Bay began their bloody clash.
Danny distantly felt arms hook underneath him and began to pull him away. As he was dragged past, he found himself staring at Cricket's lifeless form and the blade that nearly ended his own now laying next to her. The sounds of screeching metal and furious roars were all he could hear, even though he knew the people pulling him were saying something.
Hookwolf was sent tumbling like an errant bowling ball by a vicious swing of the Butcher's blade, right into where the Empire goons had taken cover from the union's suppressing fire. The result was that nearly two dozen nazis were now a smear on the pavement amidst shattered concrete and shards of metal.
Steel and flame flashed across the battlefield as an enraged Hookwolf lashed out against the oddly-silent Butcher, and her only response was to hack through his metallic flesh with each perfectly placed swing of what could generously be considered a sword. Rough, unfinished, and tickling some reference in the back of his brain that he must have heard a decade ago, Danny watched in horrified fascination as the Butcher swung the thing like he would a pool noodle. He was at the barricades now, but he couldn't look away from the fight, even as his saviors began to tend to his injuries. The Butcher was living up to her namesake, and he couldn't help but wonder just what had drawn Taylor to join the same gang as that monster.
He watched as Hookwolf knocked the Butcher back with a serrated tail whip, her sword not quite fast enough to block the strike. The impact sent the Butcher flying, leaving behind a cloud of red mist. She vanished in a puff of smoke just before she would have impacted the building, but her arm completed the arc without the rest of her.
Hookwolf's head was on a swivel, looking about for his prey. Movement drew his attention and the chase was back on as he plowed into the Butcher, only for her to vanish yet again. More forms of the Butcher seemed to rise from every shadow, sending the Empire cape into a frenzy as he attempted to ferret out and kill the real one.
Danny couldn't help but notice that Hookwolf seemed to be slowing the longer the fight went on, and soon he was thrashing against nothing, as if trying to free himself. That was when a flicker of light had Danny looking up, revealing the Butcher was falling from the sky. She plummeted with sword in hand, and just before impact, she swung herself into a spin and slammed the sword down like a divine hammer blow that shook the ground all throughout the yard.
As the dust and debris slowly cleared, the end of the carnage was revealed. Hookwolf was nothing but scrap and gore as the Butcher held his metal head aloft in her left — and only — hand, his steel mask floating on a dimly glowing plate of light. For an instant, Danny beheld something primal and powerful, understanding some small part of why capes had captured the world's imagination. Hell, even the cloud of insects had parted just enough to let a ray of sunshine illuminate their master.
Butcher broke the pose soon after, shattering the illusion as she snapped the sword onto her back and started muttering to herself. The assembled dockworkers flinched when her attention turned their way, but the mad cape vanished with muted thunder before anyone could do more than rack their shotguns.
The tension didn't leave the air until long after the last bugs retreated into the cracks and crevices around them.
"Holy shit, I thought we were about to be next," Lacy muttered, and only then did Danny realize she had been one of the people to pull him away from the battle.
"Taylor must have said something," Danny said, though his jaw protested each and every word in fiery agony. "I messaged her before I left the office… to say goodbye."
"Is it true?" Kurt half whispered. "Did she really join the Teeth?"
He tried to nod, but his neck didn't cooperate. "She did, for protection… Her girlfriend —"
Tremors wracked his body, distantly he heard someone yelling what he thought might be his name as the world fell away and nothingness claimed him.
Awareness returned slowly, pinpricks traveling up and down his limbs as the pain receded bit by bit. His eyes flitted open, only as the blinding sun forced him to squint. He then began to make out the white robes bearing a red cross kneeling beside him.
Panacea's hood was down, letting Danny finally recognize the third girl who had accompanied Taylor back home after a date several nights past. Lisa had introduced her girlfriend as Amelia, not Amy Dallon, and they had left before Danny could put it together. He had assumed she was just another member of the Teeth, not one of the most famous heroes on the coast. That Glory Girl was hovering not far behind her, acting as a silent sentry just served to reinforce that image.
If it wasn't for Amelia's friendship with Taylor, Danny might have wondered what warranted a personal visit from the healer. The genuine concern she seemed to be showing him just stabbed all the deeper and made him wonder just how caught up in things his daughter truly was, and Panacea's connection to all of it.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Hebert?" Panacea asked.
"Better, I think," he said softly as she helped him sit up. "Do I want to know how bad it was?"
She snorted. "Probably not. If Lisa hadn't called me you would have died before the ambulance arrived."
Danny froze in momentary horror. He hadn't thought his wounds had been that bad, but clearly he'd been wrong. "Thank you, Amelia."
The healer winced at the name, and Glory Girl's attention snapped to Danny before she narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"Don't thank me yet," Amelia muttered, when she looked up the smirk on her face made his blood run cold. "The Empire was streaming the whole thing, from your arrival all the way up until Weaver threw ol' murder blender through the rank and file. Congratulations, you're the newest legend on PHO."
"The Teeth are getting some good PR out of it too," Glory Girl said with a frown as she browsed something on her phone. "Weaver broke off from a three way fight between the Protectorate, New Wave and the Teeth to come save you. There was a lot of speculation about things until Tattletale gave some information about your daughter being someone important to a past Butcher and the Empire tried to leverage that by targeting you."
Danny winced, his mind drifting back to Kimmie, to Fester. "I have my suspicions, but Taylor hasn't been very open with me about it."
"She'll tell you in her own time, I'm sure," Panacea murmured, a strange edge to her voice. "Just don't do anything… rash until then."
Glory Girl huffed. "Yeah, because he's the one we have to worry about. Butcher going nuts over some girl? Er, no offense, but I wouldn't want to be 'important' to the Butcher." The heroine shivered at some obviously disturbing image.
"You have no idea…" Panacea said, so softly Danny was sure he wasn't supposed to have heard.
A commotion drew everyone's attention — the PRT was finally arriving, and that they looked like hammered shit.
"Remember when I said not to thank me just yet?" Panacea asked. "Congratulations, you now get to be interrogated by the feds. Have fun with that." She glanced pointedly to the side, and seemed deep in thought for a couple of seconds. "Speaking of, I'm taking that."
He followed her finger to the ground nearby, and found a bundle wrapped in the cloudy plastic they used to keep drywall off carpets while working. It was suspiciously arm-shaped, one of the ends dark and red.
"You're fucking with me," one of the dockworkers muttered.
"Remember what we just said?" Amelia snapped. "The only good reason for them to take it is to try and figure out who Weaver is. That seems like the sort of idea that's going to make way too much work for me if I don't nip it now."
"Yeah, but… what are you going to do with it, Ames?" her sister asked.
Amelia's face blanked, a beat passed, and she shrugged. "Hospital biohazard incinerator."
Danny only had an inkling of what she wanted it for, and dearly hoped he was wrong, but she had saved his life. He waved, shooing the thoughts away and getting the group's attention. "Take it and go."
The dockworkers weren't about to argue with his decision, and Amelia may not have been hiding her smile as well as she thought. Glory Girl was by far the least happy about the plan. "Just… keep a good grip on it. Away from me, please."
"Afraid of a few wandering hands?" Amelia retorted, and her sister cringed. "Worried I'll get a bit handsy?" Glory Girl groaned. "Don't worry, it'll all be over in a shake."
"Just shut up, grab that thing, and let's go," Glory Girl mumbled through the hands covering her face.
"That's what he said," Lacy stated with a nod and a knowing smirk.
Amelia snorted out a few chuckles, while her sister shot Lacy a betrayed look. The woman that looked like she could snap the girl like a twig if she didn't have powers gave the pair an innocent smile.
"Come on, they're on their way over. We need to go," Amelia stated, snatching up the arm.
"Fine, but no getting —" Glory Girl stopped herself before the pun could slip out. Amelia grinned and poked her tongue out at her. "Shut up!" She then scooped her sister into her arms and shot into the sky. The agents called out to them, but either they went unheard over Amelia's cackling or were simply ignored.
This day was already long, and as the interrogators introduced themselves, Danny knew it was only just getting started.
Nothing stalled a line of questioning quite like the phrase 'I want to speak to my lawyer.' That said lawyer specialized in divorce law? Well, what the PRT didn't know would only serve to hurt them.
Within ten minutes of Alan arriving at the docks, the pair were departing the PRT cordon in the lawyer's car. It was an impressive feat, one Danny wasn't quite sure how his friend managed, but he wasn't going to look the gift horse in the mouth. It made him immensely thankful that he called Alan rather than the union's own lawyers.
As soon as they were out of the union compound, Danny was on his phone — his issues with the infernal devices be damned, he was calling his daughter. She picked up on the first ring.
"Dad? Oh my god, are you alright? I got your text and saw the video then heard Panacea was there and —"
"Breathe!" Danny interjected, chuckling halfheartedly. "I'm alright Taylor, Panacea gave me a clean bill of health."
"Good… that's good. I was afraid I was too late."
"I take it I have you to thank for the Butcher —"
"Weaver."
Her response had been too quick for it to have been anything but a well practiced correction on her part. "For Weaver's timely arrival?"
Taylor sighed, and he could just see her adjusting her glasses, not that she wore them anymore; when had she switched to contacts? "The right people were informed in time. I can't say much more than that, at least not over the phone."
"Alright." Danny didn't like that, but now wasn't the time to dig into things. "Are you safe? If the Empire was willing to come after me they might —"
Taylor's laughter cut him off with a bone deep chill. "I'm as safe as I can be. I trust you aren't going home until this mess blows over?"
"No, I'm with Alan right now and we're going to his house at the moment. I was planning to stay there for the time being."
"I'm not thrilled with that, but I'll take it. Just because Emma and I had a falling out doesn't mean I want your friendship to suffer."
"That's a very mature outlook, Taylor," Alan cut in.
There was a bit of silence after Alan spoke, as if Taylor was reevaluating how open she could be. "Listen, Weaver's furious right now and is planning to shove Hookwolf's skull up Kaiser's ass."
"Language," he said automatically.
"Hey, they're her words," Taylor said with a chuckle. "Kaiser threw the Rules out the window with this one, trying to use Weaver's civilian connections against her. He lashed out at you because of me, because the Winslow Nazis told him I was a weakness to exploit. I'd rather you stay out of the line of fire for a few days, keep your head down so to speak."
"Will you be safe?"
"Considering I'm looking at the Teeth capes planning a war? This is one of the safest places in the city right now. Look, I need to go, but I'll keep in touch when I'm able to."
"Alright Taylor." Danny hated everything about this, but what could he do right now? "Promise me you'll be careful."
"As careful as I can be. Love you, Dad."
"Love you too, Taylor."
The line went dead.
Alan drove in silence until they reached a red light. Absently Danny took in the city around him and how it was strangely at peace despite the chaos just on the horizon. This time, he feared Taylor would be in the thick of things, fighting the gangs… He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and take her far away, but he couldn't do that to her.
"Taylor's one of the Teeth capes, isn't she?" Alan asked.
Danny opened his mouth to answer, but paused. If Weaver had saved him as a favor to Taylor because she was one of their capes, was it a good idea to discuss this with Alan at all? Would the Butcher come calling if he did? Would that just serve to alienate Taylor further?
"You said she joined the Teeth," Alan continued, musing in place of his silence. "It isn't much of a stretch to assume she's also one of their capes. You might not even know for sure, and believe me, I get the reluctance to even consider the idea, but is it really a good idea to just leave things as they are? The Teeth are criminals and the longer Taylor stays with them, the more likely a prison sentence becomes, or worse, the Birdcage. Is that what you want for Taylor?"
"No, but at the same time, I don't want to lose her."
"You risk that either way, but one of those options might keep her out of prison, or worse." Alan seemed to hesitate as he considered something, and Danny couldn't help but wonder what tangent his mind was racing down this time. "I represented someone a while back who was looking at prison time. They went on to become a probationary Ward in lieu of time served. It's an option to consider and you know I'd help if you asked."
"What if Taylor runs away? I don't know what I'd do if —"
"At least talk to her, she might surprise you," Alan said softly. "Taylor's a smart girl, she'll do the right thing."
"I hope you're right…"
Danny looked out at the outskirts of Brockton Bay as they pulled into the Barnes' driveway. The city had taken so much from him, did he really want to give it the chance to take the last thing he cared about in the world from him too? Alan had experience with this sort of thing, and he trusted the man implicitly. He just had to consider all his options.
"Alan… What can you tell me about the Wards?"
Author's Notes:
FS: Words words words… the master wants murder!
Pen: This was one of the earliest scenes I wrote out for arc 3. I wanted the battle between Hookwolf and Weaver to be something special, but viewed through outside eyes. Of course, many questions will be raised after all of this, but for now the show goes on and there are still Nazis that need dealt with. Next time, Taylor checks out the morning news.
Last edited: Jun 4, 2022
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Pendragoon
Jun 3, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
Jun 11, 2022
#9,426
Thursday April 21st, 2011
I set a record for a new Butcher: three weeks before premeditated murder.
Oh, I hadn't actually killed Kaiser yet — the numerous deaths in combat didn't really count — but the deceitful fucker had tried to kill my only remaining family. It was hard to tell where my predecessors' anger stopped and mine started, though I was starting to suspect that we'd been underestimating the impact my own personal emotions had on the collective.
The other Teeth gave me plenty of room to pace threateningly (hell, if I forgot to keep everything suppressed, the Butcher could make drinking a glass of water menacing) while they argued about something inconsequential. As much as I was tempted to just go off by myself and exact my revenge on Kaiser, the logical part of my brain had reminded me that that the Teeth would want blood, too.
At least Dad had survived.
"I want my arm back," I muttered to myself.
"I told you his power was shit!" Quarrel retorted. "A week for an arm, and it didn't fix my fucking allergies!"
Sabertooth snarled at her. "It worked fine for me!"
"You could call —" Knockout tried for the fourth time, and I had to stop myself from punching the wall in a rage.
"We are not treating Amy as a healing robot. I'll be fine, so let's just deal with the Empire."
"Pretty sure everyone saw you lose the arm," Chisel said reasonably. "So unless you're willing to go home with an obviously-regenerating stump…"
Several of the Butchers laughed, which did not help my mood in the slightest. I punched the offenders down with as much fury as I could divert, but it was a drop in the bucket. Fucking Hookwolf, I thought, thankful that I didn't have laser vision or I would have blown up his skull and the table it was perched upon.
"Well, he won't murder anyone else," Fester said with approval. "You shouldn't feel bad at all."
The worst part about the whole situation was that I agreed with Fester. I was furious at Kaiser for manipulating the heroes and trying to kill Dad, but not because he had almost succeeded. No, I was enraged because he had repeatedly forced me into impossible scenarios where I had to either kill people or watch my loved ones get killed.
Becoming the Butcher was always going to come with costs, and I would happily pay those for the power to force the Teeth into cleaning up their act and the city both. But now, the price of keeping Dad, Chrissie, and the others safe was to become the Butcher in truth. In retrospect, I didn't know why I had expected it to turn out any different than the rest of my life — taking the high road had only ever led to me being infuriated and my enemies laughing.
Well, I didn't regret saving everyone today, body count or no. I had probably saved the dockworkers too, now that I thought about it.
"Damn straight!" Pyro agreed. "But can we just get on with killing Kaiser so that we can talk about my power? It hasn't worked that well since I was the Butcher."
"That's true," Stratego said. "But —"
"I'm the one that told her to go!" Chrissie yelled, cutting off the voices and drawing my attention back to the ongoing argument among the Teeth. "I don't give a shit about my family, but I'm pretty sure that you do, Elliot!"
"Are you done yet?" the Changer demanded, clearly growing frustrated. "She abandoned us and for wha—"
I hurled Hookwolf's skull at him.
Elliot's eyes went wide, but he was far too slow to dodge the projectile. The speed and sharpness took his leg off at the knee, but he'd managed to partially transform and so would likely survive. Still, I was sick of his bullshit, so I teleported explosively beside him and put the barrel of an OTs to his now-transformed skull.
"If you want to challenge me, you know the goddamn rules, Animos. I've already killed Cricket and Hookwolf today." I pulled back the hammer. "Don't make me add your skull to my throne as well."
"Hemmy and Bitch got hurt because you abandoned us!" his monstrous form bellowed. "You don't deserve to —"
I hit him with a pain blast. "You fuckers aren't babies to be coddled! Grow a fucking pair and stand on your own goddamn legs for once! The Teeth won two major battles without my help and all you want to do is bitch that I wasn't there? What next? You gonna demand I wipe your ass and change your diapers too? Fucking pathetic!" I turned back to the rest of the Teeth, who were watching me warily. "Kaiser broke the rules today, just as he did with Fleur years ago. Unlike New Wave, however, I don't plan to sit back and do nothing. They die. The entire goddamn Empire ends here and now, no survivors."
"I fucking told you she would be great!" Sanguine cheered.
"About fucking time," my namesake grumbled.
"And since they targeted Weaver's civilian life, that means their own is finally open to reprisal," Lisa announced as she strode into the room with a thick folder tucked under her arm and a pissed off Amy trailing behind her.
"Rachel and Alice are fine by the way," Amy said, then turned her glare on the still writhing Animos. "You're welcome, you ungrateful fuck. I haven't even checked on any of the heroes yet."
"Thanks for getting to my dad so quickly," I said, watching Elliot shift back to normal… with his leg intact. Lucky bastard. I gave him another burst just for that. "It means a lot."
"Thank Lisa," the healer replied, looking away and doing a poor job of hiding a blush. "She's the one who got Vicky to stop fighting and get me there."
"I had to tell her I was Tattletale to get her to listen, so I can only imagine how awkward that flight was," Lisa said with a sigh.
I slumped down in my chair. "Shit. Let me guess, now she believes the Empire's little story about kidnapping you?"
"She'll get over it. I promised her answers after all the Nazis were dead," Amy said, walking up to me. I barely glanced up at her before she pulled out a plastic wrapped lump of something and began to unwrap —
"Huh, so that's where we left it," Knockout mused.
"Oooh damn, Panpan," Regent drawled out, "Gonna give Weaver a handie with your handhand?"
She flipped him off, then slapped me with my own severed limb. "Next time don't leave physical evidence behind at a crime scene, you idiot."
"Armsmaster would have a field day with it," Chrissie said with a grin.
I waved her off, only to frown at my stump. "Pretty sure he already figured out — wait, was that a fucking pun?"
Amy high fived Chrissie with my own damn arm and next thing I knew, my arm was airborne and Big Robbie caught it with ease. "Think you can preserve that?" Amy asked. "It might come in handy someday and trying to animate it to run around like Thing would raise questions I don't want asked yet."
The man looked at the severed limb, then grinned and nodded.
"Do things at your own pace, sweetie. Nobody here will pressure you to break the laws of nature." Lisa glanced at the blunt pile on the table. "Well, people might ask for some of your amazing weed," she added, earning a few jealous glares at that.
"Great, never gonna live that one down," I muttered, looking off at what was once my arm.
"You've got regeneration," Lisa said matter of factly, then tossed the folder on our strategy table. "But that can wait until we've dealt with Kaiser, also known as Max Anders."
More than a few members of the peanut gallery launched into a curse-filled tirade over that revelation, as did several of the room's occupants, Amy included. I didn't bother cursing or even attempting to hold back the rage from that revelation — I punched my only working hand straight through the reinforced wall and let out a primal scream that immediately silenced everyone else in the arena.
In my head, the Butchers laughed and raged in equal measure. Shaking the masonry off of my hand, I was once again thankful for the pain immunity. "Please, elaborate," I hissed, gesturing towards Lisa.
"Um, sure, boss," she said in a small voice, then launched into an abbreviated history of the Empire. I had to forcibly restrain myself a second time when Lisa detailed the several dozen independent heroes that had either disappeared or were found dead in a ditch since the nineties, and I felt any remaining reservations slip away as Lisa detailed all of the women who had likely been shipped off to Europe for the Gesellschaft.
The Teeth were bad, but now I could unambiguously say that we were better than the Empire.
I paused on the file for one Heith Anders, also known as Skadi when she had been alive. A very distinct memory from the conflict with the Nine came to the forefront where Sabertooth executed the woman after a particularly violent clash that ended in two dead Teeth capes — all thanks to the Empire. He killed her by using Fester's power to rot her face off, which explained Kaiser's absolute hatred of the Teeth that he had demonstrated in each engagement so far.
"The bitch was a true believer. I remember her shit talking the gay community shortly after Legend came out," Fester informed me, touching on the relevant memories. "She strained even the Marquis' patience more than once."
It was also a violation of the Truce that everyone was fighting under at the time. Even after Pyro killed Sabertooth it was too little too late. It's no wonder Marquis worked with the Empire and the Protectorate to run you all off once the Nine were gone.
"The bitch killed two of our own just to kill some nobody the Nine recruited one city over!" Sabertooth shouted.
You should have waited until after the crisis to kill her no matter how much she deserved it.
The chorus began shouting protests over my blunt statement, but I shoved it all into the void. Now was not the time, and it wasn't anything I hadn't heard before.
"You're sure of this?" Amy whispered, holding up one of the various files.
"Oh, he's definitely Kaiser," Lisa said with a predatory smile as she pulled up a video on the big screen for us all to see. "Now, what do you plan to do about it?"
All eyes turned to me as I looked over the map. "I intend to send a message about the Rules that won't soon be forgotten."
"Your orders, Mistress?" Chrissie asked. There was a hunger in her eyes that spoke of violence to come. I found myself admiring the viciousness within — she wanted to make the Empire pay as much as I did.
"Kaiser's death will be the signal, we will fall upon the Empire like the Huns and Mongols of old." I looked out across my assembled Capes, seeing the raw hunger looking back at me. Much as I wanted to deny it, that same primal urge was very much alive within me now. "They die. Spare none of their ilk. They made their choice to be the worst monsters in a city we call home. Make ready, my Teeth — soon, we ride!"
I watched as my Teeth cheered with wild abandon and bloodlust. Damien, Alice, Michael, Chrissie, and Elliot clamored for the violence that made the Teeth famous. Even Rachel and Alec had that selfsame desire in their eyes, nevermind Dinah's manic glint. Off to the side, Amy stood, looking rather uncomfortable in the sea of murderous intent. She had Lisa's hand in a deathgrip as I began to lay out the logistics of the situation and possible moves we might make.
My bugs could practically taste her growing discomfort in the air, so I brought a small swarm together beside her. "You don't have to stay. You've done your part and I'm sure the heroes will have need of you before we're done."
"Fuck them," Amy spat, though I could hear the unease in her voice. "The heroes did jack shit to avenge Aunt Jess, and at least you've proven you'll look out for your own. Hell, you haven't even asked me to look at your injuries yet. I think… I might be where I belong."
Ironsides whistled. "Damn, she's been hanging out with you for a week, and look at her."
I watched as Lisa pulled Amy into a one armed hug, which was happily reciprocated. Nah, Lisa gets the credit for this one, I just opened the door.
"You sell yourself short," Damascian stated.
Alkaline cut in next. "You're the one who reforged the Teeth, and it was your example that got her foot in the door. Stop downplaying yourself and take some fucking pride in what you've done!"
There would be time to have pride in my Teeth later, but I did take a moment to reflect that a group of axe-crazed supervillains had somehow become the least objectionable force in the Bay. Even Amy was here with us, by choice, instead of with her adoptive family.
"You've done well for yourself." Reflex said softly.
"I'm glad to hear that Amy. Tis but a scratch anyway," My swarm answered. "I'll heal on my own regardless. No need for you to stress yourself over it."
Amy snorted. "You're literally down an arm and planning war against an Empire irregardless of that fact… We can see about regrowing your arm later. Your muscles are hyper dense, we might need more than your blood power for it."
"If you insist." The bugs mumbled.
"That one won't work," Dinah interjected, pointing at a potential plan. "Too many bad ends if you try to do this privately. Greater than sixty percent chance someone in this room dies before the week is through."
I crumpled the paper on the spot. "Thanks Omen, good catch."
She preened under the praise as Big Robbie ruffled her hair. I'd been worried the man might hold a grudge against the girl for almost killing him, but if anything it just made him respect her more.
"Well, Kaiser has to maintain the illusion that it's business as normal for Medhall," Lisa said, pulling a few files forward. "Most of their capes hold prominent positions as a way to launder their Empire funds into their civilian lives. We can exploit that now that the Rules aren't in play."
"How so?" Alice asked.
"By being supervillains, how else?" I said with a wide grin. "Here's what we can do…"
Friday April 22nd, 2011
"What Parahuman Experts are calling the second coming of the Boston Games continues for the third straight day of continued bombings by the cape now known as Bakuda. Street level fighting has been limited to the downtown region as the Protectorate struggles to keep the combined forces of Boston's villain scene contained. Stay tuned at ten for a full breakdown of the ongoing conflict."
"I'm not sure which is more insulting, her bastardized name or how unoriginal it is," Quarrel snapped.
Stratego sighed. "No one naming themselves what amounts to 'bangy' could ever be taken seriously."
"Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!" Marauder cheered.
"I would give almost anything to be able to strangle you right now," Fester mumbled in a cold fury. Mom hadn't liked the context of the quote — or that old sitcom in general — either.
While the commentary was difficult to ignore without muting the Butchers, I barely paid any attention to the Friday morning news itself as I donned my costume, flexing and stretching my regrown arm as I did. Amy did good work, though people would be wondering how the hell I had a new arm so quickly. I needed my arm restored both for this morning's planned execution and the inevitable awkward conversation with Dad; luckily, he was at Alan's house and I was friends with the world's grumpiest healer.
Biomass had been provided both by Alkaline's power and me demolishing the Fugly Bob's Challenger. The latter had been on the Butcher's to-do list for a long time, but my predecessors were not exactly known for their ability to go out in public. Butcher XV, on the other hand, had borrowed Knockout's Brooklyn accent and dressed to the nines as a blonde college student.
Chrissie and I had shared a celebratory milkshake, afterwards.
The other Butchers were actually following the news about their old stomping ground. "Gotta love that bias against villains in the media," Sabertooth grumbled.
"Yeah, odds are Accord is doing all the heavy lifting while the Protectorate has a thumb up their ass," Marauder added.
"Sound familiar?" Fester chimed in with a chuckle.
"In other news, a human trafficking ring headed up by the Gesellshaft was intercepted in Philidelphia late last night as the supposed ringleader, James Fleischer, was arrested while attempting to board an international flight with a suspended passport. Details are unknown but an official statement was made that he was flying out with at least one underaged victim at the time."
"Holy shit," Sabertooth muttered.
"Was that us?" Knockout wondered.
"It might have been Lisa," Chisel said. "It would fit with how she likes to manipulate things."
"You'll have to ask her, because fuck the hell yes if was," Fester cheered.
"Now, please welcome our special guest, Mr. Max Anders, CEO of Medhall!"
The cheesy music fanfare began to play out as he walked out onto the stage, waving to the live audience. His suit was high quality, but not in an obnoxious way, and he carried himself with the confidence and grace of a man who led others. He wore the mask well, but the signs were there if you knew to look for them. I recognized a tic here, a tell there, all from the Butcher's memories of past fights.
"You ready to do this, kid?" Chisel asked.
"It isn't too late to back out," Alkaline added, tossing me that final lifeline.
I watched Max — as Kaiser — give a clearly rehearsed spiel about how much good Medhall does for the Bay on a daily basis, all with that practiced smile on his face. Probably the same smile he wore when he ordered Hookwolf after my dad.
To anyone else, it might have seemed genuine, but to me? It rang false.
Today, the world would learn just how deep the rot ran. The interview continued apace as they exchanged poor excuses for jokes and laughed their fake laughter. It was sickening. I secured my harness as they began to talk up a coming video segment on their cutting edge research. That Kaiser had to keep up the appearances of his civilian life, even as his Empire bled, was about to bite him in the ass in the worst possible way.
Then the video feed switched over, tolling the death knell of an Empire that should have long since been exterminated.
Coil had been a fucking bastard, but he had left a treasure trove of blackmail material in addition to Dinah's trophies. It had been the work of minutes for Lisa to find the appropriate clips from the hidden camera in Coil's files, and not much longer to break into the news station's computer network.
Thus, instead of a canned video of generic people in lab coats doing 'science,' the public of Brockton Bay was treated to a video of the unmasked Empire roster sitting in the Medhall boardroom, listening to Kaiser make grand declarations about how the undesirables would pay.
"Undesirables like the fucking Empire," Fester hissed.
Nothing was censored, every slur was made in that same smooth and articulated voice he'd been using for the interview. It was damning in the worst way; originally, this had been part of a media dump that would out the Empire in full and leave the mess for the Protectorate to clean up.
I had no intention of leaving behind a mess.
A final check of my weapons, and this was it.
My last chance to back out.
"Oh come on, this is the fun part!" Butcher whined.
The worst part? I couldn't even disagree with him. I could leave, and all too easily. It was just another line in the sand that I said I would never cross. One of my last. Sure, I'd killed on accident. I'd even killed in the heat of the moment. I'd never gone into a situation with the full intention of committing premeditated murder.
"On live TV no less!" Marauder cheered.
I pushed him down, mind awhirl at the drastic implications of what I was about to do. If I went through with the plan, there was no going back. I'd be able to justify any killing in the future. I wasn't standing on the edge of a slippery slope any longer — I was planning to do a swan dive off the damn cliff and perform several tricks on the way down.
Did it make me a bad person for feeling nothing about the atrocity I was going to commit?
"Is it really an atrocity?" Quarrel wondered aloud.
"The bastard ordered your dad's death. Fuck him," Chisel said.
"Even if you brought him in, at best they would just Cage him," Ironsides added.
Marauder snorted. "Please, we all know the Gesellschaft would spring him long before he made it there."
Which is why I'm doing this.
"It sucks, but sometimes, shit like this has to be done."
I know… Time to send a message. Keep quiet till I'm done, alright? I need to know this was all me.
Getting a round of affirmations from the chorus, I donned my mask and took a deep breath.
This was it.
No going back.
Kaiser and the host were gearing up for the return from the cut, one which they had no idea was replaced in the external broadcast. A fly buzzed by the window that showed Brockton Bay in all its glory and I took that not-step from my hotel room almost four blocks away. An explosion of flame and shattered glass announced the arrival of the Butcher.
My arrival.
The chair just in front of me flipped over from the concussion wave, sending Kaiser sprawling, while the hosts of the show barely felt a warm breeze. The audience began to scream with understandable panic as I stood up, with the bugs I kept on my costume taking to the air as a veritable plague flowed in behind me through the broken window. Light of the rising sun filtered through the gaps of my swarm, casting everything in writhing shadows.
"Camera feed is still looking good," Lisa said over my coms.
I reached down and gripped a handful of hair and hoisted the bastard up. "Hello there, Kaiser. Imagine my surprise when I saw you on the morning news, in civvies no less!"
His voice was choked, and near silent. "B—Butcher… You can't… The Rules —"
"No longer apply after you sent Hookwolf to murder my father," I whispered back.
Surprise and recognition rolled off Kaiser's face as I held him, his mouth moving to say something. I didn't give him the chance as Marauder's rage aura rolled off me, tight and controlled. At that same moment I hit him with a pain blast and applied Fester's touch to his face.
An unhinged laugh — one echoed in my head — tried to claw its way out of my chest while Kaiser screamed in agony, and despite myself, I started to cackle behind clenched teeth. Even without my bugs, it was an unnerving sound.
Then I sent every bug I could to invade his throat, burrow into his ears, sting his eyes and feast on his flesh. My danger sense pinged on his counterattack — steel erupted from nearly every surface around him, and I barely escaped getting skewered by the enraged Nazi by launching myself backwards. The evil fuck's death throes turned the studio into a piece of abstract art as he lashed out indiscriminately.
In the distance, my bugs picked up the rumble of a motorcycle screaming down the street towards the studio, which meant that I was now on a timer. Marauder's aura was short lived outside of direct exposure, so I drew my OTs-62s and let off two shots. Kaiser was still summoning steel obstruction upon steel obstruction within the labyrinth he was weaving around himself, but Quarrel's power again proved to be complete bullshit as the slugs snaked through the tangled mess and found the bugs I had on his shoulders. The explosive rounds tore through flesh and bone like tissue paper.
He flopped back into his own web of steel as the ruined stumps of his arms poured blood all over his art display. In the back of my head, the Butchers whistled — absent a hemokinetic, those were fatal wounds. Still, I wasn't done yet, because I needed this message to be as clear as possible. I teleported, landing inside his mangled cage and knocking the half-shredded man off his feet. Then I grabbed hold of one of his legs and threw him out the window, with my swarm descending after him.
The funny thing about Quarrel's power was that anything I could launch airborne technically counted as a projectile under its influence — including still-kicking bodies. My bugs followed the bastard all the entire way down as he was subtly guided onto a waiting gnat atop a flagpole out front. An opportunistic news crew quickly brought their camera around and trained on his falling body, so they got a spectacular high definition view of him being impaled from asshole to throat before momentum tore him free and sent the tattered remnants of his corpse splattering across the street…
To land directly at Armsmaster's feet.
Then my bugs fell upon the mess and began to feast. For as quickly as my bugs had stripped Menja's leg, she was a giant. Kaiser sure as hell wasn't, no matter how important he had thought himself. Seconds later nothing remained but bone as my swarm dispersed into the winds.
Back in the studio, I turned towards the remaining camera and approached it. Leaning in close, my swarm buzzed in unison with my words. "Let this be a warning to those who break the Rules — he got off lightly."
I vanished with a pop, emerging in my signature howl of flame on the street below amidst Kaiser's skeletal remains. Armsmaster, to his credit, made no hostile actions against me even as I picked up Kaiser's mostly intact skull and held it aloft, looking into the lifeless sockets. Less than a minute prior he had been whole and healthy, now he was naught but bone.
Fuck, I could be terrifying.
"Hell yeah you are!" Butcher cheered. "That was a fucking work of art!"
"I wish I had controlled bugs," Marauder complained.
The rest of the chorus joined in with the congratulations, but I forced down the remaining murderous giggles, the very visceral rush from the battle, and especially my own dark satisfaction. Yes, I had finally rid the city of a problem and done what the heroes had failed to do since before I was born. Yes, the Bay was now a safer place for Chrissie, Amy, and everyone else who the Empire demonized.
Yes, that had been a hell of a lot of fun.
But at this point, my (relative) lack of bloodlust was the only thing distinguishing Butcher XV from her predecessors, and laughing like the maniac that everyone believed I had become would not help my image now. This excessively messy and public execution would be the beginning of Butcher XV's legend, so I forced myself into a stoic, almost bored posture while examining Kaiser's remains.
Max Anders, the man I had just murdered.
I sincerely hoped I never had to do this again.
"That's a good thing, Taylor," Reflex assured me. "You can wield violence, but aren't lost to it. It is a tool, it does not own you."
"Okay, how the fuck is he speaking so much these days?" Sanguine grumbled.
"Because for the first time in a long time, I have a contemporary."
None of us had a chance to respond to that before Armsmaster spoke up.
"Was that necessary?" the hero demanded.
The events of the prior minute played over in my mind as I stared at my newest trophy, but they all came to the same conclusion. I turned my head to face the Protectorate hero and said a single word.
"Yes."
"Stormtiger, Menja, Fenja, Crusader, Victor and Othala all confirmed on site. No sign of Purity," I said from my place in Tattletale's overwatch van. The soon-to-be cadavers had the news playing in the background, and the coverage was all about the Empire and its Medhall ties and the protests already forming in the streets.
"Never thought I would want to watch the news," Alkaline said, to the others' chuckles of agreement. "They're finally showing something good, for once."
"Are their injured down there?" Animos asked as we watched the security camera feeds Tattletale had 'borrowed.' He was hiding with me at the moment, but would deploy with the rest of the Teeth once shit kicked off. His Changer form was too conspicuous and risked spoiling things.
"Crusader has the regeneration currently. He's mobile, but barely," I said, keeping my bugs around them as discreet as possible. "The bimbo is still down her leg and Stormtiger is missing his arm. They're actually arguing about that right now. Victor might be a pedo creep that we're about to rightfully kill, but at least someone is standing up for the girl."
"Even hearing that makes me feel dirty," Fester said with a shiver.
"Unfortunately, his words ring hollow, as if he's reading from a script," Stratego added.
Alkaline snorted in derision. "Yeah, guy's a creep through and through. He's only defending her because he feels it's his job as her owner or some shit."
"Team one is ready," Vex called out.
She was with Robbie's breaching team while the man himself was on overwatch with the biggest rifle we had in the armory. Regent was going with her to throw off any defenders so they could steamroll through them as swiftly as possible.
"Team two, ready," Spree stated. He was going in with Hemorrhagia and Reaver to cut off their escape routes.
"Team three, ready," Ripley said. She was on her own, hiding in the vents currently. Her job was to grab Othala in the chaos and get her into PRT custody, which was about as far as she was willing to go with an operation this brutal.
Of course, none of this was being said over our coms — I was hearing everything through my bugs. The Empire had some type of Tinkertech device set up, listening in to all of the police and PRT chatter, and the one time Lisa had tested our coms, they had picked it up as well. Now we were running garbage transmissions just to keep them from becoming suspicious. Todd's team of drug runners were doing a fine job of that.
As far as I could tell, the Empire remnants had no clue what was about to happen to them. It was unfortunate that Krieg had tried to escape the country without them, as it would have been nice to clean them all up in a single op, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
I didn't want to default to killing. I didn't want being the Butcher to be my first retort, but these were Nazis. People who were willingly associating with the worst examples of humanity. Did they actually deserve mercy?
"Mercy is well and good, but ask yourself this," Pyro paused, considering her words. "If they had Chrissie at their mercy, what would they do to her?"
Dozens of atrocities filled my mind, some from the pages of history, some witnessed by those sharing the space in my head, some further from the lists of vanished unaffiliated capes the Nazis had killed or sold off.
Then another memory was nudged forward, one far more recent and familiar. Dad's injuries after Hookwolf nearly killed him. The look of glee in Cricket's eyes as she readied her blade to spill his blood, the shouts of cheer from the rank and file just before my arrow ended that woman for good.
Nevermind the room full of corpses.
Lisa had run an in depth check on the victims, all white, but not straight. An indirect attack on the two of us, with the implication that it should have been her. Given that, it wasn't hard to picture the Nazi fucks that had attacked Chrissie, imagine her face among the bodies…
"Yeah, you get it," Chisel murmured. "Let the heroes reprogram the girl who was never given a choice, slaughter the rest."
"Better to end the threat than to have it bite you in the ass later," Fester agreed. "They already went after Danny once, don't give them a second chance."
There was one person who might have a dissenting opinion, and I was almost hesitant to ask, but I needed to know. Reflex, anything to add?
A beat of silence echoed through my head as even the usual murmurs of discussion died off. A gentle hum followed as he answered. "Honestly Taylor? Make it quick if it bothers you that much. Kaiser was the message; this is the follow through. You don't need to sell it with them, you just need to act."
Butcher himself whistled. "Even the resident hero agrees with us. Sound the Endbringer sirens!"
"Don't even joke about that!" half a dozen voices echoed.
I still hesitated for a brief instant, then used my bugs to give the order. "Robbie, on your shot." His only response was an affirmative grunt.
I targeted a fly beside the twins, prepared to take out the heaviest hitters as quickly as I could while the rest waited for my fireflies. The signal was rendered irrelevant when a deafening shot rang out, shattering glass as the hypersonic Tinkertech round lanced across the city and turned Victor's head into a modern art exhibit.
"Don't you dare —" "BOOM! HEADSHOT!" "Shut the fuck up!"
One down.
The remains of the Empire barely had time to panic as I burst into existence between the twin bimbos, leveled my OTs-62s upon each, and pulled the triggers. The deafening reports drowned out my explosive entry, but not the twin squelches of Valkyrie brain matter splattering against the white walls. Down the hall, a shaped charge breached the door and Vex spun forcefields all down the length of it.
The cylinders clicked over and my arms moved — coordinated, calculating, targeted. Two more reports, one slammed into Victor's corpse, startling Othala away from the dead monster in human skin, causing her to flinch backwards, to the vent where Ripley deftly dropped down and knocked the healer unconscious.
"Were those… tentacles?" Sanguine asked in awe.
"I prefer to remain ignorant," Damascian retorted. "For all that it could be useful, I enjoy not having eidetic memory among our powers."
The other shot was deflected by a wild torrent of air as Stormtiger rolled off his bed. The man stumbled to his feet, likely drugged to the gills or just disoriented from the suddenness of our attack. That, or Regent was doing his job. He tripped and fell right into Vex's fields, which immediately spun into motion and mulched the man into a red mist.
He died quickly.
It was probably too good for him.
I clamped down the Butcher's laughter and cheers, as this was an execution, not a spectacle. The Empire had only been able to ruin so many peoples' lives due to their relative cape power here in the Bay — even if I had been able to spare them some sympathy, I shouldn't. They weren't just my enemies, but the enemy of anyone with rational thought, of anyone that didn't fit into their neat little picture of reality, enemies of everything good and decent in the world. Mercy would just lead to more victims.
Crusader managed to gather his wits and try to escape, not knowing he was the only combatant still active. He was attempting to create his spectral soldiers, but Vex's force fields were enough to pop his projections as they rushed forward. Rather than grow frustrated, they attempted to flow through the walls, intending to flank her, only to find they couldn't pass through the bugs I had lining the walls inside and out.
"Never understood how she could do that," Quarrel noted.
"True, none of the arrows I've crafted ever managed to destroy his projections," Damascian agreed.
Speculate later!
Frantic, the man directed them outside the windows as he took cover only for another deafening retort washing over us as Robbie let loose another Tinkertech round. It ripped through one of the ghosts and blew a hole through the wall that Crusader leapt through without hesitation.
"Now THAT is bullshit," Quarrel bemoaned.
"Never managed…" Ironsides needled.
"Outsourcing is a viable solution to a problem," Damascian retorted.
"We've got a runner!" I called out, sprinting after him.
My teleport was still down, which meant my ability to intercept was limited. On the other hand, my bugs were surging, which prevented him from using his ghosts to harry me at least. Still, the bugs I had on Spree, Hemorrhagia and Reaver told me they were in motion, moving to ensure that Crusader didn't escape.
I was through the hole after him and immediately regretted it as I saw the grenade bounce off the wall in front of me. Searing hot shrapnel ripped at my costume but I kept running straight through the explosion. My eardrums would regenerate within the minute regardless. Ahead of me, Crusader reached the stairs and he was now shedding ghosts rapidly.
The instant my teleport was ready, I burst into existence in the midst of his spectral guards, popping the majority while the rest burst against my own fists. For a power that was supposed to ignore inorganic attacks, it was surprisingly vulnerable to a good old fashioned beating.
Crusader, in his panic, fell over the banister of the stairwell, landing poorly on the floor below, his arm now bent in the wrong direction. He scrambled to his feet as I fired off a round, a ghost popped into existence just in time to take the hit for him. The concussion wave was still enough to knock him off balance, instinctively catching himself on the nearest solid surface and crying out in agony as his mangled arm was caught between him and the wall.
"It's bullshit that he can selectively make them solid like that," Sanguine complained.
Spree clones burst into the hall at the same moment I landed in the doorway. Crusader looked frantically between us, his back to a window. A fourth floor window. Above us, Othala had been secured and Ripley was spiriting her away from the battlefield, climbing up the side of the building with too many limbs before leaping across to the next rooftop.
"Shit, she would be a nightmare to fight if she was allowed to leverage her full abilities," Chisel remarked.
"Too bad she's only a part-timer," Sabertooth grumbled.
Crusader was trembling as he barely squeaked out, "M-monster."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, that's rich. A Nazi lapdog calling me a monster. If I'm a monster, what does that make you? Some say it takes a man to kill a monster, others think only one monster can kill another." I leveled one of my guns on him. "So, which will you be in the end? A man, a dog, or a monster?"
The fucker actually whimpered.
"Dog it is," Butcher snarled.
"Kill him like one of their bait animals!" Ironsides demanded.
"Too good for him," Fester said, pushing several memories forward as suggestions.
There was nothing but terror writ across his face as I readied my swarm behind me in preparation for their feast. That was when I saw the gun in his hand. I almost dropped him as he raised it, only for him to bring it to his own head.
Stunned silence filled the hall and my head as the single gunshot echoed through the hall.
Then Marauder began to cackle.
"He pussed out like a bitch!"
I sighed and holstered my gun. "All teams, final cape neutralized, commence clean up and extraction. Cash and high value items only. Get home, I've still got one last thing to attend to."
Kaiser's skull looked back at me from where I had placed it on the table, the hollow sockets seeming to judge me with their vacant stare. On my lap sat a laughing baby girl who wasn't even out of diapers. She was grasping for the butterflies I kept flitting around her head. On the couch across from me sat an oddly determined Theo Anders. He hadn't been fazed at all by my arrival. In fact, he seemed almost resigned. Given he had grown up with Kaiser as a father, I could understand where his nerve came from.
"You aren't going to hurt her?" Theo asked.
"How insulting! Slap the little bastard for that," Fester demanded.
"He ain't that little…" Knockout said.
"Fat shaming, really? Low blow," Marauder said.
"Coming from the guy that ate people. Really —"
I shoved that argument down into the void, because I didn't need a reminder of the sensation of thousands of bugs literally stripping the flesh from Kaiser's bones.
"Don't forget the giant bimbo!" Sanguine oh-so-helpfully pointed out.
He joined them in the dark.
"This little bundle of joy? Never." I smiled under my mask as said bundle giggled at the butterfly that landed on her nose. "Her mother on the other hand… Well, that's up to her, isn't it?"
My bugs had provided the unnecessary dramatic timing, of course — the woman in question sucked in a breath as she rounded the corner, glowing ever so faintly in the darkness. Small pinpricks of light in her open palms told me she was ready to strike at a moment's notice.
My swarm filled the hall, buzzing out their eerie speech. "Sneaking won't help you, I knew you were coming long before you landed on the balcony."
"Butcher," she snarled.
"Weaver, please," I answered from the living room. "I may have finally earned the name, but it's a title, nothing more."
"Tell that to the man you slaughtered!" she spat, stepping into full view. "You sit there with his daughter, my daughter, as your hostage."
"Not quite. I sit here with the hostage of the man that used her to bind you to him. Today, you are free." I ever so carefully passed the girl over to Theo, who took her gingerly.
Purity kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, even after Theo carried the child over to her. She wrapped little Aster in a near crushing hug, yet never took her eyes off of me, which was silly. Everyone who knew me was well aware that watching my physical body did jack shit for helping someone counter me.
"Let them dream," Pyro snickered.
"You're free to leave the Bay… so long as it's permanently. This offer shall remain until sunset tomorrow. Any hostilities within Brockton Bay will void this truce offer. Feel free to make new lives for yourselves, just not in my city."
Kayden froze. "Just like that? We're free to go?"
"Theo here isn't old enough to take custody and you never raised your hand against the Teeth since your departure from the Empire. I'm sure it was out of fear of accidentally killing the Butcher, but I'm willing to overlook past actions exactly once. Don't waste my generosity."
"You're asking me to uproot everything in my life."
"You're no better than Kaiser in my book and I would love to send you to whatever hell he is rotting in. No child should be deprived of a loving parent, yet at the same time, your influence on the girl worries me, Purity. My advice? Drive down to Boston or New York and turn yourself in. They love a good villain redemption story and hand out second chances rather liberally." I couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, present company excluded. You however? They'd snap you up and probably move you to sunny LA alongside Alexandria."
My swarm kicked up all around us, a perfect smokescreen from the retrieval of Kaiser's skull. When I settled the bugs, Theo held Aster once more and Purity was blindingly bright, radiating like a small sun within her apartment. Both her palms were aimed right at me.
"Oh yes, kill me," I deadpanned as I stepped closer. "You'd make the day of the thirteen assholes in my head. Reflex would probably be happy too, now that I think of it. They've always wanted to fly and shoot lasers. Funny how we haven't gotten a Legend package yet."
Purity dimmed back to Kayden in almost an instant.
Alkaline chuckled. "It will never cease to be amusing how people forget that you're the goddamn Butcher."
"It really is quite comical," Stratego agreed.
"She's somehow reasonable, and shit your pants horrifying all at once," Marauder nodded along.
Just to prove the point and make sure she understood, I hit her with a pain blast. She fell to the ground screaming as Theo scrambled away, clutching the child as if he could shield her from me.
"It is unfortunate you aren't of age," I said to him, "as you would be far better suited for raising your sister."
"You're a monster," he growled.
"No, the real monsters are those that proudly proclaimed themselves to be Nazis." Another burst of pain had Kayden screaming out once more. "She oversaw dozens of girls being sent to the Gesellschaft for breeding stock. She did nothing to stop the persecution and murder of every minority group in the Bay, and that assumes she ever stopped doing it herself. She came crawling back to the Nazis when the chips were down rather than walk away. She needs to understand that her leaving my city alive is a gift most generous."
"You would kill her in front of her own daughter?" He whispered.
"Alas, poor Kaiser." I sing-songed as I held up his skull. "What happens when someone pisses me off?"
"You melt our face off and have bugs eat the rest," My swarm answered.
"Correct. Remember, I did that to him on live TV before you ask more stupid questions. You have my terms, Kayden. Best to get packing so you can get the fuck out of my city before I change my mind and get… creative. I have fourteen rather enthusiastic tutors, after all."
With my warning delivered, my swarm rose back up, filling the room with chitin as I teleported away. Kayden gasped for air, her form trembling until well after the bugs vacated the premises. Only once she was sure I was gone did she spring into motion as she began to hastily pack her shit.
"I love it when a plan comes together," Stratego said.
Sabertooth nodded. "Smells like winning to me."
So, the stench of Nazi bitches pissing themselves?
"Same difference."
Author's Notes:
Pen: Sorry we're a bit late. Had a few issues to iron out but here it is!
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Pendragoon
Jun 11, 2022
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Pendragoon
Pendragoon
She/Her
Jun 18, 2022
#10,003
Friday April 22nd, 2011
I stood in silence with my Teeth as a funeral pyre was lit, though we had no bodies to burn. Those had been given to the proper authorities with all of their funeral expenses and burial coming out of my own pocket. Assault had even promised to see that things were taken care of legally. It was the least I could do for my people.
Still, that didn't mean that the Teeth wouldn't be holding a service of our own for the fallen. Big Robbie was officiating the ceremony, much as he had done for the past two decades. For once, he was adorned with all of the trophies he had claimed while wearing a costume that wouldn't be recognizable to anyone that didn't know him.
No words were said as he offered up trophies taken from the fallen Empire fucksticks. A bone from each of those killed at the Arena first. An offering of those that desecrated our home to the fallen. Their bones were cast into the pyre, crackling in the heat of the flames. Next came the bones of those claimed in our retribution, cast into the flame like the rest.
It was symbolic — revenge had already been claimed in full — but the gesture sent a message to the rest of the gang. We never forget those who were Teeth, and we always avenge those taken from us. As Robbie concluded the rites, I stepped forward. If the crowd had been respectfully silent before, they were as still as the grave now.
In my hand was one of the trophies I had claimed, arguably the greatest among them. I held Kaiser's skull aloft, for all to see.
"Kaiser is dead! Our fallen have been avenged in spirit and in truth." With that, I cast his skull into the flames, more than a few of the Teeth audibly gasping that I cast away such a prize. "I didn't kill him for acclaim and glory. I did so because he orchestrated an act of malicious audacity that couldn't go unanswered. Now, his Empire lies in ashes and ruin!"
The cheers at that declaration were deafening.
I stood unmasked as I looked up to the stands of the Arena. Every person even loosely associated with the Teeth had been invited, including the younger kids from Winslow. Today was going to be the turning point of my rule, and I intended to have as many witnesses as possible.
"Really hope this plan works out for ya, kid," Ironsides grumbled.
Madison, Assault and Battery were also in attendance, in civvies amongst the masses. Honestly, I thought the only reason he agreed to come was because I told him there would be an open bar and Battery didn't want to leave him unsupervised. They were certain to report something back to their bosses tomorrow morning, given that I had warned them there was a chance I could be killed tonight and that the next Butcher might not be as reasonable as me.
"The Teeth extracted bloody vengeance, made them pay for every life they stole from us." I paced as I spoke, and ran a hand along Hookwolf's skull on my throne. "My own actions are known, but let us honor everyone who played a part! I may be the Butcher, but even I couldn't topple an Empire alone!"
I picked up the shot glass of Reserve from my throne, each person in attendance had been offered one upon arrival. I noticed that more than a few held empty glasses, and for each one of those I landed a single wasp on the rim. This was a toast to the victorious, dead and alive both, and they hadn't respected the notion.
"For those fallen, for those who fought, for those who killed for the Teeth, we fucking honor you!" I downed the shot and threw the glass to my feet, shattering it. "Hail the victorious Goddamned Teeth!"
Those in the crowd that hadn't drank early did so now, as did all of the capes. Even Dinah had been given a shot, the same as everyone else. Nobody was denied the chance to participate. Those that had drank early, well, they had a pissed off wasp staring back at them. Shattered glass sounded across the arena as everyone finished their shots and I turned to address everyone.
"Brockton Bay is ours now! If anyone has a problem with that, then this is your chance to fucking say it!"
"Unfortunately, I find it unlikely that our next host will be capable of such dramatics," Damascian mused. "Taylor took to villainy with a flair rarely seen."
"Presentation!" Alkaline cheered. "Make sure you give them a good fight!"
I certainly intend to.
Animos stepped forward, a determined expression on his face. He had issued his challenge as soon as I arrived back without Purity's head, wanting to fight me then and there before Chrissie had managed to talk him into making a spectacle of it. It was decided the end of this ceremony would be the ideal time to do it given how everyone was in attendance.
I'd had scarce an hour to come up with something resembling a plan.
"Animos is a bastard to plan around," Quarrel complained. "I couldn't shoot for shit the few times he caught me with his scream."
Yuki had triggered when she failed to qualify for the Olympics, so she was hardly an inexperienced archer herself. Ugh, that was a whole can of worms I couldn't anticipate either. A loss of powers. I'd become so reliant on my swarm, on Stratego's steady thrum of tactical feedback, the danger sense, the enhanced strength, durability, reflexes… I'd have none of it. Just Taylor against a monster.
Hell, I didn't really even know how to fight without the Butcher's inheritance. My first night out made that painfully clear in retrospect. I couldn't even practice, because all of that was as much a part of me as the voices in my head.
The entire situation was fucked and I hated it.
He nodded and held out his hand; I passed him the mic and took a step back beside my throne. Chrissie was eyeing me with a worried expression, a single tear running down her cheek. We had asked Dinah, quietly, what my chances of survival were in the coming fight. The response had been confusion and a few garbled numbers, which had not helped my nerves. I wanted to believe the biggest number, roughly 40%, while Chrissie was obviously dwelling on the smallest — less than six.
"While I cannot deny the results," Animos began, "I must question Weaver's methods. She plays pretend, opting to go to school rather than lead us, and this cost us the lives of good people. She abandoned the battle to aid someone opposed to us, even if he was family. If we cannot trust her to be there for us, how can we trust her to lead the Teeth?"
The crowd descended into loud whispers as I stoically stood in front of my throne.
He met my gaze. "As per the Teeth's custom, I challenge you to a battle for the mantle. A fight to the death, for the title of the Butcher!"
The crowd erupted in panicked shouts at the declaration, decrying his decision to an almost universal degree. That, I hadn't been expecting. Since when had I become so popular with the masses that they didn't want one of our strongest to take the mantle?
"Like it or not, you've changed things," Reflex said. "People like what you're doing and are afraid that will go away if you fade into the collective with the rest of us."
Still doesn't explain all of it.
"No, but it does say something, I would think," the fallen, yet not lost, hero finished. "Win this one so your people can rest easy tonight."
My swarm rose up around me, blanketing the air in a moving tapestry of chitin. "I acknowledge and accept your challenge!" I yelled while my swarm echoed my words and I affixed my mask.
Immediately he began to transform into his fearsome changer form. I would only have one chance, hit him before he could scream. We both approached the ring, taking up opposite sides. The fights were simple: if you could carry it in, you could use it. I only brought my usual kit — no gatling gun, no sword. I couldn't trust that I could wield them when he removed my powers. Even my usual guns were a risk, as the OTs-62s were never meant to be fired as a pistol. Benefits of a half dozen Brute packages in one, and only one of those survived an Animos scream. It barely even counted as a Brute 1 when Reflex held them. Still, nothing smaller would do much good and Coil's Tinkertech was too much of a risk to the crowd even if it ripped right through him, let alone if I actually missed.
The tradeoff to agreeing to delay the fight.
Big Robbie stepped forward, pistol in hand and aimed down. "On my signal, you may begin."
"Whatever happens, it was a pleasure," Reflex said.
Neither of us looked away from the other, yet we both nodded our understanding. Robbie took a breath, and fired.
Animos screamed at the same instant I hit him with a pain blast while also ordering every bug in the arena to destroy him completely. The teleport I attempted at that same moment failed as my power cut out. Animos' legs buckled under the brief pain, but held.
It was everything I could do not to panic.
I felt blind and deaf as the now-unfamiliar weight of my costume settled on my shoulders, and while a tiny part of me reveled in the silence, I found myself missing the voices of my headmates. Relief filled me that my bugs were still following my last order just as they did when they fell out of my range and I took advantage of Animos's momentary confusion at that and the physical upgrades that had remained of my Brute packages.
It wasn't much, but I was going to give him hell regardless.
I drew my machete and ran forward, hoping to catch Animos before he recovered from the instant of pain and the distraction my swarm would provide. My long legs ate up the distance, my superhuman musculature still functioning as intended, but Animos was faster, his senses sharper. His jaw snapped at me, forcing me to stumble to the side or lose yet another arm.
It was a miracle I managed even that, I'd tried to imagine what it would be like to be powerless, but this? I felt helpless without my powers, and holy fuck did that feeling piss me off. I drew an OTs, because anything less wouldn't even slow him down, and aimed it at his center of mass as I tumbled. The recoil of the shot jerked my wrist, sending pain lancing down my arm. Worse, I fucking missed at barely twenty feet, the explosive round impacting a translucent barrier Chrissie had swirling in front of the crowd.
I scrambled to my feet, but Animos pounced, shattering my mask with the blow and sending me flying across the arena. My ears rang from the impact, but the worst part was the pain. I could feel pain again. I hadn't missed it one bit.
Half my body felt like it was on fire, screaming at me that I should stay down or get away. I didn't have that luxury. I forced myself upright, feeling heavier than I had in a month. Animos was charging, yet I brought my machete up and focused on memories not my own, only half remembered like an echo from Stratego's past. Just as Animos lunged, I ducked into a painful roll, dodging under the Changer and swinging my blade. It connected, and the tendons of his leg parted like warm butter.
A smile crept to my lips for an instant, then the flaw in my plan made itself evident as the beast's weight fell upon me, dragging me along the ground as he skidded to a halt. The wind was crushed out of my lungs, but I couldn't draw a breath to replace it with Animos on top of me.. I was stuck underneath a monstrosity that tasted of death, unable to breathe, unable to do anything.
Memories rose, unbidden.
Somebody help! Let me out!
Of course, Animos knew I was trapped too, and he somehow craned his neck around to scream at me again.
Part of me knew what was coming: I was going to die, because his scream recovered faster than my powers. It wasn't even going to be a dignified death, being sat on by a one-trick doggy and scolded like a child. Even I could admit that it was pathetic, and the collective would mock me to hell and back for it… until the end of time. No doubt my swarm was doing what they could, but a single order wasn't the same as my micromanaging each individual to systematically dismantle a person.
Don't leave me here! Please!
I'd managed to take down the ABB, Coil and even the Empire, yet I failed to take control of the Teeth completely. I wouldn't be able to keep my promise to Chrissie. I felt tears building in my eyes, knowing I wouldn't be able to hold her in my arms ever again.
No giving up, you're better than that.
Awareness exploded around me as the world came back all at once. My bugs were back, which meant all my powers should be back! Barely taking the time to wonder, I teleported out from under Animos, reappearing above him to deliver a hammerblow to his skull. The impact shook the stands and the crowd cheered at the sudden turnaround.
"How the hell?" "The fuck was that!" "Can she hear us?" "I can hear us." "You heard voices before us, idiot!"
I was gasping for breath, but I didn't have the time to savor the sensation of not being trapped. I needed to press my advantage before my opponent recovered. I took the offered reprieve as his scream recharged, hitting with pain, a burst of rage, and finally my swarm.
He screamed anyway.
I braced myself for another horrifying round of sensory blindness, only for… nothing to happen? I froze for a long moment, then wiped the demonic grin off of Animos's face with yet another pain blast and more bugs. What in the blood soaked protestant hell was going on?
Pyro barked out a sharp laugh at my use of one of her old favorites, but the rest were equally confused by this sudden turn of events. Regardless of what it meant for me and my powers, the fight was effectively over. Animos was barely twitching, so I eased off, allowing him to slowly shift back to a human.
I managed to recover a few shreds of my dignity as I walked over to his gasping and sobbing form, only to hide the ultimate confrontation from the crowd with a curtain of bugs. Elliot deserved that much. He may have challenged me with the intention to kill, but he was still Teeth.
"Even now you're going to be soft?" Butcher scoffed. "You know how these things go, what comes next."
I know what comes next for a Butcher. What about for Weaver?
"Normally I would say you get to join us, but…" Knockout trailed off.
"Ha! I told you all she was going to be hell on wheels! Just like her mother!" Fester cheered.
"Just don't fuck this up," Ironsides rumbled.
I was remaking the Teeth in my image, maybe this damned tradition needed to be shaken up as well. If I wanted that to be more than honeyed words, I needed to put forward actions to back up my intentions. After all, pretty platitudes didn't mean shit for dick if I never followed through with them. I refused to become passive with my problems ever again.
"Let me know when you can stand," I said to my opponent. "Take your time, nobody can see us right now thanks to my bugs."
"How do you even have your powers?" he rasped. "No past Butcher has been immune."
"No fucking clue," I admitted. "You good? The crowd is no doubt waiting."
"What, not going to have your bugs eat me like you did Kaiser?" he snapped off. "You're just going to kill me, shit doesn't matter how I get there."
"When did I ever say I was going to kill you?" He looked up, shock evident on his face. "You aren't an enemy and were doing what you felt was right for the Teeth. I can't fault you for calling me on my mistakes."
"Then why?"
"For one, I'm not an idiot. You're a deterrent almost as much as I am, as even seemingly immortal capes are your playthings. I'd be a fool to kill you." I chuckled and offered my hand. "Plus, your sister would never forgive me if I did."
Elliot's eyes grew into saucers. "How do you know about her?"
"You've met Lisa?"
He forced out a pained laugh. "Point taken." Elliot grasped my wrist and let me pull him to his feet. "So, what now?"
I shrugged. "No idea, I'm kinda winging this since I expected to die tonight… Wanna grab a beer and fuck with Damien till he unleashes the clones and we have an excuse to beat him with his own limbs?"
"Pretty sure I don't have it in me tonight," he said, chuckling. "Probably gonna pop something from the stash and crash for a day or two. Those pain blasts fucking hurt."
"Got a few memories from the others, but tonight was the first time I felt pain since I inherited. Don't recommend it."
Elliot snorted, then began to cough as he almost fell over. I reached out and caught him, throwing his arm over my shoulder. He gave me a pained look before coughing some more.
"You really should kill me kid… I'm not gonna change my mind just because you were soft on me."
"And I'm going to trust you to continue to call me on things when you feel I'm slacking on my responsibility. However, I'm going to expect the rest of the Teeth to step up, too. You guys did good without me, but you can always do better. We all can."
"You should learn something we don't know, fighting wise, so you have that to fall back on if you face another nullifier," Reflex said.
Not a bad idea, really. I'd slacked off too much over the past few weeks. There was so much I could do to ensure I wasn't caught off guard again, or left unable to fight back. I never wanted to feel so helpless again.
"Getting a girlfriend can be so distracting," Fester teased. She was merciful in sparing me an onslaught of prodded memories of her and Mom.
The bugs departed, revealing us to the crowd which let out a resounding roar when they saw me still standing. Chrissie crashed into me a moment later, retching out sobs behind her mask. I embraced her with my free arm, rubbing the small section of her back not adorned with skeletal pieces. Amy, Lisa, and Dinah had followed her over, but I was only dimly aware of that fact, with all of my non-bug attention pinned to the girl in my embrace.
"Shhh, it's okay. I'm okay."
"No, you're not," she whimpered. "You almost fucking died. I… I don't know what I would have done without —"
Elliot coughed, jostling my arm as he did. "Not to interrupt, but I could really use some fentanyl or something right about now."
"Why is he still alive?" Chrissie hissed, fractal shapes forming around us.
"Good question!" several Butchers yelled.
"He won't be if that's his drug of choice," I muttered.
"Fuck if I know…" Elliot said, ignoring my comment. "Apparently she's immune to my scream now."
Chrissie blinked for a moment at that revelation. "Huh, that seems useful."
"And —" Elliot continued, only to get punched in the face by Rachel hard enough to knock him on his ass.
"Now that was a punch!" Knockout cheered.
The crowd went wild at the spontaneous violence, but instead of kicking Elliot while he was down, Rachel leaned over and hissed some words that I pointedly ignored. Then she pulled him to his feet and helped him shuffle out of the arena, growling at him under her breath the whole time.
I watched them go before turning my attention to Chrissie. "No idea. We'll test it later. If we're lucky, the PRT will be busy doing damage control and give us some breathing room."
"I haven't fixed any of them after that fight," Amy cut in. "But I did chew them out for being Nazi pawns, healed those that were at risk of dying, and told the rest they could wait a few days."
Chrissie snorted. "Damn girl, we'll make you a proper villain yet."
"I already have my trophy," Amy reminded us. "You told me to 'claim a worthy trophy,' so I claimed Weaver's hand. Jealous?"
"A little bit," Chrissie muttered. "Ugh, I am not ready to deal with this."
I watched as Chrissie walked away, not sure exactly what I was feeling at the moment. She was jealous? Of what? The crowd had fallen silent, but the whispers were rising to murmurs and I felt my anger growing with them.
"You do know why she —"
I slammed the entire collective into the void, not really wanting to deal with any of them at the moment. They took the goddamn hint and settled down. The crowd however…
"What are you all staring at? This is supposed to be a fucking party, so get to fucking partying!"
A wasp stung the DJ and he quickly hit the music, filling the arena with thumping bass. The arena swiftly descended into pandemonium as the Teeth started doing what they did best: causing chaos. Between the death of the Empire and me surviving the challenge, they certainly had cause to party.
I wanted nothing more than to disappear into my room.
As the adrenaline slowly drained out of my veins, I had to devote more and more of my attention towards keeping up the Butcher façade. This time, it was my own brush with death compounded by visions of a red-and-gray tide sweeping Brockton Bay away that made my hands want to shake and eyes twitch; it was only through my bugs that I kept everything under control.
Showing the colors as the Butcher was actually pretty easy, as my presence came with a bubble of empty space even on the dance floor. Various Teeth congratulated me as I strode through the crowd, including a number of the old guard normals who usually regarded me with (silent) suspicion.
I was the Butcher, after all.
"Hell yeah you are!" Marauder cheered. "How long until we go Vlad the Impaler on our enemies again?"
"How long until you actually go and fucking party?" Quarrel retorted. "There's people fucking right there —"
I did my best to think vindictively about the spiders in the basement, noting that another spool of silk thread was ready for Parian. Our little deal was going to pay off big time, according to Lisa, and the first round of bullet resistant cloth was nearly ready.
"Ugh, do you have to talk shop when you should be fucking living it up?" Sabertooth bitched.
"She can multitask," Stratego said.
"She can multi-boring," Butcher countered. "Come on, do some shots, snort some coke, ANYTHING else besides this."
I ignored the collective's bitching as I took a seat up near the balcony, watching the rave in the arena below as my bugs took stock of things. The party was in full swing, which meant I was hardly surprised when Lisa and Amy snuck out the back and towards the alley where their usual driver was already waiting. What I hadn't expected was for Rachel to intercept them on their discreet exit. Lisa seemed surprised too, not that I had the best view through my bugs.
Luckily, it was enough to watch as Rachel held out a necklace to Lisa, while either oblivious to, or ignoring, Amy's furious glare at the offered jewelry. Lisa just stared at the offering with a blank expression.
"These are teeth… from Night and Fog," Lisa muttered.
"You helped, you deserve them," Rachel stated bluntly.
Lisa looked across the parking garage to where I had a cluster of bugs watching as she asked her silent question. A subtle bob of my bugs and she accepted Rachel's gift, gingerly placing it around her neck.
"I can only imagine the feedback her power's giving her right now over that thing," Alkaline said.
"Likely a life history lesson for both capes, and how many times they skipped brushing their teeth," Stratego mused.
"Number of dentist visits."
"Times a tooth was regrown by Othala."
Okay, I get it. Way to show me how we absolutely don't want her power in here with us.
The collective paused for a moment and I felt a shiver run through my mind.
"Point made," Butcher said.
"Too bad there wasn't much left of Alabaster besides his damn jawbone," Fester grumbled.
"Which Spree is wearing with pride, I might add," Marauder noted.
As he should.
Sanguine sent the distinct impression of an unhinged smile. "Oh how far you've come."
"She's a Butcher in truth and deed," Chisel agreed.
Fester however, snorted. "Bitch please. Given all she's done, she's the best among us." Arguments kicked up in an instant, but I was distracted by something far more important.
Chrissie was still avoiding me, but at least she wasn't drowning herself in alcohol. No, she was brooding away in her room instead. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, and a part of me was tempted to teleport up to her room and just get it over with, but at the same time, I didn't want her to think I was crowding her or forcing the issue.
No. I was the Butcher, the leader of the Teeth, and I needed to be seen.
"Keep telling yourself that," Sabertooth growled.
"Talking to her would be prudent, you don't want this wound to fester," Stratego stated.
Fester gaped in shock. "Did you just —"
Not in the mood assholes.
I threw myself into my swarmsense, feeling out literal millions of perspectives, taking in the celebration in its entirety. Alec was casually talking with Michael as they drank and gamed, which seemed to be the extent of the sort-of-friendship they had formed.
Looking around, I was surprised to find Dinah still lurking in one of the corners. She'd found some alcohol but rather than drinking it, she seemed to be having a staring contest with it instead. Every now and then she would mutter something, and occasionally wince. Worse yet, she seemed to be doing her damndest to hide the tears streaming down her face.
With a huff, Dinah shoved the alcohol aside, wiped her face clear of tears and steeled her expression behind the carefully constructed mask she presented to the Teeth. Once satisfied, she rejoined the still raging party with all the usual poise that I could tell was oh-so-forced.
Almost immediately, Robbie stood up from his spot at the poker table. He was carrying a carefully wrapped package that I hadn't seen him preparing, which was concerning on several levels. My curiosity got the better of me and I found myself making my way closer just so I could hear their conversation with my own ears.
"It is done," Robbie said, loud enough for the whole lounge to take notice.
Dinah eyed the package for a long moment before she hesitantly held out her arms to accept it. He placed it in her grasp with all the reverence he had shown during the funeral rites. The paper wrapping was removed, with Dinah taking care to not simply rip it to pieces. Concealed within was a well crafted pine box in the shape of a classical coffin.
"Oh, that's a nice touch," Sanguine noted.
I couldn't help but agree with the sentiment as she set the box on the nearest table and pulled the lid off, a sharp gasp followed as she hesitantly reached within and retrieved a gnarled short staff made of vertebrae, topped with a familiar skull. On the forehead, a snake motif had been carved and stained into the surface to leave no doubt as to who she had claimed it from.
"That…"
"Is…"
"BADASS!" the collective declared.
It made me wish I had something to give to Chrissie.
And now I was thinking about her again, fuck. I really needed to get this over with, so I left the weirdly endearing pair behind as Dinah hugged him in thanks and made my way towards Chrissie's room.
It took far too little time to arrive.
"Just bite the fucking bullet and go in there," Butcher complained. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"Chrissie ends up as XVI and we have to deal with their lover's spat for the rest of our existence?" Alkaline stated.
"Oh," Butcher muttered, and ushered himself off into the dark with no prompting from myself.
Huh, that was new.
He was right though, and I really did need to just woman up and get this over with. With a deep breath, I lifted my regrown arm and knocked on her door.
"Fuck off!" she shouted back.
"Damn, not a good sign," Fester offered.
"It's me," I said. "I just wanted to talk. Can still do that if you would rather I…"
The door flung open and I was greeted by my girlfriend, still in costume but sans mask, which only served to highlight how puffy her eyes were.
Great, she'd been crying.
Now I felt like an even bigger ass for putting this off for so long.
"She didn't make an effort to find you either," Stratego pointed out.
She huffed, then marched back over to the bed where she flopped down with absolutely zero grace, bouncing slightly on the mattress as she did so. I followed her inside, closing the door behind me and locking it for good measure.
With that done, I tossed my harness aside, ignoring the loud thump of several dozen pounds of equipment dropping to the floor and divested myself of all of my weapons. The last thing I wanted to do was give her the wrong signal with all of this. When I turned back towards her, she was seated on her bed, trying to bore a hole through the ground with her eyes.
"I suppose we've put this off long enough," I said, sitting down next to her. "We kinda just jumped into this feet first without ever really talking about anything, didn't we?"
"Life of a villain," Chrissie replied softly. "You never know who might die or when, so you tend to act rather than dwell."
"Like you almost did." Chrissie, soaked in a pool of her own blood, flashed before my eyes. I forced the memories away as best I could. "Yet, you were always careful to respect me. Even with all the memories in my head, I've never been in a relationship before… us."
Chrissie snorted. "I'd have never guessed."
I chuckled, swatting her arm then let out a sigh. "I know it's only been a few weeks, but you've been nothing but patient with everything, never rushing me, never pressuring me to go farther than I was comfortable with… It's been nice, and I really want us to work. So, let's get this talk out of the way so we can hopefully go back to being copacetic."
"Hey, I remember that one!" Chrissie said with a laugh, before frowning. "I want us to work too dammit, I just don't know what I'm doing. I've had flings, but never actual relationships. I'm scared I'm gonna keep fucking this all up and —"
I cut her off with a gentle kiss.
"This is all new for me too," I whispered. "I just can't help but wonder how much is me and how much is them anymore. There's so much bleedover, so many habits and likes and —"
"Tay, you know better than to bullshit me." Chrissie's eyes were defiant, but when the fight left them, only tenderness remained. "You're still beating yourself up over killing them, aren't you?"
"She's got you there," Fester said.
"Not quite, but close to the mark," I sighed. "I killed, what, thirty people in barely a day's span? It was so easy to end them rather than detain them… I'm scared of how easily killing became my default. Worse, I'm scared because I don't regret killing them."
Chrissie wrapped me into a hug and pulled me down onto the bed, cuddling in as close as she could. "Zerick Hahn."
"Germanic origins." "Doesn't Hahn basically mean cockmaster?" "As in chickens, not dicks." "It can mean that too."
"Sounds like a dick," I said aloud.
"Part of why I killed him. He was my first," Chrissie said softly. "I was fourteen and wanted to show this cute girl from school a good time. Turns out, she told her brother she had a date and he told his friends…"
"The Empire took notice."
"Yeah, one of those friends was a closet wannabe and decided I would be his initiation." She sighed and curled even closer, burying her face against me. "It didn't go as he expected, and I put his own knife through his throat. The police got involved, and my parents were called. The police dropped any charges because my parents went to church with the lead investigator."
"Sounds about right for the Bay…" I muttered.
"Right? Anyway, my parents drag me home and proceed to beat me. They heard I was on a date with a girl and how dare I kill such an upstanding gentleman who was only trying to protect me from the depravity of lesbianism or some shit. Then they arranged to ship me off to one of the Empire's 'kill the gays' camps, calling it religious counseling. What a load of dogshit that was. I wasn't even a week into it when I triggered. I think the PRT knows it was me because the Empire sure as hell did after all. Don't feel bad about killing the bastards that enabled shit like that, they neither deserve your pity or the time you're devoting to their accursed memory."
"Hear hear!" Fester cheered. "Piss on their graves and shit on their legacies! They deserve no better!"
Reflex hummed in agreement. "Even with all the lives ended between you and the rest of the Teeth, you'll save ten times that before the year is up just by having done what you did. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, just don't lose sight of what matters."
"We'll slap you if you start yammering on and on about the Greater Good and how you have to sacrifice a child for it." Alkaline teased, but there was an undercurrent of legitimate worry to her tone.
"Thanks Chrissie, that helped," I said softly, holding her tight. "Hopefully with the Nazis gone, those kind of places die off. Because if not…"
"We help them along?" Chrissie asked.
"Pretty much," I agreed.
We sat in silence, both of us clearly searching for the words to continue on the original topic. The chorus offered a few suggestions but I gave them a gentle push. I wanted to do this on my own, but really, were the Chorus actually separate from me, or part of who I was now? If Chrissie was going to date me, if I was going to date her, like it or not, my being the Butcher was part of it…
"I'm sorry," Chrissie said, cutting off my introspection. "I shouldn't have been so pissed with you over… everything. The attacks, Lisa, school, I — I don't really know. It feels stupid now, and I don't want to lose you. When you were down there, fighting Elliot…"
"I'm not going to leave you," I murmured into her hair. In my head, half of the Butchers offered a number of other comments, only to get shushed immediately by the other half. Part of me wanted the help here, because I felt like I was trying to read a book where many of the pages were missing, but then it wouldn't be me dating Chrissie.
She deserved better than whatever the assholes in my head could cook up. Several of said assholes snickered at the thought.
"And, um, yeah," I continued. "You're important to me, and not just as one of my capes. Uh…"
Chrissie huffed out a laugh. "Damn, Tay. You really know how to woo a girl." When I tried to protest that, she cut me off with a searing, passionate kiss.
"Buh wah?" I managed, surprised by the sudden intensity.
"You, Taylor, are a dork of the highest degree," she murmured, breaking off the kiss. "We both want to make this work, but it's not going to be easy."
"When is anything that's worth pursuing ever easy?" I asked.
"Well, can I make one thing easy for you?"
There was a teasing glint in her eye, and a playful smirk on her lips that spoke of mischief to come as she leaned in close.
"What would that be?" I asked, letting my nose brush against hers.
She pulled me into a gentle kiss and across the room, one of her forcefields flicked the light switch. As it turned out, there was something I could give her after all.
Author's Notes:
Pen: This scene was originally 1 of 3 scenes for the final chapter of the arc, but each scene became chapter length on their own, so we had to split them up to ensure each was given the attention it deserved. 3.8 and 3.9 are now happening as a result.
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Last edited: Jun 18, 2022
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Pendragoon
Jun 18, 2022
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