"I keep saying to Director Piggot that we should make popcorn a standard fixture at meetings, because so many into a circus" The breezy words from Assault robbed the tension from Taylor's mind as she tried to work out how the man got to eating popcorn after her declaration. "Still, if I bring some flavoured syrups to these catch-ups, do you think I could get an ice cone while my co-workers fuck up?"
The entire room blinked. The soldiers lowered their weapons slightly, and Miss Militia placed her power generated revolver into a sheathe, were it changed into a long bladed combat knife. Battery visibly bristled in her seat at the comment, with her suit slowly increasing in brightness as her powers charged.
Danny was the first to pull himself out of the stupor that Assault's non-sequitur had induced in the group, voice blaring and distorted from the small speakers of the laptop. "What is wrong with you? My daughter is being harassed and pressured because of the failures of your organisation and you are making light of the situation? This isn't a laughing matter! She was almost taken by the Empire! My girl…"
Danny's voice trailed off as he tried to suppress the emotional crack as he yelled, the rage evident in his voice now firmly directed at Assault. Taylor however was less incensed, she could feel the calming embrace of the cool slowly sink into her, ever so light at the moment but promising a release from the emotional burdens of the situation. While the temptation to sink deeper into its soothing clutches was strong, Taylor redirected her attention towards the outside and specifically Assault.
The man didn't seem like he was blind to the situation and so Taylor called out to her dad to be quiet for a moment and let Assault explain his words. The man gave her a broad smile as she did, stood up from his char and began to languidly stretch as he spoke, gesturing for the PRT soldiers to lower their weapons. "We fucked up. There isn't any denying that. I'm going to be in trouble with El Director for saying it but I think that the best way to communicate with you is honestly. I am going to do this for the rest of our meeting, can I ask you do the same?"
A nod from Taylor prompted Assault to continue speaking. "While the goals we want are pretty simple and something we can all agree on, how it got conveyed was wrong. It was antagonistic and we didn't think about how you would feel. Again, we fucked up. So rather than us all yelling about the only way to do things we try and reach a middle ground?"
Taylor was confused by the fact that Assault was willing to admit fault, and more so allow for it to be focused on him. It was so far from her experiences that it simply didn't match with her world view, every single authority figure had either turned a blind eye or pretended that her concerns didn't have any value. The earnest approach from the hero threw her. However his words seemed to be honest, and Danny did seem to be calming down as he spoke. Maybe this time she wouldn't get hurt by trusting someone? Maybe it would be different?
"Fine Assault. We can try and reach a comprise that works for everyone but somethings are non-negotiable. Taylor can leave the facility, and you will be the designated contact for all interactions with me. With no offence to the rest of your colleagues the way that they handled this meeting was atrocious and adversarial, and I will be raising this to Director Piggot." With Danny's words Miss Militia and Battery winced lightly, the soldiers behind them also moving lightly and slowly bunching up further. "With that said, I am willing to allow for the Testing Facility to serve as a new home for Taylor, temporarily, until a more permanent solution is made. She will not be trapped here however, and will be able to leave as she wills."
"Alright, I think we are all on the same page about Taylor staying here in the Ice Box, right Taylor?" Once again Taylor nodded to Assault as he directed the question towards her, her head moving slowly as the tight knuckle grip around the ice knife slowly relaxed. "The only sticking point is movement. Not to keep her under house arrest but we do need to know when Taylor wants to leave so we can make sure that there is an escort and the location is scouted out in advance. Maybe we could reach an agreement of giving us 48 hours notice before leaving the facility? That is plenty of time for the agents to do the leg work and the motor pool to have a car set aside for transport. Does that sound reasonable?"
Taylor allowed her hand to fully release the knife that stayed embedded in the table, starting to sit back in her chair. It seemed that Assault was intending to keep his word and was discussing things with Danny, and while it irked her to allow someone else to negotiate the terms that would be applied to her despite her anger at the many long months of neglect, Danny was a skilled negotiator as a result of his work with the DWA.
Looking at the slightly pixelated figure of her father who was already speaking and gesturing towards Assault, Taylor decided that sometimes there was value in letting others speak for her, but she would keep a close eye on the conversation to make sure that nothing unpleasant happened. Taking a moment to observe Miss Militia and Battery, it seemed the two heroes were uneasy. Likely due to conceding the position of strength that they believed they had, it appeared to Taylor that the two were used to dictating to people outside of the PRT by the dint of being Protectorate capes.
It did rub Taylor the wrong way, that by simply being part of an organisation you could make demands to people. Slowly running a hand through her hair and lightly scratching at her scalp to try and alleviate the headache that was growing, Taylor turned her attention back to Assault.
"Okay. Sounds like we have reached a good stopping point for now. I think we all could use a moment to think, and I know the troopers would appreciate a moment to replace the brown pants. So for now Taylor will stay at the Ice Box, give us 24 hours warning before heading out, one cape or a pair of Wards will be on station as a guard, and finally the whole thing can be brought up by either party if its not working. There is one last thing to do though before we can all go home for the day." The chirpy tone of Assault became a lot more serious towards the end, and as he walked over to Taylor her hand stalled in her hand, a small, thin needle of ice unconsciously growing in her grip.
The hero lowered himself down to one knee beside Taylor and he reached up towards his face, pulling off the mask that concealed his face. The sound of Miss Militia groaning lightly in frustration matched with the sharp slap of Battery face-palming, the two heroines postures slacking as they realised what was happening.
"Hi Taylor. So I figured that seeing as we all know your identity that to try and even those scales I would share mine! The name is Ethan Winters, and I think that it is pretty appropriate because I am the coolest person in any room." The incredibly cheeky grin from the newly unmasked Ethan caught Taylor off guard, and she couldn't help but let a nervous giggle out at the really bad joke. The widening of his grin told her that her giggle hadn't escaped his notice, and the man seemed to bask in the annoyed groans that the PRT soldiers let loose, it would seem that this was an old joke that he kept telling.
"So aside from letting you know you have competition for being the coolest cat in Brockton Bay, I had another reason for telling you my name. I want you to know that I am going to be on your side when it comes to dealing with the PRT. It can be difficult, there are all sorts of stupid rules and regulations but the organisation as a whole is filled with people who want to do the right thing, and in this situation the right thing is making sure that you are taken care of properly. If things go wrong, or if there is anything you need I am giving you my contact details. Don't hesitate to reach out. I will do what I can to make sure that the big bad bureaucracy doesn't forget that you are a person under all that power. Just try and work with us okay?"
Sincerity poured from the man, his eyes locked onto Taylor's and his voice steady and slow. Taylor didn't know what to say in response to his declaration. Who did that? She wasn't supposed to be the one that people went out of their way to help! She was ugly, awkward, useless Taylor! And he didn't even seem to focus on her power like Armsmaster did, he kept calling her by her name, and addressed her beyond her power.
It was uncomfortable, to have that level of attention directed towards her but in some small way it felt really nice. To be seen and acknowledged by someone. It should have been her father that had spoken those words to her, it should have Danny that had comforted her, but it despite his efforts to stand at her side he hadn't really reached out.
"Oh. Um. Okay. I will call if something goes wrong. Am I supposed to do something now? You know who I am so I can't do anything to match your unmasking. This wasn't something I was expecting." Taylor's voice was quiet and uncertain, and from the corner of her eyes she saw Danny lean forward in his chair, the pixelated figure looming closer to the camera. Assault just laughed at her statement.
"Nothing to match! If anything I am just trying to even the playing field, and make thing equal for us all. So there is nothing to do, and no need to stress." Ethan looked over at the frowning figure of Miss Militia and turned back towards Taylor, leaning in closer as he quietly confided in her. "So I think we are going to have to head out soon, gotta let the bosses and M get the shouting out of the way, otherwise they steam up like a kettle and its not a pretty sight for anyone." Leaning back Ethan put his mask back on and stood up.
"Well then. Time for me to go and face the music back at the Rig, so I think we will head out. Taylor remember that you can ask for people to visit you, so if you have anyone you want to reach out to and trust you can do that. And it was tricky negotiation with you Danny, good stuff. You should try getting into an argument with Rennick, I would pay to see that!" Assault started to herd the other heroes out of the meeting room, the PRT soldiers the first to leave and when Miss Militia and Battery exited the two paused for a moment to say goodbye, Miss Militia was quiet and seemed to be in deep thought while Battery sounded tired.
Once the group left the room and boarded the helicopter that they had taken to arrive the only people left were Taylor and Danny. The silence in the room was oppressive for a long minute as the two were silent, Taylor watching the door and trying to work out what had happened and why.
"Little Owl, are you okay?"
The quiet question from Danny slowly reached Taylor, who had been stuck in deconstructing the meeting, looking for any hidden meanings and traps. Slowly nodding her head to her dad, she reached a hand towards the knife in the table and pulled the blade out. Laying it down on the table and stepping back from it, Taylor approached the laptop and sat down in-front of it.
"I think so. That really didn't go the way I expected. I mean it did at the start, I was hoping that they would be better but they sounded just like Blackwell. Everyone else meant something but I didn't. So I was upset but not disappointed." Danny frowned as Taylor spoke, the level of despondency wasn't healthy for a teen. Not that he could really speak, he didn't know what was going on for so long that he was essentially an outsider. He cursed himself again for getting so wrapped up in his own grief and work that he forgot to be a parent.
"Taylor. Little Owl. You mean so much more to me than anyone else. I haven't said it for a long time because I was so consumed by my own issues that I forgot that the world existed, but you are the most precious thing in my life. I love you and want you to be happy. What is going on now is hard, really hard for all of us. But just tell me what you want and I will do my best to make it happen."
Taylor looked up and saw Danny, his face worn and haggard, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes as he tried to force out more words. The things he said were what she wanted to hear for so long, ever since Annette died. That she did mean something and to have her father back. To have someone who supported her unconditionally. Tears started to well up in her eyes, hot and salty. Her vision watered as she started to cry.
"I want you to come here Dad, I really need a hug."
The figure of Danny stilled for a moment and a fleeting expression of fear crossed his face and Taylor's heart sunk. Of course he wouldn't want to, last time he was near her he nearly died. Would have if things had gone on a moment longer. As Taylor started to castigate herself Danny started to stand up and his voice came clear across the speakers.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Nurse! I need to be discharged immediately."
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
377
Silent_Sepharim
Sep 18, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Sep 25, 2022
#439
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Topic: Has anyone else noticed the Ice Age happening?
In: Boards Brockton Bay Local
JustaBBsurvivor (Original Poster)
Posted on January 13, 2011:
Like the title says, has anyone else noticed the ice age that happened near the edge of town? I live pretty far away from it but I was on my balcony having a cup of coffee and it looked like a portion of Brockton was replaced with the Arctic.
Anyone know what happened there? Because from my viewpoint is looks pretty bad.
(Showing Page 1 of 21)
BB BADASS
Replied on January 13, 2011:
I WAS WALKING NEARBY FOR COMPLETLY LEGITIMATE REASONS AND I SAW RUNE FLYING AWAY LIKE SHE HAD FORGOTTEN THE OVEN CRICKET AND ALABASTER WERE HANGING OFF HER LIKE THEIR LIVES DEPENDED ON IT SO WHATEVER HAPPENED IT INCLUDED THE EMPIRE AT LEAST
WalksInTheLight
Replied on January 13, 2011:
First of all that was painful to read, grammar is your friend not foe. Secondly capitals do not make you a "Badass" so please learn to type.
In relation to the original post, it appears that there is indeed an occurance of ice based powers in the coastal area of downtown. The area is fairly lightly populated so there should be light casulties although if the Empire 88 is involved it is likely that there is some civlian casulties, this looks like an initian gone wrong.
CapeFollower (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
So it sounds like the Empire tried to jump someone and they get their ass kicked? Oh dear what a shame, anyway.
FreddieK(Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Not to detract from the Empire hate, which is always a good thing in my books!, I know that there was a PRT convoy going through the area at around the same time. So if I was a betting man I would assume that the Empire attacked the PRT and got their ass kicked.
88WordsofWisdom (Temp-banned)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
The Empire would never loose to the dogs of the innefectual corrupt goverment! Fuck you!
TinMother (Moderator) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
No personal attacks to other members, you have been warned before. Take a temp-ban and cool off.
A_Bag_of_Feathers_is_heavier_than_Lead
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Wow, okay. So I just got out of the shower and holy hell! I am looking at my living room and half of it is coated in ice and the other half is completly normal. If I was still in bed I would have been covered! So freaking out a little. What the fuck happened today?
Bagrat (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Glad to hear you are okay Feathers, that sounds like a scary experiance, if you have friends or loved ones you should speak to them. Take some time to look after yourself before you do anything, but if you look around please PM me.
A few of my sources have told me that there is indeed a PRT convoy in the area, and that it was carrying a new Parahuman that had gone to the PRT for power testing. I don't know anything more than that, but to me it sounds like the Empire found out about a new cape and wanted to add to the roster but didn't know about the powers of the cape.
XXX_SLAYER_XXX_X
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Good riddance to bad rubbish, down with the nazi pigs!
NotSoTiny
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Mate. I get you don't like the Nazis, anybody with a brain can see the ideology is doomed to failure in a spiral of self destructive behaviors, but a little thought about the people who where not as lucky as Feathers? I got no clue how big the effect of the ice is, but from people describing it as the arctic we can assume its pretty big. There are likely a lot of people who got caught, and are freezing to death right now. I don't envy the PRT and Police when they have to go door to door for however long in that area to find all the bodies.
FreddieK (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Shit, I hadn't even thought of that. God that could be really bad! That area isn't really populated but there are enough out there that the cops still respond, so I hope that they are safe.
GloryGirl (Unverified Cape) (Cape Daughter) (New Wave)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
So New Wave got called out to help, but we can't get close because it looks like there is a massive blizzard. Why did no-one mention the blizzard!?
I hope that the people in there are okay, but Ames tells me that if the blizzard doesn't die down we won't be on search and rescue, just search. WHICH IS PRETTY MORBID!
Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
There is a blizzard.
GloryGirl (Verified Cape) (Cape Daughter) (New Wave)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Ha Ha.
Dick.
End of Page. 1, 2,3 ... 19, 20, 21
(Showing Page 21 of 21)
Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
I can confirm a few details, an official statement is coming but there are a few things that need to clarified immediately.
There was a new cape who had spoken to the PRT about power testing, they had joined us and was being transported to a secure testing facility at the time of the attack. The attack was carried out by members of the Empire88, specifically their capes. The new cape powers spiraled as a result of seeing their minder assaulted by Stormtiger. At the current time no charges are being considered for the unfortunate cape and all legal responsibility is being focused on the Empire88.
Right, now that the official bit is done I want to say my part. The poor cape has had a really fucking rough time and this attack by the Empire was a horrible idea. I hope the Empire is suffering and that the cape will be okay.
Lurker (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
So a new cape did the right thing by turning themselves into the PRT and they still ended up killing people? Sounds like the PRT can't do their one job properly.
Jimmy Bob
Replied on January 13, 2011:
A harsh take there, sounds to me like the Empire screwed the pooch and the PRT wasn't expecting the cape to be a thermocondutive weapon. It is pretty far out from the norm.
Jinkies! (Temp-banned)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Doesn't matter. They killed people and they deserve to be bircaged for that. My fucking brother died because of that fucker! They need to pay!
TinMother (Moderator) (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 13, 2011:
Alright, this is getting a bit too highly charged. The thread is going to be locked for 24 hours to give everyone time to calm down. I am sorry to hear of your loss Jinkies! please take the time to speak to the rest of your family, and if you need any help I am happy to talk.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 19, 20, 21
Last edited: Sep 25, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Sep 25, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Sep 29, 2022
#459
A delightful chill filled the room, the air lightly billowing with mist as Taylor shrugged off the thin blanket that covered her prone form. Placing her feet on the carpeted floor and smiling as the chill shot up her legs, stretching her back with a sharp pop Taylor rolled out of bed and towards her cheap wardrobe. Changing from her sleepwear and into an athletic outfit while yawning, Taylor gazed longingly at the bed before slumping into herself and making her way out of her room. Hoarfrost cracked as the door opened, the freezing air rolling out and into the wider facility, Taylor made her way towards the central field, idly tapping at her thigh as she did.
The icy patch flexed as she walked, the blue of the crystalline form melding seamlessly into the pale white of her skin. As Taylor walked she bumped into a desk and the edge of the desk cracked against the icy thigh that impacted it, Taylor stopping for a moment and blinking properly awake. Shrugging off the collision and resuming her walk, she began to perform some upper body stretches, focusing on her shoulders and core.
Once at the central field Taylor dropped to the ground and started preforming a series of exercises designed to increase flexibility and loosen muscles, after fifteen minutes she stood up and let out a deep sigh. Starting to jog her way around the oval, following the worn path in the grass that worked its way around the perimeter, Taylor focused on her breathing, feeling the air work its way into her lungs and fill her with energy.
The steady pounding of shoes against the ground helped center her, slowly working away at the nervous energy that filled her mind for the last two weeks. The first week at the research facility after agreeing to a form of house arrest with the PRT had been nice in a way, the knowledge that people were treating her with respect was quite empowering. The fact that it was based in fear was pretty concerning but after the last year of constant torment, any form of respect was better than the degradation and disregard that filled the school ours.
Shoes impacted against the grass.
The two weeks after that had started to be quite exhausting to Taylor's self-confidence. Evening talks with Danny had been a balm to the loneliness but aside from perfunctory interactions with Armsmaster to receive her weekly dose of the Neurological Engagement Reinforcement Formula there had been nobody to talk to. The daily routine of keeping up with the schoolwork that Winslow had sent through, trying to improve her physique, and reading through the mountains of paperwork that the PRT wanted her to sign. The three combined to result in a feeling of isolation that made getting out of bed a struggle, although Taylor knew that if she didn't then the PRT would send people in to check on her and she didn't want to risk them.
Feet pounded on the earth.
There wasn't even anyone to message or talk to, Emma had made her so socially dead that she had nobody her own age to speak to, and the Wards hadn't been cleared to speak to her yet despite it being three weeks since she had started working with the PRT. Her feet slammed against the grass. The PRT agents that did a weekly drop off of food were skittish around her, seemingly thinking that she was a bomb about to explode. It was pretty difficult for Taylor to strike up a conversation with a faceless individual clad in Kevlar and chain-mail, especially with the replacement of con-foam dispensers with rifles. It was upsetting and off putting, and made the research facility feel more like a jail facility.
It didn't help that they kept wanting her to measure the slow expansion of the icy patch on her thigh, it had expanded far enough that her entire left thigh had been replaced with the icy substitute for flesh that seemed to fascinate the PRT scientists. While it was interesting that her lower leg hadn't suffered any issues from a lack of blood flow that should have arisen from the lack of arteries and veins it didn't make her feel any less like a bug under a microscope. The constant requests that she denied for a sample of the substance, like they forgot that it was her fucking leg!
Feet slammed into the dirt.
Even though she wasn't being stared at by the entire school, and even though there was no risk of having drinks poured on her it still felt stifling. The observation simply reminded her of the times that the Trio went quiet before a big prank, the calm before the storm. Sure she wasn't going to have to worry about glue or tacks on her seat but knowing that the PRT considered her a time-bomb was upsetting.
The worst part was that she didn't know what was going on about the investigation into the Bitches Three, any time she asked she got a brush off and a canned answer. We are still investigating, the facts aren't clear yet, we can't release information pertaining to an active investigation. It was enraging. And Danny was no help in that regards, saying it could take months for the entire picture to be clear, citing his experience with similar investigations into workplace harassment. It was too long! The girls deserved to be punished for what they had been doing and it was going so slowly!
Pulling to a stop, Taylor took a heaving breath and stood for a moment gazing out at the bay. The deep blue of the water soothing her jittery nerves, and allowed her to lower her heart rate. Starting her warm down stretches Taylor took a moment to look in the direction of the city, and the rapidly constructed observation tower half a mile outside of the research facility, staffed with PRT members to observe her. The glint of a pair of binoculars flashed from the tower, and Taylor waved in the direction of her observer and a distant figure waved back before they stopped after being cuffed on the back of the head.
Snorting slightly, Taylor made her way back inside and towards the small kitchenette that the PRT had stocked for her. The microwave had been removed and replaced with a small bar fridge that was filled with a variety of fruit juices, yogurts, and a collection of berries to make breakfast. Pulling a bowl of vanilla yogurt and blueberries out of the fridge, Taylor sat down and enjoyed her breakfast. The cold breakfast filling her up after the run, and Taylor turned to the least enjoyable part of the breakfast, the serums from Armsmaster that tasted terrible and sent a burst of unpleasant warmth crawling through her veins.
Downing the vial with a grimace, Taylor made her way towards one of the former office areas and sat down at the computer that had been provided by the PRT, apparently it was designed to operate at extreme cold and sudden temperature shock. Slumping into the chair and logging into the Winslow online resources Taylor couldn't help but laugh at the horrible design and lack of user friendly features, in the time it took to navigate to the student portal she could have just typed in the specific URL. Slowly working through the math homework, Taylor tried to keep herself engaged but kept looking through her email.
Over the course of the last weeks there had been over two hundred emails from various Winslow accounts that had been insulting and taunting her over not attending class, although the numbers had dropped drastically in the last four days, and there had been a few PRT emails as well. Mostly in regards to the paperwork that was needed to be completed, a release of medical records, an agreement to allow the PRT access to her school files, and general releases of information that her father had signed.
Despite setting up a filter for the incoming hate mail and blocking the ones that got through they kept sending more, it was almost impressive in a slightly desperate way. The few that Taylor had read where starting to lack the sophistication of some of Emma's more cutting insults, replacing wit with sheer vileness. It wouldn't surprise Taylor to learn that some of the students that Emma had gotten to write some of these had received lessons from Skidmark.
One email in particular had caught her eye, and upon opening it the PRT had said that the Wards are now cleared to communicate with her via instant messaging, although none had since the email was sent at 3am. Taylor wasn't holding her breath for it either, why would the Wards want to speak to a killer like her? The deaths of the Empire capes was something that she hadn't really spent much time thinking of, because she was doing her best to avoid it really. Her dreams had been filled with a combination of howling blizzards, silent empty cities, and the judging eyes of the fallen capes, but it was the whispers that was the worst.
Coming from unseen people, figures that lurked at the edges of her vision, and whispering from behind her. Accusing her of killing them, wiping out their lives without ever knowing. Freezing them to death in their safe space, dead when they should be happy and safe. Ripped from their families.
Shaking her head out of the funk that it had fallen into, Taylor turned back to her work and dove into it. The hours passed as she tore through the Math, English, and Science lessons provided. It was only when the light from the evening sun streamed into her eyes did she snap out the focused mindset that she had fallen into. Shaking her head in shame as she directed the ice that had spread out from her to subside, Taylor shucked off the icy weight that had been serving as a security blanket.
Deciding that she needed to move, Taylor made her way towards a small gymnasium and flicked on the light switches, sighing as the light-bulbs popped and shattered as the heat differential between the filament and her surroundings damaged the glass. A short jog back to the kitchenette netted her an electric lamp that was made with a clear plastic case that would serve as her light, and it managed to faintly illuminate the gym once hanging from the basketball net. The light swinging filled the area with shifting shadows, and Taylor took the movements as inspiration as she let a thin sheen of ice spread over the floor then formed short and sharp blades on the bottom of her shoes.
Taking a moment to check that her ersatz ice skates, Taylor slowly made her way across the gym floor. The scrape of the ice sliding along soothed her stretched nerves and after a short while she started trying to sway and drift like the shadows against the walls. Time passed with the gentle scrape of ice and the huffing breathe of Taylor, before all light from outside faded and the only source of illumination left was the lamp.
Coming to a halt by the lamp, Taylor collected it and made her way back into the kitchenette. A quiet dinner of Gazpacho soup followed by a dessert of shaved ice accompanied her evening talk with Danny. The conversation was sporadic and distracted as he was working through some of the paperwork the PRT had provided him, Taylor couldn't help but be a little resentful of the lack of attention. Half an hour passed before Taylor said her farewells and moved to the staff recreation room, snagging a think blanket and collecting a novel on the way.
Slumping into a beanbag and letting the blanket drape over her, Taylor chose to grow a dense layer of ice over the blanket to create a comforting weight as she started reading. Yet despite the set up she simply couldn't get comfortable enough to read properly, distracting herself by fiddling with the threads of the frozen blanket. Watching them separate and then weaving them back together with fine strands of ice, the exercise lead to a headache and Taylor was forced to stop, lying back and with her eyes closed. Mentally resigning herself to sleeping in the rec room Taylor took stock of her situation.
"I need to get out of here before I go insane."
Last edited: May 5, 2023
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Silent_Sepharim
Sep 29, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Oct 8, 2022
#514
The sun was a cruel god Taylor thought, heaving herself out of the sinfully comfortable beanbag that she had fallen asleep on the previous night. While the movement got the accursed light away from her eyes it did serve to get her awake, her body filled with a nervous energy as Taylor tried to parse the strange dream that she had been having.
Fleeting images of a frozen tundra filled with endless statues all facing towards a central point in the distance, a tower of ice, and an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction. Shaking her head free of the images, Taylor shrugged off the frozen blanket and let out a sad mewl at the sight of the book she had been reading. It was a solid piece of ice but small parts had broken off when it hit the floor, Annette would be so upset at how the book was treated.
The thought of her mother got Taylor thinking about how she would view her daughters current circumstance, would she be happy her Little Owl was trying to be a good person and work to avoid hurting anyone or would she want Taylor to be happy and damn the consequences? At the least she would want her family together, and it had been too long since Taylor had seen her dad. The last video call had been two days ago and it had been two weeks since she had last received a hug, Taylor tried not to be bitter about the distance that had started to grow again between them but it was difficult when the only way to talk was either via the PRT approved laptop or a phone call that Danny was always too busy to answer.
It wasn't any different then when she was at Winslow, when Danny was trying to bury himself in work so that he could avoid thinking of Annette, to avoid having to be in the present. Yet he did get himself discharged against the advice of the hospital because Taylor had needed a hug, he was visibly nervous when he saw her but had still held her. Maybe he was trying to do better, the hug was awkward and neither Taylor or Danny had been sure what to do but it had happened. Maybe the talk about being there for her was more than just talk? And he had been arguing with the PRT to make sure that she kept getting more luxuries, even if the cost of making them capable of handling the temperature extremes around her was extreme.
"Fuck it. Let's see if he really does want to help me or if it is just words."
Taylor stalked her way towards the small office that served as her study area, her feet leaving frosted marks on the smooth concrete floor. Looking at the phone that had been upgraded to survive extreme temperatures Taylor reached out and grabbed it before her nerves could fail her, it immediately started dialing. Within five seconds the line was answered by a professionally detached sounding voice.
"Hello, you have reached the PRT hotline. How can I direct your call?"
The thought that she really should have had a direct line to the person responsible for handling her and not the generic PRT hotline ran through her mind, but Taylor brought her mind back to the present.
"I'd like to talk to Deputy Director Renick, I was told he is the person I need to speak to in order to arrange a trip."
"I'm sorry Ma'am, but if you are looking to book a trip to see the Wards or Protectorate then you would need to speak to our marketing division, should I put you through to them?"
Taylor let out a little snort at the idea of going to visit the Wards, they wouldn't let a dangerous figure like herself near all the precious young heroes.
"No, I do need to speak to the Deputy Director. Can you please tell him that it is a call from Taylor at the Ice Box?"
"Hmm, very well. I will see if he is available for a call. Please hold."
The inoffensive notes of governmental hold music blared out of the handset, the volume evidently incorrectly balanced or, a more cynical part of Taylor thought, designed to make people get off the line quickly. While the line blasted out music Taylor made her way over towards the kitchenette, pulling a pre-prepared meal of apple cinnamon oats out of the fridge and tucking into it as the line continued to blare.
She had almost finished her breakfast when the line was picked up and the same voice started speaking, a note of curiosity in his tone. "Thank you for waiting, Deputy Director Renick is available for a call now. I am transferring you through now."
A short click followed, a split second of music, before the tired voice of Deputy Director Renick came across the line.
"Hello Miss Hebert, it's a pleasure to hear from you. To what do I owe this call?"
"Deputy Director, I was planning on taking a trip to visit my father at his work tomorrow and wanted to inform you of this, our agreement requires me to provide 24 hours notice, so I am intending on seeing him for lunch." Taylor's voice was steady even as her heartbeat was thudding. Was her wording to aggressive? Did she really want to do this? She could still cancel it all, say that she wasn't thinking straight.
"Ah. Well. You are correct of course Miss Hebert. I just wonder if this is the wisest decision considering the situation in the city at the moment. There is significant conflict between the gangs at the moment as the Empire is attempting to project strength, and there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of E88 observers following PRT activities. It is our belief that they are looking for someone to blame for the events that lead to the loss of several of their parahumans."
Taylor listened to the slightly drawled words, her heart racing as she bit down a panicked response to end the call. They didn't want her to leave at all did they? It had been three weeks, surely the situation was stable enough for her to visit her dad? Coughing lightly to clear her throat and let out the air that had started to burn in her lungs Taylor spoke.
"I can imagine that the Empire is pretty angry still. I get that. But this is a visit to my Dad, it doesn't require that much preparation. I still want to see him, I haven't left this facility in three weeks, I have been doing my end of the deal. I don't want to go crazy alone out here."
The line was silent and the air tense before a heavy sigh from Renick filled the air. Taylor could imagine him rubbing at his brow, much like Danny did when he was trying to gather his thoughts. Thinking back on her words they sounded so needy and whiny. Did she really need to leave? It was causing a lot of fuss, but the PRT did agree to this.
"You make a good point Miss Hebert. Perhaps we can make this work, some plain clothes officers to collect your father and take him to a PRT safehouse where you can meet him? Would that be suitable?"
"Yes, I mean it would be better if I could see him at work but this is good too."
"Alright Miss Hebert, I will start on making the preparations for this visit, I would say to expect an email with more details later today. Is there anything else that I can help you with?"
"No. I mean that is plenty already. Thank you. I'll let you go now. Thank you again."
"It is fine Miss Hebert, I hope that your visit will go well. Take care now."
The phone beeped as the call was dropped, Taylor let it fall onto the table as she let out a massive breath. The call had gone far better than expected but now the really tricky one came. Calling Danny.
Setting up her laptop Taylor opened the PRT encrypted video chat app, and dialed her father. It took about two minutes before she got a quick message saying he was just finishing up a meeting and would call her back in five, Taylor snorted and sent a confirmation before getting a bottle of iced tea out of the fridge. To her pleasant surprise the call came through only three minutes later as she had just opened a tab on the different types of ice formation.
"Taylor, it is so good to hear from you. How are you doing?"
He sounded so happy. It hurt. That the man she remembered as her father was occasionally visible through the depressed haze that was the current Danny, and his earnestness was worse. That he could still care this much meant that he didn't for over a year, that he had let her wallow as he had. Swallowing a sharp retort Taylor focused on how he looked. Faint strands of silver in his otherwise brown hair, a hint of stubble around his jaw and glasses sitting slightly crooked on his nose. But he looked more alert than he had in years.
"I'm okay Dad, I just needed to talk to you about some things, I kinda told the PRT I wanted to visit you tomorrow. I should have cleared…"
"Really? That is fantastic news!"
The joy in his voice was clear and Taylor was confused. Wouldn't she slow down his work at the DWA and cause more problems? This eagerness didn't make sense.
"I was just thinking that we hadn't tried to see if the PRT would fulfill their end of the bargain we made, so this is a great opportunity to test this. Also I have been talking with some friends, you remember Kurt and Lacey right?"
"Yea, they used to come over a lot. I think Lacey was the one who broke the old plastic cutting board we had right?"
"That's them. Anyway they have been around our family for years and have been helping me process everything that has been going on. I… well I didn't handle things well when Annette died and we both suffered as a result. So when I realized that I didn't know what to do now, I sought out help. They don't know all the details, they just know they your are with the PRT in order to keep you safe from "power based manifested injuries". I won't share anything more without your permission but they have gotten me to put together a few things for you, I took some of my paid leave and cashed it in. I was going to call you this weekend about it."
Kurt and Lacey had helped to keep them afloat in the aftermath of Annette's death, and Taylor had vivid memories of crying into the arms of Lacey as she stroked her hair. They didn't live particularly close but she remembered visiting her "Aunt" and "Uncle" plenty while younger, they didn't have kids but spoiled her whenever they saw her. It was difficult to think of them, another pair of adults that hadn't helped her but they where always her parents friends and not hers.
So them helping out Danny was good, it made sense. Yet it hurt, he had friends that would help him, that could provide support and Taylor had no one. Although if they hadn't changed over the years they would still spoil her, maybe they would be able to treat her like a person and not a bomb waiting to go off?
"Oh, that is cool I guess. How are they?"
"Doing well, they just replaced the oven in their place and wanted to invite me over for a dinner. But that can all wait for tomorrow, I can tell you about what has been going on in the outside world. We can talk about sharing some more information with them then."
"Yea, that sounds good. Ummm, I kinda told the Deputy Director I wanted to see you for lunch. Is that okay?"
"More than okay Little Owl, I will move some meetings around so that I have the hour before and after lunch free."
Taylor frowned at that, her dad had always mentioned that his work had a lot of meetings and that when they didn't get done he had to take home extra paperwork to do.
"Won't you have to do extra work at home if you do that? I don't want to cause a fuss."
Danny shrugged at her, then he looked off to the side of the screen and held up a hand to the person off screen.
"Probably but it's worth it. I hate to say it but I do have to go, but we are having lunch tomorrow and if there are any issues call me. I have the laptop the PRT gave me set up on my desk and the program open, I might not get to it immediately but I will get to you okay? Take care Taylor, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Taylor tried to interject as the screen went dead, her reflection starting back at her. She wanted to ask if there was a chance that they could just meet alone, without anyone else. It would probably be the case but she just wanted to be alone with her Dad, not have to deal with anyone else. Sighing at the abrupt end to the call Taylor couldn't help but smile lightly, at least he sounded like he was trying to make time for her. It was petty but the idea that he was taking home more paperwork in order to see her was nice, that he would put in that extra mile.
A few hours later Taylor had gathered her frayed nerves together enough to try and work on her schoolwork. The now routine check of her email lead to sweeping a half dozen emails from Winslow students into the archive folder before Taylor stopped and read the remaining five. The Wards had messaged her. Each of them. Individually. It seemed to be a bit unreal. The timestamps for the arrival was at seven pm the previous night, far after they had been allowed to contact her. Maybe they had been reminded that they were meant to contact the dangerous cape? Her hand hovered over the mouse as she slowly dragged opened the first message, Vista had sent one at 7:10pm, then the next was from Gallant at 7:45.
Welcome to the Bay!
From: Vista VISTA@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
To: Guest TEMPGUEST@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
Hey! Welcome to the Bay! I've been wanting to say hi for weeks now but the head honchos have been weird about letting us have your email :( But now I can finally talk to you. It's so nice to have another girl cape in the bay, especially since the majority are Nazi sh*. I'd love to hear from you about how things are! All I ever get to talk about with the boys is patrol routes and what dumb things the other heroes have said recently, Assault got in a lot of trouble when he tried to quote a Clint Eastwood line at M . It was funny though, she looked so tired with his antics :) Anyway, I have to go and do some more homework, blegh. Seriously shoot me a message and help rescue me from all the testosterone!
Greetings from the Wards
From: Gallant GALLANT@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
To: Guest TEMPGUEST@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
Hello, and welcome to the parahuman side of the Bay. I'm Gallant and it is a pleasure to be able to message you. If you need anything in regards to the general state of the bay or any other cape related questions please contact me, I will endeavor to answer any queries you have.
Kind Regards, Gallant
It didn't seem real. Maybe Gallant's message sounded like it was something scripted to be as neutral and inoffensive as possible but Vista was far too personal for that. Taylor re-read the messages again and again, trying to find a hidden meaning in them.
A threat or trap that wasn't obvious on first glance, Vista could be trying to get her to say something that the PRT could use against her, get a problematic opinion in writing that they could use to force more concessions from her and Danny. Gallant was easier to see through, it was a courtesy email that he had to send, nothing personal and likely to be a template. Her mind resolved, Taylor quickly read through the other Wards emails. Kid Win sent greetings and said that he was occupied with a big project so wouldn't be available to respond often, obviously not wanting anything to do with Taylor. That was easy enough to understand, fake assignments were a staple of avoidance after all.
Aegis essentially repeated Gallant's message but with the addition of mentioning he was the leader of the Wards, so someone that would be able to direct the others to ignore or hurt her. Simple to ignore and refuse to engage with, a polite acknowledgement of the message and no further responses would suffice to deal with that. Clockblocker was weird though.
I for one welcome our new arctic Over-Lady!
From: Clockblocker CLOCKBLOCKER@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
To: Guest TEMPGUEST@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
Hail to our new boreal badass! Having finally gotten the go ahead from the HR horrors I can finally pay tribute to the slayer of the Stalker, vanquisher of Mild Annoyances, and all around cool girl. I managed to get the rest of the team to all line up for a photo, we where having a "team building exercise" but really we where celebrating the disappearance of Stalker. So all the grins, visible or otherwise, are all your work! Huzzah! What are you going to do for your next trick? Remove the stick from Armsy? Make Director Piggy smile? In the words of the greatest politician of all time, Sheev, I shall be watching your career with intrest!
A picture of the Wards all gathered together, with little paper plates of cake, sitting on a couch together and grinning towards the camera, was attached. There was Clockblocker striking some sort of strange pose while Vista slapped him over the head, Gallant holding his head in his hands, Kid Win stuffing his mouth full of cake, and Aegis smiling lightly. The joy in the picture made Taylor's chest ache. They all looked so happy.
Taylor stared at the email and photo for a long time, unaware of a light trail of tears that had started to make their way down her face, before freezing. The sound of a small icicle breaking off and landing on the keyboard made Taylor wipe her face and try to compose herself. Maybe Clockblocker might not be as forced to message her as the others?
Slowly typing up a reply to Aegis and Gallant was simple, acknowledging the message and thanking them for the offer. Nothing else was really needed there, so Taylor moved onto Kid Win, saying that she wished him luck with his project and otherwise it was identical to the other two emails. If they where going to use template messages she could too, but Vista and Clockblocker had Taylor stumped. Did she try and engage with them? Was it all a trick to try and get close to her just to hurt her later?
She had had enough of that at Winslow, it really only worked twice but each time it hurt that little bit more. Taylor took a shaky breath, would it be worth risking herself again? They where heroes, junior heroes sure but they were meant to be better than Emma and her cronies.
With a deep sigh Taylor committed herself to trying. If they hurt her she could just go to the field in the center of the Ice Box and embrace the release the cold offered. They couldn't hurt her if she didn't feel. With her resolution made, Taylor started to reply to her emails.
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
323
Silent_Sepharim
Oct 8, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Oct 15, 2022
#536
The smooth purr of the PRT undercover sedan lulled Taylor into a comforting daze, the sight of the road zipping past a balm on her stretched nerves. The previous day had been a far greater ordeal than she had expected, and the morning hadn't proven much different. After getting herself prepared to head out Taylor was introduced to the plainclothes guards that would be accompanying her to the meeting with Danny.
The first was a small waif of a woman, her features typically European in nature and with blonde hair, Taylor's suspicion of her being an Empire sympathiser were removed when she revealed that she was married a Latino man and she held a particular disdain towards the supremacist mindset. The second was a massive Middle Eastern man, a full head and shoulders taller than Taylor herself, with a short wiry beard that contrasted to his shaved head.
The two introduced themselves as Alicia Stevens and Aadil Farhat, and said that they where to be her designated escorts for any future operations. Once introduced they got into the car with Taylor in the back, the two up the front lightly chatting as the miles rolled by.
A light smile drifted onto Taylor's face, the sound of people was a pleasant one to her. After weeks of minimal conversations and most of them being business related it was relaxing to hear the two talk about how they where planning to have a small cookout to celebrate Aadil's husband getting a promotion in his office. As the two chattered Taylor kept an ear out, lightly luxuriating in the social contact.
As the car reached the outskirts of Brockton Bay the two escorts started being a bit more cautions, Alicia driving with a practised care to maintain distance between the nearest vehicles as she wove down several side streets. Taylor was surprised when they stopped at a parking garage that had seen much better days, the car pulling into an undercover spot where it was met by a parked four door wagon, a similar sedan, and a group people standing around. As the car stopped next to the parked wagon, Aadil noticed that Taylor was starting to give off a faint mist and that the temperature was starting to slowly drop.
"Fimble, we are switching cars here to try and obscure your passage and muddy the waters for anyone trying to follow you. These are the agents that will be driving out in their vehicles while we take the wagon."
The relaxed tone of Aadil helped Taylor to maintain her composure, her nerves still screaming at her even as the agent gave her a disarming smile. As they hopped out of the car the two agents exchanged codes and phrases that went beyond Taylor's understanding. She had read up on the documents provided about interacting with security but the majority of the phrases hadn't been covered in her readings.
Once her guards where satisfied Taylor had the door opened for her by Alicia and was gently lead towards the wagon. The other agents seemed to be staring at her, their eyes heavy on her as Taylor ducked her head feeling embarrassed by the attention. To their credit the decoy agents seemed to notice this and started turning their attention towards the cars, one even gave her a light smile and a friendly wave which Taylor shyly reciprocated.
Once inside the wagon her escorts directed her to relax, check her phone, and generally be ready to kill an hour of time as they made a circuitous route towards Capital Hill. Taylor managed to mutter that she didn't have a phone and Aadil froze for a moment, before he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small, beat up, paperback novel called "Fleshmarket Close" handing it to her with a comment that it would be for the best if she gets a phone, for safety and tracking. Taylor nodded stiffly, her mind lingering on her last mobile phone experience, the sound of metal crumpling, the screech of rubber on asphalt, and the sudden disconnection afterwards. Swallowing a rising ball of sadness Taylor focused on the book and tried to blot out the world.
The crunch of gravel underneath the wheels brought Taylor back to her surroundings, the wagon pulling into a driveway of a modestly appointed two story house that overlooked the bay area. Her escorts seemed to loose a sigh of relief as tension lifted off them as the handbrake engaged, Aadil getting out of the vehicle to knock on the door. After a brief exchange with whoever was behind it, he gestured for Taylor to leave the vehicle and she was whisked inside. The hallway was attractive but bland, the walls covered in generic paintings and a threadbare carpet covered the linoleum floor, however it was the sight at the end of the hallway that caught Taylor's attention.
Inside the kitchen Danny was sitting at a desk, with a newspaper spread out on the table before him, a cup of coffee sitting just to his side. The sound of the door opening caused him to look up, an expression of hope writ plain across his features, and when he saw Taylor the newspaper was dropped. He had only made it halfway out of his seat before Taylor started to run, and Danny only managed to stand fully before she slammed into his torso. A grunt left him as her arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, the wind knocked from him.
Taylor felt him stagger before his arms tightly embraced her, the sensation of being safe and protected filling her. One hand came up to gently stroke at her hair and she could feel herself starting to cry, a deep ugly pressure rearing its head as she finally felt safe. Wracking sobs left her as Danny lowered himself into a chair, Taylor sitting on his lap as she cried.
Slowly coming back to herself, Taylor felt drained, her body felt heavy and sluggish but oddly her mind felt incredibly light. Rubbing her aching eyes, Taylor slowly pulled together a picture of her surroundings. The guards that had accompanied her where talking over in a living room, voices quietly filling the air, and her Dad was still beside her. Taylor stiffened a little as she remembered how she got to be in her current state, her wordless breakdown that overwhelmed her. She had managed to keep herself together for months without having a breakdown like this, and since she had gotten her powers it was becoming more frequent. It made her feel weak, like she couldn't handle any issues. It made the numbness of the ice feel more attractive, there was no shame in the cold. Only the clarity of ice. As Taylor started to think about how her breakdown would have been avoided by simply letting a little cold in, Danny stirred as he felt Taylor's breathing change.
"Hey Kiddo. You back with me?"
It nearly sent her crying again. There was clear concern in his voice, something that she would have killed for not even a month ago. Her throat seized up as she tried to talk, but the words simply wouldn't leave her mouth. She wanted to say that she was there, that she wanted to spend the day with him, but her traitorous mouth wouldn't let her. Danny was looking down at her, curled up against him, and saw the frustration building in Taylor.
"It's alright there, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. Maybe you can spoil your old man and let me ramble for a little bit okay?" His words were soft, and his arms supportive around her. Taylor simply couldn't find it in her to keep trying to talk. It would make him happy to speak, and it would let her pull herself together and wrangle her treacherous mouth into cooperation. With a faint nod Taylor indicated her assent before burying her face against Danny's chest again. He chuckled at the motion and resumed patting her head.
"I think the last time you did this, you were eleven. You've grown quite a bit since then, not sure that I can carry you like I did back then. It really has been a long time, not just for this though." Danny let out a soft sigh as he shifted in his seat. "It's been far too long since I've been a proper parent. I want to say that I have been trying but I can't even say that without being a liar." Taylor went still as she listened, this was admittedly not what she was expecting.
"I know that Annette's death broke me, and in some ways I still am. I just didn't see it until it got shoved in my face, and you payed the price for that. Lacey has been reading me the riot act, all sorts of names that I really don't want you to pick up on. Annette would never forgive me if you started swearing like her." The statement was punctuated with a gentle poke. "It's probably not much comfort to you, and I know that you probably blame me for your suffering. And that's okay. It's probably even correct."
Taylor pulled back from Danny, her face tired from the emotional upheaval of earlier but her confusion was clear. This wasn't what was meant to be happening. Taylor had planned it out, she would tell him that she was sorry for keeping secrets, he would apologise for not seeing it, then they would be better. It would be simple, there wouldn't be any surprises, there wouldn't be anything to make her feel more. This unexpected self reflection from Danny wasn't meshing with her ideas and it was throwing her. Danny looked at her and chuckled.
"This all seems a bit out of left field doesn't it Little Owl? Sorry to dump it all on you, it's been something that I have been doing a lot of reflecting on since my stay in hospital. I didn't say much when we were talking on the phone because I didn't think I would have the courage to start, and I know that if you had hung up it would have crushed me."
"Dad. Why? Why now?" Taylor's voice was hoarse and quiet. Danny frowned at her words, and took a moment to reach over her towards the kitchen counter where he retrieved a glass of orange juice that one of the agents had left out earlier. He handed it to Taylor and gestured for her to drink, she took a small sip and he smiled gently.
"Because I couldn't think of it before. I was so stuck in my rut that I couldn't make the connection that you were suffering. I can now. There are a few reasons for it."
Taylor's heart sunk, she knew why. It was her. Her loss of control that had put Danny in the hospital. That had caused him brain damage. That was why he was thinking of her now, she had to cause brain damage before her father would even care.
"None of that now." A finger gave her a firm tap on the nose, Taylor blinked in surprise. Danny laughed at her expression as she started to blush in embarrassment.
"You really have the wide eye owl look mastered! Annette would have given anything to see that." An undercurrent of grief lined his words, but there was still a smile on his face as Danny talked. He adjusted his arm to better support Taylor now that she had squirmed around a bit.
"I know you are probably blaming yourself for what happened. And you would be wrong. Yes I have some damage from what happened, the doctors said that my cerebellum has some damage and that I can't drive anymore but none of that is affecting my reasoning. My thoughts are my own still Kiddo. I've been talking with Kurt and Lacey a great deal since I got out of hospital, trying to understand where it all went wrong. I had to come to the realisation that we both messed up, but that I was at fault. I'm sorry Taylor. I let you down and I will regret that forever. I can't change the past, but I can try and make the future better."
The sincerity of his voice, the unshed tears, and the faint tremors in him as he tried to contain his own emotional response was all clear to Taylor. The words just didn't make sense. People didn't apologise to her for no reason and even if they did they didn't acknowledge that they had been at fault. It was too good to be true, there had to be some catch.
Taylor stared intently at Danny, her eyes searching for any hint of deception or falsehood, some small part of her hoping that he was lying so she could be right. That her assumptions were true. Nothing was clear though, he looked like he was being as forthright as possible, and the emotional fatigue that hung heavy on him was hard to fake.
Swallowing a sob, Taylor marshalled her thoughts and allowed her hand to wipe away the tears that had been slowly leaking. Once she had cleared her face she looked down at her hands, thoughts racing. Taking a deep breath she made eye contact with Danny.
"It's okay Dad, we can be better together going forward. It's what Mum would have wanted right?"
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
283
Silent_Sepharim
Oct 15, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Oct 28, 2022
#560
Taylor couldn't quite believe what was happening, she had spoken to her dad for over an hour and half without there being any real interruptions. A few awkward pauses when she had to explain a specific part of her powers that he didn't quite understand, but on the whole he was there. Paying attention.
Being there for her.
The idea was still so foreign. Even with his work to keep the PRT from taking full advantage of her and to make sure that she was well taken care of; Taylor couldn't help but think it as just another way he was living for work and not her. But this had nothing to do with work. He was asking about her new favorite meals now that she couldn't eat hot meals, was interested in her new ice-skating hobby, and wanting to know more about how she was getting along with the Wards. It was surreal. But it felt good. It felt warm in a way that didn't hurt her, that the ice in her seemed to accept.
Taylor managed to direct a few questions towards Danny too, his condition in particular worrying her. The knowledge that her power had caused permanent damage hurt, but the way that he brushed off no longer being able to drive worried her. Brockton Bay might have oddly safe buses but accidents always happened. Her worried face at this caused Danny to sigh and answer with more seriousness.
"It's not your fault Taylor. You didn't know how thing worked and neither did I." A rough thumb tucked Taylor's hair behind her ear. "I can't safely drive anymore but that isn't really affecting my life right now, with the help of Kurt, Lacey, and a few others willing to help out I am getting by. For most of them, swinging by to grab me before going to the grocer isn't an issue, and it means that if anyone tries to jump them there is another body on hand to help out."
Wincing at the idea of her dad getting into a fight now, Taylor made a concerned noise before taking a deep breath and trying to lessen the anxiety. Not overcome it, just lessen it like her power testing had indicated would be okay. Still in control and not letting the cold pilot her.
"It's still risky for you to go out though! What if your condition worsens or someone hits you? Would that aggravate the damage and make things worse?"
"Kiddo, we all risk dying every day. Even the healthiest people could drop dead at any moment, we can't live in fear of that. If we allow fear to dictate our lives, it would be a drab and shallow life. So while I might not be as capable as I used to be, I am not going to let this stop me from living. I have already lost years to grief, I am not going to waste my second chance to be here for you."
Holding back a light sob, Taylor clenched her fingers tightly around her arms. Finally he was really there, his words didn't sound like lip-service anymore. He really might try and be there going forward, they might be able to be better together.
Taking a moment to pat Taylor's head, Danny looked off towards the living room were the agents had taken the opportunity to relax. One was reading and the other had the TV running, an interstate game of soccer quietly playing in the background. His eyes traced around the room and settled on a small decoration on a shelf, tucked high up was a snow globe. The scene of a village covered in snow sparked a thought in him.
"Not to change the topic, but I had an idea for your cape name Taylor."
Unwilling Taylor's thoughts were pulled away from a day dream of happy families, where she could still be friends with Emma and her Mom was still there. The thoughts drifted from her as she focused on what Danny had said.
"I thought that the PRT had already decided on Fimbulwinter, or at least I haven't gotten anything that says otherwise."
A frown creased Danny's brow.
"That is what they have been calling you for lack of better options, in fact I have had some paperwork given to me about making it your official name. I wanted to see what you thought about it and if you wanted to hear my suggestion?"
"I don't want a name that can be tied to the Empire, they tried to make it sound like I was one of them when… When." A deep shudder shook Taylor as the image of Krieg reaching for her as Sarah Newman lay broken at Stormtigers feet. With a mental wrench she brought herself out of those memories and back to the present. "I'd like to change it if I can."
Danny could feel Taylor growing slightly colder as she struggled to process the trauma of the attempted kidnapping and everything that had happened as a result. Taking a moment to rub her back soothingly he spoke again.
"Well, that means anything Norse is right out, as well as anything Italian or Japanese just to be safe. We should probably steer clear of the Asian nations in general as well. It does leave a lot of European histories and languages to draw from which is good, but I have one in mind in particular, a figure from a story that Annette liked to examine."
Looking at Danny from across the kitchen table, the ever-present grief was there as he mentioned Annette, but it didn't seem to have the same disastrous hold that it normally had. Whether it was from being forced to accept how he had been spiraling over the years or if he simply had a purpose currently, he managed to force himself to continue.
"There is an old Russian tale that Annette used to assign to her classes to examine, something about looking for ideological drift over multiple interpretations or something, I could never keep it straight. But I do remember what a key figure in it was, Snegurochka, The Snow Maiden."
Taylor let out a little laugh as Danny butchered the pronunciation of the Russian word, his tongue awkwardly clipping over the syllables.
"There is a bit to it but she reminds me a little of you Taylor, she couldn't feel without melting from snow and dying. Which is a pretty different from what you have but the whole emotional aspect of it got me thinking."
Taylor slowly repeated the name several times as she thought on it. A Russian origin was not an issue as they had historically had a lot of issues with the Nazi's, and the idea behind the story was pretty close to her. Worrying her lip between her teeth, Taylor slowly started to like the idea more and more. Something that tied her mum, provided by her dad, and didn't sound like an apocalypse waiting to happen? It was as good as she could hope for.
"I like it Dad, I think Mum would be happy we are using her stories like this. Maybe I can get the PRT to agree to call me Snow Maiden? I'd like the full name but I think that they might not want to have any nationality tied to it."
"Hmm, that is a good point, I hadn't thought of that. Snow Maiden does sound nice though, not as confrontational as Fimbulwinter. I think you should be fine Little Owl."
Eventually the agents interrupted, letting the pair know that they had to start taking Taylor back towards her residence. Taylor started to protest it, wanting to continue to embrace her temporary freedom from the endless isolation, but Danny softly shushed her. He pointed out that the agents had already allowed them to stretch the meeting as far as it could go, and that they were only supposed to have been out for two hours, and not the three that it had been. He allowed the agents to escort Taylor out of the building after an awkward but heartfelt hug.
Taylor promised to call him tomorrow at lunch, and he agreed to clear his lunch to make sure he could answer. The agents stood awkwardly as the two embraced before a gentle cough got Danny to release Taylor, softly pushing her towards the door.
Following the gesture, Taylor walked with the two agents back towards the station wagon that was parked outside. Aadil got into the drivers seat, and started up the car as Taylor buckled herself in.
Pulling away from the house, Taylor could see another car start up at the end of the street and was about to call it out when Alicia mentioned that it was the car to take Danny back to work. Settling in against the faux leather seat, Taylor tried to keep herself emotionally going. The entire experience had been a draining one and the effort of keeping the cold from settling in had started to become a burden.
Alicia noticed the drop in temperature and started to talk to Taylor, asking her about the name that she had heard the two Heberts talking about. With a bit of prompting, Taylor started to speak about her mother's history as an English professor at Brockton University and Alicia kept her talking. More details teased out as Taylor relived her experiences as a young child visiting her mother at work.
The two talked as Aadil worked his way through the light traffic, being re-routed by a low squawk on the PRT radio alerting him to an altercation between the ABB and the Merchants. As he made his way around the disturbance, Taylor spotted a gold and white figure speeding through the air towards the incident.
Glory Girl. A well known hero that, despite her reputation for collateral damage, was still able to move around un-escorted. Was still free to do as she wanted. Taylor paused in her recollection of her mothers office as a wave of awe flowed through her, swiftly followed by a wave of burning heat as he blood seemed to boil against the ice inside her. Curling up into a tight ball in the back seat, Taylor let out a quiet whimper as the heat grew.
The remainder of the trip was a blur, the time seeming to be endless yet the arrival back at the Ice Box was strangely abrupt. Taylor was unaware of this though, her mind focused on mastering the waves of heat that were slowly fading away. The light pressure of Alicia's hand rubbing her back also helped to center her in the moment. Gingerly uncurling from her tight ball, Taylor started to focus on breathing deeply.
"Hey, are you doing okay now hun?"
The concerned tone of Alicia reached Taylor's ears, her mind slowly processing the words.
"Yeah. I mean, I am now. Not before. Before was bad."
Alicia reached into the center console of the wagon, pulling out a bottle of water that she quickly opened. Holding it for Taylor to grab, when she did Alicia helped to steady it as the shakes in Taylor's grip where small but enough to start spilling some.
"Do you know what happened there hun? Was it Glory Girl flying overhead?"
"Probably. I felt a wave of admiration and respect for her, it came up out of nowhere. Then once it had settled the heat started."
"The heat? If anything the temperature in the car dropped hun, nothing major but enough to be glad I'm wearing sleeves."
Guilt clutched at Taylor's heart, she hadn't even noticed that her powers had started to slip out. Alicia was lucky. So was Aadil. And everyone around her that it was only a little slip and not anything larger. Still the guilt seated itself deep inside, reminding her that it could have been much worse.
"Hun?"
Shaking her head to attempt to banish the thoughts that had started to circle, Taylor took a deep gulp of water. Letting the coolness of it flow through her and helping to settle the lingering aching heat in her stomach.
"Sorry, still thinking. The heat is what I call it when things start to go a bit out of control. I really only noticed it since I started taking Armsmaster's serum, it seems to resist emotional changes in me. It feels like fire in my veins, and all I can do is try to overcome it."
Alicia shared a worried look with Aadil, his expression grave as Taylor continued to talk.
"But if I do then it feels like the serum is gone, and there is nothing helping me feel anymore. It feels like a balancing act, I can't let myself feel to strongly or the heat happens. I can't feel nothing or the cold happens. And now it seems like there is ways that others can force me to feel that overcomes the serum."
"It scares me a little, I don't want to loose control again. Especially not because of someone else."
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
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Silent_Sepharim
Oct 28, 2022
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Threadmarks Deposition 3.5
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Silent_Sepharim
Nov 6, 2022
#609
Drained of energy and feeling rather worn out emotionally after the events of the day, Taylor quickly makes her way towards the former staff office turned study area and flops boneless into the beanbag. A hand snakes out from underneath her and snags the blanket that sits to the side, dragging it over her as Taylor lets out a low sigh of relief.
Outside the Ice Box the stress of keeping her powers suppressed came to the fore, weighing on her as the day went. It hadn't been a conscious stressor, rather a subtle gut feeling that coiled tighter and tighter as things went well. At the time the hug from her dad had been a massive relief, an emotional connection that the two had been lacking for over a year but now all Taylor could think of was how risky it was. She had damn near killed him last time they where in physical proximity and she hadn't even thought of it!
The combination of glee and anxiety bubbled uncomfortably within her as Taylor tried to still the pounding of her head. Her writhing gut contrasted to the pulsing headache and left her feeling wretched.
However as Taylor lay there her thoughts slowly calmed, her fears subsided. She hadn't killed anyone. She hadn't caused massive property damage. It was an improvement over every other time she had gone out and Taylor kept repeating that to herself. No one had panicked about her being present, her guards had all been extremely nice.
Rolling around to free her glasses from the beanbag's embrace, Taylor snagged a book from the nearby table. A tale of new and exciting magics and personal growth seemed a bit on the nose, but perhaps Robin Hobb could make her enjoy it, and she hadn't read this particular story yet.
It was time to reward herself for keeping her powers under control, she deserved a few hours of reading!
The light from the window had dimmed when Taylor stirred from her reverie, the novel closed and resting on her lap. Shoulders lowered as Taylor burrowed deeper into the beanbag.
Finally feeling composed enough to think of something other than an escapist fantasy, her thoughts started to turn towards what to do in the future. She had joined the Wards to escape the consequences of her actions, and because Danny thought it was the right thing to do but so far she hadn't really had anything to do with them. Sporadic emails didn't really help build the esprit de corps that the PRT preached the Wards had. Something had to change to build that and so far the PRT seemed to have taken a stance of "Wait and See".
This had suited Taylor earlier on, she was aware that her control was tenuous at best, but things had started to change. She wanted to start interacting with the Wards properly, wanted to learn the ropes and become a part of the team. It wouldn't happen by just sitting around though.
Taylor groaned as she started to plan out what to do, dreading the amount of social interaction that it would take. It would be worth it though, it would be what her mum wanted.
Dragging herself from the beanbag was a herculean task, but once she was standing it became easier to commit to her chosen path. Turning on the computer took only moments as Taylor tried to compose the email she wanted to send to Vista in her head.
It needed to be something that was professional while still relaxed enough to seem natural. Her conversations with Vista had revealed that the girl was desperate to be taken seriously by her team mates. She hadn't really considered Taylor to be part of the team though, not maliciously but simply because she was so removed from the day to day of the Wards reality. This did work well for Taylor though, as Vista had been substantially less formal than the other Wards and had responded well to Taylor's shorter messages.
The girl was probably the closest thing Taylor had to a friend right now, which depressed Taylor slightly. Sure Vista was a cape, but she was also two years younger than her. Not a massive amount once they had left school but for now it was enough that Taylor still felt a little strange talking with the young girl. Emma's efforts to leave Taylor friendless and a social outcast had worked so well that the only people she could talk to were substantially younger than her, leaving Taylor to feel like an awkward grandma whenever she messaged Vista.
The thrum of the computer powering up drew Taylor back to the present and she quickly navigated to her email. Opening a blank email Taylor started to cautiously type, constantly deleting and rewriting portions of her message until she was happy with what she had.
Wards training and interactions.
From: Guest TEMPGUEST@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
To: Vista VISTA@WARDS.PRT.GOV.USA
Hello again Vista,
I have been doing a lot of thinking in my time up here in the Ice Box and I made a few decisions that I want to actualize. We have been talking for a while via E-mail and I was hoping that the could go a bit further and start having some voice calls? I have been lacking for human company significantly over the last month and I was hoping that we could use this as an opportunity to become closer friends. I understand if you want to curtail our interactions to E-mail only though, so please do not feel pressured to humor my request.
The second and more impact request that I have is in regards to the Wards project as a whole, I would like to engage more fully with the initiative. While I am nominally a member of the Brockton Bay Wards my distance from the rest of the group has lead me to procrastinating in several key areas. I would request of you any training materials that you have that would be of use to a newly inducted Ward, specifically anything regarding the public conduct of our cape identities and any restrictions impacting the use of shaker powers in public. I feel as though you would be the best person to provide that specific field of information.
I recognize that I am asking a lot of you, however I hope that you can see that my intention is to become a part of the Wards in truth, rather than a distant figure forever removed from the group. If there is anything objectionable in my request please let me know. You will notice that I have signed this message with a cape name rather than my normal "Ice Box Girl", this is because I have decided on an identity that I resonate with and want to adopt. Please provide any thoughts you have on it!
Kind Regards,
Snegurochka: The Snow Maiden
Reading over the message a half dozen times, Taylor continued to hesitate before sending it. Once she did it would be impossible to take back, and she would be committed to her new goal of actively working with the PRT. Her finger hovered over the mouse before she forced herself to click, the message sending immediately.
A deep sense of relief flowed into Taylor, regardless of how it turned out she had taken the first step. She wasn't stuck in place with the world against her anymore. She was at least trying to be better. Wearily making her way to her room Taylor mused that the hardest part of today had been writing an E-mail and not fighting anyone means that it was a win.
The snow gently fell over a wide plain of white, rolling hills creating tall mounds and deep ditches that captured the snow. The faint sparkling of ice was exacerbated by the movement of water as the sea lapped at the shore, large ice chunks flowing in and out as the waves took them. Inland from the icy bay was a scene of towering icebergs, interlocking with sweeping bridges of ice.
Deep inside the towering nest of ice, there was glints of metal forming a framework for the ice to grow around. The superstructure of ice completely encapsulating the steel skeleton is resided upon, the bones of a former civilization taken to provide form for a new age. The wind howled through the desolate gorges formed between the towering structures, a low mournful drone that rang out for miles.
Deeper still, within the bones of the fallen civilization and nestled into the ice itself were dozens of tunnels creating a complex network of passages throughout the titanic icebergs. Deeper and deeper into the maze of passages, the air grew colder and colder. So cold that the ice itself started to change in color and density, a new form that could support the immense weight from above. Deeper still the passages converged at a nexus.
Here there was no howling winds, no movement. The cold was so omnipresent that even the ice itself seemed insufficient to explain it. Here was the core of the frozen lands that slowly spread to the lands above, and in the center of this empty cavern was a small dais that held a single chair.
Plain in construction and unadorned with decorations, this chair nonetheless demanded attention. For the chair held a figure, wrapped in cloth that had long since turned to colored ice. The figure was still, silent, and above all else it was the source of the cold.
Its eyes snapped open.
For once the morning wasn't the herald of despair that it normally was, Taylor was even able to roll to her feet with a surprising amount of energy. Her body was free of aches and her mind was light, the catharsis from the previous day evidently having allowed her to have a truly restful sleep. Taylor even thought she had a really enjoyable dream but the contents slipped from her as she tried to recall them. All that was left was the sense of feeling safe and at home.
A light smile graced Taylor's face as she made her breakfast and checked her emails, nothing new aside from a few vile messages from random Winslow accounts. She established those accounts as spam and watched with a mild sense of glee as they were removed from her inbox and taken to the junk folder. For as long as the Bitches Three worked on getting their insults together, their efforts amounted to nothing. It lent her cereal a taste of vindictive satisfaction.
Regardless of the failures of her bullies to ruin her mood, Taylor had plans for the day and raced through her breakfast. She cleaned up the bowl as she browsed her contact list and made a call to the PRT hotline, the waiting tone not enough to get her down this morning!
The wait was much shorter this time, and within two minutes of calling a voice answered the phone.
"Hello Taylor, how may I direct your call?"
A little surprised by being directly addressed, Taylor paused for a fraction of a second as she got her thoughts together.
"Hi, I was hoping that I could talk to whoever is responsible for the Wards training? I was hoping to get some information about what I can do while I am over here. Also, how did you know it was me?"
"I can answer that last bit quickly while I look up your query. We took the record of your call with Deputy Director Renick and added that number to our priority queue so that if anything happened you would be able to get immediate support. As for your first question, I have a note here that says to pass you through to Miss Militia, if you'd be happy to hold?"
A faint grimace crossed Taylor's face. Miss Militia was not quite as high on her favourite cape list anymore after she had bungled the handling of establishing Taylor's willingness to live at the Ice Box. She hadn't had a personal issue with her though, and the fact she was willing to interact with Taylor at all despite nearly dying to her ice did earn her a lot of leeway.
"That makes sense, I don't know why I didn't think of that. And sure, I'll hold."
The man's voice chirped his confirmation of her acceptance and the hold music started up again, the volume once again wildly mismatched to the previous conversation. Time passed quickly as Taylor puttered around the kitchenette, slowly pulling together the ingredients to make a smoothie. It was less than five minutes before the lightly accented tone of Miss Militia came through the phone.
"Taylor, I heard you want to speak to me?"
"Yes ma'am, I was looking for who to speak to about more Wards training and I was told that there was a note to pass me through to you, so I suppose that you are the person for that?"
A faintly distressed mewl escaped Miss Militia before she quickly clamped it down, however Taylor had heard it.
"Is there something wrong with that? I don't want to cause any hassle."
"No, not at all." Miss Militia's voice was quick to reply. "I just hadn't expected that I had been assigned that duty on-top of my current ones. It's nothing to do with you, just surprised."
Taylor lightly laughed as Miss Militia did.
"Well that's okay then, I'm glad I'm the one causing the fuss. Is there anything that I can study out here while you get a plan together for me to follow?"
A faintly appreciative note softened Miss Militia's voice as she agreed to Taylor's request, the sound of a keyboard clattering coming through the phone as she typed away. Miss Militia narrated her search for the correct Wards documents for off-site training regimes and Taylor was caught up in the details. The faint burr of Miss Militia made the entire experience more enjoyable as Taylor listened.
"Finally! I have a list of training resources to send to you straight away. They should take you a week to work through, after that we will have another call and we can discuss where to go from there. During the week I'll set up a proper training plan for you."
Taylor grinned broadly at Miss Militia's words, things really were going her way today!
"Fantastic! I'll get straight onto them when I get the email, I am a little ahead on my studies so I can focus on this for a few days."
"I'm glad to hear you are taking your academics seriously Taylor, too many Wards tend to view them as a hindrance and try and escape doing them. You'll be a good example for the rest of the Wards if you keep this up."
Taylor blushed lightly as Miss Militia complimented her. It was unexpected and not something that she had much experience with.
"I was hoping that we can add some in person training to the plan, I'd really like to start working more closely with the rest of the Wards."
There was a brief pause as Miss Militia processed Taylor's request, and the pause started to extend into a firmly awkward territory. Taylor stood with her free hand clenched around the back of a chair as she chewed her lip, trying to keep her nerves together.
It felt like an eternity before Miss Militia responded, and when she did her voice was slower and more serious.
"I can see why you are asking for that to be added to your training, and personally I think that it is a good idea. However there are a few elements that need to be addressed. Your powers are still a danger to those around you and we have a duty of care to the other Wards as well."
"I know that I am dangerous, I've been reminded of that every single day since I signed up. I also have done my absolute best to get my powers under control, I am taking Armsmaster's serum, and my visit to the city yesterday went perfectly. No uncontrolled outbursts at all!"
Taylor's heart thundered as she quickly plead her case, which was not entirely accurate. She had let out a short burst of cold but had quickly gotten it under control. So it hadn't hurt anyone! And it was so short that it didn't really need to be considered, besides she had gotten it straight under control so it really just proved that she was improving. Taylor still decided it was best to not mention it though, just in case.
"That is true. You have been a model of cooperation so far. Alright. Leave it with me and I will see what I can do to ensure that you have some in person training with the other Wards, but Taylor this is a big step for you. Please do everything you can to prove to everyone that you have control of your powers, and that you are not controlled by them."
"Don't worry Miss Militia, I am doing my very best to be in full control of myself."
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
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Silent_Sepharim
Nov 6, 2022
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Threadmarks Interlude- Wards
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Silent_Sepharim
Nov 15, 2022
#641
Wards Interlude
Thursdays at the Rig were a quiet night usually. The criminal elements of the city seeming to rest before committing to a crime filled weekend, so it had eventually been designated as briefing night. The Wards also followed this convention, with a weekly round up of any major events and photos of anything particularly dumb that they had done.
For several weeks the photo of Aegis embedded in an air-conditioner unit with only his face visible had been the highlight, but recently it had changed to a photo of Vista on the Wards couch surrounded by a pile of empty chocolate wrappers and soft drink bottles, a look of pure regret on her face.
The meetings were kept low-key, very informal, and the Wards didn't bother to gear up for them. Instead the six members sat around a low table covered in dossiers and pizza boxes as they talked about the events of the past week. Carlos leading the conversation as he drew out details from all the members, even getting the newcomer Browbeat to contribute about his experience on the Boardwalk.
The sharp pop of a can of soda opening punctuated Chris' story about how he had come across a pair of merchants attempting to break into a local business, however it was a MMA gym and he had to intervene along with Missy to stop the merchants from getting badly beaten. The up-roaring laughter of the young adults and teens filled the Wards common room and greeted Miss Militia and Triumph as they entered, an envious expression coasted across Triumph's face as he saw the scattered pizzas.
The conversation halted momentarily as the Wards faced the new arrivals before it quickly resumed, louder than before as a wave of greeting flew towards the Protectorate members. Carlos waved a slice of meat-lovers in the direction of Triumph who grinned broadly as he accepted the offering, slumping his form onto the already overburdened couch. Squawks of anger came from Chris and Dean as they where squashed under the bulk of Triumph, they struggled free as their erstwhile companions laughed at the sight.
"Alright there, let them breathe Triumph. We don't want to have to cancel the pizza night because you smothered two Wards." The amusement was clear in Miss Militia's voice, and as Triumph slowly sat upright at the foot of the couch she pulled a chair from a nearby desk and sat down on it. "Besides, we have a few things to say before you can get to the serious business of single-handedly supporting the pizza industry in Brockton Bay."
Aegis turned to face Miss Militia face on, his expression relaxed yet curiosity burned in his words.
"Announcements Ma'am? I haven't seen anything on the upcoming schedule, or in any emails."
"It's rather a sudden addition to the upcoming roster, and something that requires a bit of explanation that isn't really suited to email. There will be a follow up with more details coming though."
Carlos nodded to Miss Militia's words as Chris snuck a slice of Hawaiian pizza off Dean's plate. The Wards as a whole focused on Miss Militia as she seemed to hesitate for a moment before also snagging a slice of pizza.
"Before I get into it though, I have a couple of questions for all of you. Have you had much contact with the new recruit?"
Dennis took a moment to turn his head towards the towering figure of Browbeat, who had maintained an element of distance from the Wards by still wearing a domino mask while at the Rig.
"Think we are doing that right now Militia. Do you need to get your eyes checked? I hear that happens to you old folk."
Receiving a dry stare for his sass, Dennis wiggled his eyebrows in response. The other Wards sighed at the terrible joke, with Missy smacking Dennis over the back of the head. Dean filled a disposable cup with some soda as he leaned forward, voice rumbling out as he spoke.
"Thank you for that incredibly valuable contribution Dennis, but if I was to hazard a guess, I would say that Miss Militia is referring to Ice. Would that be correct?"
"It's nice to see that some of you have deduction skills! I was indeed referring to her, however there has been an update around the name to use. She has chosen to be called Snegurochka, which translates to Snow Maiden."
Chris snorted at the name as the others except Missy oohed at the name, their reactions caught the attention of Triumph.
"What's going on their Kid? Not a fan of the name?"
"It's fine, it just seems to suit her really well."
Missy interjected with an upset exclamation. "Hey! It's not her fault that you don't know how to have a good conversation." The other Wards laughed at the cutting remark as Missy continued. "Besides, I already knew this because I have better conversational skills than a smelly teenage boy!"
Triumph watched as the two started to bicker back and forth, throwing increasingly absurd insults and comparisons with abandon. That Missy already knew the name wasn't news to him and Miss Militia but the fact that she had leapt to defend Taylor was unexpected. The two adults shared a look as they listened to the teenage squabbling.
Miss Militia eventually wrangled the two back on topic, after Chris had been compared to a Naked Mole Rat in a badly fitted wig and Missy to a dwarf with a thyroid disorder.
"Okay kids, lets get this back on track. Missy, you have heard from Snow Maiden?"
Missy grinned as she addressed Miss Militia, her wavy dark blonde hair bobbing as she wiggled around in her seat.
"Yes, I've been chatting with her for a few days now. Nothing major but I think of her as a friend, I think she needs one. It's hard to tell from how she writes, it's really formal and has all sorts of weird words in there but I think she is trying to reach out but isn't very good at it."
Dean tilts his head to the side as Missy speaks, his attention causing a light dusting of pink to grow on her cheeks.
"That doesn't really track with my experience with her. Each time I have tried to communicate she has responded with an acknowledgement but nothing more."
"Well duh." Missy snarked. "I know you Dean, I bet that you mentioned some kind of help getting used to being a cape and an offer to train together? The things that she joined the Wards for? And I bet that you didn't say anything to her aside from the professional side."
Dean frowned as he combed his memory, he couldn't recall if he had added any personal details or touches to his messages. It generally wasn't advised for capes to have personal details in written format anywhere, so maybe he had just followed best procedures and kept everything professional.
His eyes widened as he came to the realization that he hadn't had done anything more than that. That the girl had been up at the testing facility for almost a month and he hadn't even thought of it.
"Ouch Missy, Dean is going to need so ice for that burn! Maybe he can ask our new teammate in triplicate for it?"
Dennis cracked the slightly awkward air with a joke as Dean had gone silent, his brows furrowed as he thought.
"Oh, and don't think that you are too special Missy! I have also received a response, it was cordial too! Sadly I couldn't get it out of the screen but I'll figure out a way to get Armsy to do it one day!"
The groan from Triumph fueled Dennis' wicked grin, and the Wards following agony as they caught up to the pun filled him with joy.
"Alright, alright. Back onto topic." Miss Militia waved a slice of supreme around as she gestured for the Wards to pay attention. "So it seems that there has been some contact with Snow Maiden, which is good because the announcement relates to her. She has requested to be closer involved with the Wards and as a reward for her good behavior over the last few weeks we are inclined to allow this."
Carlos had a small smile on his face at the thought of getting to meet his illusive team member, Chris was slightly anxious at the idea though. Vista and Dennis had wide grins at the announcement, which gave Dean a shiver down his spine at the sight. Browbeat quietly raised a hand to grab the attention of Miss Militia.
"Come on kid, this isn't school hours anymore. You don't need to raise you hand if you want to speak."
Triumph's chortle caused Browbeat to lower his hand, his vaguely disinterested expression never changing, and addressed Miss Militia.
"I'd like to know why she needs to be on good behavior in order to see the Wards. Is she a threat to our safety or is there another reason for her not interacting with the team so far?"
At the question Miss Militia stilled momentarily, her hands twitching close and her eyes squinting before she relaxed into a more neutral expression. Her momentarily lapse in composure was noticed by Dennis and Dean, the latter of which tried to conceal his shock at the sudden spike of fear and helplessness that Miss Militia had exuded.
"Snow Maiden isn't necessarily a threat to your safety, and if we thought she was an active danger we wouldn't even consider the request. The issues is that her power is emotionally dependent, and as a fresh trigger she was in a very bad place, that combined with a poorly understood power and some lax testing methods lead to an incident that required Panacea's services. Since that moment however she has been a model Ward, and the only usage of her power has been to prevent herself being kidnapped by the Empire."
The Wards nodded along with Miss Militia's explanation. The veteran hero was held in high regards by them so they where inclined to believe her explanation of events. However Browbeat hadn't been a part of the Wards for as long as the others and was skeptical about the change.
"The individual you are talking about was responsible for the arctic outbreak in the downtown south area three weeks ago, is that correct?"
"Yes, however that was due to an abduction attempt from the Empire that involved a half dozen capes." Miss Militia responded to Browbeat's question with a calm charm. "Those circumstances are unlikely to be repeated and since then she has focused extensively on self control and has had the assistance of Armsmaster and some tinkertech solutions."
Browbeat did not appear to be swayed by the answer, the blank expression showing nothing of the thoughts underneath.
"I don't find that to be particularly comforting. There have been confirmed fatalities as a result of her powers. I am not comfortable being on the same team as a murderer."
Browbeat's declaration had Missy and Dennis quickly up in arms, with the other Wards sitting by quietly, trying to process the information. They had known that there was an incident but they hadn't realized that the deaths where as a result of Snow Maiden. Missy in particular was upset by the statement and it required Triumph shifting against the couch to keep her from springing to her feet.
"It's not her fault! The Empire got those people killed! They always get people killed! It was the second time she had ever used her power from what I can tell, of course she didn't have full control over it!"
Browbeat stayed calm in the face of Missy's angered yells. He instead focused on the response from the two Protectorate members in the room. The pair of them hadn't reacted overly to his statement, with Triumph only moving to stop Missy, and Miss Militia repeatedly clenching and relaxing her hands.
"Enough!"
The shout from Triumph cut through the uproar, quickly silencing Missy. The man levered himself to be standing and faced the Wards.
"Enough. I know it's not ideal, and I think we all wish that the entire event hadn't happened. However a lengthy investigation was conducted on Director Piggot's orders and we fully believe that Snow Maiden is not to be held responsible for the deaths that occurred. Officially they have been added to the Empire's ledger, and unofficially there are rumbles that Kaiser is furious at the capes that tried the attack. It won't happen again."
"That is a reassurance, but it does not address my main concern. I am not comfortable working alongside someone who is responsible for so much death. I would like to formally state my opposition to this and request to be kept as far away from her as possible while on duty."
Miss Militia rubbed her head as she listened to Browbeat, his flat voice not displaying any real clues as to his mental state. She quickly made a decision to his declaration.
"Very well Browbeat, you have made your thoughts clear. I will make sure that wherever possible your assigned shifts do not line up. But beyond that I cannot promise that you will not encounter Snow Maiden, she has equal rights and access to the Wards area as you and I will not hear of you being disrespectful in your interactions. Do you understand?"
Browbeat nodded in acquiescence to her conditions, and leaned back in his seat. The angry glare from Missy didn't phase him, and shortly she decided to refocus on the conversation which had changed to the nature of the Taylor's request.
"There will be a training camp that launches in two weeks, it will take place over Friday morning to Monday evening, and is strictly volunteer only at the current time. So Browbeat you do not have to participate."
Carlos placed a cup down on the table, shifting aside a printout of ABB movements.
"Ma'am, I volunteer for the course. As team leader I should be there to properly interact with our new member, and my powers mean that any dangers to me are lessened."
"Thank you Carlos, would anyone else like to participate?"
Missy and Dennis also volunteered, and after a moments indecision Dean agreed as well. Chris kept his mouth shut, shaking his head when Triumph looked at him in question. There was a short discussion about informing the schools of the forthcoming absence and what to expect going forward.
As Triumph explained the nature of the training camp, Dennis blurted out a question that had Miss Militia scowl in frustration.
"Okay, but can we get around to why Stalker got booted? It's because of the new girl right?"
The Wards looked at him in confusion, but Dennis had eyes only for Triumph and Miss Militia. He watched as a faint expression of anger, regret, and shame flicked over their faces before slamming his fist into his palm.
"I knew it! I'm right! Sophia fucked up big time and did something to Snow Maiden, who told the PRT."
Miss Militia turned her head to face Dennis straight on, her power flickering between configurations as she spoke in a tight, controlled voice.
"What makes you think that Dennis? It is quite an accusation to make about your team mate."
"Because it makes sense! After Velocity and Dauntless came here and checked out her room, they left with her phones in evidence bags. They wouldn't do that for no reason. Besides, I've already asked Snow about it and she was looking forward to meeting Stalker, so it had to have been in civilian life that Sophia fucked with Snow."
The Wards had been silent, eyes flickering between Miss Militia and Dennis as they spoke. They barely could comprehend the idea that Sophia had been responsible for someone becoming a cape. Sure she was an unpleasant person to be around in Carlos' opinion, and an outright thunderous cunt in Missy's, but she was a hero. She was supposed to be better than that.
Miss Militia looked at the Wards, the fragile hope that Dennis was wrong so evident on their young faces. She shared an aggrieved glance with Triumph before he started to open his mouth. Miss Militia gestured for him to stop, taking a deep breathe as she addressed the group.
"Dennis is right."
The Wards collapsed, Chris' face a stark white as Missy slumped against him, tears filling her eyes. Carlos leapt to his feet and started to angrily stalk around the room, feet thumping into the metal floor. Dean was shaken. He knew that Sophia was full of anger, and a rage that fueled her waking hours but he thought he had been making headway with her. That the days she came in with less rage and more satisfaction was because she had overcome that inner anger. The idea that it was from causing the triggering of another person made him feel violently ill, the waves of anguish and upset from the rest of the Wards strengthening that urge.
"Sophia was part of a prolonged bullying campaign against Snow Maiden in her civilian identity. She identified Sophia as one of the chief reasons for her trigger. I am telling you this so you know not to speak about Sophia around Snow Maiden. She is currently unaware that Sophia was Shadow Stalker, and the Director would prefer that she not learn that fact."
"What!? We can't keep that from her! How do you expect us to try and befriend her if we have to hide that?"
"Missy, please view it from our perspective. Snow Maiden is a brand new cape, she comes to our attention after an incident that resulted in the hospitalization of her own father, she is volatile and her power is seemingly uncontrolled. She did the right thing, she handed herself in. So we start by trying to work out what we can do to make sure that she will be safe going forward. She tells us she doesn't want to hurt anyone, that she doesn't know what is going on. "
The Wards leaned forward as they listened to Miss Militia, her words heavy with emotion and a grave expression looking out at them. Triumph flanking her with his head bowed as she speaks keeps the focus centered.
"So we take her to an off-site facility to test her powers, with her permission. We all want to know what she can do and if she is able to live with her father again safely. It starts out simple, with little constructs of ice being grown from the air, but they all are based on weapons. We don't know if it was because she felt threatened or if it's the only form of power expression she has, so we test further. We find that she can make anything, so long as it can be used as a weapon. An overly elaborate candlestick was my favorite from that. Then we go to test the shaker effect that had hospitalized her father, so badly injured that Panacea was needed to keep him alive."
Missy's eyes shone with unshed tears, and she was barely keeping herself quiet. Dean had watery eyes as the emotions of the group wash over him, still the deep-seated fear in Miss Militia worried him. The woman was a formidable hero and had faced the worst of Brockton Bay without so much as a waver, but Snow Maiden filled her with dread. His stomach twisted as he knew the story was about to worsen.
Chris was starting to feel bad for the poor girl, despite her snubbing him the story about her father was enough to convince him to give her another chance. Maybe she would be in a better space to talk now that she has reached out. Dean picked up on the guilt that was flowing from Triumph and felt that same guilt. Sophia hadn't been mentioned yet but he knew it was coming, that she had committed some heinous crime while he was leading the team.
"Our initial estimates placed the area of effect for the shaker field to be at 100ft, a substantial sphere of influence. Assault, Battery, and myself waited with two PRT scientists 500ft away."
"It wasn't enough."
Miss Militia paused, trying to gather her thoughts and compose herself as she braced to deliver the next few sentences. Her hands balled into fists and relaxed rapidly, her power shifting between larger and larger forms rapidly as it reacted to her distress. The phantom sensation of her skin freezing instantly flowed over her, her organs aching with a phantom pain.
"Snow Maiden used her powers for the first time. It was far more than we had imagined. Later examinations and satellite imagery established the field at 1000ft in radius. It spread extremely rapidly. The temperature dropped so rapidly it hurt to breathe, the air was like daggers in my lungs. It didn't stay that way for long, within moments the ice had spread from her to us, 500ft in a matter of seconds. It leapt up my legs, anchoring me in place. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. I was helpless. I…"
The Wards watched, in shock and horror as Miss Militia relieved the experience of being frozen alive. Her shoulders shook and her voice was hoarse. Triumph started rubbing between her shoulders, trying to bring her back to the present. Dean was drowning under the waves of fear and anguish that came from the shaken heroine, his mind beset by the secondhand trauma.
Dennis watched with horror as one of the strongest people he knew fell apart, the way she spoke reminding him of the times he had seen some gang members speaking of befalling Lung's wrath. He watched as Dean struggled to raise a hand, and with a weak gesture force his power into Miss Militia's thigh. The sharp impact akin to a punch but the wave of joy was discordant enough to shake her from her runaway memories.
Triumph gave a weak smile to Dean as he saw Miss Militia pulling herself together. The other Wards slowly shook themselves from the stunned inaction that they had fallen into, quickly pouring forward to envelop the teary woman in a pile of limbs and bawling teenagers.
Miss Militia let out a watery chuckles as Missy tried her best to squeeze the lungs from her, and gently patted Chris on the head as he tried to wrap an arm around her. The group stayed together for minutes as they poured support to Miss Militia. Triumph watched with a soft smile as he continued to rub her shoulders, the actions of the Wards to support his upset colleague filled him with pride. He glanced over to Browbeat who stood awkwardly as he patted Miss Militia's shoulder. They where all good kids in his mind.
It took fifteen minutes to get everyone out of the pool of bodies, the Wards all back on the couches with the exception of Missy who had latched onto the side of Miss Militia. The woman had red rimmed eyes and her voice was thick with affection as she assured the Wards that she was fine.
"I'll be okay, thank you all for the support. Especially you boys, I know it can be hard to show emotions so it means a lot that you are willing to do that for me."
The male members of the Wards, with the exception of Browbeat, blushed at the praise from the heroine that was nominally responsible for them.
"It is not something I want to think about, but as you can see I am fine. Assault and Battery made full recoveries too, but unfortunately one of the PRT agents at the site didn't make it. This is why we took so long to make sure that Snow Maiden was safe for you to be around, her powers can't be stopped by any of you with the exception of Clockblocker and even that isn't a sure thing. We don't want her to know about Sophia yet, not until her criminal trial is complete. Once that is done, the Director intends to tell Snow Maiden herself, but until then she cannot know. We can't risk her having an accident in the city proper. It will make what happened during the Empire attack look like nothing."
"Ma'am if she is so dangerous, why are we keeping her around? Shouldn't she go to an asylum or even a prison?"
Browbeat's question got Triumph to pause in his ministrations, the lion head of his costume turning to look at the tall teen.
"Because she deserves a chance. Because the only reason she became a cape was due to our failings. We can't punish her for our mistakes. It wouldn't be right. So we are going to do our best to make sure that she can be a proper member of the Wards, that she can be a good person despite the Damocles sword over her head."
Browbeat slowly nodded at his answer, seemingly placated by the logic of the hero. The other Wards taking the words to heart as they tried to handle the many shakeups that the meeting had brought out.
"Okay everyone. I think that we have had enough of serious matters for the rest of the night. I say we put aside the paperwork, get the pizza heated again, and do a few dumb movies. Any takers?"
The chorus of affirmatives to Triumph's plan sealed the plans for the rest of the night, the Wards burrowing themselves against each other as they tried not to dwell on the news that one of their own was responsible for creating another one of them. That they would soon be working next to someone who had every reason to hate them for allowing Sophia to torment her, to bully her. They might not have gotten details of the bullying, but their imaginations filled in the dark details.
The TV blaring with an Aleph comedy did manage to slowly dispel the gloomy air, and before the end of the movie, all of the Wards had fallen asleep, the emotional exhaustion from the day wearing them out. Browbeat gathered the empty pizza boxes and threw them in the bin as Miss Militia and Triumph made their way out from the Wards area. Browbeat turned off the lights as he retired to his new room, his colleagues were far too loud and exhausting to deal with.
Last edited: Nov 15, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Nov 15, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Dec 7, 2022
#700
Two weeks pass with a mix of unseemly haste and anxiety fueled terror, as the Wards Environmental Training and Drill Oriented Games training camp approaches. As an official Ward training camp it did require Taylor to appear in uniform, which quickly lead to a spike in activity as the Image Department marshaled its resources and approached Taylor with dozens of suggestions. The vast majority where quickly dashed by Danny after Taylor called him in to help with the very insistent representative, as Danny quickly ruled out anything that was designed to highlight Taylor's appeal as a young woman. The very fact that her Dad had seen some of the intended outfits filled Taylor with embarrassment, and it prompted her to rush through the remaining proposals.
There was a great deal of arguing over the topic of weaponry, with Danny and Taylor being of the opinion that she should be able to carry some of her creations with her at all times, although Danny would prefer it was limited to blunt instruments and Taylor was enamored with the idea of having a sword. The Image representative was adamant that no weapons were to be allowed. Intensive arguing ensued with the Image representative only backing down to accepting a staff being part of the look in return for Taylor accepting a more feminine cut of the proposed outfit.
After several rounds of negotiations, Danny and Taylor had agreed on a particular design as a good baseline, and importantly it was one that Image was tolerant of, if not thrilled about. Some fine tuning continued over the remainder of the fortnight before the final outfit was delivered to Taylor two nights before the training camp. As she pulled it from the box that it came with, Taylor could feel the quality of the soft fabric as she laid it out on her bed.
A bodysuit that covers from neck to sole serves as the base, an icy blue that matches the color of her thigh. Designed to be easily replaced if damaged and served to soothe Danny and Taylor about any potential indecency issues. A pair of white trousers are mostly covered by a pair of tall dark boots. Extending up to mid thigh, they were trimmed with white fur around the rim and have a line of gold running from the center of the foot to the fur trim, and a matching gold trim that extends from the side of the boot up towards the side of the thigh.
A light blue blouse sits underneath a fitted navy blue blazer, gold trim along the hem and underbust which Taylor tried to fight against but the Image people insisted on as it would serve to counteract the overall dark coloring. A pale sapphire located at the sternum functioned as an anchor point for an expansive pale fur collar that partially conceals the gold braid shoulder guards that serve to help create a more striking figure. The fur curved outwards in a sweeping wave that rises up to the back of Taylor's head, showing the sapphire adorned choker that matches the blazer that extends down to meet the blazer and concealing any skin. The only open section of the costume is Taylor's face, which was concealed with a circlet that has has an opaque veil that drapes down to her lips, revealing her expressive mouth but concealing any other hint of identity.
Her favorite part was how the long open coat falls from the shoulders, starting as a light blue reminiscent of arctic waters and darkening as it continues down, becoming a deep stormy black a few shades darker than the blazer. The coat was gold trimmed around the edges, and changes to fur lined around ankle length, which continues on so that the coat drags a few inches along the ground. The arms are tight around the upper arm before relaxing and splitting into a wide open split sleeve, revealing the abyssal blue gloves beneath.
All in all, Taylor was over the moon about how well the entire ensemble had turned out and swiftly tried it on. Striking a few poses in front of a mirror Taylor was taken aback by the difference it seemed to make, transforming her awkward and gangling self into a tall and imposing figure. The way the coat moved with her arms lent an air power to her motions while still managing to appear feminine. The very idea of Taylor being pleased with her appearance would have sent Emma into conniptions, and yet Taylor was more than pleased. She was ecstatic about it. Emma could go suck a bag of dicks, Taylor looked awesome!
Her enthusiasm carried her through the night as she tried various poses and sayings, trying to find something that felt fun and impressive. After running through dozens of ideas, Taylor instead came to realization that she didn't need to pose, instead standing tall and allowing a faint fog of icy wind to seep out from her. Staring at herself in the mirror, the fog combined with her height and the gentle ripple of her veil created a striking image. Creating a temporary spear to complete the outfit, Taylor was taken aback by how cool she felt.
Letting out a small squeal of joy, as the temporary therapist that she had been speaking to online via the PRT advised, Taylor let herself feel her happiness. It had been a long time since she had last felt this happy, and even with the simmering anxiety about seeing the Wards couldn't take away this euphoria.
However Taylor did eventually return to her more composed senses, the joy slowly cooling into happiness and then into contentment. Her mood was quite jubilant as she went to sleep, and a smile was etched across her face.
Waiting was something that Taylor had great experience with, and even before her powers soothed the edges off boredom and irritation, she was practiced in waiting for other people. While waiting for Emma, Sophia, and Madison to leave the school-grounds wasn't the same as waiting for a bus filled with capes the core concepts matched. Taylor's leg jittered as she waited. They were due to arrive at 10am, and then the group would drive for 5 hours to a remote campground that had been booked out by the PRT as an employee training retreat. It was 9:45, and the minutes passed with aching slowness.
Taylor tried to center herself, focusing on remembering what she had been talking to her Dad about the night before. He had cautioned that she would likely feel overwhelmed and want to find a quiet place away from everyone, but that doing so would defeat the purpose of the training camp. He suggested instead that Taylor tell people when she was feeling overwhelmed so that they could all learn together what her social boundaries where. It sounded off to Taylor, relying on others to listen and act on her feelings had historically gone very poorly, but Danny was insistent that she try. Besides her messages with the Wards showed that at least a few of them had some level of understanding.
Over the last fortnight Taylor had been sending daily E-mails to Missy, Dennis, and a recent addition over the last week had been Carlos. Taylor did prefer her conversations with Missy, the young girl was filled with interesting anecdotes about cape life and had a disarmingly forward way of communicating that relaxed Taylor. It was hard to picture what secondary motives the young cape would have as she complained about her parents arguing or providing a rating of the best takeaway locations downtown. While it had been a struggle with herself, Taylor had told Missy about her fears towards the trip. That it would be a disaster, that no-one would like her, and that her powers would cause everything to fall apart again.
Missy had called her an overly anxious idiot and laid out why it would be fun (Missy was there), why it wouldn't be a disaster (Miss Militia was obsessive about training camps and would not allow anything to ruin it), why people would like her (Taylor was cool, had awesome powers, and was a fun sort of nerd). The rather blunt barrage of compliments had taken Taylor a short while to process but had helped to sort her nerves.
Dennis had been a confidant about her concerns regarding her social skills. Taylor was aware that she didn't have the best social instincts anymore, the campaign of harassment had shaved them down to extremely sensitive threat senses which wasn't great when meeting people. Dennis had in returned confided that he was still nervous around many of the Protectorate heroes despite working with them, feeling that they looked down on him. The two had exchanged messages about their fears and had tried to reassure the other, however Taylor was sure that her anemic conversational skills failed her.
Carlos had been a surprise when he first messaged Taylor, referencing his previous greeting email and saying that he realized that it wasn't very personal. The new message had given some more information about him, the knowledge that the leader of the Wards liked to browse sports forums helped to humanize him, no longer the intimidating Aegis but instead the much more likeable Carlos. He had not asked much about Taylor's personal life, but he had asked if she was dealing well with the conditions up at the Ice Box. It was nice to have someone that wanted to know about her current situation instead of the rather terrible conditions that lead to it.
The time crawled forward as Taylor continued to fidget around on the steps, 9:50. Taylor decided to focus on her pet project instead of worrying about the time, so she turned to the two bags that laid by her feet. One was a duffel, filled with some changes of clothes, essential personal supplies, and a few books that Taylor had decided might be useful. Two were for entertainment but the remainder had been work related, a physics book devoted to the extremes of thermodynamics and the math books needed to understand some of the concepts written within. The other bag however was a modified rifle bag that had been provided by Armsmaster, and when opened by Taylor the contents gleamed in the weak winter light.
A full length staff that was formed from light blue ice, with the stylized snowflake that served as the head resting at eye level for Taylor. The broad surface of the icy snowflake shone in the light, catching the eye as it diffused the light to form a tight corona around Taylor. The pastel rings moving as Taylor placed the staff to her side, while it might look impressive it was at the insistence of the Image department that the staff had even been created. It was what lay next to it that really appealed to Taylor.
A slender sword was pulled free from the confines of the bag, the light curved handle settling naturally into Taylor's palm. The pommel was colored the same as the staff, yet was magnitudes more compact, causing the light to diffuse into a faint spot on the ground which shifted and danced as Taylor moved her arm. The pommel lead to the curved hilt that felt so natural to Taylor that she had to check once again that it was actually in her hand, the blade so wonderfully weighted that it felt effortless to move. There was a startling lack of crossguard or any form of hand protection, instead the blade grew straight from the hilt, with the next two inches blunt and flat, allowing for Taylor to rest her fingers on it for greater control. The blade itself was Taylor's pride and joy, the result of a full fortnight of experimentation and focus.
Upon choosing Snegurochka as her cape identity, Taylor had wanted to lean further into the concept and her power had obliged. It had formed the first iteration of the weapon that Taylor currently wielded, a weapon wielded by the Cossacks of the Caucas tribes of southern Russia. Initially the same light blue of her normal ice, Taylor had spent a great deal of energy on trying to improve the design, knowing that her ice was liable to break if she had to fight with it and not her arctic aura. So she had poured her desire for strength, victory, and safety into the blade each night and it had responded by compressing further and further. Now a 36 inch, lightly curved, single edged blade formed of black ice, the blade was the most intimidating thing that Taylor had seen. Even in the light morning air it seemed to drink in the light, giving an air of ill-restrained lethality.
It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Slowly going through a series of very amateur cuts and thrusts, Taylor missed the sound of the mini-bus approaching.
"She has a sword!? I want one!"
The excited cry from Dennis was quickly matched by Missy as the two scrambled to the front of the van, scuffling over who had the better view of the distracted Snow Maiden as she swung her blade. Carlos sighed as the two bumped him, he had seen the sight on the way in and was more concerned that Taylor had an inherently lethal weapon as it hadn't been in the file that Image had provided to him. The ice staff alone was already an issue with the head being potentially dangerous but it had played into the narrative that Image wanted so it was approved, a sword however went against almost every design idea that the Wards were subject to. As the mini-bus came to a rather abrupt stop, the following armored truck lurched to a halt, Carlos looked over at the driver.
Miss Militia had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel as she looked at the figure of Snegurochka. The knowledge that the blade was made of ice and likely able to be broken with the application of high velocity rubber bullets didn't provide much comfort as the dark coloring implied that some form of power based manipulation was at play. Still, she had a job and fear would not stop her from doing the best she could. Snegurochka was a child, someone just learning to use their powers, and not at fault for what had happened. Miss Militia repeated that she was just a child under her breath as she relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
The Wards poured out of the mini-bus, with Vista the first to stop in front of Taylor, even as Clockblocker seemed to run in place. Aegis floated over and landed, giving Vista a sharp look as she sheepishly released Clockblocker from the space loop that she had established.
"AH-HA! I HAVE CONQUERED SPACE AND TIME BOWS BEFORE ME!"
Clockblocker's scream of victory was met with laughter from everyone, even Taylor letting a small chuckle slip out. Miss Militia approached from behind the Wards and eyed over Taylor, who stood nervously under the scrutiny.
"Greeting again Snegurochka, are you prepared for the training camp?"
"Yes Ma'am! I've packed everything on the list you provided and Armsmaster has said that he was sending a secured container for my serum with you, which covers everything. I think."
The light frown on Miss Militia relaxed as she patted a small metallic compartment that was on her belt. "Yes, I have that here. There is enough for two weeks although we are only planning on being gone for four days. Armsmaster believes in being cautious however." The heroine gestured for Aegis to pick up Taylor's bags, and despite Taylor's protestations the boy gathered the two bags up.
"Well, I think that we have everything that we need, although I do have to ask about your sword. That wasn't on the list of equipment that Image said that you were going to have."
Taylor stiffened at the faintly accusatory tone.
"I agreed that I would use a staff as part of my costume, I never said that I wouldn't make anything else. Besides, this is for me at the base, not for patrolling. Is that going to be a problem?"
The Wards watched as Miss Militia slowly worked her jaw, thinking over the rather defensive response from Taylor. The girl in question stood awkwardly, her sword held down to the side and pointed away from everyone but her shoulders tight. The tension was broken by the interjection of the second Protectorate hero that had just gotten out from an armored truck that was following the mini-bus.
"Holy shit is that a sword? Where do I sign up to get one?" The eager figure of Assault bounded up to the group and slung an arm around Vista and Clockblocker. "Cause I think I would look really cool with one, probably a real big two handed thing. Like those claymore types from Scotland! Puppy would have no choice but to swoon at the sight of me then!"
Vista and Clockblocker sagged under the unexpected weight even as Taylor let out a nervous titter. Miss Militia looked resigned at the exuberance that Assault showed, and decided not to push the situation.
"Alright, just make sure that it is packed up for now, we can talk about unauthorized changes to your gear later on."
Taylor quickly packed away the sword in the duffel bag in Aegis' arms, and as she stood back Miss Militia spoke again.
"That said, I think the new costume looks very impressive. Image did a good job there, you can tell us all more about it as we drive. For now everyone should jump back onto their respective vehicles and we can get on the way. It's still quite a way to our destination after all."
Blushing as Miss Militia complimented her outfit, Taylor tried to duck her head to hide the smile that was starting to spread. The echoing compliments from the rest of the Wards made it much harder, and Dennis saying she looked like a real cool lady brought out a pained groan. Assault taking a moment to close and deliver a heartfelt compliment before returning to the truck loaded with PRT personal left her feeling overwhelmed but happy. While she wanted to respond to the compliments her voice caught in her throat and it was only Miss Militia cajoling the others to get moving that helped Taylor maintain composure.
Perhaps Missy was right. The trip might not be a disaster after all.
Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
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Dec 7, 2022
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Silent_Sepharim
Jan 7, 2023
#746
The wheels on the mini-bus spun around and around, the steady hum of the rubber on bitumen lulling Taylor in a comfortable daze. Hearing the steady beep of Dennis tapping away at a handheld game system of some make added a nice counterpoint, even as Carlos tried to get him to put it away and interact with the others, the two bickering seemed to be entertaining Missy, who had twisted around in her seat to watch, occasionally chipping in to fuel the fire as needed. A light smile crept onto Taylor's face as she watched, enjoying the sounds of others after her long isolation at the Ice Box.
"So Taylor, how did you get around Image wanting to make you look like a princess?"
Dennis queried towards her as he deftly maneuvered out of Carlos' reach, his eyes flicking between the two as he judged how likely he was to avoid loosing his device.
"Oh, they didn't really try hard for that. I think they where more concerned about how I would be considered with access to my ice all the time. Not really a princess sort of power."
"Ahh gotcha." The smug tone immediately let Taylor know that something stupid was coming up. "They don't want to picture winter Tinkerbelle with a shank, would make too many kiddies cry!"
"That was awful. You are awful and should be ashamed."
Missy's deadpan snark set Dennis off into a fit of giggles, even as Carlos let out a long suffering sigh. Taylor lightly snorted at the idea, Image most likely didn't want people to start looking into ice princess lore, that was an easy path to learning about the Unseelie court and the acts of Mab which really didn't work for the public friendly PRT angle.
"Something like that."
Dennis continued to snicker as the group continued to drive along, the miles passing with light conversation. Miss Militia had to intervene and tell Missy to calm down after the younger girl got the idea to ask Taylor to make an ice baton she could use to whack Dennis.
The smooth hum of the bitumen changed to a rough grinding as the mini-bus moved onto a well maintained dirt road, the occasional branch snapping under the tires as it wound through the light woods. The Wards had pulled apart to look out the window and try to spot any interesting animals, Taylor spotted an eagle flying overhead but Carlos had the most impressive creature, with a buck with a 12 point rack darting away freezing for a moment. Missy cooed over how cute it looked while Dennis complained that he didn't get to the window in time.
Slowing to a halt in a small clearing that had a few painted spots for parking, Miss Militia parked and called for the Wards to disembark, the Dennis and Missy spilling from the bus with great haste as Carlos took a moment to check for any trash to gather up. Taylor nodded shyly as he gestured for her to leave first, flitting down the steps a few seconds before Carlos stepped down.
The Camp had a simple layout, there was four cabins that all faced into a central area that had a sunken fire-pit lined with worn stumps that had been moved to serve as chairs. The cabins were small, barely more than a shared bedroom, bathroom, and verandah, another building stood a little bit apart from the cabins, it served as a combination of group hall and kitchen.
"Alright kids, we will be splitting up and claiming cabins now. Carlos and Dennis, you two are sharing one with Missy and Taylor sharing the other. Collect your bags from the bus and go claim your beds, take your time to get things set up. We will be waiting for Assault and our escort before we start doing anything else."
The wide grin that spread across Missy's face made Taylor feel awkward, it had been years since her last sleepover with anyone, let alone someone she considered a new friend. Meeting the younger girls exuberance with an uneasy smile, Taylor hauled her bags across her shoulders and started to make her way towards the nearest cabin. Missy quickly outpaced her as she twisted space to bound ahead, throwing open the doors with a shout of triumph. She quickly threw her bag onto the top mattress of the bunk bed, loudly proclaiming she had top bunk with a small victory dance. Taylor bit back a chuckle at her antics and slid her bags underneath her bunk.
"This is so exciting! We almost never get to go on training trips out of the city."
Taylor looked in askance at Missy who elaborated.
"Things are normally so crazy in the bay that we don't really get much downtime, between the ABB kidnapping and smuggling, E88 running protection rackets and doing their racist shit, and the god dam Merchants being a menace to society there normally isn't much time to do anything. Kinda a all hands on deck situation."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Mmmm, at least that is how I see it. Maybe Miss Militia has a different view on things, but its been a quiet few weeks since you scared the Empire straight."
Taylor took a moment to process her words, the Empire had backed down since she had killed three capes. It made sense, even with their immense numbers in comparison to anyone else in Brockton they still needed to adjust their operations, and considering that Krieg was generally considered one of the senior leadership they likely had problems to address. It felt weird though, knowing that her actions had caused an uneasy peace, or at least a decrease in the day to day crime, to happen. Taylor wasn't sure if it was worth knowing what it felt like to freeze someones body, or the reverberation from her staff as she finished Fenja.
"I guess."
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to remind you of anything. I'm just happy to finally have a little time to enjoy myself. Sorry."
"It's okay." Taylor gaze a wavering smile. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."
The two stood awkwardly for a moment before a the sound of doors slamming shut and Assault calling out dragged the two from their stupor. Missy shrugged a shoulder and flicked her hand towards the door.
"We should head out and see what the adults want to do."
"Yeah."
The afternoon was filled with basic trust exercises that seemed to be aimed at normal individuals, with each of the Wards able to trivialize them in different ways. The trust falls in particular caused Carlos to jibe to Taylor that being able to fly sort of ruined the key element of the exercise, Taylor giving an amused smile his words. The three legged race was won by Missy and her partner each time, and all of the Wards enjoyed playing around with the egg toss. By the end of the afternoon the group was laughing at the pointlessness of the exercises as Miss Militia and a PRT trooper watched from a pair of comfortable camping chairs.
As the sun started to set, Miss Militia called a halt to the exercises. The Wards cheered in tired relief, and then cheered louder when the trooper said that there was a barbecue set up at the fire-pit. Rushing over the Wards, including Taylor, quickly fell upon the plates of sausages, sizzle steaks, and potato salad that was available. Keeping her plate to a modest two sausages and a helping of potato salad, Taylor watched in mild horror as Carlos loaded his plate with four sausages, two steaks, three times the potato salad that she had, what seemed like half a load of bread, and a can of cola to accompany. Her disgusted face made Dennis burst out laughing as he loaded his own plate, and Missy came over to commiserate on how excessive the boy's meal was.
As they started to eat, Assault stood up and started to tell a story. He overacted each part, the dashing hero charging into combat against a dread dragon was met with jeers from the PRT troopers, polite amusement from Miss Militia and much whooping from Dennis. His impromptu dinner show had the group chatting once he finished, commenting on which parts were acceptable and which were just too hammy. Unsurprisingly the majority verdict was that he had at least ninety percent too much ham, but over all was a decent story.
Sitting around with her second plate, Taylor watched as Missy and Carlos talked about their school experiences. The complaints from Missy about her classmates seeming so juvenile resonated with her deeply, children can be cruel. Thankfully it seemed the young girl wasn't dealing with anything like Taylor's experience but it was another thing that the other Ward seemed to have in common with her. Slowly panning her gaze over the others as she sipped at her too sugary cola, Taylor watched as Dennis and two of the PRT troopers played a few rounds of go fish. Dennis complaining that he could totally play poker and the deadpan stare from Miss Militia promising a world of pain for the troopers if they did so. The woman was currently ensconced in a camping chair with an electronic reader on her lap, her attention shifting between the two seemingly naturally.
Getting up to put her plate away Taylor took a moment to enter her cabin and rummage through her bag, pulling out a weathered copy of the Canterbury Tales that used to belong to her mum. Shoving her bags back under the bed, Taylor went back outside and scanned for a good place to sit that was a little further away from the fire than before. While it hadn't been painful she had felt the sensation of pressure on her limbs closest to the center of the fire-pit, and with Assault loading a few more thick branches and a small log it was liable to increase in temperature and thus discomfort.
Spotting a stump that was half way between the car park and the fire-pit, Taylor swiftly claimed it, slumping down onto the wooden surface, polished by the elements and time. Curling her legs up beneath her, Taylor resumed reading, a sense of relief and relaxation flowing into her as she worked through the pages.
"That is a little too close to glamping, back in my day we made do with stumps and rocks!"
Taylor jumped lightly in her seat, her movement arrested by the solid ice backrest. Assault was standing a few feet away, his grinning face clear in the firelight.
"What?"
Assault chuckled as he dropped down onto the ground, legs out as he propped himself up with an arm.
"Your ice chair there, it's a good way of making sure that you have good back support but that isn't what camping is about. You're meant to be young and dumb, hurt your back sitting awkwardly around the fire and then complain about it relentlessly the next day."
Looking around quickly, it was clear that Assault wasn't joking. Taylor assumed that she must have created an ice chair that anchored onto the tree stump to ensure her comfort, it was quite nice she admitted internally but she hadn't meant to do so. She hadn't even felt her powers activate, none of the chill rush of comfort and certainty.
"I guess, I didn't mean to make it."
"Huh."
Assault's response made Taylor nervously tense her hand into a fist. The nonplussed tone was something that people used to cover for a lack of understanding, in moments he was going to condemn her for loosing control of herself. The entire reason she was allowed on this trip was cause she had managed to keep herself under control, and to prove that false on the first night was horrible! Taylor wanted to curl up into a ball, or run to her cabin, or generally just not be there.
"Gotta say it looks comfy, mind making me one to? I might be in the peak of my health, but good lumbar support cannot be overvalued."
Taylor blinked as she parsed his request. Slowly gesturing with her left hand at the ground, trying to envision a copy of her current chair forming. The air chilled as the mass of ice condensed into being, the new chair requiring a quick alteration to allow for the lack of stump serving as an anchor. Assault hauled himself to his feet and bounced into the chair, a little shiver leaving him as he made contact.
"Now that is convenience. I can't tell you the amount of times I wished I could sit down on something like this after a big patrol. Hey, if you can make furniture, could you make a literal ice-bath?"
"I think so, I haven't tried making furniture before. This is kinda new to me."
"That's pretty cool kid." Taylor let out an involuntary groan at the pun. "I can tell you that you would be pretty popular with the grunts if you could. Some of the training the do leaves them pretty sore for a few days, an ice-bath would help a lot with that."
The idea of using her powers to help people had always been something that Taylor had thought of, but when she had first tried to create objects they all defaulted to weapons so she had written that off as impossible. This change in her power, or discovery of a new facet, had made it possible once again.
"I can see if they are willing to try. I can't promise that it was last forever without me topping it up."
"That's plenty fine Taylor, little things go a long way to making life easier and people remember who did them."
Taylor looked at Assault, his words came with a heavy intonation that indicated he wasn't talking about ice-baths. Something about her gaze must have clued the hero into her thoughts as the man chuckled and pulled off his mask.
"You got me, I didn't come over just to steal a nice chair. I wanted to see how you are doing since I last got to chat with you."
Taylor slowly nodded as he spoke, the hero had pledged to do everything he could to help her and then she had heard nothing from him for months. It had stung, but the lie was something she was used to, another authority figure that failed, another adult that couldn't help.
"I'm okay. Things are going better now."
"I'm glad to hear that. Last I knew things where pretty tense with the PRT and a trip like this was right off the table. I've been nagging the director to let up the restrictions each weekly meeting, and I tried to schedule several visits but I was denied on grounds that I might aggravate the situation."
Taylor tried to conceal the thrum of rage she felt at knowing that the director was trying to keep her isolated, but Ethan saw through her poker face. He sighed as he reached out and laid a hand on Taylor's arm rest.
"I know that I promised to do what I could to help and that it seems that nothing had changed. I had to argue hard to even be put on this trip. I still mean what I promised, I am here for you Taylor if you need anything."
Perhaps it was the fire light, the long day of good company, the relief of being free of the Ice Box, or even just happiness from reading but Taylor was inclined to believe him. Ethan seemed so earnest when he spoke, and if he was telling the truth about trying to stay in contact and make life easier for her then he at least deserved a second chance. Hell, she had given her dad a second chance after year of emotional neglect, surely it would be easier to do here.
"Okay, I understand that. The Director doesn't like me and that makes it hard to help."
With a sigh Ethan shifted in his seat.
"I don't think she dislikes you, in-fact I think she likes you as a person."
Taylor leveled a dead stare at the unmasked hero.
"Seriously! I know she told Miss Militia that you turning yourself over to the PRT as soon as you could spoke well to your maturity, and that your insistence on standing your ground despite the pressure from the others impressed her. Didn't please her, not much can, but impressed her at least."
"So what does that mean?"
Ethan chuckled lightly.
"Not much really, Piggot is a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to security and you are kinda a threat there. Still, you have been really good about everything and she seems to be relaxing now that the bay hasn't gone all Alaskan wilderness on us."
Taylor smiled tightly at that, the reminder that her powers had caused widespread damage and even loss of life wasn't really something that she was willing to laugh off.
"All that said, how are you doing Taylor? This isn't too much for you to deal with?"
Taking a moment to think on the question, Taylor decided that reaching out a small amount would be something that her dad would be proud of.
"I'm a bit nervous. I don't like being around people, I can't tell what they are going to do and it makes me a little scared."
Ethan looked at her in askance, his hand coming up to rest on her forearm in an attempt at comfort, but the heat from his palm stung at Taylor's skin.
"I mean, I know that I can't live by myself forever. It might be nice to not have to worry about what people want, what are they thinking, what they are saying behind my back. Yet I know that I can't live like that forever, I need to interact with people if I want to be a hero. So I wanted to try and reach out to people that would be like me, that want to be heroes. That are heroes."
"So you got the idea of a training camp set up, so you could be around people while the focus is on something else."
"Yeah. I want to push my boundaries but not all at once."
Ethan was silent for a moment before he gave Taylor a small, honest smile.
"That seems pretty wise, especially for a teenager. If I had half your smarts at your age I'd be a very different man now."
Taylor tried to keep a blush from showing on her face, letting a faint puff of cold air linger on her face to subdue it. The kind words were something that she wasn't expecting. It had felt nice to share some of her worries, maybe Ethan could be trusted to hear more? Assault was loud and not really following through on his word, but Ethan had been earnest and insightful.
Taylor's mind churned as she considered telling Ethan about the deeper reason for trying to reach out, not to get used to being around people but because she was so desperately lonely that it hurt. A deep void inside her where friendship used to live, torn out and stomped on by Emma. Letting someone know how much she longed for closeness would let them have power over her, but if she got that closeness then the power would be gone. She was trapped in a holding pattern, too scared to change things for the risk of making things worse.
Wetting her dry lips, Taylor decided that she had done enough sharing this night. It was too much to share in one go, and really she could resolve this without telling anyone. After all she had already started to make new friends and connections, she didn't need to share why she was doing it. Her mind made up, Taylor looked into the compassionate gaze of Ethan.
"Thanks, I'm sure that young Assault has all sorts of ridiculous stories because of that."
Ethan fixed her with a steady look for a long moment before he leaned back and began recounting a tale of how young Ethan had the bright idea to try and steal a neighbors lemons, thinking that they where a funny apple. He mentioned that five year old Ethan wasn't too bright, and that to this day he always checks his apples to make sure that they aren't citrus in disguise. As Taylor listened to the increasingly silly tale, a sense of satisfaction seeped into her. It was the right decision to keep things to herself.