Checking the clean walls one more time, Alexandria reafirmed a lack of insect life before gazing through the one way glass. Most people held in a PRT Interrogation room tended not to be relaxed after three hours. Skitter, real name Taylor Hebert, on the other hand was bracing herself upside-down on her chair with one leg extended. It brought back bittersweet memories of a younger Mouse Protector. "If nothing else, her time away has made the girl significantly more limber."

Snorting, Legend sighed. "Do not make me laugh Alexandria. This situation is problematic as it is. We have a ticking time bomb in that room and we need to defuse it." Narrowing his eyes, the hero glared at the rest of the room. "Of course, due to inadvertently pushing her Trigger Trauma button, I can't be the one to fix this. Thank you so much for that."

Frowning, Director Piggot huffed. "If you think for a moment that I approve of this mess, you have another think coming, Triumvirate or no. The agent soft peddling Stalkers reports and that idiot Blackwell are already in holding for enabling this incident. We did not need the PR hit, we did not need to enable a powered bully and we certainly did not need to improve Empire recruitment by nine percent because of a psychotic Ward. Armsmaster mishandling an attempted infiltration of a gang and alienating a newly triggered Master Seven variable is something we needed even less."

Miss Militia, newly appointed head of the local Protectorate frowned. "But now, no matter how distasteful, we still need to deal with it. The girl was isolated and exposed to an escalating level of violence before her Trigger. From all reports she bonded with a villainous Thinker Seven, while every person in authority let her down. Battery is still distraught after discovering that the incident at the mall was used to further persecute her because of Stalkers caseworker and Alan Barnes. The circumstances are unfortunate, but Brandish being distracted by the injuries of her family thankfully kept her from sticking her nose into that fiasco. New Waves involvement with Skitter is already fairly problematic."

Alexandria shrugged, "The circumstances ARE unfortunate, but she is effectively a free agent now. We do not know how long in her subjective time line she was gone for, but Ms. Hebert cut ties with the Undersiders over the issue of Dinah Alcott, she cut ties with her father due to his attitude, and she has burned every bridge she has locally due to the manipulations of Tattletale and Coil. Other than a potential blood feud with Panacea, a rebrand would be a limited issue. However, she has also spent an undetermined amount of time with someone who killed Leviathan and has valuable information about at least one other dimension. Let's see if we can't come to some sort of compromise and recruitment. I'll take point Legend. Maybe a pleasant memory of acting like me as a child will help smooth things over." Fully embracing her character, Alexandria left the room, head held high.

--

The shift in air pressure was enough to inform me that the first power play was over. Taking my time to stretch, I slowly realigned into a sitting position before opening my eyes. The unsmiling visage of Alexandria was before me, as unbendable as a mountain. It was an interesting first move, since the local authorities were unavailable or unsuitable on the whole. It appeared that people were taking this seriously.

Not me necessarily, but the situation. One thing I had learned was that not everything was about me or my life. After all, we were all so very small in the end. Now what play would they try, after enforced isolation?

Her body unmoving, THE flying brick broke the silence first. "Skitter, nice to see you have returned."

Ah, how disappointing. I knew this was not about me, but my ego was still somewhat bruised.

"I believe that you can call me Taylor. After all, it is not like you do not know my name."

Lying was pointless and answering to Skitter defined this as a conversation between a young villain and a Hero with a capital H.

Letting them choose the name and the roles in question was not something I was interested in at this time. An interrogation could be a dance, and I was not in the mood to follow someone else's tune.

Something in my stance appeared to catch her attention. Thinkers love their tricks as I already knew before my training. So I was unsurprised when she took a seat without fanfare. It was time for her to change tracks. "Very well, Taylor it is. I believe that we have a few things to discuss, including what options we have to deal with you."

A naughty child, a limited set of choices made by someone in authority. A different tune but it was the same dance. I smiled despite myself. Alexandria was going to be an interesting conversation, no matter what I did. "I'd ask where my lawyer is, but I'm guessing that you have some loophole that makes a delay for legal representation unacceptable."

If my language or request surprised her, the hero was good enough to keep it to herself. "Dimensional travel is technically illegal, depending on the circumstances, and the fact that you left with Vortex willingly removes some potential protections. In addition, the law is a little fluid in such cases as well as alterations to your personal timeline. While your blood work came back clean, it also indicated certain hormone and genetic breakdowns that could add up to seven years to your official age. Coupled with the national security issue of a dead Endbringer, I have been granted significant flexibility in what would be considered acceptable when andling this case."

It was an offer and a threat. Both were expected and both have been planned for. Alexandria had a lot more experience, but that just made things interesting. Honestly, I was beginning to have fun! "I see. Well that would be the stick, I would hope you would keep with the stereotype and have a carrot as well?"

I could almost see the blink, even if it didn't happen. Alexandria did not move unless she wanted to. "Well, your reported power is fairly flexible and you have a history of significant creativity. I'm sure rebranding and relocation could be arranged with a minimum of cooperation. Brockton Bay does not appear to be the best environment for you and leaving might be your healthiest option."

A new name and face...how utterly predictable.

How completely boring.

It was time to change the tune before I slipped into slumber.

I sighed. "Oh, I agree I am done with the Bay. There is nothing really holding me here anymore." I have said my goodbyes and mourned my losses. There is nothing noble in digging through this cesspit. "But joining your organization seems like a couple of steps back. Either I would have to join the Wards and be a slave to your PR machine before my mysterious death, or join the Protectorate and be held under a microscope for the rest of my limited life span. In all honesty, your organization doesn't tend to cover itself in glory when it counts."

My lyrical cadence was getting under her skin. Alexandria was showing no motion, and that could be as much a tell as a twitch or fidget. Maybe I should switch to a Cali girl to mess with her some more?

The Heroine began tapping a finger. Oh, a nice way to emphasize her irritation and distract from the rest of her stillness. I appeared to have caught her attention. "No matter what you intended Taylor, you still committed assault on various ABB forces, was an accessory to a bank robbery, and used your powers for a number of chargeable events. If ever there was a carrot, this deal is it."

I debated laughing in her face before mentally slapping the back of my head. Time to give some of the expected teenage acid they had been waiting for. "My apologies, was I also supposed to kill or torture my targets for an extended period of time? Lie and mislead them before arranging their deaths? I know how much both the PRT and the Protectorate enjoy enthusiasm and initiative from their candidates."

Seeing that she was about to respond, I decide that it is time to end this round. The narrative would allow nothing less. "Still, I would be a very poor guest if I didn't share something for your hospitality, as... limited as it has been. If you are expecting Vortex to return and kill the next Endbringer? I'd get a plan B."

Instantly, Alexandria's entire body froze at an almost molecular level. The little twitches and tells she has been showing as our discussion progressed disappeared, another bit of theater that the Hero has indulged in to make our talk more organic.

It was nice to see her suddenly being honest.

Especially since she reached over to grab me by the throat.

"How do we fix this?"

I gave her an unimpressed look. If Alexandria wanted to kill me, I could not stop her without bugs in the middle of the PRT.

We both knew it, just as we knew she was not going to break my neck.

With that thought, I was released back into my seat. "You get that one for free, but don't do it again."

The Hero did not bother to acknowledge my statement. My little bombshell was enough of a distraction that she was through playing the normal games. Time for round two.

Reaching up, I removed my mask, allowing her to see me eye to eye. It had mostly been a cultural decision to wear it in the first place. The bikini was just a lost bet and a bit of indulgence. My eyesight had been fixed a long time ago, and it really let me see the world as it was, not how I thought it should be.

Ugh, I needed a nap. Bad poetic mental prose was a tool of bored, stroppy teenagers and I had not been one for quite some time.

Facing her without fear, I began my counter. "At the level of reality that Vortex plays in, interdimensional travel is fairly easy. He is not considered the most powerful of that group but he has a significant legacy. That being said, their community does talk to one another about their experiences with various locations. Earth Bet has a very interesting reputation there."

Remembering my own reaction to the news, I watched Alexandria for the full effect of my next statement. "To put it bluntly, it is considered a sign of mental illness to come anywhere close to this side of the multiverse."

She actually twitched! That was a definite point to me!

Visibility restraining herself, the Hero moderated her tone. "Why, specifically, did he come here in the first place? How can we gain his help full time? The death of an Endbringer is too important to ignore and must be repeated if possible. Billions of lives are at stake, and if you know something, you have to tell me now!"

My, my, someone is tired of being beaten into the ground by random monsters.

This would be enjoyable if I hadn't had a similar reaction when it was first explained to me.

"You can say whatever you like, but as far as that community is concerned we are worth writing off. Basically, Earth Bet is filled with caricatures of people, not actual victims. The only ones who visit variants of our reality either revel in the chaos like every other S Class threat, or try to "fix things" by taking some grand position in society. Their abilities can mimic the strongest Parahuman powers for fun, and everything is an acceptable target for their morality."

Smirking at her symbol for a moment, I sighed. "Just picture the classical versions of the Greek Heroes. They accomplished a lot, but they also tended to break things fairly easily."

Soaking up her visible shock, I decided to move things along. "That being said, Vortex didn't intend to come to Earth Bet exactly. He was looking for a student using a technique that can get kind of random. When he realized where he was, he destroyed Leviathan mostly to relieve the stress. But, I was lucky enough to meet his criteria so the technique worked more or less. Of the three possibilities it found, I was the best fit. Panacea had gone round the bend a bit too far while Vista was still a bit young to survive his training. All in all, I was just the best of a bad hand."

That being said, she had done her best and had become better for it. Her teacher would not ask for anything less.

Freezing, Alexandria began tapping on the table again. Time for a new game then?

--

Gaping at the two before her, Miss Militia felt her weapon cycle from a knife to a flame thrower. At this point, she was unsure who would be her preferred target. "That is insane."

Legend closed his eyes in pain. "No, that sounds about right. We debriefed Vortex for nearly twenty minutes before the incident with the Undersiders and Skitter. My impression was that we were boring and distracting him. Our offers for a position in the Protectorate or other forms of support seemed to insult his sensibilities. Now we know why."

Director Piggot was gripping the windowsill just hard enough to draw blood. "I knew our world was crazy, but being under a social quarantine to anyone who might help us. Because they think we DESERVE it? This can never get out."

Before the patriotic cape could interject, Alexandria continued the interrogation.

"You said that they would go to variants of our world. What specifically did you mean by that."

Taylor Hebert, still unmasked and appearing almost bemused replied. "You know how Earth Aleph and Earth Bet are connected? Picture them on a single strand of string. There are more worlds on that string, but they tend to cluster in a straight line, with greater derivations the farther down the line you get. Variants are parallel to this world string, with nearly identical clusters lined on them. The main world is locked, but variants are easier to manipulate because of their already present changes. We are one such variant by the way."

With that, Miss Militia felt cold. She was just a dimensional, imperfect clone of an original Miss Militia?

But the information continued. "Forgive my ego, but let's use my situation as an example. In some universes, I would die during my Trigger Event. This leads to changes in everything I effected. The Undersiders would probably die because of Lung, or Sophia finally ends up in prison. One of the other bullies might Trigger from guilt. My father might even seek revenge and commit suicide by cop. Those are just minor examples of what such a variation can do. But, depending on your skill, someone like Vortex can enter a variant that is much more subtle, effectively entering a nearly perfect copy of that world. Our variant aspect is literally him visiting our world. Everything before Leviathan was identical."

The female Trimunative member leaned forward. "Did he happen to explain why we are held in such low esteem."

Rolling her eyes, the insect controller stretched. "First thing I asked. Turns out that a lot of other worlds judge a society by what they do with power. The mismanagement of Parahumans, the outright bigotry, the society we live in kind of pisses them off. Not to mention the source of Case 53's. These people are not considered saints, but they view mismanagement and ineffective torture as signs of stupid evil."

Miss Militia almost missed the twitch of Alexandria's fingers. "They know the source of the Case 53 phenomenon?"

Taylor's answering smile was all teeth. "Oh yes, and many of them find it morally repugnant. The actions that go into Case 53 creation are bad enough, but the ideology and methodology behind their creation are held up as a key reason to avoid this area. NEPEA-5 didn't do us any favors either, and the fact that the Youth Guard requirements regularly lead to the deaths of the children they are sworn to protect? Most of the sane creatures view our society as a self correcting example of Darwinism at its finest."

She suddenly frowned, "Having to take a six month course of accredited therapy so that people would stop viewing me as a psychotic monster about to pounce was annoying, even if I needed it."

With that, the observers found themselves without a word to spare.

--

Looking at the knowing gaze on the former moody teenager, Alexandria forced herself to calm down. Taylor Hebert, based upon her inflections and subject choice had a better than ninety percent chance of knowing about Cauldron. This interrogation just got a lot more serious. "What do you know about the Endbringers?"

Holding her hands in supplication, the brunette sighed. "Mostly rumors. It is difficult to separate theory from fantasy, even in the interdimensional community. Some of what they say seems to completely fuck with the very concept of a set of laws of physics. Other elements are either the greatest war crime in our history or a sign of severe mental illness. Given the variants out there, it is literally a matter of perspective."

Sighing again, the teenaged villain frowned. "That being said, there are several things that should be true. First, they are sandbagging a lot during their attacks. Second, most of what we see is a projection, with a controlling core at their densest point. Third, there are maybe two or three Parahumans who could reach said core, but the blowback of their destruction could theoretically crack the planet." With that, Alexandria's hopes plummeted. No matter what else was said today, the girl before her believed these facts to be the complete and utter truth.

Leaning back, Taylor gave her another, knowing smile. "At this point, though, I'm sure that you need to discuss this with a number of other very important people before deciding on anything. Go ahead now, I can wait until any case you make is voided due to screwing with my civil rights. Legal flexibility only goes so far before it becomes a violation of the Geneva Convention."

Grinding her teeth, Alexandria grabbed her arm. "Fine, I will escort you back to holding and discuss this with the Local and Chief Director. Then we can discuss your final options at great length." Rebranding was right off the table after disclosing knowledge about Cauldron, but maybe Kurt or Contessa would have an idea on how to handle this mess.

Ignoring the pressure on her arm, Taylor put back on her mask. "Oh, I'm sure we will. The narrative would expect no less."

With that, Alexandria felt a shiver down her spine beyond anything her perfect memory could previously recall.