Worm/Ward/The extended Parahumans universe & All associated trademarks are property of John C. McCrae aka Wildbow.
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Chapter 09: One Last Scare
Lisa was enjoying being Lisa rather than Tattletale for the evening, the illusion of normalcy in the wake of so many weeks of hard work and planning, all of which had been taxing on her powers to the point of leaving her with near constant, blindingly painful headaches. Lisa was also enjoying the spoils of her hard work now that the Undersiders had successfully made their mark on Brockton Bay.
Coil had ordered the four of them to rob a bank. The crime itself was a statement of intent and a show of force, one which would undoubtedly change the way her team were perceived by both their fellow Capes and the general public alike but it also a mere distraction, something which allowed Coil to acquire a key component of his mysterious pans for the future of the city. It had been a risky and challenging ordeal, wherein the Undersiders could have failed and been arrested at a dozen or more times and one that had only grown more convoluted with the arrival of the Wards though if Lisa was entirely honest she would accredit her teams' victory largely to the fact that the Wards had been given limited support from the Protectorate due to other events being coordinated to require their attention and also the Wards own lack of cohesion and clearly troubled mental states.
The loss of Shadow Stalker had been a boon to the Undersiders as a whole, not only Grue with whom the former vigilante had harbored a one-sided grudge.
Vista had been entirely absent, a fact which Lisa was immensely grateful for especially given the youngest Ward's recent activities and behaviors. Aegis however had proven far more difficult to overpower and outflank than expected, showcasing powers that went far beyond what had been expected and being stopped only when Lisa herself had managed to draw him into a protracted confrontation, giving herself enough time for the two of them to talk and exchange in repartee for her powers to give her all the answers she needed and tell her exactly how to break the Hero's spirit.
All she had needed to do was point at where Kid Win had been left laying face down on the asphalt and imply that Aegis was at fault, that he was somehow failing to protect people again.
That had been several days' ago, now it was Saturday night and Lisa was making the first laughably small dent in her share of the Undersiders' takings by ordering pizza.
She had been forced to collect it herself of course, having food delivered to the loft was a non-starter and as she trudged through the dark and empty streets carrying a collection of piping hot pizza boxes she found herself idly considering getting a fake driving license and a car that could be parked somewhere nearby, or at least pestering Brian to do so. Her thoughts came screeching to a halt however as she drew close to the outwardly abandoned building which housed the Undersiders' lair, such as it was.
Dogs were barking and had been for some time.
[Rachel Lindt is present. Continuous agitation from dogs is incongruous with her behavior inside the loft. Rachel Lindt is indisposed or incapacitated] Lisa's powers supplied her with conclusions faster than another persons' mind could begin seeing the individual points of data and in response her eyes quickly darted upwards, terror seeping into her entire being at the sight of her team-mates, all of whom were in their civilian identities standing in front of the lofts' windows.
Frozen in place and looking down at her with expressions which ranged from fearful to furious.
[Undersiders are immobilized. Symptoms consistent with Cape known as Invidiak. Invidiak has acted against other Villains within Brockton Bay, Lisa Wilburn left Invidiak when escaping Lung and Oni-Lee; suggests attack motivated by revenge. Undersiders are all displayed in same direction and facing Lisa Wilbourn's direction of travel. Invidiak knows Lisa Wilbourn is here-]
"Come out! Show yourself!" Lisa raised her voice, fighting to not only keep the fear out of her words but also to fill them with a sense of confident boredom and suggest that this was a minor inconvenience "I know it's you Invidiak, if the PRT hasn't got a kill order on you yet then it's coming soon….I've got a gun-"
"Oni-Lee had a grenade" the voice which answered was filled with some human emotion despite being entirely inhuman itself, a sardonic chuckling sound filtered through crackling and warping distortion and in response Lisa whirled around to face the source of the voice. Leaning against a wall and clad in all black, easily recognizable with their beak silhouette was Invidiak.
No, Invidiak's shadow.
[Shadow is separate from source. Distraction. Attack will come from-]
Lisa's body locked up, stiffening so that her balance was maintained and she maintained her hold on her stack of pizzas whilst at the same time control of her muscles was taken away from her and more chillingly her power fell silent, the voice in her head finally giving her peace and providing her with no answers at all in a way that brought the exact opposite of the comfort and freedom Lisa had hoped for. She had been attack by her own shadow, it had risen up behind her whilst she was distracted and out of the corner of an eye that she could no longer direct Lisa saw both featureless black figures disappear back into the ground.
She also saw movement coming from within the building, two figures appeared with what they seemed to hope was a deliberate and purposeful stride but was clearly more of a nervous shuffle. They were also both evidently Capes, one of whom was tall and broad-shouldered wearing a mask inspired by a horror movie which was designed to look like it was made of stitched together flesh, paired with an apron and what Lisa quickly realized with rising panic was a Tinker-tech chainsaw. The other was riding a Tinker-tech tricycle all of all things and wearing a white mask with red circles on its' cheeks.
Without her powers Lisa needed a few moments to push through her fear and make certain deductions herself.
The Capes were styling themselves after the villains of horror movies, to be specific the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Saw franchises respectively. The Saw franchise was famous for the quote 'I wanna play a game' and games were the theme of the missing duo Uber and Leet. The pair who had not been seen since their apparent encounter with-
"I guess you know who Uber and Leet are" Invidiak's voice, her real voice cut through Lisa's thoughts a moment before the Villain strolled into view and Lisa was struck by how young she sounded, by how ungainly she looked even with her height and sinister appearance, by despite her reputation and the two henchmen flanking her the Cape-killer seemed so impossibly awkward.
"We have an arrangement, I recruited them after I used them to lure the Wards to Winslow. They stay off the streets and don't bother people and I use my powers to help Leet, he's been able to start making things that last a little longer"
"We also give Invidiak a hand when she needs us, tech support and muscle, things like that" Uber added, hefting his Tinker-tech chainsaw and resting it over one shoulder before adding "But we had to re-brand a little y'know"
"We like horror movie now" Leet said simply. There were a few moments of silence where the inanity of that statement was allowed to sink in before Invidiak stepped closer, looming over Lisa and spoke again.
"Your friends aren't hurt, my power will wear off when I leave even if I don't let them go sooner. Uber and Leet were here to help lock the dogs up, my power doesn't work on them" a faint shrug of narrow shoulders and gangly arms "I wanted to talk and meet with you and I was warned against letting you talk back too much, so this felt like the best way to handle things"
Lisa was calmed momentarily by the information Invidiak gave her and then suddenly more frightened than she had been before, Invidiak had killed Villains and Heroes alike and the most logical reason for her to be mentioning a potential weakness was because she was certain that nobody who heard her would be walking away from the conversation.
"The Heroes hate you now and no matter how much they talk about rules and codes and things like that it doesn't matter, they're not going to be fair or decent or heroic" Invidiak's voice trembled with an almost palpable fury at the thought "They'll cheat and lie about it and bury the truth. They're not heroes, not really….And the Undersiders have managed to upset all of the gangs lately. The funny thing is that I thought we might be able to work together, you don't really hurt people, not like ABB and the Empire and you don't sell drugs like the Merchants. I've been watching you lately and the funny thing is that I thought the Undersiders were independent…."
Invidiak trailed off and if Lisa could have widened her eyes in shock and terror she would have.
"I really do like Coil's base" the shadowy Villain's tone was almost conversational even with the unspoken threat behind every word "Lots of shadows, lots of dark places….I can see everything in there, everything"
Invidiak clasped Lisa's chin and forced her head up despite the paralysis so that she was peering directly into the green lenses of the killers' mask
"So I'm going to give you a choice Tattletale. You can work with me or work for Coil, but just remember that I know where to find you….I'm going to leave and give you until Monday to think about it" the fury in her voice was more pronounced now "All I want you to do is explain to me exactly why Coil has a little girl locked up in the basement and pumped full of drugs and what we're going to do about it?"
With that Invidiak turned on her heel and stalked away with Uber and Leet following close behind.
Though Leet lingered for just long enough to steal the pizzas Lisa had still been holding.
It was rare, given the long hours that his job often demanded of him that Danny Hebert was able to enjoy breakfast with his daughter, his last link to his late wife and the last truly good thing he had going for him in life and especially so on a weekday when Taylor had school.
Today however things were different, enough so that Taylor herself commented on them as she brought over the plates of bacon and eggs that she had been preparing for the two of them after returning from an early morning run before heading to school.
"They didn't need you at work today?" she asked conversationally, which Danny answered after a long and protracted yawn.
"Not right now….Honestly a lot of the hiring side of things was replacing guys who quit and left when the gangs threatened their families to get 'em to smuggle or deal for us, or when they tried to threaten the union" Danny couldn't help but give a faint bu savage smile as he added "They've been getting jumpy since one of the Capes froze about a dozen Empire guys and left them all in a dumpster"
"Oh I heard about that" Taylor noted, maintaining her conversational tone although Danny saw a smile that matched his own forming on her features and found himself simply happy to see his daughter smiling again "Wasn't that same Cape who made Uber and Leet disappear? The one who attacked Winslow?"
"I didn't know that" his expression darkened for a second, the relief he had felt that someone was finally taking a meaningful stand against the Empire being soured by the knowledge that the person in question was also a child-murderer who had killed a Ward in cold blood "Damn….Funny you should mention that though, one of the guys I had to lay off a few months back was working for Uber and Leet right before that and he says his money kept being paid out on time. Still he's happy to be back on the docks"
"Things are looking up?"
"For now" Danny sighed "As long as the gangs are being scared away from the docks-"
He was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a phone vibrating.
"You have a cellphone?" he asked carefully, fighting to keep an accusatory note from his voice despite the taboo around the devices ever since Annette's death. Taylor's answer was to fidget uncomfortably in her seat and toy with her fork for a few moments before reaching into her pocket and producing something that Danny recognized, despite never handling one personally as being a smartphone that was perhaps a year or two out of date and of the variety that did not incorporate Tinker-tech; the kind of phone that was reliable and did not need to be repaired or replaced every year at the most even if this particular phone had seen better days and was clearly secondhand judging by the small crack on its' screen.
"Yeah, I got a phone" Taylor finally admitted, fixing him with an unexpectedly firm expression "The city is getting worse Dad. A villain attacked my school….A girl in my class was murdered recently, by the sounds of it the only reason the docks are safe is because one Villain is beating up the others. I can't rely on there being a payphone nearby if something happens, you should get a phone too"
"I understand" Danny breathed out, not liking the lies or secrecy at all but being unable to deny that the reasoning was sound or honestly claim that he had been giving his daughter the attention she needed lately "I'm not angry but you should have told me….What good is phone for emergencies if I can't reach you on it because you won't give me the number?"
"Sorry" Taylor smiled sheepishly, mouth seeming to stretch to the furthest corners of her face before she added "But yeah, the Bay is dangerous and that's why I joined a gym. Working out and some self defense classes….Actually I'll probably be busy tonight so don't worry if I'm home late okay?"
That was unexpected enough that it made Danny stop eating, pause everything in fact and for a moment simply look at Taylor, truly take her in and see the young woman he was raising.
He felt tears stinging his eyes as he realized that Annette would have been giddy at the sight of her.
Even lounging casually in her chair at the dinner table eating her bacon and eggs Taylor exuded a quiet confidence that was almost certainly a new addition to her entire persona. She was showing the signs of growing into a tall and powerful looking young woman, running and other exercise having already made her lean rather than simply skinny, enough so in fact that it made Danny question just how long she had been going to the gym and learning to defend herself for.
Small, fading bruises on the knuckles of her right hand suggested that she had already sparred with someone and presumably acquitted herself well.
Her taste in clothes seemed to have grown as much as the rest of her. Taylor still wore no make up at all but she was no longer hiding beneath baggy and often layered clothes that she could huddle and retreat into. Her jeans were in fact a touch more slim-fitting than Danny would like though, judging by the complaints he heard from his colleagues with children of similar ages skinny jeans were apparently a trend which transcended gender. Taylor also wore studded and heavy black bracelets and bangles around her wrist which could presumably double as weapons if needed, a green tank-top which betrayed a hint of midriff and a headband of the same color to keep her mane of dark and curly hair from falling in front of her eyes.
The most notable part of her attire however was the Battle Jacket, a sleeveless leather thing with spikes and studs adorning its' shoulders with various patches ranging from literary puns, the logos of bands Danny had never heard of and a few more overtly political statements including one proclaiming 'Save the Ferry' which he couldn't help but smile at the inclusion of.
It was exactly the kind of thing that Annette had often worn and something that his late wife would have cooed and fussed lovingly over the sight of their daughter wearing; it was however also a source of immediate concern for Danny given the company Annette used to keep in her own youth, especially given Taylor's own comments about how dangerous the Bay was becoming and the bruises on her knuckles.
"Taylor" he began "Look at me….I know that I've been-No I can't just blame this on me being at work, I've been a mess. But, are you okay? I know you're not friends with Emma any more but are you in trouble with someone?"
"No?" something flashed across Taylor's face, quickly vanishing beneath a more composed expression though before Danny could question it she pressed on "I'm fine….I mean, I don't really have friends, I was talking to a couple people I train with over the weekend and I might hang out with them at some point but honestly I'm fine. Why are you asking?"
"Because I'm your father and I'm concerned about you" the answer came without hesitation, a small stinging feeling tugging at his heart at Taylor's admission that she was largely friendless though it was quickly followed by mild embarrassment as he explained himself "I just saw the jacket and well….Kinda looks like you're going for the tough punk look and I thought either you're trying to impress a boy or you're hanging around with a crew and neither of those are really-"
He was silenced by Taylor choking on scrambled eggs and then being left doubled over, almost falling out of her chair as she howled with laughter.
"You saw a leather jacket and thought I'd joined a gang?" Taylor managed to choke out through giggles as the laughter subsided "Seriously, who would I have joined up with? How old are you Dad? Gangs haven't worn leather jackets like this since before Scion showed up….Back when they were asking 'Can you dig it' and trying to get back to Coney Island"
"Oh ha ha" Danny sighed, fighting back his own chuckles as he caught the reference Taylor was making "But you're okay, promise?"
"I promise" Taylor assured him, though Danny noticed that she chose that moment to rise from her chair which provided her an easy way to avoid eye contact "But anyway, I've gotta go or I'm gonna be late for school"
"Don't forget to write your phone number down somewhere for me" he called after her as she departed "I love you!"
"I love you too Dad" Taylor called back, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts for just long enough to conclude that Taylor was almost certainly hiding something though that it was likely something less severe or worrisome than he might fear, perhaps she had started smoking or there was a boy in the picture that she wasn't ready to talk about. This conclusion came and he prepared to prepare himself for the drive to the docks and the beginning of his own working day, only to be caught off guard by Taylor offering an amused parting shot as she left.
"Warriors, come out to play-ay!" the door closed before Danny could offer a retort to that and instead he simply chuckled contentedly.
Taylor was visibly happier and that was what mattered. Annette would be proud of who she was growing into, he only hoped that he could get his act together and go back to being the man Annette had married.
In the weeks following her assault on the Wards and her showdown with Shadow Stalker as Invidiak Taylor had been an irregular presence at Winslow High School.
She had been truanting in the weeks leading up to her plan being enacted and chose to continue the trend to avoid raising suspicions. It was of course a laughable notion that anybody would care to notice her in her own right however she knew that Sophia's death, which was being reported as an entirely separate incident from that of Shadow Stalker would be investigated and that if a girl the Ward had been bullying suddenly began changing her behavior it might well be mentioned to the Protectorate.
Taylor had indeed been questioned, only a few days after the incident. Miss Militia, with eyes red from crying at the loss of a Ward rather from a lack of sleep that she did not need though she had received it as a gift from Invidiak all the same had taken Taylor and seemingly several other victims of the Trios' bullying, a group which Taylor was somewhat surprised to see included Madison Clements herself into an empty classroom one by one to interview them. Taylor had noted that it was not framed as a questioning and that none of the students were read their rights or offered either legal counsel or any form of adult supervision and had instinctively been set on edge.
She knew how to act pathetic however and had simply reverted back to the person she had been before being stuffed into a locker full of filth; putting on a performance which convinced the Hero that Taylor Hebert was completely harmless and had no connection to her former bullies' demise.
During the time she should have been at school Taylor had been learning other kinds of lessons. Taylor doubted she would ever see Uber and Leet as friends, they were despicable people of a different stripe to the Trio but unpleasant to be around nonetheless however the messy, so called lair they operated out of did afford Taylor somewhere to go whilst she was skipping school and she had taken advantage of the arrangement that she had come to with them. Uber's power did not actually make him any more intelligent or give him real understanding and so he had been unable to tutor her or begin the process of getting her grades back up to an acceptable standard, what it did do however was allow him to begin teaching Invidiak to fight whilst Leet, for all his sneering, complaining and muttered comments was all too happy to trade the time it would take him to find better study guides and make upgrades to her costume in return for Taylor using her own powers to systematically quieten and throttle his own in ways which made him more productive.
She could not allow it become an all-consuming routine however, partly because she simply did not want to let herself fester in the mediocrity of Uber and Leet's lair with its' integrated small-scale cannabis farm, podcast and gaming studio and workshop but also because of the associated risks, Taylor knew that eventually her teachers would, by the law of averages if nothing else notice her absence and word would be sent to gather which would lead to questions she didn't want to answer.
And so today, begrudgingly and twenty minutes late, carrying an iced tea Taylor strolled into Winslow High School and particularly Mr Gladly's classroom.
"Ah Miss Hebert, I'm glad you finally decided to grace us all with you're presence-"
"You're welcome" Taylor said simply, taking her seat without offering an explanation and setting down her drink as she readied her textbook and notebook before nodding from the teacher to the whiteboard he was stood at "Well don't stop on my account"
The classroom was silent for a single, shocked moment before someone was heard muffling and choking back their laughter which didn't open the floodgates entirely but cause a faint trickle of hushed whispers and mutterings behind hands to trickle through the classroom as students who had ignored Taylor for so long, allowing themselves to be bystanders or active participants in her trauma finally looked at her and took notice; many of them seeing the tall girl with the beginnings of muscle, a sleeveless leather jacket and green eyes that had hardened recently behind her glasses and being forced to quickly reevaluate their opinions of her.
Taylor ignored them as easily as they had ignored her, instead she scanned the classroom and glared like a hawk at the sight of Emma.
The redhead was at her usual place, close enough to engage the teacher in conversation and stroke Mr Gladly's ego by making him feel as though her were one of the cool kids despite being a grown man. Madison was seated elsewhere however and without her friends flanking her Emma seemed far less imposing, she seemed drawn, hunched in on herself in a way Taylor recognized instinctively and with dark rings around her eyes which makeup had not quite covered and which suggested she was not getting enough sleep lately.
Seeing Taylor's eyes on her Emma scowled and glared back only for Taylor to give her a faint and deliberately mocking wave.
"As I was saying" Mr Gladly finally spoke up, having let the guffawing and chatter run its' course for as long as he was willing to tolerate and now taking a firmer tone than his students were used to hearing to assuage his mildly bruised ego.
"Um Mister Gee" Emma offered her opinion up with a timidness Taylor suspected to be entirely affected and the well-tested sickly sweet tone she used to get her way "It's been a while since Taylor was here and she's got a lot of catching up to do….I don't think it's fair on the rest of us to have to go over old material just for her benefit; maybe there's a remedial class she can go to?"
The snickering started again and as always the teacher was adamant in his refusal to act, Taylor however was no longer willing to allow it.
"It's fine, I'll come over to your place tonight and pick your notes up….Hey does your sister still come around or has she just completely forgotten about you since she went to college?" the entire class seemed to share a collective sharp gasp at just how underhanded that barb was, yet it was merely a precursor.
"But since you're the star student….Why else would you be Mister Gee's favorite and sitting at his desk like that, maybe you can tutor me?" Taylor kept her tone completely conversational and calm "It's not like you're hanging out with Sophia after class right-"
"YOU BITCH!" Emma was on her fee in an instant, wading through chairs and desks with a distinct lack of coordination behind her furious intent only for her to come to an abrupt, uncertain halt as the teacher finally took some form of action and clamped down on the redheads' shoulder to stop her from assaulting a classmate. Taylor managed a quick glance around the classroom, gauging the expressions of her fellow students and noting that whilst almost all of them were shocked and few had wrinkled their noses at the poor taste of the comment there were very few who seemed genuinely upset.
Taylor noted that even Madison didn't seem entirely certain of how to react.
"Miss Hebert!" Mister Gladly's voice wavered with anger "Miss Hess's death was a tragedy and a loss for all of Winslow. I don't want you in my classroom, go to Principal Blackwell's office-"
"And is Emma coming with me, everyone just saw her try to assault me"
"You provoked her"
"And when has that ever mattered?" Taylor answered, raising her slender frame lazily out of her seat and taking her iced tea with her, pointedly sipping it before adding "Certain people get away with provoking people but nobody else does? Are you scared of telling Emma no because her Dad's a lawyer?….There couldn't be any other reason-"
"OUT!" Mister Gladly thundered, his hand flying from the shoulder of a still furious Emma as though burned and Taylor relished her victory silently. She had no proof that her teacher was involved in anything unseemly or criminal regarding her former tormentor and if she were honest she highly doubted that anything of that nature would ever happen however now the insinuation had been made and he had reacted to it; Taylor had been the subject of enough rumors to know that the story would be impossible to contain now and its' spreading would be the first step in a long game Taylor was more than willing to play.
Especially since Emma no longer had Sophia to silence anyone who spoke ill of her.
"Bye" Taylor drawled the word out slowly as she left the classroom, maintaining eye contact with Emma until the moment the door closed and separated them.
Finally allowing herself to let out a nervous breath she had been holding as she walked away from the classroom.
Taking a seat on the first flight of stairs she came across Taylor allowed her powers to push out into the shadows that still pervaded the school even in daylight, peering out from beneath stairwells and behind bookshelves as she gathered her thoughts for a moment. As her consciousness retreated to her body Taylor decided that as tempting as it would be to simply walk away now, leave Winslow and not return it was not really a viable solution. She had set this chain of events in motion and would have to see it through which meant facing Principal Blackwell head on; Taylor hoped that she could at least parlay the situation into getting herself transferred into other classes for the time being or if she was lucky even have the principal acknowledge that Sophia Hess had been a bully, since the Protectorate had already questioned Taylor in regards to her death, especially if Taylor played up the angle of a lost and confused victim struggling to process the situation and lack of closure.
Taylor was by no means finished with the remaining members of the Trio, or with anybody who had enabled them, from the teachers to the Heroes but that was no reason for her to suffer Emma's presence more than she strictly had to.
After a few more moments she prepared to stand again and make her way to the office, coming to a halt as she felt the phone she was still unused to vibrate with an incoming notification. Removing it from her pocket Taylor's eyes widened a fraction and her breathing suddenly became faster and more labored at the sight of a private message on her PHO account from someone who was obviously using a throwaway profile.
It looked like the Undersiders were ready to talk.
Vista, having left school only halfway through the day as was expected of those within the Wards program was still wearing her civilian clothes albeit paired with a black domino mask as she trudged through the corridors of the PRT's Headquarters, slouched with her balled fists in her pockets and wearing a scowl on a face which sported both a cut and swollen upper lip and a bruise on her left cheek which had spread far enough to be confused with a black eye.
The sight of a photograph of Shadow Stalker, part of one of many small shrine commemorating the fallen Ward made her halt. Lingering for a moment Vista bit down on her tongue to keep her lip from quivering, pushing down any sign of emotion that might betray her as she stood straighter and jutted her chin out defiantly.
Sophia would have berated her for letting herself look weak.
After a moment she continued along the corridors of the headquarters in a direction completely separate from the Wards' base of operations where she was not scheduled for any activities and would likely be confined to console duties and heavily restricted for the foreseeable future, for reasons connected to her current condition. Her destination was an entirely unremarkable meeting room with a small sign affixed to the door which marked it as occupied, though Vista ignored this and simply stepped inside whilst making no effort to knock.
"Vista" a clipped, businesslike and entirely familiar voice greeted her.
"Armsmaster" Vista' affected surliness faltered and a smile tugged at the corners of her bruised lips before she forced it down. The leader of Brockton Bay's Protectorate, at least for the time being if rumors were to be believed was sitting rigidly in a chair which seemed too small for his armor and had evidently been waiting for her to arrive.
"Can I get you a drink?"
"Let's just this over with….How much trouble am I in?" the youngest Ward answered, aiming to seem nonchalant and as though she had some degree of control over the situation as she took her seat, setting her book down at her feet by casually tossing it and holding her arms across her chest as she met Armsmaster's gaze, only for the entire thing to appear as though she was sulking.
"Considerably less than you could be, given the circumstances" Armsmaster answered, regarding her for a moment and seeing the defiant glower she treated him to before pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a slow sigh "It's my duty as leader of Brockton Bay Protectorate to assist the leader of the Wards at any given time and their PRT liaison in any matters of discipline or training when requested to do so, which is why it's me speaking with you right now rather than Director Piggot….I have read the reports and seen the footage of what happened last night but perhaps, for the sake of fairness and completion you can tell me why you think this meeting has been called?"
"Because I actually went out and got some results instead of playing patty-cake with Villains the way Piggy wants us to!" Vista spat, realizing the long list of errors she had made the moment the words left her mouth; with the fact that Armsmaster was almost certainly recording the conversation and that the Director she had just insulted would see said recording being foremost amongst the worries she refused to show.
"The Director" Armsmaster breathed the words out, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going "Is always happy to have a Ward who is willing to show initiative, pick up extra patrols and gather intelligence in ways that do not risk their safety….But that information needs to shared and processed through proper channels, to ensure that we are acting legally and patrols need to be approved for your safety. You did none of that Vista. Video footage recovered from the scene shows you arriving at the Iron Gate Bar and hurling a brick through a window before engaging in what can only be described as the most literal case of 'broken-window policing' I have ever seen; leading to an altercation during which you fought with an Empire Eighty-Eight affiliated cape identified as 'Rune'"
"Turns out not all the Nazis go to Winslow" Vista scoffed "Kid at my school mentioned something about his uncle working at an Empire bar where a kid Cape hangs out and listens to the live bands….I figured if they're starting their own little league to fight the Wards we may as well get the first hit in-"
"And in doing so you've given an Empire front business a legal case against us" Armsmaster interrupted bluntly "You've caused thousands of dollars of damage, gotten yourself injured and drawn the attention of the Youth Guard-"
"Oh who gives a fuck?" Vista spat venomously "Where the fuck have Youth Guard been while I try and get out of my parents house? Where the fuck were Youth Guard for…."
She trailed off, not wanting to use Shadow Stalker's name in this argument only for Armsmaster to force the issue with his steadfast commitment to protocol and the way he believed things should work.
"This isn't how we do things Vista-" she was on her feet in an instant, eyes stinging with tears and voice cracking with grief and emotion as she screamed out her retort.
"THE WAY WE DO THINGS DOESN'T WORK! SHADOW STALKER KNEW THAT AND IF SHE'D CARRIED ON PLAYING BY HER OWN RULES AND DOING WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE SHE'D STILL BE HERE! THE VILLAINS WIN BECAUSE WE LET THEM, YOU'RE LOSING YOUR JOB, AEGIS IS RUNNING AWAY-"
"That's enough Vista"
"The hell it is-"
"VISTA! SIT DOWN!" Armsmaster barked, bringing the blonde girl to a halt, regarding him furiously and remaining silent for several seconds before slumping back into her seat and burying her face in her hands with a series of sniffles and hiccups escaping her.
"I will schedule you additional meetings with Jessica Yamada and also request that Youth Guard attach someone to your case file, Clockblocker has already requested additional counseling so they will be able to accommodate. This isn't the first incident since Winslow and I am concerned for your safety and ability to act in the field; you were one of the best Vista….I can't stand to watch you waste your potential like this" the older Hero's final words stung more than the blows Rune had managed to land in their scuffle had.
"But I will address your concerns, in reverse order since the mention of Aegis is pertinent" he continued, graciously ignoring Vista's still quivering lip "You do your leader a disservice by implying that he's a coward. The possibility of allowing Aegis and Weld, the leader of the Boston Wards to take one anothers' places as a form of training for future leadership roles within the Protectorate was always under consideration; Aegis's second Trigger Event during the Winslow incident simply expedited things. Weld will be arriving within a month and Gallant is also receiving additional training"
"Sure" Vista mumbled, voice still raw and throat still filled with mucus in the wake of her crying. She was evidently unwilling to concede the point just yet and so Armsmaster pressed on.
"As for myself….My departure from Brockton Bay for the Chicago Branch is not something I planned for or wanted, but it is something I have been aware of for some time" the current leader of the cities' Heroes couldn't quite keep the bitter expression from his face for a moment "However this does open up a possibility, my notes on Invidiak suggest that a Tinker capable of using remotely operated drones of some variety would have an advantage against her. To that end I've recommended to Director Piggot that an offer be extended to a Tinker by the name of Fishtank-"
"Then we can finally get revenge for Sophia" Vista snarled.
"We will get justice for Shadow Stalker" Armsmaster corrected firmly "We deal in justice. Shadow Stalker was a young woman taken from us just as she was beginning to grow into the Hero she owed it to herself to become….Please don't cheapen her memory by going in the opposite direction, it would only add another layer of tragedy-"
"It wasn't a tragedy!" Vista yelled "Tragedies are an accident, a bus crashing is a tragedy! Shadow Stalker was murdered AND WE'RE DOING NOTHING!"
"What exactly do you want the Protectorate to do that we are not already doing?" Armsmaster asked delicately, a vein pulsing in his forehead as he kept his own temper in check; understanding the grief and anger of the young Ward in front of him and willing to be far more lenient in regards to her attitude than he otherwise might.
Her next words chilled him.
"Sign a fucking kill-order" Vista spat without hesitation "Sign one for Invidiak, for Lung, for Hookwolf and every other Villain in this city with a bodycount. If they can kill Heroes and get away with it then what's the point in us being here? If they can kill civilians then Shadow Stalker was right about us-"
"After careful consideration a kill-order was ruled out at this time" Armsmaster's voice was hollow "Almost solely because we have good reason to believe that Invidiak herself is a minor. When we catch her and we will catch her Vista, Invidiak will face a life sentence in the Bird Cafe for her murders….But we're not going to ask Heroes to kill a child. We're not like her-"
"Right and I'm sure the fact Invidiak has been handing Empire their asses by the docks and the fact that ABB run scared at the sight of her unless Lung is nearby is nothing to do with it at all? But if I go and handle the Nazis I get chewed out for it" Vista snarled "Shadow Stalker was right. We're useless, you're useless"
"Shadow Stalker would approve of this attitude" Armsmaster admitted "But I want you to really consider whether or not that is a good thing before you make any decisions that can't be unmade"
"Fuck you. I quit" Vista answered coldly, enunciating every syllable clearly. With that she rose to her feet, snatching her schoolbag and stomping towards the door and turning to glare over her shoulder as she delivered a parting shot.
"If you're not gonna handle the Cape-Killer then I'm gonna do it. You can tell Youth Guard, Piggy and everyone else that I said it".
Classes had ended for the day and Winslow High School was deserted, it's limited extra-curricular activities having concluded several hours ago and even the most down-and-out of the local delinquents having found other places to go, either finally returning home or finding more enjoyable places to socialize, smoke weed and start fights with rival gangs whose members they would see in class the following day.
The deserted campus allowed Invidiak to make her move.
After enduring the drudgery of classes, interspersed with feeble efforts at drama from her remaining tormentors, the rigmarole of a meeting with principle Blackwell and a faint but ever-present smattering of gossiping in the hallways strewn through the days' events like miserable confetti Taylor had needed to blow off steam in a way which visiting the gym did nothing to help; she needed to vent. She had been to the gym after class however, the civilian clothes were stashed in the gym bag she used close by and she had also, for the sake of productivity and efficiency made a point of taking a detour which brought her close to the Undersiders base. Tattletale had reached out to her and the two were in the earliest stages of hashing out something approaching a working agreement however Taylor, with common sense meeting the paranoia of someone who had been bullied was not so willing to trust the Thinker and her assurances just yet. As a consequence she had felt a need to keep a watchful eye on the group and make sure that none of the Undersiders were planning an obvious ambush at the first opportunity.
She would probably have Uber and Leet inspect her phone and possibly dispose of it in the near future, just to be safe.
Now, in near total darkness which her costume allowed her to blend in with almost seamlessly Invidiak strolled leisurely across the same roof where only a few weeks ago she had been forced to fight for her life before finally achieving her first real victory in her crusade to make Brockton Bay better, by removing every Hero or authority figure who fell short of their responsibilities to the people they served.
As she walked the masked Villain took care to pause and inspect several pieces of equipment that she had deposited around the perimeter of the roof on previous visits, she did made no claims to understand exactly how they worked but to Taylor's knowledge the devices generated small electromagnetic pulses which left the entirety of the schools' roof electrified but only very faintly so and left a faint thrumming in the air which was fortunately not able to be heard from below. After ensuring that the Tinker-tech devices were still operational and were not in need of maintenance Leet might not be able to provide Invidiak lowered herself into a crouch and gently rapped her knuckles against the surface of the roof before returning to her full height and waiting.
She did not have to wait long.
"There you are….You didn't think I'd forgotten you did you?" the smile that formed beneath Invidiak's mask would have unsettled all who saw it if her face was uncovered as a new shadow appeared on the roof. A shadow entirely disconnected from any tangible thing and resembled a girl or young woman whose form was partly obscured by a cloak, the figure having an appearance of depth that defied the two-dimensional nature of what it appeared to be and beat its' fists furiously, yet silently against the roof as if trying to shatter some invisible barrier.
It was not Sophia Hess's shadow, it was Sophia Hess herself.
Her power having interacted in unexpected ways with Taylor's own and allowing Invidiak to leave her trapped in her current state. The Ward, who had been presumed dead by her allies and whose civilian identity had been reported as dead to the world shortly after thrashed for a while longer despite already understanding the futility of it.
Taylor could almost respect her tenacity.
"So you probably didn't hear about it, given that you can't leave the roof any more" Taylor's twisted smile widened and Sophia hammered against the roof in a desperate frenzy "But the Undersiders pretty much walked all over your friends….I won't lie to you Sophia, that's a big part of why I'm going to recruit them. I've already got Uber and Leet working for me, the Gangs are already scared. I'm going to make this city better and then I'm going to show everyone what kind of people they were looking up to before….No more lying to themselves and pretending it isn't happening right under their noses, no more looking away because it's easier"
Sophia's shadowy and ephemeral fist beat against the ground at Taylor's feet and did nothing at all.
"Oh but speaking of your friends, I saw Emma today….She's not looking good, not at all" faux concern dripped from every syllable, only to be replaced by a cold malice as she added "But don't worry about her too much….She hasn't asked about you yet….Honestly if I could risk it I'd actually consider bringing her here so she can see what telling me about you led to. Who's trapped now Hess? Who's waiting for help that's never gonna come now?….But you're the strong one right? Help yourself out if you can"
Taylor's voice had grown bitter and biting, her arms splaying wide in a challenging gesture as she dared Shadow Stalker to raise herself up from the roof, to overcome Invidiak and emerge victorious.
It didn't happen.
It couldn't, Taylor had left Sophia's power trapped in an active but altered, damaged state which had proven to be enough to leave her trapped and disoriented on its' own and the vanquished Ward and former bully had been further tethered to the roof of Winslow High School by both the power to the school being turned on again and the devices Leet had provided. Shadow Stalker was left effectively haunting the roof of the school, unable to leave her Breaker State and unable to venture elsewhere as the electricity within the campus barred the way.
Taylor stared at her beaten foe for a while longer before turning and preparing to leave, offering one final comment.
"You know what's really funny? One thing that came from all of this that I forgot to mention?" Taylor asked, unable to keep herself from laughing at the situation even before she delivered her punchline.
"I'm getting a new locker"
Author's Notes:
And that ladies, gentlemen and esteemed others is the end of this story.\
I do have plans for two other Worm Fics (One of which may have already been posted as part of a community thing by the time this is posted, I'm not sure when it's going to happen but I'm writing this in December 2023)
Also, whilst I don't have any concrete plans to write more Invidiak Taylor stories there are at least two directions I could go with the character: Firstly I could show her rise to Warlord status, with Vista becoming a nemesis….Hell I could write it from Vista's perspective. Or, there was a post I made on Tumblr a while ago, half joking about an "Into the Taylor-Verse" story wherein a post-Worm Taylor would meet alternate versions of herself who Triggered in the locker with different powers, with Invidiak being one of them.
This has been my most well-received Worm fic thus far, honestly possibly my most well-received fic in general (But that's the price of writing a lot OC stuff) and I want to thank everyone for the time they've spent with it.
But anyway, let's summarize shall we?:
So I honestly can't remember exactly how much time there is between Taylor joining the Undersiders in canon and the bank robbery, but I feel like it's enough time for there to be a distinct demarcation of at least a few weeks between the last chapter and the start of this one.
Vista's absence was the first hint that something's going on with her.
Also yeah, Aegis is a powerhouse now….But people with two Trigger Events are just walking bags of easily exploitable trauma.
This is actually the first time I've wrote Lisa using her powers.
Taylor really does just have a knack for psychological warfare and villain aesthetic….She really did just break into the Undersiders base, paralyze everyone and then put them on display for Lisa to find.
"Oni-Lee had a grenade" now she's just owning the kind of Villain she is.
The whole reason I had a scene from Lisa's perspective was just for the moment when her powers get turned off.
That's what happened to Uber and Leet, that's why their van was gone and their suits were left behind before the Heroes got there….Taylor's recruited them as subcontractors.
I'm not 100% certain if Taylor could use her Trump rating like that but since she can control how much she paralyses someone or whether or not they stay conscious it stands to reason.
You think a Taylor with the ability to see through shadows wouldn't find out about Coil's base? You think there is any version of Taylor that sees what Coil did to Dinah and lets it run?
This Taylor skipped the Undersiders stage and went straight to Warlord, no respect for the unwritten rules and willing to force people to bend the knee the way canon Taylor did to those two capes from Haven.
I made the scene Danny's perspective just so we don't have two Taylor scenes from her own perspective back to back.
Yeah Danny stood by Skitter in canon, don't know if he'd stand by Invidiak though….But hey, the docks are getting protected.
Taylor's power was her creating the means to help herself because nobody else was going to, now she continues to help herself because the thing she does as Invidiak give her justification to act differently as Taylor….It all gets swept up as "She's rattled after that Villain attacked her school".
Does Taylor even know how to wear makeup?
Also yeah, she repurposed the battle-jacket. She only wore it once as Invidiak and even Armsmaster won't recognize it with the patches back on….And again it helps her get away with acting different "She's having a rebellious phase, look at her".
Yeah on the one hand "Your Mum would think that you being a little punk now is adorable" on the other hand "That is legitimately terrifying because your Mum was friends with actual terrorist super-villains who are in the Birdcage now".
Cape crews taking the aesthetic of gangs in the Warriors should absolutely be a thing.
A boy in the picture….I wonder what Brian will make of this version of Taylor.
Taylor escaped suspicion by hunching in on herself until she looked smaller and acting like her old, defenseless self; given just how many people the Trio bullied and the fact that Madison was willing to break ranks and distance herself from Sophia Taylor wasn't a suspect.
On the one hand Taylor's an effective Cape, getting her grades back up, getting stronger and can't be bullied any more….On the other hand, what kind of person is she becoming?
Every kid should get to shut down a teacher like that at least once, as a treat.
No Sophia, no Madison and dealing with the consequences of bullying everyone as well as the trauma of knowing what she did….Emma is a long way down the social food chain now, demoted to teachers' pet.
And the long game against Gladly begins….He can't deny the favoritism now.
Also Taylor never outright called him a sex offender and I don't read the character that way, but it's a pretty useful rumor to start if you want to get a teacher fired and Taylor is using all the tricks that were used on her….Also, I'm gonna be honest I think any teacher that is overly involved in their students social lives and the class gossip is a little bit suspect, or a least dickhead who needs to grow up.
I know that canonically the Wards photos are in the lobby and the photos of KIA Wards are in black and white but I feel like there would probably be other pictures and small memorials on noticeboards throughout the base, even for Shadow Stalker.
Remember this version of Sophia at least had some respect for Vista, she'd been giving her sparring lessons and was gonna take her on an unofficial patrol….The problem with that is that Vista's willing to act a little more like Shadow Stalker.
Yeah, Vista just made herself the idiot who called Piggot "Piggy" and got herself caught.
So according to Ward Rune used to hang around far right bars for the music as a kid and that, as well as her family was how she got pulled into the Empire….Not sure if this lines with the actual timeline of her Trigger Event or her arrival in the Bay, but at the same time the youngest Nazi and the youngest Ward who is also a blonde white-girl seems like a fitting Superhero rivalry.
Besides a Vista vs Rune throw-down would be insane.
The irony of Vista's statement when Sophia got handled specifically because she tried to kill Invidiak, if she'd retreated and waited for backup she'd be fine.
The reaction to Sophia's death is more explosive to the deaths in the fight against Leviathan a) because we're seeing it at a more raw and open point in time and b) because an Endbringer is a force of nature, Invidiak is a person….It feels different knowing that it was deliberate.
Of course the efficiency Tinker hates seeing wasted potential.
The reshuffles were already going to happen but now they're being sped up, Armsmaster is being moved and losing a leadership position for PR reasons and Aegis is being moved out of Brockton Bay for a while for his mental health.
Also….I have to include at least one reference to Fishtank in every Worm fic, it's a rule I have.
Fishtank could potentially counter Invidiak, so could Dragon….Although she'd probably be able to shut off Crusader's copies same way she dealt with Oni-Lee; which begs the question now I think of it: Invidiak Vs Siberian?
Do the Protectorate give kill-orders for minors? I know the Slaughterhouse Nine have one as a group but like….Bonesaw is still alive.
So whilst Taylor is becoming a villain and taking some of the worst parts of the Trio and Sophia, Vista is becoming a hard-line vigilante and taking the worst aspects of Shadow Stalker.
Yeah after two years of hell Taylor isn't trusting anyone or trying to make friends.
But more importantly what's a horror movie without the reveal that the monster isn't dead at the end of it?
Of course it was going to end up with Sophia trapped, thematic parallels and all and what better way to show the kind of person Taylor's become now.
But also, Taylor has a hate-on for the people who abuse their power….Wait til she finds out who Coil is.
"Who's trapped now Hess? Who's waiting for help that's never gonna come now?….But you're the strong one right? Help yourself out if you can" there it is, there's Taylor's justification to herself.
Of course she's getting a new locker, the one she shoved Aegis in is evidence now….In a way that it wasn't when she was locked in it, which is only gonna make it more clear in her mind that the Protectorate is corrupt and needs to go.
Thank you to McReaperKing, DaCoolEntity, TheUnknownSpartans, FieldMarshal1915, ChaosRin, Blaze1992, Veritas31, StormWarning, FlyingMushr00m, Ryo Oh Ki7 and one unnamed Guest for their reviews on the last chapter.
You okay there buddy?...That's a hateboner for a fictional character that's veering a little out of normal bounds.
And well Sophia isn't dead, but I wouldn't call this living either.
Well their investigation definitely brought up exactly what kind of person Sophia was, but not that she caused a Trigger Event.
I think this counts as Taylor getting a win.
Honestly I think you're putting too much faith in the PRT if you think having Sophia's confession recorded would matter to them; Armsmaster broke the Endbringer truce and they put him on house arrest in a penthouse with a pool, then did nothing when he broke out and came back with a new alias...Honestly I think they would have swept everything Sophia said under the rug as "Things that were said in the heat of the moment whilst fighting a villain" and then at most swap her with a Ward from another city.
Vista and Taylor would be a terrifying team up, but not gonna happen.
Giving Taylor a second Trigger on the roof would have felt like a cop out to help her win the fight tbh; having her go full circle and actually cause a Ward's trigger event in the same locker felt more fitting.
That was absolutely not a flawless victory lol.
As for what Taylor does next...There were some joking ideas about an "Into the Taylor-Verse" story with multiple Alt-Power Taylors including Invidiak, but I doubt I'll have time for that.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favorite and review.