A/N: This fic is going to be taking a back seat to Portal. Don't expect much in terms of quality, but it was a fun little idea I wanted to explore. In short, don't expect many fights or any serious plot lines. This will most just be snippets.
ooOoo
"...And, and Eidolon even gave a press conference about her," said Julia, too excited to swallow her ground beef, spraying the rest of them with flecks of brown flesh. "Said he hasn't seen that combination of skill, creativity, and power in anyone ever. I'm telling you, she's gonna be bigger than Alexandria ever was. I mean, she's like, practically a Triumvirate member already, and she's only our age, and she's from Brockton Bay, and can you imagine going to a football game against Arcadia next year and just being around her and not even knowing it? How friggin crazy would that be?"
Julia should really learn to get a clue. Read the room a little before spouting off, it was like she didn't even care about Taylor. Her BFF had been in a staring contest with a chip since the start of lunch. The body cam footage of the battle against Behemoth that Emma had shown her in second period had really freaked her out.
"You're always looking for the next big thing, aren't you?" asked Emma, smirking and staring at Julia's bra, pressed up against a skin tight croptop that was just a bit too transparent. "But I guess I see where it comes from. How many socks is it today? One? Two? Three?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Julia, just a bit too quickly. She stood, her milk carton sliding around on her tray, a few soggy cafeteria nachos spilling some cheese on her pink designer top. "See you around Ems."
Taylor giggled, a half smile on her face. "You're evil, you know that right?"
"She'll forgive me," said Emma carelessly. "Hey, where did you go yesterday? I heard you being called to the principal's office over the PA system in second period, and like, once news broke out about Behemoth attacking Hong Kong everyone freaked and forgot about you, and I didn't see you for the rest of the day?"
"I had to go to the dentist," said Taylor.
"Was his name Crentist?" Asked Emma lightly.
"No! No… I don't remember his name," said Taylor. "What does it matter? Do you remember the name of every dentist you see?"
"Kinda, yeah. But seriously, last time you said the doctor, the time before that it was that your dog died. You don't even have a dog."
"It's not- I don't- I'm not even the one- If Pig would ju-" Taylor stopped, gathered herself, and met Emma's gaze with a smile so forced it would've looked creepy on just about anyone else. "I did go to the dentist. I even have a doctor's note to prove it. Do you really think the school would just allow me to leave if I didn't?"
See that was the thing. They wouldn't. But Emma had told her dad, and her dad had called Mr Hebert, and… And he hadn't picked up. Had he been backsliding? What had Taylor worn yesterday?
She couldn't remember. How come she couldn't remember? Why was being a friend so hard, wasn't it supposed to be fun?
How could she even think that, after all Taylor had been through? What kind of person was she?
"Hey I've seen Ferris Bueller," said Emma. "I know these things can be faked. I can be ba~ad Tay, real bad. I've got a darkside, y'know? Probably gonna be approached by the Merchants or ABB any day now. So if you wanna skip, if it's all too much, even if… If you wanna do, um, drugs or something, just let me know. We can be bad together."
"Maybe," said Taylor. "Not that I'm doing anything like that. But maybe next time I get called out, I'll-"
Taylor cut herself off with a humorless laugh, and was back in a staring contest with her soggy chip. "You think telling off Julia like that makes you a bad person? The worst thing you can think of is that I'm out doing drugs? Ever since Mom died I've been all messed up. Done some messed up things. And the worst part of it is that even though I knew they were bad, I just moved on like it didn't even matter. Like it was nothing. I don't ever want you to have to deal with anything like that."
"Crying for a week isn't nothing," said Emma gently.
Taylor smiled at her. A delicate, brittle thing. "I know it looks bad, but all my absences have been excused. You can even ask the principal. I'm not cutting classes or anything."
What had happened between the two of them? They'd once been close as sisters, shared absolutely everything, but the times they'd dressed up like superheroes seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Can you believe Julia?" Asked Emma. "Acting like some rookie cape is better than Alexandria? Have you seen her stupid costume? They say she made it herself, and I'm inclined to believe it. It looks like it was made by a twelve-year-old. I wouldn't be caught dead in it. I don't care how good her power is, being a hero is about so much more than combat ability, it's about inspiring people. And nobody is inspired by Khepri."
"Absolutely," Taylor murmured, throwing the chip she'd been picking at into the cheesy mess. "Mom would have hated her."
ooOoo
"Ok I gotta talk fast because Piggy will only give me four minutes and I need the other two to call my dad," said Taylor. Were those screams in the background? Another FPS? Really, what was the point of going to summer camp if you were just going to waste it playing video games? "Pig likes to think that she's all cold and professional, but the unif- suit she always wears, the pants get more and more stretched out, and today she forgot her belt, and her slacks like, almost felt off, and me and Hannah saw that she was totally wearing a thong. Lacy, black, would've been totally sexy if she weighed a couple hundred less pounds. Collin noticed too, but pretended not to, which made it even funnier…"
This? This was the good stuff. After her mother's death, Taylor had changed. She'd gotten cold, distant, and had even run away from home a couple times. Recently she'd gotten better, a little warmer, but was still prone to skip school at least once or twice a month. There was still some unspoken something between them, but these one-sided conversations were signs of things finally returning to normal.
"...And I wish I listened to my dad, because he suggested I bring more books, and I only brought three, and I've read them all twice…"
Emma felt her dad's hand on her wrist, lowered her phone to pay more attention to her surroundings.
The car had stopped in the middle of a narrow one-way street. A dumpster had been shifted to block the end of the alley.
She looked over her shoulder, down the other end of the alley. A white van had stopped there, the taillights glowing. There were a group of six or seven Asians approaching, sliding over the hood of the van to get into the alley and approach. Members of the ABB.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Not in Brockton Bay. Brockton Bay was safe. The home of the most notorious cape on the planet. Khepri protected them.
The window to her right shattered.
Funny. Khepri may have frightened off Lung and Kaiser, but their powerless henchmen didn't seem scared at all. They were beneath her notice. Khepri might be out saving the world, but she wasn't here.
Emma Barnes screamed and screamed, but Khepri never came.
Shadow Stalker did.
ooOoo
"You ever think of joining the PRT?" Asked Emma. "Becoming a Ward?"
"Press conferences? Going on some fucking talk show, trying to appeal to middle-class white women?" Asked Sophia. Shadow Stalker. Shadow Stalker! Shadow fucking Stalker thought Emma was worth hanging out with. Taylor would totally freak when she found out. It'd be like when they'd both been in their Alexandria phase, back before everything had turned to shit for both of them. "Posing like some fake ass model? Yeah, that's totally me."
Emma swallowed. "You're pretty enough for it. You could do it if you wanted, and then you'd have backup."
"I don't need backup," Sophia growled.
"Of course not," said Emma. "I saw that well enough."
"Kiss ass," Sophia said, but she said it with a smile. Emma's shoulders relaxed. "Sure I could do it… But it would be a pain in the ass, y'know? Maybe if it were the Protectorate, but the Wards never see any action, and when they do they've got their hands tied by all our soft ass laws. Fuckin suburban bullshit, give every gangbanger another shot, I'm sure they've learned their lesson. The courts, the fucking worthless lawyers, they're the ones perpetuating this big illusion we're all caught up in, and I don't want to be a part of that."
"Right," said Emma. "Of course, you're right."
"Not that it would be all bad," said Sophia. "I'd get to work with Khepri if I joined. Almost make it worth it if I could join her in cleaning up the world. It's only a matter of time until she surpasses Eidolon, if she hasn't already. Join her crew, take down the baddest capes on the planet, maybe I'd be down for that…"
"Yeah," Emma said. "Cool."
"Who the fuck is that?" Asked Sophia.
She could see Taylor approaching. Almost swaggering, like she'd just won the camp spelling bee. She was still wearing the shirt from camp, primary blue with a big logo, and somehow still hadn't gotten a tan despite spending a week by the lake. Her arms and legs did seem like they'd gotten some exercise, but her large proud smile and unkept hair made her look like a fucking child. More like nine than thirteen.
Something dark and ugly stirred in Emma. Fucking Taylor, so fucking innocent, didn't have a fucking clue what the world was really like, the darkness out there, or maybe then she wouldn't be wearing such a dopey fucking stupid smile.
"Emma!" Said Taylor happily, digging into her bag, muscles in her forearm rippling. "I got you something!"
"You workout?" Asked Sophia. "You run?"
"Sure, sure," said Taylor, pulling out an ugly green shirt. "Pig ma-"
She jumped out of her sandals when she actually looked at Sophia. Like, actually out of her sandals. What the fuck was that Taylor?
"Who are you?" Asked Taylor, a hard edge to her voice. "What do you want with me? Are you the reason Emma isn't taking my calls? What have you done to her?"
Sophia was staring at the t-shirt on the ground. Ellisburg was written over its front. Sounded familiar, but Emma couldn't quite place it.
"You're one of the types who thinks capes are entertainment aren't you?" Asked Sophia. "Like just because they had Khepri last week's operation was a fucking picnic? People fucking died while you were braiding fucking friendship bracelets with all the other fucking children."
Taylor just glared at Sophia. "Go."
"You're the one who should go," said Emma. "Sophia is my friend, and you're… you're…"
Not even bothered. Taylor wasn't even looking at her.
"I get what's going on," said Taylor, glaring at Sophia. "You've made a big mistake. There are supposed to be fucking rules. You touch her and I'll make you regret it."
Sophia stuck out her leg to trip Taylor as she left. Taylor didn't trip or even so much as stumble, so Sophia just shoved her over. Taylor just laid there, staring up at Sophia stupidly, as if she was bewildered by the whole situation. As if she couldn't believe that Emma had actually let it happen. Taylor should've been looking at herself. Emma didn't control fucking Sophia, she was a fucking cape.
And Sophia had fucking saved her, been there when she needed it most. How many fucking nights had Emma been there for Taylor, and what did Taylor ever give in return? Nothing. She'd let her mother's death turn her into a shallow husk of a person.
Emma couldn't, wouldn't let that happen to her.
"Go home Taylor," said Emma. "Nobody invited you here."
Taylor seemed to get the message, and fucked off.
She hadn't even fought to stay. A part of Emma was heartbroken over that. She shoved that bit down. Compartmentalized it. She wouldn't let herself become like Taylor.
"Feel better?" Sophia asked.
Better? No. Not even a little bit.
"Yeah," said Emma, smiling. "Way better."
ooOoo
"You're a cape."
"I am," said Sophia.
"We need to get you checked out, I don't like unregistered rogues in my city."
"Alright," said Sophia. "Let me get changed."
Barely a block from Emma's place and Sophia had been pulled aside by the ultimate predator.
Sophia wasn't star struck of course, but she would be if she were the type. Khepri was a hero, a real one, not like those fucking posers in the Protectorate who sat around in front of cameras. Khepri wasn't the type who cared about looks, she'd made her fucking costume out of black widow spider silk because it was durable, and blended into darkness. Made her hard to see, and if it made her look a little edgy, if the yellow goggles were a little too far apart to be kid friendly, if nobody could understand why the hell she'd given her costume fucking insect mandibles who gave a shit? Khepri never said much in the interviews, hadn't spoken any more than a few words, just gone about her business without bothering to maintain the stupid illusion the PRT made for pathetic little irritants like that creepy queef Sophia had met earlier.
Khepri understood what being a cape was about, being a fucking predator. Hunting the ones below you. If you were smart about it, you'd hunt prey who deserved it, maybe make the world a slightly more tolerable place.
Did Sophia really want to join the PRT? Not really, but it would be like if Florence Griffith-Joyner asked if you wanted to do some sprints with her. So she followed Khepri to the PRT headquarters, not that it was hard, Khepri just flew them both over. Took maybe five minutes. Something she could get used to. From there she confirmed that yes, she was a cape, and yes, she was there for power testing. Yes officer, my power does allow me to move things, yes, I was aware that electricity was a weakness, and yes, I know that I can imbue incorporeality or whatever fancy word you wanna call the shadow state into another object.
Waste of time. Stupid. Having to pander to these fucking prey. Thought their fancy education made them so superior. It would be one thing if they could actually offer any insight, but they didn't, not really. How would knowing the specific voltage, oh sorry, amperage, how the fuck was that ever gonna actually help her? What, was she gonna stop in the middle of a fight and look up the specs to some old building's wiring?
Maybe the PRT had started solid. A bunch of the strongest capes working together, sharpening each other, but it had become a waste as soon as they'd started trying to make it appealing to fucking normies who were fucking blind to the realities of the world. All this? Being poked and prodded by scientists, doctors, engineers that was where they'd gone wrong. Too big, too bloated, controlled by fucking morons and wasting Sophia's time.
Eventually, Sophia found herself in a room with a fat woman, Director Piggot, who nominally ran the place, Armsmaster, who would probably normally run the place, and Khepri, who really ran the place.
"We'd like you to join the Wards," said Armsmaster. "Frankly, I think you should. Your powers are good, but you don't have armor, and you have to become vulnerable when you attack. I've done a background check, and I know you're getting in skirmishes with the ABB. They may no longer have any capes, but it's only a matter of time until you get yourself hurt or killed. One bullet you don't see, one thug with a knife, and it's over. You're a child and you've gotten lucky, but eventually that luck will run out."
"Or you hurt one of them so badly you get thrown in jail," said Director Piggot. "You could break free of course. But then you'd be labeled a villain, you'd be a criminal, always on the run."
"Are you threatening me?" Sophia growled.
"Stating facts," said Armsmaster. "On the other hand, you can join us. Be provided a safe environment. Get paid a six figure salary. I've looked into your family background. I know you could use the money."
"Anyone could," said Director Piggot, shooting Armsmaster a glare. "Think about it this way, Shadow Stalker. You'd be working with the best. Forming connections with the Protectorate's future leaders."
Khepri was silent for a moment, as if carefully considering her words. Sophia leaned in. Words from her were rare, she either wasn't allowed or more likely never deigned to speak to reporters or engage with her fans online. Not that Sophia was one or anything.
"Are you sure that your powers have no Master elements to them?" Asked Khepri. "Mastering someone is when you use your powers to control someone, or even just influence their behavior."
"No," Sophia said softly. "I can slip into a shadow state, but I don't control people."
Khepri looked to Armsmaster.
"True," he said.
"But, but what if she's using her powers subconsciousl-"
"We'd know," said Director Piggot. "We looked into it. Followed your tip. Nothing. You asking again isn't going to change anything."
Khepri wilted, disappointed.
Like all girls in Brockton Bay, Sophia had been following Khepri since she'd made her debut. Watched her rise to the top of the Protectorate, so routinely achieving the impossible that it had almost become expected. And to be dismissed so easily… It…
"I'll join," said Sophia. "I'll join the Wards."