Angels in Brockton
We all know how it goes, Taylor gets shoved into the Locker and gets powers from somewhere, usually something stupidly powerful and beyond comprehension. However, the aftermath of that power being gained is usually fairly subdued. This time though, the resulting explosion is both literal and destructive as the Tenth Angel spreads its wings.
And we are back! Nothing really to say here, so lets get started. Enjoy!
Sandelphon 1:2
That night, as Taylor Hebert slept of her Trigger Event, something began to change. In worlds long uninhabited by anything larger than a bacterium, eight beings trapped in slumber twitched slightly as the power within them sensed the activation of the Root. Most remained in slumber, unable to do more than dream of better times, but one of them opened one eye. As it did, the orb began to glow with a faint, golden light.
Meanwhile, in Russia, in a place sealed off from the rest of the world, the being who had claimed this area as its own suddenly woke with a start, knocking the staff that had been resting on its chest to the ground.
"This feeling…" muttered the being, tilting a head in the vague direction of Brockton, "It feels almost like…"
After a moment, it shook its head.
"No, it can't be. I'm the last. Nothing but...a wonderful dream…"
It yawned and lay back down, returning to its slumber, much to the relief of a warily watching Dragon.
Taylor took a deep breath as she stepped into the circle in the middle of the testing room. It was the morning after her Trigger Event and shortly after 9 oclock, the PRT had called requesting that she come down for Power Testing. Since neither she nor Danny had anything else going on and were honestly curious about what she could do anyway, they decided to take them up on the offer. Now she was stood in the testing room, surrounded by sensors of all kinds with a lab coated man sat in a control room behind laminated, Tinkertech glass and a forcefield that could apparently take a blow from Alexandria without issue.
"Alright Princess, whenever your ready," said the man.
Taylor blinked and glanced over at the window.
"Princess? Where did that come from?" she asked.
"Assault suggested it as a temporary name," he said, "We can change it if you want."
Taylor thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"Whatever, you need something for the paperwork and it works for now," she said, "I will be changing it when I come up with something better though."
"Fair enough," said the scientist, "Now, whenever your ready…"
Taylor took a deep breath and reached inside her for the rolling mass of energy that had been burning there since the night before.
"Adonai Melek."
Dark purple energy immediately erupted from her body with enough force to send the equipment around her rattling and make the forcefield that coated the room flicker slightly, leaving her clad in her armoured dress. It was honestly surprisingly comfortable, although Taylor didn't think it looked right on her after spending some time looking it over in the mirror at home the night before.
"Hmm, interesting," muttered one of the scientists, "That energy is...well, exotic to put it mildly. Hmm…"
The scanners around Taylor began to move, pale blue light moving over her as she tried not to squirm.
"Well, I have no idea what that energy is, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything," said the scientist, "As far as I can tell, its harmless. We'll have to do more tests at some point, but for now lets move on."
He pressed a button and another machine came forwards, this one with a punching bag attached.
"Punch the bag as hard as you can," he said, "And don't worry, that thing can take anything short of one of Alexandria's punches."
"OK," said Taylor.
She clenched her fist and readied herself. Despite what certain people might think, Taylor was actually a fairly capable fighter. Being the daughter of a former Dockworker and currently one of the most powerful people in the DWA who regularly told the Gangs to fuck off when they came sniffing around looking for handouts, recrutes or a way to smuggle whatever their particular brand of 'merchendice' may be, and the daughter of a former minion of a Supervillain, is it any wonder that her Parents made damn sure that she knew how to take care of herself? It wasn't anything really impressive, just things like how to throw a punch, block and fall properly, that sort of thing. However, for this, it was just fine and Taylor could at least punch the bag without hurting herself. You know, if that was actually possible anymore.
BOOM!
KABOOM!
"HOLY SHIT!"
The room shook as Taylors fist slammed into the bag at speeds fast enough to set off a small shockwave and the Tinkertech punching bag, designed to withstand blows from the likes of Glory Girl, exploded. The sheer force of the impact created a shockwave that cracked the ground and caused the force field protecting the walls to visibly ripple and flicker.
"H-holy shit," said the scientist again, "Princess, please tell me that was your highest output?"
"I-I think so," said Taylor, staring at the damage she'd caused with an innocent punch.
"I-I see," said the scientist, "Thats...somewhat worrying."
He took a deep breath and visibly pulled himself together.
"A-anyway, I think that'll do for the strength test, lets move onto durability. Did you take any damage from that punch?"
Taylor looked down at her fist and shook her head.
"No, I barely felt it," she said.
"I see," said the scientist, "Alright, put your arm in the device to your right and we'll see if this is equally overpowered."
Taylor did as she was told and the machine let out a buzz.
"OW!"
Taylor yanked her arm back and examined her now throbbing finger. Surprisingly, although it hurt, there was no sign of an injury.
"Huh, I'm actually surprised that hurt you," said the scientist, "Although that amount of force should have pierced your skin at least. Guess your more durable than normal, but your pain receptors are about the same. Interesting and unusual…"
"I hope we don't have to do more of that," said Taylor.
"No, its fine," said the scientist, "This is just to get an idea of your limits. If that hurts you, we can make a note of it and move on."
So they did. As it turned out, Taylor could control the energy her body apparently generated to create force fields that put Shielders to shame and energy blasts that were even more destructive than her punch had been. And that was without using her sword. She could summon her weapon at will, which also happened to make the ground crack, and it served to both focus and enhance her energy to make her attacks that much more powerful. The throne that served as a sheath for her sword could also double as a flying vehicle that matched Armsmasters bike for top speed and could be cut in half to further increase her swords destructive potential. They didn't test the latter, but Taylor somehow knew it was possible, which was brushed off as a standard instinctive knowledge of how to use ones power all Capes shared. Her power also seemed to come with an instinctive knowledge of how to use her sword, which was nice and earned her a minor Thinker rating.
With the tests done, Taylor was escorted to a meeting room where her Father met her armed with piles of paperwork while the rather pale and sweating scientist headed upstairs to give his report.
"Alright, whats the damage?" asked Piggot without preamble, "Just how much of a clusterfuck are we looking at here?"
"A very big one," said the scientist, "I have her pegged as a high Brute, Mover, Breaker, Blaster/Shaker, Striker and possibly a Master depending on how we consider her sword and throne and minor Thinker."
Piggot stared at the man with wide eyes, already feeling her blood pressure starting to tick up.
"Your going to have to walk me through all that," she said, "How in the world did she get all that?"
"As far as I can tell, Princess' power revolves around manipulating the energy her body naturally produces," said the scientist, "It forms her costume, her sword and augments her body, allowing her to achieve impressive feats of strength. A full power punch destroyed the test bag and cause the forcefield to visibly distort from the aftershocks. That said, shes not as durable as she is strong and seems to feel pain from attacks that hit her, although her dress appears to provide an impressive amount of defence. Nothing we tried could do more than singe it and it quickly regenerated. Shes not invulnerable, but I doubt that anything that could actually hurt her would be good for the surrounding area."
"Good lord," breathed Piggot, "And thats just her physical powers?"
The scientist nodded.
"Yes," he said, "Her more...esoteric powers are even more worrying. The energy she produces can be used to generate force fields that surpass Shielders, energy blasts capable of blowing any target we had to hand to bits and shockwaves capable of blowing a man off his feet with a wave of her arm."
Piggot groaned and dropped her head to her desk.
"I knew that damn girl was more trouble than she was worth," she growled.
"It gets worse when she uses her sword," said the scientist, ignoring the half growl half groan sound Piggot made, "She can summon it at will and it serves as a focus and amplifier for her powers and the throne appears to be indestructible, in addition to being able to turn into a flying vehicle that Princess claims is capable of impressive speeds, although we were unable to confirm that, or used to create a more powerful sword that would serve to further increase her destructive power. We neglected to test that inside."
"And I thank you for that," said Piggot, "We'll have to see about getting access to one of the dedicated testing areas at some point."
She sighed.
"And now I have to go and tell this powerhouse that her suffering was due to our incompetence. Joy."
"If it makes you feel any better, we've finished the investigation," said Miss Militia from where she stood by the door, having entered during the scientists report, "You can safely tell Miss Hebert that the entire thing was a result of a single persons negligence."
"But it still happened on my watch," growled Piggot, "I do NOT like having to approach anyone in this situation and I refuse to allow it to continue. Miss Militia, you and Armsmaster will conduct an investigation into everyone working here. I know we have moles that we were trying to use to get more information, but I will not tolerate them anymore. I want the ones we are aware of and any more removed and the entire system gone over with a fine tooth comb. Bring in Dragon if you have to and get the Thinktank on the job as well. I want our systems and forces cleared of any backdoors and moles by the end of the month, understood?"
"Perfectly Ma'am," said Miss Militia, "If you'll excuse me."
She turned on her heel and left the room, the scientist leaving after her. Piggot sighed and rubbed her face, not for the first time wishing she could drink, before reaching for her desk phone and punching in a number.
"Please bring the Heberts to my office as soon as you can," she said once she was connected, "I need to talk to them before they finish the Ward paperwork."
"Yes Ma'am," said the trooper.
Piggot hung up and sighed again. This wasn't going to be fun.
Ten minutes later, the two Heberts entered Director Piggots office, armed with a sheaf of documents and, in the case of Danny Hebert, a slight frown.
"Good afternoon Mr Hebert, Miss Hebert, thank you for coming," said Piggot, "I trust there haven't been any issues so far?"
"Not entirely," said Danny, "However, I am unsure of some of the clauses in the Wards contract…"
Piggot nodded.
"Of course, we can discuss them as needed," she said, "However, before that, I'm afraid that I have something I need to discuss with you that may cause you to change your mind about joining. Please be aware that, should you do so, there will be no blowback as a result of your Trigger Miss Hebert. While destructive, no one was harmed and, to be perfectly honest, you are to powerful to risk alienating more than absolutely necessary."
Danny narrowed his eyes at the large woman, his experience of reading people leading him to believe that whatever information she was holding was...not good to put it mildly.
"Um, OK," said Taylor, looking startled, "Thank you?"
Piggot smiled thinly.
"Don't thank me just yet Miss Hebert," she said, "In truth, that is the least we can do considering the part we unknowingly played in your...experiences over the past two years."
Both Heberts stilled and Piggot took a deep breath.
"Miss Hebert, it is my great displeasure to inform you that, up until 9am this morning, Sophia Hess was a member of the Wards," she said, quickly holding up a hand and raising her voice as the Hebert's shot to their feet, "Please, allow me to finish. I understand that you are angry and have every right to be, but rest assured, if we had any idea what she was up to while out of costume, we would have stepped in a long time ago. Unfortunately, it seems that her handler and Principle Blackwell decided not to report her actions as they were supposed to and instead swept her actions under the rug. Needless to say, Agent Hammelton has already been removed from her post and will face disciplinary action and Miss Hess has been detained pending a further investigation of her other actions during her time as a Ward."
"What about Blackwell?" asked Danny through gritted teeth.
Piggot smiled thinly.
"We have no actual authority over her, but we shall ensure that she does not get away with this," she said, "I understand that the superintendent is currently on the warpath. By the time the investigation is done, I imagine that Blackwell and a number of her staff will be unemployable."
"Well thats something I suppose," said Danny, "I am curious as to why Hess had a handler though. I wasn't aware that such things were common."
"They are not," said Piggot, "However, Hess was a Probationary Ward."
"She's Shadow Stalker, isn't she?" asked Taylor, "Shes the only one who makes sense."
Piggot scowled, but nodded.
"Yes, she is," she said.
"I've heard a lot of rumours about her," said Danny, "How could you allow someone like that onto the Wards?"
Piggot sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"Mr Hebert, are you aware of just how outmatched we are?" she asked, "Villains far outnumber Heroes. That is a simple fact. As such, we CANNOT afford to be entirely picky about who we accept into our ranks. The top brass thought that Hess could be useful and, as she had a suitable character witness, she was offered a place as a Probationary Ward following her arrest instead of being sent down. She was...unpleasant to work with by all accounts, but she got the job done and thus, we had to put up with her."
Danny sighed as his anger faded. He wanted to stay angry, and he was to an extent, but he couldn't really justify his anger directed towards the Director. He understood better than anyone the need to make unpopular decisions in the name of pragmatism.
"Now, Taylor, I understand if you decide not to join after hearing this," said Piggot, "However, you should be aware that, with the amount of power you have, there is a very good chance that someone will attempt to...recruit you who won't take no for an answer. Either that or they will try to remove you from the playing field."
"Is that likely?" asked Danny, looking worried.
Piggot shrugged.
"Technically not," she said, "The Unwritten Rules of engagement Parahumans act with should protect you, but with how powerful Taylor is, there is a risk that someone may decide to ignore them to remove the threat."
"I see," said Danny, "What do you think Taylor?"
Taylor stared down at her lap for a moment, turning her options over in her mind. Part of her wanted to tell Piggot where to shove it and storm out, another wanted to say no due to not wanting to put up with more teen drama and the issues with Sophia, but a third part, a part of her who had been mostly stomped down by the actions of the Trio, wanted to say yes. It was the part of her that yearned for friends, for companionship beyond her Father. For a moment, the three parts of her wrestled, before her thoughts were broken by Piggots phone ringing.
"Pardon me, I need to take this," said Piggot, picking up the handset, "Director Piggot?"
The Heberts watched as the Directors expression shifted to surprise, then reddened in clear anger.
"How?" she snapped.
She listened for a moment, then sighed and shook her head.
"I see, well, thank you for letting me know," she said and put the phone down.
"That...didn't sound good," said Danny.
"Its not," said Piggot, "It appears that someone put two and two together and figured out who was responsible for the explosion that destroyed Winslow. Its mostly speculation at the moment and the moderators are attempting to crack down on it, but it appears that some bystanders managed to get some video before the troopers got rid of them. Again, its not conclusive, but its enough evidence that it would take a miracle to keep the truth hidden for long."
"Ah, so not good," said Danny, going a little pale.
"Not really no," said Piggot, looking highly annoyed.
"What are our options?" asked Danny.
Piggot shrugged.
"Very few I suspect," she said, "The only thing you can do is deny everything, but I guarantee that won't work for long. Even if you manage to convince the general public, there are plenty of Thinkers and Tinkers who could confirm it without difficulty and considering how much power Taylor has…"
She trailed off and shrugged again while Danny paled further.
"That...really doesn't sound good," he said, "Taylor?"
"I-I don't know," said Taylor, "I mean, I get the danger, but..."
Piggot sighed and nodded.
"I understand," she said, "As much as I hate to admit it, we dropped the ball big time and you don't have any reason to trust us. Tell you what, I'll give you all the paperwork and you can talk it over at home and decide then. We'd need to assign some security anyway."
"That might be for the best," said Danny, "Although I am surprised your willing to go so far."
Piggot smiled thinly.
"I am well aware that we don't have a leg to stand on in this," she said, "Normally, I would push for Taylor to join the Wards, but with everything thats happened, I don't feel that its entirely appropriate."
Danny nodded and accepted the paperwork the overweight woman handed him.
"Whatever the reason, thank you," he said.
"Don't mention it," said Piggot, "I hope to hear from you soon."
Dragon's code spun into a frown as she scanned the reports that had just come in from a spy satellite that had recently passed over Japan and spotted something odd enough to be tagged by one of the many less AI's she had monitoring such systems. The report detailed a disaster that had recently leveled a good chunk of one of the smaller cities in the country, claiming a large number of lives in the process and causing billions of dollars worth of damage. No one had claimed responsibility, but the mess was clearly the result of a Parahuman power. Or a very large bomb.
The AI went to work, analyzing anything she could get her hands on that could give her a clue as to who or what was responsible for the attack until she stumbled on a picture taken in the direct aftermath of the explosion by a camera that had miraculously survived. The image was blurry and grainy, but Dragon managed to clear it up enough to reveal a Human figure stood in the centre of the crater left by the blast. A figure clad in a crimson dress.
Before Dragon could properly absorb the odd sight, another alert drew her attention, this one coming from a program she'd set up to keep an eye on certain S-class threat. She quickly turned her attention to the alert and was greeted by a CCTV shot of an alleyway as a girl with long, black hair that covered her left eye who didn't look older than 17 enter the shot, followed by the horrifically familiar form of Heartbreaker. Dragon metaphorically gritted her teeth, already knowing that it'd be far to late to do anything useful and preparing to locate the girls family to give them the bad news. It was something she was all too familiar with at this point.
As she watched, the girl stopped and looked around, her gaze lingering on the camera for a moment as her lips twitched upwards.
"Ah yes, this should do," she said.
Heartbreaker raised an eyebrow and looked around.
"Here? You sure?" he asked.
"Oh yes, this is just perfect," said the girl, turning to the Master with a soft smile on her face that for some reason made Dragon want to shiver, "Theres no one around to hear you scream."
Heartbreaker barely had time to look confused before he was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled against the wall by what appeared to be a number of ghostly pale arms that emerged from his shadow.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" yelped Heartbreaker, "LET GO OF ME YOU…"
He abruptly shut up, his eyes going wide as the girl just smiled.
"Oh, did you just try something on me?" she asked, "Well, that won't work. Your powers only work on Humans after all."
She licked her lips and saunted forwards, leaning in close and running her tongue over the trapped Masters cheek.
"Mmm, you taste delicious," she purred, "Sinners like you always are. I do so love my job sometimes."
She took a step back and raised an arm.
"Come forth, Elohim," she said.
There was a brief flare of light and her pale pink shirt and blue dress was replaced with a black and crimson dress while her hair was pulled into a pair of uneven twin tails by a crimson bow, revealing the glowing golden clock face she had instead of a left eye.
"Now, lets get started," she said with a sinister smile, "My Grace is such a useful thing, but it does so eat up my lifespan, especially Yud Bet. I need to recharge before I can go find Sandalphon. Do scream for me, won't you Nikos?"
She reached for Heartbreaker, who immediately started screaming as the darkness around him began to writhe and crawl over his body until nothing was visible. For a brief moment, the scream increased in pitch, before there was a dull splat and the shadows retreated, leaving nothing but a reddish stain on the wall.
The girl let out a satisfied sigh and turned her smile on the camera, making Dragon freeze, despite the fact that she was miles away.
"I know your watching this Dragon," she said, "I'm sure that my actions will get me labelled a Villain by your silly superiors, but know that I have no intention of going after the innocent or the protectors. However, if any stand in my way, I won't hesitate to make them my prey as well."
She smiled.
"Just a friendly warning," she said, "Goodbye for now."
Then, she pulled out a gun and shot the camera, leaving Dragon dearly wishing that she could curl up and cry.
...welp, that was shorter than I intended, but I'm still ending it. Mainly because I don't think I can top that and anything else will ruin the mood. Side note, Kurumi is SO much fun to write.
Quick glance at some of the other folks who possess Grace. Anyone want to take a guess as to who the unknown one is?
I originally intended to only have a few of the Angels to be DaL expies, but I've changed my mind. Now, other than Michael, Gabriel and Taylor, all of the Angels will be at least based on DaL characters.
The scientist gets to remain unnamed because I'm lazy.
Yes, Taylor is OP. But she has the power of a LITERAL ARCHANGEL! While the Angels in this world are closer to the MCU Asgardians in nature, they are still well beyond any Human.
Her lower durability comes from the fact that, in DaL, it appears that the Spirits arent as durable as they are strong without
Piggot being reasonable is rather understandable in this situation. She has just been told that Taylors powers are Triumvirate level after all.
Yes, this is going to be a Wards Taylor since I need to do something to hold her back a little, lest she flatten everyone in the Bay. Plus, in this case it makes sense since shes stupidly powerful, but Danny's still squishy.
I was originally going to do the last scene from Heartbreakers POV, but I couldn't get into the mindset of a scumbag like him to even get close. Instead, I decided to do it like this. Still works and gets across the horror of being confronted by someone like Zafkiel. Once again, I'd like to say that Kurumi is fun to write.
And with that, I'm going to sign off. This chapter took SO long to get right and I'm glad its finally done, if only to get rid of the tab. Don't forget to leave a review!
EDIT! After some thought, I have decided that, if I was to continue this, Taylor would be better off going solo, so I changed the conversation with Piggot to reflect that.