And I'm back.
Disclaimer: As standard, neither Worm nor Warhammer 40k belong to me.
Hookwolf came forward in a surging rush, massive legs propelling him and a front leg lifting for a mighty slash. Taylor darted forwards, moving towards his left side and meeting the thrusting paw with her fist. The energy field around her gauntlet met metal and there was a shrieking noise as it cut through, letting her surge past. Taylor slid to a halt and spun, turning down her gauntlet to take a two-handed grip on her staff and swing hard. Hookwolf twisted and rolled, digging into the ground to tip himself over and pass under the staff before springing upright again, distance successfully gained. Taylor shifted her stance to face him properly, staff still in both hands. That was just the opener, she knew, an assessment with no real damage done. The clawed paw she had destroyed was already mostly regrown.
'You think all that metal will conduct electricity well enough that he'll go down from one zap?'
"I SUSPECT THAT IF IT WERE THAT EASY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY."
'Yeah, I thought so too. But a girl can dream, right?'
Hookwolf pounced forwards, claws lashing, and Taylor was forced to dance and dodge, barely avoiding the razor blades that whipped at her, clawing motions that covered as much space as possible as she stepped back. Left, right, left, right, the attacks were falling into a pattern that she could see and anticipate and she stopped suddenly, taking advantage of a gap in the pattern that suddenly wasn't there.
Her staff caught Hookwolf in the jaw, electricity crackling across metal in a sudden sparking show but a clawed paw the size of her torso hit her in the chest and flung her away. She landed by the wall with a pained gasp but nothing was broken and her armour, scored as it was, had held against the blow.
'Yeah, he's good.'
Hookwolf shook himself, a rippling motion accompanied by the shrieking of metal and the crackling lines of electricity that her staff had left over him sparked and faded. Taylor nodded to herself. Obviously, he was insulated in some way. Well, that just meant she had to make a gap.
Taylor made the first move this time, dashing towards Hookwolf, eyes fixed on his head. The head was usually a weakness, right? She feinted left, spun right to avoid one claw, ducked under the second and lunged her staff at the snout. Hookwolf twisted and turned, bringing his head away and swinging his body around, trying for a body slam that Taylor barely avoided by dropping flat. The blades missed her by an inch as she rolled under Hookwolf, coming to her feet just in time to see him rear slightly and plunge down, mouth gaping open like some nightmare blender. Taylor dropped her staff, feeling it land on her foot as she wound her hands together into a single fist, pushing her gauntlets to maximum and swinging.
The two handed uppercut caught Hookwolf just under the chin, melting and vaporising metal so that it splattered across Taylor in a brief, scalding rain that was fortunately blocked by the coat and armour. Taylor came out of the blow as Hookwolf reared back, half his muzzle gone to leave a ruin of scraping blades that were already reforming so Taylor kicked her staff up, catching it and shifting to make a two handed lunge that caught Hookwolf in his ruined maw.
Electricity crackled and this time it had an effect, Hookwolf tearing himself away in a jerking spasm and Taylor throwing herself back to avoid the flailing limbs and tail that screeched with the sound of shifting blades and metal tearing concrete.
'Well that was more effective.' She noted, pausing to take a breath and watch as Hookwolf rolled over, the electricity grounding away from his steely fur as he stood. Slowly the face reformed, though Taylor noted that it was a little squatter, a little shorter.
'Looks like there's some kind of energy requirement for regenerating. War of attrition, maybe?'
"AS A LAST RESORT, PERHAPS. THE BLOW DEEPER INTO THE CONSTRUCT HAD A MORE SEVERE EFFECT, YOU JUST NEED TO GO DEEPER."
'Go deeper. Right.'
Easier said than done.
Hookwolf shook himself again, clashing blades together before he lifted his head and let loose a jarring, scraping howl, a mockery of a wolf's cry that tore at the air in a metallic, scratching cry. Taylor suppressed her wince and eyed her opponent, particularly how he stood.
Take out the legs. Take out the legs, make a hole, stun him until he was down. Or just beat on him until he ran out of energy and stopped regenerating. Either or.
And plan C? Well, she definitely had a plan C. She didn't like it, it wasn't ideal, but it was present. And it would definitely fuck up Hookwolf if she had to use it.
Hookwolf charged, a battering ram blender in the shape of a wolf rushing at her. Taylor ran to meet him, a hasty plan already forming in her mind. She feinted left, followed on the movement as Hookwolf twitched to his right, his instincts betraying him for an instant as she barely avoided his flank and lashed out at his leg with her gauntlet, a hissing gouge forming in his flesh. A land, roll, to her feet but Hookwolf was turning faster than she would have thought possible and his claw was lashing around.
Taylor jumped at the claw.
In defiance of all sense she leaped, knowing that she would never be able to backpedal enough to avoid the blow otherwise. Her boots met the swinging metal and the force hurled her back, sending her through the air with a sudden force that threw her into what was almost a backflip.
Taylor wasn't quite agile enough to pull it off.
She was halfway through the spin when she realised that the bladed claw was reaching towards her, morphing into something more like a hand as it reached for her arm. Panic burst through her as she realised that, even if her vambrace and gauntlet could withstand Hookwolf, the hand was too big. Her upper arm would be shredded, she was panicking a little bit and The Emperor wasn't really helping.
"ARE YOU A PSKYER OR NOT? YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROTECT YOURSELF, USE IT!" The Emperor demanded as the claw reached for her. Taylor snarled inside her helmet.
'I've never managed it before!'
"THEN HOPE YOU WORK WELL UNDER PRESSURE!"
Taylor gave a mental howl of frustration as she forced her mind into the right frame, reaching out to the Warp- what energies she could reach out with. She had tested this, she thought it might work, it had never worked-
The claw closed on her arm, ripping through cloth. It should have rent flesh as easily as clothing, tearing through skin and muscle towards bone and spraying blood.
The screech of metal on metal greeted her ears even as she used the leverage to spin herself around and sever Hookwolfs' limb with her free gauntlet, falling through the air towards him with a snarl of exultant relief. Hookwolf wove away as fast as he could, jerking away from her but not quite enough. Taylor brought her arms down, gauntlets at full power and they seared through metal, carving two deep trenches through Hookwolfs side before he leaped away, leaving her to slam her fists into the ground. Taylor stood, tatters of cloth falling away from her right arm where the claw had ripped a long gash in her coat. A brief glance showed her what she already knew: the flesh of her arm replaced with silvery metal that moved just as it should had it been skin and muscle rather than steel.
'I got it.' She commented, almost dazed. One of the first exercises of the biokinesis school, turning flesh to a steel analogue, and she had achieved it where she had been failing in her attempts before.
"EVIDENTLY YOU DO WORK BETTER UNDER STRESS."
'But how? I can barely lift a book, barely form a spark but I'm able to use biokinesis when I never could before?'
"PERHAPS SOME MENTAL BLOCK HAS BEEN CHANGED. BUT THIS MAY NOT BE THE TIME FOR A DEBATE, TAYLOR."
No. The Emperor was right, it wasn't time for a debate. At least this would give her some sort of edge, another tool to use. Being able to take hits far more effectively would always be useful.
It wasn't perfect though; she could already feel the strain on her massively weakened powers. If she kept this up for long she'd probably be back to bleeding from her eyes and haemorrhaging all over the place.
Her staff clattered to the ground a short distance away, dropped during her backflip.
'Alright.' Taylor decided.
'No time to try and wear him down, it isn't going to work.'
"IT IS YOUR DECISION. PLAN C?"
'Plan C.'
Hookwolf was quickly healing, regenerating the metal, but Taylor thought it might be a little slower. Might be. It might also be her imagination. Still, she had a little bit of space and she intended to use it. She reached behind her, shifting her coat aside and going for something she had barely ever used: her prototype, one of a kind laspistol. The first piece of equipment she had built. In some ways she regretted that, since she had used the materials without thinking and then been unable to build any more of the smaller solar cells, but it was a boon in this case.
She drew the pistol in one smooth motion, firing off a spray of shots towards Hookwolf. The red beams lanced through the air with blinding speed, pock-marking concrete where they missed. A lot didn't miss, even with Hookwolfs sudden dodging away.
Taylor knew that Kid Win used laser pistols. They had different settings, able to be set to stun. Taylor didn't know how that was done: she presumed it was some Tinker bullshit. The Imperium pattern laspistol, on the other hand, simply transmitted thermal energy. A lot of thermal energy. On a fleshy target the heat transfer would flash-evaporate liquid in tissues, causing an explosion of steam that could easily take the limb off a human. Against the metal of Hookwolf, it simply melted the places it hit to slag.
Still, it did the job. Hookwolf veered away, darting into one of the tunnels beneath the arena in order to break her line of sight. Taylor swiftly turned, jumping and pulling herself up onto the arena seating, giving herself a little more space. She pulled the solar cell from the laspistol, grimacing at the waste of equipment she was about to commit.
Solar cells weren't especially unstable. They could be made unstable, given time, and it was possible to jury-rig a las weapon into an impromptu bomb, but generally the cells needed some kind of encouragement to explode. Taylor provided most of that encouragement by pressing the cell against a sparking gauntlet and letting the electricity run through it. She tucked the hopefully primed cell onto the stone next to her, picking up her pistol again before yanking the power wire from her right gauntlet and hastily attaching it to her pistol, thankful that she had been paranoid enough to include a port for a larger power pack to attach to her pistol. Crude as it was, it should suffice.
That grating, scraping howl came again. Taylor grimly picked up the power cell turned grenade and waited. She would only get one shot at this.
The obvious shot pun brought a thin smile to her face.
Hookwolf burst from the tunnel, charging towards her at full pelt. Taylor threw the cell in a lazy arc, tracing it with her eyes until it was in the right position. As it reached Hookwolf she raised her pistol and fired.
The line of energy struck the cell and it exploded with sudden, shocking force.
Taylor was already moving, ducking her head to keep most of the flash out of her eyes even as she slid the pistol back into its holster and jumped down. Hookwolf was roaring in pain and outrage, his howl sounding almost human through his ruined muzzle and shattered torso but Taylor didn't slow as she snatched up her staff and ran towards him, already feeling out the Warp to energise the protective runes on her armour.
She planted the staff in the torn mess of blades that had been the front half of Hookwolf and triggered the final feature built into the staff.
Every scrap of energy left in the staff discharged in a crackling orb of electricity, flowing through the air and consuming Hookwolf and Taylor. Taylor smelled ozone, tasted it almost as she gritted her teeth and forced power into the protective runes, a headache slamming into her skull and nausea rising in her throat. The orb seemed to last forever, even though it was merely seconds before it dissipated.
Hookwolf fell with a tremendous crash of blades, twitching weakly but unconscious and Taylor couldn't stem the rush of relief as she leaned on her staff and tried to suppress that pain behind her eyes and the exhaustion that flooded her.
"Holy fucking shit."
'Oh, what now?' Taylor questioned, even her thoughts sounding tired. She turned, carefully keeping herself upright to banish any illusion of weakness in case she faced some other foe. She hoped it wasn't another foe. She wasn't really in fighting trim right now.
'Oh hey it's the Undersiders. You think we can take them?'
"NO."
The Emperor sounded even more monotone than normal. Taylor nodded mentally.
'Yeah I didn't think so.'
Taylor thought about giving the three Undersiders a wave, but then re-thought. If they really were here to fight she should give a more impressive opening.
"Hey guys. Is it just me or am I basically a walking deus ex machina for you nowadays?"
Maybe she should have gone for the silent and brooding look. More intimidating. The stares were a little less impressed and a little more incredulous now.
"Yeah, I'm gonna assume that you're here for Hellhound? She's over there." Taylor said, waving airily- or woozily, she wasn't really sure- in the general direction of the tunnel she had stashed Hellhound in. Grue slowly moved towards the tunnel. Regent didn't move, still staring at Hookwolf. Tattletale hopped down into the arena and strolled towards her.
"So, you knocked out Bitch?" she asked. Taylor took a moment to remember that Bitch was the name Hellhound used- she really must be tired if she was getting slow. She shrugged.
"Yeah, well. Didn't want her getting in the way."
Tattletale turned around, obviously eyeing the gashes in the concrete and the general disarray. There was even some gore splatter from the dead dogs. It was, in Taylors opinion, really very picturesque. Just needed some skulls and some gold and The Emperor would feel like he was back in the Imperium.
Taylor ignored the grumbling in the back of her mind at that barb.
"Yeah. I guess you wouldn't want her getting in the way."
Tattletale smiled brightly, turning back to Taylor and reaching forwards. Ostensibly it was a pat on the shoulder, but Taylor wasn't yet too tired to miss the piece of paper that Tattletale tucked into the top of her breastplate.
"You really need to stop doing this, though. You're making everyone look much worse in comparison."
Taylor gave a brief chuckle.
"I can't help it. I'm just that good." She replied. Tattletale beamed at her before walking back to the wall and hopping back out of the arena. Grue emerged from the shadows a moment later, Hellhound slung over his shoulder in a firemans carry.
"She'll wake up fairly soon. I didn't hit her with anything more than a taser." Taylor offered. She got a stiff nod in response, but at least he wasn't hostile. The Undersiders halted in a line, looking down at her. Taylor licked her lips and shifted her staff, fully aware that at the moment it was just a piece of wood. Grue spoke.
"Thanks." He said, gruffly. Taylor blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Thanks. For keeping Bitch out of the fight."
Taylor shrugged, a little baffled.
"Well, I am a hero. I'm supposed to stop people from getting hurt as much as I can."
"It's still appreciated."
Well, that was nice. Although Taylor still wasn't really sure where they went from here. Apparently she wasn't the only one.
"So…are we just gonna walk away? 'Cause usually there's the whole thing of heroes and villains fighting." Regent said. Taylor was glad that he had voiced it, it meant that she didn't have to. Tattletale was wearing a smile that was a little less beaming and a little more smug, like she already knew what was going to happen. She probably did know, Taylor reflected: while Tattletale apparently had trouble understanding Taylor's powers Taylor herself was probably easier to predict from past actions.
"I'm going to say that we just leave and it stays nice and friendly." Grue said. His skull-painted bicycle helmet turned to Taylor.
"Unless you disagree?"
Taylor smiled, shaking her head slightly.
"Nope. One villain is quite enough for today." She said, masking her tiredness with cheeriness. Grue nodded and motioned to Regent and Tattletale, backing away. About halfway away they turned their backs. Taylor let her chin tilt down.
"I'm sure I'll see you again soon, anyway." She murmured. She waited until she could no longer sense them before she let her legs give way and slide down to the ground.
'Ow.'
"NOT THAT I WANT TO INTERRUPT YOUR REST, BUT PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CONTACT SOMEONE BEFORE HOOKWOLF AWAKENS."
'Yeah, I know.'
Still sitting with her back to the concrete steps, Taylor rummaged through her pockets for her phone. She felt a momentary alarm as her fingers blindly searched through the inner pockets of her coat, suddenly cognizant of the risk that her phone might have gotten broken, but luck was still with her and she retrieved the device intact. She stared blankly at it for a moment before sighing and gently placing it on the ground next to her, reaching up with slow fingers and tugging her helmet off. Hard to speak through layers of protective ceramite, after all. She made the call.
"Hey Glory." She said when the phone was answered.
"Circ? Wait, what's wrong?"
Taylor blinked.
"Wrong?" she asked slowly, suddenly realised that her speech was a little slower than normal. Tiredness. The running and the jumping and the psyker powers had really worn her out. Mainly the psyker powers, she estimated.
"Circ. What happened?"
"Oh. Oh, y'know. Wandered around. Found Hookwolf. Got into a bit of a scrap."
It sounded like Glory was running. Taylor briefly wondered if she should have tried to clarify.
"Where are you?" Glory snapped, her tone so thick with concern that Taylor told her. The phone disconnected almost immediately after, leaving Taylor blinking stupidly at the device.
'She thought I need help, didn't she?'
"QUITE PROBABLY."
'Oops.'
"SHE'S PROBABLY GOING TO CRASH THROUGH THE ROOF, READY TO FIGHT HOOKWOLF TO SAVE YOU."
'She's a good friend.'
Taylor let her hand drop, laying her phone on the ground next to her. She should probably pick up her helmet and put it back on, but she was tired. Just too tired. Maybe later.
Glory came through the roof like a wrecking ball. Taylor eyed her descent, noting with amusement that she came down in the classic tri-point hero pose but stopped before she actually hit the ground. That was some fine flying control, she had to admit.
"Circaetus! Circ? Where are you?" Glory demanded. Taylor slowly raised a hand.
"Over here."
"Circ! Oh my God, are you alright? Where's Hookwolf?"
Taylor let her hand drop a little, pointing towards where Hookwolf still lay. Glory turned and froze.
"Circ. Is that Hookwolf, lying unconscious?"
"Mm-hm."
"What happened?" Glory demanded. Taylor offered a fraction of a shrug.
"Came here looking for trouble. Found more than I expected. Won anyway."
"And you wrecked the place doing it. Are you alright?" Glory hovered closer to Taylor, concern flashing on her face. Taylor leaned her head back, watching two other white-dressed figures come through the hole Glory had left with quiet contemplation.
"Tired. Really tired. Not hurt though." She said. Glory didn't seem entirely convinced, landing in front of her and inspecting her more closely. The inspection didn't take very long: Taylor suspected it was because it was quite obvious that she had no external injuries. Any injury would have required damage to her armour beyond the superficial.
"Christ, Circ. What did you do to your armour?" Glory asked, a hand brushing across Taylor's breastplate before holding up darkly stained fingers in front of Taylor's face.
"Explosion. Electricity. Take y' pick." Taylor mumbled, head drooping slowly. Glory leaned in suddenly, catching Taylor by the shoulder and shaking her.
"Circ? Circ, stay awake, ok?"
Taylor let out a long breath in a sigh, blinking tired eyes.
"Yeah yeah, I hear you." She muttered sourly, bringing a hand up to rub across the exposed portion of her face. Glory nodded and sat back on her heels, crouched down so that they were more or less eye to eye.
"Ok. Have you called the PRT?"
Taylor shook her head, forcing herself back into a semblance of wakefulness.
"Nope. Only have Dauntless' number, didn't really want to ring him. Also really tired."
"I'll ring them, then. Er- how tired is really tired?"
Taylor smiled, fully aware that it was hidden behind her scarf.
"Last time I was this tired it was after fighting Lung." She replied dryly.
"After- you nearly ended up in a coma after fighting Lung!"
"Yeah, I know. Don't look so worried, I just need a nap." Taylor reassured. Glory didn't look entirely convinced but she stood up again, pulling out her phone and turning briefly to the other two members of New Wave- Taylor thought that it was the other two around their age. Shielder and Laserdream? She thought that was right. She just sat as Glory talked, keeping herself busy staying awake. She really needed a nap, though she was feeling that less as time passed. Still not up to fighting Hookwolf again, but she was probably up to standing on her own.
"PRT and Protectorate are on their way. Best guess it'll be Armsmaster first, he'll probably break every speed limit to get here." Glory reported. Taylor looked up at her.
"There's some kind of irony in that, isn't there?"
"Probably. You need a hand up?"
Taylor considered.
"I might. I might even need to be carried out of here."
Glory snorted.
"It'd be bridal style, you know that?"
Taylor laughed.
"Oh well, better not give the shippers any more ammunition." She said dryly, leaning across to pick up her helmet. She stood slowly, leaning on her staff, but once she gained her feet she was steady enough. She pulled her helmet back on, fastening it under her chin and giving Glory a brief nod.
"I'd leave it off, but I don't think I'm quite friendly enough with Armsmaster to be so forward. He might get uncomfortable."
Glory rolled her eyes.
"Don't tease him too much, Circ."
Taylor just leaned on her staff, cocking her head slightly as she faintly heard the roar of an engine, growing louder.
"Don't worry, Glory. I'll be nice."
"That's actually what worries me."
The engine roar reached a peak before it abruptly cut out, being replaced after a moment by heavy bootsteps.
'If he's such a good Tinker, why is his bike so loud?' Taylor wondered.
"INTIMIDATION? IF HE CAN MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT HE'S COMING MANY LOWER LEVEL CRIMINALS MAY SIMPLY FLEE BEFORE HE ARRIVES."
'Winning his battles without ever needing to fight them, you think? Not a bad plan, though it seems futile to me. After all, what's the good in preventing a crime if they just go somewhere else and do it there?'
"THAT MAY BE A QUESTION BETTER ADDRESSED TO ARMSMASTER."
'Maybe some other time.'
Taylor set her gaze to the door as it opened and Armsmaster strode in, his stride steady, halberd ready, head turning left and right to scan the room. Taylor ignored that, instead taking in the form of his armour. It was surprisingly sleek to her eyes, dark blue, lacking the bulk of Imperium designs. She suspected that it wouldn't be as durable as her own design- though on second thought that was hard to be certain of, given that his Tinker power essentially allowed him to ram a ridiculous amount of tech into a space far too small for it. But her research indicated that there was nothing on Earth Bet that even approached Terminator armour and that the Space Marine armour was beyond most. But then came the question of material. No matter the design, if Armsmaster used some kind of titanium-steel sci-fi alloy for his armour her plasteel and ceramite wouldn't match up. Not without some serious work put into improvement.
In the back of her mind Taylor began to mull over possibilities to get access to better materials. Maybe she could work out some kind of deal with the Protectorate and PRT? Access to her power cells had to be worth something, right? But that could wait until after she had got a patent, legally sealed her control. Not that she didn't trust them, but…well, there was only one place that train of thought ended.
"PERHAPS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THAT THE POWER CELLS ARE NOT OUR ONLY OPTION? AFTER ALL, THEY ARE JUST THE PINNACLE OF A TECHNOLOGY THAT ALREADY EXISTS UPON THIS PLANET, IN THIS TIME."
'A technology…solar panels. They're just incredibly effective solar panels, coupled to batteries. That means that you know how to create solar panels that far outperform the ones currently in use but aren't almost impossibly suited to powering weapons.'
Taylor felt a sense of agreement from The Emperor and stored that thought away. It was definitely something to look into, but later. She had to deal with Armsmaster first.
"Where is Hookwolf?" he demanded, striding towards Taylor. She raised an eyebrow behind her helmet and pointed to the fallen villain. Armsmaster turned on his heel without another word, hefting his halberd. Taylor saw a thin spike pop out of the bottom before Armsmaster pressed it into Hookwolfs flesh.
'Tranquiliser? And wow. I had heard that he was brusque, but this really takes the cake.'
She considered focusing her powers to get a feel of his mental state but decided against it. There was still a faint fuzziness in her skull that hinted towards her already coming close to overstressing her powers and she was tired. She was curious as to Armsmasters mental state, but not quite that curious. Armsmaster walked back across to her. Taylor remained seated on the steps, feeling Glory settle from a hover behind her. Taylor idly wondered what the significance of Glory standing at her back was.
"The two of you did this?" Armsmaster asked, gesturing around. Taylor contemplated a remark on whether it really looked like that, considering the state of her clothes and Glory's pristine appearance, but decided against it. She probably didn't need to make an enemy of the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate team.
"Just me and Hookwolf, actually." She said, tilting her head up. Armsmaster was fairly tall and standing close enough that he nearly loomed over her. Some kind of intimidation tactic? It seemed unlikely. Armsmaster had to know that she was friendly and that she had stared down more frightening things than him.
"I'll need you to come to the headquarters for a full debriefing and explanation." He informed her in a clipped tone, turning quickly on his heel and walking away. He was just tilting his head and talking into what Taylor presumed was a communicator on his helmet when Taylor spoke again, ostensibly to Glory but loudly enough for him to hear.
"You know, I used to have some Armsmaster underwear. Alexandria was the dream, but he was pretty cool. Gotta say though, as I've grown up I've become a lot fonder of heroes like Mouse Protector or Dauntless."
It was petty and probably stupid of her, but she took plenty of satisfaction from the minute way Armsmaster's shoulder tightened.
'Prickly bastard.'
"MUST YOU ANTAGONISE EVERYONE WE MEET?"
'I think it's purely habit by now.'
It was possible that she might be being a little harsh on him, Taylor conceded. But she was tired and achy and really, there was no need to be so curt. She'd try and be more pleasant to him in the future, she told herself. Just…not right now.
The PRT headquarters that they travelled to was just as unwelcoming as Taylor remembered. Well, perhaps it was unfair to say unwelcoming. It wasn't, exactly. Rather it was…sterile. It was a place of business, with a strange air that combined military and office aspects. Maybe she was just in a bad mood? She was still tired and the ride here, in a standard PRT van, had been uncomfortable both physically and emotionally.
The PRT troopers had been almost completely silent. It had been a little unnerving, especially with most of her equipment out of commission and her powers still neutered.
The room that she was shown to was practically an interrogation room, but one that had clearly been altered to try and add comfort. There was actually carpet on the floor, the chairs were fairly comfortable, but the walls remained bare metal, the lights were somewhat glaring and the table was steel framed and bolted to the floor. Armsmaster sat opposite her. To his credit, he seemed apologetic for the conditions. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all, she considered as she went through the entirety of her engagement with Hookwolf. Halfway in she paused as the door opened and a figure in a strikingly red costume entered. Assault, bearing a tray with three gently steaming paper cups on it.
"I come bearing coffee." Announced the cheerfully jovial Hero, beaming happily. Armsmaster let out a tiny sigh, almost as though the mere sight of Assault tired him. Maybe it was the attitude? Taylor couldn't see why it would be tiring, though.
Armsmaster turned slightly, accepting a cup with just a brief nod of thanks. Maybe it wasn't just her, and he was curt with everyone? Assault seemed utterly unconcerned, plonking the tray on the table and pushing a cup towards her with a questioning expression. She shook her head, tapping her helmet in explanation.
"Ah, a terrible design flaw." Assault lamented, his tone entirely at odds with his words as he flopped down in the seat next to Armsmaster and slurped from his cup. Taylor offered a shrug.
"I'll have to build a straw into the next one." She said, entirely deadpan. Assault grinned, lifting a finger to point at her.
"Now there's an idea I can get behind. Have you ever tried drinking coffee through a straw, though? Now that's a dangerous occupation, even compared to being a Hero."
"Is it? I've never noticed- for either."
Armsmaster cut them both off with a quiet cough.
"Must you distract her, Assault?"
"Sorry." Assault said. Predictably, he didn't sound sorry at all. Armsmaster showed even more signs of being used to the other hero, not reacting to it at all. Instead he took a long sip from his own drink before lifting his head. If they had been unmasked each would probably have been meeting the others gaze. As it was, they were simply looking at emotionless masks or helmets.
"You entered the room, seeing Hookwolf facing down Hellhound. You knocked her unconscious and proceeded to face Hookwolf alone. Why was that?"
Taylor propped one elbow on the table, resting her chin on her fisted hand.
"Mainly because I thought she would be a hindrance. I didn't want her to die, I'm a hero. I'm supposed to prevent needless deaths. But she doesn't seem reasonable at the best of times and I didn't want to have to spend time preventing her from getting killed because she was reckless."
"Sounds like she's speaking plain sense to me, Armsy." Assault intervened. For a moment the corners of Armsmasters mouth turned down but his voice remained completely level.
"I see. Sound reasoning. Please, continue."
Taylor did as she was bid, talking through her fight with Hookwolf. Assault and Armsmaster listened patiently, Armsmaster occasionally taking notes- she made sure not to go into detail on her abilities, just giving the minimum- until she reached her desperate act of exploding her laspistol power cell.
"You detonated the power source for your pistol? Are they normally so unstable?" Armsmaster asked, his voice suddenly far more intense as he leaned forwards. Taylor blinked at the sudden vehemence but supposed it made sense. He was a Tinker, after all, and they would assume that the sources came from a Tinker ability.
"No. They're normally very stable. I intentionally damaged that one and then turned the pistol on it to induce a detonation. Ordinarily it just wouldn't work." She replied levelly. Armsmaster heard her out, slowly leaning back into his seat.
"You understand that we may not be able to take your word for it."
"I understand that, but you have to understand that I'm not about to just turn over my tech to you. I have my secrets too." She responded. Armsmaster brought one armoured hand up towards his chin in what seemed like a thoughtless gesture of contemplation.
"I believe that, so long as you are not selling it, that would be acceptable. I'd like to look at it, still. Could we arrange an inspection? I would be willing to allow you to supervise." He offered. Taylor thought about it, concluding that a non-committal answer would be best. Perhaps after she had made sure that her designs couldn't be stolen without legal repercussions. She supposed that she intended to sell to the PRT and Protectorate at some point, trust had to start somewhere.
"Perhaps. There are a few things I need to look into first, but after that something could be arranged." She allowed. Armsmaster gave a nod.
"And after you detonated the power source?" he prompted, just a moment later. Taylor dryly reflected that he really wasn't the best at social conventions. Maybe it was an advantage in his position, cutting right through inevitable political bullshit?
Somehow, she suspected that it wasn't.
"I built my staff with the ability to discharge its entire battery in a single blast, in case I needed something really big at any point. The cell had done a lot of damage to Hookwolf so I ran towards him, got in close and triggered the discharge. It acted like a giant taser and knocked him out." She explained. Assault coughed and raised his hand.
"You know, it sounds a lot like you were close enough to be hit too." He said. Taylor tilted her head down.
"My armour is electricity proofed. The discharge burned out the proofing, but it protected me."
"And then you contacted Glory Girl, who rushed to your location and then contacted the PRT?" Armsmaster questioned. Taylor shook her head.
"The Undersiders turned up to rescue Hellhound, right after I'd beaten Hookwolf. I just let them take her: I wasn't in any state to take them on."
Armsmaster nodded, tapping at his pad for a moment. Taylor eyed him and waited until he looked up.
"Thank you for cooperating. I believe there should be no problems, but Director Piggot will want to talk to you. Assault? If you could remain with Circaetus and take her to the Director when required."
Assault nodded. Armsmaster stood abruptly, tucking the pad under one arm. He offered Taylor a stiff nod before he strode from the room. Assault briefly gazed after the senior Hero before turning back to Taylor and beaming.
"I think you really made an impression on him!" he said happily. Taylor shrugged.
"He didn't seem to like me too much."
"Ah don't worry, he's like that with everyone. You sassed him though, didn't you? I recognised the frown he was wearing, it's the 'Assault made fun of me' one. And I haven't been near him in ages!"
Taylor smiled tiredly.
"I might have done." She admitted. It was hard to say no to Assault. He was like a puppy. A big, enthusiastic puppy with formidable powers, but still. Assault bounced to his feet, draining his coffee. He looked around in a conspiratorial fashion before snatching up the cup he had brought for Taylor and draining that, closely followed by whatever remained of the one he had given to Armsmaster. Taylor watched with mingled amusement and alarm- an Assault hopped up on caffeine promised to be hilarious, but she'd rather be out of the danger zone.
"Come on, there's no need to sit around in here looking grim. I know! We'll go see the Wards." Assault announced.
"Shouldn't we just wait here, like Armsmaster implied?" Taylor asked, in a half-hearted attempt to deter Assault from whatever madness he was planning. Then again, considering that in that case she would be stuck in a room with him and bereft of the amusement that would undoubtedly ensue from Assault interacting with the Wards, other Heroes, PRT troopers…the decision was an easy one.
"Then again he just said that I had to stay with you. Let's go." She said cheerfully. Assault gave her a beaming grin and bounded to his feet, leading the way out of the door. Taylor followed more sedately, still aching even if she was no longer quite so exhausted.
'You think he was sent to keep an eye on me on purpose? Coffee doesn't work that quickly.'
"HE SEEMS TO BE AN EXUBERANT TYPE REGARDLESS. BUT YES, I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WAS SENT ON PURPOSE. PROBABLY SOME MOVEMENT TOWARDS ANOTHER RECRUITMENT ATTEMPT."
'It's easier to recruit a friend than it is to recruit someone you barely know. Unless, of course, you're blackmailing them.'
"I THINK THAT IS UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN."
Taylor followed Assault through the corridors, absently noting how he called out to people and, more often than not, received a reply. It seemed like her guess was accurate, that Assault was popular here.
"I gotta say, I admire what you did." Assault called over his shoulder.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It takes guts to see that Hookwolf robbed you of a win, and then go out and beat him to a pulp in return. Vindictive. Don't get me wrong though, I like it!"
"I wasn't looking for him. I'm not that stupid." Taylor responded. Assault turned to face her, now walking backwards.
"Yeah? Well, maybe. I guess you would have called in backup if you'd gone after him intentionally. But you were still going after his stuff, right?"
Taylor shrugged.
"So maybe I'm a little bit stupid."
Assault grinned.
"Don't take it as a problem, kid. If you'd called me I'd be right beside you. Getting our hands on Skidmark and Squealer would have been a coup. Dauntless wasn't happy that we lost them, I thought he was going to go out after the Empire all on his own."
"I thought being a hothead was exclusive to vigilantes and villains, not fully paid up members of the Protectorate." Taylor teased. Assault chuckled as he spun around.
"You might be surprised. Though I maybe wouldn't voice that around the Wards. Some of them can get, y'know, touchy."
The two of them came to a halt next to a sliding door. Assault pressed a large button next to the door and Taylor faintly heard a buzzer sound.
"To let the Wards know that someone who doesn't know their identities is coming, so they can put masks on." Assault explained. Taylor nodded.
"I'm surprised that they have a base here. I would have expected them to be quartered out in the Bay Headquarters."
"They Bay- oh, you mean The Rig? Yeah, really they should be but the Wards here are overseen by the PRT so they gotta be close by. Plus it's good for PR to have them close at hand for tours and stuff. But really that's just icing on the cake since it means they aren't underfoot and causing trouble for all us grown up heroes. Was tired of having to hide my beer. Ain't that right, half-pint?"
The last part of the sentence was addressed to Vista, who had opened the door and was peering out.
"Assault? What are you- oh, Circaetus. Hi!"
"Hey." Taylor responded, raising a hand in a lazy gesture of greeting. Assault leaned his head against the wall, cushioned on his arm as he exaggeratedly sulked over being all but ignored. Taylor and Vista both paid him no mind.
"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like this building?" Vista asked. Taylor shrugged.
"I got into a bit of a scrap, Armsmaster dragged me in here. I didn't even get to see a doctor."
"Wait, you what?" Assault asked. Taylor thoughtfully tapped the chin of her helmet with a forefinger.
"Of course, I did tell him that I was fine and that I wasn't going to take my armour off. Think he realised that if I'd been hurt it would have damaged my armour."
"You got in a fight so bad that you needed a doctor? And what happened to your armour?" Vista demanded, one hand swiping at Taylor's breastplate and coming away stained with soot. Taylor shrugged.
"She decided that since Hookwolf took away her chance to bring in Squealer and Skidmark she'd go after a bigger prize. Got a call a while ago telling us that Circaetus had gotten into it with Hookwolf and needed picked up." Assault revealed, with what Taylor considered needless relish.
"You got into a fight with Hookwolf, are you mad?" Vista demanded. Taylor raised a hand and wobbled it slightly.
"Jury's out. Though in my defence, I didn't intend to fight Hookwolf. He was just there."
Taylor thought for a moment, leaning to try and look over Vista's shoulder.
"Though I'm surprised you didn't know. Didn't Glory come up here? I would have thought she would have told you."
Vista shook her head.
"She just said she was here for a while and came to see Gallant."
Evidently Glory had decided that discretion might be the better part of valour here. Taylor could appreciate it. Vista was shaking her hand free of the soot that had come off Taylor's armour- Taylor suspected that she would need a new set now, since the outer layer had crumbled under the force of the runes. That was unfortunate, but she could overcome the problem easily enough.
"Well, you might as well come in if you're staying for a while." Vista added. Taylor glanced at Assault, who grandly gestured for her to enter. Taylor shook her head at him before following Vista into the room.
'This place is actually quite nice.' She noted, turning her head left and right to take it all in. It was comfortable, definitely, putting her in mind of some sort of break-room more than an office. There weren't that many Wards inside: Aegis and Browbeat on a sofa in front of a tv, Kid Win at a computer, Gallant next to Glory in a corner. Vista, then, and which other Wards were there? Sophia was the obvious answer but Taylor was quite glad that she wasn't there. Clockblocker. Though that was it, she thought. She raised a hand in greeting to the Wards and Glory as they turned to the door.
"Hey."
Aegis stood, his own hand rising in a motion very much like her own wave, but Taylor lost sight of him as an exuberant blur thumped into her and lifted her off her feet.
"Circ! I'm glad to see that you're alright!" Glory cheered happily. Taylor blinked in bafflement, extremely glad that her armour was good at resisting compression as her friend did a whirl in the air and hugged her with unusual enthusiasm.
"Uh."
"Sorry!" Gallant called, hurrying over.
"We were experimenting with how my powers interact with her aura and it kind of got out of control." He explained hurriedly. Taylor looked down at him, looked at Glory's beaming expression, back to Gallant. There was only one thing to say to that, really.
"Experimenting with power interactions, eh? Is that what kids are calling it these days?"
"Aww, Circ! Why do you have to say that?" Glory asked, pouting. Taylor made the tiny shrugging motion that was all she could manage.
"There are some openings that are so easy I'd be ashamed not to take them."
Glory was still pouting as she lowered her height a little.
"So mean." She muttered, letting Taylor go. Taylor dropped the few feet to the ground, landing easily.
"So, you mingled your auras and managed to make her extra exuberant?" Taylor asked, grinning and making sure to put as much suggestiveness as possible into her voice. From his tone and posture she guessed that Gallant was blushing. Poor, naïve boy.
"Pretty much." He admitted. Taylor tilted her head back to Glory, who was now humming to herself and dancing on the ceiling.
'We may have to revise exuberant to high. Do you think there's anything we can do?'
"IF WE HAD THE FULL SCOPE OF OUR POWERS IT WOULD LIKELY BE CHILDS PLAY. AS IT IS, PROBABLY NOT."
'Helpful as always.'
"I DO TRY. ALLOW ME SOME TIME TO THINK UPON IT."
"So do we just have to wait for it to wear off? You can't zap her with a sad beam and cancel it out?" she asked Gallant. He shook his head.
"I don't really have control over the emotions in my beams. Plus we don't know what effect it might have." He said. Taylor watched Glory happily bob around, amused.
"Do we even know how long it'll take to wear off?"
"Not that long. We'll just have to wait it out. Unless you have something that can help?"
Taylor shook her head.
"Even I don't know how my powers work. Even if I'm gaining new ones based on the people I'm around, I've no idea what it might turn out to be." She lied. That little theory had been a goldmine, really. Especially as people were so good at fitting facts into a theory that they liked. The thought of her as some kind of pseudo-Eidolon whose powers were based on Capes she had met- Eidoleech, she decided- seemed a remarkably popular one. Taylor wondered if anyone had guessed something closer to the truth. Then again, 'Predominantly psychic who draws her powers from an extra dimension fuelled by the collective emotions of living beings with an unrelated immortality ability' was a lot more complicated and out of context. But she was getting distracted.
"Maybe we should tie a weight to her leg, like a balloon." Assault suggested, his tone insinuating that he was enjoying this little fiasco far too much. Taylor glanced at him and shook her head.
"Yes, you should try that. Make sure to get a good strong thread in case she decides to go flying and tie it tightly to yourself. I'll get a camera." She said cheerfully. Assault seemed to consider it.
"Hmm…cut price airlines…" he mused. Taylor eyed him doubtfully before wandering off to talk to Aegis. He had reclined back into the comfortable looking sofa, evidently deciding to spare himself the inevitable headache. Gallant could corral Glory, Taylor decided. She ignored the way that The Emperor was mumbling in her head as he ran through ways she might be able to affect Glory in favour of nodding a greeting to Aegis.
"Long time no see." She greeted, hovering a little. The sofa looked pretty comfortable, but Taylor was suddenly aware of how dirty she was, her armour and coat smeared with ash, mud and even some blood. She would feel terrible if she ruined the cushions. Fortunately, Aegis noticed her calamity.
"Don't worry, the furniture is all stain proof. Something Armsmaster picked up or made I think, you won't make a mess."
"It might be the first time." Taylor deadpanned as she carefully sat, keeping a solid distance between herself and Aegis. Ah, social awkwardness. Evidently her old foe was not yet vanquished. Thankfully Aegis either didn't notice or didn't make a point of it as she sank happily into the cushions.
"If I'd known that the headquarters were so plush I might have been more tempted by those Wards membership offers." She noted. Aegis coughed in amusement.
"Now there's a disappointing thought. All of us would have been delighted if you joined." He said. Taylor wagged a finger at him.
"Keep that temptation away from me." She noted. Aegis smiled widely. He had a nice smile, Taylor idly noted. Very photogenic. She turned her eyes from his face briefly, waving a hand at Gallant and Glory.
"So, aren't you supposed to do something about that? Since you're the Wards leader?" she asked. Aegis made a face.
"Probably, yeah. But, well…"
"You can already see the futility of trying?"
"Just about."
Taylor eyed Glory, now playing something like tag with Gallant. Yeah, there was something a little stronger than happiness in there. Some weird interaction between powers, probably. It was interesting that it could happen, though.
"I MAY HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION, SHOULD YOU WISH TO ATTEMPT IT." The Emperor announced. Taylor raised an eyebrow, continuing to make minor small talk with Aegis.
'Oh?'
"YES. I AM SURPRISED THAT I DID NOT THINK OF IT BEFORE. NOW THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO ACCESS BIOMANCY, WE CAN MANIPULATE THE BIOLOGY OF OTHERS. AS SUCH, WE MAY BE ABLE TO ALTER GLORY GIRLS BRAIN CHEMISTRY TO RETURN TO NORMAL."
'Or give her a seizure. Seems a little risky to attempt so early on, even assuming that it would even work. Does Gallants power actually affect brain chemistry? If he hit us with a sad beam could we counter it with a flood of endorphins?'
"AN UNFORTUNATELY GOOD QUESTION. ALTHOUGH I MUST POINT OUT, SHOULD WE ACCIDENTALLY INDUCE A SEIZURE SHE WOULD AT LEAST NO LONGER BE FLOATING AROUND EXUBERANTLY."
'True and yet probably counterproductive. Wait. We can affect people by touching them? Could we use that to substitute for the old knockout touch?'
"WITH PRACTICE. BUT YOU ARE THINKING TOO SMALL. CONSIDER MY KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY, TAYLOR."
'Your knowledge of…we can do almost anything. Truth serums. Poisons. Antidotes. So many options, we can even- how extensive can our changes be?'
"SOMETHING TO DISCUSS LATER, PERHAPS. BUT YES, YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK."
Taylor returned the entirety of her attention to Aegis, slightly surprised that she didn't seem to have offended him. Evidently her ability to multitask conversations was improving.
"So, I can't help but notice that a few of you guys are missing." She said. Aegis nodded.
"Clock, Shadow Stalker and Chariot are all out on a PR thing. Telling kids to stay in school and stuff, though they should be back fairly soon." He explained, checking his watch. He glanced up to Taylor after checking the time, offering an explanation for that as well.
"Kid is on the console at the moment, but his time is nearly up."
A wry grin flashed across his features.
"The downside of being an employed hero, office time."
"And just like that my interest in joining the Wards plummets." Taylor said, nodding. Aegis chuckled, twisting around in his seat.
"Kid! Time's up. Vista, you take over."
Vista, who had been attempting to help Gallant corral Glory, gave a brief salute and wandered across to Kid Win, taking his place at the computer in the corner. Kid Win immediately started to walk over to them.
"I think Kid wants to talk to you. He's been practically hopping on the spot over your gauntlets ever since he learned about them." Aegis said. Taylor looked down at her gauntlets. They weren't that amazing, were they? Then again the only other Tinker on the PRT team was Armsmaster. Taylor could see why Kid Win might want to talk to someone else about tech. Well, she could probably keep up. Kid Win slowed as he approached, the bounce in his walk fading just a fraction.
"Circaetus, hi." He said. Taylor waved in reply.
"Hey. How's it going?" she asked cheerfully. The least she could do was put him at ease, she thought. He did cease his fidgeting, so she figured that it had more or less worked.
"Hey." He said, a little lamely.
"I was just, um, wondering if-"
"You could take a look at my gear?" Taylor pre-empted, amused. Kid fidgeted for a moment before she shrugged.
"Sure."
The grin that spread across her face would probably have sent Kid Win running were it not for the scarf and helmet hiding it.
"I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours."
Taylor put a lot of effort into getting the line just right in tone. Kid Win went crimson in an instant, mouth opening in shock. Aegis started to say something, but his voice croaked halfway through as Taylor rose smoothly to her feet, almost nose to nose with Kid. She leaned a fraction closer.
"After all, I always get pretty excited over new tech." she followed up. Just as Kid seemed on the verge of being completely broken Taylor clapped him on both shoulders, causing him to jump away.
"Buck up, Kiddo, I'm just teasing." She told him happily. Assault, having wandered back across for a moment, snorted in amusement, barely swallowing a cackle.
"Stop teasing." The hero told her, though his wide grin somewhat diluted the order. Aegis cleared his throat, sitting up.
"Somehow I'm not surprised by that." He admitted. Taylor shrugged.
"Some opportunities just shouldn't be missed."
Kid Win coughed, his blush receding slowly as he managed to regain his balance.
"Is that why you seem so happy to encourage every single shipper on PHO?" he asked. Taylor chuckled.
"Keeping an eye on me, Kiddo? And sure, why not. It amuses me to see them speculate."
"You're a little bit twisted, you know that?" Assault said, though he sounded amused. Taylor shrugged.
"Aren't we all?" she asked philosophically before she returned her attention to Kid.
"So, what part of my tech do you want to look at first? Can't promise too much, since I'm supposed to be meeting with Piggot fairly soon."
"I- er, I mainly work on lasers I guess. But you seem to be more about electricity?" Kid asked, sounding a little doubtful. Taylor considered. Yes, she did in fact have a decent knowledge of laser weaponry, but it was all Imperium. As she understood it Kid Win's lasers could be set to stun, to burn, to cut, so on and so on, whereas hers were lethal. No questions asked. And more than that, they were simple. She was almost tempted, simply to give herself and the Emperor a chance to analyse the way Tinkertech worked but…she didn't really want to tip her hand. Maybe power sources would be better? It wasn't as though her power cells could be easily replicated without blueprints and these were far from the best versions, even ignoring the microfusion reactors she would be able to build if she only had the equipment.
"I do have some laser weapons, but they're pretty basic and I burned mine out shooting at Hookwolf. How about this: we take a look at my gauntlets and the power source I use, I can get a look at the power sources you use in your armour. A trade."
Kid took a moment to think about that before nodding.
"That sounds fine. I've got a workshop over there," -An arm waved in the direction of a door- "So if you don't mind-ah."
Now there was an opening. A big old opening for more teasing, but Taylor decided that she had done enough to the poor kid for the day.
"Lead on." She said cheerfully, following Kid and ignoring Assaults teasing shout to leave the door open. She did leave the door open, as it happened, but mainly because she preferred to know what was going on. For instance, she would very much prefer advanced warning if Sophia was to burst in. Much as Taylor told herself that she had gotten over the whole bullying campaign thing, she was honest enough to know that she had a bit of a hair trigger temper at times. Probably inherited from her father, she ruefully considered. The workshop was…cluttered, in a word. Half finished projects were scattered all around, bits and pieces strewn across the workbenches in what Taylor thought was, perhaps, frustration.
"HE SEEMS TO HAVE ISSUES FOCUSING." The Emperor noted. Taylor gave a mental grunt of acknowledgement.
'Weird, though. I thought Tinkers got all hyper-focused on their work.'
Taylor looked at Kid, who was rubbing at the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion.
"Sorry about the mess, I kinda get distracted and, well…"
Taylor waved a hand.
"Don't worry about it. This is neater than my workshop by far." She said cheerfully. Kid looked relieved, so she guessed that she had said the right thing. She wandered across the room, careful not to touch anything. That would just be rude.
"This looks a lot like your famous hoverboard. A prototype?" she asked, indicating the piece of tech. Kid nodded.
"It was supposed to be a more heavily armoured version, but I sort of realised that I needed some better lasers half way through so, y'know."
"I can guess." Taylor murmured, peering closer before shaking her head and turning to Kid.
"So you focus on lasers mostly?"
Kid shrugged.
"I think so. It's easier, anyway. You said you wanted to look at my power sources?"
Taylor nodded.
"Sure, can do."
She briefly considered.
'You think he could replicate the laspistol by just looking at it?'
"HARD TO SAY FOR CERTAIN. THE LASPISTOL IS A VERY SIMPLE DESIGN, INHERENTLY, BUT IT RELIES ON A HIGHLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN TO SIMPLICITY. IF HE CAN BUILD LASER PISTOLS ALREADY, HE CAN PROBABLY ALREADY BUILD SOMETHING AS EFFECTIVE."
'A fair point.'
Decided, Taylor reached behind her and carefully freed her laspistol, laying it on the workbench in front of her.
"I do know a little bit about lasers myself." She told Kid dryly. She indicated the laspistol.
"It's a bit different to yours though."
Kid walked across to a wall, returning with his own pistol and laying it next to hers.
"You see the difference?" she asked, fingers describing the sleeker lines of Kid's weapon compared to the more rugged Imperium style weapon. Kid nodded, leaning in with a look of fascination on his face.
"Yours doesn't seem to have any controls on it." He noted. Taylor nodded in agreement.
"One level only. Lethal, unfortunately, I wouldn't use it against anyone who isn't a pretty tough Brute. But more than that, look at the power cells. You use some kind of battery cell, right?"
"Yeah. Armsmaster helped me make it, it can run the pistol for days. It just needs charged every so often. What about yours?"
Taylor lifted the laspistol, tilting it so that Kid could see the empty slot where the power cell should go.
"There should be a power cell in here, solar powered. Unfortunately I lost it fighting Hookwolf. Fortunately, these things come with redundancies."
She detached the power lead from her gauntlets and wiggled it at him to demonstrate, getting a frown before it dawned on him.
"Your gauntlets use the same power source, they're interchangeable." He breathed. Taylor gave him a nod and half a shrug.
"Not quite the same. The one for my gauntlets is a lot less efficient despite being bigger, plus having a wire leading to the pistol isn't exactly ideal. But you make do with what you have, right?"
Kid nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, I remember that. Back before I joined the Wards, it was pretty hard to get materials. It's always a big risk for new Tinkers, you know, since the gangs always keep a pretty good watch. I guess I should warn you to be careful of junkyards and stuff, except you're kind of already pretty good even without tinker gear so I guess you don't really need it and-"
"Slow down, Kid." Taylor said, chuckling. Kid blushed a bit, but she shook her head, amused.
"Don't worry, I appreciate the warning. I didn't really know that."
She gestured at the weapons.
"It's interesting though. Two laser pistols, but they're so different."
Kid nodded, looking slightly despondent all of a sudden.
"Yeah, it happens all the time with Tinkers. It makes it pretty hard to get help though, since sometimes there isn't really any crossover. Armsmaster tries, but his speciality isn't really the same as mine. Mostly he just helps pack things in more efficiently." He admitted. Taylor eyed him thoughtfully. She didn't doubt that Armsmaster tried, he seemed like a dutiful sort of guy. But, well, he also didn't seem like the most social. Taylor imagined Armsmaster patiently coaching Kid through some builds and somehow, couldn't quite make it.
'You think we can give him a hand?'
"THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NOT MY SPECIALITY, BUT I AM SURE THAT WE CAN OFFER SOME ADVICE. AND GETTING A BETTER LOOK AT TINKERTECH AND THOUGHT PROCESSES CAN ONLY BE BENEFICIAL."
'Win-win, then. My favourite.'
"Hey, Kid. You want me to try and give you a hand with something? One of these older projects, maybe? I might not be as good at optimising as Armsmaster, but efficiency isn't everything."
The smile Kid gave her was kind of adorable.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks, Circaetus."
"Aw kiddo, you'll make me blush. Don't get all weepy on me, though. What else are friends for?"
Taylor soon got some first-hand experience in the way Kid worked. She had to say that she had been right: the Wards Tinker had issues concentrating. They started working on the laser pistols, Kid trying to make them better in some way- targeting systems linked to his armour- but he quickly got distracted, muttering about a lack of stopping power before beginning to work on what Taylor could only describe as a laser shotgun.
She didn't even know that was possible. Or, well, she supposed it was theoretically possible, but it shouldn't work like an actual shotgun. Then again Tinkers apparently didn't even pretend to obey the laws of physics like the more advanced weapons The Emperor remembered did. It was an interesting diversion anyway, and she was able to give some advice and take quite a few notes for her own work in the process. Her work was only halted by Assault sticking his head into the room and clearing his throat to draw her attention.
"The Director is ready to see you now." He said. Taylor cocked her head at him, nodded. It didn't take long for her to say her goodbyes to the Wards and follow Assault back into the corridors of the headquarters.
"So what do you think the Director wants to see me about?" she asked. Assault shrugged.
"Maybe she wants to congratulate you on a job well done?" he tried. Taylor stared at his back until he shrugged.
"Yeah I doubt it too. Probably, from experience, she's going to angrily berate you for being stupid, make oblique threats of being press-ganged and then reluctantly congratulate you."
"Oblique. That's a good word." Taylor mused. She mulled over it for a while.
"So you think I should just be myself?"
"Well, given how you normally act that should utterly infuriate her. So yeah, do that. I usually do."
They had reached the Directors office and Assault stopped, turning to face her. Taylor solemnly inclined her head to him.
"Thank you for being such an excellent role model, Assault." She said, grinning widely under her helmet. Assault bowed dramatically in return.
"Not a problem, Circaetus. Have fun." He told her, rising extravagantly and knocking on the door. He gestured, Taylor entering with a shrug. She found herself in what was definitely a waiting room, a small room with a single woman behind a desk. A receptionist.
"Circaetus to see Director Piggot." She said, deadpan. The secretary nodded and pressed a button on her desk, speaking quietly into it.
"You can go in." she said. Taylor briefly considered the concept of two layers of bureaucracy keeping people away from the Director before discarding it. There was probably a reason. Probably. Didn't matter.
The Director looked exactly as Taylor remembered. The woman was pasty, rather overweight- probably verging on obese in fact- and had an expression of constant, sour disapproval. Taylor couldn't say that she liked the woman, though she at least hoped that she would be professional.
"Circaetus." Piggot said, her voice cold as ice. Taylor strolled across to her, leaning on the back of the chair rather than sitting it in. A little power play, probably petty but frankly if Piggot couldn't overlook that she didn't deserve Taylor's respect. Piggot looked even more disapproving than before but didn't comment.
"Do you have any idea why I have called you here?" she asked. Taylor shrugged.
"I assumed that it was to disapprove of me and make a few oblique threats." She paraphrased. Piggot frowned at her before sighing and leaning back. Obviously, exposure to Assault had given her patience, just like Armsmaster.
"Circaetus, I'm going to be honest with you. As far as I'm concerned, you are a hazard. A loose cannon. And some time, you're going to slip up and everyone is going to see the danger that you pose."
Taylor remained leaned on the chair, a faint smirk on her face. She could already hear the 'but'.
"However."
And there it was.
"I said that I would be honest with you. Therefore, I can admit that I am impressed. Since you first appeared you have frequently defeated members of various gangs and it was partly due to your efforts that the Merchants were destroyed and the Bakudas rampage halted."
"Director, I'm flattered. But you wouldn't call me up here just to tell me that. So why don't we get down to brass tacks?" Taylor interjected. Piggot eyed her with a narrow gaze before nodding.
"Very well. Frankly, at this moment, I am finding your presence increasingly useful. In addition, you have proven willing to cooperate with the PRT and as such I am willing to, as the phrase goes, cut you some slack. Do not step out of line and the PRT will not move to act against you."
"Ah. What you're saying is, so long as I'm not too blatant you'll look the other way?"
"No. What I am telling you is that, for the moment, you are being considered as something more like a PRT friendly group, rather than a vigilante proper. Do not press me on this, however. Personally I think you're a time bomb just waiting to go off and I'll be watching for that day."
Taylor shifted, putting her hands onto the chair back and shoving herself upright rather than being leaned over, assuming a more authoritative stance and putting a bite into her voice.
"Bear in mind, Director, that the same applies to you. I will work alongside you. I do not answer to you. Bear that in mind and we'll be just fine. Don't, or try to do to me what you did to Shadow Stalker, and…well. We'll get to that when we get there."
Piggot stared at her, a cold glare that Taylor met silently. The tension rose until the air was fraught with it before Piggot eventually nodded.
"Not an unreasonable position to take." She grudgingly allowed. Taylor allowed her stance to loosen, slouching once more. Piggot spoke again.
"As part of your newly acceptable position, the Mayor intends to hold a mixed fundraiser and congratulations for ending Bakuda's rampage. You have been extended an invitation."
Taylor shook her lead, pushing off the chair and standing upright. The Director sounded like she would rather chew glass than extend that offer.
"Don't worry, Director. I have no interest in attending a social gala. I may have some interest in coming in here again, since I've no doubt that Armsmaster will want to look at my gear and assure himself of its safety. Prying at it's best…but I'll organise that for another day rather than taking up more of your time. I assume that's all, Director?"
Piggot nodded.
"Assault will show you out." She said calmly, returning to her paperwork. Taylor briefly eyed the woman, sizing her up. She had to say it: Piggot was a royal bitch, but she was stone cold. She must have been something back in the day, Taylor mused as she turned and walked back to the door. That little conversation had given her plenty to think about, at least. She needed to get back to her lair, then. Her equipment wouldn't repair itself after all.
And that's that. Note: this does not mean this will be a Taylor/Kid Win fic. She just caught him off guard. In fact, it's best to just assume that there will be no shipping. I don't like writing romance, probably because I'm pretty terrible at it.
Hopefully the formatting will have survived the trip to , though it might not as the process tends to play merry hell with it all. Let me know if it didn't so I can make the changes. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are always welcome.