As promised, an update a week later. This is for all those people who said I was a terrible person for leaving you on a cliffhanger.
Also, shout out to AhrounDragon, who has offered to beta-read my work and therefore has to deal with my near incoherent ramblings about plot, lore and potential storylines. That poor, poor reviewer. But at least my grammar should be on point now.
Mere minutes later a gaping hole opened in the flesh of the creature, just wide enough for a tall figure to slither out and land on the ground. The girl uncurled herself, flicking an unruly lock of golden hair from her eyes and smiling, a smile of sharp teeth- almost fangs- and untold malice.
"Apologies, Mother, but I cannot stay. I have business with Brockton, and the night grows ever older." The clone whispered, a throaty chuckle edging her words before she slipped away from the meat-vat that had birthed her, sliding into the tangle of shipping crates and rickety warehouses. She could feel the life crawling around her, insects in their numberless hordes. It was easy to find her way with their collective senses, leading her to a man, alone and frightened, lost in the tangle. A few spider bites later and she stripped the clothes and weapons from his corpse, a pleasant humming leaving her mouth. Such a wonderful night to be alive, she mused, as she strolled back into the darkness, to search for more prey.
The body of PRT Trooper Jacob Gudren would not be discovered until the morning after, half consumed by the insects that had overcome him in the darkness.
Interlude: Tattletale
Lisa was starting to think that she hadn't made the best of decisions that night. In her defence- and she didn't think it was too much of a stretch to say- there had been nothing wrong with the initial decision. With Canary now part of the team and Rachel out of commission until she could find and train new dogs, the Undersiders were in need of funds. They still had some funds from the bank job and casino job, stashed on the Docks, in a different hiding place to the one Uber and Leet had raided. Paranoia had paid off for once, and there shouldn't have been any problems with collecting the money. Hell, she'd only taken Alec and Brian along in case there was trouble. She hadn't expected that there would be a full force battle raging in the area.
Worse, a full force battle that hadn't begun until after they were too deep in the Docks to make an easy retreat.
PRT operation gone wrong. Unknown Parahuman was cause, still active. Hostile to everyone, her power provided. Lisa gritted her teeth. She could have worked that out for herself, thank you very much.
"Tattletale? Tell me you have a way out of this." Brian hissed at her. Lisa suppressed the need to snap at him, realising that it wouldn't do any good here.
"The PRT are fighting something big. If we stay in the shadows we can get out." She quietly replied. Brian- Grue- peered at her, the skull painted on his helmet stark against the shadows before he nodded.
"Alright. I'll cover us if anyone finds us, let's go."
They sneaked out of the shadows, sticking close to the edges of the shipping crates. The bag of money that Lisa had slung on her shoulder shifted, the strap biting uncomfortably into her skin before she shifted it, moving the weight enough that it stopped pressing quite so much.
"You have any idea why the PRT are fighting something, Tattletale?" Grue asked. Lisa shook her head.
"Some sort of sting operation gone wrong. Can't tell more than that."
Grue grunted in response. Regent was affecting nonchalance, but Lisa could tell that he was slightly concerned- at least, her power provided her the answers. He wasn't particularly keen to find himself caught up in a battle that would require most of the PRT and Protectorate to be deployed. Selfish, but sensible.
"Three little mice, scurrying through the shadows?"
Lisa barely had time to register that someone had spoken when a figure leaped from the crate beside them, landing a kick on Grue and knocking him to the ground. Regent turned, raising his sceptre and the man attacking them struck it with his own weapon. The sceptre shattered and Regent staggered away. Lisa went for her gun and the man struck her across the face, a savage backhand that sent her staggering, a hand seizing her by the hair and dragging her back, her gasp of pain muffled. She slammed against a broad chest, an arm wrapping around her shoulders and something sharp pressed into her throat. She drew in a hasty breath as the cold metal dug into the soft skin under her jaw, crackling with stinging sparks.
"Tattletale!"
Darkness billowed from Grue, but her attacker drove the knife in deeper. Lisa gasped, the smarting pain quickly overtaken by a cold, liquid sensation of blood running down her skin.
"Don't do that. Or your girl won't do anymore talking." Her attacker said, a chuckle in his voice, tone laced with mockery. He let out another laugh, more like a giggle, free hand curling in her hair and dragging on it. Lisa bit her lip, stifling the cry that almost broke free.
"She's a tough bitch, but that's no problem. I like it like that." The man purred. Sickening fear coalesced in her stomach and the blade moved from her throat, the hand yanking hard on her hair. Lisa opened her mouth for an instant, purely from reflex, and cold metal invaded her mouth, the knife pressing against her tongue.
"Mm, so much easier like this. What d'you say, boy, why don't we trade? This pretty slut for the money. Sounds to me like you're getting the better end of the deal."
The man pressed more closely against her, his breath hot against the back of her neck and Lisa felt her eyes watering, saw the way Brian was standing- angry, helpless, trapped, neither his power nor Alec's any use here and a gunshot rang out. Lisa flinched despite herself, scream muffled in her throat and warm, iron-stinking liquid splashed across her head, the grip on her hair slackening. Pain flashed through her as the knife cut her tongue, dread and horror fast companions but the man didn't fall, the knife stilling before it left more than a shallow gouge and a hand reached around, gently extracted the blade and pulled the dead weight away from her. Lisa stumbled away, coughing, terrified, mind whirling before she crunched into Brian, his reassuring solidity there for a moment before she regained her senses and pushed herself away, spinning to see her saviour. An odd figure stood there, tall and lean, golden locks falling rakishly across her face. A black uniform covered her frame, a PRT Trooper uniform that she wore with casual elegance despite the fact it wasn't quite the right size.
"Well, well. Aren't you children fortunate?" the woman asked. Not a PRT officer, Lisa's power informed her after a moment of concentration. She probably could have worked that out for herself, but it was nice to have it confirmed.
"What are you three doing here? It's dangerous to go alone, you know. There's a Parahuman out there that can clone people." The woman told them, a smile playing about her lips and her tone easy, playful. Something wasn't right here. The woman shrugged.
"It's quite unpleasant, by the sound of it. I barely managed to get away, and it got poor Dauntless."
As she spoke the woman nudged the dead body near them, a flicker of something ugly glittering in her blue eyes. Lisa focused her power, trying to work out exactly who the woman was- her power had an idea, but it wasn't certain yet.
"I wonder if Raijin got away? I hope he didn't. It would be a shame if he escaped, after all my hard work."
And that just about clinched it.
"Circaetus?"
The woman tilted her head in a familiar gesture, her smile becoming friendlier.
"Oh, did I give it away? Ah well, you're pretty good at that kind of stuff. Still, you guys shouldn't be hanging around here."
"You- you do know you aren't wearing a mask, right? We can tell who you are?" Brian interrupted. Circaetus flashed him a grin, wide and toothy. Lisa couldn't help but notice that her teeth seemed sharper than normal for a human, more predatory.
"Well, I told you- I barely escaped the thing rampaging. Besides, you guys wouldn't go to all the effort of working out who I am, heading to me house and trying to murder me, right? Because I have to tell you, I wouldn't look too favourably on that."
"No, wouldn't consider it." Brian replied, commendably quickly. There was a decent chance that they might do something like that, if the pay was good enough, but it was unlikely. Too much of a risk. Circaetus beamed.
"Well, come on then. I'll make sure you get out good and free."
There was something niggling at Lisa, and she let her power work at it as they set off. Circaetus seemed a little off, but she had barely escaped something that had taken down Dauntless- a little oddness could be expected. It was a little strange, though, that she was so comfortable walking in the middle of them, and that she was wearing a PRT uniform that-
Oh no.
"Brian, she's not-"
Circaetus- no the woman, drove a taser into Brian's neck the moment before Lisa opened her mouth, jamming the slender device into the gap between helmet and leather-jacketed shoulders. Brian went down and the woman turned, drove an elbow into the side of Regents skull and sent him staggering and Lisa darted back, away, went for her gun and a hand slapped her fingers away and a fist met her chin and she wobbled back, the world lurching and blurring sickeningly and focusing on the wide, predatory smile that the woman had donned, all gleamingly sharp teeth and menacing threat before a boot slammed into her stomach and Lisa folded to her knees, gagging against the pain and wrapping her hands around her gut as she fought to keep her attention on the woman.
"I really would have thought you would work it out more quickly." The woman told her, turning with whip-like speed to drive a boot into Brian's side. Something crunched and he rolled over with a groan of pain. The woman turned away, Lisa's vision beginning to clear in time for her to see Regent recover from his stagger, his stance filled with studied nonchalance.
He's angry. Not out of control yet. Her power informed her, sending a brief pulse of pain along her temple. She isn't angry. Enjoying herself. Testing something.
That was a long way from good and Lisa opened her mouth to call to Regent but it was too late, the woman darting towards him with sudden, shocking speed.
Possible Brute/Mover qualification, her power somewhat redundantly informed her. Regent moved his hand, the motion as lazy as ever, and the tall woman stumbled, her leg not obeying her and halting her sprint, Regent's quick hand motions keeping her off balance as she fought the leg that was no longer under her control. Relief pulsed through Lisa for a moment before Regent yelled out in pain, his hand darting to his neck. Their attacker didn't hesitate, crossing the gap as soon as control was returned to her and wrapping a hand around Regents wrist. A swirling step and a wrench hyper-extended the arm, elbow straight and Lisa saw the curled fist a moment before it smashed into Alec's arm and shattered his elbow. His scream was a primal, visceral thing of agony, nails on a chalkboard as his assailant moved, a boot kicking at the back of his leg and dropping him to his knees before the fingers shifted, took his other arm. Lisa fought for breath and struggled to rise but it was too late, too late, the figure casually hauling out Alec's arm and shattering it over a knee. The scream rose even further, crimson blood and pale bone against the white costume.
"Oh, don't be like that. It's only pain." Purred the woman. Lisa's power screamed at her, fighting to tell her something and the woman stepped out behind Alec, closing her fingers over his mask and driving his skull into the shipping crate behind with brutal force. The scream gagged away, the wet, meaty thud taking its place, Alec stunned- only stunned, only stunned because it couldn't be that he was- and the second smashing blow dented the metal, crunching and cracking and blood pouring from behind the mask and a third, hard enough that the blood fanned out across rusting, red painted steel. The woman let the body drop and turned, smiling, genial and friendly were it not for the spatters of blood on her face and the insects that crawled towards the ichor.
Circaetus, her power said. Circaetus. Not Circaetus. Same body. Same movements. Same voice. Different movement. Too strong. Different attack. Not right. Not natural. Clone.
"You see what happens when you're rude? Oh well, it isn't as though anyone will miss him, right? But anyway- Tatts, have you worked it out yet? Mother has a high opinion of your intelligence- or your power, - but I'm yet to be convinced."
References a mother. Referenced nearly being caught by cloning threat. A clone. Similar to Circaetus.
The clone approached her, still smiling with blood on her hands and Grue- Brian- stepped between them, slightly hunched from the first blow that had been delivered but ready to fight. The smile that the clone wore turned to a smirk.
"Coming back for more? Well, who am I to refuse you?"
Darkness billowed from Brian, enfolding the two of them in a suffocating embrace.
"Tattletale, take Regent and go." He ordered, voice echoing and reverberating. Lisa planted her feet on the ground, forcing herself to stand despite the screaming agony in her stomach and chest and the clone laughed.
"Take Regent and go!" she mimicked, shrill and mocking. "Regent isn't going anywhere, Grue. Except maybe to the morgue. But don't worry, I won't let him go alone. I'll make sure the two of you join him."
Grue snarled something full of anger and frustration and the laughter was swallowed by the consuming, encompassing darkness. Lisa lurched to her feet and staggered over to Alec, her head filled with cotton and thoughts chasing each other. The two of them were fighting, but her power struggled to tell her who would win. But it kept coming back to the same conclusion, and she hated it.
Clone. Faster, stronger, more brutal. No telekinesis, Brute rated. Stronger than Brian.
Lisa reached Alec, mentally cursing out her power. Brian had beaten Brutes before, he could do it again. She just needed to get Alec up and get him out of here and-
Brian hit the shipping crate hard enough to leave a dent, falling to his hands and knees. Lisa staggered away, fear choking her, a whirlpool of nausea in her stomach as he tried to rise only to scream aloud, hands clutching at his chest.
"Insect control. Plenty of nasty little critters for me to use around here. It's not quite as potent as the battery of abilities my Mother has access to, but being able to control insects has it's uses." The clone said, stepping out of the fading wisps of darkness with smile firmly in place, smug and dangerous. Brian tried to rise but the clone was too fast, leaping across the open space. Her boot impacted with Brian's shoulder and something snapped, Brian falling back with a grunting cry. He landed hard against the crate, helmeted head looking up as Lisa saw the clone bend and then rise again, bringing her arm up with crowbar held in it.
"Broken collarbone, shattered skull." She said in a crisp, professional tone, bringing the tool down in a vicious blow. Brian keeled over, his helmet cracking under the blow and the clone laughed aloud, turning to Lisa with the crowbar still in hand. Lisa's power finally came through for her.
Clone, enjoys violence and combat. Will kill Grue if left. Would chase you if you run. Enjoys the hunt more than the kill.
"And then there was one. What will you do, Tatts?"
Lisa turned and ran, hearing a surprised sound behind her before the clone laughed, pleased laughter that sent chills through Lisa even as she fled into the dark.
"Run, run as fast as you can…you can't get away, poppet. No one can."
Lisa ran through the crates as quickly as she could, relying on her power to provide the quickest, most confusing route. It was fruitless, her powers told her, the buzzing of flies maddening in her ears and the faint chuckling of her pursuer an endless accompaniment to her rasping breath and hammering heartbeat. Her boots slammed on the ground, ringing impacts and she swerved around a corner, took a sharp left and rammed into a solid wall of muscle. The impact knocked her off her feet, a bruising collision with the ground and she gasped aloud with the pain. A hand caught her by her costume, fingers gathering and bunching in the cloth and hauling her to her feet and a second hand took her left hand, fingers twining around her own before they pulled and wrenched and the bones in her little finger cracked. Lisa barely bit back a scream of pain, looking up into the face of the clone, those teeth gleaming in the light and blue eyes crinkled with merriment.
"Ah, little Tattletale. Running to your mother? You really should have considered that I could just go across the crates, rather than through them. But I'm a nice girl and I have some time to kill before- well, before I inevitably have to confront Mother, so why don't we play a game? You run. I'll hunt, without my bugs. And when I find you…"
The throaty, low voice trailed off into a purring chuckle. Lisa nearly puked from sheer horror, but she rallied enough to ask the question that was buzzing in her mind.
"What if- what if one of the other clones finds me?"
"Oh, sweet pea." The Circaetus clone murmured, her fingers tangling with Lisa's in a way that might have been friendly if it wasn't for the lightning bolts of agony that her broken finger was sending up her arm.
"I won't let you die, dearest Tattletale. They're just puppets from that meat-vat, they won't be able to catch you. And as an incentive, if you reach the PRT then I'll let you win. It'll be so much fun, darling."
The fingers unwound themselves, the grip shifting to her wrist and from her throat to the back of her head as the clone leaned forwards, pressing a delicate kiss to her forehead.
"I'll give you five minutes, poppet. Do your best for me, ok?"
Interlude: Kid Win
Panacea was in something of a snit. Chris wasn't sure what, exactly, had provoked this particular mood, but all of the Wards had learned, through sheer exposure, that the greatest Healer in the world was sometimes prone to irritation. She didn't take it out on anyone: she was one of the most professional people Chris had ever met when she was healing, in a manner that reminded him far too much of Armsmaster, but he could tell that she wasn't happy. Then again, he supposed it was probably due to being dragged out to the Docks in the night, right before her sister left her and flew off to find the rest of New Wave. In all fairness, Chris wished that they had been properly informed, rather than being dragged from their patrol with Velocity to here with very little explanation. There was a bustle of PRT troopers all around them, Velocity having told them- Chris and Browbeat- to wait while he went to find Armsmaster.
"Kid Win. Browbeat. I'm on my way back, with Armsmaster." Velocity said, his voice coming through their headsets. He sounded grim, his tone hard and worried, and Chris found himself unconsciously tightening his grip on his pistol. It was only a minute or so before the gaggle of PRT Troopers before them parted and Velocity and Armsmaster strode through. Chris heard Browbeat draw in a sharp breath, and felt a ringing start in his ears, sick rising from his stomach as he saw Armsmaster. The leader of the Protectorate was streaked and smeared with crimson blood, his jaw set in a harsh line and the halberd slung on his back reddened all along the blade. In his arms Miss Militia hung limp, her mask pulled up, one arm slung loosely over Armsmaster's shoulder.
The other was missing.
"Panacea. Severe injuries, including a broken leg, amputated arm and missing eye." Armsmaster snapped, shouldering past a PRT medic to reach the healer. Panacea stared at him with wide eyes but moved forward quickly.
"What happened to her?" she asked. Armsmaster ground his teeth together, not replying immediately.
"The unknown threat- currently identified as "Noelle", a member of the Travellers- has the ability to absorb and clone Parahumans. Dauntless was taken and a wave of his clones attacked us all. At least three reached Miss Militia before Circaetus was able to assist." He told them, the words coming out clipped and sharp, a crisply impassionate delivery. He looked at them, detaching his halberd from the magnetic clamps that held it on his back and taking it into his hands.
"At the moment the four other members of the Travellers are in custody. Dauntless clones continue to spread across the dock, although they appear to be destabilising as time goes by. Circaetus is missing in action but no clone of her has been sighted: her communications device was damaged earlier. And Raijin appears to be missing. Kid Win, Browbeat, I want the two of you to remain here with Panacea and the PRT Troopers, establish an aid post for immediate casualties. I will redirect reinforcements to here, but if Noelle attacks do not engage. We can't afford to give her any more forces. Velocity, with me. Battery and Circaetus are both out there somewhere, we need to find them and regroup."
Armsmaster didn't hesitate, leaving them to their shock and striding back into the Docks, into the mess of crates and- if Chris was understanding correctly- murderous clones. Panacea made a noise of disgruntlement and he turned to her.
"Will Miss Militia be alright?" he asked, hopefully. Panacea didn't look at him.
"No. She's lost an arm and an eye." She snapped, before seeming to relent.
"I can save the eye. It was badly burned, but I can repair it. The leg, too. But she doesn't have the resources to regrow the arm. It looks like it was torn off and then crudely sutured."
Chris swallowed, suddenly wishing that he had managed to get his Alternator Cannon through testing. Browbeat was solid and protective and pretty useful, but if Noelle could take down Dauntless and Circaetus…no. No, he couldn't think like that.
"Alright. I guess we need to just wait until the others get here? Uh- Captain?"
The man Chris had called across to quickly jogged across, nodding to them. He was as faceless in the PRT Trooper armour as the rest of his men, but the symbols of his rank were clear on his right shoulder.
"Kid Win. My men are organising a perimeter, I would appreciate it if you could stay with Panacea and rendezvous with any other Capes who arrive. We can deal with any clones that appear, they seem to be falling apart."
"Circaetus." Miss Militia said, her voice slurred but coherent. Chris turned to her, along with the PRT Captain and Browbeat.
"There were three clones. Circaetus killed two of them, crippled the last. Saved me." She managed, still lying down but with some semblance of recognition in her single functioning eye. Panacea was still crouched across the Heroine, hands planted on a wrist.
"What happened to her?" the Captain asked. Militia shook her head.
"Tried- lead the threat away. Don't know what happened, they were fighting when I went down. Don't remember what happened next. What- what's happening?"
"Armsmaster called in reinforcements. We've pulled back to here, to establish a command post, and Armsmaster and Velocity have gone to find Circaetus and Battery." The Captain reeled off. Miss Militia planted a hand on the ground, as though preparing to rise, and Panacea pressed her back down.
"You're in no condition to fight. Lie back." She ordered. Miss Militia conceded, quietly slumping back.
"Rest of Protectorate. They're busy." She managed. Chris shook his head.
"They're being called in, Ma'am. We were the closest, but the other Wards and Protectorate members are moving towards us."
One disadvantage of the new regulations put in after the PRT realised the Teeth were in town, he grimly reflected. Basic protection orders, no patrol less than three members and no Wards only patrol. It meant that the Protectorate members were more thinly spread around the city. Not that he wanted the order to be rescinded, the thought of being caught alone by the Teeth- or worse, the Butcher- was a terrifying one. Sometimes he wondered how Circaetus managed it, or what kind of person was willing to take that kind of risk. The PRT Captain made a quick apology and jogged away, quickly running across to some of his other men before he returned.
"Something's wrong." He told them, without preamble. "The threat seems to have stopped, but Armsmaster reported that there don't seem to be any more Dauntless clones. Velocity is still looking for Battery but…there seems to be some odd movements. Lot of bugs out for this time of night."
Chris shrugged.
"Attracted to the lights, maybe?"
Chris' headset crackled before the Captain could reply, Armsmasters' voice coming over it.
"Kid Win, be advised, the Undersiders may be in the area. Repeat, members of the Undersiders gang may be present."
"Have you seen them?" Chris asked. Armsmaster cleared his throat.
"I've found Regent. He's dead. Assume that Noelle may have absorbed Grue, Tattletale, Hellhound and Canary."
Browbeat sucked in a breath.
"If Canary has been taken, shouldn't we withdraw?" Chris asked hesitantly. Armsmaster didn't even seem to consider it.
"Clones don't appear to have the same powers as the original. Nonetheless, if you hear singing then retreat- or apply earplugs. There's a blood trail, I'm going to follow it. Velocity, have you found anything?"
"Not yet, Armsmaster, there's no- wait. I saw something."
"Velocity? Velocity, do not engage without reporting."
"I saw something, think it was Battery. Battery? Can you hear me?"
An agonising second passed, another, Chris measuring it in his hammering heartbeats before there was a crackle through the comms and a crashing dent.
"She attacked me!" Velocity shouted, his voice slurring away as he sped up. Armsmaster was the next to speak, voice raised in a sharp bark.
"Noelle must have captured Battery. Velocity, track my location and lead her to me, we need to capture one. Kid Win, stay alert!"
Chris gritted his teeth, tapping at his earpiece to switch channels. The closest member of the Protectorate was Triumph, patrolling with Vista and Shadow Stalker.
"Triumph, are you nearly here? Velocity has been attacked by a Battery clone and most of the Undersiders might have been taken."
"We're about ten minutes away." Triumph replied, deep breathing emphasising his words. They must be moving quickly, using Vista's power to quickly cover ground, but ten minutes might as well be an eternity here.
"Well, hurry up." Chris muttered, snapping back to the original channel. It was quiet now, both Armsmaster and Velocity gone silent in order to concentrate. Something buzzed by his jaw and Chris twitched, slapping at the blood-fattened mosquito that landed on his chest.
"Where are these bugs coming from?" Browbeat growled. Chris shrugged, glancing at the buzzing clouds and suddenly wondering if he could reconfigure his blasters into a wide area electric shock weapon. Use it as a bug swatter, maybe make some extra cash if he could make enough of them for the PRT to use now and then. Wasn't likely, but- Chris shook himself out of his reverie and looked around, taking a quick check of the situation. Twenty PRT troopers spread out, two Wards, the worlds best Healer and an unconscious Protectorate member. Not a bad group. At the very least, one Parahuman would struggle to deal with them all, unless they were particularly powerful.
As though to mock his optimism, the shadows among the crates writhed and shifted, billowing forwards like reaching tendrils, an inky octopus crawling through the blistering glare of the floodlights. A tall, broad figure followed it, hidden by shifting patches of black that coiled along his form.
"Is that Grue?" Browbeat asked, his posture tense and stiff. Chris set his jaw and drew his pistols.
"Looks like it."
A finger tapped at his comms.
"Armsmaster, a Grue has appeared at the aid post. We'll engage as best we can, but…"
Chris didn't need to finish the implication. Grue was a dangerous combatant on his own, and the clones seemed to have none of the scruples of their templates. The figure raised his hands, leathers straining across impressively wide shoulders, and two more appeared behind him. One a woman, twitching as though she could barely contain her energy, tapping and jolting- Battery, Chris thought with a sickeningly sinking sensation- and the other clad in armour, two swords in his hands and a smirking grin on his face. Raijin.
The darkness rushed forwards without any indication and the first squad PRT Troopers vanished under a wave of blackness, the Raijin and Battery clones rushing past. Battery went for the second PRT squad, her whole body jerking as though it couldn't contain her power, and the Raijin clone came right at them, a maniacal grin on his face. Chris planted his feet, brought his hands up and opened fire.
Raijin sprinted into the storm of lasers, swords dancing and the rays of light flashed, sparked against steel and somehow vanished, devoured into Raijin. Chris stepped back, still firing in a vain hope and Raijin was fast, faster than Chris had expected and he was too close, swords rising and Browbeat caught the clone with a solid blow to the ribs that sent him skidding back, a sword flicking out. Browbeat grunted in pain, blood red and bright against his bodysuit but it was barely a flesh wound and Raijin had been sent back several steps, smile turned to a grimace.
"Not bad. Not good enough, but a fair start." He told them, his voice low and hungry. He grinned again, an animal expression. A mosquito buzzed around his head and Chris glanced past him, saw that the Battery clone was fighting three PRT Troopers. One was crumpled on the floor, the clone moving with a jittering, shaking energy that couldn't be natural.
"Keep your eyes on me, boy!"
The Raijin clone burst forwards, swords in hand and flashing. Chris backpedalled as quickly as he could, leaving Browbeat to engage in close. Browbeat lunged in, fists swinging in blows that would have shattered bone and ruptured flesh if they connected. Raijin was fast, dodging and darting, swords cutting with whip like precision but Browbeat was prepared now, his defences raised. The swords cut his bodysuit but glanced off his flesh, Raijin's grin becoming a snarl, his attack becoming more and more vicious as he tried to cut Browbeat down. Chris hopped back, quickly flanking around the two of them, out of Raijin's line of sight. Browbeat saw him, taking more punishment and drawing Raijin back, back and Chris straightened his arm and put a bolt of laser-power directly in the back of Raijin's skull. Raijin staggered for a step, an animal growl leaving his throat and he spun, whirling on Chris but Browbeat was ready, two arms wrapping around Raijin and lifting him off his feet, squeezing. Raijin screeched in fury, kicking and threshing, but the vice-grip was too tight and his swords clattered on the ground. Chris let out a shaky breath, nodding to Browbeat and quickly looking across. The Battery clone was down, a PRT Trooper limp in her grasp even as containment foam hardened around them both, three bodies scattered around her. The darkness coiled and drew back, protective arms that hovered around the Grue clone.
Four more PRT Troopers lay unmoving on the concrete, the PRT Captain Chris had spoken to in the grasp of the Grue clone, on his knees. A vicious, wrenching movement later and Chris raised his pistols in shaky hands, the broken-necked doll that had been an officer of the law so briefly before sliding to the ground as the Grue clone observed them in return. From the corner of his eye Chris saw Browbeat toss Raijin to the ground, a wave of containment foam pinning the clone before he could rise.
Mosquitoes buzzed.
Feet hammered on the ground, the standoff shattered as a figure burst into the light, sobbing for breath and staggered.
"I…I made." The figure gasped. Chris turned, the Grue clone following his gaze as Tattletale staggered to a halt, her purple costume ragged and dirtied. Her breath hiccoughed as she saw them, and Chris realised that her left hand was hanging limp, four fingers twisted and broken.
"Oh my god." She managed. "Grue?"
The clone raised his hands.
"Not exactly, Tattletale."
"No. Oh, no."
"Oh, yes, my darling."
The voice that purred from behind Tattletale was richer, deeper, filled with mocking amusement and bereft of the rabid intensity that the clones possessed. A tall figure sauntered into view, hands tucked comfortably in the pockets of a wrinkled and slightly too large PRT uniform, horribly sharp teeth glinting in the light. Tattletale backed away, towards Chris, shaking her head.
"You- no. You said that if I reached the PRT I won."
More than anything else, the fear in Tattletale's voice sent nausea spiralling through Chris. He had never heard the Undersider sound anything but smug and controlled, yet she was barely one step away from panic in the face of this strangely familiar figure.
The insects buzzed. The new figure laughed, one hand slipping from a pocket to slick away an unruly lock of blonde hair. Blinking, Chris realised that there were rips and tears in the uniform, and a faint stain of blood around the neck.
"And I told the truth. You won. I won't chase you anymore, poppet. For the moment at least, I've found something much more interesting."
The way the voice dropped and purred on the last word caused something to catch in Chris' brain and he suddenly realised who was stood before him.
"Circaetus?"
"No! That isn't her, it's a clone!" Tattletale shouted, her voice cracking with fear as she brought her right hand from behind her back, a gun clasped in shaking hands.
The clone moved in a blur, faster than any of the other clones except maybe Battery, crossing the distance with terrifying suddenness. Tattletale brought her gun up but the clone simply caught her arm, leveraging her in a throw that bent her arm entirely the wrong way. The Undersider landed hard, a scream leaving her mouth as her leg twisted on landing. The clone seized the chance, crossing the distance in a single coiling step. A boot rammed into Tattletales face and she went down with a crackling crunch of breaking bones, her screaming suddenly muffled.
"Sorry, my darling. But I can't have you telling them all my secrets." The clone said, a smile on its face. The nausea Chris had felt coiled and twisted and solidified into something horrifically thick, terror in his gut and chest. Worse than Raijin, even than Battery, the pure, cold sadism the Circaetus clone exhibited was far more chilling than frothing hate. The clone looked up, her eyes flicking around.
"You know, it's quite disappointing how little you achieved." She said, her eyes fixing on Raijin. The Raijin clone let out a stream of curses and spittle-flecked invective, earning a roll of the eyes.
"Yes, yes. How terrifying you are. Hmm…and there Battery is, quietly dying."
Chris jerked around, eyes searching until he saw the Battery clone, slumped in her bonds.
"You see, I've had the chance to really look at some of these idiots. I'm sure you've realised that they aren't the real deal now, right? Powers loosely connected to the original, but not quite there? Cell over there, she's got enhanced speed and reflexes at the cost of needing to move to generate power. Once she stopped, she dropped. Evolutionary dead end, feeding off Battery's stockpile ability. And Thundercracker over there, he's got a variant of Raijin's ability to control electricity. He can absorb all types of light emissions, at the cost of losing his ability to enhance himself like Raijin."
The clone- Thundercracker was probably as good a name as any- continued to swear, locked in his foam prison. Circaetus smiled again, deceptively gentle.
"And my friend over there, whose name he won't reveal…well, I won't let you know his powers. Bad form. As for mine…why don't we see if you can guess?"
The buzzing returned a thousand-fold and Chris screamed despite himself as a cloud of insects descended upon them, the clone darting through them with nightmarish speed. He dropped his arms, firing his pistols as fast as he could, scarlet beams cutting scathing swathes through the swarm but there were always more, screams ringing in his ears and he clamped his mouth shut as the clone was swallowed into the greater mass, vanishing and all the lights went out, darkness falling across them like a smothering blanket, the weak light of the moon and the slashing whips of light from his guns the only relief. Chris backed up, firing desperately and a hand closed around his wrist, yanking him around.
A fist met his mouth, pain exploding and he staggered back, the hand tearing the guns from his grasp and sending them skittering away before it switched to the front of his armour, a second blow hammering into his nose and Chris choked, eyes clouding with tears as his nose broke, salty blood filling his mouth and throat as his assailant lifted him off his feet and flung him to the ground, landing hard on his shoulder. He tried to roll over but a boot hammered into his ribs, knocked him back and the foot came down on his shin and his world went white, pain consuming his vision.
Someone was screaming, he dimly realised, and it was him, shrieking in pain as he tried to reach down to his leg. The insects had cleared and he forced himself through the pain, clamping his lips shut, biting his lip so hard that blood trickled down to his chin, the runnel accompanying the greater flood from his nose. The sharp, cutting pain somehow sliced through the agony in his leg and Chris forced himself to sit up, peering through tear-fogged eyes. The clone had moved on to Browbeat, dancing around him and slashing in quick blows, avoiding his own thundering strikes. Browbeat was angry, Chris realised numbly, the pain choked out by its own existence and he watched in silence as Browbeat swung a massive overhand that just clipped the clone. Browbeat lunged in with a triumphant shout and the clone straightened, feint as smooth and natural as anything he had ever seen and an arm went up, the ferocious punch sent away by the blocking arm and two stiff fingers plunged into Browbeat's left eye.
Browbeat screamed in agony, reeling back, hands reaching up and the clone seized on the mistake, moving in and around and a hand flicked out, a cluster of spiders landing on Browbeat's face, his right eye, the screaming growing louder and the clone ducked aside, out of line of sight for a moment and the familiar woosh of a containment foam sprayer sounded a moment before Browbeat was buried, still screaming. The clone laughed aloud, voice rich with merriment.
"I'll have to send the PRT a thank-you note. Making these things idiot-proof really has helped me." She mocked. Chris tried to stand, anger blurring the pain and his foot came down and immediately crumpled, the clone laughing at him.
"Oh, kiddo. Don't do that. You'll only hurt yourself even more. Now then…who's next?"
The clone was looking directly at him, and behind her Chris saw salvation: Panacea, almost within arm's reach, her hands shaking but raised. Chris tried to look away from her, give no sign that he had seen her, and he met the eyes of the clone and saw only knowing mockery.
Panacea lunged forwards, trying to close the distance and maybe get her hands on her opponent. It shouldn't be too hard, all the rips in her clothes, the bare skin giving plenty of room to allow the biokinetic to leverage her powers. The tall girl seemed utterly unphased, the ambush no surprise. A hand slashed out, knocking Panacea off guard before they could even touch and the second hand drifted up, almost lazily.
The uppercut sent Panacea staggering, her eyes losing focus with the blow and her arms wind milling. Chris swore aloud and tried again to rise, his leg again failing him with a quicksilver bolt of agony that sent pain throbbing from his ankle to his skull and the clone was already moving in. Two rapid blows lanced out, a quick one-two of jabs before a boot hooked around a leg and a savage elbow strike to the chest sent Panacea to the ground. The Healer rolled, on her hands and knees, coughing and spluttering. A boot caught her in the ribs hard enough that she lifted off the ground for a moment as she was sent rolling away, a sick crack accompanying the blow.
"So pathetic." The girl said, her tone exactly as he imagined Circaetus' to be without her mask. Still mocking, though colder than he had ever heard, and suddenly much colder than her earlier speech.
"Cir- Circaetus?" coughed Panacea, one hand clamped over her ribs as she unevenly stood, bracing herself on a shipping container. Chris stared in horror, realising that Panacea- Panacea didn't know. She hadn't heard. The clone laughed.
"Not really, no, but I'm sure Mother would be flattered that you think you can recognise her."
Panacea was standing straighter now, her hand away from her chest. The clone glanced at her and rolled its eyes.
"Oh, really. Give it up, darling. Or better yet, don't. I like a nice soft target."
Panacea firmed her expression and raised her fist. Already wolfish, the clone's razor grin turned positively predatory. Chris kept trying to stand, but his leg sent fiery lances of agony through him every time it shifted and the pain was making him light-headed, woozy.
"Would you like to know why my Mother detests you so much, healer?" the clone suddenly asked. Panacea looked baffled.
"What?"
The clone sprang, slapping her guard away with a hard downwards blow and ramming an open palm into her chest. Panacea gagged as the clone closed its fingers on the costume, spinning around and slamming the shorter girl into the hardened foam mass that had buried Browbeat, his screams choked by the solidifying foam. Another spin, a push, Panacea staggered back until the clone went after her. Panacea managed to bring her arms up in a desperate block but the impact from the clone's boot drove her back, into a nearby shipping container. The clone moved in, faster than Chris or Panacea could react, right hand sneaking a blow into the unprotected belly and the arms dropped, letting the clone slam a fist into the jaw. Panacea sagged, dazed, and the clone simply brought a hand to her chin, forcing her to stand upright before burying a fist in the healers belly with more force than Chris had seen so far, an awful, meaty impact sounding through the air. The clone turned contemptuously, walking a few paces away as Panacea fell to her knees and vomited.
"My mother, Circaetus. She detests you, healer. Not just because you're unlikeable- though you certainly are that. But because you're a coward. You frown and scowl and whine inwardly about being forced to help the sick and injured, about having to use your powers so generously. And yet you never find the courage to say so. You never stand up for yourself and say, enough. It's sickening."
Chris wasn't even certain that Panacea could hear, bent over as she was, but he heard it all as he hastily hauled himself towards Panacea, moving away from the clone as best he could. The contempt in the tone sent a chill through his spine, wondering: was this how Circaetus felt all the time? Was this the venom she hid behind the cheer and the quips? The clone turned her head to him.
"Ah yes, Kid Win. That seems a little ironic right now, doesn't it?" she asked. Chris met her eyes, the blue standing out surprisingly sharply in the faint light. From the corner of his eye he saw Panacea stir, one hand creeping towards him. He had to keep the clone talking, he realised, at least until Panacea could heal him. He saw the flash of white teeth as the clone grinned, the buzzing of the insect swarm maddening in the air as it closed around them, a hurricane with them trapped in the eye.
"My mother actually likes you, you know. She thinks it's a refreshing change to be around someone so earnest. Though I suppose that could go for all of the Wards except, perhaps, Shadow Stalker. And maybe Gallant."
"Gallant? Why Gallant?" he asked, stretching surreptitiously. The clone shrugged, seeming to have her attention drawn elsewhere.
"Oh. She simply finds it a little disingenuous to act the gentleman when he can see the emotions of everyone around him and act on them accordingly. Not to mention alter them."
The clone shook her head, sighing.
"Oh, Kid." she said, bending down and picking something up from the ground.
"You need a lot more practice at stalling."
The clone sprang forward, bringing her boot down with sudden, brute force. Panacea screamed as the foot came down upon her hand, shattering it before the clone grabbed the hood of her costume and hauled her up, throwing her away from Chris.
"Now now, none of that." She chided. The buzzing of insects suddenly cut away, fading into the night as the swarm dispersed, the clone's voice sounding very loud in the sudden quiet.
"I'm not interested in fighting you all over again. Not that it was much of a fight, but the kiddo has some chops. Besides that…I have other prey. And they've delivered themselves right to me. Isn't that right, Vista?"
Kid turned his head, looking across to see that reinforcements had at last arrived. Vista and Triumph, both of them looking aghast at what the clone had done.
"Circaetus? What is this?" Vista demanded, her voice trembling only a little.
"That's not Circaetus! It's a clone!" Kid shouted back. The clone glanced at him, frowning.
"'It'? That isn't very polite, kiddo. She, I'll have you know. And my name…well, for the moment why don't we try Luna?"
Kid stared at the clone- Luna- as she raised her left hand, a length of chain now in her hand and the smile still on her face.
"Ah, little Vista. I'm surprised that you got here so quickly. Glad, though. I was starting to get bored. It's just a pity that you didn't bring dear Sophia. I've been so looking forward to meeting her."
Kid coughed, jarred by the sudden reference to a Ward- and by her first name. How had the clone learned that? And, worse, Shadow Stalker should be nearby now. If the clone knew, somehow, her element of surprise could be completely lost. The clone- Luna, was it- kept smiling.
"But Mother's history with Sophia is a thing for another time. Look around you, heroes. You're too late. The PRT are gone, your allies are defeated, Armsmaster and Velocity are somewhere in that tangle, being hunted and assaulted. You should be running, not making a stand here."
"It's not a stand." Triumph told her, his voice level and calm. "You can't win this. Your advantage was surprise, and that won't last."
Luna rolled her shoulders, a chuckle grating from between those sharp teeth.
"Well, if you say so. Zork, you want to help me out here?"
Chris twisted enough that he could look at her, watching the Grue clone walk across. Now that he was closer Chris could get a better look at the darkness that coated him: unlike Grue, where it moved like an expanding mist centred on the parahuman, the darkness here coiled like tentacles, seemingly emanating from the small of the back. Luna shrugged.
"I have to admit, I would rather you weren't here, Vista. Your power is just…so awkward. So difficult to work around. But on the other hand, maybe seeing your corpse will persuade Mother to take more affirmative action."
What?
"What?" Vista asked, her tone deadened with surprise, and the clones attacked. Luna went right for Vista, the Grue clone sprinting at Triumph with his shadow tendrils lashing before him. Vista moved to meet Luna but something slammed into her visor, a bug smashing itself on the glass and Chris heard her swear a moment before Luna rammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Vista went several feet, landing in a roll and springing to her feet as a storm of insects descended but Luna had already turned on Triumph. Triumph opened his mouth, a roar ripping from his lips and scattering the darkness that was reaching for him. Luna reached him an instant later, her chain whipping down and up at his chin, met with an arm and she pulled back from a slashing haymaker, dancing three steps back. Chris saw something shift in the shadows, moving and Shadow Stalker came into a view for a fraction of a second before she fired her crossbow, the bolt slicing through the air towards the Grue clone.
Luna slid across and slapped it out of the air.
The action ceased as everyone stared. Luna grinned, clearly ignoring the sudden burst of speed she had shown.
"And there she is, our third actor."
Stalker slid to the ground, her head tilting and her posture turning to something more like confusion.
"Hebert?"
The noise that tore itself from between Luna's teeth was a grating snarl, more animal than human, but she somehow kept her pleasant expression intact. It made it even more horrifying, the clenched teeth smile and deranged look in her eyes contrasting horribly with her expression. The smile narrowed and nearly vanished as Luna visibly regained control of herself.
"Not quite, Sophia. Taylor was weak, remember? You shoved her into a locker full of biowaste and left her to die."
Chris stared at Sophia, who seemed taken aback by the sheer malice Luna was exuding. She rallied quickly, though.
"I don't know what you're-"
"Don't lie to me!"
The roar cut through the air, ringing echoes tainting the night. Luna laughed, a manic sound.
"Three years of bullying, Sophia, and you thought you'd won. How pathetic can you be, a super-powered freak just like the rest and you think you're strong for bullying a schoolkid. You're just a fucking coward, like the rest."
"I am not a coward!" Sophia snarled, her voice rising. Luna gave her an ugly, teeth baring grin.
"Then why don't you prove it? C'mon, Sophia. Show me how weak you are. Show me why Mother doesn't consider you worth her time."
"Hebert is not Circaetus!" Sophia shouted, her crossbow clenched tightly in her hands. Something indescribable crossed Luna's face, the Grue clone and Triumph pausing in their fight to watch. Luna grinned.
"Oh, but she is, my darling. She's the strongest Cape in this shithole city, and she thinks you're so weak that you aren't even worth a second of her time. You're so pathetic you might as well not exist. What, do you think you can prove her wrong?"
Sophia leaped with a shout, springing off the wall and bounding towards Luna. The crossbow fired, Luna twisting her body to avoid it and dancing on her feet to gain a better footing, the chain whipped out and Sophia phased through it, an ugly shout of triumph leaving her lips the moment before Luna jammed the taser in her other hand into Sophia's ribcage and zapped her.
Sophia screamed, her whole body jerking and twisting, shadowy form cracking back to humanity and Luna let her chain fall, taser still jammed into ribs and reached up. Chris swore and reached for his gun, a band of ants dragging it away from his clutching fingers the moment before he could pick it up and he looked back as Sophia screamed in raw agony. Luna was grinning, a demonic expression of sharp teeth and awful satisfaction, her fingers coming out of the eye socket of Sophia's mask bloodied. Chris twisted and vomited, seeing Sophia collapse and Luna bend down and the scream sounded again, higher and higher before it broke and trailed into keening, hacking sobs.
"An eye for an eye." Luna said, her voice breathless with pleasure. "But we aren't done yet, dearest Sophia. Just lie there nice and helpless for the moment, while I deal with our other friends."
"Kid! Kid Win!" Armsmaster shouted over the communications, returned again. Chris coughed away the vomit and slapped at the device, replying.
"Armsmaster! Two clones are here, Grue and Circaetus! Stalker, Browbeat, Panacea are down, Triumph and Vista are engaging, we need reinforcements!"
"We're on our way, stay-"
The communication device crackled away again and Chris looked up. Luna had left Sophia on the ground, twitching and agonised, and returned to face Vista and Triumph. Panacea had dragged herself to her feet, but she was curled over her broken arm, unlikely to be of use.
"Well, I suppose it's time to wrap this up. If Velocity and Armsmaster can get away from the others, they'll break up this gathering far too well."
A wave of bugs poured from the darkness, rising and swelling behind her, the Grue clone moving to her side with writhing darkness crossing his form, his tattered clothes almost hidden. Vista half crouched, ready to move, Triumph right beside her. The Grue clone made the first move, a coiling wave of blackness pouring forwards towards the two of them, meeting a wailing wall of sonic force from Triumph. Vista sprang away, twenty feet compressed to one by her power and the Grue clone gave chase, Triumph turned to face Luna and a gun barked.
Triumph staggered, a look of baffled pain crossing the part of his face that could be seen under his mask and the gun barked again, and again.
Crimson bloomed around Triumph's stomach and he collapsed, legs falling from under him. Luna caught Chris' eye and beamed at him, waving the gun in her right hand.
"Dear Tatts, so obliging to supply me like this." She said, her voice pleasant and fond. She gestured at Triumph with the firearm, her smile curdling to a smirk.
"I could have fought him hand to hand, I suppose, but this is so much easier. And speaking of fighting, Vista is a tough one. That power of hers is just so useful. Look at her, Zork can't even get close. It's a little pathetic. Ah well, you know what they say."
The pistol came back up.
"Happiness is a warm gun."
A small, detached part of Chris admired the accuracy and skill required to make the shot on someone who was moving without any real regard for physics, as Vista was. A much larger part of him screamed at the top of its lungs, trying to warn Vista. The croaking shout that left his mouth was lost in the bark of the pistol and a mess of crimson gore tore from Vista's hip, her cry of pain and shock splitting the air. The Grue clone was on her a moment later, one hand closing on her shoulder and the other driving into her face, three vicious blows until she went limp in his grasp. Luna scratched at her chin, clearly thinking, before she picked up her chain and strolled over to the two of them, her smile back in place and her gun sliding away, tucked into a hip holster. Chris couldn't see her face, but she had fixed her gaze on Panacea. He could tell, just about, by the way Panacea paled and stepped back.
"Ah, Panacea. Or can I call you Amy? You don't mind that, do you?"
Panacea didn't reply. Luna disregarded her silence, bending briefly and coming back up with a length of metal in her grasp.
"Oh well, doesn't really matter. You know, you really have a useful power. Here you are, alone and wounded, yet if I were to die this very instant you could heal anyone. Heal everyone, right? The power of life and death, in your hands, eternally. What a blessing it is."
Luna gave Panacea a grin that was all teeth and malice and knowing threat.
"But that isn't the way you see it, is it? Like I said, my mother doesn't like you. She keeps it all in check, but I'm not quite so charitable. I think you're a coward, too afraid to embrace what you could become. Mother is the same, you know."
The Grue clone let Vista slide to the ground, her body lolling bonelessly and Chris gritted his teeth, eyes prickling with tears. Luna glanced to the side, seeing the fallen body of Vista and tutting.
"Hmm. There really was no need to be so rough." She said. The Grue clone turned to her and the frown was just crossing his face when the pipe in her hand smashed into his jaw. Bone broke and teeth flew and he reeled back, arm rising but another blow hammered into his temple, sending him down to one knee and Luna kept hitting, kept hitting, a snarl on her face, white teeth and pale skin flecking with red as blood spewed from her former ally, blows raining down until he stopped moving and Luna straightened, sucking in a breath of blood-laden air and smearing red across gold as she pushed back her hair.
"These clones, you know. They're just brutes. All they want is to kill, to maim, to torture, even to rape. All they do is evil. They're just puppets of the meat-vat that spawned them. They've no future, no plans. It's pathetic." She said, her tone conversational. Chris caught a flash of her teeth as she smiled, turning back to Panacea.
"Of course, you're probably wondering how that makes me different. Well, allow me to enlighten you. You see, Mother has never really been honest with you. Her powers, her intelligence…she could do so much more. How many lives could she save, if she would just do what is necessary? Do what is right? How much sorrow could have been avoided if she was willing to go that extra step, if she had killed the meat-vat as soon as she saw it? But she isn't. She's too soft. She thinks she can win without bloodshed, that she can bring victory without raising herself over all of you, you lesser beings. She. Is. Wrong."
Luna wasn't smiling anymore, her tone impassioned as she stepped away from Panacea, turning so that Chris could see her, Vista fallen by her feet. She bent down and caught Vista by the back of her costume, hauling her up with only the slightest effort.
"And so, when that monster spewed me out, I told myself that I would teach Mother the truth. That I would show her the price of her weakness, her kindness, and I would remind her of what she is. All of you…it's a good start, but there needs to be something more. Something…pointed. And all of you- playing at being heroes. You need to learn. And what better way than a death? Well, two really. One Mother's childhood tormenter."
Shadow Stalker, Chris realised. He tried to reach for his gun again but it was out of reach, fingers grasping uselessly and a sudden nausea rose again in his throat as he realised what Luna was about to do. What she was about to do, what he was helpless to prevent.
"No!" he shouted. Luna ignored him, the light of fiery fanaticism blazing bright in her eyes.
"And one, an innocent. Should have been protected. Could have been protected, if not for Mother's neglect, a memory of sorrow to drive her on. Look at me, Heroes! Witness me now! For tonight, a Ward will die!"
And with that increasingly unhinged pronouncement, Luna drove the sharpened end of weapon through Vistas chest and flung her to the ground in a shower of crimson blood. Chris shouted, fruitlessly, lost in the choking, gasping struggles of Vista and the laughter of the clone. The laughing ceased abruptly, though a smile still lingered on Luna's face as she turned.
"And now, darling Sophia, your turn. I wonder if you'll be brave, now that you're on the receiving end?"
I always hate writing Tattletale. I always feel like I'm getting it wrong, but it was needed for this chapter so I did my best. I hope it's decent enough.
To all those people who said last chapters cliffhanger was evil- I am very, very sorry. Next chapter will be next week, so I'll see you then- as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.