It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, I've been busy recently, but I'm hoping to get back to a slightly more regular schedule soon. Circumstances permitting.
Taylor was the one to break the hug, slowly letting go of her Dad and stepping back. He held on for a few moments more before reluctantly releasing her, taking a step back himself and looking up at her face. She rubbed her hands together, ceramite grinding on ceramite, and produced a sheepish expression.
"I guess I owe you an explanation or two, don't I?" she said. Her Dad stared at her, eyes wide.
"Taylor," he said, voice hoarse, "You're…"
Taylor sighed, letting her hands fall to her sides.
"A parahuman, yeah."
She held out her hand to her helmet, calling on the Warp. As though to prove her claim- beyond the flaring wings and the armour she wore- her helmet slowly drifted into the air and came to her hand, carried on a snaking tendril of force. She gently placed the helmet onto a chair, eyeing the furniture and making a few mental estimates of her weight before she elected to lean against the wall, folding her arms and wrapping her power around herself to take some of her weight. Her Dad sat down, rubbing at his face with a hand that tremored a little.
"Taylor," he said, his voice faint, "How?"
Taylor took a deep breath, letting it hiss out through her nostrils.
'How should I handle this?'
"Start from the beginning and tell him the whole thing. Easier to be truthful to begin with."
'Yeah, I guess. Still not my favourite thing…should probably gloss over some of the whole bullying thing though.'
"That would likely be best."
"Well," Taylor said aloud, "Setting aside the question of how powers work- which I don't know the answer to- I guess it really started the last time I went to summer camp, a few years ago."
Her Dad looked up, his hand dropping away.
"Did something-"
"Nothing happened to me," Taylor said, interrupting, "But something happened to Emma. I don't know what, but I came home and she had a new best friend and a new outlook on life."
Taylor paused again, unfolding her arms and stroking her chin contemplatively.
"It must have been something traumatic, but that doesn't really explain everything…but I suppose it's too late to ask her. Either way, she decided that not only were we no longer friends, I was a pretty good target for bullying. So off we went."
"I didn't know you had fallen out," her Dad said lamely, her voice soft. Taylor smiled, a slight and crooked quirk of her lips.
"Don't worry about it, Dad. It started small, you know? Stolen homework, a few rumours, juice being poured on me, 'accidentally' shoulder-checking me in the hallways, couple of thumbtacks on the seats, that sort of stuff. I guess that was why I was caught off guard when they- when it really escalated. They'd been petty for almost two years, I didn't expect them to step it up."
Her Dad had come to his feet, his expression caught between anger and remorse. Taylor sighed again, shaking her head at him.
"Wait until I've told you it all, Dad. About six months ago, they pulled off the big one. They'd been collecting the contents of bins for a couple of weeks, I guess, and one day they piled it all into my locker. Not sure how they'd been collecting it…running around the school in front of the janitors and putting it all in a big bag, maybe? Suppose it doesn't matter. What does is that they piled all this stuff in my locker- fruit skins, bits left from lunches, pencil shavings, broken pens, sanitary pads, anything that had been thrown away- and then they shoved me into my locker, locked the door and strolled away laughing."
Her Dad made a strangled noise of outrage, eyes fixed on her. Taylor shrugged, feeling her wings brush against the wall behind her, a rueful grin replacing her thin smile.
"Yeah, it's pretty ffff-messed up. But that's not the best part, really. See, all of that garbage had been festering away, so it was just swarming with insects. And once they were trapped in there with me, they got a bit too friendly."
Taylor glanced up at the ceiling, her smile fading at the memories.
"I guess it was when something crawled onto my cheek and started to bite that I snapped. One moment I was trapped in there, and the next I blew the door off its hinges and walked out. Didn't even think to do anything except walk home, all I wanted was a shower."
Her Dad was right in front of her, one hand outstretched as though he wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how. Taylor reached up and clasped his hand in hers, meeting his eyes without smiling.
"Taylor- I…"
His voice was still strangled, choked with emotion. Taylor shook her head, interpreting the words he didn't offer.
"I didn't tell you because I thought I could deal with it," she said, briefly dancing around part of the truth, "And because you weren't over what happened to Mom. I didn't want to worry you."
Her Dad pulled her away from the wall, hugging her again. Taylor went with it, coughing to clear her throat of sudden emotion and blinking a wateriness from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Taylor," her Dad said, voice muffled by her armour and what she suspected were tears.
"I'm so sorry."
Taylor didn't say anything, letting him have his moment before she pulled away a fraction, patting him on the back.
"It's not your fault," she told him, making sure that her tone was confident, "And besides, it wasn't all bad. I got some pretty great powers out of it."
Her Dad squeezed her tighter before stepping back, his eyes suspiciously bright.
"You don't have to lie to me, Taylor. I know I've- I know I haven't been the best Dad, but you don't have to pretend that this is better than never being bullied. You go out and you- you've nearly died, Taylor, the Heroes told me! How can that be better?"
Ah. That.
'I really hope it wasn't Dauntless. I'd have thought they would know to keep their mouths shut and not blab about me. Damn.'
"Hopefully logic will get through to him."
'What a thing to think. And you call me naïve.'
"I- what did they tell you, Dad?" she asked instead. Her Dad took a step back, looking at her with his lips pressed into a thin line, emotion walled off. That probably wasn't a good sign, although…Taylor let her mind drift over his, tasting his emotion, and guessed that he was on the edge of a breakdown. She really wasn't qualified to deal with emotion, she thought, but this was her Dad. She could only try.
"That Hero, Armsmaster, he visited to speak to me. He told me that he knew you were innocent because he was fighting alongside you when Emma was- when she was murdered. When I asked he gave me a rundown of what you've been hiding from me, Taylor. Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Taylor suppressed a wince at the way her Dad's voice rose towards the end of his statement. Anger born of fear, she knew, but she still didn't appreciate it. Still, better to let him vent and try to calm him afterwards. Better that than screaming at each other and getting nowhere, so she took her own temper by the scruff of the neck and forced it down. He clearly wasn't going to accept a lack of answer, so she gritted her teeth and forced herself not to snap at him.
"No."
"It doesn't look like that, Taylor! You've been hiding all this from me, running away from school, getting into fights all of the time! It's like you're a different person! I thought that I knew you, I thought I could trust you! Trust you not to leave me like your Mom did!"
Taylor's fist clenched so hard that she heard her gauntlet creak and only an effort of will greater than almost any other prevented her from slamming that fist into her Dad's mouth.
'Fucking hypocrite-'
"Don't lose your temper."
'Lose my fucking-'
"You said you were going to stay calm. He's afraid for you and it's making him say things he doesn't mean."
Taylor drew in a breath through her nose, taking a step closer to her Dad.
"Do you think I'm trying to kill myself?" she asked, somehow keeping her tone from rising into a shout, although her tone hardened into something more like a growl. Her Dad glared back at her, eyes glistening with angry despair.
'How can I even begin to explain to him that I couldn't die even if I wanted to?'
That was a can of worms best left unopened.
"I don't know, Taylor. Explain it to me."
Taylor drew in a deep breath, the air feeling raw and ragged with her temper. It didn't come out as steadily as she would have liked, but it still calmed her, at least a little.
"Alright. I doubt you'll understand, but I'll try."
Her voice had an acid bite to it, one that came without trying. She saw her Dad set his jaw and barrelled on, not giving him time to protest.
"I have wanted to be a hero all my life. Every kid does, it's the dream. Most kids grow out of it, don't they? But I didn't. I got years of bullying and torment and then, and then I got powers!"
Taylor laughed, harsh and derisive.
"I could have gone after Sophia and Emma. I could have become a villain. But I didn't. I remembered that dream of mine and I clung to it like a drowning woman holding onto a buoy. And you know what, Dad? For the first time in years I was happy! For the first time in years I felt like my life was mine to control, I could really make my own choices, I had friends! And more than that, I was saving people, I was doing what was right. You want me to explain why I decided to be a hero, Dad? Because I couldn't bear to do anything less."
Her Dad opened his mouth and Taylor made a sharp gesture with her hand, cutting him off as the ceramite gauntlet flashed past his nose.
"I'm sure Armsmaster or whoever told you about my fight with Lung, right? Did they tell you why I fought him? Well, let me tell you anyway. I went after him because he had kidnapped my friend, a woman who had accepted me without a second thought! He beat her down and took her away as a hostage, and I went after him and I taught him that not everyone in this city will lay down before him and I don't regret a second of it. I would do it again without hesitation, because it was the right thing to do. Because- because, the longer I've been a hero, the more I realise that this is who I've always wanted to be. It's who I've always needed to be, and I'm not ashamed of that."
Her voice had risen almost to a shout, her chest heaving as she sucked in breaths after her rant. Her Dad was staring at her still, his expression softer now. Taylor sagged, suddenly so very tired.
"I don't go out with the intention of getting badly hurt. I don't go out with the intention of getting killed, Dad, I need you to believe me. But there are some things that I- I just can't compromise on them. I just can't."
"I-" her Dad started, only for his voice to croak. He coughed to clear his throat before continuing.
"Taylor, I- I shouldn't have said that. I know that you aren't…suicidal, or whatever. But I just- you didn't tell me. You could have died, and the first that I would have learned about you being a parahuman would be some hero knocking on my door to tell me that my daughter- a hero- had been killed fighting a villain. I would have lost you and I wouldn't even know why."
Taylor didn't meet his eyes. There wasn't really any argument for that, was there? All the logic in the world didn't change the fact that he was a single father, worried for his daughter who just couldn't stop putting herself in danger.
"Why didn't you tell me about gaining powers? Why wouldn't you tell me about the bullying?" he asked, anguish seeping into his voice. Taylor closed her eyes, sighing out a breath.
'Because if I told you about the bullying you would have tried to do something and failed. And I don't think that would have gone down well, with you already depressed. I didn't want to come home one day and find that I was an orphan.'
But she couldn't say that.
"I didn't want to bring it up," she said instead, trying for a calming tone, "Because I thought I could handle it. It wasn't too bad, the bullying, I thought, and you were still in mourning. You hadn't recovered from losing Mom, I didn't want to bring all my problems to you. And when I got powers, I just thought the same thing. I didn't want to worry you."
She hesitated and then continued.
"And I didn't know how you would react. I need you to understand, having powers is- it's changed my life. I've been so much…better, as I am now. I didn't know if you would force me to join the Wards, or keep living like I was before I got powers, or- I just didn't know. It was easier not to tell you."
Her Dad opened his mouth. Taylor saw the protestation rising up in his mind, the assurance that he would have trusted her, would have helped her.
She saw the lie there, clear as day.
"Don't," she said, lifting a hand, "Please, Dad. Don't lie to me."
Danny Hebert shut his mouth, the click of his jaw sounding very loud in the sudden silence. He didn't protest his innocence. That was something, at least. Taylor sighed, her shoulders sagging. She knew that she would need to give him her reasons- or at least a reason, if only to avoid looking like a paranoid maniac.
"I won't lie to you, Taylor," her Dad said, voice soft as a whisper, "But please- please, tell me why."
Why what, said the bitter, vicious voice in the back of her mind, but he's trying. He's trying, so Taylor will accommodate him.
"Tell him the truth, from the beginning. It will be easier this way."
The Emperor's voice is stoic, just a hint of concern for her flavouring his tone. Taylor closed her eyes for a long blink, reopening them with a tired huff of breath. Yeah, she supposed that was the way to go. She would have argued that he didn't need to repeat himself, but she guessed that sometimes things needed to be drilled into her head. She pulsed her power, checking that there weren't any PRT or Protectorate members within hearing range.
"I-I guess I should just tell you the truth, huh. Alright. So, the whole bullying thing."
Taylor knew that she was speaking quietly, as though she didn't really want to tell her Dad all this. Well, it wasn't really 'as though'. She really didn't want to tell her Dad this. But sometimes it was best to just rip the whole bandage off in one go. Her next sigh is heavier, raspier, wearier.
"The three ringleaders of my bullies," she said, shrugging to herself at the phrasing, "Emma. Sophia. Madison. They're the important things here."
She pondered the phrasing, snorting in a bitter imitation of a laugh.
"Well, not Madison. Emma, obviously, my former best friend. She was the heart of the three, and Sophia was the muscle. Stay with me here, this does have relevance. But anyway, Sophia. One of my bullies, etcetera etcetera. Well, she's- she's kind of a Ward."
"From now on you have absolutely no right to criticise my ability to break bad news."
'I panicked alright! So long as he lives I can make it work.'
Her Dad had hunched over, his skin paling until it was almost grey and his hands locking together.
"Taylor," he croaked, "what?"
Taylor rubbed at the corner of her mouth, feeling her gauntlet scrape against her skin. The ceramite wasn't smooth, a sign of inferior workmanship if it was already wearing away. She'd need to fix that.
"Sophia is a Ward- Shadow Stalker, to be specific. I learned just after I got powers and I- I couldn't join the Protectorate. Not with her there. I waited, managed to work with them, wanted to see what they were really like."
Taylor sighed tiredly.
"And it turns out that they're mostly great people stuck in a corporate nightmare of an organisation. I understand why Shadow Stalker is a Ward, I really do- they're constantly undermanned and they managed to wrangle her in after she went wild and starting brutalising anyone she felt like. But that doesn't mean I'll work for them."
Her Dad looked up, his head shaking from side to side.
"Taylor- why didn't you tell anyone?"
Taylor pushed herself away from the wall, filled with a nervous energy.
'I hate justifying myself. It always makes me sound unreasonable.'
"I always thought of it as everyone else being unreasonable."
'You know what, you're right. Everyone is wrong but me. Thanks for the pep talk.'
"Always a pleasure, Taylor."
"What could I say?" she asked, letting out a bitter little laugh, "Just walk up to Director Piggot and tell her hey, one of your Wards bullied me so hard I got superpowers? No, I don't have any proof and no, I won't tell you how I worked out her secret identity but you should definitely believe me? It would never have worked. In fact, it would probably have made things worse, and now she's in a coma and my identity has been revealed to anyone who cares to look!"
Taylor took a deep breath, blinking.
"That came out of nowhere, sorry. I guess I'm more frustrated about being outed than I expected."
Probably, she thought, because of the strong chance that she would now end up being press-ganged into the Protectorate. And now they had actual useful leverage. Attempting to use any of her past violent tendencies against her wouldn't have worked, she could just leave and refuse to work with them any longer- although it would probably be harder to keep up than it sounded. But with her Dad vulnerable, they had an actual way to get at her. It was- well, it made her wish that Coil was still alive. Killing him again would be a little bit cathartic.
"Just in case, we should attempt to put together a plan that will keep your father safe. It is always better to negotiate from a position of strength."
Taylor didn't reply to the Emperor, but she sent a flick of her thoughts that indicated agreement before she turned back to her Dad.
"I had hoped to get something else going before I had to reveal my identity. I've got all this technological knowledge, supplying the PRT would have put me in a pretty good place. But that's not going to happen now, is it? Or not the same way?"
She was venting, Taylor dimly recognised, but she couldn't muster the necessary willpower to care about it. She squeezed her eyes shut in a long blink, dragging a hand down her face before she huffed out a breath and looked at her Dad again. He was still pale, but there was an intensity in his gaze that had been lacking before.
"Taylor," he said, "I haven't asked before. But you seem to know something about your identity being revealed. I- I want to know. I want you to tell me what happened, Taylor. If you can."
"Taylor hesitated and her Dad smiled bitterly.
"You don't have to worry about me telling anyone, Taylor. Especially not the PRT. The government has hung us dockworkers out to dry, I won't do them any favours."
His bitterness tasted like coffee in the air, Taylor noted, and spared a thought to be concerned over that analogy. Drinking in people's emotions was all well and good right until it wasn't. But her possible impending maniacal episode was a problem for future Taylor, so she put the thought out of her mind. Her Dad was telling the truth, so she might as well get to returning the favour.
"Alright. Well, this is sort of a long story, so bear with me. It starts a few months ago, when Brockton Bay Central was robbed."
"You were there, weren't you?" her Dad asked. He met her raised eyebrow with a slightly sheepish smile.
"I've been looking you up since I knew who you were."
Taylor snorted faintly, a noise that was laced with exasperated fondness.
"Of course you have. And yeah, Glory- Glory Girl, that is- called me in to help with the Undersiders. But the important thing is that while the Wards and I were throwing down with the Undersiders around the bank, Dinah Alcott was kidnapped. She's the Mayor's niece, about twelve years old I think. Snatched right off the street. I had a hunch, and I managed to talk to one of the Undersiders to confirm it- the bank job was a distraction. And it worked out real well. The men who kidnapped Dinah were working for a supervillain called Coil. He was pretty low key in comparison to Lung or the Empire but I gotta admit, kidnapping a pre-teen put him right onto my shit-list."
Taylor flexed her wings without thinking, a breeze whipping around the room and stirring her Dad's thinning hair. She sent him an apologetic look.
"Sorry."
He shook his head.
"It's alright, Taylor. So you were going after this…Coil? But you didn't make any moves for a while, right?"
Taylor nodded.
"Right. I wanted to go after him, but I had other things on my plate. So many other things, because the universe has a grudge against me or-ahem. Anyway. I still kept an eye on Coil, because I wanted to take him down. Got my chance a few days ago when I managed to track one of his guys to a base that Coil used. I thought about going in on my own, to be honest, but eventually I persuaded myself to do the reasonable thing and called in reinforcements from the PRT and Protectorate."
"I'm starting to think that you protest too much about not wanting to join the Protectorate," her Dad mumbled. Taylor gave him a mock scowl.
"I like to think of it as the difference between working for and working with, and if you take that away from me I'll- I dunno, I'll buy the wrong brand of apples for you. Don't test my pettiness."
Her Dad looked appropriately horrified. Taylor squashed down a slightly crazed cackle, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stave off the crazy.
"Anyway- I rounded up some support and went off to this base. And then everything went wrong."
Taylor sobered, all humour vanishing as she remembered being dragged into the squirming mass of meat that was Noelle.
"There was a parahuman there. I don't know what was wrong with her, but she was feral. Berserk. She had the ability to clone any other parahuman she got her, well, her tentacles on. I got a building dropped on me and got cut off from the others. When I got out I managed to get Miss Militia away from some of the clones- they were all psychotic- but then Noelle, the cloner, she got me."
Taylor let her lips quirk into a wry smile, making at least a token attempt at soothing the worry her Dad clearly felt.
"I got out, obviously, but I got cloned as well. Thing is that I'm not- well, I call it human standard, physiologically speaking, so most of them were crippled. Most of them were crippled…but one wasn't. She called herself Luna. From what I can tell she killed at least two people before I managed to stop her."
"Stop her?" her Dad asked. Taylor sighed, wings curling around her as much as they could. Her hands rubbed together again, ceramite creaking and scraping.
"We fought. She said a lot of things that- a lot of things that I probably need to think about when I get time. And in the end I rammed my broken staff through her heart and left her there."
Taylor looked up at the ceiling and laughed harshly.
"Maybe I should have done something else with the body, I don't know. I regenerate, maybe I should have expected that she would. But I was trying to protect a bunch of walking wounded from the other clones and I pierced her heart, I felt her die. Is it so unreasonable to have just left it? Doesn't matter, I guess. She'd already put Sophia in a coma. And after we left- from what I can tell- she woke up. She woke up, she pulled the staff out of her heart and she walked over to Emma's house and graduated to serial killer. And now she's gone, but not before letting half of the PRT know my name and my face and the PRT is riddled with moles, so now everyone knows."
Taylor hadn't raised her voice or waved her arms. She remained still, leant slightly back into the wall with her wings tucked close around her, her voice thick with bitterness.
"One of the people with spies in the PRT was Coil. He liked to blackmail people into working for him, liked to threaten families and friends. He was going to threaten you, Dad. And I…took exception to that."
"You keep using the past tense," Danny noted, his voice very quiet. Taylor closed her eyes.
"Yeah," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I do."
She took a breath and continued, still in that soft whisper.
"I found his base, tracked him down. I went in there, went through his mercenaries, caught him in his office. He was using Dinah as a human shield, can you believe that? A human shield, a pre-teen. So I put my glaive through his heart and took his head and I burned his body when I was done. Coil is dead, and he'll never come back to haunt anyone else."
She didn't look down immediately, drawing in two more deep breaths before tilting her chin. The words and I don't regret it lingered on her tongue, scorching and harsh, but they sputtered away into embers as her Dad hugged her again.
"I'm sorry, Taylor," he murmured, "That you had to do that."
Taylor let her chin fall onto her chest, luxuriating in the exhaustion and the nostalgia for the days when she believed her Dad could protect her from all the evils of the world for just a moment. Just a moment, another snatched minute when she could pretend that everything would be ok before she drew in a deep breath and gently disentangled herself.
"I made my choice, Dad. I knew what I was doing. I had to save Dinah- and I had to save you."
"Oh, Taylor," her Dad said softly. Taylor sighed again.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's messed up. It's a messed up world out there, Dad, but I'm gonna make it better even if I have to drag every single individual up with me."
She hesitated, hand tucking under her chin in thought.
"Although I really hope it isn't needed, because that sounds like so much work."
Her Dad laughed, sounding almost as surprised as he did amused, and Taylor turned to see that he was smiling sadly.
"I'm sorry, Taylor- I don't want to sound like I think what's happened to you is a good thing, but I'm glad that you're…not as sad, anymore. I- ah, I'm not explaining myself very well, am I?"
Taylor stared at him for three long blinks, thoughts filtering to her brain, before the humour came bubbling from her chest to her throat and she tilted her head back, laughing. It wasn't really that funny, she knew, but there was something so…endearingly fatherly about it that it struck a chord in her. She pulled herself back together, smiling warmly at her Dad.
"I get it, Dad. Thanks."
His sad smile brightened a little and Taylor shook her head. Maybe she should have tried this earlier, if he was going to be so forgiving. Or maybe it was because she had done the whole runaway thing, but either or she'd take what she could get. Even if the next thing they had to deal with would be even less pleasant.
"I daresay that the PRT will want to talk to us," she admitted, leaning down to retrieve her helmet, "So I should probably get this armour off. I hope Dauntless hasn't gone too far, though, it would be a lot easier to be able to ask him. I'll have to see if he's still outside."
Her Dad nodded, sobering.
"I'll put on a suit," he said, expression crinkling with a sort of fierce protectiveness. Taylor nodded to him.
"Thanks, Dad. I'll go and- wait. A phone call?"
Taylor looked down at her gauntlet, the vibrations that went through it to indicate an incoming call feathering across her skin. She looked back at her Dad and shook her head.
"I have to take this, Dad. Sorry."
He waved it off, moving towards the stairs in what Taylor thought was a touching show of trust. She pulled her helmet back on, sealing it and shutting off the vox filter to keep the conversation private as she answered the call.
"Tattletale?"
In theory it was a risk to use Tattletale's name. In practice Taylor didn't know her real name, didn't really want to know her real name, and any bug that would pick that up would almost certainly be good enough to identify her villain acquaintance from her voice alone. It was a bit awkward to just stand and have a conversation, so Taylor paced the room, floorboards creaking under her weight. She glanced down and flexed her wings, lifting herself a few inches from the ground. Just to be sure.
"Hey Circaetus. I have to ask, is the head in my new office a warning or a gift?"
Tattletale sounded pretty chirpy. That was probably a good thing.
"Whichever you'd like it to be, honey," Taylor returned, her tone more deadpan than her words would probably imply. Tattletale laughed airily.
"You're so thoughtful, sugarplum. And speaking of thoughtful, I've got something here of yours."
"Something of mine?" Taylor asked, frowning. She couldn't think of anything- well, maybe a nice bribe. That maybe wouldn't go amiss, but she didn't think Tattletale would be so coy about it.
"Yeah. About five eleven, pretty muscular, blonde hair, black eyes, pretty dead from severe head trauma-"
"You've got one of my clones?" Taylor asked, somehow squashing her first instinct to ask if the clone was "Pretty muscular" or "Pretty, muscular". Tattletale sighed.
"Yeah. Not sure what Coil was gonna do with it."
"I dread to think what you would do with a perfect copy of me, never mind Coil."
A faint laugh.
"Well, I was going to snuggle up to it and put on some romantic music since it's the closest I'll get, but then I remembered that that's probably what Coil was planning and whenever I ask myself 'what would Coil do?' I always try to pick the opposite."
Taylor shuddered at the thought of Coil and her dead clone, the ceramite plates of her armour scraping and crunching together with the movement. Still, she couldn't lose their little game now.
"Yeah, don't do that. I'd hate to be jealous of a dead body."
Tattletale chuckled down the line before she became business-like.
"So, the body. You want me to burn it? And there's a couple of other things that I need to talk to you about, but they can wait a little while. You think you'll be free later?"
"For you, darling? Certainly. In fact, sooner would be better. I need to talk to Piggot too, and I doubt that'll be quick. I'll pick up the body when I swing by."
"Aww, you flatterer. Alright, Coil's office. As soon as you can? I'll see you later, Circaetus."
"I'll see you later, Tattletale," Taylor replied, hearing the click as the call ended. She took a deep breath of filtered air before popping the helmet seals and pulling it off, taking a second breath of fresher, cleaner air. She had to admit that it was…nice, to be able to talk to Tattletale like that. To really feel like she wasn't going to be judged at all. Glory was great, Taylor's best friend, but she was very heroic. Taylor wasn't sure if her heroism outweighed her pragmatism, and honestly she didn't want to find out. Still, Taylor was glad that her helmet cut off all sound. If anyone had heard that conversation she was pretty sure they'd get the wrong impression of her relationship with Tattletale, when truthfully…well, Taylor wasn't sure about Tattletale, but for herself…she was pretty sure that, right now, anyone she, well, anyone she was sleeping with, would get a bit of psychic backlash. Maybe more than a bit. Worst case scenario, brief connection to the Warp leading to seeing her full Warp-presence in all its nightmarish glory.
Yeah, she'd prefer not to burn the minds of people she liked to ash. Besides that, it would just be weird. She was fifteen and forty thousand and all the ages in between and that was just pretty creepy. So as far as romance went- yeah, best not to go there. But speaking of going there, she needed to get her armour off before she headed to talk to Tattletale. The battery just wouldn't last long enough for her to be comfortable in wearing it much longer.
"Dauntless!" Taylor called as she left her house, relieved to see that the Hero was still there. He was leaning against the fence, somehow managing to look nonchalant despite the bandages all but covering him, but he straightened as she approached.
"Circaetus?"
Taylor sighed, trying to find a way to put it politely before deciding that she just didn't have one. Winging it, then.
Hah. Winging it. She'd have to use that pun aloud in the future.
"So I'm gonna go ahead and guess that Director Piggot wants to speak to me about everything, right?"
"Yeah, she definitely does. Sorry, Circaetus. We tried to talk her out of it, but she's. Uh?"
"You're waiting for me to be the one to disrespect her, right?"
Dauntless tilted his helmed head at her. Taylor nodded.
"Alright, I can respect that. She's controlling and has major trust issues and I respect you and anyone else who went to bat for me. It's, y'know, really nice of you. But she still wants to talk to me."
Taylor nodded.
"Alright, alright. Can you tell her that I'll meet her at the HQ in two hours? I need to sort some things out before then."
Dauntless let out a muffled chuckle.
"Setting boundaries, Circaetus?"
Taylor shrugged.
"Someone has to. Start from a position of strength, right?"
Dauntless just offered her a shrug, his body language and emotion reading amusement. She nodded to him.
"Thanks, Dauntless."
He waved his hand to her, returning to his relaxed position even as he pulled a phone from his costume. Taylor waved back and strolled away, stepping back into her house. She had only passed the door before she swept her hand through the air and stepped into the Warp portal that opened before her.
'I've only just realised this, but the solar power for the batteries is a weakness. We have to leave a window unblocked for them to be charged, but it leaves a gap that someone could look through.'
"Hmm. Yes, a good point. Then again, this is hardly a secure workshop. Only obscurity maintains any safety here. We should find a better one. Perhaps if we can secure a position supplying the PRT with equipment, we can persuade them to provide one. And use the funds to add another that they do not know about."
'That's what you did in the past, right? You wrangled yourself into a whole bunch of companies and built wealth through shell corporations?'
"Indeed. I would like to think that enough of my wealth went to promising new developments in technology and charities that my position mattered as much to humanity as any war against daemons that I fought. At least, before the Eldar gave birth to She Who Thirsts and wealth ceased to matter."
Taylor hummed quietly, pulled off her helmet and settling into the cradle for her armour. It took her a moment to work the catches and buttons, but soon she was stepping free from the encasing shell. She shivered, cold air playing across the skin that was briefly exposed, her shirt rumpled from the armour before she tugged it down. Grimacing at the cool dampness of the basement she quickly stripped and changed into the heavier clothes that she wore with her usual armour, pulling on the white and gold pieces over it and throwing her coat over her shoulders, swirling it around her. A faint tension that she hadn't even realised was there melted away as the garment settled around her, the helmet slipping over her head with ease. Taylor pulled the solar cells from the power armour and left them in a column of sunlight that streamed through the only partially blocked window to the basement, opening another portal to the Warp and striding through. She had a meeting to get to.
"Tattletale," Taylor greeted, stepping from the Warp and into the office formerly belonging to Coil. Tattletale jerked in her seat, spine stiffening and hand whipping to a gun before she froze. Taylor tilted her head and raised her hands.
"Whoa there, Tattletale. Friendly over here."
Tattletale leant over the desk, slumping with one hand clawed over her heart and the other still gripping her gun.
"Jesus, Circaetus. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Taylor kept her hands raised. There was genuine fear swirling around Tattletale, starting to fade but still thick and tangy in the air. Sour citrus, Taylor idly thought. Hmm. This was becoming a habit, and it was a little concerning.
"Sorry," she said, sincerely apologetic. Tattletale shook her head.
"I nearly though that Luna was coming back to finish the job," she admitted, closing her eyes and letting go of the gun to pinch at her brow. Taylor flinched, guilt thickening in her chest. She really should have considered that. Tattletale sat in silence for a moment before shaking her head and dropping her hands into her lap, looking up. Taylor met her gaze as best she could, slowly lowering her hands and waiting. Tattletale smiled wanly.
"Just when I thought you were bad enough, you can teleport."
Taylor shrugged, the motion more expressive that usual as her wings moved with her shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm a real menace. Are- are you alright, Tattletale? I didn't realise that I would be so…you know."
"Flashback inducing?" Tattletale asked. Taylor raised a helpless hand.
"I…yeah, I guess."
"Smooth."
'Shut it.'
Tattletale shook her head again, slowly rising from her seat. Taylor waited, curious, as Tattletale walked around the desk and approached her.
"Can you do me a favour?" Tattletale asked. Taylor shrugged again, spreading her hands.
"So long as it isn't too hard. What do you want?"
"Can you take off your helmet? I just want to see if- I want to see how much like Luna you are."
For a moment Taylor hesitated, wondering if she should be offended. Wondering, in fact, if taking off her helmet might make everything worse. But Tattletale was insistent, so Taylor sighed.
"Suit yourself," she said, reaching up and carefully pulling her helmet off her head. It wasn't like she was hiding anymore, she told herself as she tucked the armour piece under one arm and raised an eyebrow at Tattletale. The Undersider had gone still again, eyes intent on Taylor. A single arm lifted, fingers reaching out to brush against Taylor's cheek.
"You look like her," Tattletale said softly, "But also you don't."
"You've lost me."
Tattletale shook her head, lips quirking into a faint smile.
"You've got the same facial structure- of course you do, she's a clone- but you look different. Not just eye colour. Your expression is different. It's pretty obvious, once I stand and look at you."
"Should I be flattered?" Taylor asked, smiling. Tattletale let her hand fall away from Taylor's face.
"Probably. I like the wings, too. They're very noticeable."
Tattletale took a few steps away, her smile fading and her expression closing over.
"She killed Regent, you know. Just…smashed his skull against a shipping crate. Didn't even blink. She was laughing about it. I don't think I've ever been so sure that I was about to die, not even when Coil had a gun pointed at my head. I knew he wouldn't do it unless he had to. But her. She'd have killed me just for the fun of it."
Taylor wavered, not sure what to do. In the end she gently reached out and rested a hand on Tattletale's shoulder, not sure how else to offer comfort. Tattletale sniffed quietly, back turned to Taylor. Taylor suspected that there were tears.
'Of all the times to have a breakdown,' Taylor fretted, worried for the girl who had become a sort of friend. The Emperor made a quiet noise.
"This might be what makes most sense. She finally feels safe, so she can afford it now. Psychology can be an unusual thing."
'Well that's probably an understatement.'
Taylor waited it out, letting Tattletale compose herself. It only took a few minutes, although maybe there was a larger breakdown on the horizon.
"Thanks," Tattletale said quietly, "For being patient."
"I have my moments," Taylor said, as gently as possible. Tattletale let out a watery laugh and scrubbed a hand across her eyes.
"Yeah. I guess you do. But you aren't here to be cried on, right, Circaetus?"
"No. Sorry."
Taylor thought for a second and then gave a mental shrug.
"You can call me Taylor if you want. Circaetus is still great but it's a bit of a mouthful."
Tattletale gave her a calculating stare. Taylor politely ignored it, just waiting with raised eyebrow until Tattletale finished her thinking.
"Sure. Although it's weird to think of you as Taylor. It's pretty normal, as far as names go."
"Gee, thanks."
"Mm. What if I stick with Circ? Circe?"
"Circ is fine," Taylor muttered, rolling her eyes, "But watch it. I'll find some cutesy nickname for you yet."
Tattletale grinned at Taylor's expression.
"Sure you will, Circ," she said, waving for Taylor to follow her, "But until then, come on. I'm sure you've got other things to do today, and I definitely do. But just so you know, my name's Lisa. Can't use it, but I'd feel rude not telling you."
Taylor estimated that maybe a third of that sentence was actually true, but she didn't really care.
"Sure thing, TT. Mm…nah. Terrible."
"Absolutely horrible attempt," Tattletale- Lisa- agreed. Taylor nodded sadly.
"I'm going to have to look in a thesaurus or something. Your name is horrible to shorten. Or I'm really not on top of my game."
"I know, it's great. But I do have a few things for you. I've only had a quick look at Coil's files, only had a couple of hours, but I've got this base under control. The mercenaries that've woken up are just as happy to take my money as his, and I'm pretty sure I can take over the rest of his operations fairly smoothly. There are a couple of important things that I've already found out, though."
Taylor followed Tattletale through two doorways, pulling her helmet back on.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. So, first off- we were right about Marque. He's a middleman, specifically a cape called Lizardtail. Coil hired his services from Accord, a Thinker from Boston, for an unspecified reward. Best I can tell he's got some kind of healing ability- Lizardtail, that is- and is probably here to help Coil expand in Brockton. Accord is a planner, so there must be something bigger behind it, but I won't know that until I get to talk to Accord. Second, we were right about Raijin too. He was hired by Coil to keep the ABB together when it as weakened, divide and conquer. I doubt he'll come back- he'll probably stick with Lung if he gets away from the PRT. Thirdly, Coil was playing everyone. His middlemen were smuggling weapons and drugs to every gang we know, but his legitimate businesses were earning almost as much. I haven't fully worked out what his endgame was yet."
"Coil was a fairly high ranking PRT officer in his civilian life, Fruity," Taylor added. Lisa glanced at her.
"Fruity?"
"Yeah, like Fruity Two-Tees. Eh. Needs work. But he was fairly high in the PRT, so if he could manipulate his way into command…"
"Then he could make a play for influence in both legitimate and illegitimate spheres. Hmm. Ambitious, but clever. And yes, the nickname needs work. Even if I like it more than Tee-Tee."
Taylor shrugged.
"Either way, there's something else too. When he was trying to convince me to spare him, he told me that he has a program or something set up that'll leak the identities of all the Empire members unless he regularly checks it. Probably something that needs dealt with."
Lisa hissed between her teeth.
"Yeah, that would be bad. I'll get to work on it as soon as I can. Now, the body of your clone- it's just this way."
Taylor followed behind her, mind working half on nicknames, just to amuse herself, and half on planned alterations to her armour. There was something for her powered armour that was just a few minutes from completion by her estimate, so long as she was willing to settle for lower quality. Might be worth completing before she went to meet Director Piggot, Taylor thought. Just in case. Lisa pushed through a doorway that Taylor hadn't been to before, leading Taylor into a room that had the cold, white sterility of a hospital. A single table lay in the middle of the room with a cloth covered body on it. Grue leaned against the wall, head tilted down. He started as Taylor walked in, jerking forwards and rising to his full height from his slump.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, darkness already starting to leak from his frame and fists raised. Taylor glanced at Tattletale, who raised her hands in a placating manner.
"She's my guest, Grue. She's why we're here- I thought it was only fair to give her back her clone."
Grue tensed, crossing to Tattletale and pulling her away by the elbow. They spoke with quiet intensity as Taylor ignored them, walking to the medical bench and pulling away the blanket with a flourishing movement. The body beneath was familiar to her, the head injuries and the colour of the hair.
"Huh," Taylor commented, "This is the one that Luna killed near to my house. Or I assume it was Luna, anyway. Wasn't me, and Noelle sent this one to kill my Dad."
Her voice came out impressively level, and it might have been that that drew the attention of the two Undersiders.
"Noelle? The cloner? And why would Luna keep your Dad alive?" Grue demanded. Taylor shrugged.
"If I had to guess? She wants to kill him herself, but she knew better than to actually do it while I was still nearby. I proved fairly conclusively that she can't beat me at the moment, I'd say. She probably left the city as soon as she killed the Barnes'."
"You're very calm about this," Grue prodded, voice suspicious. Taylor gave him a smile that couldn't be seen under her helmet.
"Well, I took all my anger out on Coil. It was pretty cathartic. And now for this one…"
"Why would Coil want a clone?" Lisa asked. Taylor let her hand hover over the face of the clone, deciding to indulge her. If she really tried Tattletale could probably work out the answer, anyway. Her power was funny like that.
"I'm not human standard, physically. Those alterations can in theory be replicated with normal surgery, so long as you knew a really good surgeon and had a lot of luck. This clone would be useless, though. Its augments are all messed up from the cloning method."
Taylor went silent, closing her eyes and concentrating.
"It's almost a shame that I'm an atheist. Something like this feels anticlimactic without some sort of prayer. Oh well. I suppose there's nothing else for it, though."
Flame fell from her fingertips onto the corpse, catching and blazing into roaring purple flame that rushed over the body, devouring flesh and bone with voracious hunger until there was nothing left but ash. Taylor sighed softly.
"For all their boasting, they were impermanent in the end. The fate of all things human."
She barely spoke above a whisper, so quiet that she doubted that either Lisa or Grue had heard. She turned, looking at Tattletale.
"So, uh, Tatts? Anything else?"
"Tatts?" Grue whispered. Taylor shrugged.
"Still not right, huh?"
"Afraid not, Circ. But yes, that's everything. And Circaetus- thank you. For listening to me, I suppose."
Taylor smiled faintly, wings flapping once behind her.
"Don't worry about it, Tattletale. And, ah, don't be a stranger. I'm sure I'll be in touch."
Taylor drifted her hand through the air, opening a tear into the Warp and nodding to the Undersiders as she stepped through, her stride heavy with purpose. She had things to do before she was forced to confront Director Piggot.
An hour and a half, a shower and another box of cereal later Taylor stepped out of her house with her Dad in tow. A van was parked just outside the residence, with Dauntless standing next to it.
"Your ride," Dauntless said, gesturing. His arm wasn't in a sling anymore, but he still stood as though he was sore. He tilted his helmet, obviously eyeing Taylor. Taylor shrugged at him, spreading her wings.
"I'll fly."
She didn't wait for anyone to argue, simply boosting herself into the air with a short hop before her wings slashed down and hurled her into the skies. She beat her wings quick and hard to gain height, sweeping up until she was above the buildings and clinging smog of the city, taking a deep breath of fresh air and smiling. Taylor rolled in the air, leaning onto her back and gazing up at the clouds, blue sky in the gaps in grey. Drizzle fell around her, slicking away from her form at the slightest touch of power.
'Funny how easy it is to fly, even though I know that I'm mostly using the Warp. Why do the wings make it so much easier than simply hovering?'
"It's psychological, just like most things involving the Warp. The wings unconsciously channel the Warp to make it easier to fly."
Taylor hummed softly, dipping a wing to swing herself around and face the city below.
'Do you think that we could reach space on our wings?' she asked, strangely wistful. The Emperor made a soft noise, almost a sigh.
"Give it time. We will be strong enough one day- although I don't recommend going into space unaided. We can survive it, but a ship is far more pleasant."
'I guess it would be.'
"Yes. I was capable of travelling between planets via the Warp, but I preferred the comfort of a vessel. I only resorted to teleportation when the speed outweighed the benefits of reinforcement."
Taylor flew on in silence, thoughts drifting to travelling between planets with nothing more than the power in her own soul. It was a distant dream, but all achievements had been nothing more than dreams once. This one, she decided, would be no different.
'So, any useful advice for dealing with Piggot?'
"You probably know it all. But I think the best choice is to give her no choice. Make it clear that she can keep the status quo and protect your father, or she can lose most of your support in exchange for refusing to offer her own. Do not even consider joining the Protectorate, and make it clear."
'Just bull our way through, is what you're saying? I can probably do that.'
"We do seem to be at our best when improvising."
Taylor pulled herself upright and flared her wings out, catching the wind rather than gliding on it. The air buffeted her, bringing her to a halt, and she descended from the skies, maintaining her slow pace with careful wingbeats until she was just five feet above the ground and could fold her wings and drop. She landed in a crouch, straightening and pulling her coat back into place. She strolled into the headquarters, waiting near the front desk until a throat was cleared behind her.
"Good afternoon, Circaetus," Myrddin said, his hooded robe not quite covering his friendly smile. Taylor unfolded from the wall, raising a hand in greeting.
"Myrddin, I would have thought you would have gone back to Chicago by now."
Myrddin shook his head, gesturing for her to walk alongside him and setting off.
"I considered it, but both Chevalier and I agreed that the Protectorate here had taken enough casualties that we should remain to stabilise the situation. Fortunately we both have quite a bit of influence with the leaders of our Protectorate teams."
Taylor chuckled at that, seeing Myrddin smiling.
"Always good to have friends in high places," she said, briefly continuing the joke. Myrddin chuckled warmly, leading her further on. Once they were away from the public eye he slowed his gait slightly, his hand rubbing at his beard before he put it gently on her shoulder.
"I wanted to offer my apologies, Circaetus. The release of your identity should never have happened, and it is a black mark upon the Protectorate and PRT that it occurred."
"That's very kind," Taylor said softly, "But I don't blame any of you. I only blame Coil, and he's beyond answering for his crimes."
"Beyond answering," Myrddin murmured, "You're sure? I know that you rescued Dinah Alcott from him, but she wouldn't answer many questions. Not that I tried very hard, she's just a child."
Taylor chewed over her answer for a few breaths before she shook her head.
"After I confronted Coil I left him for Tattletale. She wouldn't leave him alive."
None of that was a lie, technically. That was good enough for her.
"Ah, the Undersider. I had wondered if you had some form of source. I suppose she is better than Coil?"
"Better the devil you know," Taylor reasoned, "And so far all she's done is commit robberies. Much better than kidnapping."
"Not an entirely pleasing outcome, but better than most," Myrddin agreed. He sighed.
"Truth be told, Circaetus, Chevalier and I were willing to leave Brockton the day after dealing with Echidna. Although the Protectorate team is in poor shape, we thought that your presence and New Wave would ensure the city remained intact, at least, until the Protectorate recovered. Learning that the Butcher was here and your issues with Coil put paid to that."
Taylor scratched at her collar, just a little uncomfortably. Myrddin waved a hand.
"Not that I blame you, of course. But I think that Chevalier and I will be recommending that extra resources are committed here. Brockton seems to be becoming something of a hotspot for powerful villains, even with Lung lying low and Coil dealt with."
"Yeah, I can't say the help wouldn't be appreciated," Taylor admitted. Myrddin nodded, leading her through another doorway.
"Dauntless will take your father to Director Piggot," he explained, "So we'll go straight there."
Taylor tucked her hands into her pockets, keeping pace.
"How are the Wards?" she asked softly, "I know they can't be- well, it can't be easy for them."
Myrddin drew in a breath and let it out, slow and soft.
"Shadow Stalker is still in a coma. Browbeat's body was recovered, but his parents…I never want to see something like that again. Kid Win and Vista are still recovering from their injuries. I think that it would be best if you remained away from them for a few more days."
Taylor nodded, tilting her chin down. Myrddin put his hand on her shoulder again.
"They know that it wasn't you, Circaetus. But knowing that and understanding that are different. It'll take time for them to recover."
"I know."
"Armsmaster and Velocity are back to duty readiness, and so is Battery. Assault and Dauntless are fit for light duties until Panacea recovers. Miss Militia and Triumph are both in serious condition, but stable. In other words, we can't really take too much more of a hit."
"Don't tempt fate," Taylor murmured. Myrddin glanced at her, his lips quirking under his thick beard.
"No. Of course not."
They rounded one more corner and found Dauntless waiting for them, Taylor's Dad standing next to him. Danny looked uncomfortable in his best suit, but he offered Myrddin a polite smile and Taylor a warmer expression. Myrddin nodded to Dauntless.
"Dauntless, I'll leave them in your capable hands. Circaetus, Mr Hebert, good luck."
Taylor thanked Myrddin as he walked away, turning back to Dauntless.
"Come on then, Dauntless. Let's get this over with."
Dauntless lead the way without remark, leading the two of them past Piggot's secretary and into the office. Dauntless himself didn't enter, opening the door for them and then hanging back. Taylor stepped in front of her Dad as they entered, automatically taking a protective posture as her eyes locked onto the woman behind the desk.
"Director," Taylor greeted. The woman looked up, eyes cold and hard.
"Mr Hebert. Miss Hebert."
"I prefer Circaetus," Taylor interrupted, fully aware that allowing Piggot to dictate the tone of this conversation wouldn't help her cause. She saw Piggot's lips thin and smiled, pulling off her helmet and strolling across the office. Piggot inclined her head.
"If you like, Circaetus. Coffee?"
"She didn't intend to insist on your name. Just testing the waters."
'Tricky, isn't she?'
"I wouldn't mind a cup," Taylor said aloud, sinking into one of the uncomfortable seats opposite Piggot's desk. Her Dad took the one next to her, nodding in agreement.
"Yes, please," he said, his voice filled with steel but quiet next to Taylor. The coffee arrived in under a minute, obviously prepared. Taylor took her paper cup and leaned back, sipping on the steaming liquid. Stay out of it for now, she thought, give her Dad his chance. Director Piggot didn't touch her drink, setting it on her desk next to her hand.
"I'm sure that the two of you have some idea as to the purpose of this meeting."
"Is it to offer an apology for your people leaking Taylor's identity?" her Dad asked, voice hard and sharp. Taylor grinned, hiding it behind the rim of her cup as she sipped the admittedly mediocre coffee. Apparently her Dad was angrier about that than expected. Piggot narrowed her eyes.
"I can offer one if you wish, Mr Hebert. However, it was not my main aim. Rather, I want to discuss bringing Taylor into the Wards program."
"Circaetus," her Dad stressed, bless him, "Has no interest in the Wards program. I'm sure you know that. And I am aware that the clone, Luna, made you aware of the actions of Shadow Stalker towards my daughter."
Piggot's lips narrowed further. Taylor watched, eyes crinkling with amusement at the combative stance her Dad had taken. Go Danny.
"She didn't expect him to be so hostile."
'Someone isn't a parent, obviously.'
"Regardless of the actions of Shadow Stalker, both you and your daughter could now be in danger. Joining the Wards program would allow us to provide proper training and protection. And I must state that no action could be taken against Shadow Stalker without a complaint, which your daughter neglected to provide."
"It is not Taylor's job to police your people for you-" Danny began. Taylor cleared her throat, interrupting him, and smiled at him when he glanced quizzically at her.
"Can I ask a question?" Taylor interrupted, hoping to head off the burgeoning argument between her Dad and Director Piggot. The two of them looked at her and she took another sip of her coffee before speaking.
"Hypothetically speaking, if I had come to the Wards immediately after I triggered and revealed that Sophia was one of the instigators, shall we say, of my trigger, would she have actually been punished? Something concrete, like being moved to another city, so on and so forth? Or, if this had been revealed prior to it becoming clear that I'm a far more valuable asset than she is, would it just have been a slap on the wrist and an order to stay away from each other?"
Taylor toyed with her coffee cup, meeting Piggot's gaze. The Director sighed a breath through her nose. Her frustration was starting to show. Maybe it would be better to push a little less.
"I can't say it would have been the second option," she began, Taylor raising an eyebrow at the implication, "But I won't lie to you. Your first scenario is very unlikely."
Taylor shrugged.
"I always appreciate your honesty, Director. It makes this sort of thing a lot easier."
Her Dad straightened in his seat, and Piggot did the same. Evidently they had both come to the same conclusion: no matter how much support her Dad offered, this decision lay with Taylor. She had acted on her own will throughout her whole cape career, short as it was, and had no intention of changing that now.
"I think we all know that I'm not going to be press-ganged into the Wards," Taylor began, setting her cup down, "Regardless of what you want, Director. The way I see it, we have two options. The first is that you withdraw the support you have offered. In that case, I'm going to be forced to reduce my time spent patrolling and helping the Protectorate in order to keep my Dad safe. I can do it, certainly, I can provide funds by selling the technology that I've already patented, but I think we can agree that taking that option would be, ah, suboptimal."
If Piggot's lips got any thinner her whole face might implode, Taylor thought. She spread her hands.
"In case you aren't aware, Director, my armour and power cells can all be replicated quite easily. I wouldn't sell weaponry, but I'm sure I can find buyers enough to move cities, keep my Dad safe. The second option is that I retain my Protectorate Associate status and my Dad keeps the protection detail, maybe even full witness protection. In return, I'll keep doing what I have been- and I'll provide my technology to the PRT at cost."
That was the bait on the hook, the promise of easily accessible and good quality armour and weapons. Piggot had a grudge against Parahumans, she should leap at the opportunity to even the playing field between her PRT Troopers and Capes. Taylor saw the spike of interest in Piggot's eyes and felt the sharp, icy rise of interest in Piggot's emotions and smiled.
'Got her.'
"That's an interesting offer, Circaetus."
'She's going to go for it. What do you think, a few minutes of posturing about Coil before she accepts?'
"I would take that bet."
"Of course, I have a few questions. Primarily about Coil, the supervillain. I've received some quite interesting emails today about him."
"Oh?" Taylor said, picking her cup up again and taking a longer drink now that it was cooler. Piggot nodded.
"From the Undersider Tattletale, informing me that she had 'dealt with' Coil, with help from you. She was very particular in crediting you, and so was Dinah Alcott. Given that Coil appears to have been a member of the PRT, I think you can understand my concerns."
Taylor smiled.
"Trying to catch me by associating me with a villain, Director? I appreciate the effort, but I'm sure we both remember our conversation a few weeks ago."
Piggot eyed her, inclining her head.
"I do remember, Circaetus. It was quite enlightening. But you misunderstand, I didn't intend to use it as a threat. I intended to thank you. Coil was highly placed in the PRT: you've done me a service by removing him. And rescuing Dinah Alcott, as well- although I would have preferred that she be taken to hospital."
Taylor shrugged. She probably should have taken Dinah to hospital, but she had wanted to see her Dad. And it had all turned out alright, in her opinion. Piggot sighed.
"Very well, Circaetus. I'll agree to your terms. I'll need at least three Protectorate Tinkers to look over your technology before I can finalise it, but for the moment I-"
The alarm that went off was shrill, wailing and screeching. Danny jumped, cup leaving his hand, and only a snap of Taylor's fingers prevented the coffee from going all over the room, the liquid flowing back into the cup before the cup itself settled on the desk.
"That's the Endbringer alarm," her Dad whispered, as Taylor hit her feet.
"Oh, fuck a duck."
The door slammed open and Taylor spun, relaxing only a fraction as Armsmaster rushed in.
"Director- Leviathan has been sighted, approaching the city. Maybe an hour away."
Piggot went pale and Taylor gritted her teeth. Armsmaster looked at her.
"Circaetus, can we rely on you?"
'I guess we're going to test ourselves against an Endbringer after all.'
"Your bad luck continues to astound me. But if we are to do this foolish thing, then Lung would be useful. If we can heal him."
Her Dad made a strangled noise.
"Taylor-"
Taylor turned to him and gripped him by the shoulder, her helmet floating behind her. She pulled him closer, dragging him into a brief, crushing hug before she pulled away.
"Dad. Get to a shelter, stay safe. I have to- I can't let this go. I have to do this, you know I do."
There was fear in his eyes, shading to dread with terrible understanding. She saw the indecision in his face and met his eyes.
"Please, Dad. Trust me."
She saw the resolve in his gaze for a moment before he squeezed his eyes shut and nodded to her.
"Come back to me, Taylor."
"I will," Taylor promised, pulling her helmet on and whipping around to face Armsmaster.
"Please, Director, keep my Dad safe. Armsmaster, I'm going to get my armour and try to recruit Lung for this. Where should we meet?"
"On the roof of the HQ. Be quick, Circaetus. And good luck."
Taylor barked out a harsh laugh, already stepping through a portal into the Warp.
"We'll see how much luck I need."
'That didn't sound nearly as cool as I thought, did it?'
"Probably not," The Emperor confirmed and Taylor sagged a bit as she stepped into her workshop, boots clacking softly on concrete.
"Well there goes all my street cred," she weakly joked, shedding her armour in preparation. Tight fitting clothes went on before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the roiling fear in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't just about her anymore. Leviathan was a city-killer, and he was coming here.
'It's too early. We aren't ready.'
"Most people aren't. We will just have to do what we can."
The power armour settled heavily over Taylor's shoulder, the helmet hissing softly as she pulled it on and sealed it. She estimated that the power cells had around four hours of activity in them- probably more like three in a high intensity environment. Far from ideal, but it would have to do. She forwent a staff, prepared to direct power through her limbs only.
'If we do the same as we did against Noelle- store energy and then unleash it in a single attack- do you think it will make a difference?'
"We can only try, Taylor. If we resort to a purely physical blow, it will waste less energy than lightning or fire."
'Let's do it, then.' Taylor said, flexing her fingers and rolling her neck. A hand swiped at the air, the shimmering tear of colours that weren't quite real assaulting her eyes before she strode into it and set off, ready to corral a dragon.
The ABB weren't a particularly fancy gang, all things considered. Taylor had tracked Lung to a block of apartment buildings, following the trail of power that still lingered in him, keeping him weak. The clumps of gang members in their recognisable colours would probably have been a dead giveaway anyway, but this way was quicker. Taylor jumped off the building in full powered armour, landing with a heavy thud, wings spread. The gang members spread out with cries of alarm, levelling knives, pipes and a few guns at her. Taylor ignored them, pointing at the closest member.
"You. Tell Lung I want a word," she ordered, the words harsh through her vox. The gang member- he was young, probably only a few years older than her- blinked sweat away from his eyes and found courage somewhere.
"Bold of you to assume the Dragon would speak to a Hero bitch!" he shouted, obviously made bold by the eight feet or so separating him. The Endbringer alarm continued to wail behind them, the rain thickening from drizzle towards a downpour. Taylor scowled.
"Bold of you to assume I won't just come over there and fucking suffocate you," she snarled, her temper a little frayed at the edges. Given that there was an Endbringer bearing down on the city, she felt like it was justified although she did get a bit of a kick out of the way the ABB grunt blanched. She stalked across the road, shouldering him out of the way with the mere weight and presence of her armour before she hammered on the door, completely ignoring the rest. As she had expected, none of them made a move.
"Lung! Get out here!"
The roar of her voice was flavoured by the metallic crackling of her helmet's basic vox broadcaster, giving it a threatening quality that Taylor couldn't quite manage alone. She waited for just a few seconds before glass above her shattered, Lung leaping over her head to land behind. She smelled the stink of burning asphalt behind her, the heat of the flame just prickling at her neck as she turned, the heat sinking into her wings.
"Circaetus," Lung rasped. Taylor folded her arms.
"Lung."
Lung raised his chin, his flesh still deformed by silver scales that crawled across his body.
"Have you come to call me to fight, Circaetus? You have a larger foe."
"I've come to make you an offer, Lung, but I'll only make it once."
Lung raised his chin further, clearly interested.
"Speak, then, and then leave."
Taylor took a step forwards, into the heat, showing that she was unintimidated. A faint growl rumbled in Lung's chest, but he remained outwardly impassive.
"You haven't recovered from our fight, Lung, and I know why. So I'll make you a deal: I'll heal you, so long as you agree to fight against Leviathan with us."
Lung scoffed.
"I cannot defeat the Endbringers, little girl. Nor can you."
"I'm willing to try. It's time to make a choice, Lung, no more posturing. Yes, or no. I won't ask again."
Lung eyed her, his eyes glittering hotly behind the mask that still just fit his face. She saw his mouth move, caught a flash of fangs behind the mask that no longer quite covered all of his features.
"You seem very sure that I will keep my promise."
"The Dragon does not break his promises, I am told. Was I told wrong?"
Lung turned his back to her, the heat increasing and washing across her. Taylor warded it off with a thought, raising an eyebrow under her helmet as Lung paced. He wasn't burning hot enough for the asphalt under his feet to become liquid, but it might not be far away. She could wait another five minutes, she estimated, before she had to leave. Lung growled, fingers that were more like claws raking at his chest before he spun back.
"I agree. Heal me, and I shall fight this foolish battle for you."
"You swear it?"
"You have my word."
Taylor stepped closer to him and reached out a single hand, pressing it against his chest.
"I'll hold you to that, Lung. Now grit your teeth. This will hurt."
Taylor called on the Warp, power flowing through her and extending a thousand tendrils into Lung. Those tendrils raced through his flesh and blood, latching onto the tiny fragments of tainted glass that still flowed in his blood and oozed power into his flesh and, with a single effort, she pulled.
Lung howled in pain, falling to his knees as Taylor drew her hand back, straining with the effort. A mist of blood burst from under his scales, sparkling before the rain washed away any hint of glimmer, spiralling around her fist before Warp fire curled around her arm and consumed it. Lung spread his arms, his scream becoming a triumphant roar as scales sank into flesh, tattoos re-emerging as silver gave way to skin, the mask fitting more tightly over his skull. Taylor waited for his victorious howl to end, her breath shallow as she readied herself. Just in case Lung decided revenge was worth more than his word. Just in case. Lung rose to his feet, even taller than she was, and looked down at her, fingers flexing. Muscles moved smoothly under flesh and he laughed, rumbling and deep, though his eyes remained as cold as ever.
"You have done it, little girl."
"I've held up my end of the bargain," Taylor agreed, "Now will you keep to yours?"
Lung gazed down at her with that pitiless, reptilian gaze, but she had the sense that he smiled.
"The Dragon keeps his word, Circaetus. I will see you on the battlefield."
"Then that's good enough for me," Taylor growled, wings flexing before she leapt into the sky with the sound of laughter echoing behind her.
'A problem for another day,' she told herself, willing it to be true. She was halfway to the PRT HQ when the Emperor dropped her mood even further.
"Not to worry you, Taylor, but I have a question. The Butcher is in the city, and passes itself along to whichever Parahuman kills it. Do we know, exactly, if the Endbringers count as Parahuman?"
The steadily heavier rain was the only answer he received.
And there we go. Next chapter should be the Leviathan fight- I'm hoping to get that done in one chapter, since it's not really as plot relevant as Echidna was in my opinion. And before anyone asks, I'm aware that the Butcher can't transfer to the Endbringers. But the characters aren't...
As always, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are appreciated.