Institute 9.3
Taylor answered the ringing phone as she strolled into the Workshop with her spoils.
"What the hell was that?" Amy's voice hissed into her ear.
How had Vicky described 'Anne' yesterday? Prickly?
Between the two of them, Taylor was pretty sure Amy was the prickly one.
"Well, you said I could haunt them-"
"I meant, like, hide in the walls and shit. Not break in and…" Amy groaned. "You know what? Never mind. What did you even do?"
"Nabbed some Tinker supplies from Armsmaster's lab. Got to meet Dragon, so that was pretty neat. I tried to recruit Assault, and he didn't technically say no…" Taylor listed off.
There was a long moment of silence. Taylor was pretty sure Amy hadn't actually hung up, so she used the time to reload the test tubes in the blood vial collection apparatus.
"You know, sometimes, I forget that you're insane for just long enough that it sneaks up and punches me in the face when I least expect it," Amy sighed.
"Being sane is boring," Taylor quipped as she unpacked her new supplies.
High-tech electronics weren't exactly her bread and butter, but her power offered some very interesting ways they could be incorporated into her weapons and tools.
"Okay, I have to go before Vicky comes back, but just… I've hit my bullshit quota for the day. Don't fuck up anything else," Amy said.
"Yes, ma'am," Taylor said with mock-seriousness. "I'll be right here, shooting up with magic Nazi blood and finishing my cannon."
"Your what-"
Amy cut off sharply and Taylor heard the muffled sound of Victoria's voice in the background
"Bye, Amy!" she called as the line went dead.
Taylor sighed and stared down at the phone. Even messing with Amy wasn't quite the same when there were actual things to worry about.
Robbing the Protectorate definitely wasn't one of her better ideas, but she didn't like the idea of being passive, either. She had only made it this far by consistently subverting the expectations of both the heroes and the villains. If she started second guessing herself now, she would end up spiraling into things she didn't want to think about.
Things like whether the blood was actually driving her insane. Whether discovering more about her powers was actually worth throwing away any shot at a real life. Whether there was actually a point to it all, and whether that even mattered.
Taylor took a deep breath and pushed away the storm clouds.
"If I really had to choose…"
Like she told Amy, being sane was boring anyway.
"...I know that I'd choose you."
It was too late to start doubting herself now, and she wouldn't want to change anything, even if she could. Regrets would only slow her down.
Taylor sighed and put aside both the stolen materials and her heavy thoughts, leaning over to check the progress of her current distillations.
Fenja and Menja's blood was already finished processing, but Taylor had gotten sidetracked by her cannon. That, and Amy, just… in general. Her girlfriend was very distracting.
Strangely enough, from what she could tell, Fenja and Menja's blood was identical as far as her power was concerned. It was like they were a single person, or at least a single parahuman ability, for all intents and purposes. How the hell did that work?
At least it meant that she could save some of the extra blood for other projects and bloodstone shards. It was still weird, though, and it highlighted how little she actually knew about parahuman powers.
With a mental shrug, Taylor loaded up the customized blood vial and headed out of the lab.
The slow, steady heartbeat followed her as she walked.
Unfortunately, Amy had put the heart in her usual testing chamber. Not the end of the world, but Taylor wanted to damage the massive organ even less than she wanted to risk breaking her lab equipment.
She could replace her lab equipment pretty easily. It would be embarrassing to ask Amy for another crime against nature because she broke the first one by accident.
Luckily, the Hospital was infinite and there were more than enough potential testing chambers. She found an empty surgical suite and braced herself.
This really should get easier, but she found herself hesitating every time.
I won't be left behind.
She wasn't alone, anymore. Rachel and Amy were relying on her.
And I take care of what's mine.
Taylor didn't know where this possessive streak came from, but she couldn't deny it. Her hunters were hers, and she would take care of them. She would be the best of them.
She was the first Hunter, and she would lead from the vanguard.
Taylor injected the concentrated parahuman blood into her good leg, and welcomed the alien influence as her mind expanded once again.
The beast is a horrific and unwelcome instinct, lurking deep in the hearts of men.
Oh, it was one of those. Great.
Taylor shuddered as the violent frenzy built within her. Her iron muscles tensed and her tendons stood out taut as her fingers ached to rip into living flesh.
It was a good thing she hadn't done this close to the heart. That could have been… messy.
The beast overtook her mind and she roared with its fury, shaking the Labyrinth and sending dust and plaster raining down from the ceiling.
The blood, though, does not detract from the alluring invitation to accept this very nature.
Taylor staggered and her hair flew free in front of her face, a wild curtain that cut her off from the world. She could feel a raw, bestial energy flowing from the foreign blood and into her indestructible bones.
With the influx of energy came an almost irresistible need to shred her enemies to the bone, tear out their spines and languish in the crimson rain.
Deep breaths rattled through Taylor's clenched teeth as she mastered the impulse to find the nearest acceptable target and rend them limb from limb.
When the wild, feral influences finally began to fade, the strength of the beast only retreated, temporarily.
Taylor finally straightened and took a moment to center her mind, ignoring the new designs for now.
She could feel… something, within her. A new reservoir of some kind, just waiting to be tapped into.
Out of curiosity, she drew her silver blade.
It was subtle, but she could feel the newfound energy caressing the weapon.
She swung it experimentally.
Nothing.
Huh.
She swung it harder.
Still nothing.
Hmmmm.
Taylor reared back in preparation for an overdramatic thrust, tensing her muscles and straining her steel ligaments and-
There it is.
She could feel the strange, bestial strength empowering her limbs and flowing down her blade. It felt almost like drawing a rubber band back, readying her weapon with an intangible tension. Like a baseball player preparing to hammer a home run or a golfer timing their backswing on the drive.
Taylor felt the right moment to strike, and she lunged.
Her blade raced forward like a hungry beast and struck the wall of her Hospital. The thunderous impact shook the room and the wall cracked and crumbled as if it were hit by a truck.
Taylor smiled and spun the sword in a satisfied manner.
She could already feel the bestial strength recharging within her. Apparently, this new power wasn't tied to the same type of vitality as her more ethereal powers.
Good. She needed more ways to deal death without exhausting herself.
She couldn't wait to give it a try with her Kirkhammer.
…
Amy paced back and forth as far as her fairly small bedroom would allow, kicking the occasional piece of junk or pile of clothes out of her path.
For someone so brilliant, Taylor was also a fucking moron sometimes.
Honestly, what had she been thinking? Breaking into the PHQ while Amy was there to steal some random gadgets? How was that worth it?
Amy was well aware that this wasn't out of character for her at all, but it was easier to laugh when it was just Hunter telling her about her misadventures on the hospital roof. This time, it was real. It was putting everything in jeopardy, unnecessarily.
But at the same time, would Amy love this life of chaos and villainy she was planning to escape to half as much if it wasn't filled with chaos and villainy?
How much of her plans were because she hated her real life, and how much were due to actually enjoying the alternative?
She wasn't sure, and that was just another terrifying layer on top of everything else.
And that wasn't even getting started on whatever had spooked Armsmaster. Had he somehow known that Taylor's blood vials leave traces? Amy had been sure that only she could see those, but maybe he had some kind of Tinkertech scanner.
If he followed up with her about it, she would have to come up with something. Maybe just say that she could pick up trace amounts of the blood vial, but that it was harmless.
She didn't know for sure if it was harmless or not, but the whole point of her going to the PHQ to deal with this bullshit was to convince the PRT that Taylor's blood vials were safe. That way, they may think twice before levelling the Hospital if things ever got really dicey.
All of which wasn't exactly helped by Taylor robbing them.
Amy flopped backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.
Of course, she just couldn't manage to pick an easy option. No normal relationship drama for her. She was apparently only capable of either disgusting and permanently unrequited pining, or insane and unpredictable chaos.
But, no matter how much it annoyed her, her chest still tightened at the memory of Taylor's stupid, overconfident grin and her stupid, mischievous wave, before she walked away to go casually commit who knows how many felonies.
Fucking irritating, irresistible villain.
Amy was supposed to go back to the hospital for her evening shift in an hour, and she just… didn't want to.
The healing itself, the people dying because she wasn't healing them, the people who acted like they deserved her, it was all fucking bullshit. Even the ones who didn't take her for granted, the ones who understood the priceless gift they'd been given, that she'd been given, didn't make it any fucking better.
Amy sat up a bit too quickly and braced herself against the edge of the bed as her head spun.
There was really only one place she wanted to be right now, and she had the means to get there.
Fuck it.
Amy got up and marched downstairs, then down the stairs again into the basement. She shot off a quick text to Vicky so no one would lose their shit thinking she'd been kidnapped or something.
A: Going to Anne's. She'll take me to work. Thanks for the ride, today.
Amy put her phone away and didn't bother to check if her sister replied.
The doorway of brilliant ghostly flame lit up the dim furnace room. She could hear the slow, steady heartbeat of the Labyrinth beyond, and it definitely wasn't her imagination this time.
This was her first time entering Taylor's domain on her own. The first time she would arrive uninvited, like she had a right to be there.
Amy didn't let herself hesitate. She did have a right to be there. Taylor was hers, and Amy had every right to take whatever she wanted from this crazy, stupid life she had chosen.
She stepped carefully over the barrier and into the ruined Hospital.
It felt strange, without Taylor's hand to guide her, but Amy followed the unknowable call of the Workshop that kept her from getting lost.
Somewhere far ahead, an inhuman, bestial roar shook the Labyrinth and Amy just about jumped out of her skin.
She would definitely be taking it to her grave, but she came very close to making a run for the exit then and there.
What the fuck was that?
Despite the involuntary goosebumps, Amy hurried forward. The sooner she made it to the candlelight, the better.
…
Taylor paused on her way back to the Workshop.
She had the strangest feeling that something was… amiss. Out of place.
She took the lantern from her belt and raised it high, spinning in a slow circle.
Rachel was in the emergency room that was now her shelter.
Her father was still at work.
Victoria was at home.
Amy was…
At the Workshop?
Taylor smiled and something warmed in her chest. Hopefully everything was alright, but regardless, everything was better when Amy was here.
Part of her knew it was silly, but she decided to run back to the Workshop anyway. No one had to know.
She raced past the source of the omnipresent heartbeat and slowed to a more casual walk as she pushed open the doors.
Amy looked a bit unsure of herself, sitting on the edge of an unoccupied lab table with her legs swinging, but she smiled when she saw Taylor nonetheless.
Taylor couldn't help but smile back.
"Hi," Taylor said, a bit awkwardly. Amy hadn't shown up unannounced before, but Taylor certainly wasn't complaining. "Is everything okay?"
"Aside from someone causing trouble while I was actively trying to convince Armsmaster that your blood vials were safe…" Amy's smile was crooked, and she didn't seem actually mad. "Yeah, everything is pretty okay, now."
"I just really want to be able to throw around lightning bolts, okay?" Taylor chuckled as she closed the distance between them. "I mean, c'mon, lightning is cool."
Amy blinked.
"The stuff you stole from Armsmaster… will let you make lightning?" Amy asked incredulously.
"Mmmmhmmmm," Taylor hummed in affirmative, stepping between Amy's knees and wrapping her arms around the small of her back. "Well, the device I'm going to build will, at least. I haven't assembled it yet, but I'm going to call it the Tonitrus."
"You're such a nerd," Amy grinned up at her. Whatever adjustments Amy had made to her internal organs didn't stop the butterflies from turning Taylor's stomach into a knot when she met her eyes. "And also impulsive, and reckless, and insane."
But, despite her words, Amy reached up and tangled her fingers in Taylor's hair, and Taylor saw the tension bleed out of her.
"And somehow, for all your complaining… I think you like it," Taylor said lowly as she ran her fingers up Amy's spine over her t-shirt.
Amy's smile turned sharp and something dark stirred behind her eyes.
"Maybe," she breathed as the gap between them closed. "Don't let it go to your head, though."
Taylor did let it go to her head. Just a bit.
Then Amy kissed her, and everything that was previously in her head was immediately overwritten by the feeling of Amy's lips on hers, the taste of coffee on her tongue and the scent of rose shampoo and-
Taylor groaned involuntarily when she felt Amy's power surging within her again, fire uncoiling in her bones and lightning crackling along her nerves as Amy changed her. The idea that Amy was actively remaking and improving her based on her desires was intoxicating.
Amy pulled back when she was done and Taylor gasped for breath, letting the remaining sparks and embers fade slowly.
She opened her eyes and smiled at Amy's mischievous expression.
"You ate another Nazi, didn't you?" Amy accused jokingly, and Taylor laughed.
"Two, in a way," she replied. "Fenja and Menja had the same power, somehow. I don't really understand how that works. But yeah, I got a new power. I can hit things even harder now."
"It catches me off guard, every time," Amy said. "I always think I know what to expect, but whatever those vials do to your blood and your cells… it's something not even my power can really figure out. It's… invigorating, though."
"What are you even changing in me, anyway?" Taylor asked. "It doesn't really matter, and I trust your judgement, but I'm curious."
Amy looked at her strangely for a moment and then shook her head indulgently.
"Only you would say it doesn't matter… yeah, um, honestly, nothing too different from the first time. The more of the whatever the fuck it is that fuels your power you have in you, the farther I can push your enhancements. Like… your bones are ridiculously strong now; I can rework and improve the living alloy of calcium and carbon and iron and who knows what else every time," Amy rambled. "It's the same for your organs and tissues. I've restructured and repurposed most of your vital organs at this point. I'm pretty sure you could eat straight up rat poison and it wouldn't even give you indigestion. Your lungs are like industrial filters and I reinforced your skin and other organ linings with carbon fiber mesh. Um… I fused your spine to your-"
Taylor leaned down and kissed her again to shut her up. Amy squeaked in surprise and Taylor grinned into her lips.
"I changed my mind," Taylor said when she pulled back. Amy scowled at her. "I appreciate the upgrades, but you can just do whatever you want to me and then tell me if there's something I need to know, okay?
Amy's scowl softened and she shook her head again.
"You're amazing, but you're also completely off your rocker. You know that right?" Amy said. "Most people don't hear 'I restructured your vital organs' and just move on with their day."
Taylor shrugged.
"Like I said before, being sane is boring. The only downside is that sometimes, occasionally, I think it's a good idea to break into Armsmaster's lab so I can make a lightning stick," Taylor said.
"Well, no one's perfect," Amy snorted, but she had the forgot-to-frown smile, so Taylor counted it as a win.
Much to her surprise, Taylor's phone rang. The only person who usually called her was actively in her arms, so this was definitely an outlier.
"Um… one moment, this might be important," Taylor said. She fished her phone out of her pocket with one hand while keeping Amy trapped with the other.
"You and your stupid flip phone," Amy muttered.
Taylor stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend and answered.
"Hunter."
"Coil has adjusted his plans and recalled the agents previously assigned to monitor your father," one of her Mastered mercenaries said without preamble. "Following the conflict with the Empire and your most recent activities, he no longer considers it necessary. He has set his sights on a newly triggered parahuman instead, a child named Dinah Alcott."
Taylor bit her lip and Amy stared at her quizzically.
"That is… potentially concerning. What can you tell me about Dinah Alcott?" Taylor asked.
"She is the mayor's niece. We are still gathering additional information, but something about her ability seems to interfere with Coil's power. We have been partially deployed several times before being recalled at the last moment. Coil believes that she also possesses a precognitive Thinker power," the mercenary said.
"How old is she?" Taylor asked. "Is she still in school?"
"She is twelve years old," the man said tonelessly.
Shit.
"In the event that Dinah Alcott is actually captured, bring her to my Hospital as soon as you have a viable opportunity. In the meantime, keep me updated and continue to act in my best interests to the best of your ability," Taylor ordered.
"Yes, Hunter."
Taylor snapped the phone shut and clenched her teeth.
She really wanted to just invade Coil's base and kill the irritating little fuck, but she had a feeling that he simply wouldn't be there if she tried. She didn't want to give up her only advantage while she couldn't be sure of how his probability power actually worked. Fucking precogs.
Maybe Lisa knew more. Taylor decided to probe for information when she picked up Anne's documents.
It was also possible that the reason that Coil stopped tracking her was because she just decided to ask Lisa about it. In the future.
She really fucking hated precogs.
"What was that?" Amy asked. She had a weird expression on her face that Taylor couldn't quite parse.
Taylor didn't want to tell her about the bone blades.
"I have spies infiltrating Coil's organization," Taylor said. "That's how I knew he was watching me and my father. But now, for some reason, he's changed tactics. He's trying to kidnap a kid named Dinah Alcott, thinks she has a precog power."
"This might be a stupid question but… shouldn't we tell the heroes?" Amy said. "This seems like more of their thing."
Taylor sighed.
"They'd want to know where I got the info, and then I'd lose my only advantage against Coil. Plus, he has moles in the PRT. Precogs are a pain in the ass to fight, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about my agents, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to plant them in the first place, if that makes sense," Taylor explained. "Of course, it's always possible that he does know, and is feeding me false information, but I don't think that's the case at this point."
Amy just stared at her for a moment.
"Honestly… I'm going to leave shit like that to you. It's making my head hurt already," Amy said bemusedly. "How are you… like this, for some things, but then other times you just wander into the PHQ like a really bad shop-lifter?"
Taylor laughed sheepishly and shrugged again.
"I'm just that cool, I guess?"
Amy rolled her eyes so hard that Taylor worried they might get stuck that way permanently.
"Really, um," Taylor tried to mentally summarize her spiral from earlier. "I'm going to do better, about shit like that. I know I can't just… leave you, or Rachel, hanging. Even if I can always get out eventually, find a way back, or whatever, I can't really just throw shit at the wall and see what sticks, anymore. So the next time I decide to rob the Protectorate, or go for an overly enthusiastic walk, I'll make sure to tell you and we can plan it out to ensure it actually works, okay?"
"Okay," Amy said quietly. "I… thanks, Taylor. I just…"
Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You aren't allowed to leave, whether it's because of the Protectorate, or the Empire, or Coil, or Lung, or a fucking Endbringer, I don't care. You can't… leave," Amy swallowed and looked up at her, chocolate stare burning with something jagged and not entirely healthy. "You're mine."
Despite her girlfriend's comments about everything the other day, and choosing her, that was the first time she had ever expressly said that, and Taylor couldn't do anything but nod silently. Her chest felt strangely tight.
Amy's cheeks flushed under her freckles and she suddenly looked almost embarrassed.
"Good. Glad we cleared that up," Amy said in a purposefully lighthearted tone. "Now, I have half an hour until I have to go back to that accursed hospital, and I want to see what the fuck you meant when you said you built a cannon."
Taylor couldn't help but laugh. She stepped back and took Amy's hand as her girlfriend hopped off the workbench before leading her over to show off her latest overdramatic creation.
…
Taylor worked with a metaphorical (and literal) spring in her step as her Tonitrus sphere slowly took shape. Her shoulders felt lighter, somehow, after her most recent check-in with Amy. Also, getting to see her for an extra hour was wonderful.
Now, Amy was at her own hospital, and Taylor had all the time in the world to buckle down and make some lightning gadgetry.
She very carefully disassembled the various pieces of high-tech equipment that she snagged from Armsmaster and repurposed them at her power's prompting. She didn't really understand what they did or how they worked, but between Victor's general knowledge and the blueprints in her head, she made do.
The sphere on the workbench was by far the most complicated piece of Tinkertech she had ever built. The magnetized gyroscope in the middle spun rapidly on a complex mount, remaining perfectly upright and centered regardless of how the sphere around it moved. The spinning magnets were encased in an intricate web of thin tubing filled with quicksilver, which was pulled through its paces by the magnets, like mice running through a maze. The entire apparatus sat within the exterior casing of the sphere itself, two stainless steel hemispheres lined with tightly packed copper wiring.
In theory, the Tonitrus sphere would use quicksilver as both a medium and a fuel source, consuming the liquid metal within to generate a supernaturally strong electrical charge. Any unused or underutilized power would be processed and stored by the capacitors in the base of the sphere, ready to kick start the process again when more quicksilver was added to the system.
The first sphere Taylor built was much bigger than the original blueprint in her mind. She was definitely still planning to make a weapon out of it, but she had a more practical idea for the prototype.
To avoid any potential damage to her lab equipment, Taylor carried the heavy two-foot wide sphere out into the Labyrinth, down past the beating heart and into her new testing chamber.
She wired up the switch and retreated a solid fifteen feet away. Just in case.
The large silver ball sat innocently on the cracked floor of the abandoned surgical suite. It looked a bit like a giant, extremely deadly Christmas tree ornament.
Here goes nothing.
Taylor hit the switch.
She couldn't restrain the wide, manic smile that slowly spread over her face as crackling, white-blue lightning lit up the dim room.
Oh, fuck yes.
She would never have to worry about stealing gasoline for the generators ever again.
…
School the next day was just as boring as ever, and Amy couldn't help but feel on edge. She hadn't heard back from the PRT, but Armsmaster had definitely caught something from her right before Taylor set off the alarm. Was he investigating her? Would they check the hospital security cameras and realize that she had a one-legged friend?
The other metaphorical foot loomed overhead, but it hadn't dropped yet. And that made her nervous.
Still, the final bell rang and no one called her to the office or anything. Maybe she was overthinking things and Armsmaster just needed her to repeat herself for the record, or something.
"See you later, Ames!" Vicky chirped as she dropped Amy gently on the front porch. "Do you need a ride to the hospital today?"
"No, I'm going to go to Anne's again, and she can drive me," Amy said. The lies came easier every day.
"Uh huh. Don't get into too much trouble," Vicky said seriously.
Amy rolled her eyes. What kind of trouble could she possibly get into in a murderous blood Tinker lab, set within a massive living Labyrinth?
Totally normal afternoon activities.
"Anyway, I'm going to meet Dean for hot chocolate. I'll see you tonight," Vicky called over her shoulder as she rocketed away.
For once, Amy didn't feel the automatic stab of jealousy. She had her own plans with Taylor, and Vicky deserved to be happy with or without her.
Holy shit, am I actually… getting better?
Maybe. Huh.
Amy closed the door behind her and wandered into the living room, standing and just… existing, for a moment.
The house felt as impersonal as ever, but it didn't grate the way it used to. Mark was asleep in his bedroom, and she didn't begrudge him for his apathy.
She still didn't like to think about working on brains, but… if she broke her other rules, she could probably break that one, too, right?
Amy decided to think about it later. She had plenty of time to experiment, maybe with Taylor's help.
Speaking of which, she smiled and headed for the basement.
There was a knock on the front door.
Amy froze and chewed her lip.
Something felt… off. Nobody came to the house who had to knock. Not when Carol wasn't here.
There was another knock.
Shit.
Amy took a deep breath to try to unravel the knot in her stomach, but it didn't work.
She went and answered the door.
Jesus Christ. It's just fucking Dean.
All that stress for nothing. So why did something still feel wrong?
"Vicky just left," Amy snapped. "She said she was meeting you at the Boardwalk. Did you forget?"
"No, um… I know, actually," Dean said. He looked… uncomfortable. Much less sure of himself than usual. What was going on?
"I told her I'd meet her there because I wanted a chance to talk to you, alone, if that's okay," he said slowly.
It was absolutely, definitely not okay.
What the fuck, Dean?
"That's… weird. Why?" She demanded, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Can we talk inside?" He asked. He actually looked around nervously, like they were in a fucking movie or something.
Amy narrowed her eyes at him.
"Okay…" she said, turning to let him walk past her before following him into the living room.
He stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face her, still somehow unsure and resolute simultaneously.
"I know I'm not your favorite person, but… I want you to know that I really do have your best interests at heart, for your sake and Victoria's," Dean started. It sounded almost rehearsed.
Why are my hands shaking?
Amy picked her way carefully across the room.
"You know my power shows me people's emotions, and I can't turn it off. Well, I try not to put too much stock in it, because feelings aren't everything, and it's what a person actually does that matters, not why," Dean said.
Amy didn't like where this was going. Had he figured out how she felt about Victoria? It wouldn't be hard to guess, given everything that happened in her head every time she was around her sister, but still. Why would he bring that up now, just when it was finally starting to get better?
"This morning, at the Wards briefing…" Dean said. The words seemed to stick in his mouth. "We watched the security camera footage of Hunter infiltrating the PHQ."
Ice ran down Amy's spine and she knew that she didn't manage to blank her expression in time. Her poker face really was shit.
Dean definitely caught the expression, or maybe her emotions. It didn't really matter.
"So you do know, then," he said quietly. "Anne-"
Amy's hand clamped down on his wrist and he cut off abruptly as she took control of his nervous system.
Fuck.
Fuck fuck shit fuck-
Amy's breath came in sharp pants as she held Dean still within her power, every muscle clenched. His eyes bulged in their sockets, horror and pain and surprise warring for what was left of his expression under her control.
I could just kill him.
She had already threatened to kill Taylor multiple times. No one would ever find the body. There wouldn't be a body to find.
He lied to Victoria about where he was going. As far as she knew, he would just… disappear.
Something deep in Amy's chest clenched.
She really, really wanted to kill him. She'd fantasized about it… far too often. About twisting the life from this pretentious, sanctimonious sack of shit and then she and Vicky could be together and-
Amy forcefully cut herself off from that line of thought. She couldn't do that to Victoria. Even if losing Dean somehow miraculously brought them together (which it definitely wouldn't), Amy would have to live with the lie forever. Not to mention what it would do to Taylor, and everything they had planned.
I need to call Taylor. Now. She'll fix it. She can do anything.
Amy pulled out her phone with her left hand and opened her contacts with trembling fingers.
"Hey, Amy, what's-"
"I need you, now," Amy said shakily. "Dean… I… he knows, about Anne… and I didn't… I didn't think… and…"
"I'll be there in thirty seconds," Taylor said. "Can you get him to the basement?"
"Yeah… yeah, I can do that," Amy whispered.
It was horrifyingly easy to manipulate Dean's muscles and walk him down the stairs and into the furnace room.
By the time they arrived, Taylor was already waiting in the door of the Labyrinth.
"Bring him in here," Taylor commanded.
The derelict hospital corridor looked strangely washed out in the pale firelight.
"Taylor, I…" Amy felt like she should be crying, but she wasn't. Somehow. "I don't know… I don't know what to do, I…"
The weight of Taylor's hand on her shoulder made her jump a bit, but she realized that Taylor wasn't touching her skin on purpose. She probably didn't want to distract her and cause her to lose her control over Dean.
Or maybe she just didn't want to touch her.
Gallant. She would think of him as Gallant. One of the heroes. A potential enemy. That would help, right? Make it easier?
"Amy," Taylor said steadily. "You did a good job. You haven't ruined anything. We have options, but I need you to focus. You have a decision to make, and it should be with a clear head. Look at me."
Amy took a shuddering breath and raised her head to meet Taylor's black eyes. There was none of the usual fire or mirth. Just dead, empty ice, in the dark.
Was this what her prey saw, before they died?
A shiver ran down Amy's spine.
She had always known, objectively, that Taylor was dangerous. A killer, hundreds of times over.
But it hadn't ever felt like that, until right this second.
This was why Hellhound followed her religiously.
This was why the PRT didn't truly try to fight her.
Amy gazed into the abyss, and something stared back.
"I will solve this problem for you, if you ask," Taylor said slowly. "But it has to be your decision. We have three paths available to us. None are ideal, and none are pleasant. Regret will not be helpful, here."
Amy nodded numbly.
"Option one: I can kill him quickly and as painlessly as possible. You could too, of course, but I am more than willing to do it for you if you don't want his blood to stain your soul. We'll hide the body, and no one will ever know except for us," Taylor said.
Amy had already considered that. The idea was still both painfully tempting and horrifically agonizing.
"Option two: We let him leave, and see what happens," Taylor continued. "He may stay quiet, and nothing changes. Or, more likely, the game board is overturned, and we let the pieces fall where they may. I have no idea what will happen, but you are always welcome to stay at the Workshop with me. I will keep you safe. Everything will be fine, in the grand scheme of things."
Amy bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. She wasn't ready for the house of cards to collapse, yet. Not when she was finally wringing some semblance of happiness out of this shitty fucking life.
She didn't want to leave Victoria. Didn't want to throw away everything she'd ever known, for better or worse.
Plus, then Victoria would know that she almost killed Dean. That she controlled him with her power in a fit of panic. She may never forgive her.
She wasn't ready for everything to end.
"Option three," Taylor said, her voice still steady and deliberate. "We Master him indefinitely, and allow him to continue living as normal, just without the knowledge of this event and whatever else drove him to this."
Amy's already mangled train of thought derailed completely.
"What?" She stammered. "No, I can't… I don't… I don't know enough about altering brains to do that, even if I-"
"Not you," Taylor said.
Something dark and twisted stirred behind her girlfriend's eyes.
"Me."
From a hidden pocket in the lining of her coat, Taylor drew a long dagger of serrated bone. The air around it warped with unholy purpose and something about it felt profoundly wrong.
"I am capable of permanently Mastering humans on a fundamental level," Taylor said. Her voice was as frigid and dead as her eyes. "He will not be aware he has been Mastered. He will not be able to resist. Even the PRT's protocols will not be able to detect or undo the effects unless they know what to look for."
The shaking was getting worse.
"Have you… done this before?" Amy whispered.
"Yes."
Of course she had.
Amy felt cold. Why was it so cold in here?
"The reason I'm confident in the loyalty of my agents within Coil's organization is because they are not agents at all," Taylor said softly. "They're thralls."
Taylor often called herself a monster, but Amy hadn't seen it before. Even in the mad Tinker lab full of mutilated bodies.
She saw it now, in the dim light of the lantern and the ethereal fire.
Did she do that to me?
It wouldn't really make sense, given that falling for Taylor hadn't fixed any of her actual problems, but…
Amy would never know for sure. If Taylor had Mastered her so completely, she wouldn't be able to know one way or the other.
No one who was Mastered felt like they were Mastered. Not if they were enslaved by the really dangerous ones, anyway.
And apparently, Taylor was one of them.
The void just stared.
Does it even matter?
Amy stared back for a long moment while her mind spiraled helplessly.
This was it. No matter what she did in this moment, there was no going back.
Kill, release, or enslave?
Something ugly and monstrous reared its head in Amy's heart. A deep, selfish desire to take what she wanted without any consequences.
The only one who would know, aside from her, was Taylor. And Taylor would never judge her.
"I guess we're both a little selfish."
Victoria would never have to know, and what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. She could be happy, blissfully unaware.
"And… maybe that's okay."
Dean would never know. He would be happy, too, in his ignorance. He got to keep Victoria, the best prize in the fucking world.
He should be thanking her, honestly. If Taylor weren't here, she would have just killed him and eventually taken Victoria for herself.
Underneath all of the other broken and twisted emotions churning within her, there was a small, abhorrent sense of contentment.
Taylor was just as awful as she was, deep down. All that worrying about never, ever touching brains, and Taylor was already a Master who used thralls, on purpose.
We're all monsters, here.
"Do it," Amy whispered. "Master him."
Without hesitation, Taylor slammed the bone blade into Dean's chest. There was a sickening snap as she twisted the blade and broke it, leaving the tip and about an inch of bone embedded in Gallant's body.
Amy felt it take effect, in her power, somehow. Just the tiniest, infinitesimal adjustments to his brain chemistry.
Taylor was right. No one else would be able to tell.
"Heal him," Taylor commanded. "But keep the bone shard inside him. Integrate it into his existing skeleton so it can't be removed or detected."
Amy's power leapt into action, like it wanted to do this. It came far more naturally than any other healing she had ever done.
If this could even be called healing.
Amy manipulated the bone shard as if it were a part of Dean. She supposed it was, now, in a way. She melted it and spread it along his ribcage, fusing it with his original bones until even she had trouble telling where the foreign bone started or ended.
Whatever emotion had been behind his eyes was gone, now.
"You can let go," Taylor said softly.
Amy did, and Dean's arm fell to his side limp.
Taylor reached out and finally pulled Amy against her. Amy melted into her body with relief.
What's that sound?
Oh, it was her. She was sobbing into Taylor's vest. Great, hacking gasps that wracked her limp frame.
Why am I crying?
Everything worked out, right? Dean couldn't tell anyone, and nobody would know the difference.
Nobody except me.
Amy's whole body shook, plagued with rippling tremors as she choked out broken tears in Taylor's arms.
Taylor's impossible, otherworldly cells shone in her biosenses, the chaotic starfall cascading over and through her.
Her girlfriend ran her hands in soothing circles over her back and through her hair. She was saying something, but Amy couldn't hear her. Couldn't hear anything at all.
Nothing except the slow, steady heartbeat, in the deep.
Amy focused on that, waiting the long seconds before the next rhythmic double-thump of her horrific creation. She let the heavy beat flow through her while she watched the stars dance.
She had no idea how much time passed, but eventually, the shaking stopped. The ripping sobs retreated, and she felt like an actual person again.
Oh God…
What have I done?
Anne's identity was literally paper-thin as it was, and Amy already knew it couldn't last forever. Why did she…
"Regret will not be helpful, here."
It was too late to second guess herself now.
Amy raised her head and Taylor ran a hesitant hand over her tear-stained cheek.
Taylor's eyes were warm again, a low glow under the obsidian. Like the embers in a dying fireplace.
"You did such a good job, Amy," Taylor whispered. "Everything will be okay, don't worry."
It still felt like nothing would ever be okay, ever again, but Amy nodded anyway.
Maybe, if Taylor believed it, she could, too.
Taylor looked between her and Dean, chewing her lip.
"Do you want to go to the Workshop and wait for me? Or do you want to stay while I finish up here?" Taylor said quietly.
"Stay. With you," Amy said automatically. Her voice sounded a lot more steady than it felt. Her stars weren't allowed to leave.
"Okay. Sit tight for just a sec," Taylor said. Her girlfriend squared her shoulders and faced Gallant.
"Dean. Explain why you came here and what you know about me," Taylor said in the same authoritative voice she had used on the phone yesterday.
"Your emotions are unique and recognizable to my power. I was able to determine that you are both the Hunter and Anne. I came here out of courtesy to Amy, to see if she knew the truth and to give her a chance to prepare herself before I reported my suspicions to Armsmaster. I also hoped to determine whether or not you had Mastered Amy," Dean said in a flat monotone.
That last bit was ironic, given the circumstances.
"Have you told anyone else about your suspicions?" Taylor asked.
"No."
Taylor nodded thoughtfully.
"Does anyone else know that you're here?"
"No. Victoria believes we will be meeting for hot chocolate on the Boardwalk, but that I'm running late," Dean answered.
"Do you know any other information that could be useful or beneficial to me at this time?" Taylor said.
"My father purchased my parahuman abilities from an organization known as Cauldron, which may have leverage over the PRT."
What?
"I have long suspected that Amy harbors romantic-" Dean continued.
"Shut the fuck up," Amy hissed frantically. She hadn't even considered that he might bring up that. What the fuck?
Unfortunately, he did not shut up. Apparently, he only listened to Taylor, now.
Of course Dean would manage to screw her over even as a fucking thrall.
"-feelings for Victoria."
And… the shivering was back. And the ringing in her ears. Fan-fucking-tastic.
"Oh," Taylor blinked. "Huh. Okay."
Taylor glanced over at her and her expression softened.
"Hey, don't freak out," Taylor said.
Excuse me? Don't freak out? Who's freaking out? Not me. Nope, totally chill-
"Amy!" Taylor's voice was sharper than usual, and suddenly her face was right there. "It's fine! I hadn't exactly put it together, but I can feel how important she is to you in the lantern light. And, compared to all the other fucked-up shit we've done, honestly, it barely registers."
"You don't… what… I just…" Amy stammered.
Taylor didn't hate her? She wasn't leaving?
That's… not how that worked. Not how it was supposed to work. It was supposed to be the end.
"I won't say 'I don't care', because I do care, a lot, but not in a bad way," Taylor insisted, reaching out to hold her face firmly in her hands. Amy stared uncomprehendingly into her girlfriend's black eyes. "Its all part of you, even the broken, fucked-up parts, and you're mine. Like I said before, I'll take care of Victoria, too, because you love her."
Amy's head spun. It was just… too much, all at once.
"We'll talk about this more, but let me finish dealing with Pinocchi-Ward over there, and then we can go back to the Workshop," Taylor said.
Pinocchi-Ward?
Amy's brain was running on roughly half a broken cylinder and three flat tires at this point.
Oh. Because he's a puppet. Ha.
Good one, Taylor.
She would have laughed, but it just came out as a strangled wheeze.
"Amy, look at me, please," Taylor said.
She really tried, but her eyes didn't want to focus.
Amy finally managed to latch onto the crystalized onyx and the beautiful, endless galaxy of spiraling stars.
"This doesn't change anything," Taylor's voice was low and resolved. "It doesn't change how I feel about you. I promise. You can still be my everything, if you want. Even if I can't be yours. Okay?"
We're all monsters, here.
Words were hard, right about now, but Amy managed one.
"Okay."
…