Note: Zayin served as more of a story intro. I'd like to ramp things up a little now (hopefully). Also, I think I cooked with the Scorched Girl story. It's reading week for me, which means more time to write.
-The Light of Brockton Bay-
Fire flickered on the matchhead. The girl's gaze held firm, watching the teardrop of orange and blue with rapturous intent. The hue of the matchstick slowly turning to that of the charred hand that held it. She could feel the flame warming her burnt skin, her embers coming alight, and a faint smile rising with the heat.
The flame was her friend, it was her entertainment, and it was her hope. The villagers had branded her a heretic for reasons she could no longer remember. They built her pyre near the rubble of a farmhouse and its scorched field.
The congregation fired insults and accusations; a mother had yelled at the girl about how her family would not last the winter because of what she did. By the time the flames had made it halfway to the girls perch, the villagers had left her alone. She was abandoned by all. She shivered in the wind of the coming winter, finding comfort in the encroaching glow. The conflagration enveloped her in a hug that nothing could best, that no one had given.
The matchstick's flame died. It was the third and last match of the discarded box, the first deep in a field, and the second lost in her pyre's logs. The girl could feel the cold wind again. There was no fire here, and there was nothing left to burn. She desperately searched the empty box for anything to feed her dwindling hope
Gazing upon the horizon, she saw a village. Wooden houses sat unalight; she felt the red roofs familiar to her. Then, above the wood and above the red, she saw the village lights creating a glow against the night sky.
The scorched girl had found her fourth match.
-The Light of Brockton Bay-
- Taylor's POV
The first thing I felt was the chill in the air. Opening my eyes, I feel an emptiness slowly fading as I get more awake. That dream was weird; a bit of the feelings from the girl linger even after the dream. The crushing emptiness of being abandoned by those you love, she kind of reminds me of me. At least with less of the village burning.
I think I'll go with the name 'Scorched Girl.' It's fitting enough. I can feel my third set within me; it feels more similar to One Sin than Seven Association. 'Huh, wonder why.'
The dream made me wake up earlier than normal, which means Dad is currently making breakfast downstairs. Quickly getting out of bed, I open my door and call down for him to make me a portion.
After getting dressed, I head down stairs to find a plate of bacon and eggs on the table, Dad is already eating his plate. Dad gives me a smile. "You're up early."
I take a seat. "Woke up because of a bad dream."
"Are you okay?" There is light concern in his voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He gives a shrug in response and gets back to eating.
The rest of the morning plays out normally. Dad leaves for work, and I am left home alone. Its the 5th today, and after a call to the PRT, I've decided to book power testing on the 12th. This gives me an entire week of patrols before I go get power tested. Before I go on patrols today, I have to see my new set.
Going to the bathroom mirror I used before I stood in position. Feeling Scorched Girl's set, I give it a pull. The first thing I noticed was how empty I felt. I feel lonely, but I know why. Emma left me for Sophia and burnt the bridge behind her. I want a friend, but I know in the end they will leave me again, just like the flame of a matchstick.
I reel myself back. This isn't how I act; I noticed my first 2 sets affect my personality, but neither of them were on this level. I can feel the desperation and longing that Scorched Girl felt. Hell, I keep on thinking about burning matches and maybe some bigger things.
I'm going to have to train myself to handle these altering mental states. If my sets personalities get stranger and harder to control, then I need to keep a tight leash on myself. I do NOT want to have parallels between me and Burnscar. I don't need branding that is eerily similar to a Slaughthouse 9 member.
My outfit is a dress shirt with frayed cuts that matches the colour and somehow consistency of charcoal while still being bendable like any other piece of cloth. Over top is an ash grey cloak that is scorched a darker shade and tattered at the bottom. The pants were a pair of dress pants that were a mix between the shirt's black and the cloaks grey; they were also frayed at the ends.
Pulling on Scorched Girl's weapon, I find myself surprised as I had 2 weapons and not one. In my hands was some kind of tinker tech cannon, and at my side was a sword. The cannon is made of metal but has a burnt wooden core that holds the pieces together. A giant match is stuck in the center, acting as a forward grip. The sword is much the same, with both sides of the blade held together by a burnt wooden core. This core extends further to create a grip suitable for one-handed and two-handed use.
I give the sword a little twirl, just some basic movements. A trail of ash flows behind where I swipe. The ash takes about 5 seconds before it fades away completely, leaving nothing behind. Holstering my sword, I take a small walk around the house. My entire outfit has the same trail effect.
If I'm being completely honest, I look sick as shit. Even with the mood dampener the outfit is giving me, I still can't stop myself from giving poses into the mirror. It definitely doesn't give heroic vibes, but who cares when you look this badass?
There's one last thing I have to check. Since this set is themed around fire, I have to know if I'm immune to fire and heat. I turn on the stovetop to the lowest setting, and it starts to heat up. I get a lighter from a table nearby and hold it under my hand. It feels so warm, and the fire looks so beautiful. How could anything this pretty hurt me?
'Ah, god damnit.' These thoughts are invasive. The fire doesn't seem to hurt me, no matter how close I get my hand. I place my hand on the stove on low; I still feel no pain, and my hand isn't burned.
I try the stovetop on high a minute later. Much like the last tests, I feel only warmth. While I can't be sure if this is complete heat immunity, I at least have something that could defend against Lung.
Unequipping Scorched Girl I grab some cash, keys and anything I need while out today. Something I learned yesterday was that small enough objects in my pockets also show up in the pockets of Seven Association. I can now pay for food while on patrol without getting out of costume.
For this patrol, I want to find action faster than last time. This time I'm going closer to the trainyard to patrol. Hopefully I find action a little bit faster this way.
With everything set, I head out of my house and make my way to the bus stop nearby.
-The Light of Brockton Bay-
The trainyard is filthy like last time. It gets noticeably worse after a certain distance from the docks. Garbage litters the streets, and the acidic smell of rust lingers in the air. Drug addicts stumble about with their unceasing heads bobbing, barely conscious enough to walk.
I hate what the gangs have done to this city. We have the highest crime rates per capita of the entire eastern seaboard and one of the highest in the world. The only reason I don't say Brockton Bay is a shithole is because I love Brockton Bay to much to insult it like that.
I move along the alleys and the less open pathways. The good thing about the trainyards is that there are lots of places to hide yourself and sneak around. It could also be a major downside, but most people aren't setting up random ambushes.
Patrolling seems to be mostly walking around. When I thought about heroes before, I had thought of constant fights and giant battles. I hadn't thought of the hours of walking around looking for possible crime.
A gunshot in the distance alerts me to a possible fight nearby. Taking off in a run, I start moving to where I heard the gunshot. I hold my phone open on the way, ready with PRT on speed dial in case I need to call them ahead of time.
I hear multiple bangs in the time I spend running. I still stick to alleyways, but I take streets if I have to. Theres yelling and gunfire about a minute away at this point. I hit speed dial, and my phone starts to ring. Before Assault left yesterday, he had given me the PRT phone number extension that connects directly with someone running console. The person running the console helps direct the PRT to villain and gang related crime.
"PRT Kid Win speaking."
"This is Da'at; I'm currently heading towards nearby gunfire in the trainyard near the border of Merchant and ABB territory." I send my current location through text.
I hear Kid Win talking with someone in the background before coming back to me. "The PRT recommends you hold back until a hero arrives; because you aren't employed by the PRT, I cannot give you orders. If you must go, I strongly recommend you wait for Miss Militia. She is on her way about 6 minutes out."
They wanted me to wait? People were dying, and they want me to sit down and wait? To hell with that. "While I thank you for your recommendation, I will still be engaging before Miss Militia arrives."
Kid Win says something through the phone that I can't hear because I've already taken it away from my ear. Closing my phone, I round the corner to where I heard gunshots.
A group of merchants are against another group of ABB thugs. There are about 5 people on each side, but I can't be sure if there aren't more hiding nearby. People have already fled the vicinity.
The 5 merchants are fighting 4 ABB thugs while 1 stays behind a car nearby. The ABB thug staying away from the melee has a gun in his hand.
Taking up a spot behind the ABB gang, I wait a few moments looking for an opportunity. The best attack is on someone unaware. The most dangerous is the one ABB in the back with a pistol; the rest either don't have guns or aren't holding them, but its most likely the first.
I equip One Sin and bring out the cross-mace in preparation of my assault. I sprint out of my cover towards the ABB member with the gun while he is reloading. He barely notices me with the fight in front and his focus on reloading; he yells something in another language before facing me. He couldn't finish the reload in time, so he decided to drop the gun and face me.
Unlike how Seven Association feels like years of muscle memory, One Sin feels like its a part of me, and so does Scorched Girl, but you can't really tell the significance until you have a fight. The ABB thug gives a left hook that meets my mace swinging to the right. His knuckles rebound off the cold metal cross, and I quickly change the direction of my swing back to the left. My mace collides with his gut, and he stumbles backwards.
His attempt to fix his stance is broken under blow after blow I give to his arms and legs. I sweep my left leg forward as he stumbles to his right, which knocks him to the ground. His head hits the pavement, and he gets knocked out cold. I can turn my attention to the group fight nearby.
"Cape!" A merchant has noticed me. I sprint to the brawl with my mace ready for a large swing. Both groups start to panic at my arrival. The nearest merchant uselessly puts his hands up to block. I swing and use the cross part as a hook around his arm, jerking him forward. The merchant's guard falls as he uses his arms to balance himself. I grab him as he stumbles towards me and use the momentum to throw him a good distance behind me. 'Was I always this strong?'
The thought momentarily distracts me from another merchant slamming a metal pipe into my side. Flinch at the sudden pain in my side and reactively swing hard at my attacker. My mace hits him in the chest; his ribs crack as he gets knocked back a few feet to my left.
The ABB thugs have already run half a block away, leaving only 3 merchants left to deal with. I'm nervous; I no longer have stealth advantage, and its 3 on 1. The merchants are eyeing me warily with their guards up. My side hurts, but nothing feels broken. I must have a brute rating with One Sin because that pipe should hurt more.
"Come on guys, if we get Skidmark a new cape he'll pay us big time. After all, there's 3 of us and one of them." The other 2 seem to gain some confidence from that. The leader rushes forward, and the other 2 follow behind.
My outfit shifts with a flash of light, and an ashen cloak now adorns me. I don't bother with the cannon and take out my sword and swipe at the leader. The sudden shift in clothing gives him a brief pause. Faster than I was before I hit his right shoulder with the blade. The wound cauterizes as my sword passes through, leaving a big gash.
He reels over on the ground, holding his shoulder and screaming. I point my sword at the 2 remaining merchants, who now look terrified. "I suggest you surrender. You have no hope left." My voice sounds dry as the words come out.
The 2 quickly nodded with their hands in the air. Equipping Seven Association, I take out my zip ties. I zip tie their arms behind them and zip tie the 2 together, facing away from each other. Its impossible for them to coordinate running away like that.
I open my phone to check the time. If Kid Win was correct, then Miss Militia should arrive in about 3 minutes. I start to make my way to the unconscious gang members when I hear the screeching of metal and clanging. I turn to find a balding man shambling towards us. He's covered in layers of garbage, which are attached to his limbs. I can see boxes, bottles, wires, dirt, and an innumerable number of different items.
'Oh fuck its Mush.' Mush was one of the capes that was part of the merchants. His power was to turn parts of his body into tendrils that pickup garbage to use as limbs. While most people consider him to be a joke, its intimidating to see him in person with giant, shifting masses of garbage attached to him.
"Hey girlie, you're that cape that busted Frank and Daniel yesterday. Now you're messing up me boys the day after. I think Skidmark 'il want a word wit' you." His English was slightly broken, and he was slurring his speech. Usual signs of intoxication or drug use.
I know talking won't do anything here, so I reequip Scorched Girl, but with the cannon in my hands this time. Mush starts to run at me, and he flings a tendril of garbage at my chest. I aim down the middle of the tendril and fire my cannon. The cannonball explodes through the tip of the tendril and continues to shred through it until it reaches the base where Mush's shoulder should be located.
Mush jumps to the side, but the damage is already done. His left arm of garbage is completely destroyed, but the tendrils are slowly picking up the scattered garbage to reform.
"Hey, you could 'urt someone wit' d'at." Mush swipes with his other arm-tendril in a wide motion. I barely have time to duck under as the garbage lashes where my head would be. Mush proceeds to raise the tendril up in the air to slam down on top of me.
Quickly getting rid of the cannon, I switch to the sword at my hip. I swipe it over my head as hard as I can while dodging in the direction of my swing. The sword cleaves through the tendril, and all the garbage not attached to Mush clatters to the ground aimlessly.
Mush's left arm has already reformed. He takes a few more swipes at me, but I dodge and counterattack them. What I don't expect is for him to predict one of my dodges. One of his tendrils suddenly shifted direction and hit my side. I'm launched into the air and tumble down the road.
"Tink I can' learn Girlie?" Fuck that hurt a lot more than the pipe did. I'm getting tired, and my movements are getting slower. I have to end this soon or start running. I get an idea, 'If this doesn't work, I have to make a break for it.'
Getting up, I take my fighting stance again. I continue fighting, but more defensively waiting for an opportunity. Mush sees this and decides to go for a strong attack that I cannot block or dodge. This needs a wide swing, which leaves him vulnerable. It's just what I need.
I throw my sword slightly to his left, and at the same time I bring out the cannon again. I take aim at Mush as he dodges to his right and turns to avoid the sword. I fired right at his abdomen; anywhere else would have killed him. He notices what's happening a little to late. His feet are mispositioned for quick left and right dodges. He shifts as much garbage as he can to his side.
The cannonball strikes dead center on the right side of his abdomen. The trash that absorbs part of the impact flies off his body as he gets blasted away from me. The tendrils fall limp as Mush lands in a heap on the ground, unmoving.
I quickly run over to where Mush landed. He's lying down, out cold, but still breathing. I feel relief flood me. While I was sure it wouldn't kill him because of the volume of garbage absorbing the cannonball's momentum, I still felt nervous that I had made a mistake.
I feel drained physically and mentally. Everything on my body feels hurt, but more importantly, it feels hard to focus. Scorched Girl's personality shift is slowly snaking its way back, and unlike before, I don't have as clear of a head to stop it. 'Perhaps if there was a fire nearby, I just might feel better in its warmth.'
I stamp the thought out of my head; no burning things. As I'm trying to reorganize my thoughts, I hear a vehicle approaching me. A black van with PRT in white on the side is driving towards me. It parks a few dozen feet away as a couple of PRT troopers make their way outside. Miss Militia is in front and running ahead of the group with her weapon drawn at me.
"Are you friendly?" Why is she pointing her weapon at me? I just fought a bunch of bad guys. I'm a hero, giving people hope. 'She abandoned me before we even became friends.' She isn't saying anything. 'It looks like I'm all alone again. Nobody but myself.'
She gives me a slightly confused look as I put a hand on my head. 'No, out with those thoughts, they arent mine.'
I equip Seven Association. The thought of loneliness and burning Miss Militia faded. I turn to look directly at Miss Militia. "Yes, I'm friendly. Kid Win should have said my name was Da'at."
Miss Militia lowers her weapon and approaches me with just a hint of caution. "Are you alright? You were holding your head for just a moment."
Even with Seven Association equipped, I can't help but give her an embarrassed look. "Did Assault tell you what my power was?"
"He said something about turning into other versions of yourself."
I nod. "Yeah, those other versions come with separate personalities that can be troublesome."
Miss Militia raises a single eyebrow at that statement. "How are they troublesome?"
I give her a meek look and look away. "I would rather not say."
Instead of admonishing me like I expected, Miss Militia places a hand on my shoulder. "That's okay. All powers have their own quirks." She gives a brief pause "Just make sure that you don't do anything bad while your power affects you."
Miss Militia was about to say something, but she closed her mouth as her eyes stared behind me. "Is that Mush?"
She stares at me with a slack jaw as I give her a nod. "He arrived after I broke up the brawl."
Miss Militia still looked dumbfounded. "You took out Mush on your second day as a cape?"
"Y-yes?"
...
Miss Militia sighs. "While I congratulate you on taking down Mush, I must tell you that not running was stupid. You could have gotten hurt, or worse."
I was barely able to stand up straight, but Miss Militia didn't have to know that.
The PRT troopers had already started to move. They were taking in Mush, the few merchants, and the one ABB guy that I point towards.
After checking their injuries, Miss Militia walks up to me again. We talk about what happened, from my hearing of gunshots to the gang fight, and finally my fight with Mush.
Miss Militia gave me a skeptical look when I told her that I was sure the cannonball wouldn't kill Mush but decided not to argue with me.
The agents started to get back into the van because they had packed all the gang members into the back. Miss Militia talked about getting me into the wards program, but I declined and told her that I would be thinking about it after my power testing.
We both say our goodbyes, and I move into a nearby alleyway. My adrenaline is wearing off and my body is aching. I get into a location that isn't out in the open and unequip Seven Association. I feel like shit, but I can still walk.
Even if my body feels bad, I have almost never felt this happy before. I took down a cape today. If I told my past self from a week ago that I would take down a villain cape, my past self would have laughed in my face.
'Now all I have to do is get home.' I feel the ache in my muscles again. 'Or maybe a quick visit to Amy.'