Duplicity 10.2
Taylor did her best to ignore the nervous tension in her bones as she strode through the empty halls of the Labyrinth.
Amy would be fine. Brandish wouldn't actually hurt a member of her own team over a bit of teenage rebellion.
But if she did…
Well, then Taylor would have some new parahuman blood to work with. She was starting to run low.
Speaking of which, she really did need to hunt down Alabaster. She couldn't afford to forget again.
Taylor's long coat flared dramatically behind her as she walked. Was it even a costume, anymore? Was Anne and her wheelchair the costume, and the Hunter her reality?
Did it even matter, anymore?
She and Armsmaster were planning to take over the city. Soon, everyone would know the true power of the Hunt.
The first steps were already taken. Amy's new power worked perfectly, and it would allow them to enhance their hunters even further.
Her original biokinetic alterations were fueled by the eldritch echoes within the concentrated parahuman blood. If Taylor gave the concentrated vials to others, then Amy should be able to empower them even further, with both her runes and her modifications.
If they were willing, of course.
But Taylor had seen the manic obsession in Colin's eyes; the need to matter that often glowed in her own. He would take any upgrades she could give him. She just had to string him along and provide the enhancements sparingly, so that he was always beholden to her power.
It didn't escape her notice that Armsmaster held the key to dismantling their agreement at any time. All it would take was a single betrayal once she had outlived her usefulness to him, and the only evidence of their previous cooperation would be her word against his. And he was a venerated hero, while she was a mass-murdering villain.
So, she just had to keep feeding his ambition so that the benefits of their partnership always outweighed the risks. Easy peasy.
As for the other member of her Hunt…
Rachel trusted her, and Taylor trusted her and her loyal hounds in turn. Rachel's way of seeing the world might be strange to some, but Taylor still found it as refreshing as ever. No games, no words, just simple trust with the inherent threat of permanent, unbridled hatred if that trust was ever betrayed.
But it wouldn't be. Taylor would reward that devotion unreservedly, to the best of her ability.
Which was why she carried Hookwolf's vial in her quick injector.
If anyone deserved to claim the power of Kaiser's attack dog, it was Rachel.
The parallel was… pleasing, to her.
Hookwolf and his dog fighting rings had hurt the innocent and reveled in the theatre of violence.
Rachel and her pack would protect them and hunt the other monsters with ruthless efficiency.
The overlapping barking emanating from the Kennels reverberated down the hallway, competing with the endless heartbeat in the depths.
Taylor walked into the repurposed emergency room and smiled at the hoard of dogs running laps, vying for a chance to tug at the long length of rope in Rachel's callused hands.
"Hey," Rachel greeted, dropping the rope and letting the dogs wrestle for it. "What's up?"
"Got a couple things, and I wanted to check in," Taylor replied. "The dogs need anything?"
Rachel sat down heavily on a wooden bench she must have brought in from outside. Taylor stood beside her and watched the dogs play.
"Naw, I got it," Rachel grunted. "Don't need you to hand me everything."
Taylor nodded silently.
They just watched the dogs for a while.
"I've got something for you, if you want," Taylor said eventually. "Trust goes both ways."
Rachel didn't answer, just waited for her to continue.
Taylor pulled out the injector.
"I processed Hookwolf's blood. If you take this vial, you'll get a version of his powers," Taylor said. She didn't bother with the details. Rachel wouldn't care about them anyway.
"No wonder you scare the heroes shitless," Rachel chuckled.
Taylor let her lips quirk up at the corner.
"I'm going to take the city," Taylor said. "Kill all the assholes, and make it better. I want you to help me do it."
Rachel nodded slowly.
"Alright. I'm in," Rachel said simply.
Taylor handed her the blood vial.
Rachel injected it without hesitation.
Taylor watched in morbid fascination as Rachel's body rippled and a hungry growl ripped through her teeth.
She was strangely excited. This whole thing, empowering others instead of herself… It was satisfying in a different way than usual. Building her Hunt into something more.
The dogs around the room whined and cowered as more bestial sounds escaped Rachel's throat, her hands curling reflexively and her eyes wide. Her pupils were dilated unnaturally and seemed almost ragged around the edges
Huh. So that's what it looks like.
Taylor was happy that Amy hadn't decided to take this vial. As much as she trusted her girlfriend, Amy had enough trouble with… self-destructive impulses… as it was.
She trusted Rachel with this power, just as she trusted Amy with hers. Rachel understood how to quell and harness the beast within. Amy, for better or worse… did not. And, in turn, Rachel wouldn't understand or appreciate the majesty of the stars.
For a brief moment, liquid steel flowed over Rachel's skin before retreating back beneath the surface.
Taylor smiled.
Soon, the aura of violence around Rachel ebbed away and she stared down at her hands.
"Fuck yeah," Rachel muttered.
"Pretty cool, right?" Taylor shot her a not-smile. "What can you do?"
Rachel stood slowly and flexed, corded muscles standing out taught against her skin for a second before the metal returned.
The dull iron coated her in seconds, forming a second skin that mimicked her normal physique. Everywhere except for her face, which was replaced with the visage of her canine mask.
It was pretty damn terrifying, actually. Taylor was impressed.
Rachel examined her metal hands with idle interest.
"Nice," she said.
Her voice sounded strange, through the metal. Like gravel over corrugated steel.
"Want me to hit you?" Taylor said. She was only half joking.
Rachel bared her teeth.
"Sure," she coughed. "Give it your best shot, Boss."
Taylor didn't want to accidentally kill Rachel, so she didn't call to the bestial strength of the Valkyries, but she still threw a good chunk of her enhanced strength into her punch. Definitely more than enough to turn a regular human to a bloody pulp.
The Kennels echoed with the metallic impact of Taylor's indestructible bones on Rachel's newly acquired steel.
She managed to leave a fist shaped dent in Rachel's chest, but without Amy's enhancements she would have broken every bone in her hand. And probably her arm, too.
Rachel didn't move an inch.
"Huh," she grunted. "Ow."
The metal retreated again and Rachel rolled her shoulder, pulling down her shirt to expose the mottled purple and red bruise forming where Taylor struck her.
"I guess it doesn't completely diffuse the hit, then," Taylor mused as she handed over a standard blood vial. "We can work on that. I'll talk to Amy about improving your body, if you want."
Rachel injected the healing blood and eyed her with an unreadable expression for a long moment.
"You fuckin' Panacea?" Rachel asked.
Taylor choked and couldn't decide whether to laugh or blush or just trigger her Hunter's Mark and die to avoid the question entirely.
She honestly had no idea if her and Amy's relationship satisfied the technical definition of the question or not, but as far as Rachel was concerned…
"Yeah," Taylor said simply.
Rachel chuckled and Taylor narrowed her eyes.
"Nice," Rachel nodded approvingly.
Taylor managed not to laugh, but it was close. This was absurd.
She decided to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"I've got another job for you. Alabaster is still in the Labyrinth, and I'd like to get him back so I can run some experiments. Take the lantern and some dogs and hunt him down for me, please," Taylor commanded. She couldn't afford to forget again, so it was time to delegate.
Rachel bared her teeth again. It definitely wasn't a smile.
"My pleasure," she growled.
If he weren't a Nazi, Taylor would almost pity Alabaster.
But he was, so she didn't.
…
Amy waved automatically as Victoria flew away between the tall buildings downtown. The PRT headquarters loomed over her, the shield logo and uniform glass panels shining in the afternoon sun.
She sighed and pulled out her phone.
It was cute, but ultimately inconvenient that Taylor didn't text. Her girlfriend was totally fine with making mad scientist plasma balls that somehow ran on liquid blood-metal and stolen Tinkertech, but she couldn't send a text. Ridiculous.
"I'll have you know that I finally remembered Alabaster," Taylor answered on the second ring.
Amy could hear the muffled shouting in the background.
"Good job," she said sarcastically. "I'm at the PRT building if you want to pop over. No haunting this time, though."
"Oh, sweet," Taylor said. "I can definitely step away for a minute. It's not like someone is going anywhere anytime soon."
There was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a Nazi getting electrocuted by a Tonitrus sphere, but she could just be projecting.
Amy decided to worry about it later.
"Cool. I have to go, but I'll come over later?" Amy asked. She knew she didn't actually have to ask, but it seemed polite.
"Yeah! I miss you terribly," Taylor said.
Amy couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Taylor seemed like she was in a weird mood. Maybe experimenting on an immortal Nazi would do that to anyone.
"I was there literally last night," Amy grinned.
"I stand by my previous statement. Anyway, say 'hi' to Colin for me," Taylor said. "Or don't, I guess. I don't know if we should tell him about you or not."
Amy assumed that Colin was Armsmaster's real name. Taylor hadn't actually mentioned that bit before.
"I'll see how it goes. I won't bring it up unnecessarily, but if he gets pissy for some reason, I'll remind him about your deal," Amy said.
"Sounds good. Pay no attention to any random doors that open while you're there," Taylor chirped. Amy could hear the sound of her prosthesis against the tile as she walked.
"I'll do my best," Amy said, and hung up with a smile.
Even when she was being weird, Taylor made her feel better.
Amy turned and walked into the PRT headquarters.
The downtown HQ was much busier than the Protectorate headquarters, constantly bustling with tour groups and unpowered workers. No one paid Amy any mind as she made her way past the gift shop towards the employee entrance on the other side of the atrium.
She hadn't bothered to put on her costume today. She was just here to follow up with Armsmaster, not to show off for the researchers.
Besides, wearing the costume felt weird after everything she and Taylor had done.
"I have an appointment with Armsmaster," Amy said to the agent on duty.
She studiously ignored the ethereal white flame of the doorway that opened on an empty stretch of wall behind the desk.
"Good afternoon, Panacea," the guard said. "He's in his lab. Do you know where to go?"
"Yes, I can manage, thanks," Amy replied. Being recognized out of costume was always a bit jarring, even if she should be used to it by now. At least they didn't force her to have an escort here.
Her steps echoed strangely in the metal corridors.
The lab here was much less impressive than the one at the PHQ, and Armsmaster shared it with Kid Win, but it was still expansive. Amy picked her way carefully between the cluttered workbenches.
"Panacea, thank you for meeting on such short notice," Armsmaster called over the various pieces of equipment.
He wasn't wearing his power armor this time, just a dark blue jumpsuit marked by several grease stains and burns. He still wore his trademark visor, though.
"It isn't a long trip," Amy replied. A month ago, she might have been nervous meeting with the leader of the Protectorate ENE alone, but now… well, she was never really alone.
Another door opened on the wall of Armsmaster's lab, and Amy suppressed a grin.
"How're the tests on the blood samples coming along?" she asked, catching sight of Taylor's remaining blood vial hanging suspended in some diagnostic machine. Apparently, they hadn't given all of it to the patient on Monday.
"Very well, all things considered," Armsmaster replied. "I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the patient and the potential side effects of the treatment, since we got interrupted."
"I don't think we had all that much more to cover," Amy said.
She knew that he had picked up something when she lied about the potential side effects, but she didn't know what.
"I just want to clarify," Armsmaster said slowly, turning around in his desk chair to look at her. "Did you observe any harmful side effects present in the test subject?"
Amy worded her answer carefully, just in case.
"I have no reason to believe that any lingering effects will be harmful to the patient," she said.
That was true. Whatever it was that Taylor's blood vials did to people, it hadn't actually harmed anyone that she could tell.
Yet.
He stared at her for a long moment.
"So it is your professional opinion that the medication is safe for human consumption?" Armsmaster asked.
Amy wasn't sure if she could answer that truthfully or not, so she didn't bother to try. Both she and Armsmaster wanted that to be true, whether or not it actually was.
"Yes," she answered.
She couldn't see his eyes behind the visor, but Armsmaster's mouth twitched.
"Have you had any additional experiences, aside from the original test subject, that lead you to that conclusion?" Armsmaster said warily.
He certainly suspected something, then. Still, she would keep up the ruse a bit longer. Just to see where he would go next.
"Other than being the best parahuman healer in the world? No," Amy raised her eyebrows. "That's the only time I've seen any of Hunter's work in person."
Armsmaster was quicker to control his reaction this time, but she still caught it.
He knows.
She didn't know how, but he somehow knew when she was lying. He may not know the extent of her involvement with Taylor, but he knew something.
Well, he knew about her, but he may not know that she knew about him.
Fuck it.
It was probably better to clue him in on that bit, before he did something stupid.
"I think we can agree that it's mutually beneficial if Hunter's concoctions are considered safe for public use, right?" Amy said innocently.
She couldn't quite stop a smug smile from leaking through, though.
This was fun. She understood why Taylor liked messing with people so much. When she held all the cards, it was a fucking rush.
And what she could see of the expression on Armsmaster's face was hilarious.
It took him a few seconds to recover, but he did. Eventually.
"Yes," he said slowly. "I suppose it is."
Amy was extremely tempted to just walk through the Labyrinth doorway and leave, just to watch his face.
But she couldn't know if there were any security cameras in here, and even if she asked, Armsmaster might lie about it. She only trusted him as far as Taylor could throw him. Which was fairly far, but not that far.
"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page," Amy said instead.
Armsmaster nodded. He looked like he couldn't quite decide whether he liked where this conversation had gone or not. He finally took a deep breath before continuing.
"Thank you for your time, Panacea," Armsmaster said. "That's all I needed for today."
Amy waved and shot him her best impression of Taylor's overconfident smile as she left the lab through the normal door.
Damn, that was so much fun.
She couldn't wait to see the look on Carol's face when all the cards were inevitably on the table.
Maybe, if Taylor's sphere of influence kept expanding, she could actually keep her 'real' life intact, even if the truth came out. After all, if the Protectorate and New Wave both ended up snared in the Hunter's web, then who would be left to stop them?
…
Taylor glared at the pale, twitching form hanging from the ceiling of the Workshop.
"You are an extremely frustrating man, Alabaster," she grumbled.
He didn't answer, but that was probably because the electrical current flowing through him had clenched his jaw shut.
From what she could tell, Alabaster's body reset to some kind of template every four-ish seconds. Nothing she did to him had any long term effect, and he even seemed relatively immune to pain.
Unfortunately, his resets also returned any and all removed parts of him back to their original places, which included his blood. It was irritating.
There was potential here somewhere. There must be something she could do with an infinite time-looped blood bag, but she hadn't managed to find anything yet.
At least the miniature Tonitrus sphere impaled in his chest kept him from causing trouble when he reset.
Now she just had to figure out what to do with him.
Taylor pulled a stool over and perched on it, staring at her guest speculatively.
"You've put me in an awkward position," she said idly. Usually, no one could hear her when she talked to her corpses, so it was nice to have an audience. "I can't kill you, I can't let you go, and sending you to PRT custody seems wasteful. Plus, I doubt they could hold you forever."
He grunted and glared at her as well as he could under all the twitching.
"Your blood is useless for a concentrated vial, since it all disappears after a few seconds, and I can't process it fast enough to make a difference," Taylor continued. "I can't get it to stay in the centrifuge to turn into blood stone, can't process it for ritual components…"
Her eyes fell on the forge.
That was an idea.
She didn't actually need the blood itself to stick around for a blood quench, right?
Hopefully Amy wouldn't complain about a self-cycling blood fountain.
…
"Oh, absolutely the fuck not. What the hell is wrong with you?" Amy exclaimed.
Amy did, in fact, object to her new water feature. Blood feature?
"Look, he doesn't even feel pain. And this way, he's finally useful!" Taylor justified.
"I'm not hanging around twenty feet from a permanently bleeding Nazi that you tapped like a fucking maple tree!" Amy whined.
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Taylor said idly.
"I hate you so much. Also, gross, what the fuck, Taylor?"
"You hang out next to the other hanging corpses all the time," Taylor reminded her.
"That's different! He's still alive!"
"Only technically. I could blind and deafen him, if you want," Taylor offered.
Alabaster was currently suspended over the quenching trough in her forge. Taylor had fashioned a makeshift spigot to, as Amy so eloquently put it, tap him like a maple tree. The metal implant in the side of his neck was held in place by a series of spiked clamps that stayed fastened when he reset.
From what she could tell, Alabaster's power reset him but didn't delete any foreign matter inside him. He still couldn't die, even if he had a metal spike through his chest at the time of the reset, but he could be contained. He just got re-stabbed every four seconds.
And, in this case, he could be turned into an infinitely recycling blood waterfall.
"Look, I'm happy to take suggestions, but he can't fucking die and I can't exactly just let him go, because he's a Nazi. And he'd probably find a way to break out of normal prison," Taylor shrugged.
Amy groaned and put her head on the lab table.
"Can you just… put him somewhere else, then?" She sighed.
That was actually a good idea. It was better for him to be mobile anyway.
"Yeah, I can do that. I'm sure there's an old gurney around here somewhere," Taylor said.
…
"I find myself in an unusual moral conundrum," Taylor monologued while she worked.
Alabaster didn't seem to appreciate the commentary, but Taylor didn't really care. It was helpful to process things out loud, and now she had a captive audience. It was much better than talking to the corpses.
Of course, she still did that, too.
Amy had gone home for the evening, and now Taylor had to decide whether or not to embark on her next outing.
"See, I originally Mastered this guy because he knew too much and my girlfriend told me to, but now I really do want some of the information he's got tucked away in his brain," Taylor continued while she waited for the steel to heat. "But I was planning to just let him keep living normally aside from the knowledge of my identity. But now… he's just kinda too useful not to use, you know what I mean?"
Alabaster made a choking noise that Taylor chose to believe was an affirmative.
"Plus, he might be my only source of information about a secret organization that can give people powers the same way I can. But I know that it would make Amy feel bad if I questioned him more, even though she'd probably agree if I asked," Taylor rambled. "So, I guess the real question is… should I tell her? If I know she would say yes, even though it would stress her out, isn't it just better if she doesn't know? But if I start down that logic train, how many things will I end up keeping from her, and then I wouldn't be showing her an authentic version of myself. But I do really want to know about Cauldron."
Taylor pulled the bright orange billet out of the flame and hammered it into shape before cutting it, folding it, and hammering it again.
She slid it under the infinite blood quench with a satisfying hiss of steam, and then returned it to the forge.
"I think I'm going to go talk to him," Taylor said after a while. "It's too important to pass up, but I won't ask him about anything else or give him any more orders. Plus, I really think I will undo the Mastering eventually. Once he can't hurt Amy anymore."
Taylor considered for a moment and then removed the miniature Tonitrus and the spigot until Alabaster reset again.
"Speaking of which, would you rather stay here or in the Labyrinth when I'm done with this project? I don't really care which, and no, releasing you isn't an option," Taylor asked.
"Fuck you, cu-"
Taylor replaced the Tonitrus and the tap.
"I'll ask again when you're in a better mood," she said, reaching down to grab the steel bar again.
…
Amy stared at herself in the full length mirror that dominated the back of her closet door. She never really used it to check her outfits, but at least it could finally be useful.
Although she doubted this was what Victoria had in mind when she forced her to buy it.
She didn't really know why this felt like such a big deal. Taylor had all kinds of scars, and they didn't look bad or anything. Quite the opposite. So why was she so reluctant?
Maybe it was the permanence of it. She couldn't heal herself, couldn't fix herself. Taylor's regeneration vials didn't work on already healed wounds.
She set aside the blood vial and the borrowed quick injector. For afterwards.
"You aren't allowed to leave, either."
Amy took a deep breath.
She could do this. Just another step towards freedom. A way to take what she wanted.
She would never be the hero everyone wanted her to be. Expected her to be. There was too much of… everything, in her. Too much spite, too much longing… too much selfishness and desire and guilt.
'Amy Dallon' was as much a mask as 'Panacea'. Whoever she was, she wasn't what her family thought she was. Wasn't what Vicky thought she was.
Maybe she never had been.
Taylor knew her, though. Knew every deep, dark secret, and offered her everything anyway.
This was the least she could offer in return. A permanent reminder, so that Taylor didn't lose her everything.
Amy raised her scalpel, let her new power free, and began to carve.
…
Taylor's days fell into a strange sort of routine.
She got up and made a stop over to Kurt and Lacey's to shower and visit her dad. The heart may work well for basic utilities, but she wasn't going to take a cold shower if she didn't have to. Plus, she didn't want to lose touch with her father, especially after the mess with Armsmaster.
Then, while Amy was in school, Taylor tinkered.
It was relaxing, to be able to just putter around her Workshop and work on whatever struck her fancy. Things had been so hectic since the Empire massacre, she hadn't really had a chance to catch up on her projects.
Her new sword was coming along nicely. She had been reticent about the design originally, due to the sheer quantity of parahuman blood required to treat the blade after every fold of the steel. However, now that Alabaster was contained, that was no longer an issue.
Amy said that Taylor had to release him back into the Labyrinth after she was done, but Taylor wasn't sure if that was actually a worse punishment or not. Alabaster had yet to give his opinion one way or the other. He didn't like her very much.
She used the rest of the materials from Armsmaster's lab to make several more Tonitrus spheres. One, she made roughly ten inches in diameter and welded to the end of a baton to act as a weapon. The others were smaller and functioned like EMP grenades, sending out wide arcs of blue-white electricity in all directions a few seconds after they were primed. And, of course, the one she had attached to Alabaster.
Dean had proved exceptionally unhelpful on the Cauldron front. He apparently owed them a favor, and picked out the general category of his power from a woman who called herself the Doctor, but that was about it. They were very tight lipped about the whole process, which made sense but was frustrating nonetheless.
Then, in the afternoon, Amy would come over. It was definitely the highlight of her day.
…
"I almost wish she'd just spit it out already, but honestly the silent treatment is still an improvement," Amy rolled her eyes from where she sat on top of one of the lab tables.
Taylor kept one eye on the hot plate and the other on Amy, whenever she could. The slowly bubbling sedative didn't require her full attention, but she didn't want it to burn.
Amy's family situation sounded exhausting.
"She hasn't brought it up at all?" Taylor asked.
"No! She won't even fucking look at me. And Victoria won't look at her. It's ridiculous," Amy complained. "And Mark doesn't know what to do. He's always been a bit… absent, but now he just looks between the three of us like he doesn't know what to say. When he's actually awake and present. Carol tries to talk to Victoria and gets mad when she doesn't answer. Victoria tries to talk to me and Carol gets mad when I do answer, except she won't actually acknowledge me. Not that I ever willingly talked to Carol anyway. It's just so stupid."
"Well… shit," Taylor said eloquently. She had no idea how to help with Amy's family drama. Her own issues with her father felt minor by comparison. Even at his lowest, he was never… this.
"I honestly thought Carol's bitchiness was super fucking obvious, but apparently just bringing it out into the open was enough to throw everyone off the deep end. If this is all it takes to break everything, I can't imagine what it will be like when this actually comes out," Amy gestured vaguely at the hanging bodies and various apparatuses processing the unpowered blood.
"Maybe they'll snap out of it so they can be united in their hatred of me, for leading their precious healer astray," Taylor grinned.
"They'll probably think you Mastered me or something," Amy shook her head. "Or maybe not. I'm pretty sure at least one of my parents was a villain. It's not hard to guess why they adopted me even though Carol hates my guts. I'm probably just proving her right."
"I know it's easy for me to say, because she's not my mom, adopted or otherwise," Taylor reached over and squeezed Amy's hand. "But her opinion doesn't mean anything. Whether she's right or wrong, she doesn't matter. You matter. To me, at least."
"Uh huh. And you're a fucking sap," Amy said, but she smiled anyway.
Taylor worked in silence for a while. She could feel Amy's eyes on her, but she didn't want to get distracted.
"I think I'm going to go back to the hospital tonight," Amy said eventually. "My hospital, I mean."
It was Friday afternoon, but still fairly early.
"Go for it," Taylor said, glancing over at her. "What you need is going to be different on different days. Maybe some healing will help, if you actually want to."
"Yeah," Amy chewed her lip. "Can I stay here, tomorrow night?"
"Of course," Taylor replied casually, even though her stomach immediately flipped. Or whatever Amy had created in place of a stomach. Taylor didn't even know which internal organs she still had, anymore. "You know you can stay anytime you want. Are you sure, though?"
"What's the worst that can happen? Carol talks to me? Oh, the horror," Amy said sarcastically. "If she actually kicks me out, I'm coming to haunt you permanently, though."
"Oh, the horror," Taylor deadpanned.
Amy chucked a loose blood vial at her head.
Taylor plucked it out of the air so it didn't break any of her equipment or make a mess.
"Did you ever figure out if that apartment of yours is real, or is it just a shell address or something?" Amy asked suddenly.
"No idea," Taylor shrugged. "We can go check it out this weekend sometime."
"Sunday. I don't want to leave, tomorrow. It's been a long week," Amy said. "Tomorrow, you're all mine."
"I'm all yours every day," Taylor grinned at her.
"You're a fucking sap every day," Amy shot back, but she was smiling again.
"That, too," Taylor smirked. "But you like it."
"Fuck off."
Taylor kissed her and laughed at the dazed expression on Amy's face before she turned back to her sedative.
This was… good. She didn't know how long this balance could last, but she would enjoy every minute.
…
Taylor admired the wave-like, rippling layers of blood-forged Damascus steel in the dim light.
The katana was unlike any other weapon she had ever forged. It was somehow delicate and impossibly strong simultaneously, a beautiful instrument of death that even her silver sword couldn't quite match.
It was also cursed all the way to hell and back.
She could feel it, even now, whispering at the edges of her mind. The Chikage demanded still more blood despite the vast quantity she had already spilled on it, constantly exuding an aching need to bathe the streets crimson with the lives of her enemies and allies alike. Sanguine hunger leaked from it in tangible waves and Taylor knew that it would kill her as easily as it did her enemies, if she let it.
She also knew that her own blood would empower the cursed blade, if absolutely necessary. A sacrifice, for even greater power. It's lullaby sang in the back of her mind, begging her to plunge the steel into her heart and-
Taylor made the immediate decision to keep it far, far away from Amy.
She sheathed the deadly katana and the voices quieted, but didn't quite disappear completely. It would definitely be a tool to use on an 'as needed' basis.
Taylor locked it in a crate that previously held stolen materials, and carried it out to the Tonitrus room for safekeeping.
…
The moonlight and cool breeze felt nice. It had been too long since her last true hunt, but that could wait.
Taylor felt a strange sense of déjà vu, sitting under the stars while cigarette smoke coiled around her.
The now empty mountainside at the northernmost entrance to the Labyrinth was bleached white under the night sky. It was wild, how many more stars there were, out here. They called to something in the back of her mind.
This was much nicer than the hospital roof. More content, more peaceful than their nighttime rendezvous had ever been, before. Amy leaned back against her chest, bundled up in a heavy blanket and slowly breathing out the silver mist. The same little bubble of tranquility that had always surrounded them was finally complete.
They had all the time they could possibly want, and no one would come looking for them. Even if they did, no one could find them here. They sat on the roof of their own little kingdom, enjoying the solitude and the stars.
Taylor leaned back into the rock behind her and ran her fingers idly through Amy's curls. She languished in the feeling of her girlfriend automatically melting into her. The scent of rose shampoo and cigarette smoke was intoxicating, and her chest felt warm and satisfied in a way she had rarely felt before.
It was perfect, and she would never ask for anything more. Everything she did, everything she planned, it was all designed to ensure they could keep this forever. Or as long as possible, anyway.
The world would slowly crumble away underneath them, if something didn't change. The weight of the Endbringers and everything else would eventually take away this piece of paradise, if she allowed it to.
Taylor wouldn't let that happen if she could help it. She didn't care how much blood it took, how many people she had to drain to find the answers that hid away in the fog. She would learn the truth that eluded her, no matter what it took.
"What're you thinking?" Amy asked idly.
"Hmmmm?" Taylor blinked and pulled her mind back to the present.
Amy leaned back and looked up at her.
"You had a weird look on your face," Amy said. "Should I keep an eye out for another massacre?"
"No. I mean, maybe, but no, that's not what I was thinking," Taylor replied quietly. "I was just thinking… this is perfect, and amazing, and it's kind of sad that things can only get worse, you know? It's a double edged sword."
Amy nodded and pressed her face into Taylor's collarbone.
"I guess… it's the price of having anything good, right?" Amy said eventually. "It sucks, and it's bullshit, but… everything ends, at some point."
Taylor hummed in agreement and looked up at the moon.
Everything ended, except for her. Immortality was a curse as much as it was a blessing, even if she hadn't actually managed to die again yet. For everyone else, non-existence awaited them at the inevitable end of the road. Everyone except her.
And it was terrifying.
The only thing that truly scared her was the idea of being cursed to wander alone forever. Did she even have the choice not to dream? Would she one day find herself alone on a desolate Earth, a solitary ghost haunting her Workshop while the world ended around her? Doomed to die over and over, reborn anew every time just to die again?
It was certainly a sobering thought.
She hugged Amy tighter and pressed her face into her girlfriend's hair, trying to lose herself in the roses and smoke.
"Careful," Amy said with a grin. "I might be a bit more durable now, but you're still freakishly strong.
If Taylor could just find some way for Amy to dream with her… then she could live with the idea of eternity.
She would add it to the to-do list.
On a less serious note…
"Have you thought any more about enhancing Rachel?" Taylor asked.
They hadn't come to a conclusion one way or another on that issue.
"I don't know, Taylor," Amy sighed. "It feels weird… upgrading anyone else. It was hard enough to get over all the bullshit to change you, and even that was pretty fucked up. And everyone else isn't as… enthusiastic about it, as you are."
For something that seemed simple, Amy still had a lot of baggage piled up around her biokinetic abilities. Taylor definitely didn't want to be just another person trying to use her.
"It's okay, if you don't. You don't have to improve people any more than you have to heal them," Taylor reassured.
Amy chuckled darkly.
"My power says otherwise," Amy grumbled. "The itch is starting to come back, and I don't know if just tinkering with your body will be enough to satisfy it now that it's gotten a taste of the good life."
Powers wanted to be used, after all.
Taylor opened her mouth to offer her support regardless, but she was interrupted by the shrill ringing of her cell phone.
"Who's Lisa?" Amy asked in a weird voice when Taylor pulled out the unfortunate interruption.
"Tattletale," Taylor said before flipping the phone open.
The background noise immediately assaulted her ears, wind whipping over the phone speakers with horrific, monstrous roars and gunshots behind that.
"I'm calling in my favor, Hunter," Lisa yelled into the phone over whatever the hell was going on in the background. "Get your skinny ass over here and work your magic."
Kind of shitty timing, Lisa.
"I'm on my way," Taylor said, quickly extricating herself from underneath Amy despite her girlfriend's protests.
Taylor hung up and glanced down at Amy's disgruntled face.
"Sorry, but I do owe her for the whole Anne thing. Plus, it's been a while since I've had a good hunt," Taylor said, helping her girlfriend to her feet.
"Yeah, I know," Amy said. "But she's interrupting my fucking date, so I'm coming with you.
"Okay," Taylor said easily. "Just stay in the Labyrinth, please. I already have enough squishy humans I'm going to be trying to keep alive."
"Fine. But you don't have to be so patronizing about it," Amy grumbled.
"It'll be fine," Taylor said. "I'll even call for backup."
As they hurried back to the Workshop, Taylor dialed a new number that she had never actually called before.
"Hello?" A male voice answered.
"Colin," Taylor smiled as she hefted her cannon off the hook on the wall. "How'd you like to go for a walk with me?"
…