Zemuria April 1206
Taylor was exhausted. She and her classmates had spent the day running between Saint Arc, Parm, and Isthmia Great Forest, fighting monsters and archaisms along the way. Learning about the shadow villain organization's existence, which had been responsible for numerous attacks in the last few years, was concerning. But now, all she wanted was to eat something warm, something not made by Freddy, and take a long shower aboard Derflinger.
"Here is for you, Taylor. Enjoy your meal," said Sandy, handing her a plate of appetizing goulash. Thanks, Sandy," she answered and sat down to eat her dinner. Just as she was about to start, the whole train car shook violently, and she could hear and, most importantly, feel explosions outside. Seeing as Sandy and Kairi rushed towards a door outside, Taylor grabbed her Tachi and followed them.
It was chaos outside. Taylor could see a few Panzer Soldats lying on the ground, smoke rising from damaged machines. There was only one explanation: they were under attack by an unknown assailant.
"Over there," she could hear Instructor Rean. Now, she could see two silhouettes at the top of a hill surrounding their clearing.
"Shirley!!! You little…" started Instructor Randy.
"Taylor, here you are. We were searching for you everywhere." Taylor looked behind to see Juna, Kurt, and Altina standing. "What's going on? Are we under attack?" asked Kurt.
"Assessing our current situation, this assumption is very probable," answered Altina.
"Are you ok?" Juna asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I am fine." She should hold her tongue because as soon as she said it, a buzzing sound filled the camp as dozens of archaisms appeared on the hills surrounding them.
"Hahaha! Let's get this welcome party started," shouted one of their assailant.
"They are everywhere!" said Juna as a mass of enemy robots rushed at us. "What are we gonna do?"
"Class VIII, Combat Tactics, prepare to intercept! Panzer Soldats are easy targets, so DO NOT board them." she could hear Instructor Randy, who started to organize the defense.
"Class IX fall back! Watch for hostiles that slip past Combat Tactics! Medical Teams stand by! Comm Teams, send us an urgent report!" Instructor Towa, join him. There near her stood Instructor Rean, Taylor, and her classmates rushed towards their home teacher.
"Instructor! What are we doing?" asked Taylor.
"Class VII will move and intercept hostels. Back up Class VIII and Class IX, " their instructor answered.
"Roger Wilco," "Understood." "Let's go," they acknowledged.
This was something that Taylor never experienced before. Was this what war was? Sounds of explosions were only interrupted by machinegun fire. The Ground was constantly shaking, and smoke filled the air.
"First Form: Helix," she attacked the nearest balancing clown type of archaism. "Kurt!"
"On in." said the boy, continuing her assault. They were exhausted; the only thing keeping them in the fight was adrenaline. With every robot they destroyed, another would take its place. She stepped back to cast another art, as her last Chrono Drive already lost its power.
"Taylor, watch out!" hearing Juna shout, Taylor looked behind her to see one of the clowns sneaking behind her. She was unable to react in time as she felt its sting. Then she realized she couldn't move; she was paralyzed. The grotesque form of archaism towered above her. Fear gripped her, and she could only look at what it was about to do to her.
"Claiomh Solais," Altina's combat shell appeared before Taylor, creating a shield.
"Rain Slash!" "" Cross Break!" Juna and Kurt attacked the Clown, destroying it.
"Taylor, are you…" tried to ask Juna but was interrupted by the bloodlust-filled scream.
"...HAVE A LITTLE TASTE!" there one of the figures louched herself towards a train. Taylor could see a red-headed woman sprinting, giant chainsword in her hands. Her bloodlust oozed out of her in a red hue.
"C'mon, c'mon! If you don't wanna get caught, you better start running!" Taylor was sure that this woman would destroy their train and kill her schoolmates. She would not allow that. She needed to stop her, but couldn't move. Yet there was still one thing she could do, so she did it.
Buzzing sounds filled the battlefield as millions of normal insects darkened the sky. She called them all, every single one that was in her range. Taylor gave them a single order - attack Ouroboros agent.
A black cloud of insects descended on an enforcer. Stinging, biting, and doing as much damage as they could. The whole clearing stopped as they watched as their attacker was engulfed.
"AAAAARRRGGHHH!" a mad scream echoed across a clearing. Taylor could feel her insects dying in droves. Soon, flames burst out of a giant ball of insects, eviscerating them all. There, in the middle of the burned ground, stood Shirley; her hair was messy, and parts of her body were swollen. Her giant sword was engulfed in flames, and she was looking around, searching for something or someone. Finally, her and Taylor's eyes met, and Shirley smiled. It was a vicious smile, one born out of malice. She knew Taylor didn't know how, but she knew.
"Ahh, there you are; I like your style, girl, that's why I am gonna kill you!" she launched herself towards Taylor. Instructor Rean immediately moved between Taylor and the charging enforcer.
"Oh no, you don't." a burst of bullets hit the ground in front of Shirley as a young white hair woman jumped in front of Instructor Rean—two gunblades in her hands.
"Get out of my way, Sylphid," said Shirley.
"I don't think so, as you are now; it is clear that you cannot fight us all. Just look at your shallow breathing. You have a problem with catching a breath and functioning only on your War Cry." as Sylphid was talking, the sound of the violin filled the air.
"Resound! Remedy Fantasia!" Taylor could finally move again. She looked behind her from where the music originated, and on the train roof stood Eliot, a member of old Class VII they met today at the cathedral in Saint-Arc. In his hands, he held a cross between a violin and an orbal staff.
"Agents of Ouroboros, you are clearly defeated. This fight is entirely pointless." said another voice. Turning her head again, Taylor saw a second member of old Class VII they met earlier today: Laura S. Arsaid, Master of Arseid school of swordsmanship. Her sword pointed at Duvalie.
"Well, well, look at that. You have quite a large number of knights in shining armor ready to defend you, little princess. Oh well, it seems like we are done here. You did me good; that bit of escalation on your part was excellent. I respect that. That's why you should not expect me to hold back next time." Taylor gulped as a mad woman was looking directly into her eyes.
After the battle, everyone helped with cleaning; damage to the train was minuscule, and nothing that couldn't be done on-site. Panzer Soldats were in slightly worse shape, and class IX was now repairing them. Taylor was sitting in her room in the sleeping car, thinking about what had happened during a battle. She felt guilty; even now, she was avoiding her classmates, who saved her life last night. As she was in the middle of her thought, the door of her room opened, and the rest of Class VII walked inside.
"Ok, here you are!" said Juna.
"Huh? What's going on? Why are you here?" asked Taylor, confused.
"We are here 'cause we have enough. This missy is an intervention. You have been avoiding us since the start of the school year. At first, I gave you time and space, thinking that you needed more time, but this has become ridiculous at this point. Are we repulsive? What is so wrong with us that you decided we are not worthy of your time?" As soon as Juna started, she couldn't stop; she had laid down a month of frustration.
"Juna's words may be a little too harsh; the truth is we are concerned about you," said Kurt.
"They are speaking the truth; your lack of socialization brings the feeling of concern," said Altina.
"Why? I mean, I did nothing but push you away." it didn't make sense to Taylor. Why would they care so much?
"Because we are your friends, duh! That's what friends do," said Juna.
"That brings the question, why did you push us away?" asked Kurt.
Taylor looked at them. They deserved to know, but she couldn't bring herself to tell them the whole thing. "I lost a friend once to the betrayal. She used the knowledge that she gained during our friendship to hurt me badly. I am sorry; I know it is unfair to you, but at this point, I don't even know if I know how to make friends."
"Well then, we will teach you, right guys?" said Juna, looking at Kurt and Altina as they nodded. Seeing this, Taylor felt hope; maybe, just maybe, she had found real friends.
Earth Bet - current day
Taylor stood on the rooftop of one of the warehouses. Looking at her phone, she checked the time. She should be here soon.
"Hi, did you have to wait long?" Taylor smiled as Glory Girl touched down beside her. She would need backup if she attacked the Farm, so she called New Wave Cape yesterday. Together, they would bust this whole operation open.
What surprised her was that Glory Girl wasn't alone. She brought her sister.
"Amy is here to provide medical help; who knows what state those inside would be in," Viktoria explained. Taylor nodded and pulled out her map.
"Ok, we have three possible locations; we must scout all three. So, the best way to do this would be to split. I would check a Western one, and you, Glory Girl, would take an Eastern one. If one of us finds our target, we call each other. If not, we meet in the third location. How does it sound?" said Taylor, pointing at the places on the map.
"That sounds good. Amy will stay here and wait until we clear a building. Then, I will bring her down so she can care for the prisoners. And call me Vicky," Victoria said.
"Sure, then call me T…. Right. I still hadn't thought of the name," Taylor sighed.
"Hahaha… really, you should hurry up. Or you be stuck with something silly," laughed Vicky.
"Yeah, believe me, I know. Ok, let's go," said Taylor. Viktoria nodded and flew towards her target. Taylor was about to leave the roof towards her destination when Panacea stopped her.
"Can I have a second? I need to talk to you, and there never was a right time before," she said.
"Sure, what is it about?" asked Taylor.
"You see, I may have learned about your real identity, and it is a big thing in cape business. You see, I can see the biology of people, so if I touch someone with and without a mask, I can tell they are the same person," she said. So that's why she froze back then?
"You mean police station and after a raid? Is it why you froze?" asked Taylor.
"Yes and no. I froze because of the second thing I wanted to discuss. You see, your corona and gamma are weird. They are… more developed. They are larger and have more than double the nerve connections with the brain than normal ones. I don't know how it would even influence your power." She looked excited about the whole thing.
"I see; thank you for telling me this; I will think about it," said Taylor, even if she suspected what Panacea was talking about. "But now I have to go; there is a job to do. If possible, I will gladly talk with you later about it. Is that okay?"
After that little unexpected conversation, Taylor moved towards the western warehouse. Gathering her swarm, she prepared to scout this location. Taylor avoided a few ABB "patrols" that walked the streets like they owned the city. She would take care of them later; it would be better not to inform anyone at the Farm that the raid was incoming. Finally, she arrived at her destination. It was a rundown building; some of its windows were missing. She could see several gangsters walking around it, clearly looking for intruders.
Taylor released part of her swarm inside, looking for cells and prisoners, but there were none. Instead, she found a ton of chemical equipment and what looked like the finished product. Clearly, it was a drug factory. She called her bugs back. It was not her target, at least not now. Seeing as Vicky hadn't called her yet, she started to move south towards a third location.
Soon, she reached her destination, a far better-looking building. It looked like it had been recently renovated, with new plastering and painting. She could see a company name above the warehouse's primary loading ramp.
East-South Foods
At this moment, she saw Vicky flying towards her. "So this is it?"
"We will know for certain at the moment." one gain she sent her little scouts. At first glance, there was nothing unordinary. Well, maintain a warehouse full of shelves, boxes, and containers. Was this whole thing a bust? She put this entire operation on Lisa's deductions. It was possible that her friend simply was mistaken. Then she felt it. Someone was watching them, standing in a small alley on her left.
"Well, looks like I was found. Are you looking for ABB Farm? If yes, I can help," said a girl who walked out of the alley. She wore a purple spandex, clearly defining her as a cape.
"Tattletale," hissed Glory Girl, clenching her fist.
"Peace Glory Girl. This time, I want to help." Tattletale put her hands in the air. There was something familiar in a newcomer to Taylor.
"Who is she?" Taylor asked.
"Small-time villain, member of Undersiders, mostly petty thieves and robbers," answered Vicky, not leaving a villain out of sight. "What do you want, Tattletale?" Vicky continued.
"I already told you I want this operation busted. So I am willing to offer my help. Nothing more, nothing less." Taylor could see the sincerity in a villain, or at least that was what the unclouded eye told her.
"Very well, I will accept your help." Taylor decided.
"I don't think that it is a good idea. She is a villain." Vicky protested.
"I know, but I feel she is telling us the truth. At least about her motive for being here."
"Great. If I am already on the team, let me tell you about a little secret I uncovered. One of the containers inside contains a secret entrance to the underground. We just have to find the right one and bingo. The Farm will stand open before us." Tattletale grinned at us. Taylor checked the new information and sent her bugs to check all shipping containers in the warehouse.
"I found it! It is in the upper right corner of the building, with a staircase inside leading underground." Taylor looked at two of her companions. It was time.
"Ok… for years, ABB terrorized the people of Brockton Bay. People would disappear, never to be found again. They would treat everyone like their own personal cattle. This ends today. Today, we strike at the heart of the foul dragon's lair, and we shall return the treasures he stole to the people. And we will show that even in Brockton Bay, hope can shine bright. Let's go!" she finished. Looking at the building before her, Taylor was sure.
"Hold on, we are coming for you all."
They broke through the fence, and Taylor moved with speed, attacking two ABB gangsters patrolling a parameter. Tattletale was moving behind her, firing at cameras and alarms that she somehow knew where they were. Vicky was flying ahead, engaging with defenders on the ramp.
The warehouse door opened, and more gangsters started to pour out. Seeing it, Taylor activated her ARCUS.
"Chrono Break!" she could see as gangsters visibly slow down. Not waiting a second, she sheathed her sword."Crimson Slash!" shockwave hit slowed gangsters, immediately knocking them down.
"That was the last of them, let's move. I am sure there will be more of them inside." Taylor shouted to Glory Girl, who had just thrown the last gangster at a nearby wall.
Entering the building, they moved straight toward its upper right corner. There it was, a green shipping container; Taylor nodded at Glory Girl, who ripped the door. In front of them was a staircase leading underground. They had found a Farm.
The farm was a horrific place; they could see rows of cages—many of them with people inside. Weak and malnourished, many beaten, some broken. Rage was starting to build inside Taylor; was it what those who dismantled DG felt? Was this place worse than one of their lodges? Taylor didn't know, but she knew she was shutting it down. They reached a fork in their path.
"Vicky, take the right path, Tattletale, and I will take a left. Don't let any of those bastards escape." Glory Girl only nodded, determination on her face. What they've seen must have taken her toll on her, too.
After taking the left part, they entered what Taylor could describe as an administrative sector—rooms for personnel and offices. Here, they met more gangsters. Pissed off, Taylor decided to finish it quickly. Not even stopping, she activated her ARCUS.
"Calvary Edge!" a giant spear appeared before her, detonating on approaching ABB members.
"Wow, remind me never to piss you off," said Tattletale looking at a lying gangsters on the ground. A minute later, they reach the end of the corridor. In front of them stood a single door. Taylor opened it, and both of them entered the room. It was a specious office, with a large wooden desk in the middle. Waiting for them was a mountain of the man. At least 6 feet tall, with a strongman build. In his hand, he held an eastern-looking spear.
"So you are the intruders who dare to challenge the great dragon. I was tasked with overseeing this great work, and I will not allow some upstarts to sully a work of my Lord." he kicked a desk, which launched at the nearby wall; only her unclouded eyes and honed reflex allowed her to dodge that makeshift projectile.
"Tattletale, leave him for me. You go back to Glory Girl and start freeing captives. I will take care of him and join you," said Taylor, drawing her Tachi.
"When I finish with you, I will gladly add you and your friends to this great facility," said a man.
"Your reign of terror ends here. On my honor as a swordsman and as an aspiring Bracer."
Taylor dodged another swing of the man's spear. She shifted her balance, moving under its shaft, and delivered a quick slash. Man hissed as the blade cut into his hip. He stumbled, giving Taylor another opening she used by closing a distance. She attacked his hands this time, forcing him to drop his weapon.
"This is over; you have lost," said Taylor, using Gale to move behind him and deliver a strike to his neck, knocking him down.
After that, she joined her friends in the main hall, freeing captives and starting to move them outside. Taylor was just helping a woman move out of the basement when she was interrupted by the Asian man standing on the loading ramp.
"Who dares to steal from me!" said Lung.