Chapter 8: Break My Heart, Break Your Heart, Part 4
Taylor approached the girl, pulling down the hood.
She frowned.
"It's not Panacea," she said. "She's just wearing her damn costume."
It wasn't hard to figure out. Okay, she'd only seen Amy in person a few times, but it was obvious. They looked nothing alike. Well, almost nothing. Female, also short. But that was it. It wasn't glaringly obvious that it wasn't her as long as her face was covered by the hood. Nothing more.
"Oh," the guy in the carnival mask, that effeminate one, whined. "And now, what do we do? Where do we go?"
"This doesn't make any sense," Taylor muttered to herself.
The girl, whoever she was, didn't answer. She just looked at them as if she were scared, refusing to speak as if her mouth were covered.
That didn't matter to her.
The impact.
If it wasn't Panacea, that meant the puzzle had failed. How was that possible?
She had asked it to take her to Panacea. And it had taken her to this van. The Millennium Puzzle couldn't have failed like that. There was something she was missing, surely.
What could she have fucking missed? She had the girl from her vision right in front of her eyes, and it wasn't Panacea.
Full stop, there was nothing more to discuss. She could rack her brains for an explanation and try, justify it, but the fact was that, indeed, the puzzle had failed her for the first time. The memory of her mother, the fragment of her spirit, of her kindness, of her love... had failed her.
It felt as if someone had expelled her soul from her body, and she didn't even believe in that kind of thing. Well, she hadn't before. Before this, before the many reasons she'd been given to have a more open mind.
"It's still her costume," the large biker said after a while. "Maybe Bitch's dogs can follow the scent."
"Worth a try," the other girl in the group said, smiling.
Bitch... what a name she'd chosen. She took a step forward, accepting the orders, though not without a growl. She brought one of those monsters that could barely be called dogs close to the terrified girl and let it sniff her. She could only imagine how terrifying that would be.
This Taylor, the Taylor in control, wasn't afraid of anything. So, indeed, she could only imagine it. And that was fine. It wasn't very human, but it was fine. Fear was useless, just a distraction and pain.
I wouldn't be surprised if she pissed herself, she thought.
But it didn't happen.
The dog backed away immediately.
"Well?" the big guy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Any trace?"
"Give me a moment," Bitch growled.
Taylor stood still, hands in her pockets. She didn't expect it to work, but she was willing to stand and see what happened. In the meantime, she could kill time with a pertinent question.
"I don't know you," Taylor said. "Who are you people? Because it's obvious you're not the good guys."
"We call ourselves the Undersiders," the biker said. "I'm Grue. That one there is Regent." He indicated with a nod of his head. "Bitch is... well, Bitch, you know that already. The other one is Tattletale."
"Tattletale?" Taylor murmured. "She looks like one, indeed."
Regent, the elegantly dressed jester, laughed at that.
"Seems everybody can see it."
"And who are you?" Grue insisted. "Fair is fair."
Taylor opened her mouth to answer.
"She hasn't come up with a name yet," Tattletale said. "She doesn't have a costume either, for that matter. That is, clearly, a half-finished job. Maybe not even for her."
"I see why you're called that," Taylor said shortly after.
"Yeah, but you don't need my power to figure out the costume thing. It's plain to see."
"If you have such a convenient power, why don't you interrogate the girl? Maybe she can lead us to our target."
"I'd like to, but I'm afraid the poor girl can't speak. Ironically, Panacea would be very useful to us right now."
"She can't?" Taylor said. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure. She's been trying since we got her out of there."
Heartbreaker's men who had driven the van wouldn't know anything either. That's why they had bothered to prevent her from leaving, in the first place. Clearly, this looked like a dead end, much as it pained her. She could, of course, use the powers of the Millennium Puzzle once again, but part of her, a very significant part, feared that they would fail her again. That it would turn not into a mistake, but into a pattern. The other Taylor, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, was of course confident in her own abilities. She didn't believe she needed mystical help to be the undisputed Queen of Games and guardian of right. However, she didn't want to lose the connection with something so important to her. The spirit had very little, after all. She didn't even know her own name.
"No trace," Bitch mumbled, spitting to the side.
"Then we should get the hell out of here," the big guy said, giving Taylor a sidelong glance, for some reason.
"I'm not a villain," she replied, though she was sure some people would disagree. "It's not like they're going to lock me in a cell and throw away the key. Besides, I'm not finished yet."
That girl wasn't Panacea. The puzzle had failed her when she needed it most, in these past few weeks. Fine, she could accept both of those things, but it didn't mean she had to give up.
In the distance, the wail of police sirens could be heard. Well, more accurately, Protectorate sirens. The police usually never got involved in a crime that had anything to do with capes. Couldn't.
A figure moved ahead of them, descending from the skies. It wasn't one of the Protectorate members, not a professional. It was a girl dressed in white with golden embellishments, including a tiara, gleaming under the light of the afternoon sun. Taken together, she gave the impression of someone who thought of herself as a princess, but appearances were deceiving.
Victoria Dallon.
Glory Girl, Amy's sister. Of course, it would have been strange if she hadn't shown up looking for her sister.
"Where is my sister?" She didn't sound angry. Worse, she sounded calm.
"We have nothing to do with her kidnapping, Victoria," Taylor replied, equally relaxed. "I'm here to try to rescue her. We might be, but I'm not sure about the true intentions of these four."
"You're not going to trust us," said Tattletale. "But all we're looking for is to rescue Amy too."
"Yeah," Victoria said, rolling her eyes, "supervillains with a heart of gold." She clenched her fists. "It's my sister. My sister. And I…"
"Victoria." Taylor stepped forward, crossing her arms. "If you're so worried, this is no time to waste time. Heartbreaker has her."
Victoria winced, as if she had been punched.
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because before I got here, I took down one of his daughters. She gave me the information herself before I gave her her punishment."
"What was her name?" Regent asked.
"Cherish, she said."
"Cherish, eh. Wow, wow."
Taylor frowned under the stupid mask. Did he know her? And if he did, was it a work thing, having heard of her more than her other self? Or was it something more personal?
Victoria lowered her head. Her nails dug into her palms, so hard that it felt like she should be drawing blood.
"If that's true," the heroine said, slowly and after a while, "then, then it's over. There's no cure. Once Heartbreaker gets you, it's over. The Protectorate even believes that the brainwashing would persist after his death."
"Are you telling me I've lost my sister?" There were tears in her eyes. Surely she didn't want to show herself so vulnerable in public, in front of complete strangers who might not have the best intentions. But apparently she couldn't contain herself.
She loved her too much. They were family for more than just blood, it seemed.
Taylor suddenly felt uncomfortable. She shouldn't feel fear, but she did. It was not for less. After all, she now knew that if she failed, she would be destroying a family.
After the accident, she had never been the same. Nothing more than a shadow of everything she was. She didn't know Victoria and Amy, but she didn't want them to end up the same way.
And that's why she was here. No, that's why she had the puzzle. To make it right. No matter how many voices might rise against her, no matter how many lines she had to cross. Now she was the balance in the constant battle between light and darkness. The guardian of what was right.
If she failed now, she wouldn't just be failing herself. She would also be failing the puzzle, and her mother's memory. That was completely unforgivable. A future that should not happen.
"Victoria," Taylor said. "Do you think you can carry Grue and me while flying?"
"Of course I can," she snorted. "But why would I do that?"
"Because I can take you to your sister, but time is running out. And you're going to need both of us, at least."
"You know where she is? Did you know all this...?"
"No, but I'll find out now." Taylor put a hand on the puzzle. "But that's beside the point. What do you say?"
"If what you say is true. If it's Heartbreaker..."
"It is..." Regent intervened.
Okay. Those two were connected somehow. The jester wasn't very subtle, to say the least.
"Then it's over," Victoria finished. "At this point, my sister doesn't exist anymore."
"That's only assuming Heartbreaker has her in his power already," Taylor said. "I don't think he made the trip to Brockton Bay personally. So I doubt it. But even if he has brainwashed her, I can undo it."
"You expect me to believe that you can do something that no one else can? Is that it?"
"Believe it or give up on your sister," Taylor said, "turning your back on her and abandoning her forever. In any case, decide soon."
Victoria bit her lower lip.
"I have to try. I don't, I never, never give up." Victoria took a deep breath. "Big guy, are you in?"
"That depends on the stranger," he replied without thinking twice, uncrossing his arms and taking a step forward. "Why do you want to take me, specifically?"
Taylor didn't think much about it either.
"Because your power is the most useful, by process of elimination. And from what I know. Tattletale's power is not suitable for a fight. I have no idea what Regent does. Bitch seems to be useless without those beasts."
Bitch grimaced, but remained silent. She had the feeling that she was not one to hold back. She wondered what had held her back, although she didn't care.
"And I highly doubt Victoria can carry one of those dogs," Taylor continued, "without them trying to rip her head off."
"They're obedient," Bitch said, no more, no less.
They may be, but if you're not there to give them orders in the middle of the fight... I don't know the details of your power, but it surely wouldn't be pretty. Taylor decided to keep that thought to herself.
"Okay," Grue said, "I guess that makes sense. And if it's really that urgent… Okay."
She had the feeling that he didn't like heights. Personally, although Taylor hated the loss of control, she was sure that flying with Victoria would be at least somewhat more pleasant than traveling on the backs of those spiky and ferocious beasts. They were all hellspawn.
"Good, good," Victoria said, "enough wasting damn time."
Tattletale waved goodbye to Grue.
"See you soon, if our mysterious girl tells us the place."
Ah, yes, that, the most important part. The puzzle piece that hadn't yet fit.
Taylor closed her eyes again, placing her hands on the puzzle that beat like a second heart. She focused on the darkness within and beyond. They might have been able to trick the puzzle once, but surely not again. She had to find her this time, she had to.
And so it was. The tentacles of her extended consciousness caught Amy.
The spirit smiled, dropping her hands, slowly opening her eyes.
"I have her."
"Good," Victoria said, crouching down in front of the frightened girl in Panacea's costume, whom everyone else had immediately ignored. "You, you stay here. Help will be here soon. I'm sorry for what you've been through."
The woman looked back at her and nodded, clearly grateful.
—
Victoria set them down on the ground. It took Taylor about ten seconds to double over, but fortunately she didn't suffer the indignity of throwing up in front of those two. She was able to hold it in, to swallow the nausea.
"Do you get motion sickness?" Victoria asked.
"Back in my day, there was none of this."
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind."
Taylor raised her head, taking a look at what had to be the right place. From what she had seen, Panacea wasn't here yet, but she would be soon. She was on her way to be delivered to Heartbreaker on a silver platter, right here, at the airport.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Grue asked. "What can we even do? If it's true that Heartbreaker is on that plane, one look and it's over."
Glory Girl saved her from having to answer.
"It's not that simple. Yes, they can manipulate other people's emotions and it depends on line of sight, but one look isn't enough. If he could look at someone and take them over instantly, you know... he'd be ruling the world by now. He needs some time, not much, maybe... it depends on the person, to send the right emotions, to manipulate and find cracks."
"You seem to know a lot about him," Taylor said.
Victoria shrugged.
"Just the basics. I don't think there's a single woman in a cape family who hasn't had a talk about Heartbreaker. Mom considered it especially important since our identities are public." Victoria frowned. "She was worried that he would try to get me, that he would dare to take such a risk... She convinced herself that he wouldn't do something so stupid, but in the end, he did, and not for me but for Amy. What irony..."
"He's not stupid, or he'd be behind bars or with a bullet in his head, better. He recognizes how valuable it would be to be able to use her powers." In the situation he was in, always hiding, from one place to another... To have a parahuman who can heal as easily as Panacea... it was certainly invaluable. Not to mention that getting one of the New Wave women would increase his reputation, prestige, and the fear he instilled.
"I know that," Victoria snapped. "I love my sister, but he didn't choose her for her looks."
"That's all well and good," Grue said finally, "but it's still not clear to me what we're supposed to do."
He sounded as nervous and angry as he could afford to be to avoid being discovered, which is to say, not very.
"What's our plan of attack? The best we can hope for, girl, whatever your name is, you expect... that we go in there and cross our fingers that we can knock him out or kill him before he turns us into his slaves forever?"
"Nothing's forcing you to come with us," Taylor replied. "But yes, that's right. Except I'm not in danger. He can't enslave me."
"And why is that?" Glory Girl and Grue asked almost in unison.
"Because I said so. I'm sure of it. So, when we see him, find visual cover, and let me handle it. You just have to help me get to him. Besides, Grue, you're perfect for this. His power depends on line of sight, and you can throw darkness everywhere."
"Okay, got it. It's still too risky for my taste, but... what can you do? Let's do it."
"Thanks," Victoria said very quietly.
The big guy couldn't hold her gaze for long. Suddenly, he became interested in the horizon. She doubted that the big guy was feeling attraction, no matter how pretty Victoria was. There was something else there, for sure, something deeper, but it didn't matter. All she needed to know was that that something was going to push him to go along with her, to be useful to her. That fact was enough for Taylor, and more than enough.
Taylor took a deep breath. "Now we can only wait... and prepare."
It wasn't going to be easy, but it would be quick, one way or another.
—
Grue lunged at most of the thugs guarding the private plane, enveloping them in a cloud of darkness and then throwing himself on them and knocking them down while they were blinded, disoriented... Maybe even deaf. There was only one way to know all the effects of Grue's darkness, and that was to get in there. He wasn't in any hurry.
Victoria took care of the remaining two thugs, grabbing their heads and smashing them together, knocking them out instantly. That could cause brain damage, but she didn't care. After all, they were definitely people who deserved to be punished.
Shortly after, Grue emerged from the smokescreen. He had blood on his jacket and knuckles, none of his own, not a drop of his, probably. The thugs had been guarding the plane while it was being prepared for takeoff.
Now they had a clear path, so it was very easy to sneak in before that could happen. But they didn't do it very subtly. Taylor tried to find a hole or something, a better way to sneak in, but Glory Girl simply forced the ramp down.
What strength she had. She heard the metal creak and twist. The sound of metal crunching and bending would certainly be an instant attention grabber. There was no room for subtlety anymore, to be tread carefully. Now they had to jump into the pool and hope not to drown. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Whatever," Taylor muttered. "What will be, will be."
They may not have had high odds, but situations precisely like this were where the queen of games could shine the brightest.
"We can do this."
The three of them entered the plane as it took off.
There were, of course, more thugs inside. Grue and Glory Girl dispatched them easily. Grue was a big guy, clearly went to the gym, and knew some kind of martial art. Victoria had super strength and durability. The thugs, who were mostly armed with a complete lack of a self-preservation, didn't stand a chance. The most they could do was shoot at them, and it wasn't so easy to get firearms. Not all of them carried one.
Another fight ended without Taylor having to intervene.
But that turned out to be a mistake. She shouldn't have let her guard down. Although, even if she had been extra alert, she wasn't sure she would have noticed anything. From her perspective, at least, the change happened in an instant...
Yes. It all ended in an instant.
"Victoria? Grue?"
They were paralyzed. With Grue's mask and the darkness, it was impossible to know what was going on with his eyes, but with Victoria, who had no secret identity, it was no problem. She was looking, but not seeing. Her gaze passed through everything, as if someone had flipped a switch, turning her off. One of the thugs lying on the floor took off his helmet. It hadn't stood out; it was normal for them to protect their heads, from blows or bullets. But now Taylor understood the real purpose. She recognized Heartbreaker instantly. There weren't many pictures of the guy, nor were they very clear, but he looked exactly like what one would expect from the leader of what was basically a sex cult. A hippie who probably smoked marijuana all the time.
"You're quite a fox."
"Just enough to survive." Heartbreaker sat down, stepping over his unconscious men. He crossed his legs, complaining, though not much, about the beating Taylor's former companions had given him. "If it weren't for that, someone would have finished me off a long time ago."
Taylor frowned, crossing her arms. Grue and Victoria were lost because she had made the mistake of underestimating this man. It wouldn't happen again. But that wasn't even cold comfort.
"Take a seat, don't be shy. There's plenty of room."
Taylor sat on the other side. Only a table separated them. She crossed her arms and legs, her gaze fixed on Heartbreaker with a sharp smile.
"What do you want?"
"Amy."
The door at the end of the hallway opened. Apparently, he'd had plenty of time to break her. With eyes full of love, Panacea staggered towards Heartbreaker and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. The costume they'd put on that poor girl was probably the original, not a replica. Because Panacea wasn't wearing her costume. She wasn't wearing much, really.
"Amy," Victoria murmured, her head bowed. Those misty eyes. Whatever light remained in her eyes was almost completely drowned out.
Only then did Panacea notice her sister's presence. She looked at her, smiling.
"Oh, you're here. We're going to have so much fun together."
Amy suddenly got up from Heartbreaker's lap, approached her sister...
And kissed her on the lips. With tongue.
Heartbreaker whistled.
"Wow. I didn't force her to do that. I thought she was only going to be useful for her power, but this is getting interesting. Incest is a bit of a tired topic, nowadays, but it still excites me."
Taylor looked away.
"Let's get to the point. You don't seem surprised that you can't affect me."
"Of course I'm not." Heartbreaker grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it down, exposing a strange object embedded in his chest. An eye like the one on her Puzzle, inside a ring with prongs. That's how it was embedded in his chest. Deeply. With the prongs.
"Now I understand... why the vision my puzzle showed me was wrong. And that I'm not talking to Heartbreaker."
The spirit of the Millennium Ring laughed.
"Let's get straight to the point, indeed. I want the Puzzle, but I know I can't simply take it by force, don't worry. So... let's play a game. I'll wager my Ring, naturally. The scales must be balanced. And the game will be of my choosing."
"As you wish."
"Very well. Let the Shadow Game begin, then."
Break My Heart, Break Your Heart, Part 4: END