Libera Me From This Hell

by DragonKingXceed

In which a hot-blooded youth is granted cosmic power, and now it's everyone's problem. He's loud, he's brash, and he's a dunce. And yet, he may be the key to saving the world. Bring on the escalation! "... I'm starting to second guess this-" "Get in the robot, Taylor!" SI-OC with Spiral Power.

2. Now Comes the Next Step

Chapter 2: Now Comes the Next Step

The rest of the day was a blur. Taylor had been escorted to the local hospital, simply known as the Brockton Bay General Hospital. Coincidentally, that's where Aoko worked at as a nurse. It was fairly well known for being one of the hospitals that Panacea, member of New Wave and Brockton's best healer, frequented the most. The school bell rang, signifying the end of the day. What was off-putting was how nonchalant everyone seemed to be despite the recent events. Despite the occasional glanced and whispers directed my way, it was almost as if nobody seemed to care much about what happened to Taylor. As if my opinion of the student body couldn't get any worse.

As I stepped out of the school entrance and went to grab my bike, I noticed someone following me from my peripheral. I chalked it up to a coincidence, there were several other bikes parked here, so they probably just came to get theirs. So I kept walking.

Only, they kept following me. I took a subtle glance over my shoulder to identify that it was that Greg kid. He trailed behind me like a lost puppy, and I felt one of my eyebrows rise. Okay... weird.

The moment we hit a crosswalk, I turned to him. "Can I help you with something?"

He flinched, like I was going to lash out at him or something, which only made me frown. Then he started to ramble. "Uh, no - I mean, maybe? I'm uh, Greg... Veder... erm, that is to say, my name is Greg Veder, just, without a pause in-between; I just realized you were new here and wanted to say hi, because, like, this probably wasn't a good first impression for your first day-"

"Dude." I cut him off, smiling. "You talk a lot."

Greg blinked, his jaw clicking shut as he shuffled awkwardly on his feet. "Is that... good or... bad?"

"Depends," at his confused expression, I shrugged. The light turned green and I began crossing the street. He followed. "On one hand it means you don't know when to shut up or read the room. There are a lot of people who don't have the energy to talk for very long, or are irritable and just want you to shut the hell up. Fastest way to speedrun you getting your ass kicked."

"Oh... that's uh, bad..."

"On the other hand it means you've got a lot to talk about and you're passionate about certain subjects! That's always a good thing. That means things don't get dull or repetitive. Hell, there are a ton of career paths that involve talking a shit ton, like being a politician or something. That's just a main example I can think of at the top of my head. You have to find a balance of when and where to talk. Trust me, it saves you a lot of trouble in the long-run."

I noticed Greg nod fervently, his attention focused solely on me. The light turned red, but he kept walking. I grabbed him by the back of his hood and yanked him back onto the sidewalk as a car blurred past us, shooting an infuriating honk in the process.

Undeterred, I let go of his hood and waited for the light to change. "You also seem to lack awareness of your surroundings. That's another thing that'll get you in trouble, especially around these parts. You don't wanna stumble upon a gang insurrection and get mugged or something because you weren't paying attention, do you?"

"No," Greg shook his head.

"Right on! So you've gotta work on those two things. You'll notice a solid change eventually once you've ingrained it into your memory."

"... s-so, uh, maybe you could... teach me how sometime?" he blurted out, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

I was once again reminded of a puppy. Weird thing to think about when looking at a teenager around my age, but it was an accurate depiction. It was clear this Greg guy was in desperate need of a friend.

Lucky enough for him, he came to the right guy.

I smirked, holding out my hand. "You got a phone?"

Greg stared at me blankly for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition and nodded, patting himself down in search for his phone. It was one of those oldschool smartphones, an android. The screen was slightly cracked at the corners, but otherwise still functional. He unlocked it and handed it to me.

I punched my number into his contacts and handed his phone back into him, mounting my bike as we hit another crossroad. "You've got my number. Consider yourself the first official friend of the amazing and totally badass Nikko Giha!" I smirked, jabbing my thumb towards myself.

Greg's eyes looked like they were going to start sparkling, which made me chuckle. I shook my head and waved. "Anyway, I've gotta bounce. Remember what I said about your awareness, man! I'll see you tomorrow!"

I pedaled away as he waved goodbye enthusiastically. I caught his words of affirmation but by the time they left his lips I was already halfway down the street and turning the corner. Greg seemed like a cool guy. Maybe a bit skittish and had the situational awareness of a dung beetle, but overall, a pretty neat guy.

We HAD to do something about that haircut of his, though. That was absolutely criminal. God set him up for failure with a hairdo like that. Good Lord.

As the wind licked at my skin, I let my thoughts begin to wander. My first destination wasn't at home, but rather the Brockton Medhall. I wanted to check on Taylor. That might have seemed weird, considering I didn't even really know her, but it was for different reason entirely beyond simply checking on her well-being.

Taylor had Spiral Power.

There was no mistaking it. My Core Drill was comprised of Spiral Power; a living construct of it. It'd react to familiar sources of energy just like it, an unintentional byproduct of it's creation. At first I thought it was a fluke, possibly responding to myself, but that thought was dashed as soon as I made it to the locker. Then I felt it myself.

It was faint, barely noticeable. But for the briefest of moments, I could feel the Spiral Power within Taylor awaken. It responded to my own, which then made the Core Drill react. This went beyond my desire to simply help her for the sake of helping her. Taylor possessed Spiral Power, and therefore that demanded my utmost attention.

It shouldn't be that big of a deal in hindsight. Everyone has the ability to manifest Spiral Power. It's in our nature as human beings to evolve due to our spiral double helix molecular structure, according to the series. However, as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only person on Earth Bet that was capable of generating Spiral Power. There was no indication of anyone in history ever since the rise of capes that they had Spiral Power.

The closest comparison I could draw to was the golden man known as Scion, ignoring the fact that guy was an enigma, there were no other candidates. Until now, that is.

So Taylor now had Spiral Power. Whether she realizes it or not. Which leads me to my next problem. What do I do about it?

Well, the first thing that seemed logical was to do nothing. She likely didn't even know she awakened it. Nor did she know what Spiral Power was. She could remain blissfully unaware to it. Why would I bother? She was a civilian. She didn't need to be dragged into anything unnecessary.

That's what I should do. Ignore it. But there was the possibility she'd be able to manifest it again, and then what? I knew nothing about her, but from experience, most teenagers who find out they have powers would jump at the chance to be a hero.

However, from what I'd garnered from the other students muttering amongst themselves, the bullying Taylor was subjected to was common. Like it was an everyday thing. That could very well push her towards the path of becoming a villain in the off chance she was able to use Spiral Power efficiently. To get payback on her tormentors.

I pursed my lips, gripping the handlebars of my back. I couldn't make baseless assumptions. I needed more information first, so I was going to stick to what I set out to do; look out for Taylor. From there, I'd get a better idea of her overall character. No matter the circumstances, nobody deserved to endure that kind of ridicule.

Honestly, depending on how long this has been going on for, it was a testament to Taylor's own will and control, which made it no surprise why she was a candidate to use Spiral Power. And that was something to look out for.

If I like what I see, maybe I'll tell her about it. And depending on how things go, I'll help her learn to control it. Even though I'm trying to control the damn thing myself.

The hospital was in sight, and a hint of relief washed over me. My head was starting to hurt from all of this thinking. I rode my bike into one of the nearby bike stations and dismounted it, rolling my shoulders and eyeing entrance of the hospital. I'd only been here two times, and that was when Aoko had taken me to work with her just to get me out the house. It was a large hospital stationed in Bay Central, and looked like one of those futuristic medbays you'd see in sci-fi novels and movies. A testament to the advancement of Earth Bet's technology because of the rise of capes.

I stepped inside and was hit with the cold AC and smell of medicine and bleach. I walked up to the receptionist desk as a man with short brown hair looked up from his computer, looking at me with a practiced smile. "Hello, welcome to Brockton Bay General Hospital. What can I do for you, young man?"

"I'm here to visit Taylor Hebert," I answered, "I'm a friend from school. Visiting hours are okay now right?"

Friend was a stretch, but they didn't need to know that.

The receptionist tapped away at his keyboard, humming. "...Taylor Hebert... ah. I see. That shouldn't be an issue. Her father had just arrived about 30 minutes ago."

I nodded. "Emergency room?"

"Second floor, room 138. Do you need help?"

"Nah, I can find it on my own. Thank you."

I went ahead and took the elevator, tucking my hands in my pockets and waiting for the other ride to end. It was only for a minute, but felt longer. The typical feeling when it came to elevator rides. Or made that was just me?

The ding of the elevator snapped me out of my thoughts and I stepped out. I looked around and began wandering the halls, doctors and nurses entered and exited various rooms; some spared me a glance before deciding to focus on moee important matters, likely attributing me to being a visitor for one of the patients. They'd be correct about that. I reached the ER and began to count through the room numbers, looking for room 138.

It didn't take long to find it after I turned a corner. Room 138. I heard the sound of conversing and looked off to the side. I saw a tall man, roughly an inch or two taller than myself with balding brown hair. He had a ganky build with pale skin and thick-rimmed glance. His face was set in a stern frown with traces of worry flashing in his green eyes. I nodded. That was Taylor's Dad, then.

And the nurse talking to him was...

Aoko. The coincidences never seemed to end. Dare I say this was fate?

I didn't get much from their conversation, catching the end of it.

"... overall, she appears to be fine, although likely still in shock from the experience. Something like this can be very strenuous on the mind of a girl her age, so I'd personally suggest possibly investing in a therapist or counselor. Monitor her behavior and if she shows any symptoms or signs of sickness, stop by for a check up..."

She trailed off upon seeing me standing there, blinking in surprise. "...Ah...?"

Mr. Hebert paused, his gaze swiveling towards me. His brows furrowed and he stood up a bit straighter. I met his gaze for a solid minute straight before stepping forward and waving at Aoko with a laid-back smile. "Sup, Sis?"

"... Nikko," Aoko stared at me. Giving me the look. That look your caretaker gave you that silently asked 'what are you doing, what are you up to, and why are you HERE?'. You know, that look? "Now isn't the time for whatever you need. I'll be clocking out soon, so-"

"Nah. I came here to check up on Taylor." I cut her off before turning to Mr. Hebert and offering a hand. "Hi, Mr. Hebert. I'm Nikko, a pleasure."

Mr. Hebert stared at me in silence, his gaunt eyes narrowing in confusion and his brows rising. He reached out and shook my hand in a firm grip. "... Danny, Taylor's father. Are you... a friend of my daughter?"

There was a tinge of hope in his tone, but also a smidge of suspicion. This told me that Taylor didn't have many friends at school, if none at all.

"Nah, I just enrolled at Winslow. Today was my first day, I don't even know if I'm in any of her classes," I answered honestly, shaking my head. "Not that I'd mind being her friend. Seems like she needs one - I'm the guy that got her out of that locker."

Recognition flashed in Mr. Hebert's eyes, followed swiftly by anger. But the anger wasn't directed at me. I noticed the influx of emotion at the mention of a locker. So that might've been bad to bring up, but it had to be said. He nodded slowly, allowing a bitter smile to grace his tired features. "... then I have you to thank. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I'd have done."

"If she was in there for any longer it could have gotten bad." I nodded in agreement, looking between him and Aoko before gesturing to the door. "... is it okay if I go in and say hi? Just to meet her properly. The last two encounters weren't exactly favorable."

"What happened the last two times?" Aoko furrowed her brows.

"Well, I almost crashed into her with my bike on the way to school," Mr. Hebert looked like he choked on a lemon, I dunno why though. "Ended up having to jump off of it and doing a front flip. So that was cool?"

Aoko looked startled. "What?! Are you okay?"

I stared at her blankly. "I said I did a front flip."

"But- but did you at least stick the landing?"

"Of course I did! Who the hell do you think I am?"

I grinned at my sister's exasperated expression as she waved me off. "Just... just go in while I finish talking with Mr. Hebert, Nikko."

"Sure thing, Sis~!"

I strolled past her, catching her grumbling under her breath as I stepped into the room. I looked around before suddenly locking eyes with Taylor. She was folding up the hospital gown and was currently wearing a simple black T-shirt and grey jeans. Curiously enough, she wasn't wearing her glasses.

We stared at each other in silence. Taylor was the first to break the silence, her voice and overall posture was guarded a bit, uncertainty flashing in her green irises. "...you're the new guy. The one that nearly hit me with a bike."

I winced sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. That's me."

"And you... got me out of the... the locker..."

"Yep." I popped the word, smiling this time. "My name is Nikko Giha."

I offered my hand to her. She stared at it passively, hesitating to reach out. As if I'd bite her if she got to close. Eventually, whatever was stopping her from reciprocating the gesture was stamped down as she reached out and shook my hand tenderly. "... Taylor."

'Soft hands.' I noted, arching a brow. Retracting my hand, I stuffed them back into my pockets. We fell into an awkward silence. Interestingly, I noticed Taylor eyeing my Core Drill with a strange intensity.

I coughed into my fist, drawing her attention. "So," I drew the word out, smirking slightly. "Pretty wild day, huh?"

Taylor curled in on herself, the corners of her eyes tightening as she averted her gaze. "... yeah."

Probably not a good way to start. Time to think of something else.

"Your glasses." she blinked, looking up at me. I pointed at her face. "You aren't wearing them?"

"I..." Taylor paused, her jaw clicking shut as she worked up a response. "Yeah. It's weird. For some reason my vision just got... better. Everything before was... blurry. Hard to put together. Now it's like everything's become clearer. Like I've regained some clarity."

Weird. I'm gonna attribute this to her awakening her Spiral Power. It must've affected her in ways I didn't seem to aspect. Fixing her eyesight must've been one of them. Spiral Power had limitless potential and infinite possibilities, so it wasn't outlandish to think it could do something like this. Hell. I wouldn't be surprised if it could cure cancer.

... note to self, practice applying Spiral Power to healing.

"You look nice. Without the glasses, I mean," I answered while shrugging my shoulders, idly peering up at the ceiling in contemplation. "Not to say you wouldn't look good without glasses. There's a charm about 'em, but you get what I mean."

I focused on Taylor again only to see her staring at me with slightly wide eyes, which made me furrow my brows in confusion. What's up with her?

"Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No!" I blinked in surprise at her outburst. She must have been just as surprised, because she was quick to backtrack. "I-I mean, no, you didn't. Just..."

She squirmed, grimacing and trying to formulate a response. She decided to change the subject, looking me in the eyes with a frown. "Why'd you come here?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you come here to see me?" she repeated, her frown becoming a bit harsher.

I had no idea why she was pressing so hard. I thought about it, and nodded to myself. I remembered that she likely didn't have any friends and was subject to harsh bullying. So she was probably confused on why a total stranger went out of their way to check on her. Might've thought I had an ulterior motive.

"I came to check up on you." I answered honestly.

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason to make sure someone is okay? Let alone help them?" my words quelled her mild interrogation as she peered off to the side.

"... not unless there was another reason to do so." she muttered scathingly.

I sucked in a breath. This ran deeper than I thought. What the hell went on in Winslow?

"... I don't have an ulterior motive. I'm a simple guy, Taylor. I see someone that needs help, I do it. If I want to make sure someone is okay, I check up on them." I spoke earnestly, trying my hardest to convey I wasn't an enemy of any kind, standing tall and firm. To hammer this home, I grinned. "Especially in regards to friends!"

"... friends." Taylor regarded me with an incredulous stare. "You're saying we're friends?"

"Yup."

"But you barely know me."

"Yup."

"So you just decided on a whim that we're friends now?"

"Yup."

"I could be a bad person."

"But you aren't."

"How do you know?"

"Gut feeling."

"Gut feeling." Taylor repeated, shaking her head in disbelief and unable to restrain the snort of amusement that left her nostrils. "You have to be one of the weirdest guys I've ever met... ever."

She suddenly winced, appearing apologetic. "Ah, no offense...?"

I laughed it off instead, my grin growing. "Nah! Don't worry about it. Who said being weird was a BAD thing? The only people saying that are people that are projecting their insecurities onto people like us!"

I held my hand out to her, my smile turning sly as I wiggled my brows. "Soooo~? Why don't we be weirdos together?"

I finally managed to make the girl crack a smile. It was a small smile. One you wouldn't be able to notice at first glance, but it was a good one. And for that, I felt like I'd accomplished something.

Taylor shook my hand and huffed. "Sure... I think I'd like that..."

Bingo! Second friend required. You're on a roll, Nikko!

The door behind me slipped open, and Mr. Hebert stepped in with Aoko not far behind. The man looked between us for a moment before focusing on Taylor. "Taylor? I just finished talking to the nurse and she says you're well enough to be discharged. Are you ready to head home?"

"Oh, uh - y-yeah." Taylor nodded demurely, letting go of my hand and standing to her feet. She offered me a shy glance, nodding her head. "I'll... see you later?"

"Yup, count it." I smiled and waved goodbye as the Hebert family gathered their things and walked out the room. Once they were gone, I let out a sigh and dropped my arm. "Man, I'm beat."

"I can tell." Aoko rolled her eyes, placing a hand on my shoulder and guiding me into the hallway. "I'm guessing your first day wasn't what you were expecting..."

"Hell no, Winslow sucks." I snorted, not missing the way she winced in regret. I was quick to continue, "But I've already made two friends in Greg and Taylor. On the same day, might I add. So I say that's a win!"

"Well, that's good..."

"Mmhm. Gotta think of the little things, y'know? Winslow as a SCHOOL sucks, but there are still some good people in there."

"So aside from the locker, there was no trouble?"

"Not really. I was expecting some wannabe ABB punks to try and recruit me for the gang, but I guess I look more black than Japanese, so they left me alone."

"... I guess there's small solaces in the fact you took after Dad. In more ways than one." Aoko snorted, shaking her head. "Listen, I've got at least... one more hour in regards to my shift. If you feel like waiting until I clock out, we can get something to eat after?"

"Can I throw the bike in the backseat?"

"..."

I stared at her.

Aoko sighed. "I'm gonna have to clean the backseats again but sure..."

"Love you, Sis~"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, you damn zutsū."

X-X-X-X-X-X

The drive to her house was silent. Taylor didn't utter a word, lost in her thoughts. In contrast, her father, Danny, didn't know what to say to break the ice. When she'd woken up in the hospital, he was hovering over her like a mother hen. A part of her was glad but another part quickly grew a bit irritated at his pestering. She knew he was only looking out for her, which made her stomach twist and curl uncomfortably at the idea of being irritated at the notion.

She supposed she didn't want him to waste so much energy worrying about her when she was clearly okay. Or well, as fine as can be. She was still rattled by the incident. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to be as affected as she thought she'd be. Or maybe she was, and she was just suppressing it all.

They parked in the driveway and silently made their way inside. Taylor noticed her dad shooting her several fleeting glances. He cleared his throat, clearly using it as an ice breaker to cut through the awkwardness. "So, kiddo... how would you feel about ordering a pizza? We can sit down, relax, maybe watch a movie? Get your mind off things?"

Taylor paused. Her first instinct was to retreat straight towards her room. Normally she'd say she was fine, but... her stomach growled loudly and her face flushed in embarrassment. Her father's amused smile only made her face turn even redder.

She let out a breath. "That... sounds nice." Taylor muttered, nodding slowly. "I'm going to take a shower again, though. I still feel..."

She grimaced. "... dirty."

Danny's expression faltered slightly, but he nodded and pulled his phone out. "Alright, don't slip and fall in there."

It was an attempt at a joke. Taylor appreciated the effort, offering a tiny smile and snort that many would deem unladylike. "That was one time. When I was nine."

A chuckle. "A father can't worry?"

A huff. "Love you."

"Love you too."

With a warm feeling in her chest, Taylor made her way up the stairs and into her room to gather a new set of clothes, along with a towel, before moving into the bathroom. She took off her shirt and pants, stepping into the shower and turning it on. Hot water hit her body and she sighed. Like a balm to the soul, she began to relax, the heat washing over her and loosening the tension in her muscles.

She stood there for a solid minute straight, simply letting the water bounce off her skin and hair. Taylor eventually began to wash up, grasping a bar of soap and lathering her body in suds. As the steam began to build, Taylor's mind began to wander. Processing the day's events. Her mind kept going back to the locker. And all she could think was 'why?'.

She started scrubbing her hair. Slow and steady at first, but gradually it picked up in intensity as she dug into her scalp. She could picture it. The blood in her hair. The filth. Coating her body. The smell, she could remember it vividly, practically taste it. And the taunting laughter of her peers...

'Why?'

Then she pictured The Trio in her head. Madison Clements. Sophia Hess. Emma fucking Barnes. That red-haired bitch. Taylor was surprised by the vitriol and animosity correlated with her former best friend. She didn't think she could hate someone so much - yet here she stood. It still baffled her to this day, even though she'd begrudgingly accepted it.

Emma abandoned her. For seemingly no reason at all. She entered highschool alone, and was subject to the worst kind of torment imaginable. Sophia was her best friend now. Her words. Directly to her face. She wasn't worth it. She treated her worse than the shit under someone's boot. And now matter how many times she questioned it... she'd never get a definitive answer.

'Why...?!'

She could still hear it. The buzzing. The bugs crawling along her skin, pinching at her with their disgusting bites. She felt so gross. So filthy. Inside and out. She felt violated; and their jeers made it worse. The rushing water was drowned out by laughter, the world around her faded to black. All she could see were nameless faces, standing at the forefront were The Trio, staring at her with demented, cruel smiles.

Taylor stared at Emma. The warm feeling she felt during the brief exchange with her father was snuffed out, replaced by an uncharacteristic amount of anger - smoldering and intense. She felt her blood boil beneath her skin as she clenched her fists. Any harder and her nails would dig into her skin. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. Her breaths began to quicken, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks.

The fascimile of Emma mouthed something that set Taylor over the edge. "You. are. nothing."

Taylor screamed and threw a wild punch.

The self-made illusion shattered as her fist collided with the shower wall. Taylor gasped in surprise as small cracks spread across the surface. Purple, glowing flames flowed around her fist, and suddenly, all the anger she felt was... gone. Filled by bewilderment and shock. She pulled her hand back. The flames followed her. She felt that same warmth that encompassed her body when Nikko freed her from the locker.

For the briefest of moments, that black drill flashed in her mind's eye.

A series of knocks spooked her out of her thoughts, followed by her father's worried voice. "Taylor? Are you okay in there? I heard a scream?"

"Uh-" her mouth ran before her brain could catch up. She said the first thing that came to mind. "I-I saw a roach and it spooked me, s-so I killed it! Sorry!"

She felt the urge to facepalm. 'A roach? Seriously?!'

"... well, okay. Be careful in there."

Taylor sighed, cursing under her breath and turning the water off. She eyed the cracks running along the wall with regret, grabbing a towel and wrapping around her body. She let out a shuddering sigh and stepped out of the shower, her gaze locking onto her mirror.

Her eyes.

Her eyes were different.

Instead of the dark forest green she'd inherited from her father, her eyes were a bright, glowing purple with a ting of gold lining the rim. She had no pupils, but instead possessed spirals that seemed to spin infinitely, leaving her in a trance.

"...I have powers..." Taylor whispered in hushed awe, staring at her hands.

She kept repeating that to herself. She had powers. That made sense. She didn't have the physical strength to crack a wall with a punch, nor did she feel any pain from it. Taylor was a thin white girl with no muscle at all. The only thing she had going for her was her height, which really wasn't much to begin with. And then there was her sight. Ever since she woke up in the hospital, she didn't need her glasses. The world was so much... clearer without them.

Before, her vision was a bit muddy and spotty. Something's were blurry at best. She wasn't entirely blind without them, but she did require prescription glasses to see well. Now she could see just as well if not better than she could before with her glasses!

"I'm a parahuman...!" Taylor murmured, excitement tinging her tone.

Did she trigger? It'd make sense. Trigger Theory states that capes we're likely to trigger on the 'worst day of their lives'. That was the simplified version, anyway, and the locker incident very well seemed to be the worst day of her life so far. Well... aside from that day, at least. But she had a feeling it wasn't that.

It had something to do with that drill Nikko wore. She was sure of it. She couldn't get the image of it out of her mind, and the way it glowed... it felt like those flames - no, that energy that encompassed her fist just a moment ago. It was a gut feeling if nothing else... but there was a connection.

A connection to Nikko. Something happened to her when he got her out of that locker. It traced back to him. She didn't know what, but she'd keep an eye on the boy... her... her friend.

'Wow.' Taylor blinked owlishly, shaking her head. 'When was the last time I referred to someone like that?'

Taylor shook the depressing thought out of her mind and got dressed into a fresh pair of clohes. A dark green T-shirt and grey sweatpants. There was the instinctual urge to put her glasses on, but she remembered that she didn't have them with her; and that she didn't need them in the first place. She eyed the mirror again and noted how her eyes had reverted back to normal.

"...this is gonna take some time to get used to..." she muttered under her breath, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Taylor! The pizza is here!"

Woah. How long had she been in the shower? Or maybe the delivery service was just that fast? Who knew.

Taylor let out a breath and made her way downstairs. Today was exhausting. Another rotten experience with the Trio, the locker, waking up in the hospital, and then finding out she had powers. She was pooped. But she'd spend the rest of the day with her dad, get her mind off things...

And then after that? Well, she'd take the next step. The step towards something she'd been wanting to do since she was a kid.

Becoming a superhero.

X-X-X-X-X-X

The next step is now.

Sitting in my room after getting Chinese takeout with Aoko, I took in deep breaths and exhaled. Coaxing my Spiral Power out of my body. It was a standard exercise that I'd done ever since awakening the energy inside me to get a feel for the power and exercise my control. I did this every morning and every night in-between my runs, school, and whatever else I had going on during that day. Right now, I was experimenting with something I'd been wanting test out for a while now.

See, if I'm going to be a cape, I'm going to need a costume. Can't fight crime without kickass threads, right? Every cape worth their two cents needed a costume. But a costume was more than just an outfit. It was your identity. It defined who'd you be as a cape for the most of your career. If you wore a costume, you needed to go big or go home in apparel.

The issue with this, though, is money. Not everyone has the funds to create a costume. Sure, me and Aoko were well off, but getting the materials to make an entire costume from scratch was expensive. And it'd be suspicious as fuck. I hadn't told Aoko that I had powers yet, because I knew she'd push me to join the Wards. Which is somethingn I didn't want to do.

I had no problems with the Protocterate and Wards; but they seemed to be focused on PR and public appearances more than actually stopping crime from what I'd gathered in my research. If I joined the Wards, I'd be on constant supervision and become a glorified cash-cow, restrained in what I can do as a hero coupled with the teenage drama and stress that comes with being in a group of superpowered teenagers with trauma.

Nah, Imma do my own thing. I wouldn't be able to grow if I bound by such harsh restrictions. So getting funds for a costume by the PRT was out of the question.

Crime was out too. No way I was going to do that. Didn't even need to consider it.

New Wave was a potential option, but that was mainly a family team if anything else, comrprised of the Dallons and Pelham's. I don't know if they'd accept anyone else, and I wasn't keen on revealing my identity to the public. Especially with what I planned to do; that'd put a target on Aoko's back. No. Until I was strong enough, I wouldn't be revealing my identity.

That's if I wanted to in the first place.

Which left one option left for me right now. Creating my own costume with Spiral Power, which was, again, possible. Infinite possibilities and all that jazz. The problem with that was creating something in a space with something currently occupying it - my clothes - would likely result in my current clothes exploding or turning to shreds.

So instead, I took an alternative approach.

I exhaled again, wrapping my hand around the Core Drill and running my fingers along the grooves in the metal. The drill pulsed with energy, and allowed my Spiral Power to flow out of me. Evolution, Life itself saturated the room in an ethereal green mist, creating an ambient buzz of feedback and potential.

I let go of the drill, allowing it to suspend itself mid-air. Then, I pulled the energy inwards, flooding it into my current outfit, which was a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Simple. I'd start of simple. I felt the energy seep into the fabric and threads, and I pushed forward my intent.

The room was bathed in an emerald glow as I felt my clothes begin to morph and expand around my body. My shirt itself began to lengthen itself sleeves and form a coattail, leaving my chest bare. My shorts transitioned into a pair of slacks with several belts and sturdy boots. My hands were wrapped in a pair of leather gloves, and a mask manifested itself over my face.

The glow died down and I looked myself in the mirror. I was currently wearing a dark blue leather jacket with a hood and coattails that reached my lower-back with red flame patterns. If I turned around, the flaming symbol of Dai-Gurren would be emblazoned on the back. My fingerless gloves were comprised of a leather material and were colored dark red with silver knuckle-studs embedded in them, functioning as a pair of knuckle dusters. My slacks were grey in color, and the belts looped around my waist were black. My torso was left bare, revealing a toned stomach and chest from months of dedicated training, my Core Drill dangling around my neck and glowing ambiently.

The costume was complete by a solid black visor that covered the entirety of my face, but left my wild hair exposed. The visor/helmet combo had a silver rim that wrapped around my jawline and the sides of my face. A pair of 'eyes' bleeped to life on the visor, colored a bright green. They were very emotive, and I instantly drew comparisons to Spider-Man's lenses in both appearance and with how they functioned.

My costume. It looked like Simon's during his battle with the Anti-Spiral to a degree, although with my own tweaks and adjustments. And the jacket wasn't much of a coat, either. I chuckled, clenching my fists and feeling the energy humming within the fabric. Not bad for my first time, if I do say so myself.

'Wait.' I blinked, my visor's eyes mimicking the gesture expressively. 'Did I just make life fibers?'

...

That required further experimentation, but I wasn't keen on making a Kamui right now. Would that label me as a Tinker, though? Or a Bio-Tinker? Because life fibers were living organisms that had the potential for intelligence. So...

... Gah, food for thought. Mm. As I stared at my costume, I couldn't help but contemplate...

Maybe I should've gone for a more Tokusatsu theme...? This was a good start, but... ah, whatever. I could always update it later once I had more finesse with this kind of thing. Onto the next part!

I held up my Core Drill in between my finger and thumb. My intent was clear and precise, as my entire costume was transformed into pure, Spiral Power, I focused it all into the Core Drill itself. There was a delay between the command and action, but I watched as the Core Drill soaked up the energy like a sponge.

There. Now I could carry my costume around anywhere! Only issue is I'm butt ass naked now.

"..."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror before grinning goofily and raising my drill towards the air, striking a pose like the Tokusatsu heroes I admired so much. "Drill, on!"

I called upon the energy within the drill and it blew out of the grooves in the metal, tendrils of swirling green energy coiled around my body and wrapped me up like a cocoon before promptly shattering like glass and leaving me in my costume again. I let out a giddy giggle, restraining the urge to bounce up and down like schoolgirl finding out her crush accepted her love confession.

I was a man, damn it! I had more tact than this! Still. This was exhilarating!

I stored my costume within my Core Drill again and couldn't stop myself grinning as I put on another pair of clothes. My costume was done, and there was nothing stopping me from entering the cape scene now and kicking ass! After all, what better way to grow stronger than to throw myself headlong INTO danger? I live in the city of conflict, after all. It wouldn't be too hard.

I glanced out the window and frowned as night fell. Still...

"It's a school night..."

... a part of me cringed at that lame excuse for not going out now. But still, I had school tomorrow and I refused to be late. The cape scene wasn't going anywhere and I could tackle it anytime I want.

... Well, as much time as Brockton Bay allows.

Huffing, I flopped onto my bed and folded my arms around the back of my head. "Tsk. Screw it, tomorrow, school. Next... cape stuff. If nothing comes up."

The next step was always the most gratuitos . But who said the road to being a hero was easy?

... starting to think I know how Peter Parker feels.