"Carrie."
My concentration broke for a second. The bugs swarming around me dispersed, then reformed into a small shifting black ball in my hand. I looked over at Ethan, who along with his wife were helping me undergo some training regarding my powers.
"What?"
"I just figured out what your cape name should be!" Ethan's smile was like Dennis', warm and full of mischief. "It should totally be Carrie."
Samantha spoke before I could, sharing my feelings of rejection. "Absolutely
not."
"Aw, why not? It totally fits!"
"For starters, the PR department would nip that name in the bud before it even had a chance. Even
Glenn would give it the axe, and he's come up with some of the most atrocious cape names I've heard of. And secondly, why in the world would you want to associate her with a character from a horror film?"
"Well, they're both scary as shit for one," Ethan shrugged. "At first, controlling bugs sounds kind of lame until you remember that a lot of them are poisonous. Black widows, hornets, and
especially cockroaches. Imagine what Taylor could do if she decided somebody needs a serious dose of entomophobia."
I did imagine what could happen if I used my powers to the fullest. I could control bugs over a 2-kilometer radius, with the drawback being a less refined control the more bugs I connected to myself. Ignoring that drawback, I imagined what I could do with legions of insects at my command. The resulting image was nothing short of horrifying and would likely cause mass panic than anything else. I didn't doubt for a second such a scene would be a recreation of something straight out of the bible.
"You do realize she's trying to be a hero, right?"
Ethan chuckled. "Since when has that stopped some other heroic capes from being scary as hell. Remember Phantasm back in New Hampshire? Or maybe I should remind you of the time Carlos made a couple of kids cry when they saw half his jaw hanging out?"
I grimaced, recalling that particular video. It was half a year after the debut of Aegis, having come out victorious against Fenja and Menja with some assistance from Kid Win, Miss Militia, Armsmaster and Velocity. The images showing the aftermath of that fight showed Aegis battered and bruised all to hell, his armor busted six ways from Sunday and his helmet partially exposed. Needless to say, PHO was having a field day poking fun at Aegis and simultaneously being amazed and horrified by how his powers worked.
"That's besides the point, Ethan." She would have gone further had her phone not rang at that moment. "We'll finish this conversation later." Assault looked amused for his part. If anything, he was looking forward to it. Battery turned toward me and smiled. "I'll be back in a few. Keep practicing with your powers until I get back. Oh, and try not to let this idiot get in the way. If it helps, try to imagine every word coming out of his mouth as total garbage."
"Oh, now that just hurts, puppy." Samantha gave him a smirk as she walked away, opening her phone and pressing it against her ear. Assault watched her leave with a smile on his face. "What a load of garbage. I'm not a distraction, right, kid?"
"If I say yes, can I continue practicing in peace?" I asked with a wry smile. "I'd hate to lose control and sic these bugs on you."
"Okay, fair point, shutting up now."
I had to admit, there really wasn't much of a difference between Ethan in his civilian life and his cape persona. Out of all the Protectorate heroes in Brockton Bay, Assault was easily the most curious, though most of that mystery came from his relationship with Battery. My knowledge of the cape duo wasn't the greatest, but I knew enough to know that, ever since Assault joined the Protectorate, he was almost never seen without Battery at his side. There were plenty of theories out there, the most popular being that they were siblings. The second popular theory was that they were husband and wife.
The latter seemed to be the most plausible, given that they wore matching rings.
Between Miss Militia, Armsmaster, Assault and Battery, the last two were my favorite teachers so far. Unlike Miss Militia who pushed for combat exercises or Armsmaster who was critical, Ethan and Samantha were patient and casual. It was a neat contrast to the seriousness of their co-workers, which grated on my nerves a little. I understood where they were coming from, what with my powers being an unknown and all, but the way they pushed me every now and then got a little annoying after a while.
Samantha advised me to keep an open mind and occasionally try something new if what I was doing now wasn't producing the results I wanted. Ethan encouraged me to broaden my horizons and think outside the box. It was actually thanks to them that I started to get a better grasp on my powers. Ever since my Second Trigger, I had a hard time limiting my control. I already had trouble with my control over bugs before, and the sudden increase of power didn't help very much.
I still had trouble with large numbers of bugs, but I was starting to get a better grasp on the range. Before, I'd just automatically link up with any bug within two kilometers. Now I could shrink that limit of control, grasping and reaching for bugs within a smaller radius without overloading myself. It was easier to control what was in front of you than what was ahead.
I glanced at Ethan while maintaining a grip on my bugs. The ball of insects changed shapes, flies and gnats splitting off into different spheres. Thinking back on the many mysteries surrounding the cape, I couldn't help but let my curiosity get the better of me.
"What made you decide to be a hero?" Assault looked at me and I winced. "Um, sorry, nevermind. Forget I asked."
"It's fine, Taylor," he told me. "You're hardly the first person who's asked me that. To be honest with you, though, the only reason I joined the Protectorate was because it was either that or be hauled off to a jail cell." I blinked. Of all the things I was expecting to hear, that was not one of them. Why would he be sent to prison if he didn't join the Protectorate? "Of course, another reason I joined was because of Samantha."
"Were you married by then?"
"Nah, we got hitched a year or so after I joined." The smile on his face looked very much like Dad's whenever he was thinking about mom. "She didn't like me at first, you know. In fact, she could hardly
stand me. It didn't help that she was pretty much by babysitter when I joined. She absolutely hated it whenever I called her puppy."
"What changed?"
"She got used to this handsome mug of mine, you see. As fearsome as the mighty Battery is, even she stood no chance against my roguish charms!" Briefly, I lost control of my bugs, unable to hold back a laugh. Ethan laughed as well. "All jokes aside, the actual reason is because, up until she was forced to babysit me, all she knew about me was that I was insufferable and didn't agree with how the Protectorate handled criminal capes. The way I saw it, the higher-ups thought they belonged behind bars or thrown into the Birdcage if they thought they were dangerous. Some of the capes they sent off to the Birdcage weren't even a threat to society; they just had a very bad hand dealt to them."
On the one hand, I could understand his reasoning. If someone demonstrated an immensely dangerous power, but proved to be benevolent, they should be given a chance. On the other hand, I could understand why the Protectorate was so paranoid. There were just so many villains who used incredible and awesome powers for selfish purposes. There was no greater example of this than the Slaughterhouse Nine or Nilbog, the Nine being wanton serial murderers and psychopaths while the latter single-handedly conquered a city.
"After a community event, a storybook reading for kids, Samantha started to see I wasn't just the guy she hated. I mean, sure, we still have our disagreements, but after she saw me embarrassing myself to a bunch of kindergarteners, she didn't think of me as an annoyance. The rest, as they say, was history."
Oh, come on! There had to be more than that! I wanted juicier details! As if reading my thoughts, Assault developed the biggest shit-eating grin I ever saw. I huffed and turned my attention back to my bugs. A third ball of insects formed in my hand, made up of dragonflies.
"…so, were you a villain?" I asked after a moment of silence.
Ethan nodded. "Back then, I used to go by Madcap. I was something of a breakout specialist. Nowadays, I'm just Assault; Battery's partner and her troublesome husband."
For some reason, Sophia's face flashed in my head. "…do you think Sophia could have been a hero? Like an actual one?"
"Maybe… But, to be honest, that kid had a lot of baggage. That doesn't excuse what she did, mind you, but I think her Trigger screwed her over the most. That's the thing about us capes, Taylor. The scars that gave us our powers never really go away. At best, they just scab over. At worst, they just keep getting bigger. It's why we have you kids see therapists every week. You can never really forget the most fucked up day in your life, but you can always try and find a way to move on without letting your past define you. I have no idea what caused Shadow Stalker to Trigger, and at this point, it really doesn't matter."
My concentration faded as he clasped a hand over my shoulder. The bugs dispersed and flew away, scattering to the wind.
"What matters now is where you go from here. Be the best hero you can possibly be. Try and be the hero Shadow Stalker could have been. Be a hero better than me." His smile dimmed slightly. "Not that that's hard to do…"
It was two days before my transfer. By now, Dad was already in Boston, getting all set up at his new workplace. He called me this morning to let me know how the move was going. He sounded fine, but like me, he was just as disappointed by our separation as much as I was. I had no idea if Wards had days off, but come my first vacation, I was heading out to Boston for a family visit, so help me!
I spent my morning in the cafeteria, eating a somewhat fancy breakfast before heading to the PR department. Since I was going to be busy preparing for my transfer to Houston, Glenn believed this was my last opportunity to settle on a "theme" for my eventual debut, and maybe finally decide on a cape name.
When I arrived, I saw he wasn't alone. Rory and Shawn were also present, speaking with Glenn about something. I must have arrived at the tail's end of the conversation as both men thanked him and left, though not before smiling and greeting me on the way out. Like Dean and Carlos, they were the only members of the Protectorate I hadn't really gotten a chance to acquaintance myself with. I hoped I would get the chance to get to know them better the next time I was here in Brockton Bay, maybe when the next Endbringer attack was due.
"Ah, Taylor! Come, have a seat! I have good news!" For some reason, the garish man was in a very good mood. I sat down at his request, taking a seat on the sofa opposite to his. "It took me a long while to convince my colleagues in Houston, but we finally managed to settle on your costume. I assume you're already aware of Kid Win's intent on integrating tinkertech with it?"
"He brought it up, yeah."
"Then you'll be happy to hear that your idea for your costume was approved."
My eyes widened, realizing why Glenn was in high spirits now. When we first went over details about my cape outfit, I learned that the PRT considered many things, far too many in my opinion. Details and designs about clothes, armor, what kinds of weapons you were could carry on your person, etc. It was hard to tell how much of the restrictions were because of the PRT or because of the Youth Guard, though I was inclined to believe it was the latter. Miss Militia could get away with wielding firearms because they were part of her power, and Armsmaster's weapon of choice was a halberd. The Wards, I noticed, didn't have a lot of creative freedom in comparison.
I already had several ideas for my costume. In fact, I already started on designing it before my Second Trigger. My initial rough draft for my costume was made using spider-silk, which proved to be tough enough to withstand a knife and was completely water-proof. Before shit hit the fan, I was in the middle of making armor panels using the shells of various insects to add for the defense.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my initial costume was shot down because the PR department thought it looked intimidating. There was also some concerns about the costume being made from parts and fluids made from insects, which I thought was incredibly stupid.
I stared at Glenn in shock, unable to hide my glee. "How did you manage that?"
"Well, it wasn't exactly easy, mind you! The amount of heads I've been butting with this past month is utterly ludicrous. There were some complications, but we managed to settle on a compromise of sorts. Branding you is much more challenging for me than it was for the other Wards, if only because some had themes for their costumes in mind. For you, though, this was a little different, namely because unlike your fellow Wards, your identity is public knowledge. There's also your unique appearance to take into account as well."
It wasn't really surprising to hear that. Honestly, I couldn't begin to imagine how you would begin to brand a girl with glowing tattoos and a horn, much less one whose debut to the world involved you killing some shadowy freak in self-defense.
"I managed to get them to reach a compromise. Tell me, have you ever heard of the phrase 'own it'?"
I raised a brow. "You mean…you want me to show off my tattoos and horn?"
"It's true, your appearance might cause some discomfort, but therein lies the silver lining. Intimidation doesn't just apply to civilians, but also to villains as well. A darkly-dressed cape who couldn't give two-shits about how she approaches a problem so long as she gets the job done? Hard to work with, sure, but there's opportunity. It will be difficult, but so long as you prove to civilians that the only ones who should fear you are those unfortunate enough to harm others in front of you, I'm sure people will come around."
Owning my image… Somehow, that didn't sound too bad. In fact, it sounded right up my alley. Smiling, I nodded. "…I think I can work with that."
Glenn clapped his hands. "Wonderful! Now, about your cape name…"
"Actually, about that…" I started. "You mentioned how I should own how freaky I look, right?"
"That's right."
"In that case, why not go all the way?"
A glint flashed through the man's eyes. I wasn't sure if it was because he was intrigued or if he already knew my train of thought. To be honest, the name had been stuck in my head ever since I had that strange dream with the old man and the woman in mourning clothes. Somehow, the name felt fitting.
"What did you have in mind?"
I looked Glenn in the eyes. "What are the odds the PRT will let me go by
Fiend?"
Aaaaaaaand that wraps it up for this arc. Thank god. I've never felt so happy to be done and over with for a storyline so much, especially one that was pretty much just standing around, talking, and very little plot progression.
I'll just say this upfront. The next arc for Adapt? It's gonna be better paced, and hopefully recaptures the feelings I managed to convey in the first arc of Devil Trigger. It'll probably be a while before we ever reach that point though.
After Devil Trigger's third arc is complete, I will be take a break and focus on bringing some of my fanfics from Fanfiction.net over here. On another note, I will also be working on my next big Worm crossover project, which, I promise, will be the last one I do until either one of my Worm fanfics is completed or I complete an ongoing fanfic of mine.
That will be it. What did you guys think of the arc (even though I'm pretty sure I know the answer)? Bad? Good?
