Director Piggot and Armsmaster left the room, leaving my Dad and me by ourselves. The silence was almost deafening to be honest. Neither of us spoke a word since the door closed shut. Every now and then, one of us would try to say something, only to decide against it and clamp our mouths shut. Sometimes Dad would glance at my tattoos. A small part of me was fascinated by the pulsating blue glow and the design of the tattoos, but this was hardly the time and place.
Dad was staring at the floor, fingers wrangling with each other and trying to find
something to say.
I knew this couldn't be easy for him. I mean, when you get down to it, we were basically told that our options were have me join a bunch of superheroes or leave Brockton Bay. Option 1 was going to constantly put me in danger, especially since everyone in the world now knew I existed, and Option 2 was leaving our home behind. The Bay was a shitty place to live in, but at the end of the day, it was still home. I just can't imagine myself leaving it all behind.
And even if we did leave the Bay behind, where would we go? Was there even a way for me to return to society as a normal person anymore? I don't even know if these tattoos or this horn is going to be permanent. For all I know, this is my life now; an inked up girl with glowing tattoos and a horn sticking out of her neck.
"…what do we do?"
My question shattered the silence. Dad looked up at me for a brief moment before he sighed and shook his head. "I-I don't know, kiddo. I honestly have no clue. I'm… I'm still trying to take this all in." He looked up at me, actually
looking and staring at whatever I was now. "Just what happened to you? I mean, I've heard Triggers were bad, but this is…"
"A-about that…" I took a deep breath. "I…Triggered last month, actually." Dad's eyes widened. "It was back during the locker. I just felt so…so
helpless, you know? No one was doing anything to stop it, no one was going to help me or get them to stop. I felt so…so alone in there. When it happened, all of a sudden, I could feel things around me."
"What?"
"I…control bugs." Dad's stare turned flat. "It's a lame superpower, I know, but—"
He raised his hand and stopped me. "No, no, that's not it. It's just…why didn't you…?"
"Why didn't I tell you?" It was my turn to look at the floor now. "I guess I was angry. I never had the heart to tell you what was happening in Winslow, but at the same time, I was hoping you'd notice
something. And I was afraid that even if you did, you wouldn't have done anything. And how you'd freak out if I told you I suddenly had powers, and…"
I squeaked a little when Dad leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. The warmth was familiar, almost painfully so. It felt like one of Mom's hugs, albeit rougher and more tight. Idly, I noticed how Dad reeked of sweat.
"This is all my fault," Dad said suddenly. "I should have
done something. I should have noticed something was off, and I… God, I turned into a goddamn mess since Annette died, haven't I?"
I don't say anything, or rather I couldn't. I didn't dare trust myself to speak, not when I railed on him when I stormed out of the house. Awkwardly, I return the hug and wrap my arms around him, slowly nestling into the hug. My forehead rested on his shoulder. One of his hands gently caressed my hair.
"I'm sorry," Dad said again. I felt something wet splash against my head. "I'm so sorry, Taylor…"
In the end, we made a decision. Director Piggot and Armsmaster returned to the room, resuming their prior places. I sat up straighter, nervous.
"What have you two decided?"
Dad cleared his throat. "First off, I want to know what will happen if my daughter joins the Wards," he more or less demanded, trying to look as serious and threatening as possible. "My daughter's civilian identity is now all over the net thanks to the bastard who filmed that mess, so chances are every gang member and cape in Brockton Bay knows who she is."
"We will have Taylor transferred to another city," Armsmaster stated. "The nature of her Second Trigger is unusual, and as you said, everyone in the Bay knows of her. Ideally, the best solution is for her to hone her powers to an acceptable level and train under someone who can help her understand her abilities. If she wishes to return to Brockton Bay, she is free to do so and pursue a career here as a member of the Brockton Bay Wards."
"As for her financial situation and living expenses, those will be provided by the Protectorate and the Youth Guard," the Director continued. "The Wards receive a generous allowance for them to spend as they see fit, within reason of course."
"And what about Dad?" I asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Empire or Merchants tried to press-gang me into joining them by threatening him and make me comply."
The woman in front of us grunted. "Mr. Hebert will be placed into a protective service program. As you said, it is likely the gangs would try and force you to join by threatening his safety. Unfortunately, this means you'll have to leave the city and take up a new occupation, as well as a new identity as well."
Dad and I shared a glance. We knew that was likely a possibility, but the thought of him leaving was…it hurt.
"If you choose not to join the Wards and would rather prefer leading a normal life, we will do everything in our power to provide one for you. New identities, a new home in another city or country, so long as it is within our power. However, you
would need to undergo some mandatory training to understand your powers, if only to see if your current state is reversible."
Armsmaster stepped forward. "With this in mind, have you made your decision?"
"We have…" Dad sighed heavily with resignation. He looked up at Armsmaster and twisted his face into a scowl. "If something happens to my baby girl, I don't care who you are. If so much as a
hair falls of her shoulders, and you had a hand in it somehow, I will kill you."
Director Piggot's lips twitched upward. Armsmaster looked rather amused. "You are hardly the first parent to use that same line on me, Mr. Hebert." He turned to look at me. His smile was weak and seemed more pitiable than anything. "Welcome to the Wards, Taylor."
It sounded more like he was announcing my funeral than anything else.
Elsewhere…
"Roll it again," Rebecca ordered.
The video replayed the scene from the very beginning. Once more, David was treated to the sight of a teenage girl acting less like a fresh Trigger and more like a feral animal. She did not fight with technique or as a street brawler, instead using her hands as if they were claws and favoring brute force. Her opponent was unusual, and already he could tell that it was not a cape but something else. What it was, he did not know.
He winced as the girl was smashed into a building, climbing out from a freshly made hole and retaliating by jumping upon the living shadow, pinning it to the ground and viciously pounding it down with her fists. It was wild and unrefined, no technique or poise whatsoever. It was raw instinct.
And in a morbid way, it was
beautiful.
The video paused at Rebecca's behest. It zoomed in and focused on the girl's features; glowing dark blue tattoos of tribal design, orchid eyes, and a horn protruding out from the base of her neck. Fairly young as well, barely 15 by the look of her.
"It's the same…" she noted, biting her bottom lip. "But why?"
"It is possible they share the same source," Contessa said in her usual neutral tone. She barely paid the image of the girl's savagery any mind, no doubt having seen the recording many times before. "Or she was granted similar powers by that boy. Regardless, Taylor Hebert is a deviant. I cannot form a proper path around her."
David thinned his lips. "Deviants" meant one of two things. The first were Case-53, the result of numerous experiments, with the second referring to individuals who even a precog as strong as Contessa could not anticipate. By her own admission, the only ones she couldn't properly use her powers on were the Endbringers and Scion. Recently, however, another individual had appeared that her powers were useless against. The same one that turned into Rebecca's obsession.
"She's weaker than he was, though," David pointed out. "And the colors are different. Didn't the reports say she underwent a Second Trigger?"
Contessa nodded. "Yes, though the fact remains Taylor Hebert is an anomaly. The Protectorate ENE branch Director, Emily Piggot, reported that she has accepted the offer to join the Wards. Because of her circumstances, she will have to train abroad. This gives us an opportunity to examine her thoroughly."
"You make it sound like she's going to be a lab rat," David noted. "She's a kid and a recent Trigger. How bad could she possibly be?"
Both women shot him scathing looks. He flinched and retracted his statement. Even if appearances could be deceiving, even those freshly Triggered were immensely dangerous. Nilbog, the reason why there were so many restrictions regarding Biotinkers, was a good example. Not ten hours after he Triggered and he took over a whole city.
"Have they decided who will be supervising her?" Rebecca questioned.
Contessa shook her head. "They are going through options based on recommendations and input from Protectorate Thinkers. After that, they'll draw up a list and see who is the most viable option. The process is estimated to take two weeks at most."
"That's too long. Tell them I'll take her."
David's eyebrow rose. It was not like his friend to behave so aggressively, much less make such a hotheaded decision. Her eyes weren't focused, not rational and calm like they usually were. It was a look he saw more often than he would have liked ever since that kid showed up at their front doorstep. A cold shudder ran down his spine, thinking about how effortless it had been. Never before, not since he had been stuck in a wheelchair, had David felt such helplessness before.
He despised that feeling. He hoped that, after becoming Eidolon, he would forget such feelings, yet…
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" David asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, even if she does prove to be a danger, having you act as her warden seems kind of overkill, doesn't it?"
"If she's even remotely connected to him, then no, it isn't," Rebecca replied coldly. "If she proves she's just as dangerous as him, I'll see to that matter personally."
For the second time today, David wondered if this really was Rebecca standing next to him. When he looked more closely, the answer was no, it wasn't. The person beside him was Alexandria, one of Cauldron's executives and a hero willing to risk
everything if it meant saving the world, costs be damned.
He looked back at the footage. At the image of the girl as she calmed down from her battle high, staring at her surroundings in confusion and then at herself. A scared little girl who just went through the second worst day of her life, a month after being stuck inside a locker filled with filth, and was going to be sent to her would-be executioner.
David sucked in a breathe, closing his eyes as he tried to block out the image coming to the forefront of his mind. He breathed out, then turned to Alexandria.
"I'll take her."
I've read a few fanfics where Taylor gets sent to join Legend, but I hardly ever see David get some love. So, yeah, Taylor's going to be studying under Eidolon and joining the Wards in Houston. It won't be for long, though, as while Taylor is off testing her new powers and demonic nature, there's something happening behind the scenes in Brockton Bay. Some very, very interesting and very, very nasty things.
Which will be covered in an Interlude. And as for the kid who apparently kicked the shit out of Alexandria and has made her as paranoid as Alexandria from Worm-in-Waiting (fantastic read, highly recommend if you get past the slow-paced beginning), that will also be featured in an Interlude.
No points guessing who it is, though. Demi just couldn't help himself, he hasn't had a decent fight since God.
