Thanks for the chapter!

Very curious how the relationship with Annette will progress, in her interlude it made it seem like a chore and manipulation rather then any actual desire on Annette's part, curious if that's changed now that a baby is on the way
 
Thanks for the chapter!

Very curious how the relationship with Annette will progress, in her interlude it made it seem like a chore and manipulation rather then any actual desire on Annette's part, curious if that's changed now that a baby is on the way

That was very much a product of the expediency of the first hookup. She doesn't find that sort of culture appealing, so it was a chore for her. An act to play. She knew vaguely what she had to do because of her power, but she didn't have to enjoy it to desire the end results.

That happened two weeks through June, after she sent Taylor off to camp. This is the second week of August, so close to two months of knowing each other and all the original annoyance vanished after she spent two weeks taking care of him when he couldn't see. They broached many a topic over that time and talked through the majority of the hot-topics, like her age and being a Mother. A bit rough to start, but aged like wine.

Thank you!
 
Just noticed the lack of comments on this story and wanted to give an extra nudge of support to the author. (been following since chapter 3 and have read every chapter in the 24 hours following release, great timewaster to read during my job lunch break)

Honestly have really enjoyed the story so far. mainly because i havent read anything like it in a long time. child!taylor is an absolute banger and im glad that you dont shy away from the dark aspects of the worm setting.

cant imagine how the pervy!Assault hasnt been more of a thing given how obvious it looks in retrospect.

normally i have a better pulse on the stories i read, insofar i can feel confident in my predictions of how its going to continue. however this time i find myself without much idea of how it going to go while still believing its not going to be a disorganized chaotic retcon mess of a plot, its a novel feeling

keep up the good work!
 
One of the most interesting Worm fics I've read in years, mostly due to the strong and multifacted characterization, but in no small part simply because it's not just another canon rehash with a few new quips and an OC or two. That makes it all the more challenge to write, but a welcome breath of fresh air indeed.
 
Just noticed the lack of comments on this story and wanted to give an extra nudge of support to the author. (been following since chapter 3 and have read every chapter in the 24 hours following release, great timewaster to read during my job lunch break)

Honestly have really enjoyed the story so far. mainly because i havent read anything like it in a long time. child!taylor is an absolute banger and im glad that you dont shy away from the dark aspects of the worm setting.

cant imagine how the pervy!Assault hasnt been more of a thing given how obvious it looks in retrospect.

normally i have a better pulse on the stories i read, insofar i can feel confident in my predictions of how its going to continue. however this time i find myself without much idea of how it going to go while still believing its not going to be a disorganized chaotic retcon mess of a plot, its a novel feeling

keep up the good work!
One of the most interesting Worm fics I've read in years, mostly due to the strong and multifacted characterization, but in no small part simply because it's not just another canon rehash with a few new quips and an OC or two. That makes it all the more challenge to write, but a welcome breath of fresh air indeed.

Thank you for the vote of support, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

Part of the reason why I write stories like this one is because it is novel. I have a hard time retreading what I feel like has been done many times before. Also good practice for my to-be-published books.

I'd love what your predictions for the story would be and how close they will line up!
 
I predict some VERY AWKWARD times for and with Taylor until she learns how to block out sexytimes feelings from her power, or else gives in and just gets used to them. Especially if she's now connected to MC too and getting it from both sides.

e: On the plus side, being able to mediate and tell both of them that the other is being sincere about having developed emotions far beyond playing a scheme or superficial attraction when the original false pretenses come out, I suppose.
 
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I predict some VERY AWKWARD times for and with Taylor until she learns how to block out sexytimes feelings from her power, or else gives in and just gets used to them. Especially if she's now connected to MC too and getting it from both sides.

There was a reason Taylor was caught off guard so much at the end of ch 7. I think otherwise would put Taylor in living hell and make her wish she didn't have powers at that point. Either that or she would have to fess up and tell them to quit it while she's awake. I couldn't think of anything more awkward, haha!

An aborted scream came from Taylor's room the moment I rapped my knuckles on her door. "What?" She asked.

"Dinner's ready."

"O-okay."

More will slowly surface about her power soon enough.
 
Chapter 10
AN: Beta'd by Grim Tide


Chapter 10

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.


Blood pooled at the tip of the thin blade before the inevitable draw of gravity pulled the droplet free. The drop accelerated, buffeted by air laden with the stench of death, before joining the growing puddle with a little plop.

The man the blood once called home lay slumped over, his uniform tainted by the flow escaping a small but vicious hole, shredding his heart from between two ribs. A guard by profession, a grunt by lifestyle. He joined the litany of others in his silent death, having never known his fate until it was far too late.

A dealer of death, she was that night. Flicking her stiletto, she removed the last of the blood, spraying a line across the hallway wall. She stepped away, heels clicking on the marble flooring.

Click.

Click.

Click.


All those that died tonight facilitated a single target. Sitting high above on his golden throne and watching the chaos and terror he spread. A blight upon Brockton. One she wouldn't, couldn't, allow to remain.

The door to his inner sanctum glided open on oiled hinges—not a sound to be heard. Even when the clock ticked over into the next day before the sun rose, his deep, smooth voice stood out against the pure silence of the night.

"What do you mean, the PRT is there?"

"Do we have a leak?"

"No? Then please explain how they responded in time. Only three people knew the targets an hour ago!" A hand slapped against the solid wood of his desk, and a chair squeaked.

The woman peered around the corner and into the office. A man dressed in a suit reclined in an office chair, facing large windows looking down over Brockton Bay. One hand kept the cellphone tight against his face while another combed through blond hair.

"Trust in the Empire is at an all-time low after that lizard showed—we need this. The Empire needs this!"

She stepped into the office, sliding through the cast shadows without touching her heels against the hard floor, walking solely on her toes. Each step measured in time with his speech, creeping closer with a blade held at the ready.

"A full squad and cape dead? Who? McBride? The enhanced agent you were looking into? And Battery." Max Anders' paused, running his hand along his stylized short beard.

The woman froze, tilting her head to the side, unaware of this bit of information, and, rather than finishing her task, she listened. Worried and guilty over the ripples of her actions. She knew as much as she missed, just because the ending existed, didn't mean the journey lacked scars.

"Put a hit on him. He's caused too many deaths. If the opportunity to capture Battery comes up, take her, and we can exchange her for some more recruits to replenish the losses." Not an ounce of compassion, writing off a man's death and the enslavement of a heroine.

Her actions only felt more justified—maybe this was why it never came to be. Crossing the remaining distance in two quick leaps, from ten feet away to standing behind Max Anders' back. There wasn't time for him to respond before the flash of her stiletto, intended for stabbing, but at the moment, it worked fine for removing the man's head and splitting the cellphone in two. The role resonated through her body, making her something she wasn't.

A line of blood splattered across the windows, quickly dripping down in streaks. The decapitated head of Max Anders thumped against the polished floor, leaking blood as it rolled over to face the city he once believed he ruled for his last moments.

With each death, Brockton became a safer place.

Nothing would stand in her way of making this place worthy of her children.



Bad things happened.

Taylor knew it in her gut. The flashes of insight from her power and the overwhelming emotions echoing from Mom and Will still burned in her head. She cleaned out her mouth and flushed the toilet, having gotten overwhelmed by the memories again.

Last night was the worst night of her life since Dad died. Mom left an hour after she sent Taylor to bed. And she refused to silence her bond with either of them again, not when she felt the worry and fear echoing off both. The bloodlust and rage.

It took two hours after she suppressed the bond while Will and Mom…, before it came back. That wasn't a pleasant experience, and feeling it from two sides at once, a shiver went down her back. She loved Mom, but no daughter should ever feel that. Yuck.

Though she lied about not pushing down the bond again because Mom was a big fat liar—she wasn't shopping; she visited Will!

Urk!

Taylor couldn't even begin to understand why or how her classmates did something similar. That would never happen to her. She refused!

At least both Mom and Will were asleep by the time the bond reformed. Taylor wished she had it still at dinner when Will told her about his job. There was no way he was an analyst, she looked up the job description just to be sure, not with what she felt from him until three in the morning. Not with what she saw through those brief flashes.

Mom worried Taylor even more. What was she doing out there last night? The news hadn't stopped showing the aftermath, mixed with clips of fighting. Well, that or Max Anders' death and the police investigating his killer.

Taylor bit her lip and hopped on her computer. Will was a part of what happened last night, and it was up to her to figure out if he was a good guy or a bad guy. If it meant protecting Mom, she would watch everything available, even if it made her stomach roll again. Maybe it was a good thing he was so big with red hair—all the easier for her to spot.

She only knew one thing for certain about Will. He told the truth when he promised to protect Mom, even if he ended up being a villain. She wasn't sure what to do if that happened. Would a bad guy protecting Mom be better than a good guy who didn't?

Nothing felt bad about him, though she wished he didn't find her so amusing when she was threatening him! She wasn't adorable, dammit!



Emily Piggot stared down at a constant source of annoyance and pride. Each time deployed, he left a mountain of paperwork and headaches for her to deal with. Partially her fault for keeping his deployment for the highest-risk operations to stay within the employment contract. Of course, she would milk every last drop possible and keep him on standby every day without. Who wouldn't when they had access to such an effective asset?

William McBride, a giant of a man, stood at attention, waiting for her to act. As of two days ago, he held the official highest kill count in her department at eighty-three. More than her, more than veterans deployed in war. A man who she would've given anything to have with her on the fateful mission years ago. Someone who did what they had to without an ounce of cowardice in his body, unlike those damn capes.

Not everything was good. Something changed within him after Leet.

Emily turned away, more than conscious she made everyone wait on her, and examined the reports. Analytics drained a third of her budget; however useful they were, about half the time they were on downtime. She would be damned to waste that much, so she turned it inward, examining the potent pieces on the board.

Not once had McBride shown any desire for a relationship—not in high school or after. The classified report on him and everyone included sexuality, being a security risk, and how to pair with certain threats. He was labeled as ace-leaning, much to the annoyance of many female troopers. And now he was dating a forty-year-old woman who already had a child.

Red flags put the alert mildly.

Not even pairing him with Battery, who obviously had a crush, changed anything. But that was more of a petty move on her part, as a middle finger for sicking the walking time bomb that was Assault on her. The entire Battery Assault thing made her sick, but that was outside her purview… until recently. A poor trait for a director, but she loved twisting the dagger whenever she had the chance.

There were no leads or concerning reports on Annette Hebert, besides minor ties to the defunct Lustrum. Nothing anyone could determine to the point an enterprising employee called in a favor with Watchdog… only for it to come up blank—if she overlooked the coming pregnancy. Laws were more suggestions the deeper the agency went, especially concerning privacy around medical records.

Then the link between codenamed Luminary, pompous ass, and Annette was discovered through chance observation. Less than five people knew her civilian identity, with Emily being one of those, so it took the analyst filling in at a different department to bring it to her attention. Luminary somehow evaded all the early warning signs and bound herself to the most lethal agent under her command.

The pregnancy annoyed her more than anything because of the parental leave she had to give McBride. Though it amused her, she knew before he did, but having a thinker meddling in ENE outside Emily's command pissed her off. The only thing that stayed her heavy hand remained the massive gains ENE made against the Empire and ABB. Once Annette stepped outside the lines, Emily would have no choice but to force her into the Protectorate. The pregnancy would keep Annette out of the way while also serving as a convenient leverage point.

But despite all of that, Emily remained in a precarious political position. Having an agent with such a kill count weighed rather heavily when more peaceful departments balked at such an idea. After the news of the raid made national news and the ENE's initial classified reports, thirty-five directors formally filed complaints about this being an unnecessary escalation that threatened the peace. Five more, and she wouldn't have a choice in removing McBride—or worse, applying charges. Because after that threshold, Chief Director Costa-Brown would have no choice but to launch an investigation, something Emily would rather avoid.

If they kept their heads in their own business, she would've dismissed McBride with a hefty severance for the appropriate bribe, whether material or personal. One person could only do so much, and getting the funds for twenty agents or a couple of capes would have a far larger effect on Brockton. Yet they left her no choice but to rub their faces in the matter. Her pride demanded it.

So she wasn't going to do a single thing against McBride but issue the minimum leave following a death. They were going to need him soon.

The Empire didn't respond to the PRT's intervention like every report indicated. They didn't lash out or make a fuss—they went quiet if one overlooked the dead bodies of gangbangers showing up.

Something happened, and no one knew what just yet. She had this gut instinct that Luminary was behind it.

Emily cleared her throat and adjusted the paperwork on her desk. "This is Director Piggot, head of ENE, reviewing the actions of squad leader McBride on the night of August 13th. During this meeting, myself and the panel will review the deaths of fifty-three and determine if any exceeded the ROE of the operation. Before we begin, McBride, do you have anything to say?"

Off to the right, a copywriter operated a mechanical typewriter, while another on the left side typed on a computer. Both remained obscured, with only a vague outline of them visible.

Everything about this meeting only stood for the record, having reviewed and made her decision long before this time. She took discrete pleasure in watching those miserable walks of life meet their end. If she could, she would've saved a copy for private viewing. From start to finish, a work of art in the brutal efficacy of killing.

McBride kept his head held high, meeting her eyes without flinching or wavering. "I will state for the record that the escalation of ROE was due to the lack of available personnel."

Emily would've smiled if it weren't for her carefully crafted hardass persona. Perfect. Just what she required to eke out another cape and maybe a few more field agents. She clicked on the TV, displaying the helmet-cam footage. "Let's begin."

The quicker this was over, the quicker she could show Battery just how agents were supposed to act. How pathetic the Protectorate measured up to trained agents! More ammunition to bear for her policies.



Kelly sighed in relief, leaving the scrutinizing eyes of so many. When she signed off on joining a PRT squad, she thought she knew what she was doing, but facing a panel to review her actions in the field mortified her. They picked apart everything into the tiniest details. The flaws in her actions, the lack of response to Will when he called out to her, and the painfully aggressive response to him stopping her from further resuscitating the dead woman.

Each and every bit made her aware of how amateurish her actions came out to be.

The verdict? Exactly what she thought. Squad 42 existed as an agent squad, and because she was on it, only one set of standards mattered: agent standards. The same set took years of dedicated learning and practice to hone. At eighteen, she would be the youngest agent on staff by a few years.

Kelly wanted to be a hero more than anything. Learning how far she had to go hurt like a kick in the gut. Knowing that if she trained and learned like her peers, the woman would still live. That was a regret she didn't think would ever fade, but it served as motivation to push herself to new heights.

Deep down, she doubted Will when he said she was a true hero. It certainly didn't feel like it after being confronted with the long list of deficiencies she had… yet the conviction in his tone... Kelly wanted to curse him for lying to her just because of her weakness.

But why would he spend so much time training her and comforting her? He believed it, didn't he? He believed she was a hero to look up to. Even if she wasn't right now, maybe she could be. No, if Will believed it, then there wasn't a choice; she had to be better, no matter the cost.

Squad 42 wouldn't see the field outside of emergencies. There would be no patrols. She had one week to get her head back on track, and then it was training and learning under Will. The sting of his rejection only made it worse. She knew it was coming, but to find out he knew from the start... it kind of proved the point about how much the experience gap between them was.

Kelly shivered upon remembering the comment from Annette. Watch Will's back with her life. If he dies, she would make Kelly's life hell. Being a hero with a power should've made the threat feel... lacking, but something in the tone and calm gaze made Kelly feel like she was staring down an insidious mix of her mom and villain.

If everything else hadn't convinced Kelly Will was off the market, that would've. Staying in Annette's good graces was by far the right choice. Refusing the dinner invite wasn't even an option.

Upon stepping out from under the five sets of piercing eyes, Kelly didn't expect to find Will sitting on a chair on his phone. She froze, tallying the time spent in the room at over an hour.

Damn you, Annette.

Kelly swallowed the lump in her throat. "H-hey, Will, were you waiting for me?"

He slid his phone into his pocket and stood, dwarfing her like she was a little kid. Over a foot taller. "Yup. Come on, we have to cover years' worth of work and not much time." Then the most poleaxed expressions she had ever seen flickered by. "And Annette is quite insistent you come by tonight for dinner." He ran a hand through his flaming red hair, staring at the wall behind her.

"You knew the verdict," Kelly accused him.

Will shook his head before looking back down at her. "Yes. I asked after Director Piggot finished my review."

"You could've warned me!"

He had the gall to chuckle. "A bit different from the Protectorate, huh?"

"Yes. That was mortifying! I don't think I've ever been more ashamed."

"Good."

What?

"Use that to be better. We carry the weight of many on our backs, and every misstep condemns some to death. This is not a job. This is a calling. In the PRT or not, I will always seek to make this a better world. I see that in you too. If they fired you, would you stop being a hero?" His hand creaked from how hard he gripped, sounding like an overstressed steel cable twanging under the force.

"No!"

"I can't stop; too many depend on me. If this is your choice, I expect you to dedicate your mind, body, and soul to being the best you can be."

"I swear it!" Kelly met his intense gaze without flinching. No matter the favors owed for her powers, she sought them out for one reason and one reason only. She was sick of seeing the lack of justice in the world. It burned within her but remained hampered, and even when she succeeded, the result always left her feeling hollow. The struggle, the fighting, putting her life on the line—and so often, nothing to show for it.

Kelly killed. Will killed. And she failed, yet they accomplished something more. She despised killing, but those who died would never kill or ruin another's life ever again. They shouldered the weight for others. Unthanked, despised, and ridiculed for their heavy hand, but in a world where justice fled and monsters were left to walk the streets, was there a choice?
Will nodded and stalked away, and her heart soared, quickly following along a step behind him. Through the corridors, everyone parted before him. A palpable energy radiating off him demanded everyone get out of his way. Agents in full gear stepped aside—those supposed to be manning the security checkpoints let the both of them through without a second look.

Intense. Kelly didn't know what changed. He wasn't joking or having this casual air of confidence anymore.

Through the entire building to the parking garage. Once in his SUV, she peeled off her mask, watching him grip the steering wheel until it bent. "What happened?" Kelly asked before she could stop herself.

Will flinched, quickly letting go, and shifted to a more natural posture. All it took was him glancing at her, and he deflated. "Something I never even considered."

"What could shake the unflappable McBride?" Kelly joked, smiling at him before frowning at his severe reaction.

"I'm having a baby."

Kelly blinked. Um. "With Annette?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Just over two months of dating and the age gap. So many things made sense. Will had confided in her that he wasn't supposed to meet Taylor for a while yet, and then there was Annette's threat. Did… did she know Kelly was a cape?

Just who was Annette?



Kelly stepped into the rundown house, noting a few boxes taped up in stacks off to the side. Awkward didn't begin to describe how she felt. The last six hours they spent reviewing what she knew, it felt like her brain dribbled out of her ears.

And now they were at Will's fiance's house. As a woman who had a crush on him, now meeting his soon-to-be stepdaughter. Of all the possibilities in life, this wasn't one she considered. She shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, trying to find a spot to put her hands and not wither under the mirth of Annette. The bitch.

Taylor stood to the side, just as adorable as Will described, looking just as lost as Kelly felt. Big, bushy hair spilled out around a gray hoodie, while brown eyes zipped between them all, lips quirking in thought.

"Taylor, this is my coworker, Kelly. Why don't you talk while Annette and I start dinner?" Then Will abandoned her!

Kelly half-waved, forcing a smile. "Hi." On the inside, she cursed Will, Annette, and everyone else who landed her in this spot.

Taylor kept staring at Kelly with her big doe eyes. "Is this a sex thing?"

Kelly choked on her spit, turning away while her face blazed like the sun. Oh god, it got worse! Just let me die! "NO!"

Taylor's laughter didn't help!
 
Chapter 11
AN: Beta'd by Grim Tide


Chapter 11

A soft groan heralded my impact on the building's roof, and for a moment, I thought it was going to give way like one of my earlier experiences at rooftop running. The debate between launching myself away or spreading my weight further out lasted until a support beam crunched. I shuffled to the edge of the roof, ignoring the indent I left, and peered over the edge, spying Sophia's shadowy form soar from one building to the next with her power.

Her costume flowed with the smoke she let off when shifted into her shadow state, dressed in a crude mockup of her Shadow Stalker costume, mostly consisting of a black long coat and a hockey mask. The crossbow, however, went beyond anything she could afford, or even own, at fourteen. I've seen it for sale—a beast of a compact crossbow that costs over a grand. The feasibility in combat was... lacking, and I wasn't sure why she went with those rather than a simple compound bow. Cranking the pulley system took a good half-minute unless she only used it as an ambush weapon.

That wasn't taking into account that a crossbow was a peasant weapon, whereas bows took a lifetime to master. An inconsistency regarding her worldly outlook—of being superior, set apart from the masses.

But back to the crossbow. Without a doubt, she stole it with her powers.

I tsked at her lack of awareness and jogged to the edge before launching myself off the brickwork. Ten feet up, I caught the edge of the next building and leveraged myself over, rolling once, and took off in Sophia's direction.

What should I do with her?

Some light stalking of Sophia's family gave me a clear picture of her home life. Deadbeat and abusive boyfriend of her mom. An apathetic mother who occasionally used hard drugs, but not a druggy. The finer details were impossible to figure out unless I broke into their apartment and observed how they acted toward each other, but I could guess.

At home, Sophia was powerless to the whims of others. She channeled all that frustration and anger into violence—a superiority and inferiority complex. She was better than everyone else for doing something, yet deep down, she knew she was just as stuck as they were. How much of this came from her power or just her teenage mind being warped under stressors? I would never know.

But there existed a chance she could be something more than a violent bully edging on sociopathy.

Why was I even bothering?

Paranoia. A maddening second-guessing loop about events that could be or not. What if Sophia ended up at Arcadia and turned sadistically on Taylor? Would canon come about regardless of how the world changed? If not Taylor, would some other teenage girl get tortured for years? What if that girl went Carrie on Winslow? The longer I lived in this world, the more I viewed foreknowledge as a curse, not a blessing.

Fucking Max Anders was dead! The entire Empire ripped itself apart into a few factions! Who murdered him and twenty odd guards? Why now?

There was a damn parahuman assassin out there, and what if they went after me? Or attacked Annette? I knew there was no chance of ranking that high in importance, but damn, knowing I brought a baby into this hellworld affected me. Having Taylor and Annette already left me on edge, and now a baby? Would they even see four years before dying?

Fuck! I kicked the edge of the roof, shattering bricks and sending them clattering over the abandoned street below.

Sophia left me in the dust again, and I didn't know where she went, so caught up in my thoughts I was. That broken girl? The extremely violent one with the magnificent power to commit decisive strikes while existing outside any authority? A line of defense for those I cared about should I harness her.

Recruit, train, and shape into a lethal and stable machine.

A better fate than leaving her out there on her own. The Empire ripped itself apart, and much of the pretend superiority vanished with Kaiser. No longer did they keep themselves to mostly intimidating anyone not White, but moved to full-on assault or worse around the city in broad daylight. With how aggressive Sophia was... I didn't see her living through the year before ending up in a shitty situation and dying.

A solution to the problem, but damn my conscience.

Not only would I be taking an unstable parahuman off the streets, but I would save her from dying at her own hands. At least that's what I told myself, but I didn't know if it was true or not. All I knew was that I needed someone to watch over my new family when I wasn't there, someone who could take down even some of the strongest brutes.

I took a deep breath and calmed my racing mind. There was already more on my plate than I could handle, and yet I wanted more, needing to fill every waking moment with something—anything that pushed me forward. From four hours of sleep a day down to one, I could feel the stress burrowing into my brain.

The distinct sound of a hand slapping into flesh caught my ear. Then a high-pitched whimper followed.

I really shouldn't be so happy that I had a willing target for my frustration, but I was. A couple of buildings over, directly away from the last location, I saw Sophia. I spotted a white van parked in an alley. Two skinheads with a metal wolf stitched onto the back of their leather jackets pinned down a dog with an animal control leash. The long pole stopped the dog from nipping at them.

The dog itself had seen better days with patchy brown fur and ribs poking through; it was a small to medium-sized breed. The two Hookwolf lackeys dragged the dog into the back of the van, where a multitude of other dogs barked and whimpered.

Don't mind if I do. I slipped off the edge of the building, landing in a crouch and roll, springing to my feet. Each step splashed in murky trash water. I crossed the least distance with a slight leap, catching both van doors and swinging them closed on my way by, before ramming myself in with the goons, locking us all into the small space.

"What the FU-" Was all one said before he slammed into his partner and both into the cages.

Ten seconds later, the back door ripped open, and a gangbanger tumbled down the alley, the second joining him moments later. Both unconscious.

The cages inside the van contained thirteen dogs, most small to medium-sized, with only a couple exceptions. I scowled at what their grisly fates would've been before I found them. While undoing the latches would be easy, I took the time to crush them and rip the doors off. The dogs, while terrified of me, only took a little encouragement before escaping. One enterprising terrier pissed on the unconscious grunt.

I chuckled, amused at the vindictiveness even animals showed.

The last dog in the van was the one I was most weary of. Big, maybe a hybrid wolf, with pitch-black fur and shining eyes. It didn't growl or whine; it simply sat there, curled up in its too-small cage, watching me. Even two idiots got lucky, didn't they?

I cleared my throat. "You're not going to attack me if I let you? I would rather not get bitten."

The dog didn't respond because, of course, it couldn't. It was a dog. Yet, I second-guessed myself with the feral looks it gave me. Something existed behind those eyes, and it wasn't human, nor was it quite a dog.

I crumbled the latch between my fingers and pulled the door open, keeping it as a barrier between me and the dog. Said dog crawled out into the narrow space between the cages and stretched out, doing a shake as if this entire experience was just a nap. He glanced back at me, definitely a he and fixed; before trotting out the back. At least six feet long, standing just below my hip with a somewhat long coat, but that might be more of a stray problem than the dog's normal appearance.

Phew. As strong as I was, wrestling an aggressive hundred plus pound dog was bound to leave some injuries. I had to wonder: who would keep such a dog in Brockton, of all places?

"Ah!" One of the grunts screamed.

The dog had him by his legs, dragging him over to the other still-passed-out ganger. He tried to resist, but the dog clamped down harder, giving him a little shake. Once on top of each other, that was when the dog raised its leg. I laughed at the disparaging cries.

All that was left was to turn the van into a complete loss for the Empire while leaving it in good enough condition to get repaired if it was stolen. I ripped off the steering wheel, the fuse box, broke the ignition, and wrecked the gear selector.

With that done, my good deed for the day was done. I opened the driver's door and slammed it closed, walking away from the scene of the crime.

A slight pat-pat behind me had me looking back to find the big, shaggy dog following me. Its long snout hung open slightly with gleaming white teeth, even late at night. I turned the corner and leaned against the side of the building, waiting, and the dog still followed, sitting upon seeing me.

Hm. I wondered. "Heel." I pointed two fingers down on my left side.

The dog stood, padded over, and slid under my two fingers, inches from my leg. I ran a hand through its matted coat without so much as a flinch from him or an aggressive response.

"You're pretty smart and well trained." I ran my hand down around his neck, feeling for any bumps from a chip, but didn't feel any. No collar indentation, either. Hm, could I work in training a dog into my schedule? I scanned him again; his gleaming back eyes almost disappeared in the dark next to his black coat.

There was a chance he would only stay non-aggressive around me, but if he was this obedient for Annette and Taylor... I think I found another guard. But first, I would check with the vets.

"Come."

The dog followed right beside me, heading back to my SUV, which I parked a few miles away.



"Good morning, Annette."

"Mhm, Will, did something happen? You never call this early."

Ten was a bit early for me to call her. "Yeah, I came across a stray during my nightly run. He followed me home, and I took him to the vet to get checked out. No owners on record, and he doesn't exist in the database. So, I was wondering, What is your opinion about having a dog?"

"A dog? How… big?" There was a slight note of hesitation in her voice.

"...why do you think he's big?"

"Will?"

"Yes?"

"It's you. I don't think you would give a lap dog a second look."

"...fair."

"How big?"

I coughed into my hand, eyeing the magnificent bastard of a dog, his coat trimmed and gleaming after a good wash. If I didn't know better, he was posing and showing off. "Hundred and seventy pounds."

"Will!"

"Yes?"

Annette sighed, a long, weary one that didn't belong to someone who just woke up. "Is he trained at least?"

"Who do you take me as? I wouldn't dare bring him around either you or Taylor if I didn't think he was safe." That would be the very opposite of what I wanted.

He looked at me and chuffed. I swear that was an eye-roll.

"What breed?" Annette asked.

"The vet couldn't make heads or tails of him. We think he's a wolf hybrid, but he's lacking many of the traits. Too feral looking for a husky and lean for a sheepdog. Maybe a Belgian Sheepdog mixed with something bigger, but the hair is too short for that."

"Ugh, that isn't helping your case, Will. Color?"

"Black. Pure black."

"Please tell me he at least has a short coat."

"He does now." Not only did I take him to the vet, but I also paid for an expedient groomer to come in early.

"...how much did you spend? We're buying a house, Will. I'm quitting my job; we're having a child and a wedding! Can we afford him?"

Ah, oops. I just never paid attention to money, making far more than my bills or lifestyle consumed. That required some changes, but I had plenty saved up and was still making more. More than before with my promotion to squad leader. "A little over two grand... and sure, it's only going to be a couple thousand a year unless something happens."

"Fine, but I have the final say. I want to meet the dog and see how he is around Taylor. One stray bite and he's gone."

"Tonight?"

"Please."

"I'll see you then, Annette." She hung up, and I could tell she was still upset about dropping this on her, not that I blamed her.

I scratched the dog's head, and he wagged his tail.

"You need a name."

"Bork." He wagged his tail under the attention.

Hm. I could give him one, or I could leave it to Taylor and Annette as a peace offering. Yeah, that sounded better.



In one hand, I held the leash attached to the dog's hefty collar, and the other kept a firm grip on my peace offering to Taylor. A bribe. See, she didn't know about the baby, the wedding, or the move to a new house.

…I questioned Annette's planning, as she had been packing up everything in boxes for days now without saying anything. Taylor was smart in an annoying teenage way. Highly focused on a few subjects and beyond naïve about others. Hell, I still teased Kelly about Taylor's comment and the critical blow it turned out to be. If she did anything out of the ordinary, I just asked if it was a sex thing. Not today. Today was Kelly's sole day off, with her putting in six days of work, with Saturday being the rest day.

Two quick knocks on the door, and I glanced down at my dog. "Sit."
He sat down.

"Good boy."

The door flew open, and Taylor peered out. Her usual hoodie stretchy pant combo she wore around the house to Annette's never-ending problems. The girl liked being comfy, while Annette liked a presentable image. Inquisitive eyes ran over my face before turning to the dog by my side, staring down a dog maybe twice her size with hesitation. "Hi, Will. Who's that?"

"No name just yet. I found him during my nightly run." I stroked Dog's head. The fur was otherworldly in softness once cleaned.

Taylor squinted her eyes at me. "Right. Does Mom know?"

I snorted. What was I, some snot-nosed kid, picking up strays? I refused to answer that question. "Yeah, I called her."

She refused to move out of the doorway, keeping her hand on the knob. "And is he going to bite anyone?"

Dog took that moment to lick his chops, showing off an impressive array of teeth. Some over an inch long. Yeesh, that could take a chunk out of anyone, perfect as a guard dog. He intimidated me of all people, so I didn't blame Taylor.

"Nope, or I hope not. I'm keeping his leash on until I know."

"Okay, good!" Taylor let me into the house.

I shook my head in exasperation. Taylor continued to be absolutely adorable with how protective she was of Annette; just wait for the news about the baby and marriage. Would she support Annette or want to burn the world down? The suspense was killing me.

She spun around, glaring at me. "What's so funny?"

Dog jerked to a stop, flinching away from a girl weighing a hundred pounds soaking wet. "Nothing."

"Liar!" She shoved both hands on her hips, glaring up at me while still refusing to let me past her.

"Taylor! Let Will in!" Annette yelled.

"I'm watching you." Taylor made one last gesture before slinking into the house.

I raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with my dog, who looked just as confused. "After you."

"Bork." He didn't move.

"Coward."

"Bork."

Instead of dumping all the attention on the dog, he followed me in, hot on my tail. He waited ever so patiently for me to put my shoes on the rack and the bag by the side of the hallway, making sure to always stay behind my legs, peaking through at Taylor while sniffing. Was that why he got captured? He was just a big coward? I sighed, already too late, because I went and got attached to him. My plans fell apart like they always did.

The heavy smell of beef filled the house, along with a pleasant mix of others. Why Annette insisted on cooking dinner every night when pregnant, I didn't know, but I wouldn't bother arguing with her. She always won through pure stubbornness.

Taylor glared at me over the book she read on the couch, before sticking out her tongue and burying her face in the pages. Something was bothering her, and I had no idea what it was. If I could wrap my head around what she was thinking, then she might blame me for Annette packing. Yeah, that was it.

At the edge of the kitchen, I spotted a dropped piece of raw beef on the ground and a plate on the edge of the table. So did the dog, but somehow he didn't pull at the leash once while I waited at the invisible wall that separated the living room and the kitchen/dining room.

Though, Dog flinched upon spotting Annette, taking another hefty sniff and freezing.

Annette watched behind her glasses with crossed arms and a tapping foot, examining the dog's behavior from the side. She walked right past him and picked up the piece of meat, waving it around before going to the trash can. He whined, looking up at me and then at Annette, thumping his tail.

"Fine. You win," Annette conceded.

"I told you he's trained." Internally, I was quite proud of the dog's restraint, but that might be because of how much I spoiled him with homemade food and gourmet steak. If this was just last night, he would've been on the food, as any starving dog would've.

The dog snatched the strip of raw meat from the air and munched on it. Annette washed her hands and went back to cooking. "I have some rules."

"Lay them out."

"He can go on the couch, but that's it. No bed, no recliners. If you expect me or Taylor to walk that beast, you better have a damn good reason. He is not allowed in the kitchen while I'm cooking, period."

"I suppose I can live without him sleeping on the bed as long as I have you to snuggle."

"Did you just compare me to a dog?"

"Depends how bitchy you feel." A grin spread across my face.

Annette whirled around, pointing a gravy-laden spoon at me, her mouth twitching upward while she tried to keep it in a scowl. "You're going to accept your punishment like a man."

"Promise?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

"COULD YOU PLEASE STOP FLIRTING?" Taylor screamed.

I turned to look at her increasingly red face; she had failed to hide behind her book. "I suppose. Would you be okay watching the dog?" I had something else to talk to Annette about regarding another stray. Say what I would, teenage girls were not a known problem to me, and if I got involved at all in Sophia's life, Annette would know. I think I would just tell her about my job at this point.

"Yes. Fine. Whatever. Just stop flirting with Mom!"

I gave Dog a light pat on the head. "Be good."

The dog whined at me, wagging its tail. "Bork." Then he walked over to Taylor while dragging his leash on the carpet, sniffing at her knees with her feet tucked under her. She reached out a hesitant hand and scratched his head.

Good.

"Don't you dare touch anything until you wash your hands," Annette said without looking.

"Yes, Ma'am!" I turned on the sink, working away the nonexistent germs, as the dog was just washed and cleaned that morning. "You need to tell her."

Annette froze, clanking the spoon on the edge of the wide metal pan. "Tell her what?"

"Take a pick."

"It's too early." Annette jumped straight to the pregnancy.

"Pray tell, what's your reasoning about getting married and moving, then?" Those were some big changes, all because of one thing, and both were happening long before she gave birth. It was disrespectful to even pretend Taylor would buy the shit Annette was selling.

"It will be fine."

"Annette…"

"Taylor is my daughter. I know what's good for her." A touch of hysteria broke the stern tone.

I gave her the most disappointed look I could muster. This had nothing to do with Taylor's feelings and more with Annette being afraid of what her daughter would think of her. "Two months, and she's going to be my daughter, too."

"Step-daughter." That was probably the most hurtful thing Annette had ever said to me. As if she didn't extract a promise to treat Taylor like my own should anything happen and not to discard her for the coming baby.

Pure stubbornness mixed with irrationality. Maybe the seriousness of the pregnancy and how fast our relationship moved finally hit her. I took in her pale skin and the shaking hands clamped around the spoon before shelving the topic for a later date.

A flash of guilt passed over Annette's face before she turned away from me without apologizing. I nodded and left the kitchen without another word, instead stopping at the partition of the rooms to watch the unnamed dog and Taylor.

The scene was a touch concerning, with an occasional limb flailing under the dog's bulk while he lay on the couch, utterly relaxed, the squished Taylor not so much. I could hear muffled yelling from below, loud enough that I would've heard from the kitchen, so this was a new situation. Her book lay sprawled out on the floor, pages crinkled in awkward positions—not something she would willingly do. The impulse to yell at him quickly passed as he did nothing more aggressive than lay there.

I whistled, and he perked up, freeing her head.

"Get off me, you stupid mutt!" Taylor pushed against him and failed to budge him at all. In fact, he turned and leaned into her hands, like he thought she was giving him scratches. Annnnnd there's the lick with a foot-long pink tongue covered in drool. "EW!"

I really needed a name for him. "You okay, Taylor?"

"Your dog just fell over and almost killed me! I'm not okay!"

He cocked his head at Taylor and rolled his eyes before slinking off the couch and stretching for a half-step before collapsing. A sprawled-out mass of pitch-black fur covered a good portion of the living room floor. A far cry from the him of yesterday.

Taylor wiped at her face with her sleeves, focusing around her glasses instead of the large patch of drool going from her chin to her nose. That wasn't drool she was removing, but tears.

Oh. She heard us, and Dog comforted her through smothering. Definitely well-trained if misguided.

I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall, watching the dog lay there. Taylor sent some glances at me until she hid herself away in her hoodie.

Calmer, now, there was still Sophia I had to talk to Annette about, but maybe I could phrase it to let her see Taylor as someone besides just her daughter. Even with dinner a way off, I went about setting the table, this time not fumbling, having remembered where all the dishes were. Once done, I leaned against the fridge with crossed arms and waited for Annette to acknowledge me, which she stalwartly didn't, relentlessly stirring the stew.

"There's this teenager. Smart in a street way, but aggressive. Horrible home situation with a negligent mother and her abusive boyfriend. She's lashing out at anyone she sees as an acceptable target, projecting her helplessness on others, and refusing to help unless they help themselves first. She's going to get killed or ruin someone's life if nothing changes."

Annette paused her stirring, furling her eyebrows together. "Why do you care? There are hundreds of other teenagers in similar spots in Brockton alone. Do you plan on helping them all?"

That was remarkably cold of her. "But why shouldn't I try? That dog would've been put down without a second thought, and now look at him. I might only be able to help one person at a time, but a hundred people doing the same could change the city. I'd rather try to bail out the ocean than give up and drown. So, how do you think I should help?" A bit of a lie mixed with the truth. Selfish mixed with selflessness. What did the motivation matter compared to the end results?

"You say she's hardheaded?"

I nodded.

"Then all you can really do is give her choices. Trying to force anything will only make you an enemy. Teenagers always think they know best—reality plays no part. Be stern, lay out the options, and tell the truth." Annette went into lecture mode, telling me much of what I had already considered, but it was good to have a second opinion.

Yet my goal of making her see what she was doing with Taylor through a different lens failed. She even hit the issue on the head, but didn't acknowledge it. Oh, well, I tried, and just as she said, forcing the issue with someone hard-headed would only make me her enemy. Though I made sure to give her a look of disbelief, which she ignored again.






After a tense dinner, I sat on the living room floor with Dog sprawled all over me, lapping up the attention I was giving him. Annette took the chair behind me, sitting with her legs folded up under her. Then there was Taylor, the living embodiment of awkwardness, doing her best to find anything else to pay attention to besides us while not being able to stick her head in a book in ignorance.

"Taylor, I–we, have some news," Annette said.

I kept my mouth closed and my eyes down to keep the pressure off Taylor and let Annette dig her own hole. Only if things escalated would I step in.

"I proposed to William, and he said yes. We're getting married at the end of September. We talked and decided to move to a new house closer to downtown and Arcadia."

Wow, Annette just hit her with it all at once. I kept my head down, scratching Dog under his jaw.

"M-Mom! Y-your just throwing everything away! What about D-dad, Danny? You- he- just-" And the dam broke.

I sighed. Yup, as expected.

"I'm not throwing Danny away, but I'm moving on." That was the exact wrong thing to say, Annette.

"It's only been a year!"

"I'm healing." Foot met mouth.

"You're covering up! You've only known him for a few months! You don't even know what his job is. Will, you're not an analyst, are you?" Taylor directed her fury at me.

"Nope, I'm a PRT agent," I admitted. It was going to get out regardless, and I couldn't care less about toeing the line of revealing my job only to close family.

"You've killed people." Taylor accused me as if she knew what my job was already.

"I have," I answered, even to Annette's vocal displeasure.

"Mom, you're marrying a killer! Why? Why so quick?"

"I- I felt it was time."

"Liar."

"Taylor. I'm old-"

"Liar!"

"There's on-"

"LIAR!"

Fingernails dug into my scalp, and Dog whined pitifully. I glanced up at Taylor, noting the tears streaming down her face, standing up with balled fists by her side. She shook in anger with a beet-red face about to explode. "Taylor. Annette's pregnant."

"William McBride!" Fingers yanked at my ear from behind, which I ignored.

Taylor collapsed onto the couch, the wind gone from her sails, and Dog padded over, nuzzling up to her.

"I told you not to say anything!" Annette no longer tried to remain calm, and her voice said more than even looking at her would tell me. A calculated decision on who would be the most likely to forgive and move past the betrayal of trust. There was no winning, only losing less.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

"She's worried about her age. If she loses the baby, she doesn't want to worry you." I pushed myself up and out of Annette's frantic grip. If this went any other way, it would only drive a wedge between the two and maybe forever ruin my relationship with Taylor.

"Mom?" Taylor asked, to no answer.

I grabbed the bag I left by the front door and handed it to Taylor. "Happy belated birthday."

Taylor took the distraction with frantic need, tearing past the tissue paper and pulling out a gray hoodie covered in glowing blue lines. A sharpie-signed signature of Battery went across the upper right breast. Inside the bag was every last merch item Kelly had—all signed, too. She peeked inside the bag before closing it up.

"I, uh, need to think," Taylor said, then looked to Dog leaning against her legs. "Come… Mack." Vicious glee danced in her eyes until she saw my lack of reaction to her naming my dog. Then took off for the stairs, stomping the entire way with Mack plodding along.

"Taylor! We're not-"

"Annette." I interrupted her, and she directed all her fury and confusion at me.

Taylor slammed her bedroom door shut.

"You planned this from the start." An accurate accusation, but just one plan of a few I had.

"I did. Trying to force anything will only make you an enemy. Teenagers always think they know best—reality plays no part. Be stern, lay out the options, and tell the truth." I parroted back at her, word for word.

Annette's eye twitched. "See yourself out." She stood and went upstairs before slamming her bedroom door shut.

I shook my head, mother-like-daughter. This was going to be fun to clean up. At least I kept my streak of all plans crashing and burning.
 
Well... it could always have gone worse? The house is still standing and there are no dog bites, at least.

Also I see Taylor has (by proxy) acquired a Good Dog. This is pleasing.
 
Chapter 12
Chapter 12

For how long I'd been here, I still wasn't sure if I could train to be stronger or if I even needed to. The PRTHQ lacked the equipment necessary to push myself, so I went months without and suffered no issues. With access to the Protectorate HQ and cape facilities, I obviously took advantage of such, but I hadn't noticed an appreciable difference. Pushing myself to 100% exertion felt lacking. Even when joints popped and muscles strained, I gained nothing.

The concept of being at my absolute peak annoyed me more than it should. Not even being three to six times stronger than the strongest human soothed my discontent. I sighed and lowered the five-hundred-pound dumbbells to the floor after doing seated shoulder presses. "Any questions?"

Kelly sat at a table we hauled into the gym, hunched over an old textbook. As this was a 'public' area, she had on her mask. "No. There's just a lot of stuff to memorize. I never considered proper crime scene etiquette. Do we even deal with that?"

"As a field agent, no. But knowing what to do to avoid disturbing them can make their job much easier. Who knows, you might want to retire from field work and take a detective job."

"I suppose. Do you think I'd be allowed to retire?"

A fair question, and if things went as expected without my shift, no, because we'd all be dead long before then. I actually haven't heard of a cape retiring outside, being maimed, or some other traumatic event. They almost always died long before they would, and powers only being around for thirty years at this point, leaving the average age well below retirement.

Kelly duly noted my silence. "I thought not."

"Squad 42, report to the emergency-ready room!"

I exchanged a glance with her and pushed myself up. "Looks like duty calls."



Kelly sat opposite me, squirming in her seat closest to the door. Holding the shield tight and cradled on her lap, awaiting deployment. Joining us was a motley crew of four different members from different squads each, for backup and scene containment. They weren't there to be in the thick of it, as all of them had assorted injuries, putting them on light duty, but the Empire throwing a fit strained the PRT to its limits.

At a generous estimate, Empire membership hovered around 5k in a city of 300k. Not all real gangbangers who acted as such full-time but who directly supported the cause and attended rallies. And, well, chaos breeds chaos. The more the different factions fought and threw around money, the more people indulged in it.

When a percent of the population went into rebellion, what the hell were the authorities supposed to do? There'd been talks about declaring martial law and bringing in the national guard, but fuck, Purity, Hookwolf, or any other major cape would roll through them, causing mass casualties.

Until things went bad enough to call in airstrikes, it was left to the PRT and police.

"Everyone clear on the engagement?" I asked through the comms.

A series of affirmatives sounded off.

"ETA?" I asked the driver. The blaring sirens and the roaring engine made small talk impossible.

"Ten seconds."

I spun around and presented my back to Kelly. She grabbed the two handholds protruding out until she hung off me. To match me, she had one located in the dead center of her chest, fuzed with the suit of body armor, now custom fit for her tiny frame of 5'4". The key was that her power required her to remain still to charge it, being limited to slight movements, but that was only limited to her. If I picked her up, she could charge while I ran around.

…or if I threw her. I called it a tactical redeployment.

The brakes on the van screamed, signaling our arrival. I ripped open the back doors, taking in the scene. Two in the afternoon, five miles off downtown to the south of the city, bordering on the urban sprawl. A simple two-lane road without the buildings being packed together like sardines and even plenty of vegetation. Police blocked off the road, stopping people from driving by a couple thousand feet down each road, so there were no bystanders to worry about.

And the source of the issue was one of the remaining gun stores in Brockton. A store Hookwolf had ripped the front off while grunts raided the place. I pocketed my pistol and charged. Neither rifle nor pistol would affect him, and without civilians in danger, I was given a not-so-subtle warning of no killing this time.

Hookwolf stared me down with his metal wolf mask and shirtless torso, both of which I found rather lacking. Mack was a damn sight more scary than that mask, and if I wanted to see real muscles, I just had to find a mirror.

"Charged," Kelly announced.

I pivoted, reaching back and grabbing the handle on Kelly's chest, and aimed at the open front of the store. Brace, twist, and launch, I sent Kelly flying through the air, leaving me to stare down the notorious killer.

"And look who it fucking is! McBride himself!" Hookwolf swung his arms wide, not giving the grunts a second look. "I've seen your work. Glorious! Come, I swear to only gut you after my victory."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. He knew my name. The Empire knew who I was. Shit.

This wasn't the time, not now. There was nothing I could do. It was already too late. I just had to get through this fight and start damage control. Hookwolf loved to fight, and this was an invitation to fight without his powers, but that would only last until I started winning. Either way, it would leave me within striking distance of him. Would the added distraction help?

Kelly touched down, blazing blue, and vanished with how fast she moved, barreling into the grunts within the store. It should take her a dozen seconds to disarm them, so no, there was no benefit to giving into Hookwolf's offer.

I snaked a hand around my back and pulled free a containment foam grenade, activated it with a twist, and set it for a second detonation. A part of me wanted to banter, but that would further tie me into the identity he had already labeled me as.

Seconds passed while we stared each other down. Kelly blazed through the grunts, and I awaited her signal of losing the charge she had built.

Hookwolf approached, arms still held wide, with a cocky swagger reaching his steps. That man had more pride and ego than Armsmaster. There existed no chance in his head that he would lose to me and Kelly. Something I strived to prove wrong.

Screaming came from the store, with a single gunshot going off.

"Everyone's disarmed—charging," Kelly reported.

That gave me ten seconds before she was ready to fight Hookwolf. "Aren't you worried about your crew?" I eventually asked, keeping my voice low and almost raspy.

Hookwolf laughed, "Those fucks? Nah. If they were worth anything, they would've taken that bitch out."

Fuck'm. He insulted Kelly. My internal clock ticked past the charge mark for her, and I still had a primed grenade in my hand. So far, I had never looked away from Hookwolf, so when I suddenly snapped my head to the left at the gun store, he followed me.

Honor was only for the honorable. I pitched the grenade straight at him, with it popping halfway in a shower of foam.

Only that the spray of liquid foam met a churning wall of metal. Nowhere near enough to lock him down, giving him plenty of leverage to turn into a blender, shredding the foam bit by bit.

Kelly slammed into Hookwolf shield first, launching his slightly larger and metal body down the street with a mighty clang. She gave me a cheeky wave before pausing to charge again, always staying topped off.

Now it was my time to take a crack at the grunts. She didn't have time to restrain them, but she did enough to leave the bunch of idiots without guns. If they didn't have guns, they weren't a threat to me. "Follow me in and get ready to extract."

The stand-ins to Squad 42 carried containment foam projectors, mostly for if things went tits-up. Hose everything down and retreat, but as Hookwolf demonstrated, it wasn't a one-stop solution to every problem. People were nuts, and the foam took time to settle. Everyone knew once the foam was on them, that was it, but some acted like animals backed into a corner and went insane.

"Get back here, you coward!"

I ignored the raging monster of metal and stormed through the broken front of the shop. Metal safety blinds laid torn across the floor with shattered glass. Inside, the eleven grunts hammered away at a locked display, trying to remove the rifles within. Some cradled broken fingers and wrists. Three, two larger muscle heads in assorted Empire wear and one lanky guy with long black hair turned to face me. "Surrender!"

"One on eleven? Surrender? Ha!" The guy slapped the lanky one. "Come, Jack, let's show him what the Empire is made of."

"I fucking told you to stop saying my name on the job!" He pulled a knife from the back of his pants and stabbed it at the middle guy, who jumped away.

"God dammit, Jack!" The second muscle head rounded on him, wrestling away the knife, while the other took the moment to line up a punch.

I was at a loss. Compared to the usual Empire competence, this landed exactly at the civilian level. No wonder Hookwolf didn't give two shits about them. They must be calling up everyone. I rolled my shoulders and dove into the scuffle before someone got stabbed. No doubt if they died, even by friendly fire, I'd get chewed out.

All it took was a couple of punches, a kick, and maybe a little light slapping, but all eleven lay groaning on the floor after a brief fight. Humiliated with their pride broken.

Two support agents rushed in, going from one to the next, zipping hands and feet together. I rushed out to support Kelly in her ongoing fight. Horrendous bangs mixed with metal scraping on concrete drowned out everything else. The remaining agents flanked me, holding their foam projectors towards the battling capes.

Hookwolf swelled up larger than a truck, a mass of undulating blades that emerged before submerging into the core, only to be replaced by another. Churning, ripping, and scraping away everything touching, be it rock or metal. Kelly faced him, her shield remaining compact and intact, but the decals didn't last under the onslaught. Whatever the alloy Armsmaster used, it was enough to withstand Hookwolf's churning blades.

I pulled a second grenade from my utility belt and primed it. Only for the sad fact that Hookwolf was a skilled and highly experienced combatant. What appeared as a whirling ball of chaos to the untrained eye were instead calculated maneuvers Kelly played into with her inexperience. He kept her positioned between the PRT forces and him while retreating a couple of feet at a time.

"On me. Incoming Battery." The two agents jogged at my side while swinging wide of the fight. The two capes battled on the left side of the road, and we jogged along the right sidewalk. Chunks of road and other debris rained down, enough so that an unarmored person would end up injured.

Kelly launched herself away, putting some distance between her and Hookwolf, and the blue lines on her increased in intensity.

Instead of reengaging to stop her from charging, Hookwolf shifted into a lupine metal beast. "Fucking cowards! I'll get my fight, McBride!"

He twisted and launched himself through the shop behind him, collapsing it in his wake. At least we knew it was evacuated. Everything around the fight was. Only idiots remained near Hookwolf with his perspicacity for killing.

"Hold!" I shouted before Kelly rushed off in pursuit.

"We can get him!"

"But at what cost?" Hookwolf ensured everyone knew his tactics. When he fled the battle, if anyone pursued him, he caused as much collateral damage as possible. People, buildings, or anything that he saw, he would destroy. I wanted to capture him too for knowing who I was, but if Hookwolf knew, the Empire knew. Something I would think about later and what I needed to do.

"Arg!" Kelly stomped her foot, cracking the tarmac below her.

Her ambition and dedication made her an excellent student, but it came at a cost whenever she felt like she failed. Something that needed to be tempered, lest she get goaded by enterprising individuals.

"Henry, Hookwold fled the field. Eleven Empire grunts, captured. Waiting on scene until support personnel arrive."

"Copy. Any specialized services required?"


Aka, did they need someone to scrape bodies off the ground and clean up the leftover mess? "No KIA, fire services are required to check over two demolished buildings."

"Good work, McBride."


The police quickly filled in, taking the detained grunts away and fleeing the scene. Reprisals were far too common to stick around.



Back at the Protectorate HQ out on the Bay, I finished up my AAR and the personal information obstruction form. All it would do was keep any public record of mine sealed unless a sealed warrant signed by the PRTENE director or higher authority allowed it to be accessed. It was a huge pain regarding credit and loans, or anything that required a certified history, but it would keep all information about me sealed tight.

That meant marriage certificates, car ownership, and titles. Everything that could and would lead the Empire to Taylor and Annette. Not to say it was impossible to track me down, but it made the job far more difficult and hopefully gave me a heads-up before they launched an attack.

I was still absolutely pissed that they even knew who I was. The only hope was that they didn't know my appearance, only that I was an agent on Squad 42 with Battery, so that if Battery was on the field with a large agent, they knew it was me. A faint hope, but it was all I had.

But that meant someone was leaking information from the PRT. I had a suspicion about who, but I hadn't seen that fuck Calvert around after I mentally promised to cuff him the next time I saw him. I wasn't sure what my response would be now, but it would be a hell of a lot more than a light cuff.

I left the temporary room assigned to me, leaving all my gear behind. That was my second set, having my other at PRTHQ downtown, but bouncing around both locations and being on call necessitated two different sets.

"But Puppy, we had a deal." An annoying whiny voice complained.

"A deal? You blackmailed me! What self-respecting hero would say no to taking a villain off the streets? How could I've said no to Legend?" Kelly's voice progressively got louder and more indignant.

I scowled and stepped around the corner, coming face-to-face with Kelly and Assault, the flamboyant idiot in his pure red suit. So far, I remained undecided on whether he was just a pain in the ass or an active creep. "Battery, all finished?"

She spun to me, her frown replaced with a smile. "Yes, Sir. I finished the AAR and returned my equipment for repairs."

"So this is him? The guy you replaced me with?"

Kelly scoffed. "As if there's a comparison."

"I knew it, Pu-"

"You're trash compared to Sergeant McBride," Kelly spat out.

Assault stumbled back, his hand clasped over his heart. "Puppy." Though his eyes locked onto me,. "I have an agreement with dear old Battery and Legend about being on her team. It'd be a shame if that came up during my next check-in."

"Okay, you can join my team, then." I offered.

"Will!" Kelly instantly reacted, shocked.

"But you will be under my command." And now the ball was in his court. The thing stopping him would be his pride and knowing I had authority over him, not that anyone was renegading on his agreement. If he agreed and I determined he acted inappropriately, then I could also sanction him.

That shut him up, but I saw the calculations taking place behind his eyes. Would he push the matter?

"Will, let's go," Kelly said.

"Puppy, isn't your shift over? I didn't know you had an apartment off-base," Assault said.

"I don't. I just don't want to be here right now." Kelly spun on her heel and stalked away.

I shrugged at Assault, keeping my mirth carefully contained. While confident in many ways, Kelly tolerated a little too much, so seeing her yank the rug out from under Assault and then disengage made me proud.

Around the next bend, Kelly waited for me, out of sight of Assault. She fell in step while heading to the motor pool. Being an old oil rig, there wasn't room for personnel vehicles, so I—we—needed a ride back to the parking lot on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

"Are you doing anything later?" Kelly asked and then stumbled over herself. "Not a date. That's not what I meant. Like hanging out or going to eat... I'm really not helping."

"What's next, seeing a movie?" I asked, and the blush extended down her visible cheeks.

"Shut up."

"Wait until we're in my car; I'd rather not have people overhear," I said, still thinking of the leak. Sometimes, I really hated this world and how anyone remotely powerful or important could face the many villains that exist. Mentally stable, they were not—equipped with powers to do anything, up to violating the sanctity of the mind.

What could happen to Taylor and Annette while outside my reach was limitless, and I brought them under the spotlight of the Empire. I should've kept my head down and just been a normal agent. If this had happened before I met Annette, I wouldn't have ever gone so far and worked from the shadows, but it was too late for that. Far too late.

Behind Kelly's back, I flipped off a duo of agents manning the door while they made kissing motions at each other. The rumors were getting a bit out of hand. Though she was another angle someone could use against me, she could hold her own against most threats. I was worried about Cauldron and other non-direct attacks or manipulations.

Besides more awkward small talk while avoiding any identifying details, the trip back went in silence. But the moment I closed my car door and Kelly stripped off her mask, I sighed and collapsed in my seat. Weakness wasn't something I could show, ever, but I felt I could trust her. I already did with my life.

"Something's eating at you."

"You heard how Hookwolf called me out."

"Yeah, that bastard! The unwritten rules should work both ways!" Kelly said, anger coloring her tone.

"No one cares about those rules, but that's only the start of it. I tried to get Annette to tell Taylor that we're having a child, and that's why the sudden move and marriage," I started, unlatching the armrest and taking out my gold band to slip onto my ring finger. "She was heavily against it."

Deep breath, in and out. I put the SUV in gear and pulled out into traffic. That happened last Saturday, and four days later, things still hadn't settled between Annette and me.

"They blew up on each other with neither Taylor nor Annette willing to back down, so I threw it out there. At least Taylor seems to accept me now." And another sigh that almost seemed like a default state at this point.

"I'm so… sorry?" Kelly tried.

"Still don't like her, do you?"

"She insulted and threatened me the first time we met! Taylor's cute, though, but she definitely inherited her mother's tongue." She ran a hand through her cropped hair, gazing out the window at the city on edge.

"Well, that's where I'm going. Taylor seized watch duty for Mack during the day, so I have to pick him up, take him for a run, and then it's back to my place to pack. Are you sure you want to come along?" I asked. If Annette came out to meet me, she wouldn't spare any tact for Kelly.

She laughed, but it lacked humor. "And where would I go? I don't have any friends here, and I'm certainly not staying on base with Assault hanging around. Not that I have time to make any."

"You know, once I move out, I still have six months on my lease. If you're willing to take the risk of the Empire attacking you, it's yours."

Those puppy dog eyes had no right being on someone so deadly. "Really?"

"Sure."

"You have no idea how hard it is to find an apartment that's not falling apart. You'd think that the PRT would help, but nooooo. Blah, blah, blah, on-base apartments are free. They just want us to be there if they need to call us in, but it's like I never leave work. Always there, always needing to be in costume, and the damn clown is always hovering around! Ugh! Thank you, Will, really, thank you!" Kelly said, leaving her staring at me.

"It's nothing." That passionate speech over something in my interest left me feeling slightly awkward and guilty. If she took over the rent, I wouldn't have to pay it or the fine for breaking the lease. Not that I would say as much and ruin her mood. "If you need to get off base, you can have the couch whenever you want." I offered regardless of the talk that would happen behind our backs, but that was already happening.

"What about Annette?"

"You said she threatened you into watching my back. Wouldn't this just be following her orders?"

"For how big you are, you're kinda sneaky."

If only you knew, Kelly, how much my sneaky plans exploded in my face, you wouldn't think so highly of me.

On the way to the Hebert house, I stopped at a flower place on the boardwalk and bought a single red rose. This was just one stop in a big circle to lose any followers.

"Are you sucking up to her?" Kelly asked, holding the flower before her, spinning it around. "You weren't wrong if you told me the truth."

"But I'm not saying I was, as I still can't think of a better way out, but I did break her trust, so that's what I'm apologizing for."

"You're too good for her."

I shrugged. "I made my bed, and now I'm laying in it." It was our first fight, and it was about a serious matter Annette felt was hers to deal with. Throwing everything away and splitting with a child on the way felt incredibly foolish. I wasn't that proud or had such a fragile ego to burn everything down and make life worse for everyone. What was one slight against the wellbeing of three people?

If it were just Annette and me, I would've pushed back far harder, but it wasn't. I still had this hope of completing my initial plan of training Taylor into the god killer Earth Bet needed, yet it felt so cruel to condemn her to that horrible life. Approaching Cauldron was looking better by the week, even if I wholly disagreed with their operational modus.

"Way too good for her."

And there came the guilt again. I didn't feel like I was good enough for anyone. Not now with how the Empire was coming after me and they were caught in the crossfire.

After that, Kelly put on the radio, doing well to stay clear of any reporting on the current state of Brockton. Sensationalism and pessimistic rhetoric on the PRT's actions reached an all-time high, and if it was my guess, the Empire was pulling strings to keep the public's attention elsewhere while they vied for control. Would they split into factions, or would they consolidate after one person took command?

Deep down, I prayed the Gesellschaft stayed well away and didn't turn the Empire into an offshoot. Knowing my luck, Brockton would turn into a war zone as they expanded into the states.

Then there was the Teeth. I'd rather not have to deal with them, ever. The shit they pulled made the Empire look tame. Only the Butcher kept them from being hunted down by both villains and the PRT alike. This was shaping up like the Boston games all over again.

I pulled into the driveway, taking the rose from Kelly. "Staying in here?" I asked.

She mulled over the question. "That'd just make me look guilty. It's better to have everything out in the open."

Ah, she was learning. I was so proud. "Don't be frightened, but Mack is... a little on the bigger side and a tiny bit scary."

Kelly snorted, "I just fought Hookwolf. What's a dog?"

I reached out to knock, but the door swung open before I could. Taylor stood there, wearing her signed Battery hoodie, staring at me. "I'm here to pick up Mack."

Taylor leaned to the side, staring at Kelly. "What's she doing here?"

It was at that moment that Mack peeked around Taylor, his massive black head at about chest level for her, joining in with the staring.

Kelly squeaked and used my arm to throw herself behind my back. "That's not a damn dog!"

I met Taylor's eyes and matched her forming grin. "Don't hurt his feelings, Kelly. He's a good boy."

Taylor hugged Mack's neck, burning her face into his short black fur. He took that moment to yawn, showing off a set of teeth and a mouth large enough to encircle anyone's neck. "Aren't you a good boy? Yes, you are!"

Thwack, thwack, thwack. Mack's tail banged against the wall around the corner of the entry hall.

"Will, what is that thing? Where did you find it? Will!" Kelly yanked on the back of my jacket, and for a moment, I was worried she was going to out herself and start charging her power.

"It's fine. He's a perfectly safe dog."

"Not a DOG! And why do you sound so suspicious?" Kelly jabbed me in the back with a finger.

"Is Annette in, Taylor?" I asked while ignoring Kelly.

"Yup. She's in her room." Taylor said it with crossed arms and a scowl.

If Annette was still angry at me, Taylor was pissed at her. I pulled the rose out from around my back. "I'm going to go see her, and then I'll be off." I ignored the twitching in Taylor's eyes and stepped around her to head upstairs.

"Haha, uh, good boy, Mack?" Kelly stammered.

"Get her, Mack!" Taylor called out the attack.

"Bork!"

Bang! "AHhh! Keep him away!" Kelly ran away from Mack, flying through the living room and into the kitchen with him right at her heels.

Taylor's cackling laughter echoed throughout the house. I shook my head at the little troll.
"Will! Save me, Will!"

"It's only you, me, and Mack now!" Taylor cackled, and her far smaller feet thumped after Mack and Kelly.

"Bork!"

"Taylor, please, I'll do anything!"

"Anything?"

Kelly laughed awkwardly. "Can I take that back?"

"Mack?"

"Bork!"

"Fine! Fine! What do you want?"

"Give me your hand."

They'd be fine. I rapped my knuckles on Annette's door.

"Come in, Will." I heard the sigh through the door, but she let me in today, unlike the last few times I stopped by.

Inside, she sat at her desk, hunching over a stack of notebooks with towers of books arrayed around her. A buzzing laptop displayed a half-written document. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm preparing my syllabus for whoever takes my job. Mostly copying and organizing my course work from my years of teaching. It's tedious, but the facility requires it if I want to keep my tenure with how sudden my resignation was," Annette explained, a little cool but without a bite.

The fact she was still doing so said far more than just her current actions. She still planned on marrying me and moving into a house together. That the kid was still on the table and not planning on an abortion, even if it would unfuck everything.

I pulled the rose out from behind my back. "Sorry for betraying your trust, Annette."

Annette stared at the pink rose, unmoving. Then she sighed, holding out a hand for the rose. "Apology accepted. Perhaps I was too harsh on you and a little patronizing to Taylor." She stood, brushing out the wrinkles in her blouse and knee-length skirt. The rose ended up in a glass of water, and she grabbed hold of both my hands with hers.

I cocked an eyebrow, looking expectantly at her.

At least she had the humility to blush. "I'm… sorry. Are you staying for dinner? Maybe longer?"

"Oh?" I asked, and a forming smile tugged at my cheeks.

"I've grown used to the company." Annette held her nose high.

"...at night?" I finished for her, and her growing blush confirmed it. "Anyway, Kelly's downstairs with Taylor and Mack. They seem to be getting along well, but I offered her my couch to spend the night on. So I still need to drop her off before coming back."

Annette hummed, searching my face for something. "Doesn't she have a place to stay or family?"

"She lives on base, and there's someone there she'd rather avoid."

A moment of realization dawned on Annette. "And you took her under your wing. As expected of you, Will. I'd offer her to stay here, but we have even less room than you do."

"That's why I'm going to let her take over my lease."

"...you could stay with me until we purchase the new house."

"Do you think the bed could take me?" I eyed the queen mattress, far smaller than my king, and the wooden frame didn't give me high hopes for it lasting through any sudden movements.

She laughed. "It doesn't need to last long. I still need to finish up, so why don't you get everything sorted downstairs? Don't forget to offer Kelly to stay for dinner… once I figure out what we're having." She mumbled the last part to herself.

I wrapped her in a tight hug, resting my chin on her head. "I'm glad we got over it."

"Me too, Will, me too."

Then came the discussion of the Empire, knowing about my identity. Surprisingly, Annette wasn't exactly shocked by the turn of events and appreciated having Mack around a bit more. She trusted me to handle it, and I felt the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders. So much to do—so much to plan. Contingencies and active obscuration. The SUV had to go.

I left her to finish up her work while deep in thought to find out what the three were up to downstairs. Only to see Kelly sitting on the couch with Mack staring at her by her side, his face inches away from hers. Taylor paced around the living room with one hand on her jaw.

Kelly sent me pleading eyes, and I shook my head, welcoming the distraction. What a show Taylor was putting on!

"What is your relationship with Will?" Taylor asked.

"He is my leader and teacher."

"Hm. That's not everything."

Kelly tried to laugh it off, but it came out extremely forced. "That's everything happening between us."

"Better."

Taylor didn't need to have a power to be intimidating—she just was. I think giving her Mack maybe wasn't the best idea. Was her grilling everyone about their intentions a normal thing for her or a recent one?

"Taylor."

"Will." She didn't look up from her pacing, besides sending scathing looks at Kelly.

I made the executive decision that Kelly was having dinner with us because watching the two was far too amusing. And adorable.

Taylor took a break from Kelly to glare at me and then returned to intimidating the poor woman.

"We're staying for dinner-"

"Will, nooooo," Kelly whined.

"So I'm taking Mack for his run. I'll be back in half an hour. Enjoy!" Okay, maybe I was a bit sadistic at times.

"I'm coming with youuuuu!" Kelly leapt to her feet and dove for me.

Taylor clasped her hands together and looked up at me with her big, brown-doe eyes, blinking rapidly. "Can I pleeeease come with you?"

"Sure, but you have to ask your mother first." Internally, I celebrated, as this would be a good start to getting Taylor into shape. But I didn't expect her to hug my chest; her head didn't reach past my ribcage. I ran a hand down her curly hair and melted, officially shelving my plans to train Taylor forever.

"Mhm, thank you, Will!" Taylor's head turned toward Kelly, and I swore I saw the flash of a pink tongue.

Kelly had this look of being affronted—a deep frown—while she glared at Taylor in turn. A shaky finger jabbed at her.

Of course, Mack decided he needed to join in, coming down from the couch before jumping at me, sending himself flying. "Bork!"

I slid Taylor out of the way as I caught the Macktastic missile, cradling the hundred and seventy-pound dog like a baby. He looked far too pleased with himself, with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. Though not without scrutiny from Taylor.
 
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Mack is just amazing, and probably the best thing Will could have done for Taylor. Nothing like some fur therapy to settle an emotional tempest, and going walkies is also a convenient excuse for her to get out of the house when she wants some alone time (even if her power makes that less effective than for a normal teen trying to escape parental flirting etc.) while still having an able protector on hand.
 
Chapter 13
Beta'd by Grim Tide


Chapter 13

(Taylor)

This was a surprisingly nice day, all things considered. The growing network of emotions connected Taylor to more people than she believed she would ever care about. There was Mom, a ball of complexity. Taylor struggled to make heads or tails of her on the best of days, but she knew Mom loved her and Will, and that was all that mattered.

Then there was Will, the PRT agent, who harbored some deep-seated guilt. He cared for her and loved her mom. Not enough to replace Dad, but she understood he was gone as much as it hurt. But beyond the guilt and caring, there was a burning anger that never went away. She didn't know what it was about or who it aimed at, but it flared at the strangest times for seemingly no reason.

Next was Kelly. A recent addition that came with Taylor's better understanding of her powers. All it took was a verbal agreement and an expectation of answering her, regardless of the severity or method by which she extracted it. Having someone younger connected to Taylor did let her understand the maturation of emotions. Will and Annette were relatively static at the base, with a large amount of complexity stemming from that. They knew roughly what was happening and had thought about such a thing before. Or so Taylor guessed.

Kelly snapped around, unsure, and came to sudden conclusions that lacked much emotional depth. It was very easy for Taylor to lead her around, stringing opportune words at the right moments. She'd never admit it, but it was fun messing with Kelly.

Then the last and most surprising addition threw her entire understanding of her power out the window: Mack. His emotions were rather simple and wholehearted compared to humans. He was just a dog, so it wasn't a surprise.

There was always the opportunity to push her power further with Mom and Will, but she really didn't want them to find out. She had this fear that Will would turn her into the PRT or that Mom would send her away to some cape camp, even though she looked and didn't find anything on the internet. The fear of losing Mom and a little for Will kept her from saying anything.

So Taylor pushed her power a little harder with Mack, and the bond increased. She called this level two, and the requirements seemed to revolve around trust. It gave her an insight into Mack's thoughts along with his emotions. That came with Mack being able to follow her will without saying anything. At that point, Taylor got really worried that she was an evil master, but she tried to have Mack stop eating the gourmet steak Will cooked for him (the stupid idiot spent more on Mack's food than her!), and Mack gave her a stink eye and kept eating.

That was relieving. So she pushed her power to bond three with Mack while she lay in bed, snuggling up to him. What Mom didn't know couldn't hurt her! And suddenly, she was scared again. Each of his senses was hers. Her orders were commands. And his motivation became hers. It wasn't one way as Mack reacted to stuff she thought about and saw. Just really confusing if she controlled him or if he understood why she was ordering him and went along with it. Was it because he was a dog, and that was why he followed her orders so easily?

Taylor tried doing the same thing with a bug she found without any luck. The stray cat also escaped her power. Why it worked on Mack and not the other animals was up to debate, but she believed it was because they didn't care to follow her instructions or agree with them.

Anyway, she followed Will down the boardwalk with Mack. Mom wasn't there, having to do some shopping on her own and more packing preparations. That's what she said, but Taylor knew better—something to do with knowing Mom's emotions. She wasn't that far off, maybe a mile or a little further, feeling pure worry and frustration. Not that Taylor forgave her for hiding that she was going to be a big sister! That she and Will were getting married or moving to a new home!

Grrr.

Taylor coughed into her hand, ashamed. That was the reason Mom didn't go shopping with them for her school supplies. Taylor was a little tiny bit snippy. She tried not to be, but sometimes her mouth moved before she could think.

Mack turned his head to the side, and Taylor's eyes widened, snapping to look at what he spotted. Enchanted Brews. Just what she needed! Who's a good boy? Yes, you are, Mack. Yes, you are!

"Will!"

"Yeah?"

Okay, now to play up the adorableness she hated. "Can we pleeeeeeease go there? It's Enchanted Brews, and the tea there is amazing!" She pointed at the extremely expensive tea shop Mom brought her to once on her birthday without Dad knowing. He always complained that a twenty-dollar cup of tea was robbery when they had tea at home. That wasn't how it worked, but he never understood.

Will shrugged his shoulders. There was not a hint of resistance against her weaponized adorableness.

"Aroo?" Mack asked, giving his most cute look at Will. Wide eyes shone in the afternoon sun and gleamed on silky, smooth fur.

"Yes, I'll ask if they have doggy biscuits." Will gave in once again.

Taylor held out her hand, and Mack slapped a paw on it. Was it strange that her best friend was a dog bigger than her? No. She'd slap whoever dared to mention it as such. Her power gave her an in-depth look at what a dog felt and thought—what Mack felt and thought. He was anything but a simple creature with his own wants and thoughts.

A quick yank on Mack's sense of smell enhanced hers enough to pick out the blends in stock. Ah, her mouth was watering.

Taylor grabbed the best spot on the outside patio, happy that they had one, as most places were a little weary of letting Mack in. He was such a sweet boy. How was anyone scared of him? He plopped his head on her lap, and she scratched behind his ear, finding the perfect spot through the connection, relishing the pure satisfaction of getting the perfect spot with her fingernails.

Ah. Taylor blushed, stopping herself from tapping her leg. Not that Mack had any such reservations. She avoided Will's eyes, having known exactly what he felt at the scene, and she refused to be any more embarrassed than she already was.

A pretty, blond waitress came over. The moment she laid eyes on Will, she swayed her hips all the more. A mote of attraction sparked in his mind. Taylor ensured she leveled the right amount of glare at him for thinking anyone but her mother was attractive—not that she liked feeling that, but it was only right!

Will weathered her glare without a reaction, but the spark of attraction swiftly turned into amusement. The bastard.

"Hello, welcome to Enchanted Brew. I'm Mellisa, and I'll be enchanted to serve you today." Mellisa never took her eyes off Will.

Hussy.

Mack yipped, startling Mellisa. Good boy.

"Ah, good dog?" She took another step away, sparing most of her attention on Taylor and Mack rather than ogling Taylor's soon-to-be stepfather. Gone was the flirtatious body language, and it was replaced with fear. Perfect.

Taylor prodded Mack to yawn, and he did. Mellisa froze. "Menu please!" Taylor asked in her sweetest voice.

With a shaky hand, she passed one to Taylor, but Taylor kept her hand out for Will's. Taking it, she passed it across the small glass table to him.

"Thank you." Taylor smiled.

"Yes, thank you. We'll be ready in five minutes?" Will questioned, looking over at Taylor to see if it was right, and she nodded. "Five minutes."

Mellisa fled.

"That wasn't nice, Taylor. She was only doing her job." Will chided her. More of a soft disciplining and one Taylor didn't take seriously when there was no emotional reprimand behind it. Like he knew no matter what he said, she wouldn't do anything differently, which he was correct! But she didn't like that he knew her well enough to know such things!

"She was flirting with you! Hmph!" Taylor crossed her arms and glared at him, prodding Mack to show her support in her recrimination, but the damn dog rolled his eyes at her. That's it. Best friendship over.

Mack whined. Fine, best friendship back on. A few select scratches mended the bridges ruined from the spat between them. She could never hold it against Mack—really, anyone bonded with her, even Kelly. They were everything to Taylor. Everything.

"Just because the waitress flirted with me, that doesn't excuse you from threatening her. I'm not going to cheat on your mom, but expecting either of us to not find anyone else attractive is ridiculous." Will didn't have the decency to look at her when he talked, taking the menu in hand.

Taylor dropped her eyes to the menu sitting in front of her, definitely not wanting to cross her arms or pout. It wasn't like she needed to look to know what she wanted to drink.

Before Taylor knew it, Mellisa was back, stupendously keeping plenty of distance between her and Mack. "I'll have a blend of Assam, lapsang souchong, and two drops of bergamot oil. Orange blossom honey on the side." Mack dug his nose under her hoodie and pressed his cold nose against her side. "Oh! Two doggy biscuits, fresh. Thank you!"

"Yes… and what would you-" She flicked her eyes over to Taylor. "-like?"

Clear confusion radiated off Will, even without the bond. Mellisa clearly wanted to suggest something or even talk about the selection, but she kept her mouth shut. Good. "I'll have the… DBS with two sugars and cream."

Taylor cocked her head to the side. The death before sleep? The blackest of black French-pressed coffees? Did Will even drink coffee? She never saw him drink anything besides water and the occasional glass of wine with Mom. There was a brief desire to help him choose, but that nefarious whimsey swept that away. She learned to tolerate much, but she needed some sort of payback when they occupied the room down the hall from her.

The waitress escaped her stern gaze, leaving just her and Will. Mack didn't count because he was absolutely on her side.

Will clicked his tongue, and Mack abandoned her.

That's it, friendship over.

"Too cu-"

"Don't you dare."

"-te."

"Bastard." Taylor scowled at him, desperately trying to ignore Mack's thumping leg and the feedback coming from his absolute bliss at being scratched.

"Wouldn't Annette love to hear you talking like that?" Stupid cocky smile and gorgeous flowing ginger locks. It was so much better than the curly nest of tangles she fought with every morning. Not the color part; she'd die if she were ginger.

"Well, Mom isn't here," Taylor snapped with a little more venom than she intended, so she stuck her tongue out at him, trying to obfuscate that she lost control. No, instead she was a mile west and a quarter north and anxious to hell with a splash of resoluteness.

"You know she wasn't trying to hurt you," Will said, rubbing a thumb from Mack's snout down between his eyes until reaching his ears. At the same time, Will kept his other hand on the table, tapping away with a single finger, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Yeah? How would you like to be treated like a baby? I'm fourteen! I'm practically an adult, and I'm smart, responsible, and know how to take care of myself. She lied to my face and refused to listen to me." Taylor's hand slapped around the table, stinging from the impact. A radiant blush burned at her cheeks from the attention everyone around them suddenly paid them, and she pulled her arms under the table. Flipping her hood up hid her from them, but not Will.

The emotions that came off him rankled her even worse. Amusement and exasperation. Mack wormed his nose under her arms, and she had no choice but to pet him. "You're still a teenager, Taylor. Show that you're worthy of the trust, and I'll help make her see you as your own person. But remember, this is still Brockton, and it's less about you and not trusting everyone else."

"That has nothing to do with the baby!"

"And are you just upset about Annette hiding the baby?"

"Shut up." Taylor hid herself further into her hood, not bothering to meet the waitress' eyes as her tea came. A little bowl of honey and a timer accompanied the teacup. Two large biscuits sat on a fancy napkin.

"Thank you," Will said, taking his tiny cup from the waitress, no bigger than a couple of his fingers together. Confusion whirled in his eyes, then he took a sip.

Sheer overwhelming disgust radiated down the bond, but he kept it hidden. He quickly settled the cup on the serving tray, and a frown tugged at his lips while regaling the extremely expensive coffee. "Nope."

Taylor giggled. Sweet payback.



She would admit in the sanctity of her mind that finishing Will's drink wasn't the smartest decision she ever made, not after drinking her tea. Soooo much caffeine. Mom never let her drink this much!

Okay, okay, okay, OKAY, OK, calm, gentle movements. Hands, please stop twitching.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, and she could feel the pure amusement radiating off him.

"I'm-just-fine!" Taylor coughed into her hand. "I'm going great! Doing great; I'm doing just fantastic."

"Right." Of course, he didn't believe a single word she said. The bastard, but was he? The best tea, let her drink his coffee, and she had Mack because of him! As much as she hated to admit it, she'd allow Will to marry Mom.

The Hussy came back, steering wide around Taylor as she should, but way too cozy to Will. Only this time, Mack was giving Taylor weird looks instead of being the valiant defender! "Mack-Mack-Mack-Mack-Mack-Mack!" No! Don't pin her down! Not the drool!

"Is your daughter okay?"

Taylor froze, hands busy fending off a slobber-covered face. Mom and Will were getting married, so that did make her his stepdaughter, which was weird. It still stung that someone was taking Dad's place, but she had to admit that having someone else besides Mom in her life was nice.

"She stole my coffee." Will took the check and pulled out his wallet.

That was a bald-faced lie! Taylor asked, and he gave it to her! "Liar!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. DBS is not recommended for anyone below the age of eighteen because of how much caffeine it contains. I don't think she's getting any sleep tonight." The Hussy rightly pointed this out, much to Taylor's annoyance.

"I can tell. Here." A flash of bills crossed hands. "Keep the change."

"Thank you. I love to see you again… maybe without the dog." And Taylor, but at the Hussy kept that last part to herself.

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "Sadly, I'm not much of one for coffee or tea. Have a pleasant afternoon." He stood up.

Taylor jumped to her feet, followed by Mack, who kept jabbing her with his nose and forcing her near Will. "Stop it!"

Mack slipped around her again, pushing her back and cutting off her routes before she could think of going in a different direction.

"I think you're being herded," Will said, leaving the outdoor patio, and Mack forced her to follow him against her every mental order.

"I can tell!" Stop! Ack!

Then the equivalent of cold water ran down Taylor's back. She instantly straightened out, eyes wide, as she stared right at Will. Mack stopped messing with her, saddling close to her side as all the hair on his neck stood on end, catching wind of the sudden change. A growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating Taylor to her core.

A cold rage suffused Will. His hand clamped down on the back of Taylor's neck so quickly that she didn't see it coming. Just like that, she lost control of where she walked, being steered clear through the crowd of people to the edge of the walkway. His free hand tapped away on his cell phone.

"Don't look. We're being followed. When we get to the alley, I want you to take Mack and run. Okay?" Will said it under his breath, just loud enough for Taylor to hear over the bustling people. A woman stopped in their way, and he walked straight through her, sending her stumbling away with the barest shove.

Taylor's hammering heart jumped a couple of notches, going straight into palpitation levels. The regret was strong, but she was forced to think harder than she ever had before. Will was a PRT agent. He knew how to fight more than she ever could, but he didn't have any of his fancy armor or weapons. If this was serious enough that he wanted her to run, and the worry and anger coming off him said it was, then he needed every bit of help she could give him.

The question was, did she trust him enough to reveal her power to him? Just by being able to go to level 2 bond meant he trusted her. The shared thoughts would help, but Taylor was aiming for level 3, which would share skills and senses. If Taylor and Mack watched his back, that would help, right?

Taylor forced her power through the skin contact they shared. Will's mind bloomed in her head, and she instantly understood how above her he was. There was no possibility of her commanding him, much less influencing him to do anything. A pang of annoyance accompanied relief. Then she pushed it further, already noticing that the next level was available.

A spike of pain pierced her head, but it faded quickly enough.

'Will?' Taylor asked in his mind, and she saw. She SAW so much. It was the Empire. They were coming after Will. Conclusions fell into place at a rapid pace, far quicker than she could even think.

"You have a power. You've had it for eight months or longer without outing yourself.' Flashes of a faded teenager with bugs swarming flicked by. 'Master/thinker. How you've been controlling Mack. The lie detector with Annette. You've been using it on both of us. Kelly, too? We're going to have words later. But you need to run. Be safe. They want me, not you.' Will shoved her into the entrance of the alley and turned to face outward.

'No! I want to help!' Taylor poured her conviction into the thought, showing how much she wished to do something—anything—to help Will fight the bad guys.

She knew how exasperated and annoyed Will was at her defiance. All the repercussions that could come should she stay in all their horrifying detail. The horrors he had seen. It broke her heart, and she understood why he was always somewhat angry. He wasn't angry at her or anyone, but at the world for allowing such things to take place. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't save a drop in the ocean. It crushed her but redoubled her desire to support him. Someone had to!
Then Taylor pulled on Will through the bond, and strength filled her body. It overfilled her, spilling down the bond to Mack. 'You're not normal!'

'Interesting. I'll allow you to stay if you follow my orders.'

'Yes, sir!'
And in an instant, Taylor felt her struggling power relax, dropping herself down the totem pole. Instead of sending out orders and suggestions, she was now taking them from Will. Her own power was puppeteering her body, but not. She could fight it if she wanted, and it gave her some measure of relief, but the scary part was that she could not think of any reason why she would fight Will's orders. The feeling of keeping those she cared about close and never letting go was enough for her.

She couldn't lose anyone else ever again.

Her hand went to Mack's waiting neck, and she unclipped his collar, winding the cord around her hand for some reason. Not just that, but she picked up a chunk of tarmac and slipped it into Will's waiting hand behind his back.

Through Will's eyes, she watched eight men covered in tattoos surround the entrance of the alley. Four rifles, four pistols, and one cape. A man with pure white skin parted the encirclement.

Alabaster. Will knew the cape—an Empire one, as he expected. A minor brute that refreshed every 4.3 seconds. Immune to pain. That knowledge came with relief, as it was a beatable opponent, unlike Hookwolf.

"Well, am I not the lucky guy? I get the honor of putting down the man who's been such a thorn in the Empire's side. How many of us have you killed?" Alabaster closed with Will, not a man drawing his weapons. None of them were taking Will seriously in his plain clothes without a weapon.

"Not enough," Will said, his mind flickering to the other groups he spotted further down the boardwalk. This was only the first, and why he waited for them here rather than being surrounded by another cape.

Alabaster hopped to the left, crossing four feet, giving him an angle where Taylor met his pure white eyes before shifting to hide behind Will's bulk. "Oh, who is that? No children and no friends with children... Naughty, naughty. Leave it to the pigs to like young girls."

Absolute, indescribable rage flared into existence at the insinuation. So great, Will almost charged if not for Taylor's calmer mind. She was freaking out and scared for her life, but she knew without a doubt that Will would rather die than do anything to her.

"I'm not a fan myself, but some are, and they could always use a new toy."

Will knew what Alabaster was doing, and it was working. If they goaded him into attacking first, that camera that one guy was recording with would show the Empire defending themselves. Letting them spin it as ammunition against the PRT and justify his death.

Taylor understood.

This wasn't going to be a cape fight on TV. Where everyone came out the other side alive with the bad guys locked up.

This was to the ugly end. This was why Will wanted her to run.

…but she couldn't lose another person.

Will's hand flicked the chunk of tarmac. In perfect, nauseating detail, Taylor saw a man's head explode into a shower of brain-filled gore. She crouched low, keeping her eyes wide open and not focused on anything, seeing the reactionary movement for Will. Mack took his orders through her and charged the rightmost man with a rifle.

The guns came up.

Alabaster wasn't quick enough; he took a punch from Will through the sternum, and she felt bones snap and flesh tear through the bond.

The first gunshot left Taylor's and Mack's ears ringing, but Will used Alabaster to intercept the bullet. He twisted, catching the next two with the body while maintaining a restricted line of fire on Taylor, protecting her from stray shots. Pain exploded in her head, instinctively knowing Will got shot in the side. Mack tackled the man, clamping his massive jaw around the vulnerable neck. And she learned what a person tastes like.

Screaming disrupted the crowds, and a torrent of gunfire went off, but there was only so much Will could dodge, even with her help. Bullet after bullet punched into him—nothing vital right now, but it would kill him given time without treatment. So he adjusted.

Taylor barely had the reaction time to catch the flying golden pistol coming at her from Alabaster's waist, and she started moving before he even threw it. By the time she gripped the massive pistol in her stinging hand, Will had already gone on the offensive, wielding Alabaster's body as a makeshift weapon.

The sickening crunch of two people slapping together preceded a man rocketing away, sailing ten feet before bouncing off the sidewalk.

Taylor raised the pistol, a desert eagle, using skills taken from Will to aim at the man shifting to shoot Mack. It wasn't just his experience with shooting that flowed into her head; it was how to handle killing. The cold calculation put her, Mack, and Will above the man she was about to shoot.

This was going to hurt.

Bang!

A hole punched its way through between the man's shoulders, and he collapsed like someone had cut his strings. She couldn't hear anything but ringing. Will smacked another person with his man-shaped weapon, and Mack finished tearing out his victim's throat. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth.

The next moment passed in a hazy blur, not a minute into the fight. All eight attackers lay on the ground with the cape hanging from Will's outstretching arms. Mack grabbed the recording cell phone in his bloody mouth, jumping over to Taylor to take it from him.

'I'm sorry, Taylor.' Will said in her mind. The regret of having her experience this went beyond words. He was also apologizing for what he was about to commit. What she was about to experience in cold blood.

Will drove his thumbs through Alabaster's wide-open and repaired eyes and into his skull. Inhuman strength flexed, and bones cracked. He ripped the cape's head in half, snatching the freed brain to mush between his fingers. Like gooey meat.

Still under Will's orders, she threw the pistol back at him, and he proceeded to put a bullet through each man's head, living or dead. Each shot rattled her to the core. Not that there was time to think.

Will strapped a rifle to his bleeding torso, rivers of blood running down him from the many bullet holes he suffered. He caught Mack, tucking the massive dog under one arm and snatching her with the other, taking off at a sprint through the alley she once was supposed to flee through.

They crossed the road on the other side, down two alleys. He stopped behind a dumpster. She still couldn't hear. 'Call Annette. Have her pick you up. Don't come out for anyone, PRT or police.' He spat a mouthful of blood on the ground and straightened out.

'Will! Don't go!' But he was already gone, running back the way they came. There were more after them. She knew that, and if he took the initiative, they wouldn't have time to find her, even if he was likely to die. Mack pressed against her, refusing to let her leave this safe spot even while he comforted her.

Off in the distance, Taylor felt Mom's emotions turn into grim resoluteness. Of violence.

It wasn't long before she watched Will aim down the sights at more Empire grunts and pull the trigger. Blades erupted from one shirtless man.

'Please don't die.' She pleaded with him, then Will forced her to cut the connection.
 
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Well that's not good, but all signs point to an Assassannette interrupt already being triggered, so that's probably a thing. Not the right part of town for a sudden surprise Rachael butting in because she happened to be around and saw Mack in danger, but not completely impossible either...


edit: (copied from the Worm Ideas thread)

I do think the level of violence is appropriate to and in service of the plot, precisely because this part is through Taylor's eyes, and she's tough and resilient for a teen who's never been exposed to that kind of thing but still deeply affected by it, and being linked up with Will and Mack only makes it more personal, tasting the blood as Mack rips out a man's throat, feeling it as Will tears Alabaster's skull open and pulps his supertumors brain and all, on top of having actually pulled the trigger to shoot a guy herself even if she was letting Will reverse-Master her through the link at the time. Poor girl.
 
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shit man, the chapters just keep getting better. i love teenage bullshit taylor.

i should go back to work before they realize im slacking off
 
Well that's not good, but all signs point to an Assassannette interrupt already being triggered, so that's probably a thing. Not the right part of town for a sudden surprise Rachael butting in because she happened to be around and saw Mack in danger, but not completely impossible either...


edit: (copied from the Worm Ideas thread)

I do think the level of violence is appropriate to and in service of the plot, precisely because this part is through Taylor's eyes, and she's tough and resilient for a teen who's never been exposed to that kind of thing but still deeply affected by it, and being linked up with Will and Mack only makes it more personal, tasting the blood as Mack rips out a man's throat, feeling it as Will tears Alabaster's skull open and pulps his supertumors brain and all, on top of having actually pulled the trigger to shoot a guy herself even if she was letting Will reverse-Master her through the link at the time. Poor girl.

Yeah, Taylor is going to have a rough time without Will playing compartmentalizer. When combined with the little thing called trigger trauma, yikes.

shit man, the chapters just keep getting better. i love teenage bullshit taylor.

i should go back to work before they realize im slacking off

Yeah, get back to work. (but make sure to prio this story, lol)

The more I write pre-canon Taylor, the more I feel canon Taylor was wronged by the world, beaten down until she was a ghost of her prior self.
 
Hopefully Annette would come clean too. In SpyXFamily only the kid and dog knows everyone's secret. Here, we might get the family working together. Maybe even bringing in Kelly as Taylor's big sister figure. There's even a chance that Sophia and Lisa entering their orbit.
 
This is a great story! You've made me feel sympathy for the various characters, especially Battery. I wonder if Annette's power is to be great at whatever literary role she takes on. If she wants to be a seductress for her daughter sake, she would become a great seductress. If she needs to be an assassin, she's able to become a great assassin. Maybe that's the reason she's surrounded by books.
 
So i was describing this fic to a friend telling him how Annette's powers are bing deliberately vague being set up for a big reveal eventually but seeing the hints given so far im wondering if she managed to trigger with a version of [Broadcast] somehow. MC never explicitly stated that Slash still exists and i can see a bibliophile like Annette changing the power expression to use books somehow even with the blade slasher bits....
 
i just found this and it is marvelous, a near perfect blending of storylines
Bravo, i can't wait for more
This is a great story! You've made me feel sympathy for the various characters, especially Battery. I wonder if Annette's power is to be great at whatever literary role she takes on. If she wants to be a seductress for her daughter sake, she would become a great seductress. If she needs to be an assassin, she's able to become a great assassin. Maybe that's the reason she's surrounded by books.
So i was describing this fic to a friend telling him how Annette's powers are bing deliberately vague being set up for a big reveal eventually but seeing the hints given so far im wondering if she managed to trigger with a version of [Broadcast] somehow. MC never explicitly stated that Slash still exists and i can see a bibliophile like Annette changing the power expression to use books somehow even with the blade slasher bits....

You know, it's heartening to see people still reading this story after so long, lol. You're making me go back and write more!

As for her power, well, let's just say she connected with something she shouldn't and it's far more important to the story than it seems.
 
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