Joe: Ah, thank you, I forgot the name. Anyways, you're going to the nightmare realm, whoever you are!
Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)
- Thread starter LordRoustabout
- Start date
IndigoPhoenix
Devourer of Citrus
- Location
- Everywehere
This fits so well with the real-time fandub Robotnic voice
- Pronouns
- Masculine
You know, I keep searching for Dodgeball clips when rereading this.
I really want to see the section where Garment originates from. Because she has become so awesome and important a character.
But then, it is something silly like Dodgeball that originated her.
Just was rereading Tybalt's appearance in the story(doing a relaxing reread of the story and had gotten to that point, and was reading the Dodgeball perks. And still confused where Garment even came from).
So anyone know? I mean... it is DODGEBALL.
I really want to see the section where Garment originates from. Because she has become so awesome and important a character.
But then, it is something silly like Dodgeball that originated her.
Just was rereading Tybalt's appearance in the story(doing a relaxing reread of the story and had gotten to that point, and was reading the Dodgeball perks. And still confused where Garment even came from).
So anyone know? I mean... it is DODGEBALL.
Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure Garment isn't actually in the movie the dodgeball jump is based off.
- Pronouns
- Masculine
Which makes me wonder, if that is the case... why she is supposedly sourced from there.
Some joke with the casting and costuming department?
Very weird.
My best guess is that the jumpmaker needed something to fill in that slot and came up with the idea after binging some fashion videos on YouTube.
BarbaCoPut
Voluta indomita
- Location
- Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/His
Excellent! How soon can you start writing this?, we need the 10 first episode before March!
Back when the BCF was getting started I asked LR about it, and he basically said that the original material has nothing on it, and he went only from the description. Since he didn't have anything else to go with.
Last edited:
I'm afraid my writing schedule isn't that consistent or fast and that I haven't read worm at all, but I'll see what I can do.Excellent! How soon can you start writing this?, we need the 10 first episode before March!
The perk actually kind of fits due to one of the jokes where they need matching uniforms, and end up playing the first game in S&M gear.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtbXJqqzjXw
Can' find the resolution bit, but the perk is dodgeball jumpchain.pdf
200cp - Garment Gloves (Discount with Weird Guy)
These are a pair of pure white gloves. Bound to them is an intelligence with a mind for fashion: a designer, seamstress, clothier, and tailor without mortal peer. It has the ability to scry for fashion based information from international trends to precise measurements. Given materials and orders, it will industriously produce fine apparel, producing any modifications, clothing, footwear, accessories, etc that is within theoretical mortal ability. It has sufficient telekinesis to move itself and to independently suspend materials. It must be provided with materials, though it may be provided a lump sum or budget with which to magically acquire materials at cost.
You may wear the gloves to channel the skills (but not powers) of the entity, perhaps even learning from it.
A-E Jumps - Google Drive
drive.google.com
It's not quite a joke jump but it gets silly.
200cp - Dodgeball (Discount with New Guy)
An always perfectly regulation American Dodgeball dodgeball. By producing this item and striking a foe with it any part of the body will do the current local conflict (marital, social, business, open combat) will instantly halt so long as lasting harm was not intended by any party, and everyone that has taken a side will agree that the matter can be settled in a duel by dodgeballs, right now.
100 CP you get Patches O'Houlihan who "At some point early in your jump, he is doomed to die in some suitably ironic fashion, and like all the great mentors, his death will motivate you to use his teachings in some climatic situation, and generally kick ass."
Last edited:
- Location
- Philippines
Honestly the Dodgeball Jumpchain doc is filled with all kinds of quirky but powerful Perks that sound ridiculous at first glance, but then you realize what fiat effects are necessary to make them work and then they turn out ridiculous.
There's this Perk that literally gives you the ownership of a modestly successful gym chain that someone else takes care for you. Imagine if Joe got this Perk and then suddenly everyone just accepted that despite being a member of a small time but well known gym, Joe is the owner of multiple gyms with enough branches to be considered successful, AND it neatly fixes his issue of not having enough valid money to work with.
Combine that with his blessing from Hera and help from Survey, well it would make his money problems a thing of yesterday.
But that's not as ridiculous as Deus Ex Machina, which literally warps reality to ensure that you get the money, usually from your enemies, to pay for any one time big payment. Like, if Joe needed the money to hire all of the mercenary capes in Earth Bet for one massive undertaking, it's there for him.
Then there's the Weird Guy perk set. One Perk is like Tybalt's in that if Joe had it early on in the fic, the Protectorate would not have considered him a threat and worked with him from the get go. Another is basically a Master effect that lets you make other people just as enthusiastic about something as you are over something you are passionate about, like say, volcano sports. And then there's Screwball.
Which basically makes you immune to all Thinker powers and conventional logic skills. Literally no one can begin to predict you or try to understand you if you want them to - and the most important is that you can invert this for your allies and have them understand immediately what your goals are, eliminating any possible misunderstandings.
For a comedy movie, Dodgeball is a ridiculously powerful Jumpchain.
There's this Perk that literally gives you the ownership of a modestly successful gym chain that someone else takes care for you. Imagine if Joe got this Perk and then suddenly everyone just accepted that despite being a member of a small time but well known gym, Joe is the owner of multiple gyms with enough branches to be considered successful, AND it neatly fixes his issue of not having enough valid money to work with.
Combine that with his blessing from Hera and help from Survey, well it would make his money problems a thing of yesterday.
But that's not as ridiculous as Deus Ex Machina, which literally warps reality to ensure that you get the money, usually from your enemies, to pay for any one time big payment. Like, if Joe needed the money to hire all of the mercenary capes in Earth Bet for one massive undertaking, it's there for him.
Then there's the Weird Guy perk set. One Perk is like Tybalt's in that if Joe had it early on in the fic, the Protectorate would not have considered him a threat and worked with him from the get go. Another is basically a Master effect that lets you make other people just as enthusiastic about something as you are over something you are passionate about, like say, volcano sports. And then there's Screwball.
Which basically makes you immune to all Thinker powers and conventional logic skills. Literally no one can begin to predict you or try to understand you if you want them to - and the most important is that you can invert this for your allies and have them understand immediately what your goals are, eliminating any possible misunderstandings.
For a comedy movie, Dodgeball is a ridiculously powerful Jumpchain.
Lazurman
This is fine.
- Location
- Classified
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Don't forget the most important part of all: it gave us Garment Gloves.
Gacha gods, plz give us Glory to Me. I beg you. I will do anything you ask of me.
- Pronouns
- He
Then PERISH!
Gumiho
Reach heaven through violence!
Offer up your life to the dice gods! Only a blood sacrifice will please them.
@LordRoustabout is online!
Did you use a Celestial Forge style doc for this omake or did you just pull random Companions out of nowhere?
65.1 Interlude Taylor
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
"Author's note: The main interlude I planned took longer than expected, so I'm posting the preamble as a mini-interlude for this week, basically a half chapter. As I've said, these short chapters aren't going to become a habit, but I prefer shorter posts to missing weeks. The promised longer interlude is still coming for next week."
65.1 Interlude Taylor
Taylor kept pace with the rest of the Undersiders as they moved through the silent streets. Grue had covered their retreat from Somer's Rock, dealing with the initial concerns over being watched. Really valid concerns about being watched. Coil's team might have been the only one that was called out, but there were about a half dozen groups watching the entrance of the bar. She never would have located them without her bugs, but that only drove home the importance of vigilance. Joe's words about practicing with her powers and being ready echoed in her mind. The reassuring weight of her baton, still strapped to her wrist, reminded her of that.
Slipping away under the cover of darkness had given them a chance to change. They weren't completely out of costume, but they had covered the obvious elements. Joe's shopping bag had let her easily carry civilian outerwear for everyone and also store the larger and more obvious elements of their costumes. Jackets, helmets, masks, and gloves were put away and switched out with basic civilian wear. It occurred to Taylor that the rest of the Undersiders might have had trouble finding something they could wear over their costumes, while Taylor just needed to grab one of the baggy outfits she had relied on to divert attention at school. Before Lisa had taken her shopping at the market for a new style. And before Joe had somehow provided a complete set of clothes as cover for dropping off her armor.
That still felt weird and honestly she wasn't sure if she was okay with it. At this point, with everything that had happened, she wasn't sure she should be. She doubted Joe was giving the act any more thought. It probably didn't have any more significance than cover for his delivery. Given the other aspect of that cover had been an expanded bag with a truly staggering internal volume it seemed silly to focus on the clothes, but she just couldn't ignore them.
They had been in her size. Perfectly fitted to her, but that wasn't as creepy as it could have been. Lisa explained, the watches scanned everything. Joe had all of their measurements from the medical data he was collecting. Producing bespoke clothing was no big deal. Producing bespoke clothing that passed for what she could have found in the Market while also having a unified style and some of the best quality she had ever seen? That was something else.
Fine, Joe didn't do normal. The fact that the collection of outfits could pass as the result of a shopping trip rather than the work of some master dressmaker was a miracle, but the whole situation still felt weird. And the fact that, despite everything else that had happened, her mind was still running back to that problem really said something.
Maybe it was because a guy giving her a bunch of fancy clothes was the only aspect of the current situation that felt like a 'normal' problem. It wasn't going to shake the foundations of the city if she decided to wear them, throw them out, or bury them in the back of her closet. She could wonder if anything was meant by the gesture, if there was any meaning to the selections made, or if she should just treat it with the same regard that Joe seemed to.
Maybe if she kept stressing about the outfits she could avoid having to focus on other, more concerning matters. By every metric the Undersiders had come out of the summit in a strong position. Everything they had set out to accomplish had been secured easily. Even with the curveballs that had been thrown, by all appearances they were flying high.
Those appearances fell apart with one look at the dour faced group trudging towards their factory hideout. Things had been bad enough to begin with and gotten progressively worse over the course of the summit. Then everything was capped by the announcement of Bitch's actions. But they had made it through and somehow managed to keep their shaky stance and internal conflicts out of the public eye. Now they just needed to survive the aftermath.
The group moved in silence as they entered through the side door and climbed the stairs towards the loft. The place was as much of a mess as it had been when Taylor first saw it, but there was a different tone to the clutter. Before the mess had a lighthearted feel. Scattered video games, takeout containers, soda cans, and pizza boxes. The aftereffects of celebrations, downtime, and recreation. Now there was a grim feeling to the place. It seemed more lived in and grimy, like the party atmosphere had settled to the ground and started to rot.
As soon as they reached the loft Rachel started to split off towards her room. Before she could get far Brian called after her.
"Sit down." He said firmly as he moved towards the couches.
The girl shot him a defiant look. "I need to check on my dogs."
"They can wait." He said directly. "Sit down. We're sorting this out now."
She met his gaze for a long moment, then begrudgingly took a seat in the living room. Brian looked across the rest of the group and they awkwardly settled into their seats.
It was a show of how bad the situation was between them. Nobody seemed to be comfortable next to anyone else. Everyone had some gripe waiting to be aired or mistakes waiting to be brought to light. There was so much that Taylor wasn't sure where they would start.
Fortunately, Brian took the initiative on that front. "What the hell were you thinking?" He barked at Rachel.
"What?" She asked defiantly.
"Don't 'what' me. You attack the Empire, hit one of Hookwolf's businesses, and worst of all, you let me find out about it in a situation like that!" His voice rose as he spoke, finishing on a near scream. Taylor could see the veins in his temples bulging and his hands were squeezed into fists. If not for the forcefields Joe had given them, Taylor wondered if this would have already spilled into violence.
"It was a dog fighting ring." She spat back. "They were dying in there."
Brian gave her a hard look, seeming to bite back a retort. He took a breath and continued. "Rachel, I know that's important to you, but you can't go off on your own like that. You know that, right?"
"I could handle it." She looked around the group, then pulled back the sleeve of her jacket to show off her watch. "We can handle a lot more than that."
"That's not the point. It's not about whether you can handle it or not." Brian glanced around for help.
"You broke the deal." Lisa said plainly. Rachel wheeled on her.
"What deal? We didn't make any deal about this kind of stuff." She said defensively.
"The deal with Joe." Lisa continued. Some of the defiance in Rachel's posture began to waver. "We said that we'd keep him informed on any of our jobs. It was part of the agreement. You know, the thing that's letting us pay off our debt."
"Your debt." Rachel muttered. "I could have-"
"No, our debt." Brian said firmly. "You don't get to use the group for cover when it's convenient, then slink off when things get hard. If you wanted out, you could have said something when we met with Joe to discuss terms. You could have dealt with the Empire gunning for you solo. Do you have any idea what it cost us to cover for your stunt?"
"Actually, I'd like to know that." Alec interjected, turning to Lisa. "What would we have gotten if we took the payment, rather than the dog deal?"
Lisa took a breath. "Faultline's service charge is variable with the length and difficulty of the job. The kind of full contract she was talking about runs into the low six figures. Two or three hundred thousand." Taylor's eyebrows shot up. "Applied to each one of us…"
"Over a million dollars." Brian said in a dejected voice. Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Minimum twice the total of what we saw from the Bank, including the boss's contribution, for each person."
"Fuck." Alec muttered. Taylor was right there with him. Even assuming the lowest amount… How did she wrap her head around the idea of a single payment in cash being worth more than her house? More than everything her family owned?
"To be fair, we made a treaty, rather than taking a payout." Lisa explained. "We missed out, big time, but the Empire dealt with us like equals. That good for our reputation, puts us in better standing than Faultline's group."
"Faultline doesn't give a shit about her standing in the city." Alec countered. "And since when do we care about that either?" He looked around critically. "Seriously, I signed up for the monthly payouts and takes from the heists. Why are we worrying about our negotiating positions with the gangs?"
"We always had to worry about that." Brian explained.
"No, we had to worry about pissing them off enough that they came after us. This is different." He countered in a serious voice. Probably the most serious Taylor had ever seen him. "Bitch fucked up, no question. Blindsided us and cost us a big payout. Possibly started shit with Joe-"
"I didn't." Rachel said defensively. "He didn't care." She looked to Lisa for confirmation, and she slowly nodded.
"He didn't." She turned back to the group. "He was surprised to learn about it, but wasn't angry. Just concerned about what we were getting into."
"Great. Lucky he's a dog person." Alec muttered sarcastically. "And always looking out for us." Something seemed to occur to him. "Hey Lisa, any chance Kaiser would have actually followed through on that, or would the big tinker have scared him off?"
Lisa took a breath and sank back into her seat. "He would have tried something." She admitted. "For appearances sake, he'd have to. Not open war, but he might have gone at us another way." She glanced at Rachel. "Like through Bitch's dogs."
Rachel immediately tensed, her brow furrowing in anger. Before she could say anything Brian leaned in and spoke in a stern voice. "Do you get it now?" He asked. Rachel seethed without meeting his eyes. "Do you understand why flying off half-cocked is a bad idea? Why keeping this kind of thing from the group is a recipe for disaster?"
Rachel seethed from her seat, then slowly turned to face Taylor. "What about her?" She asked in a harsh tone gesturing towards her.
"What about her?" Brian asked.
"Taylor was out starting fights when Joe had us hunting for survivors. Didn't mention anything about it either. How come she gets a free pass?" The burly girl asked, giving Taylor a harsh look.
Taylor felt herself bristle. The actions she had taken that night, helping people and breaking up fights, it was the closest she'd felt to being a real hero since her first night out. Hearing Rachel refer to it like that made her want to snap back, but she clamped down on her emotion. She focused on her swarm as she replied as calmly as she could.
"There were a lot of capes out that night." Taylor said defensively. "And people from the gangs. I couldn't cover the area Joe wanted if I went around them, so I drove them off when they got in the way." She turned to Brian. "But I didn't go hunting after anyone." That was mostly true. Once she figured out the reach and versatility of her bug clones she had started 'showing up' in multiple places. It was usually enough to send people running without a real fight.
"It would have been good to know about that ahead of time." Brian admitted and Taylor sank into her seat. "But that was different. It was on a job for Joe, and running into capes in the street is different from raiding one of their operations."
"But it's still okay for her to go off alone?" Bitch tried. From what Taylor could gauge the girl wasn't really at home with verbal arguments to begin with and wasn't enjoying losing ground. "There weren't any capes at the dog fights, but you're okay with Taylor throwing down with whoever?"
"Most of the time I wasn't anywhere near them." The Undersiders gave Taylor a confused look. She reached out to her swarm.
There was a buzzing noise that caused them to tense as a horde of flying insects poured into the loft from lower in the factory. They held position, shifting into the rough form of her body. Then a slightly less rough form, the product of her practice over the last few days.
"It was dark enough that people couldn't tell the difference." She explained. "I have enough range that I could set up bugs in a shape like that if there was trouble somewhere. It was usually enough to make people run off."
"Right." Brian said, looking uncertainly at the swarm clone. Taylor shifted it through some of the stances she had practiced and had it wave at the group. If not for the near deafening buzzing it would have looked fairly natural. "That would explain why Skidmark thought we were grabbing territory." He said in a concerned tone, having to raise his voice over the noise. Taylor dispersed the clone as Lisa turned to her.
"Scrub was terrified of you." At Taylor's confused expression she elaborated. "The new Merchant blaster with the white hair. What happened with him?"
Taylor's mind rolled back to that night, cycling through the encounters she'd had. She hadn't been on site when Scrub was fighting, but she remembered the encounter.
"He was with the cape who makes stuff spin around? The girl?" Taylor began.
"Whirlygig." Lisa filled in. "Wide reaching telekinetic, but can only make things rotate around her counter-clockwise."
Taylor nodded. "They were fighting with Manpower and another cape over a drug house. Scrub? He hit my bug clone with a blast. After that I drove him off with a swarm and used my knife on the house." She shrugged. Aside from bringing down the building, and cutting off access to the drugs inside, it hadn't been a particularly active encounter.
"Right." Lisa said. "Not sure he knew the clone wasn't you. Not sure Skidmark knew either." She turned to Brian. "They were probably expecting us to come gunning for them over it. We could have used it."
Brian took a deep breath and gave a curt nod. "Yes, we could have." Slowly he turned back to the group. "Look, I get things have been crazy over this last week, but this kind of stuff? We REALLY need to know it. Not that it excuses Bitch, but Taylor, I really could have used a heads up about what you were doing on Thursday night."
"Which brings things back around to my point." Alec said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still plenty pissed about losing out on a payday like that, particularly with what our current job prospects look like, but once again, why?" He looked at Lisa and Brian. The pair of them seemed somewhat taken aback by the boy's questions.
"What do you mean, Alec?" Brian asked, giving him a concerned look.
"We never played gang politics or traded on reputation before. Where the hell is any of this headed? It's not like we can go back to hitting jewelry stores, and after Bitch's stunt I'm pretty sure most people without powers are going to run at the sight of us." He explained. "And the two of you wouldn't have been stressing over this meeting if you didn't have something in the works. Well, let's have it. What did you have planned, and is any of it still on the table after that shit show?"
The loft was uncomfortably silent in the wake of Alec's question. Rachel just seemed to be enjoying the focus shifting from her, but Taylor felt a bubble of excitement well up in her chest, then did her best to avoid showing any sign of it as Lisa and Brian exchanged meaningful looks.
"Alec's right." Lisa said, then gave the boy a harsh look as he moved to say something. "And if you dare say 'Alec's always right.' I'm going to throttle you right here."
"Fine, once was enough. Please, continue." He said with a dramatic flourish and a twinkle in his eye. It was the kind of irreverence she had seen less of since last Saturday night.
Lisa took a breath, then turned back to the group. "After the bank, and the fight with the ABB, and Thursday night, things have changed. The city's in a different place, and our role is changing."
"What do you mean about our role?" Rachel asked.
"She means we're not going to be able to get away with smash and grabs anymore." Brian raised a thumb to the collar of his cape jacket. It was mostly covered by the hoodie he had thrown on, but there was just a hint of the impossible material Joe had used for his costume showing underneath. "Anything we try, we're going to see stronger opposition. People aren't going to treat us with kid gloves anymore."
"Unless they're scared off by Apeiron." Alec quipped. Brian glared at him and he raised a placating hand. "Fine, we're in the big leagues. But what exactly does that mean?" He turned to Lisa. "Come on, I know you two were scheming. What's the deal?"
Taylor leaned in along with Alec while Brian and Lisa shared an uncomfortable look.
"Nothing's set in stone yet." Lisa admitted. "But the situation in the city's changing. At least before the summit, the feeling from the boss was that the dynamics were headed for a shake up and we would have a bigger part in things when it settled."
"I'd say things are plenty shaken up." Alec remarked. "What was that bigger part supposed to look like, and does any of it hold after all that crap?"
Lisa took a breath. "I was going to follow up with the boss after the summit, give a report. Details were going to follow from that."
"It was leading into us meeting the boss." Brian said. "For all of us." Taylor clamped down on the surge of excitement she felt, staying stone-faced in response to the news. Rachel and Alec barely responded to the news.
"Let me guess, that's canceled pending everyone trying to get a handle on Joe, only to get thrown off the next time he does anything?" Alec quipped.
"Not canceled." Lisa said. "But the situation is a lot more complicated now. The Teeth saw to that."
The mention of the Butcher's gang brought up a wave of dread from worries Taylor had been trying not to think about. She swallowed, trying to drive down the thoughts of that nightmare scenario.
"So what, we sit around until things settle down and become nice and peaceful? Because I don't see that happening." Alec said. "And if you expect us to do something about this mess I feel the need to say we are out of our fucking depth."
"The hell with that." Bitch spat, flashing her watch and sheathed knife. "With everything we've got going, you think we can't handle them?"
"Yeah, 'we' can't." He looked around the group. "Come on, you saw it tonight. Maybe we came out smelling like roses, but this was a mess and you know it. Bitch almost started a gang war, Taylor was effectively claiming territory without telling anyone, nobody knew what Brian was actually trying to accomplish, because it was a lot more than just putting on a good face, and once again, Lisa was wrong about everything." He paused, looking around at the group's faces. "Okay, last one isn't really fair. Nobody knows anything when it comes to Joe."
"I didn't know he had a team." Taylor admitted. "He never mentioned anyone. Never even gave a hint of it."
Gazes slowly gravitated towards Lisa. She gave them a frustrated look. "Fuck. Fine, I didn't see it either. It doesn't make sense, but that's not exactly new for him. He's known them a long time, but I never got the sense he was working with anyone."
Alec shrugged. "Maybe he made them himself." He joked. "Churned out just in time for the summit." At their sour looks he relented. "Fine, but do you have any better ideas?"
Lisa took a breath. "I could tell Fleet and Survey know each other. They're connected somehow. Proto Aima is related to what happened when March tried to kill Joe." There was a brief dark pause as that moment flashed before their eyes. "And the transformation he went through later. The Matrix is connected to the mech suit, and Lethe recovered him after the fight."
"He had them during the fight with Lung." Taylor said. "Or sort of had them? He didn't mention anything to you either? No hints?" Lisa and Brian shook their heads.
"Kataklyzein was the only one who was confirmed to be inaccessible at the time. The rest, I don't know. There was a reason they couldn't help out more than they did, but I'm not sure what." Lisa explained in frustration.
Rachel just shrugged. "It's not a surprise." The entire group, Taylor included, gave her a look like she'd grown a second head. "He said it himself. Most powerful tinker on the planet. You think he's just going to sit around and wait for stuff to happen? Not reach out or find people who want to work with him?" She explained. "You've seen what he can make, what he can do. Anyone would give their arm to get on his team. Of course he's going to have his pick of whoever he wants to work with."
Rachel explained it like it was the most natural thing in the world, and it did make a certain sense, if you took it in isolation without ever having met Joe. The idea that Joe was aggressively recruiting powerful unknown capes while they were… Well, sitting around waiting for things to settle down, it seemed like the kind of thing Apeiron would do.
It didn't seem like the kind of thing Joe would do. She remembered her meeting with Joe, how disarmed he had been and how open he'd been with her. Not about everything, but the promise of support and his serious follow through on more levels than she ever expected… She couldn't pair that with the idea that he was actually living up to the image he put out for the public.
But that image had to have come from somewhere. Seeing behind the mask, it disarmed the situation just enough that you could get comfortable. That you could forget the level of power you were playing with. Until he did something crazy.
Like fight a one-man war against an entire gang.
Or come back from near certain death.
Or transform into a monster on a live broadcast.
Or fight an Endbringer sized Lung in the skies over the bay.
Or deploy a giant robot from nowhere.
Or launch an attack that people were still trying to understand.
"Okay, but point stands." Alec said. "Where are we going from here, and are you going to let any of us in on the plan? Because I'm normally okay going with the flow, but this isn't the kind of thing we can ignore."
Lisa shook her head slightly. "I need to talk to the boss. He's probably going to have a proposal for us, something updated based on the new terms."
"Are we going against the Teeth?" Taylor asked. The question sparked a range of reactions. Rachel looked eager, Alec exasperated, Brian concerned, and Lisa pensive. She pressed on. "Even if it's not part of the new role or whatever, it's important, right? Everyone was clear on not letting Joe fight the Butcher."
"Joe… he thinks he can deal with the Butcher." Lisa explained. "Not just in a fight. He thinks he can handle the possession if it happens."
"Well, let's hope he's right." Alec said.
"And that it doesn't come to that." Responded Brian. Taylor nodded in agreement.
"What about the rest of the Celestial Forge?" Alec asked. "And where the hell did that name come from? It sounds like something badly translated from a kung fu movie."
"The name means something to Joe. Not sure what. And for his team?" Lisa shrugged. "More than half of them were immune to Victor, so that might mean something for the Butcher? Not that it matters."
"Yeah, they didn't have nervous systems." Alec announced casually, glossing over the implications of his statement. "Might stop the Butcher, but ain't nobody testing that. Not with the supersonic man, or anyone else on that team."
"It wasn't just the team." Taylor said. "Joe looked different." She didn't want to outright say 'hotter', but that was basically what happened. When she saw him when he called on Friday morning he looked normal. Well, normal for Joe. No glowing lock of hair or unnatural sharpness to his face that drew the eye. The first time he had shown most of his face in costume, and it was nothing like him. Only it was. It was still Joe, just distinct enough that if you didn't know what to look for you wouldn't see the connection.
Even his build was different. And the way he walked, the smoothness of his movements, confidence of his steps. She'd seen the videos of herself in costume, more often than not set to some obnoxious pop song, but she knew how the mask could change the way you carried yourself. Just, not that much.
"That red lock of hair was connected to Proto Aima." Lisa said. "I think he was concealing it somehow when he met with Brian and me, but it's probably related to what happened on Thursday."
"And we still don't know fuck about that." Alec said. "I mean, are we seriously trying to make plans here, long term, future of the group plans, when we don't even know what happened three days ago?"
"Yeah, we're in the dark. We've been that way through most of this. It's the same situation we've been dealing with, so what are you trying to say here?" Brian asked.
He looked around the room and took a breath. "I'm saying we, as a team, aren't ready for whatever you or the boss are planning for us. It sucks, but it's true. Tell me, is anyone here really over last Saturday night? Because I know I'm not the only one that fucked up. We're not working together." He looked at Rachel. "Not talking to each other." He turned to Taylor. "And we have no idea what's happening." His head swung towards Lisa.
"You're lecturing on teamwork now?" Brian asked.
"Yeah, please understand how fucked the situation must be if I'm the one pointing it out." He replied. "We don't know what Joe brought out on Thursday. We don't know what he's done since then, and we don't even know who he's working with. How are we supposed to deal with that?"
"We could ask Joe." Rachel said.
Taylor blinked in surprise as the group rounded on the older girl. "What?" Brian asked.
She lifted her wrist. "He handed these out so we could get in touch with him. We want to know stuff. Why not just ask?"
Brian and Lisa stared open mouthed at Rachel as Alec scoffed. "They don't ask because they're trying to play the situation, like that matters now." He shrugged. "But fuck it, worst he can say is no. Let's give him a call."
"No!" Lisa said sharply.
"What, should Taylor do it?" He asked. "Come on, let's invite the whole team over for pizza."
"Pizza." Lisa repeated. "Right, cause that's what you offer the most beautiful person in the world."
A slight smile crossed Rachel's face as she leaned back and nodded. "Fleet…"
Lisa blinked at her, then shook her head and turned back to Alec. "I need to talk to the boss first. At least let me find out where we stand before you shoot everything down."
The boss. The entire reason for Taylor joining the team, the objective she'd put up with everything to accomplish. Now, it was finally in reach. Close enough she could almost see it. Two degrees away. She just had to push through and everything would be worth it. The importance Joe placed on her mission, it was harrowing, but it also reinforced her determination.
"I'd like to know what he's proposing." Taylor said, looking at Alec. "You said it yourself, we're past robbing jewelry stores." She hadn't been involved with those kinds of jobs, but inserting herself into the dynamic helped her case. "If we're moving onto bigger things, I want to hear the offer."
Hopefully in person.
Rachel shrugged. "Can't hurt."
Alec took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Fuck it. Sure, make the call. Let's find out what fresh hell is waiting for us. But if he wants us hunting the Butcher it better be a serious offer."
Rachel nodded along, and even Brian seemed to agree. Taylor would have taken the work just to head off Joe getting involved, but the problem was one that was hard to wrap your head around. Where did you start with something like that? Sure, maybe he was right and he could handle the Butcher, stop the possession or whatever, but nobody would want to take that chance.
A thought occurred to her. "What about the other groups?" Taylor asked. "Should we be worried about them?"
"No." Said Lisa. "Or, not specifically, at least. They complicate things, which isn't what we need right now, but outside of the Teeth nobody is looking to cause trouble."
"Like that ever stops people." Alec quipped.
Lisa shook her head. "We've got a few people from Lost Garden, less than they usually send out to secure a route for Barrow. Blasto could be a problem, but he's not that close with the kids. The Dragonslayers are here for Dragon, like usual. They'll stay out of anything that doesn't involve her. The Travelers are established mercenaries. Someone's probably going to hire them for either security or to help with a move on the Teeth. And the Elite are only here for Uppercrust's work."
Lisa sounded convincing, but somehow Taylor doubted that was the full story. Still, even if that was only surface level it would keep things from exploding immediately, something she'd been more than a little concerned about during the summit.
"Fine. Anything else?" Rachel asked, looking towards the door of her room.
"We still need to talk." Brian said to her. She looked like she wanted to object but he pressed on before she could. "Just because we have bigger stuff to deal with doesn't mean what you pulled was acceptable."
"Yeah, six figures, apiece." Alec muttered. To Taylor the number was still mind boggling. Somehow she doubted Rachel would be able to threaten buying out her share of the debt anymore. And Brian was right, in any other situation this would be a critical, team defining incident. Instead, it was poised to get lost in the shuffle.
Honestly, with what they were equipped with was a six-figure payout really that significant? Well, yes, because it was cash rather than some magic super item. Intellectually she knew everything Joe made was priceless. The knives were worth more than the Empire would have paid, and then there were the watches and the costumes. Just considering the gold on hers.
Well, it looked like gold. It was way too light for that, and she frankly had no idea what the actual metal was. She wouldn't have been surprised if it was something Joe built specifically for that purpose.
That reminded her. She placed the bag on the coffee table and started fishing out pieces of costumes. As she handed Grue his sculpted helmet he glanced into the bag and shook his head.
"Yeah, we didn't get magic bags for our deliveries." Alec quipped, accepting his mask and scepter.
"I don't think Joe even meant anything by it." She admitted. The knowing nods spoke of the experience of the group. For anyone else a bag that could fit over a hundred cubic feet of volume would be a major accomplishment. For Joe it was basically a shipping crate.
"I'll call the boss after we're done here." Lisa explained. "He should at least have an outline for us to vote on. We can meet tomorrow morning."
"Afternoon." Alec cut in. Brian gave him a confused look. "Like Lisa's not going to be up for half the night pouring over every detail of the summit." He shook his head. "I've seen you when you're cranky. Save us some trouble and make your pitch or whatever in the afternoon."
Lisa let out a slow breath and nodded. "Fine. That work for everyone?"
There were non-committal nods from Brian and Rachel. "I should be able to make it."
Winslow wasn't opening until Tuesday, being reluctant to resume classes with the blackout zone cutting off cell phones. She didn't know how she felt about going back, but even with everything else that had happened the Trio seemed like something she had to deal with at some point. After the past week and all the assorted insanity, it seemed more like something from her distant past than a pressing part of her life, but she knew that would come crashing back the moment she stepped into the school.
But she still had another day. One more day to find out where the Undersiders were headed and to try to close out her mission. Finally, she had an endpoint in sight. One more meeting, a few more missions, and she could close things out.
Looking around the group she felt a pang of guilt. It was easier to work against the Undersiders when they were just thought of as villains, nothing more. Then she got to know them as people, as potential friends. Then she saw them hurt, fought with them to survive, and worked with them to recover. Going through all that, knowing where they were coming from, it was a much harder decision.
But it was one she had to see through. Joe had stated how important her work was. She had to keep it secret until she had the information she needed. She wasn't alone, even without knowing Joe had offered his support. A much more significant offer than she realized at the time, and potentially extending to the rest of his team as well.
That was something that worried her. Where had they come from? Maybe Bitch was right and Joe had just recruited the best he could find. Maybe he'd been working behind the scenes to build up and prepare. Or maybe it was something stranger. With Joe you could never be sure.
Six mystery individuals. Nobody in the city knew anything about them. If they asked, would Joe tell them? Would he tell her? She didn't know. Despite how hard Joe had pushed for peace things felt a lot less stable than they had before the summit. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe for once they would change in a positive direction.
The important thing was she had a path, a route to the completion of her mission. She could only hope it would work out, and she could finally see things through.
65.1 Interlude Taylor
Taylor kept pace with the rest of the Undersiders as they moved through the silent streets. Grue had covered their retreat from Somer's Rock, dealing with the initial concerns over being watched. Really valid concerns about being watched. Coil's team might have been the only one that was called out, but there were about a half dozen groups watching the entrance of the bar. She never would have located them without her bugs, but that only drove home the importance of vigilance. Joe's words about practicing with her powers and being ready echoed in her mind. The reassuring weight of her baton, still strapped to her wrist, reminded her of that.
Slipping away under the cover of darkness had given them a chance to change. They weren't completely out of costume, but they had covered the obvious elements. Joe's shopping bag had let her easily carry civilian outerwear for everyone and also store the larger and more obvious elements of their costumes. Jackets, helmets, masks, and gloves were put away and switched out with basic civilian wear. It occurred to Taylor that the rest of the Undersiders might have had trouble finding something they could wear over their costumes, while Taylor just needed to grab one of the baggy outfits she had relied on to divert attention at school. Before Lisa had taken her shopping at the market for a new style. And before Joe had somehow provided a complete set of clothes as cover for dropping off her armor.
That still felt weird and honestly she wasn't sure if she was okay with it. At this point, with everything that had happened, she wasn't sure she should be. She doubted Joe was giving the act any more thought. It probably didn't have any more significance than cover for his delivery. Given the other aspect of that cover had been an expanded bag with a truly staggering internal volume it seemed silly to focus on the clothes, but she just couldn't ignore them.
They had been in her size. Perfectly fitted to her, but that wasn't as creepy as it could have been. Lisa explained, the watches scanned everything. Joe had all of their measurements from the medical data he was collecting. Producing bespoke clothing was no big deal. Producing bespoke clothing that passed for what she could have found in the Market while also having a unified style and some of the best quality she had ever seen? That was something else.
Fine, Joe didn't do normal. The fact that the collection of outfits could pass as the result of a shopping trip rather than the work of some master dressmaker was a miracle, but the whole situation still felt weird. And the fact that, despite everything else that had happened, her mind was still running back to that problem really said something.
Maybe it was because a guy giving her a bunch of fancy clothes was the only aspect of the current situation that felt like a 'normal' problem. It wasn't going to shake the foundations of the city if she decided to wear them, throw them out, or bury them in the back of her closet. She could wonder if anything was meant by the gesture, if there was any meaning to the selections made, or if she should just treat it with the same regard that Joe seemed to.
Maybe if she kept stressing about the outfits she could avoid having to focus on other, more concerning matters. By every metric the Undersiders had come out of the summit in a strong position. Everything they had set out to accomplish had been secured easily. Even with the curveballs that had been thrown, by all appearances they were flying high.
Those appearances fell apart with one look at the dour faced group trudging towards their factory hideout. Things had been bad enough to begin with and gotten progressively worse over the course of the summit. Then everything was capped by the announcement of Bitch's actions. But they had made it through and somehow managed to keep their shaky stance and internal conflicts out of the public eye. Now they just needed to survive the aftermath.
The group moved in silence as they entered through the side door and climbed the stairs towards the loft. The place was as much of a mess as it had been when Taylor first saw it, but there was a different tone to the clutter. Before the mess had a lighthearted feel. Scattered video games, takeout containers, soda cans, and pizza boxes. The aftereffects of celebrations, downtime, and recreation. Now there was a grim feeling to the place. It seemed more lived in and grimy, like the party atmosphere had settled to the ground and started to rot.
As soon as they reached the loft Rachel started to split off towards her room. Before she could get far Brian called after her.
"Sit down." He said firmly as he moved towards the couches.
The girl shot him a defiant look. "I need to check on my dogs."
"They can wait." He said directly. "Sit down. We're sorting this out now."
She met his gaze for a long moment, then begrudgingly took a seat in the living room. Brian looked across the rest of the group and they awkwardly settled into their seats.
It was a show of how bad the situation was between them. Nobody seemed to be comfortable next to anyone else. Everyone had some gripe waiting to be aired or mistakes waiting to be brought to light. There was so much that Taylor wasn't sure where they would start.
Fortunately, Brian took the initiative on that front. "What the hell were you thinking?" He barked at Rachel.
"What?" She asked defiantly.
"Don't 'what' me. You attack the Empire, hit one of Hookwolf's businesses, and worst of all, you let me find out about it in a situation like that!" His voice rose as he spoke, finishing on a near scream. Taylor could see the veins in his temples bulging and his hands were squeezed into fists. If not for the forcefields Joe had given them, Taylor wondered if this would have already spilled into violence.
"It was a dog fighting ring." She spat back. "They were dying in there."
Brian gave her a hard look, seeming to bite back a retort. He took a breath and continued. "Rachel, I know that's important to you, but you can't go off on your own like that. You know that, right?"
"I could handle it." She looked around the group, then pulled back the sleeve of her jacket to show off her watch. "We can handle a lot more than that."
"That's not the point. It's not about whether you can handle it or not." Brian glanced around for help.
"You broke the deal." Lisa said plainly. Rachel wheeled on her.
"What deal? We didn't make any deal about this kind of stuff." She said defensively.
"The deal with Joe." Lisa continued. Some of the defiance in Rachel's posture began to waver. "We said that we'd keep him informed on any of our jobs. It was part of the agreement. You know, the thing that's letting us pay off our debt."
"Your debt." Rachel muttered. "I could have-"
"No, our debt." Brian said firmly. "You don't get to use the group for cover when it's convenient, then slink off when things get hard. If you wanted out, you could have said something when we met with Joe to discuss terms. You could have dealt with the Empire gunning for you solo. Do you have any idea what it cost us to cover for your stunt?"
"Actually, I'd like to know that." Alec interjected, turning to Lisa. "What would we have gotten if we took the payment, rather than the dog deal?"
Lisa took a breath. "Faultline's service charge is variable with the length and difficulty of the job. The kind of full contract she was talking about runs into the low six figures. Two or three hundred thousand." Taylor's eyebrows shot up. "Applied to each one of us…"
"Over a million dollars." Brian said in a dejected voice. Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Minimum twice the total of what we saw from the Bank, including the boss's contribution, for each person."
"Fuck." Alec muttered. Taylor was right there with him. Even assuming the lowest amount… How did she wrap her head around the idea of a single payment in cash being worth more than her house? More than everything her family owned?
"To be fair, we made a treaty, rather than taking a payout." Lisa explained. "We missed out, big time, but the Empire dealt with us like equals. That good for our reputation, puts us in better standing than Faultline's group."
"Faultline doesn't give a shit about her standing in the city." Alec countered. "And since when do we care about that either?" He looked around critically. "Seriously, I signed up for the monthly payouts and takes from the heists. Why are we worrying about our negotiating positions with the gangs?"
"We always had to worry about that." Brian explained.
"No, we had to worry about pissing them off enough that they came after us. This is different." He countered in a serious voice. Probably the most serious Taylor had ever seen him. "Bitch fucked up, no question. Blindsided us and cost us a big payout. Possibly started shit with Joe-"
"I didn't." Rachel said defensively. "He didn't care." She looked to Lisa for confirmation, and she slowly nodded.
"He didn't." She turned back to the group. "He was surprised to learn about it, but wasn't angry. Just concerned about what we were getting into."
"Great. Lucky he's a dog person." Alec muttered sarcastically. "And always looking out for us." Something seemed to occur to him. "Hey Lisa, any chance Kaiser would have actually followed through on that, or would the big tinker have scared him off?"
Lisa took a breath and sank back into her seat. "He would have tried something." She admitted. "For appearances sake, he'd have to. Not open war, but he might have gone at us another way." She glanced at Rachel. "Like through Bitch's dogs."
Rachel immediately tensed, her brow furrowing in anger. Before she could say anything Brian leaned in and spoke in a stern voice. "Do you get it now?" He asked. Rachel seethed without meeting his eyes. "Do you understand why flying off half-cocked is a bad idea? Why keeping this kind of thing from the group is a recipe for disaster?"
Rachel seethed from her seat, then slowly turned to face Taylor. "What about her?" She asked in a harsh tone gesturing towards her.
"What about her?" Brian asked.
"Taylor was out starting fights when Joe had us hunting for survivors. Didn't mention anything about it either. How come she gets a free pass?" The burly girl asked, giving Taylor a harsh look.
Taylor felt herself bristle. The actions she had taken that night, helping people and breaking up fights, it was the closest she'd felt to being a real hero since her first night out. Hearing Rachel refer to it like that made her want to snap back, but she clamped down on her emotion. She focused on her swarm as she replied as calmly as she could.
"There were a lot of capes out that night." Taylor said defensively. "And people from the gangs. I couldn't cover the area Joe wanted if I went around them, so I drove them off when they got in the way." She turned to Brian. "But I didn't go hunting after anyone." That was mostly true. Once she figured out the reach and versatility of her bug clones she had started 'showing up' in multiple places. It was usually enough to send people running without a real fight.
"It would have been good to know about that ahead of time." Brian admitted and Taylor sank into her seat. "But that was different. It was on a job for Joe, and running into capes in the street is different from raiding one of their operations."
"But it's still okay for her to go off alone?" Bitch tried. From what Taylor could gauge the girl wasn't really at home with verbal arguments to begin with and wasn't enjoying losing ground. "There weren't any capes at the dog fights, but you're okay with Taylor throwing down with whoever?"
"Most of the time I wasn't anywhere near them." The Undersiders gave Taylor a confused look. She reached out to her swarm.
There was a buzzing noise that caused them to tense as a horde of flying insects poured into the loft from lower in the factory. They held position, shifting into the rough form of her body. Then a slightly less rough form, the product of her practice over the last few days.
"It was dark enough that people couldn't tell the difference." She explained. "I have enough range that I could set up bugs in a shape like that if there was trouble somewhere. It was usually enough to make people run off."
"Right." Brian said, looking uncertainly at the swarm clone. Taylor shifted it through some of the stances she had practiced and had it wave at the group. If not for the near deafening buzzing it would have looked fairly natural. "That would explain why Skidmark thought we were grabbing territory." He said in a concerned tone, having to raise his voice over the noise. Taylor dispersed the clone as Lisa turned to her.
"Scrub was terrified of you." At Taylor's confused expression she elaborated. "The new Merchant blaster with the white hair. What happened with him?"
Taylor's mind rolled back to that night, cycling through the encounters she'd had. She hadn't been on site when Scrub was fighting, but she remembered the encounter.
"He was with the cape who makes stuff spin around? The girl?" Taylor began.
"Whirlygig." Lisa filled in. "Wide reaching telekinetic, but can only make things rotate around her counter-clockwise."
Taylor nodded. "They were fighting with Manpower and another cape over a drug house. Scrub? He hit my bug clone with a blast. After that I drove him off with a swarm and used my knife on the house." She shrugged. Aside from bringing down the building, and cutting off access to the drugs inside, it hadn't been a particularly active encounter.
"Right." Lisa said. "Not sure he knew the clone wasn't you. Not sure Skidmark knew either." She turned to Brian. "They were probably expecting us to come gunning for them over it. We could have used it."
Brian took a deep breath and gave a curt nod. "Yes, we could have." Slowly he turned back to the group. "Look, I get things have been crazy over this last week, but this kind of stuff? We REALLY need to know it. Not that it excuses Bitch, but Taylor, I really could have used a heads up about what you were doing on Thursday night."
"Which brings things back around to my point." Alec said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still plenty pissed about losing out on a payday like that, particularly with what our current job prospects look like, but once again, why?" He looked at Lisa and Brian. The pair of them seemed somewhat taken aback by the boy's questions.
"What do you mean, Alec?" Brian asked, giving him a concerned look.
"We never played gang politics or traded on reputation before. Where the hell is any of this headed? It's not like we can go back to hitting jewelry stores, and after Bitch's stunt I'm pretty sure most people without powers are going to run at the sight of us." He explained. "And the two of you wouldn't have been stressing over this meeting if you didn't have something in the works. Well, let's have it. What did you have planned, and is any of it still on the table after that shit show?"
The loft was uncomfortably silent in the wake of Alec's question. Rachel just seemed to be enjoying the focus shifting from her, but Taylor felt a bubble of excitement well up in her chest, then did her best to avoid showing any sign of it as Lisa and Brian exchanged meaningful looks.
"Alec's right." Lisa said, then gave the boy a harsh look as he moved to say something. "And if you dare say 'Alec's always right.' I'm going to throttle you right here."
"Fine, once was enough. Please, continue." He said with a dramatic flourish and a twinkle in his eye. It was the kind of irreverence she had seen less of since last Saturday night.
Lisa took a breath, then turned back to the group. "After the bank, and the fight with the ABB, and Thursday night, things have changed. The city's in a different place, and our role is changing."
"What do you mean about our role?" Rachel asked.
"She means we're not going to be able to get away with smash and grabs anymore." Brian raised a thumb to the collar of his cape jacket. It was mostly covered by the hoodie he had thrown on, but there was just a hint of the impossible material Joe had used for his costume showing underneath. "Anything we try, we're going to see stronger opposition. People aren't going to treat us with kid gloves anymore."
"Unless they're scared off by Apeiron." Alec quipped. Brian glared at him and he raised a placating hand. "Fine, we're in the big leagues. But what exactly does that mean?" He turned to Lisa. "Come on, I know you two were scheming. What's the deal?"
Taylor leaned in along with Alec while Brian and Lisa shared an uncomfortable look.
"Nothing's set in stone yet." Lisa admitted. "But the situation in the city's changing. At least before the summit, the feeling from the boss was that the dynamics were headed for a shake up and we would have a bigger part in things when it settled."
"I'd say things are plenty shaken up." Alec remarked. "What was that bigger part supposed to look like, and does any of it hold after all that crap?"
Lisa took a breath. "I was going to follow up with the boss after the summit, give a report. Details were going to follow from that."
"It was leading into us meeting the boss." Brian said. "For all of us." Taylor clamped down on the surge of excitement she felt, staying stone-faced in response to the news. Rachel and Alec barely responded to the news.
"Let me guess, that's canceled pending everyone trying to get a handle on Joe, only to get thrown off the next time he does anything?" Alec quipped.
"Not canceled." Lisa said. "But the situation is a lot more complicated now. The Teeth saw to that."
The mention of the Butcher's gang brought up a wave of dread from worries Taylor had been trying not to think about. She swallowed, trying to drive down the thoughts of that nightmare scenario.
"So what, we sit around until things settle down and become nice and peaceful? Because I don't see that happening." Alec said. "And if you expect us to do something about this mess I feel the need to say we are out of our fucking depth."
"The hell with that." Bitch spat, flashing her watch and sheathed knife. "With everything we've got going, you think we can't handle them?"
"Yeah, 'we' can't." He looked around the group. "Come on, you saw it tonight. Maybe we came out smelling like roses, but this was a mess and you know it. Bitch almost started a gang war, Taylor was effectively claiming territory without telling anyone, nobody knew what Brian was actually trying to accomplish, because it was a lot more than just putting on a good face, and once again, Lisa was wrong about everything." He paused, looking around at the group's faces. "Okay, last one isn't really fair. Nobody knows anything when it comes to Joe."
"I didn't know he had a team." Taylor admitted. "He never mentioned anyone. Never even gave a hint of it."
Gazes slowly gravitated towards Lisa. She gave them a frustrated look. "Fuck. Fine, I didn't see it either. It doesn't make sense, but that's not exactly new for him. He's known them a long time, but I never got the sense he was working with anyone."
Alec shrugged. "Maybe he made them himself." He joked. "Churned out just in time for the summit." At their sour looks he relented. "Fine, but do you have any better ideas?"
Lisa took a breath. "I could tell Fleet and Survey know each other. They're connected somehow. Proto Aima is related to what happened when March tried to kill Joe." There was a brief dark pause as that moment flashed before their eyes. "And the transformation he went through later. The Matrix is connected to the mech suit, and Lethe recovered him after the fight."
"He had them during the fight with Lung." Taylor said. "Or sort of had them? He didn't mention anything to you either? No hints?" Lisa and Brian shook their heads.
"Kataklyzein was the only one who was confirmed to be inaccessible at the time. The rest, I don't know. There was a reason they couldn't help out more than they did, but I'm not sure what." Lisa explained in frustration.
Rachel just shrugged. "It's not a surprise." The entire group, Taylor included, gave her a look like she'd grown a second head. "He said it himself. Most powerful tinker on the planet. You think he's just going to sit around and wait for stuff to happen? Not reach out or find people who want to work with him?" She explained. "You've seen what he can make, what he can do. Anyone would give their arm to get on his team. Of course he's going to have his pick of whoever he wants to work with."
Rachel explained it like it was the most natural thing in the world, and it did make a certain sense, if you took it in isolation without ever having met Joe. The idea that Joe was aggressively recruiting powerful unknown capes while they were… Well, sitting around waiting for things to settle down, it seemed like the kind of thing Apeiron would do.
It didn't seem like the kind of thing Joe would do. She remembered her meeting with Joe, how disarmed he had been and how open he'd been with her. Not about everything, but the promise of support and his serious follow through on more levels than she ever expected… She couldn't pair that with the idea that he was actually living up to the image he put out for the public.
But that image had to have come from somewhere. Seeing behind the mask, it disarmed the situation just enough that you could get comfortable. That you could forget the level of power you were playing with. Until he did something crazy.
Like fight a one-man war against an entire gang.
Or come back from near certain death.
Or transform into a monster on a live broadcast.
Or fight an Endbringer sized Lung in the skies over the bay.
Or deploy a giant robot from nowhere.
Or launch an attack that people were still trying to understand.
"Okay, but point stands." Alec said. "Where are we going from here, and are you going to let any of us in on the plan? Because I'm normally okay going with the flow, but this isn't the kind of thing we can ignore."
Lisa shook her head slightly. "I need to talk to the boss. He's probably going to have a proposal for us, something updated based on the new terms."
"Are we going against the Teeth?" Taylor asked. The question sparked a range of reactions. Rachel looked eager, Alec exasperated, Brian concerned, and Lisa pensive. She pressed on. "Even if it's not part of the new role or whatever, it's important, right? Everyone was clear on not letting Joe fight the Butcher."
"Joe… he thinks he can deal with the Butcher." Lisa explained. "Not just in a fight. He thinks he can handle the possession if it happens."
"Well, let's hope he's right." Alec said.
"And that it doesn't come to that." Responded Brian. Taylor nodded in agreement.
"What about the rest of the Celestial Forge?" Alec asked. "And where the hell did that name come from? It sounds like something badly translated from a kung fu movie."
"The name means something to Joe. Not sure what. And for his team?" Lisa shrugged. "More than half of them were immune to Victor, so that might mean something for the Butcher? Not that it matters."
"Yeah, they didn't have nervous systems." Alec announced casually, glossing over the implications of his statement. "Might stop the Butcher, but ain't nobody testing that. Not with the supersonic man, or anyone else on that team."
"It wasn't just the team." Taylor said. "Joe looked different." She didn't want to outright say 'hotter', but that was basically what happened. When she saw him when he called on Friday morning he looked normal. Well, normal for Joe. No glowing lock of hair or unnatural sharpness to his face that drew the eye. The first time he had shown most of his face in costume, and it was nothing like him. Only it was. It was still Joe, just distinct enough that if you didn't know what to look for you wouldn't see the connection.
Even his build was different. And the way he walked, the smoothness of his movements, confidence of his steps. She'd seen the videos of herself in costume, more often than not set to some obnoxious pop song, but she knew how the mask could change the way you carried yourself. Just, not that much.
"That red lock of hair was connected to Proto Aima." Lisa said. "I think he was concealing it somehow when he met with Brian and me, but it's probably related to what happened on Thursday."
"And we still don't know fuck about that." Alec said. "I mean, are we seriously trying to make plans here, long term, future of the group plans, when we don't even know what happened three days ago?"
"Yeah, we're in the dark. We've been that way through most of this. It's the same situation we've been dealing with, so what are you trying to say here?" Brian asked.
He looked around the room and took a breath. "I'm saying we, as a team, aren't ready for whatever you or the boss are planning for us. It sucks, but it's true. Tell me, is anyone here really over last Saturday night? Because I know I'm not the only one that fucked up. We're not working together." He looked at Rachel. "Not talking to each other." He turned to Taylor. "And we have no idea what's happening." His head swung towards Lisa.
"You're lecturing on teamwork now?" Brian asked.
"Yeah, please understand how fucked the situation must be if I'm the one pointing it out." He replied. "We don't know what Joe brought out on Thursday. We don't know what he's done since then, and we don't even know who he's working with. How are we supposed to deal with that?"
"We could ask Joe." Rachel said.
Taylor blinked in surprise as the group rounded on the older girl. "What?" Brian asked.
She lifted her wrist. "He handed these out so we could get in touch with him. We want to know stuff. Why not just ask?"
Brian and Lisa stared open mouthed at Rachel as Alec scoffed. "They don't ask because they're trying to play the situation, like that matters now." He shrugged. "But fuck it, worst he can say is no. Let's give him a call."
"No!" Lisa said sharply.
"What, should Taylor do it?" He asked. "Come on, let's invite the whole team over for pizza."
"Pizza." Lisa repeated. "Right, cause that's what you offer the most beautiful person in the world."
A slight smile crossed Rachel's face as she leaned back and nodded. "Fleet…"
Lisa blinked at her, then shook her head and turned back to Alec. "I need to talk to the boss first. At least let me find out where we stand before you shoot everything down."
The boss. The entire reason for Taylor joining the team, the objective she'd put up with everything to accomplish. Now, it was finally in reach. Close enough she could almost see it. Two degrees away. She just had to push through and everything would be worth it. The importance Joe placed on her mission, it was harrowing, but it also reinforced her determination.
"I'd like to know what he's proposing." Taylor said, looking at Alec. "You said it yourself, we're past robbing jewelry stores." She hadn't been involved with those kinds of jobs, but inserting herself into the dynamic helped her case. "If we're moving onto bigger things, I want to hear the offer."
Hopefully in person.
Rachel shrugged. "Can't hurt."
Alec took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Fuck it. Sure, make the call. Let's find out what fresh hell is waiting for us. But if he wants us hunting the Butcher it better be a serious offer."
Rachel nodded along, and even Brian seemed to agree. Taylor would have taken the work just to head off Joe getting involved, but the problem was one that was hard to wrap your head around. Where did you start with something like that? Sure, maybe he was right and he could handle the Butcher, stop the possession or whatever, but nobody would want to take that chance.
A thought occurred to her. "What about the other groups?" Taylor asked. "Should we be worried about them?"
"No." Said Lisa. "Or, not specifically, at least. They complicate things, which isn't what we need right now, but outside of the Teeth nobody is looking to cause trouble."
"Like that ever stops people." Alec quipped.
Lisa shook her head. "We've got a few people from Lost Garden, less than they usually send out to secure a route for Barrow. Blasto could be a problem, but he's not that close with the kids. The Dragonslayers are here for Dragon, like usual. They'll stay out of anything that doesn't involve her. The Travelers are established mercenaries. Someone's probably going to hire them for either security or to help with a move on the Teeth. And the Elite are only here for Uppercrust's work."
Lisa sounded convincing, but somehow Taylor doubted that was the full story. Still, even if that was only surface level it would keep things from exploding immediately, something she'd been more than a little concerned about during the summit.
"Fine. Anything else?" Rachel asked, looking towards the door of her room.
"We still need to talk." Brian said to her. She looked like she wanted to object but he pressed on before she could. "Just because we have bigger stuff to deal with doesn't mean what you pulled was acceptable."
"Yeah, six figures, apiece." Alec muttered. To Taylor the number was still mind boggling. Somehow she doubted Rachel would be able to threaten buying out her share of the debt anymore. And Brian was right, in any other situation this would be a critical, team defining incident. Instead, it was poised to get lost in the shuffle.
Honestly, with what they were equipped with was a six-figure payout really that significant? Well, yes, because it was cash rather than some magic super item. Intellectually she knew everything Joe made was priceless. The knives were worth more than the Empire would have paid, and then there were the watches and the costumes. Just considering the gold on hers.
Well, it looked like gold. It was way too light for that, and she frankly had no idea what the actual metal was. She wouldn't have been surprised if it was something Joe built specifically for that purpose.
That reminded her. She placed the bag on the coffee table and started fishing out pieces of costumes. As she handed Grue his sculpted helmet he glanced into the bag and shook his head.
"Yeah, we didn't get magic bags for our deliveries." Alec quipped, accepting his mask and scepter.
"I don't think Joe even meant anything by it." She admitted. The knowing nods spoke of the experience of the group. For anyone else a bag that could fit over a hundred cubic feet of volume would be a major accomplishment. For Joe it was basically a shipping crate.
"I'll call the boss after we're done here." Lisa explained. "He should at least have an outline for us to vote on. We can meet tomorrow morning."
"Afternoon." Alec cut in. Brian gave him a confused look. "Like Lisa's not going to be up for half the night pouring over every detail of the summit." He shook his head. "I've seen you when you're cranky. Save us some trouble and make your pitch or whatever in the afternoon."
Lisa let out a slow breath and nodded. "Fine. That work for everyone?"
There were non-committal nods from Brian and Rachel. "I should be able to make it."
Winslow wasn't opening until Tuesday, being reluctant to resume classes with the blackout zone cutting off cell phones. She didn't know how she felt about going back, but even with everything else that had happened the Trio seemed like something she had to deal with at some point. After the past week and all the assorted insanity, it seemed more like something from her distant past than a pressing part of her life, but she knew that would come crashing back the moment she stepped into the school.
But she still had another day. One more day to find out where the Undersiders were headed and to try to close out her mission. Finally, she had an endpoint in sight. One more meeting, a few more missions, and she could close things out.
Looking around the group she felt a pang of guilt. It was easier to work against the Undersiders when they were just thought of as villains, nothing more. Then she got to know them as people, as potential friends. Then she saw them hurt, fought with them to survive, and worked with them to recover. Going through all that, knowing where they were coming from, it was a much harder decision.
But it was one she had to see through. Joe had stated how important her work was. She had to keep it secret until she had the information she needed. She wasn't alone, even without knowing Joe had offered his support. A much more significant offer than she realized at the time, and potentially extending to the rest of his team as well.
That was something that worried her. Where had they come from? Maybe Bitch was right and Joe had just recruited the best he could find. Maybe he'd been working behind the scenes to build up and prepare. Or maybe it was something stranger. With Joe you could never be sure.
Six mystery individuals. Nobody in the city knew anything about them. If they asked, would Joe tell them? Would he tell her? She didn't know. Despite how hard Joe had pushed for peace things felt a lot less stable than they had before the summit. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Maybe for once they would change in a positive direction.
The important thing was she had a path, a route to the completion of her mission. She could only hope it would work out, and she could finally see things through.
Last edited:
Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
Joe: "Uhuh... into robots, you say."
Robotnik: "But of course! Inferior organics can't compare to the efficiency and reliability of cybernetic enhancement."
Armsmaster: "I would like to engage in further correspondence."
Ferrus Manus: "Contrary to popular belief, Flesh is not Weak."
Joe: "You have a layer of Necrodermis completely enclosing two of your limbs."
Robotnik: "And your ludicrous name is 'Iron Hands'!"
Armsmaster: "I think it is a succinct nom de guerre, actually."
Ferrus: "No, that is my actual name."
Armsmaster, glancing at his halberd: "It would be hypocritical of me to point out how on the nose that is."
Ferrus: "My brothers are hardly better in this regard."
Robotnik: "But of course! Inferior organics can't compare to the efficiency and reliability of cybernetic enhancement."
Armsmaster: "I would like to engage in further correspondence."
Ferrus Manus: "Contrary to popular belief, Flesh is not Weak."
Joe: "You have a layer of Necrodermis completely enclosing two of your limbs."
Robotnik: "And your ludicrous name is 'Iron Hands'!"
Armsmaster: "I think it is a succinct nom de guerre, actually."
Ferrus: "No, that is my actual name."
Armsmaster, glancing at his halberd: "It would be hypocritical of me to point out how on the nose that is."
Ferrus: "My brothers are hardly better in this regard."
Wouldn't it be better if I stay alive to help sacrifice other people? I swear I will give you all the blood sacrifices you need if you allow me to stay alive, O Great Gacha Gods! Just plz, give us Glory to Me!
Dawnk41
Comatose Grizzly
- Location
- America
Wow, I never knew I needed Rachel with a crush in a story before, XD
Probably related to the uniform/costume joke that did appear in the movie, with 2 teams getting stuck with each others' uniforms, and a bunch of the uniforms being pretty custom. I've been assuming that's part of why she keeps trying to do the bararian chic thing.
Rem Freeman
Clouded Personality
- Location
- Ocean Bound
You know things are really starting to come off the rails when Alec is the voice of reason and moderation of the team, and not just there either. I especially liked how he called out Brian and Lisa for not wanting to ask Joe direct about things because they were scheming about things. Really enjoyed this chapter LR, though I think you and I have different definitions about what a "mini" chapter is. And with Rachel talking about "who wouldn't want to be on Apeiron's team," hoping there will come a time she and Alec jump ship and join the Gorilla Steel crew. Would certainly make it easier for Rachel to make puppy eyes at Fleet 😁
Carrnage
Human
- Location
- New Zealand
Nah Glory to The Legion, then it turns out individual users area of effect stack, including clones.
A great chapter, I loved the alternate viewpoint! I had to facepalm at Taylor's continued mis-interpretation, though.
Some quick corrections:
Some quick corrections:
- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
*pinches bridge of nose* Please, in the name of all that is good and holy, let CF and the Undersiders actually start talking openly to each other within the next few updates. Taylor, Lisa and Brian are so very painful to read right now.
extra period
missing"