WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Taylor: Time to make like a tree and leaf.
Amy: *pokes taylor and giggles*
Taylor: Huh?
Vicky: Leaf crown.
Taylor: AMY
Amy: *running away cackling*
Eden's Edge (Worm/Sonnie's Edge [Love, Death, and Robots])
Amy: *pokes taylor and giggles*
Taylor: Huh?
Vicky: Leaf crown.
Taylor: AMY
Amy: *running away cackling*
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
So, like, thanks again, but I gotta say, this wasn't a Taylor/Amy fic at all.
Well, maybe a little.
But the entire premise of Taylor and Amy being in a fucked up relationship and slowly working through their many, many issues just isn't there.
Anyway, with that out of the way,
Uh. Other Nazis?
Okay, okay. So. Is it too early to say "gang war", or already too late?
Wonder what Coil's plan to deal with Taylor is, because, I mean, if he wants to take over, he still has to defeat the gang that has Godzilla with tentacles on their side.
If his plan is to unleash Echidna and have a giant kaiju battle. I'm gonna be so disappointed in him. He didn't even try to find a giant moth cape, what kinda fucking lazy planning is that
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
Read through this over the past few days and it's been really enjoyable. Rare for me to encounter fanfic (or media period) starring homosexual couples, and this does a wonderful job of portraying the impulsive, rash nature of teenagers. And also their horniness.
Taliserian
(Unverified Verifiable)
- Location
- ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha
- Pronouns
- They/Them
WhoAmEye's entire body of work is very opeminded and usually a lot of fun. I'd reccomend all of it.
You must be new here.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
Been on SV since June 2014, actually, so it'd be more so to do with most fanfic I read here just not including it?
I mean to the worm fandom. Worm is like 95% F/F.
Really? I thought it was 50% alt power 25% shipping 24% crossover and 1% ham.
WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Somehow people forget multitasking is a thing when the main character's power let her individually control every bug in a swarm of thousands.
Predators 9.4
WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This is what happens when you mak ethe Gay Pride Godzilla mad
Special thanks to my lovely co-author and wife, @hellgodsrus, without whom I would never would have been able to take part in creating half my fics, and our girlfriend @SolarFlare for being awesome and also betaing! Also special thanks Prime Betas @Tamahori and @32nd_freeze and @Ganurath for being betas and feeding me validation and feedback between updates!
Enjoy!
Predators
9.4
-.-.-
I let out a roar into the night. Long and drawn out, enough to silence everything else.
"Holy -" Crystal sounded breathless. "That was loud - incoming fast - "
"Yeah." Victoria shifted in her seat and Mahway burst into motion. "On it."
The smell of gunpowder came from that direction. Up a building. I could see an open window with a smoking gun barrel just inside, and a pale-skinned man lining up another shot. The bullet ached somewhere in my shoulder but I didn't let it bother me, rushing forward and leaping, crashing into the building face and climbing.
I couldn't bring myself to care about the broken windows or the screaming people waking up from having a Beastie's taloned foot crashing through their bedroom wall. Or one of my tails letting me climb, supporting me by stabbing the wall.
Yelling and panic from Amy - Tammi's body limp beside her, she'd knocked her out - Victoria and Crystal as I smashed my head through the Sniper's window - he was in there, on his back, firing again - pain blossomed from my neck. I couldn't let myself fall - a woman was with him, hand on his shoulder - both in costume - he had a black breastplate over red, she looked like a fucking ketchup bottle - he was wearing a mask, she had some sort of eyepatch -
I pulled back and punched in as hard as I could. I felt someone get hit. I smelled blood on the air and heard a gasping, guttural gurgle, then a shout of anger. Smaller bullets, pinging off my hand-claw, embedding in my lower arm.
I swept my claws, tearing through walls until I found what I assumed was a load-bearing beam because it actually stopped me. Back and forth, leaving ruined furniture and clawed carpet in my wake. Where are they!? Let me at them!
"Taylor - fuck - Taylor, stop, the building - !" A pat on my shoulder from Mahway, then they were blasted away by something. Repeated hits on my back I hadn't noticed before but could see with my tilted head, like compressed air that simply dispersed on my shoulders. Emmim was rolling past, claws over their head as they took a bipedal - quadrupedal? Hard to tell with their weird extra shin - stance.
I reached back in, took a fistfull of couch, and hurled it at the flying man. He dodged, contemptuously, and brandished handfuls of air that shimmered like knives. Shirtless. Metal tiger mask.
I could see the line of his throat shift as he grinned. "This is for Brad."
Then he hurled the fistfuls at the van.
No.
I locked my claws into the wall, switching to human and climbing quickly over Crystal before the side of the van was shredded. I managed to intercept most of it - but I felt more than heard her cry out in pain. Victoria was fine, at least. Seemed to be. She rocked in her seat, eyes wide, mouthed something I couldn't hear.
I couldn't afford to stay any longer than I had to, and switched back. Flying man was moving, reangling on the van - I was falling, I'd lost my grip while I'd switched - a flash of movement in the gap above me and a pale, masked face twisted with hate with a gun -
Sent one tail lashing out, to either stab or wrap around and crush him. Had to get to the van and protect it. The other three at the ground, holding me up and launching me to extend my reach. Another gun roar - not from the pale man, because Emmim was on him, he was dodging but those swings were fast and heavy. Flying man dodged me but snarled, blood bursting from his shoulder and arm, that's what you get for being shirtless you stupid Nazi piece of shit, I want to eat your liver.
The flash had come from the window of Lindsay's house. "Get inside, I'll cover us," I ordered, stalking back, tails raised and ready to stab the fucking moment he got in range.
Victoria's voice was staticky through the phone. "Can't move and control my beastie at the same time. Stormtiger almost got us once already - and if we reveal we're here as New Wave - "
"Fuck." I really wanted to stab Stormtiger. If only he'd tried to divert the couch rather than dodge. "Hasn't Amy already been seen?" Where was she - there was a trail of blood from where Tammi had been so maybe she'd dragged the bitch inside for whatever reason.
"I don't - " Mahway burbled as it tensed and launched hooks at Stormtiger, which flew past him aimlessly. "Fuck! Don't know. Crys, you okay?"
"Leg hurts. A lot. Ow." A roaring grumble from Emmim as it fought whoever was over there in the building. "Shh. Trying to. Concentrate."
I surveyed the scene. Ruined building (my fault), ruined van (not my fault), whatsisface pale asshole was somewhere around. I could smell Amy somewhere. I hoped she'd gotten inside. Sirens, drawing closer. Just have to hope it wasn't Empire sympathising cops but instead biased-against-Eden PRT. Stormtiger, hovering just outside my reach, claws of air pockmarking the ground around Mahway as it burbled and rolled.
I prowled around the van. Protecting it. Protecting us. If Hookwolf's death had brought Stormtiger here, chances were whatserface with the cage head - Cricket - would be around too. Pale-face McGee… who had he been? Who had been with him who I'd crushed? I'd need to ask Victoria later. When it wouldn't distract Crystal.
Movement in the house. One eye looking, one - oh. That was weird. Ghosted again. I didn't even know I could do that. Stormtiger shifted, then stopped - everyone else did too, even the bulk of Emmim.
Because, a makeshift mask over her face, a figure had emerged, dragging Tammi with her. One hand held up with a burning ball of - not fire, it didn't behave like fire. But a burning ball of heat in her hand.
"Stop. Or I burn her."
Was - whose side was she on? She was in Lindsay's house so I hoped ours. But…
A selfish part of me wanted to take advantage of everyone stopping. To take out a few more of the fascists. But that would be wrong. And open up the possibility of others doing the same to me.
"I don't think you will." Stormtiger's voice didn't carry, but he was talking like it did. Power stuff that my power was nullifying? "I don't know who you are, but - "
"I've killed before." Her hand was shaking, just a little. "I didn't enjoy it. But I'll do it again if you don't leave."
The muscles in his neck twitched and tensed in interesting patterns - I assumed it meant he was running through a series of complex facial expressions hidden by the mask. Probably listening to the others discuss. Maybe. "... I'm guessing you're Flare, right?"
"No. I'm - I'm from out of town. I was visiting friends, family, wh-when your goons showed up."
The way Stormtiger's head jerked back made me feel like he was doing the confusion blink, looking between sun-girl and I. Motioning his finger at me like 'But… Eden are here? What?'. His gaze shifted, briefly, to the hole in the building in which I could see the blond, armoured man, then back to the girl with a ball of flame in her hand. "I don't think I believe you." He floated forward a foot.
"St-stay back!"
"Here's what I think happened. Rune showed up to ask you about why you'd helped those fucking 'social justice' queers at Eden leak our identities." Hold up. What? What the fuck? Tammi stirred briefly in sun-girl's grip. "We're not stupid, Tam, we knew you knew someone at that group was a cape, otherwise why would you be obsessed with such freaks? You thought 'fuck, I've killed Hookwolf, I can handle this', but you couldn't, and you panicked, and called for freak backup." He gestured at me, Emmim, Mahway.
I held up a hand-paw thing and made a confused noise, looking to Tammi and back to Stormtiger. Then I shook my head. We didn't - we wouldn't - have done that. Also, this guy was clearly an idiot, if Flare had been holding the ball of sun, Tammi would be dead and the yard probably would have caught fire by now. Also, the ball of fire didn't make any noise. It was just… quiet and there, no paper-tearing screech.
Plus, this girl really did not sound like Lindsay at all.
Emmim made a grunting noise, and in the van I heard Crystal shift. Muffled by static I heard her whisper, " - getting closer, can smell - " but then Stormtiger started talking again and it was hard to listen to them both.
"The thing I can't work out is why you'd be arrogant enough to think that this shit would work at all. The state's going to come down on you guys like hammers. I'd almost be comfortable just sitting back and letting that happen. But… you killed Brad."
Seriously, who the fuck is Brad? I moved closer to the van, ready to protect it again. Where is Amy? She better be okay.
"And y-you're. About to get this girl killed. If you don't leave."
Stormtiger paused in midair, then shrugged. "Yeah, I can live with that."
Which was the moment the PRT vans rounded the corner.
Fuck it. Ignoring Tammi's sleepy, barely conscious look of absolute horror - or terror, someone she knew just told her he was fine with her dying - I lashed out at Stormtiger as fast as I could with my tails.
Cr-bang - pain, pain, blond sniper had shot me again, bouncing down to street level, roaring something I couldn't hear over the crack of his gun - Stormtiger was clipped by my tail and spun down through the air, catching himself and swearing - Mahway's harpoons catching him, punching through his lower torso and arm -
It looked nasty. I hoped it felt worse than it looked.
I lunged for the sniper. At ground level, he couldn't run. I closed on him, fast, ignoring the pain in my back leg. Emmim was keeping him pinned, dodging - he'd switched back to some sort of heavy rifle going crack-crack-crack impossibly loud and bright, bullets embedding in the Beastie's thick plating.
I brought my fist down on his head. I didn't trust the PRT not to just turn him free again, identity supposedly revealed or not. He dived away at the last second, somehow, and I only brushed his leg, sending him stumbling. He spun at me, snarling, tossed something - BRIGHT LOUD OW OW OW OW.
I shrieked, a reptilian hiss of pain, and swept my tails around, hoping to catch him even as I flailed blindly. In the back of my mind, I added 'backup senses' to my to-mod list. I could barely hear anything over the ringing in my ears and the sirens, the stench of - of him.
My head shot to face him. I didn't see him, but - I lunged and swiped, grabbing him. Felt around with my other hand, ripping away his weapon. The smell of blood - fresh, rich red - intensified as things started to look less like bright pain and more like blurry afterimage of pain. His screams - roars of pain and anger - grew as I squeezed.
Told you to get out of my city.
Up on my hindlegs, holding up like a trophy kill, I roared my victory into the night.
Squealch.
I tossed the ruined carcass to the road and flicked my hand clean.
Where was - where was the van? I needed to protect it - protect my pack - from… from things. Stormtiger. Was he still alive? Was Tammi still alive? I could smell charred flesh, but only a little bit. Stupid vision wasn't coming back fast enough. Hearing was more wobbly - deep noises. Something. Tarmac missing under my feet, stumbling. Then hearing was. My human body could hear - whining, high pitched, made me want to vomit.
I switched back and twisted my head back and forth - getting the vague idea that it was coming from the same direction as the PRT vans, despite not being able to hear it in my real body - oh, shit, the PRT had arrived.
"I hope you guys can see because I fucking can't." I said over the voicebox as the muffled sound of someone possibly vomiting came from the phone.
"Head - Cricket - " I heard Victoria grunting, then the sound of a muffled thump. "F-fuck. Recovery position. Nnng."
More noise, muffled. Someone shouting, saying something. Something rocking the wreckage of the van. Something brushing against my leg, big and spiny and shaking. One of the beasties?
I hated this feeling. Hated it. Despite being a twelve-ton or - however heavy, however goddamn tall monster I was - I couldn't do anything. No scents to track, to know I should track, the ringing in my ears drowning out everything the sirens didn't, and - I still felt so blind. I needed to find Amy. Needed to make sure she was okay. Needed to see again, to -
Something brushed past my leg and I flinched, the only thing stopping me from lashing out at it the thought that it might be someone I didn't want to hurt.
The brightness was starting to fade, dark spots becoming visible. Quick, blurry motions, right near me. A muffled burbling I recognised as Mahway.
Was Stormtiger dead? At least bleeding out? I couldn't see a man-shaped blob on what I assumed was Mahway's snout and not yet another arm. Or… any man-shaped blob, really. I sat down and kept blinking, trying to clear my vision. Secondary eyes. Sunglasses under-eyelid?
Images were slowly starting to return. Green and white strobing lights, a giant hole in the side of Lindsay's house, the van almost crumpled. One side was shredded, more or less.
Sound too. Rumbling. Drawing closer? Emmim was leaning against the van, Mahway in front, a figure tangled in her tendrils, slicing at her. I could hear Victoria grunting in pain, see her struggling inside the van.
Let me have them. I reached out to take the burden from Mahway, now that I could see it. My shoulder and leg ached fiercely. What colour was my blood? Reddish? That was what. Seemed to be leaking from me. Ow.
The woman in question immediately sank two sickle-like knives on sticks into my claws as I grabbed her. Ow. My fist clenched - almost involuntarily. There was a moment of resistance before something went crunch. Not sure what she was expecting, stabbing the hand that was holding her.
Mahway burbled again and inside the van Victoria groaned. "Nuh… "
Well, she was still struggling, so I… tossing her at the PRT would probably be seen as hostile, so I stumbled over towards the flashing lights and dropped her on the ground in front of one of them. That should… that should work. Was this adrenaline crash?
Rumbling. Nearby. Two motorbikes pulling to a stop. Whooshing sound as a hoverthing landed closer.
I squinted at it.
"Fuck." I could hear Chris' voice trembling.
Metalboot foot off one of the motorbikes. "Taylor Hebert, if you are in control, I need you to stand down. And get your allies to do so as well."
I made an annoyed grumbling sound and sat. My head hurt and everything felt funny. My hand was wet for some reason. And the more I stared at it the less sense it made. Flexing it, sheathing and unsheathing claws. Curling into fist. Uncurling.
I thought he was supposed to call me Khanivore while on the street. But I guess that was out the window too. Why couldn't I call him his real name, too? I bet it was something stupidly… normal sounding, like - John Doe or Steve Smith.
That… that was Armsmaster, wasn't it? Smelled like him. I recognised the minerally smell, even if I hadn't consciously noticed it at the barbecue. My senses still felt scrambled. Like I was struggling to - had I been shot in the head at some point? I felt around, and people startled, but I couldn't feel anything wrong. I needed Amy. To - to help me figure out what was wrong. Not to fix it. Girlfriend not medic.
Behind me, there was the soft squeak of someone very slowly and carefully closing a window.
Another voice and smell - gunoil, metal, something else I couldn't pin down - "Well this is a fuckin' mess."
I made a mrf-like huff and nodded. It was… difficult to see. And for different reasons now. Or was it difficult to focus? Oh. I should probably pull those blade-stick thingies out of my hand.
"Restrain her then get her into the paramedic van." I tensed for a moment, then realised Armsmaster was probably talking about bitey stick lady with the twisted metal around her head. "Start checking through the others. Miss Hebert." His voice was cool, fast, collected. "Can you speak to me?"
I shook my head. Yawned. On second thoughts, maybe opening my jaw up that far wasn't the greatest of ideas.
"Crikey, look at the size of those chompers," said the unfamiliar voice in an unconvincing Australian accent.
"Challenger." A sigh from Armsmaster. "Miss Hebert. Do you have any way to communicate what, exactly, happened here."
I had to think about it. Which… was honestly worrying enough. I could hop out of the van and risk them catching sight of the others, but they were… probably going to be found regardless. I could attempt charades - probably involving goosestepping and middle fingers, but that wouldn't have been fun. So I trundled back to the van and half-switched so I could grab my voice box back. "Testing." Oh, yay, it still worked. I… wasn't sure why it wouldn't, but the post-combat fugue was upon me. I was allowed a lapse in focus, right? "Hi." I sat down in front of Armsmaster again. "They shot me. And - aren't you meant to call me Khanivore when I'm all… caped up? Does this count as caped up? It feels like it. Everything feels fuzzy. And painful." I wondered if Amy or Mom could make me like - armoured veins. I wanted to be as bulletproof as I felt. Felt earlier. Right now I felt like I had a half dozen sniper rounds rattling in my chest, and god knows how many in my legs.
He frowned, I think. Bit hard to tell with the helmet and beard. "Start from the beginning, please. Do you - " His gaze focused on something behind me, and his posture shifted. "Or maybe that won't be a problem."
Amy-smell.
I craned my head back, looking at her upside down. "Aaamyyyy. Hi."
"Hi. I'll. Do my best to explain things while healing Taylor." She stuck her chin out a little. She was… so much shorter than Armsmaster. Though some of that was probably the armour. Did he have heels? I laid my head down and tried to look.
"... what is she doing?"
"Does Armsmaster have heels?"
Amy took a deep breath. "Just switch back so I can keep you from bleeding out, you massive, colossal dunce."
"But my blood's inside. That's where it's meant to be?" I crooned and laid my head down next to her, closing my eyes and opening them to the acrid taste of bile in my mouth and what the fuck. I almost puked again.
The inside of the van was a mess. One of the windblasts must have gotten in because there was seat stuffing everywhere. Tiny fragments of metal too. The side was clawed open, and Emmim was resting its head in one of the openings making little burbling barks. Crystal was lying in a small pool of her blood around her leg, face white and eyes closed and twitching. Victoria had taken her headset off and just looked tired.
I don't think - I don't think Crystal was doing well. No wonder the only Beastie that had ever taken action outside Eden's walls had been me - too dangerous for the operators. "H-hey." I croaked, my voice hoarse, "Y-you guys. Okay?"
"Well, we're probably about to be arrested. So. Bout usual." Victoria gave a tired smile. "I uh. Would change out of that shirt. You vomited all over it."
"If I had a shirt to change into I would…" I wrinkled my face up. Wandering around shirtless wasn't exactly legal either. I could - go ask Lindsay if I could borrow a shirt, maybe?
"Here." Victoria unclipped her cape from around her shoulders. "S'not perfect but uh. It's the best I can do. Amy had a jacket…" She sighed, pressed her hands on Crystal's leg, and Emmim barked again. "Sorry, Crys. She uh - dialed up stuff into the beastie so she could focus on that and not the nausea and terror and blood loss and stuff."
"That sounds dangerous." I blinked a few times. "Um. Keep the cape for now. I'll just - let Amy know Crystal needs some attention and - check on Lindsay, I think. And maybe borrow a shirt from her."
She gave a tired thumbs up, then paused. "I. I know they suck. And they were attacking us. And I'm not - I said I'd follow and I meant it. But I think part of that means, y'know. Letting you know when stuff is maybe too much. And uh. You killed… at least two people tonight. Maybe more." Her eyes were very calm and clear. "That's not going to look good. Or - be good, maybe."
I nodded. "I killed two people looking to kill me. To kill you guys. To kill random civilians because one of their own decided to accuse them of something out of nowhere. I don't know how many others they have killed, or how drawn out they made taking those lives, but I'm - I don't think I can find it in myself to look back and think I shouldn't have done it." Amy must be doing good work because that had to be the most coherent thing I'd thought all evening. "I mean - you're right, but..."
Victoria took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. I'm still with you."
"Okay. I'd - I'd give you a hug but…"
Victoria screwed her face up. "Get changed first and we'll see."
I tried to open the van door, but…. It didn't work. "Um. Crystal? Could you - tear this off for me? I think the van's a write-off at this point."
Emmim gave a little whuff, then the big spadelike claws came through the rest of the side of the van and pulled it down like a stiff piece of cardboard.
"Thank you." I clambered out onto the road and wow my legs felt like jelly. Then I noticed the silence. The heroes staring at me. At Emmim with the remains of the door stuck in their claws. "... what? It wasn't like I could open it the normal way anymore."
-.-.-
Special thanks to my lovely co-author and wife, @hellgodsrus, without whom I would never would have been able to take part in creating half my fics, and our girlfriend @SolarFlare for being awesome and also betaing! Also special thanks Prime Betas @Tamahori and @32nd_freeze and @Ganurath for being betas and feeding me validation and feedback between updates!
Enjoy!
Predators
9.4
-.-.-
I let out a roar into the night. Long and drawn out, enough to silence everything else.
"Holy -" Crystal sounded breathless. "That was loud - incoming fast - "
"Yeah." Victoria shifted in her seat and Mahway burst into motion. "On it."
The smell of gunpowder came from that direction. Up a building. I could see an open window with a smoking gun barrel just inside, and a pale-skinned man lining up another shot. The bullet ached somewhere in my shoulder but I didn't let it bother me, rushing forward and leaping, crashing into the building face and climbing.
I couldn't bring myself to care about the broken windows or the screaming people waking up from having a Beastie's taloned foot crashing through their bedroom wall. Or one of my tails letting me climb, supporting me by stabbing the wall.
Yelling and panic from Amy - Tammi's body limp beside her, she'd knocked her out - Victoria and Crystal as I smashed my head through the Sniper's window - he was in there, on his back, firing again - pain blossomed from my neck. I couldn't let myself fall - a woman was with him, hand on his shoulder - both in costume - he had a black breastplate over red, she looked like a fucking ketchup bottle - he was wearing a mask, she had some sort of eyepatch -
I pulled back and punched in as hard as I could. I felt someone get hit. I smelled blood on the air and heard a gasping, guttural gurgle, then a shout of anger. Smaller bullets, pinging off my hand-claw, embedding in my lower arm.
I swept my claws, tearing through walls until I found what I assumed was a load-bearing beam because it actually stopped me. Back and forth, leaving ruined furniture and clawed carpet in my wake. Where are they!? Let me at them!
"Taylor - fuck - Taylor, stop, the building - !" A pat on my shoulder from Mahway, then they were blasted away by something. Repeated hits on my back I hadn't noticed before but could see with my tilted head, like compressed air that simply dispersed on my shoulders. Emmim was rolling past, claws over their head as they took a bipedal - quadrupedal? Hard to tell with their weird extra shin - stance.
I reached back in, took a fistfull of couch, and hurled it at the flying man. He dodged, contemptuously, and brandished handfuls of air that shimmered like knives. Shirtless. Metal tiger mask.
I could see the line of his throat shift as he grinned. "This is for Brad."
Then he hurled the fistfuls at the van.
No.
I locked my claws into the wall, switching to human and climbing quickly over Crystal before the side of the van was shredded. I managed to intercept most of it - but I felt more than heard her cry out in pain. Victoria was fine, at least. Seemed to be. She rocked in her seat, eyes wide, mouthed something I couldn't hear.
I couldn't afford to stay any longer than I had to, and switched back. Flying man was moving, reangling on the van - I was falling, I'd lost my grip while I'd switched - a flash of movement in the gap above me and a pale, masked face twisted with hate with a gun -
Sent one tail lashing out, to either stab or wrap around and crush him. Had to get to the van and protect it. The other three at the ground, holding me up and launching me to extend my reach. Another gun roar - not from the pale man, because Emmim was on him, he was dodging but those swings were fast and heavy. Flying man dodged me but snarled, blood bursting from his shoulder and arm, that's what you get for being shirtless you stupid Nazi piece of shit, I want to eat your liver.
The flash had come from the window of Lindsay's house. "Get inside, I'll cover us," I ordered, stalking back, tails raised and ready to stab the fucking moment he got in range.
Victoria's voice was staticky through the phone. "Can't move and control my beastie at the same time. Stormtiger almost got us once already - and if we reveal we're here as New Wave - "
"Fuck." I really wanted to stab Stormtiger. If only he'd tried to divert the couch rather than dodge. "Hasn't Amy already been seen?" Where was she - there was a trail of blood from where Tammi had been so maybe she'd dragged the bitch inside for whatever reason.
"I don't - " Mahway burbled as it tensed and launched hooks at Stormtiger, which flew past him aimlessly. "Fuck! Don't know. Crys, you okay?"
"Leg hurts. A lot. Ow." A roaring grumble from Emmim as it fought whoever was over there in the building. "Shh. Trying to. Concentrate."
I surveyed the scene. Ruined building (my fault), ruined van (not my fault), whatsisface pale asshole was somewhere around. I could smell Amy somewhere. I hoped she'd gotten inside. Sirens, drawing closer. Just have to hope it wasn't Empire sympathising cops but instead biased-against-Eden PRT. Stormtiger, hovering just outside my reach, claws of air pockmarking the ground around Mahway as it burbled and rolled.
I prowled around the van. Protecting it. Protecting us. If Hookwolf's death had brought Stormtiger here, chances were whatserface with the cage head - Cricket - would be around too. Pale-face McGee… who had he been? Who had been with him who I'd crushed? I'd need to ask Victoria later. When it wouldn't distract Crystal.
Movement in the house. One eye looking, one - oh. That was weird. Ghosted again. I didn't even know I could do that. Stormtiger shifted, then stopped - everyone else did too, even the bulk of Emmim.
Because, a makeshift mask over her face, a figure had emerged, dragging Tammi with her. One hand held up with a burning ball of - not fire, it didn't behave like fire. But a burning ball of heat in her hand.
"Stop. Or I burn her."
Was - whose side was she on? She was in Lindsay's house so I hoped ours. But…
A selfish part of me wanted to take advantage of everyone stopping. To take out a few more of the fascists. But that would be wrong. And open up the possibility of others doing the same to me.
"I don't think you will." Stormtiger's voice didn't carry, but he was talking like it did. Power stuff that my power was nullifying? "I don't know who you are, but - "
"I've killed before." Her hand was shaking, just a little. "I didn't enjoy it. But I'll do it again if you don't leave."
The muscles in his neck twitched and tensed in interesting patterns - I assumed it meant he was running through a series of complex facial expressions hidden by the mask. Probably listening to the others discuss. Maybe. "... I'm guessing you're Flare, right?"
"No. I'm - I'm from out of town. I was visiting friends, family, wh-when your goons showed up."
The way Stormtiger's head jerked back made me feel like he was doing the confusion blink, looking between sun-girl and I. Motioning his finger at me like 'But… Eden are here? What?'. His gaze shifted, briefly, to the hole in the building in which I could see the blond, armoured man, then back to the girl with a ball of flame in her hand. "I don't think I believe you." He floated forward a foot.
"St-stay back!"
"Here's what I think happened. Rune showed up to ask you about why you'd helped those fucking 'social justice' queers at Eden leak our identities." Hold up. What? What the fuck? Tammi stirred briefly in sun-girl's grip. "We're not stupid, Tam, we knew you knew someone at that group was a cape, otherwise why would you be obsessed with such freaks? You thought 'fuck, I've killed Hookwolf, I can handle this', but you couldn't, and you panicked, and called for freak backup." He gestured at me, Emmim, Mahway.
I held up a hand-paw thing and made a confused noise, looking to Tammi and back to Stormtiger. Then I shook my head. We didn't - we wouldn't - have done that. Also, this guy was clearly an idiot, if Flare had been holding the ball of sun, Tammi would be dead and the yard probably would have caught fire by now. Also, the ball of fire didn't make any noise. It was just… quiet and there, no paper-tearing screech.
Plus, this girl really did not sound like Lindsay at all.
Emmim made a grunting noise, and in the van I heard Crystal shift. Muffled by static I heard her whisper, " - getting closer, can smell - " but then Stormtiger started talking again and it was hard to listen to them both.
"The thing I can't work out is why you'd be arrogant enough to think that this shit would work at all. The state's going to come down on you guys like hammers. I'd almost be comfortable just sitting back and letting that happen. But… you killed Brad."
Seriously, who the fuck is Brad? I moved closer to the van, ready to protect it again. Where is Amy? She better be okay.
"And y-you're. About to get this girl killed. If you don't leave."
Stormtiger paused in midair, then shrugged. "Yeah, I can live with that."
Which was the moment the PRT vans rounded the corner.
Fuck it. Ignoring Tammi's sleepy, barely conscious look of absolute horror - or terror, someone she knew just told her he was fine with her dying - I lashed out at Stormtiger as fast as I could with my tails.
Cr-bang - pain, pain, blond sniper had shot me again, bouncing down to street level, roaring something I couldn't hear over the crack of his gun - Stormtiger was clipped by my tail and spun down through the air, catching himself and swearing - Mahway's harpoons catching him, punching through his lower torso and arm -
It looked nasty. I hoped it felt worse than it looked.
I lunged for the sniper. At ground level, he couldn't run. I closed on him, fast, ignoring the pain in my back leg. Emmim was keeping him pinned, dodging - he'd switched back to some sort of heavy rifle going crack-crack-crack impossibly loud and bright, bullets embedding in the Beastie's thick plating.
I brought my fist down on his head. I didn't trust the PRT not to just turn him free again, identity supposedly revealed or not. He dived away at the last second, somehow, and I only brushed his leg, sending him stumbling. He spun at me, snarling, tossed something - BRIGHT LOUD OW OW OW OW.
I shrieked, a reptilian hiss of pain, and swept my tails around, hoping to catch him even as I flailed blindly. In the back of my mind, I added 'backup senses' to my to-mod list. I could barely hear anything over the ringing in my ears and the sirens, the stench of - of him.
My head shot to face him. I didn't see him, but - I lunged and swiped, grabbing him. Felt around with my other hand, ripping away his weapon. The smell of blood - fresh, rich red - intensified as things started to look less like bright pain and more like blurry afterimage of pain. His screams - roars of pain and anger - grew as I squeezed.
Told you to get out of my city.
Up on my hindlegs, holding up like a trophy kill, I roared my victory into the night.
Squealch.
I tossed the ruined carcass to the road and flicked my hand clean.
Where was - where was the van? I needed to protect it - protect my pack - from… from things. Stormtiger. Was he still alive? Was Tammi still alive? I could smell charred flesh, but only a little bit. Stupid vision wasn't coming back fast enough. Hearing was more wobbly - deep noises. Something. Tarmac missing under my feet, stumbling. Then hearing was. My human body could hear - whining, high pitched, made me want to vomit.
I switched back and twisted my head back and forth - getting the vague idea that it was coming from the same direction as the PRT vans, despite not being able to hear it in my real body - oh, shit, the PRT had arrived.
"I hope you guys can see because I fucking can't." I said over the voicebox as the muffled sound of someone possibly vomiting came from the phone.
"Head - Cricket - " I heard Victoria grunting, then the sound of a muffled thump. "F-fuck. Recovery position. Nnng."
More noise, muffled. Someone shouting, saying something. Something rocking the wreckage of the van. Something brushing against my leg, big and spiny and shaking. One of the beasties?
I hated this feeling. Hated it. Despite being a twelve-ton or - however heavy, however goddamn tall monster I was - I couldn't do anything. No scents to track, to know I should track, the ringing in my ears drowning out everything the sirens didn't, and - I still felt so blind. I needed to find Amy. Needed to make sure she was okay. Needed to see again, to -
Something brushed past my leg and I flinched, the only thing stopping me from lashing out at it the thought that it might be someone I didn't want to hurt.
The brightness was starting to fade, dark spots becoming visible. Quick, blurry motions, right near me. A muffled burbling I recognised as Mahway.
Was Stormtiger dead? At least bleeding out? I couldn't see a man-shaped blob on what I assumed was Mahway's snout and not yet another arm. Or… any man-shaped blob, really. I sat down and kept blinking, trying to clear my vision. Secondary eyes. Sunglasses under-eyelid?
Images were slowly starting to return. Green and white strobing lights, a giant hole in the side of Lindsay's house, the van almost crumpled. One side was shredded, more or less.
Sound too. Rumbling. Drawing closer? Emmim was leaning against the van, Mahway in front, a figure tangled in her tendrils, slicing at her. I could hear Victoria grunting in pain, see her struggling inside the van.
Let me have them. I reached out to take the burden from Mahway, now that I could see it. My shoulder and leg ached fiercely. What colour was my blood? Reddish? That was what. Seemed to be leaking from me. Ow.
The woman in question immediately sank two sickle-like knives on sticks into my claws as I grabbed her. Ow. My fist clenched - almost involuntarily. There was a moment of resistance before something went crunch. Not sure what she was expecting, stabbing the hand that was holding her.
Mahway burbled again and inside the van Victoria groaned. "Nuh… "
Well, she was still struggling, so I… tossing her at the PRT would probably be seen as hostile, so I stumbled over towards the flashing lights and dropped her on the ground in front of one of them. That should… that should work. Was this adrenaline crash?
Rumbling. Nearby. Two motorbikes pulling to a stop. Whooshing sound as a hoverthing landed closer.
I squinted at it.
"Fuck." I could hear Chris' voice trembling.
Metalboot foot off one of the motorbikes. "Taylor Hebert, if you are in control, I need you to stand down. And get your allies to do so as well."
I made an annoyed grumbling sound and sat. My head hurt and everything felt funny. My hand was wet for some reason. And the more I stared at it the less sense it made. Flexing it, sheathing and unsheathing claws. Curling into fist. Uncurling.
I thought he was supposed to call me Khanivore while on the street. But I guess that was out the window too. Why couldn't I call him his real name, too? I bet it was something stupidly… normal sounding, like - John Doe or Steve Smith.
That… that was Armsmaster, wasn't it? Smelled like him. I recognised the minerally smell, even if I hadn't consciously noticed it at the barbecue. My senses still felt scrambled. Like I was struggling to - had I been shot in the head at some point? I felt around, and people startled, but I couldn't feel anything wrong. I needed Amy. To - to help me figure out what was wrong. Not to fix it. Girlfriend not medic.
Behind me, there was the soft squeak of someone very slowly and carefully closing a window.
Another voice and smell - gunoil, metal, something else I couldn't pin down - "Well this is a fuckin' mess."
I made a mrf-like huff and nodded. It was… difficult to see. And for different reasons now. Or was it difficult to focus? Oh. I should probably pull those blade-stick thingies out of my hand.
"Restrain her then get her into the paramedic van." I tensed for a moment, then realised Armsmaster was probably talking about bitey stick lady with the twisted metal around her head. "Start checking through the others. Miss Hebert." His voice was cool, fast, collected. "Can you speak to me?"
I shook my head. Yawned. On second thoughts, maybe opening my jaw up that far wasn't the greatest of ideas.
"Crikey, look at the size of those chompers," said the unfamiliar voice in an unconvincing Australian accent.
"Challenger." A sigh from Armsmaster. "Miss Hebert. Do you have any way to communicate what, exactly, happened here."
I had to think about it. Which… was honestly worrying enough. I could hop out of the van and risk them catching sight of the others, but they were… probably going to be found regardless. I could attempt charades - probably involving goosestepping and middle fingers, but that wouldn't have been fun. So I trundled back to the van and half-switched so I could grab my voice box back. "Testing." Oh, yay, it still worked. I… wasn't sure why it wouldn't, but the post-combat fugue was upon me. I was allowed a lapse in focus, right? "Hi." I sat down in front of Armsmaster again. "They shot me. And - aren't you meant to call me Khanivore when I'm all… caped up? Does this count as caped up? It feels like it. Everything feels fuzzy. And painful." I wondered if Amy or Mom could make me like - armoured veins. I wanted to be as bulletproof as I felt. Felt earlier. Right now I felt like I had a half dozen sniper rounds rattling in my chest, and god knows how many in my legs.
He frowned, I think. Bit hard to tell with the helmet and beard. "Start from the beginning, please. Do you - " His gaze focused on something behind me, and his posture shifted. "Or maybe that won't be a problem."
Amy-smell.
I craned my head back, looking at her upside down. "Aaamyyyy. Hi."
"Hi. I'll. Do my best to explain things while healing Taylor." She stuck her chin out a little. She was… so much shorter than Armsmaster. Though some of that was probably the armour. Did he have heels? I laid my head down and tried to look.
"... what is she doing?"
"Does Armsmaster have heels?"
Amy took a deep breath. "Just switch back so I can keep you from bleeding out, you massive, colossal dunce."
"But my blood's inside. That's where it's meant to be?" I crooned and laid my head down next to her, closing my eyes and opening them to the acrid taste of bile in my mouth and what the fuck. I almost puked again.
The inside of the van was a mess. One of the windblasts must have gotten in because there was seat stuffing everywhere. Tiny fragments of metal too. The side was clawed open, and Emmim was resting its head in one of the openings making little burbling barks. Crystal was lying in a small pool of her blood around her leg, face white and eyes closed and twitching. Victoria had taken her headset off and just looked tired.
I don't think - I don't think Crystal was doing well. No wonder the only Beastie that had ever taken action outside Eden's walls had been me - too dangerous for the operators. "H-hey." I croaked, my voice hoarse, "Y-you guys. Okay?"
"Well, we're probably about to be arrested. So. Bout usual." Victoria gave a tired smile. "I uh. Would change out of that shirt. You vomited all over it."
"If I had a shirt to change into I would…" I wrinkled my face up. Wandering around shirtless wasn't exactly legal either. I could - go ask Lindsay if I could borrow a shirt, maybe?
"Here." Victoria unclipped her cape from around her shoulders. "S'not perfect but uh. It's the best I can do. Amy had a jacket…" She sighed, pressed her hands on Crystal's leg, and Emmim barked again. "Sorry, Crys. She uh - dialed up stuff into the beastie so she could focus on that and not the nausea and terror and blood loss and stuff."
"That sounds dangerous." I blinked a few times. "Um. Keep the cape for now. I'll just - let Amy know Crystal needs some attention and - check on Lindsay, I think. And maybe borrow a shirt from her."
She gave a tired thumbs up, then paused. "I. I know they suck. And they were attacking us. And I'm not - I said I'd follow and I meant it. But I think part of that means, y'know. Letting you know when stuff is maybe too much. And uh. You killed… at least two people tonight. Maybe more." Her eyes were very calm and clear. "That's not going to look good. Or - be good, maybe."
I nodded. "I killed two people looking to kill me. To kill you guys. To kill random civilians because one of their own decided to accuse them of something out of nowhere. I don't know how many others they have killed, or how drawn out they made taking those lives, but I'm - I don't think I can find it in myself to look back and think I shouldn't have done it." Amy must be doing good work because that had to be the most coherent thing I'd thought all evening. "I mean - you're right, but..."
Victoria took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. I'm still with you."
"Okay. I'd - I'd give you a hug but…"
Victoria screwed her face up. "Get changed first and we'll see."
I tried to open the van door, but…. It didn't work. "Um. Crystal? Could you - tear this off for me? I think the van's a write-off at this point."
Emmim gave a little whuff, then the big spadelike claws came through the rest of the side of the van and pulled it down like a stiff piece of cardboard.
"Thank you." I clambered out onto the road and wow my legs felt like jelly. Then I noticed the silence. The heroes staring at me. At Emmim with the remains of the door stuck in their claws. "... what? It wasn't like I could open it the normal way anymore."
-.-.-
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- Pronouns
- Masculine
Taylor remains utterly adorable in so many ways. I love how her powers are expanding.
And well... I don't think Alabaster is going to reset from getting crushed by a power negating Kaiju. Heh.
And well... I don't think Alabaster is going to reset from getting crushed by a power negating Kaiju. Heh.
I think that was Victor.
bms111
Just a guy with internet.
So, if the guy Flare shot was Victor in a wig, then that makes it Othala / Alabaster and Stormtiger and or Cricket. Assuming I'm reading this right?
Ganurath
Literal Enthusiast
- Location
- A Valid Location
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Nope. Victor wears armor, and would be most qualified to wield a sniper rifle. The woman that got pancaked was going out of her way to touch him, which indicates Othala. Stormtiger was explicitly identified as a different person in the fight.
bms111
Just a guy with internet.
What I'm saying is that the people in the building with a gun were Othala and a man she described repeatedly as very pale. Back down on the street, she killed either Tiger or Cricket after that.
WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
alabaster wouldn't have been nearly as pissed off about othala getting pancaked, and in terms of leaping out of the building probably would have just gone crunch and revived after a few seconds instead of whatever victor did (yes, it was victor and othala in the building sniping, WOG)
bms111
Just a guy with internet.
Good to know, thanks! Loved the chapter btw, and I feel like your style of dialogue is one of the most human that I have seen, period. I see way too much writing that treats their characters like talking heads, like the author has no idea how human being actually speak to another.
Yes, there maybe was some confusion of what was happening, but that is exactly how it should be.
Love this story.
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Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
Seems almost like Taylor's going to become Crawler-lite, with Amy playing nurse and making changes after every time Taylor almost gets killed.
- Location
- England
It probably is, actually. I was watching a bit from LegalEagle recently "Rights you may not want to exercise" or some such. Ladies of North America, you are (probably) free to take your shirt off if you wish to because men can and it would be sexually discriminatory to allow only male nipples to be shown. You're also free to keep your shirt, jumper and possibly coat on. Which is what I recommend because it's sodding cold.
On top of that, the only reason male toplessness is legal is cause of a long, arrest-filled campaign of militant toplessness on the mens' behalf back at the end of the Victorian era.
Lab_Accident
A 2D 1D4
- Location
- Your dreams
Wait, really? People fought for their right to go around topless?