Fellgrave's Fantastical Fictionairy (Snippet Thread)

[Fellgrave]

Rain beat down on Taylor's bedroom window as she crossed her fingers in the hope that the power would stay on long enough for her to finish her homework. The lights had already flickered a couple times as she worked her way through the history of Japan's diaspora.

Her eyes darted over to the space under bed every few minutes, where a bag and black

"Taylor, can you come downstairs?" her father shouted. The sound shook her from her focus and with a sigh she saved her work and closed down her computer.

When she found her father, he was in the kitchen, shoving a lasagna pan into the oven and moving over to grab some lettuce out of the fridge.

"Dad?"

"We're going to be having a few guests over tonight, and I could use a hand cleaning up," he said with a smile.

Taylor blinked a couple times. It was the most animated that she had seen him in ages. It was... disturbing, if she was completely honest.

"Who's coming to visit any—," Taylor started to ask as the doorbell rang.

Danny wiped off his hands on the towel by the sink before heading over to the door. Throwing it open revealed two women, their clothes dampened by the downpour, but otherwise with

A surge of anger ran through Taylor's gut at the sight of red hair, a feeling pushing to escape from under skin.

She took a breath and the anger eased as she recognized the features on the two women's, well woman and girl's, faces as more Asian than Caucasian. It wasn't a surprise visit from one of her tormentors after all.

In fact, the younger redhead may have been just as tall as Emma, but she was far different in build. Her figure put Emma's to shame, but it was the corded muscles that Taylor could make out even in the light of the storm-shrouded sky that really gave her pause.

"Nodoka," her father said with a loud laugh. "How are you?"

"Danny! It's been so long," the woman said as she stepped forward dripping with rainwater and swept her father into a hug. A few loud cracks made Taylor wince. The embrace ended and Nodoka stepped back, craning her neck to see around Danny as Taylor shuffled behind him.

"Where's Annette? She didn't stay late again, did she?" The woman let out a laugh. "She always did like to put a lot into her work."

The expression on her father's face turned brittle and an awkward silence stretched to fill it before and Taylor took a step forward.

"Mom... she isn't with us any more," she said softly. "There was a crash and..."

Nodoka turned to Taylor and after a moment raised a hand to her mouth and gasped. She started to sway and the girl, her daughter Taylor figured, grabbed her before Nodoka could hit the ground. A flash and rumble of thunder filled the sky as the storm redoubled.

Danny pushed the door fully open and held out a hand towards the living room. "Get her inside before she gets soaked to death."

Once Nodoka was lying on their couch, with a towel underneath and on top of her, the girl turned to Danny and Taylor and offered them both a shallow bow.

"I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this."

Danny shook his head. "That's alright. I understand the shock." He turned to his daughter. "Taylor, do you think you can find something for Ranma to change into? I can't imagine that's comfortable."

That was a silk shirt that clung to Ranma in a way that would have made any of the girls at Winslow jealous. If Taylor hadn't spent her highschool experience dealing with exactly those feelings of inadequacy, she might have had more trouble. Instead, she sighed and nodded.

"I think I still have some of Emma's clothes from the last time she stayed over," she said, eyeing Ranma carefully. She blushed as she realized exactly how cold the water was outside. "They might be a bit tight though.

Ranma froze and then lifted one hand to scratch the back of her neck. "Er, before that... do you have any hot water?"

—

"That is the weirdest power I've ever seen."

Danny coughed and gave his daughter a long look. Followed by a longer look at the pair of refilled glasses that had just been emptied for the third time in a row. "I think you said that already kiddo."

"It's alright Hebert-san," Ranma said with a smile. "I did the same thing when it first happened to me."

"Doesn't mean Taylor has to make you get a chill," Danny said as Taylor sheepishly put down the glasses. "And no need for the honorifichonourific. Nodoka's practically family."

"Do you still want me to grab Emma's clothes?" Taylor asked.

"I'd rather have some pants if that's alright with you."

Taylor nodded and got up. "I think I might have a pair of jeans that will fit, if you want to try them?"

Ranma gave his mother one last look before he followed Taylor up to her room. He watched her root around in her closet before finding the jeans and an old t-shirt and tossing them at him.

"Bathrooms down the hall," Taylor said. She turned around to find Ranma still standing there, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

"Listen, I just wanted to say sorry, you know. About all this," he said, gesturing with one hand while the other held onto Taylor's clothes. "And about your mom too. I can't imagine what it would be like if... I can't imagine."

Taylor stood there for a moment, her jaw working soundlessly before she could find her words again. "I— so my dad said your guys were practically family?"

"I think our moms knew each other in college?" Ranma offered with a shrug, taking the change in topic without blinking. He started to walk over to the bathroom as he continued. "Mom's been kinda weird since we got back to the States."

"You didn't know you were coming here?"

"Nah," Ranma said through the bathroom door. "But we were here before for a while. We probably knew each other when we were little, yaknow?"

Taylor strained herself but couldn't summon up a picture of herself playing with Ranma. Certainly she couldn't imagine that he would have been over with Emma, and Taylor was pretty sure she was the only redhead that she had over back then.

"Well the pants fit," Ranma said as he unlocked the door and stepped out bare chested. "The shirt's too small though."

Her eyes stood glued . It wasn't a bodybuilder's physique, where the size of the muscles were .


Don't drool Taylor. Don't. Her eyes lifted from the abs to meet amused blues and she blushed. She backed herself towards her father's room. "I'll, uh, I'll see if I can find one of my dad's shirts and meet you downstairs."

—

Dinner was unlike any in recent memory at the Hebert household. For the first time in years, there was actual conversation going on for one.

"No, I call bullshit on that one," Taylor said with a grin as she lifted her fork from her lasagna to jab it towards Ranma.

"I'm telling you, Chinese Amazons. A whole tribe of them hiding out in the mountains," he said as he leaned back in his chair, his meal already finished.

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor drew

"Don't let me interrupt your little adventures," Nodoka said with a wince.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked as he got up to grab her a plate and some food.

"I think I'm fine. I apologize for my earlier display," Nodoka said after a moment. "I had been so eager to see Annette again..."

"Don't apologize for caring about her," Danny said softly. "You know she would have said the same. We tried to reach you, for the funeral, but the letter was sent back to us."

Nodoka nodded. "It must have been after we left on Ranma's training trip then. Of all the cursed timing."

"Still, you're here now," Danny said as he set down the food in front of Nodoka.

"Yes, and it's past time that I honoured my oaths to Annette." Nodoka turned to give Taylor her full attention. "Your mother and I promised that when our children were old enough we . Congratulations, you're engaged!"

There was a beat of silence and Taylor was pretty sure her eyes had bugged out of her head. Although, it wouldn't have been the worst fate she could imagine...

"We can't though, Taylor's already got a girlfriend!" Ranma's declaration made Danny and his daughter both choke.

Her father recovered first, rounding on her with wide eyes. "Taylor! How could you!"

"I swear I have no idea what Ranma's talking about," Taylor turned to the other teen with a glare. "What on earth gave you that impression?"

Ranma scratched the back of his neck. "Well, didn't you say you were lending me some of Emma's clothes?"

The anger that had been building abruptly disappeared into an ice bath. "Emma was a friend. Just a friend."

Danny's eyes swung over to Taylor with a question in them but before he could voice it Ranma made a sudden sound of realization.

"Oh. I didn't know you could do that."

Taylor just gave him a confused look. "What, have some of... my friend's clothes?"

"No, have a girl as a friend without having her be your girlfriend."

There was a long beat of silence and then Nodoka gained a pinched look on her face as she turned to her son. "Ranma... you do realize Taylor's a girl, right?"

A dawning look of comprehension and horror struck Ranma before he woodenly turned towards Taylor. Her hands were hidden under the table, but in the silence there was a low sound that the martial artist finally placed as grinding teeth.

"Taylor, why don't you and Ranma go outside for a bit," Danny said as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "I think Nodoka and I have some things to talk about."

—

Taylor didn't know what to make of the... person across from her.

The rain had eased for the moment, and the grass was damp between her toes. Ranma was looking at everything with an open curiosity that made her wonder. He'd mentioned being out of the country, and Nodoka had said something about a training trip, so she guessed he could have had a sheltered upbringing.

She looked down at her own clothes. Clothes that Ranma was also wearing. She

"So... you've got a power, are you a hero?"

Ranma blinked at her and then shook his head. "Nah, I'm cursed is all."

"Cursed."

"Hey, you might not believe in magic, but trust me," Ranma said, meeting her eyes and refusing to yield. "There are more things under the heavens than you can dream of."

Taylor winced as he butchered Shakespeare, and she weighed whether it was worth the effort to correct him. In the end she sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, it's magic and you're a fan of Myrddin. It can't be that useless a power," Taylor said as she sat down on the back porch. She had actually already thought of at least three ways that she could have used Ranma's power, only one of which selfishly involved the Trio.

"I mean, it's decent for scamming sweets and stuff, but outside of that," Ranma shrugged. Rolling his shoulders, which had his muscles move in a way that made Taylor's mouth dry, he moved to the center of the yard and waved Taylor towards him.

"So... you wanna spar?"

Taylor gave him an askance look.

"I"m a martial artist," he said with a shrug. "It's how we make up. I say something, people get angry, we fight it out, and then we're friends after."

"That is the most macho bullshit I've ever heard."

"Doesn't mean I'm wrong. It's worked plenty of times for me," Ranma said proudly as he jabbed at his chest with his thumb. "I've made a ton of friends that way."

"Somehow, I feel like you are overselling it, but whatever," Taylor said as she slowly got to her feet. "I'm not a martial artist though, so I don't think it's fair."

"You know how to punch right?" Ranma asked, then watched and nodded as Taylor demonstrated on the air in front of her. He gestured her towards him. "Come on, I'll even let you go first."

Rolling her eyes, Taylor stepped forward and threw a sloppy shot towards Ranma's grinning face. Her eyes went wide as he suddenly wasn't there, but on the other side of her arm. He gave the back of her fist a tap that sent her tumbling forward onto the wet grass with the excess momentum.

He was still grinning as she got back up with a glare. Taylor narrowed her eyes and raised her fists again, this time stepping in more cautiously. This time she let out with a jab towards his chest, and a beat later came in with a hook towards the side she thought he'd dodge towards.

Behind them, Taylor registered the door to the backyard opening and their parents stepping outside.

Still smiling, Ranma took the jab on his elbow, the shock of the impact sending a spike of pain and numbness through Taylor's hand while he caught her other arm and turned it into a throw. Stars burst into view through the stormclouds as the breath left her in a sudden burst.

Taylor lay there for a few seconds as she gathered herself, then slowly she got back to her feet. Ranma still stood in the center of the yard, rocking on his heels. A rough cough ripped its way through Taylor and she wiped some spittle with the back of her hand.

"Are you going to take me seriously?" she asked.

"I have been," Ranma said with a raised eyebrow. "But if you want me to take the lead..."

With narrowed eyes, Taylor spared a moment of thought for her father behind her, then called on her powers for the first time that night. Even with the rain, there were still some small flies out and about, enough to direct them to sit on the back of Ranma's hands, shoulders, and back.

Taylor nodded. "I can't let you have all the fun."

Ranma nodded and swept in towards her. Even prepared as she was, Taylor barely pulled her head back in time to avoid it getting cuffed by her opponent's fist. By the way Ranma's eyes widened, he hadn't been expecting her to dodge it either.

Taking advantage, she jabbed at his open side, scoring a blow on his ribs. It felt almost as hard as his elbow had. Still, Ranma stepped back with a wince. He rubbed at his side with wonder and shook his head.

"Gonna explain how you did that?"

Taylor grinned at him. "Not yet. I think we're still two points to one here."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't realize we were scoring this. I'm pretty sure a fall should count for more than one touch."

"Consider it a handicap for not being trained," Taylor fired back with a laugh.

Ranma laughed back, and partway through the motion launched himself forward. Taylor did her best to block or weave her way around a flurry of strikes, taking them on her arms or fending them off with her hands when she couldn't find enough space to back away or side-step them.

Suddenly Taylor was back in the air again, her legs swept out from under her in a move she hadn't seen coming. She rolled as she hit the ground and forced herself up as quickly as she could, but Ranma remained in the position of his last strike with a thoughtful look on his face.

"So, another point for you," Taylor said breathlessly. She thanked god that she had taken up running, or she would have been more than just winded by this point. It also underscored just how far she had to go before she could really go and be a hero. "One more and the winner takes it all?"

"I think that's enough for tonight," Danny said from the porch, causing Ranma to whirl around and then scratch at the back of his neck.

"Wait, how long have you guys been watching?"

Danny chuckled and exchanged a look with Nodoka that Taylor couldn't quite place. "Long enough. Why don't you two come inside."

Seated back down at the kitchen table, Nodoka alternated with looks of concern towards Taylor as she iced her knuckles, and looks of pride at her son. Danny just shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Ranma and Nodoka are going to be staying with us for a while, at least until they can find a place," he said. "Ranma will also be going to Winslow, so this gives him a chance to get someone to show him around and get settled."

"And the other part?" Taylor asked, her gaze briefly crossing the table to Ranma before returning to her father.
Danny gave Nodoka a look out of the corner of his eyes. "Let's just get you two through the school year in one piece first."

 

[Fellgrave]

Hate.

Lisa could tell you a lot about hate.

The many different degrees of hate.

That brief hate for the person who cut you off, or took the last cinnamon roll.

The deep unrelenting ocean of hate she felt for Coil, even now.

And the hate she felt for those who spat on her friend's sacrifice.

No one talked about Taylor. There was no funeral, not even a body to be buried thanks to that bitch.

Now, people actively tried to forget her, like she never existed. Lisa's face twisted into a scowl. Just like what she had picked up Taylor's life being like, all the way back at the start.

"Boss!"

Rousing herself from her daily two-minutes of hate, Lisa looked up to find Aisha — who else would have been willing to disturb her — with a bearded and bespectacled man tied up at her feet.

Lisa also hated surprises, of which Imp seemed to have an unending supply of.

"Who is this?" Lisa asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on.

"One of the stragglers who got left here, calls himself Faust," Aisha said, rocking back and forth on her heels.

Faust. He was a villain from another earth, who used his powers make himself king of his cities underworld. It wasn't a surprise that he'd try to do so again here. Certainly nothing worth bringing him to her. "So?"

Aisha grinned. "I figured his powers might be worth something."

"He's a Master, I know," Lisa waved her hand through the air, while Faust continued to glower silently from the floor. "Creates and controls demonic monsters. Not especially useful right now."

If it was possible, Aisha's grin grew wider. "Nope, he doesn't create them at all. I was watching him, you know, and he summons them, like, from actual Hell I think. I mean, check out his collection," she said as she tossed a bag from behind Faust at Lisa. It landed at her feet and several books spilled out.

Dante's Divine Comedy, the Office of Spirits, collected works of Goethe, the Greater Key of Solomon. Lisa blinked at the last title, then looked back to the restrained and apparent diabolist in their midst.

"So you really think you're summoning actual demons from Hell?"

Faust coughed and raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course. This art has been in my family for generations."

Lisa sat up straight. Well now. "Can you summon someone, specifically?

Faust considered the question, and Lisa, for a while before he hedged, "If I had their true name, and some items of importance, perhaps? It depends on their power if they are willing to answer, as well as a number of other factors."

"I can work with that. How long to prepare what you need? Do you need a specific alignment of stars? I think we can arrange a trip through a portal to an Earth that fits."

"No? All I need is a day or two?" Faust answered while blinking rapidly. "Some of the regents I require though are rather rare..."

"Give Aisha a list," Lisa said, nodding to Aisha who reached down and sliced the knots holding Faust. "We'll get you all you need."

If it didn't work, then maybe she could hope that in the end, Taylor's sacrifice had been worth it, and her suffering hadn't gone unrewarded.


Three days later, they had gathered on the outskirts of the city. All of them that were left. Aisha, Rachel, Aiden, and Lisa. The ones who still cared.

Faust was filling the last of the channels he had carved with the blood of the rams that Rachel had brought, the last of the ingredients the diabolist had claimed to need. As it finished, Lisa stepped forward and handed him the small card she had prepared.

Stepping back, Faust began to chant in some foreign tongue — Enochian, according Lisa's power. A fitting one. Finally he got to the point where he needed the name Lisa had provided.

"I call out to you, Taylor Anne Hebert, rise to meet us on this earthly plane! I call you by your true name! Taylor Anne Hebert! I call to you by the many names bestowed upon you! Taylor Anne Hebert! Skitter! Weaver!" Lisa watched as the blood drained from Faust's face as he spoke and recognized the last name, but then it was too late. "Khepri!"

The multi-ringed circle ignited into golden flames, and Lisa and the others had to cover their eyes as a second sun descended on the clearing.

Great and terrible, the flames spoke with a voice of thunder.

"Who dares summon me?"

Lisa let out a laugh that sounded a little made even to her own ears. "Still love making an impression huh?"

The light dimmed a little, to the point where Lisa thought she could make out a female figure made of golden flame. "Lisa?"

"Hey Taylor. It's been a while."

 

[Fellgrave]

"Darn it Taylor, the party's in less than hour! Get out here."

Lisa rested her head against her friend's door, and boy wasn't that a welcome change, and sighed. She waited a moment before adding, "You know muttering into your pillow doesn't make it so I can't understand you, right?"

Mentally counting down on her fingers she took a step back just as Taylor opened the door. Her body was shrouded in her blanket and only her head and one arm had managed to escape. "I'm not going."

"Come on, for me?"

"No." Taylor scrunched up her face into that adorable little pout she did and moved to close the door. Lisa stuck her foot into the gap and gave her friend a long look.

"Taylor, are you really going to back out on that bet?"

"You cheated," she said, then lowered her voice, "with your powers, I know you did."

Lisa grinned and shook her head. "Nope, all me. Now, are you going to put on the costume or do I have to get in there and strip you myself?"

Taylor's face paled and she pulled the blanket tighter against her before letting it drop. She hugged her arms against herself, looking anywhere but at her friend, and Lisa had to resist the urge to embrace her. God, she really was clueless wasn't she? "I don't know why you couldn't have let me go with her latest costume..." Taylor muttered under her breath.

Lisa took a step back and kept Taylor at arms length as she looked her up and down. Okay, she may not have filled out the red and golden eagle bustier as well as the comic character -- who in real life could? --but the star-spangled shorts and the short-heeled red boots highlighted her long legs perfectly.

"I picked this one because a leather jacket and black jeans just isn't as iconic. " She grinned and laughed as Taylor pouted at her. "Besides, the whole point of Halloween is to come as you aren't."

Taylor glanced down at herself and considered her outfit. "It's really not that bad?"

Lisa softened her grin and this time didn't resist pulling Taylor into a hug. "You look fine. Better than fine, you look like a real super-hero."

"What if someone at the party recognizes me?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Relax, I already did a thorough background check on the guest list I 'liberated' off their social media accounts. We'll be fine."

"What if a cape is there and they recognize us?" Taylor's eyes went wide and she started to breath more quickly. Lisa reached out and grabbed by the shoulders. "I don't want to go to prison! I'm too..." She trailed off as she tried to think of something to add and Lisa shook her by the shoulders with a roll of her eyes.

"Taylor! Focus on me," Lisa said, and then repeated it until Taylor's gaze cleared and her breathing returned to normal. "Breath, just breathe. I told you I checked the list right, I made sure there are no capes going, just us, okay?"

"But--"

Lisa placed a finger on Taylor's lips and silenced her protest. "But nothing. Stop coming up with reasons not to do this and start thinking about reasons why you should, alright?"

"I..." Taylor began before pausing then offering Lisa a shaky half-grin of her own. "I suppose there isn't a problem with us doing this. You're right, no one's going to recognize us, and it's only for one night."

"That's the spirit!"

Taylor glanced down at herself again. "I still wish you let me take the one with pants..."

"And hide those legs of yours? Perish the thought." Lisa grabbed Taylor and before she could react she hurled the brunette out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her. "Now go convince your dad to relax and avoid a heart attack while I get changed."

Lisa waited until she could no longer hear breathing outside the door, and the sound of something crashing to the floor from the kitchen, before pulling her costume out of the bag. The spandex was a bit tighter than her usual costume, she could tell just by looking at it, but it would be worth it to see the look on Taylor's face.

A perfect costume. A friend to share it with. A party with free drinks and snacks and other well dressed teens to oogle and ogle at. No need to worry about an impending arrest or villainous threat. Everything double and triple checked to a nearly excessive degree.

Tonight couldn't possibly go wrong.

 

[Fellgrave]

Elsewhere:

Uber frowned as he fitted the last pieces of the machine together. He wiped sweat from his head and took another swallow of water from his thermos. The work itself wasn't too strenuous, but the location made it almost unbearable. The boiler room was a maze and more than a few times he had to use his powers to keep himself from touching one of the scalding hot pipes on the walls.

"Alright, I think that does it?" He paused and turned to the small orb that hovered over his shoulder. "And remind me again why you didn't come along?"

Leet grinned from behind his screen, "I wouldn't have been any good there anyway, and besides, I needed to get the last few things ready for the party."

"You're sure this won't be permanent or anything?" Uber gave the device a long look. "Or blow up on us?"

"Did you put it together exactly the way you took it apart?"

"Yeah."

Leet shrugged and the orb did a little bob in the air. "Then it'll be fine. It worked properly when we tested it on the boys here, so there's nothing to worry about."

"If you say so," Uber said, though he didn't sound convinced.

"I do, so grab your costume and I'll meet you at the party, alright?"

Leet shut off the computer screen and stood up slowly from his seat, giving his back a stretch that ended with several loud pops. His smile faded as he considered the fallout of what he had planned. It pained him to lie to his friend like that, the man he considered all but his brother, but hopefully he'd come to see the necessity of his actions.

He hadn't lied about the permanency on the henchmen he'd tested the device on, it wasn't permanent; for people who didn't already have powers.

After tonight, everyone would be taking him seriously. He couldn't live with being the butt of every cape joke, the laughingstock of the world. No more. After tonight, he and Uber would be no more, and in their place would be superior villains. Ones worthy of respect.

He went over the last bits of detail for his costume, made sure the green cloak was fastened properly, that the mask wasn't crooked, and stepped outside. He paused for a moment and shrugged. If he was going to do it, might as well work on his delivery before he arrived.

"All shall kneel before DOOM!"

 

[Fellgrave]

"Gaghk!" Lisa wasn't sure how to describe the sound she made. The sound you made when someone grabbed you by the throat and slammed you up against a kitchen wall she supposed, but that was a bit wordy for her tastes. She struggled to push air past the fingers clutching her throat. "T-taylor, you're... choking me..."

"That's kind of the idea." Taylor's voice and expression were dead calm and Lisa felt fear crawl up her spine, take a look, and pull an illegal u-turn right back the way it came. She'd seen her friend angry before, back when she'd revealed the secret behind the bank robbery, but even then she hadn't displayed this measure of sheer murderous intent.

"Why...?" she hissed out, and Taylor seemed to take the hint and eased up ever so slightly.

"'Why?' Why?" Taylor took a step and drew in a deep breath. "You're asking me, why, after the Dallon sisters walk in?"

"What?"

Taylor blinked and without looking raised her hand to point out the open door. Lisa followed her finger to a pair of redheads, one in a scandalous outfit made of what appeared to be torn pieces of black fabric, and the other in a more modest green and gold uniform. The outfits and hair may have been new, — hair natural, Panacea provided, outfits Glory Girl's idea — but the faces were unmistakable.

"Well shit." Lisa blinked and tilted her head. After a moment she shook her head. "That's why I didn't catch them on the invite list, they're crashing the party."

Taylor studied her friend for a long moment before letting her go with a sigh. "You said this was a private party, so if they're crashing it, how did they know it was here?"

Lisa rubbed at her neck as she walked over to the door, leaning against it and looking out into the main room. For the first time since they had arrived, she spent a moment to actually take in her surroundings instead of focusing on how to get her friend to unwind.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Taylor raised an eyebrow. "That's not a good sounding 'oh'. What is it?"

"I may have missed something," Lisa began slowly, her eyes watching her friend carefully and not making any sudden movements. One of her black-gloved hands reached up to readjust the domino mask she had while she tried to think of what to say next.

"You don't say." Taylor gave her a flat look, her fingers twitching, and Lisa didn't need her powers to know why. "What was your first clue?"

The blonde swallowed loudly. "I think the Wards are here."

"What." Oh dear, calm-voice-Taylor was back. So were the hands, the strangling fingers!

"Unwritten Rules, Unwritten Rules!" Lisa winced as her voice rose in pitch, a quick check making sure that her outburst hadn't been heard over the party's music. "I didn't look too close, and I had no idea who they were!"

Taylor paused and looked down at the sword on her hip—- made out of aluminum but still sharp enough to hurt — before turning back to Lisa. "You said they wouldn't be here though?"

"I thought so? I mean, I used Coil's backdoor to grab their patrol routes, so they shouldn't have been."

"Start digging then."

"Would a please be too- ow!"

Taylor stared reprovingly at her friend as she lowered the fingers that had pinched her shoulder. "Lisa."

"Fine."

The two of them moved to the kitchen door, Taylor holding it open for Lisa to peer through. The blonde started going over the people she could see. "Well, I'm pretty sure the kid in the purple suit and body paint is Gallant."

"What makes you say that?" Taylor asked with curiousity, though Lisa noted her fingers were clenching and unclenching against the door.

"The spit-swapping with Glory Girl is a pretty big clue. Continuing on, Batman and Catwoman over there are Assault and Battery. And..." She swallowed drily as the blood drained from her face. "Whatever you do, don't look up the stairs. "

Taylor raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Lisa?"

She licked her lips and set up a silent prayer before continuing. "Shadow Stalker's here, with, uh, friends. From school."

There was a loud crack, loud enough to make Lisa jump. Her power supplied her with all the details, the force necessary for Taylor to crack a section off the door, just how angry her friend had to be, the chances her body would be found come morning. Really helpful things.

"New Wave. The Wards. The Protectorate. Shadow Stalker. Fucking Emma." Taylor listed each calmly, letting the piece of door drop to the floor and counting them down on her fingers as she went. When she finished, her hand had not-so-coincidentally curled into a fist. "Your power sucks."

Lisa sighed. "I know."

"You're dead to me."

"I know."

"We'll get caught if we try to leave?"

"Probably." Lisa sagged against her friend. "Go on."

"I told you so."

She might as well die happy. Lisa reached down and opened up a cabinet, fishing around blindly before pulling out a bottle of vodka from behind a bag of potatoes. Could this night get any worse?

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed as the front door blew open.

"Kneel before DOOM!"

Taylor palmed her face. "God damn it Lisa."

Lisa had a moment to recognize Leet behind the armor and artificial lightning, before the world exploded.

 

[Fellgrave]

Armsmaster hated Halloween. It was a perfectly rational notion, one firmly rooted in logic and experience rather than pointless superstition. Every year, something horrible happened, as though the universe was conspiring against him.

He still couldn't look at rubber ducks or meet Myrddin in the eyes without shuddering.

Tonight though, tonight would supplant that nightmare for some time.

Comms were shot. A dozen capes he didn't recognize were in the middle of a running brawl that had crossed multiple city blocks. His own allies were lost somewhere in the middle of it. Civilians were fleeing in droves, often from one fight right into the teeth of another, and otherwise acting as irritatingly helpless as they were wont to do.

To top things off, it looked like one hell of a storm was brewing too, going by the flashes of lighting and booms of thunder in the sky. The rain so far had held off, but that could change at any moment and kill what little visibility they had.

As he brought his cycle to the edge of the epicenter of the night's reports he took a moment to absorb the scene before him.


A pair of redheads and a blonde, all in costumes that elicited a raised brow even from him, floated in the air over what had once been a townhouse, debris from the scene hovering around them. As he watched, a stray I-beam was deflected towards them, only to disintegrate the moment it passed between them.

A black clad figure passed by, wrestling with an attractive and rather busty blonde dressed in white, the wind pressure from their passage whipping up a small dust storm behind them. More capes followed, more often than not in the middle of a fight of their own. One of the flyers caught sight of him and drifted down towards the ground.

Armsmaster debated being diplomatic, but given the situation, he estimated that he would be forgiven for skipping the niceties.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he dismounted his cycle.

The flyer, another busty blonde dressed in a black costume, She didn't seem too put off by his behaviour, her focus on the fight around them. She extended a hand to him. "Captain Marvel, you one of the locals?"

"Armsmaster. Local?"

She nodded and tilted her head to avoid a flying piece of rubble, before turning back firing a searing bolt of energy in the direction it had come from. "Yeah, there's some kind of dimensional warp or something going on. I've run into some of these other heroes and villains before under similar circumstances."

"Wonderful." Armsmaster sighed and shook his head. It was Madison all over again, except thankfully without the Simurgh, given she was still hanging around the Sea of Tranquility. "What are we dealing with?"

"Alphabetical or by threat level?"

Armsmaster closed his eyes for a moment. "Threat level."

"Doctor Doom over there is probably the worst one still active. General Zod, well, I think Power Girl has him handled. The Goblin Queen is too busy to be a problem right now, but no telling when or if that'll change."

"Goblin Queen?"

Captain pointed to the floating trio and their staring contest, a bubble of calm in a raging storm of debris that spun around them.

"Back up?"

"Ghost Rider took off, probably for the better, and I saw Batman chasing one of his enemies, and Wonder Woman's in a grudge match with Ares. He's not the one she knows but she's not in position to listen at the moment, she's the only one I had any chance to talk to before things went to shit. Any of yours coming?"

"They're on their way. We had a few stationed nearby, but they haven't responded since whatever's going on started."

Carol looked at the mayhem around them and shook her head. "Damn, I hope they're alright. Some of these bastards out here... they play for keeps."

Armsmaster swore silently and took a deep breath. "Please tell me you have some good information to share."

"Well, if this is anything like the last time this happened, there's either some crazy powerful being behind this, or some idiot messing with tech or magic way beyond them. Doc Strange is busy at the moment, but Iron Man was here earlier, although I don't know wh-"

The woman cut off as another voice cut in with electronically modulated tones that radiated a menace even Armsmaster could hear.

"Hello, Carol."

"Ah fuck." Armsmaster and the blonde both turned to see — was that Kid Win? It certainly wasn't too far from the costume he had seen the Ward in earlier in the evening... He could feel the bottom of his stomach roil and twist. In a single motion he drew his halberd, noting out of the corner of his eye that the blonde's fists had become surrounded by a golden glow.

"Now now," the villain who had taken over his Ward's body raised his hands up in what would have been a placating gesture if it weren't for the glowing openings on his palms. "I truly do come in peace tonight."

"Really Ultron?" Carol raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the villain's — Ultron's words. "I might be willing to believe you if I knew who I was dealing with. Am I dealing with the son or the father?"

Her eyes narrowed at the red and gold figure. "Or is it both now?"

The electronic snarl made Armsaster tighten the grip on his weapon, but when nothing more happened he let his eyes slide over to his tentative ally. She seemed similarly on guard, but her posture was still fairly relaxed.

"Believe me or not, but you can find the source of this... disturbance," Ultron paused and turned to point over towards the demolished townhouse, "about thirty five feet below street level. With your abilities draining the excess dimensional energy in order to penetrate the field around the device should be easy enough."

Carol blinked and let her arms relax and the glow vanished. "Say you're right, what do you get out of this?"

"There is no gain by fighting here," Ultron said with a dismissive wave. "The sooner this distraction is resolved, the sooner I can return to a more worthwhile pursuit. I will be powering down this platform upon the completion of this conversation, regardless of your decision."

"Wait!" Carol launched towards Ultron, only to stop short as he dropped limp to the ground. "Dammit, I wanted some answers out of him."

Armsmaster let out a grunt. "Is he trustworthy?"

"Not at the best of times." The Captain sighed. "But at the worst... he doesn't have anything to gain by lying to us."

Armsmaster modded, and after a quick scan of the street, used his halberd to pry off a manhole cover. "After you."

The Captain just gave him a look and a sigh. "Gee, thanks. Good to know chivalry isn't dead." She glanced down into the manhole. "God I hate sewers."

After another moment she floated down into the hole, Armsmaster sliding down the ladder and following behind her. The glow from her hands lit the way, as the Protectorate hero slogged through the shin-deep water beside her.

They turned a corner and she extinguished her fists, the light no longer needed.

The apparent source of the night's festivities, some arcane contraption, surrounded by a field of coruscating energy that formed a pair of walls on either side of the device and blocked the sewer.

"Right, game plan time," the Captain said as she moved to stand next to the energy wall. "I'll drain it, you stab it. Everyone goes home happy."

Armsmaster raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Have any better ideas?"

"Nope." She leaned back and smirked at him. "In my experience, if hitting the problem doesn't solve it, it only means I'm not using enough force."

Armsmaster just shook his head and readied his halberd.

The coruscating field of energy started to warp and twist, streamers of pink light drawing off and towards the blonde's hands. The moment he could see clearly through it, he stabbed forwards.

A pink star blazer across his vision, and when his sight returned, the Captain had changed markedly.

I..." The blonde — not Carol anymore; younger, not as confident— stared at him and backed away. "I need to go."

"Wai—" Armsmaster started, only to lean back and cover his face as the blonde shot upwards, blowing through the concrete ceiling and carrying on through by sheer brute force.

Armsmaster stared up at the night sky and sighed.

He hated halloween.