Plot Bunnies, mostly worm but other fandoms as well. Most if not all are up for adoption. Early work is poor quality but a lot of the later stuff has tons of potential.
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Hello
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hello. I've mentioned that I have a thread for plot bunnies on FF.net.... Pretty often across my existing threads. originally it was so I could get feedback on what stories I should post next. Now it's sort of a dumping ground / orphanage. Most of these are worm related, but not all of them, in fact some of the best have nothing to do with worm. There is one snippet that isn't posted anywhere anymore because after some rewriting it's turned into the premise for.... something I'll guard jealously until I have enough written to actually share it. I'm vaguely hopeful it will become an original story that'll make my name as a writer someday.
I'm... not entirely sure why I'm reposting them all here. I mean, don't get me wrong I love to share my work, but a lot of the early ones are more concept than quality. I honestly look back on some of them and either want to forget they exist or else start rewriting. But maybe that's not such a bad thing to show people. Anyone can become a good writer if they are willing to put in the time and effort. Maybe seeing the visible improvement will actually convince some people where words of encouragement always seem to fail. And if you don't want to adopt anything that's fine too, I'm always open to feedback. Just please don't come down on me to hard for the early stuff. I know it's not all that good. Just skip ahead a bit and you'll see the quality improve if it annoys you.
I'm also going to be leaving some more in depth authors notes then I normally would for the ones I still think about in the back of my mind. Stuff I think should be changed if I ever get back to it, vague ideas for how the fic should develop. Stuff like that.
So yeah taking a walk down memory lane. And if there are any new snippets that I end up writing I'll add them to the pile as they happen. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think about any of these, even if you're late to the show and I've gotten them all posted and you want to comment about something from the beginning.
I'm... not entirely sure why I'm reposting them all here. I mean, don't get me wrong I love to share my work, but a lot of the early ones are more concept than quality. I honestly look back on some of them and either want to forget they exist or else start rewriting. But maybe that's not such a bad thing to show people. Anyone can become a good writer if they are willing to put in the time and effort. Maybe seeing the visible improvement will actually convince some people where words of encouragement always seem to fail. And if you don't want to adopt anything that's fine too, I'm always open to feedback. Just please don't come down on me to hard for the early stuff. I know it's not all that good. Just skip ahead a bit and you'll see the quality improve if it annoys you.
I'm also going to be leaving some more in depth authors notes then I normally would for the ones I still think about in the back of my mind. Stuff I think should be changed if I ever get back to it, vague ideas for how the fic should develop. Stuff like that.
So yeah taking a walk down memory lane. And if there are any new snippets that I end up writing I'll add them to the pile as they happen. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think about any of these, even if you're late to the show and I've gotten them all posted and you want to comment about something from the beginning.
Last edited:
Worm a Western
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Why the hell I ever thought this was a good idea... I must have watched some cowboy movie or something at the time. Or maybe I'd been watching M*A*S*H* and Colonel Potter mentioned Zane Grey novels? Quality is... bleagh it's giving me Flashbacks to when I wrote Grind. As the title suggests this is a western. I aged up the characters because it felt right. Scion, Endbringers, Cauldron; none of them were meant to feature in this fic. Mostly because I hate them all, but also because they don't fit thematically with a western. Characters were meant to be varying degrees of out of character, mostly because of the time period. Honestly glad I never actually did anything with this one. I'd have gotten bored and wandered off before I hit five chapters.
{}{}{}{}
Miss Taylor Hebert; age 19
The morning sun was just peaking over the horizon as I pulled myself into Bonney's saddle. She's a fine young thing with sure feet and a beautiful grey coat.
She'd gotten me halfway across the country through mostly rough terrain, and I owed her my life a half dozen times over for getting me away from trackers, bandits and bounty hunters. More than that though she was worth her weight in gold to me for a simple irreplaceable reason; the beautiful, brilliant, maybe even blessed horse was comfortable enough to not panic when I used my… Well what to call it is a bit of a point of contention really.
I circled my camp one last time while checking the saddlebags to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. It wasn't likely given just how many times I had broken down similar camps over the past months, it had become a familiar habit, but it never hurt to check. Satisfied I lightly tapped Bonney with my heels and pointed her North East. I'd overshot the town I'd been searching for three days ago and not realized for a day and a half.
How I had missed the town by more than my roughly three thousand foot range I may never know. Still I was confident I'd find it today.
Oh how I was looking forward to a chance at a real bath! Months of riding with only the odd stream or lake for getting clean had left with a feeling of filth it would take hours to fix. My poor hair must look a frightful mess and the hat wasn't helping any, even if it did keep the sun off my neck and out of my eyes.
My state of dress was no better. My dresses just could not hold up to the stress of heavy traveling. They'd been nothing but tatters after the first month. I'd had to steal a spare set of clothes from cowboy. The chaps and jacket I now where were far too big. I'd managed to fashion myself a few pairs of shirts and underthings from spider silk.
Ah that is to say I'd made the spiders spin them for me. That's my, ability, I control things; spiders, crickets, flies, bugs of all shapes and sizes really. It's the reason I'm wandering around the west end of Colorado in the first place.
I'd been chased out of my home town by a lynch mob baying for the blood of a witch; my blood, to be precise.
It's a not uncommon story really. Abilities like mine only come about at the lowest moments in a person's life. According to the church, well I suppose I should say every church as the idea has certainly found purchase with most every religion I've heard of, the abilities come from either God or the devil.
You see the theory goes that in that moment people reach out, asking anyone or anything for help… And sometimes, if you're lucky, or unlucky, something answers. God, the devil, some Indian spirit, or who knows what. So then they ask themselves, 'who or what answered?'
That's… Well that's where things get tricky. Some say you can tell by the type of ability if it was God or the devil, some say what we do with the powers is what determines who our patron is. There are other ideas out there but if you don't believe one of those two than most likely you fall into the third and largest group; the group that thinks anyone with abilities, with powers beyond that of mortal men, that we are all agents of the devil.
That group also happens to be the most likely to shoot first and ask questions never.
The government, the law, that was a whole nother story.
Some politicians called for the heads of people like myself. They loved to whip the masses up into a frenzy as a way to get more votes.
More level headed men said we needed as many persons such as myself as they could get. They claimed you needed to fight fire with fire and wanted to prepare for the inevitable waves of previously impossible crimes.
Many though hung back waiting to see how the winds would blow.
As for the law? How they reacted depended entirely on the opinion of the marshal or sheriff one ran across. Though many were wary to attack lest they find themselves fighting someone bullets can't kill.
Crimes are often attributed to people like myself, even if we are not responsible. I have bounty out on my head because some poor girl had died of a spider bite while I'd been in town and I'd been so unlucky as to be recognized by someone who knew why I'd been run out of my home town. Didn't matter that the poor thing was bit two days before I came to town. I'd been there when she died and that was good enough for the town sheriff.
The only stroke of luck I'd had since was my run in with miss Lisa Wilborn. She'd picked me out of a crowd weeks back when I chanced passing through a town for some things I needed. She's told me about her own ability and a small out of the way town, a sanctuary, for the touched as she called us.
She gave me directions and saw me on my way before heading off in search of others.
I'm not sure what to expect but right about now I'm ready to take my chances on the strange girl. I'm not exactly spoiled for options what with the price on my head.
With a tired sigh I tap Bonney again lightly to keep her moving and chew on a bit of jerky, it's not much but it's all I've got for breakfast. I'd better find this damn town soon or I'll need to go hunting again. I hate hunting, I've only got bugs to do it with.
{}{}{}{}
It's mid day when I finally find the town I've been searching for, Snakes Den. It's a small place. But with signs of growth. A couple of wells and maybe a dozen buildings. All of it is nestled on the edge of a pine forest I could feel the nearby stream thanks to my bugs. There would be game around and there was a small mine nestled into the edge of the mountain not far away. It was a small town no doubt but I could see that it might grow.
Riding up the town's only street I drew a lot of odd looks, a woman dressed in men's clothes all too big is no common sight. I kept my hands close to my only real protection; a small two shot derringer. That and a real nasty thing I'd found a while back, a scorpion. It was a pale thing, more of a sickly yellow really, with a sting that would make a grown man scream and lasts for days. Both are hidden under my oversized jacket.
It didn't feel like enough.
I started pulling in the local insects, though I kept things as discreet as I could. Wouldn't do to give away my trump cards.
A small bar grabs my attention, it doesn't even have a name just a sign proclaiming it for what it is. I swing out of my saddle and hitch Bonney to the rail.
The place doesn't look like much, inside or out. Dirt covers the floor, and the table's a stained dark from spilled drinks. Several chairs seem to have mismatched legs and the air stinks of booze and sweat. It's an ugly place. It's empty except for the bartender.
Stepping up to the bar I approach the bartender who is swapping out empty bottles for full ones. He's an old thin man with raven hair and grey eyes.
"What can I do for ya, ugh, miss?" The man asks.
I favor him with a demure, if strained, smile. "I'm looking for a man called the Rattler." I can see his eyes widen ever so slightly. "A woman named Lisa sent me this way." I continue hoping her name will speed things along.
"Yeah." The man licks his lips and swallows. "Yeah, I reckon I can get 'im for ya, miss?"
"Oh! My apologies. My name is Taylor Hebert, mister?"
"Joe Branwen, but folks around here just call me old Crow." He gives me a small warm smile. "Go on upstairs, first door on the left he'll be along shortly." Answering the man's smile with one of my own I nod and follow his directions.
The room is sparsely decorated with a few chairs, a table and a liquor cabinet, but the walls a painted a warm cream color that I find relaxing. I only have about five minutes to settle into my chair before I feel someone climbing up the stairs through my bugs. The faint, dry, unending clicking of a rattlesnake slowly grew in volume as the person approached.
The door swung open to reveal a man dressed in a casual suit with the jacket left open to show his undershirt. He is not a very tall man, perhaps five foot ten. He is exceptionally thin and pale for someone living this far west, and on the heels of his boots rather than spurs are the tails of rattlesnakes, one per boot.
"Miss Taylor Hebert, some are calling you Miss Spider, wanted in the state of texas for the death of a young girl named Emma Barnes, bounty of five hundred dollars." He says as he reaches into the liquor cabinet and pours two glasses of whiskey.
I take the proffered drink and sip at it cautiously. It burns and I wish fervently for a even a bad white wine. Still the blessed numb that the whiskey promises drives me to take another sip. The burn isn't quite so bad the second time.
"Crow tells me that Lisa sent you my way?"
"She did." I hesitate for a moment then press on. "Though she was rather vague on just what it is you can do for me, and what it was going to cost me."
"And yet here you are." It's a statement but the question of why doesn't really need to be asked.
"I am a practical woman Mr. Rattler. When miss Wilborn offered me a chance I took almost a day debating my options. This was the only one to promise at least a moment's respite."
I take a moment to enjoy another sip of my drink.
"To be perfectly blunt sir, this is a gamble, and it is still the best option available to me."
He seemed to consider that a moment as he sips at his own drink.
"Are the allegations that you killed miss Barnes true?"
"No. The girl was bitten before I came to town. I was just there the day she died." He nods as if expecting this.
"You understand, that I cannot simply tell you everything that is happening here… That said you do need to understand this is a sanctuary for those with no choice but to live outside of the law. And that aside from the menial and physical, the only job to be found here is the oldest profession."
I shudder slightly at the thought. No matter what I won't be reduced to that.
"The only other real option is to find ways to leverage your, unique talents for cash. Many have found that crime does in fact pay. My town serves as something of a safe haven for those who choose to do so."
I finished my drink in one quick gulp and asked for a second.
"You are suggesting I became, what? A bandit? Cattle rustler?" The man shrugs.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you are better suited to a bit of spying or robbing a bank." He says as if discussing the weather on a particularly pleasant day. "You know your abilities best my dear. Similarly only you know to what lengths you are willing to go in order to live either in comfort."
The Rattler stands and places his now empty glass on a tray by the door.
"Please don't feel rushed. I'll pay for a few days room and board, food… just take a few days to consider. If you do choose to put your skills to use outside the law… I believe you'll find this town and I have a great deal to offer you. I'll have old Crow make up a room for you for the night. Oh, and welcome to Snakes Den, miss Spider.
{}{}{}{}
Miss Taylor Hebert; age 19
The morning sun was just peaking over the horizon as I pulled myself into Bonney's saddle. She's a fine young thing with sure feet and a beautiful grey coat.
She'd gotten me halfway across the country through mostly rough terrain, and I owed her my life a half dozen times over for getting me away from trackers, bandits and bounty hunters. More than that though she was worth her weight in gold to me for a simple irreplaceable reason; the beautiful, brilliant, maybe even blessed horse was comfortable enough to not panic when I used my… Well what to call it is a bit of a point of contention really.
I circled my camp one last time while checking the saddlebags to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. It wasn't likely given just how many times I had broken down similar camps over the past months, it had become a familiar habit, but it never hurt to check. Satisfied I lightly tapped Bonney with my heels and pointed her North East. I'd overshot the town I'd been searching for three days ago and not realized for a day and a half.
How I had missed the town by more than my roughly three thousand foot range I may never know. Still I was confident I'd find it today.
Oh how I was looking forward to a chance at a real bath! Months of riding with only the odd stream or lake for getting clean had left with a feeling of filth it would take hours to fix. My poor hair must look a frightful mess and the hat wasn't helping any, even if it did keep the sun off my neck and out of my eyes.
My state of dress was no better. My dresses just could not hold up to the stress of heavy traveling. They'd been nothing but tatters after the first month. I'd had to steal a spare set of clothes from cowboy. The chaps and jacket I now where were far too big. I'd managed to fashion myself a few pairs of shirts and underthings from spider silk.
Ah that is to say I'd made the spiders spin them for me. That's my, ability, I control things; spiders, crickets, flies, bugs of all shapes and sizes really. It's the reason I'm wandering around the west end of Colorado in the first place.
I'd been chased out of my home town by a lynch mob baying for the blood of a witch; my blood, to be precise.
It's a not uncommon story really. Abilities like mine only come about at the lowest moments in a person's life. According to the church, well I suppose I should say every church as the idea has certainly found purchase with most every religion I've heard of, the abilities come from either God or the devil.
You see the theory goes that in that moment people reach out, asking anyone or anything for help… And sometimes, if you're lucky, or unlucky, something answers. God, the devil, some Indian spirit, or who knows what. So then they ask themselves, 'who or what answered?'
That's… Well that's where things get tricky. Some say you can tell by the type of ability if it was God or the devil, some say what we do with the powers is what determines who our patron is. There are other ideas out there but if you don't believe one of those two than most likely you fall into the third and largest group; the group that thinks anyone with abilities, with powers beyond that of mortal men, that we are all agents of the devil.
That group also happens to be the most likely to shoot first and ask questions never.
The government, the law, that was a whole nother story.
Some politicians called for the heads of people like myself. They loved to whip the masses up into a frenzy as a way to get more votes.
More level headed men said we needed as many persons such as myself as they could get. They claimed you needed to fight fire with fire and wanted to prepare for the inevitable waves of previously impossible crimes.
Many though hung back waiting to see how the winds would blow.
As for the law? How they reacted depended entirely on the opinion of the marshal or sheriff one ran across. Though many were wary to attack lest they find themselves fighting someone bullets can't kill.
Crimes are often attributed to people like myself, even if we are not responsible. I have bounty out on my head because some poor girl had died of a spider bite while I'd been in town and I'd been so unlucky as to be recognized by someone who knew why I'd been run out of my home town. Didn't matter that the poor thing was bit two days before I came to town. I'd been there when she died and that was good enough for the town sheriff.
The only stroke of luck I'd had since was my run in with miss Lisa Wilborn. She'd picked me out of a crowd weeks back when I chanced passing through a town for some things I needed. She's told me about her own ability and a small out of the way town, a sanctuary, for the touched as she called us.
She gave me directions and saw me on my way before heading off in search of others.
I'm not sure what to expect but right about now I'm ready to take my chances on the strange girl. I'm not exactly spoiled for options what with the price on my head.
With a tired sigh I tap Bonney again lightly to keep her moving and chew on a bit of jerky, it's not much but it's all I've got for breakfast. I'd better find this damn town soon or I'll need to go hunting again. I hate hunting, I've only got bugs to do it with.
{}{}{}{}
It's mid day when I finally find the town I've been searching for, Snakes Den. It's a small place. But with signs of growth. A couple of wells and maybe a dozen buildings. All of it is nestled on the edge of a pine forest I could feel the nearby stream thanks to my bugs. There would be game around and there was a small mine nestled into the edge of the mountain not far away. It was a small town no doubt but I could see that it might grow.
Riding up the town's only street I drew a lot of odd looks, a woman dressed in men's clothes all too big is no common sight. I kept my hands close to my only real protection; a small two shot derringer. That and a real nasty thing I'd found a while back, a scorpion. It was a pale thing, more of a sickly yellow really, with a sting that would make a grown man scream and lasts for days. Both are hidden under my oversized jacket.
It didn't feel like enough.
I started pulling in the local insects, though I kept things as discreet as I could. Wouldn't do to give away my trump cards.
A small bar grabs my attention, it doesn't even have a name just a sign proclaiming it for what it is. I swing out of my saddle and hitch Bonney to the rail.
The place doesn't look like much, inside or out. Dirt covers the floor, and the table's a stained dark from spilled drinks. Several chairs seem to have mismatched legs and the air stinks of booze and sweat. It's an ugly place. It's empty except for the bartender.
Stepping up to the bar I approach the bartender who is swapping out empty bottles for full ones. He's an old thin man with raven hair and grey eyes.
"What can I do for ya, ugh, miss?" The man asks.
I favor him with a demure, if strained, smile. "I'm looking for a man called the Rattler." I can see his eyes widen ever so slightly. "A woman named Lisa sent me this way." I continue hoping her name will speed things along.
"Yeah." The man licks his lips and swallows. "Yeah, I reckon I can get 'im for ya, miss?"
"Oh! My apologies. My name is Taylor Hebert, mister?"
"Joe Branwen, but folks around here just call me old Crow." He gives me a small warm smile. "Go on upstairs, first door on the left he'll be along shortly." Answering the man's smile with one of my own I nod and follow his directions.
The room is sparsely decorated with a few chairs, a table and a liquor cabinet, but the walls a painted a warm cream color that I find relaxing. I only have about five minutes to settle into my chair before I feel someone climbing up the stairs through my bugs. The faint, dry, unending clicking of a rattlesnake slowly grew in volume as the person approached.
The door swung open to reveal a man dressed in a casual suit with the jacket left open to show his undershirt. He is not a very tall man, perhaps five foot ten. He is exceptionally thin and pale for someone living this far west, and on the heels of his boots rather than spurs are the tails of rattlesnakes, one per boot.
"Miss Taylor Hebert, some are calling you Miss Spider, wanted in the state of texas for the death of a young girl named Emma Barnes, bounty of five hundred dollars." He says as he reaches into the liquor cabinet and pours two glasses of whiskey.
I take the proffered drink and sip at it cautiously. It burns and I wish fervently for a even a bad white wine. Still the blessed numb that the whiskey promises drives me to take another sip. The burn isn't quite so bad the second time.
"Crow tells me that Lisa sent you my way?"
"She did." I hesitate for a moment then press on. "Though she was rather vague on just what it is you can do for me, and what it was going to cost me."
"And yet here you are." It's a statement but the question of why doesn't really need to be asked.
"I am a practical woman Mr. Rattler. When miss Wilborn offered me a chance I took almost a day debating my options. This was the only one to promise at least a moment's respite."
I take a moment to enjoy another sip of my drink.
"To be perfectly blunt sir, this is a gamble, and it is still the best option available to me."
He seemed to consider that a moment as he sips at his own drink.
"Are the allegations that you killed miss Barnes true?"
"No. The girl was bitten before I came to town. I was just there the day she died." He nods as if expecting this.
"You understand, that I cannot simply tell you everything that is happening here… That said you do need to understand this is a sanctuary for those with no choice but to live outside of the law. And that aside from the menial and physical, the only job to be found here is the oldest profession."
I shudder slightly at the thought. No matter what I won't be reduced to that.
"The only other real option is to find ways to leverage your, unique talents for cash. Many have found that crime does in fact pay. My town serves as something of a safe haven for those who choose to do so."
I finished my drink in one quick gulp and asked for a second.
"You are suggesting I became, what? A bandit? Cattle rustler?" The man shrugs.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you are better suited to a bit of spying or robbing a bank." He says as if discussing the weather on a particularly pleasant day. "You know your abilities best my dear. Similarly only you know to what lengths you are willing to go in order to live either in comfort."
The Rattler stands and places his now empty glass on a tray by the door.
"Please don't feel rushed. I'll pay for a few days room and board, food… just take a few days to consider. If you do choose to put your skills to use outside the law… I believe you'll find this town and I have a great deal to offer you. I'll have old Crow make up a room for you for the night. Oh, and welcome to Snakes Den, miss Spider.
Poltergeist
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Ahh yeah this thing. Fuck this thing. I have no idea why I thought this was good when I first wrote it. Yes the concept of Taylor with a version of the Custodian's power running around Brockton Bay as a ghost is pretty cool but Why did I make the first post a Parahumans Online post? I know it makes for a decent hook, but really the "Dialogue" If you can even call it that was just so, soooo bad. I'll throw the rewrite up next for contrast. I was happier with the rewrite but even then not really.
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Topic: I'm Haunting the Bay
In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America ► Brockton Bay
Poltergeist (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)
Posted on January 29, 2011:
My name is Poltergeist. I, like so many others, was abused and trodden upon by a cape because at the time I had no powers of my own. Well I have powers now. I've done a lot of looking around. The capes of the world abide by the unwritten rules. A set of guidelines to keep things from becoming 'personal; leave capes civilian identities alone, leave their families alone, and do not kill.
The Bay has suffered under the heel of the gangs for decades because the so called heroes are worthless in the face of these rules, and the greater number of villains. I refuse to be cowed. To the villains of Brockton Bay, this is my declaration of war. I don't need my old life, or my old name. There is nothing left of them now anyway. From now on I'm just Poltergeist and I will hunt you down, I will make your civilian lives hell, and you will leave my city or suffer the consequences.
You have beaten down those who only have a civilian identity, and yet like the hypocrites that you all are you expect, if not demand, that your civilian lives not be disrupted in the manner which you destroy others. Too bad. I am coming for you, all of you, and I won't be playing by your damned rules.
Showing page (1 of 30)
► XxVoid_CowboyxX
OK… well that's hardcore and all but you are basically dead already if you try this you know that, right? I give you a week before you wind up at the bottom of the bay.
► White Fairy (Veteran Member)
I don't know if you are serious but if you are please, please, please do not do this you will turn the bay into a warzone!
► Xyloloup
Yeah, alright, you're dead, I hope you take at least one of the villains with you but you are so dead it's not even funny.
►RedOne463
Finally a cape with a fucking backbone! Give em hell kid!
►GobStopper26
Um yeah mods you may want to confirm Poltergeists Parahuman status… Check this out link. I just recorded that a minute ago. I'm in the Library here in Brockton Bay…. I think this is legit.
►Asheram
...Well holy fucking shit.
►Clockblocker (Verified Cape)(Wards ENE)
No, no no no no no no no no! Fuck this exorcist shit! I do not get payed enough to deal with fucking ghosts!
►SexComa
…. Who ya gunna call? Not Clockblocker.
►WolfManRaj
Ok… so creepy ghost cape… who can type at the computer while invisible and intangible… wants to go after the gangs… yay? Fuck this town, really can things get any weirder?
Showing page (2 of 30)
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
GobStopper26 stop waving your arm through me. It's annoying and distracting.
►GobStopper26
I'm sorry! Don't haunt me!
►Armsmaster(verified cape)(Protectorate ENE)
Poltergeist, threatening to kill anyone regardless of their legal status is grounds for charges of conspiracy to commit murder. Turn yourself in and the PRT will show you leniency.
►SmartyPants639
Has that worked, ever? I mean seriously?
►Toothy
Yes! Go to the light poltergeist! Err the heroes that is… not the afterlife.
►Bare_Scare
Armsmaster! Come on be honest with us, who told you to come post here? You almost never get involved, and never this quickly. Was it clock?
►MentalPanda
That's right $& % take your stupid threats and go hide behind the Protectorates skirt before you get yourself hurt!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Armsaster ahh yes, threats of reprisals and promises of leniency… How very, predictable. And tell me how many people have you already sent to apprehend me? Don't worry I'll wait for them, it's only polite.
►Kenny637
Well, you seem confident
►AngelWings
Video shows someone waving their arm through him/her. Y would she worry?
Showing page (3 of 30)
►ninja_squirrel
… Yeah I got nothing. How do you capture a fucking ghost?
►Spectrum
Tinkers are bullshit… Maybe one can come up with something?
►Mingyu
They could get a priest to try an exorcism?
►Bobboky
Poltergiest what are your powers?
►Captain_Hamster
… Has any cape ever actually honestly answered that?
►Jedi_Babe26
Hold up, backtrack, what do you mean by predictable? Poltergiest
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
You have to ask? If I was normal I would simply be arrested. But I am a cape. Allowances can be made because I represent a possible resource. Isn't that right, Shadow Stalker?
►Neko_Kuro
Oh shit. Are you saying those rumors are true? Did Shadow Stalker actually kill someone and get forced into the Wards?!
►White Fairy (Veteran Member)
Oh not this shit again. She's a hero!
►Killer Cat
Yeah yeah Fairy go back to your perfect litle fairy tale Tinkerbell, this is the real world and most of us agree things were fishy and I for one would like to hear what the new cape has to say about it.
Showing page (4 of 30)
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Well kitty cat, I know she is on probation with the PRT, I know she watches crimes take place and won't step in unless the victim fights back, or someone else is with her on her Patrols. Oh, and that since she nearly killed me in her civilian guise and gave me powers I've been harassing her every night to deprive her of sleep. Feeling tired yet Stalker?
►Pop Evil
Hold up! Full stop! WTF?!
►Bad Horse
I… yeah I can totally believe that. PRT probly has more dirty laundry than a boot camp laundry room.
►Demon_Squid
Bullshit! I call Bullshit! Stalkers a freaking hero! If she almost killed you, you probably had it coming!
►redcarpet96
I, I'm gunna need some context here
►Specific Protagonist
Booh hoo, so some poor gangbanger got hurt by a hero woop de freaking do
►Monster mouse
Be gone foul demon, person, cape! I will not listen to your lies! I banish you in the name of Jesus Christ our savior!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Ha haha hahahahahahahaha! Me deserve it? A gangbanger? Context? Hahahahahah oh you poor, stupid, sheep. My name was Taylor Hebert. I was trapped in my locker with what I can only call biohazard waste by several bullies who had been harassing me for the better part of two years and left to rot. Stalkers Civilian ID among them. No, that bitch is no hero, just a psychopath on far too loose a leash.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
TAYLOR?! Holy shit, you're alive! And a Cape! And Stalker goes to our school! Holly shit!
►Bare_Scare
Wait, Cowboy you know Poltergeist?!
Showing page (5 of 30)
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Dude, she was in my grade. Like half the girls in school were out to get her and the teachers just turned a blind eye to it. A few months back they had to call in a team with hazmat suits to clear out her locker!
►Neko_Kuro
Oh all kinds of duck. That's, that's… god damn
►WolfManRaj
I'm gunna need a bit to process this but off the top of my head? You're never joining the Protectorate are you Poltergiest? Can't say I really blame you considering. Just going to hope you'll focus mainly on the gangs and leave it at that.
►GobStopper26
PRT are here. Lots of shouting about surrendering, waving foam launchers, not that I'd expect those to do anything, aaaaand some comments to the effect of it being illegal to reveal a Wards Civilian ID. God damn, that doesn't really refute anything Poltergeist has said.
►AngelWings
Run Poltergeist! Be freeeee!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
The nice troopers are starting to give me a headache so I'll be leaving now. First though, to the Protectorate and PRT. you can't touch me, you can't capture me, you can't even see me, stay out of my way and get your pet Psychopath out of my city. To the gangs. This is your only warning. Get out.
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Topic: I'm Haunting the Bay
In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America ► Brockton Bay
Poltergeist (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)
Posted on January 29, 2011:
My name is Poltergeist. I, like so many others, was abused and trodden upon by a cape because at the time I had no powers of my own. Well I have powers now. I've done a lot of looking around. The capes of the world abide by the unwritten rules. A set of guidelines to keep things from becoming 'personal; leave capes civilian identities alone, leave their families alone, and do not kill.
The Bay has suffered under the heel of the gangs for decades because the so called heroes are worthless in the face of these rules, and the greater number of villains. I refuse to be cowed. To the villains of Brockton Bay, this is my declaration of war. I don't need my old life, or my old name. There is nothing left of them now anyway. From now on I'm just Poltergeist and I will hunt you down, I will make your civilian lives hell, and you will leave my city or suffer the consequences.
You have beaten down those who only have a civilian identity, and yet like the hypocrites that you all are you expect, if not demand, that your civilian lives not be disrupted in the manner which you destroy others. Too bad. I am coming for you, all of you, and I won't be playing by your damned rules.
Showing page (1 of 30)
► XxVoid_CowboyxX
OK… well that's hardcore and all but you are basically dead already if you try this you know that, right? I give you a week before you wind up at the bottom of the bay.
► White Fairy (Veteran Member)
I don't know if you are serious but if you are please, please, please do not do this you will turn the bay into a warzone!
► Xyloloup
Yeah, alright, you're dead, I hope you take at least one of the villains with you but you are so dead it's not even funny.
►RedOne463
Finally a cape with a fucking backbone! Give em hell kid!
►GobStopper26
Um yeah mods you may want to confirm Poltergeists Parahuman status… Check this out link. I just recorded that a minute ago. I'm in the Library here in Brockton Bay…. I think this is legit.
►Asheram
...Well holy fucking shit.
►Clockblocker (Verified Cape)(Wards ENE)
No, no no no no no no no no! Fuck this exorcist shit! I do not get payed enough to deal with fucking ghosts!
►SexComa
…. Who ya gunna call? Not Clockblocker.
►WolfManRaj
Ok… so creepy ghost cape… who can type at the computer while invisible and intangible… wants to go after the gangs… yay? Fuck this town, really can things get any weirder?
Showing page (2 of 30)
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
GobStopper26 stop waving your arm through me. It's annoying and distracting.
►GobStopper26
I'm sorry! Don't haunt me!
►Armsmaster(verified cape)(Protectorate ENE)
Poltergeist, threatening to kill anyone regardless of their legal status is grounds for charges of conspiracy to commit murder. Turn yourself in and the PRT will show you leniency.
►SmartyPants639
Has that worked, ever? I mean seriously?
►Toothy
Yes! Go to the light poltergeist! Err the heroes that is… not the afterlife.
►Bare_Scare
Armsmaster! Come on be honest with us, who told you to come post here? You almost never get involved, and never this quickly. Was it clock?
►MentalPanda
That's right $& % take your stupid threats and go hide behind the Protectorates skirt before you get yourself hurt!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Armsaster ahh yes, threats of reprisals and promises of leniency… How very, predictable. And tell me how many people have you already sent to apprehend me? Don't worry I'll wait for them, it's only polite.
►Kenny637
Well, you seem confident
►AngelWings
Video shows someone waving their arm through him/her. Y would she worry?
Showing page (3 of 30)
►ninja_squirrel
… Yeah I got nothing. How do you capture a fucking ghost?
►Spectrum
Tinkers are bullshit… Maybe one can come up with something?
►Mingyu
They could get a priest to try an exorcism?
►Bobboky
Poltergiest what are your powers?
►Captain_Hamster
… Has any cape ever actually honestly answered that?
►Jedi_Babe26
Hold up, backtrack, what do you mean by predictable? Poltergiest
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
You have to ask? If I was normal I would simply be arrested. But I am a cape. Allowances can be made because I represent a possible resource. Isn't that right, Shadow Stalker?
►Neko_Kuro
Oh shit. Are you saying those rumors are true? Did Shadow Stalker actually kill someone and get forced into the Wards?!
►White Fairy (Veteran Member)
Oh not this shit again. She's a hero!
►Killer Cat
Yeah yeah Fairy go back to your perfect litle fairy tale Tinkerbell, this is the real world and most of us agree things were fishy and I for one would like to hear what the new cape has to say about it.
Showing page (4 of 30)
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Well kitty cat, I know she is on probation with the PRT, I know she watches crimes take place and won't step in unless the victim fights back, or someone else is with her on her Patrols. Oh, and that since she nearly killed me in her civilian guise and gave me powers I've been harassing her every night to deprive her of sleep. Feeling tired yet Stalker?
►Pop Evil
Hold up! Full stop! WTF?!
►Bad Horse
I… yeah I can totally believe that. PRT probly has more dirty laundry than a boot camp laundry room.
►Demon_Squid
Bullshit! I call Bullshit! Stalkers a freaking hero! If she almost killed you, you probably had it coming!
►redcarpet96
I, I'm gunna need some context here
►Specific Protagonist
Booh hoo, so some poor gangbanger got hurt by a hero woop de freaking do
►Monster mouse
Be gone foul demon, person, cape! I will not listen to your lies! I banish you in the name of Jesus Christ our savior!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
Ha haha hahahahahahahaha! Me deserve it? A gangbanger? Context? Hahahahahah oh you poor, stupid, sheep. My name was Taylor Hebert. I was trapped in my locker with what I can only call biohazard waste by several bullies who had been harassing me for the better part of two years and left to rot. Stalkers Civilian ID among them. No, that bitch is no hero, just a psychopath on far too loose a leash.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
TAYLOR?! Holy shit, you're alive! And a Cape! And Stalker goes to our school! Holly shit!
►Bare_Scare
Wait, Cowboy you know Poltergeist?!
Showing page (5 of 30)
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Dude, she was in my grade. Like half the girls in school were out to get her and the teachers just turned a blind eye to it. A few months back they had to call in a team with hazmat suits to clear out her locker!
►Neko_Kuro
Oh all kinds of duck. That's, that's… god damn
►WolfManRaj
I'm gunna need a bit to process this but off the top of my head? You're never joining the Protectorate are you Poltergiest? Can't say I really blame you considering. Just going to hope you'll focus mainly on the gangs and leave it at that.
►GobStopper26
PRT are here. Lots of shouting about surrendering, waving foam launchers, not that I'd expect those to do anything, aaaaand some comments to the effect of it being illegal to reveal a Wards Civilian ID. God damn, that doesn't really refute anything Poltergeist has said.
►AngelWings
Run Poltergeist! Be freeeee!
►Poltergeist (verified cape)
The nice troopers are starting to give me a headache so I'll be leaving now. First though, to the Protectorate and PRT. you can't touch me, you can't capture me, you can't even see me, stay out of my way and get your pet Psychopath out of my city. To the gangs. This is your only warning. Get out.
Poltergeist Rewrite
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Ok yeah, so this is the rewrite which I did.... I honestly don't remember when I rewrote this but it was years after the original and the quality is better but I'm still not really happy with it. Sometimes when I do first snips like this and I know I'm not going to be continuing the story... I think I end up just cramming in as much background as I can and the story quality suffers for it. sure it lets you all know what I'm thinking better but it doesn't actually make for a better story that way. To much tell not enough show.
I watched, like always, unable to do anything else, as the black bag was zipped shut and Dad's face disappeared from view.
I'd known this was coming. I'd spent the past three weeks fighting to be seen, to be heard, to find some way to communicate. Nothing. I was stuck as a silent observer. And every day I'd seen Dad die a little more inside. The bottle of whiskey and the sleeping pills just finished the job.
This was it. I was going to spend eternity alone watching the whole world die. If I was lucky, I'd fade before the sun burned out. I was going to lose my mind. Was already losing my mind. Why not? I'd lost everything else already!
I'd give anything just to die.
[DESTINATION]
{}{}{}{}
I looked like a ghost. The mirror showed a translucent girl wearing glasses, a black hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes. All of it was splattered or soaked in blood and rot. Though noticeably less so above my ribs ought to be. I looked like I'd just stepped out of the locker.
"God, this sucks." I meant to speak normally, but it came out quieter. The fact I made noise at all was huge, but it still made me frown. "Fuck!" I shouted as loud as I could. It was still a little quieter than it should have been, and now I noticed an odd distortion in my voice as well. "Great." I muttered. It came out so quietly I could barely hear myself.
Just looking at my reflection made me furious. I didn't think about it, I just lashed out and punched the glass as hard as I could. It shattered into dozens of pieces with a startled little shriek I pulled back mentally and physically. And as I did my reflection vanished. Gingerly I reached out to one of the shards of glass, and like before my hand simply slipped through.
Stepping back, I leaned against the bathroom wall. My powers still sucked. They'd basically driven Dad to suicide. And I still didn't think anything would be able to kill me, which meant I'd live like this forever. But I could talk to people again, actually interact with the world. After three weeks as a ghost… I'd already broken down crying twice from that small relief. But what was I supposed to do now?
I took my time chewing that thought over until one idle thought broke through my depression. It wasn't a happy thought. The trio had gotten away with it. They had as good as killed me, which had literally killed Dad... And they got away with it.
I wouldn't let them.
They made me a ghost? Fine then I'd act like a ghost. One vengeful spirit, back from the dead, coming right up.
{}{}{}{}
I spent days watching them all before I found out Sophia's big secret. Then I spent days watching the Wards interact with her. They didn't like her, but they at least tolerated her. It was disgusting. It didn't change anything.
I started watching horror movies. Either in the movie theaters or late at night on computers when I slipped through the walls of the public library. I hated my powers, but they came with a clear theme I could work with. Why reinvent the wheel when I could just copy Hollywood.
Oh sure, some of it was cheesy and cliché. But that was when it was separated from you by a pane of glass with nice music to give away all the jump scares. I suspected it would be harder to brush off what you could see with your own eyes. Weirdly one of the best sources for inspiration was the travel channel of all things. I didn't know how much I actually believed the stuff they produced, but it was at least fertile ground for inspiration. Apparently scratching people in sets of three was supposed to mean something demonic was mocking the trinity. Who knew?
Learning to affect the world without turning visible was without a doubt my biggest breakthrough. It took me a couple of weeks, but eventually I decided I was ready. And at least now I was talking with people on PHO. It wasn't much, but it was something. My Poltergeist account already had a reputation as a minor tinfoil hat from the way I tended to ask questions about ghosts and things.
But yeah, I was ready. Come Monday Winslow was in for a fair few surprises.
{}{}{}{}
The opening salvo was deceptively simple. I opened my locker before anyone came in. It wasn't hard. They never bothered to change the combination. People just brushed that off and someone closed it. I opened it again as soon as the halls emptied for class. That repeated throughout the day. And it would keep repeating itself for as long as it took for the whole school to start whispering about it. And even past that point as well. But I wouldn't stop there. I tripped legs. I tapped shoulders. I whispered things like "I know what you did" in people's ears.
And in the middle of third period, standing outside my locker, I screamed like I was being tortured. The noise echoed up and down the hallway. Classroom doors opened and faces peaked out just in time to see my old locker fly open. Then I took off running. I gave it a twenty count before I screamed again. Move, wait a bit, scream, move, wait a bit, scream. I kept that pattern for ten minutes before I finally stopped. At some point the cape alarms had gone off. Ducking into classrooms I almost felt bad seeing all the terrified faces. But these people had turned a blind eye to what happened to me. They let it happen, and didn't let me out. I was going to drag the whole sordid affair into the light even if I had to scare the whole school half to death.
Some PRT troopers showed up with Miss Militia and Armsmaster to search the building. I walked right through them without being noticed. I had one more person to harass today and if I was lucky the PRT would show up to play witness. Waiting for them in the office was boring but that was fine. I'd gotten used to being bored. This was nothing after those first three weeks, and at least now I had something to look forward to. Eventually the heroes came into the office and that was my que. I knocked a chair to the floor.
"What on earth?" Miss Militia muttered even as he scanned the room with a pistol drawn.
I stepped right between her and Armsmster who was uselessly brandishing his halberd. The secretary was cowering behind her desk. Just peeking over the edge. I threw all the papers on her desk at her and she screamed.
"Come out!" Armsmaster demanded. "Show yourself!"
Nabbing the edge of a rolling chair I slowly walked past the two heroes and finally allowed myself to speak. Just a whisper on the non-existent wind. "They're all guilty." I hissed out even as I stopped moving. I let that statement hang in the air before hurling the chair as hard as I could into Blackwell's door causing her and the secretary to scream. I couldn't help it. Watching two veteran heroes jump made me want to laugh, rather than fight the impulse I let it out as thematically as I could manage. Giggles danced about the room before I stepped through a wall and into the hallway. This was just the beginning. I'd let them stew for a few days, just keep opening my locker. I'd start the next round in earnest on Thursday.
{}{}{}{}
Late at night I'd found a whole box of sharpies. I started with my locker. Inside, outside, ceiling and floor. I filled every square inch with my name.
The next day I hit Sophia, Emma and Madison's lockers. Only this time I wrote guilty.
The day after every door and Window in the school was covered in either my name or the word guilty.
People were terrified. The principal insisted the Janitors try to clean it up over the weakened.
While they worked on the windows, I wrote endless repetitions of 'can't hide the truth' on both Blackwell's door and desk. Then I redid the windows after the janitors left Sunday night.
{}{}{}{}
The students were freaked out. The teachers were freaked out. Blackwell was freaked out… Part of me insisted this wasn't a healthy way to deal with my problems, but the rest of me just didn't care. This was my revenge, and it was so very cathartic.
I started things off during second period. I slammed a classroom door shut then moved through the room like a whirlwind. I tossed papers, pencils, and bags everywhere causing the whole class to scream. One boy actually pulled out his phone and started recording so I paid him special attention by pulling the phone out of his hands and sliding it across the floor. Then I was out the door and repeating the process a few doors down. The cape alarms went off again. But when the students realized that the doors didn't even slow me down a lot of the students panicked and bolted out of the building. It wasn't long after that someone ordered the school evacuated.
The heroes caught up to me as I took my time demolishing the chemistry lab. Assault, Battery and Armsmaster this time.
"Do you know my name yet?" I called out just before shattering another beaker. The floor was positively covered in glass.
Armsmaster grunted. "The PRT has taken to calling you Apparition." I tossed a beaker at his head which he easily ducked.
I moved to the white board and wrote my name in huge block letters. Turning around I stared at the nervously twitching heroes. I let myself fade into reality in all my bloodstained glory. Assault actually screamed and jumped behind a desk. Armsmaster and Battery froze solid.
"It's their fault I'm like this. It's their fault Dad gave up. He couldn't hear me, couldn't see me. But now? People ignoring me is what let this happen. Now I won't let them."
My piece said I went invisible. I didn't have anything more to say to them. This could end just as soon as the people responsible were punished. Until then I'd dish out my own punishments. Still, they had all the details they needed now. I'd follow them and see if they were willing to put them all together.
{}{}{}{}
The fat woman in the suit who was apparently in charge glared at the three heroes. "Repeat that, Assault I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Schools haunted, boss." The red clad hero declared with a shrug. "Either it's an actual ghost or a cape whose powers are similar enough for the difference to not matter." Tellingly neither of his fellow capes disagreed.
"What, exactly, happened?" The question was pointedly directed at Armsmaster.
The report he spewed out was incredibly detailed mind numbingly boring and came with pictures of a good chunk of my efforts including all four lockers, a few windows, Blackwell's desk, and a snapshot of myself looking unspeakably was oddly nice to have my work appreciated like this. I mean, they were a little pissed that I was choosing to terrorize a school, but the school terrorized me first, so they could just deal with it.
When he was finished the Director closed her eyes and took several moments to just breath. "Detain Hess, and launch a full investigation. If this capes agenda is justice for what happened to her then there isn't much reason to deny her. If Hess is responsible then we throw the book at her. If she's not then we have a cape that is going after one of our Wards in her civilian identity. We need to start planning contingencies in case other identities have been compromised."
After that the meeting got boring and I took off. Sure, they were discussing me, but I didn't really need to worry about that. I wasn't sure what I should be doing next. The authorities were on the proper trail now. I could probably scale down my antics at Winslow to the bare minimum. But that left me with an awful lot of free time on my hands. Maybe there were other people out there who deserved my special brand of attention?
I watched, like always, unable to do anything else, as the black bag was zipped shut and Dad's face disappeared from view.
I'd known this was coming. I'd spent the past three weeks fighting to be seen, to be heard, to find some way to communicate. Nothing. I was stuck as a silent observer. And every day I'd seen Dad die a little more inside. The bottle of whiskey and the sleeping pills just finished the job.
This was it. I was going to spend eternity alone watching the whole world die. If I was lucky, I'd fade before the sun burned out. I was going to lose my mind. Was already losing my mind. Why not? I'd lost everything else already!
I'd give anything just to die.
[DESTINATION]
{}{}{}{}
I looked like a ghost. The mirror showed a translucent girl wearing glasses, a black hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes. All of it was splattered or soaked in blood and rot. Though noticeably less so above my ribs ought to be. I looked like I'd just stepped out of the locker.
"God, this sucks." I meant to speak normally, but it came out quieter. The fact I made noise at all was huge, but it still made me frown. "Fuck!" I shouted as loud as I could. It was still a little quieter than it should have been, and now I noticed an odd distortion in my voice as well. "Great." I muttered. It came out so quietly I could barely hear myself.
Just looking at my reflection made me furious. I didn't think about it, I just lashed out and punched the glass as hard as I could. It shattered into dozens of pieces with a startled little shriek I pulled back mentally and physically. And as I did my reflection vanished. Gingerly I reached out to one of the shards of glass, and like before my hand simply slipped through.
Stepping back, I leaned against the bathroom wall. My powers still sucked. They'd basically driven Dad to suicide. And I still didn't think anything would be able to kill me, which meant I'd live like this forever. But I could talk to people again, actually interact with the world. After three weeks as a ghost… I'd already broken down crying twice from that small relief. But what was I supposed to do now?
I took my time chewing that thought over until one idle thought broke through my depression. It wasn't a happy thought. The trio had gotten away with it. They had as good as killed me, which had literally killed Dad... And they got away with it.
I wouldn't let them.
They made me a ghost? Fine then I'd act like a ghost. One vengeful spirit, back from the dead, coming right up.
{}{}{}{}
I spent days watching them all before I found out Sophia's big secret. Then I spent days watching the Wards interact with her. They didn't like her, but they at least tolerated her. It was disgusting. It didn't change anything.
I started watching horror movies. Either in the movie theaters or late at night on computers when I slipped through the walls of the public library. I hated my powers, but they came with a clear theme I could work with. Why reinvent the wheel when I could just copy Hollywood.
Oh sure, some of it was cheesy and cliché. But that was when it was separated from you by a pane of glass with nice music to give away all the jump scares. I suspected it would be harder to brush off what you could see with your own eyes. Weirdly one of the best sources for inspiration was the travel channel of all things. I didn't know how much I actually believed the stuff they produced, but it was at least fertile ground for inspiration. Apparently scratching people in sets of three was supposed to mean something demonic was mocking the trinity. Who knew?
Learning to affect the world without turning visible was without a doubt my biggest breakthrough. It took me a couple of weeks, but eventually I decided I was ready. And at least now I was talking with people on PHO. It wasn't much, but it was something. My Poltergeist account already had a reputation as a minor tinfoil hat from the way I tended to ask questions about ghosts and things.
But yeah, I was ready. Come Monday Winslow was in for a fair few surprises.
{}{}{}{}
The opening salvo was deceptively simple. I opened my locker before anyone came in. It wasn't hard. They never bothered to change the combination. People just brushed that off and someone closed it. I opened it again as soon as the halls emptied for class. That repeated throughout the day. And it would keep repeating itself for as long as it took for the whole school to start whispering about it. And even past that point as well. But I wouldn't stop there. I tripped legs. I tapped shoulders. I whispered things like "I know what you did" in people's ears.
And in the middle of third period, standing outside my locker, I screamed like I was being tortured. The noise echoed up and down the hallway. Classroom doors opened and faces peaked out just in time to see my old locker fly open. Then I took off running. I gave it a twenty count before I screamed again. Move, wait a bit, scream, move, wait a bit, scream. I kept that pattern for ten minutes before I finally stopped. At some point the cape alarms had gone off. Ducking into classrooms I almost felt bad seeing all the terrified faces. But these people had turned a blind eye to what happened to me. They let it happen, and didn't let me out. I was going to drag the whole sordid affair into the light even if I had to scare the whole school half to death.
Some PRT troopers showed up with Miss Militia and Armsmaster to search the building. I walked right through them without being noticed. I had one more person to harass today and if I was lucky the PRT would show up to play witness. Waiting for them in the office was boring but that was fine. I'd gotten used to being bored. This was nothing after those first three weeks, and at least now I had something to look forward to. Eventually the heroes came into the office and that was my que. I knocked a chair to the floor.
"What on earth?" Miss Militia muttered even as he scanned the room with a pistol drawn.
I stepped right between her and Armsmster who was uselessly brandishing his halberd. The secretary was cowering behind her desk. Just peeking over the edge. I threw all the papers on her desk at her and she screamed.
"Come out!" Armsmaster demanded. "Show yourself!"
Nabbing the edge of a rolling chair I slowly walked past the two heroes and finally allowed myself to speak. Just a whisper on the non-existent wind. "They're all guilty." I hissed out even as I stopped moving. I let that statement hang in the air before hurling the chair as hard as I could into Blackwell's door causing her and the secretary to scream. I couldn't help it. Watching two veteran heroes jump made me want to laugh, rather than fight the impulse I let it out as thematically as I could manage. Giggles danced about the room before I stepped through a wall and into the hallway. This was just the beginning. I'd let them stew for a few days, just keep opening my locker. I'd start the next round in earnest on Thursday.
{}{}{}{}
Late at night I'd found a whole box of sharpies. I started with my locker. Inside, outside, ceiling and floor. I filled every square inch with my name.
The next day I hit Sophia, Emma and Madison's lockers. Only this time I wrote guilty.
The day after every door and Window in the school was covered in either my name or the word guilty.
People were terrified. The principal insisted the Janitors try to clean it up over the weakened.
While they worked on the windows, I wrote endless repetitions of 'can't hide the truth' on both Blackwell's door and desk. Then I redid the windows after the janitors left Sunday night.
{}{}{}{}
The students were freaked out. The teachers were freaked out. Blackwell was freaked out… Part of me insisted this wasn't a healthy way to deal with my problems, but the rest of me just didn't care. This was my revenge, and it was so very cathartic.
I started things off during second period. I slammed a classroom door shut then moved through the room like a whirlwind. I tossed papers, pencils, and bags everywhere causing the whole class to scream. One boy actually pulled out his phone and started recording so I paid him special attention by pulling the phone out of his hands and sliding it across the floor. Then I was out the door and repeating the process a few doors down. The cape alarms went off again. But when the students realized that the doors didn't even slow me down a lot of the students panicked and bolted out of the building. It wasn't long after that someone ordered the school evacuated.
The heroes caught up to me as I took my time demolishing the chemistry lab. Assault, Battery and Armsmaster this time.
"Do you know my name yet?" I called out just before shattering another beaker. The floor was positively covered in glass.
Armsmaster grunted. "The PRT has taken to calling you Apparition." I tossed a beaker at his head which he easily ducked.
I moved to the white board and wrote my name in huge block letters. Turning around I stared at the nervously twitching heroes. I let myself fade into reality in all my bloodstained glory. Assault actually screamed and jumped behind a desk. Armsmaster and Battery froze solid.
"It's their fault I'm like this. It's their fault Dad gave up. He couldn't hear me, couldn't see me. But now? People ignoring me is what let this happen. Now I won't let them."
My piece said I went invisible. I didn't have anything more to say to them. This could end just as soon as the people responsible were punished. Until then I'd dish out my own punishments. Still, they had all the details they needed now. I'd follow them and see if they were willing to put them all together.
{}{}{}{}
The fat woman in the suit who was apparently in charge glared at the three heroes. "Repeat that, Assault I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Schools haunted, boss." The red clad hero declared with a shrug. "Either it's an actual ghost or a cape whose powers are similar enough for the difference to not matter." Tellingly neither of his fellow capes disagreed.
"What, exactly, happened?" The question was pointedly directed at Armsmaster.
The report he spewed out was incredibly detailed mind numbingly boring and came with pictures of a good chunk of my efforts including all four lockers, a few windows, Blackwell's desk, and a snapshot of myself looking unspeakably was oddly nice to have my work appreciated like this. I mean, they were a little pissed that I was choosing to terrorize a school, but the school terrorized me first, so they could just deal with it.
When he was finished the Director closed her eyes and took several moments to just breath. "Detain Hess, and launch a full investigation. If this capes agenda is justice for what happened to her then there isn't much reason to deny her. If Hess is responsible then we throw the book at her. If she's not then we have a cape that is going after one of our Wards in her civilian identity. We need to start planning contingencies in case other identities have been compromised."
After that the meeting got boring and I took off. Sure, they were discussing me, but I didn't really need to worry about that. I wasn't sure what I should be doing next. The authorities were on the proper trail now. I could probably scale down my antics at Winslow to the bare minimum. But that left me with an awful lot of free time on my hands. Maybe there were other people out there who deserved my special brand of attention?
Anarchy
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Aaaand now we're back to doing things chronologically. Early work is crap work, and this is a terrific example of what I talked about in the last authors note. I just sort of crammed in as much about the changes to the setting as I could. Not a great start to any fic. Basically it's a borderlands cross I wrote on my cell phone during a five hour car ride. Weirdly enough it wasn't until after I got it posted that I realized I never actually decided if the POV was Taylor or an OC. Which is another reason why it never really went anywhere. You know in addition to overplaying the Armsmaster is a dick card, and it just not really having a lot of potential.
Anarchy
I glance at myself once again in the mirror. It's not much of a costume… But the theme works well with my power.
Black combat boots scrounged from a second hand store and blue jeans are the most normal parts of the outfit. Rather than a normal belt I wear an old fashioned gun belt with a holster and loops for bullets which I have filled. The holster holds a .45 caliber revolver with a blade fixed under the barrel.
Tucked into my jeans is a black long sleeve shirt with a large bright red anarchy symbol on the chest visible from under my sleeveless buckskin duster which I've left open. The duster was by far the most expensive and hardest to find part of my costume but I was very happy with it. Just visible from under the jacket is a shoulder holster which holds my yellow fully automatic pistol. A brown stetson covering my head and a black handkerchief with white patterns over my lower face complete the outfit. Though the double barrel shotgun across my back certainly cements the idea that I mean business.
Carefully I heft the black bag holding my other guns over my left shoulder leaving my right hand free to go for one of my weapons should I need to. It's heavy, maybe forty pounds. Luckily I don't have far to go from here to the fast travel station.
Nodding I head out onto the street and start walking. What few people are out quickly take notice and get out of my way. One pulls out a phone and starts dialing. Probably calling the Protectorate, which means it would be in my best interest to pick up the pace.
I've never used a fast travel station before, but then I've never met the prerequisites before either. For the most part their reserved for capes, and even then it's restricted to emergencies and members of Anarchy. Well and people like me, people hoping to join Anarchy.
See most capes do one of two things, the join a recognized hero team, usually the Protectorate, or they join a gang. A few people have made teams of there own New Wave are the local example, and I know there is some catholic hero team down south somewhere. Then you have the inevitable loners but most of them get knocked off or absorbed into some other group before too long.
Then you have Anarchy. Anarchy is something special, something unique.
They started out with just two capes. Digital, and Shield. Working together the two of them carved out a place for independent tinkers by creating and maintaining the fast travel stations, the New-U stations, and the personal shields now employed by PRT troopers nationwide. But that was just the beginning. Pretty soon tinkers and a some other capes started flocking to their banner, and Anarchy was born. A way to fight against the established system and carve out your own place in the world outside of government control or subjugation by a gang. A group who traded materials, cash, tinker tech, and other services between themselves.
The final effect? An ever growing group of tinkers all fitted with a wide variety of weapons and technology.
And what did they use it all for? To knock over gangs and some tech companies and the like for cash and materials to keep the whole cycle of progress going.
Their methods and targets aren't always legal. Sometimes they leave nothing but corpses behind, but by that point Anarchy was already entrenched, necessary. The value of the New-U and fast travel stations when fighting Endbringers made them invaluable which isn't even taking into consideration the kind of firepower the group brought to the table.
Officially the government have declared Anarchy to be a gang with nationwide influence. Unofficially that's still true, but there really isn't much they can do about it except trying to bring the small time members to heel, or forcibly recruit tinkers before they can join Anarchy.
As I round the final turn a motorbike screams around a corner further down the road and comes to a screeching halt between the fast travel station and I. My eyes narrow as Armsmaster dismounts his bike and immediately brings his weapon to bear.
"Unidentified Parahuman, you are under arrest! Put down your weapons and surrender!"
Really? That's what he's going to open with? And people wonder why so many tunkers want nothing to do with the Protectorate. Hell, I'm pretty sure I can't make anything non-lethal. No, I've got nothing to gain from the Protectorate.
"Under arrest huh? On what charges?" I lower the bag carrying my extra guns to the ground but leave my right hand hovering just over the handle of my revolver.
Armsmaster frowns at my aggressive stance.
"You are in violation of several state and federal firearm laws."
"I'm a tinker." I say with a shrug. "I make guns. No one makes a fuss about tinkers carrying their tech." Now Armsmaster is outright scowling.
"You are not a known member of Anarchy, but you shirt clearly indicates your intention to join." He shakes his head. "I can't allow a tinker who makes guns to join them, bad enough they recruited Bakuda."
"That's your problem." I say shrugging. "Thing is, you really don't have much you can hold me on." I move my hand up and pull out my automatic pistol, I let the gun rest against my leg not aiming just yet. "And I'm already planning to join a group who play fast and loose with the law." Armsmaster deepens his stance, moron. I've got a gun, your stance doesn't mean jack shit. "And I recognize the digistruct on your waste." Which means I don't have to hold back. "Walk away."
For a moment we stand there, neither moving. Then the moment ends. Armsmaster breaks out into a sprint. The secondary aspect of my power kicks in and I raise my gun and instantly have a bead on him. I squeeze the trigger and a veritable storm of bullets start pinging off his armor. For a second it doesn't seem to be doing anything but then as he passes under a streetlight the telling green droplets and mist become visible and I grin. Seems the acid is working. That ought to do a number on his armor.
The flurry of bullets throw him off balance slightly forcing him to abandon his charge and re-establish his footing. I holster the pistol and swing the shotgun off my back.
I can feel a manic grin spread across my lips as I pull the trigger twice in quick succession. The shot detonates as it impacts him, launching Armsmaster off of his feet and onto his ass.
Chuckling I take the time to reload both guns while Armsmaster groans from his place on the road. Finally I draw my revolver and make my way forward.
"You know," I drawl. "I really ought to thank you. I know Anarchy charges through the nose for New-U's. Between earning them some cash, the weapons I'm bringing for trade, and your bike too now that I think about it, I'm going to be making quite the first impression." I chuckle.
"Bastard." The downed hero manages to cough out along with a bit of blood. I only shrug at the insult. I've had to endure a lot worse after all.
I watch, fascinated, as the acid finally eats through his armor and starts on his flesh causing him to scream. I can't help but wince at the sound.
"Right, no reason for you to suffer. Might as well put you out of your misery and let you respawn already." I sighed.
The revolver kicked like a mule as I emptied it through the gaping hole in his armor. Only a moment passed before his body started to disappear as it was deconstructed. Sadly his weapon went with him. I'd bet I could get a lot for that.
Slowly the adrenaline bled out of my system and I had to fight off the urge to puke.
Armsmaster would be fine. The Protectorate would get a bill for his new body, but he'd be fine. I make guns. This is what my power does. It's all it does. I'd just have to get used to it.
Shaking my head I grabbed up my bag and slung it over the back seat of Armsmasters bike before pushing it up to the fast travel station.
"I'm a tinker," I said speaking into the built in microphone. "I make guns. I've got a few guns and Armsmaster motorcycle to trade for equipment. I'd like to join Anarchy."
"Name?" The voice was female, overly happy and had a slightly synthetic twang to it.
I hesitated, I'd been considering several names. None of them really felt right though several seemed decent enough.
"Name's, Caliber." I finally said settling on one of my favorites.
"Acknowledged. Temporary access to Anarchy central trading granted. Please Enjoy your stay."
A light engulfed me as the terminal scanned me then in a flash of light I was transported to a large room empty except for a massive yellow and black robot and four automatic turrets with similar paint jobs.
"Welcome to anarchy central station." A male voice proclaimed from hidden speakers. "Please disarm so we can discuss your application to join, your gear will be returned once we have verified your intentions."
I sucked in a deep breath and slowly disarmed placing the three guns I carried with the rest in my bag.
With a hiss a hidden door slid open and out of it walked Shield. He's a tall man wearing a business suit and a welder's mask the only indication of his status as a cape aside from the mask is a belt holding a digistruct device and a shield with a glowing orange core and elephant motif.
"Welcome to Anarchy, Caliber. Please, follow me." His peace said Shield turned and exited the room the way he came.
This was it. This is what I had prepared for, this is what I wasted Armsmaster for. This was the place for me, for tinkers determined to make their own way in the world, for capes willing to go to extremes to climb to the top. For people whose power could never be heroic.
With another deep breath I squared my shoulders and followed.
Anarchy
I glance at myself once again in the mirror. It's not much of a costume… But the theme works well with my power.
Black combat boots scrounged from a second hand store and blue jeans are the most normal parts of the outfit. Rather than a normal belt I wear an old fashioned gun belt with a holster and loops for bullets which I have filled. The holster holds a .45 caliber revolver with a blade fixed under the barrel.
Tucked into my jeans is a black long sleeve shirt with a large bright red anarchy symbol on the chest visible from under my sleeveless buckskin duster which I've left open. The duster was by far the most expensive and hardest to find part of my costume but I was very happy with it. Just visible from under the jacket is a shoulder holster which holds my yellow fully automatic pistol. A brown stetson covering my head and a black handkerchief with white patterns over my lower face complete the outfit. Though the double barrel shotgun across my back certainly cements the idea that I mean business.
Carefully I heft the black bag holding my other guns over my left shoulder leaving my right hand free to go for one of my weapons should I need to. It's heavy, maybe forty pounds. Luckily I don't have far to go from here to the fast travel station.
Nodding I head out onto the street and start walking. What few people are out quickly take notice and get out of my way. One pulls out a phone and starts dialing. Probably calling the Protectorate, which means it would be in my best interest to pick up the pace.
I've never used a fast travel station before, but then I've never met the prerequisites before either. For the most part their reserved for capes, and even then it's restricted to emergencies and members of Anarchy. Well and people like me, people hoping to join Anarchy.
See most capes do one of two things, the join a recognized hero team, usually the Protectorate, or they join a gang. A few people have made teams of there own New Wave are the local example, and I know there is some catholic hero team down south somewhere. Then you have the inevitable loners but most of them get knocked off or absorbed into some other group before too long.
Then you have Anarchy. Anarchy is something special, something unique.
They started out with just two capes. Digital, and Shield. Working together the two of them carved out a place for independent tinkers by creating and maintaining the fast travel stations, the New-U stations, and the personal shields now employed by PRT troopers nationwide. But that was just the beginning. Pretty soon tinkers and a some other capes started flocking to their banner, and Anarchy was born. A way to fight against the established system and carve out your own place in the world outside of government control or subjugation by a gang. A group who traded materials, cash, tinker tech, and other services between themselves.
The final effect? An ever growing group of tinkers all fitted with a wide variety of weapons and technology.
And what did they use it all for? To knock over gangs and some tech companies and the like for cash and materials to keep the whole cycle of progress going.
Their methods and targets aren't always legal. Sometimes they leave nothing but corpses behind, but by that point Anarchy was already entrenched, necessary. The value of the New-U and fast travel stations when fighting Endbringers made them invaluable which isn't even taking into consideration the kind of firepower the group brought to the table.
Officially the government have declared Anarchy to be a gang with nationwide influence. Unofficially that's still true, but there really isn't much they can do about it except trying to bring the small time members to heel, or forcibly recruit tinkers before they can join Anarchy.
As I round the final turn a motorbike screams around a corner further down the road and comes to a screeching halt between the fast travel station and I. My eyes narrow as Armsmaster dismounts his bike and immediately brings his weapon to bear.
"Unidentified Parahuman, you are under arrest! Put down your weapons and surrender!"
Really? That's what he's going to open with? And people wonder why so many tunkers want nothing to do with the Protectorate. Hell, I'm pretty sure I can't make anything non-lethal. No, I've got nothing to gain from the Protectorate.
"Under arrest huh? On what charges?" I lower the bag carrying my extra guns to the ground but leave my right hand hovering just over the handle of my revolver.
Armsmaster frowns at my aggressive stance.
"You are in violation of several state and federal firearm laws."
"I'm a tinker." I say with a shrug. "I make guns. No one makes a fuss about tinkers carrying their tech." Now Armsmaster is outright scowling.
"You are not a known member of Anarchy, but you shirt clearly indicates your intention to join." He shakes his head. "I can't allow a tinker who makes guns to join them, bad enough they recruited Bakuda."
"That's your problem." I say shrugging. "Thing is, you really don't have much you can hold me on." I move my hand up and pull out my automatic pistol, I let the gun rest against my leg not aiming just yet. "And I'm already planning to join a group who play fast and loose with the law." Armsmaster deepens his stance, moron. I've got a gun, your stance doesn't mean jack shit. "And I recognize the digistruct on your waste." Which means I don't have to hold back. "Walk away."
For a moment we stand there, neither moving. Then the moment ends. Armsmaster breaks out into a sprint. The secondary aspect of my power kicks in and I raise my gun and instantly have a bead on him. I squeeze the trigger and a veritable storm of bullets start pinging off his armor. For a second it doesn't seem to be doing anything but then as he passes under a streetlight the telling green droplets and mist become visible and I grin. Seems the acid is working. That ought to do a number on his armor.
The flurry of bullets throw him off balance slightly forcing him to abandon his charge and re-establish his footing. I holster the pistol and swing the shotgun off my back.
I can feel a manic grin spread across my lips as I pull the trigger twice in quick succession. The shot detonates as it impacts him, launching Armsmaster off of his feet and onto his ass.
Chuckling I take the time to reload both guns while Armsmaster groans from his place on the road. Finally I draw my revolver and make my way forward.
"You know," I drawl. "I really ought to thank you. I know Anarchy charges through the nose for New-U's. Between earning them some cash, the weapons I'm bringing for trade, and your bike too now that I think about it, I'm going to be making quite the first impression." I chuckle.
"Bastard." The downed hero manages to cough out along with a bit of blood. I only shrug at the insult. I've had to endure a lot worse after all.
I watch, fascinated, as the acid finally eats through his armor and starts on his flesh causing him to scream. I can't help but wince at the sound.
"Right, no reason for you to suffer. Might as well put you out of your misery and let you respawn already." I sighed.
The revolver kicked like a mule as I emptied it through the gaping hole in his armor. Only a moment passed before his body started to disappear as it was deconstructed. Sadly his weapon went with him. I'd bet I could get a lot for that.
Slowly the adrenaline bled out of my system and I had to fight off the urge to puke.
Armsmaster would be fine. The Protectorate would get a bill for his new body, but he'd be fine. I make guns. This is what my power does. It's all it does. I'd just have to get used to it.
Shaking my head I grabbed up my bag and slung it over the back seat of Armsmasters bike before pushing it up to the fast travel station.
"I'm a tinker," I said speaking into the built in microphone. "I make guns. I've got a few guns and Armsmaster motorcycle to trade for equipment. I'd like to join Anarchy."
"Name?" The voice was female, overly happy and had a slightly synthetic twang to it.
I hesitated, I'd been considering several names. None of them really felt right though several seemed decent enough.
"Name's, Caliber." I finally said settling on one of my favorites.
"Acknowledged. Temporary access to Anarchy central trading granted. Please Enjoy your stay."
A light engulfed me as the terminal scanned me then in a flash of light I was transported to a large room empty except for a massive yellow and black robot and four automatic turrets with similar paint jobs.
"Welcome to anarchy central station." A male voice proclaimed from hidden speakers. "Please disarm so we can discuss your application to join, your gear will be returned once we have verified your intentions."
I sucked in a deep breath and slowly disarmed placing the three guns I carried with the rest in my bag.
With a hiss a hidden door slid open and out of it walked Shield. He's a tall man wearing a business suit and a welder's mask the only indication of his status as a cape aside from the mask is a belt holding a digistruct device and a shield with a glowing orange core and elephant motif.
"Welcome to Anarchy, Caliber. Please, follow me." His peace said Shield turned and exited the room the way he came.
This was it. This is what I had prepared for, this is what I wasted Armsmaster for. This was the place for me, for tinkers determined to make their own way in the world, for capes willing to go to extremes to climb to the top. For people whose power could never be heroic.
With another deep breath I squared my shoulders and followed.
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Big Sister
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Still early work.... But this one doesn't actually bother me that much. Oh there isn't much story to really explore here I don't think, but for a quick and easy Bioshock worm crossover? Yeah this one is a decent concept and the execution isn't half bad. At least in my mind.
"Miss Hebert, are you ready?" The doctor asked.
Was I ready? I certainly didn't feel ready, but I had come too far to back down now. I just nod.
The doctor hands me a vial filled with glowing red liquid. "Remember, drink it as quickly as possible for the best results."
This was it. I wouldn't let anyone bully me again, and I'd be more than a bystander. I wouldn't just stand back and watch others suffer. I was going to be a protector. Taking a deep breath, I accept the vial and down it as quickly as I can.
{}{}{}{}
Humming tunelessly, I put some finishing touches on my armor, er, costume. Well I suppose it's both. A form fitting old fashioned divers suit made of material I'm not sure I understand fully but should survive small arms fire.
The diver's suit I've settled on for my costume is unconventional at best. Really the idea came to me one day while thinking it might be useful to get a look at the boat graveyard from below the water line. Ever since the idea crossed my mind I'd found hauntingly beautiful images remembered from tv specials about shipwrecks. I wanted to see that and the costume was good for keeping me safe so really it should be fine. Though I did suspect my sword sized needle would cause problems. Oh well, people would just have to deal with it. After all, how else was I supposed to collect blood?
The door to my little room slid open and a short blond woman I'd never met before walked in. She wore a business suit and her hair was held up in a simple bun.
"Hello, miss Hebert, I understand you'll be leaving us shortly?"
"Yes I will, miss?" The woman simply waved off my question.
"Well on behalf of everyone here I simply wanted to wish you good luck." She said as she offered her hand to shake.
Hesitantly I shook her hand with a cautious smile. As I opened my mouth to thank the woman though my response was cut off by a sudden sharp pain in my head and everything faded too black.
{}{}{}{}
As my eyes fluttered open the first sight to greet them was the breathtaking, hauntingly beautiful, scene of a trio of shipwrecks half hidden in the gloom of the dark murky water. The limits on my peripheral vision inflicted by my helmet only slightly detracted from the beauty.
Slowly and in awe I set to swimming through the wrecks, exalting in the adventure as my long powerful limbs let me all but dance through the wreckage.
Eventually though my curiosity drew me to the surface. Breaking free of the water revealed a city sprawled around the bay in which I swam. The intermittent lights glowing against the night sky. It, much like the derelict ships below me was also hauntingly beautiful, though here there was something more. The city lights promised life, people, hope even. It called to me, almost hypnotically.
I could not help but to answer and soon I found myself wandering the dirty, desolate streets. It was depressing, a disappointment. The city had seemed so much more inviting at a distance. Here, within the city, it was just as cold as the wrecks in the bay, but it lacked their haunting beauty.
Humming tunelessly, I stopped to look at my reflection in a store window. I stood at roughly six foot ten inches. My helmet is lit from within by red light so as not to disrupt my night vision. My limbs are long, thin, gangly even, but strong. All together I look almost alien. Pulling off my helmet reveals a heart shaped face, brown eyes, and short pixie cut dark brown hair. On my right cheek is an odd U or C shaped tattoo.
I tilt my head to the side as I take in my appearance. It seems… wrong. I'm not displeased by what I see, or at least not overly, but a part of me just knows that I have not always looked this way.
I frown in particular at the tasteless tattoo and the poorly chosen location. With another idle hum I place my helmet on a clip attached to my, well it's not exactly an oxygen tank, but it does the same job and looks about the same so the name works.
Dismissing the reflection, I move on deeper into the city.
{}{}{}{}
My head cocked to the side as I crouched on a low roof. I had followed a trail of small fires and destruction to get here. Here being the apparent aftermath of a fight.
Two people and some kind of monster lie in the middle of the road, both are burnt and broken though seem to be breathing, barely. Ahh, never mind one of them just stopped breathing.
Something about the corpse called to me. An impulse, an instinct, a need.
Leaping down to the still body I observed it carefully. I wanted something from it. Absently reaching out with my left hand caused my needle to click against the asphalt before my hand could reach the teens face.
...needle…
I cocked my head to the side and jammed the needle home into his chest. A vial at the base of the needle filled part way with bright red blood. I pulled the needle out of the corpse as I felt a slight pinch on my arm. The blood drained out of the vial, I could feel it surging through my veins like wildfire. It hurts but it's almost euphoric. The feel of static electricity arcing between my fingers draws my eyes to my hand which is sparking like a tesla coil. Humming I push the sensation away and the lightning subsides.
A gasp from the other injured party draws my attention. This one is a girl in what looks like a purple bodysuit, ah that is to say was a purple bodysuit. Most of her face and arms are scorched black.
Cooing I gentle brush at a bit of her hair, it's the only part of her head not burned. With a smooth sure motion, I ram my needle home approximately where her heart should be. For a moment her back arches and she stiffens, then she collapsed. Gently I reach out and close her eyes.
As the race of fire runs through my veins again I realize it would have been faster and less painful had a stabbed an inch to the right.
Humming I turn to go. There certainly isn't anything more for me to do here. After two steps I blink and tilt my head. Somehow I've turned all the way around. Odd.
"You're under arrest!" A young voice shouts. Turning I find a young girl in green whose face is half concealed by a visor.
"Hmm… Why?"
The young girl splutters. "Are you kidding me?! You just killed them!"
"Hmmm, nope~. The boy was already dead. I just took some of his blood. The girl." I shrugged. "She was dying and in pain. It was a mercy."
The young girl in green seemed unable to process that statement.
"Tch," a girl in black with a serious looking mask scoffed as she settled on the ground alongside the girl in green. "And here I thought this night was about to get interesting." The girl in green just glared at the girl in black for her comment, before refocusing on me.
"Who are you?" She demanded. It was probably supposed to look stern but was really only adorable.
I hummed and cocked my head to the right. "Don't know. Woke up in the water earlier tonight. The shipwrecks are beautiful." I smiled down at the two girls.
For a moment no one said anything then the one in black slapped a hand to her face and cursed.
"She's not a changer, she's one if the damn monster capes!" Well, she seems rude.
"Case 53." The girl in green said. It sounded a bit like agreement and a lot like a rebuke. The rude girl only scoffed.
Unbidden weak points in both their bodies came to mind. Ways I could disable them either lethally or nonlethally. It was, interesting. Most of the week points matched but there was something about the rude girl that was just out of reach.
"Listen we're heroes, the good guys. There are others like you, people who got powers that changed them, physically. We can help you get your life back together." The girl in green offered not unkindly. "I'm Vista, this is Shadow Stalker."
I hummed agreeably and pulled my helmet off of its place and gave it a once over before placing it back on my hip. "You can call me Bell." I said giving the two a warm smile. "Like diving bell."
Vista smiled back though she shot a glance at the dead bodies and her smile seemed to falter slightly. Shadow Stalker simply gave another snort of derision… I think I should go back to calling her rude girl.
"I appreciate the offer, but for now I'm just enjoying looking around." I said, turning to leave. Oddly enough trying to leave found me facing the two girls again. My puzzled expression elicited a wince from Vista.
"Err, about that, mercy killing or not you did admit to killing her. I'm also pretty sure there are laws against stabbing dead bodies. So you are under arrest."
Well… That just won't do. I still want to explore. Crouching I jumped twenty feet up and back landing on a nearby roof. Rude girl cursed before shoving Vista to the ground.
"Way to go, pipsqueak. They fucking got away! Fat lot of good you did." Rude girl sneered.
Bully.
Rude girl is a bully.
I screeched, a long inhuman sound, and launched myself down from the roof. With a quick sure motion, I cradled Vista to my chest. Another shriek at the bully and I launched myself away.
Vista screamed but I ignored that in favor of getting her away from the bully. Five minutes later I stopped and set the girl down on a flat roof. As soon as she touched down she stepped back and somehow came to be on the opposite side of the roof. I ignored this as well. It wasn't terribly important.
"Are you alright Vista? Did the bully hurt you? Why are you even wandering around at night with a bully? There nothing but trouble!"
"I, what? You mean Shadow Stalker?" I nodded. "I, she's my partner for patrol tonight I didn't choose to walk around with her the PRT assigned us to patrol together."
"You were, ordered, to go around the city, at night, with a bully!" I shouted, indignant.
"Umm, yes?"
I could feel myself trembling. I was going to fix this. I would give whoever's brilliant idea this was a piece of my mind, and quite possibly a piece of my needle.
"We are going there, now. I'm going to have a chat with whoever is responsible for this stupidity." My piece said I leapt forward and grabbed up Vista once more before slinging her into a piggyback. "Point the way, Vista." Not waiting for a response I leapt to the next building.
"What?! No! Ugh, wrong way, wrong way, wrong way!"
"Miss Hebert, are you ready?" The doctor asked.
Was I ready? I certainly didn't feel ready, but I had come too far to back down now. I just nod.
The doctor hands me a vial filled with glowing red liquid. "Remember, drink it as quickly as possible for the best results."
This was it. I wouldn't let anyone bully me again, and I'd be more than a bystander. I wouldn't just stand back and watch others suffer. I was going to be a protector. Taking a deep breath, I accept the vial and down it as quickly as I can.
{}{}{}{}
Humming tunelessly, I put some finishing touches on my armor, er, costume. Well I suppose it's both. A form fitting old fashioned divers suit made of material I'm not sure I understand fully but should survive small arms fire.
The diver's suit I've settled on for my costume is unconventional at best. Really the idea came to me one day while thinking it might be useful to get a look at the boat graveyard from below the water line. Ever since the idea crossed my mind I'd found hauntingly beautiful images remembered from tv specials about shipwrecks. I wanted to see that and the costume was good for keeping me safe so really it should be fine. Though I did suspect my sword sized needle would cause problems. Oh well, people would just have to deal with it. After all, how else was I supposed to collect blood?
The door to my little room slid open and a short blond woman I'd never met before walked in. She wore a business suit and her hair was held up in a simple bun.
"Hello, miss Hebert, I understand you'll be leaving us shortly?"
"Yes I will, miss?" The woman simply waved off my question.
"Well on behalf of everyone here I simply wanted to wish you good luck." She said as she offered her hand to shake.
Hesitantly I shook her hand with a cautious smile. As I opened my mouth to thank the woman though my response was cut off by a sudden sharp pain in my head and everything faded too black.
{}{}{}{}
As my eyes fluttered open the first sight to greet them was the breathtaking, hauntingly beautiful, scene of a trio of shipwrecks half hidden in the gloom of the dark murky water. The limits on my peripheral vision inflicted by my helmet only slightly detracted from the beauty.
Slowly and in awe I set to swimming through the wrecks, exalting in the adventure as my long powerful limbs let me all but dance through the wreckage.
Eventually though my curiosity drew me to the surface. Breaking free of the water revealed a city sprawled around the bay in which I swam. The intermittent lights glowing against the night sky. It, much like the derelict ships below me was also hauntingly beautiful, though here there was something more. The city lights promised life, people, hope even. It called to me, almost hypnotically.
I could not help but to answer and soon I found myself wandering the dirty, desolate streets. It was depressing, a disappointment. The city had seemed so much more inviting at a distance. Here, within the city, it was just as cold as the wrecks in the bay, but it lacked their haunting beauty.
Humming tunelessly, I stopped to look at my reflection in a store window. I stood at roughly six foot ten inches. My helmet is lit from within by red light so as not to disrupt my night vision. My limbs are long, thin, gangly even, but strong. All together I look almost alien. Pulling off my helmet reveals a heart shaped face, brown eyes, and short pixie cut dark brown hair. On my right cheek is an odd U or C shaped tattoo.
I tilt my head to the side as I take in my appearance. It seems… wrong. I'm not displeased by what I see, or at least not overly, but a part of me just knows that I have not always looked this way.
I frown in particular at the tasteless tattoo and the poorly chosen location. With another idle hum I place my helmet on a clip attached to my, well it's not exactly an oxygen tank, but it does the same job and looks about the same so the name works.
Dismissing the reflection, I move on deeper into the city.
{}{}{}{}
My head cocked to the side as I crouched on a low roof. I had followed a trail of small fires and destruction to get here. Here being the apparent aftermath of a fight.
Two people and some kind of monster lie in the middle of the road, both are burnt and broken though seem to be breathing, barely. Ahh, never mind one of them just stopped breathing.
Something about the corpse called to me. An impulse, an instinct, a need.
Leaping down to the still body I observed it carefully. I wanted something from it. Absently reaching out with my left hand caused my needle to click against the asphalt before my hand could reach the teens face.
...needle…
I cocked my head to the side and jammed the needle home into his chest. A vial at the base of the needle filled part way with bright red blood. I pulled the needle out of the corpse as I felt a slight pinch on my arm. The blood drained out of the vial, I could feel it surging through my veins like wildfire. It hurts but it's almost euphoric. The feel of static electricity arcing between my fingers draws my eyes to my hand which is sparking like a tesla coil. Humming I push the sensation away and the lightning subsides.
A gasp from the other injured party draws my attention. This one is a girl in what looks like a purple bodysuit, ah that is to say was a purple bodysuit. Most of her face and arms are scorched black.
Cooing I gentle brush at a bit of her hair, it's the only part of her head not burned. With a smooth sure motion, I ram my needle home approximately where her heart should be. For a moment her back arches and she stiffens, then she collapsed. Gently I reach out and close her eyes.
As the race of fire runs through my veins again I realize it would have been faster and less painful had a stabbed an inch to the right.
Humming I turn to go. There certainly isn't anything more for me to do here. After two steps I blink and tilt my head. Somehow I've turned all the way around. Odd.
"You're under arrest!" A young voice shouts. Turning I find a young girl in green whose face is half concealed by a visor.
"Hmm… Why?"
The young girl splutters. "Are you kidding me?! You just killed them!"
"Hmmm, nope~. The boy was already dead. I just took some of his blood. The girl." I shrugged. "She was dying and in pain. It was a mercy."
The young girl in green seemed unable to process that statement.
"Tch," a girl in black with a serious looking mask scoffed as she settled on the ground alongside the girl in green. "And here I thought this night was about to get interesting." The girl in green just glared at the girl in black for her comment, before refocusing on me.
"Who are you?" She demanded. It was probably supposed to look stern but was really only adorable.
I hummed and cocked my head to the right. "Don't know. Woke up in the water earlier tonight. The shipwrecks are beautiful." I smiled down at the two girls.
For a moment no one said anything then the one in black slapped a hand to her face and cursed.
"She's not a changer, she's one if the damn monster capes!" Well, she seems rude.
"Case 53." The girl in green said. It sounded a bit like agreement and a lot like a rebuke. The rude girl only scoffed.
Unbidden weak points in both their bodies came to mind. Ways I could disable them either lethally or nonlethally. It was, interesting. Most of the week points matched but there was something about the rude girl that was just out of reach.
"Listen we're heroes, the good guys. There are others like you, people who got powers that changed them, physically. We can help you get your life back together." The girl in green offered not unkindly. "I'm Vista, this is Shadow Stalker."
I hummed agreeably and pulled my helmet off of its place and gave it a once over before placing it back on my hip. "You can call me Bell." I said giving the two a warm smile. "Like diving bell."
Vista smiled back though she shot a glance at the dead bodies and her smile seemed to falter slightly. Shadow Stalker simply gave another snort of derision… I think I should go back to calling her rude girl.
"I appreciate the offer, but for now I'm just enjoying looking around." I said, turning to leave. Oddly enough trying to leave found me facing the two girls again. My puzzled expression elicited a wince from Vista.
"Err, about that, mercy killing or not you did admit to killing her. I'm also pretty sure there are laws against stabbing dead bodies. So you are under arrest."
Well… That just won't do. I still want to explore. Crouching I jumped twenty feet up and back landing on a nearby roof. Rude girl cursed before shoving Vista to the ground.
"Way to go, pipsqueak. They fucking got away! Fat lot of good you did." Rude girl sneered.
Bully.
Rude girl is a bully.
I screeched, a long inhuman sound, and launched myself down from the roof. With a quick sure motion, I cradled Vista to my chest. Another shriek at the bully and I launched myself away.
Vista screamed but I ignored that in favor of getting her away from the bully. Five minutes later I stopped and set the girl down on a flat roof. As soon as she touched down she stepped back and somehow came to be on the opposite side of the roof. I ignored this as well. It wasn't terribly important.
"Are you alright Vista? Did the bully hurt you? Why are you even wandering around at night with a bully? There nothing but trouble!"
"I, what? You mean Shadow Stalker?" I nodded. "I, she's my partner for patrol tonight I didn't choose to walk around with her the PRT assigned us to patrol together."
"You were, ordered, to go around the city, at night, with a bully!" I shouted, indignant.
"Umm, yes?"
I could feel myself trembling. I was going to fix this. I would give whoever's brilliant idea this was a piece of my mind, and quite possibly a piece of my needle.
"We are going there, now. I'm going to have a chat with whoever is responsible for this stupidity." My piece said I leapt forward and grabbed up Vista once more before slinging her into a piggyback. "Point the way, Vista." Not waiting for a response I leapt to the next building.
"What?! No! Ugh, wrong way, wrong way, wrong way!"
The Saints
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: This one is a Saints Row cross, it's third person which is unusual for me. I was still playing around trying to find what writing style worked best for me at the time. It's... hell it isn't really very good but it's goofy and on point for Saints Row. Crack fic really.
The Saints
Lung had just finished giving instructions for his men when a shot rang out. Turning to face the source of the noise Lung was stunned to find himself staring at a girl. She could not be more than twenty two or twenty three. Her hair was dark brown shoulder length and wavy. But more eye catching was the pair of white feathery wings growing out of her back and a the red devils tail curling from behind her legs and swaying slightly with each step she took occasionally twitching or curling upwards. She was dressed in a skimpy purple skirt and a tight purple tube top which was stretched by her sizable assets and left her trim stomach bare. Her only other clothes a pair of knee high black leather boots. Cocking her hip to the side she held her still smoking pistol, a dessert eagle of all things, up into the air and smirked.
"Sup bitches. I'm starting up a gang. Who wants to be a third street saint?" Her voice was full of mirth.
Lung stared incredulously at the girl for a moment before ordering his men to open fire. They did. The cacophony of gun shots filled the street. The girl just stood there, not doing anything and taking no injuries from the onslaught.
When the group's pistols clicked empty she raised an eyebrow and flashed a knowing smile.
"So that was a no then I take it?" With a leap aided by her wings the girl launched three stories into the air, before coming down like a meteor and creating a shockwave that knocked Lung and the gathered thugs off of their feet, sending them flying. "That's fine. I always liked the idea of hostile takeovers."
Lung leapt at the cape intent on incinerating the bitch… only to be knocked back by what appeared to be some insane cross between a speaker and a laser cannon. Lung could clearly hear the sound of dubstep playing over the explosions which were rocking him backward.
Changing tactics Lung prepared a fire ball only to be frozen in place by a blast of ice. Sneering internally Lung began to melt the ice, but was stunned out of his attempt by the feel of a large object being shoved into his mouth.
"Buh bye!" The girl shouted as she leapt away her wings pumping, pushing her higher and keeping her aloft. The sound of metal on concrete drew lungs attention downward to a sight he was terrified to recognize; the pin of a grenade.
"BOOM!"
{}{}{}{}
"I can't believe she just did that!" Regent said from Angelica's back. Admiration clear in his voice and on his face.
"She just killed Lung, without even breaking a sweat. Shit." Grue mumbled trying to process the unexpected chain of events.
"Guy's we should probably go before-"
"Hi there!" The girl with the extra appendages shouted as she flew over the edge of the roof the Undersiders were waiting on. "I'm starting a new gang that's going to take over the city's underworld, and you four seem like you would make great lieutenants! Welcome to the Third Street Saints!"
"Fuck." Tattletale groaned slapping her forehead.
"Mmmmm not right now. Still, good thinking! We're going to need prostitutes, and strippers! Lots and lots of strippers…" she trails off with a goofy smile on her face.
"I'm in!" Shouted Regent.
"Tattletale what the hell is going on?" Grue asked.
"We just got drafted into a new gang."
"You did, and were going to run this city in no time! Oh doggy!" The girl vanished only to glomp onto Angelica. "Aren't you an adorable little killing machine! Yes, you are, Yes you are! You are going to look so cute using Nazi's as chew toys! But we'll have to keep you away from the Merchants. We wouldn't want you getting addicted to anything they might have in their blood stream now would we?" The purple clad girl crooned as she scratched behind Angelica's ear, much to the canines obvious pleasure.
"That is not how this stuff works, or how we operate. There are rules, a protocol that people follow miss... Actually what is your name?" Grue asked.
"Oh, right. You can call me Boss! And I know all about the unwritten rules. I just don't give a fuck."
At that moment the Undersiders began to truly comprehend the depth of the insanity they were about to be dragged into. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the sound of a motorcycle filled the air distracting everyone.
"Shit, Armsmaster! We need to go! If they think we killed Lung were going to have a massive target painted on our backs!" Tattletale yelled.
"Hold the fuck up! You guys can't leave yet! You have to stay for the show! And you, bug costume girl, stop trying to sneak off! I want to recruit you too! I bet you've got lots of potential!"
"Eep!"
Rolling her eyes the Boss turned just in time to face Armsmaster as he vaulted onto the roof with the help of some kind of grappling hook built into his halberd.
"Surrender at once! You are all under arrest!"
"You know I think I know the answer to this but what was it…" The Boss tapped at her chin as if trying to remember the name of an old classmate as opposed to the proper response to being arrested.
The bug costumed cape was spouting something about being a hero and not knowing what was going on. The Boss idly realized she would need to set the girl straight about how useless that would be before making her a lieutenant. The group that came on the monster dogs seemed to be panicking though so the speech about why being part of the Saints was better than being a hero would have to wait she decided.
"Oh I remember now!" The Boss exclaimed before starting to walk towards Armsmaster like a runway model, a cheeky grin plastered all over her face as her tail swayed in time with her hips.
"Oh no, this is not going to end well." Tattletale muttered.
"For who?" Regent asked.
"Who do you think?" Was the sarcastic response.
"Stand where you are or I will use force to subdue you!" Armsmaster shouted at the still advancing Boss. She ignored him and continued to walk forward her smile taking on a predatory edge.
"Fuck the police!"
Armsmaster stepped forward Halberd swinging at the Boss's shoulder. The Boss simply ducked under the blow and lightly stepped around Armsmaster standing back up to his right. In one smooth motion the Boss reached down to the front of her skimpy skirt and pulled out what at first appeared to be a baseball bat. That preconception was shattered as the rather normal handle was attached to what could only be described as a massive, rubbery, purple, penis. Regent started to laugh while the rest of the assembled teens could only stare in shock. The boss took a batting stance.
"Batter up!" She cackled as she swung her extremely unusual weapon. The blow caught Armsmaster squarely on his bearded chin, and launched him clear off the building and onto the roof of a warehouse across the street. The hero did not make any move to get up.
"Now we can go. You four lead the way back to whatever you're using for your crib. I'm going to have a chat with bugs here."
Deciding it was better to just go with whatever the crazy woman said for the moment. The Undersiders mounted their dogs and took off into the night while the Boss sashayed over to the bug themed girl with a much more comforting smile on her lips.
"So, you want to be a hero?" The Boss's voice was tinted with amusement but not mocking.
"I, of course." The girl in the dirty grey/yellow body suit and obviously insect themed mask mumbled. She took a cautious step back from the winged woman. A low buzzing began to fill the air.
"Great, why?" The question should be insulting or demeaning, but it's not. It comes with open curiosity devoid of condescension.
The buzzing sound cut out, and the teen before her seemed to gawk though her mask made it hard to be certain.
"I, I want to make the city a better place, and." The girl cut herself off and looked away from the Boss.
"And?" The Boss prodded kindly laying a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
Slowly hesitantly the younger girl answered in a whisper. "I want to be better than them."
"Has that helped any? Being better than them? Whoever they are. A moral victory is nice, but it usually doesn't change anything. That's part of why this city is such a shit hole. Heroes just don't do permanent so then the bad guys break out and it's all the same." The Boss hummed thoughtfully. "Tell you what, take this." From seemingly nowhere the Boss pulled out a burner phone.
"I'd like to have a long talk with you sometime, but right now I have a group of mutant dogs to follow. My numbers programmed in there, give me a call tomorrow, we'll meet and talk."
Hesitantly the teen accepted the phone, and nodded. Getting a brilliant smile from the Boss in response. "Good I'd hate to let a newbie run around uninformed of how things work. And take it from me, things will get better. Catch ya later." With that the Boss launched into the air, wings beating to keep her aloft and followed the gouged up trail the dogs left in their wake.
The bug costumed girl spent a few minutes simply standing and staring at the burner phone before slipping it into a compartment built into the back of her costume. Finally, she left, making her way down from the roof and heading for home.
{}{}{}{}
The Boss calmly followed the quartet of fidgeting teens into the loft which made up their, well not lair, honestly pad, or if one wanted to be British about it; flat, seamed more appropriate what with the clutter of takeout boxes and empty cans lying around.
"Alright well it's a decent start but this place isn't nearly big enough. There needs to be bar, a dance floor, stripper poles, hot tubs, more stripper poles, a garage full of kick ass rides, a fuck ton more purple, aaaand more stripper poles. But hey it's a starter base we'll upgrade once we get some serious cash." The Boss idly declared as she took in the setup completely ignoring the incredulous looks she was getting from everyone but Regent.
With a negligent sigh she dropped onto one of the couches and was quickly dead to the world and snoring lightly. Silence reigned for a time before Tattletale through up her hands and simply marched to her room grumbling about dealing with it tomorrow. Slowly the others followed suit. The boss grinned in her sleep dreaming dreams of conquest and strippers.
The Saints
Lung had just finished giving instructions for his men when a shot rang out. Turning to face the source of the noise Lung was stunned to find himself staring at a girl. She could not be more than twenty two or twenty three. Her hair was dark brown shoulder length and wavy. But more eye catching was the pair of white feathery wings growing out of her back and a the red devils tail curling from behind her legs and swaying slightly with each step she took occasionally twitching or curling upwards. She was dressed in a skimpy purple skirt and a tight purple tube top which was stretched by her sizable assets and left her trim stomach bare. Her only other clothes a pair of knee high black leather boots. Cocking her hip to the side she held her still smoking pistol, a dessert eagle of all things, up into the air and smirked.
"Sup bitches. I'm starting up a gang. Who wants to be a third street saint?" Her voice was full of mirth.
Lung stared incredulously at the girl for a moment before ordering his men to open fire. They did. The cacophony of gun shots filled the street. The girl just stood there, not doing anything and taking no injuries from the onslaught.
When the group's pistols clicked empty she raised an eyebrow and flashed a knowing smile.
"So that was a no then I take it?" With a leap aided by her wings the girl launched three stories into the air, before coming down like a meteor and creating a shockwave that knocked Lung and the gathered thugs off of their feet, sending them flying. "That's fine. I always liked the idea of hostile takeovers."
Lung leapt at the cape intent on incinerating the bitch… only to be knocked back by what appeared to be some insane cross between a speaker and a laser cannon. Lung could clearly hear the sound of dubstep playing over the explosions which were rocking him backward.
Changing tactics Lung prepared a fire ball only to be frozen in place by a blast of ice. Sneering internally Lung began to melt the ice, but was stunned out of his attempt by the feel of a large object being shoved into his mouth.
"Buh bye!" The girl shouted as she leapt away her wings pumping, pushing her higher and keeping her aloft. The sound of metal on concrete drew lungs attention downward to a sight he was terrified to recognize; the pin of a grenade.
"BOOM!"
{}{}{}{}
"I can't believe she just did that!" Regent said from Angelica's back. Admiration clear in his voice and on his face.
"She just killed Lung, without even breaking a sweat. Shit." Grue mumbled trying to process the unexpected chain of events.
"Guy's we should probably go before-"
"Hi there!" The girl with the extra appendages shouted as she flew over the edge of the roof the Undersiders were waiting on. "I'm starting a new gang that's going to take over the city's underworld, and you four seem like you would make great lieutenants! Welcome to the Third Street Saints!"
"Fuck." Tattletale groaned slapping her forehead.
"Mmmmm not right now. Still, good thinking! We're going to need prostitutes, and strippers! Lots and lots of strippers…" she trails off with a goofy smile on her face.
"I'm in!" Shouted Regent.
"Tattletale what the hell is going on?" Grue asked.
"We just got drafted into a new gang."
"You did, and were going to run this city in no time! Oh doggy!" The girl vanished only to glomp onto Angelica. "Aren't you an adorable little killing machine! Yes, you are, Yes you are! You are going to look so cute using Nazi's as chew toys! But we'll have to keep you away from the Merchants. We wouldn't want you getting addicted to anything they might have in their blood stream now would we?" The purple clad girl crooned as she scratched behind Angelica's ear, much to the canines obvious pleasure.
"That is not how this stuff works, or how we operate. There are rules, a protocol that people follow miss... Actually what is your name?" Grue asked.
"Oh, right. You can call me Boss! And I know all about the unwritten rules. I just don't give a fuck."
At that moment the Undersiders began to truly comprehend the depth of the insanity they were about to be dragged into. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the sound of a motorcycle filled the air distracting everyone.
"Shit, Armsmaster! We need to go! If they think we killed Lung were going to have a massive target painted on our backs!" Tattletale yelled.
"Hold the fuck up! You guys can't leave yet! You have to stay for the show! And you, bug costume girl, stop trying to sneak off! I want to recruit you too! I bet you've got lots of potential!"
"Eep!"
Rolling her eyes the Boss turned just in time to face Armsmaster as he vaulted onto the roof with the help of some kind of grappling hook built into his halberd.
"Surrender at once! You are all under arrest!"
"You know I think I know the answer to this but what was it…" The Boss tapped at her chin as if trying to remember the name of an old classmate as opposed to the proper response to being arrested.
The bug costumed cape was spouting something about being a hero and not knowing what was going on. The Boss idly realized she would need to set the girl straight about how useless that would be before making her a lieutenant. The group that came on the monster dogs seemed to be panicking though so the speech about why being part of the Saints was better than being a hero would have to wait she decided.
"Oh I remember now!" The Boss exclaimed before starting to walk towards Armsmaster like a runway model, a cheeky grin plastered all over her face as her tail swayed in time with her hips.
"Oh no, this is not going to end well." Tattletale muttered.
"For who?" Regent asked.
"Who do you think?" Was the sarcastic response.
"Stand where you are or I will use force to subdue you!" Armsmaster shouted at the still advancing Boss. She ignored him and continued to walk forward her smile taking on a predatory edge.
"Fuck the police!"
Armsmaster stepped forward Halberd swinging at the Boss's shoulder. The Boss simply ducked under the blow and lightly stepped around Armsmaster standing back up to his right. In one smooth motion the Boss reached down to the front of her skimpy skirt and pulled out what at first appeared to be a baseball bat. That preconception was shattered as the rather normal handle was attached to what could only be described as a massive, rubbery, purple, penis. Regent started to laugh while the rest of the assembled teens could only stare in shock. The boss took a batting stance.
"Batter up!" She cackled as she swung her extremely unusual weapon. The blow caught Armsmaster squarely on his bearded chin, and launched him clear off the building and onto the roof of a warehouse across the street. The hero did not make any move to get up.
"Now we can go. You four lead the way back to whatever you're using for your crib. I'm going to have a chat with bugs here."
Deciding it was better to just go with whatever the crazy woman said for the moment. The Undersiders mounted their dogs and took off into the night while the Boss sashayed over to the bug themed girl with a much more comforting smile on her lips.
"So, you want to be a hero?" The Boss's voice was tinted with amusement but not mocking.
"I, of course." The girl in the dirty grey/yellow body suit and obviously insect themed mask mumbled. She took a cautious step back from the winged woman. A low buzzing began to fill the air.
"Great, why?" The question should be insulting or demeaning, but it's not. It comes with open curiosity devoid of condescension.
The buzzing sound cut out, and the teen before her seemed to gawk though her mask made it hard to be certain.
"I, I want to make the city a better place, and." The girl cut herself off and looked away from the Boss.
"And?" The Boss prodded kindly laying a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
Slowly hesitantly the younger girl answered in a whisper. "I want to be better than them."
"Has that helped any? Being better than them? Whoever they are. A moral victory is nice, but it usually doesn't change anything. That's part of why this city is such a shit hole. Heroes just don't do permanent so then the bad guys break out and it's all the same." The Boss hummed thoughtfully. "Tell you what, take this." From seemingly nowhere the Boss pulled out a burner phone.
"I'd like to have a long talk with you sometime, but right now I have a group of mutant dogs to follow. My numbers programmed in there, give me a call tomorrow, we'll meet and talk."
Hesitantly the teen accepted the phone, and nodded. Getting a brilliant smile from the Boss in response. "Good I'd hate to let a newbie run around uninformed of how things work. And take it from me, things will get better. Catch ya later." With that the Boss launched into the air, wings beating to keep her aloft and followed the gouged up trail the dogs left in their wake.
The bug costumed girl spent a few minutes simply standing and staring at the burner phone before slipping it into a compartment built into the back of her costume. Finally, she left, making her way down from the roof and heading for home.
{}{}{}{}
The Boss calmly followed the quartet of fidgeting teens into the loft which made up their, well not lair, honestly pad, or if one wanted to be British about it; flat, seamed more appropriate what with the clutter of takeout boxes and empty cans lying around.
"Alright well it's a decent start but this place isn't nearly big enough. There needs to be bar, a dance floor, stripper poles, hot tubs, more stripper poles, a garage full of kick ass rides, a fuck ton more purple, aaaand more stripper poles. But hey it's a starter base we'll upgrade once we get some serious cash." The Boss idly declared as she took in the setup completely ignoring the incredulous looks she was getting from everyone but Regent.
With a negligent sigh she dropped onto one of the couches and was quickly dead to the world and snoring lightly. Silence reigned for a time before Tattletale through up her hands and simply marched to her room grumbling about dealing with it tomorrow. Slowly the others followed suit. The boss grinned in her sleep dreaming dreams of conquest and strippers.
RWBY: Mentors
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Righto! This was probably one of my first forays outside of the worm fandom. Threw it up on the QQ RWBY discussion thread way back when RWBY was still shiny and new and it bombed there. Then it got buried and I doubled down on the worm fandom. To be fair it's not bad, but I think the concept didn't go over that well. I had cool weapon and semblance ideas I wanted to play but OC centric fics always bomb, and just throwing more characters into canon fights cheapens everything. So I set up a team of older students with a tragic backstory ready to be explored as they pushed shoved and if necessary beat the main cast into better shape than they were in canon. So we'd be all set to dance around the edges of canon while keeping the focus close enough to home that most people wouldn't turn their noses up at the OC's. Needless to say I lost interest in the idea after the initial reception and then everything after the fall of beacon happened which made me less than interested in playing with the concept further.
I leaned back in my shitty uncomfortable desk chair and tossed an empty water bottle into the recycling bin. I had just finished going through the dossiers for Ruby and her team.
Long story short the team was potentially a ticking time bomb.
Ruby, the younger sibling, was now in command of her older sister, Yang. If Yang was used to being the one to give orders around the house that could lead to issues in the field when she's expected to follow Ruby's lead. Or Ruby could decide to lord being the team leader over her sister and cause friction by giving stupid orders.
Granted I didn't know either girl so it might not be a problem at all, but it was worth keeping an eye on.
Then we had Weiss Schnee, heir to one of the most influential and lucrative companies in Remnant. I didn't want to make assumptions. That said, the obvious conclusion was that the girl is a bit spoiled, probably has some issues with neglect or the like, hates the White Fang, and possibly biased against faunus in general by association. Luckily I didn't really have to make the assumption because Ozpin's files told me that much.
Also there was a brief email I'd gotten from professor Port about Weiss's belief about who should be leading the team. If the pair didn't sort their issues out before our first meeting I would need to have a long discussion with her about the chain of command.
Back on the subject of Weiss's issues with the White Fang though, hell of a coincidence, Blake Belladonna was an ex member of the White Fang who cut and ran a few months back. Absolutely no chance of that becoming an issue, at all, ever.
Good Oum I could taste my own sarcasm.
How Ozpin knew so much about Blake's activities before and after breaking from the White Fang was a complete mystery to me. Though it did bring back an old urge to search the dorm buildings for hidden cameras. Honestly part of me believes the man's semblance is the ability to know things about people.
I flicked the combat footage for team RWBY from my scroll to the screen mounted on the wall near the door. Leaning back in my seat with a pad and pen ready to take notes on strengths, flaws, and possible weapon modifications. Before I could hit play the door swung open blocking half the screen, and through the door walked Copper and Ash.
Copper is a big guy, maybe six foot five, Built like a freakin tank. He's got dull orange hair and likes to dress in black pants and rust red shirts, keeps his wardrobe fairly simple, which is unusual, but I appreciate where he's coming from, none of our team really go in for dressing up.
Ash on the other hand is almost the complete opposite. At a measly four foot seven including her mouse ears the girl could easily be described as mousy. The number of people stupid enough to do so within her hearing just so happened to be the same number of students she had sent to the infirmary over the past two years. Her loose black pants and grey jacket combined with her height made her a ghost when she wanted to be, all but impossible to find.
"You two enjoy your date?" I asked with a slight grin. The bag full of fries and chicken strips that slammed into my face courtesy of Ash, and Copper's light chuckles, were my only response. "What no ketchup?" The bottle of the world's most essential condiment which Ash bounced off my head was uncalled for, in my opinion.
Setting up my delicious greasy meal in my lap I hit play and started taking notes. My teammates settled on one of the beds and watched with me in their usual silence. Ten minutes and three pages of sloppy notes and small ketchup stains later the footage ended and I glanced over at my teammates.
"Rough." Was the one word response from Copper. The big guy was nothing if not succinct. Ash just shook her head. The short girl's mouse ears twitching in agitation. I nodded turning back to the screen and flipping through the footage to get a better look at a few choice moments.
"Charging the death stalker head on was stupid. So was not coordinating against the beowolves. But here at the end, with the nevermore, they have a lot of potential."
"Should have gone for the neck from the beginning." Ash finally spoke up.
"Their team is a nightmare." I stated bluntly eyes still glued to the final image of the nevermores falling carcass. "Red's the team leader, and she's two years younger. Schnee picked a fight with her about being a better choice for leader already, and Blake is ex White Fang. If that comes out wrong it could rip the team apart."
Ash almost growled at the mention of the Schnee and the White Fang. I didn't even have to look to know she was playing with the hilt of one of her hidden blades. The school could pass all the rules they wanted about storing weapons in our lockers when not in use, but there was no parting Ash from her blades.
"I've got my work cut out for me… Come on let's go over the dossiers for your teams, we only have a few hours before we need to meet with them." Nodding they pulled out their scrolls and we all started to go over the data on the other two teams.
Two hours of reading and watching combat clips later we all sat with looks of varying levels of frustration. Ash was going as far as to slide one of her knives in and out of its sheath, Copper was messaging the bridge of his nose and I was glaring at the ceiling.
"I can't believe Ozpin let someone in here who has no training, who hadn't even unlocked their aura!" Copper finally let out explosively. Hearing that much emotion from the big guy was extremely unusual. "The kid can lead, and improvise a plan, but he knows absolutely nothing!"
"Racists, I'm in charge of a team of racists! Is this Ozpin's idea of a joke?!"
"Probably wants you to straighten them out." Copper offered, which Ash silently waved off, not willing to be talked down yet.
"We all have our work cut out for us." I mumbled. "CRDL are all in need of personality adjustments, Jaune needs a lot of training, the situation between Weiss and Blake needs to be monitored and diffused if possible. Ruby is two years behind in her academics so she'll need help. They all have Port for grimm studies which means they have to self teach from the book, they will be coming to us with questions. Not to mention a few of them need to consider upgrading their weapons."
Nods were my only response. It was already turning out to be far more than any of us had signed up for. But we had signed up for the program to stay busy.
Third and fourth year were split. Half the time went into training for professions to pursue during the large chunks of required time spent away from the front lines to avoid mental breaks. Being in the mentor program our entire team had decided our time not fighting grim would go towards teaching. The other half of our time would be spent on missions. This was done intentionally because after graduation we would need to find a way to balance the two.
Well Ozpin may have thrown us into the deep end of the pool with this one, but he always had his reasons. His plans usually worked out. Though the failures…
"This is going to be so much work." I groaned lying back on my bed.
{}{}{}{} Friday night, end of first week of class
My team and our protegees had commandeered a practice hall for our meet and greet. The freshman sat around us in folding chairs.
"Alright, my name's Forrest-"
"Run, Forrest, run!" Yang shouted. I hate that reference, so much.
"Shut up. I'm the assigned mentor for team RWBY. That means you four are now my problem." I said shooting the group a mild glare.
"Excuse me?" Weiss asked haughtily.
"Did I stutter? My job is to help Ruby adjust to leading a team, and to help all four of you improve. You four have only been here a week, and before I even meet with you I'm already getting an email from a professor about a teamwork issue."
Weiss glanced away with a mild blush, embarrassed no doubt, while Ruby became very interested in her shoes.
"That's what I thought. Look girls I'm not trying to pick a fight, you all have a lot of potential, but there are things we need to work on too, we'll get to that later though."
I gave a pointed look to Ash and Copper. The big guy shrugged before stepping up.
"Team JNPR, I'm Copper, and I'll be your assigned mentor." His bit said he stepped back and leaned against a wall. Typical.
With a huff Ash stepped forward and in the blink of an eye four small blades flew from under her cloak and her hood fell back revealing her mouse ears. Four thunks and accompanying meeps rose from the seats of team CRDL.
"My name is Ash." The girl grit out. "I'm in charge of team CRDL. You all" and here she paused to sweep her gaze over all three teams, "will keep any racist comments to yourselves, or I will stab you. We will maintain this method of training until you learn to respect the people fighting alongside you regardless of genetics, religion, or sexual orientation. Is. That. Clear." Ash said, spinning a knife in each hand.
The entire group nodded quickly keeping their mouths firmly shut.
"Good." Her piece said Ash marched forward, yanking her throwing knives from between CRDL's legs as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Right, well now that that's out of the way-"
"Um, Forrest?"
"Yes, Ruby."
"Shouldn't there be a fourth mentor and team here too?" Ash began to curse quietly under her breath, and I didn't need to look to know that Copper was slumping in on himself.
"Yes, Ruby. There should be another person here with us tonight. Our team leader." My voice was quiet, devoid of emotion.
"Then, where-"
"She died."
All three teams looked stunned, many of them pailed. In spite of myself that drew a dry humorless chuckle out of me.
"Keep that in mind, none of us are immortal. Every time you go out there it's your life on the line. That is why we are here. To help you, and hopefully give you the best possible chance of making it back." I finished slumping into my own chair.
"We'll meet every Friday like this, and we'll be working out individual training programs with each team. Feel free to come to us for help with school work or personnel problems at any time, assuming we aren't on a mission. We'll do our best to help you. We'll be out on our first mission tomorrow, but we'll be in room 212 down the hall from you all if you need anything. Oh, and we'll be sending our scroll information to your scrolls. But for now, go enjoy your first weekend. We'll need a bit to finish making arrangements after this mission anyway."
The three teams gave subdued nods and goodbyes before making their way out of the arena.
"Think I rattled them too much?"
"They need to understand the risks." Copper's deep bass voice rumbled back. I hummed something noncommittal.
"Come on." Ash grumbled. "We have to pack."
"Right, we're leaving at eight. Guess we better get some sleep too." I mumbled. Not even back a full week yet, and already we had our first mission. I knew Ozpin kept the third and fourth years busy, but still, it was a hell of welcome back considering how things went last time.
Banishing those black thoughts before they could sink in I followed my teammates out of the room. Now wasn't the time for that. We had a mission to prep for.
I leaned back in my shitty uncomfortable desk chair and tossed an empty water bottle into the recycling bin. I had just finished going through the dossiers for Ruby and her team.
Long story short the team was potentially a ticking time bomb.
Ruby, the younger sibling, was now in command of her older sister, Yang. If Yang was used to being the one to give orders around the house that could lead to issues in the field when she's expected to follow Ruby's lead. Or Ruby could decide to lord being the team leader over her sister and cause friction by giving stupid orders.
Granted I didn't know either girl so it might not be a problem at all, but it was worth keeping an eye on.
Then we had Weiss Schnee, heir to one of the most influential and lucrative companies in Remnant. I didn't want to make assumptions. That said, the obvious conclusion was that the girl is a bit spoiled, probably has some issues with neglect or the like, hates the White Fang, and possibly biased against faunus in general by association. Luckily I didn't really have to make the assumption because Ozpin's files told me that much.
Also there was a brief email I'd gotten from professor Port about Weiss's belief about who should be leading the team. If the pair didn't sort their issues out before our first meeting I would need to have a long discussion with her about the chain of command.
Back on the subject of Weiss's issues with the White Fang though, hell of a coincidence, Blake Belladonna was an ex member of the White Fang who cut and ran a few months back. Absolutely no chance of that becoming an issue, at all, ever.
Good Oum I could taste my own sarcasm.
How Ozpin knew so much about Blake's activities before and after breaking from the White Fang was a complete mystery to me. Though it did bring back an old urge to search the dorm buildings for hidden cameras. Honestly part of me believes the man's semblance is the ability to know things about people.
I flicked the combat footage for team RWBY from my scroll to the screen mounted on the wall near the door. Leaning back in my seat with a pad and pen ready to take notes on strengths, flaws, and possible weapon modifications. Before I could hit play the door swung open blocking half the screen, and through the door walked Copper and Ash.
Copper is a big guy, maybe six foot five, Built like a freakin tank. He's got dull orange hair and likes to dress in black pants and rust red shirts, keeps his wardrobe fairly simple, which is unusual, but I appreciate where he's coming from, none of our team really go in for dressing up.
Ash on the other hand is almost the complete opposite. At a measly four foot seven including her mouse ears the girl could easily be described as mousy. The number of people stupid enough to do so within her hearing just so happened to be the same number of students she had sent to the infirmary over the past two years. Her loose black pants and grey jacket combined with her height made her a ghost when she wanted to be, all but impossible to find.
"You two enjoy your date?" I asked with a slight grin. The bag full of fries and chicken strips that slammed into my face courtesy of Ash, and Copper's light chuckles, were my only response. "What no ketchup?" The bottle of the world's most essential condiment which Ash bounced off my head was uncalled for, in my opinion.
Setting up my delicious greasy meal in my lap I hit play and started taking notes. My teammates settled on one of the beds and watched with me in their usual silence. Ten minutes and three pages of sloppy notes and small ketchup stains later the footage ended and I glanced over at my teammates.
"Rough." Was the one word response from Copper. The big guy was nothing if not succinct. Ash just shook her head. The short girl's mouse ears twitching in agitation. I nodded turning back to the screen and flipping through the footage to get a better look at a few choice moments.
"Charging the death stalker head on was stupid. So was not coordinating against the beowolves. But here at the end, with the nevermore, they have a lot of potential."
"Should have gone for the neck from the beginning." Ash finally spoke up.
"Their team is a nightmare." I stated bluntly eyes still glued to the final image of the nevermores falling carcass. "Red's the team leader, and she's two years younger. Schnee picked a fight with her about being a better choice for leader already, and Blake is ex White Fang. If that comes out wrong it could rip the team apart."
Ash almost growled at the mention of the Schnee and the White Fang. I didn't even have to look to know she was playing with the hilt of one of her hidden blades. The school could pass all the rules they wanted about storing weapons in our lockers when not in use, but there was no parting Ash from her blades.
"I've got my work cut out for me… Come on let's go over the dossiers for your teams, we only have a few hours before we need to meet with them." Nodding they pulled out their scrolls and we all started to go over the data on the other two teams.
Two hours of reading and watching combat clips later we all sat with looks of varying levels of frustration. Ash was going as far as to slide one of her knives in and out of its sheath, Copper was messaging the bridge of his nose and I was glaring at the ceiling.
"I can't believe Ozpin let someone in here who has no training, who hadn't even unlocked their aura!" Copper finally let out explosively. Hearing that much emotion from the big guy was extremely unusual. "The kid can lead, and improvise a plan, but he knows absolutely nothing!"
"Racists, I'm in charge of a team of racists! Is this Ozpin's idea of a joke?!"
"Probably wants you to straighten them out." Copper offered, which Ash silently waved off, not willing to be talked down yet.
"We all have our work cut out for us." I mumbled. "CRDL are all in need of personality adjustments, Jaune needs a lot of training, the situation between Weiss and Blake needs to be monitored and diffused if possible. Ruby is two years behind in her academics so she'll need help. They all have Port for grimm studies which means they have to self teach from the book, they will be coming to us with questions. Not to mention a few of them need to consider upgrading their weapons."
Nods were my only response. It was already turning out to be far more than any of us had signed up for. But we had signed up for the program to stay busy.
Third and fourth year were split. Half the time went into training for professions to pursue during the large chunks of required time spent away from the front lines to avoid mental breaks. Being in the mentor program our entire team had decided our time not fighting grim would go towards teaching. The other half of our time would be spent on missions. This was done intentionally because after graduation we would need to find a way to balance the two.
Well Ozpin may have thrown us into the deep end of the pool with this one, but he always had his reasons. His plans usually worked out. Though the failures…
"This is going to be so much work." I groaned lying back on my bed.
{}{}{}{} Friday night, end of first week of class
My team and our protegees had commandeered a practice hall for our meet and greet. The freshman sat around us in folding chairs.
"Alright, my name's Forrest-"
"Run, Forrest, run!" Yang shouted. I hate that reference, so much.
"Shut up. I'm the assigned mentor for team RWBY. That means you four are now my problem." I said shooting the group a mild glare.
"Excuse me?" Weiss asked haughtily.
"Did I stutter? My job is to help Ruby adjust to leading a team, and to help all four of you improve. You four have only been here a week, and before I even meet with you I'm already getting an email from a professor about a teamwork issue."
Weiss glanced away with a mild blush, embarrassed no doubt, while Ruby became very interested in her shoes.
"That's what I thought. Look girls I'm not trying to pick a fight, you all have a lot of potential, but there are things we need to work on too, we'll get to that later though."
I gave a pointed look to Ash and Copper. The big guy shrugged before stepping up.
"Team JNPR, I'm Copper, and I'll be your assigned mentor." His bit said he stepped back and leaned against a wall. Typical.
With a huff Ash stepped forward and in the blink of an eye four small blades flew from under her cloak and her hood fell back revealing her mouse ears. Four thunks and accompanying meeps rose from the seats of team CRDL.
"My name is Ash." The girl grit out. "I'm in charge of team CRDL. You all" and here she paused to sweep her gaze over all three teams, "will keep any racist comments to yourselves, or I will stab you. We will maintain this method of training until you learn to respect the people fighting alongside you regardless of genetics, religion, or sexual orientation. Is. That. Clear." Ash said, spinning a knife in each hand.
The entire group nodded quickly keeping their mouths firmly shut.
"Good." Her piece said Ash marched forward, yanking her throwing knives from between CRDL's legs as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Right, well now that that's out of the way-"
"Um, Forrest?"
"Yes, Ruby."
"Shouldn't there be a fourth mentor and team here too?" Ash began to curse quietly under her breath, and I didn't need to look to know that Copper was slumping in on himself.
"Yes, Ruby. There should be another person here with us tonight. Our team leader." My voice was quiet, devoid of emotion.
"Then, where-"
"She died."
All three teams looked stunned, many of them pailed. In spite of myself that drew a dry humorless chuckle out of me.
"Keep that in mind, none of us are immortal. Every time you go out there it's your life on the line. That is why we are here. To help you, and hopefully give you the best possible chance of making it back." I finished slumping into my own chair.
"We'll meet every Friday like this, and we'll be working out individual training programs with each team. Feel free to come to us for help with school work or personnel problems at any time, assuming we aren't on a mission. We'll do our best to help you. We'll be out on our first mission tomorrow, but we'll be in room 212 down the hall from you all if you need anything. Oh, and we'll be sending our scroll information to your scrolls. But for now, go enjoy your first weekend. We'll need a bit to finish making arrangements after this mission anyway."
The three teams gave subdued nods and goodbyes before making their way out of the arena.
"Think I rattled them too much?"
"They need to understand the risks." Copper's deep bass voice rumbled back. I hummed something noncommittal.
"Come on." Ash grumbled. "We have to pack."
"Right, we're leaving at eight. Guess we better get some sleep too." I mumbled. Not even back a full week yet, and already we had our first mission. I knew Ozpin kept the third and fourth years busy, but still, it was a hell of welcome back considering how things went last time.
Banishing those black thoughts before they could sink in I followed my teammates out of the room. Now wasn't the time for that. We had a mission to prep for.
Random Omnipotent Brat
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: This was something I came up with shortly after Company Girl stalled out. The concept is based on magic the gathering, but I don't know anything about those books or the lore or anything. So really all I actually took was the basics of the magic system. The general idea was to take the standard Random Omnipotent Bastard and swap out bastard for brat. Some little kid with too much power and no one to say no grabs the writer and whisks them away to direct the brat towards interesting planes. I actually planned to make a running gag out of how often I got killed and revived by said brat. If I had to call it anything I guess I'd call it an honest SI. Where the SI isn't the best thing since sliced bread, and is instead just getting dragged along for the ride trying to get what joy they can from it all with as little suffering as they can manage. Got a pretty tepid reception though so I never pursued it.
I sat and stared at my computer screen but the almost blank page seemed to taunt me. It had been so long since I had touched any of my old ideas. I still wanted to continue them, But I was out of practice out of the right mindset, and writers block was hitting me almost like a physical force.
Part of me wanted to start with 'Company Girl' after all it was what I was most proud of. The story that I was convinced had my best writing so far. But it was also the most complex. The characters needed to be detailed and have depth that made the writing difficult. Jumping straight back into that level of writing was daunting. On the other hand, my one attempt at a Naruto story was something I held to much looser standards, but I'd gotten carried away with it and written myself into a bit of a corner. I also had dozens of Google docs with new ideas I'd come up with but only had time to write brief outlines for. I didn't really want to start another story though, I had too many unfinished stories already adding more didn't really appeal even if the ideas themselves did.
I tapped away absentmindedly at the glass surface of my computer desk. With a groan I leaned back in my chair and reached for my headphones hoping a bit of music might help me relax enough to finally start something. Before I could plug them in and bring up Pandora I was scared nearly out of my seat by a little girl appearing, seemingly from nowhere, over my bed.
"Who the hell are you?! And how the hell did you get in here!?" I shouted.
The girl barely spared me a glance before taking in my entire room. Under different circumstances I might have been embarrassed of the mess, but at the moment I was too concerned with the maybe thirteen year old girl. She had a slight build, short black hair, and dark brown eyes. She wore dark green pants and shirt with some kind of black leather jacket and boots. She seemed vaguely Asian in appearance and was maybe a bit under five foot. All in all, it looked like someone took an adorable preteen and dressed her up for a biker convention.
With a gasp of delight, she rolled off of my bed down onto the floor and started looking through my bookshelf putting the bed between us, for which I was honestly a bit grateful.
She glanced from title to title getting more and more excited, then she noticed other books strewn across various surfaces around the room and went on to inspect those as well without actually stopping to so much as read the descriptions on the back. She deftly stepped over and around a few articles of clothing and some extra blankets that had collected on my floor.
Finally, with a giggle she spun to face me and noticed the computer behind me. With a gasp she bounced forward and looked over my shoulder at the handful of paragraphs I'd written months ago and made little progress on over the past few hours.
"Your perfect!" She declared proudly while patting me on the head.
"What the fu-uuudge are you talking about?!" I barely managed to avoid swearing at the kid. It was a very, very near thing.
"I've been looking for a Plane like this for months now! Gideon described one like this to me and explained about how you people have such boring lives that you can actually look through the Blind Eternities just to find things that are interesting to keep yourselves from becoming… umm I forget what word he used but I think he meant suuuuper boring like watching paint dry for entertainment boring, and there was something in the explanation about it being good for your soul's somehow that I didn't really pay attention to. And he found Jessica on a Plane like this and she's amazing because she's like a map and compass for the Blind Eternities which is awesome! Like you have no idea how awesome because blind jumps are kinda fun and all, but like most planes are sooooo boring! Like, 'oh we have goblins and dragons and a dozen wizardry types who are all old farts, and only one continent' and that's literally everything and it gets sooooo boring after a while. And then other planes are like 'Hi, I'm basically a dead hunk of rock floating in the infinite void of space, aren't I so sad and depressing!' And then there are some planes where everyone is just like "oh, we farm for a living, and pray to the spirits, and we watch out for this one man eating species of bird!"
She stopped talking for only a moment to blow a disgusted raspberry, as if the lack of other man eating creatures was some kind of personnel insult.
"But you! You're like her! You've got, well, not a Spark like me because the name is a lie. A Spark is like a bonfire. No, no that's not it, a bonfire is tiny, but a Spark is huge! Like a sun burning bright. But you've got the same feel she does! Like, like it's there, I can feel it but it's not nearly as intense and there's no heat! It's like the reflection of the moon on water! There are ripples that distort and the details don't shine through so well, but it's there!"
The words just fell out of her mouth in a river of noise. It all washed over me and I barely managed to ride it out to the end. The whole time she was just bouncing and beaming at me. Really there was only one thing to do.
"Right… so your crazy… crazy twelve year old girl, appearing out of nowhere in the bedroom of a guy in his twenties…The police are just going to love this, I can tell already." I rubbed at my forehead with both hands before reaching for my cell phone.
My cell chose that moment to fly off the desk and into the little girl's hand.
"Oh cool!" She cheered as she poked at it. "You can read on this thing to? Does it have a lot of stories? Are they any good? Oh cool, this Ruby girl fights with a scythe, that's not really an easy weapon, and what's a gun?"
"How the hell did you do that?!"
"Eh?" She blinked at me and tilted her head. "Just a little telekinesis. It's an easy trick, doesn't take much mana to use and it's handy. Not like I use my white mana for anything more important anyway. Boring color, and the people who use it are always harping on about order and laws, soooo boring. Useful if I feel like healing people though so that's something I suppose."
Telekinesis? Legit, there is no spoon, only not really because that was the Matrix so it doesn't count, telekinesis? I glanced at the incense stick I had burning on one side of my desk and briefly wondered if what should have been dessert sage had been swapped out for a hallucinogen… it was a nice theory except the room did in fact smell like sage, I didn't feel intoxicated or anything, and I most definitely was not tasting colors… so yeah that probably wasn't it… maybe…
I pinched my arm and felt it so… not a dream? Who was I kidding? None of my dreams had ever included smells before, and this was too clear, too many details jumped out that would normally be vague indistinct background.
The little girl hummed to herself as she poked at my phone then looked around the room before frowning.
"This isn't any good though you have lots of books but there aren't nearly enough here to keep me entertained even if we visit them all."
"Kid, give me the phone so I can call the police. I'm sure you can tell them all about whatever your talking about while they try to track down your family." I kept my voice nice and calm like I would when trying to reason with my younger little cousins. She was a bit past the age when I normally chose to talk like that, but she was acting crazy, so it couldn't hurt to try and sound like the perfectly reasonable adult.
"Don't be silly. My family are on some other Plane, and I haven't seen them since I was six. Never could find my way back." She frowned. "I really want to get back there someday though. We had the best dragons you know? They were leathery and warm and they had the coolest powers! They were telepathic and could teleport! How freaking cool is that! Teleporting dragons! Never in seven years have I found dragons that can bond with people and teleport!"
Ok so she is thirteen-ish, good to know. But wasn't she talking about…
"You mean the Pern series? You want me to believe you're from Pern?" I asked skeptically.
Her head snapped up to look at me faster than I could blink and the next moment she was in my face with this intense look in her eyes. My phone got tossed onto the bed and she grabbed me by the front of my shirt.
"You know about Pern!?"
"Ughhh." Now what the hell was wrong with her? Great I was playing into her delusions somehow, fantastic.
Gently I uncurled her finger from my shirt and moved around her to get to my bookcase scanning the shelves for a moment I pulled out what few books from the series I actually owned. Absently I made a mental note to collect some other books from the series the next time I went to a used book store. I passed her the copy of Dragonflight from across the bed and laid out the trilogy about the girl who wanted to be a Harper and had a way with firelizzards on the bed. What was that character's name again? Melony? I flipped one over to read the back. Menolly, well I was close.
"The Dragonriders of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey. Fantastic series, blurs the lines between fantasy and sci fi a lot towards the end. It's a cult classic, really not the best known series, but the people who do know about it love it. Kind of been tainted now though. She let her son kickstart his writing career by taking over the series after a couple of collaborations. I could never be bothered to read those though. As far as I'm concerned she'd already given the series the ending it deserved." I figured I'd humor the girl. And since she was distracted staring intently at the book cover I eased my hand over to grab my phone so I could finally call someone to come deal with her.
It jumped away from me into her hand, again. I groaned lightly but otherwise gave up on it for now. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back to frown at the girl. I really wanted to know how she kept doing that though.
She didn't even acknowledge me as she flipped through the book. She skipped dozens of pages at a time and mumbled under her breath. Most of it sounded like names of people and places. Finally, after a minute of her ignoring me she snapped the book shut.
"Right, we're going here!" She declared holding out the book with both hands. I gave her my best deadpan 'are you an idiot look'.
"Riiiight, that's it, time to call the cops. If you insist on hanging on to my cell I'll just use the house phone." I walked out of my room heading for the stupid old curly cord phone in the kitchen. I made it three steps before something hit me in the back and knocked me to the floor.
Then I started screaming.
It felt like I was being ripped and torn apart by steak knives made of ice. After a few moments the sensation ended and left me panting hard with a dull throbbing ache that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. I managed to roll over and looked up at the girl, she was guiding a sort of mist into a crystal necklace she had pulled from somewhere.
"Sorry about that." She said sounding not even slightly apologetic. "But I needed to anchor your soul to this otherwise I wouldn't be able to take you with me across the Blind Eternities." Which didn't really explain a single damn thing. "I guess I'll take you back home for now. Maybe I can track down Gideon and Jessica to explain things to you…" she trailed off tapping her chin. Then she shrugged and pulled out a dagger. "Don't worry we'll talk again soon!" She smiled and drove the dagger right into my chest.
For a moment I just stared blankly the pain not really registering past the weird ache I was still dealing with. Everything just started to fade out, and the last thing I saw was the crazy girl's way too cheerful smile.
I sat and stared at my computer screen but the almost blank page seemed to taunt me. It had been so long since I had touched any of my old ideas. I still wanted to continue them, But I was out of practice out of the right mindset, and writers block was hitting me almost like a physical force.
Part of me wanted to start with 'Company Girl' after all it was what I was most proud of. The story that I was convinced had my best writing so far. But it was also the most complex. The characters needed to be detailed and have depth that made the writing difficult. Jumping straight back into that level of writing was daunting. On the other hand, my one attempt at a Naruto story was something I held to much looser standards, but I'd gotten carried away with it and written myself into a bit of a corner. I also had dozens of Google docs with new ideas I'd come up with but only had time to write brief outlines for. I didn't really want to start another story though, I had too many unfinished stories already adding more didn't really appeal even if the ideas themselves did.
I tapped away absentmindedly at the glass surface of my computer desk. With a groan I leaned back in my chair and reached for my headphones hoping a bit of music might help me relax enough to finally start something. Before I could plug them in and bring up Pandora I was scared nearly out of my seat by a little girl appearing, seemingly from nowhere, over my bed.
"Who the hell are you?! And how the hell did you get in here!?" I shouted.
The girl barely spared me a glance before taking in my entire room. Under different circumstances I might have been embarrassed of the mess, but at the moment I was too concerned with the maybe thirteen year old girl. She had a slight build, short black hair, and dark brown eyes. She wore dark green pants and shirt with some kind of black leather jacket and boots. She seemed vaguely Asian in appearance and was maybe a bit under five foot. All in all, it looked like someone took an adorable preteen and dressed her up for a biker convention.
With a gasp of delight, she rolled off of my bed down onto the floor and started looking through my bookshelf putting the bed between us, for which I was honestly a bit grateful.
She glanced from title to title getting more and more excited, then she noticed other books strewn across various surfaces around the room and went on to inspect those as well without actually stopping to so much as read the descriptions on the back. She deftly stepped over and around a few articles of clothing and some extra blankets that had collected on my floor.
Finally, with a giggle she spun to face me and noticed the computer behind me. With a gasp she bounced forward and looked over my shoulder at the handful of paragraphs I'd written months ago and made little progress on over the past few hours.
"Your perfect!" She declared proudly while patting me on the head.
"What the fu-uuudge are you talking about?!" I barely managed to avoid swearing at the kid. It was a very, very near thing.
"I've been looking for a Plane like this for months now! Gideon described one like this to me and explained about how you people have such boring lives that you can actually look through the Blind Eternities just to find things that are interesting to keep yourselves from becoming… umm I forget what word he used but I think he meant suuuuper boring like watching paint dry for entertainment boring, and there was something in the explanation about it being good for your soul's somehow that I didn't really pay attention to. And he found Jessica on a Plane like this and she's amazing because she's like a map and compass for the Blind Eternities which is awesome! Like you have no idea how awesome because blind jumps are kinda fun and all, but like most planes are sooooo boring! Like, 'oh we have goblins and dragons and a dozen wizardry types who are all old farts, and only one continent' and that's literally everything and it gets sooooo boring after a while. And then other planes are like 'Hi, I'm basically a dead hunk of rock floating in the infinite void of space, aren't I so sad and depressing!' And then there are some planes where everyone is just like "oh, we farm for a living, and pray to the spirits, and we watch out for this one man eating species of bird!"
She stopped talking for only a moment to blow a disgusted raspberry, as if the lack of other man eating creatures was some kind of personnel insult.
"But you! You're like her! You've got, well, not a Spark like me because the name is a lie. A Spark is like a bonfire. No, no that's not it, a bonfire is tiny, but a Spark is huge! Like a sun burning bright. But you've got the same feel she does! Like, like it's there, I can feel it but it's not nearly as intense and there's no heat! It's like the reflection of the moon on water! There are ripples that distort and the details don't shine through so well, but it's there!"
The words just fell out of her mouth in a river of noise. It all washed over me and I barely managed to ride it out to the end. The whole time she was just bouncing and beaming at me. Really there was only one thing to do.
"Right… so your crazy… crazy twelve year old girl, appearing out of nowhere in the bedroom of a guy in his twenties…The police are just going to love this, I can tell already." I rubbed at my forehead with both hands before reaching for my cell phone.
My cell chose that moment to fly off the desk and into the little girl's hand.
"Oh cool!" She cheered as she poked at it. "You can read on this thing to? Does it have a lot of stories? Are they any good? Oh cool, this Ruby girl fights with a scythe, that's not really an easy weapon, and what's a gun?"
"How the hell did you do that?!"
"Eh?" She blinked at me and tilted her head. "Just a little telekinesis. It's an easy trick, doesn't take much mana to use and it's handy. Not like I use my white mana for anything more important anyway. Boring color, and the people who use it are always harping on about order and laws, soooo boring. Useful if I feel like healing people though so that's something I suppose."
Telekinesis? Legit, there is no spoon, only not really because that was the Matrix so it doesn't count, telekinesis? I glanced at the incense stick I had burning on one side of my desk and briefly wondered if what should have been dessert sage had been swapped out for a hallucinogen… it was a nice theory except the room did in fact smell like sage, I didn't feel intoxicated or anything, and I most definitely was not tasting colors… so yeah that probably wasn't it… maybe…
I pinched my arm and felt it so… not a dream? Who was I kidding? None of my dreams had ever included smells before, and this was too clear, too many details jumped out that would normally be vague indistinct background.
The little girl hummed to herself as she poked at my phone then looked around the room before frowning.
"This isn't any good though you have lots of books but there aren't nearly enough here to keep me entertained even if we visit them all."
"Kid, give me the phone so I can call the police. I'm sure you can tell them all about whatever your talking about while they try to track down your family." I kept my voice nice and calm like I would when trying to reason with my younger little cousins. She was a bit past the age when I normally chose to talk like that, but she was acting crazy, so it couldn't hurt to try and sound like the perfectly reasonable adult.
"Don't be silly. My family are on some other Plane, and I haven't seen them since I was six. Never could find my way back." She frowned. "I really want to get back there someday though. We had the best dragons you know? They were leathery and warm and they had the coolest powers! They were telepathic and could teleport! How freaking cool is that! Teleporting dragons! Never in seven years have I found dragons that can bond with people and teleport!"
Ok so she is thirteen-ish, good to know. But wasn't she talking about…
"You mean the Pern series? You want me to believe you're from Pern?" I asked skeptically.
Her head snapped up to look at me faster than I could blink and the next moment she was in my face with this intense look in her eyes. My phone got tossed onto the bed and she grabbed me by the front of my shirt.
"You know about Pern!?"
"Ughhh." Now what the hell was wrong with her? Great I was playing into her delusions somehow, fantastic.
Gently I uncurled her finger from my shirt and moved around her to get to my bookcase scanning the shelves for a moment I pulled out what few books from the series I actually owned. Absently I made a mental note to collect some other books from the series the next time I went to a used book store. I passed her the copy of Dragonflight from across the bed and laid out the trilogy about the girl who wanted to be a Harper and had a way with firelizzards on the bed. What was that character's name again? Melony? I flipped one over to read the back. Menolly, well I was close.
"The Dragonriders of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey. Fantastic series, blurs the lines between fantasy and sci fi a lot towards the end. It's a cult classic, really not the best known series, but the people who do know about it love it. Kind of been tainted now though. She let her son kickstart his writing career by taking over the series after a couple of collaborations. I could never be bothered to read those though. As far as I'm concerned she'd already given the series the ending it deserved." I figured I'd humor the girl. And since she was distracted staring intently at the book cover I eased my hand over to grab my phone so I could finally call someone to come deal with her.
It jumped away from me into her hand, again. I groaned lightly but otherwise gave up on it for now. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back to frown at the girl. I really wanted to know how she kept doing that though.
She didn't even acknowledge me as she flipped through the book. She skipped dozens of pages at a time and mumbled under her breath. Most of it sounded like names of people and places. Finally, after a minute of her ignoring me she snapped the book shut.
"Right, we're going here!" She declared holding out the book with both hands. I gave her my best deadpan 'are you an idiot look'.
"Riiiight, that's it, time to call the cops. If you insist on hanging on to my cell I'll just use the house phone." I walked out of my room heading for the stupid old curly cord phone in the kitchen. I made it three steps before something hit me in the back and knocked me to the floor.
Then I started screaming.
It felt like I was being ripped and torn apart by steak knives made of ice. After a few moments the sensation ended and left me panting hard with a dull throbbing ache that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. I managed to roll over and looked up at the girl, she was guiding a sort of mist into a crystal necklace she had pulled from somewhere.
"Sorry about that." She said sounding not even slightly apologetic. "But I needed to anchor your soul to this otherwise I wouldn't be able to take you with me across the Blind Eternities." Which didn't really explain a single damn thing. "I guess I'll take you back home for now. Maybe I can track down Gideon and Jessica to explain things to you…" she trailed off tapping her chin. Then she shrugged and pulled out a dagger. "Don't worry we'll talk again soon!" She smiled and drove the dagger right into my chest.
For a moment I just stared blankly the pain not really registering past the weird ache I was still dealing with. Everything just started to fade out, and the last thing I saw was the crazy girl's way too cheerful smile.
The Exterminator
Fencer
Writer
- Location
- 2nd shift
- Pronouns
- He/Him
AN: Now this? This is where I think these started to get genuinely good. This is a teen Titans crossover. I'm going to roll the two chapters together into one thread mark. Short version? Taylor was from Gothem, shit happened, she moved to Jump city to live with Uncle Killer Moth and started working as an exterminator... now she's responsible for her cousin and just trying to make the most of her life. Robin has problems with almost all of that.
"Hello, you've reached Hebert extermination services emergency hotline, my name is Taylor. What is the nature of your emergency?" The crash, and scream, from the other end of the line had me pulling the phone away from my ear. "Uh, hello?"
"Yeah, sorry about that. Uh, your website says you handle all bugs, right?" A deep voice asked hesitantly.
"Yes, so long as it's an insect I can deal with it. Alien, genetic experiments, long thought extinct giant bugs, mutated, even magically enhanced."
"Oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that! We've got these alien hornet, beetle things taking over our tower! They're like eight inches of mean and they're eating everything that isn't metal! We've tried two other exterminators already! The first one hung up on me, and the second recommended you."
"Not surprising. The last time someone tried regular pesticides on alien insects it went, badly." I shook off the memories of what happened to that poor bastard. "I'll clear my schedule. Cases like this are considered a federal, if not global, issue and take priority. I'm going to need you to lock down your location as best you can to stop them from spreading, and I'll need your name and location."
"Cyborg, and Titan's Tower."
Of course. Of fucking course.
"Right… thankfully you are local so I should be there within the hour. In the meantime, try not to get eaten… or worse."
"Ri- wait worse?! What do you-" I hung up and headed out of the kitchen towards the stairs.
"Hey, Kitten, up and attem! I need you to earn your pay today!" All I got in response was a groan. Rolling my eyes, I headed upstairs and into kitten's sickeningly pink room. Throwing open her curtains got a louder moan followed by whining.
"Taaaaylor, it's eaaarly, and Saturday. Business hours start at ten." She rolled over trying to hide from the sunlight.
"I got an emergency call. Alien beetle hornet things. Eight inches of mean and eating everything organic, and possibly some stuff that isn't. The call was local, apparently the Titan's don't know anything about precautions against invasive species."
That proved interesting enough for Kitten to turn her head slightly and fix me with a one-eyed glare. "Seriously?"
"Yup." I popped the p and leaned against her dresser.
She flopped her head into her pillow and groaned like the drama queen she was before starting to drag herself out of bed.
"Fiiiiine, what do you need me to do?"
"There are three appointments for today I need you to call them and reschedule. I also need you to call the mayor so he can be ready to make a public statement in case some of these things made it away from the Titan's tower. I'll probably spend most of the day doing a grid search of the city so I'll need you to answer the work phone while I'm out."
"Fine, can you at least get me Robin's autograph?" I gave my cousin my best deadpan look.
"Kitten… remember who you're asking? And my history with the Bat Brigade?" It took her a minute, but eventually she acknowledged the point with another groan and started to drag herself out of bed.
{}{}{}{}
Approaching the tower was promising. I hadn't come across any of the alien bugs on the way over so hopefully they were actually contained and I wouldn't need to spend days or weeks combing the city and surrounding area for nests of the damn things.
When the tower did come fully into my range I felt my eyebrows climb into my hairline. "That, is a lot of bugs." I mumbled even as I stopped the lot of them cold and had them start grouping up on the floor away from the few people I could tell were inside.
The picture I was getting from the bugs senses was even less coherent than what I usually got so details of the tower were blurry. Normal insect senses tended to be like looking through cracked funhouse mirrors, these things sense of sight was like looking through a curtain of running water. Very weird. I had to wonder if this was what drug addicts saw when they overdosed.
As I waited for the boat I'd chartered to actually reach the island I took stock of the insects.
They had a straightforward male female reproductive system, omnivores going by their instincts, and with rather strong digestive systems, or poorly adapted instincts, given even the carpeting seemed to appeal to them. The venom they carried in their stingers was particularly interesting. A very aggressive form of neurotoxin, maybe? It was a bit different from anything I had encountered before which made it hard to be sure.
I could tell the people inside were saying something but what I couldn't make out. Using bugs to listen to people was difficult under the best of circumstances but with nothing but these things unfamiliar senses to work off of I couldn't piece anything together. Finally, I made it to the base of the Tower and found an intercom next to the door. There was almost a full minute of delay after I buzzed it before the voice from the earlier phone call came out of the speaker.
"Uhh, hello?"
"Cyborg, right? It's Taylor from Hebert exterminators. We spoke on the phone about a half hour ago. I've got the bugs under control, and so far, I haven't seen anything to indicate any made it out of the building so that's good but we've still got a lot to go over unfortunately. This is probably going to take a bit."
"Oh man, so that's what's going on! Man, that's fantastic hang on just a sec I'll send the elevator down to get you!"
So far so good but I knew it couldn't last. The ding of the elevator opening made my mind turn towards the opening bell of a boxing match. For a moment everything was quite as I looked at the titans and they looked back at me. Honestly, I thought they all looked ridiculous in their costumes, my business casual look was far more professional, but then that was the super hero culture for you. Then the moment was shattered by Robin snarling.
"You! Titans, go!" He jumped at me pulling out a collapsible staff from somewhere, not his ass, there was clearly still a rod jammed up there. I sidestepped his initial lunge and threw a daddy longlegs I'd picked up on the trip over onto his face. Robin dropped the staff and started to scream and flail. I had to sink my amusement into the swarm to stop myself from laughing.
Casually I hip checked the panicking boy wonder into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. That dealt with I made a show of dusting off my hands before turning to the rest of the brat's gob smacked team.
"Right, my name is Taylor Hebert. I am one of three people worldwide who have been endorsed and backed by the United Nations to deal with extraterrestrial invasive insect species. It is my duty to inform you that due to this incident your team is now officially under investigation by the United Nations for putting the planet's ecosystem in jeopardy. Should you be found guilty of deliberately introducing an invasive species You could be facing several decades of jail times and millions of dollars in fines."
The four teens immediately started to protest so I held up my hands for silence.
"Don't bother, I'm not in charge of the investigation, there is a multinational task force for that. My job is just to deal with the infestation as quickly as possible. However, I can and will say that immediately reaching out for someone who could deal with the situation is a definite mark in your favor. I am also obligated to inform you that one or more representatives from the Justice League will be here shortly to collect the insects for disposal. Before all that though was anyone stung? Their venom isn't quite like anything I've come across before and we may need to rush through research into an antivenom."
A chorus of negatives met my question and I gave the group a firm nod. All through my talk I'd been scouring the tower for anything I might have missed with a group of the insects. Luckily there weren't any eggs, nests or hives to be found. Seemed like the babies grew inside the mother then consumed her during the birth, which was all fucking kinds of horrifying, but not the weirdest thing I'd ever come across dealing with all the shit supers introduced to the ecosystem. Uncle Killer Moth's experiments had certainly been weird enough before he got locked up for it.
Satisfied I hadn't missed anything I directed all the remaining insects into the tower's central meeting room with the rest of us. Once the bird brain got back I would load them into the elevator and collect them outside for easier extraction. Or maybe not. The wind had been fairly strong. It wasn't likely but no point in risking a strong gust blowing some of them out of my range.
The elevator dinged behind me announcing the start of round two.
"Robin, did you really have to kill the poor innocent daddy longlegs?" The Boy Blunder just snarled in response.
"Taylor Hebert, alias Skitter, surrender!" I rolled my eyes.
"Brat, I'm the exterminator you called, and your little clubhouse is in enough hot water with the UN right now as it is. Attacking me will not make your situation any better. Besides that's not my 'alias' that's just some bullshit the media came up with."
"I said surren- wait, EXTERMINATOR?!"
"Yeah my powers great for pest control, and since I work so fast and don't have to use pesticides or whatever I can charge a premium." I shrugged. "A girl has to support herself somehow after all." Robin responded by doing a fairly good fish out of water impersonation. I let myself smirk, enjoying this probably more than I should.
"I, but you, and how, you're a murderer!" Oh, for the love of… had no one clued him in or was he just living a delusion? I did not want to rehash this again.
"Killer actually. After all the courts ruled in my favor as it being self-defense, and in the defense of others."
"Bullshit! It was revenge for your parents deaths!"
"Maybe, maybe not, but according to the court it was justified as self-defense and the defense of others. You know this, there are no warrants for my arrest, and I haven't committed any crimes. I really don't know why you're bothering." Robin gritted his teeth and snapped at me again.
"They were two blocks away from you!"
"Yup." I popped the p just to be annoying. "But the Joker and Scarecrow are known terrorists with a history of using chemical weapons. Assuming they are a threat to anyone within five blocks of them, if not anyone in the city assuming they might have something across town on a detonator is perfectly logical."
Beast Boy suddenly popped up right in front of me with a dramatic gasp and literal stars in his eyes.
"Dude, you're the girl who took down the Joker and the Scarecrow?! Can I have your autograph?!"
"Beast Boy!" Robin shouted.
"Sure." I shrugged in response. I didn't get a lot of people requesting my autograph, but I got enough. Every now and then when I needed some extra money Kitten would auction off a few autographs for me online. Almost all of them got bought up by people from Gotham. Even three years later I still apparently had a following there, and I knew for a fact there were semi regular petitions made by the people to buy my services as an exterminator to deal with the rest of the local villains.
I signed Beast Boy's autograph book which he had pulled from somewhere and smiled lightly as he bounced off to show Cyborg who looked bemused. Robin was still seething by the elevator. The two girls looked unsure about what they should be doing in this situation and just fidgeted nervously in the air.
I glanced at my watch before looking out the window to see the now familiar site of one of the Justice Leagues space ship, plane, things…. Come to think of it I never had gotten a name for those ships. Shrugging it off as unimportant I turned back to the group.
"Right, well this has been just lovely, I'm sure, but the League is here to pick up these guys." I waved to the insects gathered off to one side of the room. "And I need to get started on filling out a small mountain of paperwork as well as doing sweeps of the city to make sure none of the little monsters got loose. So, later."
As I walked past Robin and loaded up the insects into the elevator with me I just managed to make out Robin sputtering and turning white at the mention of the Justice League. I couldn't help but smirk and hope they gave him a nice, long, loud lecture on just how stupid they'd all been to bring home these little monsters instead of a regular souvenir, like a postcard or something.
{}{}{}{} Ch 2
"Batman, what an unpleasant if predictable surprise. Here to spank the naughty Boy Blunder and sweep his mistake under the rug?" I liked to imagine that the temperature dropped a few degrees with every word.
There was just something about the Bat that was fun to provoke. Or maybe it was just me being bitter about how he was part of a system that allowed criminals to escape and go out to murder more people… like my parents.
"Skitter." Batman answered even as his eyes narrowed into a scowl and he completely ignored my question. I rolled my eyes.
"We've been over this already, Bats. My name is Taylor. Taaaaylooor. Your memory seems to be just as bad as your protégées if you can't keep that straight. Or maybe it's your manners?"
Batman didn't respond verbally, but his eyes stayed squinted in a glare. The man could be such a drama queen, but then what did I expect from a man who liked to dress up like a bat to fight crime? Finally, he stalked off towards the Titans Tower.
An amused snort drew my attention to the ramp of their ship. Black Canary stood there one hand on her hip the other against the side if the ship with a small grin gracing her lips.
"Canary, good to see you again." I said warmly. "You seem to find your way onto a lot of my pickup runs lately."
"Ahh well, what can I say? I enjoy our little chats, and it's always interesting to see what the wider universe has to offer, even if they are all creepy crawlies." She said the last with a dramatic shudder. "So, beetle hornets?"
Obligingly I ordered one of the insects to fly up to her hand for examination and started to direct the rest of the swarm into several large steal crates for transport and later destruction. Luckily it looked like they had brought enough storage this time. I hated having to hang around while they did multiple runs. Canary hummed as she looked the insect over.
"Well it's certainly a pretty shade of blue, almost a robin's egg color, and shiny. It's big alright but not like the last trip."
I sighed a little bit at the reminder. The last group had been hercules beetles the size of cats with this amazing burgundy shell. I'd actually petitioned the UN to let me keep a single male as a house pet, but they had shot me down pretty hard. They knew I could handle it, but they really had not wanted to set that kind of precedent.
"Anything interesting about them other than the color?"
"Their venom is some kind of neurotoxin, so you might want to get someone look at it before you destroy them. Their eyesight is weird even by bug standards and they are willing to eat just about anything. Including upholstery and carpeting, though that could just be their instincts not being developed for an industrialized world, hard to say." I rattled off the pertinent details and Canary nodded along. I did leave out their reproductive cycle though, no reason to creep the woman out to much. With a mental command I had her specimen join the rest and sealed and locked the crates for transport. "How are you and archer boy doing?"
"Oh, Arrow and I are doing alright. Work still tends to get in the way but we find time for ourselves." Canary replied with a sunny smile. "How about you? Still no luck finding a good guy?"
"Ughh no, not even a little. Normal's just can't deal with me long term. They don't have the built-up tolerance for strange that people with powers have. And people with powers just can't wrap their heads around why I'm not out in costume beating up thugs or robbing banks." It was an old conversation at this point, but it was always nice to have someone willing to listen to me bitch. Canary was good like that. "Besides lately I've had my hands full dealing with Kitten's latest-ex."
"Oh, your cousin having boy trouble of her own?"
"Not, exactly…. Fang, as if that's actually his real name," I said rolling my eyes. "Is some sort of human spider hybrid. Why my sister wanted to date him…." I sighed, even as Canary made a disgusted face. "Maybe the fascination with insects is just a family trait. Regardless they were never going to last but while he was hanging around well…." I trailed off and looked away.
"What? You can't just get me interested and leave it there."
"Ughh he was 'bug' enough for my power to affect him and apparently he got off on someone controlling him, alright." I groaned. "I keep having to chase him off without letting Kitten know her Ex is stalking me. It's really weird and creepy."
"Oh, wow, that's just…"
"I know! Ughh and he's only a year older than Kitten! I know I'm only twenty, but he's sixteen, that just isn't going to happen. And what would I even do with a boy who was constantly under my complete control?! How on earth could that ever be a healthy relationship?"
I blew out a frustrated breath and tucked some loose hairs back behind my ear. Canary gave me an awkward one-armed hug.
"Hang in there, Taylor. I'm sure you'll find someone sooner or later." I gave the blonde a tired smile and a small nod before sighing and pulling away.
"I wish I could stay longer Canary, but I should really get going. I need to do a grid search of the area to make sure none of these things got loose, and I'm sure I'll be fielding calls from panicking politicians soon enough too."
The blonde smiled and waved me off before heading into Titans Tower no doubt going to add her own less grumpy commentary to what I hoped would be a thorough dressing down.
{}{}{}{} Raven
The Tower was quiet for once, and I couldn't even enjoy it. Normally I'd be thrilled but there was a tension in the air that ruined what would otherwise be peaceful and relaxing.
Robin was glaring at a computer monitor reading through a number of files on who knew what and pointedly glaring at Beast Boy every now and then. Cyborg was reading over a list of guidelines, procedures and laws we would need to comply with before we would be allowed to leave the planet again. Beast Boy was still admiring his new autograph and pointedly ignoring Robin. And Starfire…. well she hadn't settled in one spot for more than a few seconds since the older heroes had left.
With a sigh I closed my book resigned to the fact I wasn't going to get any reading done like this.
"Would someone please explain what the problem is for the alien and the girl from another dimension." I asked with my best 'unamused' voice. That got a reaction from the boys, mainly just them blinking in surprise, but still.
Grumbling Robin typed away for a moment before a file complete with a several year-old photo of the exterminator from earlier popped up on the big screen. Then the screen split and a second file with a more recent picture filled the other half of the screen.
"Taylor Hebert, age twenty, her metahuman ability is to control all the insects in her range, which is several city blocks, at least. She has perfect control of those insects, and a seemingly infinite ability to multitask. The first that anyone knew about her was when she used her swarm to kill the Joker. She used bugs to fill his throat and choke him to death… two weeks later she killed the Scarecrow the same way." Robin scowled at the pictures.
"Friend Robin, who are the Joker and the Scarecrow?" Robin blinked again like he couldn't believe someone asked him that before palming his forehead and typing away. The two files on Taylor were replaced by two new files.
"The one on the left is the Joker, the one on the right is the Scarecrow. They were villains in Gotham city." Beast Boy snorted and shook his head.
"Dude, you can't just call them villains and leave it at that!"
"What are you talking about Beast Boy?" Robin asked frowning.
"Dude, the only villains they've seen are the people we've fought with! I'm mean yeah some of them can fight and pack a punch, but those guys?" Beast Boy waved at the screen. "They were nuts, total crazies." Beast Boy turned to look at Starfire and I. "They both had kill counts, like a few hundred people each, I think?" Beast Boy turned to Cyborg looking for confirmation.
"Yeah, I think the Joker had just over four hundred before she killed him, and Scarecrow was getting close to two hundred." Cyborg answered seriously. Beast Boy nodded gratefully before turning back to us.
"Most of those people died from chemicals, and they were really bad ways to die. The Joker had this stuff that made people laugh themselves to death. Like, they're laid up in hospital beds and they're terrified and crying and they still can't stop laughing. The Scarecrow, he had this hallucinogen, literally scared people to death, just terrified them until their hearts gave out. She lost her Mom to the Scarecrow and her Dad to the Joker, I think. Nothing really stopped them they just kept racking up more kills." Beast Boy shrugged looking sad, his pointed ears drooped.
"Batman and I could handle them!" Robin broke into the conversation furiously.
"Rob, they had both busted out of jail at least a half dozen times. Yeah you guys could lock them up, but you couldn't keep them locked up. Every time they broke out people died." Cyborg said gently resting a hand on Robins shoulder. Robin brushed him off.
"So that somehow makes it ok for her to kill them for revenge!"
"Honestly? Kinda, yeah." Cyborg answered. Robin just gaped at the him. "I remember watching the news coverage. I heard every argument for and against what she did. The whole country did, man. If the government ever beat you and Batman to the punch they'd have shot them, and that would have been the end of it right there. Honestly it's a miracle no cop ever arranged for those two to have an 'accident' or that they were never shot and killed while 'attempting to escape.'" Cyborg said making finger quotes.
"We don't have the right to be judge, jury, and executioner! We stop the villains that's what we do, full stop!" Robin shouted.
"Dude, so do the cops, but when they have to shoot someone, or snipe a terrorist no one gets bent out of shape about it." Beast Boy cut in looking angry.
"We're not the police! We don't have government oversight, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard than that!"
From there the boys broke out into a three-way screaming match waving their arms in each other's faces. Star and I shared a glance and I gestured for her to follow as I turned to leave the room.
"Friend Raven, I am most confused." I simply nodded.
"Yeah, that didn't really clear things up. Though I don't think we'll be getting any more out of the boys anytime soon." I said with a role of my eyes. Starfire gave an affirmative little noise.
"Then how will we be getting answers? I would still like to understand." I hummed thoughtfully.
"Well we could look it up online… but if the Boy's reactions are anything like most people's we'd probably be right back where we are now."
"So, what do we do?" Star asked tilting her head.
"Simple, we ask Taylor ourselves."
{}{}{}{} Taylor
Three hours of walking and finding no evidence of alien bugs and still hours to go before I could call it a night. City busses were terrible for this kind of work because they traveled on a set route and would completely ignore the grid search I needed to do. I could have driven but in a city with the amount of super powered crime that Jump sported there was almost constant construction and repair work going on. That meant that my route was likely to be redirected or I could be stuck in traffic for hours on end. Sadly, that meant that slow as it might be and as much as my feet might protest going on foot was my best option.
While I had worked I had fielded three calls from various people in the United Nations invasive species task force, a call from the state Congressman and two calls from the Mayor. I was hungry, my feet hurt, and each phone call had left me more emotionally drained than the last.
I could understand why people panicked but I'd been through this song and dance too many times for it to really affect me anymore. Whereas every time was the first time for whatever local, and often state, politician I was forced to deal with in the aftermath. At least this time I wasn't having to do the routine through an interpreter. Last time I'd gone through three interpreters before they found someone with enough guts to not run screaming from the cloud of alien insects I was rooting out.
"Hello!" The cheery visage of Starfire appeared almost from thin air in front of me in a blur of orange skin and red hair.
"Gahh! Don't do that to people!" I jumped back surprised.
"Star, we've talked about this." The grumpy monotone had me looking over my shoulder to see Raven gliding in for a landing.
"Oops, my apologies." The alien girl said with a sheepish smile. I blew out an aggravated breath but shook off the annoyance as best I could before looking over the two teens now standing in front of me.
"It's fine, did you two need something from me?"
"Not exactly." Raven said.
"We are hopeful that you can explain why our teammates are arguing about you. They have been most out of sorts since the Batman and Canary left." Starfire said puppy dog eyes in full effect. Not that those did anything to me. I had to keep Kitten from running up a bunch of ridiculous expenses all the time already. I was pretty much immune to teenage puppy eyes at this point.
"I'm not really sure what you girls are actually asking. Your teammates are fighting about me?"
"Sort of." Raven answered. "At least it started with you. Then it turned into a shouting match about super hero morality and excessive force…"
Ahhh well that cleared things up, still I was on the clock….
"Raven, right?" The girl nodded. "Can you make platforms with you power? And float them around?" The teen shrugged.
"Sure. Why?"
"I still need to do my grid search to check for any escaped bugs, but if you help with transport I'll be able to get done quicker. Let me grab some lunch, then if you're willing to play transport we can all talk while I work."
The girls shared a glance before nodding. With a smile I headed towards a food truck my power had noticed a block over. This conversation would no doubt be a pain but at least I could get a falafel.
{}{}{}{}
"Right." I said, stuffing the food wrapper into my pocket to throw away later. "So, super hero ethics shouting matches, and how I figure into them, right?" The two girls nodded and I sighed. I hated this conversation, but Starfire was pretty obviously an alien, and Raven was different enough she might be one as well so it made sense that they wouldn't really know any of this.
I leaned back on my hands keeping my legs crossed as we floated along on Raven's black energy platform. For a moment I closed my eyes and sunk into the swarm letting my emotions settle even as I kept a metaphorical eye out for hornet beetles.
"How much do you know about Batman, Robin and Gotham city?"
"Very little." Raven answered. "Beast Boy explained a bit about the Joker and the Scarecrow, mostly about how, and how many people they had killed." Both girls fidgeted a bit awkwardly.
Even now, years later thinking about those monsters hurt. The fact they were dead and gone made things easier, but it still hurt.
"Right… the first thing you need to understand is that Gotham City was and is a shit hole." I said bluntly. "Not enough jobs mean that people turn to crime to survive. That makes the city more dangerous and run down and then good people end up leaving looking for better places to live and so on. The city has been like that for a long time now."
The girls nodded following my words closely.
"Then Batman showed up, suddenly all the criminals had a lot more to worry about than a bunch of underpaid and underfunded cops. The city got a little safer, a little better, there was hope… then the villains started to crop up. They weren't the kind of villains you all deal with here, Gotham villains are all crazy. When Batman caught them, they got thrown in an insane asylum rather than a prison." I blew out a long sigh.
"But they would just bust out and start killing people all over again. All that progress the city made? Gone. Anyone with a lick of common sense started to get the hell out of town, more businesses closed, or some got wrecked by villains. That meant less jobs and more people turning to crime to get by. Basically, what Batman did just wasn't working anymore. Or at least not as well."
The two teens shared a glance. They looked troubled, but beyond that I couldn't even guess what they were thinking.
"Thing is, Batman has strong ideals. He's a cold hearted piece of shit who's not afraid to use fear and violence to make criminals stop… but he doesn't like killing. Goes out of his way to avoid it at all costs really. Neither of you are from earth, right?" The girls nodded. "How would people deal with unrepentant mass murderers where you come from?" Raven answered first.
"On Asarath, such a person would have their mind altered. Their personality would be… erased I suppose. They become productive members of society… but there not quite right after that. They just, sort of go through the motions. No emotions or impulses or attachments." Well… that's a terrifying thought. Starfire seemed to agree, her bright orange skin paled to an almost human tan and she shivered at the thought.
"Friend Raven that is, how could your people?! Such a fate is, is-" she trailed off like she couldn't find the proper word to describe it. "For a Tamaranian, such a fate would be worse than death, worse than being crippled! I would rather be bound to the ground with two broken legs than suffer such a fate!" Raven only shrugged looking mildly uncomfortable.
"My people believed that there was nothing worse than death. And that to take another person's life was the greatest of sins." The dark Titan shrugged. "I'm not sure I agree, I can think of plenty of fates worse than death, but they refused to kill and that was the harshest punishment they used." Starfire didn't seem happy about that but set it aside for the moment.
"My people are warriors. For one to kill their own people without just cause… prison, or death. More often death." Starfire answered.
"Here on earth it's also prison or death. But which depends on a lot of things, like where you are, how much proof has been gathered, and often enough who was killed and how they were killed."
The two titans looked at me oddly for that last bit.
"Let's say a man, a criminal, shoots and kills another man who is also a criminal. It sucks that someone died, but the truth is people expect that sort of thing. It doesn't shock and horrify them, so more than likely he's bound for jail." The girls nodded slowly.
"If that same man were to instead have tortured a mother and her daughter to death in their home." I carefully avoided mentioning anything along the lines of rape, for all that they had chosen to be heroes they still seemed far to innocent. "That upsets people, that horrifies people. It reminds them that despite what society tells them, living a law abiding life does not mean they are safe. That's more likely to get the death penalty, especially if it's not the first time." The girls nodded again, albeit slowly this time.
"Gotham is in an area where we don't have the death penalty anymore. If a criminal died in a shootout with the police." I shrugged. "No one cared. One less piece of shit on the streets. But the police couldn't handle the villains and Batman, and his student, Robin, they don't kill."
"Robin is the student of the Batman?" Starfire's surprise caught me off guard but I nodded anyway.
"So, what was with the tension between them?" Raven asked.
"Wait, they're not getting along?" The girls shook their heads no. Huh, go figure. "I have no idea then. Must have something to do with why the Brat's here in jump instead of back in Gotham." We all took a moment to digest that before I moved on.
"Anyway, Batman not killing is probably a good thing. Before superheroes were common you all would have been labeled vigilantes and the police would have been out to arrest you." Both girls looked highly affronted but I just plowed on with the conversation.
"The early heroes; Batman, Superman, Flash, those guys, the fact that they didn't kill or maim criminals made people more accepting. Sure, they were taking the law into their own hands, and some people wound up with broken bones, but they weren't ignoring people's right to a trial. Supervillains showing up kind of forced people to accept it because the police just couldn't deal with them on their own. And now anyone can throw on a pair of tights and beat up criminals and no one bats an eye."
"So, the killing of the criminals is a bad thing then, yes?" Starfire asked sounding unsure. I gave her a small tired smile.
"If you killed every criminal, or even just every villain you fought, the regular people would be terrified of you and would likely try to throw you in jail. And as far as I'm concerned, they would be right to. But sometimes someone has to die and it's down to you or them, or them or the civilians. Or sometimes you know that if you don't stop them permanently then it will only be a matter of time before they are back on the streets and more people die. What do you do in those situations? Maybe you can take off a leg, or blind them, or break their spine and leave them paralyzed… or maybe you could kill them and be sure."
"Like the Joker, and the Scarecrow." Raven said thoughtfully. "You wanted to be sure?"
"I also wanted revenge, and justice." I freely admitted. "But yeah I wanted to be sure. There were other people in Gotham with similar body counts you know? I could have stuck around, kept cleaning house, only dealt with the worst of the worst. People would have thanked me for it. But I don't really want that. Super heroes, super villains… it all seems so immature to me. People dressing up in funny clothes to go do a job they won't be paid for, that they just choose to do because they can rather than because someone thought they were qualified. You all do a lot of good, but I just don't understand why you're not doing it as police with extra abilities or something." I shrugged, brushing the topic aside.
"But back to the whole morality of killing in the line of duty thing. Batman believes heroes should never kill, or only kill under the absolute worst circumstances maybe. I've never sat down and asked him exactly how strongly he feels about it, but I do know he's fought and killed during several alien invasions. Because he trained Robin the Brat thinks the same way, or at least has a very similar opinion. Before what I did people could mostly ignored the issue because up till then everyone had been on the same page; heroes didn't kill or maim super villains. But after I killed those two? After I turned myself in and the courts ruled what I did counted as self defense and defense of a third party?" I spread my hands out wide in a gesture to show how big the effect had been.
"Everyone and their uncle came out of the woodwork with their own opinion. Why hadn't those two been given the death sentence? Why hadn't Batman done what I did years ago? What gave a teenage girl the right to decide those two deserved to die? Why were other villains not being treated with the same level of violence? Nobody had a good answer then and they still don't have a good answer now. Hell, they don't even have any laws on the books about this stuff and it's been years." I shrugged. "That's what your teammates are fighting about most likely. I'm just a very controversial real world example of all that."
The three of us sat mostly silent as I directed Raven and her platform occasionally as we finished my search. Thankfully there were no signs that any of the bugs had escaped their tower. The girls dropped me off near home and I thanked them for their help and they thanked me for explaining things to them.
Feeling exhausted I made my way inside and placed an order for Chinese takeout for Kitten and I. Then I started in on the mountain of paperwork I needed to fill out. With any luck I'd be done before midnight.
"Hello, you've reached Hebert extermination services emergency hotline, my name is Taylor. What is the nature of your emergency?" The crash, and scream, from the other end of the line had me pulling the phone away from my ear. "Uh, hello?"
"Yeah, sorry about that. Uh, your website says you handle all bugs, right?" A deep voice asked hesitantly.
"Yes, so long as it's an insect I can deal with it. Alien, genetic experiments, long thought extinct giant bugs, mutated, even magically enhanced."
"Oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that! We've got these alien hornet, beetle things taking over our tower! They're like eight inches of mean and they're eating everything that isn't metal! We've tried two other exterminators already! The first one hung up on me, and the second recommended you."
"Not surprising. The last time someone tried regular pesticides on alien insects it went, badly." I shook off the memories of what happened to that poor bastard. "I'll clear my schedule. Cases like this are considered a federal, if not global, issue and take priority. I'm going to need you to lock down your location as best you can to stop them from spreading, and I'll need your name and location."
"Cyborg, and Titan's Tower."
Of course. Of fucking course.
"Right… thankfully you are local so I should be there within the hour. In the meantime, try not to get eaten… or worse."
"Ri- wait worse?! What do you-" I hung up and headed out of the kitchen towards the stairs.
"Hey, Kitten, up and attem! I need you to earn your pay today!" All I got in response was a groan. Rolling my eyes, I headed upstairs and into kitten's sickeningly pink room. Throwing open her curtains got a louder moan followed by whining.
"Taaaaylor, it's eaaarly, and Saturday. Business hours start at ten." She rolled over trying to hide from the sunlight.
"I got an emergency call. Alien beetle hornet things. Eight inches of mean and eating everything organic, and possibly some stuff that isn't. The call was local, apparently the Titan's don't know anything about precautions against invasive species."
That proved interesting enough for Kitten to turn her head slightly and fix me with a one-eyed glare. "Seriously?"
"Yup." I popped the p and leaned against her dresser.
She flopped her head into her pillow and groaned like the drama queen she was before starting to drag herself out of bed.
"Fiiiiine, what do you need me to do?"
"There are three appointments for today I need you to call them and reschedule. I also need you to call the mayor so he can be ready to make a public statement in case some of these things made it away from the Titan's tower. I'll probably spend most of the day doing a grid search of the city so I'll need you to answer the work phone while I'm out."
"Fine, can you at least get me Robin's autograph?" I gave my cousin my best deadpan look.
"Kitten… remember who you're asking? And my history with the Bat Brigade?" It took her a minute, but eventually she acknowledged the point with another groan and started to drag herself out of bed.
{}{}{}{}
Approaching the tower was promising. I hadn't come across any of the alien bugs on the way over so hopefully they were actually contained and I wouldn't need to spend days or weeks combing the city and surrounding area for nests of the damn things.
When the tower did come fully into my range I felt my eyebrows climb into my hairline. "That, is a lot of bugs." I mumbled even as I stopped the lot of them cold and had them start grouping up on the floor away from the few people I could tell were inside.
The picture I was getting from the bugs senses was even less coherent than what I usually got so details of the tower were blurry. Normal insect senses tended to be like looking through cracked funhouse mirrors, these things sense of sight was like looking through a curtain of running water. Very weird. I had to wonder if this was what drug addicts saw when they overdosed.
As I waited for the boat I'd chartered to actually reach the island I took stock of the insects.
They had a straightforward male female reproductive system, omnivores going by their instincts, and with rather strong digestive systems, or poorly adapted instincts, given even the carpeting seemed to appeal to them. The venom they carried in their stingers was particularly interesting. A very aggressive form of neurotoxin, maybe? It was a bit different from anything I had encountered before which made it hard to be sure.
I could tell the people inside were saying something but what I couldn't make out. Using bugs to listen to people was difficult under the best of circumstances but with nothing but these things unfamiliar senses to work off of I couldn't piece anything together. Finally, I made it to the base of the Tower and found an intercom next to the door. There was almost a full minute of delay after I buzzed it before the voice from the earlier phone call came out of the speaker.
"Uhh, hello?"
"Cyborg, right? It's Taylor from Hebert exterminators. We spoke on the phone about a half hour ago. I've got the bugs under control, and so far, I haven't seen anything to indicate any made it out of the building so that's good but we've still got a lot to go over unfortunately. This is probably going to take a bit."
"Oh man, so that's what's going on! Man, that's fantastic hang on just a sec I'll send the elevator down to get you!"
So far so good but I knew it couldn't last. The ding of the elevator opening made my mind turn towards the opening bell of a boxing match. For a moment everything was quite as I looked at the titans and they looked back at me. Honestly, I thought they all looked ridiculous in their costumes, my business casual look was far more professional, but then that was the super hero culture for you. Then the moment was shattered by Robin snarling.
"You! Titans, go!" He jumped at me pulling out a collapsible staff from somewhere, not his ass, there was clearly still a rod jammed up there. I sidestepped his initial lunge and threw a daddy longlegs I'd picked up on the trip over onto his face. Robin dropped the staff and started to scream and flail. I had to sink my amusement into the swarm to stop myself from laughing.
Casually I hip checked the panicking boy wonder into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. That dealt with I made a show of dusting off my hands before turning to the rest of the brat's gob smacked team.
"Right, my name is Taylor Hebert. I am one of three people worldwide who have been endorsed and backed by the United Nations to deal with extraterrestrial invasive insect species. It is my duty to inform you that due to this incident your team is now officially under investigation by the United Nations for putting the planet's ecosystem in jeopardy. Should you be found guilty of deliberately introducing an invasive species You could be facing several decades of jail times and millions of dollars in fines."
The four teens immediately started to protest so I held up my hands for silence.
"Don't bother, I'm not in charge of the investigation, there is a multinational task force for that. My job is just to deal with the infestation as quickly as possible. However, I can and will say that immediately reaching out for someone who could deal with the situation is a definite mark in your favor. I am also obligated to inform you that one or more representatives from the Justice League will be here shortly to collect the insects for disposal. Before all that though was anyone stung? Their venom isn't quite like anything I've come across before and we may need to rush through research into an antivenom."
A chorus of negatives met my question and I gave the group a firm nod. All through my talk I'd been scouring the tower for anything I might have missed with a group of the insects. Luckily there weren't any eggs, nests or hives to be found. Seemed like the babies grew inside the mother then consumed her during the birth, which was all fucking kinds of horrifying, but not the weirdest thing I'd ever come across dealing with all the shit supers introduced to the ecosystem. Uncle Killer Moth's experiments had certainly been weird enough before he got locked up for it.
Satisfied I hadn't missed anything I directed all the remaining insects into the tower's central meeting room with the rest of us. Once the bird brain got back I would load them into the elevator and collect them outside for easier extraction. Or maybe not. The wind had been fairly strong. It wasn't likely but no point in risking a strong gust blowing some of them out of my range.
The elevator dinged behind me announcing the start of round two.
"Robin, did you really have to kill the poor innocent daddy longlegs?" The Boy Blunder just snarled in response.
"Taylor Hebert, alias Skitter, surrender!" I rolled my eyes.
"Brat, I'm the exterminator you called, and your little clubhouse is in enough hot water with the UN right now as it is. Attacking me will not make your situation any better. Besides that's not my 'alias' that's just some bullshit the media came up with."
"I said surren- wait, EXTERMINATOR?!"
"Yeah my powers great for pest control, and since I work so fast and don't have to use pesticides or whatever I can charge a premium." I shrugged. "A girl has to support herself somehow after all." Robin responded by doing a fairly good fish out of water impersonation. I let myself smirk, enjoying this probably more than I should.
"I, but you, and how, you're a murderer!" Oh, for the love of… had no one clued him in or was he just living a delusion? I did not want to rehash this again.
"Killer actually. After all the courts ruled in my favor as it being self-defense, and in the defense of others."
"Bullshit! It was revenge for your parents deaths!"
"Maybe, maybe not, but according to the court it was justified as self-defense and the defense of others. You know this, there are no warrants for my arrest, and I haven't committed any crimes. I really don't know why you're bothering." Robin gritted his teeth and snapped at me again.
"They were two blocks away from you!"
"Yup." I popped the p just to be annoying. "But the Joker and Scarecrow are known terrorists with a history of using chemical weapons. Assuming they are a threat to anyone within five blocks of them, if not anyone in the city assuming they might have something across town on a detonator is perfectly logical."
Beast Boy suddenly popped up right in front of me with a dramatic gasp and literal stars in his eyes.
"Dude, you're the girl who took down the Joker and the Scarecrow?! Can I have your autograph?!"
"Beast Boy!" Robin shouted.
"Sure." I shrugged in response. I didn't get a lot of people requesting my autograph, but I got enough. Every now and then when I needed some extra money Kitten would auction off a few autographs for me online. Almost all of them got bought up by people from Gotham. Even three years later I still apparently had a following there, and I knew for a fact there were semi regular petitions made by the people to buy my services as an exterminator to deal with the rest of the local villains.
I signed Beast Boy's autograph book which he had pulled from somewhere and smiled lightly as he bounced off to show Cyborg who looked bemused. Robin was still seething by the elevator. The two girls looked unsure about what they should be doing in this situation and just fidgeted nervously in the air.
I glanced at my watch before looking out the window to see the now familiar site of one of the Justice Leagues space ship, plane, things…. Come to think of it I never had gotten a name for those ships. Shrugging it off as unimportant I turned back to the group.
"Right, well this has been just lovely, I'm sure, but the League is here to pick up these guys." I waved to the insects gathered off to one side of the room. "And I need to get started on filling out a small mountain of paperwork as well as doing sweeps of the city to make sure none of the little monsters got loose. So, later."
As I walked past Robin and loaded up the insects into the elevator with me I just managed to make out Robin sputtering and turning white at the mention of the Justice League. I couldn't help but smirk and hope they gave him a nice, long, loud lecture on just how stupid they'd all been to bring home these little monsters instead of a regular souvenir, like a postcard or something.
{}{}{}{} Ch 2
"Batman, what an unpleasant if predictable surprise. Here to spank the naughty Boy Blunder and sweep his mistake under the rug?" I liked to imagine that the temperature dropped a few degrees with every word.
There was just something about the Bat that was fun to provoke. Or maybe it was just me being bitter about how he was part of a system that allowed criminals to escape and go out to murder more people… like my parents.
"Skitter." Batman answered even as his eyes narrowed into a scowl and he completely ignored my question. I rolled my eyes.
"We've been over this already, Bats. My name is Taylor. Taaaaylooor. Your memory seems to be just as bad as your protégées if you can't keep that straight. Or maybe it's your manners?"
Batman didn't respond verbally, but his eyes stayed squinted in a glare. The man could be such a drama queen, but then what did I expect from a man who liked to dress up like a bat to fight crime? Finally, he stalked off towards the Titans Tower.
An amused snort drew my attention to the ramp of their ship. Black Canary stood there one hand on her hip the other against the side if the ship with a small grin gracing her lips.
"Canary, good to see you again." I said warmly. "You seem to find your way onto a lot of my pickup runs lately."
"Ahh well, what can I say? I enjoy our little chats, and it's always interesting to see what the wider universe has to offer, even if they are all creepy crawlies." She said the last with a dramatic shudder. "So, beetle hornets?"
Obligingly I ordered one of the insects to fly up to her hand for examination and started to direct the rest of the swarm into several large steal crates for transport and later destruction. Luckily it looked like they had brought enough storage this time. I hated having to hang around while they did multiple runs. Canary hummed as she looked the insect over.
"Well it's certainly a pretty shade of blue, almost a robin's egg color, and shiny. It's big alright but not like the last trip."
I sighed a little bit at the reminder. The last group had been hercules beetles the size of cats with this amazing burgundy shell. I'd actually petitioned the UN to let me keep a single male as a house pet, but they had shot me down pretty hard. They knew I could handle it, but they really had not wanted to set that kind of precedent.
"Anything interesting about them other than the color?"
"Their venom is some kind of neurotoxin, so you might want to get someone look at it before you destroy them. Their eyesight is weird even by bug standards and they are willing to eat just about anything. Including upholstery and carpeting, though that could just be their instincts not being developed for an industrialized world, hard to say." I rattled off the pertinent details and Canary nodded along. I did leave out their reproductive cycle though, no reason to creep the woman out to much. With a mental command I had her specimen join the rest and sealed and locked the crates for transport. "How are you and archer boy doing?"
"Oh, Arrow and I are doing alright. Work still tends to get in the way but we find time for ourselves." Canary replied with a sunny smile. "How about you? Still no luck finding a good guy?"
"Ughh no, not even a little. Normal's just can't deal with me long term. They don't have the built-up tolerance for strange that people with powers have. And people with powers just can't wrap their heads around why I'm not out in costume beating up thugs or robbing banks." It was an old conversation at this point, but it was always nice to have someone willing to listen to me bitch. Canary was good like that. "Besides lately I've had my hands full dealing with Kitten's latest-ex."
"Oh, your cousin having boy trouble of her own?"
"Not, exactly…. Fang, as if that's actually his real name," I said rolling my eyes. "Is some sort of human spider hybrid. Why my sister wanted to date him…." I sighed, even as Canary made a disgusted face. "Maybe the fascination with insects is just a family trait. Regardless they were never going to last but while he was hanging around well…." I trailed off and looked away.
"What? You can't just get me interested and leave it there."
"Ughh he was 'bug' enough for my power to affect him and apparently he got off on someone controlling him, alright." I groaned. "I keep having to chase him off without letting Kitten know her Ex is stalking me. It's really weird and creepy."
"Oh, wow, that's just…"
"I know! Ughh and he's only a year older than Kitten! I know I'm only twenty, but he's sixteen, that just isn't going to happen. And what would I even do with a boy who was constantly under my complete control?! How on earth could that ever be a healthy relationship?"
I blew out a frustrated breath and tucked some loose hairs back behind my ear. Canary gave me an awkward one-armed hug.
"Hang in there, Taylor. I'm sure you'll find someone sooner or later." I gave the blonde a tired smile and a small nod before sighing and pulling away.
"I wish I could stay longer Canary, but I should really get going. I need to do a grid search of the area to make sure none of these things got loose, and I'm sure I'll be fielding calls from panicking politicians soon enough too."
The blonde smiled and waved me off before heading into Titans Tower no doubt going to add her own less grumpy commentary to what I hoped would be a thorough dressing down.
{}{}{}{} Raven
The Tower was quiet for once, and I couldn't even enjoy it. Normally I'd be thrilled but there was a tension in the air that ruined what would otherwise be peaceful and relaxing.
Robin was glaring at a computer monitor reading through a number of files on who knew what and pointedly glaring at Beast Boy every now and then. Cyborg was reading over a list of guidelines, procedures and laws we would need to comply with before we would be allowed to leave the planet again. Beast Boy was still admiring his new autograph and pointedly ignoring Robin. And Starfire…. well she hadn't settled in one spot for more than a few seconds since the older heroes had left.
With a sigh I closed my book resigned to the fact I wasn't going to get any reading done like this.
"Would someone please explain what the problem is for the alien and the girl from another dimension." I asked with my best 'unamused' voice. That got a reaction from the boys, mainly just them blinking in surprise, but still.
Grumbling Robin typed away for a moment before a file complete with a several year-old photo of the exterminator from earlier popped up on the big screen. Then the screen split and a second file with a more recent picture filled the other half of the screen.
"Taylor Hebert, age twenty, her metahuman ability is to control all the insects in her range, which is several city blocks, at least. She has perfect control of those insects, and a seemingly infinite ability to multitask. The first that anyone knew about her was when she used her swarm to kill the Joker. She used bugs to fill his throat and choke him to death… two weeks later she killed the Scarecrow the same way." Robin scowled at the pictures.
"Friend Robin, who are the Joker and the Scarecrow?" Robin blinked again like he couldn't believe someone asked him that before palming his forehead and typing away. The two files on Taylor were replaced by two new files.
"The one on the left is the Joker, the one on the right is the Scarecrow. They were villains in Gotham city." Beast Boy snorted and shook his head.
"Dude, you can't just call them villains and leave it at that!"
"What are you talking about Beast Boy?" Robin asked frowning.
"Dude, the only villains they've seen are the people we've fought with! I'm mean yeah some of them can fight and pack a punch, but those guys?" Beast Boy waved at the screen. "They were nuts, total crazies." Beast Boy turned to look at Starfire and I. "They both had kill counts, like a few hundred people each, I think?" Beast Boy turned to Cyborg looking for confirmation.
"Yeah, I think the Joker had just over four hundred before she killed him, and Scarecrow was getting close to two hundred." Cyborg answered seriously. Beast Boy nodded gratefully before turning back to us.
"Most of those people died from chemicals, and they were really bad ways to die. The Joker had this stuff that made people laugh themselves to death. Like, they're laid up in hospital beds and they're terrified and crying and they still can't stop laughing. The Scarecrow, he had this hallucinogen, literally scared people to death, just terrified them until their hearts gave out. She lost her Mom to the Scarecrow and her Dad to the Joker, I think. Nothing really stopped them they just kept racking up more kills." Beast Boy shrugged looking sad, his pointed ears drooped.
"Batman and I could handle them!" Robin broke into the conversation furiously.
"Rob, they had both busted out of jail at least a half dozen times. Yeah you guys could lock them up, but you couldn't keep them locked up. Every time they broke out people died." Cyborg said gently resting a hand on Robins shoulder. Robin brushed him off.
"So that somehow makes it ok for her to kill them for revenge!"
"Honestly? Kinda, yeah." Cyborg answered. Robin just gaped at the him. "I remember watching the news coverage. I heard every argument for and against what she did. The whole country did, man. If the government ever beat you and Batman to the punch they'd have shot them, and that would have been the end of it right there. Honestly it's a miracle no cop ever arranged for those two to have an 'accident' or that they were never shot and killed while 'attempting to escape.'" Cyborg said making finger quotes.
"We don't have the right to be judge, jury, and executioner! We stop the villains that's what we do, full stop!" Robin shouted.
"Dude, so do the cops, but when they have to shoot someone, or snipe a terrorist no one gets bent out of shape about it." Beast Boy cut in looking angry.
"We're not the police! We don't have government oversight, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard than that!"
From there the boys broke out into a three-way screaming match waving their arms in each other's faces. Star and I shared a glance and I gestured for her to follow as I turned to leave the room.
"Friend Raven, I am most confused." I simply nodded.
"Yeah, that didn't really clear things up. Though I don't think we'll be getting any more out of the boys anytime soon." I said with a role of my eyes. Starfire gave an affirmative little noise.
"Then how will we be getting answers? I would still like to understand." I hummed thoughtfully.
"Well we could look it up online… but if the Boy's reactions are anything like most people's we'd probably be right back where we are now."
"So, what do we do?" Star asked tilting her head.
"Simple, we ask Taylor ourselves."
{}{}{}{} Taylor
Three hours of walking and finding no evidence of alien bugs and still hours to go before I could call it a night. City busses were terrible for this kind of work because they traveled on a set route and would completely ignore the grid search I needed to do. I could have driven but in a city with the amount of super powered crime that Jump sported there was almost constant construction and repair work going on. That meant that my route was likely to be redirected or I could be stuck in traffic for hours on end. Sadly, that meant that slow as it might be and as much as my feet might protest going on foot was my best option.
While I had worked I had fielded three calls from various people in the United Nations invasive species task force, a call from the state Congressman and two calls from the Mayor. I was hungry, my feet hurt, and each phone call had left me more emotionally drained than the last.
I could understand why people panicked but I'd been through this song and dance too many times for it to really affect me anymore. Whereas every time was the first time for whatever local, and often state, politician I was forced to deal with in the aftermath. At least this time I wasn't having to do the routine through an interpreter. Last time I'd gone through three interpreters before they found someone with enough guts to not run screaming from the cloud of alien insects I was rooting out.
"Hello!" The cheery visage of Starfire appeared almost from thin air in front of me in a blur of orange skin and red hair.
"Gahh! Don't do that to people!" I jumped back surprised.
"Star, we've talked about this." The grumpy monotone had me looking over my shoulder to see Raven gliding in for a landing.
"Oops, my apologies." The alien girl said with a sheepish smile. I blew out an aggravated breath but shook off the annoyance as best I could before looking over the two teens now standing in front of me.
"It's fine, did you two need something from me?"
"Not exactly." Raven said.
"We are hopeful that you can explain why our teammates are arguing about you. They have been most out of sorts since the Batman and Canary left." Starfire said puppy dog eyes in full effect. Not that those did anything to me. I had to keep Kitten from running up a bunch of ridiculous expenses all the time already. I was pretty much immune to teenage puppy eyes at this point.
"I'm not really sure what you girls are actually asking. Your teammates are fighting about me?"
"Sort of." Raven answered. "At least it started with you. Then it turned into a shouting match about super hero morality and excessive force…"
Ahhh well that cleared things up, still I was on the clock….
"Raven, right?" The girl nodded. "Can you make platforms with you power? And float them around?" The teen shrugged.
"Sure. Why?"
"I still need to do my grid search to check for any escaped bugs, but if you help with transport I'll be able to get done quicker. Let me grab some lunch, then if you're willing to play transport we can all talk while I work."
The girls shared a glance before nodding. With a smile I headed towards a food truck my power had noticed a block over. This conversation would no doubt be a pain but at least I could get a falafel.
{}{}{}{}
"Right." I said, stuffing the food wrapper into my pocket to throw away later. "So, super hero ethics shouting matches, and how I figure into them, right?" The two girls nodded and I sighed. I hated this conversation, but Starfire was pretty obviously an alien, and Raven was different enough she might be one as well so it made sense that they wouldn't really know any of this.
I leaned back on my hands keeping my legs crossed as we floated along on Raven's black energy platform. For a moment I closed my eyes and sunk into the swarm letting my emotions settle even as I kept a metaphorical eye out for hornet beetles.
"How much do you know about Batman, Robin and Gotham city?"
"Very little." Raven answered. "Beast Boy explained a bit about the Joker and the Scarecrow, mostly about how, and how many people they had killed." Both girls fidgeted a bit awkwardly.
Even now, years later thinking about those monsters hurt. The fact they were dead and gone made things easier, but it still hurt.
"Right… the first thing you need to understand is that Gotham City was and is a shit hole." I said bluntly. "Not enough jobs mean that people turn to crime to survive. That makes the city more dangerous and run down and then good people end up leaving looking for better places to live and so on. The city has been like that for a long time now."
The girls nodded following my words closely.
"Then Batman showed up, suddenly all the criminals had a lot more to worry about than a bunch of underpaid and underfunded cops. The city got a little safer, a little better, there was hope… then the villains started to crop up. They weren't the kind of villains you all deal with here, Gotham villains are all crazy. When Batman caught them, they got thrown in an insane asylum rather than a prison." I blew out a long sigh.
"But they would just bust out and start killing people all over again. All that progress the city made? Gone. Anyone with a lick of common sense started to get the hell out of town, more businesses closed, or some got wrecked by villains. That meant less jobs and more people turning to crime to get by. Basically, what Batman did just wasn't working anymore. Or at least not as well."
The two teens shared a glance. They looked troubled, but beyond that I couldn't even guess what they were thinking.
"Thing is, Batman has strong ideals. He's a cold hearted piece of shit who's not afraid to use fear and violence to make criminals stop… but he doesn't like killing. Goes out of his way to avoid it at all costs really. Neither of you are from earth, right?" The girls nodded. "How would people deal with unrepentant mass murderers where you come from?" Raven answered first.
"On Asarath, such a person would have their mind altered. Their personality would be… erased I suppose. They become productive members of society… but there not quite right after that. They just, sort of go through the motions. No emotions or impulses or attachments." Well… that's a terrifying thought. Starfire seemed to agree, her bright orange skin paled to an almost human tan and she shivered at the thought.
"Friend Raven that is, how could your people?! Such a fate is, is-" she trailed off like she couldn't find the proper word to describe it. "For a Tamaranian, such a fate would be worse than death, worse than being crippled! I would rather be bound to the ground with two broken legs than suffer such a fate!" Raven only shrugged looking mildly uncomfortable.
"My people believed that there was nothing worse than death. And that to take another person's life was the greatest of sins." The dark Titan shrugged. "I'm not sure I agree, I can think of plenty of fates worse than death, but they refused to kill and that was the harshest punishment they used." Starfire didn't seem happy about that but set it aside for the moment.
"My people are warriors. For one to kill their own people without just cause… prison, or death. More often death." Starfire answered.
"Here on earth it's also prison or death. But which depends on a lot of things, like where you are, how much proof has been gathered, and often enough who was killed and how they were killed."
The two titans looked at me oddly for that last bit.
"Let's say a man, a criminal, shoots and kills another man who is also a criminal. It sucks that someone died, but the truth is people expect that sort of thing. It doesn't shock and horrify them, so more than likely he's bound for jail." The girls nodded slowly.
"If that same man were to instead have tortured a mother and her daughter to death in their home." I carefully avoided mentioning anything along the lines of rape, for all that they had chosen to be heroes they still seemed far to innocent. "That upsets people, that horrifies people. It reminds them that despite what society tells them, living a law abiding life does not mean they are safe. That's more likely to get the death penalty, especially if it's not the first time." The girls nodded again, albeit slowly this time.
"Gotham is in an area where we don't have the death penalty anymore. If a criminal died in a shootout with the police." I shrugged. "No one cared. One less piece of shit on the streets. But the police couldn't handle the villains and Batman, and his student, Robin, they don't kill."
"Robin is the student of the Batman?" Starfire's surprise caught me off guard but I nodded anyway.
"So, what was with the tension between them?" Raven asked.
"Wait, they're not getting along?" The girls shook their heads no. Huh, go figure. "I have no idea then. Must have something to do with why the Brat's here in jump instead of back in Gotham." We all took a moment to digest that before I moved on.
"Anyway, Batman not killing is probably a good thing. Before superheroes were common you all would have been labeled vigilantes and the police would have been out to arrest you." Both girls looked highly affronted but I just plowed on with the conversation.
"The early heroes; Batman, Superman, Flash, those guys, the fact that they didn't kill or maim criminals made people more accepting. Sure, they were taking the law into their own hands, and some people wound up with broken bones, but they weren't ignoring people's right to a trial. Supervillains showing up kind of forced people to accept it because the police just couldn't deal with them on their own. And now anyone can throw on a pair of tights and beat up criminals and no one bats an eye."
"So, the killing of the criminals is a bad thing then, yes?" Starfire asked sounding unsure. I gave her a small tired smile.
"If you killed every criminal, or even just every villain you fought, the regular people would be terrified of you and would likely try to throw you in jail. And as far as I'm concerned, they would be right to. But sometimes someone has to die and it's down to you or them, or them or the civilians. Or sometimes you know that if you don't stop them permanently then it will only be a matter of time before they are back on the streets and more people die. What do you do in those situations? Maybe you can take off a leg, or blind them, or break their spine and leave them paralyzed… or maybe you could kill them and be sure."
"Like the Joker, and the Scarecrow." Raven said thoughtfully. "You wanted to be sure?"
"I also wanted revenge, and justice." I freely admitted. "But yeah I wanted to be sure. There were other people in Gotham with similar body counts you know? I could have stuck around, kept cleaning house, only dealt with the worst of the worst. People would have thanked me for it. But I don't really want that. Super heroes, super villains… it all seems so immature to me. People dressing up in funny clothes to go do a job they won't be paid for, that they just choose to do because they can rather than because someone thought they were qualified. You all do a lot of good, but I just don't understand why you're not doing it as police with extra abilities or something." I shrugged, brushing the topic aside.
"But back to the whole morality of killing in the line of duty thing. Batman believes heroes should never kill, or only kill under the absolute worst circumstances maybe. I've never sat down and asked him exactly how strongly he feels about it, but I do know he's fought and killed during several alien invasions. Because he trained Robin the Brat thinks the same way, or at least has a very similar opinion. Before what I did people could mostly ignored the issue because up till then everyone had been on the same page; heroes didn't kill or maim super villains. But after I killed those two? After I turned myself in and the courts ruled what I did counted as self defense and defense of a third party?" I spread my hands out wide in a gesture to show how big the effect had been.
"Everyone and their uncle came out of the woodwork with their own opinion. Why hadn't those two been given the death sentence? Why hadn't Batman done what I did years ago? What gave a teenage girl the right to decide those two deserved to die? Why were other villains not being treated with the same level of violence? Nobody had a good answer then and they still don't have a good answer now. Hell, they don't even have any laws on the books about this stuff and it's been years." I shrugged. "That's what your teammates are fighting about most likely. I'm just a very controversial real world example of all that."
The three of us sat mostly silent as I directed Raven and her platform occasionally as we finished my search. Thankfully there were no signs that any of the bugs had escaped their tower. The girls dropped me off near home and I thanked them for their help and they thanked me for explaining things to them.
Feeling exhausted I made my way inside and placed an order for Chinese takeout for Kitten and I. Then I started in on the mountain of paperwork I needed to fill out. With any luck I'd be done before midnight.
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