3.7
March 30th, 2011, 12:06 AM
The sound of a voice she didn't know broke through the fog weighing her down. Clearing her eyes seemed to take an eternity, but they eventually opened to a sight that burned away the fatigue pulling at her.
Metallic flakes surged out in a flood, forming a whip that slammed into the man crouched over her friend. He hit the ground and rolled several times as she pulled back with her power, leaving it to shift restlessly in the air near Minako.
"Fucking bastard," Catherine snarled, pushing upright. Even with the burst of adrenaline, her arms and legs were slow to respond. "Mina, you awake? Mina?" She saw the man begin to rise, blood visible from where he had hit his head. A quick look around showed the normally empty neighborhood had more people than she was expecting to see.
Some had Empire colors, and some were ABB, but most just appeared to be people fighting. What the hell was going on? She gave Minako a nudge, hoping she would wake while drawing up more of her power, tagging everyone in range.
The man who had been assaulting Minako was on his feet, staring at her with crazed eyes. "Bitch, gonna fuck you and the sloke –"
She didn't let him finish, slamming him away with her power. He kept his feet, if only just and swung his arms futilely at the rapidly growing cloud around him. Catherine fumbled in her pocket as he shouted something incoherent, bringing out her lighter and flicking it to life in one motion.
"No, I'm going to fuck
you up, bastard," she snarled, a stabbing motion setting the thin strand of material floating near her alight.
The man's face turned a sickly yellow under the artificial color of the streetlights. He tried to run away, but the cloud followed and a moment later, he was ablaze as multiple sounds like small explosions erupted in quick succession.
"You… have been eating too many marshmallows again," Minako's voice said slowly, as if from far away. Catherine fought back a giggle despite the situation they were in and the sound emerged as an odd-sounding snort.
"Are you alright?" she said as soon as she had cleared her throat, keeping an eye on the area. The spectacle Catherine made had spooked the people who were fighting nearby.
"I… appear to be. What happened?" Minako asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Taylor freaked out and grabbed us and then…" She frowned and scanned the area again. "Um… Taylor and the other girl are missing."
"What?" Minako sat up and Catherine caught her before she fell back and cracked her head. "That... hurt."
"I remember lots of sound and light, and then not a thing. I think Taylor was shielding us from the worst of it, but…"
"I think I may have turned my ankle somehow," Minako said. "And the world appears to be spinning much faster than it should be."
"Oh, boy, maybe you should turn on your side befo –," Catherine cut off as Minako did so,
in her direction. She hastily threw together a shape from the flakes to contain what was about to happen, setting it on the grass in front of her.
"This is one of the least pleasant things we've done together, I think," she said as her friend expelled the contents of her stomach into the construct she made, a high-lipped, crude basin.
"I… am sorry," Minako said after a moment. "I think I can walk now, maybe. Your parents are probably out looking for us."
"Ugh, they're going to yell at us…" Catherine muttered, reaching into the pocket where she kept her phone. "Do you have your phone?"
Minako was still for a moment. "It appears to be gone. Stolen?"
"If so, then mine's gone too," she said, the words coming out with more than a small amount of worry. "And Taylor… I'm worried, Mina."
"Help me up," Minako instructed, glancing down at the torn section of her shirt with distaste. "I do not think we should remain here much longer. Whatever occupies the authorities is likely not to keep them forever." She turned her eyes toward the building they had been talking to their friend inside in. Faint hints of orange could be seen from within and Catherine thought she could see the beginning curl of smoke emerging from within.
Slowly climbing to her feet, Catherine offered her hands to Minako, who helped her stand on shaking legs. A pained look crossed her friend's face as she gingerly settled weight on her right leg and the brunette carefully drew the other girl's right arm across her shoulders.
"Lean on me, Mi-chan," she said softly, holding firm as her friend settled against her.
"I should walk beside you, not as a burden," Minako said, a hint of stubbornness in her voice. Catherine smiled and began walking, taking care to keep her pace matched to her friend's.
"You're not," Catherine said. "After all, who patched me up when I got ganged up on in elementary? Consider it repaying a debt, if it bothers you that much."
"Cat-chan," the use of the old nickname made her half-skip a step, nearly upsetting Minako's pace. She recovered quickly, adjusting her weight to keep her friend from falling. "The present should concern us now, not the past."
The exhalation was sharp and bitter. "Yeah. I was trying not to think of that. Since that blonde twit is gone too, do you think it was Coil?"
"I do not care to contemplate the alternatives," Minako replied, drawing a sour look from Catherine. "But his actions are the most positive where our friend is concerned."
"
Positive?" Catherine said. "She may have been kidnapped… what is –"
Two of Minako's fingers pressed against her lips. "If it was an attack, there is another option. A group she recently did a lot of damage to."
"The Empire." Catherine breathed when Minako took her hand away. "Shit. I didn't think of them. But…"
"Unlikely, given how soon this occurred," Minako said. "But ruling them out would be foolish."
"We need to find a payphone," Catherine said, throwing a worried look around. There were people still fighting. Most wore Empire colors and ganged up on others wearing ABB colors. "I have some change, so I can get a call to my dad. I don't think we want to be on the streets any longer than we have to."
"You are not wrong," Minako answered, tilting her head slightly like she was listening to something. "All the noise is helping me, though. What do you suppose is going on?"
"All hell breaking loose, it looks and sounds like," Catherine said after a moment, eyeing a distant section of skyline ahead that was tinted orange. "Looks like we've got some fires off that way… guessing something touched off the Empire and ABB fighting."
"This is not a good situation," Minako said, her voice sounding stronger, more collected. "We should hasten to be away from here before –"
Glass shattered somewhere nearby, followed by a thunderous roar that seemed to go on forever before cutting off with a sick squelching sound. Catherine and Minako both froze, but thankfully avoided tripping or unbalancing one another.
"What the hell was that?" Catherine asked, her voice a touch high as they began moving forward once more.
"Whatever it was, we are in no condition to go investigate," Minako answered. "I believe that is a payphone ahead, by the way."
"I think it
was a payphone," Catherine said as they reached it. The light that should have been on above it was out and there were lines cut nearby, dangling from a nearby pole. Carefully, she lifted the receiver and brought it toward her ear before dropping it in disgust. "Dead. I guess that's not a surprise."
"Those people fighting," Minako said, looking toward a small group that was trashing a storefront, "we can relieve one of them of their phones."
"You up for that?" Catherine asked, readying herself by replenishing the material she had used against Minako's attacker.
"I am not inclined, but I do not believe we have a choice. We need to know what has happened, what
is happening." Light started to glow around her hands. "Do not give them the chance to retaliate?"
"Wasn't planning on it," Catherine said, sweat popping on her forehead as she filled the air with more and more of the gunpowder-like substance. It fell on the men in a rush while Minako drove one away from the rest with beams of light, hammering him until he fell in a heap. The other three went down not long after that, battered by a combination of Minako's powers and bludgeoning strikes from the cloud of flakes, shaped by Catherine's control over it.
"Lemme go check that guy for his phone," Catherine said. "Keep an eye on me?"
"Always," Minako answered. Catherine flashed her a grin and quickly crossed the street, checking the downed gang member and coming away with a old flip phone. Keeping an eye on the gang members they had taken down, she crossed back over to Minako.
"Get away from here before we use it?" she asked as Minako's arm settled across her shoulders again.
Minako nodded, already looking around before using her free hand to point at a nearby service ladder leading up the side of a stubby building. "High ground is the best choice. We should not be down on the streets, exposed."
"Right," Catherine nodded, slowly helping her over to the ladder. "You're up first." Minako began climbing slowly, her ascent sluggish to avoid putting too much weight on her injured ankle. Meanwhile, Catherine kept close as she climbed the ladder behind her friend.
The roof afforded them some measure of privacy and Catherine knelt, carefully easing off Minako's shoe to examine her ankle while the other girl called Catherine's parents.
"Yes, the two of us are fine," Minako was saying, sucking in a breath as the brunette prodded gently at her ankle. "We will explain when we are safely away from here. No, I will not. Nor will Catherine. We are–" She tuned out the phone conversation as Minako stated their general location.
"Angry, I take it?" Catherine asked, carefully slipping the sock and shoe back onto her friend's foot.
"To put it mildly," Minako answered, exhaling sharply as the shoe closed around her foot. "We may have to wait for a bit. The situation further out in the city seems similar to what we have below, only more so."
"Shit," Catherine growled. "Did they say why? What the hell's going on?"
"I did not ask and they did not say," Minako said. "They merely said to keep a low profile and they would get here when they could." Catherine sighed and sat down beside her friend, letting her back rest against the lip of the roof.
"Empire or Coil, what do you think, really?" she asked after a few minutes.
"About Taylor?" When Catherine nodded, Minako drew in a slow, thoughtful breath. "I suspect this Coil. The blonde, Lisa, seemed certain that Coil saw Taylor as an object to possess. Perhaps he has been watching her all this time and struck because of Lisa's actions?"
"Maybe it was a trap and she baited Taylor into it," Catherine muttered.
Minako nodded, a slight gesture. "That is a possibility as well. Though risking one asset for another would suggest against it."
She thumped her fist on her left leg with a growl. "I don't like this. Taylor could be in a lot of trouble right now and we're stuck hiding out here on the roof."
"I share your frustration, but without more information, it would be foolish to go off right this moment. We do not have our costumes, or equipment. Nor do we have any idea of this Coil's, if he is indeed responsible, resources."
Catherine snarled, but her expression quickly turned thoughtful. "That girl was talking like he's some sort of Bond villain. I still don't know, but it sounded like she wasn't working for him because she wanted to, if she wasn't the reason that all happened."
Minako said nothing for a moment before nodding slightly. "If she is responsible or played a part in this knowingly, we will chastise her for such actions."
Catherine stretched her arms and then looked around. "Think we should move over there by the AC unit so we're not right here at the edge where someone might see us?"
"That might be best," Minako answered after a moment's thought. "Help me up?"
"Always," Catherine said in imitation of an earlier remark. Minako smiled and the two moved across the roof. Gravel shifted as they settled down and stared off into the distance. The skyline was mostly dark, a change from how the city core would light up the night just like any city. But now the lights flickered spastically, new lights blazed into existence and died just as quickly all over Brockton Bay's skyline. Distantly, the sounds of fighting and sirens could be heard, and a rhythmic yet heavy
thump punctuated the explosive flares. The faint hum of the AC rumbled against their backs as they watched the scene before them, together.
~~~~~~~~
March 30th, 2011 1:20 AM
The group of Empire members scattered like bowling pins as she dropped to the ground in a perfect three point stance. She had seen it from an imported Earth Aleph movie and wanted to use it, but it had taken her a while to get perfect.
It was just too bad that none of these racist jerks appreciated the effort she went to for making a dynamic entry. Most of them took one look at her and ran away as soon as they got to their feet. A few brave ones tried to attack her; well they were stupid in her opinion, but they thought they were brave, so that was something, right?
She let the first grunt swing his pipe at her, not even acknowledging the attack before she casually backhanded him. Only one other had stayed and he swung a broken bottle at her. Without bothering to comment, she turned on the next one, catching his arm mid-swing and squeezing till it cracked and he screamed.
Victoria Dallon shot off to the others, barely giving them any more attention than it took to knock them down. The past few hours had been hectic, the city going up in flames both figuratively and literally. ABB and E88 were swarming the streets in open arms. She had gone out earlier to blow off some steam after seeing some late night news reports that were being less than kind about who they felt was responsible for all of this.
Like the miserable bastards who haven't been in a fight once in their lives have any idea what it's like to be in a cape fight. The thought made her grimace as she took out another cluster of gangsters.
It wasn't long before she had broken and left them in a moaning, insensate pile. She needed to talk to someone and Amy was still in a snit over something. Dean was busy with Wards duties. And the only other person she could reliably talk about this with wasn't answering her phone.
"Damnit, Taylor," she muttered as she flew away after calling in the gangsters she had just taken down. "Answer your phone already. You only have like three people who call you. It even has caller ID, so knowing who's calling you shouldn't be a mystery!"
She sighed and scanned the streets below, looking for something else that she could bust up. Tonight, she had her pick of mobs she could break up. Even hours after it began, the fighting was still in full swing. New Wave was out in force, alongside the Protectorate and Wards.
Vicky had foregone joining them, though, and was roaming around on her own, glaring at her phone from time to time.
"I should have swung by earlier," she grimaced as another message went straight to voicemail. She had tried the numbers she had for Hanabi and Rockshow as well and got the same thing. It was starting to worry her. All three falling out of touch while all this was going on? You didn't grow up in a family of Heroes and not know the cliches.
"Might as well swing by and make sure she's alright," Vicky mused, banking to the left and towards the Firehouse. She hadn't been around for a day or two, so hopefully they were just having issues with cell service or something.
She paused a couple of times along the way to break up some fights before coming to a halt in the air above Taylor's hideout. For a long moment, she simply hung there, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
The large picture window on the second floor was shattered. A few pieces of glass still hung in the frame, their edges glinting from a nearby street light.
"What the hell?" she said aloud, dropping lower for a better look. There were no lights inside, but the flickering of flames was visible between shifts of the smoke slowly billowing out. She took a deep breath before barreling in. A quick sweep through, even with the gathering smoke, told her that there was no one inside.
Still holding her breath, Vicky drew an arm back. A moment later, a section of the floor shattered under her fist, sending the burning debris tumbling to the lower level and onto the concrete floor below.
"Taylor?" she called out, hoping the noise would catch her attention if she was still inside. No response came and she went from room to room, often plowing through walls as the fires and smoke started to spread, but she couldn't find any sign that Taylor or anyone else was here.
"What the hell happened here?" Vicky asked aloud, floating out through the hole and moving to where she had a view of the area. There were a few gangsters fighting a block or so away, but no signs of anyone beyond that.
A few had stopped to stare, so she floated there and dropped in front of them, cracking her knuckles once. She let her aura flare a bit, her worry over what might have happened here feeding it. "Hey. You guys wanna tell me what happened here?"
One of them stepped forward, sporting Empire colors and sneering. "Why should I tell a bitch like you?"
She didn't bother to reply to him, launching forward and flicking her finger at his chest. He tumbled away, knocking several others down. She crossed her arms, staring at those still standing. "Let's try again. What happened over there at the firehouse?"
The rest stood for a moment, faces etched with fear, before they broke and ran in different directions.
"Damnit," Vicky swore, pulling her aura back as she realized her temper had set it higher than she had intended. "Stupid. I can fly… why do they
always think they can run away?" She rotated, trying to decide which one to pursue.
One of them was sporting that incredibly stupid trend of wearing their pants below their hips and she saw it hindering his efforts to escape. "Well, you get picked because that look pisses me off."
She caught him by the back of his neck, arresting his movement and lifting him into the air. "Now, as I was saying…"
"Oh god, don't kill me!" he cried out, struggling against her grip.
"Stop that!" she snapped, turning to face the firehouse. "And I'm not. I just want answers! What happened here?"
A familiar ring tone interrupted him and Vicky closed her eyes, counting to ten slowly as the music of her phone continued. "Ugh. Hang out over here, okay? I need to take this." Hoisting him up, she hung him from a nearby light post.
"You can't leave me up here, you crazy bitch!" the man yelled.
"You'll be fine," Vicky said absently, fishing out her phone. "Don't go anywhere, alright? I'll be right back after I take this call."
"I'm a bit busy with something, what do you want?" she asked after putting the earpiece for the phone in place.
"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young lady," her aunt answered. "We are having some trouble containing a mess downtown. The PRT asked for our help after a skirmish with the Empire."
"I don't have time for Nazis," Vicky protested. "I've got –"
"You are a member of New Wave, Victoria, and I am telling you to get over here and help us. Whatever you're off doing can
wait. PRT HQ, now."
The call ended and Vicky swore several times before stuffing the phone and earpiece in her waist pack. She turned in midair and looked at the firehouse and the smoke curling out of its gaping hole for a long moment before flying off toward downtown.
***
The conference room was far too small for the number of people crammed into it. Vicky held a corner to herself, wishing she didn't have to be here. Aunt Sarah had been waiting and rushed her in almost as soon as she had landed. Now she was stuck listening to the Director drone on about the situation. It was all stuff she already knew. The Empire started attacking everyone in response to four of their own being arrested and the ABB had exploited the chaos to hit the Empire hard and now Brockton Bay was going up in flames.
The only difference was that the Director was talking about outright cooperation between New Wave and the Protectorate. Aunt Sarah was promising their full aid, as well. Hearing that, Vicky almost groaned. That meant she was going to be paired off with the Wards, basically getting babysat with them and assigned to low-danger areas. How the hell was she going to look for Taylor while dealing with that?
Maybe Taylor had been out and was busy smashing gangsters that she wasn't aware of what had happened? If Hanabi and Rockshow were with her, then maybe they were just busy with that and had turned off their phones? It was possible. She couldn't see them not being out in this, cleaning streets and taking names. But she couldn't banish that niggling feeling that she might be wrong.
Either way, she wasn't likely to find anything out while being stuck patrolling with a Ward. She'd be lucky if she knocked in more teeth then she could count on her fingers before the night was over.
"This sucks," she muttered, kicking at the floor.
"What does?" She looked up to see Gallant standing beside her, clad in full armor.
"Talk about it somewhere else," she muttered, ignoring the glare she was feeling from her aunt as she grabbed his arm and left the room. If she had to stay in here, she was going to break something.
"Where to?" he asked.
"Roof," she told him. "Remember the ass-chewing we got the last time you brought me into the Wards' little private space?"
"Stairs are faster," he said, frowning at her for an instant before leading the way. His frown deepened as Vicky brushed past him and took to the air, navigating between the stairs and up the stairwell quickly. He followed as fast as he could and stopped once he was on the roof, pausing to take in the sight of her lit up by the roof's lights and the night breeze ruffling her hair.
"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning at the way her shoulders tensed at the question.
Vicky took a long time to answer, releasing a heavy sigh before finally speaking. "I swung by where Taylor's staying after I couldn't get hold of her. She wasn't there."
"Maybe you just missed her?" Dean asked, trying to get a feel for what she was thinking. Ordinarily, she was an easy read, even accounting for his powers not always working right with her. But now, she was almost a blank slate, not giving any hint of anything beyond obvious upset.
Vicky's head moved, a slight motion that indicated disagreement. "Maybe. I'm not so sure. Her place was trashed, like someone had set off bombs inside. Everything was scorched, there was a fire starting to get out of control… and no sign of Taylor. Her phone goes straight to voicemail when I try."
Dean tilted his head thoughtfully, walking up behind her and slipping his arms around her. Vicky leaned against him for a moment. "That doesn't mean she herself is in trouble. She could be out late and not have her phone on. Someone maybe hit her place while she was out? There's enough crazy in town right now for that to be possible."
She pushed away, releasing an exasperated sound. "I don't
know. I feel like something's wrong and because Aunt Sarah's pushing this cooperation with the PRT, I can't go looking for her."
He watched her stalk around the roof and the thought that she reminded him often of a very angry cat drifted to the forefront of his mind. "Have you tried talking to her? To tell her your concerns?"
She huffed. throwing her arms up. "I was trying to and she just cut me off without letting me finish."
"Look," Dean began, moving closer to give her a hug, but she moved away and he let his arms drop. "I'm sure she's fine. Probably out trying to keep things under control. After this evening, do you
really think anyone's going to willingly tangle with her?"
Immediately, he suppressed a sigh at his choice of words as Vicky spun around, eyes wide and her voice a hiss. "What's that supposed to mean? You… shit. You know. Taylor's gonna kill me."
He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I haven't told anyone, I promise. But I've met Taylor, remember? And I've met Sirin. Even if I hadn't met her in costume, those newspapers where someone sold pictures of the two of you against Mush would have been enough to figure it out."
She stared at him for a moment and then covered her face with a hand. "This is such a mess. Someone else knows who she is, which is going to piss her off. Well, it would if I knew where she was. But, with the whole town going to shit in the past few hours, I don't know if I'll even get to tell her any time soon."
"Tell you what I'll do," Dean began. "I'll volunteer to partner off with you. We can look into this while patrolling."
Vicky dropped her hand. "Do you really think they'll let us pair off like that? They'll think we're going off to make out or something."
"Won't know unless we try." He flashed a smile. "I can be convincing, you know."
"You certainly can," Vicky replied, her mood swinging into something happier as she grinned at him. "Remember when you…"
"So, since you two snuck off, you weren't there for pairings," a voice interrupted whatever she was going to say. Both turned to see Assault leaning against the railing of the stairs that lead down into the building. Behind him, fidgeting nervously, stood Clockblocker. "So, to make sure you two aren't engaging in inappropriate behavior, you're with me and my buddy here."
"I'm in hell," Clockblocker grumbled. "It's stupidly late and we're not done yet and these two were probably going off to –"
Vicky glared at him, taking a step forward. "I will
murder you if you finish that sentence."
Assault raised a hand, cutting off Clockblocker's reply. "I have everyone's attention? Good. Gallant, go take Mr. Foot in Mouth downstairs. Get a soda or something. Barbie and I will be down in a few after I convince her to not wear Clock's ribcage as a hat"
"Sir?" Gallant asked, hesitating.
"I didn't stutter," Assault said. "Go on. I promise Barbie will be fine." Gallant hesitated for a moment more before nudging Clockblocker back down the stairs.
"I wouldn't really rip out his ribcage to wear as a hat." Vicky said, crossing her arms as the sound of the door in the stairwell clicked shut. His look was clearly skeptical, even through the mask he was wearing and she almost growled. "I wouldn't!"
"Sure, sure," Assault said. "But something's bothering you. That was a little violent with him. More than usual, I mean."
She stared for a moment. "And, what? You've appointed yourself my shrink?"
He laughed once, a short sound. "No, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about."
"What do you –" Vicky began, but fell silent as he held up a hand.
"Let's walk over here a bit," Assault said, slipping past her to move out toward the center of the landing pad. She stood for a moment, frowning, before following him.
"What was so important that you wanted to talk to me alone?" Vicky asked, still frowning.
"You know, I was a teenager once," he told her, looking out in the direction of the bay. "I remember that, and before you say anything, I'm not
that old. I definitely remember thinking I was pulling one over the adults around me."
"And?" Vicky said, wondering where this was going.
"Do you really think we're all stupid?" he asked. "I mean, really, I've met Sirin while she was running around with you and I've met Taylor doing the same. Two and two equal five, you know?"
"What… You – Not again!" Vicky's jaw dropped and she swung an arm up to point at him. "Shit. You. You know. And that means she knows too?"
"Puppy?" Assault asked, then nodded. "Figured it out the other day when you busted Cricket. Or, rather, you claimed to bust Cricket. You're a horrible liar, by the way."
"Shit, someone else knows," Vicky snapped. "Taylor's going to be so pissed. Everyone and their brother knows, it seems like. Fine, you know. What do you want?"
Assault blinked. "What do I want? What sort of question is that?"
"Taylor's told me all about the PRT bugging her," Vicky said. "How do I know this isn't more of that?"
He snorted. "Barbie, I'm the
last person the PRT would have toeing the line on some agenda. I figured it out and I did some digging. I don't like the situation she's in, so I want to help."
Vicky didn't say anything for a moment before sighing. "Fine. It's on you if she pops your head like a zit."
"I live dangerously," he retorted. "But seriously, I wasn't wrong about something bothering you?"
"No…" Vicky admitted.
"It has to do with her, doesn't it?"
"I couldn't reach her on her phone earlier, so I went to where she was staying and the whole place was trashed, like it had gotten bombed. There was no sign of her and I haven't been able to reach her or the other two she hangs out with."
"Those two indies, right?" he asked. Vicky nodded. "And bombed? Like regular bombs or the crazy kind that the ABB nutjob seems to use?"
"I dunno. Normal, I guess?" Vicky shrugged.
"Tell you what," he said, starting toward the stairs. "Let's go collect Clock and Gallant, then you show me where and I'll take a look. That sound good?"
Vicky grimaced and followed him after casting a worried glance out toward the city. "It's better than what we were going to do at least."
~~~~~~~~
Waiting, Catherine decided,
sucked. Her dad had shown up and they'd climbed down to the van. The whole trip home had been him expressing his displeasure and not letting her get a word in. The brunt of it had fallen on her, as Minako was faltering and really out of it by that point.
For her, though, Catherine found everything was too in focus. The lethargy that had clung to her initially on waking had faded in the rush of adrenaline that followed her defense of Minako and though she still felt detached, there was no urge to sleep. Her mind raced, worrying about Mina, Taylor and growing increasingly frustrated that they couldn't go looking for her.
I bet it was that fucking Coil. The thought made her shift in agitation, remembering her talk earlier with Mina. As much as she wanted to believe that, there could be any number of possibilities. The blonde could have just been a really good liar and was just setting this Coil up to take the blame. Who better to blame than a Villain no one ever saw, much less no one was certain even had a power in the first place?
An angry sound punctuated a kick at the floor. The coffee table in front of her was what she wanted to kick, but it was old and she had learnt her lesson about that years ago. Catherine glanced toward the phone and then shook her head. Trying Taylor's cell phone wasn't likely to give her anything more than voice mail the way it had the last few times.
One of the family's laptops was sitting on the coffee table and she lifted it into her lap, switching it on. Maybe she could find something useful about Coil while she was waiting. She could faintly hear sounds from the kitchen, her parents tending to Minako. That gave her a few minutes at least before-
"You can turn that off." She looked up to find her dad standing over her. She hadn't even heard him enter. Inwardly, she bristled at the order, but slowly closed the laptop. "Now, you are going to explain yourself."
"I'm sorry?" she asked, confused even as his expression became more forbidding and he crossed his arms.
"You went off this evening, without telling me or your mother anything, don't answer your phone for hours and when we do finally hear from you, it's from an unsecure phone to tell us you're hiding on a roof. So, explain yourself."
Her lips pressed together in a thin line. "I think you just did a better job than I would."
"Do not," he growled, "mouth off. What was it? Hanging out with your friend, the one you barely tell us anything about? Getting into trouble with her? Taylor's her name, right?"
"She had nothing to do with what happened to us," Catherine retorted. "I don't even know what happened to us, really. And I don't care. My friend is missing –"
"Minako gave us a run down already," he interrupted. "Sounded like an example of disorienting tactics. Snatch and grab, probably. And this blonde and your friend are missing now. So, clearly they were the targets. Which means it was her fault."
"It was not!" Catherine snapped, surging to her feet. "Taylor got attacked tonight and is god knows where and you're telling me it's her fault?"
"Sit down, Catherine," her dad told her. "Your friend doesn't concern me. She isn't my responsibility. You and Minako
are. I let you go out and do this with the understanding that you would follow orders. Tonight, you did everything but that and look at where it got you. Minako's hurt again and was clearly assaulted, though I gather you dealt with that before it could become anything more serious. All because you were out with your
friend."
"We didn't go out on patrol or anything like that!" Catherine retorted, her voice raising. "It was hanging out with my friends. Where does getting attacked or whatever fit in that?"
"Your friend was likely abducted by someone, or the person with her was and she got taken as well, either way, you got in trouble and hurt as a result!" he fired back. "You are my daughter! And Minako might as well be, given we take care of her more than her family! You two are more important to me than some girl I've met a handful of times!"
"You might not care, but I do!" Catherine yelled. "What, I'm supposed to just forget about my friend? You're the one who taught me that you don't leave anyone behind! I don't know where she is-"
"I taught you to follow my orders too!" he almost roared. "That was our agreement if I let you go out and participate in the cape freakshow!"
"Freakshow," Catherine repeated, her voice low yet hard. "Does that mean I'm a freak, dad? That Minako is?"
"Catherine, that isn't –"
"Isn't what? What you meant? You said '
if I let you go out and participate in the cape freakshow'. I think it was pretty clear what it meant, don't you?"
"Now, wait just a moment! That isn't what I meant and you are going to listen to me! You are not going out looking for your friend."
"No, you listen," Catherine said, her voice staying in that same low tone as her power surged and the air around her filled with countless flakes, shaping into a loose cloud with shiny tendrils surging off at random intervals. "I listened, because you know a lot of stuff. You were the one who taught me how to fight. But I did that because I wanted to, and that's all. If I don't want to listen to you anymore,
how are you going to stop me?"
Her dad took several steps back as her voice rose into almost a yell with the last words. He straightened and opened his mouth.
"What the hell is going on in here?" her mother demanded, standing near the hallway with Minako just behind her. "Catherine, put your powers away,
now. You know the rules. Ryan, what the hell? I could hear you in the back room."
Catherine stared at her dad and did not acknowledge her mom. The cloud created by her power shifted several times, roiling in mirror of her mood before it dispersed. A second later her dad walked out of the room without a word.
Leanna Greene stared after him for a moment before turning to the two girls. "I know you're frustrated, but it's really dangerous outside right now. So, you two are going to go to bed and get some rest. In the morning, we'll work out what to do, alright?"
"We will do so," Minako said, forestalling anything Catherine had been planning to say. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Told you that you don't have to thank me, Mina," Catherine's mother said. "Go get some sleep, both of you."
Catherine made a face, but said nothing as she slipped an arm around Minako to help her. Her foot had been bandaged, but she was still limping.
"I don't want to wait," Catherine said in a voice that only Minako could hear.
"She is correct about one thing," Minako replied, her tone just as soft. "We require more information before we can act. We should try and get in touch with Taylor's friend, Victoria, as soon as we can."
"Fine, fine," Catherine conceded, then grimaced as she yawned hugely. "I hope she's alright, though."
"We must have faith," Minako said. "She has managed to look after herself so far."
--
3.8 is underway and we'll briefly see the Travelers, then jump back into present time.
It's kinda cruel and sadistic, but I love it.
