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Firebird, a Worm AU/Xover?

Reader mode
I loved the last scene, the imaging of her flying through the broken window, broken glass shards orbiting around her, awesome. And I was laughing so hard at the "Shoes" line that my family was giving me the "Is he broken?" looks. And comments. Welp, looking forwards to tons more now.
 
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Dreaming - 2.3
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    • 2.3

    The first person to react to my statement was Boneyard, screaming something incoherent that set his skeletons shambling forward toward me and the duo he had been fighting. I shoved several of them back and reached out toward the limb that had caught Rockshow's ankle, as well as several others that were trying to grab her and Hanabi.

    An application of force and they crumbled, freeing the girl. The skeletons I had knocked down were getting up and I slammed a nearby packing crate into them, watching limbs break off.

    "You think that will stop them? Me?" Boneyard shouted and the skeletons reached for the arms or legs that had come off and reattached them. It really was like a b-list horror movie.

    "Well, that's new," Rockshow remarked. "Have you learned a new trick or have you just been holding out on us, Bonehead?"

    "It's Boneyard!" he snapped furiously, then took a deep breath, his head moving in a way that told me he was eyeing all three of us in turn. "As much as I would like to continue playing with the two of you and your new friend, I think I'll be going now. Cheers!"

    He palmed something and flung it at his feet. Smoke erupted in a cloud that filled the area around him quickly as his skeletons resumed their attacking. I tried to shove Boneyard with my telekinesis before I lost sight of him, but a skeleton ended up taking the hit instead. It crumbled and I hesitated for an instant before three more of his minions came out of the smoke.

    Their heads snapped off with a shove of force, but the bodies kept moving. I backed up a step and took their legs out and they started crawling toward me, using their arms to pull forward.

    "Horror movie, indeed," I muttered. How the hell did I make them stop? The first few had collapsed but I wasn't sure what I had done that made those crumble. At least I had severed their heads so they couldn't try and bite my leg off, I thought with a brief grin before shoving one away and lifting into the air.

    "Like this," Rockshow called out and I saw her gliding among the ones that were left, beams of light cutting the spines of each one she passed. The skeletons collapsed into piles immediately.

    I slammed my power against the spines of the ones that had been crawling toward me till nothing but dust was left, and watched them stop moving as Hanabi made the last two crumble with controlled explosions. When we were finished, and I couldn't see anything left still moving, I dropped to the ground, eyeing the two capes.

    "Newbie, huh?" Rockshow asked, settling her hands in front of her, one over the other.

    "Yeah, second night," I said hesitantly. "Look, sorry if my jumping in was unexpected. It looked a little unfair."

    Hanabi shrugged. "There's more of them than us, really. Sharing or teaming up comes as part of the routine."

    I frowned a little at that, remembering what I had seen about the ratio of heroes and villains in Brockton Bay. The villains did outnumber the heroes, so it stood to reason that anyone functioning as an independent hero would have to share when encountering. I wondered if the independent villains felt the same way when coming across heroes.

    "So, got a name so that we're not calling you newbie?" Rockshow asked, drawing my attention back from my moment of distraction.

    "Ah, Sirin," I said. "You're Hanabi and Rockshow, right?"

    "That's us," Hanabi chirped, sounding rather cheerful for having just fought off a small army of skeletons. "Good to meet you!"

    I shifted my feet and nodded. "Um… well, should we go after him?"

    "Boneyard is very good at getting away," Rockshow said. "By now, he is already well out of range. There would be little point."

    I nodded again, unsure of how to handle meeting two new capes. I had known Vicky and blurted her name out, giving myself away, so I didn't want to do that here.. "Well, I, um… it was nice meeting the two of you, I guess. I'll see you around?" I waved and used my powers to carry myself out through the window I had left before either could say anything. I checked the time and sighed before looking around to see if there was any sign of Boneyard.

    Nothing. Guess they were right about him being good at getting away. I angled toward the direction of home, taking care not to go propel myself too high up and risk losing my bearings. Well, I had stopped those robbers, so the night wasn't a total bust, even if I didn't catch the villain I had hoped to.

    Boneyard. I ran the fight over in my head, thinking if there was anything that I could have done better.

    "Not leading with a smartass remark when I make an entrance, for one," I muttered. "Take out villain as you make entrance, then make cool statements." I thought of something else I had noticed and my moment of bemusement was replaced with a frown.

    My powers were getting stronger. A few weeks ago, I was lifting light objects or turning faucets, now I was tossing packing crates around and shoving dumpsters halfway across the street. The raw sounds of thoughts were becoming outright feelings of emotion and physical sensations. I flushed as I remembered picking up on the feelings of a couple who were being very friendly in public when I had been out at the mall earlier in the week. That had been very distracting.

    Keeping my attention on classwork was becoming difficult, too. The thoughts of the other students were a lot more clear now. There were a few exceptions, people I only picked up on if I focused, but most were as easy to pick up simply by looking in their direction. There were simply things that you did not wish to know about your classmates.

    Telekinesis. Foresight. Mind Reading. I had looked online to see if there was anyone with similar powers, to see if there was someone I could discreetly send a message through Parahumans Online, but the list of capes suspected to have all three of those had been depressing, frighteningly short.

    The Simurgh. Or at least that was what they thought. She definitely had telekinesis, but no one was one hundred percent if she was a cape twisted by their powers, or something else. Reading about her and some of the hate posted online though had settled one thing in mind quite firmly. I couldn't tell anyone about being able to read minds. My precognition had kicked in while I was thinking of that and gave me a headache in exchange for showing me a potential reception that reveal would get.

    I didn't think I had anything to do with her, though, but the way people were likely to react was enough that I needed to keep that a secret as long as I could. I made another mental tick as my thoughts zipped back to the subject of my powers. My foresight was triggering from random thoughts too instead of just turning it on and it was taking longer before a headache showed up too.

    Ducking in through my window the way I had the night before and quickly stripped out of my costume, I tucked it away in its hiding spot before pulling on a large shirt. I slipped into bed and switched on a lamp with my powers, thinking of the other part of tonight; meeting two more capes.

    Hanabi and Rockshow. They had seemed nice, though they likely thought I was weird for just running off without really talking much. There had been a little about them on PHO and I made a note to look and see if there was anything else I could learn from there as I made myself comfortable.

    A stray thought willed the lamp off and I was out before my head finished settling on the pillow.

    ~~~~~~~~​

    The warehouse was silent as the clearly skittish cape flew through the opening that she had made of the windows. Hanabi stood there for a moment as the girl vanished into the night sky before walking over and nudging a piece of the glass that had decorated the floor from her entry with one foot.

    "We alone?" she asked.

    Rockshow tilted her head. "No one making noise but us."

    "Okay then," Hanabi took a deep breath. "That was Taylor, right?"

    "That's right," her partner answered. "The costume isn't bad if you don't know her, but… if you do…"

    "Right," she sighed. "So, what do we do?"

    "Right now?" Rockshow murmured. "We go home. Your dad is probably going to read us the riot act for going off course to chase Boneyard."

    "Ugh, don't remind me," Hanabi muttered. "And mom will just stand there behind him, looking disapproving, which is worse. If we had caught Bonehead, he might have cut us some slack."

    "We didn't even recover the money he stole," Rockshow murmured as she picked up one of the shards of shattered glass and examined it before looking up toward the frame it had come from. "She did not punch through, at least. Almost all of it is on the ground."

    "It was moving around her when she landed. Some kind of control over glass?" Hanabi asked.

    Rockshow shook her head. "I don't think so. Telekinetic, I bet."

    "Telekinetic and can fly?" Hanabi asked.

    "Or only telekinesis," Rockshow mused. "That she uses to fly, perhaps. I think telekinesis for sure. The crates and just slamming the spines of his friends into dust with no visible source are more evidence."

    Hanabi walked over to one of the crates that Sirin had used as a weapon and tried to lift it, but it refused to even budge. "Huh. Wonder what her limit is?"

    "We should go before we get even more of a lecture," Rockshow said. "We can make guesses later."

    "And Taylor?" Hanabi asked.

    "Talk about it after we get chewed out," Rockshow shrugged.

    "You know, bringing it up so much isn't going to make it any easier to deal with," she retorted. "I think you're looking forward to getting yelled at."

    "Who was it that I had to follow when she went off our route to chase Boneyard again?" was the reply. "I am simply reminding you of what we have to look forward to because of your efforts to blow him up."

    "Oh, come on!" Hanabi protested as they made their way out of the warehouse. "It wouldn't have hurt him. Much." Her friend did not respond and they crossed the empty lot quickly, slipping through a gap in the fence and out onto the road.

    "You already texted them, right?" Hanabi asked.

    "Our ride will meet us over on Bleecker Street, near that old Doctor's office." Rockshow replied.

    "Is he even practicing still?" she questioned. "He was kind of strange."

    "It is abandoned," her friend shrugged. "I do not know what happened." The walk the rest of the way to Bleecker passed in silence. A van sat by their destination and they hopped in when a door slid open for them. A moment later, the door shut and the van smoothly rolled away from the curb.

    "Masks off, girls," a stern voice told them and they peeled them off as instructed. Hanabi's mask and wig settled onto a seat next to Rockshow's. "Now, explain why you went off route."

    Catherine Greene began working her hair free of the net it had been pinned under, looking at her dad as she did so. "That was my decision. I decided catching him was worth the risk."

    Major Ryan Greene stared at his daughter. "Following him into a location that you were unfamiliar with, enclosed, which would allow your target to use his numbers to best advantage, was worth it? What is the rule on enclosed spaces?"

    "Never follow someone in without knowing what's inside," she said, her dad nodding briskly in response.

    "What happened then?"

    "Boneyard set his minions to surround us and we were dealing with them when someone intruded," Minako answered. "A new cape. Sirin."

    "Hostile or ally?" he asked immediately.

    "Tentative ally," his daughter said. "She offered aid and engaged Boneyard, who retreated as normal. Provided her name and left."

    Her father was silent for a moment. "We'll go over this in depth later. You're both off patrol tomorrow night though. There are reasons we decide a route in advance and you can't just charge off like that! I won't have you getting hurt. Either of you."

    "Yes, sir," Minako murmured.

    His expression softened and he crouched in front of them, looking at his daughter, concern clear. "You're both alright? No injuries?"

    "We're fine, old man," Catherine groaned, giving his shoulder a light punch. "Though Minako squealed like a little girl when that skeleton hand grabbed her ankle."

    "I did no such thing," she protested immediately, glaring at her friend. "You were-"

    "Girls," Catherine's father said, his tone arresting the bickering. "Despite going off course, you both did the most important thing, you know. You both came back. So, I'm going to sit up front and pull the screen down. You two get changed. We'll be home soon." He rose from his crouch and headed toward the front of the van. A moment later, a screen lowered, giving them privacy.

    Catherine glanced at her mask, poking the goggles for a moment, then at Minako. "Ok, you weren't really squealing like a little girl."

    "I should think not," Minako said, bending forward to pull the gym bag that contained a change clothes from beneath the seat. "Regarding that other matter, perhaps we can approach her on Monday?"

    Catherine blinked. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

    "Perhaps," Minako smiled slightly as she began changing out of her costume. "It would be an equivalence, I think. It is one possibility. We have time to discuss it."

    "Definitely that," Catherine said, grabbing her own bag to change as well. "That isn't something we should just do. Fuck, it-"

    "Language!" her mother called from the driver's seat.

    "Sorry, mom!" she shouted, then lowered her voice. "We don't even know for sure that was her."

    "You are not that unobservant, Catherine," Minako replied, her voice muffled for a moment as she pulled a shirt on.

    Sighing, the brunette nodded, undoing her gloves and stripping them off one after the other. "No, I'm not. I almost gave her away when she landed and I got a good look at her."

    "It was a surprise," Minako admitted. "We can decide on a definite action tomorrow." She stretched, then released a yawn as the van made a turn and came to a stop.

    "Ah, jeez, now you've got me yawning too," Catherine said, punctuating the statement with a large yawn as she tucked the rest of her costume into the gym bag. The door slid open and her dad looked at them.

    "Shower, then get to bed," he said.

    "Sir, yes, sir!" Catherine replied before yawning again and climbing out of the van, Minako following behind her as they made their way to the house.

    ~~~~~~~~​

    The basement of his house was a poor substitute for his lab on the Rig. Or, rather, it had been a poor substitute. Now, it was merely a subpar substitute. A lot of effort had refitted it with at least the basic equipment in order to work. He had neglected it for a few weeks, but he needed improvements to the gear he was carrying while attending to his responsibilities as a teacher.

    However, the upgrades to the basement workspace had afforded him the ability to work on things again. He eyed the finished product sitting before him, appearing to be nothing more than a sturdily built sports watch. It looked a bit larger than the average watch, which was something he would have to improve, but it contained a scaled down and simplified version of the lie-detecting equipment in his armor.

    He turned his attention to the glasses that he wore as part of his cover. Some additional work and he had managed to implement a system into the frames that would circulate a current through the lenses that granted him a limited x-ray vision. It was, thankfully, only useful in detecting if someone was carrying weapons.

    Colin eyed the other things on his table. A collapsible stun rod that masqueraded as his briefcase's handle, a sample of fabric that he hoped to use in all his clothing soon. The material was stab resistant and could withstand small arms fire, as well as excelling at permitting air flow and keeping cool.

    Pushing thought of them aside, he tapped a console, bringing up records from his observation units as well as the recent reports from Miss Militia that he had asked for, about the new cape called Sirin. Then he brought up his journals on Winslow High School.

    The situation there remained as it had been. He had nothing conclusive, whoever the cape responsible for the pyrokinetic display as well as the precog and thinker blackout might be, whether Taylor Hebert or another, they had gone to ground and there had not been another instance, of either the pyrokinesis nor had any of the Thinkers employed by the PRT or Protectorate reported any issues.

    In light of the Simurgh's recent attack, there was still a lull in villain activity, but that would not last. A glance toward the screen devoted to his email showed several politely-worded requests to know when he was returning to official duty. The message in between the lines was clear. Piggot wanted him back on active duty and she was prepared to go above him to enforce that given his lack of results on this investigation.

    Colin turned his attention back toward the mystery cape as well as this new cape. Miss Militia had identified the name as being sourced in Russian mythology, something to do with a bird, of which the girl had a stylized emblem of an avian of some sort. No word on powers as she had not volunteered any information. Reports from the police had a dumpster displaced into the street as well as damage to the exterior of one of the shops suggested a brute power.

    Glory Girl, however, had been there and those could be attributed to her just as easily. Exhaling, he scrolled through the information before him. his thoughts racing. Despite the fact that his theory was not as widely accepted, he was certain that at least Taylor Hebert was a parahuman. The way she had responded to their questions after the Hess incident, the almost casual response to her life being in danger when Shadow Stalker had launched a crossbow bolt at her. Too many things that didn't fit. A puzzle without a border. He had pieces, but nothing that gave him a framework to make sense of them.

    She had seemed opposed to the notion of becoming a Ward when Miss Militia had brought the subject up. Perhaps a different approach was in order. Sending one of the Wards as an envoy? He mulled that over for a moment and dismissed it. The issue was that Hebert didn't trust authority or anyone acting under it. It was a contempt he had inherited when he started as a replacement teacher. Given how the administration at Winslow was run, he was honestly not surprised, but it left him with a dilemma.

    A distrust of authority… He rolled the idea round in his mind for a moment. Perhaps having his second approach her during the aftermath of the Hess matter was the wrong move. She didn't trust easily and a Wards member was likely to be regarded with scorn or at least distaste. Someone from outside of Brockton Bay, then? Dragon was unlikely to appreciate a request to show up just to talk to a potentially hostile teenage girl and it wasn't as if he could just bring one of the Triumvirate here.

    He shook his head. "Overthinking this, Colin. Professor Singer isn't regarded well, nor is Miss Militia. The highest authority in Brockton Bay for the Protectorate is Armsmaster. He should talk to her."

    Which was, he realized, easier said than done, since it would certainly draw attention that he didn't want to her to just have Armsmaster show up at her front door. He ran through several options, considering and dismissing them each in turn as his eyes skimmed over the reports from Miss Militia again.

    Female, dark hair. A costume with a bird emblem. It was tenuous, but it was something. He quickly packed away his things, decisions made. A quick application of the beard in a can, a shower and he could head into the Rig to pick up his latest suit. The fabrication systems should be complete by now.

    Armsmaster had a few calls to make, and one especially important one, in preparation for a surprise Ward visit to Winslow.

    ~~~~~~~~​

    I wonder if I can test out of school… The thought drifted across my mind as I sat in Mrs. Knott's class, paying only enough attention that I didn't miss anything that she might say that was important. I gave the thought a bit of my attention, pulling up a list of requirements for that. I wasn't sure I was anywhere near ready for that, but it was interesting to know, at least. I enjoyed Mrs Knott's class as it had been a safe haven for a while and it was a subject I liked, but doing effectively nothing for ninety percent of the class was getting old. Just as soon as I started the assignment, I finished and was left with nothing more.

    I half-heartedly scratched down a few additions in my notebook before going back to studying the screen. The requirements for testing out were pretty stringent and I could tell from a glance that I wasn't going to be up for them any time soon. Perhaps if I spent the summer preparing, though. Something to keep in mind, at least.

    "Taylor, can you help me with this part?" Catherine asked and I glanced over at her screen to see what she was struggling with. There was only a simple text window with a note asking if I wanted to hang out at her place after school.

    I made a show of looking at her screen while I thought about it and then nodded. "Looks good, actually, but sure."

    One of the secretaries from the principal's office came in, handing a paper to Mrs. Knott. She looked it over and frowned, then spoke in quiet tones to the woman, looking increasingly irritated at the interruption to her class before nodding in resignation.

    "Everyone," she finally said. "Please save your work and put your things away. We're having a bit of a surprise assembly, so we need everyone to go to the audience hall. Taylor, if you could accompany Ms. Grant to the office?"

    "Um, sure," I said, blinking as I gathered my things. What was this about? I shoved my things into my bag and stood, heading after the secretary as she left the classroom. We were halfway to the office when the tone that signaled an intercom announcement rang out and I heard the Assistant Principal's voice drone in electronically transferred disinterest.

    "Please proceed to the audience hall. The Protectorate has sent Brockton Bay's own Wards team for a presentation." I frowned as I heard that, tuning out the rest of it. A surprise visit from the Wards? The weekend after I went out for the first time? The chances of this being a coincidence felt astronomically low.

    "What's this about?" I asked Ms. Grant.

    "No idea, sorry," she said. "I was merely told to fetch you." I frowned and almost triggered my precognition to see what I was walking into before deciding against it. I didn't get a sense that she knew anything and was simply holding it back to spare me, so likely not involving my dad. I started running the last few days of school through my mind, trying to see if there was anything I might have done that could have made someone mad.

    Nothing came to mind and I sighed quietly, hoping that this wasn't some sort of nonsense from the Principal. My attempts in the past to bring up the now ended bullying had met with dismissal and after the things I had been involved in that had brought attention down on the school, I kept expecting Blackwell to do something in retaliation.

    We turned a corner and I saw the sign for the office ahead and almost reached for precognition again before stopping the attempt when Ms. Grant kept walking past the office door.

    "I thought we were going to the office?" I asked, confused.

    "Actually, one of the meeting rooms that are set aside for parent conferences usually," she said. "That's where I was told to bring you." She indicated a door marked as private and opened it, leading into what was clearly a small waiting area.

    "Room four is where you are to go, Ms. Hebert," she told me and I nodded, the door closing behind her as she left me alone. I spied the numbers as I moved down the row of doors from the waiting room, counting off until my eyes settling on the door marked with a tarnished metal 4.

    I took a deep breath and laid a hand on the door knob, feeling at least two people on the other side. One was familiar, recognizable yet new. The comparison of something solid and steely was the best description, But I couldn't say why or where I knew it from. The other was a roiling and uncertain mass of confusion and worry that I definitely knew. Why the hell was my dad here?

    I shoved the door open with more force than was needed, stepping into the room to see my dad looking up with the usual worried expression that I was accustomed to on his face. The other person in the room drew my attention though, the blue and silver armor a well known fixture in Brockton Bay. Who didn't know it? I had seen him on television more than once, speaking about Protectorate issues. The helmet covered most of his face except for his mouth and chin, where a well-trimmed beard was visible.

    Armsmaster in the same room with my dad, who had released a burst of relief at the sight of me, but there was still a lot of uncertainty. I pushed carefully, building a wall as best I could to block out what I was picking up from him.

    "You know, dad, there are better ways to tell me you're joining the Protectorate than calling me out of class during school hours to a private meeting with Armsmaster," I said, trying to refrain from shouting. There was only one reason I could think of that he was here with my dad and it didn't have anything to do with what I had just said.

    He shook his head. "That isn't… Taylor, he says…"

    "He thinks I'm a parahuman," I interrupted. I loved my dad, I really did, but he had no idea how to handle this. Not that I was any more certain, but I at least could pretend. I held my onto as much resolve as I could when I focused back on Armsmaster. "I thought I was clear when I talked to Miss Militia. I don't want or need your help."

    "You don't want," he said quietly. "Need is another matter entirely, one we're here to discuss."

    "No isn't clear enough?" I asked, noting the way my dad's eyes widened at the exchange.

    "Taylor, are you… are you saying that what he told me is true?" he asked.

    "I can only guess, but I'm assuming it's what I already said," I didn't look away from Armsmaster. "Didn't your tests already decide I wasn't?"

    "The MRI came back negative, true, but it isn't a perfected method," he said. "It doesn't always show in the same place and sometimes has been missed entirely."

    "Convenient that you remember that now," I snorted. "So, you went to my dad and talked him around to being here for this, I take it?"

    "I judged it as the most likely method by which you would listen," he admitted and I couldn't detect anything but absolute honesty from him.

    "Well, it's a pretty stupid method," I snapped, barely keeping from raising my voice.. "Using my dad against me? Beyond low."

    "Taylor," my dad interjected, clearly uncertain about what to do but looking to me for confirmation. "Is what he's told me true? Are you a parahuman?"

    "Does it matter?" I asked bitterly. "You're sitting here with him so you clearly believe whatever he's told you. Yes. No. Who fucking cares?" He shifted back as if struck and I turned my attention back to Armsmaster.

    "Well, congratulations. You have my attention with this asshole stunt. What do you want?" I demanded.

    "Ms. Hebert," he began. "I understand you're upse-"

    "Really?" I interrupted. "You do? I can't imagine why. It isn't like I'm not standing in a room where a member of the Protectorate has ambushed me with my Dad, telling him that I'm a parahuman, in an effort to get me to agree to something that I already refused!"

    "If you'll permit me," he tried again.

    "No," I said. "You had no right-"

    "So, I don't deserve to know what my daughter might be out doing?" my dad interrupted, drawing my attention. His voice was firm now, lacking any of the uncertainty from before. "Almost two months, Taylor. Were you ever planning on telling me?"

    I stared at him. "And what would be the point? Over a year of dealing with Emma and you never noticed anything was wrong until I was stuffed into a locker full of bloody waste! I could become an entirely different person and I don't know that you would notice, sometimes!"

    "You never talk about things," he returned and I felt my weight shift a little, but I stood firm. "How am I supposed to know what's wrong if you won't talk about it?"

    "I tried!" I yelled. "When they first started. I tried to bring it up to you then, but you were too caught up in feeling sorry for yourself because mom was dead to even notice that I needed you too!"

    His face went white and the silence that followed my last word was almost deafening. Armsmaster cleared his throat and I could tell he was highly uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Served him right for pulling a stunt like this. I wasn't going to apologize though.

    "I understand this is a bit tense, but perhaps we can step back a bit and cool down," he began as my dad stood.

    "I'll see you at home, Taylor," he said, his voice tightly controlled. "I don't think I'm… I don't think I should stay here."

    "Dad," I began, staring at him as he made a point to look anywhere but at me.

    "Don't," he said. "I'll see you at home. We can talk then, maybe." He didn't wait for me or Armsmaster to say anything, simply closing the door emphatically as he left the room.

    "Well, just great," I muttered, dropping into one of the chairs and burying my face in my arms in frustration.

    The clearing of a throat prompted me to tilt my head so one eye could see across the table. "Oh. You're still here."

    "I am sorry. That was not my intention," he apologized.

    "And that makes it better?" I snorted, but the anger was gone for the most part, replaced by unhappiness over what I had said to my dad. "Whatever. I'm here like you wanted, so talk."

    "Let me finish," he said firmly. "I truly am sorry. I had hoped that having your father here would make you more amenable to talking about this. My misstep was in not researching as thoroughly as I should have. There are clearly issues I was unaware of at play here."

    I pushed myself upright with my forearms. "I don't want to talk about that. You've obviously gone to a lot of trouble for this. So talk, or I'm leaving."

    "This situation is, at best, atypical," he opened evenly. "Normally, we approach a parahuman when they go out and work from the other end of things. Circumstances related to an event in January, circumstances I believe you are already familiar with, have prompted me to go about this rather differently."

    "This isn't about Hess, is it?" I asked, frowning. "Well, not really I guess. It's about the bird, isn't it?."

    "For ten minutes on January 5th, around two in the afternoon, every thinker and precognitive in our employ, as well as everyone we could consult with, experienced a complete disruption to their abilities." he explained. "This coincided with and ended when the pyrokinetic display expired. It was, as best we can determine, a worldwide phenomenon."

    I sat back, absorbing that. Worldwide? What had that bird been? I wasn't awake for it, but I had seen pictures taken at a distance. It seemed pretty and I had tried to draw it a few times from memory, but my pictures always seemed different from the images I had seen. What he was telling was impressive and clearly a big deal, but I didn't know what this had to do with me.

    "And?" I asked finally. "I don't see what this has to do with me. I don't have the ability to do anything like that. I think I would have noticed."

    "It might surprise you," Armsmaster replied, "but I actually agree with you. I've had the opportunity to observe you discreetly and a pyrokinetic power of the magnitude displayed would not be easily concealed. The complexity of the image suggests a degree of control far exceeding what a newly triggered parahuman would possess."

    "Then why are you bothering me with this?" I asked. "I told Miss Militia I wasn't interested."

    "Independent capes do not last long on their own," he said. "For a time, given your behavior and situation, we were honestly worried about you."

    I blinked. "Why?"

    "You were facing hostility from the administration at the school, oppression from a good portion of your peers," he elaborated. "Add that to a growing intolerance for the behavior both around and directed at you. It's a situation, if you'll forgive me, tailor-made for recruitment into one of the gangs."

    I sat back with a denial ready to go, but paused to consider his words. Recruitment into one of the gangs? Like the Empire or the ABB? Well, probably not the latter. I wouldn't… I didn't finish the thought. Could I say that for sure? If they had approached right, when I just wanted a solution for the things with Emma to end, what would I have done?

    Uncertain, I looked at Armsmaster, trying to get a grip on what he was thinking or feeling. I suppose I could see what he was saying, but I disagreed on the timing. The moments he was thinking were as far from that possibility as a thing could be. Before the locker, maybe. After, not a chance.

    My power stretched out, feeling along the strand that was his mind. The nagging sense of familiarity was there again but I pushed it aside. Just a little bit further-

    Stars exploded in my head and I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the same discordant sensations as the last time I had tried this and pale familiarity became full-fledged recognition. My hands caught the edge of the table and gripped it as I tried to push the stabbing pain away.

    "Taylor?" I heard his voice, each syllable like shards of glass stabbing at my ears. "Are you alright?"

    The pain receded slowly and I forced myself to open my eyes, staring at the blue and silver clad figure that had moved to stand near me, concern clear in his posture. I've had the opportunity to observe you discreetly…" the words he had uttered earlier shot to the forefront of my mind, understanding damping the pain somewhat.

    "S-S-Singer….!" I hissed through clenched teeth, seeing him freeze for the briefest of moments before wariness replaced the concern.

    "Thinker headache," he said, not even bothering to deny my statement. "I'd ask that you refrain from trying to gather information about me."

    "I-It's ok if you do, though, right?" I snorted at his words. "Hypocritical, given that you've been spying on me for almost two months. Discreet observation my ass."

    "The point we've drifted from," he said, stressing the words, "is that independent capes with no support do not last long. They are either conscripted into one of the Gangs, or become enough of a nuisance that they end up in a morgue. Membership in the Wards can help prevent that, give you support, resources. Do you want your father to have to identify your body one day? If he even can, given some of the things that could happen to you."

    "Don't bring my dad back into this," I said, glaring at him balefully. "I already have a mess to deal with because of this stunt you pulled. I don't want to join the Wards, I already told you."

    "Will you at least accept working with us?" he asked. "It would give you backup if you get in over your head, help keep you safe."

    "Funny," I said, impressed that he was still trying to push the Wards and he was being genuinely honest in his intentions. It didn't diminish my anger though. "I'm supposed to be safe at school too. I thought I was past that, but it turns out I've been spied on. I'll think about it, but I'm done for now."

    "Would you tell me about your powers?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

    "Figure it out yourself," I retorted, grabbing my bag and starting toward the door. It wrenched open before I reached it, providing me a clear exit as I left him standing in the conference room.

    * * *​

    The meeting with the Wards was wrapping up when I arrived and I merely settled into a spot against the back wall, mostly tuning them out as I considered what I was going to do for the rest of the day. The last period had been overtaken by this and a quick search ahead showed that they were going to let us out early for the day. The students began dispersing after a round of applause for the Wards. The costumed teenagers waved as they moved off the stage and I turned my attention to spotting Catherine and Minako.

    "Taylor!" Catherine said when I found them a few minutes later. "Are you alright? It wasn't bad news, was it?"

    "Not the best news, but not the sort of bad news you're thinking," I shrugged. "Your place, right?"

    "If you're still up for it, sure," she made a face. "I warn you, though. My dad's home, took some leave time and he can be kind of overbearing, so don't worry too much if he gets really pushy. He gives all my friends the third degree."

    "If it's a bad time, I can come over another time," I offered though the idea of going home didn't appeal to me right this moment. Home meant having to talk to my dad after what I had said in the conference room.

    "No, today's good," she said quickly. "We, ah, actually had something to talk to you about."

    "Oh?" I asked, distracted from my thoughts. "What's up?"

    "It is important, but not something to be discussed here," Minako said. "When we are at Catherine's house, then we can talk freely."

    "Okay…" I trailed off, wondering what this was about. They weren't going to reveal that they were spying on me too, were they? Or something worse?

    "My mom's usually waiting for us, if you want to go ahead and bounce out of here," Catherine said. "We brought our stuff with us."

    "That sounds good, actually," I said, shouldering my pack and following them outside. A green sports car with gold highlights was the car that they stopped at.

    "Mom, this is Taylor," Catherine was saying as I settled into the backseat. "Taylor, this is mom."

    "Leanna, please," her mom said, an attractive woman who didn't appear nearly old enough to be Catherine's mother. "It's nice to meet you, Taylor. Catherine's spoken well of you."

    "Thank you, ma'am," I said politely.

    She smiled. "Seatbelts, everyone." The next instant she pulled away from the curbside and into traffic.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • VolantRedX said:
    I have to ask, this is like the second 7K plus update in two weeks. How do you write that much that fast?
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    Pushups, situps, and plenty of juice!

    No seriously, when the creativity is flowing, I can do a fair bit pretty quickly. Helps when I have someone as a sounding board(and cattleprod when I go off into space). Outside of work, I have a fair amount of time to myself and even during work, sometimes I have downtime as I wait for people to give me input on things.

    (To be honest, it's pretty neat, but it hasn't topped my benchmark, which was over 300k in 4 months. July 28th to November 21st, 2013.
     
    Eh, Taylor's continued incompetence in using her power leading to her performing extremely sub-optimal in every situation is getting a bit annoying. Precog is only useful if you actually use it, and with the thinker headaches becoming less and less common, I can't see why she wouldn't use it in most situation with possibly dangerous outcomes, like the fight scene or her getting suspiciously lead to an out of the way room with no explanation.

    I also tend to dislike the stories that have backseat driver parents to super hero kids, but that's just a personal preference, and is somewhat mitigated by the father being ex-military, and so actually knowing what he's talking about.

    Aside from that, good chapter. I particularly like your Armsmaster characterization, of being incredibly competent while preserving his troubles predicting simple human interaction at times. Glad to see him stick to canon characterization without the huge bashing that tends to go on in fanon.
     
    chibipoe said:
    "I tried!" I yelled. "When they first started. I tried to bring it up to you then, but you were too caught up in feeling sorry for yourself because mom was dead to even notice that I needed you too!"
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    Thank you. I'm surprised not more fics pick up on just how fucking badly Danny failed Taylor throughout her life. No matter how depressed you are or how much self-pity you have, a father with even a modicum of care for his daughter would not have missed her coming back literally every day with bruises, wounds, destroyed projects/homework, not to mention the failing grades. Danny at the very least should have been checking his mail to pay rent - he would have gotten a sense of the daily Taylor went through if he had spared but a glance at any mail from Winslow.

    Armsmaster... sigh. So competent in one sense. But such an... imbecile when it comes to human interactions. He has increased Taylor's mistrust of the Protectorate by an order of magnitude.
     
    notmi said:
    Eh, Taylor's continued incompetence in using her power leading to her performing extremely sub-optimal in every situation is getting a bit annoying. Precog is only useful if you actually use it, and with the thinker headaches becoming less and less common, I can't see why she wouldn't use it in most situation with possibly dangerous outcomes, like the fight scene or her getting suspiciously lead to an out of the way room with no explanation.

    I also tend to dislike the stories that have backseat driver parents to super hero kids, but that's just a personal preference, and is somewhat mitigated by the father being ex-military, and so actually knowing what he's talking about.

    Aside from that, good chapter. I particularly like your Armsmaster characterization, of being incredibly competent while preserving his troubles predicting simple human interaction at times. Glad to see him stick to canon characterization without the huge bashing that tends to go on in fanon.
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    Well, to be fair, he expected a bit of a blow-up... just not to the degree that occurred. He figured she would be unhappy, her dad would curb that... Taylor letting the lid off on her frustrations in that way was unexpected.

    I try to avoid fanon for Armsy. Or at least invent my own fanon. Acceleration's more Armsy's story, really, as he's overreacting jerk at the beginning and becomes awesome in his desire to solve his blunder early on.

    As to precog, yes. It is only useful if you use it. But at the same time, knowing every thing that is going to happen all the time would get boring fast. She's trying to find a good middle ground and the night before was only her 2nd night out.
     
    Strunkriindiisk said:
    Taylor's belligerence, while understandable, remains infuriating.
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    I'm almost rooting for someone to pour a gascan onto this fire at this rate.

    Like Tattletale cold-reading her and figuring out that she's got a Simurgh-like power set, freaking out and taking all the wrong conclusions, and then running to Coil to collaborate against her for fear of a new Endbringer arising.
     
    thatavidreader said:
    Thank you. I'm surprised not more fics pick up on just how fucking badly Danny failed Taylor throughout her life. No matter how depressed you are or how much self-pity you have, a father with even a modicum of care for his daughter would not have missed her coming back literally every day with bruises, wounds, destroyed projects/homework, not to mention the failing grades. Danny at the very least should have been checking his mail to pay rent - he would have gotten a sense of the daily Taylor went through if he had spared but a glance at any mail from Winslow.

    Armsmaster... sigh. So competent in one sense. But such an... imbecile when it comes to human interactions. He has increased Taylor's mistrust of the Protectorate by an order of magnitude.
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    I don't think he's an entirely bad parent. He does love his daughter. He's just... not suited to being a single parent. Plus, I don't think he ever really got over Annette's death. Taylor picked herself up(for the most part), but not so much for him.

    As to Armsy. Well, not entirely. She is still disinclined towards the Wards, but she knows his intentions were genuine, so it wasn't a total loss.
     
    chibipoe said:
    As to precog, yes. It is only useful if you use it. But at the same time, knowing every thing that is going to happen all the time would get boring fast. She's trying to find a good middle ground and the night before was only her 2nd night out.
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    Her middle ground so far seems to be only using it at times that don't matter, like to find out what would happen if she announced herself a simugh look alike, or how to test out of school, and not at the times that make sense, like when someone is trying to attack her, or she is being lead to a suspicious meeting with no forewarning or explanation. It just gets a bit frustrating to see her constantly fuck up in ways that are completely preventable with about a half second of thought.
     
    Strunkriindiisk said:
    Taylor's belligerence, while understandable, remains infuriating.
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    I'm trying for something that would happen. Sounds like I succeeded!

    Spectrum said:
    I'm almost rooting for someone to pour a gascan onto this fire at this rate.

    Like Tattletale cold-reading her and figuring out that she's got a Simurgh-like power set, freaking out and taking all the wrong conclusions, and then running to Coil to collaborate against her for fear of a new Endbringer arising.
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    That... is an interesting idea. *makes a note*

    Seclorum said:
    Plus you dont generally expect a hero to ambush you like that.
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    Pretty much. I have to balance it also because, from a storytelling perspective, if Taylor has it on all the time, then she knows all the things and it becomes Taylor can avoid everything bad ever. And where's the fun in that?
     
    Spectrum said:
    I'm almost rooting for someone to pour a gascan onto this fire at this rate.

    Like Tattletale cold-reading her and figuring out that she's got a Simurgh-like power set, freaking out and taking all the wrong conclusions, and then running to Coil to collaborate against her for fear of a new Endbringer arising.
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    Tattletale's more of the 'point this dangerous person at my enemy and let 'em loose' type of girl though. She would probably intentionally downplay Taylor's powerset so Coil could fall into that trap himself.

    We already know Taylor can perceive both timelines when Coil splits anyway, so she's pretty much a hard counter for his shenanigans as long as she keeps her precog on all the time when dealing with Coil's bullshit.

    That, and actually realize that she's looking at two different timelines.
     
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    kokuenDG said:
    Tattletale's more of the 'point this dangerous person at my enemy and let 'em loose' type of girl though. She would probably intentionally downplay Taylor's powerset so Coil could fall into that trap himself.

    We already know Taylor can perceive both timelines when Coil splits anyway, so she's pretty much a hard counter for his shenanigans as long as she keeps her precog on all the time when dealing with Coil's bullshit.

    That, and actually realize that she's looking at two different timelines.
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    But it happened in Alchemical Solutions surely it could happen elsewhere. :3

    (Fucking Tattletale)
     
    It would actually be interesting to see Taylor from Tattletale's perspective. Do you think she would pick up on the fact that Taylor is getting a brain download from Jean? Constantly contradicting actions, such as being shy and hesitant to trust, then being outgoing and confident. Probably think she has multiple personality disorder or something.
     
    kokuenDG said:
    Tattletale's more of the 'point this dangerous person at my enemy and let 'em loose' type of girl though. She would probably intentionally downplay Taylor's powerset so Coil could fall into that trap himself.
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    ---

    Lisa - So hey... Ta...Taylor is it?
    Taylor - Who are you?
    Lisa - Oh nobody special... or maybe I am secretly a super-villain or something. Wouldn't that just be exciting! *Grins*
    Taylor - Super. Yeah. So what do you want?
    Lisa - Not up for some idle chit chat?
    Taylor - After my day today, no. Not really.
    Lisa - Bad day at school?
    Taylor - The worst. Well, second worst. But still pretty fucking bad.
    Lisa - Hey. *Hand on shoulder* It'll be ok. When things get bad you can always remember its darkest, just before the dawn.
    Taylor - Did you just quote 'The Dark Knight' on me?
    Lisa - Oh you've seen it? Aleph has some awesome movies.
    Taylor - Heh... wait. Why am I still talking to you?
    Lisa - Because I am just so likable! I bring the best out in anyone.
    Taylor - Hah. Why don't I believe that? *Smirks*

    *Meanwhile Aquaman is making a sandwich , Coil is freaking the fuck out!*

    Coil - What the fuck is going on? Who is she and why does nothing I try work!!!
    Sirin - You mess with fire you get burned!
    Coil - *Ends Simulation* Fucking christ! Why mommy! Why! *Sobs*
    Dinah - Hey... when do I get my free candy mister?
     
    notmi said:
    It would actually be interesting to see Taylor from Tattletale's perspective. Do you think she would pick up on the fact that Taylor is getting a brain download from Jean? Constantly contradicting actions, such as being shy and hesitant to trust, then being outgoing and confident. Probably think she has multiple personality disorder or something.
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    So...cold-reading two different personalities simultaneously while dealing with the raging migraine that comes from trying to get a read on the host of the Phoenix?
     
    I liked the fact that Taylor did have a Thinker headache, this was after all her first attempt at a deep reading and she tried it on a hostile mind as well, so it is quite logical that she was quite obvious and not quite successful. Frankly AM should feel really lucky if he does not get secondary effects as well, that kind of stuff is dangerous enough in X-men when done by powerful amateurs or furious people and Taylor is all three.
     
    kokuenDG said:
    So...cold-reading two different personalities simultaneously while dealing with the raging migraine that comes from trying to get a read on the host of the Phoenix?
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    As if the phoenix would let Lisa fuck with it's host.

    ---

    SherlockShard - Reveal your secrets to me!
    Phoenix - Piss off you wanker!
    SherlockShard - I did not know it was even possible to soil myself... but I have.
     
    SwiftRosenthal said:
    And 90% of the playing audience hated it when it did, even after Gromweld did his best to justify it.

    Chibipoe, don't repeat Gromweld's mistake.
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    I haven't read Alchemical Solutions. (I admit, I tend to tune out Quests all together). So, I have no idea what is even being discussed, really. Something something Tattletale.
     
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