AN: Yo, sorry this took so long to get to you all. I got pretty well swept up in writing Archer, and even though this arc is growing on me it definitely isn't as exciting which didn't help me maintain focus either. Either way it is here now so I hope you all enjoy.
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The school had very quickly gone into a lockdown… after it was made clear that the cape in question could slip in and out of the school with absolutely no one the wiser. Well, to be fair it was more like it had been implied. But given that I was fairly certain I actually could slip out with no one the wiser the point stood.
Regardless we were all waiting on the Protectorate and PRT. A brief check of the PHO boards from my phone showed no less than three threads dedicated to the incident already and at least ten videos. The speculation was already hilarious and only promised to grow more so given time.
Still given what was coming my way… I flipped up my hood and hunched down against a wall to fully hide my face. A brief moments work and feathers, indigo, purple, and black, were woven into my hair along the left side of my head. People always saw the eyepatch first so using it to draw attention to the feathers just made sense. If so many people were going to show their support for Morganna I might as well do the same. After all, in some ways I was her biggest fan, wasn't I?
Taunting the Protectorate would be a completely unintentional side effect. Really.
Flipping my hood back down a few minutes later I ever so carefully watched my little fan club out of the corner of my eye. I got to see the groups quickly spreading reaction to my new accessories. It started with a slightly chubby boy with big muscles who smacked one of his friends on the arm and a muttered word or two. From there it only took maybe thirty seconds for the whole group to notice. The wide eyed looks I got made me grin.
This was really starting to be too much fun. I might not like the fact my secret identity was less than paper thin, but being able to play it up like this was amusing.
Ignoring the rest of the room I logged into my account and rechecked the PHO boards. Two of the threads had been locked and their videos added to the thread that went up first. Discussion was still going every which way… I should probably weigh in now.
Sorry if I gave anyone a fright. A friend told me there was a group of ravens gathering at Winslow. Naturally I had to check in on such an adorable little conspiracy in the making. But when I saw the way things were shaping up, I just couldn't let a fight break out. My pretty little ravens might have gotten hurt!
Grinning I watched as the message board exploded. Only took them twenty comments before someone clued the rest in to the fact that conspiracy was actually the technical term for a group of ravens. The fact I'd claimed them as mine online while in the video footage you could clearly hear me say I wasn't hiring just stirred them up into an even bigger frenzy. I doubt it would protect them forever, but given my reputation it would keep the Empire and the Merchant pressure to a something more manageable for a while. Besides the Empire had more concrete threats to deal with than a small high school fan club.
I logged out of my account just to be on the safe side and put away my phone as I saw Velocity blur up outside the building. With a sigh I leaned back fully and settled in to wait. No doubt this would take a while.
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I almost made it out free and clear. The officers had only pulled aside the empire kids and the ones from my fan clubs table, as well as a few from the tables closest to it. I suppose there would have been too many witness statements to file if they tried to interview the entire cafeteria.
I was halfway out the door when Miss Militia noticed me and pulled me aside asking for a word. I barely repressed a growl at how many wide eyed looks that got me. Seriously my secret identity was mostly just a formality at this point. Still, as long as the gangs at least respected it I suppose I didn't have too much of a reason to complain. And really unless they somehow got me into the Birdcage, which I most certainly did not rate, I could bust out of any conventional jail in practically no time at all.
Bouncing my left leg, I idly contemplated the most dramatic way to break out of prison while I waited for Miss Militia to actually say something. Leaving a clone behind to play my part while getting out without being noticed would be pretty awesome. On the other hand, I could surround myself with a maelstrom of the red fire and just walk out. Well, maybe not. Bullets might make it through before they were completely disintegrated. Mass hallucinations to create chaos and then just making myself invisible? So many options and only three escapes before they'd start considering the cage. Meh didn't matter since I didn't plan to let them capture me even once.
"I've been thinking about what you said last time we spoke." Miss Militia finally admitted. She looked away from me, glancing out the window as she fidgeted awkwardly from where she was leaning against the blackboard. "A lot of us have been actually."
I mulled that over for a minute before shrugging and leaning my elbows down on the desk I'd claimed for this conversation. "It's hard not to think about it once you put the pieces together. Don't think I got more than a few hours of sleep a night for the better part of a week after I put it all together." I freely admitted.
"What changed?" She sounded genuinely curious.
"I came up with a plan, a vague one, but still. Then I started refining it. Every day I work to gather resources or learn something that will help me. I might not be ready right now, but I have time, and I'm not just sitting on my ass wasting it. It's... it's enough to keep me focused without constantly being on the verge of panicking." I leaned back. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"... Several of us aren't really convinced a war in Asia would spill over this far." She replied sounding defensive. "With the state of things now there's only so far China could spread. The government might just choose to let them."
"Maybe." I admitted without hesitating. "But the Cartels run Mexico and that's literally next door. They might get greedy and expand into the U.S. if we seem to be getting weak. Probably the whole reason they keep Eidolon stationed in Texas." I waved a hand dismissively. "Europe has some of our closest allies and if the Middle East goes up in flames that's almost certain to drag us in. And even if none of that happens, sooner or later we'll start seeing towns and cities taken over wholesale by the villains here in the U.S."
"You really think so little of the Protectorate?" She asked sounding pained.
"No. I just think you are outnumbered, outgunned, and incapable of fixing all the major issues that feed into the gangs." I answered bluntly. "What are you supposed to do, solve world hunger and create more jobs?" I shook my head. "Last hero with that kind of ambition was Sphere... Not a lot of people want to step up and fill those shoes after what happened to him."
Miss Militia sighed and closed her eyes as she turned her face towards the floor.
"What do you want from me, Miss Militia? Why are we talking about this?" I spread my hands wide inviting an explanation. I was genuinely curious. "I was expecting a lot of things when you pulled me aside but this really wasn't one of them."
She was quite for a few minutes but eventually she just shook her head. "The feathers really aren't subtle." She said, changing the subject.
I frowned at that and tapped my foot against the floor repeatedly for a few seconds. I could push for an explanation… but then again, I doubted I would get one. "A lot of people seem to be picking up similar accessories lately. I think the look works pretty well for me." I answered honestly. "Besides, nothing wrong with showing my support. Not going to deny that I like her style." I smirked.
Miss Militia groaned. Apparently she didn't appreciate my sense of humor. Ah well, her loss. "I was asked to point out that use of powers in a school could be considered extremely aggressive, and grounds for a very strong response from law enforcement."
"Morganna stops a gang fight from breaking out in a school and tells a bunch of kids who want to get into a life of crime she's not going to hire them… And law enforcement thinks that justifies treating her like a loose cannon?" I asked one eyebrow going up and my smirk growing slightly.
Miss Militia gave me a surprisingly flat look for someone who had half of her face covered. "People tend to take the safety of children very seriously." She deadpanned. "To the point where much more excessive or restrictive measures can be considered acceptable."
"Then maybe people ought to make sure the junior gang bangers don't feel comfortable attacking their classmates in the middle of school for having a different opinion." I riposted, completely unconcerned.
"This isn't a game you know." She said with some heat.
"Of course it's a game." I said a good bit louder than I'd intended. With a huff I brought my voice back under control. "People running around in Halloween costumes playing cops and robbers and petty tyrants in their free time, or even as a job. And all the poor normals caught in the middle like so many dolls and action figures getting knocked down and roughed up as the children play make believe." My voice dripped with condescension. "And all the while the world burns and we all pretend not to notice." I grinned at her and I suspected if I could see it, it would be a demented thing full of teeth.
"...Everyone except you?" She asked quietly as she looked me clean in the face. "Is that what you want to believe? That you are some sort of visionary?" She asked acidly.
"No. I might be the first you've met, but I'm sure there are others." I leaned back in my seat again relaxing slightly. "Maybe someone in China figured out the same thing and that's the reason they're stockpiling capes. Probably plenty of villains who only got into the game to get rich and get out. But if they lose sight of that goal or start splurging the money starts to dry up and they have to keep going to maintain the lifestyle. Or they make friends they can't leave behind, or they get killed, or jailed, or maybe they actually pull it off and retire somewhere. And there are plenty of people without powers who might figure it out as well and just have a much easier time fading into the background because no one was ever paying them any attention in the first place." I idly played with one of the bright purple feathers in my hair.
Her brows scrunched up giving the impression that she was frowning behind her bandana. "So, what? You just think only heroes haven't thought of this?"
"Maybe?" I shrugged honestly unsure on this point. "I'm sure some of your thinkers at the very least have pieced it together, but what are they going to do to fix it?" I asked honestly unsure. "Maybe someone at the top has a plan, or maybe they don't and they're just trying to delay the inevitable?" I shook my head. "I don't know. If you don't know then I doubt anyone local does either. So really the question is how far up the chain do you need to be to find out?"
She didn't really have an answer for that. Not that I was expecting one.
We both stayed silent for a time after that. Eventually though Miss Militia blew out a slow breath and told me to keep out of trouble before leaving.
With a final exasperated sigh, I slung my backpack on and headed for the bus stop. I had a free afternoon now and a section of the internet to follow and troll.
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Following a chain of conversation on PHO could be anything from amusing to confusing at the best of times. Today with the topic being my oh so controversial self, it was not the best of times. Conversation raged back and forth and would have to stop every ten minutes or so to snark down someone that jumped into the thread and responded to the first page without bothering to read any of the following conversation.
The PRT mouthpieces tried to spin my actions as an attack and got shouted down for being idiots, or biased. The Empire sympathizers tried to claim it was an attack and got shouted down for being idiots, and biased, and on the general principal that they are Nazi's and therefore are wrong about everything forever.
Really the fact that no one was hurt pretty much killed that line of accusations. That the Empire were clearly the instigators didn't hurt either. But I started catching flack again when the helicopter Moms took notice of the dastardly villain infiltrating their children's schools and started to demand answers about what the PRT intended to do about it.
Of course, that set off all my loyal supporters who chimed in about how I was the last person to go around hurting kids. One of them actually claimed I was a super villain you could trust to run a daycare. That was flattering, and while I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a dozen screaming toddlers, I appreciated the sentiment.
All that took the better part of a half hour by which point I was off the bus and walking home. It was also just long enough for Myrddin to catch wind, come running, and have a meltdown. Going by his posts he didn't even bother to watch the videos. That mollified the parents worrying about their kids but just served to piss of literally everyone else in the thread, including the Nazi's. Or at least Rune. She was very insistent that teenage villains were as entitled to an education as anyone else.
Using my old account from before my trigger I dropped a few pointed comments to try and keep things moving the way I wanted. I had mixed success with that, but given that the number of people who agreed with me it was more than enough to keep things mainly in my favor.
Then Brandish of all people dropping by long enough to call me 'a menace the likes of which Brockton Bay hadn't seen in years' was just weird. I hadn't even fought New Wave. A lot of people were confused by her comment. But she didn't stick around to explain. So far, all attempts to summon Glory Girl, or Lady Photon, for clarification had also failed.
With a sigh I decided the public opinion war was as stable as it was going to be and put my phone away in favor of fixing myself a snack. Halfway through my sandwich my phone started ringing. Checking the number, I sighed before answering. "Sup, Lisa?"
"Don't you 'sup' me! What the hell were you thinking?!"
Groaning I leaned back in my seat and abandoned my sandwich on the table. "Look I barely did anything. No fighting, I didn't claim anyone as minions, all I did was head off a pointless fight in the middle of a school."
"Oh, is that all?" She snarked. "Taylor, this is not a little thing! This is going to draw major attention from everyone. The PHO boards are going nuts. And you were already getting more attention than is healthy for someone so new!"
"Look, there's at least five videos floating around already. It's not like they can spin what I did too badly with those around. I've also been playing the damage control game on PHO. Not that I really need to considering how many people have been doing it for me."
"Damn it, Taylor! You need to take this stuff seriously! You are not invincible. Yeah Bakuda broke the rules first so no one's going to get up in arms, but this? Using cape powers in a school? It's already starting to look like a pattern of flaunting the rules. If you end up with a reputation as someone who just does whatever they want you run the risk of everyone coming down on your head, do you understand me?" She demanded heatedly. "And if you end up with that kind of reputation it doesn't just affect you. As a member of the Undersiders your reputation affects the rest of us too, and most of us aren't powerhouses!"
I really wanted to tell her to piss off. I did what I felt was right in both cases. I didn't really regret it. But on the other hand, I could see her point. "Alright, Lisa." I finally grumbled. "I get it. No more major stunts."
The blonde's semi relieved sigh was, in my mind, uncalled for.
"Anything else you needed to talk about, Lisa?"
She grunted something that sounded vaguely affirmative. "You've got a new gang tag."
"Wait, what? Since when?"
"Eh, two, maybe three days ago? Not sure. Taggers have been putting up purple eyed raven's all over town. Not claiming territory just people showing support or something. I think it was the boss's idea but it got picked up pretty fast, so it's a little hard to tell for sure if someone else didn't come up with it first."
I shifted leaning on the table with my left elbow. "Why the hell would our boss want people spreading a gang tag for me when I don't have a gang?"
"... He may be thinking about having you start a gang." Tattletale admitted at length. "Not really sure. It feels like he could be laying the groundwork for one, but it's such a small thing he could just as easily drop the idea and not lose anything."
"My own gang…" That was… not an unappealing idea. More sources of income couldn't hurt and having a group of people I could order to go and do research on all kinds of things without having to explain anything would be nice. If they were anything like the group from school, I think I might even be able to like having loyal minions.
But what kind of gang? I hated all of Brockton Bay's current crop. I'd heard a bit about the glory days of Marquis back before New Wave captured him. The man was supposed to have been a good deal more respectable than what had come to take his place. But I didn't really know much beyond that.
What kind of crimes was I willing to have attached to my name? How far was I willing to go to get the resources I would need in the coming years? Human trafficking was right out. I wouldn't stand for that. And anyone trying to forcibly addict people would regret that choice. But what about drugs or willing prostitution? Loan sharking? Illegal gambling? Protection rackets? I needed to think. I needed to do some research. There were possibilities to be explored here. When and if the boss wanted to push that angle, I intended to be ready to follow through.
"Thanks for the heads up, Lisa. I think I need to go look into a few things." I mumbled, not really giving the conversation much of my attention any more.
With an audible groan Lisa hung up and left me to my thoughts.
Finishing off my sandwich I ambled up the stairs to my room and booted up my computer. Before I could really dive into researching different methods and structures of underworld politics the sound of the front door opening and then slamming shut rang through the house.
"Taylor, come down here." Dad's shouted. Not an angry shout just loud, with a definite feel of it being an order. "We are going to have a long talk about power usage in schools!"
With a moan I let my head drop and thunk against my desk. I knew this was coming when I stepped in earlier. I knew it! But damn it all if it wasn't even more annoying than I thought it would be.
