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Improperly Incubated(Worm/PMMM, Altpower!Taylor)
- Thread starter ArcherMahou
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Prologue
- Location
- Romania
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Hello, I thought I would start posting stories here, as I like the community more than on FF.net and would really like some constructive criticism. If you spot any errors, feel free to correct me, as English isn't my first language and I have no beta. Similarly, please point out any continuity issues you discover, my Worm and Madoka knowledge is not ideal. Without further ado, enjoy!
Summary: In which Taylor gains the powers(?) of an Incubator from PMMM, most importantly the ability to create magical girls. Without any of the knowledge of what a magical girl really is. What could possibly go wrong?
The day had started off so well. Both her parents had been free this weekend, so she could enjoy breakfast with them and talk for once. They had even managed to avoid activating her power by mistake all day! The trip to the mall had been shaping up to be the most fun activity in months.
So why was she now hiding behind a displayed car? What had she done to deserve being dragged into whatever crazy conflict was going down in Brockton Bay today? Her power almost kicked in, but she kept it contained for now. A headache would only make things worse.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned out to look out for the big men with guns. She had no idea what they were looking for, but ideally she would not get caught in the crossfire.
Luckily, or unluckily depending on perspective, there were two of them just a few feet away, their eyes steadily scanning the crowd. Looking for something, or someone? Her power was itching to go, but she had to hold it off.
"Haven't seen the girl yet, sir," one of the men said into a walkie-talkie. The girl? A terrifying thought crept into her thoughts. No, there was no way they would be after her, right? Fate would not be that cruel to her, would it?
Chances they will try to grab me?
Images and sounds swirled around her head, of being caught and dragged and stuffed into a van. Ninety nine point five percent. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, whether from pain or distress she had no idea. She needed to get away, and quick.
If she wanted to get out, her power was her best bet. But using it too many times was painful and difficult at the best of times. Two, maybe three more questions and she would be out like a light. The first thought in her mind was to stay put, but she decided to run that by her power first.
Chances they find me if I stay put?
More images, not all of them as bad, flooded her mind. She pulled the collar of her shirt up and bit into it as the pain intensified. Eighty two point seven percent. Not great odds, if she was being honest. Still, they were not a hundred percent, which meant she might be able to escape after all.
She picked herself up and prepared to sprint. They were trying to grab her, but in none of the images were they shooting her. As far as she could tell, at least. So they probably wanted her alive. If she could get far enough away, she might even be able to escape, or find some policemen or maybe a cape.
In one breath she launched herself away, faster than she had ever run in her life. She could hear the voices of the grunts as they followed her and she sincerely doubted her ability to outrun them, survival instincts or not.
She looked around for anything she could use, or at least ask her powers about, but nothing caught her eye. The people were getting out of the way, of course, this was Brockton after all. You didn't get involved in cape or gang activities if you valued your life.
Still, to think there wouldn't be anyone willing to help. Where were the heroes, wasn't this type of thing they were supposed to stop?
"After the next corner, go into the bookshop on the left."
A voice? That wasn't her power, was she hearing voices now?
The sound of boots closing up on her shook her out of her reverie. She couldn't afford to doubt her sanity right now, but she also couldn't run much longer. She only had one shot at this, but she still had her ace in the hole.
Chance that she will save from these men?
Her teeth clenched and she almost lost her balance as the images flowed through once more. Seventy five point two percent. Far better than her last odds. She would take the mysterious cape over the armed men. Maybe there was a telepathic hero in town she didn't know about?
The moment the bookshop entered her field of vision, she pushed her aching legs into one final sprint and threw herself inside, a metal gate sliding down behind her. She tried to calm down her erratic breath, but the pain in her lungs wouldn't stop. She looked around for her saviour and found a tall, scrawny girl, somewhat older than herself, wearing a black dress and hiding the lower half of her face behind a matching veil. All she could see were the large brown eyes staring at her.
"I am sorry we had to meet in these conditions," the cape said, walking up to her and offering her a hand. She hesitated for a second before taking it. "You can call me Genie."
"I'm Dinah, nice to meet you," she replied, almost mechanically, as she came to her feet. Her mind was still whirling from the events. She was about to ask more, but suddenly the metal gate was being rammed.
"Sorry Dinah, but we don't have much time. My power is no help in combat, but I can help you," Genie said, crouching to look her in the eye, over the veil. "I can offer you a single wish. It can be anything you want, money, power, friends, immortality, a cute boyfriend, or just to get to safety. In exchange, you will receive powers and become a magical girl. Then, you can defeat those men and escape."
Dinah wondered for a second if perhaps this whole mess was just a dream or someone playing a prank, but another hit bent the metal gate and she reconsidered. The whole thing was a tad convenient, but she could think about that when she wasn't at risk. What was the worst thing that could happen?
Still, any wish? She had never really had any big wishes, aside from maybe getting rid of her powers. Sure, there were lots of things she wanted, but using a wish to get them felt weird. Above all, she wanted to get away from the men chasing them, so it was best to stick with that. She needed to go somewhere with capes or policemen, where the men wouldn't be able to get to her.
"I wish to get to safety," she replied, looking the woman straight in the eyes. In that moment, Genie went still, her eyes turning red and her pupils expanding rapidly.
Suddenly, immense pain went through her whole body. Her body was stretching in weird directions and a frozen hand had pierced her chest and grasped her heart. The moment faded like a dream, and in its wake was a feeling of power and confidence. Space was nothing to her, she felt as if she could be anywhere, no destination beyond her power's reach.
In her hand, a weird weapon, some sort of spear with a curved blade at its end, stood tall and majestic. She did not know its name. But in that second, she knew how to use it, how to make more and that it was incredibly powerful. She lifted it with a single hand as one would a sponge sword, despite its obvious metallic feel.
Any further considerations were interrupted by the girl with the veil pulling her close as if in a hug, sticking Dinah's face to her chest. She wanted to protest, but a voice in her mind interrupted her.
"When you said safety, I hoped you'd meant home, not the PRT headquarters."
"Sorry," she replied, realizing only afterwards that she was using telepathy. Since when could she do that?
"Since now. One of the perks of being a magical girl. Only works on me, other magical girl or candidates, I am afraid. Also, don't panic, but there are PRT agents pointing containment foam guns at us."
Dinah wasn't sure how she was supposed to stay calm, but she nodded into Genie's chest to show her understanding. "I didn't have time to ask, but are you a villain, by any chance?"
"Put your hands up and surrender! You are trespassing on PRT grounds!"
"I like to think I am an independent hero, but I guess right now I am neither, since I have never gone patrolling or anything."
"Sorry, but my fellow cape here doesn't currently have a mask on, so I can't," Genie replied with an apologetic tone. She lifted her palms up, but kept the girl close to her chest. Dinah couldn't see what was going on, but she could make out some muttering between the agents. One of them seemed to be calling the boss to ask for orders.
"If necessary, can you teleport us out?"
That comment started Dinah. She reached out with her power and felt it respond. She wasn't sure she could go all the way to her home in one jump, but she could probably make it to the docks, at least.
"Sure, but won't that cause trouble?"
"Possibly, but I am not sure how your powers will react to being contained. Besides, both of us are underage, they might try to push us towards joining the Wards."
"Why would that be bad?"
Genie didn't reply, but she hugged the girl closer to her chest
The stand off seemed to go on for a good while, a tense silence only broken by the occasional comment from the agent with the radio. Instinctively, Dinah gripped her weapon tightly. She wasn't going to use it, but it made her feel safer, somehow.
Finally, someone threw something at Genie, which the cape caught with one hand, keeping the other on Dinah's back. The older girl crouched low, keeping her face hidden, and presented what looked like a gas mask to the younger girl. Was that standard PRT equipment? She didn't know, but she was surely grateful for it now.
Letting go of her weapon, which dissolved instantly, she gripped the mask and put it on. It was somewhat large, clearly meant for an adult male, but it was be good enough for now.
"Thank you," Dinah said, turning to look at the agents and forcing Genie to move her hands to her shoulders. They looked on edge, but they had lowered their foam weapons. The only man not carrying one, an older gentleman who carried a radio, was presumably the leader of this small group. He turned to the younger cape with a sad smile.
"I am sorry, but our orders are to detain you momentarily. This is a restricted area and you do not register in our databases as heroes. Once the circumstances have been ascertained, we will decide on a further course of action."
Genie's hand on her shoulder tightened. Dinah sent the older girl a worried look and shook her head. Surely, this could all be resolved?
"And if we resist?"
"What are you saying, I thought you wanted to be a hero?"
"What kind of hero lets a little girl be detained for circumstances beyond her control?"
"We will be forced to treat you as villains and take you in by force," he replied without hesitation, his voice turning to steel in an instant. His voice then shifted back to a softer tone. "Please do not force my hand, young one. I have granddaughters about your age."
Dinah looked back at her saviour one more time, noting her frown, before agreeing to the old man's terms. All she had wanted was to get away from those dangerous men. These seemed considerably less likely to kidnap her. In fact…
Chances they will try to kidnap me?
Her power replied, but this time it felt different. The images flowed through her mind freely, the room, the questioning, Genie, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, another woman who looked to be in charge, occasionally her parents, other times an unknown man. Five point six two percent. No headaches, no dizziness, clear and concise images. Was that also a result of her new powers? What, exactly, had she become? What even was a magical girl, anyway?
A/N: Hello, I thought I would start posting stories here, as I like the community more than on FF.net and would really like some constructive criticism. If you spot any errors, feel free to correct me, as English isn't my first language and I have no beta. Similarly, please point out any continuity issues you discover, my Worm and Madoka knowledge is not ideal. Without further ado, enjoy!
Summary: In which Taylor gains the powers(?) of an Incubator from PMMM, most importantly the ability to create magical girls. Without any of the knowledge of what a magical girl really is. What could possibly go wrong?
The day had started off so well. Both her parents had been free this weekend, so she could enjoy breakfast with them and talk for once. They had even managed to avoid activating her power by mistake all day! The trip to the mall had been shaping up to be the most fun activity in months.
So why was she now hiding behind a displayed car? What had she done to deserve being dragged into whatever crazy conflict was going down in Brockton Bay today? Her power almost kicked in, but she kept it contained for now. A headache would only make things worse.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned out to look out for the big men with guns. She had no idea what they were looking for, but ideally she would not get caught in the crossfire.
Luckily, or unluckily depending on perspective, there were two of them just a few feet away, their eyes steadily scanning the crowd. Looking for something, or someone? Her power was itching to go, but she had to hold it off.
"Haven't seen the girl yet, sir," one of the men said into a walkie-talkie. The girl? A terrifying thought crept into her thoughts. No, there was no way they would be after her, right? Fate would not be that cruel to her, would it?
Chances they will try to grab me?
Images and sounds swirled around her head, of being caught and dragged and stuffed into a van. Ninety nine point five percent. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, whether from pain or distress she had no idea. She needed to get away, and quick.
If she wanted to get out, her power was her best bet. But using it too many times was painful and difficult at the best of times. Two, maybe three more questions and she would be out like a light. The first thought in her mind was to stay put, but she decided to run that by her power first.
Chances they find me if I stay put?
More images, not all of them as bad, flooded her mind. She pulled the collar of her shirt up and bit into it as the pain intensified. Eighty two point seven percent. Not great odds, if she was being honest. Still, they were not a hundred percent, which meant she might be able to escape after all.
She picked herself up and prepared to sprint. They were trying to grab her, but in none of the images were they shooting her. As far as she could tell, at least. So they probably wanted her alive. If she could get far enough away, she might even be able to escape, or find some policemen or maybe a cape.
In one breath she launched herself away, faster than she had ever run in her life. She could hear the voices of the grunts as they followed her and she sincerely doubted her ability to outrun them, survival instincts or not.
She looked around for anything she could use, or at least ask her powers about, but nothing caught her eye. The people were getting out of the way, of course, this was Brockton after all. You didn't get involved in cape or gang activities if you valued your life.
Still, to think there wouldn't be anyone willing to help. Where were the heroes, wasn't this type of thing they were supposed to stop?
"After the next corner, go into the bookshop on the left."
A voice? That wasn't her power, was she hearing voices now?
The sound of boots closing up on her shook her out of her reverie. She couldn't afford to doubt her sanity right now, but she also couldn't run much longer. She only had one shot at this, but she still had her ace in the hole.
Chance that she will save from these men?
Her teeth clenched and she almost lost her balance as the images flowed through once more. Seventy five point two percent. Far better than her last odds. She would take the mysterious cape over the armed men. Maybe there was a telepathic hero in town she didn't know about?
The moment the bookshop entered her field of vision, she pushed her aching legs into one final sprint and threw herself inside, a metal gate sliding down behind her. She tried to calm down her erratic breath, but the pain in her lungs wouldn't stop. She looked around for her saviour and found a tall, scrawny girl, somewhat older than herself, wearing a black dress and hiding the lower half of her face behind a matching veil. All she could see were the large brown eyes staring at her.
"I am sorry we had to meet in these conditions," the cape said, walking up to her and offering her a hand. She hesitated for a second before taking it. "You can call me Genie."
"I'm Dinah, nice to meet you," she replied, almost mechanically, as she came to her feet. Her mind was still whirling from the events. She was about to ask more, but suddenly the metal gate was being rammed.
"Sorry Dinah, but we don't have much time. My power is no help in combat, but I can help you," Genie said, crouching to look her in the eye, over the veil. "I can offer you a single wish. It can be anything you want, money, power, friends, immortality, a cute boyfriend, or just to get to safety. In exchange, you will receive powers and become a magical girl. Then, you can defeat those men and escape."
Dinah wondered for a second if perhaps this whole mess was just a dream or someone playing a prank, but another hit bent the metal gate and she reconsidered. The whole thing was a tad convenient, but she could think about that when she wasn't at risk. What was the worst thing that could happen?
Still, any wish? She had never really had any big wishes, aside from maybe getting rid of her powers. Sure, there were lots of things she wanted, but using a wish to get them felt weird. Above all, she wanted to get away from the men chasing them, so it was best to stick with that. She needed to go somewhere with capes or policemen, where the men wouldn't be able to get to her.
"I wish to get to safety," she replied, looking the woman straight in the eyes. In that moment, Genie went still, her eyes turning red and her pupils expanding rapidly.
Suddenly, immense pain went through her whole body. Her body was stretching in weird directions and a frozen hand had pierced her chest and grasped her heart. The moment faded like a dream, and in its wake was a feeling of power and confidence. Space was nothing to her, she felt as if she could be anywhere, no destination beyond her power's reach.
In her hand, a weird weapon, some sort of spear with a curved blade at its end, stood tall and majestic. She did not know its name. But in that second, she knew how to use it, how to make more and that it was incredibly powerful. She lifted it with a single hand as one would a sponge sword, despite its obvious metallic feel.
Any further considerations were interrupted by the girl with the veil pulling her close as if in a hug, sticking Dinah's face to her chest. She wanted to protest, but a voice in her mind interrupted her.
"When you said safety, I hoped you'd meant home, not the PRT headquarters."
"Sorry," she replied, realizing only afterwards that she was using telepathy. Since when could she do that?
"Since now. One of the perks of being a magical girl. Only works on me, other magical girl or candidates, I am afraid. Also, don't panic, but there are PRT agents pointing containment foam guns at us."
Dinah wasn't sure how she was supposed to stay calm, but she nodded into Genie's chest to show her understanding. "I didn't have time to ask, but are you a villain, by any chance?"
"Put your hands up and surrender! You are trespassing on PRT grounds!"
"I like to think I am an independent hero, but I guess right now I am neither, since I have never gone patrolling or anything."
"Sorry, but my fellow cape here doesn't currently have a mask on, so I can't," Genie replied with an apologetic tone. She lifted her palms up, but kept the girl close to her chest. Dinah couldn't see what was going on, but she could make out some muttering between the agents. One of them seemed to be calling the boss to ask for orders.
"If necessary, can you teleport us out?"
That comment started Dinah. She reached out with her power and felt it respond. She wasn't sure she could go all the way to her home in one jump, but she could probably make it to the docks, at least.
"Sure, but won't that cause trouble?"
"Possibly, but I am not sure how your powers will react to being contained. Besides, both of us are underage, they might try to push us towards joining the Wards."
"Why would that be bad?"
Genie didn't reply, but she hugged the girl closer to her chest
The stand off seemed to go on for a good while, a tense silence only broken by the occasional comment from the agent with the radio. Instinctively, Dinah gripped her weapon tightly. She wasn't going to use it, but it made her feel safer, somehow.
Finally, someone threw something at Genie, which the cape caught with one hand, keeping the other on Dinah's back. The older girl crouched low, keeping her face hidden, and presented what looked like a gas mask to the younger girl. Was that standard PRT equipment? She didn't know, but she was surely grateful for it now.
Letting go of her weapon, which dissolved instantly, she gripped the mask and put it on. It was somewhat large, clearly meant for an adult male, but it was be good enough for now.
"Thank you," Dinah said, turning to look at the agents and forcing Genie to move her hands to her shoulders. They looked on edge, but they had lowered their foam weapons. The only man not carrying one, an older gentleman who carried a radio, was presumably the leader of this small group. He turned to the younger cape with a sad smile.
"I am sorry, but our orders are to detain you momentarily. This is a restricted area and you do not register in our databases as heroes. Once the circumstances have been ascertained, we will decide on a further course of action."
Genie's hand on her shoulder tightened. Dinah sent the older girl a worried look and shook her head. Surely, this could all be resolved?
"And if we resist?"
"What are you saying, I thought you wanted to be a hero?"
"What kind of hero lets a little girl be detained for circumstances beyond her control?"
"We will be forced to treat you as villains and take you in by force," he replied without hesitation, his voice turning to steel in an instant. His voice then shifted back to a softer tone. "Please do not force my hand, young one. I have granddaughters about your age."
Dinah looked back at her saviour one more time, noting her frown, before agreeing to the old man's terms. All she had wanted was to get away from those dangerous men. These seemed considerably less likely to kidnap her. In fact…
Chances they will try to kidnap me?
Her power replied, but this time it felt different. The images flowed through her mind freely, the room, the questioning, Genie, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, another woman who looked to be in charge, occasionally her parents, other times an unknown man. Five point six two percent. No headaches, no dizziness, clear and concise images. Was that also a result of her new powers? What, exactly, had she become? What even was a magical girl, anyway?
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"Runs the fuck away!"
How dark will the story be? Will Taylor figure out some way to help or should I avoid the story, since I don't like grim dark?
- Location
- Romania
I am not really aiming for grimdark, but you should expect some Madoka-level dark stuff nonetheless. Neither universe is particularly nice to children, but Taylor will try her best.
... I'm torn. I kind of want to try reading it, because it sounds interesting, but on the other hand I don't know if it will go over the limit of what I can handle... And things always get worse if you have the time to start liking the story before you reach a point you don't want to read anymore (damn you Bleach).
- Location
- Germany
Magical Girl Dinah? This will be awesome!
Aurora Moon
Verfied Insomniac with too much time on her hands
- Location
- USA, Earth
- Pronouns
- She/Her
it depends on whenever she's really the first one Taylor recruited. Taylor had to test her out powers somehow to know what she could do, right?
- Location
- Italy
I wonder if Zion will be interested in KyuTaylor? Both semi-immortal, both trying to defeat universal entropy, both don't exactly know what they are doing...
And not in a romantic sense, you perverts! Eldritch beings don't even know what that means!
Also, do witches even exist here or do they need to hunt parahumans? Because that is one way it could get even darker...
And not in a romantic sense, you perverts! Eldritch beings don't even know what that means!
Also, do witches even exist here or do they need to hunt parahumans? Because that is one way it could get even darker...
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- Location
- Italy
Everything seems to be pointing towards there not being witches and magical girls on Earth Bet. Presumably, witches will only come from Taylor's powers.
Wonder how long until everything goes to shit.
- Location
- College Station, Texas
This is a good premise and this chapter got me hooked. Watched.
Y Ddraig Goch
Previously Unknown Solder 1
- Location
- Terra
you said it's alt power, not a crossover... Taylor would not call it MAGIC, if it's an alt power, she might call it a reality warping power, or a trump effect power... No one in worm really believes in magic, not with the advent of parahuman power, not magic...
- Location
- Romania
Oops. Thanks for catching that, wasn't meant to be 'magical' powers. Also, can't it be both altpower and a crossover?
- Location
- Kansas
Question: If there are no witches, how can a magical girl cleanse their soul gem? Can they drain energy from the shards of defeated parahumans, or can Taylor herself cleanse their gems? I remember hearing that Kyubey has the ability to cleanse gems, but doesn't because a magical girl turning into a witch produces more energy.
Aurora Moon
Verfied Insomniac with too much time on her hands
- Location
- USA, Earth
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think Kubey only did that in the altered reality that Madoka made for all the Puella Magi out there, because she competely altered the rules of being a magical girl.
But yeah, you could be right... Kubey might had that ablity all along even in the original reality, and didn't bother doing it until the new reality occured. Because the magical girls didn't turn into witches in that timeline, and it would've been ineffective to let the girls die instead of having them keep on going fighting wraiths. After all, wraiths has a tendecy to outnumber all the magical girls... so they'd need all hands on deck to collect the wraith engery.
So he started up the service of cleaning soul gems for everyone.
Yeah, I'm with the others. Poor Dinah, cut down to young by despair and the first witch Earth Bet will know. Many, many will follow.
IIRC after Madoka broke existence the wraiths created some sort of cubes that drained despair out of soul gems, and were then given to the Incubators whom would use that to delay entropy.
IIRC after Madoka broke existence the wraiths created some sort of cubes that drained despair out of soul gems, and were then given to the Incubators whom would use that to delay entropy.
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- Location
- Philippines
@ArcherMahou
do they need grief seeds
do they need grief seeds
- Location
- Romania
There are technically other methods available other than grief seeds, but the answer is yes, they do.
Chapter 1. I Just Want to be Normal
- Location
- Romania
A/N: I debated way too long on what to do with the other Madoka elements. Hopefully this will be fine. Time to see what Taylor has to say about this whole mess. Sorry for the double post. Also, my formatting/font might be a bit of a mess, trying to fix that.
Not for the first time since gaining her powers, Taylor marveled at what she could do. She had an instinctive idea for the basics: potential sensing, limited telepathy and wish granting. But there were so many things her mind told her she could do, most either too difficult or too ethically dubious, to put it mildly.
If there was one thing you learned from reading up on capes, it was that anything to do with mind control was bad news with a capital B. And yet, as another hour passed by without anyone coming into the room where she was being 'hosted', the temptation to use the ability to erase memories, which she knew she had, grew stronger.
It would be so easy; all she to do was call out to the guards, look them in the eye and let her power work. But that wouldn't solve the bigger problem. The Director likely knew about her, the heroes had likely been informed of her presence and she was definitely being watched via camera in that very second. If she used those terrifying abilities, she would be getting a one way ticket to the Birdcage.
Another power, the one to disappear from the eyes of those with whom she hadn't contracted, came up only to be discarded just as easily. Vanishing from the PRT headquarters meant putting a target on her back and, more importantly, casting suspicion on Dinah.
Ultimately, she wasn't quite sure why she was so restless. She trusted the PRT and the Protectorate, at least as much as the average Brockton citizen could, and was quite certain of her own innocence in the whole ordeal. It wasn't like she had seen anything important either, she had quite literally appeared in the hallway, in front of all those soldiers, too. It was Dinah, the new magical girl- oh God she had actually contracted a magical girl- that she was supposed to take care of.
"Are you sure they are not mistreating you in any way?"
"I'm fine, Genie. They asked a few questions, wanted to see me use the teleportation ability, test my strength and poke my costume and this weird gem on my forehead for a bit. They seem fairly satisfied with Magical Girl, the name isn't even taken!. In fact, they say I will be able to go home in a few minutes. Armsmaster offered me a ride, even!"
Taylor sighed in relief, even though she had asked many times in the last few hours. Once they had found out that Dinah was the teleporter, they had insisted on talking with her first. Taylor had been sorely tempted to call on her right to an attorney, but that would mean spending even longer in this room, with higher chances of both her parents and Dinah's finding out about everything that had gone down. She didn't want to get her father involved in her cape activities.
Another part of her boiled in jealousy. Why couldn't she go riding around with the man who took down Lung?
"Feel free to take him up on the offer. Don't go overusing your powers until you've had time to train with them. I don't want to have to explain to your parents why you appeared halfway through the coffee table."
Dinah sent laughter through the telepathic link, a feat Taylor hadn't known was possible. Then again, she hadn't tried to do this before either. Why were her powers so weirdly restrictive?
"Don't worry, there is a ninety five point seventy two percent chance I would be able to teleport safely. I would be more worried about the fact that Miss Militia is heading your way. Remember to stick to the story!"
The precise percentage threw Taylor for a loop. Was that part of her new abilities? Had the wish to go to safety given her some kind of precognition ability? No, she could think about that later.
"Don't worry, I won't forget. How about we meet tomorrow, out of costume, to talk about your new abilities?"
Genie wasn't sure why she was getting lectured by the younger girl, but she shifted her focus to trying to look casual. She didn't want the heroine to know she had prior warning. Act natural, or whatever that meant for a person who had spent hours alone in a dimly lit room.
"Sure, 3pm at that nice cafe on the Boardwalk? I do have school, you know."
Miss Militia made her entry just a few seconds later, gently opening the door. The woman tried to look reassuring, even though she was visibly exhausted. She entered as natural as if it was an office meeting, if one ignored the two PRT agents flanking her, containment foam guns at their waists. Genie tried to feel for her potential, but there was little there. Not enough to offer a wish, her power said. More evidence to her age-based theory.
"You must be Genie. I apologize for taking this long. It has been quite a hectic day," the cape's tone was reconciliatory, but by no means soft.
"It's fine. I just want to get this over with," she was quite happy to take the olive branch. She may not have wanted to join the Wards, but she had no intention of angering the local heroes, either.
"I see. To business, then. Why were you trespassing in the PRT headquarters?"
"Not by choice. The other girl took me with her when she teleported. One second we were in the mall, next second we had PRT agents surrounding us."
"I see. But you are a parahuman, is that correct?"
"Indeed. My power is not that useful, though, which is why I don't go out in costume. I can grant wishes."
That last statement seemed to strike a chord through the other cape. Her eyes widened for a second, before she regained her composure. Taylor knew she was playing a bit of a dangerous game: too much info might scare the Protectorate, but too little would make her look suspicious.
"So that is where Genie comes from. Not a useless power, by any means. I suppose there are limitations to it?"
For a few seconds, she hesitated. How much was she willing to divulge? This was a heroine, yes, but at the same time, this felt personal, in some way. Apologizing for the deception, she decided to stick to the more obvious facts.
"It only works on certain people. I don't get to decide who can make a wish and who can't, nor do I get a wish for myself. Also, only one wish allowed per person." Genie debated internally for a second on whether to continue a bit further, but decided she might as well. "I can feel the people with the potential to make wishes. It's hard to explain, but it is like a heat wave, like standing close to an open fire." She kept hidden the fact that different people had different amounts of potential and the age and gender correlation she had discovered so far. No mention of the whole 'magical girl' thing until she was ready to explain it. She had a feeling that one might cause some panic. Let them think Dinah had triggered naturally.
There was silence for a while as the other cape wrote down all the information, but Genie had a feeling there was something else to it. Was the other cape just stalling for time? And what for?
"Fascinating. I can understand why someone with such a power might hesitate to show themselves. There are many who would stop at nothing to have a wish granted, and you have no way to defend yourself," the woman continued, looking Genie in the eye. Where had the sudden sharpness come from? Was this the lead up to an invitation to the Wards? "But then how did you get involved with Magical Girl? She claimed she was being chased by mercenaries, but you seem to possess no combat capabilities. Is she one of these potential wish recipients?"
Taylor briefly found herself stumped. Was Miss Militia starting to figure things out? No, there was no way they would figure it out that quickly, was there? As long as she calmed down and answered only the questions actually asked, she wouldn't need to resort to outright lying, lies from omission aside. She would be back home, no Birdcage ticket or kill order hovering over her head. Breathe.
"Yes, she is. As to why I helped her, I couldn't stand by while a little girl got hurt, even if there was little I could do," she replied, with as much confidence as she could muster. It was the truth, in a way, and Taylor liked to think she would have tried to help the girl even if she hadn't had powers. Miss Militia seemed to like the answer, but she did not comment on it.
"Very well. Two more questions, if you will. Does the name Coil mean anything to you?"
Taylor racked her brains for any mention of that name. She knew she had heard it before. Villain? Not ABB or Empire, she had tried to memorize all the capes they had. It also didn't sound like a Merchant name.
"Some kind of local villain, I think? Don't know if he is part of any gangs."
Miss Militia stared at her in silence for a second. Taylor was starting to get antsy, and her various powers were once more flaring up. No, power, down, bad boy. No mind wiping the heroine, no going invisible, no teleportation.
"Very well. For your own safety, you should know that those mercenaries most likely work for him. He is a small time villain operating on the Western edges of Empire territory. We have no information on what his power may be, but we assume either Tinker or Thinker, judging by the amount of money and tinkertech he is capable of throwing around. I suggest you be especially careful the next few days, as he may want revenge." Miss Militia kept a cool tone for the entire duration of the speech. Was she reciting the whole thing from memory?
"I see. Thank you for the warning, but I don't intend to go out in costume much, anyway," she replied, trying not to feel too scared. Capes were one thing, they didn't tend to go for the kill, but armed mercenaries felt different. Tinkertech guns might have non lethal settings, but she would not bet her life on it. Or her father's, for that matter.
"Good. Now, for the last part. Would you be interested in a job, or at least an affiliation with the Protectorate ENE? Any further details would be decided later, but the Director wants to know if you are at least interested before forwarding a request to the thinkers. There are quite a few boons."
The topic had changed so fast, Genie had to stop and reconsider her situation. The woman had not realized, or possibly didn't care about, her status as a minor. The temptation to accept was definitely there. She knew damn well that she couldn't face off against any of the gangs of Brockton Bay without resorting to some of her other powers. But still, she didn't want to be part of a hierarchy like the PRT. More chances for superiors to disappoint her, for colleagues to laugh at her? No, she would go her own way for now.
"Thank you for the offer, but I feel I must decline. I am not comfortable joining the Protectorate just yet. I will go my own way for now."
Miss Militia nodded with a frown on her face. The woman seemed like she was ready to leave it at that, but she received some kind of message and her eyes widened in shock for a second.
"If that is your wish, then we will not force the matter. Do remember, however, that most independents do not last longer than a few months before either being either forcefully recruited or retired."
With those last ominous words, Miss Militia escorted Taylor out of the cell and, with a lot of looping around and backtracking, out of the headquarters entirely. The moment she found herself out in the open, under the sunset sky, she couldn't help but sag in relief. Finally, she was done. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go through that again every time she contracted a magical girl.
As she rested with her back on a wall, she noticed her escort was still there, looking at her from the door way.
"Good luck, Genie," the woman commented, her arms crossed over her chest. "Keep yourself and Magical Girl out of danger, will you? I've seen too many young heroes lose their way on these streets."
Taylor replied with a nod. One way or another, she would protect her magical girl. She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling that wouldn't be easy. Nothing ever was, here in the Bay.
But before that she had another problem. How would she explain to her father what had happened?
The second she had opened the door, her father was already up in her face, a frightened look on his face.
"Taylor! You're alright! Thank God, when I heard that there was trouble at the mall, I thought my heart would give out!" He looked her up and down, panic slowly slipping away but still quite obvious. "I was this close to calling the cops to declare you missing. Are you injured? Did those fools hurt you? One call to Kurt and I can gather up some boys and go smash their heads!"
Okay, no, that had to stop now. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and hear the seriousness in his voice. She somehow did not doubt for a second that he would walk up to Coil's mercenaries and pick a fight. She looked into his eyes- red eyes, had he been crying?- put on her best calming smile and awkwardly patted his shoulder. She really shouldn't have told him she was going to the mall. A glance at the clock told her it was 10 pm. Getting back had taken a long time.
"I'm fine Dad, they weren't after me. I was a witness, so I got stuck with questioning. I couldn't exactly call you and they wouldn't let us go, so I had to wait." Every word seemed to deflate him, but a slight anger, the one he always tried to hide from her, was still there.
"Damn cops, one of them had to have a bloody phone! I should walk up to the police station and give them a piece of my mind," he said, eyeing the jacket thrown over the back of a chair. That was a big no-no for Taylor, as that would prove she wasn't actually there. Had the police even known about the attempted kidnapping?
"Dad, stop, please," she said, pulling him into a hug. The man froze, as if shot, before slowly putting his own hands around her. How long had it been since they had hugged like this, without it feeling awkward and mechanical?
"I'm sorry Taylor. I, I just couldn't stand losing you, too. After Annette and all that has happened with the Dockworkers' Association, you are all I have left. First the incident at school and now this." Danny pulled her in even tighter, while she let her head fall on his shoulder. She had lost her mother and Emma, but now she had powers, she could change things. Sure, her powers weren't combat related, but if she could create magical girls, she could help the world at least indirectly, like Dragon did. She could be a hero, Protectorate or not. "Tomorrow, you and I are going to get you a phone. I can't possibly endure another evening like this."
The words shocked her and she couldn't help but stare at her father. He hated phones with a passion, blamed them for her mother's death. The idea that he would accept, let alone suggest, something like that seemed unthinkable.
"But Dad, I thought,"
"It hurts, but Kurt and Lacey already chewed me out over this. If you'd had a phone, we could have avoided so much pain. You could have called the police back at school, could have called me so I didn't have to find out from them, could have called me today to help you. I'm not backing down, this is final," he stopped and looked away for a second, presumably to calm down. "Don't go you go leaving me behind, you hear?"
Why did all of their conversations have to feel so unnatural? She couldn't help but blame herself for trying to hide everything, about the bullying, Emma and her powers, but she knew she couldn't afford to get him involved. There was nothing he could do, after all, and it would only hurt him more once he realized it.
"Same goes for you, Dad. Don't you dare pick a fight with gangsters or whatever, I need you here," she replied, surprised at how much emotion had leaked out with that statement. In truth, before she got her powers, home had been the only place she had felt safe. In a way, it was still the only place where Taylor would feel safe. Genie might get a hideout, her own place to work and plan, but for Taylor, this home was all she had. Danny Hebert was all she had. Miss Militia had been kind and Dinah was probably full of gratitude, but those were aimed at Genie.
Once the awkward hug and discussion was done with, they decided to eat dinner. Danny hadn't cooked anything, but their fridge still had some food. Some pasta, some tomato sauce, some minced beef and assorted vegetables. Taylor had learned to cook from her mother, but her father was by no means bad at it. They set up together, her father handling the sauce while she kept an eye on the noodles and cut the veggies. It was peaceful and nice and almost like a real family. Even Danny seemed to smile as he carefully mixed the meat and sauce together.
She blamed the slight tears in her eyes on the onions she was cutting.
"Genie?"
The sudden voice in her head almost made her cut her own finger off, but she stopped just in time. If her father noticed it, he didn't say anything. She cleared her head and tried to focus her mind on both cutting and talking.
"Yes, Magical Girl, what is it?"
"What am I supposed to tell my parents? They already knew I had powers, but the new ones are different, stronger."
"Wait, you had powers before?"
Taylor took a moment to make sure she wasn't cutting anything lest she injure herself with more shocks. Still, to think her power could grant more powers to those that already had them. That made her an even more desirable target, but it also expanded her possibilities. What would the Protectorate think if she told them she could enhance some of their girl Wards? The Youth Guard might freak, but still. Wards aside, would her powers work on Glory Girl or Panacea? That needed testing. Maybe she could drop by the Hospital later…
"Yep, limited precognition. I could tell the percentage chance of an event happening. Used to cause me some horrible headaches, but whatever your power did solved that problem."
That was a ridiculously useful ability. There was so much one could do with precognition, both as a hero and as a rogue playing the stock market, that she could easily see why Coil had been going after her. The kind of ability the Protectorate would pay someone millions to use. The Endbringers, the Nine, Heartbreaker, they would have no chance before such a powerful precog.
"Does the PRT know? Did they have you join the Wards?"
"Nope, stuck to just the teleportation and improved body. I rejected the offer of being a Ward, for now. Still, back to my question. What do I do."
It was a fair question. She had trusted her parents enough to tell them of her original power, so she would probably do the same unless told otherwise. Taylor couldn't help but wish she was that close with her dad. But she wanted to keep a low profile, and that meant keeping people in the dark.
"No need to mention it. If necessary, just say your power has improved somehow. Parahuman abilities require years of study to understand, no one will expect you to know."
For a few minutes there was no answer, which let her enjoy her father's company. Unfortunately, thoughts about cape issues filled her mind, so she couldn't lose herself in the cooking. If there was ever a moment to tell her dad about her abilities, this was it. They were together, in no hurry and too tired to argue over it.
And yet, she couldn't find it in herself to break the moment. She knew how he would react, his worries growing exponentially the moment he contemplated the idea of his daughter being in danger. He would want to get involved, try to force her to join the Wards. She couldn't let that happen. Let ignorance be bliss, for now.
The pasta and sauce were finally done, so she sat down with her dad at the table, enjoying the aroma. Just as she took her first bite, another message interrupted her.
"Genie, what exactly are planning to do?"
Of course she would ask. In truth, she had no more idea than the younger girl. She had ideas, yes, but no plans. For a few seconds she stared at the pasta, deep in thought. She had gone through a lot of ideas since the day she had gotten her powers, but now that she actually had a Magical Girl...
"I was thinking of making a team of Magical Girls. An independent team, kinda like New Wave. You are my first recruit."
That would be the first step. She could hand out powers like candy, so she just needed to find girls with potential and a wish and presto, she would have her own little group of heroes. If any city could use the extra heroes, it was Brockton Bay. Once she had enough members, she would affiliate to the Protectorate like New Wave, and go from there. Calling it a plan would be a stretch.
"Not exactly a master plan. Also, if I am your first recruit, how did you even know what you could do? Don't tell me you tested your power on me!"
Well, that was not exactly the case, but she had to word it better. Her powers told her, instinctively, what to do, but she had never actually fulfilled a wish before Dinah. Or used telepathy. She had gone invisible a few times, but that was different.
"Don't worry, I knew what I was doing. You didn't need to learn how to use your power, right? It's all instinctual."
That seemed to mollify the girl for now. She didn't say anything else, so Taylor turned back to her father. He was eating slowly, occasionally slipping glances at her. The next time he did it, she tried to smile at him. He returned a small grin and returned to his food. No more words were exchanged. The Hebert household was as quiet as always.
Taylor looked at her new phone as if it was the most cursed thing in existence. Alas, her glare was not enough to make it disappear. Phones had changed much since she had last had one, and it turned out that they all had touchscreens and weird applications now. She had spent hours in that bloody shop as the over-enthusiastic young man tried to explain all the cool things it could do. She needed to make calls, not solve puzzles!
Still, the thing at least had a clock, which meant she could look at it as she waited for Dinah. 2:58. She had come a tad early, telling her father she would be meeting a friend to get him to let her go. She kept herself busy by browsing the Parahuman Wiki, which her phone could somehow access. She didn't know all the capes in Brockton Bay by heart yet, but she was making an effort to remember at least the heavy hitters, both their powers and their costumes.
Apparently, things were getting heated up ever since the Protectorate took Lung down. Oni Lee, a crazy teleporter, and a new recruit called Bakuda, whose powers she had no idea about, were trying hard to keep the ABB territory intact, but the Empire and Merchants were pushing even harder. A gang war may be imminent, especially if Coil's mercenaries got added to the pile. There was a lot of money to be made, between the casinos, brothels and drug market that Lung had tried to build up over the years. Brockton Bay had a lot of heroes, but even more villains, and many had dangerous powers. Getting in the way of people like Purity, Hookwolf or Kaiser meant you were not getting away with light wounds unless your name was Alexandria.
Deciding that thinking further into the subject could only cause her more worries, she placed her phone on the table, took a sip of her hot chocolate and looked around for Dinah. The other girl may not recognize her, since she had been wearing a dress and that weird face covering veil she bought for Halloween so many years ago. That really wasn't supposed to be how her costume looked, but she couldn't afford to be picky given the lack of any resources to buy a better one. It fit the name Genie, if nothing else, though it looked a tad villainous.
At last, she saw the girl approach from the other edge of the street and waved at her. Unlike her frilly dress costume or the nice fashionable clothes she had been wearing at the mall, her school uniform looked normal, the kind of cheap, affordable clothing that anyone in Brockton Bay could buy.
"That's me, Genie. Hey there."
The girl didn't waste a second and quickly skipped over to a seat right in front of her. Taylor had been lucky to get this table, right next to the building and protected by an umbrella from any possible rain.
"Guess it's time to introduce myself. I am Taylor Hebert, nice to meet you."
"Dinah Alcott. Never got around to telling you my family name yesterday. Good to meet you as well, Taylor." The younger girl went on to cheerily order a coffee for herself, with all the cheer and exuberance a normal girl that just got out of school would have. If she didn't personally know what this was about, she would never have thought the girl to be anything but a normal girl gossiping with her older friend. How long had it been since she had done that?
"With that done with, I guess you are curious what exactly you can do now?" Taylor watched for her companion's reaction, expecting anything from exuberance to disappointment. She did not expect the other girl to just kind of shrug like they were talking about the weather.
"Went through the gist of it with the heroes yesterday. I can teleport around pretty easily, to any place I have seen or is in line of sight, I am stronger, faster and ridiculously resilient, and my costume, which is part of my power, is tough enough to repel bullets. Also, Armsmaster said my weapon is called a halberd, and it is fairly similar to his own weapon, albeit less tech heavy and impossibly durable." She went over what was nearly a Triumvirate level power set like she was talking about shoes. This girl was either a really good actress or had no idea how crazy all her abilities were. "Oh, right, and of course my whole predict the future thing is a lot better, doesn't cause headaches anymore, thanks for that."
Taylor stared in wonder at the girl for a few seconds, wondering if this was the level of power that all magical girls were supposed to have. If she could get even ten Dinah-level capes in a team, she could probably claim to have the strongest non-Protectorate team in the US. But that was enough fantasizing, she needed to get to the important points.
"Good, you got the idea of your powers. Now the hard parts, which I was not all that sure about before: do you have something like a hand-sized gem, which shines a particular color?" It was an important part of this whole mess and her power had only been informative after she used it on Dinah.
The younger girl nodded and pulled out a beautiful, navy blue gem surrounded by a brown structure. Her power had not given it a name, but she knew some of its functions, and Dinah probably didn't, if the way she presented with a flourish was any indication.
"This thing is extremely important. It is not only the source of your powers, but it also keeps you alive," she said, taking a deep breath as she watched a look of horror cross the other girl's face. "Now, it should be even more resilient than your body, but a good hit from a powerful cape can still crack it, and if it breaks, you are dead."
Dinah looked at the gem with a fascinated look, pulling it to her chest to protect it with her hands. Taylor could tell that she had taken that particular statement to heart, more than anything else. For a second, she debated on whether to add the rest of what she knew her power had done to the girl. That the gem actually held her spirit, that her body was effectively a vessel and, if the gem survived, she could technically be placed in a new body. Now that was information she doubted the girl would take well.
"Another important thing is that you may notice how the gem is less shiny than when you first got it."
"Now that you mention it, it is a bit darker. Is that bad?"
"Kind of. The shine represents how much power you have left. The more you use your power, the more it will darken, but there should be a way to restore its shine." Taylor didn't actually know what it was, but her power was very confident that something could do it. In fact, she could do it if she was strong enough, but she didn't know how to get stronger. "Once it goes completely dark, you will lose your powers and stop being a magical girl." She was unsure how that actually worked, but she supposed she had time to find out.
"Ah, so I will eventually get rid of these new abilities?" Dinah's answer was surprisingly optimistic sounding, almost as if she didn't want her powers.
"Well, yes, the more you use them the faster they will be depleted. Like this phone's battery." She picked it up and waved it around for a second, which caused the other girl to smile and giggle. So what if her phone was an older model, it worked, that was all that mattered! "Still, you should have plenty of uses before they run out completely. Once the team gets bigger, you could work in shifts to avoid overuse and prolong your abilities' times."
As she heard the last statement, Dinah seemed to physically shrink, the previous happy smile disappearing. Taylor couldn't help but frown. Sure, having her powers run out and having to work in shifts sounded complicated, but she could at least help people directly.
"About this whole team idea," Dinah replied, looking of to the side and hesitating for a few seconds. "I, I don't really… want to be a hero."
The words felt like iron stakes stabbed into Taylor's heart. There was no way someone who lived in Brockton Bay could possibly say these words, was there? Someone who had seen what the Empire and the ABB had done, how much damage they had caused?
"You're joking, right?" Taylor tried to laugh, but the girl's sad shake of her head made stop in her tracks. "But, but you have such incredible powers! You could even fight someone like Lung! Why would you..."
For a second she stopped and looked at the girl in front of her. Could she see this kid, not that she was much older, as a villain? Imagine Magical Girl leading her own gang, robbing banks or causing mayhem? She would not be the first, there was at least that kid called Bambina, not to mention Heartbreaker's children, but Dinah seemed too nice, too kind for that.
"Do you intend to become a villain, then?" She needed to ask. She had no way of taking away her gifts, the wishes and powers were permanent, but the guilt she felt at the idea was almost physically painful. Had all her efforts been so counter productive? Was she only making Brockton Bay worse?
"No! Why must the world be divided in Heroes and Villains? I just want to be a normal girl! I didn't ask for powers, or to save the world, or to ever face Lung in battle! I didn't want to spend hours stuck in a PRT interrogation room! I want my normal life back. Is that too much to ask?"
With every sentence, Taylor felt another pain in her heart. She had been so focused on being useful, on building her team, that she had forgotten about Dinah's opinion on the matter. Looking at the girl with new eyes, she couldn't help but feel bad. Here was just another normal girl, with friend, school, family and dreams of her own, who had no reason to want to fight crime. She couldn't be much older than Vista, but the Ward had chosen that life and had always been proud of it, both on TV and on PHO.
Taylor looked at the hot chocolate, now gone cold, and wondered what to do. She could try to convince Dinah, talk about responsibilities and power, but she felt bad at the idea of manipulating a middle school child to risk her life. That was the kind of thing gangs did, not hero teams.
"If that is what you want, I'm not going to stop you," she said, meeting the girl's sad eyes with her own. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, but she kept herself, and her power, in check. The girl had made her choice, but she couldn't help but feel bad about it. "If you ever change your mind, my team and I will be waiting. You are a Magical Girl, whether you use your powers or not."
Dinah sighed, sagging as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulder. She hadn't even noted how tense the girl had been. Still, that would not be the end of it, that much Taylor was certain about. Capes could rarely stand on the sidelines forever. If she got attacked by gangsters, or if an Endbringer were to come, would she stand by without using her powers?
"Thanks, I will keep that in mind. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. I mean, what are the chances I will actually need my powers, even in..." she stopped herself from talking, a look of pure horror etched on her face. In a flash of navy blue, she changed, her uniform replaced by a long frilly dress and her face covered by a carnival mask. The next second, she tackled Taylor to the ground, jumping over the table and ignoring the startled looks of the other patrons.
Before Taylor could ask what was going on, the cafe exploded, sending pieces of debris flying everywhere. Just as a piece of the wall was about to land on top of the two, Genie felt herself being transported a long distance, landing at the edge of the Boardwalk. Dinah had just rescued her, transforming in front of all those people. All around her, people were running away from buildings that were on fire, frozen or disintegrating. A cacophony of shouts, explosions and gunfire rang out in her ears.
And on the horizon, out of the burning ruins of the PRT headquarters, the figure of a dragon was rising.
Not for the first time since gaining her powers, Taylor marveled at what she could do. She had an instinctive idea for the basics: potential sensing, limited telepathy and wish granting. But there were so many things her mind told her she could do, most either too difficult or too ethically dubious, to put it mildly.
If there was one thing you learned from reading up on capes, it was that anything to do with mind control was bad news with a capital B. And yet, as another hour passed by without anyone coming into the room where she was being 'hosted', the temptation to use the ability to erase memories, which she knew she had, grew stronger.
It would be so easy; all she to do was call out to the guards, look them in the eye and let her power work. But that wouldn't solve the bigger problem. The Director likely knew about her, the heroes had likely been informed of her presence and she was definitely being watched via camera in that very second. If she used those terrifying abilities, she would be getting a one way ticket to the Birdcage.
Another power, the one to disappear from the eyes of those with whom she hadn't contracted, came up only to be discarded just as easily. Vanishing from the PRT headquarters meant putting a target on her back and, more importantly, casting suspicion on Dinah.
Ultimately, she wasn't quite sure why she was so restless. She trusted the PRT and the Protectorate, at least as much as the average Brockton citizen could, and was quite certain of her own innocence in the whole ordeal. It wasn't like she had seen anything important either, she had quite literally appeared in the hallway, in front of all those soldiers, too. It was Dinah, the new magical girl- oh God she had actually contracted a magical girl- that she was supposed to take care of.
"Are you sure they are not mistreating you in any way?"
"I'm fine, Genie. They asked a few questions, wanted to see me use the teleportation ability, test my strength and poke my costume and this weird gem on my forehead for a bit. They seem fairly satisfied with Magical Girl, the name isn't even taken!. In fact, they say I will be able to go home in a few minutes. Armsmaster offered me a ride, even!"
Taylor sighed in relief, even though she had asked many times in the last few hours. Once they had found out that Dinah was the teleporter, they had insisted on talking with her first. Taylor had been sorely tempted to call on her right to an attorney, but that would mean spending even longer in this room, with higher chances of both her parents and Dinah's finding out about everything that had gone down. She didn't want to get her father involved in her cape activities.
Another part of her boiled in jealousy. Why couldn't she go riding around with the man who took down Lung?
"Feel free to take him up on the offer. Don't go overusing your powers until you've had time to train with them. I don't want to have to explain to your parents why you appeared halfway through the coffee table."
Dinah sent laughter through the telepathic link, a feat Taylor hadn't known was possible. Then again, she hadn't tried to do this before either. Why were her powers so weirdly restrictive?
"Don't worry, there is a ninety five point seventy two percent chance I would be able to teleport safely. I would be more worried about the fact that Miss Militia is heading your way. Remember to stick to the story!"
The precise percentage threw Taylor for a loop. Was that part of her new abilities? Had the wish to go to safety given her some kind of precognition ability? No, she could think about that later.
"Don't worry, I won't forget. How about we meet tomorrow, out of costume, to talk about your new abilities?"
Genie wasn't sure why she was getting lectured by the younger girl, but she shifted her focus to trying to look casual. She didn't want the heroine to know she had prior warning. Act natural, or whatever that meant for a person who had spent hours alone in a dimly lit room.
"Sure, 3pm at that nice cafe on the Boardwalk? I do have school, you know."
Miss Militia made her entry just a few seconds later, gently opening the door. The woman tried to look reassuring, even though she was visibly exhausted. She entered as natural as if it was an office meeting, if one ignored the two PRT agents flanking her, containment foam guns at their waists. Genie tried to feel for her potential, but there was little there. Not enough to offer a wish, her power said. More evidence to her age-based theory.
"You must be Genie. I apologize for taking this long. It has been quite a hectic day," the cape's tone was reconciliatory, but by no means soft.
"It's fine. I just want to get this over with," she was quite happy to take the olive branch. She may not have wanted to join the Wards, but she had no intention of angering the local heroes, either.
"I see. To business, then. Why were you trespassing in the PRT headquarters?"
"Not by choice. The other girl took me with her when she teleported. One second we were in the mall, next second we had PRT agents surrounding us."
"I see. But you are a parahuman, is that correct?"
"Indeed. My power is not that useful, though, which is why I don't go out in costume. I can grant wishes."
That last statement seemed to strike a chord through the other cape. Her eyes widened for a second, before she regained her composure. Taylor knew she was playing a bit of a dangerous game: too much info might scare the Protectorate, but too little would make her look suspicious.
"So that is where Genie comes from. Not a useless power, by any means. I suppose there are limitations to it?"
For a few seconds, she hesitated. How much was she willing to divulge? This was a heroine, yes, but at the same time, this felt personal, in some way. Apologizing for the deception, she decided to stick to the more obvious facts.
"It only works on certain people. I don't get to decide who can make a wish and who can't, nor do I get a wish for myself. Also, only one wish allowed per person." Genie debated internally for a second on whether to continue a bit further, but decided she might as well. "I can feel the people with the potential to make wishes. It's hard to explain, but it is like a heat wave, like standing close to an open fire." She kept hidden the fact that different people had different amounts of potential and the age and gender correlation she had discovered so far. No mention of the whole 'magical girl' thing until she was ready to explain it. She had a feeling that one might cause some panic. Let them think Dinah had triggered naturally.
There was silence for a while as the other cape wrote down all the information, but Genie had a feeling there was something else to it. Was the other cape just stalling for time? And what for?
"Fascinating. I can understand why someone with such a power might hesitate to show themselves. There are many who would stop at nothing to have a wish granted, and you have no way to defend yourself," the woman continued, looking Genie in the eye. Where had the sudden sharpness come from? Was this the lead up to an invitation to the Wards? "But then how did you get involved with Magical Girl? She claimed she was being chased by mercenaries, but you seem to possess no combat capabilities. Is she one of these potential wish recipients?"
Taylor briefly found herself stumped. Was Miss Militia starting to figure things out? No, there was no way they would figure it out that quickly, was there? As long as she calmed down and answered only the questions actually asked, she wouldn't need to resort to outright lying, lies from omission aside. She would be back home, no Birdcage ticket or kill order hovering over her head. Breathe.
"Yes, she is. As to why I helped her, I couldn't stand by while a little girl got hurt, even if there was little I could do," she replied, with as much confidence as she could muster. It was the truth, in a way, and Taylor liked to think she would have tried to help the girl even if she hadn't had powers. Miss Militia seemed to like the answer, but she did not comment on it.
"Very well. Two more questions, if you will. Does the name Coil mean anything to you?"
Taylor racked her brains for any mention of that name. She knew she had heard it before. Villain? Not ABB or Empire, she had tried to memorize all the capes they had. It also didn't sound like a Merchant name.
"Some kind of local villain, I think? Don't know if he is part of any gangs."
Miss Militia stared at her in silence for a second. Taylor was starting to get antsy, and her various powers were once more flaring up. No, power, down, bad boy. No mind wiping the heroine, no going invisible, no teleportation.
"Very well. For your own safety, you should know that those mercenaries most likely work for him. He is a small time villain operating on the Western edges of Empire territory. We have no information on what his power may be, but we assume either Tinker or Thinker, judging by the amount of money and tinkertech he is capable of throwing around. I suggest you be especially careful the next few days, as he may want revenge." Miss Militia kept a cool tone for the entire duration of the speech. Was she reciting the whole thing from memory?
"I see. Thank you for the warning, but I don't intend to go out in costume much, anyway," she replied, trying not to feel too scared. Capes were one thing, they didn't tend to go for the kill, but armed mercenaries felt different. Tinkertech guns might have non lethal settings, but she would not bet her life on it. Or her father's, for that matter.
"Good. Now, for the last part. Would you be interested in a job, or at least an affiliation with the Protectorate ENE? Any further details would be decided later, but the Director wants to know if you are at least interested before forwarding a request to the thinkers. There are quite a few boons."
The topic had changed so fast, Genie had to stop and reconsider her situation. The woman had not realized, or possibly didn't care about, her status as a minor. The temptation to accept was definitely there. She knew damn well that she couldn't face off against any of the gangs of Brockton Bay without resorting to some of her other powers. But still, she didn't want to be part of a hierarchy like the PRT. More chances for superiors to disappoint her, for colleagues to laugh at her? No, she would go her own way for now.
"Thank you for the offer, but I feel I must decline. I am not comfortable joining the Protectorate just yet. I will go my own way for now."
Miss Militia nodded with a frown on her face. The woman seemed like she was ready to leave it at that, but she received some kind of message and her eyes widened in shock for a second.
"If that is your wish, then we will not force the matter. Do remember, however, that most independents do not last longer than a few months before either being either forcefully recruited or retired."
With those last ominous words, Miss Militia escorted Taylor out of the cell and, with a lot of looping around and backtracking, out of the headquarters entirely. The moment she found herself out in the open, under the sunset sky, she couldn't help but sag in relief. Finally, she was done. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go through that again every time she contracted a magical girl.
As she rested with her back on a wall, she noticed her escort was still there, looking at her from the door way.
"Good luck, Genie," the woman commented, her arms crossed over her chest. "Keep yourself and Magical Girl out of danger, will you? I've seen too many young heroes lose their way on these streets."
Taylor replied with a nod. One way or another, she would protect her magical girl. She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling that wouldn't be easy. Nothing ever was, here in the Bay.
But before that she had another problem. How would she explain to her father what had happened?
The second she had opened the door, her father was already up in her face, a frightened look on his face.
"Taylor! You're alright! Thank God, when I heard that there was trouble at the mall, I thought my heart would give out!" He looked her up and down, panic slowly slipping away but still quite obvious. "I was this close to calling the cops to declare you missing. Are you injured? Did those fools hurt you? One call to Kurt and I can gather up some boys and go smash their heads!"
Okay, no, that had to stop now. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and hear the seriousness in his voice. She somehow did not doubt for a second that he would walk up to Coil's mercenaries and pick a fight. She looked into his eyes- red eyes, had he been crying?- put on her best calming smile and awkwardly patted his shoulder. She really shouldn't have told him she was going to the mall. A glance at the clock told her it was 10 pm. Getting back had taken a long time.
"I'm fine Dad, they weren't after me. I was a witness, so I got stuck with questioning. I couldn't exactly call you and they wouldn't let us go, so I had to wait." Every word seemed to deflate him, but a slight anger, the one he always tried to hide from her, was still there.
"Damn cops, one of them had to have a bloody phone! I should walk up to the police station and give them a piece of my mind," he said, eyeing the jacket thrown over the back of a chair. That was a big no-no for Taylor, as that would prove she wasn't actually there. Had the police even known about the attempted kidnapping?
"Dad, stop, please," she said, pulling him into a hug. The man froze, as if shot, before slowly putting his own hands around her. How long had it been since they had hugged like this, without it feeling awkward and mechanical?
"I'm sorry Taylor. I, I just couldn't stand losing you, too. After Annette and all that has happened with the Dockworkers' Association, you are all I have left. First the incident at school and now this." Danny pulled her in even tighter, while she let her head fall on his shoulder. She had lost her mother and Emma, but now she had powers, she could change things. Sure, her powers weren't combat related, but if she could create magical girls, she could help the world at least indirectly, like Dragon did. She could be a hero, Protectorate or not. "Tomorrow, you and I are going to get you a phone. I can't possibly endure another evening like this."
The words shocked her and she couldn't help but stare at her father. He hated phones with a passion, blamed them for her mother's death. The idea that he would accept, let alone suggest, something like that seemed unthinkable.
"But Dad, I thought,"
"It hurts, but Kurt and Lacey already chewed me out over this. If you'd had a phone, we could have avoided so much pain. You could have called the police back at school, could have called me so I didn't have to find out from them, could have called me today to help you. I'm not backing down, this is final," he stopped and looked away for a second, presumably to calm down. "Don't go you go leaving me behind, you hear?"
Why did all of their conversations have to feel so unnatural? She couldn't help but blame herself for trying to hide everything, about the bullying, Emma and her powers, but she knew she couldn't afford to get him involved. There was nothing he could do, after all, and it would only hurt him more once he realized it.
"Same goes for you, Dad. Don't you dare pick a fight with gangsters or whatever, I need you here," she replied, surprised at how much emotion had leaked out with that statement. In truth, before she got her powers, home had been the only place she had felt safe. In a way, it was still the only place where Taylor would feel safe. Genie might get a hideout, her own place to work and plan, but for Taylor, this home was all she had. Danny Hebert was all she had. Miss Militia had been kind and Dinah was probably full of gratitude, but those were aimed at Genie.
Once the awkward hug and discussion was done with, they decided to eat dinner. Danny hadn't cooked anything, but their fridge still had some food. Some pasta, some tomato sauce, some minced beef and assorted vegetables. Taylor had learned to cook from her mother, but her father was by no means bad at it. They set up together, her father handling the sauce while she kept an eye on the noodles and cut the veggies. It was peaceful and nice and almost like a real family. Even Danny seemed to smile as he carefully mixed the meat and sauce together.
She blamed the slight tears in her eyes on the onions she was cutting.
"Genie?"
The sudden voice in her head almost made her cut her own finger off, but she stopped just in time. If her father noticed it, he didn't say anything. She cleared her head and tried to focus her mind on both cutting and talking.
"Yes, Magical Girl, what is it?"
"What am I supposed to tell my parents? They already knew I had powers, but the new ones are different, stronger."
"Wait, you had powers before?"
Taylor took a moment to make sure she wasn't cutting anything lest she injure herself with more shocks. Still, to think her power could grant more powers to those that already had them. That made her an even more desirable target, but it also expanded her possibilities. What would the Protectorate think if she told them she could enhance some of their girl Wards? The Youth Guard might freak, but still. Wards aside, would her powers work on Glory Girl or Panacea? That needed testing. Maybe she could drop by the Hospital later…
"Yep, limited precognition. I could tell the percentage chance of an event happening. Used to cause me some horrible headaches, but whatever your power did solved that problem."
That was a ridiculously useful ability. There was so much one could do with precognition, both as a hero and as a rogue playing the stock market, that she could easily see why Coil had been going after her. The kind of ability the Protectorate would pay someone millions to use. The Endbringers, the Nine, Heartbreaker, they would have no chance before such a powerful precog.
"Does the PRT know? Did they have you join the Wards?"
"Nope, stuck to just the teleportation and improved body. I rejected the offer of being a Ward, for now. Still, back to my question. What do I do."
It was a fair question. She had trusted her parents enough to tell them of her original power, so she would probably do the same unless told otherwise. Taylor couldn't help but wish she was that close with her dad. But she wanted to keep a low profile, and that meant keeping people in the dark.
"No need to mention it. If necessary, just say your power has improved somehow. Parahuman abilities require years of study to understand, no one will expect you to know."
For a few minutes there was no answer, which let her enjoy her father's company. Unfortunately, thoughts about cape issues filled her mind, so she couldn't lose herself in the cooking. If there was ever a moment to tell her dad about her abilities, this was it. They were together, in no hurry and too tired to argue over it.
And yet, she couldn't find it in herself to break the moment. She knew how he would react, his worries growing exponentially the moment he contemplated the idea of his daughter being in danger. He would want to get involved, try to force her to join the Wards. She couldn't let that happen. Let ignorance be bliss, for now.
The pasta and sauce were finally done, so she sat down with her dad at the table, enjoying the aroma. Just as she took her first bite, another message interrupted her.
"Genie, what exactly are planning to do?"
Of course she would ask. In truth, she had no more idea than the younger girl. She had ideas, yes, but no plans. For a few seconds she stared at the pasta, deep in thought. She had gone through a lot of ideas since the day she had gotten her powers, but now that she actually had a Magical Girl...
"I was thinking of making a team of Magical Girls. An independent team, kinda like New Wave. You are my first recruit."
That would be the first step. She could hand out powers like candy, so she just needed to find girls with potential and a wish and presto, she would have her own little group of heroes. If any city could use the extra heroes, it was Brockton Bay. Once she had enough members, she would affiliate to the Protectorate like New Wave, and go from there. Calling it a plan would be a stretch.
"Not exactly a master plan. Also, if I am your first recruit, how did you even know what you could do? Don't tell me you tested your power on me!"
Well, that was not exactly the case, but she had to word it better. Her powers told her, instinctively, what to do, but she had never actually fulfilled a wish before Dinah. Or used telepathy. She had gone invisible a few times, but that was different.
"Don't worry, I knew what I was doing. You didn't need to learn how to use your power, right? It's all instinctual."
That seemed to mollify the girl for now. She didn't say anything else, so Taylor turned back to her father. He was eating slowly, occasionally slipping glances at her. The next time he did it, she tried to smile at him. He returned a small grin and returned to his food. No more words were exchanged. The Hebert household was as quiet as always.
Taylor looked at her new phone as if it was the most cursed thing in existence. Alas, her glare was not enough to make it disappear. Phones had changed much since she had last had one, and it turned out that they all had touchscreens and weird applications now. She had spent hours in that bloody shop as the over-enthusiastic young man tried to explain all the cool things it could do. She needed to make calls, not solve puzzles!
Still, the thing at least had a clock, which meant she could look at it as she waited for Dinah. 2:58. She had come a tad early, telling her father she would be meeting a friend to get him to let her go. She kept herself busy by browsing the Parahuman Wiki, which her phone could somehow access. She didn't know all the capes in Brockton Bay by heart yet, but she was making an effort to remember at least the heavy hitters, both their powers and their costumes.
Apparently, things were getting heated up ever since the Protectorate took Lung down. Oni Lee, a crazy teleporter, and a new recruit called Bakuda, whose powers she had no idea about, were trying hard to keep the ABB territory intact, but the Empire and Merchants were pushing even harder. A gang war may be imminent, especially if Coil's mercenaries got added to the pile. There was a lot of money to be made, between the casinos, brothels and drug market that Lung had tried to build up over the years. Brockton Bay had a lot of heroes, but even more villains, and many had dangerous powers. Getting in the way of people like Purity, Hookwolf or Kaiser meant you were not getting away with light wounds unless your name was Alexandria.
Deciding that thinking further into the subject could only cause her more worries, she placed her phone on the table, took a sip of her hot chocolate and looked around for Dinah. The other girl may not recognize her, since she had been wearing a dress and that weird face covering veil she bought for Halloween so many years ago. That really wasn't supposed to be how her costume looked, but she couldn't afford to be picky given the lack of any resources to buy a better one. It fit the name Genie, if nothing else, though it looked a tad villainous.
At last, she saw the girl approach from the other edge of the street and waved at her. Unlike her frilly dress costume or the nice fashionable clothes she had been wearing at the mall, her school uniform looked normal, the kind of cheap, affordable clothing that anyone in Brockton Bay could buy.
"That's me, Genie. Hey there."
The girl didn't waste a second and quickly skipped over to a seat right in front of her. Taylor had been lucky to get this table, right next to the building and protected by an umbrella from any possible rain.
"Guess it's time to introduce myself. I am Taylor Hebert, nice to meet you."
"Dinah Alcott. Never got around to telling you my family name yesterday. Good to meet you as well, Taylor." The younger girl went on to cheerily order a coffee for herself, with all the cheer and exuberance a normal girl that just got out of school would have. If she didn't personally know what this was about, she would never have thought the girl to be anything but a normal girl gossiping with her older friend. How long had it been since she had done that?
"With that done with, I guess you are curious what exactly you can do now?" Taylor watched for her companion's reaction, expecting anything from exuberance to disappointment. She did not expect the other girl to just kind of shrug like they were talking about the weather.
"Went through the gist of it with the heroes yesterday. I can teleport around pretty easily, to any place I have seen or is in line of sight, I am stronger, faster and ridiculously resilient, and my costume, which is part of my power, is tough enough to repel bullets. Also, Armsmaster said my weapon is called a halberd, and it is fairly similar to his own weapon, albeit less tech heavy and impossibly durable." She went over what was nearly a Triumvirate level power set like she was talking about shoes. This girl was either a really good actress or had no idea how crazy all her abilities were. "Oh, right, and of course my whole predict the future thing is a lot better, doesn't cause headaches anymore, thanks for that."
Taylor stared in wonder at the girl for a few seconds, wondering if this was the level of power that all magical girls were supposed to have. If she could get even ten Dinah-level capes in a team, she could probably claim to have the strongest non-Protectorate team in the US. But that was enough fantasizing, she needed to get to the important points.
"Good, you got the idea of your powers. Now the hard parts, which I was not all that sure about before: do you have something like a hand-sized gem, which shines a particular color?" It was an important part of this whole mess and her power had only been informative after she used it on Dinah.
The younger girl nodded and pulled out a beautiful, navy blue gem surrounded by a brown structure. Her power had not given it a name, but she knew some of its functions, and Dinah probably didn't, if the way she presented with a flourish was any indication.
"This thing is extremely important. It is not only the source of your powers, but it also keeps you alive," she said, taking a deep breath as she watched a look of horror cross the other girl's face. "Now, it should be even more resilient than your body, but a good hit from a powerful cape can still crack it, and if it breaks, you are dead."
Dinah looked at the gem with a fascinated look, pulling it to her chest to protect it with her hands. Taylor could tell that she had taken that particular statement to heart, more than anything else. For a second, she debated on whether to add the rest of what she knew her power had done to the girl. That the gem actually held her spirit, that her body was effectively a vessel and, if the gem survived, she could technically be placed in a new body. Now that was information she doubted the girl would take well.
"Another important thing is that you may notice how the gem is less shiny than when you first got it."
"Now that you mention it, it is a bit darker. Is that bad?"
"Kind of. The shine represents how much power you have left. The more you use your power, the more it will darken, but there should be a way to restore its shine." Taylor didn't actually know what it was, but her power was very confident that something could do it. In fact, she could do it if she was strong enough, but she didn't know how to get stronger. "Once it goes completely dark, you will lose your powers and stop being a magical girl." She was unsure how that actually worked, but she supposed she had time to find out.
"Ah, so I will eventually get rid of these new abilities?" Dinah's answer was surprisingly optimistic sounding, almost as if she didn't want her powers.
"Well, yes, the more you use them the faster they will be depleted. Like this phone's battery." She picked it up and waved it around for a second, which caused the other girl to smile and giggle. So what if her phone was an older model, it worked, that was all that mattered! "Still, you should have plenty of uses before they run out completely. Once the team gets bigger, you could work in shifts to avoid overuse and prolong your abilities' times."
As she heard the last statement, Dinah seemed to physically shrink, the previous happy smile disappearing. Taylor couldn't help but frown. Sure, having her powers run out and having to work in shifts sounded complicated, but she could at least help people directly.
"About this whole team idea," Dinah replied, looking of to the side and hesitating for a few seconds. "I, I don't really… want to be a hero."
The words felt like iron stakes stabbed into Taylor's heart. There was no way someone who lived in Brockton Bay could possibly say these words, was there? Someone who had seen what the Empire and the ABB had done, how much damage they had caused?
"You're joking, right?" Taylor tried to laugh, but the girl's sad shake of her head made stop in her tracks. "But, but you have such incredible powers! You could even fight someone like Lung! Why would you..."
For a second she stopped and looked at the girl in front of her. Could she see this kid, not that she was much older, as a villain? Imagine Magical Girl leading her own gang, robbing banks or causing mayhem? She would not be the first, there was at least that kid called Bambina, not to mention Heartbreaker's children, but Dinah seemed too nice, too kind for that.
"Do you intend to become a villain, then?" She needed to ask. She had no way of taking away her gifts, the wishes and powers were permanent, but the guilt she felt at the idea was almost physically painful. Had all her efforts been so counter productive? Was she only making Brockton Bay worse?
"No! Why must the world be divided in Heroes and Villains? I just want to be a normal girl! I didn't ask for powers, or to save the world, or to ever face Lung in battle! I didn't want to spend hours stuck in a PRT interrogation room! I want my normal life back. Is that too much to ask?"
With every sentence, Taylor felt another pain in her heart. She had been so focused on being useful, on building her team, that she had forgotten about Dinah's opinion on the matter. Looking at the girl with new eyes, she couldn't help but feel bad. Here was just another normal girl, with friend, school, family and dreams of her own, who had no reason to want to fight crime. She couldn't be much older than Vista, but the Ward had chosen that life and had always been proud of it, both on TV and on PHO.
Taylor looked at the hot chocolate, now gone cold, and wondered what to do. She could try to convince Dinah, talk about responsibilities and power, but she felt bad at the idea of manipulating a middle school child to risk her life. That was the kind of thing gangs did, not hero teams.
"If that is what you want, I'm not going to stop you," she said, meeting the girl's sad eyes with her own. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, but she kept herself, and her power, in check. The girl had made her choice, but she couldn't help but feel bad about it. "If you ever change your mind, my team and I will be waiting. You are a Magical Girl, whether you use your powers or not."
Dinah sighed, sagging as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulder. She hadn't even noted how tense the girl had been. Still, that would not be the end of it, that much Taylor was certain about. Capes could rarely stand on the sidelines forever. If she got attacked by gangsters, or if an Endbringer were to come, would she stand by without using her powers?
"Thanks, I will keep that in mind. Hopefully, that won't be necessary. I mean, what are the chances I will actually need my powers, even in..." she stopped herself from talking, a look of pure horror etched on her face. In a flash of navy blue, she changed, her uniform replaced by a long frilly dress and her face covered by a carnival mask. The next second, she tackled Taylor to the ground, jumping over the table and ignoring the startled looks of the other patrons.
Before Taylor could ask what was going on, the cafe exploded, sending pieces of debris flying everywhere. Just as a piece of the wall was about to land on top of the two, Genie felt herself being transported a long distance, landing at the edge of the Boardwalk. Dinah had just rescued her, transforming in front of all those people. All around her, people were running away from buildings that were on fire, frozen or disintegrating. A cacophony of shouts, explosions and gunfire rang out in her ears.
And on the horizon, out of the burning ruins of the PRT headquarters, the figure of a dragon was rising.
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This is called tempting Fate, or taunting Murphy.
Don't taunt Murphy kids. He's always listening.
Flairina
Least Omnipotent Goddess
- Location
- The next infinity over
I'd say that's not a given, but... Taylor apparently can't get rid of grief, and Dinah is the FIRST magical girl on Earth Bet. With her powers, it's unlikely she'll die any other way, so... yeah. Bit of a foregone conclusion here.
(Didn't one of the other Worm/PMMM fics also have Dinah as the first magical girl to become a witch?)