definitely armsmaster then is this an AU where armsmaster didnt join the PRT/protectarate
and i noticed the tags it says armsmaster and taylor hebert
Knight In Gray Armor
- Thread starter YseultNott
- Start date
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- Tags
- worm armsmaster taylor hebert
and i noticed the tags it says armsmaster and taylor hebert
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes. This is actually the point of divergence of the AU.
And yes
i feel really dumb now because no one checked the tagsYes. This is actually the point of divergence of the AU.
And yes
Slope 1.9
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- He/Him
The man appears vaguely disbelieving of the fact that Taylor is asking for advice, and Taylor is starting to get worried he will decide she's deceiving him and fight her. She doesn't want him to be an enemy.
She's also pretty sure she would lose.
"This is a bad idea," warns the man. "Go ask someone else."
"I don't have anyone else I can ask," Taylor says. "Who am I supposed to go to? Basilisk? The gangs?"
She hopes he won't bring up the Protectorate or Wards and ask her why she didn't go to them.
He doesn't.
"Why me?" he asks, and Taylor points out he's the only cape she's met who didn't try to kidnap her.
The man stays silent and still for some time, and Taylor wishes he didn't have a helmet. She can't read his face with the visor covering it.
"Fine," he finally grits out.
She's also pretty sure she would lose.
"This is a bad idea," warns the man. "Go ask someone else."
"I don't have anyone else I can ask," Taylor says. "Who am I supposed to go to? Basilisk? The gangs?"
She hopes he won't bring up the Protectorate or Wards and ask her why she didn't go to them.
He doesn't.
"Why me?" he asks, and Taylor points out he's the only cape she's met who didn't try to kidnap her.
The man stays silent and still for some time, and Taylor wishes he didn't have a helmet. She can't read his face with the visor covering it.
"Fine," he finally grits out.
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Slope 1.10
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- He/Him
The man's name is Defiant, and he doesn't bother with pleasantries.
That's fair enough. He obviously wants Taylor out of his hair as soon as possible.
It stings a bit, because Taylor, silly Taylor, thought they could, what? Be friends? Be teammates?
He saved her. He helped her, and she wanted it to mean something.
Defiant quickly explains about the unspoken rules of cape life : no murder, no unmasking, no going after civilian identities.
"It looks like a game," he says, "and you might think it's stupid, and ignore it. It's not like anyone will stop you. There isn't any enforcer for those rules save for natural consequences, and they're more common sense than anything. Just remember that if you escalate, so will the people you're fighting, and keep in mind that everyone will ignore the rules if they think they can get away with it."
Defiant sounds like he's speaking from long experience. Taylor was wrong. He's not a new cape by any means.
"It looks like a game," Defiant says, "but it isn't one. Remember Basilisk, Tinker girl. Remember the stakes."
That's fair enough. He obviously wants Taylor out of his hair as soon as possible.
It stings a bit, because Taylor, silly Taylor, thought they could, what? Be friends? Be teammates?
He saved her. He helped her, and she wanted it to mean something.
Defiant quickly explains about the unspoken rules of cape life : no murder, no unmasking, no going after civilian identities.
"It looks like a game," he says, "and you might think it's stupid, and ignore it. It's not like anyone will stop you. There isn't any enforcer for those rules save for natural consequences, and they're more common sense than anything. Just remember that if you escalate, so will the people you're fighting, and keep in mind that everyone will ignore the rules if they think they can get away with it."
Defiant sounds like he's speaking from long experience. Taylor was wrong. He's not a new cape by any means.
"It looks like a game," Defiant says, "but it isn't one. Remember Basilisk, Tinker girl. Remember the stakes."
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Slope 1.11
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After Defiant shoos her away with the firm request that she doesn't come back, Taylor goes home and sleeps.
In the morning, she looks up Defiant on PHO. It's a lot more informative with his name.
For one, she was definitely wrong when she thought he was a new cape. He's been active since 1997 at the latest, with some speculations that he was operating under a different name in 1996. That's a ridiculously long time. He's been a cape for almost as long as Taylor has been alive, if not as long.
That's pretty impressive.
It also appears that Defiant is pretty nomadic, only saying in a city between three months and a year before leaving for the next one, which is probably why Taylor didn't know who he was. She would have heard about him if he had been active in Brockton Bay for over a decade.
He seems to prefer places with high level of cape activities, which would explain his presence in Brockton Bay.
Finally, he has taken part in Endbringers fights a few times, when they happened to attack the city he was in, although it doesn't look like he volunteers regularly.
Oh, and his weapon is a poleaxe, not a halberd.
However, the reason Taylor didn't find him in her previous PHO searches isn't that she was looking for someone new, or someone from Brockton Bay. It's that she was looking for a hero.
He's a villain.
Granted, he seems to very rarely interact with civilians directly, if at all. Most of the time, he faces other villains, with sporadic fights with the Protectorate or independent heroes.
But he's a villain.
He helped her. She wanted him to be good.
In the morning, she looks up Defiant on PHO. It's a lot more informative with his name.
For one, she was definitely wrong when she thought he was a new cape. He's been active since 1997 at the latest, with some speculations that he was operating under a different name in 1996. That's a ridiculously long time. He's been a cape for almost as long as Taylor has been alive, if not as long.
That's pretty impressive.
It also appears that Defiant is pretty nomadic, only saying in a city between three months and a year before leaving for the next one, which is probably why Taylor didn't know who he was. She would have heard about him if he had been active in Brockton Bay for over a decade.
He seems to prefer places with high level of cape activities, which would explain his presence in Brockton Bay.
Finally, he has taken part in Endbringers fights a few times, when they happened to attack the city he was in, although it doesn't look like he volunteers regularly.
Oh, and his weapon is a poleaxe, not a halberd.
However, the reason Taylor didn't find him in her previous PHO searches isn't that she was looking for someone new, or someone from Brockton Bay. It's that she was looking for a hero.
He's a villain.
Granted, he seems to very rarely interact with civilians directly, if at all. Most of the time, he faces other villains, with sporadic fights with the Protectorate or independent heroes.
But he's a villain.
He helped her. She wanted him to be good.
Interlude 1.x
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Defiant is under no illusion that he is a good man.
He's made his choice, for better or worse, and he didn't choose surrender, or redemption. He didn't choose to be good.
He stopped being good in a small white room, Joshua's hand on his shoulder.
Defiant knows he's not a good man, and helping the Tinker girl doesn't change that. It's just…
She's a Tinker. A new trigger.
She's a Tinker, a new trigger, and someone wanted to use that. To use her.
He's not sure why he thought he needed to stop it. He doesn't know her. He didn't have anything to gain by helping her.
He saved the girl from Basilisk. Made sure he wouldn't go back for her. Gave her some advice to help her not get herself killed, or worse. It's more than he got.
Maybe it wasn't about the Tinker girl. Not really. Maybe it was about a boy alone in a small white room.
He doesn't want to think about it.
Defiant is not a good man, and he doesn't plan on being one.
He's made his choice, for better or worse, and he didn't choose surrender, or redemption. He didn't choose to be good.
He stopped being good in a small white room, Joshua's hand on his shoulder.
Defiant knows he's not a good man, and helping the Tinker girl doesn't change that. It's just…
She's a Tinker. A new trigger.
She's a Tinker, a new trigger, and someone wanted to use that. To use her.
He's not sure why he thought he needed to stop it. He doesn't know her. He didn't have anything to gain by helping her.
He saved the girl from Basilisk. Made sure he wouldn't go back for her. Gave her some advice to help her not get herself killed, or worse. It's more than he got.
Maybe it wasn't about the Tinker girl. Not really. Maybe it was about a boy alone in a small white room.
He doesn't want to think about it.
Defiant is not a good man, and he doesn't plan on being one.
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Defiant 2.1
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Defiant is a villain.
It doesn't make a lot of sense.
He helped Taylor. He saved her. He didn't ask for anything, and seemed surprised when he saw her again.
He saw a teenage girl he didn't know being threatened, and helped her without expecting anything in return.
That's not… That's not villainous. Objectively, it's more… Heroic.
He even gave her the advice she asked him for.
It doesn't make any sense.
Defiant saved her. Defiant helped her. Defiant did more for her than anyone else in the last two years.
Defiant is a villain.
And Shadow Stalker is a hero.
It doesn't make a lot of sense.
He helped Taylor. He saved her. He didn't ask for anything, and seemed surprised when he saw her again.
He saw a teenage girl he didn't know being threatened, and helped her without expecting anything in return.
That's not… That's not villainous. Objectively, it's more… Heroic.
He even gave her the advice she asked him for.
It doesn't make any sense.
Defiant saved her. Defiant helped her. Defiant did more for her than anyone else in the last two years.
Defiant is a villain.
And Shadow Stalker is a hero.
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zhuull
SB still lying to protect Racists what else is new
Probably because that first post reads like an excerpt from the Parahuman version of 50 Shades of Gray
Since that doesn't seem to have been your intention, you really may want to think about revising it, because it's very off putting.
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I edited it.
Defiant 2.2
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There had been a meeting about the bullying.
It had been hard, talking to Dad. Telling him about what was happening at school. Telling him about the insults, the harassment, the guilt trips. Telling him about Sophia. Knowing he might tell Alan, or Zoé, or Emma. Begging him not to.
Taylor didn't fully believe things would get better, but a small, stupid part of her hoped it would. Hoped that with an adult there, and the memory of what happened two days before, she could get…
Not for the bullies to stop. She didn't think they would. Not for them to be punished, either, although she would have liked it if they had gotten in-school suspension.
She could get to leave. Go to Arcadia, turn a new leaf, start a new live where she would be left alone.
It hadn't happened, of course.
They'd dismissed it. The emails, the list of incidents Taylor made, everything. Sophia and her friends had gotten away with barely a slap on the wrist.
The outcome had been decided before the meeting even started.
Taylor didn't matter to them.
And then, Taylor found out Sophia was Shadow Stalker.
The Ward.
The hero.
And it made sense, didn't it? No wonder they would protect her. What was ugly, awkward, worthless Taylor Hebert in the face of all the lives Sophia could save? Why risk compromising her success for one lonely girl with a broken family?
It wasn't apathy, or indifference, keeping the adults from helping Taylor.
She was being willfully sacrificed on the altar of the greater good.
It had been hard, talking to Dad. Telling him about what was happening at school. Telling him about the insults, the harassment, the guilt trips. Telling him about Sophia. Knowing he might tell Alan, or Zoé, or Emma. Begging him not to.
Taylor didn't fully believe things would get better, but a small, stupid part of her hoped it would. Hoped that with an adult there, and the memory of what happened two days before, she could get…
Not for the bullies to stop. She didn't think they would. Not for them to be punished, either, although she would have liked it if they had gotten in-school suspension.
She could get to leave. Go to Arcadia, turn a new leaf, start a new live where she would be left alone.
It hadn't happened, of course.
They'd dismissed it. The emails, the list of incidents Taylor made, everything. Sophia and her friends had gotten away with barely a slap on the wrist.
The outcome had been decided before the meeting even started.
Taylor didn't matter to them.
And then, Taylor found out Sophia was Shadow Stalker.
The Ward.
The hero.
And it made sense, didn't it? No wonder they would protect her. What was ugly, awkward, worthless Taylor Hebert in the face of all the lives Sophia could save? Why risk compromising her success for one lonely girl with a broken family?
It wasn't apathy, or indifference, keeping the adults from helping Taylor.
She was being willfully sacrificed on the altar of the greater good.
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Defiant 2.3
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Defiant is a villain.
Shadow Stalker is a hero.
Defiant, who is a villain, helped her, saved her, fought for her, answered her questions and gave her some of the tools she would need to survive. He wasn't kind when he did it, but he was good.
Sophia, who is Shadow Stalker, who is a Ward, who is a Hero, wasn't. She hurt Taylor, again and again, grind her into the dust, and laughed. And maybe it's not much in the face of the good she does, of the people she saves, maybe one single teenage girl is an acceptable sacrifice for the common good, but Taylor won't forget it, and she doesn't feel ready to forgive.
Maybe there is less value in the "hero" and "villain" label than Taylor thought.
Maybe she ought to ignore them.
The heroes cast her aside in sacrifice. Why should she listen to their judgment?
Taylor needs to talk to Defiant.
Shadow Stalker is a hero.
Defiant, who is a villain, helped her, saved her, fought for her, answered her questions and gave her some of the tools she would need to survive. He wasn't kind when he did it, but he was good.
Sophia, who is Shadow Stalker, who is a Ward, who is a Hero, wasn't. She hurt Taylor, again and again, grind her into the dust, and laughed. And maybe it's not much in the face of the good she does, of the people she saves, maybe one single teenage girl is an acceptable sacrifice for the common good, but Taylor won't forget it, and she doesn't feel ready to forgive.
Maybe there is less value in the "hero" and "villain" label than Taylor thought.
Maybe she ought to ignore them.
The heroes cast her aside in sacrifice. Why should she listen to their judgment?
Taylor needs to talk to Defiant.
Defiant 2.4
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Taylor isn't stupid. She's not going to just show up unprepared on a villain's doorstep.
She's redesigned the Birdcatcher. It's still not very powerful, since its primary purpose is to to catch living birds, but now she can overcharge it and get a more powerful shot. Of course, it will only work once before frying, and she will have to make another one from scratch, but she thinks it might be enough to go through Defiant's visor if worse comes to worst.
It's better than nothing.
Athena died, so Taylor dismantled the Nest and rebuilt it, this time to accommodate a pigeon. For lack of a better alternative, she's raided the waste baskets of Winslow for ballpoint pen and used them for tubing. It worked surprisingly well.
Granted, pigeons aren't usually very useful in a fight, but with the beak replaced by a blade, they're going to do a lot more damage, and at worst, they can work as a distraction.
Taylor also set things up so that she only needs to press a button of her modified watch for one to go to the Protectorate with a distress message.
She doesn't like them, or trust them, but she doesn't think they would ignore it. Not coming from a potentially useful cape.
Taylor is as ready as she will ever be, and so she goes to Defiant's hideout and waits for him to come out. When he finally does, she can feel his annoyance despite his armor hiding his face and most of his body language.
"You're a villain," she says.
She's redesigned the Birdcatcher. It's still not very powerful, since its primary purpose is to to catch living birds, but now she can overcharge it and get a more powerful shot. Of course, it will only work once before frying, and she will have to make another one from scratch, but she thinks it might be enough to go through Defiant's visor if worse comes to worst.
It's better than nothing.
Athena died, so Taylor dismantled the Nest and rebuilt it, this time to accommodate a pigeon. For lack of a better alternative, she's raided the waste baskets of Winslow for ballpoint pen and used them for tubing. It worked surprisingly well.
Granted, pigeons aren't usually very useful in a fight, but with the beak replaced by a blade, they're going to do a lot more damage, and at worst, they can work as a distraction.
Taylor also set things up so that she only needs to press a button of her modified watch for one to go to the Protectorate with a distress message.
She doesn't like them, or trust them, but she doesn't think they would ignore it. Not coming from a potentially useful cape.
Taylor is as ready as she will ever be, and so she goes to Defiant's hideout and waits for him to come out. When he finally does, she can feel his annoyance despite his armor hiding his face and most of his body language.
"You're a villain," she says.
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Defiant 2.5
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There's a silence.
It's strange. Defiant is holding his poleaxe, and Taylor remembers it being pointed at her throat, but she also remembers him fighting off Basilisk, and explaining the basics of cape life to her, and she's not sure if the silence is awkward or threatening.
"I am a villain," Defiant says. His voice is perfectly flat.
Did she somehow get it wrong? Are there two Tinkers called Defiant running around with unpainted power armor and polearms?
"Are you… Not a villain?" Taylor asks after another silence.
"No. I am a villain. I just… Did you not know that?"
Taylor shakes her head.
"Well," Defiant says, "it certainly explains why you came to ask me for advice. Although I'm not sure why you came back now that you do know."
"You saved me," Taylor says, "and you gave me advice. The heroes said you were bad, but I only ever saw you do good things. I guess I wanted to decide for myself."
It's strange. Defiant is holding his poleaxe, and Taylor remembers it being pointed at her throat, but she also remembers him fighting off Basilisk, and explaining the basics of cape life to her, and she's not sure if the silence is awkward or threatening.
"I am a villain," Defiant says. His voice is perfectly flat.
Did she somehow get it wrong? Are there two Tinkers called Defiant running around with unpainted power armor and polearms?
"Are you… Not a villain?" Taylor asks after another silence.
"No. I am a villain. I just… Did you not know that?"
Taylor shakes her head.
"Well," Defiant says, "it certainly explains why you came to ask me for advice. Although I'm not sure why you came back now that you do know."
"You saved me," Taylor says, "and you gave me advice. The heroes said you were bad, but I only ever saw you do good things. I guess I wanted to decide for myself."
Defiant 2.6
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"I'm not," Defiant says.
The answer fused, immediate, with a firmness that leaves no place to discussion.
"You saved me," Taylor says, and he sighs.
"Tinker girl. Listen. It doesn't mean anything. Just because I helped you once, or have one specific set of circumstances where I will help people doesn't make me good. It just means I have one specific tie to morality. Someone having one specific tie to morality doesn't make them good, or safe."
Defiant sighs again.
"Stay away from villains, Tinker girl," he says. "And I'm counting myself in the lot. Make some friends your age, someone whose morality align with yours."
That sounds like good advice.
Except…
He's still helping her, isn't he?
The answer fused, immediate, with a firmness that leaves no place to discussion.
"You saved me," Taylor says, and he sighs.
"Tinker girl. Listen. It doesn't mean anything. Just because I helped you once, or have one specific set of circumstances where I will help people doesn't make me good. It just means I have one specific tie to morality. Someone having one specific tie to morality doesn't make them good, or safe."
Defiant sighs again.
"Stay away from villains, Tinker girl," he says. "And I'm counting myself in the lot. Make some friends your age, someone whose morality align with yours."
That sounds like good advice.
Except…
He's still helping her, isn't he?
Defiant 2.7
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"So what are you going to do, now ?" Defiant asks. "Personally, I suggest you leave. You could try to arrest me, but, frankly, you'd lose."
Taylor has little doubt she would, preparations or not. But she wasn't planning to.
Because, the thing is, despite his protests to the contrary, Defiant can be good, Taylor thinks.
He's been nothing but good to her until now. He wasn't necessarily nice about it, exasperated or condescending at time, but he was good. Even when he was warning her away, and essentially telling her he's a bad person, he still tried to give her helpful advice.
He can be good.
Even if he's right. Even if there's only one specific set of circumstances in which he will show empathy and give help. Only one set of circumstances in which he will be good. That's still goodness.
He can be good.
Taylor just needs to expand the set of circumstances in which he will be.
Taylor has little doubt she would, preparations or not. But she wasn't planning to.
Because, the thing is, despite his protests to the contrary, Defiant can be good, Taylor thinks.
He's been nothing but good to her until now. He wasn't necessarily nice about it, exasperated or condescending at time, but he was good. Even when he was warning her away, and essentially telling her he's a bad person, he still tried to give her helpful advice.
He can be good.
Even if he's right. Even if there's only one specific set of circumstances in which he will show empathy and give help. Only one set of circumstances in which he will be good. That's still goodness.
He can be good.
Taylor just needs to expand the set of circumstances in which he will be.
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Defiant 2.8
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If Taylor wants to make Defiant a better person than he already is, she's going to need to interact with him regularly, preferably somewhere other than his doorstep.
He might move otherwise, and Taylor would have to figure out where he lives again.
Pigeons are all good and well during the day, but moving pigeons at night are somewhat conspicuous, and Defiant tends to be more active at night.
She needs a night bird.
Which, unfortunately, means she needs another Nest.
Taylor doesn't want to risk going back to the Trainyard, in case she runs into Basilisk again, so she tries going to a scrap yard further away.
Bringing the materials back home discreetly is a nightmare, but she gets it done, and soon, the new Nest contains a common nighthawk.
Two caged birds. A pigeon and a nighthawk. Aphrodite and Circe.
One whose children will spy at night, one whose children will spy during the day.
Good. She can do it.
He might move otherwise, and Taylor would have to figure out where he lives again.
Pigeons are all good and well during the day, but moving pigeons at night are somewhat conspicuous, and Defiant tends to be more active at night.
She needs a night bird.
Which, unfortunately, means she needs another Nest.
Taylor doesn't want to risk going back to the Trainyard, in case she runs into Basilisk again, so she tries going to a scrap yard further away.
Bringing the materials back home discreetly is a nightmare, but she gets it done, and soon, the new Nest contains a common nighthawk.
Two caged birds. A pigeon and a nighthawk. Aphrodite and Circe.
One whose children will spy at night, one whose children will spy during the day.
Good. She can do it.
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Defiant 2.9
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Defiant gets in a fight.
Although fight might be a strong word, given how fast he managed to knock Melt out. Which is a good thing because the last time she fought Thrones, she ended up melting the asphalt of an entire street.
Defiant sneaks up on Melt and injects her with something that makes her fall on the ground and stop moving, and then leaves.
Taylor carefully steps toward the villainess, keeping the Birdcatcher pointed at her the whole time, until she's close enough to crouch and put two fingers on the bare part on her neck, just under her mask.
She finds a pulse.
For lack of a better option, Taylor ties Melt's hands behind her back with zip-ties, and sends one of Circe's children to inform the PRT.
She doesn't like them, doesn't trust them, but what else is she supposed to do?
She waits until the PRT agents reach the scene, and leaves before they can talk to her.
Two nights later, Taylor approaches Defiant as he comes back to his base, and is welcomed by a sigh.
"Why did you fight Melt?" she asks.
"She had something I wanted, so I neutralized her so I could take it from her base of operation,"Defiant says.
Well.
Melt robbed a hardware store last week. It was in the papers.
Taylor will write the whole thing up as morally neutral.
Although fight might be a strong word, given how fast he managed to knock Melt out. Which is a good thing because the last time she fought Thrones, she ended up melting the asphalt of an entire street.
Defiant sneaks up on Melt and injects her with something that makes her fall on the ground and stop moving, and then leaves.
Taylor carefully steps toward the villainess, keeping the Birdcatcher pointed at her the whole time, until she's close enough to crouch and put two fingers on the bare part on her neck, just under her mask.
She finds a pulse.
For lack of a better option, Taylor ties Melt's hands behind her back with zip-ties, and sends one of Circe's children to inform the PRT.
She doesn't like them, doesn't trust them, but what else is she supposed to do?
She waits until the PRT agents reach the scene, and leaves before they can talk to her.
Two nights later, Taylor approaches Defiant as he comes back to his base, and is welcomed by a sigh.
"Why did you fight Melt?" she asks.
"She had something I wanted, so I neutralized her so I could take it from her base of operation,"Defiant says.
Well.
Melt robbed a hardware store last week. It was in the papers.
Taylor will write the whole thing up as morally neutral.
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Defiant 2.10
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If Taylor wants to change Defiant's ways, she needs to get close enough to make him want to. Close enough to influence him. She needs to build a rapport.
The first step to build a rapport is to find common ground. So, what do Taylor and Defiant have in common?
Not much. They're both Tinkers, and that's about it.
It's still common ground. It will have to do.
"Look what I made!" says Taylor with much more enthusiasm than she is feeling as she shoves her repurposed calculator under Defiant's nose.
That thing is terrible. The screen is horribly small.
Taylor can't do miracles. She needs something to work with.
"What does it do ?" Defiant asks. He actually sounds mildly interested.
Taylor starts a long explanation of how it uses triangulation to figure out where she is in comparison to a destination and give her directions, and Defiant starts actually asking questions.
A start. It's a start.
The first step to build a rapport is to find common ground. So, what do Taylor and Defiant have in common?
Not much. They're both Tinkers, and that's about it.
It's still common ground. It will have to do.
"Look what I made!" says Taylor with much more enthusiasm than she is feeling as she shoves her repurposed calculator under Defiant's nose.
That thing is terrible. The screen is horribly small.
Taylor can't do miracles. She needs something to work with.
"What does it do ?" Defiant asks. He actually sounds mildly interested.
Taylor starts a long explanation of how it uses triangulation to figure out where she is in comparison to a destination and give her directions, and Defiant starts actually asking questions.
A start. It's a start.
Defiant 2.11
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After that, Taylor's plan to get closer to Defiant appears to make some progress.
For one, when Taylor approaches him, he sighs less often and with less annoyance, which she takes as an indication that he is warming up to her.
He's also started to occasionally talk to her unprompted. Tinker things, mostly. Some, she can't fit in with the ideas that come to her. Others, mostly tricks and suggestions about tools or materials, are actually pretty helpful.
Sometimes, it makes something click in her head, and Taylor has a new, wonderful, terrible idea, and she writes it down in a notebook. Coming up with the tools and materials to make them come true is still complicated, especially since still hiding from Dad.
Defiant told her she should use a cypher for her notebook, or at least make up a code to disguise what it is about, and even gave her a few tips on cryptography.
It's working. They're getting closer.
Taylor is moving forward.
For one, when Taylor approaches him, he sighs less often and with less annoyance, which she takes as an indication that he is warming up to her.
He's also started to occasionally talk to her unprompted. Tinker things, mostly. Some, she can't fit in with the ideas that come to her. Others, mostly tricks and suggestions about tools or materials, are actually pretty helpful.
Sometimes, it makes something click in her head, and Taylor has a new, wonderful, terrible idea, and she writes it down in a notebook. Coming up with the tools and materials to make them come true is still complicated, especially since still hiding from Dad.
Defiant told her she should use a cypher for her notebook, or at least make up a code to disguise what it is about, and even gave her a few tips on cryptography.
It's working. They're getting closer.
Taylor is moving forward.
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Downward 3.1
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The past (1996)
Colin's first mistake was not to go to the Protectorate as soon as he realized he had powers.
He wanted to do something before. Something good. Something impressive. Something that would make them want him. Just in case.
Colin's first mistake mistake was pride.
Colin's second mistake was to be too obvious while collecting the materials he needed.
He repeatedly went to the same scrapyard for parts. Cannibalized his appliances, and had to buy them again multiple times in a few weeks. He didn't know it, at the time, but those where good indicators of a new Tinker. That's how they found him.
Colin's second mistake was carelessness.
Colin isn't sure what his third mistake was.
He's not sure what he could have done better against the Pyre. Against Bone Doll's moving corpse, and Immolatum, aflame, turning his own blows against him. Not with the gear he had with him, and his own lack of experience.
Colin's third mistake was his downfall.
Colin woke up in a small white room.
Colin's first mistake was not to go to the Protectorate as soon as he realized he had powers.
He wanted to do something before. Something good. Something impressive. Something that would make them want him. Just in case.
Colin's first mistake mistake was pride.
Colin's second mistake was to be too obvious while collecting the materials he needed.
He repeatedly went to the same scrapyard for parts. Cannibalized his appliances, and had to buy them again multiple times in a few weeks. He didn't know it, at the time, but those where good indicators of a new Tinker. That's how they found him.
Colin's second mistake was carelessness.
Colin isn't sure what his third mistake was.
He's not sure what he could have done better against the Pyre. Against Bone Doll's moving corpse, and Immolatum, aflame, turning his own blows against him. Not with the gear he had with him, and his own lack of experience.
Colin's third mistake was his downfall.
Colin woke up in a small white room.
Downward 3.2
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The past (1996)
The room is square and small, a few inches wider than Colin is tall, floor, walls and ceiling covered with white subway tiles.
There's a hole a bit bigger than Colin's fist in the middle of the room, and a sloping floor, like in a curbless shower. The only exit is a trapdoor in the ceiling, surrounded by bright fluorescent lights, too high for Colin to reach them even if he jumps.
The room is otherwise empty. Even his clothes have been stripped down to his underwear.
Colin tries not to panic.
The room is small, but too large to wedge himself between the walls and use them as leverage to climb, and the smooth tiling doesn't offer any purchase.
The trapdoor isn't an option, and neither is dismantling the lights to make a weapon or tool. Checking the hole doesn't bring anything helpful.
Colin is trapped.
He's almost naked in a strange room, covered in scraps and bruises after his fight against the Pyre, and he's trapped.
Colin screams. He screams, and hit the wall, trying to make enough noise for someone to hear him and help.
No one comes.
Colin let himself slide down to the floor, back against the bloodied wall, and waits for someone to come to the small white room.
The room is square and small, a few inches wider than Colin is tall, floor, walls and ceiling covered with white subway tiles.
There's a hole a bit bigger than Colin's fist in the middle of the room, and a sloping floor, like in a curbless shower. The only exit is a trapdoor in the ceiling, surrounded by bright fluorescent lights, too high for Colin to reach them even if he jumps.
The room is otherwise empty. Even his clothes have been stripped down to his underwear.
Colin tries not to panic.
The room is small, but too large to wedge himself between the walls and use them as leverage to climb, and the smooth tiling doesn't offer any purchase.
The trapdoor isn't an option, and neither is dismantling the lights to make a weapon or tool. Checking the hole doesn't bring anything helpful.
Colin is trapped.
He's almost naked in a strange room, covered in scraps and bruises after his fight against the Pyre, and he's trapped.
Colin screams. He screams, and hit the wall, trying to make enough noise for someone to hear him and help.
No one comes.
Colin let himself slide down to the floor, back against the bloodied wall, and waits for someone to come to the small white room.
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Downward 3.3
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The past (1996)
He doesn't know how long he stays in the small white room.
The trapdoor opens, sometimes, and food is thrown down to him. Things like fruits, or grapes. No plate or cutlery, nothing he could use. Sometimes, the room is hosed down, and him with it.
He's cold.
He's always cold.
The lights never go off. The room is white, and bright, too bright, and it hurts.
Everything hurts.
Maybe he hit the walls again. Made himself bleed. Wrote on the walls. Maybe it was hosed down. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he dreamed it.
Sometimes, there's a bad smell when the trapdoor opens. Like something dead and rotting. Sometimes, there are worms eating the hand throwing down the food.
He thinks he might be going insane.
He screams, and then he begs. Please. Please. Please. Let him out.
He would do anything to get out of the small white room.
He doesn't know how long he stays in the small white room.
The trapdoor opens, sometimes, and food is thrown down to him. Things like fruits, or grapes. No plate or cutlery, nothing he could use. Sometimes, the room is hosed down, and him with it.
He's cold.
He's always cold.
The lights never go off. The room is white, and bright, too bright, and it hurts.
Everything hurts.
Maybe he hit the walls again. Made himself bleed. Wrote on the walls. Maybe it was hosed down. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he dreamed it.
Sometimes, there's a bad smell when the trapdoor opens. Like something dead and rotting. Sometimes, there are worms eating the hand throwing down the food.
He thinks he might be going insane.
He screams, and then he begs. Please. Please. Please. Let him out.
He would do anything to get out of the small white room.
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Downward 3.4
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The past (1996)
He wakes up, and there's a man crouching beside him in the small white room room.
The man is short, shorter than he is, with short auburn hair and beard, and eyes an indefinable color. Blue, maybe. Or brown.
The man is smiling.
Maybe he's hallucinating.
"Hello," the man says. "My name is Joshua."
The man keeps talking, and he tries to follow as much as he can, but it's hard. He doesn't know how long it has been since he last saw, or heard, another human being. Since he saw something other than too-bright white walls, and heard something other than himself.
"Do you understand?" asks the man. Joshua. Asks Joshua.
He swallows.
"You want me to make things for you," he says.
"Yes," says Joshua. "Will you?"
He would do anything to get out of the small white room.
He nods.
Joshua puts a hand on his shoulder. It feels warm, almost burning. He doesn't know how long it was since the last time someone touched him.
He leans into the touch, and hates himself a little for it.
"Good boy," Joshua says.
He doesn't remember if someone ever called him good.
He has never felt less good than kneeling in the small white room, Joshua's hand burning his shoulder like a brand.
He wakes up, and there's a man crouching beside him in the small white room room.
The man is short, shorter than he is, with short auburn hair and beard, and eyes an indefinable color. Blue, maybe. Or brown.
The man is smiling.
Maybe he's hallucinating.
"Hello," the man says. "My name is Joshua."
The man keeps talking, and he tries to follow as much as he can, but it's hard. He doesn't know how long it has been since he last saw, or heard, another human being. Since he saw something other than too-bright white walls, and heard something other than himself.
"Do you understand?" asks the man. Joshua. Asks Joshua.
He swallows.
"You want me to make things for you," he says.
"Yes," says Joshua. "Will you?"
He would do anything to get out of the small white room.
He nods.
Joshua puts a hand on his shoulder. It feels warm, almost burning. He doesn't know how long it was since the last time someone touched him.
He leans into the touch, and hates himself a little for it.
"Good boy," Joshua says.
He doesn't remember if someone ever called him good.
He has never felt less good than kneeling in the small white room, Joshua's hand burning his shoulder like a brand.
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Downward 3.5
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The past (1996)
Joshua takes him out of the small white room.
He introduces him to his partner Nicole. She's Bone Doll. The rotting hand wasn't a dream.
They sit him in a concrete room. There's a table, and a chair. They give him tools, and materials and parts, but he has to explain what they are for and how he will use them, and Nicole's corpse doll is always watching him.
The lights are always on.
Sometimes, Nicole and Joshua will stop by and talk to him. Sometimes, they will even let him watch TV for an hour or two after he's done for the day.
He gets to take a warm shower, and to eat real meals. He's even allowed clothes while he works, even if he has to take them off at the end of the day.
Right before they put him back in the small white room.
If he's behaved right, and worked a lot, they allow him to turn off the lights.
Joshua takes him out of the small white room.
He introduces him to his partner Nicole. She's Bone Doll. The rotting hand wasn't a dream.
They sit him in a concrete room. There's a table, and a chair. They give him tools, and materials and parts, but he has to explain what they are for and how he will use them, and Nicole's corpse doll is always watching him.
The lights are always on.
Sometimes, Nicole and Joshua will stop by and talk to him. Sometimes, they will even let him watch TV for an hour or two after he's done for the day.
He gets to take a warm shower, and to eat real meals. He's even allowed clothes while he works, even if he has to take them off at the end of the day.
Right before they put him back in the small white room.
If he's behaved right, and worked a lot, they allow him to turn off the lights.
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