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Queen of the Swarm (Worm; Complete)

Reader mode
Yeah, the double-spacing is because I cross-post on FF.net. No double-spacing means arglebargle on there.
 
There's a joke to be made here about zerg taking a third expansion later than normal, and only ever making 1 hatchery.



(3 posting sites, what happens at the end of arc 8)
 
Assurance: This is beautiful.
Offhand: Cuddle bugs for everyone. Except Jack Slash. Because he's dead.
 
Carpet like bombing complete.

This is good, I will calmly await any more that comes out.
 
Read this on SB before, I was all ready to do quick likes on all the story posts here, but then I started re-reading the story ...
Look at the time go by :oops:
 
Inspiration is coming very slowly for me right now. I need to focus on my grad-school applications before I get back to work on the story. But don't worry, more IS coming.
 
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Requiem 01
  • Threadmarks
    • Requiem 9.01



    The few days after Atlas' death and the extermination of the Slaughterhouse 9 blurred together for me. For a while all I could do was cry, unable to even speak. Then my tears dried up and I was left with nothing but despondent silence. About then was when they tried to reach out to me. First Lisa did her best to snuggle and console me, but I was a lump on my bed. No pretty words or pretty girl could bring me out of my funk. Rachel tried next, piling stuffed animals around me. They were soft, and cuddly, but ultimately of no help.



    Later on, I learned that it took three days to bring me back. My dad had watched over me and tried to help, and he decided to try one more time. Sitting down beside me on the bed, he gave a sad little chuckle. "You really are my daughter, y'know?" He petted my head. "Remember how I was basically a zombie after the accident?" He didn't need to go into greater detail. The events were etched into my psyche. "I've always thought it was my fault, for putting your mother into that situation. I wasn't the one who hit her, but it was our fight – my temper – that made her head out to clear her mind and give us both the chance to cool down."



    The bed groaned in protest as my father shifted around, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tight. "I left you alone, to find your own way in the world, having to worry about your old man rather than letting me worry for you. Because I shut down, you got so hurt and I didn't even notice you. You needed me and I wasn't there for you." He took a deep breath and kissed some of my chitinous hair. "It wasn't your job to take care of me: I failed you as a parent. And while I can never really make up for that, I can make sure I don't make the same mistake twice, and I can be damn-well certain I don't let you make my mistakes. Taylor, you're a beacon in so many people's lives. The people of Brockton Bay need you, to help restore their livelihoods. Your critters need you, they need their mommy. Alec and Rachel need you because how else are they gonna pretend they fit into society? I need my little girl back, I need to help you feel better. And Lisa needs her girlfriend. Are you going to leave her alone and lost?" He squeezed me around the midsection. "You're not alone, Taylor. None of this was your fault but you can't shut down. I'm sorry for making this about responsibility, but you are such an important person. You have responsibilities to others, especially to your loved ones, and we have responsibilities to you. Don't leave us, little owl."



    I'm still uncertain if I was simply finished grieving, or if the awkward sincerity of his speech managed to reach me. "You're not very good at pep-talks," I muttered.



    He laughed and hugged me tighter.



    (BREAK)



    I still refused to leave my bed, so everybody else came up to see me, piled on the bed and around it on the floor. Lisa was doing her best to encourage me to get back into making critters, rattling off all the beneficial ideas I'd had to help the Bay. "Plus, you managed to bring the raptors back. Who's to say you can't do the same for Atlas?"



    I gave my head a little shake. "Not so sure about that. Atlas is...was...special. I made him entirely on instinct. He was smarter than any of my other critters, wiser. I don't know if I can replicate him."



    "Never know until you try." Dad kissed my temple. "Now c'mon, I'm making egg baskets." He stood up, pulled the covers off me, and slipped his hands beneath my curled-up form. My father might have been wiry but he wasn't a heavy lifter and I'd grown significantly weightier due simply to the density of my bones and the added reinforcements. He grunted, gave a yelp of surprise, and toppled on top of me. "Uh, little help, somebody?"



    "Don't look at me," my girlfriend chuckled, "I exercise to keep my girlish figure, not to carry lazy lumps."



    "Ditto," Alec stated.



    "Still can't believe Peter Pan there can even walk with his skinny ass," Rachel commented as she stood up. "One side, pops. I got her." The stocky girl let out a guttural noise as she shifted me, draping me over her shoulder. Brian joined in, taking my upper half while Rachel had my lower, and the two carried me downstairs before the blonde dumped me on the couch. I actually bounced.



    "Not much has happened since you went catatonic on us," Lisa stated, relying on sarcasm to keep things rolling and avoid getting too serious. "We've been doing our best to direct the critters, and they listen well enough, but it's pretty much impossible for any of us to give 'em detailed instructions." She sat down, rump against my midsection, and wriggled close.



    I nodded. "Nothing like helping others to make you feel good." I closed my eyes and reached into a broodmother's mind over at the Hive. She immediately perked up on feeling my mental touch. The first thing to make was a charybdis, to prove I could produce it. With about four little helpers to carry one around, just a single one of the weird critters could make a huge difference in drying out the city. I ran simulations one after another, the little uglybug taking form. No, I said to myself, I need to call them something else. I should be nicer to them. Eggbugs, then. The eggbug was expelled onto the creep and immediately took root. The little thing's torso expanded as it consumed creep, transforming until it eventually burst. The charybdis was roughly the size of a regular sedan, the pale gray-pink of a lungfish and slimy like it was coated in amniotic fluids. It was mostly helpless, only able to wriggle rather like an eggbug, not particularly mobile. But that was rather the point: its entire body was one enormous combination vacuum and water filter, and adding anything more would be superfluous, reducing its functionality. Pollutants could even get caught in the joints, hurting the poor thing or getting it infected.



    I directed a small group of helpers to pick it up and carry it out of the Hive, the broodmother working the door for them. There was a small rain lake nearby where I could test my newest creation. The helpers took up positions to easily shift the charybdis back and forth. It extended its nozzle into the water and its torso bloated before contracting, beginning the vacuum suction. Water rushed into the critter and I could feel the pollutants being filtered out, my bug pulling aside any organic material to digest and keep its body running. Its multiple tails stretched out and began to pump clear, pure water into the gutter.



    Sending them back to the Hive, I opened my eyes and grinned. "Success. The charybdis works like a charm."



    Dad beamed. "If we get a handful of those guys working on the flooding, we'll be able to fix things fast."



    I nodded. "I'll have to set up an isolated spot to try making that generator critter next. I don't want any...electrical explosions to hurt the Hive."



    Alec raised a hand. "Um, to point out the huge, slimy, pulsating elephant in the room...what do we do about Crawler?"



    I started at that name, my vision flashing orange. Lisa laid a hand on my cheek. "He's dead, hon. But his body, well, people can't move it. It's embedded into the street."



    "I gotta check that out." I sent a nearby raptor over to look, blinking in confusion. "Okay...so that's new."



    "Couple days old, actually," Aisha quipped while my dad got to work heating up the skillet. She swiped some bacon bits.



    "Har dee har," I deadpanned. I reached out and could actually feel the pile of meat. "Well, this is weird. I can feel it, but I can't really get it to do anything. It just kinda sits there, pumps out creep and occasionally spits up an eggbug."



    Lisa tilted her head. "Eggbug?"



    "I felt bad for calling 'em uglybugs. Figured, since they're living eggs, that might be a better name."



    She smiled.



    "Speaking of eggs," dad called from the kitchen, "how many egg baskets do each of you want?"



    "Two pieces for me," I hollered back. The UK term for the meal was 'eggy in the basket', but that was just too weird of a name for us. Cutting out the middle of a piece of bread and pan-frying an egg in that hole created an egg-in-toast meal that was quite delicious. Cooking the cut-outs as well and adding bacon made for a fantastic breakfast.



    As we ate, my communicator began to beep. The others looked to me, as if asking whether one of them should take over for me. I reached out and picked it up, accepting the call.



    "Skitter." Dragon's voice was tense in a way I hadn't heard before. It wasn't outright fear, but definite nervousness and uncertainty. "We've got a problem. I'm so sorry to call you for this, as I'm sure you've had enough problems to last a lifetime, but, well..." She took a breath. "Glastig Uaine has left the Birdcage."



    "Oh fuck," Lisa and Alec said almost in unison.



    "Alright, we're gonna need to take a step back. First off, tell me what happened – why she left the Birdcage, and why you're calling me. Second..." I blushed a little. "You're gonna need to tell me more about Glastig Uaine. I focused more on capes who weren't Caged."



    "Fair enough. Part of the Baumann Facility's protocol is rewarding good behavior. Those who don't cause trouble, report dangers to the guards, they get privileges such as TV or internet time. As you might guess, a woman who considers herself a legitimate queen would be dedicated to keeping order, so Glastig Uaine got a lot of perks. After the Slaughterhouse 9 attack, she spent all of her daily internet time on researching you."



    "Oh fuck." Now everybody said it. If this wasn't a terrifying event, I'd be laughing at the way they reacted in unison.



    "Researching...me? Why? I mean, I'm not that big of a player. If she's after a heavy hitter, why not go for Nilbog? And if she's just plain looking for the strongest, why not Myrddin or Eidolon?"



    "I asked her about it, why she was spending so much time looking you up, reading threads on PHO. She said she wants a cuddlebug of her own."



    I winced. "Ordinarily I'd say fuck no to sending one of my babies into the Birdcage, but if it's to keep one of the scariest capes ever pacified..."



    "And if we had time, I'd ask you to make a cuddlebug for her. Unfortunately, she...teleported out of the Birdcage shortly after our conversation. I have no idea whose power she used – she has hundreds, after all. But she's off the grid, and my only lead is her fixation on you."



    I swallowed hard. I might not know the details, but I knew the major historical points: crazy girl thinks she's a faerie queen, ends up being an unbelievable cape, eventually hunts down Gray Boy, one of the most terrifying members the Slaughterhouse 9 had ever boasted, and kills him, an act that was considered impossible. Then she sets up shop in the Birdcage, collecting the powers of Caged capes as they die. And now, apparently, she was on the move again. "Okay, you need to tell me everything that could possibly be useful. Foresight is listening, so don't skimp on the details."



    "Right, right. Okay, we don't know how old Glastig Uaine is or when she triggered. She doesn't age, but she's alluded to this being more a personal choice than being frozen in her early teens. Physically, she's a tall, thin blonde with green eyes. She looks probably around Imp's age, but a bit taller than her. I guess she's built more like you than her in that respect. She can manifest up to four different powers at a time, giving her a huge range of abilities. While most of them aren't as destructive as Eidolon's, she can change between them much more quickly and is also armed with a handful of Tinker powers, including Bakuda's – she got into a fight shortly after being Caged and got killed, and the Faerie Queen harvested her power. And she has Gray Boy's power, but she seems to dislike using it. According to her, the spirits of the dead follow her and she can communicate with her. Apparently Gray Boy is extremely unpleasant."



    "Alright, so how do we fight her?"



    "Above all, treat her with respect. She behaves like a Medieval noble, so if you're respectful she'll feel compelled to play fair. Then blindside her before she can react. I don't think you, or anybody outside of Legend or Eidolon, can kill her in a straight fight. You'll need to catch her off-guard and hit her hard enough that she doesn't get back up, then keep hitting her until there's nothing left. And make sure you do it before she calls on Gray Boy's power, or she'll resurrect after a few seconds." Dragon let out an exhausted sigh. "Other than that, unfortunately, there's not much I can offer you. She stayed out of fights and politics within the Birdcage and there's almost no footage of her in combat, so I can't offer you strategies. The best I can do is–" She was drowned out by the doorbell.



    The hairs on the back of my neck – what few remained – stood on end. It felt like a horror movie, but I felt compelled to answer the door. I undid the deadbolt and turned the knob.



    There, standing on our doorstep, was a serene-looking girl, long blonde hair draped over one shoulder in an elegant braid. Her bright green eyes were almost hollow, as though she was staring right through you. She wore a kind of funeral shroud that, on closer inspection, was a ripped and repurposed Birdcage prison uniform. She smiled up at me. "Hello, new friend."



    A/N: And it begins! Dun-dun-dunnnn! In other news, I'm putting up part of my complete novel on my Patreon page for everybody to check out. That'll be up in about a day, so keep an eye out!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Vherstinae said:
    There, standing on our doorstep, was a serene-looking girl, long blonde hair draped over one shoulder in an elegant braid. Her bright green eyes were almost hollow, as though she was staring right through you. She wore a kind of funeral shroud that, on closer inspection, was a ripped and repurposed Birdcage prison uniform. She smiled up at me. "Hello, new friend."
    Click to expand...
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    My reaction:

    Suffering thy name is Taylor.

    . . . so how is Emma going to take Taylor's new 'friend'?
     
    Why is Dragon assuming that they are going to have to fight Glaistig Uaine? She could have left any time she wanted, but only chose to do so when she wanted a cuddlebug. Give her one and she'll probably go back.

    ...or she'll decide to hang around and be friends. Either way, I don't see a fight with Taylor breaking out over this. Dragon probably should have been giving tips on how to avoid pissing off the super-powerful parahuman while arranging backup, rather than telling Taylor to try to sucker-punch her.
     
    Good to see this here. I'll have to reread it. :p Expect some hugs.

    It's great work and I'm glad to see it continued. Off to my food coma now.
    Cheers!
     
    Requiem 02
  • Threadmarks
    • A/N: As a result of numerous criticisms regarding the end of this chapter, I've decided to rewrite it. Gloat while you can; I'm getting' my voodoo kit.



    Requiem 9.02



    I blinked. I blinked again. She was still standing there looking at me.



    "...Erm, please come in?" I stepped to one side and waved an arm inward. How does one host a mass-murdering nutcase without it devolving into a massacre?



    "Thank you." She actually glided across the threshold, floating inside. "You have a lovely home." Rounding the corner into the den, Glaistig Uaine noticed my dad and friends looking at her in confusion. "Ah, and this must be your father and...the rest of the Undersiders?"



    "It's kind of a breach of etiquette to just show up at a parahuman's house, her civilian identity." I don't know what prompted me to speak up, but after I said it I felt justified. Regardless of how powerful or unstable she was, I was most definitely not going to kowtow to her, especially in my own home.



    She pursed her lips. "You make a good point." Taking off her hood to reveal the entirety of her head, Glaistig Uaine looked quite a lot like if Lisa had a younger sister, sans freckles. Bizarre. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. You may call me Ciara, if you so desire."



    "You caught us at sort of an...awkward time," I continued. "I've been, well, in mourning for Atlas. We're not really prepared to receive guests." Take the hint, I thought. Get out of my house.



    "The accommodations and company are already more pleasant than that to which I've become accustomed," she replied, that creepily serene smile still on her face. "You will forgive the imposition, I hope, as my visit is of some import."



    Lisa couldn't contain herself any longer. I was amazed she'd managed to hold back that long. "Pardon me for interrupting, but didn't you make a deal to remain in the Birdcage for three hundred years? Kind of odd that someone like you would go back on her word."



    Every muscle in my body clenched. That was a powder keg of a question. But Ciara just giggled. "Your governments drew up a quite detailed contract, which I signed in blood in addition to my simple word. However, they are not adept at negotiating with fae." Her smirk was positively impish. "We are notorious for finding loopholes. I am certain that the statement 'a period of three hundred years' was considered to be iron-clad, but they did not specifically designate that those three hundred years needed to be consecutive."



    I looked at Dad and mouthed, 'Tea, please'. We needed to keep this situation calm. "You said this visit was important. I've heard that you want a cuddlebug. If this is all about that..."



    "No," she replied with a dismissive wave, "though I do find them adorable. I came to study you." Her crystalline green eyes locked onto mine. "I had long harbored suspicions regarding your particular role, yet those suspicions were thrown into disarray the longer you remained in the public eye, revealing new abilities and...physical alterations."



    The clinical way she spoke tripped something in me, a primal anger based on my still-prominent self image problems and the calm way my bullies used to deride me. "You'd best start speaking in a more straightforward manner, or I'll kick you out of my house. I don't appreciate being looked at as a 'thing'."



    Her expression flickered for a moment, but I couldn't tell what emotion shone through. I opened my additional senses and almost immediately clamped them back shut. All around this girl was a tempest of loathing, despair and outright hatred, directed both inward and outward. I had difficulty believing it, but it seemed that the dead capes' personalities did remain, at least as fragments. And they weren't happy being used as tools.



    "I am the Faerie Queen," she stated, with an odd sort of declarative gravitas. I realized that I'd been bristling ever so slightly each time she called herself a queen. "Around us we have the Stable Master, the Silent, the Puppeteer, the Overlooked, and the Spymaster. But you," her gaze settled back onto me after looking at the other parahumans in the room, "are an oddity. You should be the Queen Administrator, my equal and opposite, the queen of the living while I rule the dead. But you have been...changed. Your faerie has become corrupted, yet unlike other corruptions it has somehow consumed the darkness and grown stronger from it."



    While I could see the wheels in Lisa's head turning as she processed all of that, Brian spoke up. "So she has, what, two fairies or something? Wait," he looked back to me, "didn't Scanner say you're the only one she's ever seen with two different glows?"



    "And Eidolon's a kaleidoscope, apparently," Lisa interjected, "his colors always changing...each color represents a power, Eidolon can select more than one at a time..." Her eyes widened. "Wait, you're saying Taylor somehow has two different powers?"



    "Two distinct faeries," Glaistig Uaine replied, "though now they're more like one. The Queen Administrator, being one of the most powerful of all fae, survived the usurpation attempt and, like ancient warriors, ate her attacker to gain its power."



    "Okay," I decided to play along with the insanity. "So what is this 'Queen Administrator' supposed to do?"



    "Absolute control," the small blonde replied. "When fully unleashed, the Queen Administrator could dominate any rival – mind, body and soul."



    "And if my bug control comes from that, then this other power – however I got it – is responsible for my physical changes? And my ability to make new critters?"



    "It would seem that way. You see, now, why it was necessary that I meet with you. I needed to understand your abilities and analyze you in person."



    I felt something, a change in the air. Something tripped my instincts; I began to gather my critters as well as all bugs in my range. "And what's your conclusion?"



    "You are powerful, and have the potential to become even more so, an exponential growth as you face and overcome obstacles. You could even take my place at His side." I heard her capitalize the H, but she didn't elaborate on who 'He' was. Her serene smile didn't falter. "I apologize, but I cannot suffer even an unknowing usurper."



    I didn't wait for her to make the first move. My arm lashed out in a palm strike to her chin and sent Glaistig Uaine crashing through the window onto the street. Dad was already on the phone, hopefully to the Protectorate. I called up my army and stepped through the broken wall and past the shattered glass. The supposed Queen of all Faeries would die today.



    "Grue!" I didn't need to speak further as Brian sent his darkness out, blanketing the street. My vision turned orange and I could see the mental map of my insects and critters. A spiker volley impaled the ground around Glaistig Uaine, the blonde throwing up a shield to disintegrate any spines that would've struck her.



    I called up about a dozen raptors, while mentally summoning every critter that I had at the Hive. My babies charged and their target retaliated with a burst of lightning that sent them reeling. I got the sense it was supposed to flash-fry them, but Grue's darkness was doing its job of dampening offensive powers. Instead she threw wide her arms and released a violent current of air, blowing the darkness aside. I could see what looked like cutting edges within the wind, so it was likely a power similar to Stormtiger's. Her body twitched and the winds wavered, giving me the chance to spit up an artillery bombardment of bursters. Glaistig Uaine flicked her wrist and new waves of cutting wind lanced out, detonating my bursters and sending their luminous payload back at me. And I liked these pajamas, I thought to myself as the alkali splattered over me. While I wasn't hurt, it quickly ate through my clothes. I couldn't afford shame right now; she planned to kill me. Another lance of electricity hurtled down the open channel, heading straight for me. I found my body throwing itself to the ground. Thanks, Alec.



    One of the vaguely humanoid wraiths flickered and faded away, only to be replaced by another. Thus far Glaistig Uaine was only manifesting three at a time, though Dragon had said she could supposedly summon a fourth: maybe it was extremely cost-intensive? My wandering thoughts were jerked violently back to the real world as the asphalt grew claws and tried to attack me. I leapt up with a yelp, dancing around the vicious hooks until I could hitch a ride on the back of a spiker. The slithering creature was able to simply roll over the grasping earth.



    Two of my sprayers rode in, the ponderous critters each being carried by several helpers. Poking their heads from their fluted shells, they rained down glowing green death. Again the blonde blew it back at them, and I took that moment to strike. I had my spiker buck me off, leaping as it did in order to get the most speed. I collided with her but she seemed much more solid this time. My claws unsheathed and I went for her neck, only for her to grab my wrist in her small hand and squeeze until the bones shattered. Holding my wounded arm, she yanked back and then hurled me across the street where I impacted a storefront's wall hard enough to leave a decent imprint of my body.



    I saw Imp sneaking up behind Glaistig Uaine, a steak knife in her hand, ready to drive it into the blonde's neck. The non-child casually backhanded her with enough force that I could've heard the slap from across the street even if my bugs hadn't been listening in. "You forget," she chided, "I can see the faerie that gives you your prowess. Even if you are hidden from my eyes, it is not." One of her shades spasmed violently. "Your trick will not work twice, Puppeteer."



    Forcing myself onto my hands and knees, I took stock of the situation. She currently had super strength, earth (or asphalt) manipulation, and an unknown third power active. My sprayers and bursters wouldn't work as she could just blow their base back at them. Plus, some of it might...splatter... Okay, new plan. "Leave them...alone," I growled, wrestling with my body and commanding it to stand through the pain. I felt sharp, scratchy hooks of asphalt grab onto my legs, tearing at my skin.



    She turned to look at me. "You still believe yourself to be capable of fighting me? You barely understand how to utilize your own powers. I have been collecting and mastering faerie abilities since before you were born. Your insects will not help you; your pets will not avail you. What do you think that you can possibly do?" She took a step toward me, lightning crackling along her fingertips. Well, at least I knew her third power.



    "This." I unhinged my jaw and let loose a swarm of yellow widows to charge her, falling into a backbend to avoid the electrical bolt that fried my bugs. The moment she fired, my raptors burst up through the pitted, porous street damaged by spiker projectiles and misaimed alkali. Claws, blades and teeth fell upon her and she yelped in pain. Whatever Brute rating her strength power had given her was not enough and I could smell blood in the air.



    Her power changed yet again and she drew in matter around her like a black hole before releasing it all in a tremendous burst, sending my raptors flying, some over several city blocks. Glaistig Uaine was bleeding, yes, but her wounds were already closing. I hadn't scored the killing blow. "While your tactical acumen is impressive, you cannot stop me. I am beyond your attempts, beyond all of your pitiable flailings." She stepped over to one of my downed raptors and placed her shoe on its throat. The little thing gurgled in protest, but was too hurt to fight back. "In the animal kingdom, when a creature is too grievously injured to continue living, the humane thing to do is to kill it quickly so that it does not suffer a prolonged, agonizing death." The pressure increased and I could feel its life ebbing away. "I will be just as gentle with you and your friends."



    "No! Stop it!" Tears were pouring from my eyes; I didn't care. I wrenched my legs against their bindings, shearing off my skin but eventually breaking the asphalt and tearing myself free. "This is about you and me, right? Leave them out of this!"



    "They are of your sphere," she said in a gentle, polite tone as though she was doing anything other than contemplating mass-murder. "If I spare them, they will come after me again and that will be a grievous inconvenience. While I understand patience and waiting, procrastination is not one of my vices." Her foot pressed harder.



    Snap.



    (BREAK)



    No more death. No more pain. No more hatred. No suffering. No unrest. No... No... No... No! NO! I WON'T HAVE IT!!!



    I tried to articulate the word 'no', to scream it at the top of my lungs, but all that came out was a deafening feral noise that was not at all in the realm of what a human voicebox could manage. The world stretched and distorted around me, my surroundings becoming twisted and nightmarish until they receded so far into the distance that they were unidentifiable, and it was just me across from Glaistig Uaine. I reached out, yet did not move a muscle, and lunged past her. There was no point in attacking her yet. First I had to take from her, like she'd taken from me. I grabbed the essence hovering behind her, ripped it in half, threw it to the ground. She let out a keening noise more appropriate to a circular saw. The other two were smashed together, bursting like balloons filled with confetti, their remains drifting to the street. Then I moved, was on her, pinning her down so she couldn't escape. But I didn't use my claws, or my fists. I tore into her mind, gripping at the gates and slowly grinding them open. I was going to eviscerate her, send the coils of her essence streaming out like toy snakes from a magician's sleeve.



    She struggled beneath me, fear flashing in her eyes. The shreds of her ghosts slithered back into her and three more popped out, one creating a forceful blast that dislodged me from her. I landed on my feet, the claws on my fingers and toes carving furrows in the ground as I slid backward from the impact. I once again grabbed her mind with mine – was it easier now that I'd already started, or could I have done it from this far away to begin with? – and resumed my efforts to pry her open. Her ghosts retreated once again, to be replaced by a single wraith. "Stop. Now. Or I will loose Gray Boy on you."



    Her words cut through my fury and I was reminded just what kind of monster I faced. I faltered, unsure of myself. If I was trapped in a time loop...



    Then she was in front of me, appearing only inches away. I'd never seen her teleport. She placed a hand on my cheek, the touch so gentle and purposely soothing that it deflated the rest of my rage, turning it into confusion. For once her smile was not the odd, detached serene expression she normally wore, but one of satisfaction. "I have taken nothing that you cannot replace," she whispered. "Nor have I visited any lasting harm upon you or your companions." She gestured to my critters, including the raptor she'd stepped on. "They are not dead, not quite. I believe they can be healed." Looking back to me, she tilted her head. "You are an anomaly, something I had never seen before. I needed to understand you, and the best way to understand the people that you call parahumans is to fight them... With your permission, I would repair the damage to your home. But before that, I believe I smell tea."



    I followed her back into my house, still unsure of exactly what had happened. But I needed to get some new clothes on, anyway.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Stratagemini said:
    What. Wait, what?

    That ending was... what?
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    Dark Mage said:
    I know. I got to the end and went

    I hope the next up-date comes quick and explains things, because I can not see Taylor letting bygones be bygones after the Fairy Queen threatened her and her friends.
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    I'm sure that was Taylor's reaction as well, and I agree there's no way she'd let bygons be bygones, but that doesn't mean she'll attack when she doesn't need to and isn't certain she can win.

    I was actually expecting something like this, or at least started to suspect GU was testing Taylor instead of actually fighting when I saw how she was fighting.
     
    You should see the outrage on the SB side of things.
    Taylor picked up the Idiot ball here.
    armorfiend said:
    Yep. It basically comes off like "Hey, figured I'd stop by and beat you up because I can. We coo', right?"

    I mean, it's basically GU being a bully. Because she can. And any illusion of Taylor being able to win is just that, except, oh yeah, Taylor can apparently kill shards. Except only maybe.

    And then Taylor's cool with it, because they're like, tea buddies.
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    wtdtd said:
    Taylor picked up the Idiot ball here.
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    Not really. Yes she can damage shards, or at least GU connection to those shard...but GU has hunderds of shards, can kill with a touch and was touching Taylor when she offered a truce. To pick an analogy, Taylor just discovered she has a gun in her hand but doesn't know if it's a BB gun or a Desert Eagle, much less anything like how to use it effectively, GU has a knife she was holding against Taylor's neck when she made the truce offer.
     
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