SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Well, I got home about an hour ago, and I'm about 2/3 done with 1.2, so expect at least one shortish chapter tonight. Maybe more, depending on my writing groove tonight.
Samedi (Worm Altpower)
- Thread starter SquirrelZombie
- Start date
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Heh.
The fun thing is, that once Taylor learns the virtue of patience she can take great pleasure in describing to Sophia how no matter what she does, Sophia will come to Taylor in the end. And in that final moment in the dark, there will be no PRT, no laws, no witnesses to stay Taylor's hand.
Just Sophia, a goddess, and her grudge.
If Taylor needs to wait till the end of the world to get her revenge, she will have it.
Or she can see about how hard it is to make someone beg for death.
The fun thing is, that once Taylor learns the virtue of patience she can take great pleasure in describing to Sophia how no matter what she does, Sophia will come to Taylor in the end. And in that final moment in the dark, there will be no PRT, no laws, no witnesses to stay Taylor's hand.
Just Sophia, a goddess, and her grudge.
If Taylor needs to wait till the end of the world to get her revenge, she will have it.
Or she can see about how hard it is to make someone beg for death.
- Location
- Canada
Was that Ville au Camp/the Crossroads?
Also, holy shit the troll god of death and resurrection. Best break out da good rum when da Baron comes a'knockin~
Also, holy shit the troll god of death and resurrection. Best break out da good rum when da Baron comes a'knockin~
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Awesome picture for this fic. Better than the one I found for my avatar.Loving this and the other Samedi fic.
Taylor needs two forms, civilian and beast.
This is the time to make a run for the city limits.
You. I like you. Not sure the fic is likely to turn in that direction, but I like where your head's at.
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Hey, if nothing else, describing the scenario to Sophia will be almost as much fun as experiencing it. Maybe waxing poetic about ideas that come to Taylor and what she'll do to Sophia. All in Sophia's hearing of course. Drive up Sophia's paranoia and dread.
Double points if Sophia actually dies and the PRT asks her to revive Sophia. There is so much mindscrewing to be had there, especially if Taylor implies that maybe Sophia forgot a few things on the other side.
As for Emma....well. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? And you're one of the strong, aren't you Emma?
Well now you've been cursed to never die. Which is very much not the same as cursed to eternal life. See how well Emma can live in that world.
Because Nietzsche, who made that saying? He had serious health problems, but he still believed in what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Somehow I don't think Emma has that fortitude to endure her own body breaking down.
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
I actually have a different Nietzsche saying in mind. Sophia is staring into the abyss. And the abyss is laughing and turning Clockblocker's words into limeade.
Bourbon Street 1.2
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Samedi
Bourbon Street 1.2
I really needed to come up with a goddamn plan.
I'd spent the last couple of hours checking the street, avoiding what I knew I ought to do so I could explore my suddenly amazing new power. I had already made a few startling discoveries.
For one thing, all my fucking shit would finally, FINALLY leave me alone if I put it down. Even though I no longer minded the taste, I was pretty tired of having the cigar clenched between my teeth any time I needed to use my hands.
The biggest surprise was the cane. Before, it had been pretty simple- a smooth dark wood, maybe ebony, topped by a silver skull. I had used it to poke the brick alleyway, prodding it, testing its solidity. When I pulled it back, I felt some resistance. I let it go, and it stayed in place, poking horizontally out of the side of the wall. Huh. Weird.
The eyes of the skull began to exude bright purple light, the brick wall it had been stuck to dissolved, and I was looking into my bedroom.
- - -
So, my cane worked like some sort of key. I could push it against any surface on the street, and purple energy would once again open up a portal to a different place in the city. When I removed the cane, the portal closed.
Fuckin' sweet.
I was pretty sure I didn't need to use the portals to come and go from my street, but I also had no idea how much control I would have over where I popped out. Having the ability to quickly and easily move between Dad's office, the library, the cemetery, Winslow High, and my bedroom was gonna come in extremely handy.
Every portal I opened was to someplace I knew well, but after the first couple I was pretty sure there was no correspondence between where on the street I opened one and where in the regular world it came out. At least the portals were consistent. Once I memorized which surface opened where, I'd be able to pop around the city faster than Velocity.
As soon as I figured out how to actually fight, I was gonna be one hell of a hero.
- - -
But back to the problem at hand. I had just flipped out in front of a bunch of wards and Miss Militia, and I was probably gonna be hiking down from the headwaters of shit creek for the next month.
I knew I handled the situation badly. I knew it wasn't going to help anything. But holy shit had it felt amazing to finally give back just a little bit of what Sophia had done to me.
Something about it was nagging at me. Despite how far I'd been pushed before, I'd never snapped. I'd never retaliated. Was I thinking differently because now I had power, and I would have acted that way from the beginning if I'd been strong? Maybe.
Maybe not.
Oh fuck.
Ever since I got to the street, my thoughts had been clear. My senses felt normal.
Which meant they hadn't been normal back in the regular world. And I hadn't even noticed.
I needed that plan.
- - -
Interlude – Missy
It had been bothering her since the confrontation between the new girl and Shadow Stalker. She liked Taylor, even if the girl was clearly a couple hammers short of a toolbox. Taylor hadn't talked down to Missy, and Dennis had obviously taken a shine to the girl. Once they figured out how to fix the cigar thing, Taylor would be awesome to have around.
But this seemed like it might be important.
Missy knocked politely on Miss Militia's office door.
"Enter."
Inside, the flag-bedecked superhero was sitting at her computer, typing. Probably preparing her report for the director.
"Missy? Is everything alright?"
"Um. I don't know." Missy knew that the older woman was one of the few superiors in either the Protectorate or the PRT who took her completely seriously. She knew that Miss Militia would listen carefully and fully to her, treat her as a hero rather than a child. It was still hard to get her suspicions out.
Miss Militia looked calmly into her eyes, her expression becoming gentle. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
With a deep breath, Missy took the plunge.
"I've been on a lot of patrols with Shadow Stalker. She hasn't even been with us a year, but the rotation has us working together a lot. I know how she reacts to things. I know when something's off."
"She's been undergoing master/stranger protocols for the last two hours. Everything's come up clean so far."
"Look, I'm not saying she was mastered. But her reactions were all wrong. I've seen her be forced to retreat before, but I've never seen her forced to back down without losing her temper about it. After Taylor..." Missy paused for a moment, forcing herself to get her breathing under control.
"It was pretty unsettling in there. It made me afraid." The older cape spoke softly, enunciating clearly.
"Yeah. It was really scary. I could feel Taylor's anger like something pushing against my whole body. I'm glad Dean wasn't there. But..."
"Shadow Stalker must have been even more frightened, being the focus of the effect."
"Right, but even so. Miss Militia, Sophia is really mean. She reacts to everything with anger. I have never seen her scared for more than a second before she just switches over to being mad. I just... I just think something might be going on. I mean, more than whatever the whole thing was about in the first place. I think something happened that nobody else is paying attention to."
The older hero held Missy's gaze for a few moments, then nodded.
"Thank you for bringing this to me, Vista. You did the right thing. I'll look into it."
"Okay." Missy turned and started for the door, before stopping and turning around again.
"Miss Militia? I really hope we can still have Taylor on the team. I think she'd be a better team-mate than Sophia. Taylor's power was really scary, but she isn't a scary person."
Miss Militia sighed and rubbed her temple. "I hope so too, Missy."
- - -
Author's Note
I really like doing these author's notes. In this one, even though we're several chapters and probably several days from the end of this arc, I'm going to reveal the tentative name for arc 2:
'Friends On The Other Side'
Enjoy.
Bourbon Street 1.2
I really needed to come up with a goddamn plan.
I'd spent the last couple of hours checking the street, avoiding what I knew I ought to do so I could explore my suddenly amazing new power. I had already made a few startling discoveries.
For one thing, all my fucking shit would finally, FINALLY leave me alone if I put it down. Even though I no longer minded the taste, I was pretty tired of having the cigar clenched between my teeth any time I needed to use my hands.
The biggest surprise was the cane. Before, it had been pretty simple- a smooth dark wood, maybe ebony, topped by a silver skull. I had used it to poke the brick alleyway, prodding it, testing its solidity. When I pulled it back, I felt some resistance. I let it go, and it stayed in place, poking horizontally out of the side of the wall. Huh. Weird.
The eyes of the skull began to exude bright purple light, the brick wall it had been stuck to dissolved, and I was looking into my bedroom.
- - -
So, my cane worked like some sort of key. I could push it against any surface on the street, and purple energy would once again open up a portal to a different place in the city. When I removed the cane, the portal closed.
Fuckin' sweet.
I was pretty sure I didn't need to use the portals to come and go from my street, but I also had no idea how much control I would have over where I popped out. Having the ability to quickly and easily move between Dad's office, the library, the cemetery, Winslow High, and my bedroom was gonna come in extremely handy.
Every portal I opened was to someplace I knew well, but after the first couple I was pretty sure there was no correspondence between where on the street I opened one and where in the regular world it came out. At least the portals were consistent. Once I memorized which surface opened where, I'd be able to pop around the city faster than Velocity.
As soon as I figured out how to actually fight, I was gonna be one hell of a hero.
- - -
But back to the problem at hand. I had just flipped out in front of a bunch of wards and Miss Militia, and I was probably gonna be hiking down from the headwaters of shit creek for the next month.
I knew I handled the situation badly. I knew it wasn't going to help anything. But holy shit had it felt amazing to finally give back just a little bit of what Sophia had done to me.
Something about it was nagging at me. Despite how far I'd been pushed before, I'd never snapped. I'd never retaliated. Was I thinking differently because now I had power, and I would have acted that way from the beginning if I'd been strong? Maybe.
Maybe not.
Oh fuck.
Ever since I got to the street, my thoughts had been clear. My senses felt normal.
Which meant they hadn't been normal back in the regular world. And I hadn't even noticed.
I needed that plan.
- - -
Interlude – Missy
It had been bothering her since the confrontation between the new girl and Shadow Stalker. She liked Taylor, even if the girl was clearly a couple hammers short of a toolbox. Taylor hadn't talked down to Missy, and Dennis had obviously taken a shine to the girl. Once they figured out how to fix the cigar thing, Taylor would be awesome to have around.
But this seemed like it might be important.
Missy knocked politely on Miss Militia's office door.
"Enter."
Inside, the flag-bedecked superhero was sitting at her computer, typing. Probably preparing her report for the director.
"Missy? Is everything alright?"
"Um. I don't know." Missy knew that the older woman was one of the few superiors in either the Protectorate or the PRT who took her completely seriously. She knew that Miss Militia would listen carefully and fully to her, treat her as a hero rather than a child. It was still hard to get her suspicions out.
Miss Militia looked calmly into her eyes, her expression becoming gentle. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
With a deep breath, Missy took the plunge.
"I've been on a lot of patrols with Shadow Stalker. She hasn't even been with us a year, but the rotation has us working together a lot. I know how she reacts to things. I know when something's off."
"She's been undergoing master/stranger protocols for the last two hours. Everything's come up clean so far."
"Look, I'm not saying she was mastered. But her reactions were all wrong. I've seen her be forced to retreat before, but I've never seen her forced to back down without losing her temper about it. After Taylor..." Missy paused for a moment, forcing herself to get her breathing under control.
"It was pretty unsettling in there. It made me afraid." The older cape spoke softly, enunciating clearly.
"Yeah. It was really scary. I could feel Taylor's anger like something pushing against my whole body. I'm glad Dean wasn't there. But..."
"Shadow Stalker must have been even more frightened, being the focus of the effect."
"Right, but even so. Miss Militia, Sophia is really mean. She reacts to everything with anger. I have never seen her scared for more than a second before she just switches over to being mad. I just... I just think something might be going on. I mean, more than whatever the whole thing was about in the first place. I think something happened that nobody else is paying attention to."
The older hero held Missy's gaze for a few moments, then nodded.
"Thank you for bringing this to me, Vista. You did the right thing. I'll look into it."
"Okay." Missy turned and started for the door, before stopping and turning around again.
"Miss Militia? I really hope we can still have Taylor on the team. I think she'd be a better team-mate than Sophia. Taylor's power was really scary, but she isn't a scary person."
Miss Militia sighed and rubbed her temple. "I hope so too, Missy."
- - -
Author's Note
I really like doing these author's notes. In this one, even though we're several chapters and probably several days from the end of this arc, I'm going to reveal the tentative name for arc 2:
'Friends On The Other Side'
Enjoy.
Last edited:
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Well. That's certainly interesting. If she doesn't want to be a hero, she can probably be one hell of a rogue and start selling resurrection insurance.
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Coming up next: Have you ever wondered what it would look like when Piggot is confronted by a pissed off half-mad death goddess with barely any control over her own powers?
Me too!
Don't know if it'll be up tonight or tomorrow.
Me too!
Don't know if it'll be up tonight or tomorrow.
Welcome to Brockton Bay. Highest murder rate in the U.S.
Highest post-murder revenge rate, too.
This looks very interesting. Thank you for writing!
Highest post-murder revenge rate, too.
This looks very interesting. Thank you for writing!
Omake 1
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Taylor: Hey Director, wanna know what's worse than Nilbog?
Piggot: Guards, arrest her.
Taylor: An immortal Nilbog!
Piggot: *has a near heart attack*
Taylor: Hint, Nilbog will remain on the mortal coil until Sophia shuffles off it.
Piggot: Well. It's not like we were attacking him to begin with, so nothing has really changed.
Taylor: Yeah, I know. That's why I told Nilbog he was immortal.
Piggot: !!!
Taylor: Tick-tock, Director.
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Brilliant. If it didn't directly contradict some of the stuff I already had planned, I would steal it.
Have an omake.
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Thank you for reading and commenting. I really do appreciate the kind words.
Omake 2
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Piggot: Pick up the phone, pick up the phone, pick up the phone...
Coil: Hello Emily.
Piggot: Calvert! We have an emergency. The Baron Samedi girl? She just turned Nilbog immortal.
*Timelines Split*
*Timeline A*
Coil: *is screaming externally*
*Timeline B*
Coil: *is screaming internally* That's horrifying.
Piggot: Yes! And she's blackmailing the PRT, no, the world with it!
Coil: How?!
Piggot: By refusing to let Nilbog die until a particular hero dies.
Coil: Okay. Okay. As long as Nilbog doesn't know-
Piggot: She already told him.
*Timeline Split*
*Timeline B*
Piggot: So I need you to call in every favor you can to find a way to change her mind.
Coil: Will do.
*Timeline C*
Coil: Emily, I'll call you back.
Piggot: God damn you Calvert-
*click*
*dials new number*
Coil: Tattletale. Baron Samedi made Nilbog immortal. She will not rescind the immortality until a particular hero is dead. Find out who they are, and report to me immediately. If you get the chance, kill them.
Tattletale: Um. Holyshitholyshitholyshit. I don't think the team is gonna like that.
Coil: Tell them they can name their price.
Tattletale: Ooh!
Coil: And if it's too high, I'll kill you too. Tattletale.
*back in Timeline B*
Coil: Rest assured Emily, I have my best people working on the problem as we speak.
Because Thomas Calvert is the hero this world needs.
Last edited:
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Goddamnit stop distracting me with hilarious omake, I'm tryin to write over here.
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
But it's my way of saying thank you!
Also because I have a sense of humor and I like to share and plant tempting ideas in authors' heads.
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Well, congratulations, I'm stealing one of your punchlines for the next chapter. And there's nothing you can do about it.
So there.
HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
Yum. This story was delicious.
See my smile
Life...Life never Changes.
- Location
- The Commonwealth
This is definitely turning into one of the fics that I will just love seeing in my alerts
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Just wait. I'm sitting here giggling at the ridiculous pile of horseshit that Piggot and Halbeard are digging themselves into in the next scene. It'll probably be up within an hour, I'm having too much fun with it to stop now.
HircumPrinceps
Goat Lord
- Location
- Seattle
Well, I guess I get some fic to read tomorrow. Can't wait.
Bourbon Street 1.3
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Samedi
Bourbon Street 1.3
Yeah, the plan hadn't worked.
The moment she spoke, I knew it wouldn't. When she ordered me to sit, I tasted rattlesnake heads and poison oak.
Armsmaster stood behind her, at attention in his armor. Dad was seated next to me, across the desk from the hero and the big fat bureaucrat.
"You assaulted a ward with a parahuman power tonight."
And every last vestige of my calm, focused clarity was gone. I smirked, and took a deep puff from my cigar, exhaling slowly into the florescent lighting in her office, the smoke curling in on itself fractally. It sort of reminded me of one of the buildings I had seen on the street earlier.
"Yep." I popped the final letter with my lips. "Hope your cameras got a good look. If they didn't you can bring her in here and I'll re-enact it for ya."
"Ms. Hebert, I don't think you fully understand the trouble you are in." The poison oak had diminished, and in its place was the sensation of wet velvet. I stared, hard, right into her eyes.
"Say that again please." It wasn't a question, and as I spoke I pulled on the street, just a little, just enough to barely darken my eye-sockets.
"Assault on a ward with a parahuman ability is a felony. We have incontrovertible evidence that you committed this crime. We have witnesses, we have video, and now we have your confession."
The wet velvet was still there, but now it was sticky, tangy like copper.
"You're lying right now."
Her smile was arctic. "I assure you, every word I just said is true."
"Yeah, but you're still lying. You're trying to deceive me right now." The air grew humid, and flickering green lights appeared above the suddenly translucent ceiling tiles.
"Armsmaster!" grunted the pig.
"Ms. Hebert, you will desist all use of your powers immediately and stand down. This is your only warning." This was the first time Armsmaster had spoken in my presence, and it was the most singular sensation I had received from anyone so far. There were no shades of other flavors, no overtones. There was only the taste of burning cinders.
Well, I had figured out that the wet velvet meant deceit. But what the fuck was this supposed to mean?
"You motherfuckers can't stop me. You can't keep me contained. All you can do is make assholes out of yourselves. One of your wards tried to murder me this morning. She would have succeeded if her assassination attempt hadn't caused me to trigger."
Dad wouldn't meet my eyes.
Weird. I would have thought he'd be more mad about all this.
I took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm not unreasonable- I mean, no one's gonna eat her eyes or anything. I overreacted from the completely understandable shock of finding out that my tormentor and murderer was a member of your little band of child soldiers. That is some fucked up shit. Man, this really has been one of the weirdest fucking days of my life. I wonder what Sophia's eyes taste like. I bet they're a lot like oysters. Did I forget to stop talking?" Shit.
"You will learn to control yourself. We will investigate your allegations, but in the meantime, you are confined to base until further notice."
"Umm... I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm not joining the wards."
"Your father signed the papers. You already have."
"Oh. Okay then. I guess I have a procedural question? Whose blood should I be using as ink to write my resignation letter?"
Armsmaster lifted his halberd and aimed it at my chest. "You are under arrest for assault with a parahuman ability and threatening the life of a government agent. You have the right to remain silent. If you resist, I will respond with appropriate force."
I laughed. Oh, how I laughed. I laughed until I cried.
And then I pulled as hard as I could.
- - -
So, I guess I still have some things to learn about how my power works.
I mean obviously, I'd only had it for like ten hours, most of which I spent hating it. Of course I hadn't mastered the subtleties, figured out every little trick, every way of squeezing out the last bitter drop of use from the things I could do now.
But apparently a couple hours of playing around in my pocket dimension hadn't pushed my limits enough to even expose all the basics of my power.
The harder I pulled, the faster the street was overlaid on the office. I had expected that.
I hadn't expected how much more dramatic the transition would be.
With a blare of saxophones and the taste of muddy leather, the street SNAPPED into place around us.
I stamped my cane down onto the cobblestones with a muffled roar of thunder. It stood upright without any support. Armsmaster and the oinker were flat on their backs in the middle of the street. Dad was sitting in his chair, which was basically the same, but now sported a quite attractive skull motif.
I wondered briefly how much trouble it would be to break into the birdcage and hire Marquis to be my decorator.
Armsmaster began to rise, and I gestured at him with my cigar. The road rose to meet him. My street was very friendly. It gave him a hug.
"Ah ah ah, my personal universe, my rules. Stay seated. I insist. Oh, and Armsy? I'm pretty sure it's a bad idea for you to speak while we're here. From what I tasted earlier, you might burn off your lips or something. Just a friendly warning." I cocked my head and looked at her. "Emily, you can talk if you want."
She glared at me, and remained silent.
"Good, we're all on board. Now, here's how I see things going."
- - -
We were back in her office. My overlay had receded, and they had agreed to my terms. Not that I had really given them much of a choice in the matter.
I smiled archly at Emily, pushing my grin a teensy bit wider than ought to have been possible as I prepared to yank myself back to the street.
"Tick-tock, Director."
Bourbon Street 1.3
Yeah, the plan hadn't worked.
The moment she spoke, I knew it wouldn't. When she ordered me to sit, I tasted rattlesnake heads and poison oak.
Armsmaster stood behind her, at attention in his armor. Dad was seated next to me, across the desk from the hero and the big fat bureaucrat.
"You assaulted a ward with a parahuman power tonight."
And every last vestige of my calm, focused clarity was gone. I smirked, and took a deep puff from my cigar, exhaling slowly into the florescent lighting in her office, the smoke curling in on itself fractally. It sort of reminded me of one of the buildings I had seen on the street earlier.
"Yep." I popped the final letter with my lips. "Hope your cameras got a good look. If they didn't you can bring her in here and I'll re-enact it for ya."
"Ms. Hebert, I don't think you fully understand the trouble you are in." The poison oak had diminished, and in its place was the sensation of wet velvet. I stared, hard, right into her eyes.
"Say that again please." It wasn't a question, and as I spoke I pulled on the street, just a little, just enough to barely darken my eye-sockets.
"Assault on a ward with a parahuman ability is a felony. We have incontrovertible evidence that you committed this crime. We have witnesses, we have video, and now we have your confession."
The wet velvet was still there, but now it was sticky, tangy like copper.
"You're lying right now."
Her smile was arctic. "I assure you, every word I just said is true."
"Yeah, but you're still lying. You're trying to deceive me right now." The air grew humid, and flickering green lights appeared above the suddenly translucent ceiling tiles.
"Armsmaster!" grunted the pig.
"Ms. Hebert, you will desist all use of your powers immediately and stand down. This is your only warning." This was the first time Armsmaster had spoken in my presence, and it was the most singular sensation I had received from anyone so far. There were no shades of other flavors, no overtones. There was only the taste of burning cinders.
Well, I had figured out that the wet velvet meant deceit. But what the fuck was this supposed to mean?
"You motherfuckers can't stop me. You can't keep me contained. All you can do is make assholes out of yourselves. One of your wards tried to murder me this morning. She would have succeeded if her assassination attempt hadn't caused me to trigger."
Dad wouldn't meet my eyes.
Weird. I would have thought he'd be more mad about all this.
I took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm not unreasonable- I mean, no one's gonna eat her eyes or anything. I overreacted from the completely understandable shock of finding out that my tormentor and murderer was a member of your little band of child soldiers. That is some fucked up shit. Man, this really has been one of the weirdest fucking days of my life. I wonder what Sophia's eyes taste like. I bet they're a lot like oysters. Did I forget to stop talking?" Shit.
"You will learn to control yourself. We will investigate your allegations, but in the meantime, you are confined to base until further notice."
"Umm... I don't think that's gonna happen. I'm not joining the wards."
"Your father signed the papers. You already have."
"Oh. Okay then. I guess I have a procedural question? Whose blood should I be using as ink to write my resignation letter?"
Armsmaster lifted his halberd and aimed it at my chest. "You are under arrest for assault with a parahuman ability and threatening the life of a government agent. You have the right to remain silent. If you resist, I will respond with appropriate force."
I laughed. Oh, how I laughed. I laughed until I cried.
And then I pulled as hard as I could.
- - -
So, I guess I still have some things to learn about how my power works.
I mean obviously, I'd only had it for like ten hours, most of which I spent hating it. Of course I hadn't mastered the subtleties, figured out every little trick, every way of squeezing out the last bitter drop of use from the things I could do now.
But apparently a couple hours of playing around in my pocket dimension hadn't pushed my limits enough to even expose all the basics of my power.
The harder I pulled, the faster the street was overlaid on the office. I had expected that.
I hadn't expected how much more dramatic the transition would be.
With a blare of saxophones and the taste of muddy leather, the street SNAPPED into place around us.
I stamped my cane down onto the cobblestones with a muffled roar of thunder. It stood upright without any support. Armsmaster and the oinker were flat on their backs in the middle of the street. Dad was sitting in his chair, which was basically the same, but now sported a quite attractive skull motif.
I wondered briefly how much trouble it would be to break into the birdcage and hire Marquis to be my decorator.
Armsmaster began to rise, and I gestured at him with my cigar. The road rose to meet him. My street was very friendly. It gave him a hug.
"Ah ah ah, my personal universe, my rules. Stay seated. I insist. Oh, and Armsy? I'm pretty sure it's a bad idea for you to speak while we're here. From what I tasted earlier, you might burn off your lips or something. Just a friendly warning." I cocked my head and looked at her. "Emily, you can talk if you want."
She glared at me, and remained silent.
"Good, we're all on board. Now, here's how I see things going."
- - -
We were back in her office. My overlay had receded, and they had agreed to my terms. Not that I had really given them much of a choice in the matter.
I smiled archly at Emily, pushing my grin a teensy bit wider than ought to have been possible as I prepared to yank myself back to the street.
"Tick-tock, Director."
SquirrelZombie
[Verified Loa]
- Location
- United States
Bam! Done before midnight local. No more chapters tonight, but if you're all very good I may have a treat for you tomorrow.