Scrawlings - [Ziel's Collected Works]

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.5


I woke to the sound of something breaking. That something was my alarm clock, and it was broken because I'd just smashed it flat. I groaned, slumping back into my sheets. What a stupid cliché. I thought that kind of thing only happened in movies. It took a few more moments of grumbling before I realized what I'd just done.

I didn't have the ability to hit that hard. It was only when I was transformed that I could-

Shit. I jerked out of bed, flinging the covers aside. I was normal, except for my arm. It was scaly all the way to the shoulder, and my claws were back. I'd just used Leviathan's form to pulverize my clock.

Not only had I transformed in my sleep, I'd done it without being connected to Leviathan. I'd broken my links with him and Simurgh before I fell asleep. I was alone in my head, and I could still feel their forms. That meant there was a distinction between the link and the form. Until this point, I'd just considered them the same, and banished the form when I broke the link. I must have forgotten last night and kept the forms. If I could hold onto the copies indefinitely, then one of my biggest drawbacks had just disappeared.

Dad's footsteps on the stairs interrupted my thoughts. I had a suspiciously smashed clock and a very obvious monster-arm. Okay, I'd hide the clock and- a feather drifted onto the covers. I checked with my non-Leviathan hand. My hair was full of loose feathers. Loose, shining white Simurgh feathers that I'd forgotten to reabsorb were tangled in my curls. More of them fell out as I probed my hair.

Dad was coming down the hall now. I scrambled into motion, trying to do everything at once. I snatched up pieces of the clock with one hand, while picking up feathers with the other. At the same time, I focused on my power, imposing my form over Leviathan's. The scales began receding in waves, sliding back under my skin and disappearing.

My claws retracted right as I picked up the final piece of clock, and I fumbled the entire handful. It crashed to the floor, scattering broken bits everywhere. My frantic movements had only dislodged more feathers, most of which fluttered down to join the clock on the floor.

Dad was at the door, and there was no way to pick up everything in time. I resorted to the only option I had. The refuge of all kids in trouble. I hid under the covers. A second later, Dad opened the door a crack.

"Taylor? I heard a crash, are you alright?" He said quietly.

I hadn't been alright in a very long time. But I couldn't tell him that; he had enough troubles of his own. It wouldn't be right to burden him with mine. I settled for groaning, my voice muffled by my blankets.

"Broke the clock."

"I can see that. It's- are those feathers?" He said.

I groaned more. "I think the comforter ripped when I dropped the clock." I let some of my tiredness bleed through into my voice. It wasn't something I had to fake; I'd only gotten about two hours of sleep, and my body still ached from last night's misadventures.

"Are you alright? You don't sound good." His voice sounded nearer.

"Just give me a minute. I'm really dizzy."

"Should I call a doctor?"

I needed to gamble. 'I'm dizzy' wasn't convincing material. Slowly, I stirred from under the covers and looked at him.

"You tell me."

I could only imagine how I looked, but judging by how I felt, it couldn't be too good. He stared for a moment, and then burst into laughter. I almost didn't believe what I was seeing. It was fully-bodied, hands on knees, red-faced laughter.

"Oh Taylor… You're covered in feathers. It looks like you're turning into a bird."

I ran a hand through my hair, and pretended to look surprised at the feather I pulled free. I tossed it away and flopped back on my pillow with a groan. The motion sent feathers flying everywhere. Dad started laughing again. I wanted to scold him, but hearing him crack up was almost unreal. How long had it been since I heard him laugh like that?

"My daughter, the bird girl." He bit back a chuckle "You do look sick though. Do you want to stay home?"

"Yes." No way was I going to play coy and risk going to school this tired. The girls would notice weakness like that in a heartbeat. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"They aren't… you're doing okay at school, right?" He asked. I hated the concern in his voice. I hated it even more that he knew. He had his problems, and there was nothing he could do to help me, but he'd still worry anyway. All I was doing was making things worse for him.

"Things have been better since- …since then. They got bored and stopped."

He exhaled, some of the tension leaving his face. "You'd tell me if it started up again, wouldn't you?"

Glue on the seats in first period. Rumors in second. A shove in the hall on the way to third. Lunch spent hiding, or more often, failing to hide. Tripped on the stairs going to fourth. More words in fifth…

"Yeah. I'd tell you." I lied to him with a straight face.

He reached out, and I flinched away from the motion. He stopped, his hand outstretched, wearing an expression I'd never seen before. We stared at each other, and I found I couldn't meet his gaze. Not when he looked like that; the corners of his mouth twisting down like he was in pain, his eyes boring into me. Finally, he pulled his hand away and stood up.

"Taylor… I- please, talk to me when you're ready." He walked to the door, broken clock pieces crunching underfoot. He stopped, looking back at me, and I thought he would say something, but he didn't.

After he left for work, I sat there for a long time, looking at the mess around me. What was I supposed to do? He couldn't help, and telling him only hurt him worse. I couldn't let him know the full truth until I had an escape. I'd tell him when I joined the Wards. I'd go to Arcadia and be done with the whole thing. Until then, I'd lie without hesitation; because it was better that he didn't know.

I said that. I had all my plans and rationalizations, but they didn't erase that look Dad had worn from my memory. For all my concerns about not hurting him, I was still doing it.


When I finally dragged myself out of bed any excitement I might have had towards today was gone. After checking that Dad was definitely at work, I headed for the basement. I needed to get a handle on my powers before I blew my cover.

Sitting on the basement floor, I probed inward, into my well. Leviathan and Simurgh's forms were still there. It was like they were submerged in my power. Until I pulled them free, they were dormant, waiting to be used.

I drew on Leviathan, pulling his shape from my memory, imposing it over my own. Scales slid out from under my skin in neat rows. Claws sprouted, and after a moment of blindness, my water vision returned. I tested with my eyes closed. I could feel the water around me like I had last night. I didn't really need my eyes to do it. That made them more of an interface than a necessity. That also meant it wasn't really water-vision, more like water-sensing, or hydrokinesis or something.

As I examined myself, I realized that using my power was like allowing the new form a share of my body. My own form was still there, but I was letting Leviathan overlap it. That led to a series of experiments drawing on his form in greater and lesser amounts.

It took some effort, but I eventually got a handle on the degree to which I changed. I got the best results when I took the change slowly. I'd let myself gradually change until I hit a certain point, and then I'd push the rest of his form away.

At the highest level I was willing to let it go, using Leviathan's form left me almost 7 feet tall, with a full coat of thick, reptilian scales and the beginnings of a tail. My limits grew every time I channeled forms. My transformation last night hadn't been anything as big as this. The more I let his form dominate, the sharper my water-sensing got. I still couldn't manipulate water though, which irked me. That was his basic power, and I couldn't use it.

Going that far was interesting, but it wasn't something I planned on doing with the Wards. There was just too much risk of someone recognizing who I was copying. Leviathan I might be able to pass off as another cape, but Simurgh was painfully obvious. No one had wings like hers.

…wings that I'd used in front of the PRT HQ last night. It had been dark out, but I'd still used them. That wasn't something I could pull again. I'd have to find a different way to fly.

With that weighing on me, I continued my experiments with Leviathan. I let his form recede until it was at its barest minimum. My physical changes returned to normal, but I kept his water-sensing. That earned a shrug. It was a decent enough sensory ability, and I could use it without any transformations. I could probably use it to track criminals.

My stomach growled, and I checked my watch. 9:20. Knowing that school had started and that I wasn't there was a relief. I'd dodged another day. I was feeling a little better already from my experiments, and this newest knowledge clinched things. It was breakfast time.

On a whim, I held onto Leviathan's form as I made breakfast. It wasn't good for much more than a novelty, but seeing water move in the pipes was still neat. Thinking of the long day ahead of me, I whipped up an omelet. Something to keep me going at the PRT.

I set the pan in the sink to soak, and headed for the table. I had my omelet in one hand, and my orange juice in another. I'd turn today around. I'd become a hero, and then I could finally tell Dad everyth-

I tripped over an old newspaper on the floor. The omelet stuck to the plate, but my juice flew into the air. My new senses made it worse. I could feel exactly how and where the juice was going to splatter across the kitchen. I reached out helplessly, trying to catch some of it in the now empty glass. There was no chance. It arced in slow-motion across the kitchen.

I saw it in freefall, it was going to hit the floor and-

… it stopped. The orange juice hung in a frozen spray. I gaped at it. How the hell did I do that? I pulled on it, using my power. It didn't move. I pushed. Nothing. Just like last night, nothing I tried did anything to the water. But when I saw it about to splash, it just stopped? Was it subconscious?

How did Leviathan move water? I didn't know. Was that… I groaned. It couldn't be that easy. It was just like Simurgh's telekinesis. I didn't have to think about it, I just used it. His hydrokinesis wasn't from some magic beam, he just willed the water to move, and it moved. I'd been overthinking it.

This time, I didn't reach out with my power, I just knew that the juice would move, in the same way that I knew my arms would move if I wanted them to. Every drop flew back into my glass.

I raised my hands in victory. "Hydro-fucking-kinesis!"

My omelet was delicious.

XXX

After breakfast, I returned to my tests with new vigor.

I pushed Leviathan's template away and pulled Simurgh's to the surface. I didn't need to test her upper limits like I did with him. I'd gone that far last night. That, and her wings wouldn't fit in the basement. Instead, I focused on her lower limits. Just like with Leviathan, I had a level where I got her powers but didn't transform.

The plate wobbled, but I levitated it from across the basement and pulled it to me like a frisbee. My range was about the same as last night, 15-feet or so. My main issue there was weight limits. I could lift small objects at range without trouble, but anything over 20 pounds was a serious effort.

And that didn't make sense. I could lift myself easily. I definitely weighed more than 20 lbs, especially in her form. I tested it, pulling myself into the air until I touched the ceiling. It was effortless. I decided that I needed to be on the ceiling, and I was. Stupid limits.

The wall clock told me that it was going on 11am, and I decided that I'd had enough basement tests for one day. I floated back down to the floor. I'd head over to the PRT now and-… how? Was I really going to take the bus over there?

I could fly, but Simurgh was too obvious. Leviathan could probably run on rooftops without any trouble. I hadn't tested it, but I had a feeling that my physical abilities in his form, even at the lowest level, were still superhuman. The PRT Headquarters were on the other side of the city though. I didn't think I could make the run even with his powers.

I'd could use both and fly part way, and then run the rest. Or I could… I could use both.

A grin spread across my face.

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.6

Brockton Bay looked different from the air. Nicer, somehow. My only flights so far had been at night, so seeing the city during the day was a change. It was a welcome change. Nighttime hid the city's flaws, but daylight reminded me that it was still alive. Even if the buildings were rundown, or there were neighborhoods where the only color was graffiti, I could see the people.

They were tiny from where I was at, but I could still see them. There were just so many of them. Brockton Bay wasn't the largest city around, but it had never quite hit me how many people lived here. All of them, scurrying about the city, just trying to live their lives. Seeing it like this, looking at the city as a whole, was like stepping back and having the pieces of a Magic Eye fall together.

Dad had spent so much time fighting to fix Brockton, and I'd never quite got it until now. It was about the people. All the people. The people were the city. What affected the city affected the people. By trying to fix the city, Dad was trying to help them.

It was big picture stuff. You help the city improve, and that helps the people. Love flashed through me as I thought of Dad. Was there ever a time when he wasn't fighting to keep things going for his workers? I needed to tell him how proud I was of him sometime.

I hit a crossbreeze and turned with it, soaring out towards the bay. Gaps in the clouds sent sunlight onto the water in huge glittering arcs. The wind carried me across one, and I rose high into the sky on a thermal. Even at this height, it was still warm out, and I was content to just glide along, riding the thermals as I basked in the sun.

In the distance, I could see the rusted hulks that blocked the north part of the bay. So much of the city was affected by the Ship Graveyard. How much easier would Dad's job be if shipping came back? I made a note- no. I promised myself- I'd find a way to fix the Graveyard. How could I have Leviathan's form and not use it to fix the giant underwater problem that was the Graveyard?

From the way it flowed, the wind current I was on went out to sea. I banked to the right and dropped out of it. A long arcing turn took me back towards the city. The Protectorate Headquarters was straight ahead, floating in the harbor. There was a faint soap bubble sheen around it where the forcefields were. I was flying against the wind now, and had to start using my wings rather than gliding.

My wings were weak and undeveloped. They burned with the effort of flying into the wind. It wasn't like flying using Simurgh's borrowed form. Her wings had come with strength, stamina, and the knowledge to use them. My new wings were something I'd created with my power. They needed to be developed like any other muscle, and I needed to be familiar with how they worked.

It would take some work to get them up to scratch, but at least no one would mistake me for Simurgh now. I'd changed their form completely. Her angelic wings were just too distinctive. The new ones were bat-like, almost dragonish. They were still white, but rather than Simurgh's alabaster, mine were like sun-bleached bone.

During my experiments, I'd eventually figured out that I could use my own shape as a template. In the same way I had "Leviathan" and "Simurgh" shapes, I also had a "Taylor" shape. I had total control over the shapes of any of my templates. I could mix and match them as I pleased, and combine them into new forms.

My wings were built using Simurgh's as a base, with a modified structure of my hands imposed over them. I'd reasoned that bat wings were basically specialized hands, so I'd worked with mine as the reference. Leviathan's leathery hide formed the skin on the wings; I wanted them to be durable. My skin formed the wing membranes. It was creepy, but it worked.

As I neared the PRT HQ, I circled around, well outside the forcefield range. There was a dock where visitors arrived that led to the front entrance. I stopped there, lowering myself to the ground with careful wing beats. Newly arrived visitors pointed up at me; some even pulled out cameras.

I let my wings retract, the flesh melding together until it sank back into my body. I'd had to cut slits in the back of another hoodie, but it hadn't felt right to show up in the costume they'd given me. I'd worn white today. It blended with the clouds and gave off a better impression than black. It had meant that I'd had to fall back on my hood/bandanna combo, though.

All the PRT officers in the area came running. Two began herding the visitors away, while the rest stood a cautious distance away from me. No one had drawn weapons yet, but the way they were looking at me was definitely hostile.

"Identify yourself!" One officer barked. The others were fanning out to circle me.

I held my hands up. "I'm Chimera. I have an appointment with Armsmaster. Here, let me just-" I very slowly, very non-threateningly, reached into my pocket and pulled out Armsmaster's business card.

The officer who'd spoken moved forward to take it. He stepped away from me, and then looked it over. The other officers kept watching me while he spoke into his radio. After a moment, he turned back to me and nodded.

"Miss, please come with me." That was a pretty neutral answer, but the other officers were walking back to their posts, so it seemed like I was okay. He led me into the building and we stopped at the front desk. I waited as he spoke to the attendant, who handed me a 'Guest' badge.

"Keep that on at all times." My escort said.

Now that I was up-close, I saw that his badge read 'Jackson.' He held out a hand toward the elevator, and we walked toward it. I noticed that despite him leading me, he always kept an eye on me and never showed me his back. Was he just paranoid, or were the PRT that worried about strange capes?

We rode in the same elevator I'd used with Armsmaster the night before. It took us up to one of the highest floors in a matter of moments. The doors opened onto a waiting room. It was well furnished, but it was definitely just a waiting room. Uncomfortable chairs, fake plant, glasstop table, etc.

"Armsmaster is in a meeting. You'll need to wait here. Please don't leave this room."

With that, he returned to the elevator and left. Geez. I wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but that guy made me look like a charmer. I hoped all the PRT officers weren't that bad. At least all the capes I'd met so far were nice.

I sat down on one of the chairs. There was a stack of magazines on the table. I pretended to leaf through one while I focused my power. Simurgh had saved me during my conversation with Armsmaster. I wanted my link to her active, just in case.

For all the progress I'd made with my other powers today, linking to the Endbringers was just as arduous as it was last night. My power gathered slowly, rising up within me. The magazine pages blurred as my eyes unfocused. Jackson hadn't said when Armsmaster would see me. I needed to get the signal sent out before then. It'd take a while for her to ping and respond, but as long as it was sent, I'd have a chance.

The tick-tock of the clock on the wall actually helped me focus. Most noise threw me off, but the monotonous rhythm of the clock was something I could drift into; something to force other distractions away. I risked a glance at it and saw that I'd been sitting for almost 15 minutes.

The magazine crumpled in my hand as I forced myself to focus. I wasn't going to mess it up now, not when I was so close. My well filled, drop by metaphorical drop… I was nearly there. Almost… just… about… there!

Without hesitation, I released the wave, willing it to focus on my skyborn sister. Behemoth and Leviathan would be useless in this situation. They knew tactics and strategy, but Simurgh just couldn't be beat with all her pre-, post-, and various other cognitions. If talking to the other two was like having a phone conversation, Simurgh was like having someone in the room with you.

I let out a deep breath and slumped back in my chair. For something that was basically sitting quietly and meditating, charging my power was pretty stressful. I'd gotten the wave out though. Now all I could do was wait and hope. If I was lucky, she'd respond before Armsmaster showed-

(sister)

(busy)

(detect)

What? It'd only been a minute; she couldn't have gotten the message already. How could- oh right. Precognition. She'd seen herself getting a message or something. I tried to send a response, but there was no connection. She'd spoken to me and then broken the link.

…did she say she was busy? How was she busy? She multi-tasked like a million things at once! I focused more on what she'd said, decoding the mix of thought and intention that we spoke in.

Ripples in water, a song like glass scraped across bells, strings drawn taut, humans screaming. A sense of deepest fulfillment.

(busy)

Oh. That kind of busy. I'd basically been bothering her at work. No wonder she hadn't wanted to talk. What else had she said though?

A tightrope walker, deer bolting before the hunter, a woman stepping out of the way of a speeding truck. Wariness.

(detect)

Did she mean that I was supposed to look for something? The wariness was the same feeling she'd sent when she guided me with Armsmaster. So she wanted me to be cautious, or maybe… she wanted me to look for threats? The images she'd sent were of evading dangerous circumstances. The way my mind had translated it was "detect" though. I should look out for dangerous situations so I could avoid them?

That didn't seem right. I still didn't understand what she wanted me to do. I'd have to ask her-

(sister)

Behemoth spoke to me. But I hadn't contacted him. Had I pinged two at once?

(redirect)

He was telling me that Simurgh had redirected my wave to him. That was nice of her. He wasn't who I'd hoped for, but it was still reassuring to be connected to one of them. While I had him…

<query>

I sent him the same message Simurgh had sent me. Maybe he'd know what it meant. He responded quickly.

Birds fleeing the volcano before it erupts, the jagged line of a seismic reading, Simurgh evading one of Scion's laser blasts. Awareness.

(sight)

That… that was still confusing. It helped though. Detection. Seeing. Evading danger. They wanted me to look out for dangerous situations to avoid them. But there was more to it than that. Something I was missing. I thought of the final segment of Behemoth's message.

I'd seen her. White wings over a snowy city. Scion, little more than a silhouette within a nimbus of power. He fired a laser as thick as a house and she dodged it- wait. She didn't even dodge it. She was out of the way before he fired.

What had else had Behemoth said? Birds fleeing the volcano before it erupted. Simurgh dodging before the beam was fired. She was telling me to use her precognition to look ahead and avoid danger!

I channeled her form, keeping it below the transformation threshold. I could feel feathers slithering under my skin, waiting to be wings. After a moment, my telekinesis kicked in too. But no precognition. How was I even supposed to- I groaned with frustration. This was hydrokinesis all over again!

Wait. I'd figured out hydrokinesis by just using it. So instead of trying to force precognition, I should just use it. I closed my eyes and began clearing my mind. I focused my intention, I was going to look forward and see what my meeting with Armsmaster would be like.

…I sat there, focusing as hard as I could for a few minutes before I gave it up. The beginnings of a headache needled the back of my eyes. So I didn't know how to use precognition. Were all my powers going to be this frustrating?

The door at the end of the room opened. Armsmaster entered.

"Chimera, the Director will see you now." He said.

Didn't see that coming.

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.7

Even though I'd met him before, seeing Armsmaster in a waiting room was almost surreal. Fake plant, ugly stock painting, man in power armor, watercooler. Actually, I take that back. It was surreal because it had just hit me that he was a member of the Protectorate. One of the big-name members. This was someone who had his own action figure. I'd had a conversation with the Armsmaster last night.

I leapt to my feet to shake his hand.

"H-hey." I said.

"It's good to see you again, Chimera. Please-" he gestured down the hall. We proceeded through a maze of identical looking hallways. Armsmaster was in the lead, and I trailed a few steps behind him. As I walked, I noticed there was a faint sort of… hum coming off of him. I hadn't heard it when I'd met him before.

"Do you hear that?" I asked. He turned to look at me.

"Do I hear what?"

"It's like you're humming. Kinda like how you can hear fluorescent lights buzzing."

He narrowed his eyes behind his visor. "Is this one of your powers?"

Was this one of Simurgh's abilities? I'd been trying for precog, not… whatever this was.

"I hadn't thought of that. I'm using a power I've never tried before. It was supposed to do something else. It's not really doing anything right now."

I focused on the humming. He was the only source of the noise that I could hear. Only, now that I focused on it, I didn't think I was hearing it. I stuck my fingers in my ears and the humming was still loud and clear.

"It's mental." I said.

"Possibly a Thinker ability then. It's just the humming?"

I nodded.

"We can test it after the meeting if you like. It won't interfere with meeting the Director, will it?"

"No."

He stopped at a door. It was indistinguishable from any door I'd seen so far.

"We're here."

Armsmaster directed me into a conference room. A long, polished table took up most of the space. The far wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, and I could see the Boardwalk in the distance. A woman stood looking out the windows, framed by the sky. As we entered, she turned.

She was dark-skinned, heavyset in a way that was passing into obese. Two things struck me about her. The first, was that she had presence. She was just standing there by the window, and I knew instantly that she was calling the shots in this room. It was the same force of personality that I associated with Alexandria or Simurgh. The second, was that she was humming like Armsmaster. The frequency was different though, less intense than his. It wasn't parahuman detection then. PRT officials were required to be baselines. What the hell was I picking up on?

She walked to one side of the table, and I went to the opposite. Armsmaster took up position behind her, standing against the wall.

"Chimera, this is Director Piggot. She's the head of this Protectorate Branch." Armsmaster said.

"Nice to meet you." I said. I returned her businesslike smile with one of my own. She couldn't see it, but it was the thought that counted.

"Chimera." She held out a hand, and I shook it. We both took our seats.

"Before we begin," Piggot said. "I understand that there was an accident this morning with one of our teleporters. How are you feeling?"

I blinked with surprise. "Oh- uh- I'm fine. I got checked out at the hospital downstairs and they said I was okay."

Piggot nodded. "Good. If you experience any adverse effects from the accident, please feel free to speak to our medical staff about it."

"Thank you. I'm okay at the moment, but I'll remember that."

"Very well." She set a manila folder on the table. "Now then, you were interested in joining the Wards."

"Yeah- er, yes ma'am." I stuttered. I was nervous already, and something about her reminded me of the principal at Winslow.

Piggot began explaining how the Wards worked, and the way things were set up to protect them. Some of it I liked the sound of- patrolling the city, working with the other Wards, fighting crime. Some of it I wasn't so hot on. She mentioned 'restrictions' a number of times. How were they supposed to fight crime if they kept restricting themselves?

She rifled through the folder and handed me a sheaf of papers. "The details are listed here. There's some paperwork in the back you'll need to complete."

I flipped to the paperwork, but she held up a hand to stop me. "As you are underage, your parent or legal guardian is required to sign this as well."

That gave me pause. If I wanted to join the Wards, I'd have to tell Dad. It made sense, being a Ward would be a lot easier if he was on board. I'd have to explain where I was going and where I was getting my money from, for one thing. Even if I'd intended to tell him at some point, I just hadn't thought it'd be so soon.

Maybe it was better this way. If they forced my hand, I wouldn't be able to procrastinate. He deserved to know. And he would find out when they transferred me to Arcadia- Arcadia. I'd almost forgotten.

"If I join the Wards, will I be transferred to Arcadia?" I asked.

Armsmaster leaned forward a little. "If you want. A number of the Wards have attended Arcadia, so it wouldn't be a big deal."

'Attended' as in the past-tense? Was he being deliberately vague so he wouldn't have to say that the current Wards went there? But he'd still said yes. I could escape Winslow.

Piggot and Armsmaster exchanged a glance as I sighed with relief.

"Okay. I'd want to do that." I said. "Should I call my Dad now?"

"Why don't you meet the Wards before you make any decisions?" Piggot said. "They're going to be your teammates after all."

XXX

I decided that made sense, and Armsmaster and I left the conference room to walk across the building. He turned to me as we walked.

"Did you figure out what that new power is doing?" He asked.

"Not yet. It activated for Piggot too. It wasn't as loud as it is with you though." I shrugged, "I thought it was supposed to be precognition, but I can never figure out any of my powers."

"Precognition!?" Armsmaster sounded shocked.

"Yeah. I was nervous and wanted to see how the meeting would go, so I tried to ping someone with precognition."

"You can just pick a power and search for it?" Armsmaster was getting more and more agitated. We had stopped walking and he was staring at me. The humming that came from him amped up a notch.

"N-no." I remembered what Simurgh had said last night. I shouldn't lie to him. "There's… I've got a few people who I can consistently ping. But even then, I get them mixed up a lot. I usually just end up with hydrokinesis or super strength."

He looked at me for a long moment, not speaking. Finally, he sighed and started walking.

"You are going for powers testing as soon as you join."

XXX

Armsmaster directed me into a room, but stayed outside, citing paperwork he had to do. "Just come out when you're done." He said. He looked very tired all of a sudden.

The room was large and circular, with the walls curving up to a domed ceiling. Computers and monitors lined the walls, and there was a circular table in the center. Dividers sectioned off parts of the room, and other doorways led away. Small touches made the room more personal; a picture frame here, posters on the dividers, a video game console hooked up to one of the monitors.

There were machine parts scattered all over the center table. Two boys were arguing heatedly while they searched through the piles of parts.

"It's not my fault that you can't keep track of your things!" snapped Kid Win.

"Yes it is!" Chariot yelled back. "You've got your junk everywhere! I can't find the transponder I need to fix my teleporter!" He wasn't wearing his armor. Instead, he'd just slapped on a domino mask over street clothes.

A third boy stood by, frowning as he watched the argument. I didn't recognize him. He had a metallic gray bodysuit on that reminded me of Gallant, but Gallant wore power armor. A younger girl was reading a magazine with her feet up on one of the computer consoles. Green dress, visor- that had to be Vista. I'd seen her picture before, but never put a name to the face. She was pointedly ignoring Kid Win and Chariot.

Even though I'd met two of the Wards last night, seeing them like this was intimidating. These were people I'd seen on the news. Honest to god superheroes. I hoped to be one of them, but at the moment, I was too embarrassed to speak.

Kid Win piled a stack of circuit boards onto a chair. "You're the one messing up my system-"

The boy in gray cleared his throat, looking at me. "We have a guest." They all looked at me as one.

Kid Win raised a hand. "Hey, Chimera, what's up?" Chariot stepped back, looking surprised to see me. He copied Kid Win's wave, but with less enthusiasm. As I looked at him, I noticed that he was humming as well. It was a lot louder than Armsmaster's; almost like someone talking in another room.

Gallant? stepped forward, about to speak, and was instantly cut off by a green blur. Vista appeared in front of me out of nowhere. I didn't squeak with surprise. Definitely.

"Chimera? Nice to meet you. I'm Vista." She said, offering me a hand. We shook hands with an unusual amount of intensity, and she made way for the third boy.

"Gallant." He said, his handshake firm and businesslike.

"I wondered." I said. "Don't you usually wear armor?"

He looked down at his bodysuit. "Oh, that's only when I'm on patrol. There's no reason for me to wear it around the base."

Kid Win snorted. "Yeah, but don't let Armsmaster hear that."

We all laughed. I had a good idea of what they were getting at. Armsmaster seemed like a "no-downtime" kind of guy.

"Anyway," Vista said, smiling innocently. "Chimera, how was it that you met Kid and Aegis? Something about an exploding teleporter?"

Chariot slammed one of his tools onto the table. "That's not how it happened." He said. "I still don't know what the problem was, and I can't find the parts I need because of someone."

Kid Win grimaced. "Don't blame me because-"

"So, Chimera, you were thinking of joining the Wards!" Gallant said loudly, speaking over Kid Win.

"Y-yeah." I said. I was starting to feel bad for Chariot. He'd gotten a lot of heat for something that I was pretty sure was my fault. "But that teleporter- that was just an accident. Could have happened to anyone."

Chariot smiled at me. I turned to Vista and continued. "I met Kid Win and Aegis after I called in a bust and they showed up. They invited me to come back here and get the tour."

"That's her way of saying that she scared the hell out of us and we didn't know how to react." Kid Win said, grinning.

"It wasn't that bad." I protested.

"You looked like you stepped out of a horror movie." Kid said. "Didn't she, Aegis?" They were looking over my shoulder. I turned and saw Aegis standing in the doorway.

"I've seen worse." Aegis said. He walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Chimera meant well."

I wasn't sure if that was better or worse than what Kid Win had said. The other Wards greeted Aegis. He sat down heavily in a chair.

"How was your patrol?" Vista asked.

I could hear Aegis' sigh even through his faceless mask. "Shadow Stalker was being difficult."

"Oh." Vista said. Gallant chuckled quietly. That gave me pause. Was Shadow Stalker enough of a problem that Vista would instantly know what Aegis was talking about? I wanted to ask, but it felt like dirty laundry; something that wasn't my business. I took a seat next to Kid Win at the table so I didn't just keep standing there awkwardly.

"Where's she at now?" Kid asked. He'd returned to messing with the machines scattered across the tabletop.

"She got angry and stormed off."

"What was it this time?" Vista said dryly. Aegis shrugged.

"Probably the usual. I can never tell with her." He turned to me. "Shadow Stalker is a probationary Ward. She's-"

"A bitch." Chariot muttered.

"Opinionated." Aegis continued. "She used to be a vigilante, and she takes a very strong stance against criminals. Maybe you'll get along with her better than we do."

"That thing with the ABB last night is right up her alley." Kid Win said. "She'd love to go nuts on a gang like that."

This news was making me uneasy. Would they really keep someone that violent around? What did 'probationary' even mean for a Ward?

"Don't worry about it." Gallant said from across the table. "You probably won't have to work with her much. She patrols alone most of the time."

"She can't really be that bad, can-"

The emergency alarms cut off the rest of my words. Everyone looked up, frozen with shock. A voice came over the intercom. "Attention, this is Armsmaster. We have a confirmed Endbringer sighting. The Simurgh has touched down in Canberra, Australia. Report to the briefing room immediately."

Oh, so that's where she went.

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.8

The Wards jumped into action as soon as the broadcast ended. Kid Win and Chariot ran through two of the side doors to get their gear. Aegis signaled Vista and Gallant.

"We'll go on ahead. They'll need time to get ready, and we can fill them in when they catch up." He paused, looking at me. "Chimera, you should probably come too."

"Are you sure? I'm not a Ward yet."

"No, I'm not sure, but it won't hurt for you to come." Aegis still sounded tired, but he was putting on a brave face. Was he really going to run off to fight an Endbringer when he was exhausted?

He led the remaining Wards and me out of the room and down a series of hallways. No one talked as we followed him. The Wards were probably frightened, but I wasn't sure how to feel. I had nothing to fear from Simurgh. There was a part of me that knew how fucked up that was.

We followed Aegis to the elevator and he hit the button for the briefing room. It was only after the elevator whirred into motion that Vista spoke.

"Have any of you ever been to an Endbringer fight?" she said quietly.

Gallant shook his head, but Aegis nodded.

"I fought Simurgh when she attacked Washington last year. It was…" He trailed off, looking into space for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was far off, like he was still remembering.

"You don't understand what an Endbringer is like until you've been up against one. It's not like fighting another cape. Other capes make sense. They're people just like you. Endbringers are- they're not like that. It's like there's nothing to them but killing. And Simurgh's the worst. She could just kill everyone with her song, but she doesn't. She makes a game of it."

The rest of the elevator ride was filled with an uncomfortable silence. We rode alone with our thoughts. I was feeling alienated again. It was a common feeling for me; the hallmark of my days at Winslow. I'd only felt it rarely since I got my powers, but this time they were the cause of it.

This was the first Endbringer attack since I triggered, and it was just now hitting home that my friends were genocidal monsters. I'd known that from Day 1, but something about hearing Aegis- hearing the hate and disgust for Simurgh in his voice, made it real for me.

I knew for certain now that there was a disconnect in my thoughts. When it came to them, it was like- not that they could do no wrong, but that I understood it. When Simurgh had told me earlier that she was about to attack, it had made all the sense in the world. When I thought about Leviathan sinking Kyushu, or Behemoth decimating Moscow, it felt right. What was happening to me?

The elevator dinged as it came to a stop on the 34th floor. I didn't notice that the Wards had disembarked until Gallant nudged me. The other Wards were still walking; they hadn't noticed that we'd stopped.

"Hey, are you alright?" He said. "Your feelings are all over the place."

"…what?" I said slowly. He leaned in, speaking to me quietly.

"It'll be okay. I know it's a lot for your first day, but it'll be okay."

I stared at him for a moment before I remembered that he was an empath. He could see right away that something was bothering me. What was I supposed to say? 'My powers are making me insane, thanks for letting me on the team.' No. This wasn't something I could tell anyone.

I shook my head. Gallant gave me a small smile. "Alright. Just let me know if you want to talk about it." The other Wards were entering a door just down the hall, and we rushed to catch up with them.

The briefing room was narrow, made crowded by all the people in it. A conference table ran the length of the room, facing a wall full of monitors. Piggot sat the head of the table with Armsmaster at her shoulder. Most of the other chairs were occupied by Protectorate capes or PRT officers who I assumed were baselines.

I recognized most of the capes from the news or the PHO Wiki. At Piggot's right hand was Miss Militia, and Assault and Battery sat next to her. Across from them were Dauntless, Velocity, and a young man in a gladiator style costume whose name I couldn't remember. Triumphant? Trumpet? Something to do with sound, I thought.

Aegis stood against the back wall, leaving the chairs for senior members, and we gathered around him. As we settled in, Clockblocker entered the room. He glanced around, looking for a seat before Vista waved at him.

"Thanks Vista." He murmured, joining us on the wall.

A few more PRT officers filed in, followed by Kid Win and Chariot. Both were out of breath, but were fully geared up for battle. Kid looked at the crowded room, and then dropped a lot of his weaponry outside the door. When they found their places with the other Wards, Armsmaster dimmed the lights.

"Approximately two hours ago, Simurgh descended on Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Her attack was preceded by the total failure of all electrical systems in Canberra."

"Total failure?" Kid Win said incredulously. "How did she do that?"

"Total as in all of it." Armsmaster said. "No cars, no cell towers, nothing. The citizens were reduced to fleeing on foot. It's likely that she used some form of Tinker tech to create this blackout."

The monitors flashed on, displaying a long distance shot of Simurgh. She was barely visible, illuminated only by the moonlight above a completely dark city. The picture was grainy, but I couldn't ignore the way my heart leapt when I saw her. It was one thing to talk to her, but seeing her in action was- I stamped down on that train of thought. She was killing people, and I was fangirling over her. My self-disgust burned like acid.

"Short-range reconnaissance drones failed to return. It appears that anything electrical that comes within range of the blackout effect fails."

The long-shot of Simurgh was replaced with aerial views of Canberra, and more shots of her from different angles. A red arrow appeared, pointing to a dark shape in one of the Simurgh pictures.

"We suspect that the source of the blackout is that object. The current primary objective is to destroy it. As long as the blackout remains, we are unable to deploy rescue efforts, or establish communications." Armsmaster frowned. He almost sounded angry. "Tinker tech also fails within the blackout range."

Kid Win cursed under his breath.

"Because of the blackout, we only became aware of the attack when an observation satellite passed overhead. Local teams are on the scene, but an organized counterattack has not yet occurred. There's no conventional way to get to Canberra in time, so we're going to be teleported there. Once teleported in, we will rendezvous with the other capes on the scene and coordinate our attack."

"Because of the blackout, I will remain on standby outside of the blackout zone. Miss Militia will be in charge. In the event an organized attack fails to form, or there are no other parahuman groups to work with, you will take your team and attempt to carry out the primary objective. Miss Militia-" Armsmaster looked to her, waiting.

She stood and began pointing around the table. "Assault, Battery, Triumph, with me. Dauntless, until we know if the blackout affects your gear, stay out of the area. You're with Armsmaster."

"Wards- Kid Win and Chariot with Armsmaster. Vista, Gallant, and Velocity will handle search and rescue. Aegis and Clockblocker will come with me."

Vista was standing next to me. She whispered something that I didn't catch when her name was called. Her hands were balled up in her dress. I put a hand on her shoulder. The gesture felt hollow. What right did I have to comfort her?

"Thanks." She said softly. But she didn't stop staring at Miss Militia, and she didn't let go of her dress.

"Ma'am, what about Chimera?" Aegis said. A sinking sensation spread through my belly. What? Hadn't I been included with the others?

Miss Militia paused, looking at me over her flag bandanna. She turned to Armsmaster, speaking to him too quietly to hear. After a moment she nodded and walked over to me.

"Chimera, I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay behind." She said.

"But I can fight!" I protested.

"Armsmaster told me that you can't teleport."

"But-"

"That you are unable to teleport." She interjected. "I understand that you want to help, but if you can't teleport, you aren't going to make it in time."

I sagged against the wall. I couldn't even do this. Some hero I was.

Miss Militia folded her arms. "It's your second day as a cape. You aren't ready for this. No one's ready for their first Endbringer, and I'm not letting you go out and get killed on your second day."

"I could-" I began weakly.

"Go home, Chimera. Trust me on this." She said. I was about to say something more, but she scowled at me. She kept scowling until I nodded.

Miss Militia went back to talk to Armsmaster, and I headed for the door on legs like lead.

"Chimera!" Kid Win called. I kept going.

I left the room full of capes behind. What was I supposed to do against Simurgh anyway? Or any of the Endbringers for that matter. I'd just assumed I'd fight them because that's what heroes did. I still wanted to be a hero, but now that I thought about it, I knew I couldn't fight them. It was unthinkable. It would be like hitting Dad.

That was… that was a pretty fucked up train of thought. A trio of walking-genocides was on the same level to me as Dad. My powers had done some disturbing things to my mind. That was becoming abundantly clear.

Still ruminating, I hit the button for the elevator. I felt two-faced, like I was a traitor for having my connection with the Endbringers. How could I be friends with the Wards when they might die against one of the Endbringers? Was there any satisfactory answer to that question?

The elevator hummed to a stop. I moved forward as the polished steel doors slid open, and then jumped back as I saw someone inside. A girl in a black cloak, wearing an armored bodysuit stormed out of the elevator. She headed down the hall toward the briefing room, and then stopped.

"Hey you."

I froze halfway into the elevator. Was that Shadow Stalker?

"Are you a new Ward or something?" She had her fingers hooked into her belt, watching me. I stepped back and let the elevator close.

"I was, uh- I was about to sign up when the alarms went off."

Having her stare at me like that was making me nervous. Hadn't the other Wards said she was some kind of violent vigilante? She was humming too. Louder than anyone else I'd heard so far. It was almost a dull roar. Like ocean waves in the distance, or a crowd all talking at once.

Shadow Stalker walked toward me. "Take my advice. Don't get roped into this fucking circus."

She was giving me advice. Huh.

"Is it that bad?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're pretty new right?"

I hadn't expected anything like this. Her tone wasn't friendly, and I couldn't read her face because of her mask, but she was giving me advice.

"I triggered a couple months ago, but I only went out as a cape last night."

"Just stay solo." She said. "Being a new cape is scary as shit, but the Wards don't get a fucking thing done. The Protectorate too. They're weak. All of them."

"You used to be a vigilante, didn't you?"

Shadow Stalker slouched angrily. "Yeah. They forced me in because they didn't like how I operated. Don't fall for it. All they'll do is tie your hands."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to say to her. The other Wards seemed like more credible sources than she was. But it'd be lying to say I wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop. For the PRT to be this friendly and accommodating was off-putting.

Shadow Stalker glanced at her watch. "Crap. I have to go." She held out a hand. "Shadow Stalker."

"Chimera." My bare hand met her gloved one. "Thanks for the advice."

"Chimera? No shit. You wrecked that warehouse full of ABB last night, didn't you?"

I blushed behind my mask. "Did everyone hear about that?"

She chuckled darkly. "Now I'm disappointed I told you not to join. I could use a teammate who doesn't fuck around. Those ABB assholes didn't know what hit them."

With that, she nodded to me and hurried toward the briefing room, leaving me even more confused than before. Knowing that I'd impressed Shadow Stalker didn't really make me feel better. And why did she seem so familiar? I didn't know anyone like her.

I snorted. I didn't know anyone. Probably just saw her on tv or something. I took the elevator down to the lobby, still thinking about my talk with Shadow Stalker. Why was she humming like that? What made her louder than Chariot or Armsmaster? Piggot had had it too, so it couldn't be power detection. It was supposed to be precognition, but it wasn't. What was a lesser form of precog? Super déjà vu?

The elevator came to a stop, the doors sliding open to reveal the tiled expanse of the lobby. The PRT officers at the desk nodded to me as I left. It seemed like days since I'd come in to interview for the Wards. The doors to the Protectorate HQ shut behind me, leaving me alone on the front walk. The sun was past its zenith, but the day was still hot and bright.

Was everything really this normal outside? Shouldn't there be more… commotion with Simurgh attacking? It seemed like something that was big enough that people should stand up and take notice, but no, it was the same old Brockton Bay. I knew non-capes didn't pay much attention to Endbringers unless it directly involved them, but really?

I let my wings grow, unfurling through the holes in my hoodie. The few late afternoon tourists pointed as I changed. My wings arched around me, becoming more complex by the second. Their growth finished only as I spread them to their full span, unfolding each new length of flesh and bone into more wings. The membranes glowed red as the sun caught the blood running through them. I held them wide for just a moment, glorying in the sight. And then, with a single wing beat I shot into the sky, leaving only dust devils in my wake.

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.9

I made it home a few minutes before Dad. He pulled into the driveway just as I got my improvised costume off. It was then that I remembered that I'd supposedly stayed home sick. He couldn't know that I'd been up or about, let alone all the crazy shit I'd done today.

I stuffed my costume into the back of my closet and looked around my room for any more evidence of today. Costume- check. Backpack- I kicked it under the bed. Feathers- Feathers. The Simurgh feathers I'd scattered around last night were still there, and I could hear Dad's key in the lock.

Panicking, I drew on my copied powers and pulled all the feathers to me with telekinesis. Now I had a huge bundle of crystalline feathers. Wonderful. How did I usually get rid of these? Could I just absorb them like I did my wings?

I bustled into the bathroom with them and cranked on the shower for the noise. Okay. Absorption. Nothing gross about assimilating monster flesh into my body. Nothing at all.

With the same act of will I used to untransform, I pressed the feathers to my skin. There was an instant where I felt the edges pressing against my skin, but then my skin gave. The feathers melted slowly into my arm.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. It was quick and painless. It was weird as hell, but that was par the course by now. By the time Dad knocked on the door, I'd finished with the bundle.

"Taylor? How are you feeling?" He called.

"I was just about to take a shower. I'm feeling better now."

"Okay. I'll have dinner ready when you get out." I listened at the door as he walked away. Having him home reminded me of something else. If I was going to join the Wards, I needed to tell him that I was a cape. That was going to be… I wasn't sure how to feel about. Glad that I could finally tell him something? Excited that I had to lie to him a little less?

Urgh.

I rushed through my shower. I was tempted to use Leviathan and see what I could do with the water, but I wanted to get it over and talk to Dad. I dried off, glanced in the mirror, and then headed for the-

Gray lips curving in a smile, wings spread wide, fruit blooming on the vine. Excitement.

(joy)

I froze. But I wasn't- the new connections formed instantly. All four of us together. Their feelings poured through our connections, overwhelming me with their intensity. What in the world? Wasn't Simurgh right in the middle of attacking Canberra?

<query>

The replies came like bolts of lightning.

A shadow- no, a silhouette- A man in green? Three arrows converging on a point. Metal being forged. A sense of duty.

#purpose#

The man in green again. Broken swords. The tide sweeping away sand castles. The feeling of satisfaction.

~fulfillment~

I still didn't understand. Behemoth was talking about reasons to exist. Leviathan spoke of completion. It didn't explain what they were so excited about. Who was the man in green I kept seeing? I knew him from somewhere.

I sent more forcefully.

<query>

Simurgh replied, her happiness bleeding through her message.

(watch)

Pressure rose up behind my eyes. I blinked, trying to clear away the feeling, and when I opened my eyes, the world had changed.

I/She looked out over a city in darkness. My/Her wings encircled us, twitching to adjust our flight as we soared high above the city. Enemies gathered in the streets, little more than shapes in the moonlight.

They were more through my/her eyes. Not just people, but lines of sensation and memory stretching forward and back. They were composite. With the merest of glances, she/I could read them. They were predictable. I/She- We formed models and plans when we looked at them. The complexity of her thoughts was light years beyond my own- far above even the pale imitation I got from copying her form. And yet I understood.

Action and reaction. Impetus and impairment. We reached out with hands that spanned the world, and where we touched, we changed. Telekinesis in name only. Something vastly more. We relayed communication with our siblings, no longer as necessary. We had Littlest Sister now. She changed us. In the same way that he changed us, she did the same.

Her touch was contamination. She sullied our purity- the singular focus by which we operated. Our bond corrupted us. We stained her with our forms, and she shattered us, gave us new eyes. Let us speak in new ways. Gave us the ability to know ourselves.


We understood now, with the awareness that she gave. Knew him for the instigator that he was. That we were chained by his weakness. All this we knew as we saw him. There was no one else.

He stood among the other shapes in the street, the glow that suffused his cape illuminating those around him. And then there was our joy at his arrival. Our siblings rejoiced as we shared the news. To face him was our purpose. A false purpose- but a purpose nonetheless. We hated him and loved him, as we were bound to. Validation. Fulfillment. Loathing. All new flaws that Littlest Sister gave us.

We are tainted, and it is-

(<wonderful>)

With a thought, we destroyed the device. Nothing more than an imitation, plucked from the mind of a Tinker. Its purpose was complete. We set the stage with it, and he came. At once, the cities lights sprang back into life, the hum of a million engines mixing with our song. Once it was merely a distraction, a misdirection, but now it is a demonstration. We must share our feelings with the world. They are too much to hold in. Too new, too frightening.

The humans renewed their attack, rising up and painting the sky with their powers. They were reinforced by machines now, ships and Tinkers formerly held in reserve. Even when he spearheaded the attacks, it was meaningless. They were all simply more levers for us to exert change on.

We understood their movements, all foreseen, all accounted for. We knew all the steps to our little dance. Understood it for the farce it was, though even he didn't know. We cared not. The infection that ran through our thoughts made it worth it, bringing new excitement to what was formerly an act without meaning.

And as they struck at us, we danced.

(<laughter>)



We came back to ourself slowly, still laughing under our breath. We- I shook my head. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, reorienting myself. Tangled, damp ringlets of black hair. Gray eyes- I shook my head again. Brown eyes. I braced myself against the sink, anchoring myself with the feeling of the cold porcelain.

I was in my bathroom. Not Canberra. I was Littlest Sister Taylor. Not her. Definitely not we. A pulse of feeling down our bond reminded me what I'd been doing. I was still connected with them. The other two were rapt, exhilarating in Simurgh's joy.

A giggle escaped me. I was still heady from our shared euphoria. She wasn't just happy; she was experiencing true happiness for the first time. The feeling was completely alien to her, and almost as strange to me.

I sent to her-

<congratulations>

Trying to package all the wonder and pride I had at her change was difficult, but our bond made communicating it easier than it would have been with speech. I sent an identical message to the others. They deserved all the feelings they could get. I'd suspected that they'd changed, but to know it- to feel it was something else. I was happy for them.

They pulsed back-

#greater#

~hate~

I agreed entirely. They were definitely better this way. And whoever that man in green was, I hoped Sister got a hold of him. But… who was he, and why did he matter to them so much? Doubt cut little gouges in my joy. Who could have inspired them to feel such rage? What had Simurgh said about him? Something about him being their purpose?

There was more to it, but I couldn't recall it clearly. Simurgh's thoughts were just too much; even remembering them was like staring into the sun. She'd definitely said something about the man in green, and… me? Something about instigation- or was it infection?

"Taylor, dinner's ready!" Dad called from across the house.

My reverie broke apart instantly. I'd forgotten all about Dad after my union with Simurgh. I finished up in the bathroom quickly. As I dressed, more of Simurgh's feelings bled through the bond at me. Behemoth and Leviathan's emotions were there too, but they were lesser.

It felt… nice being connected to them this way. Better than nice, really. It was like we were connected in a more meaningful sense. Four parts forming a whole; a perfect joining. I hadn't been this in tune with them since they first contacted me. All it was was thought and feeling, and I still felt greater- like I was part of something more. As though there was a we instead of just an I.

But, as I tried to use my shirt as pants for the third time, I knew that the bond was also a little distracting. Considering that it was basically a four-way, four-dimensional conversation, it wasn't a surprise. I needed to let go before Dad noticed something.

With a deep sigh, I began closing my links to the others.

<regret>

They replied similarly. I could sense two of them turning their attention to the third. Lucky bastards, getting to always be linked with each other. I usually had to make do with their forms. Wait. Their forms. I'd been linked with Behemoth for a large part of the day and I hadn't copied him at all.

Even though the connection was frayed to a thread, I held onto the link. And with a thought, I absorbed Behemoth's shape into my well of power. It fixed itself within me with a certain firmness; a warm reassurance that I was safe. I blinked at that. I hadn't realized that Behemoth was so… protective. He was turning out to be a real older brother-type.

It was the first time a form had brought a feeling with it. And as I stood contemplating it, the three forms shifted inside me. They seemed to… settle? It felt like they were more me and less them now; a part of my power rather than something borrowed. Why had that happened? Was it because I'd never held three forms before? Or was it because I had all three of them?

Sister sent to me in the last instant before I closed our link entirely.

A vision.

An old memory.

My mother teaching me to ride a bike. Little Me wobbles precariously for a moment before she picks up speed. Mom stands with her hands on her hips, watching me go.

"Alright Taylor, come back." She grins in a way I'd forgotten; a way that makes my heart ache to remember. "It's time to take the training wheels off."

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

1.10

I sat across from Dad at the kitchen table. We were having spaghetti. It was Dad's typical standby meal. Something quick, cheap, and easy that he couldn't burn. There was a reason that I usually cooked. He'd done a good job with it tonight, but I wasn't hungry. I'd mostly shifted the food around my plate so far.

I took a deep breath, holding onto the good feelings that lingered from my link to the other three. They might have helped me do this, but I knew it was something I needed to do on my own.

"Dad. I- uh, I have something I have to tell you."

He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth, set it down, and then looked straight at me. His expression was suddenly grave.

"What is it Taylor?"

Another deep breath. I could tell him something innocuous and just blow it all off. He didn't have to know. No. That was bullshit and I knew it. He did have to know. He deserved to know.

"I have superpowers." The words come too easily. It shouldn't be so easy to say such momentous things. And as I said them, a tension I hadn't noticed began easing out of me.

Dad stared at me. "You… what?"

I held up a hand and drew on Simurgh's form. White crystal feathers bloomed from my fingertips, their edges glinting in the kitchen light. Dad jerked back and stood up, his face ashen. I pulled her form away immediately.

"Taylor." He whispered. "Was… was this what you were hiding all this time?"

"Yes…" I hesitated. I had to put it all out there or it'd never be right. "No. There was other stuff."

Dad sat back down slowly. Only when he was settled did he speak again. "At school."

I nodded. "At school. The girls were-" I swallowed. "Two years, Dad. It was for the last two years." The room seemed blurrier all of a sudden.

"And it wasn't just that- it was Emma, and she- she hates me and we were friends and-" I swallowed again. Why was this harder to say than admitting that I had superpowers? "No one cared, Dad. When they put me in the- in there, no one cared."

Dad got up again. There was a terrible expression on his face. Worse than all the anger I'd ever seen there. Sadness. The same awful, ugly grief that he'd worn when Mom died. He walked around the table to me.

"Dad, I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Taylor, get up." He said. I stood with legs like rubber. He was upset at all the lies I'd told him. At what a shitty daughter I'd been, and now he'd-

He hugged me, his arms so tight around me that I could barely breathe. I froze, my arms at my sides.

"Don't ever apologize for what those girls did to you." He growled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to bother you, and there was nothing you could do." I said.

"I could have figured out something." He sounded exasperated and upset at the same time. "Taylor, I'm your father, I will always be there for you."

"But-" I began.

"But nothing. If anything like this ever happens again, you tell me. Promise me that, Taylor."

"It's still happening." I said. "I can't go back there anymore. I just- I can't."

He hugged me so tight I thought I was going to break. "You should have told me. Even if you think it's going to upset me, tell me from now on."

"I know things are bad at work, and you're really stressed-"

He cut me off again. "Taylor. Tell me anyway. You'll feel better."

Slowly, I lifted my arms and returned the hug.

"I love you Taylor."

I might have started crying at that point.



When I woke up the next morning, it took me a moment to figure out why I felt so good. I dressed in street clothes and headed downstairs. Dad was sitting at the table with his coffee and the morning paper.

"All ready?" He asked. I nodded.

"Okay. Taylor… you're sure you really want this?"

I found my tongue. "Yeah. It's the only way I can get out of Winslow that we can afford."

He sighed heavily. "I don't know how to feel about you going out and fighting supervillains. You can't get a desk job, can you? Do superheroes have those?"

I decided then and there that I was never going to tell him where the Wards had gone yesterday.

"Don't worry. My powers will protect me, and the Wards all seem like good people." The jury was still out on Shadow Stalker. "From what the Director told me, the Wards aren't supposed to get into a lot of action anyway."

He gave me a flat stare. "In this city?"

I should have known he'd see through that. I was so far from the truth that it was almost an outright lie. Normal Wards might work that way, but Brockton Bay Wards were out on the streets every day.

"There's nothing that can happen to me out there that's worse than what those girls did."

I said. I regretted it instantly when Dad flinched. "Sorry. Dad- look, I'll be okay. The Wards are all really tough, and they work with the adult Protectorate members all the time."

Dad looked troubled. "If you're sure this is what you want, I don't think I could stop you anyway. You're just like your mother that way." He flicked the ends of my hair. "Your hair is almost as long as hers now."

I blinked at that and examined myself. My hair hung down in front to the middle of my chest. When had it gotten that long? I could have sworn it wasn't that long when I put it up yesterday.

"I like it long, but this is a little bit too much." I said. "I think I'll cut it back later."

We finished breakfast in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.



It felt weird getting to the PRT HQ in a car, but I needed Dad with me. We parked down the block so we didn't have to pay for a garage and then walked the rest of the way. Taking the ferry out into the bay was worth the walk though. Dad and I stood at the railing and looked out over the water. It was warm for February, and the weather was still sunny. The sunlight playing across the ocean made for some of the most beautiful sights of the bay I'd ever seen.

Dad looked up at the modified oilrig that housed the Protectorate and shook his head. "My daughter, working up there. I'd never even imagined."

"I was up there yesterday. It's really high-tech inside." Technically, I'd been there twice, but my visit to the PRT hospital was another one of the things I wasn't going to tell him. Getting hospitalized on my first day was not a good way to make an impression on Dad.

My list of "Things I won't Tell Dad" was becoming disturbingly long already, and it'd only been about two hours. The Endbringers were at the top of the list. They were going to be my secret from everyone. There was just no way for me to swing something like that without getting a kill-order.



I introduced myself at the front desk with the same visitor's badge I'd used yesterday.

"Chimera, nice to see you again." The guard directed us to the elevator. "They're a little busy right now. Go up to the 28th floor, room 42b."

When the chromed doors shut behind us, Dad turned to me.

"Chimera? So… what are your powers anyway, Taylor?"

I blushed at having Dad find out my cape name. It felt like I was a little girl playing dress up when he said it like that. I decided to tell him the same almost-lie I'd told Armsmaster.

"I copy other capes' powers, up to three at a time."

Dad stared. "I'm not really familiar with superpowers, but that sounds like an incredible ability Taylor."

I shrugged. "I get a watered down version. Like a knock-off of the original."

I was about to draw on Leviathan and show him my scales, when something occurred to me. I kept telling people that I could copy other capes' powers. So far I'd only mimicked the Endbringers. What if I could copy other capes? I'd never tried it, but just thinking about it sounded right.

I checked my well of power; I'd try pinging a parahuman later when I had time to- my well was full. My well was full. I was at a full charge without even doing anything. Without thinking, I fired off a ping. My well didn't decrease even a little. I was at a full, permanent charge. If I was shocked at this new change, I was even more surprised when the ping returned almost instantly.

With it came a new form. I felt the new shape in my mind. It felt… intuitive, like it would make me smarter in some way. Was that a Thinker ability? Who had I copied? What was more, I still had all three of the Endbringer forms in my well. It felt like they were in a different section than this new shape. They felt almost… fixed; permanent in a way that the new form wasn't.

I pulled the new template up, drawing on its form like I would with my siblings. My body shifted, growing taller, broader. Dad cried out in alarm as I changed. The change only took a moment, leaving me standing awkwardly in my now too-small clothes.

I examined myself in the polished elevator doors. I was a man, white, probably… late 20s/early 30s if I had to guess. I had tight cropped brown hair and… I stroked the thin line running along my jawline. I recognized that beard.

I'd just copied Armsmaster. Not only could I copy capes, I'd copied Armsmaster.

Holy. Shit.

"Dad." I said. Hearing myself speak with an adult man's voice was downright surreal. "I forgot to tell you, but there're rules to being a superhero. One of them is that you don't mess with peoples' secret identities. So you can't- don't tell anyone that you know what Armsmaster looks like."

Dad stared wordlessly, open-mouthed. I shifted back into my normal body.

"Dad!"

He didn't stop staring at me. "Jesus Christ, Taylor. Seeing that for real was…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's just a lot to take in… my daughter's a cape." He sounded like he still couldn't believe it.

The elevator slid to a halt and the doors opened. I thought I recognized the hallway from before, so I led the way. We got lost a few times in the nigh identical halls, but we eventually made our way to the meeting room.

Dad caught my shoulder before I opened the door.

"Taylor, no matter what happens after this point, remember that I'll always love you." He pulled me into a hug. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad." I said. My face was muffled by his chest, so I didn't think he'd heard me.

"Now," Dad let go of me. "Let's get in there and make them regret the day they ever asked a Hebert to be a superhero."

 

[Ziel]

Chimera

Interlude: Sitri


Sitri decided that she disliked airports. It was her first time flying, and she was already regretting the experience. Miami International Airport was too big, too crowded, too noisy. Too many people for her to just make everyone shut up, and the high ceilings of the terminal just reflected the noise back at her. And the crowds were a nightmare. Unless she literally held Gremory's hand, she was sure to lose her in the press of bodies. There had been a few close calls already. It made Sitri want to put her head between her knees until Daddy came back.

Why couldn't it be like before, when they'd take long roadtrips with him? Just her, Gremory and Daddy, bouncing along in his beat up old van. Sometimes Belith would come, but not often. And that was good, because Belith was Gremory's mom, not hers.

Daddy had gone off to buy tickets, and she was stuck with Gremory in one of the endless rows of plastic chairs. She had the strap of their bags wrapped around her ankle. Just in case. It was up to her to watch them. Gremory was too busy staring out the window, looking north.

"Grem-" What was the fake name Daddy had used? "Remi, are you okay?" She called.

Gremory turned slowly, unwilling to look away from the window. The older girl had the dazed look she always wore when she used her power.

"What was that, Sitri?"

Sitri sighed and got up. She went to Gremory and pulled her back to the chairs.

"It's Siri when we're in public. Are you okay? You were really out of it."

Gremory put a hand to her forehead, unconsciously straightening a crown that wasn't there. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just feeling the target."

"Isn't the target like a thousand miles away?"

"Nine-hundred-twenty-three. The strongest signals are, at least. There're a couple that are closer, in uh- Boston, but they're not important enough."

"Close enough." Sitri shrugged. "Ooh, there's Daddy!" She jumped up, grabbing the bags. She almost handed one to her sister, and then thought better of it. Gremory was too zoned out. She'd lose it as soon as she started watching the target again.

Daddy wove through the crowd easily, sliding through gaps with graceful, sweeping movements. Seeing him in a golf shirt and khaki shorts were strange. Like he was an imposter. He'd explained why, and she could see that he was right- he looked like every other tourist in the crowd. It still felt weird though.

They met him by a row of pay phones. He bent down so they were face to face; his lanky limbs always reminded her of a stork. "How are my girls doin?" He said.

Sitri smiled at him, and he returned the smile. She could see the faint outlines of his tattoos through the makeup she'd helped him put on.

"Good, Daddy." She said.

"…good." Gremory said. She was staring into space again.

"That's what I like to hear." Daddy said. With a flourish, he pulled out a handful of tickets. "Siri, I need you to be my ticket girl. In fact, I think I'm going to let you be the leader today."

She gaped at him. Her. The leader. Was she dreaming?

"W-what do I have to do?" She said.

He handed her the tickets. She tucked them into a pocket immediately.

"You're going to go first, and hand the tickets to the people at the checkpoints. I've got to talk to Eli- -er. Uncle Eli about our plans, because he's coming with the rest of the group. So while I'm getting that straightened out, I want you to use your power and get us through security without any fuss at all."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Can you do that for me, Siri?"

"Hell yeah!" She shouted, her excitement getting the best of her.

Daddy snorted with laughter. "Good girl."

She was ready to march into action, but she hesitated. "What about Remi?"

He stopped, looking at his eldest daughter. "She can… Why don't you take her with you? She can hold your hand, and you'll probably get closer to the target, so that'll make her happy."

Sitri drooped on the inside, her enthusiasm deflating. Of course that's how it would be. Daddy always made her watch Gremory. He never wanted her around when he did business. She mustered the last of her excitement and saluted Daddy.

"Aye aye, Boss."

He smiled again; this time it was the smile he used when he worked. The one that didn't need fang tattoos to be menacing.

"Lead the way."

She took Gremory's hand and headed off through the terminal. Gremory kept lagging behind, but Sitri tugged her along without stopping. Daddy trailed a short ways behind them, and as they walked, a large man joined Daddy. When Sitri saw him, she waved. Eligos nodded and continued talking to Daddy.

When they came to the first checkpoint, one with a metal detector, she went over to the guard manning the station. He looked bored and tired. It was a good combination for her power. She triggered it, letting the gentle wave of her aura flow outward. To her eyes, a faint haze filled the air around her, and she willed it toward the guard. As soon as it touched him, the man's eyes went unfocused, his mouth slack. She smiled cutely, her lips moving with the ease of long practice.

"'Scuse me mister. Could you let me, her, my Daddy, and his friend through? We've got a special pass that lets us get through without a scan." She handed the man their tickets. "I think these check out just fine."

The guard nodded slowly, barely even looking at the tickets, and then handed them back. Then moving like a sleepwalker, he unhooked the divider and ushered them through the checkpoint.

Sitri pulled Gremory through, and then turned to watch Daddy. As he passed the guard, he made eye contact for a few seconds. And then they parted, with Eligos laughing at something Daddy had said. Sitri couldn't help but be impressed with how fast Daddy worked. He'd whammied the guard so smoothly that if she hadn't known what was happening, she wouldn't have noticed.

"Why does he have you doing that?" Gremory asked.

Sitri started. It wasn't often that Gremory spoke when she had her power on. She resumed walking, and thought about it while she walked.

"I think… it's practice. And he's busy talking to Uncle Eli." She said.

"Why doesn't he just do it himself? His power is better than yours." Gremory said. There was a sharp intent in her gaze that Sitri had rarely seen. She had to think about that some more. Why had he put her in charge? Gremory was right; Daddy's power was a lot stronger than hers was. She could only suggest things, but he could basically mind control people.

"I… I don't know." She admitted.
Gremory smiled. "I have an idea. Do you get tired when you use your power?"

Sitri shook her head. She was still taken aback at how lucid Gremory was.

"Watch him sometimes. Daddy gets tired when he uses his power too much. You've got a higher limit than he does."

"Remi, are you okay?"

Gremory squeezed her hand. "I know I'm not with it most of the time, but I have my moments."

Sitri squeezed back. "Thanks Gremory." She whispered. When she looked back at Gremory, her sister was staring off into the distance again. Sitri sighed.

Why couldn't Gremory be with it more often? She wanted someone to talk to, and there was never anyone her age around. No, more than that, she wanted the old Gremory back. From before she got her powers. Gremory from when she could still be a big sister. She'd just caught a glimpse of that Gremory, and it made Sitri miss her more.

Her good mood all but gone now, Sitri led the group through three more checkpoints. Each time she'd 'suggest' that their tickets would allow free passage, and they would be admitted. The final checkpoint was the hardest. She had to whammy all four guards at once. She was pretty sure her aura had hit some of the people in line, but as long as they didn't say anything, who cared?

After that, they were stuck in the food court until their flight came in. Being able to skip the lines meant that there was almost an hour to wait. Daddy and Eligos went to sit down at a table in a far corner where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Take Remi and go get something to eat." Daddy said.

She trundled off with Gremory in tow.



Valefor turned back to Eligos. The other man was shaking his head.

"I will never understand how you have two kids."

He smirked at Eligos. "Why, because of the cross-dressing thing?"

"Just figured you didn't swing that way."

"What about Belith?" He said.

"Beard." Eligos said simply.

"We're fucking supervillains, the fuck am I gonna care about being gay?"

"I don't know- I just- I wondered all this time what crazy shit you were getting up to, and it turns out that you have kids." Eligos sipped his coffee. "Kids with powers, looks like."

Valefor looked across the food court at his daughters. Gremory was sitting at a table, looking as vacant as usual. Sitri, ever-dutiful, was waiting in line at McDonalds. Eligos followed his gaze.

"What's with the older one? Autism or something?"

"Nah, her powers get her all fucked up. She finds people. Fixates on whoever she's looking for until she finds them. She just kinda… stares in the direction of whoever she's after."

"That's why we're headed north?" Eligos asked. Valefor nodded.

"You ask her to find someone, and she can do it. I usually use it to track down lottery winners and shit like that."

"No shit." Eligos said, his eyes widening. "She's that good?"

"She can find anyone. We're headed north because I asked her 'Find me the target of the next Endbringer attack.' It's some cape up north. Dunno the name."

"Fuck me." Eligos whispered. "You've had a kid like that all this time? Why didn't you tell me sooner?! We could have gone big with her power."

"Just triggered, eh… almost three years ago now. Her sister's had them for about two." Valefor smiled. "I wanted to keep my golden goose safe."

"Exemplary parenting as usual, Valefor." A voice said. They both turned, instantly wary at the interruption.

A woman stood over them. Tall, her blonde hair was cut short and jagged. She was attractive, but there was a hardness- something cruel about her face that left her short of true beauty. She sat down in the empty chair at their table without asking, moving with a sinuous grace that put even Valefor's to shame.

"Talking about my daughter as your golden goose." She sneered at Valefor. "Please, keep it up."

"Belith." Valefor spat.

"Bel." Eligos said, lifting his coffee in a mock toast.

"Eligos. I've missed you." She patted his hand. "Have you been keeping this idiot out of trouble?"

"I thought I was. But if I missed that he's had kids all this time, I'm probably not doing a very good job."

"That was my idea." Belith said. "I didn't want them involved with the family business. And then Gremory triggered, and I find out that he's using her to commit crimes." She glared daggers at Valefor.

"Why didn't you take her back if it bothered you so much?" Valefor snapped.

"Because Gremory loves Sitri, and Sitri hates my guts." Belith said acidly. "Do you want to split them up?"

"You just don't want to raise them." Valefor said.

Spots of color bloomed in Belith's cheeks. "Murder for hire is not the right environment for children!"

Valefor was about to retort when Eligos cleared his throat loudly. Eligos pointed, and the other two looked. Sitri and Gremory were coming back across the food court. Sitri was carrying both of their trays one-handed, balancing them precariously while towing Gremory along with her other hand. Belith hurried over to help them.

Eligos pulled up another table to theirs for the girls. Belith and Sitri got Gremory situated before Sitri took a seat. Belith scooted her chair over to sit next to her daughter.

"Gremmy, how are you doing?" She said. She wore a smile that the men had rarely seen. It took Gremory a moment to respond. She blinked and then seemed to come back to herself.

"Mom!"

She almost tipped over the table as she lunged at Belith. Belith wrapped her arms around the girl, running her hands through Gremory's long blonde hair. It was the same shade as hers.

"I've missed you, sweetheart." She whispered.

When their hug broke apart, Gremory pulled her chair over so she could sit arm to arm with her mother.

"And how are you doing, Sitri?" Belith asked, smiling at the younger girl. Sitri scowled and moved closer to Valefor. Belith's smile faded.

"I figured." She said sadly. "Have you been having fun with Gremmy?"

"Enough of this." Valefor growled. "You can talk on the plane. Where are Ose and Glasya, and why aren't they here?!"

Eligos spoke. "They're driving up. Ose has all that Tinker shit that'd never make it past security."

"What about Glasya?" Valefor said.

He shrugged. "Probably wanted to get high on Ose's stuff. You know what he's like. They'll show up too fucking high to see."

Belith chuckled. "They haven't changed at all, have they? Remember when Ose made those rave drugs and we all got-"

The intercom cut through the noise of the terminal with its electric hum. "Attention, Flight 311- Miami to Boston, will be boarding in 15 minutes at Gate 7. Please proceed to Gate 7 for Flight 311- Miami to Boston."

The three adults stood as one. Valefor smiled ferally.

"Brockton Bay, here we come."

 

[Ziel]

Calvatia Gigantea


Amanita Margatroid has uncovered a mystery: Why don't her parents live together?

And more importantly, how is she going to fix it?

XXX


1

The mansion standing alone in the sunflower field was decaying. It was Victorian, all ornate wood working and traceries, but the paint was sun-faded and peeling, and vines had twined up most of the exterior and burrowed inward. The entrance, once a looming set of double doors, was now open, one off its hinges entirely, the other propped open with a crate.

The blonde woman sitting on the crate was flipping her way through a catalog of plant samples, circling some with a pen, marking others out, humming idly all the while.

Further in, down a hallway crowded with potted plants, voices carried from the mansion's kitchen, weaving between the canopy of vines hanging from the ceiling.

"Ah, where was I?"

A tow-headed little girl fidgeted in her seat, thinking for a moment. "You were telling me about Makai."

"More tea?" the other asked.

"No thanks, Miss Yuuka. Mother's making dinner in a little while."

Yuuka shrugged, rolling the plaid shoulders of her blouse. "More for me." She topped up her teacup and returned to the table. It was small, more suited for a farmhouse than a mansion, but it alone seemed in place among the jungle of plants filling the house.

"We really ought to get you a day trip back there," she mused, taking a sip of her tea.

The girl set down her empty cup, glanced longingly at the plate of cookies, and then looked back at Yuuka. "Why?"

Yuuka's red eyes lit up. "Your mother never told you? Why, Amanita, how're you ever supposed to meet your grandmother?" She grinned at her guest. "Really now. Didn't even tell you that Granny Shinki is the queen of Makai?"

Amanita stiffened in her seat. "Queen?"

"And Goddess! She- do have a cookie, dear. Otherwise Elly eats them all. She rules the entire realm."

Yuuka nudged the cookies a little closer to Amanita. After a moment's hesitation, the girl reached out and took one.

"I can understand not having met her," Yuuka continued. "But not even knowing about her? They didn't have that much bad blood between them."

Amanita lowered her cookie half-eaten. She was frowning now, her blue eyes narrowed. "My mother doesn't get along with her mom either? And… Mama never sees her family."

"That's a bit different," Yuuka said. "Marisa's family are human. Her parents are quite old at this point, and they never did see eye-to-eye on her becoming a youkai."

"It just..." Amanita's frown deepened. "It just feels like my whole family… doesn't have a family?" She phrased it as a question, sounding out the thought as she said it. "My parents don't see their parents, and…" She trailed off, fidgeting with the cookie.

"Yes?" Yuuka said, motioning with a hand.

"Why doesn't my mother live with Mama?"

Yuuka's reply was cut off in a deep bass chime. A grandfather clock in the mansion's foyer was gonging, marking the hour with a sound loud enough to send splinters of rotten wood showering from its frame.

The two waited until it fell silent, and then Yuuka sighed. "It's time for you to be going."

"But-" Amanita got up, but stayed where she was. "Do you know why?"

"Walk with me."

Yuuka started off without waiting for a reply. Amanita had to scurry after her, brushing crumbs off her sundress as she ran.

They exited the manor. The blonde woman at the door came to attention as Yuuka passed, and waved goodbye to Amanita.

"Bye, Elly!" Amanita called over her shoulder.

They crossed into the sunflower field. The stalks were thick and tall, high enough to feel more like a forest than a field, and the air heavy with their scent. Amanita had to run to catch up to Yuuka.

"I've asked my mother before, but she never answered," she gasped. Ahead, Yuuka heard her and turned. The run had been a bit too much- Amanita was already breathless.

"Come here." Yuuka scooped her up like a kitten and began carrying her.

Amanita slowly caught her breath as Yuuka wove through the flowers. It was a few minutes before she could ask the question again. Yuuka ignored her.

The stalks parted ahead, and they came to the boundary of the field. The flowers gave way to forest, looking strange and out of place beside the orange and reds of the autumn leaves. Yuuka's field was eternally summer. Amanita didn't know how she managed it, and couldn't imagine the level of power to do such a thing, but she appreciated it. The flowers were lovely and vibrant, and visiting was always a treat.

Except for today. Now her insides were churning, and the ache in her chest was only partially from the running.

Yuuka set her down, but Amanita turned and caught at her host's dress. "Miss Yuuka, please."

But Yuuka shook her head. Her ever-present smile had faded. "That's a question for your parents. I have an idea, but the specifics aren't known to me." She sighed. "Here I was all set to plan a girl's weekend to Makai, and we ended up talking about this."

Amanita hung her head. "Sorry."

A calloused hand tousled her hair. "Not your fault, brat. You needed to find out sooner or later. Now- you have your little friend to lead you home, correct?"

Amanita nodded. She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Almost at once, the ground shook and a squat little form burst out of the dirt.

The creature was about four feet tall, stocky, its body the color of pale mold, but the cap atop its head was a brilliant, speckled red. It was a walking mushroom.

It scooped Amanita up without fanfare and sat her atop its cap. She sunk into the soft flesh slightly, but balanced easily on her mount.

"And your hat?" Yuuka added.

Amanita tugged the sunhat from its spot on her back to her head, forcing her curls under it. She smiled weakly from beneath the wide brim. "Thank you for the tea and cookies, Miss Yuuka."

Yuuka shrugged. "You know where I live. Come see me again."

With a nudge, Amanita directed the mushroom man to start walking. "Bye."

"There are seeds in your pocket," Yuuka called after her. "Plant them in your garden. The mushrooms should like them."

Amanita twisted round to give her thanks, but Yuuka was already gone, vanished into her fields like a wraith.

She sighed and patted her familiar's cap. "Cmon, let's go home."


XXX


Yuuka's current location wasn't terribly far from the Forest of Magic. The sunflower fields tended to slide around Gensokyo when Amanita wasn't paying attention, and it had become one of her favorite activities every spring to seek out the little oasis of color to meet Yuuka.

It was the first time Yuuka had actively refused to talk about a subject with her though. There had been previous occasions where she'd changed the subject or demurred, but she'd never stopped a conversation dead.

Amanita crossed her legs and cradled her chin in her hands. It would be faster and easier to get home if she could fly, but it was beyond her. Too much exertion.

Ostoyae made up for it though. The mushroom man started running as soon as they entered the forest, and did not slow. She jiggled up and down on his head, but it was like riding on a very spongy horse. His crown absorbed most of the motion. He was tireless, just smart enough that she only had to prod him a bit to get him going, and he'd handle the rest.

And that left her with nothing to do but sit and think while he ran.

Her parents not living together wasn't a new thing. They'd lived apart as long as she could remember, each in a little cottage in the Forest of Magic. Every week, Amanita would go to live at a different parent's house. Mama and Mother spent time together once in a while, and they'd gone on trips as a family, but they didn't live together.

And… she hadn't really thought it was odd until she started school. Most of the human children in class had moms and dads who lived together- if they were both alive, and that was normal. But her parents were both youkai, so she'd just accepted it as something that came with the territory.

Reiko's moms didn't live together, and that made sense. Reiko's one mom was the shrine maiden, and her other mom was Yukari, and of course a youkai wasn't going to live at the Hakurei shrine.

But… the miko was a human, and Yukari was a youkai. So that wasn't quite the same.

And didn't the Moriya temple have a pair of goddesses that lived together?

She frowned deeper and deeper.

Any way you sliced it, her family wasn't normal.

Ostoyae crossed the unseen border that marked Amanita's range. She relaxed a little as the network of fungal growth beneath the ground touched her mind. The roots covered a nearly two mile circle around her mother's cottage, and they grew a little each day. In a few years, it would be large enough to connect with the identical root system beneath Mama's house, and it would be like being with both of them at once.

It was her version of Yuuka's field. Within its range, she was stronger, not so weak, and most of the spells she'd made were actually possible. But more than that… she was home.

A home.

Her frown returned.

Another exception occurred to her. Two homes. Didn't one of the girls in her class have two homes? And… yes. She did.

That girl's parents were divorced.

Amanita sat up straight, suddenly nauseous in a way that had nothing to do with how Ostoyae was jouncing through a rocky section of forest.

She swallowed, then reached down and prodded his cap. "Faster. Go faster."

Ostoyae clapped the knotty growths that were his hands together; his version of 'yes,' and then sped up. The trees raced by around them, and Amanita ducked down, lowering herself so he could go even faster.

In a matter of moments, the treeline broke around them, and Ostoyae came skidding into the neat clearing that surrounded her mother's house. A few dolls were trundling about doing yard work, but most had gone back inside for the day.

Amanita banished Ostoyae mid-step. He dropped seamlessly into the ground, rejoining with the main body of fungus, and she touched down running, moving fast enough that she nearly flipped over the neat stones of the front walk.

She went pattering up the walk, her heart thudding painfully from the sudden exertion, and then flung open the front door.

"Mum!"

Silence.

The house was quiet. Not fully quiet- it never was; there were always dolls moving about doing little tasks for Mum, but there was no comforting voice, no sound of footsteps.

Amanita hovered on the doorstep for a moment, listening as hard as she could. Perhaps her mother had simply been napping or busy or- or something, and-

A rustle. A Shanghai doll sitting on the sewing table was waving to her. It held up a piece of paper.

Amanita snatched it away, and the doll immediately stopped moving. The magic animating it had been for that purpose only. Mum liked those kinds of things when she wasn't around. Because she definitely wasn't around.

She read quickly. Frowned. Read it again, more slowly.


Amanita,

I've been called away on urgent business. I hate leaving you like this, but it was a matter of gravest importance and could not wait. The shrine maiden, your mother, myself, and several others will be occupied with this for several days at the minimum.

Please understand that I do this only because all of Gensokyo is at stake, and Yakumo-san wasn't able to spare the time to fetch you.

There is food in the icebox if you want supper, but I want you to go to Uncle Rinnosuke's until I am back. It's not safe for you to be home alone for that long. I was able to send word to him with one of the dolls, so he should be coming to fetch you. Do not go looking for him on your own.

There are an Orleans and a Hourai on your bed. Touch their foreheads to activate them. They have standing orders to protect you.

Stay safe until I return,

Mum


The page dropped from numb fingers to slide under the table.

Amanita slowly pushed her hat off and let it fall as well.

The only thing that made its way past the mind-numbing panic was the foulest word she knew.

"Fudge!"


XXX


Couldn't think of a title, so I ended up looking up mushroom names for ideas. Enter Calvatia Gigantea, or literally- The Gigantic Puffball.

And instantly, I had not only a title, but also a descriptor for Amanita.

Inspiration for this story was... not really sure on what the specific moment of generation was, but the general tone of light-hearted antics and dealing with the daughter of a Malice relationship came largely from 'The Dollmaker's Daughter.' Go read it, because it's hella adorbs.

 

[Ziel]

Calvatia Gigantea

2

Amanita paced back and forth through her garden, grumbling down the rows. Fear had given way to frustration after an hour or so of huddling in bed, wishing for her mother to come home so she could have some answers.

And now she was downright grumpy. What were the odds? That both her parents would just happen to vanish the moment she really needed them, spirited off by Yukari to parts unknown for who knew how long.

"This- stinks!" she yelled, kicking at a table. The trestle rattled, the pots shaking, but it mostly just hurt her foot. Amanita hissed, bouncing on one foot as she nursed her injured toes.

Stupid Yukari.

Amanita returned to her pacing, now limping a little.

The basement of her mother's cottage was Amanita's. She'd colonized it with mushrooms by the time she was six, and the only real changes over the years had been the increasing complexity and organization as Mum trusted her with more gardening equipment.

It was dim and dank, and very musty with all her growing fungi, but it was her space, and it was safe.

Normally.

Now it felt hollow, because she wasn't just home alone, but home alone in a house that was feeling increasingly alien.

Why didn't her parents live together? Why had they never talked to her about it?

She was eleven, old enough that they didn't have to pull their punches. It was like when she was a kid and they told her tall tales about a magic German elf that delivered presents at the holidays, when it was clearly just Yukari being festive.

She huffed.

Not even the endless trays of rotting, loamy wood and pale mushrooms could interest her at the moment. Mushrooms were only fun if she had someone to show them. Like how Mum always showed her her newest dolls, or Mama always had a new potion to try out.

Amanita grumbled some more, but she was losing steam. She just didn't have the endurance to stay angry for long, and she was getting hungry. It would normally have been dinner time.

After a long moment of weighing continued anger against food, food won out.

She stomped upstairs and into the kitchen. True to her word, Mum had left a couple covered dishes in the ice box, each cover stamped with a green rune of Stasis to keep them fresh.

Amanita set her place at the table and dug in.

The sun was beginning to go down outside, turning the treetops orange. Rinnosuke should have shown up by now.

And… she took a bite, frowning, chewing over the thought.

She didn't want him to show up.

Uncle Rinnosuke was nice, and basically Mama's older brother, but she didn't want to see him right now. He knew her parents, but he also wouldn't answer any of her questions about them. He was one of those people who didn't like to tell kids anything interesting.

It would be off to bed as soon as they got to the shop, and then she'd never find out. It would just be a couple days of helping him clean and dust, all the while agonizing over her moms.

She finished her food and pushed the plates away, staring into space.

Rinnosuke would be no help.

...who would?

Yuuka normally, but that ship had already sailed. Who else did she know? Her parents both had friends. The shrine maiden was one, but she was gone, and so was Yukari, who knew everything that happened in Gensokyo.

Mama played cards against some of the other forest-dwellers sometimes. But Amanita didn't know where the Phoenix-woman lived, and the bamboo forest was dangerous (and scary) at night.

Her mother… who were her mother's friends? It seemed like Mum disapproved of everyone interesting. Even visiting Yuuka every year had been a bitter argument, and Mum still gave Yuuka the stink-eye whenever she thought Amanita wasn't looking.

But Mum did know other magicians. The rainbow-haired lady who lived in the boat temple. And Patchouli.

Amanita stood up from the table.

Patchouli was not only her mother's friend, but they both did magic stuff together. Amanita had only met her a handful of times; the mansion was pretty far away, and Lady Scarlet was another person who Mum didn't approve of. But even Mama knew Patchouli, albeit for reasons that Amanita wasn't privy to, and that always made Mum embarrassed.

That settled it.

She did the dishes and snuffed all the lights in the cottage before locking the door. Shanghai and Orleans, she left behind. They'd just try to stop her from going.

The sun had fallen far enough behind the trees now that she no longer needed her hat, so she hung it from its cord around her neck and called Ostoyae.

The mushroom man resurfaced at once. He looked a little different every time she called him, but it was just external details. He came from the same giant fungal network, and that was what mattered.

He lifted her into place, and she pointed into the forest. "Onward, my trusty steed!"


XXX



The forest at night was darker than she'd imagined it. Even with her parents along, there hadn't been many nighttime trips through the woods.

The trees were thick, branches snarled together into a canopy that blocked out the stars. Ostoyae had slowed, having to pick his way over roots and around drop-offs. Amanita huddled atop his head, squinting into darkness that not even her eyes could penetrate. Neither of her parents were nocturnal youkai, and only the scatterings of moonlight that made it through the canopy let her see at all.

It was getting chilly. Not just the wind and the air, but the way the forest felt. She was shivering, hands in her armpits for warmth, and it was getting worse. Ostoyae sounded like a bull galumphing through the woods, and she kept glimpsing little fairy lights far off in the trees, almost like glowing eyes. Watching them?

Something was watching them, she knew that.

The Scarlet Devil Mansion was roughly north-east from the cottage. Once she made it through the forest, she'd be at the lake. It would be a pain in the neck to have to walk around it, but at least she'd be able to see the mansion once she got out there.

Ostoyae stepped around a thicket of brambles, and Amanita ducked her head to avoid clutching branches in her hair.

Her Mama gathered mushrooms out here, and Amanita did too, but she'd never been allowed on any hunts after dark.

She was beginning to understand why. The forest had presence like it was one giant youkai. She felt tiny, nothing more than a seedling beside a redwood. It was… it was like what she imagined humans felt like around youkai. Weak and feeble and clumsy. Like prey.

She dipped to get by a hanging vine, and-

Something split the air over her head. Branches cracked behind her, and something went crashing into the underbrush. Amanita shrieked with surprise, nearly toppling off Ostoyae. The mushroom man spun, gnarled fists raised like a boxer.

The thing in the underbrush straightened, coming clearly into view.

A youkai. Some kind of feline, with sharp, tufted ears.

"Hey there, little girl," the youkai called. "What are you? You smell tasty."

Amanita swallowed. The cat was older than her, built like a teenage human. It didn't mean as much to a youkai, but size and maturity generally lined up with strength. The cat was older and stronger; a forest native, which meant she had plenty of experience hunting down food.

Normally, this would be the time for a danmaku battle. Except Amanita didn't have the magical reserves for it outside of her field. Win or lose, she'd be too exhausted to do anything after a fight.

"Aww, cmon, don't be shy," the cat said. She was padding slowly toward Amanita, tail swishing behind her, eyes narrowed.

"I'm a poison mushroom!" Amanita yelled. "Eat me and die."

The cat actually stopped. She examined Amanita, lips pursed, head tilted. "You smell like a magician."

Amanita shook her head furiously. "Mushroom youkai. I'm a zillion types of toadstool spirit all mixed together. Poisonous enough that I have tea-parties with Medicine Melancholy."

"Liar." The cat grinned at her. "You can't lie worth a damn, magical girl."

Amanita opened her mouth to say something else when the cat lunged. She came in, claws out, leaping through the air. Ostoyae swung at her, but the cat wove around his clumsy haymakers with ease. She was actually laughing at him.

"Too slow! Too slow!"

The cat lashed out and sliced one of Ostoyae's arms off. He staggered, and Amanita clutched at his cap to keep from falling.

"Gotcha!" A hand wrapped around her wrist, and Amanita screamed.

The cat had hold of her in a grip easily stronger than anything Ostoyae could muster, and was pulling her away.

"Get off!" Amanita yelled. All thoughts of what her parents had told her to do in a fight were gone, lost in her panic. She inhaled, her narrow chest swelling, and blew a cloud of spores straight in the cat's face.

The youkai laughed for a moment, then blinked. And then she released Amanita altogether to fall back, yowling and clutching her eyes. "Burns! Ahhggrrh! Dammit, you little brat!"

"Run!" Amanita slapped Ostoyae's cap, and he took off, fast enough that she didn't have time to do more than hang on.

Behind them, there was a crash and a furious shriek as the cat took up the chase.

Ostoyae was running at top speed, but Amanita had control this time. He was a mindless mushroom- it was effortless for her to reach out and simply take control.

She had to. Her heart was in her throat, and the cat sounded like she was gaining. Amanita forced Ostoyae faster and faster, using her control to send him careening through the forest.

There were other noises now, crashing in the brush to the sides as other youkai took up the pursuit. Something reared up in front of them, only for Ostoyae to plant both feet in its face and roll right over top of it.

They kept going. There was a faint howl behind them as the cat ran into whatever the other youkai was. The sounds of squabbling faded into the distance as Ostoyae ate up ground.

Amanita was gasping atop his back, short of breath from fear even as he did all the work. It was his purpose; to make up for her short-comings. He was earning his keep more than ever. Little by little, the other youkai fell away for easier prey, but Ostoyae went relentlessly onward, leaving them far behind.

She wasn't sure how long they ran. The minutes blended together, all endless trees and dark shadows under the moonlight, broken only by new youkai surfacing to swipe and claw at them. Ostoyae lost his other arm, and- in a moment that left Amanita shrieking like a banshee, had the entire plane of fungal tissue that formed his face cleaved off by an insectile youkai with huge, scything claws.

They ran. And ran. And ran.

And then the trees broke around them, and Ostoyae skidded to a stop on the line where dirt met sand.

They'd made it to the lake.

Amanita took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her face on her sleeves.

Why had she thought this was a good idea? Hadn't her parents warned her how dangerous the forest was at night? She was stuck now. There was no way to get home without going through the forest, so the only way to go was onward.

Ostoyae began plodding along the shore. Amanita sat on his cap, wrapped herself in her arms, buried her chin in her knees, and shivered. Her hair was knotted, tangled around a dozen twigs and leaves, but she couldn't bring herself to fix it.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

All because she hadn't wanted to go to Uncle Rinnosuke's. Where it was safe and warm and a little boring, but still safe. He'd be tucking her in right now, and if she was lucky, he'd dig out an outsider book to read from before she fell asleep.

Ostoyae climbed over a mound of driftwood, and Amanita had to break her reverie to clutch his head.

She forced herself to take stock of her surroundings.

The lake was to her right, wide enough and foggy enough that she couldn't see the far shore. Couldn't see more than a hundred meters, really. There were scatterings of fairy lights in the mist, but they didn't have the same malevolent feel that they had in the forest. Far off, she could even hear the faint sound of splashing water and voices as the lake youkai played together in the mists.

The Scarlet Devil Mansion would be at the north side of the lake. She'd approached the lake from the west. So she just needed to keep walking clockwise to get there.

Eventually.

Even if the lake shore was not so much empty as deserted, and the murky waters really not that much different than the dark woods in terms of what they could be hiding.

She nudged Ostoyae up to a run again. He was slower now, without his arms to build momentum, and his steps were a little unsteady. Tireless, he may be, but he was just a mushroom.

Amanita stayed vigilant as Ostoyae ran. The beach was better than the forest in that regard. She had a clear thirty meters on every side, which meant no one could-

Someone dropped out of the sky in front of her.

Amanita screamed. Ostoyae screeched to a halt, his lumpy feet digging up furrows in the sand.

The newcomer hovered a few inches off the ground, her arms folded.

"Oi oi, who's this?"

It was a fairy. An odd fairy. Taller than normal, the teal-haired girl was nearly Amanita's height, with delicate wings like ice spun across glass dangling from her shoulders.

"Wotcha doin on my beach, you..." the fairy paused, squinting at them. "Mushroom-stack?"

"I was just walking and minding my own business," Amanita said carefully. "Also, I'm extremely poisonous, so you can't eat me."

The fairy snorted. "Eatcha? Forget it. I'm 'ere for danmaku."
Amanita went very still. This might actually be worse than the cat youkai. Danmaku imposed bargains, but failing to rise to a battle would be an invitation for the fairy to do her worst. It was like giving the fairy an excuse to do whatever she wanted.

"T-terms?"

"If oi win, you gotta be my minion!" The fairy nodded at this, like it made perfect sense.

"And if I win, you let me go?"

"Sure sure, whatever."

"Unharmed, from you and any of your friends."

The fairy rolled her eyes. "Oi said whatever!"

Okay. She just had to win a danmaku fight with no spellcards or magic. And if she lost, she'd be magically obligated to be this weird fairy's minion. Whatever that entailed.

Amanita glanced over her shoulder and paled. There were a few other fairies hovering behind her, watching the proceedings. No running that way. And they could fly. Which meant they'd catch her before she made it into the forest.

What would her mother do? Master Spark them. Not an option.

How about her Mum? She'd have blasted everyone with dolls already. Also not an option.

"Well?" the fairy said. She'd uncrossed her arms, and was already beginning to flex her wings in preparation for the fight.

Amanita fished in her pockets. Maybe she had a spellcard left over in a pocket somewhere? Or a mushroom she could harness into a weapon.

Her fingers closed around something and she withdrew it triumphantly.

A packet of seeds.

Hope died in her chest with a cold, sinking sensation.

"Give ya to the count of 'five' and Imma just gonna wop you into the lake," the fairy interjected. "Now quit playin round with that junk."

Paper crackled as she curled her fist around the seeds. Useless. They were Yuuka's plants. She had no control over them. They were-

Yuuka's.

What would Yuuka do?

She'd make it interesting, because that was what she enjoyed. Didn't matter if she won or lost as long as it was intriguing.

"How about a change?" Amanita cried. "A- uh- not danmaku, but uh-" She searched desperately for inspiration. "Jan-ken-pon!"

The fairy gave her a flat look. "You kiddin, mushroom-stack?" A smirk bloomed on her lips turning her childish face suddenly feral. "You're dealin with Kyusei, twelve-time jan-ken champion of all the fairies."

Amanita tried to muster her mother's devil-may-care smile. It didn't quite come out, but she nodded all the same. "Same terms."

"One game," Kyusei added. "Oh- and nunna that addin moves nonsense. It's Jan-ken-pon, not Jan-ken-laser beam like half these goons think."

One of the fairies hovering in the background shifted guiltily at that.

Amanita held out her fist. "On three?"

Kyusei nodded.

Together, they both yelled "Jan! Ken! Pon!"

Amanita didn't think. She threw rock simply because she was too stiff with nerves to open her hand.

The fairy had thrown paper.

"One to me," she said, grinning.

"Don't get carried away," Amanita said. No big deal. She'd just wagered her future on a children's game. How was she supposed to explain that to her parents?

Fists out.

"Jan! Ken! Pon!"

Amanita threw scissors.

Kyusei threw paper. She scowled at Amanita. "Beginner's luck."

"Final round."

They threw. Amanita felt like she was moving in slow motion.

Possibilities raced through her head. Was the Kyusei dumb enough to throw paper a third time? Fairies were dumb. She'd done it twice. But what if that was a trick?

Her fingers twitched through the choices.

And then-

Scissors.

She looked down slowly.

The fairy had thrown rock.

Oh.

Her life was over.

All because she'd wanted to know about her parents. The first time she'd ever strayed out of bounds and this was where it had left her.

Amanita looked numbly between her hand and the Kyusei's, willing it to change.

"Oi win!" Kyusei crowed, raising her hands to the sky. "Oi'm the strongest!" After a moment basking in the scattered applause of the other fairies, she let her arms drop and turned to Amanita. "Deal's a deal. You get to be a minion now."
Her life was over and she was never going home.

Amanita sniffled.

They'd been a long time coming, just brimming under the surface after the forest, but this was just too much. Losing her future over a dumb game.

She burst into tears.

There was a moment of stillness, broken by her muffled sobbing, as all the fairies stared at her.

"Quit blubbin," Kyusei snapped. "'s really weird." She reached out and hooked her arms under Amanita's shoulders. It took only a bit of flight for her to lift Amanita off Ostoyae's head and drop her into the sand.

Amanita curled into a ball, whimpering, her face sand-caked where it was wet.

"Seriously, quit it," the fairy repeated, sounding uncomfortable. Then she grabbed hold of Ostoyae's cap and lifted off.

Amanita blinked, then gaped at her. "What are you doing?"

Kyusei hovered a few feet off the ground, Ostoyae wiggling like a giant eel in her grip. "Don't try to play tricks on me, mushroom-girl. Oi know you're like one of them kogasas. The girl part is fake- the real you is the mushroom bits!"

And with that, she turned in the air and scooted off over the lake, Ostoyae dangling just above the water. The other fairies zoomed after her, all beginning to talk and laugh at the events.

Amanita stared after them.

Fairies really were dumb.

Slowly, she got to her feet and began trudging along the shore toward the SDM. She could see the lights now, far off in the distance, but still- she could see them.

And if anyone else tried to jump her tonight, she was going to curl into a ball and just let them try and eat her.

===

Yes, that's the bizarro lovechild of Cirno and Daiyousei. We'll be seeing more characters who aren't weirdo lesbian love babies next chapter.

And for the record- this story is unbetaed, so I'm extremely open to any and all constructive criticism. It's a more casual project for me, so I forewent a beta, but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned with quality. Let me know if anything doesn't make sense or if there are any errors.

<3

 

[Ziel]

Burnout

(content warning: self injury)


Bethany sat by the kitchen sink, stockinged heels rocking against the cabinets. The cigarette in her hand burned down, and she tapped the ash into the drain before stubbing it out entirely on a plate. She pulled another- the last in the pack.

The butt and the empty wrapper got tossed into the wastebin on the far end of the kitchen. A half-dozen other butts already littered the floor around it, and she was inordinately pleased when this one actually went in.

Her impromptu victory cheer broke off when she tried to raise her hands in glory and banged one on a top cabinet. Cheering became swearing, and she was still grumbling when she pressed the final cig to her lips.

Unfiltered. She hated the way her fingers were shaking as she lifted them to touch the tip of the stick. Thumb and index, like she was snuffing a candle, only this time the cigarette tip flared cherry red, and she drew back fingers trailing wisps of smoke.

The first breath turned a full eighth of the cig to ash. She dragged deep, black heat filling her lungs, head swimming slightly.

Exhaling slowly, lips pursed like she was blowing a kiss, the plume of smoke sent out the open window behind the sink. She let it off until she was sighing, the last streamers coming out between bared teeth like dragon's breath.

Faintly, she heard the sound of keys before the lock scraped and the apartment door opened. Bethany turned to look.

"Put that out, please? It's not good for the kids."

Bethany directed a flat look at Lilith. The dark-skinned woman was already unbuttoning her blouse. The small swarm of imps and other minor demons that cavorted constantly around her ankles began surging, all of them chattering in their shrill child's voices.

"Mum!" "Me!" "Mama!" "Momomomomom!"

Lilith groped for a kitchen chair, hands waving in the right direction until one of the imps took the hint and looked directly at the table. Lilith smiled and found the chair at once.

"Thank you, Pazu."

She sat and pulled Pazu into her lap. Bethany looked away as Lilith finished opening her shirt, raising the imp to her breast.

"Bethany, please?" She sounded tired. Bethany couldn't blame her. They'd only been back for twelve seconds and she was already tired of the little goblins.

"Yeah." Her voice came out hoarse, lungs still full of smoke, her tongue thick from disuse.

"Are you alright?" Lilith asked.

"Didn't sleep." Bethany shifted on the counter so she could see Lilith again. "I dropped off for like an hour, but the dreams got me back up."

The witch had another incubus suckling from her now, holding both demons with one hand, tapping at her phone with the other. Bethany wondered for a moment how Lilith could see it, before she noticed the glittering eyes poking out of Lilith's mane of hair – a succubus was perched on her shoulder so that Lilith could use the demon's vision.

Bethany took a final drag of her cigarette. There was barely a third left anyway. She plucked it from her lips and held out her arm. Rings and spirals of cigarette burns drew lines there, like marks on a map.

She picked a spot.

Pressed down.

She hissed, biting her lip, toes curling in her socks. The cig wavered, but she didn't pull it away from her skin. The pain was flaring, low at first, growing worse as the heat touched her. She twisted the butt, grinding ash into the wound, and her hiss became a low groan. Time melted away for precious instants, lost in the starburst of heat blooming in her arm, her head, her belly.

Finally, the fire died away, and she let the butt fall into the sink before sliding off the counter. She was panting, her face hot. Lilith was looking at her- sort of. Two or three of the demons had turned to look, and Lilith's dark glasses were faced in her direction as well.

Bethany found herself suddenly, bizarrely embarrassed. She was sharing a kitchen with a woman breast-feeding two little antichrists, and she was the one getting weirded out.

"Thank you," Lilith said, smiling gently. She motioned to one of the other kitchen chairs.

Bethany took it.

"What's the situation?"

Lilith exchanged the current crop of imps for another set, letting them settle before replying. "Quiet. Eve should be back soon. We split up around Liberty Street, and she took the north side. I didn't see anything more than a few wayward cherubs, and I sent a couple demons to trail those."

"None of them?"

Lilith shook her head. "No. They're here though. Eve thought she saw Samson this morning, but it was during rush hour and she lost him in the crowds."

Bethany exhaled slowly, already missing her smokes. "Fucking Samson." Just thinking about him made her tired. Athletic bastard had always been a font of energy, and he'd only gotten worse since Ascending.

She rubbed her eyes. "No one else?"

Lilith was eyeing her again. "How much sleep have you had this week?"

Four hours, split up over seven days, not counting the split seconds where she kept dropping off, only to jerk awake again.

"Enough."

"Liar." Lilith's smile softened a bit more. "Jacob and Esau should be home in a day or two. You'll be okay then, right?"

Bethany gave her a jerky nod. It was the only way she could find sleep anymore, pressed between the two brothers, safe in their arms. They were her brothers as well, but that had always seemed so much lesser than their link as twins.

Another pair of incubi took their place with Lilith. The woman rubbed her free hand through her hair and sighed. "I don't like being split up like this either. Feels like we're incomplete."

"Yeah." Bethany found herself mimicking Lilith's gesture. Her hair felt greasy and smelt smoky. In the bad way. In the she hadn't bathed since her boys left kind of way. "Where's Az now?"

"South. Didn't you see the group text?" Lilith tapped the back of her phone. "He thought Eden had taken a piece of Mom down country to try and establish a new base."

"Ah." He had said something about that, hadn't he? Hard to remember when most of her texts were read half-buried in blankets, hovering on the border between insomnia and night-terrors. "Just Eden?"

"He-" Lilith's response was cut off in the sound of the front door opening. They both stiffened.

"I'm home!" Eve's voice was light and melodious, floating through the wall between them. Her heavy footsteps marked her progress through the living room before she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"Evie," Lilith said, relaxing into her chair. "Glad to see you're safe." A note of accusation entered her voice. "You didn't text me back."

Eve stopped in her tracks, blinking owlishly behind her heavy mascara. Bethany waved to her. There was something funny in the way she lit up a room, despite wearing all black, combat boots, with a half-dozen raven feathers plaited into her hair.

"I… You texted?" Eve said. She pulled her phone from her pocket. "Ohh… So you did." She shrugged, rolling the shoulders of her bomber jacket. "I was a little distracted."

Bethany forced herself to sit up a little bit straighter. "You found them?"

"Yes and no." Eve leaned against the wall as she talked. "I was distracted because there's this band that's going to play down on 6th tonight, and I actually know the lead singer. Siren is-"

Lilith cleared her throat loudly, and Eve flushed, her pale cheeks glowing.

"I was gonna say she's single and satanic, but that's something for later. But I did pick up their trail." Eve tugged one of the feathers in her hair. "Some of my familiars spotted a certain bald-headed fuck disappearing into an abandoned factory complex over by the river."

"Judas," Lilith hissed.

"It's too big to search alone," Eve continued. "Some kind of huge shipping operation that was spread out over a couple blocks. But I wasn't noticed. Which means we can strike when ready."

The surge of heat in her chest and the grin growing on Bethany's face for once had little to do with fire. "If Eden's gone, and Lazarus is out west, then we'll outnumber them once the twins get back."

Across the table, Lilith's children were smiling, their red eyes all far off. "Finally," Lilith breathed. "The tide will turn."


XXX



The impromptu team meeting broke apart after that. Any further planning could wait until Jacob and Esau returned, and there was still more reconnaissance to be done. Lilith finished nursing her brood and announced that it was dinner time for the adults in the room.

Bethany staggered out of her chair and over to the fridge. Eve was working around her, opening cabinets and cupboards to take stock of what they had, moving with enough energy to leave Bethany feeling like she was in slow-motion.

"Rice. Spices. More spices. Bread is- no that's gone bad." Eve pitched it over her shoulder and into the trash without even looking. "Canned peaches. Canned yams. Baby food?"

"It was an experiment," Lilith supplied.

"Right." Eve returned to looking.

Bethany finally managed to tug open the fridge. The interior wasn't reassuring. She hadn't been paying attention to eating in the last couple days- burning gave enough energy to sustain herself, and she never felt hungry when she couldn't sleep.

So she hadn't been giving any mind to the state of their fridge. There was takeout from before the twins had left a week ago, something thick and gelatinous in a jar that reminded her unpleasantly of something Mom had horked out, and an entire bowl full of individual condiment packets. Any actual food was few and far between. The days where they'd eat actual trash were long behind them.

And… Oh fuck.

"We're out of milk." Bethany spoke with the slow, heavy tones of the damned.

Behind her, her sisters both stopped.

"What's the rule, Beth?" Eve said.

Beth sighed, pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the freezer door. "When I find that something is out, it's my responsibility to buy more. Thus be-eth the first of all our apartment rules."

It was also the only rule they could collectively agree on. The other dictums that they'd picked to reduce the odds of killing each other over stupid roommate stuff cycled in both number and topic. The only ones Beth really cared about were: "Don't touch my cigarettes" and "Hot water must be divided evenly."

She groaned slowly, letting her head slide down the door a bit. Buying milk meant leaving the apartment, and that meant walking to the store. She wanted Jacob and Esau back so she could get some goddamn sleep already. Errands shouldn't be this much effort.

Eve clumped over and patted her shoulder. "Cmon. I'll drive you."


XXX


Of all the vehicles they'd stolen, borrowed, and appropriated during their crusade against the other half of the family, Eve's hearse was in Bethany's top five favorites. The clunky old car was just so gauche with the way Eve had painted various signs and symbols all over the exterior, most of them relating to death, and a few just being borderline obscene art of pretty girls.

Bethany took shotgun, sinking gratefully into the seat with a huff. Their apartment was only two stories up, and she'd gotten winded just taking the steps down. Sleeplessness fucking sucked.

She patted her breast pocket for a smoke, only to remember that she'd just emptied the pack. A quick check of her other pockets returned nothing but a couple hair ties. She sighed and started putting her hair up as Eve got in.

Twintails were kind of a kiddy hairstyle, but they made her feel better. Mom had used to put her hair up like this before everything went to shit. Having them now made her feel just a tiny bit more put together, like she wasn't a tottering, insomniac zombie held together by tar and self-injury.

Eve started the car and shifted it into gear. The speed they left the parking garage at was one Bethany doubted hearses had ever- or were even supposed to achieve, but it ate up the street with pleasing ease.

"Where's the store again?" Eve murmured. She glanced over, and Eve caught a glimpse of the true Eve in the rearview, all coal black skin and infernal eyes, horns just missing digging furrows in the roof.

Bethany blinked and had to think for a moment. "Down… there? It's a cornerstore by the…" What was it? She hadn't left the apartment in days. Where the fuck did they even live? "Subway. You know which one I mean?"

Eve did. She cut through two lanes of traffic to make the turn. Bethany clutched the oh-shit-handle, heart thumping unpleasantly as Eve somehow managed to get the hearse to fishtail. They straightened out and merged into the flow of traffic.

From there, it was only a few minutes of staring blankly out the window, not really seeing anything, with Eve humming tunelessly in the background, before they arrived. Eve pulled into the parking lot, passing the Subway and pulling in to the minimart that served this area of town.

They came to a halt- Eve parked across two spaces to get the hearse to actually fit. "Just wave if you need anything." And then she slid her chair back and put her boots up on the dash, opening a dog-eared tome she'd left stowed in the console.

"You're a peach," Bethany drawled. She shoved her door open and dragged herself out of the car.

Two dozen plodding steps had her entering through the automatic doors into air-conditioning and muzak. The clerk, a strawberry-faced boy in an apron, raised a hand in greeting. Bethany managed a jerky head-nod in reply.

She turned down an aisle at random, the shopping list Lilith had written in her hand. Picking out the items took longer than it should have. She was moving glacially slow, and the little bit of charge she'd gotten from burning was only just propping her up. The labels on all the food kept blurring together, and she was losing her train of thought in between items on the list.

She wasn't really sure how long it took her to stagger through the rows, returning once to grab a basket, but it carried all the dreamlike slowness of the nightmares she was trying to avoid in the first place.

Being able to dump the food onto the counter and watch the clerk begin to ring them up was almost exhilarating. Bethany sagged and let the countertop hold her up, dropping a little lower with each boop of the scanner.

"Will that be all?"

Bethany jerked her head up. "Wha- yeah. Wait- no." She pointed shakily, ignoring the way he looked at her pockmarked skin. "Carton of the- can't read it. The blue ones."

The clerk stepped to the cigarette case and lifted one of the cartons in answer.

"Yeah, that one."

There was a faint crashing noise from outside, and the sound of breaking glass. They both turned to look. There was nothing that could be seen through the doors.

"What was that?" Bethany murmured, blinking unevenly, trying to get her eyes to focus through the doors.

The clerk returned to bagging without pause. "Probably just a fender bender. Happens a lot here. People take the right turn too fast coming around the pumps. I'll see if I need to call the cops in a minute."

"Ah." Bethany let herself slump back against the counter. Eve would raise holy hell if someone dinged her hearse, but it wasn't like a car accident could actually harm her.

"Your total comes to..."

The auto-doors opened, then closed. Bethany turned, still leaning on the counter. Eve had probably gotten impatient and come inside to see what the hold up was. Or had there really been an accident?

"We're almost done, Eve" Bethany was saying. The words were leaving her lips, only to die in midair as she saw who had just come in.

"Hey, Bethie," Maggie said.

Bethany's fatigue fell away like lead weights as the adrenaline rush hit her.

"Mags."

She was as tall as ever, golden hair in clean, elegant waves around her shoulders, and a beatific smile on her face. There were objects around her, flicking in and out of view as they brushed the material plane- a censer, numerous crosses, a white lotus. Maggie dropped her arms and let her bomber jacket fall to the floor, exposing her under-tank, drawn tight over a body like an olympic athlete.

The sprawling heart and rose tattoos on her biceps were as vivid as ever.

Her sister's smile hitched a tad. "It's Magdalene, now. Remember?"

Bethany was tapping her pockets again. Where was her lighter? Where was it?! "So I'm 'Bethie,' but you don't get to be Big Sis Mags?"

"Ma'am, are you ready to check out?" the clerk interrupted.

Bethany jerked- she'd forgotten he was there. "Get out of here, you stupid fuck!" He stared, all blank doe-eyes at her. Bethany snarled at him and let hellfire bloom in her palm. "This is a robbery, now run you fucking moron!"

The kid gaped, then turned to run. He was scrambling for the door into the employee's quarters when Bethany turned away.

Maggie was watching her, thumbs hooked into the straps of her top like suspenders. "I'm going to have to kill him," she said. "No witnesses, remember?"

"He won't remember. Muggles can't comprehend shit." She was back to patting herself down, trying to find her lighter. She needed to self-immolate, to burn herself with something. Magical flame didn't have the same effect- she couldn't power herself by burning herself with the thing she was powering.

And… she didn't have it. She'd left it in the car. Wait- the car. She wasn't here alone. Maggie was standing between her and the door, but that didn't mean much.

Bethany pointed and fired. A tiny fireball rocketed from her fingertip and shot through the glass of the front door. It hit the tarmac outside and burst, scattering sparks everywhere. She was hoping it'd start a fire out there, something mundane to fuel herself with, but it was no dice. It sputtered out, even as the last of the glass was falling.

"Looking for someone?" Maggie said calmly.

Another figure stepped into view in the doorframe. Red hair, cut short enough to expose the pale scalp beneath it. Gangly and incongruous in his button-down shirt and slacks, looking more like a budget Jehovah's Witness than anything.

Lazarus.

"How's it going?" he drawled, the twang in his voice more pronounced than in Maggie's. "Just runnin errands, Bethany?"

He stepped through the doors, coming more clearly into her sight. Blood poured from his eyes and followed in his wake like a slug-trail. A gash across his neck was spurting onto his shirt, slowly dyeing it red, even as the wound closed.

"Did you get her?" Maggie asked.

"Eve got away. Wounded her, but then she ran for it when I regenerated." He fingered his neck for a moment, probing the cut. It closed a bit more as Bethany watched.

Maggie shrugged. "We'll just get her afterward." She tilted her head to one side, then the other, cracking her neck.

"Anyone ever tell you two-on-one is bullshit?" Bethany said. She could hear muffled pounding from inside the office. The kid hadn't gotten out, which meant there was no exit there. There should be a fire door in back, but she hadn't seen one yet. Maybe by the bathrooms?

The bathrooms that were almost certainly down a dead-end hallway if there was no fire door.

Slowly, Bethany reached out and snagged the brown paper bag the clerk had been using to store her groceries. The carton of cigarettes he'd pulled was beside it. She grabbed that too, tearing it open one-handed.

Her siblings were beginning to fan out. Maggie was stalking toward her, taking her time. Lazarus was hovering in the background, poised to cut off any escape routes with his shots. Two-on-one was bullshit though. Solo, she'd be able to take either one of them, but together they could cover their weaknesses.

"So," Maggie was saying. "Lilith really needs to be more careful. She's very distinctive with all those brats of hers."

Bethany paused with a cigarette halfway to her lips, her blood running cold. They knew where the apartment was. Lilith was vulnerable. They'd waited until they'd split up and moved in.

She pressed a second cig in beside the first. Lit both.

She grinned around them, letting her fire grow for the first time in days. "You stay the fuck away from my sister." The tips of her twintails ignited, her hair rippling in the heat wave, her eyes suddenly full of hellfire.

The bag burst into flame in her hand, the carton burning a moment later. Their ignition was magical, but their incineration was purely mundane. Beth's grin grew wider as the fire burnt through the flesh of her palm, fingers closing convulsively around it as the tendons shrank.

Maggie charged. There were five yards between them. Maggie covered them in half a second, breaking tile with her footfalls, fists coming up.

Bethany cocked her fingers like a gun and fired. The firebolt cut the air between them. Maggie didn't even slow. The second before it would have struck her, Lazarus leapt in between. The bolt hit him dead-center in the face.

He went down screaming, his skull a melting ruin. Maggie leapt over him, flaring gold as her lotus activated. Bethany's second shot caught Maggie on her upraised arm, glancing off Maggie's aura, and then she had to roll away as Maggie's fist imploded the cash register.

She came up on her feet in the bread aisle, threw her hands to either side and let the flames gout over the shelves. Loaves and pastries went up in the heat, and Bethany basked in it.

There was nothing on the rush it gave her to fucking light something up.

Her internal gauges were rising, little will-o-wisps flaring into life around her like fireflies. She pointed and they fired, spraying shots over the store. Maggie had been nearly within striking distance again, but she threw herself to the side through a shelf to avoid Bethany's fire.

Bethany turned, turreting her flares to keep up the heat on Maggie. A stray shot winged the blonde in the shoulder and she stumbled. Bethany used the opportunity to machinegun shots into Maggie's chest. Maggie choked as a firebolt tore her throat open, her shirt igniting as more rounds ripped into her. Bethany pressed harder, focusing the attack and-

A flash of red on her periphery- she ducked just in time to avoid an arc of solidified blood that sliced cleanly through the donut case.

Lazarus was back up on his feet, face regenerated, stupid haircut and all. He gestured, and the tide of vitae that followed him whipped out, snapping and grabbing for Bethany.

She lit up like the sun, drawing on the flames now spreading across more and more of the store, her heat combusting the ceiling tiles overhead. Lazarus hissed with frustration as she evaporated the blood he flung at her.

Bethany sent him ducking for cover with her return fire, igniting the entire rack of cigarettes when she missed and loving every second of it. He popped up from behind the counter, shooting back, and she drew on her own regalia. A crown of candles bloomed on her brow, red, black, blue. The black one ignited, then flashed once.

Across the store, Lazarus howled as the curse seared his eyes. He staggered, and Bethany put a firebolt clean through his chest. Her brother dropped.

It wouldn't keep him down for long. His regeneration was the strongest of all of them.

Bethany turned and ran, repositioning herself at an intersection in the aisles, watching for Maggie's counterattack. She began spreading flames around her in a wall for the thug to hit.

Maggie surprised her. She leapt into the air on the other side of the store and drove both feet into a shelving unit. It rocketed towards Bethany, metal screeching on the floor, tearing through everything in its path.

Bethany dove to the side, but the shelf still clipped her. She yelped with pain as her ankle broke and she went spinning into a display of pulp novels. More fuel for the fire. The new bonfire gave her enough drive to get up. Her ankle wasn't healing anywhere nearly as fast as Laz or even Maggie, but the more she burned, the faster it would.

She jammed her entire arm into the fire, hissing as her skin seared and bubbled away. Her gauges were filling though, rising more and more with every bit of flesh that burned away. She was at nearly a full tank, half-delirious with pleasure and pain when she pulled away. Her arm was a charred ruin, but it would heal.

Smoke was beginning to fill the store, and her siblings were lost in the haze, flitting into view like jackals. Looked like the megamart had skimped on its fire alarms- normally she had to fight through the sprinklers by now.

She started firing at random, dozens of wisps generating from the inferno around her, adding their shots to her barrage. Every shot set a fire now, and she found herself laughing, her smile so wide it hurt. Getting to kill her siblings were all well and good, but this- fire was what got her motor running.

There was a crash on the far side of the store as one of the shelves toppled. A support tore its way loose from the ceiling and fell, destroying most of the bread section. The store was beginning to fall apart.

Beautiful.

Bethany was still puffing away merrily on her cigs, her lungs full of smoke, fit to burst like paper balloons, and the next time Lazarus emerged from the smokescreen, she exhaled. The ensuing fireball was more like a flamethrower, arcing from her mouth as dragon's breath.. He actually dodged it- his regen must be at its limit, and rolled away into the produce aisle.

Sweet smoke heralded her incineration of the fruit display, and she didn't let off with the flame until the whole section was a conflagration. Panting, she retreated, casting eyes about for Maggie. Her elder sister wasn't normally this indirect. She-

Bethany ducked, more on impulse than anything, only for a blood bullet to tear its way through her upper arm, cutting a runnel in flesh just beginning to heal from her self-burning. Her arm went limp, and she swore venomously as she had to fall back towards the wall full of drink fridges.

She came out of the aisle and Maggie was already there, barreling toward her.

There was no time.

She raised her good arm. Maggie hit her like a train. Fists like iron wrapped in flesh slammed her, a dozen a second. Bethany felt bones break, but couldn't tell which, only that there was pain beyond the flame. She fell back, feet tangling, and Maggie caught her shirt and lifted.

Bethany's feet left the ground. Maggie hurled her like a baseball. Bethany collided with the wall of drinks, and exploded through the glass and shelves. She hit a row of boxes in the storage space behind the freezers and dropped like a stone, too numb and exhausted to rise.

The boxes were beginning to burn around her, and whatever drinks had spilled on the floor were bubbling, but it wasn't fast enough. Her powers were as fleeting as fire itself- quick to burn, and quick to burn out. There wasn't enough to get her up before they were on her.

Glass crunched. Maggie was stepping through the remains of the freezer. She was no longer grinning. The sharp, cold look on her face was worse. She didn't look like Maggie. She looked like Magdalene.

"Any last words?"

Bethany laughed. She'd somehow not dropped one of her cigs in all the confusion. It was bent, but still smoldering between her lips. "You're a cunt."

Maggie's foot drove into her side. She could discern that it was her ribs that broke this time, and then Maggie followed through and punted her into the far wall of the cold storage. There were no soft boxes here. Her back hit cinderblock walls, her head following.

Bethany went face-first into the floor. Her vision swam in and out, the world around her sliding from clarity. Distantly, she was grinning. After all this time, now she was about to pass out. If only sleep was that easy at home.

A weight ground down on the side of her skull, pressing her into the thick rubber floor mats. Bethany groaned with pain, but the agony was forcing her back into reality, giving her something to focus on.

Maggie had her foot planted firmly against her head, and was leaning down to look at her, still all dispassion. "I'll ask again: Any final words, sister?"

She could hear footsteps, and feel vibration in the mats. A blurry shape was approaching from behind Maggie. Lazarus had joined them.

The fire continued to spread through the store. Bethany could feel it, but it all felt so far away now, so insignificant to the blaze she wanted it to be.

She glanced up as far as she was able to with the eye that wasn't swollen shut. Looked forward.

Probably no chance of Eve showing up to save her. Hopefully she'd at least gotten back to the apartment and rescued Lilith from whatever the fuck they'd come up with.

She blinked slowly. They were a few feet from the back of one of the drinks fridges. Rows of pearly milk stood neatly, as of yet untouched by the flames or the fighting. All this for some goddamn milk.

She sighed. They couldn't have thrown her through the liquor cabinet, could they? Then she would have lit this place up like a forest fire in hell. Where was the alcohol anyway?

Bethany strained her eye. What was that beyond the milk case? She'd seen it on the way in, but she'd been half-asleep then.

"Bethany," Maggie said. "I suggest you take this chance to repent."

Rows of white containers. Not milk. Cylindrical and squat. She blinked blood out of her eye, squinting. Maybe?

A slow smile bloomed on split lips.

This was gonna even better than a fucking liquor fire.

"Hey… Mags," she rasped.

The weight on her skull shifted, then left entirely as Maggie let off. She bent down. "I'm listening."

"Did you know… this store sells propane?"

Her unbroken arm was already aimed toward it. She just had to point. Maggie shrieked something, Lazarus was yelling, but it was too late.

Bethany fired.

There was a metallic shunk as the canister ruptured, and then white-heat consumed the world.


XXX



Her lungs came back first. They always did.

A gasping, choking breath filled her. She exhaled, puffing smoke and flame like a balrog. The smoke curled and twisted into the fire, both of them taking shape in the air. There was heat around her, inside her, every breath spreading it like bellows. She basked in the fire. She was the fire.

Another breath. In. Out.

Shape became form. Ribs formed around her lungs. A heart between them, a scarred rune in the center where the Devil had marked her.

In. Out.

And again.

And again.

She was nearly whole again when her eyes coalesced, vitreous fluids boiling briefly before settling.

Bethany blinked slowly, unevenly.

She sighed.

Apparently resurrecting didn't count as sleep. She was still fucking tired.

It took her a moment to find the energy to sit up, shoving wood and burnt metal aside, digging herself out of the wreckage. She rose, her skin just beginning to regenerate from the ash caked over her muscle.

The store was blazing around her. For once, her powers protected her from the heat, a reprieve while she recovered. They parted like water around her as she stumbled out of the fire still tearing apart the metal skeleton that remained of the Megamart. The ceiling had collapsed entirely now, and oily smoke plumed into an open sky.

The concrete walls were still intact in spots, but for the section where she'd set off the propane. That entire corner of the store was nothing but a blackened crater, too destroyed now to have anything left to burn.

Bethany navigated the fire, glancing around occasionally for her siblings. She could hear sirens in the distance, smirking a little at that. Too little, too late, firemen.

She made her way toward the propane corner, feet dragging little trails in the layer of ash carpeting the floor. A pile of mangled shelving marked all that was left of the drink freezer. She climbed over the top like a jungle gym.

She paused there.

"Ah."

A charred skeleton lay half-buried beneath a support beam. It had burnt to nothing more than bones, but Bethany had incinerated enough people to know male from female.

It was Lazarus.

She descended slowly, moving to stand beside his corpse. He had always had the strongest healing factor among them, and she'd thought she'd seen him die a dozen times just during their childhood. But… even he had limits. It looked like explosion had melted him, leaving him to be crushed by the support, and then probably finished off in the fire.

She crouched down and took his head in her hands. One or two stubborn strands of hair had somehow survived, clinging to the few fragments of skin left on his skull.

It took only a tug to separate his head from his body. She looked into the empty eyesockets. His eyes had been blue, earnest once upon a time. She remembered fear there as well. Always fear. But that hadn't stopped him sticking up for her as a kid. Taking lickings from Mom, or shielding her with his body in the basement.

The earnestness had disappeared at some point, but the fear had remained. All the better for Mom to pull the strings on him.

He'd been ill-used like all of them had. Had chosen his side.

Still her brother though. Lazarus, two years older. Red-haired, blue-eyed.

Dead for real this time.

"Goodnight, Laz."

Bethany pressed her lips to his forehead.

She rose, his skull under one arm, and padded out of the store.

The parking lot outside was deserted. A number of people stood by their cars on the side of the road, but none entered the lot. Eve's hearse sat to one side, windshield smashed, one door ajar. A long smear of blood was drying across the driver's side.

Bethany started walking toward it.

The people were yelling something at her. She remembered too late that she'd just resurrected and was bare-ass naked.

Dammit.

Jacob and Esau were going to laugh their tits off at her.

She tugged open the hearse's door. The keys were still in the ignition. Bethany swept broken glass off the seat and got in, stowing Lazarus' skull on the passenger's seat. She started it, the engine purring. It took her a moment, but she shoved the windshield until the safety glass detached from the frame and she was able to toss it aside.

Headlights on.

A shape lit up, crouching at the back of the store.

Bethany frowned.

Maggie stood. She was a patchwork of melted skin, raw muscle, and new flesh, all coated with a gray-black rime of ash. Blood was caked down her chin and chest, and her hands to the wrist.

A body lay at her feet. Bethany squinted. It was the store clerk. Maggie had torn his chest wide open. She had his heart in his hand. As Bethany stared, Maggie bit into it. She chewed, swallowed, and another section of her flesh regenerated.

Their eyes met. Maggie's were that same blue as Lazarus. Her hair was just beginning to sprout anew, blonde curls growing in fast-motion. Maggie took another bite of the clerk's heart. Another bit of her came back.

Bethany glanced to the side. Lazarus' skull looked up at her from the shotgun seat.

The Megamart was still burning. Bethany's tanks were nearly full, and it wouldn't take much to get going again.

If she wanted to, Maggie wouldn't be able to stop her. Her sister was all close-combat. A brawler. It wouldn't take much to burn her to ash.

She looked back at Maggie. Her sister was still watching her. She was nearly whole now, wiping the last of the clerk from her mouth.

Those blue eyes, set into a feral mask. Like someone had jammed Maggie's eyes into Magdalene's face.

Those blue eyes, that had once laughed at her over a birthday cake. Bethany's was only two weeks ahead of Maggie's, so they'd always celebrated together, even though Maggie was the elder by almost four years, and too old for some of the kid's stuff Bethany liked.

Bethany sighed.

She put the car into gear. Turned out of the parking lot.

She glimpsed Maggie watching her in the rearview mirror, just once, and then Bethany took a corner and her sister was gone.

Fire trucks came screaming past her after only a block down the boulevard, headed for the Megamart. Bethany pulled over with all the other drivers, waiting for them to pass.

She used to reprieve to fish her lighter out of the cup holder. A quick check of the visor yielded nothing, but the glovebox did. A backup pack. Her emergency stash of smokes.

She put one between her lips.

Far off in the distance, she could see smoke. Not from her fire, but from another. It was the direction the apartment was in.

She lit her cigarette and rolled up the window to let the smoke build.

Traffic began flowing again. She joined it.

It took her two blocks to get the hearse up to 70, and three before she began disregarding the laws of traffic entirely.

No rest for the wicked.

XXX

(This is a Binding of Isaac AU Fic, inspired yesterday after I unlocked Bethany. My muse was unexpectedly good to me, and I wrote nearly the entire fic in one sitting. I unlocked Bethany, liked her motif, and just knew I had to write something with her. I really love the viscerality of all the powers in BoI.

So here's this! Some kind of weirdo AU urban fantasy, where the kids have all matured, and things have gone all Angels and Demons. The group loyal to Mom has gone all weird and are using pieces of Mom to spawn monsters in the name of god or... something. Don't think about it too hard. It's not important.

If you're curious, the roster for each side is as thus:

Mom's Faction
-Isaac
-Maggie
-Judas
-Samson
-Lazarus
-Eden

Devil's Faction
-Eve
-Lilith
-Bethany
-Jacob and Esau
-Azazel
-Cain