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Silence is Not Consent

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Heartbreaking stuff here. I feel for his character. I am glad you showed this. He really does get treated like a joke often times. Either as a piece of meat or a bore... Having someone out there that is actually picking up on how hard he tries even as he fails, constantly breaking down and fading as he has to deal with ever escalating distractions from what he really wants to do... And having to be party to it all or else he loses that which is most important to him....? Yeah. Thank you for this.
 
His teeth ground down against his lip. He hadn't meant to berate her like that a couple of weeks ago, to use her trigger against her. He'd known it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words were out of his mouth. But there'd been no taking them back. And in response she'd just... washed her hands of him.
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I'm blanking, was this canon or is this a butterfly in this fic? I don't remember this happening in SinC, but it's been a while since the early part and my memory isn't too good.

Also, poor Brian. He's kind of a badass and just doing his best in all situations, but man the narrative just forgets about him so bad. There's a world with a better Worm where he isn't so totally overshadowed and forgotten.
 
Brian's pretty important to the plot all the way until the time skip, but the thing is he's frequently more of a plot device than a character, especially after Bonesaw.

Honestly a fic about the Undersiders after Behemoth dies could have some legs. Interpersonal conflict between Lisa, Aisha and to a lesser extent Rachel, dealing with absorbing the remains of the Ambassadors and the Red Hands.
 
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Supernova 5.1
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    • The bugs all stilled at once. Cockroaches settled in place, flies dropped out of the air... even Meepy froze on my palm. Taylor's stare didn't so much as flicker; her unblinking green eyes focused on me like a laser. Not the best start to my proposal, but I didn't let her dissuade me. I knew I was right. Maybe the particulars needed some work; this idea had just struck me all at once and I was still figuring out some of the details, but I knew this was the right thing to do. The only thing to do.

    I just had to convince her of the same.

    "Here is where you tell me", Taylor said, her voice carefully level, every word deliberate, "that this was an enthusiastic but poorly timed joke, and we move onto what you actually wanted to talk about."

    Neither of us believed that, and both of us knew it. I discarded careful diplomacy for a moment to glare at her. Trying to intimidate me into taking it back was uncalled for. Even beyond the insult of using her scare tactics on me after I'd seen so much of what was behind her mask, she should know me better than to think I'd back down so easily.

    "You know I wouldn't mess with you like that. Not about this. I'm serious."

    She was scoffing at me before I even finished the sentence. The air around us bristled, chitin and carapaces rustling with a mixture of uncertainty and agitation. "Then what's the alternative?" she snapped. "That I take this as seriously as a suggestion like that from a hero deserves? That I should consider giving up my secret identity, turning myself in, just like that?"

    "It's not that simple–"

    "And it's not just me!" she snapped, cutting me off mid-word. The chorus around us rose in pitch. "You're suggesting that my entire team put their private lives; their real lives, in the bullseye. Regardless of any potential issues or loved ones that might be put at risk. Just because you asked!"

    I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing slowly in and out. Okay. There was... a lot there, starting with calling Taylor "real" like Skitter was "fake". As if she hadn't been living more like Skitter than Taylor for basically the whole time I'd known her.

    But pursuing that track would be useless, as would arguing about the risks involved. Obviously I didn't want to endanger any civilians during this, and that would be my first concern going forward. But if Taylor was thinking rationally right now, she wouldn't have even accused me of that. The real problem was that she didn't understand why I was asking. And to be fair… it wasn't like I'd done the best job communicating that. Hell, insulting as it had been, her attempt to get me to play it off as a joke had been less of a kneejerk response than I'd have expected. Offering me an out had been almost merciful, given how I'd misphrased it.

    I could rectify that mistake, at least.

    "Okay," I signed slowly, "That came out wrong. I was talking as the idea was coming to me and I didn't get time to explain what I want and why. Can we start over?"

    Taylor stared at me for a long moment. I could see Skitter peeking out from behind green eyes, and I tried not to let the realization show on my face. If she switched right now, it would all be over. Skitter would never even consider this argument, it went against everything she was.

    But Taylor might.

    A long moment passed as I watched her two faces sway this way and that; a coin balanced on a knife edge. Until, at last...

    "Fine," she said. Her voice was hard and hostile. But she was willing to hear me out.

    It was enough.

    "Okay, let's start at the basics," I signed. I'd learned from her breakdown after Dragon had been the one to rescue Dinah. I had to build my argument from the things she'd already done, the accomplishments and achievements she could point to as hers, and the morality of how and why she'd done them. Without that foundation, I'd be talking to a wall. "Why did you ask Dragon for a field screening earlier?"

    She cocked her head at me. "Because the PRT is full of shit? Miss Militia already brought it up earlier." Her eyes widened fractionally. "Shit, are you having trouble remembering–"

    "DON'T PATRON-Nn-nize m-ME!"

    We both froze. I panted, hands shaking, my jaw aching, my lips and tongue still numb from where they'd frozen up halfway through the hoarse yell. My breath escaped in unsteady gasps and the world around us narrowed until Taylor filled my vision. She gave me a slow nod and breathed in, then out, letting me follow the slow rise and fall of her chest until my breath relaxed and the weight left my lungs. Gradually, the world faded back into focus.

    "I'm sorry," I signed once I was over the worst of it. "I don't know where that came from. Just... trust for a moment that I'm going somewhere with this? Please? I really think I can help."

    Taylor's mouth thinned and she sighed through her nose. Her posture visibly slumped as Meepy crawled off my elbow and towards my upper shoulder. "Alright. Go ahead."

    "Thank you." I took a moment to get my thoughts back in order. "I know that the PRT is full of shit. But I didn't mean the obvious answer. Why did you think a screening would help at all, beyond what Miss Militia said?"

    She frowned, but after a moment went along with me. "Because I wanted to call them on their bluff. To prove you weren't mind controlled."

    I snapped my fingers. "Yes! That's it. The problem with the system is accountability." I had to spell it out letter by letter, but it was the only word that fit my point.

    Taylor stared at me as if I'd grown a third head. "Well yes," she said bluntly. "That's not news."

    "No, it isn't. But why are we accepting it?"

    "We're not," Taylor ground out. Her teeth were clenched, but she was audibly forcing herself to be patient and follow along with me. "That's why I called for the screening."

    We were going in circles. I needed to push through to my actual argument. "That's exactly it, though. In this one case, the PRT screwed up publicly, and you're doing what you can to force transparency. If they really want to detain me for a reason other than Master concerns, they'll need to say it."

    "Right," Taylor said. The walls were starting to come alive again; rustling and clicking hummed just beneath our words. "If you're arguing that the PRT needs more accountability, I'll be the last person to disagree," and was that a smile in her voice as she said it? "but I don't get how that leads to talking about unmasking."

    "I'm getting there." I gestured at the monitor we'd been talking to Dragon on earlier. "Why did you feel comfortable unmasking to Dragon?" This was a gamble, but I thought I knew Taylor pretty well by now, and I was banking that her answer wouldn't throw me.

    "Well it wasn't unmasking at all, really." Soft wings fluttered against my shoulder, opening and closing in a slow, thoughtful pattern. "She'd already been parked outside of our bases for days. It would be stranger if she didn't know who we were. So Lisa suggested going in barefaced to unsettle her, and I agreed."

    I tried not to show my excitement. My guess had been dead-on. I could keep going. "So you took off your mask to prove a point?"

    Meepy stilled. Taylor looked at me carefully, her brow furrowed. "Yes," she said slowly, drawing the word out, "but that was different. It was to one person who already knew my identity."

    I almost jumped on the opening. But no. I hadn't finished setting up my point yet; it was too early to challenge her on secret identities. I had to bring it back to the bigger picture.

    "I didn't mean it like that," I explained, shaking my hand for a moment to relieve the pressure. "I meant it in the same way that you called for that screening. You were willing to use the PRT's public image to push them. They can't take back the offer once you've publicly accepted it, so we can force them to go through with the screening even if it winds up proving them wrong."

    For the first time in the conversation, Taylor looked at me with something other than incredulity. "...yes," she said finally, "They've built their reputation on being the Good Guys. That limits them in ways we can use."

    I had to stay with it. I was almost there. "Can you see that it's the same problem with Amy?"

    A rigid flight of wasps and midges ruffled my bangs, but I didn't flinch. I knew her well enough to be pretty sure this was introspection, not intimidation. "Yes," she said, in that slow, considering way that her last few responses had fallen into. "I agree there. Amy has more public good will than either of us, which is probably why the PRT is willing to go along with whatever she wants. The public thinks she's good, so they back her over us. If we had a better reputation, and more established presence, that might be different."

    I bit my lip to hide my smile. She really had been listening earlier, when I'd reassured her about her past choices. It wasn't the point of this discussion, but it still made me happy. "Okay. Last point," I signed, and braced myself. "What about your trigger?"

    The tiny hooks on the edges of Meepy's legs dug into the jacket on my shoulder. The walls boiled. The buzzing, rustling, humming drone filled the room, not an aggressive roar, just frantic restless motion. It blocked out any sound from outside the room, but even so, I could picture how the swarms must be venting her discomfort outside. Tattletale's people in the surrounding blocks would be ducking and covering, thinking it a warning from the visiting warlord. Looking around for the threat, or the victim who'd roused her ire.

    Skitter didn't move an inch.

    "Trust me?" I pleaded, never breaking her gaze. "I brought up Amy. I wouldn't touch this if it wasn't important. I'm not that cruel."

    She blinked, and suddenly Taylor came back to herself. Meepy relaxed and fluttered by my ear. The walls stilled. "Yes," she said through clenched teeth. "I wasn't important enough for anyone to give a shit. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

    I could've kept going. I was so close. And in the long run I still needed to. But I couldn't let that sit. Not like this. She was worth so much more than that. I took a step towards her before pausing, waiting for her response.

    None came.

    So I bridged the gap and carefully wrapped my arms around her. My hands closed around her back, pulling her into me. It was so easy to forget, but Taylor was thin. Even though she was taller than me, I probably outweighed her. Still, I mused as I hooked my chin over her shoulder and rubbed my cheek against her neck, her height had its benefits.

    "I-m-s-o-r-r-y," I tapped out on her back in morse.

    That seemed to do it. The tension drained out of her like I'd breached a dam; her head slumped and met my shoulder. Her arms came up, hesitantly at first, but then firmly to wrap around my waist. I couldn't help but wonder again when the last time she'd really relaxed was. Not since she'd taken the expectations of hundreds of people on her shoulders, that was for sure. Even now, there was still a taut steel wire in place of her spine, wound tight and held under strain despite my embrace.

    I was… confused at best about my feelings. The last few days certainly hadn't helped matters. But no matter my answer, I couldn't bring myself to feel bad about offering her some small semblance of comfort.

    "Yeah," she murmured against my shoulder. She didn't need to say anything more.

    After a few minutes she pulled back with a deep breath, letting my hands and fingers slowly trail down her arms. I could see her rebuilding her mask. Not Skitter. The one that even Taylor wore. Thin as paper, hard as diamond. A glass cage for her heart that I'd only seen shatter once.

    "Okay," she said once she'd turned the key in the lock she had on her composure. Her hair hummed with the weight of the flies and spiders coiled within. "Why did you ask that?"

    "We agree what the problem is," I signed, careful not to mention the glimmer in her eyes that wasn't quite tears. Now wasn't the time. "If Heroes screw up, ordinary people pay. Other Heroes pay. Even Villains pay, sometimes in ways they don't deserve. And there's no one people trust enough to call the Heroes out. Nobody who they can't just ignore or shout down or discredit."

    "You're not suggesting–"

    I cut her off. "What do you and the rest of the Undersiders do for your territories?"

    She froze mid-word, her mouth still open. "I'm sorry?"

    "You heard me." I gestured at the map of Brockton still pinned up on the wall. "You all divided the city into little fiefdoms. What do you actually do for the people inside? What did you tell them when you first took charge?"

    Taylor frowned. "Well, we took control of them for Coil, not because we chose to."

    "Yes," I signed patiently, "But you can't have told the people that, right?"

    "I see what you're getting at." Taylor gestured back at the map of the bay. "We all had our own approaches. I can't say for sure what everyone did. But I told people that my word was law. That anyone who went against me would suffer. And if they accepted that, I'd give them food and medicine. It went from there."

    I struggled not to wince at that description. If this was really going to happen, I'd have to work on softening up her language a bit. But I could still work with this. I'd need to find out how the others had treated their territories. I didn't have high hopes for Bitch or Alec, but if Lisa and Brian had done even half of what Taylor had...

    "So you provided for your people and protected them against Villains?"

    She paused, considering me. "I guess you could call it that," she allowed. "I did my job. I'm not sure how that relates to public image. I'm still Skitter."

    "You underestimate what you do, and what it means to other people." I paused, trying to find the right words. "How did you feel when I drove Flechette off? When I stood between you and her?" We'd never really addressed that whole ordeal, but it was the first time I'd taken action directly on her behalf. Protected her. That meant something, and I might be able to use it here.

    "I was… confused," Taylor said, taking a moment to glance at the deepening twilight behind the window. "I didn't think you'd go that far for me."

    "Right," I said, taking a step closer. "Now imagine what your civilians felt when you drove off Mannequin alone."

    "But people still died!" she snapped, turning back with fire in her eyes. "I wasn't enough and the people I said I'd protect were murdered right in front of me! How can anyone view that as an accomplishment?"

    I stared at her, and for a moment my heart broke a little. That was… I didn't know how to even begin addressing that.

    But I had to try.

    "If you're seriously going to tell me that a single teenage girl should have been able to take down a Slaughterhouse Nine member with no deaths," I signed, as slowly and carefully as I could, "then I shudder to think what the rest of the capes fighting them should've been doing. For god's sake, Taylor, they had no one else."

    Something in her stance shifted, tension in her shoulders relaxing and uncoiling, slithering down her spine to pool in the small of her back. I didn't look away. Couldn't.

    "What are you saying, Tori? What do you want?"

    I swallowed. This was it. What all my arguments came down to. I was right; I knew it in my bones. But it would all be for nothing if I didn't keep her with me here.

    "Taylor," I signed. T-Protect. My guardian, and so many others'. "The PRT took down Coil. They raided his base more than a week ago. They already know who you are. Your secret identity was shot the moment they broke down his door."

    "You're the one who told me to–"

    "And it saved a little girl's life. I don't believe you regret that. But even if they didn't know; you and your friends have taken over part of a city. You've replaced the local government. You're not just a major gang presence, like Coil or Lung or the E88 used to be. The civilians under your protection see you as their leader, trust you, practically pay you taxes. You're ruling openly. Give Lisa three more months and you'll have declared independence from the US in all but name."

    I met her eye, deadly serious. "Taylor. You know what it'll look like if the government lets a group of Villains do that. You know what it'll do to their reputation. The PRT can't let that continue. Not when it'll inspire every other Villain with big ideas to try the same thing. They cannot let you stay in power. They cannot." I drove my point home as forcefully as possible, ignoring the burning in my hands, forcing myself through the shooting pangs plucking at my wrists like a guitarist using my tendons as strings.

    Her face was stone. Smooth and blank and hard.

    "Look me in the eye, Taylor, and tell me honestly. Do you really – really, honestly, truly – think you can keep this up forever? There's no such thing as a stick big enough to make a government let someone get away with taking over a city. When the PRT sends someone to stop you, not just because you're a Villain but because what you're doing is attacking their power base. When they send more and more and more people, because they don't have a choice if they want to survive. When they send the Triumvirate. Do you really think you can stay a warlord?"

    For a long, long moment, she was silent. I felt the precipice yawn under my feet, felt the abyss below and the crumbling stone ledge of her pride and stubbornness threaten to tip me off.

    "You've done things for your people that no one else could," I signed, feeling exhaustion dragging at me like I'd been running a marathon instead of just signing a heated argument. "But this is about more than that now. This is about politics. About reputation, and image. That's how they work. I hate it as much as you, but it still matters. You were outright terrorists until Dragon decided to look the other way. Do you want to go back to that? Because you will. If you let them control the conversation. They'll paint you as anything if it'll keep you from being a queen."

    The air was charged. The humming of the bugs electrified the air. Even Meepy was vibrating on my hand, her antennae twitching, one leg tapping a nervous rhythm.

    "Then what," Taylor said, and though her lips barely moved there was a snarl in her voice, "do you suggest I do?"

    Despite myself, despite the gravity of the moment, despite the terrified, adrenaline-soaked tension I was bathing in, I couldn't help but grin. Finally. The right question.

    "Isn't it obvious?" I signed. "If you can't win from where you are on the board, you need to stop playing. Unmask. Get the jump on them before they can go after you. And stop being the villains they're after."

    A/N:
    Much thanks to Aleph again, who's work on this chapter was even more important and impactful than her usual. Show her some love would you?

    I admit I never thought we'd get here. While the unmasking was planned since all the way in arc 2, it always felt like a pipe dream. Not in the sense of "oh but it'll never work" and more "the story will never get there anyways, but that's what I'd want to do". And yet, here we are. I'm as amazed as the rest of you.

    I should note, in case it needs to be said, this is not the entire argument. That will be made and explored and picked apart over and over as we make our way through this arc, but this is a great deal of the opening. I've gone over this chapter and argument sequence over and over, but I might be too close to see some of the issues. Apparently I write good though, so I admit I'm banking on that a bit here.

    Today's rec is a bit related to the contents of this chapter, if indirectly. It's a longpost on reddit about Why I Drop Stories, but it mostly breaks down worm fic from a textual perspective. What works? What doesn't? What is the line between fanservice, indulgence, and payoff? Why do we cling to cliches, and how can they burn us? Considering how much of the fandom I'm remixing her in an admittedly novel way, I thought it fit.
     
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    • Hmmm... if it was "unmask so you can run for mayor", it might actually be sensible.

    EDIT: just clarifying: I'm actually serious here.

    If the de-facto ruler of a city is a supervillian, that's a threat to the legitimacy of the system.

    If the de-facto ruler of a city is the mayor, it's far less of one.

    Even if that mayor is still doing the same things with the same shady buddies.

    Even just declaring a run probably reduces the impact.
     
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    RadiantPhoenix said:
    Hmmm... if it was "unmask so you can run for mayor", it might actually be sensible.

    EDIT: just clarifying: I'm actually serious here.

    If the de-facto ruler of a city is a supervillian, that's a threat to the legitimacy of the system.

    If the de-facto ruler of a city is the mayor, it's far less of one.

    Even if that mayor is still doing the same things with the same shady buddies.
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    None of them are old enough to run.

    Danny, though...
     
    RadiantPhoenix said:
    It would still probably be an improvement from a "don't destabilize the USA" perspective, because it still acknowledges the legitimacy of... most of the system.
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    the key here is maintaining legitimacy of the concepts, the abstract process, but not the specific local actors.

    ultimately, this is a super powered version of a local government no confidence play.
     
    Ok, now that I actually know more what Tori wants to do, it starts to make more sense. The other option would be to strongarm the PRT (canon) or giving up their power and maybe try somewhere else (lol no). Still very difficult considering most Undersiders aren't exactly PR friendly.
     
    ...well, THAT'S going to throw off the experiment. CONTESSA! Get us a fresh Path, would you?

    Good chapter is good, interesting to see Tori juggle appealing to Taylor and not triggering Skitter.exe. Looking forward to the inevitable explosion when this is brought to the team.
     
    Supernova 5.L
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    • Four days ago...

    "And you're sure that's the last of the issues Coil left us? No other hidden landmines?"

    Lisa hummed as she considered the spreadsheet in front of her. Coil's demise had been as unexpected as it was disastrous. Disastrous, that was, for her. Had she known ahead of time, even by just a few hours, she might've been able to make some last calls to the mercenaries in her pocket, drain the bank accounts she knew she had access to, wipe some of the compromising data from his servers or any one of a million other things.

    As it was, she was digging for scraps and scrambling to cover her ass.

    "That's most of it," she murmured as she checked down the list of names and agenda items. "The trouble is that this only covers the ones in my territory. His mercs were posted all over the city when the PRT took him down, and a lot of them will have gone to ground as they look for ways to leave or other sources of work. We'll all be picking at his carcass for a while, I think."

    There was a pause on the other line. "Do you really need to be that gross, Lisa?"

    Lisa bit her lip, clamping down on her power before it could read into that. She didn't need to use precious seconds of uptime to analyze her friend. Not when Taylor was, bluntly, kind of an open book to people who knew her. Her tone was annoyed, but it was surface-level, all bark and no bite. The kind of reflexive snappishness she'd been showing more and more recently. She was distracted, her attention elsewhere. Half on her new not-girlfriend, and half still recovering from the Slaughterhouse Nine.

    Brian hadn't been the only one Bonesaw had gone to town on. Taylor was dealing with it better, but when it came to that little monster's work, 'better' was only ever a matter of degree. Still. Babying her would only get her back up further, and risk turning the reflexive mannerisms of the warlord into genuine annoyance.

    "No need to be so testy," Lisa shot back instead, idly tracing a fingernail over the tabletop. "What's got your pants in a bunch?"

    Taylor scoffed. "You mean other than you outing me to Victoria?"

    Lisa rolled her eyes, thankful for once that they weren't speaking directly. Her power was a peerless tool of cold-reading, but it didn't offer her any real defense against being read right back, and Taylor was getting frighteningly good at it these days. She doubted she'd be able to hide her tells from her friend up close.

    "I told you I'd make up for that, Taylor. You know me."

    Silence, too ambiguous for her to work out on her own. Cautiously, Lisa loosened her grip on her power, ready to cut off the flow as soon as she had what she needed.

    Silence indicates lack of response. Lack of immediate denial; hesitant or grudging approval. Victoria is aware of Taylor's name. Victoria has known Taylor's name for several days; Taylor has almost certainly unmasked to her by this point. Lack of follow up aggression indicates minimal conflict; Taylor's anger largely performative–

    Lisa reeled it back in and let the smirk spread across her face. Of course she was right. The whole dancing around each other that they'd been doing was ridiculous. If she'd known Taylor was going to try and keep up the farce for this long, she would've done something about it a week ago. Deliberately, instead of by accident.

    "Alright, alright, I give. I know I messed up. So let me help. What's wrong?" Always a good place to start. God knew Taylor would never volunteer anything willingly without prompting.

    A sigh. "Tor–Victoria is not doing well."

    Lisa's ears perked up. That hadn't been a stutter. Taylor had almost used a different name. Reflexively. Something not meant for Lisa's ears, from the way she'd cut herself off and corrected. That would be good to remember for later.

    "Oh? Trouble in paradise over there?" It was probably past the point where she should let up on Victoria. She'd been counting on her pull with Taylor being stronger than anything the former hero might grow into, but that obviously hadn't panned out. She'd have to readjust as best she could.

    "Something like that," Taylor muttered. "We tried to test her power the other day. It… didn't go well."

    Lisa sat up, her eyes narrowing. This was worth paying attention to. "What happened?"

    Taylor paused. Trying to decide what to share, probably. "She... had a flashback yesterday during some power testing," she eventually admitted. "A bad one. She still hasn't really come out of it. Seems confused, disoriented. Still recognises me, but she's barely speaking. Signing," she corrected quickly. "I can't get anything out of her about what's wrong."

    Fuck. That was just what they needed. An unstable Brute caught in the middle of a PTSD episode, unable to snap out of a dissociative spiral. Perfect. "What were you doing that started this? Are you sure that you aren't getting too involved?"

    "Excuse me?" That harsh, accusatory tone again. She hadn't heard it before they'd learned about Dinah Alcott, but the Slaughterhouse had made it more common. "You seriously want to ask me that now?"

    Lisa leaned back, letting her eyes unfocus as she stared through the potted plants in the hotel lobby. She wondered how worried she needed to be about Taylor. She was still loyal to the team; she'd checked. And despite the hostility she'd been throwing around, she still cared about them. But she cared about Victoria Dallon, too. Was getting more and more invested. The runaway heroine's situation reminded her too much of her own Trigger, and it was starting to affect how she treated people outside the little couple they'd formed. She was projecting. Overreacting. Snapping at people disproportionately when Victoria was distressed. It wasn't restricted to just Lisa. And Victoria's current state couldn't be helping matters.

    "I think it's a fair question," Lisa said carefully. "You were the one who took her in. You've been awfully far away from the team for a while now. I'm beginning to miss my old best friend." She briefly risked another drip-feed from her power.

    Knows you are trying to manipulate her using old trauma centered on friendship. Angry that it's working. Guilty about her growing distance from–

    "Some best friend. Were you ever honest with me, Lisa?"

    Fuck. She wasn't sure what had spurred Taylor onto this track, but she had to get them off it again quickly. "I think I gave you the best information I had at the time. More than you had."

    "Oh yeah?" Taylor snapped, and Lisa heard her chair clatter backwards as she stood to pace. "How about those unwritten rules? How about not telling me about Shadow Stalker? How about saying that I li–"

    She cut out mid word. Lisa resisted the urge to check if the call had dropped. "Yeah, Taylor? Saying you what?"

    "You said I liked Brian."

    The words were forced out through clenched teeth. Lisa grimaced. On the one hand, it was probably a good thing that Taylor had relaxed enough to admit this to herself. On the other hand, this was probably the third-worst time for it in the past couple of months, right after the Endbringer attack and the fight against the Nine. And at least those had both increased team cohesion in one way or another. Why couldn't she have stayed oblivious and repressed for another few weeks until things had calmed down?

    Well, nothing for it but to bull through. "I did," Lisa agreed, mournfully accepting that she was going to bed with a splitting headache tonight. "And I was right. Are you going to tell me you didn't have a crush?"

    "You said I was straight. That I liked Brian. That I should be with him."

    Deflection; is unwilling to address previous argument. Is afraid Brian is getting worse without her support. Feels guilty about it, but not acting to intervene. Previously willing to offer him emotional and physical companionship. Reluctance now indicates shift in priorities–

    "Are you trying to tell me something, Taylor?"

    The pause this time was almost a minute long. Lisa waited patiently, running through possible lines to use depending on what Taylor said.

    "Why did you lie?"

    This time, she let the sigh escape. "Taylor. When I said that, I was talking to a scared, lost, lonely girl who had no one else. A girl who had an innocent crush. I encouraged her because it was what she needed to hear."

    Taylor took a breath but Lisa kept talking. If she stopped now Taylor would never let her finish. "Or are you meaning to tell me that you would've listened? That knee deep in your 'infiltration mission' you would've seriously considered that your sexuality might be broader than you thought?"

    "I would've."

    Lisa barely held back her snort. She didn't need her power to tell her that was a lie. "Even then," she deflected, "it wasn't the right time or place. I told you the truth you needed to hear. Nothing more, nothing less."

    "And now?"

    Despite the pain already building below her temples, Lisa grinned. Jackpot.

    "Taylor, hon. If you think you need me to tell you that you like her, then I think you already know the answer."


    Lisa started out of the memory as the door leading to the conference room opened. Taylor and Victoria stepped through it together. They were close, their shoulders brushing together. Exchanging little glances full of silent communication. Whether Taylor had acted on that conversation or not, things were clearly progressing in some form.

    After it became clear that the two were not going to make the first step, Lisa stood up from where she was leaning against the wall and cleared her throat. "Are you two done, then?"

    Victoria (not Tori, she couldn't risk slipping and saying that out loud) blinked. Taylor, by contrast, didn't flinch. Of course she didn't. She knew where everyone within half a mile was, and wasn't about to be caught off guard.

    "We had something we wanted to tell you," she said.

    "Oh?" Lisa asked, her eyes dancing between the two girls. Victoria glanced towards Taylor and signed something. If Lisa prodded her power she could probably make out specifics, but given that this felt like it was going to be a long conversation it wasn't worth the time it would set her back. Intensive use still cost her days or weeks of headaches.

    Taylor turned back to her. "Victoria's power has been behaving… oddly. Strange interactions with her forcefield. Irregular uses of her aura. We tried to test it, and something went wrong. Her forcefield was…" she trailed off, but Lisa had heard enough as she looked at Victoria. She was cringing, avoiding eye contact, a blush staining her cheeks. Not embarrassment, not in the context. Humiliation? Anger? Guilt?

    Symptoms point predominantly to shame, self-loathing. Likely caused by irregularities in powers; incongruent with control and sense of self. Self image most recently–

    Lisa closed her eyes. Yeah, she got the picture. "And it's stuck that way, I assume?"

    She heard the swish of hair as Victoria nodded, and cracked an eye open. "What exactly were you trying to do?"

    Another glance between the two girls. She couldn't dip into her power to decipher it, not with so much of the conversation left to go. She had to ration it.

    "She was trying to alter its shape. The shield had already added an extra limb by accident. She was trying to do that on purpose," Taylor said, as if the concept wasn't crazy. Powers didn't work like that. Outside of a second trigger, capes' power sets were pretty static. Oh, they might get better and learn new tricks, but the base power remained the same. Unless Glory Girl had been sandbagging like hell – or criminally inattentive to the details of how her power worked – that wasn't likely.

    For a moment, Lisa stared at Victoria. Then she set her jaw and let her power off the chain.

    Defensive posture. Afraid of self. Afraid of ability to hurt others. Has demonstrated control in tense situations around Taylor. Current fear unrelated to previous control. Has likely harmed Taylor. Feels guilty–

    Lisa bit her lip. No, wrong track. Back up, start again.

    Has likely harmed Taylor. Taylor does not show significant impairment, ruling out serious physical injury. No obvious emotional irregularities beyond ongoing attachment issues and temperamental behavior; harm unlikely to be due to aura–

    She knew that already. Cut it off, start over.

    Loss of control likely due to forcefield shape. Moth perched on left arm. Moth landed on left arm directly without obstruction. Forcefield is inactive. Forcefield cannot be activated without loss of control.

    Her mouth twitched, ingrained habit plastering a hint of her trademark grin across her face before she bit it back. As good a mask as the grin was, now wasn't the time for it. So. Victoria's forcefield was on the fritz. Interesting data. But why?

    Forcefield instability likely linked to emotional situations. Has suffered significant emotional trauma in the past month. Mood swings are a recent development, linked to recent trauma. Recent trauma associated with Amy. Forcefield changes related to Amy.

    Lisa hissed as a spike of pain stabbed inward from her temple and forced her power back. The bright sharp lance of agony faded into a dull throbbing ache that she knew from experience would build up over the next few hours until her head felt like it was caught in a vice. Still, she'd gotten enough. Not nearly as much as she'd wanted, but she never did. She took a moment to close her eyes and press the heel of her palms to her eyes before straightening to face the pair again.

    "It's the forcefield. Probably related to whatever Amy did, though I can't tell why. My power linked it to emotional instability and mood swings, for what it's worth. Try keeping a steadier handle on yourself next time, if you can manage that."

    Victoria met her gaze for the first time, and the look in her eyes could've frozen the sun. Great. Well, she'd tried.

    "Hey, I did my best," Lisa muttered as another pulse of pain made pressure flare behind her eyes. "I'm gonna be feeling that for the next week, at least."

    Victoria wasn't happy, but Taylor raised a hand between them and turned to sign something at her. Whatever it was, it took the wind out of Victoria's sails, and she threw Lisa a vaguely apologetic look as the tension slipped out of her shoulders. Taylor was already looking at her as Lisa glanced her way, and didn't hide the gratitude in her slight nod.

    "Was there anything else? You two were in there a long time to just be chatting about that," Lisa said after a moment.

    "Victoria wants us to unmask. Publicly. As a team." The words came out of Taylor's mouth flatly, almost without affect. But Lisa could see the tension behind her eyes; the way her shoulders hunched, fingers deliberately loose, face overly placid. This was something she wasn't sold on herself. How could she be? Taylor, of all people, would be the hardest sell here.

    And yet she was convinced enough to bring it up.

    Lisa licked her lips. "Oh? And how did she come to that conclusion?" She had to buy time, find out what Victoria was really after. The ex-hero had been remarkably silent on the matter of the Undersiders and her association with them until now. Was this how her morals finally made themselves known?

    She resisted the urge to groan when Victoria started signing to Taylor again. This was going to be a long conversation. "The PRT isn't following the rules," Taylor translated. "They know who you are from Coil's files. They're helping Amy. The only agreements you have with them are flimsy at best. Right now, you have Dragon's support. If you lean on that and reframe yourselves publicly as independents who helped take down a major villain, you have leverage. A way out."

    Taylor's voice was as calm and placid as a lake, barely any more expressive than a flat monotone. One hand twitched lazily.

    "So you're serious," Lisa said, taking the opportunity to look at Victoria directly and bracing herself. She had to know if there was something more to this. Some hidden agenda.

    Shoulders curled inwards, hiding behind clothing. Arms curled defensively; expecting retaliation. Meeting eyes, determined to–

    Lisa hissed, and shut her power off. That was enough. She couldn't force out any more. She'd have to go with her gut from here on.

    "Yes, she is," Taylor said.

    She hummed, taking the time to put her thoughts together. She didn't know what arguments Victoria had made to get Taylor to hear her out, but it didn't really matter. They had different priorities, and she had to secure her own interests first. If that meant driving a wedge between them for the moment, then so be it.

    "What about the rest of the Undersiders, then? I doubt Alec and Rachel are going to be as enthusiastic about this idea as Taylor." She was probably burned out on her power for the day unless she wanted to resort to painkiller dosages she usually tried to avoid, but she'd honed her ability to read people without it for exactly this kind of situation. And Victoria, even as she started signing, seemed to be taking this argument in stride.

    "The plan isn't perfect, and there are definitely privacy concerns. But that's a matter of how you'd safely do it. Not if you'd do it. Dragon has proved that your privacy is a farce anyways. You have nothing left to lose." Taylor's stance was ever so slightly awkward, understandably as the dialogue was stilted from her side. Playing translator against your own team was never fun.

    "Oh? You're assuming a lot there. You don't know my story, or anyone else's aside from Taylor. Just because you don't have a family to go back to, doesn't mean none of us do." She was lying, and Taylor knew as much. But Victoria didn't. She had to see how she'd respond here.

    "That's..." Taylor paused for a moment, picking the right words to convey whatever Victoria was signing, "... a misrepresentation, and you know it. The Undersiders have done just as much to harm civilians as help them, even if the circumstances pressured them. I'm not saying to leave family to the wind, but continuing as villains objectively places them in more danger if the PRT is already aware of your identities."

    Victoria's eyes were hard and sharp as they glared at her. She didn't even glance at Taylor as she started signing again, and it took Taylor several seconds to catch up, sounding a lot less calm all of a sudden. "The... ENE leaks like a sieve," she translated, her voice strained. "Even if the PRT don't go after your families... it only takes one mole or Hero with a grudge to expose you, and then other villains can target you out of costume. Unmasking at least lets you take precautions openly."

    "So, what, instead of playing their game, we provoke them instead? New Wave will be the first parallel anyone will draw, and that was a movement demanding Protectorate accountability. You think the PRT is just gonna let us hang their asses out to dry?" Lisa asked as she leaned against the wall behind her. At this point the bugs from Taylor's swarm had long since enveloped them, she wasn't worried about eavesdroppers. "By your own accounts we've hurt people. Do we get to be heroes now?"

    Victoria snorted, shaking her head. "No. Don't be stupid," Taylor's voice was more confident now; this was ground they'd gone over. Had Victoria not mentioned the possibility of their identities leaking, then? It didn't seem like something she'd leave out. But it could well be something she'd only thought of just now. Chalk that up as a mark she'd come up with this idea recently, then.

    "But," Taylor continued on Victoria's behalf, "you can be independent capes caught up in something bigger than yourselves, who made some mistakes. So long as you don't make more, you have the leverage to make the narrative stick."

    Lisa's teeth ground. The idea Victoria was presenting on its surface was… promising. At least, the way she was describing it. But she had to know it wasn't that easy. That the PRT didn't hand out free passes to villains it was one step away from dropping artillery on. That it had dropped artillery on.

    "Cute. But the PRT has a wider reach, and a bigger audience. What's your plan for using that 'leverage' without them just discrediting us?"

    "It won't work if the PRT opposes you," Victoria admitted, and Lisa raised an eyebrow at the simmering rage in Taylor's tone. "But you can make sure they don't. You can even force them to support you."

    "Oh? And how is that, exactly?"

    Victoria hesitated. Then breathed deeply and signed something with movements almost too small to see.

    "Amy. They made a mistake backing her. Two mistakes. Not just being in the wrong. They're only thinking about how they look to the public. They've forgotten who else was watching when Carol made that announcement and the PRT let her go back to healing. Their own side."

    It took Lisa a second to get it, but when she did, it startled an actual laugh out of her. "Oh, damn," she said. "That's vicious. Maybe I misjudged you, princess. Okay, maybe it could work. Maybe. A threat like that would definitely get Piggot to sit up and listen, I'll give you that."

    She couldn't say the idea of twisting the PRT's arm didn't appeal, either. But that still depended on her wanting to flip sides in the first place. It wasn't like Lisa had ever particularly wanted to be a white hat, and her time in Brockton Bay had only reinforced that view.

    "But what if I don't want to stop 'making mistakes'? What then?"

    There was a moment of quiet, hissing silence. Victoria's eyes were shards of glass set into pale skin. "Then it's your funeral. But I won't be joining you for it."

    Lisa chuckled mirthlessly, keeping a wary eye on Taylor. "No one was asking you to. We were doing just fine before you showed up, and we will after you leave."

    Really? Victoria's glare seemed to say. "If I hadn't been here you'd be stuck between fighting Dragon, or being brought in as terrorists. That only ends one way on either side."

    She paused, and Lisa let her catch her breath, so to speak. She was clearly building to something, and Lisa was curious despite herself.

    "Look." Victoria glanced at Taylor again with another one of those speaking glances, and Taylor nodded back neutrally. "If you want to be an independent, and still be in contact with crime, fine. Be an information broker. Work with both sides. Make yourself too useful for anyone to go after. It's not like the PRT doesn't use informants, so do what you do best, Tattletale. Why take all the flak of getting into fights when you don't have to?"

    Lisa paused. That… actually had some merit to it. Enough it was probably what had convinced Taylor to play translator for this at all. She hated it on principle, but she had to admit she might've suggested it if she'd thought of it first. It let her stay away from being a goody two shoes. She wouldn't have to play the nauseating game of who cared about Sally Civilian more. And if she saw the look in Victoria's eyes right, it might make her invaluable enough that the PRT would have to give her leeway. She'd have to check later with her power to be sure, but just the idea of needling that bitch Piggot to her face threatened to spread another grin across her face.

    But.

    She had to check one last time. To know why Victoria was willing to endanger her place here with this idea. An idea she had to have known would go over about as well as a fart in a church.

    She was just about to bite the bullet and activate her power when she glanced at Victoria again. She was looking at Taylor. The moth on her elbow twitched. Taylor looked back, and subtly brushed their hands.

    Ah. So it was like that.

    Well then.

    "Alright."


    A/N:
    It's here, finally! All the Lisa content you could ask for! I've been waiting to write her interlude for ages, and let me tell you, writing Lisa is a blast. Hard as hell, but no less fun for it. It can be really difficult to straddle the line between self aggrandizing, petty and razor sharp intelligence. Much thanks to Aleph and Silvia for helping me find that balance.

    Also, Tori seems to have a plan she thinks will get the PRT on-side. What's that about? I'm sure it's nothing. It's not like things could get much worse, right? Hey, why is everyone giving me those looks? You can trust me, I promise <3

    In light of this being an interlude with a very particular perspective, this piece on The Purpose of Interludes is insightful on the topic. Not every interlude follows the rules/guidelines it lays out. For instance: most of mine are short enough that they don't really serve as self contained character arcs. But I do always have a reason for swapping my perspectives, and especially in an arc as interlude heavy as this one turned out to be I thought I'd share some of that reasoning with you.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • I just found, and binged, Silence is Not Consent based on Geas's recommendation and it's been a fun ride. I'm not sure if I should thank you or curse you for all your own recommendations. On one hand, they've been interesting. On the other hand, I now have far too many extra tabs open. ... I mean, I had too many open before, but now it's even worse.

    Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

    justanothercat said:
    "You said I liked Brian."

    The words were forced out through clenched teeth. Lisa grimaced. On the one hand, it was probably a good thing that Taylor had relaxed enough to admit this to herself. On the other hand, this was probably the third-worst time for it in the past couple of months, right after the Endbringer attack and the fight against the Nine. And at least those had both increased team cohesion in one way or another. Why couldn't she have stayed oblivious and repressed for another few weeks until things had calmed down?

    Well, nothing for it but to bull through. "I did," Lisa agreed, mournfully accepting that she was going to bed with a splitting headache tonight. "And I was right. Are you going to tell me you didn't have a crush?"

    "You said I was straight. That I liked Brian. That I should be with him."

    Deflection; is unwilling to address previous argument. Is afraid Brian is getting worse without her support. Feels guilty about it, but not acting to intervene. Previously willing to offer him emotional and physical companionship. Reluctance now indicates shift in priorities–

    "Are you trying to tell me something, Taylor?"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I may be misremembering things from canon, but this feels odd. Needing Lisa's encouragement to go after Brian makes sense, but Taylor needing to be told she's strait, and interpreting it in such a way that being anything other than exclusively strait constitutes a lie, doesn't really make sense to me. I could understand her wanting help confirming that what she was feeling for him was actually attraction, if she previously thought she was a lesbian, but why would she need confirmation that she's not attracted to women and why would Lisa have offered it?

    Maybe I'm missing something here?

    justanothercat said:
    Victoria's eyes were hard and sharp as they glared at her. She didn't even glance at Taylor as she started signing again, and it took Taylor several seconds to catch up, sounding a lot less calm all of a sudden. "The... ENE leaks like a sieve," she translated, her voice strained. "Even if the PRT don't go after your families... it only takes one mole or Hero with a grudge to expose you, and then other villains can target you out of costume. Unmasking at least lets you take precautions openly."

    "So you think the PRT is just gonna let us hang their asses out to dry?" Lisa asked as she leaned against the wall behind her. At this point the bugs from Taylor's swarm had long since enveloped them, she wasn't worried about eavesdroppers. "By your own accounts we've hurt people. Do we get to be heroes now?"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    This feels like a bit of a nonsequiter and like a slightly garbled phrase. The preceding paragraph is Tori talking about how the PRT is likely to hang the Undersider's out to dry, so I'm not sure how or why Lisa's reversing that into the Undersiders hanging the PRT out to dry?

    justanothercat said:
    Lisa paused. That… actually had some merit to it. Enough it was probably what had convinced Taylor to play translator for this at all. She hated it on principle, but she had to admit she might've suggested it if she'd thought of it first. It let her stay away from being a goody two shoes. She wouldn't have to play the nauseating game of who cared about Sally Civilian more.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I think there should be an 'any' between 'Civilian' and 'more', but I'm also not clear on what she means with this sentence, would you mind explaining it?
     
    Yeah, feels like Lisa. The figurative fucking worst, but kind enough to Taylor (in her own fucked-up way) that I like her anyway. She's also misreading Piggot badly, as Piggot hates Carol's current brand of bullshit possibly worse than she hates the Undersiders.

    However, none of this addresses the actual fucking disaster that is revealing Alec's face publicly. And I worry that he won't be able to muster up the entirely sensible fear to point it out or split with the Undersiders over it.
     
    Epsilon Rose said:
    Maybe I'm missing something here?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Basically Taylor is deflecting. Lisa only said she liked Brian (true), but she's taking it here to mean that Lisa was saying that she was straight in the process. Lisa wasn't saying that (although she would've if she'd been asked), but remembering it in this way allows Taylor to push the blame at Lisa instead of herself for not being introspective. "Why didn't you tell me?" is a lot easier than "Why didn't I know?"
    Epsilon Rose said:
    I'm not sure how or why Lisa's reversing that into the Undersiders hanging the PRT out to dry?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It's a big garbled yeah, that was kind of in the interest of making the dialogue believable. These are teenagers, and they suck at communicating. What Lisa was getting at (poorly) is that if they came out as "heroes" and pinned the blame for what they did on the PRT, there would be no incentive for the PRT not to just arrest them to take back the narrative.
    Epsilon Rose said:
    I'm also not clear on what she means with this sentence, would you mind explaining it?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It's a literary device. Basically a deliberately generic name to reference a broader group. You could translate it into "she wouldn't have to put energy into publicly caring about civilians more than the PRT in some battle over supposed morality"
     
    Supernova 5.2
  • Threadmarks
    • Wait, really? It was that easy? I stared at Lisa, waiting for her to say 'psych!' and go back to tearing apart my reasoning. Why give in now?

    "That easily?" said Taylor, and for a second I thought she was translating for me. But no, I hadn't signed anything. She was just echoing my thoughts.

    Lisa snorted. "No, not that easily. But you can call me about as convinced as you are. I don't have much of a horse in this race. My family is gone; nobody's going to find the Wilbourns if they go looking. And you've seen how good I am with makeup; nobody's going to recognize me on the street unless I want to be recognized. I'm not saying this is safe, or even remotely a good idea. But I was basically doing information broker work for Coil, so this would just be going indie-rogue in the same line of work and expanding my customer base. If you're telling me that you want to spend your reputation on giving me a way to get into a decades-long pissing match with the PRT over intel whether they like it or not? Any girl's gonna be tempted by something like that."

    My eyes narrowed. It wasn't that Lisa was lying to me, exactly. The subtle shift of Meepy on my arm told me as much. But it was pretty clear that this wasn't all that she was saying.

    "And just like that, you're cool with it?"

    "I'm not saying that at all, Victoria. But you've half-convinced this one," she glanced at Taylor before looking back at me, "so this needs to be dealt with one way or another. If you somehow manage to sway Taylor all the way and convince the rest of the team to go with this instead of whatever violence Bitch will inevitably vote for, then obviously you must have some idea of what you're doing. Consider me... a neutral abstention." She flashed a quick grin. "Actually no, I'll do you one better. Get Taylor fully onboard and I'll follow her lead."

    That was… better than I'd expected. Even if it wasn't full throated support. Though she made an important point about the rest of the Undersiders. Even assuming I could convince Taylor and get Lisa in the bargain, that still left the rest of the team. Alec, Brian, Aisha and Bitch would all have their own issues. And while I could account for some of them ahead of time, ultimately I didn't know that much about the people under the masks. I would have to think on my feet, and I'd be dealing with people who likely wouldn't even take my argument in good faith.

    I glanced at Taylor and brushed a finger along Meepy. "What about the rest of your team?"

    She hummed, her eyes defocusing for a moment. "Aisha and Brian are… I'll handle Brian at least. I owe him that much. Alec has a PR issue, but Lisa–"

    "Ah ah ah," Lisa cut her off. "I said I was abstaining, and that I'd join up if you talked Taylor all the way into it. Taylor? What's your verdict? Are we unmasking?"

    I looked at Taylor, biting my lip. She looked back. Meepy's wings fluttered uncertainly, and the bugs around her pulled in closer; a security blanket against her discomfort.

    "... I'll handle Brian," she repeated, breaking eye contact with me. "He might come up with some risks and countermeasures that we haven't considered. And I... we're overdue a conversation."

    I swallowed. That wasn't a 'no', but it sure as hell wasn't a 'yes'. Lisa nodded, not looking remotely surprised. "Right. And either way, I said nothing about endorsing this… plan myself. You two are on your own there. But I promise not to get in your way, and if you talk the others round, I'll help with the PRT." Her grin was wicked. "It'll be fun. I'm kind of hoping you succeed, just so I get to see the look on Piggot's face."

    She stretched, pushing off from the wall she'd been leaning on. "Now, if that's everything, you two should really get going. I have some administrative work to do, and I can't have the lobby infested with a swarm of hornets for the next two hours."

    I glanced around us and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. For all that I'd admonished Skitter early on about not being aware of how intimidating her swarm was, I'd started to forget too. Taylor had been insulating us with a cocoon of angrily droning bodies for the past ten minutes, and while I'd registered them, I hadn't spared more than a passing thought for how scary it must be to the people who lived and worked here.

    I nodded at Taylor, who drew the swarm in even closer as we walked towards the door. She wrapped herself in her armor; first her mask, then in sequential layers of flies, cockroaches and spiders that crawled into the strands of her hair and squirmed into the pouch along her spine. I looked away until she was finished.

    I might've… liked… Taylor, but even I had my limits.


    If I was hoping that a night's sleep would make the situation feel less complicated or precarious in the morning, I was sorely mistaken. Taylor said as much when I broached the subject over breakfast two days later.

    "I can't say how the rest will respond," she said around a spoonful of oatmeal. We had used the kitchen early by silent agreement, and now we were sitting in her room, shoveling down food and trying to figure out the best approach.

    "The meeting is today, you said?"

    She nodded. "I signaled them through the usual method on Monday evening, after we got back from Lisa's place. Not everyone has responded yet, but it's still early." She paused, and looked at me. "I know why you're doing this, but asking for a meeting so soon after the last one is strange."

    I resisted the urge to growl. "I know that. What do you expect me to say?"

    "I'm not expecting anything!" she snapped. "You're the one who asked for this, Tori. You're the one who wants my team, who wants me to throw away our safety on your say so. Don't get mad at me because I'm pointing out the obvious problems!"

    I opened my mouth, bit back another retort and took a long, slow breath in and out. Getting angry wouldn't help my case, I reminded myself. I knew tensions were high. I knew I was asking a lot. I needed to keep that in mind and ground what I wanted against what I could reasonably expect. Taylor was sticking her neck out for me in a big way here. I had to respect that.

    "You're right. I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just… frustrated. And nervous." That wasn't all I was feeling, but it would have to do.

    She relaxed, and the humming of the walls shifted to match. "I know. I'm not sold on this plan yet. If you'd told me a month ago that I would ever even entertain the idea…" She trailed off without finishing the sentence, but she didn't have to. I'm not sure either of us could've predicted where this chain of events had led us.

    "Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

    The question hung in the air. I hadn't planned on asking it; my hands had moved without thinking. Not for the first time I longed for the familiar embrace of my shield, if only to protect me from her gaze. But I didn't dare look away. I had to know.

    "I'm not sure," she said finally, looking down and stirring her oatmeal. "I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable with it."

    She smiled ruefully at the snort I couldn't quite hide, and leaned back in her chair. "It's not the safest plan. That goes for the people you're trying to convince as much as it does me. Alec, Aisha, Brian, Bitch; they all have reasons for why they're here."

    I nodded. On some level that was true of all Villains. And unpowered criminals, for that matter. Carol hadn't talked about it much when we were growing up, but it was hard to escape reality in Parahumans 101. A lot of the issues within cape culture stemmed from societal failure as much as it did individual trauma. It's why the PRT tried to have social workers or sympathetic Heroes visit suspected triggers to offer help and support. How many capes might have been diverted from a terrible path if only they'd had the right person reach out at the right time?

    I couldn't claim to know why the rest of the Undersiders had become criminals or joined their group. But if Taylor's situation was any indication, things were always a lot more complicated under the surface. And as much as I thought unmasking was the right choice, I had to meet them on common ground. Wherever that might end up being.

    I'd thought about asking Taylor to give me the rundown of what their respective objections would be, but in the end I hadn't gone through with it. It didn't seem fair to put her in that position. It was one thing to ask if their cape identities would pose any problems for me personally before meeting her team for the first time. That was already extending a lot of trust, and I'd had good reason to ask. But to poke at whatever specific traumas had led them here? It hadn't even been a week since they'd unmasked to me, and that had been far from a considered, democratic vote in the first place.

    No. Whatever awaited me, I'd have to meet it on my own.

    "But regardless," Taylor said after it became clear I wasn't going to say anything, "I know you think this is the right choice. For now, that's enough."

    My heart thumped painfully in my chest. "Really?"

    She gave me a long, measuring look, then nodded firmly. "You stuck out your neck for us before. For me, personally. Far more than you had to. Giving you the benefit of the doubt is only fair."

    I felt a hesitant, fragile smile spread across my face. I tried to hide it behind a bit of toast, and while I know Taylor must have caught onto what I was doing, she was gracious enough not to comment on it.

    The benefit of the doubt, huh?

    I could work with that.


    The July air was crisp and cold as we crested the hill of the Seaside Garden, though I knew from bitter experience it wouldn't stay that way. The ocean provided a protective fog over the coast that we'd felt on our skin the moment we stepped outside, but that would burn away by midday. After that we'd be in for the muggy, humid heat of the height of Brockton summer.

    But it was hard to be snide about that when the park was so beautiful. Seaside had been donated by some rich corporate mega donor years ago, likely to smooth over yet another PR disaster. It was almost always something like that with these things. Hell, it might even have been Medhall and the Empire, which was a vaguely sickening thought.

    But whoever it was and whatever scandal or dirty laundry they'd been covering up, they'd given the city a huge budget to work with. The planners had put that to good use, lacing the park with cute gravel paths, ample benches and an observational deck overlooking Brockton. A part of me relaxed as soon as the treeline hid the city behind us. It was easy to pretend that it was just me and Skitter, back in that forest. Before I–

    I cleared my throat, and turned to my partner. Taylor was dressed in her civilian clothes, which today meant a pair of slim jeans and a nondescript tank top. Practical and to the point. With my musings on the weather earlier, I couldn't blame her, even if I'd kept my favorite hoodie, cleaned and reclaimed from the laundry.

    "Is this the place?"

    Taylor nodded without looking at me. "I told Lisa that we'd meet at the place where…" she trailed off. I was about to ask what she meant when I looked at where her gaze was locked, and my own thoughts slowed to a crawl.

    It was tall. Almost three times our height; if you couldn't fly you'd need to crane your neck to take it all in. Up close, it loomed over us. Over me. The shadow alone blocked out the sun. It filled my vision, and the solemn gravity of it pulled me in like a moth to a flame. Taylor's voice fell away as I approached it. The black stone was obviously polished to a mirror finish, even if the time since had seen dust slowly accumulate in the cracks and crevices. My fingers brushed across them, the touch of cold stone sending goosebumps up my arms and a shiver down my spine.

    Fierceling
    Hallow
    Jotun

    So many without names. Affiliations. Anything to stand out against the impassive granite. But I suppose that was the nature of these things. At least they got some recognition. It was better than the civilians.

    I paused as my fingers found one set of names I'd been dreading.

    Gallant / Dean Stansfield

    I knew he'd be on here. Of course I did. Dean had died… a Hero. Or at least, that's what I'd tried to tell myself during the long, bitterly lonely nights after. When I'd wondered if he was so concerned about dying to protect people he'd never met that he'd forgotten about me.

    A part of me never quite forgave him for that.

    But while I'd known the name would be here, even if I hadn't had the decency to visit since the initial ceremony, it didn't stop the hurt from welling up. Fresh and hot, like a coal rising up through my chest to burn a hole through my throat. For the first time I was almost grateful I was mute. At least it made it harder to cry.

    Dean was gone. Just a name now, inscribed on impassive black stone, left here among hundreds of others. How many capes had died that day? So many Endbringer statistics were inflated by the sheer chaos that accompanied every attack. How did you account for the missing? For the independents who never registered to begin with? For fresh triggers who died on the same day they got their powers? For the slow, lingering deaths those monsters so often condemned their victims to?

    And that was just the capes. To count the civilian deaths...

    It was a nightmare. These monuments were the best we could do. But as much as it hurt, as much as it burned, I wasn't surprised to see Dean here. I was expecting it. I was prepared for it.

    What broke me were the other two.

    Manpower / Neil Pelham
    Shielder / Eric Pelham

    I brought a hand up instinctively to cover my mouth, even as my breath hitched. Uncle Neil. Eric. I'd known they'd died, of fucking course I had. How could I not, when Aunt Sarah was still a wreck even when I'd left a month later?

    But seeing them like this… when was the last time I'd thought about them? About Sarah, or Crystal? Or anyone else aside from Carol and Amy? The two of them had dominated my thoughts for so long, I hadn't realized how poisonous they were. How I'd somehow let them decide what my family meant to me, and what they all thought of me.

    It all came to me in a rush, and I let out a long slow keen. Taylor was beside me in an instant, laying a hesitant hand on my shoulder. I tried not to flinch away. It was–it was what I needed right now. I could worry about my feelings later.

    She let me stand there, sniffling, as I slowly pulled myself back together. She didn't ask what was wrong. If I was okay. Any of those useless platitudes. I had no idea how to thank her for that. But when I looked up to meet her eyes, something in her gaze told me I didn't need to.

    "I-I'm sorry."

    Taylor gently shook her head, her gaze turning back to the monument. "We all lost people. Some closer than others."

    I nodded absently, before catching myself. That was… there was something she wasn't quite saying there. Leviathan was where her career had shattered. What little had remained, anyway. Between Armsmaster and Tattletale and the mistreatment by Panacea the entire thing had been a shitshow. She'd had no one.

    I didn't ask her to clarify what she meant, but I softly ran a finger down one of Meepy's antennae. As I followed her gaze, I found myself looking at the bottom of the monument. Someone had inscribed two columns of names below the official casualties. Rough and obviously misspelled. My nose wrinkled in distaste. It had been two months since Leviathan, and someone had defaced the monument already.

    I turned to ask Taylor if she knew who was responsible, only to pause at the look on her face. I had seen Taylor, and Skitter for that matter, express many things. Anger. Shock. Anxiety. Protectiveness. Determination. Resignation. Tenderness.

    But never guilt.

    "Those were the names of her dogs," she said as she caught the obvious question on my face.

    "Dogs?"

    She nodded, slowly tracing the words. "Bitch's dogs. You remember that they held down Leviathan? He killed most of them." She swallowed and stopped on one letter. "Ra-Bitch's dogs, her power doesn't affect them the way the PRT thinks. She has to train them. Bond with them. Teach them what to do, and when. Most of those dogs had been with her for years. They died saving me."

    There was something warbling in her voice, on the edge of breaking. Though whether from anger or guilt, I couldn't say. "They saved you?"

    A grim smile drew across her face. "Yeah. And then she found out I was going to betray them all ten minutes later."

    I swallowed, and slowly turned back to the names on the monument.

    KOOROW BULLIT
    MILK STUMPY
    BROOTOS JOODUS
    AXIL GINGIR

    I reached out and ran my fingers over them. They were imperfect. The letters were clearly chipped out by hand, and going by the spelling the scribe had barely been literate. But unless you were a Brute, carving words into solid stone took time. Effort. And the kind of bitter anger that came from having your family torn apart and left without a gravestone.

    I swallowed, and slowly withdrew my hand, clenching it into a fist to stop it from shaking. Turning back to Taylor, I gave her a hesitant smile.

    "Thank you for sharing them with me."

    She stared at me for a second, before nodding curtly. "The others are going to arrive soon. Are you sure you still want to do this?"

    I blew out a sigh and took a long, contemplative moment to think about it. Was I sure? So little felt like it made that bar these days. My life felt like it was spiraling ever inward, accelerating all the way, propelled by the girl in front of me. How confident was I that breaking the status quo like this was the right move? Not even remotely.

    But something had to change. They couldn't go on as they were.

    I nodded.

    "Good," she said, "because they're here."

    I blinked and looked toward the path to the north. Sure enough, the Undersiders were starting to trickle in. It was hard to spot them at first. The park wasn't completely deserted, and they were wearing civilian clothes. But I pegged the signature streak of bright purple in Aisha's hair. A smirk slid across her face and she waved, her crop top riding high against dark skin.

    Her brother Brian halfheartedly raised his own hand, though the glare at his sister right next to him said he was less than enthused. He was wearing a faded T-shirt tucked messily into blue jeans, with some scuffed boots. Seeing him next to Aisha, it was impossible to deny the family resemblance, even if they were total opposites in build.

    Alec was next, a little further off. He seemed to be taking his time, ambling up along the southwest path Taylor and I had taken. He'd decided on a puffy shirt remarkably similar to the one he wore as Regent, though this one was a vibrant red against his pale skin. The color suited him.

    He was walking right next to, of all people, Lisa; a pairing that prompted me to double take in surprise. The first time I'd seen them talking together in a meeting, he'd sucker punched her. And the last time hadn't been much better. Surely that had to put some strain on their interactions? But if it did, the wide smile Lisa was sending him showed no signs of it. Her teeth gleamed against pink lips, announcing her happiness for all to see. Her hair was done up in a bun, and her face was subtly contoured to dramatize her cheekbones. When you combined that with the pressed shirt (where had she even gotten that in this mess of a city?) it wasn't hard to think of her as one of my old college classmates from BBU. No wonder she wasn't worried about being recognized around town.

    And last was Bitch, easy to spot given the two dogs she was walking. Her already broad silhouette was filled out further by her olive green hooded jacket, the fur collar serving to frame her shoulders against the early morning chill. She wore flannel underneath, laid loose against rough work jeans and boots, and from what I could see of her face she was already scowling.

    I struggled not to show my nerves as they all drew closer. This was what I wanted. I knew it would be hard. I knew they'd be… at the very least confused by what I asked, probably angry. But I wasn't doing it for nothing. If there wasn't something to my proposal, Taylor and Lisa would've shot it down immediately. I was right that their current position was unsustainable. I had to trust in that. In them.

    In her.

    "Hey there, GG!" Alec called out as they drew near, "I hear we have you to thank for this little impromptu get together!"

    I resisted the urge to growl at him, and glanced at Taylor. She caught my question before I asked. "I have bugs on everyone within seven hundred feet. We're fine. He wouldn't be saying anything if we weren't."

    A shudder went through me at that last line. Right, this was Regent. For all I know he could sense every nervous system nearby.

    "Why are we here?" Bitch spat out, glaring at me. "This is a waste of time."

    "Patience," Lisa said, turning to her. "Victoria here wanted to–"

    "Bullshit!" she snapped. Her dogs growled. "I was taking care of my dogs. Now you tell me this is important? We just had one of these stupid talks. Nothing happened."

    "Bitch," Taylor said, drawing her attention back to us. Her posture was hesitant, though you wouldn't know it from looking. Only Meepy's forelegs tapping restlessly at my wrist gave her away. "I know your dogs are important to you. I wouldn't call you here if they weren't. Will you hear what we have to say? I'll cover the cost of pulling you away from them. I still owe you."

    The girl glared at her, before baring her teeth in a mockery of a smile. "Fine. But if you fuck with me, I hit you."

    "While all that's well and good," Lisa said, carefully eyeing the two girls, "this spot is a bit public for my liking. Mind walking over so we aren't in front of the memorial? I don't want mom and pop over there stumbling across our little talk."

    She was right, though I resisted the urge to give us away by craning my neck to look. People came to look at the monument often enough that we had to be careful of people overhearing us. Especially if we hung out right in front of it. Taylor was tagging everyone, but she wasn't infallible. Flechette had proven that.

    The rest of the group muttered agreements, and we made our way over to a nearby bench next to a railing that overlooked the city. I resisted the urge to stare out over the roofs and chimneys of the city, poking out of the fog like islands dotted on an endless sea. Now wasn't the time to avoid eye contact, even if I wanted to. It would make me look weak if I couldn't meet their gaze.

    "So whatcha got for us, barbie?"

    Fuck! I flinched at the voice right next to my ear. I jumped and just barely managed to keep my aura locked tight beneath my skin. Goddammit, it was Aisha again. That was going to get annoying. Though looking at her shit-eating grin, I gathered that was entirely the point.

    "Victoria here has an interesting little proposition for us," Lisa said, drawing our attention back to the task at hand. "Taylor, you mind playing translator again?"

    She shook her head, and with that all of their attention turned to me. Fuck, this was it. It was time to put up, or shut up.

    "Why did all of you get involved in the Undersiders?" It was a stupid question, not related to what Lisa said, but I needed to ask. It bought me time, for one. But it also gave me much needed information on where these people were actually coming from. Rule one of negotiating: you couldn't effectively bargain if you didn't know your opponent's starting position.

    Taylor's translation rang out into silence, and I resisted the urge to elaborate. To explain that they didn't have to share, that I wasn't going to snitch on them to the Heroes. That was part of what this was about. Either they trusted me at this point… or they didn't.

    Alec broke the silence. "I mean, the money was good, and the crib we had was pretty nice." He scratched the back of his head, and yawned absentmindedly. "I know that most of you guys have some sort of moral crusade or whatever, but I'm not really about that. I'm a simple guy, I know what I like."

    My eyes narrowed. Alright. Simple pleasures, simple goals. Nothing laudable, but in some ways that made it easier. So long as his quality of life wasn't disrupted, he probably wouldn't care too much. If I could coach this in terms of being the only sustainable path forward, that was one obstacle tentatively dealt with.

    "You wanna go next, oh fearless leader?" Aisha snarked, digging her elbow into her brother next to her. Dammit when had she moved?

    He shot her a dark glare, but sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Coil promised me he would… get money. Help me protect my sister." He closed his eyes and sagged. "For all the good that did."

    That was… nondescript. Though more than I'd expected from him after the last two times I'd heard him talk. Aisha had powers now, so depending on what he felt she needed to be protected from, that motivation was either solved or significantly altered. And Coil was no longer a factor, good riddance. With that in mind, was there anything still keeping him tied to this team? Food for thought.

    "I guess that's my cue," Aisha grinned as she leaned back on one foot. "Big bro was going on all these secret meetings with his 'friends', it was so lame. I totally knew what he was on about, but did he tell me? Noooooo." She sang out the last word. "So obviously I had to bully him into giving me a spot. None of them have kicked me out yet, so here I am!"

    She seemed utterly carefree, unattached to the future of the team or any of the people in front of her. From the way she was leaning into Brian's side earlier, though, and the subtle glance at Alec out of the corner of her eye, there was more to it than that. But I wasn't going to press if she didn't feel like sharing.

    A silence fell over the group as we turned our attention to Bitch. She bristled under the attention, and met my gaze with a low growl. But I refused to look away or back down. This was important. I didn't want to start a fight; I couldn't afford to needlessly antagonize this girl who'd already lost so much. But if I wanted to help her, I needed to know where to start.

    "Coil said he'd get money for my dogs," she spat, even as her left hand tightened around their leashes. "I keep doing this for as long as it gets me money."

    I nodded carefully at her. If I'd heard that half an hour ago, I might not have understood, but after Taylor's story and the carving on the monument, it was clear that she saw those dogs as family. It was funny, in a way. Her stated goal was the most mercenary of any of the others, bar maybe Alec. But it was also the most pure. If you replaced 'take care of my dogs' with 'get my mother cancer treatment', how differently would the PRT have viewed her case? How differently would I have?

    Bitch nodded back, and with that everyone's attention was focused on me again. Right. No more stalling. I had to introduce this topic slowly, I couldn't just hit them over the head with it.

    "So you guys know the whole secret identity thing is bullshit, right?"

    The team bristled as they took in my words, Bitch's dogs letting out a low threatening growl. Even Taylor's monotone translation held a hint of incredulity at my phrasing. I held back a wince.

    "Princess, if you're trying to threaten us, now might not be the best time," Lisa said, idly looking at our surroundings. "This place is awfully public to go starting a fight."

    I glared at her. 'Neutral until proven otherwise' my ass. "No, I'm trying to make a point. Capes depend on this… nebulous good will protecting their secret identities. But when people break the rules, nothing happens. When the Empire gets outed, no one gives a shit. When Dragon stakes you all out in your houses for a week on end, no one cares. When my aunt is murdered in her bedroom–"

    My hands fisted, and my lips pulled back from bared teeth. There was an angry, bitter little girl inside me that had never forgiven the world for that. That had never forgiven Carol for deciding my life would be decided for me before I was even born.

    It was getting harder not to listen to that voice these days.

    "The point is," I continued, my hands burning even as I gathered steam, "you guys relied on it to protect you. And it didn't. The only reason Dragon didn't bust the door down is because she decided not to. You couldn't do anything."

    Bitch was outright growling now, her hands curling into fists. Were her dogs getting bigger? It was tough to say.

    "What's your point?" Brian asked.

    I turned to him, my eyes hard and sharp. "I'm saying that the Heroes already proved that identities are bullshit. Coil had you on file, and I'd give good odds that the PRT found half of you out even before they seized his files. Relying on secrecy won't keep you safe from them, and relying on their discretion or goodwill won't keep you safe from anyone. So why not rub it in their faces for all it's worth?"

    I could feel the tension building in the air. "Show everyone who you really are."

    Chaos. Half a dozen voices all yelling at once. Frantic buzzing under loud words. Barking. Fists. Clenched. Tight. Dark.

    "Enough!" Taylor–Skitter–yelled.

    Everyone shut up.

    I lifted my head enough to crack an eye open and peek at the carnage. Brian was breathing heavily, his face caught between a mix of anger and despondency. Aisha was grinning wildly, almost on the verge of cackling as she sat on the railing behind the group. Alec was painfully nonchalant as he leaned on it next to her. Bitch was…

    "Why?" Brian's voice was quiet, but no less heavy for it.

    I swallowed, then set my jaw and shook my hands out to get them working again. "Because I want to help. Because taking territories and being Villains is what Coil wanted you to do. Because you don't have to be Villains to get what you want. Because it's right."

    "Right?" Bitch snorted. "Right would be kicking you to the curb. Showing those fuckers exactly what we think of them. What makes you think you know shit? What gives you the right to tell us what to do?"

    Suddenly I was seeing red. "What gives me the right?" I asked as I met her glare with a snarl. "I have the right because I gave them everything and they tossed me aside like trash! I have the right because I know better than you do what's at stake, because I'm trying to help you and you won't fucking listen!"

    I turned and pointed accusingly at Alec, not caring that Taylor was lagging behind, that my signs were wild and clumsy enough that she was struggling to translate, that I probably looked like a maniac as I gestured aggressively at him. "Do you really mean to tell me you need to be a crime lord to play fucking video games? That you enjoy all that work and risk? That you can't do anything else?"

    I rounded on Brian. "That you can't protect Aisha without being some kind of a villain? That she can't protect herself now? That you doing this isn't getting her even more involved?"

    I turned to meet Bitch's glare, stomping up to her and returning her scowl in full. "Coil is gone. Whatever agreement you had with him is dead. If you want to protect your dogs then listen to me because I want to help you do that. But if you don't, you're going to end up the same way he did."

    There was a moment of silence, before Bitch lunged forward and slugged me in the jaw. The movement was so quick and powerful that I stumbled backwards into Taylor. She caught me just as I lost my balance, dizzy from the sudden impact.

    "Don't fucking tell me what to do," Bitch snarled as she stood over me. "You want to talk shit with these idiots, fine. But leave me and my dogs alone."

    Her words rang out into the silence of the early morning air as she turned and walked away, whistling sharply for her dogs to follow.

    "Well," Aisha said, "I think that went well."


    A/N:
    What can I say, I like the chaos.

    So remember how I mentioned that Tori doesn't always have the right answer? Yeah. Our girl is very good at talking to people, especially given her age and trauma. But those things still show sometimes, and when they come up they hit hard. Is Tori in the right here? Debatable. Should she have gone about it this way? Absolutely not.

    I really enjoyed filling out some of the lesser known parts of Brockton in this story, Seaside Park being one of them. There's nothing in canon described other than the memorial and the bench where Taylor and Lisa talk, so you have a lot of room to go off of. In light of that, I thought I'd share this post on Overlooked Canon Elements to get more people inspired and thinking about similar gaps in the source material. Be inventive, take an inch for a mile!
     
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    • justanothercat said:
    I swallowed. That wasn't a 'no', but it sure as hell wasn't a 'yes'. Lisa nodded, not looking remotely surprised. "Right. And either way, I said nothing about endorsing this… plan myself. You two are on your own there. But I promise not to get in your way, and if you talk the others round, I'll help with the PRT." Her grin was wicked. "It'll be fun. I'm kind of hoping you succeed, just so I get to see the look on Piggot's face."
    Click to expand...
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    Y'know, except for the comment at the end, this is all getting pretty into the territory of political plays and strategy. Like, these sorts of backroom deals in preparation to get others to sign off on a project wouldn't be out of place on an Aaron Sorkin drama.
     
    Winged One said:
    That is the stupidest fucking way to phrase it I've ever seen. Alec's in hiding for a damn good reason, and I think she knew the reason at this point in the timeline.
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    I mean, Taylor has a bit of a penchant for both under- and overstatement. Honestly it sounds to me like a very Taylor way of not disclosing precisely what Alec's "PR issue" is while hinting that it might be complicated.
     
    Winged One said:
    That is the stupidest fucking way to phrase it I've ever seen. Alec's in hiding for a damn good reason, and I think she knew the reason at this point in the timeline.
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    Know it? Yes. Appreciate the full weight of it, though? Alec has always been a bit of a blind spot for Taylor, as he never really clicked as a threat to her infiltration plan like Rachel (violence,) Brian (seduction,) or Lisa (discovery) were.
     
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